Celebrating Number Two!

I know you have all been waiting for the party update - and perhaps some pictures to go along with it, so here goes!

M absolutely LOVES to play in her sandbox - which happens to be the same turtle sandbox that my sister played in when she was a kid. You know, the big plastic kind with the lid. Yes, we still have it (a true testament to 1- my family's inability to throw away something that may be useful again "someday" and 2- the truth to the statement that plastic will not break down for millenia). But I digress....

M LOVES to play in her sandbox, so I decided to expand that idea a little bit for her birthday party and have 3 sandboxes and some other fun outdoor toys - it was Extreme Playdate: Birthday Edition! I used 2 small plastic kiddie pools, 200 pounds of sand, 5 sand pails , 4 super-duper shovels, 3 gigantic pinwheels, 2 track-making toy trucks, 1 gigantic beach blanket and more to complete the theme.















It was just a little bit warm outside, and as morning moved into noontime, our shade quickly disappeared. We had plenty of drinks on hand (40 juice pouches, 24 bottles of water, and four 2-liter drinks, to continue the counting theme....) to keep both kids and parents cool, refreshed, and happy. See that smile on our youngest party guest?




















After some light snacks, we got down to business - time to blow out the candles and cut the cake!















See that birthday cake? Made by Grandma RL, it's the famous turtle sandbox in miniature! By the way, that's not really sand. Now, take a close look at the pink bucket on the table - the one that barely made it into the shot. For two birthdays in a row (yes, for those of you out there counting, that would be both of Miss M's birthdays) I have provided a non-traditional sort of cake. My Mom thinks you have to have something to actually cut, so she provides the baked-in-the-oven sort to complement the party theme. Again, I digress.... That pink bucket holds my creation - Sand Cake! It was loads of fun to make, and yummy, too (not just patting myself on the back, there, either!). It, too, was made with "fake" sand - aka Vanilla Wafers pulverized to sand-sized bits by the food processor. Hooray for small kitchen appliances!

To all the folks who had cameras at the party - if you have a family shot with no eyes winking and fingers pointing, could you email it my way? I know there's no way to make my hair look any better (in addition to hot, it was also humid...). For those of you wondering, my kids really can't sit still for pictures. J will either wink, give a thumbs up, or cut his eyes away at just the "right moment." M will wink, reach for the camera to "see it" even though you haven't had the chance to snap the shot, or just generally wiggle and try to get away. It's like trying to photograph that crazy squirrel from Over the Hedge.... If anyone did get the "miracle shot" though, would you email it to me?




















Maggie is great at blowing out the candles, but instead I decided to include a shot to show you how much Miss M enjoyed the "cuttable" cake (and prove to you that it wasn't really sand on the cake!).

Finally, some shout-outs to the folks who really helped make the day extra-special:
Grandma RL and Aunt L - for helping with the day-before-the-party shopping and other prep work, especially the turtle sandbox cake
Grandpa H and MeMaw M.A. - for making a (long) day trip to come and celebrate with us (can't wait to see you at the beach - and see the new bikes)
Grandma and Grandpa R - for also making a (long) day trip to come and celebrate with us (by the way, J wants to come and play on your swingset soon - he forgot to tell you until you were already driving away!)
Of course, all of our friends - our local "family" - who came to celebrate with us. In the hustle and bustle of the party, and of daily life in general, I know we don't tell you often enough how much each and every one of you means to each of us. With our parents and siblings living so far away, you truly are family to us. We are so thankful that you are a part of our lives, and treasure you so very much. Thank you for helping us to celebrate another milestone in our lives, and in the life of our sweet Miss M.

Miss M is 2 Today!

Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday Miss M!
Happy Birthday to You!

Hitting the ground running

Well, I got as close to hitting the ground running as I could, considering the 3 hour time difference from here to California and the 4am wake-up call to catch a 7:15am flight. After a few very hot (113 degrees!) but fun-filled days, I made it home. In addition to catching up with some of my former colleagues during my trip, I also got to dip my toes in the Pacific, play on the beach, and spend a few hours at Disneyland. Thanks to my MIL for coming to town to help Big J for a couple of days while I was having some west coast fun!

