is it still january? jeez, is this month ever going to end? this is by far the longest month of the year or at least it feels that way. these cold days drip by like molasses (or pitch! i recently read about this, the world’s longest experiment, which demonstrates the fluidity of pitch. it has taken 77 years for nine drops to fall).

last weekend, i traveled to sunny florida to act as my nephew’s godmother at his baptism (pro tip: warm the water before pouring it on the baby’s head to prevent crying). i was there barely 48 hours which was long enough to get used to wearing sandals and short sleeves, green leaves and flowers and palm trees but not long enough to fully appreciate them until i was shivering back here in the midwest. i enjoyed the time with my sister’s family and wish we could all go back for spring break. alas, that will not happen this year. my eldest son, however, is totally spoiled and is going down for a cardinal’s spring training game with my equally spoiled father.

the morning after i returned from florida, i did my third live interview on local tv on behalf of savvy source. i felt less prepared this time since i hadn’t gotten in until 11 the night before and was still thinking of palm trees and beaches but the interview went well. after the traveling/tv flurry of activity, i settled into doing as little as possible while nursing a cold and taking care of snot filled kids. the laundry seems to be multiplying when i’m not looking and no matter how much i clean, the house is always a mess. some folks complain about not having flying cars yet but i want to know where my robotic maid is. all these technological advances abound and all i want is a robotic humanoid to wash my clothes and clean my toilets. is that too much to ask? under these days of new hope and broken barriers with our new presidental administration, can’t i get a freakin robo maid? who do i call?

speaking of our new president, i did not watch the inauguration festivities when they were aired because i was too busy acting like a senior citizen. i read about a class action lawsuit settlement were dillard’s and macy’s were giving away lancome and clinque cosmetics on tuesday morning so i headed to the mall after i dropped lily off at preschool. when i got there, i realized the mall didn’t open for 45 minutes so i joined the mall walkers and walked a few laps past the empty stores until it was close to opening time. ten minutes before they opened, i stood outside of the department store and inadvertently started a queue. five minutes later, there were 50 women and one animated guy standing behind me clamoring for free moisturizer. it was like a Cocoon version of the “no YOU open the door, i did it last time” furniture store commercial. i still cannot believe i spent half my morning mall walking and scavenging free clinque moisture quench (and mascara!).

i did watch aretha’s bow and obama’s inaugural speech on someone’s phone and that is how i will remember this historic event. i waited for free stuff at the mall and shared the moment with a stranger. maybe that means something. later that night, mike and i gathered the kids on the couch and we watched the inaugural ceremony on our DVR. our oldest had already watched it at school that day and was less than enthused about watching it again. the triplets have no interest in non-cartoon television and spent most of the time flipping over the couch and hitting us on the head in between standing right in front of the screen (i swear i want at flat screen tv just so we can hang it over their heads and foil their attempts at blocking the screen). i think our oldest will remember the 2008 presidential election and tuesday’s inauguration. i hope he remembers being warm on the couch surrounded by his loud, obnoxious, loving family and being excited about our new president.

that was my week- florida, tv, presidents, laundry. i can hardly wait to see what next week shall bring.

oh dear, i’ve hit the “post-christmas, not much to look forward to and sick of being cold” season. this is my least favorite time of the year but i’m trying to keep my patience by remembering daffodils sometimes start poking out of the ground around valentine’s day which is only a month away! february will be here in a two weeks and it is the shortest month of the year then comes march which is springy! sure, it often snows on the new spring blooms around here but once the greenery starts to reappear, the end of winter is in sight. we’re nearing the last mile of the marathon kids, just have to push forward! i’m also keeping myself sane by stomping away on my beloved Wii Balance Board. i’ve been doing it every day since Christmas and the endorphin rush from boxing the animated bag or hula hooping on the advanced level makes me feel better. hmm, exercise makes your brain feel better? who knew? oh yeah, everyone else.

i’ve also been suffering from lack of updating guilt which i’m trying to remedy with this post. i have been writing for my savvy source st. louis site and working on some outside projects (!) which i love but leaves me feeling lackadaisical about typing out my feeeeelings here. however, the work is part of my ongoing goal of making money from the comforts of home and my pajamas. of course, as any parent who has tried to work at home with kids around knows, working at home isn’t easy. in order to work when the kids are here, i have to tune them out enough to concentrate but not enough to listen for sounds of danger or mayhem. yesterday, i sat at the kitchen table with my laptop while the triplets were in the next room. i could hear what they were doing and they were running by me every few minutes while i finished researching an article. my half attention resulted in an alright article probably filled with grammatical or spelling errors and three preschoolers, the carpet and a window covered in the leftover spaghetti-o’s that i had left in a bowl on the counter. another day, they coated the ceramic tile in butter and then wrote on their faces (and somehow inside of one of the boy’s ears) with purple markers.

lest you think i’m spacing out and questioning how i could not hear what they were doing, they do all of these things in a matter of seconds. okay, minutes. two minutes and three three year olds equals chaos. i try to write when they are at preschool but that is the only time i can run to the store or take vital naps since three is apparently the magic NO NAPS age. since i am basically nocturnal, never go to bed on time, have a hard time falling asleep when i do and abhor mornings, i need naps. my husband understands this and sometimes forces me to take a nap which is yet another reason he is awesome (and forcing me to take a nap consists of saying the word nap in an inquisitive voice).

even though it can be hectic, i am very happy and lucky with our current situation. the kids are really fun (i’ve said it before but i’ll say it again. i love three years old) even though their destructive capabilities are truly amazing. there is a discovery channel show called “Destroyed in Seconds” that features swift disasters and i think they should do a triplet toddler edition. we could let them loose in an antique store, a china shop or electronics store and watch their rampant destruction on candid camera. it would be awe inspiring yet cute because even when they are acting like terrors, they say adorable things and make it difficult to be angry at their antics. they may be magic.

so that’s my current life. writing, wrangling, laughing and being cold. hope you are still laughing in the midst of your personal chaos because really, what else can you do?

speaking of laughing, i took this photo of my four goofballs at the butterfly house last weekend. if it doesn’t make you smile, you’re dead inside.

“Clean your room”

“Why?”

“Because I said so”

“Why did you say so?”

“Do it”

“But it isn’t that dirty!”

“Good, it won’t take you that long”