Tuesday, January 28, 2014

A Whole Lotta Vagina in the House

"There's a whole lotta vagina in this house".  Moira aged 5

This is the truth when living in a home with three daughters under the age of six.

Mo made this comment not soon after I had Margo one night at the dinner table. My husband is outnumbered in a house full of XX chromosomes, and if pressed, he admits he would not want it any other way. 

To some the idea of three daughters sounds like a nightmare, while others believe it heaven on earth. For us, it's us. Our complete family, the family I had always dreamed.

Generally those close to me have refrained from comments on our female heavy family. It is however the rest of the public who have yet to catch on.  

While pregnant with Margo, I found myself answering numerous questions from complete strangers regarding our desire to add to our family. Pair this with the various unsolicited comments that made their way to me, and one might might believe a notion that for our family to be complete, we needed a boy.

Imagine the disbelief when I had the audacity to outright admit I hoped for another girl?

I still answer questions now, as the mother of three daughters that make my brain question some members of humanity.

These are a few nuggets that came my way:

"Oh. Are they all girls and are they all yours?"

Yes and yes.

"I'm sorry."

Wait, are you talking to me? Why would you apologize?

"You must have your hands full, you know, with three little girls?"

No actually right now they're empty, as the two younger ones are secured in the new car carts and the older one is actually of an age where I can trust her to walk around the grocery store. Oh you mean, hypothetically, my hands are full because I have a house of girls.
Yes. My hands are full. Not because they're girls, but more so because there are three children under the age of six who demand my complete and utter attention 99.9% of the time day in and day out.

That usually is enough to stop the comments. But there are others that stick out as quite memorable.

"Don't you want to give your husband a son?"

Nope.
And frankly this statement demonstrates that the speaker obviously missed the biology lecture in which we learn that it is the male of our species that determine sex. He had his chance, via HIS sperm for a boy. Talk to those failed swimmers that were Team Bry.

"Don't you feel like you're missing out?"

Really? I am at a complete loss with this one. I think the only thing we're missing is another penis in our house. 

"No. I mean, don't you feel like since you don't have a son you miss out on stuff."

Again. no.
Thanks to Title IX and the Equal Rights Amendment, my daughters have the option of pursuing their athletic dreams, and academic pursuits. 

"Girls can't(insert activity here)".

I have two things as of today they cannot do because they are girls. One is become a Catholic Priest, and the other is pee standing up.  Thanks to some childhood friends who invented the Go Pilot, the peeing standing up has a chance of becoming a reality, and in my honest opinion, based on the current state of the Catholic Church, perhaps there may the open door policy for women by the time my girls are of age.

"But who will toss a ball around with Bry?"

Have you met my daughter Moira, or as I have recently discovered was nicknamed the "Mo-chine" by a parent of a soccer teammate? He has nothing to worry about there.

"Who will carry on the last name?"

One of them. All of them. None of them. It's up to them. There is no guarantee that just because we have a son he will reproduce, or just because we have daughters they will take the surname of their spouse.

"Oh, you'll have to pay for three weddings".

Again, not necessarily. Let's get them through high school and college, have them find a good job, and a suitable life partner before we worry about who will cover the expenses for these fictional weddings.

"Girls are tough. They're emotional all the time, and they never shut up."

Have you met my brother?
(Sorry Joey.)

Ultimately, our family is perfect for us just the way it is, four females and one male.

As my husband likes to point, as the only male in a house full of women does have some benefits. We agreed early on after Moira was born, that I would give our daughters the sex ed talk, while Bryan would take on any sons.

Point for Bry here.

Also, we agreed that in general, out and about, I would be the one to take our daughters into the restroom, as the men's rooms are usually less clean.

Again, score another point for Bry.

In the end, I think all parents, or at least most of us hold fast to the notion "we get what we get and we don't get upset". In our case, this is getting to parent three fabulously fantastic little girls. I don't sit around dwelling on the fact we don't have a son, because in the scope of things that matter, it's the furthest thing on my list. And also, if I do have the time to actually sit, it's spent eating, or catching up on the DVR or composing some piece like this.

I don't claim to understand all daughters and frankly I doubt we may fail to understand most girls.  But we do 'get' our girls. Diversity at it's best thrives in our home I do say. As even though they share the same DNA, they are as different as can be.

Our home is filled with love, lots of energy, and as Mo said, a whole lotta vagina.



Monday, January 20, 2014

Four?!?!?

How did she already turn four?

I feel like that cold and super snowy January of 2010 was only a month ago, not four years.