Now that I'm home, I'm spending my days preparing for M's birthday party on Saturday, and spending my evenings at Vacation Bible School. I didn't do much on Tuesday - just tried to get a little extra rest by taking it easy with the kids. But now we are full steam ahead - grocery shopping, cooking, and planning the final party details. This is the most exciting part for me - getting down to the finishing touches!

Speaking of, I have to get back to those details before time just runs out!

Goin' to Cali

I'm about to have a Mom Milestone ... I'm leaving the family for a few days to head west for a conference. It's the first time I've left both kids for more than a few hours, and the first time I've taken a trip by myself since 2003. I will admit that I am looking forward to a little peace and quiet in the evenings, but I also know that I'm going to miss Big J, Mister J, and Miss M terribly. I know that when I get home, Miss M's smile will be different - those three teeth that are just barely poking through her gums will be noticeably closer to their final destination. Mister J will be able to kick a soccer ball even further than before I left. And while I know that my kids will be in good hands - they'll be having a great time with Daddy - I will still worry about them. It's just what a mother does. And the wife part of me worries about Big J, too - these two kiddos are a handful! While I don't doubt his ability to care for them - he is often able to remain calm in situations where I'm about to lose my cool, and in general he's way more laid back - I know just what a tough job it can be sometimes!

I am doing the best I can to prepare the family for my absence. The freezer is full of Dream Dinners, and there are already a few thawing for the coming few days. I went to the grocery store on Saturday. We have started a new grocery list since then, but perhaps that's an excursion for Big J and the little ones. I'm talking to (little) J each day about my trip, preparing him for the few days that Dad is in charge. Big J is slowly taking over some of the routine with Miss M so she can adjust in her own way. Most importantly, I've performed the requested "brain dump" - put the most important things Big J needs to know on paper. I don't think that there is a way to prepare myself, other than to think about the trip itself - What do I need to pack? Did I remember to print my e-ticket? Should I check in online the night before? (That's a big YES, since I have to be at the airport at 6am....)

At dinner time each night I'm gone, I know that I'll be calling home to check in with the fam, tell the little ones goodnight (due to the 3-hour time difference), and count down the number of days until I'm home. Thank goodness for the "all-you-can-call" cell phone plan. I imagine there will be plenty of text and pix messages, too - that's what we did when Big J was on a business trip. Surely then I will know how hard it was for Big J to be away from us for a week, and I'll decide that perhaps next year, we will all go to the conference together again. It'll be in Boston - a much more manageable family trip.

Paint My Numbers

J is very interested in numbers. He likes to count things, read numbers, and has been known to ask, "What number are you?" No, it's not like asking, "Hey, what's your sign?" It's his way of asking how old you are. He also asks, "How many ____s until ____?" For example, how many days until Grandma gets to our house? Since he is so interested in numbers, I drew him a big number chart on a piece of poster board, and now we are decorating it. We started today with watercolors - only had a bit little of time while M caught a quick nap. While my goal is to have J work on it as much as possible to encourage his creativity. I also let him practice his management skills today and tell me what color to paint and where to paint it. He asked me, "How do you do that (stay in the lines)?" so we got to talk about working slowly and practicing to get better at something. And, he got to practice cleaning up. We were sitting on the kitchen floor with the paints and this big poster, and he got paint on the floor a few times, so we kept a box of wipes nearby. Amazingly, he didn't complain about cleaning up!

I am so surprised by the things we talked about today - but glad that he is hopefully learning some good lessons in the quiet time we have together.

By the way, I will post pictures soon - some in-progress shots and another once it's complete.

Exciting Experiment

Another food-related post - but this time no photos.

Many of you know that Miss M has some food allergies, including peanuts. In fact, we avoid all nuts, foods processed on equipment that also processes nuts, and foods processed/packaged in a facility in which also processes foods containing nuts. I do a LOT of label reading! You may or may not know that one of my favorite foods is - you guessed it - peanut butter. My favorite candy? Reese's peanut butter cups. I like M&Ms too - and even the nut-free varieties are off limits due to "shared equipment" warnings. In fact, pretty much any candy containing caramel or chocolate, and many types of cookies, cereals, and most granola bars are not a part of our diet due to this restriction. What's a peanut butter lover to do?

