Apparently, the universe has decided that a peaceful, uneventful existence simply isn’t for me.
😂
Between migraines, sick kiddos, a boyfriend who spent half the week feeling like death, and a bodily fluid situation that I genuinely believe should qualify as a natural disaster, I’m beginning to wonder what I’ve done to deserve this level of entertainment.
And somehow, in the middle of all that?
I got to experience one of the most nostalgic nights I’ve had in a long time.
There was music, laughter, a few surprisingly peaceful moments, and enough attitude from a four-year-old to make me question whether she’s secretly a teenager.
I also learned that apparently there’s no limit to how much poop one tiny human can produce.
Unfortunately.
😭☠️
So, let’s talk about it.
☕ This Week’s Comfort
Y’ALL.
THREE DAYS GRACE.
😭🖤
Wednesday night, my boyfriend and I went to see Three Days Grace in concert, and I don’t think I realized just how badly I needed that night until I was sitting there, listening to music that has been part of my life for so many years.
The Funeral Portrait opened the show, and I’d never heard of them before.
They were so much fun!
I love when an opening band manages to surprise me. You go into a concert excited to see the bands you already know, and suddenly there’s somebody onstage making you wonder how you’ve managed to go this long without hearing their music.
Then came I Prevail.
PHENOMENAL.
Seriously.
They put on one hell of a show.
And then?
THREE DAYS GRACE.
Listen.
There’s something about hearing songs you’ve loved since you were younger being performed live. Songs you’ve listened to hundreds of times. Songs you know every word to without even thinking about it.
And suddenly, you’re hearing them in person.
I spent part of the concert enjoying myself like I normally would, but toward the end, something changed.
I found myself just sitting there.
Not jumping around.
Not dancing.
Just listening.
Soaking up every bit of that early 2000s feeling.
And you know what?
It was wonderful.
I don’t think we always realize how much music becomes attached to different parts of our lives. You can hear a song you haven’t listened to in years, and suddenly you’re remembering things you hadn’t thought about in forever.
Sometimes those memories are good.
Sometimes they’re not.
But the music is still there.
And for a little while Wednesday night, I got to sit beside my boyfriend and enjoy something that has meant so much to me for so long.
No responsibilities.
No worrying about work.
No thinking about everything I needed to do when I got home.
Just music.
And honestly?
I needed that.
Of course, Thursday reminded me that I’m not quite as young as I used to be.
🤣
Listen.
I requested Thursday off work.
And I told my manager we were going out of town.
So, if by some chance she happens to stumble across this blog—
I’m sorry I lied to you.
BUT THAT CONCERT WAS WELL WORTH IT.
😂☠️
I’m a little older now.
I cannot stay out until midnight, get up at six in the morning, and then spend an entire day chasing around an autistic kiddo who likes to throw his speaking device at my head.
I simply do not have enough energy for all of that anymore.
My younger self might have been able to manage it.
My current self?
Absolutely not.
I needed that day off.
And I enjoyed having it.
No regrets.
📸 Through My Lens
I don’t have a big photography adventure to share this time.
Honestly, I barely had time to keep track of what day it was, let alone plan anything involving my camera.
But that doesn’t mean there weren’t moments worth remembering.
Friday, I had all three kiddos over, and something happened that I genuinely wasn’t prepared for.
They got along.
Y’ALL.
THEY ACTUALLY GOT ALONG.
🤣
They were playing together, hugging each other, apologizing when something went wrong, using their words, and asking for help instead of immediately getting upset.
At one point, I think I just sat there wondering what alternate universe I’d accidentally wandered into.
Because these are the same children who can turn a perfectly peaceful afternoon into an absolute war zone over a toy that nobody even wanted five minutes earlier.
And here they were.
Being sweet.
To EACH OTHER.
Now, granted, I think part of the reason they were being so calm was because they’d all been running fevers.
Which isn’t exactly how I want to achieve peace in my household.
But still.
😂
I love taking pictures of these kiddos, but I think sometimes I get so caught up in wanting to capture everything that I forget how nice it is to simply sit there and watch them.
To see them figuring things out.
Learning how to play together.
Learning how to ask for what they want.
And occasionally remembering that they actually like each other.
Those are the little moments I want to remember.
Not because they’re particularly exciting, but because they’re the kind of things that change so gradually you don’t always notice them happening.
One day, they’re fighting over every single toy in the house.
And then, out of nowhere, they’re asking each other nicely if they can have a turn.
Of course, I’m not expecting this newfound cooperation to last forever.
Let’s not get carried away.
🤣🖤
💭 A Thought I’ve Been Carrying
Can we talk about how much patience it takes to deal with children sometimes?
Because Monday?
MONDAY TESTED ME.
😭☠️
I had called out of work because I had a migraine, and my boyfriend called out because he wasn’t feeling well either.