The past few days have been dedicated to our Shiny baby. My ballerina girl and the Sunshine of our lives.

She's celebrated with her Grammies at Sweet & Sassy, then it was brownies and juice boxes at her preschool. Throw in a Brave theme birthday party on Saturday - update to come. She has been lauded to the point of confusion. Asking, is my birthday tomorrow too?

Any way we look at it, she's FOUR!

I love this crazy kid!


Sunday, January 19, 2014

Week-end End

This week we were asked to concentrate on 10 Things to do on the weekend.

Instead I will twist this topic on its side a bit, and share 10 things I am known to do on a Saturday or Sunday.

1. Jump in the car for an impromptu trip down the shore for a day of body surfing, sand castle building, and of course some frozen treats from the fudgy wudgy man.
For all you non-Philadelphia area readers, this means we pack up the car and drive the hour and a half to the beach. 

2. Thrown an over the top party to celebrate the birthday of one of my daughters.

3. Hit up the Farmers market. We'll sample some fresh apple cider, buy all kinds of tomatoes, corn, fruit and the occasional loaf of crusty bread. We'll end the morning with freshly squeezed orange juice, waffles for the girls, and devour the most delicious bacon, tomato, corn, & cheese quesadillas.

4. Church - Me plus the older two.

5. Break out the soccer gear, wrangle all three children, and head to our seats at the Philadelphia Union.

6. I try to make my hair appointments for early Saturday morning. This way I'm good for the rest of the day. That is when I remember to make the appointments.

7. From September to November, early Saturday mornings are spent watching my two soccer girls, while attempting to contain my future soccer girl.

8. Saturday night before kids would have been date night. Now, if I'm lucky it can be again! However, instead of heading out at 10, we're in around then.

9. Head to Sesame Place.
Though I usual abstain from Sesame Place in the summer, in the spring & fall, Sesame Place often has special guests headlining. We have seen the Fresh Beat Band and Jack Hanna - animal expert here.

10. Swim Lessons and dinner at Chipotle. This is now our usual Sunday mid-afternoon, and seriously I could eat Chipotle daily.


What about you? What's your typical weekend? Are you lucky enough to sleep? I have memories of that, but alas, three kids in under five years, sleep is just a dream.

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Monday, January 13, 2014

10

This week an open list. We were asked for a list of ten, anything we so desire.

And so I post,  my list of ten topics in which I should never write. Never will I write about the following:

1. Ten simple strategies to add color to your make up routine.

2. Ten ways to get your body in shape just like me! (love handles and stretch marks free of charge).

3. Ten vegan/vegetarian/pescatarian/paleo recipes

4. Ten tips to bring out your child's inner Honey Boo Boo.

5. Ten places you must visit in snowshoes.

6. The ten ways to score a free drink at a club.

7. Ten secret tips to scale down your grocery bill.

8. Ten ways to organize your closets.

9. Ten alternatives to throwing your child a big birthday party.

10. Ten ways to earn money blogging.


What would you never write about?

Monday, January 6, 2014

Brand Spanking New

This week in Listicle land, we are instructed to make a list of ten things we love that are new. As is the new year, I'll just dive into it.

1. Newly Cleaned Sheets

Ah, that moment you climb into a freshly made bed is heaven.

2. New Car Smell

Yes they make those little car fresheners that attempt to mimic this smell, but this is not even close to that smell of a new car.

3. New Baby

A new baby is placed in your arms and suddenly the world goes away. It doesn't necessarily even need to be your own, but that feeling of getting lost in this new being, nothing comes close that feeling.

4. New Heels

Especially when they're paired with a....

5. New Bag

6. New season at the beach

This one is kind of a stretch, but that first day we head to the beach on Easter. The quiet sand and surf before the crazy chaos of the summer months.

7. New Restaurant

I love when we're seated, at a new restaurant and the waiter places the menu in my hands. Perusing the guide, debating the choices, and ultimately making a selection is a favorite hobby.

8. New Recipe Success

I never considered myself much of a cook, however my confidence in the kitchen is slowly improving. I'll even go so far as say I enjoy making dinner now, most days.

9. New Year

I'm not talking the calendar year, I'm thinking more my year. I have never been one to hide my age. Thirty five has been quite fabulous so far, and with each birthday I celebrate another new year.

10. New Friends

This year, as my two older girls have made new friends in their respective Kindergarten and preschool. They are both flourishing in their classes. I am surprised, however, that along the way I too have made some new friends. How lucky are we?

So what do you like new? Link up with Stasha!