When M's allergies were diagnosed, her allergist recommended SunButter as an alternative. It's made from sunflower seeds, so it's a safe alternative. (OK, all you brainiacs, a peanut is technically a legume, and all the other things we avoid are truly nuts - but that's a convo for another day.) I talked with other parents of food-allergic kids, and got another recommendation for SunButter. All of the allergy websites out there listed it as a peanut butter alternative. "It can't be too bad," I thought, so we gave it a try. If you have ever tried SunButter - or any of the generic equivalents that are popping up out there - you know that it's just not the same. It's not bad, just not the same. Personally, I don't think it's good with jelly, but I will eat a plain SB sandwich or toast. The kids love SB&Js. Mister J made the switch very easily, and Miss M has really never known anything else. For my husband, however, we still keep a jar of real PB sequestered on a top shelf - and it only comes down when M is asleep.

"So," you are thinking, "When is she getting to the exciting part?" Right now! I was grocery shopping with the kids a couple of days ago, and we needed more grape jelly. As I do every time I walk down the aisle with the PB and all of the jams, jellies, and preserves, I gazed longingly at the jars of PB. And then I saw it - a jar I had glanced at before, but never seriously considered purchasing. I took it down off of the shelf, read the label again (I had read it at least once before), and put it in my shopping cart. I thought, "Why not give it a try? How bad can it be? And, if we hate it, it even has a satisfaction guarantee on the side...." That jar was soy butter.

I brought it home, set it out on the counter, and kept glancing at it as I put the groceries away, unloaded the dishwasher, reloaded the dishwasher, and started thinking about dinner. When my husband got home he looked at the jar, read the label, and got an expression of doubt that this experiment would turn out well. I waited as long as I could - about 2 hours, max - and finally opened the lid, peeled off the foil inner lid, and scooped up some of the soy butter with the tip of my (clean!) finger. Time for the plunge - just taste it! And, man oh man, was it ever ... good! When Big J came back to the kitchen, I told him to taste it. He wasn't sure if the grin on my face was good or bad, but he was a sport and tried the soy butter. It wasn't just my imagination - he was impressed. Actually, we both wonder a teensy bit if they didn't actually put PB in there by mistake! I haven't given it to the kids yet - I'm afraid that if I do, they won't want to finish the jar of sunflower butter that's still in the pantry! My other worry is that the soy butter has such a similar texture and consistency to PB that if Miss M ever encountered real PB she might not realize the difference - and that would not be good....

We tried 'em out... They work!

Day One of the healthy lunch experiment! Well, not really, but Day One with the Laptop Lunch boxes. I wanted to try them out at home to see how the kids would handle them before we hit the road with them. I had a few questions to answer - Could Mister J get it open ok? What would Miss M think about it? Plus, I just needed (wanted!!!) to practice packing it. There was nothing but excitement on their faces as they opened up the LLBs and checked out what was inside! Of course, you know I took some pictures ;)

They had pasta with olive oil and herbs, fresh fruit, veggies and hummus (those are carrots and cucumbers), and Mister J got some cheese bites and a little dessert of 2 Tootsie Rolls (like I said yesterday, healthier lunches - I'm not perfect!).


Mister J had no problem opening the containers - the yellow (fruit) and purple (hummus) containers come with lids. He still needs a little help with the lid to the outer box (the blue part) - mainly because he holds the lid down with one hand while trying to open it with the other - but I am sure he'll get the hang of it soon. Miss M won't be going anywhere on her own for lunch anytime soon, so I didn't test her lid-opening skills. I just set the open box in front of her and let her go to town! She ate most of the fruit, pretty well ignored the noodles (which she had previously enjoyed at lunch 2 days ago....), picked at the veggies, and ate the hummus with a spoon. Then, she dumped two of the inner containers out into the big box and proceeded to build a tower. Mister J ate more veggies than usual (he actually ate some of the cucumber!), downed most of the fruit (left some blueberries), and ate some of the pasta. He asked me to save the leftover veggies for later. They snacked a little before lunch - I was doing some cooking this morning, and they were doing some tasting - so I didn't expect they'd finish everything. However, this was also my first opportunity to see how much the LLBs really hold. It's a LOT! I could pack an entire lunch for myself in one of these, so I probably served a bit too much for their meals. Overall, a fun and interesting lunch, and I'm extremely pleased with today's trial run of the LLBs.