I ended up getting all three kiddos earlier than originally planned so my sister could go to work earlier.
And for a while?
Things were going beautifully.
The boys were napping, and Sissy was being SO well behaved.
I mean, genuinely wonderful.
Then the boys woke up.
And apparently, that was her cue to start acting a damn fool.
She was sitting on my lap watching videos with me on my phone when she accidentally headbutted me.
Now, I wasn’t mad at her.
It was an accident.
I simply suggested that she go get her own phone or her tabby so she could watch whatever she wanted.
Y’all.
You would have thought I’d committed some horrible crime.
She got upset, fell off my lap onto the floor, got up, and gave me the nastiest mean mug.
Then she walked over to the couch, doubled up her little fist, marched right back over to me—
AND PUNCHED ME.
MA’AM.
EXCUSE ME?!
No, it wasn’t particularly hard.
But that’s not the point.
You don’t get to hit people because you’re upset.
So I sat her down on the couch and took away her phone and tabby.
And while I’m trying to explain to her why she’s in trouble, she’s completely ignoring me and yelling at Doodoo for touching toys.
I had to repeat myself FOUR DIFFERENT TIMES.
FOUR.
Finally, this little girl curls her lip up like Elvis Presley, gives me the nastiest look imaginable, and BUCKS AT ME like she’s getting ready to hit me again.
Girl.
FIX YOUR FACE.
And what does she do?
ROLLS HER EYES AT ME.
😭☠️
I whopped it, and I told her she was going to sit on that couch until she could lose the attitude.
At some point, I got up to use the bathroom, and she suddenly stopped crying.
“I’m done crying now, NeeNee.”
Cool.
Sit there.
Then she started crying again.
I thought you were done crying?
🤣
Eventually, I went back into the living room, and she told me she was finished again.
This time, we actually managed to have our little conversation.
I explained why she’d gotten in trouble, gave her a few options for what she could do, and she decided she wanted to sit on the couch and watch videos on her phone.
And just like that?
She started acting right.
Imagine that.
😂
Meanwhile, my boyfriend spent most of the day hiding in the bedroom.
Why?
Because he said he was scared to come out with how much I was having to yell at the kids.
He wasn’t feeling well, and apparently he didn’t want to risk getting yelled at, too.
SIR.
🤣🤣🤣
But here’s the thing.
I know kids are still learning how to handle their emotions.
I know they’re going to get frustrated, disappointed, angry, and overwhelmed.
And I know that sometimes those feelings are going to come out in ways that aren’t particularly pleasant.
That doesn’t mean they get to do whatever they want.
Being upset doesn’t give you permission to hit somebody.
Being frustrated doesn’t mean you get to scream at everybody around you.
And having a bad day doesn’t mean there aren’t consequences for how you treat people.
I love that little girl more than I can explain.
But good grief.
She is going to give me gray hair before I’m forty.
😭🤣
❤️ This Week’s Gratitude
I’m grateful that I get to be somebody my sister can depend on.
I know I complain about the chaos.
And the noise.
And the fighting.
And the fact that these children apparently believe I exist solely to meet their every demand.
But I really do love having them around.
Friday morning, I woke up with a horrible stomach ache.
And considering the fact that practically everybody around me had been sick, I was convinced I was getting a stomach bug.
The kiddos had been sick.
My boyfriend had been sick.
And now my stomach was hurting.
Wonderful.
Except—
Nope.
Constipation.
Oops.
☠️
I took some medicine, drank some apple juice, handled my business, took a shower, and called my sister.
Then I ended up getting all three kiddos earlier than planned again so she could go make her money for rent.
And honestly?
I’m glad I could do that for her.
I know how much she’s got on her plate, and if taking the kids a little earlier makes things easier for her, I’m happy to help.
Even if it means occasionally questioning my own sanity.
🤣
And Friday gave me another reason to be grateful.
Sissy had been constipated for about a week.
A WEEK.
This poor little girl had been struggling, and I know how miserable that can be.
Well, while she was at my house, she finally managed to get it all out.
ON THE POTTY!
Y’ALL!
I WAS SO PROUD OF HER!
😭🖤
Listen, if you don’t spend a lot of time around little kids, you might not understand why I’m so excited about somebody pooping.
But when a child has been struggling to go for that long?
THAT IS A CELEBRATION.
I was so happy for her.
And Saturday, when Doodoo wasn’t feeling well, I was reminded of something else I love about being their NeeNee.
He wanted to cuddle.
He’d climb up into my lap, get comfortable, and settle in like that was exactly where he belonged.
Later in the day, his temperature climbed to 101.7, so I let him take a later nap than usual.
Because listen.
Hims running a fever.
Why wouldn’t I let him nap?
🥺
I know these days won’t last forever.
One day, they won’t be this little.
They won’t need me to hold them every time they don’t feel good.
