People keep asking me what life is like with three and how I manage. My answer to the second part of the question is the same as when I had two kids - I just do. I mean, I don't have much of a choice, do I? That's not to say it's easy juggling three kids, because it's not.
It takes far more planning and organization than comes naturally to me. I've had to become a stickler about certain things to make life easier. For example, every afternoon after we do homework, Ella has to put her daily folder and homework notebook in her backpack and her backpack next to the front door. I learned very early in the school year that this little step saved us lots of running around and yelling first thing in the morning. Also, when she takes her shoes off, they have to go in the basket in her closet. Otherwise, we have to launch a house-wide search for the shoes just as we're trying to leave in the morning.
I'm also making Lily be more responsible for her own things. She has to bring her lunchbox in from the car every day and put it on the kitchen counter. She also has to remember to bring her lovies with her in the car now; I don't automatically grab them for her. A few trips spent crying in the car taught Lily that she needed to bring them each morning. She's also started clearing her own place at the table and putting her plate in the dishwasher. She likes to tell me what a good helper she is.
I've also started carrying a huge diaper bag and keeping all of my stuff - wallet, checkbook, phone, etc - in it so that everything's in one place. I'm far more together than I ever have been. Although, I do keep forgetting to put in a new change of clothes for Campbell. He's ridden home in just a diaper more than once in the past two weeks.
As for what life is like with three kids, I can't really say yet. Campbell's a baby, not a kid. He's so labor intensive right now that I can't get an real feel for what my future will be. As for what's like right now - noisy and busy. There are times when all three kids are crying; that's when I usually join in. And there is always something going on - Campbell needs a diaper changed just as Lily needs help in the bathroom and Ella needs help spelling something. Everything seems to happen at once. But there are good moments. There was an hour Saturday morning when Campbell was happy in his swing and the girls were playing "hospital" together and life was really peaceful. It gave me great hope that the future won't be as chaotic.
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