Woo hoo! They're here!

Ok, I am one crazy lady! I know this, I accept it, and I thank my husband for loving me anyway.
I am excited because, after waiting a week for them to get here from California, my kids' new lunchboxes have arrived! I bet know what you are thinking, "Lunchboxes? Ok, so I knew she had her own little '-isms', but I am now sure that she has lost it. Totally. How does he trust her to raise his children?!?"

Well, they are not just any lunchboxes - they are Laptop Lunch Systems! And I'm excited because they are an important part of achieving a few of my current goals:

1) save money by eating out less
2) eat healthier meals
3) help my kids to eat a wider variety of foods



In our efforts to save money, we have cut eating out to once or twice a week (most weeks). I am, of course, buying more groceries since we are eating at home more. I have been buying lots of fresh fruits, serving fewer processed foods, and reading labels much more closely. I'm expanding the kids' diets slowly, starting with the fun stuff (fruit and healthier snacks) and trying out new recipes. Jonah will also be helping me out in the kitchen more. I know that my biggest challenge this summer will come as we start going to more storytimes and playdates. The temptation is always to grab lunch at a convenient drive-thru or a restaurant with an indoor playground, but at $12-15 to feed an adult and 2 kids, that really adds up! I'm hoping that in addition to saving money, the kids will think it's fun to eat from their new lunchboxes and be willing to try out the new foods they find inside. As added bonus, I can get rid of all of the random lunchbags stashed in my pantry and all of the assorted containers and lids (that didn't fit well into the lunch bags, anyway). There will be more room in the pantry for all of those groceries! And, I'll be using fewer plastic baggies, pre-packaged single-serve items, and juice boxes - which helps me feel better about doing my part for the environment (I could write a whole post about that!).

In an effort to stay true to these goals, look for posts and pictures about our latest mealtime advenutres - triumphs and flops. I'm excited to start on this new lunchtime (mealtime) adventure!

PS - Aren't those lunch boxes CUTE and COLORFUL? Jonah wanted to take his upstairs at naptime! I think we will try to use them at lunch tomorrow, even though we will be eating at home, just to see what the kids think and to practice packing them!

Catching up....

You've probably noticed that there are a few new posts up here at once - and you may wonder why they are mixed in with posts you have already read. I've been drafting some blogs this week while Daddy/Big J was out of town, but I wasn't quite ready to post them. So, I'm finishing them all up and posting them now that Big J is home (yay!). The following is from an email reply I sent to a friend who emailed me mid-week. I think it's a pretty good illustration of what days are like around here - call it normal, call it crazy, but I call it a pretty good day for the middle of a long week!

Monday and Tuesday were ROUGH - but we are doing better now. I don't know how single parents do it - except that they probably aren't home with the kids all day since someone has to pay the bills! I gave myself a bit of a break and we have used paper plates and bowls all week - that's saved a ton of work! J and I teamed up to tackle the toy mess yesterday - he loves to sort stuff, for which I am very thankful! The kids also thought it was pretty cool to rearrange the furniture in the den - they liked "riding" the chairs around the room. We've had plenty fun, too - arts and crafts, playing outside, and cuddling on the couch. J is really missing Daddy - he won't let me tuck him in at night since I don't do it "right." We do call Daddy every night at bedtime, though, to just check in and talk about the day. Truth be told, I think Daddy is really missing them, too. So, we are all looking forward to him coming home tomorrow :) It'll be late when he gets home, kids will probably already be in bed, so they will be anxious to spend Saturday with him.

At this particular moment, I'm eating my lunch and working on the laptop at the kitchen table. The kids finished their lunches before I ever sat down. J is crashing Matchbox cars under the table, and Maggie keeps coming over to steal " 'matoes " and " 'cumbers " off of my salad. I asked J if he could stop crashing for a few minutes and he said no, because his rescue trucks need something to do. I am sure we are quite a sight, but for the most part we are happy and having a good day!

