a few little points to ponder (iv)

If a child doesn't like to eat the crust, they will eat an interesting pattern around the rim of their bread. Or bagel, which doesn't even have a crust ... but that is neither here nor there when you are three.

I don't know why our children don't like to eat the crust of bread. This isn't something they've learned from me ... because I love the crust. I think that an aversion to crusts is the nature of children. Much like it is in their nature to scream "ECHO!!" or "AARRGHH!!" whenever they are in any area that might cause a reflection of their sound waves.

Like a public restroom.

Or a canyon.

Or a church sanctuary.

Interestingly enough, when you take heels of bread - which are the texture and consistency of crust - to the pond to feed the ducks - those very children who have an aversion to crusts, will confiscate the bag of heels and stealthily try to consume every last one. They will delight in eating food that just a few moments earlier - during a picnic lunch - caused absolute repulsion.

So, if you are having a difficult time getting your children to eat their vegetables, try feeding them to the ducks. (The vegetables, that is.)

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When I was at the store this past weekend, by myself, I saw a father shopping with his 2.5-year old twin girls. As I stood at the checkout counter next to him, I watched, with a gleam in my eye, as this man tried to purchase a few new pairs of pants and a pair of shoes, while keeping his children from pulling everything off the counter. It was difficult to contain my laughter because the girls were so cute and the father was so flustered.

Sometimes, I don't think our children are very cute. When I'm in an environment where my kids are pulling everything off the counter, I don't think they are cute at all.

But to onlookers, they probably are.

The lone parent who is doing the best they can to keep their children contained while they complete a simple errand without terrible disruption, may not realize that they are providing validation for someone who really needed it that day.

And quite possibly, a smidge of comic relief.

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So, I'm training for this "big" race on the Fourth of July, right?

I ran last Saturday with my "team" and then I didn't do anything - not a single thing - except eat an untold number of peanut butter cups and worry "How am I EVER going to get ready for a 10K race in less than two months time?!"

This past Saturday, I skipped the weekly training session with my team because Charlie was still recovering from his hurt back and we had a garage sale that needed to be managed. No running the first week and missing the second team meeting?

That's called being off to a LOSER start.

Yesterday morning, I received an e-mail from my running buddy and fellow triplet mom, Jessica. This is from her e-mail:

"OK - so at yesterday's run ... during "group" (which I did stay for after all) we were continually mentioned in the same breath as the woman with the 5 week old (now 6 week old). e.g. . . "Well. I am finding this running so challenging but I told myself if a woman with a new baby and 2 triplet moms can do it - I can do it!" etc. etc. And now for the topper . . . [our coach] was discussing her group with the President of the whole running group (nationally) - and she wants to FEATURE US (you and me baby) in the National newsletter for June. Oy. Get ready...!"

I ran on Sunday, minutes after receiving Jessica's e-mail, and I'll be running again, tomorrow, Thursday and Saturday.

Because I'm not a runner - never have been a runner - and don't much like the idea of running ... although I love the idea of having a runner's physique and endurance ... I have embraced the "Couch-To-5K" plan that Christine and Lisa suggested. Except I'm doing Couch-To-10K, but I'll be following the same principles of the 5K training outline. Currently, I can't run more than 90 seconds without feeling like my limbs are going to fall off and my lungs are going to explode, but I'm sure that will improve.

It has to.

Nothing motivates one to put down their peanut butter cups and lace up their running shoes like knowing they are going to be FEATURED in a national newsletter in less than a month.

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Like a bolt of wisdom from the heavens, I recently realized that the reason that Henry hasn't been sleeping very well - is because I am putting him down way too late for his naps. Once I made a minor tweak to his schedule - I remembered that this is exactly what I had to do with the triplets and I couldn't believe that I'd forgotten the fundamental principle for getting a baby to sleep.

Henry wakes up at around 5:00 AM to be nursed. I bring him to bed with me, and he'll nurse and snooze for the next hour and a half. He wakes up, and I try to feed him breakfast by 7:00, no later than 7:30 AM. Up until a week ago, I was keeping him up until 9:00 to go down for his first nap. I know realize that I should have been putting him down before that time, because he was overtired.

And although it seems counter-intuitive, a baby that is overtired doesn't sleep well.

He now goes down for his first nap by no later than 8:00 AM. The first time, he stayed awake for 45 minutes - with a variable amount of crying - before falling asleep for 45 minutes. But since then, once I put him down he will usually fall right to sleep with no crying and will sleep for a solid hour and a half. He is awake again by 9:30 or 10:00.

His second nap of the day happens right after I feed everyone lunch, around 12:30 or 1:00 PM. Although "ideally" I would put him down for his second nap around noon, I keep him up a little later to coincide with when the triplets take their nap.

Henry will sleep for anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours in the afternoon, while the triplets will sleep anywhere from two to three hours. Sometimes, I'll give him a pacifier to extend the nap if he wakes up earlier ... because although I said before blah blah pacifiers ... I'm constantly changing my mind about things.

Last week, I could never imagine wanting to have more children. But now that I've got a whole hour and a half to myself during the afternoon, I could see having four more. Hence it appears that not only am I indecisive ... I am mentally unstable.

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This past weekend during an outing to Balboa Park, we all wore our new Life Is Good t-shirts. We also all wore our Columbia wide-brimmed sport hats, cargo pants, and (those that are walking) Keen shoes. I thought we looked so cool, the six of us, in our matching garb.

We were out of our car for no more than five minutes when a woman came up and started to photograph us. Then, another woman walked over and said "You are SO cute in your matching hats and shirts. Oh my gracious, what a cute, cute family!!"


Charlie shot me a look before pulling off his hat and putting on a sweatshirt. Then, he exasperatedly said "Jen, I am not cute. Nor will I wear things that will provoke absolute strangers to come up and tell me that I am. I'll never do this again. Wearing matching outfits is CORNY."

Yesterday, as we were driving in the car, the song "Green Eyes" by Cold Play came on the radio. Charlie told me that he has been practicing this song on his guitar and has changed the words from "Green Eyes" to "Blue Eyes". He said that this song brings tears to his eyes every time he hears it. But even still, he is planning to sing this song while strumming his guitar, at both of our daughter's weddings.

*chortle*

I bet the girls would love that.

So long as he isn't wearing his wide brimmed Columbia hat, that wouldn't be corny at all.

If both of our daughters elope ... the mystery isn't lost on me.