One month survival skills

I've never been one of those people who can write well when there is a lot of noise in the background. Particularly music. I like music with a beat in its place - as when I'm cleaning house, playing with babies, anything that involves motivation. But for studying, focusing, I need quiet or relaxing, classical music. Unfortunately, neither of my kids care for classical music. It's not from lack of hearing it. I religiously listened to Mozart, Handel, et al. during their pregnancies. But to no avail. Greta was almost guaranteed to fall asleep in the car if we put rap on the radio. And Joseph is following suit. Right now, Greta is in bed, the boys are downstairs playing COD, and Joseph is in his swing. Here I am, trying my best to focus and writing something slightly intelligible. But at a cost. The only way I can get Joseph to lay quietly in his swing is to play my Celtic Rock station on Pandora. Not in a mute undertone. Oh no, he wants to listen to the lyrics. If all of a sudden, I start writing the random lyrics to "Black and Tans," you are forewarned. 

As I've assured myself numerous times in the past month, Joseph is the best part of this whole birth thing. What a crazy, stressful, trying month! It isn't right to call the month in which Christmas falls "a month out of hell," but that is sure what it's felt like. Mother in law drama, coupled with extremely cold weather, baby blues, visiting family, the holidays, and unending rounds of sickness have me completely wiped out. But I think, I really, really think that we are getting to the end of the tunnel (not the end of the rope). Everyone has gone home who does not belong here. The babies are over their colds. I'm not sick anymore. My brother, Daniel, has started school here in Gallup. He'll be living with us for the next semester. He's settling in well. Josh loves having the excuse to buy an Xbox and play Call of Duty "to entertain Daniel, Maria!" Oh geesh.

There was supposed to be a theme to this post, but as I go along, I'm finding that there isn't. And it's a pity, because I sit in bed ALL THE TIME nursing Joseph and writing awesome posts in my head. The problem is that once I sit down to write, I begin to suffer from major writer's block. I was going to write about baby blues, but I'm feeling good tonight and that seems very far away. I will say that we are NEVER going to have sex again during the months of April, May or June because I NEVER want to have a baby in the winter. I'm going stir crazy being in the house all the time and dealing with colds. But I have a tentative solution. I'm going to start working on my thesis again and leaving the house after dinner to do it. I'm going to make dinner, have dinner with the family, then pack up my computer and scoot over to Camille's and write for an hour. The boys can handle the babies that long, right? I hope so.

Joseph doesn't like Flogging Molly, so I have to cut short this riveting post.