NB: The kids were not in bed when Daddy got home, thanks to some long, late-in-the-day naps. J was thrilled - especially since he got a tuck from Daddy tonight!

Bloomin'

A few weeks back, Grandma and Grandpa R came for a visit and brought us some daylilies. They'd thinned theirs out, and knew we would be interested in any low-main-
tenance color we could add to our all-green landscaping. (Or, as the helpful lady at a local nursery put it, these are "plants that can handle neglect." Gee, thanks... I'd rather worry about feeding and watering my kids, thankyouverymuch.)

J was very excited about helping plant the daylilies, and was equally excited about the prospect of helping water them daily (well, almost daily... and sometimes Mother Nature gives us a hand....). Seeing as how he was so excited, Grandma was a little worried that they might not bloom. These lilies were being transplanted north, and they'd already bloomed before they were dug up and split. Plus, maybe they would just be mad about being dug up. Well, apparently the growing season here is a few weeks behind and they like their new home.... We have flowers!

When Only Dad Will Do

After visiting Grandma for a few days, we came home to be with Daddy for a few days before he went to Texas on a business trip. Since he left, I have answered lots of questions about how Daddy got to Texas (on an airplane), about how airports work (Daddy did not take his car to Texas with him on the airplane - he parked it, walked into the airport, then walked out of a very special door to get on the airplane), and why Daddy had to go to Texas (to go to school and be a teacher). Daddy even sent us some pictures of airplanes and some video of airplanes taking off - ah, the wonders of technology!

I've been able to satisfy J with my answers to most of his questions. But what I can't do is tuck him in at bedtime. His bedtime routine includes, among other things, a story, a song, and a bedtime prayer, which Mommy does most nights. Then, after a kiss from Mommy, he asks for a tuck and a kiss from Daddy. While Daddy is gone, I have offered to tuck him in, and he has refused each night. Refused! I was surprised, a little sad that I wasn't "enough," but also glad that he and Daddy have that bond.

Each night at bedtime we call Daddy to talk about the day and say goodnight. Still, after our bedtime routine J asks, "can you tell Daddy to come tuck me in and give me a kiss?" It breaks my heart a little bit each time.... So, we are counting down the nights until Daddy gets back home. J is a little sad each day that it's not "today." And, even though it will be past bedtime when Daddy gets home, and J will probably already be asleep, Daddy has promised that he will go in and give J a tuck and a kiss.

The Girl, the Wolf, and the Book

I know what you are thinking - Little Red Riding Hood - but that's not it. Nope! That is not who came to find me in the wee hours of the morning, dragging her blanket along. Miss M has been waking up in the night and coming to climb into bed with Mom and Dad. Being wired for mommyhood as I am, I cannot turn her away. I have always loved to snuggle with my kids, and since she's not much of snuggler in daylight hours, I take what I can get - even at 2am. So this morning, when she came to my room with the little stuffed animal (that might actually be a dog instead of a wolf - but it wouldn't sound as good) and a tiny little book from Grandma, and quietly called, "Mommy....Mommy..." I could not say no. In less than 5 minutes she was back asleep - and I realized this morning that she had not even brought her paci with her!

As much as I love to snuggle with them, I have to admit it can sometimes be a little uncomfortable. Miss M likes to sleep sideways with her feet in my back, or upside down (I have been woken many mornings by a kick in the face - ouch!). She even had her own side of the bed last night - Daddy was away - and still ended up so close that I couldn't roll over. And, that tiny little book from Grandma that is one of her never-put-it-down favorites right now had sharp corners! But - if that's what it takes to earn her snuggles, I'll do what it takes to get them.

I am summer camp....

Yes, I am saying this to myself a la the Lightning McQueen mantra and hoping that it gives me strength, patience, courage, and overflowing creativity, craftiness, and imagination. If that sounds like a tall order, read on....