They won’t be climbing into my lap or asking me to help them with every little thing.
And I’m sure there will come a day when I’ll miss all of that.
Probably even the constant demands for my attention.
Maybe.
Ask me again after I’ve had a full night’s sleep.
😂🖤
😂 This Week’s “Well…That Happened.”
Y’ALL.
I HAVE A STORY.
And I’m warning you right now.
It’s disgusting.
Absolutely disgusting.
😭☠️
Saturday, Pooh Boy went on his visit, so it was just me and Doodoo.
Now, remember how I mentioned that everybody had been sick?
Well, apparently I forgot that little detail for a moment.
And Mawmaw Nesi gave Doodoo some coffee and apple juice that morning.
Listen.
I don’t know what kind of chemical reaction happened inside that child’s digestive system.
But whatever it was?
IT SHOULD BE STUDIED BY SCIENTISTS.
Because a little while later, this boy had what I can only describe as—
A BLOWOUT OF MASS DESTRUCTION.
😭😭😭
Y’ALL.
IT WAS EVERYWHERE.
And when I say everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE.
It was all the way up to the base of his neck.
It had soaked through his jeans.
It was all the way down to his TOES.
HIS TOES!
AND IT WAS ALL OVER ME!
HOW?!
HOW DOES ONE SMALL HUMAN PRODUCE THAT MUCH POOP?!
I genuinely do not understand.
It was so bad that I couldn’t even take his clothes off normally.
I HAD TO PUT HIM IN THE BATHTUB JUST TO GET HIM NAKED.
THE BATHTUB.
TO GET HIS CLOTHES OFF.
😭☠️
Needless to say, he got a bath.
I changed clothes.
He changed clothes.
And after all of that?
This child climbed right back into my lap and cuddled up like absolutely nothing had happened.
SIR.
YOU JUST COMMITTED A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY.
AND NOW YOU WANT TO CUDDLE?!
🤣🤣🤣
Of course I let him.
Because he’s my baby.
And because apparently I have absolutely no self-respect when it comes to these children.
😂🖤
But wait.
We’re not finished.
Because Saturday night, I slept like absolute garbage.
I was up and down all night with a horrible stomach ache, feeling like I needed to poop.
And I knew exactly what that meant.
Aunt Flow was getting ready to make her monthly appearance.
😒
I was awake at two in the morning and couldn’t get back to sleep until four.
TWO HOURS.
Just lying there, uncomfortable, waiting for my body to figure out what the hell it wanted to do.
And then?
Sunday morning.
Eight o’clock.
I wake up.
COVERED.
IN.
AUNT.
FLOW.
MA’AM.
EXCUSE ME?!
YOU HAD ALL NIGHT.
ALL. NIGHT.
I WAS ALREADY AWAKE AT TWO IN THE MORNING!
YOU COULDN’T HAVE SHOWN UP THEN?!
YOU HAD TO WAIT UNTIL I FINALLY GOT SOME SLEEP?!
That’s just rude.
Absolutely disrespectful.
SMH.
😭☠️
I think sometimes we get so caught up in everything we have to do that we forget to appreciate the little things happening right in front of us.
And I know.
That sounds ridiculous coming from somebody who just spent an unreasonable amount of time describing a toddler’s poop explosion.
But hear me out.
Life isn’t always exciting.
It isn’t always peaceful.
And it certainly isn’t always pretty.
Sometimes you’re dealing with a migraine.
Sometimes you’re trying to convince a four-year-old that punching people is not an acceptable way to express frustration.
Sometimes you’re sitting at a concert, listening to music you’ve loved for years, and realizing how much life has changed since you first heard those songs.
And sometimes you’re standing in a bathroom wondering how the hell you’re supposed to get a poop-covered toddler out of his clothes without making the situation even worse.
But somewhere in the middle of all that chaos, there are moments that make everything worth it.
A little girl finally feeling better after being constipated for a week.
Three kids playing together without fighting.
A sick little boy who wants nothing more than to curl up in your lap.
A night out with the person you love, listening to music that makes you feel like a teenager again.
I don’t need every day to be extraordinary.
I don’t need everything to go according to plan.
And I certainly don’t need every moment to be picture-perfect.
I just want to keep finding those little things that make me happy, even when everything around me feels like complete and utter chaos.
Because one day, these kids will be older.
They won’t need me to hold them every time they don’t feel good.
They won’t be climbing into my lap after a bath or demanding my attention every five minutes.
And I’m sure there will come a day when I’ll look back on all of this and miss it.
Well.
Most of it.
I don’t think I’ll ever miss the poop explosions.
Let’s be reasonable.
🤣🖤
Until next time,
—Destiny 🖤
P.S. What’s one completely ridiculous thing that’s happened to you recently that you know you’ll be laughing about for years to come? Because I could really use some reassurance that I’m not the only person living in a sitcom. 😂