Since the kids aren't in camps this summer, I'm trying to provide them with at least a taste of the activities they enjoyed in preschool - art, music, and of course, playtime. Well, the playtime is easy enough - playdates, the backyard swingset, and our outdoor toys provide plenty of play and exercise (for Mommy, too!). We also have a jog stroller, tricycle, and bubble mower - so we are set for many forms of outdoor fun. The music is also not a stretch for me. We have lots of kids' music, several music instruments that the kids can use to play along, and of course if we clean up enough we have a dance floor in the den. It's the art that leaves me anxious. When it comes to crayons and stickers, I'm ok. When it comes to projects - with stuff like markers, glue, or paint - that's where I get a little nervous. I am afraid of getting messy and staining things. I am most anxious about setting my kids loose with paint and brushes, but I still bought them some paint yesterday. In the best case, we will paint outdoors on a nice day, and I will try to find old t-shirts for the kids to wear. I bought washable paint, so how bad can it really be? That's what I am afraid of. I need a little courage. I need some craftiness (well, more than I have). And I need a little more imagination - to help me imagine how much fun it can be so I can get excited!

I am glad to say that I survived our first attempt at craft hour this morning! I found some cute foam sunglasses and foam stickers during our craft supply adventure. They turned out really cute (check out the before-and-after-and-afters below)! J had to do his twice (he's a bit of a perfectionist) and M lost interest in about 12.5 seconds, so she played with the foam stickers while I decorated her glasses with a little help from J. As you can see, she didn't want to wear them for an "official" portrait, so J took the picture with me wearing her glasses. Don't I look like the coolest mom around?
































I am curious about what I will learn from the kids and this experience over the summer. I have already learned that J, not surprisingly, is good at sorting. He will gladly sort things and package them up in the process. Yep, he helped me clean up the art project! I just didn't call it "cleaning up" - lesson 1 of Project Summer Camp. I'll keep you posted on what else I learn - including if J is as good (read: neat) a painter as his preschool teacher said!

Even Magic Moms Make Mistakes

Made a mistake, it's too late, how much havoc did I make?

I am officially out of the running for the Mommy of the Year Award. I goofed, big time, and I had to fess up to my four-year-old at bedtime last night. I (we?) left Blanket at Grandma's house.

Blanket, by the way, is my son's lovey - a hand knitted (or maybe crocheted) blanket that we received as a baby gift before he was born. Since he was about a year old, he's held Blanket at bedtime, and Blanket has accompanied us on trips. The boy and his blanket come as a pair - usually....

I know - you are staring at your computer screen in disbelief. Let me tell you, when I was halfway home and realized that Blanket had probably not made it into the kids' travel bag, for a split second I thought about turning around. I can't believe I'm even telling you that I goofed so badly! However, even Magic Moms goof on occasion - the magic comes with the clever solutions that we often (but not always) come up with.

Let me give you a little more background on Blanket. You already know what he looks like (yes, Blanket is a he). You already know that J goes to sleep clutching Blanket - naps included. But you don't know that the rule around here is that "Blanket stays in bed." I guess I'm a germ freak, but the thought of my kid hauling a blanket everywhere just didn't sit well with me. I have seen kids in the store with their fave lovey along for the ride, picking up shopping cart germs, grocery store dirt, and parking lot grime. That's just not okay. The only exception to the rule is if we will be leaving home overnight - then the blankets accompany us. They get packed into the kids' travel bag along with a few toys, a pack of wipes, and other necessities for road trips in the mommy-van. If the kids want them during the ride, the bag sits right between their seats, and they can just grab a blanket and snuggle. This often leads to a nap, which leads to happy kids upon arriving at the destination.

Well, I was packing yesterday morning for the trip home from SC. When J woke up, he came down the hall to say good morning and have some breakfast. As he does at home, he left Blanket in bed. So, the kids had breakfast, got dressed, and watched the Disney Channel while I got everything packed and loaded. Jonah slept in a separate room from me, so as I was packing up everything in my room, I forgot to do a double-check in the room where he'd slept. I also did not double-check my packing list from when I originally packed for the trip. Yes - I use a packing list, and I take it with me to use when I pack for the trip home. I also write down "blankets and toys" every time so I don't forget to take them along. How terrible would it be to get to your destination and not have the blankets?!? Even worse than getting home without them, I think.

As I mentioned, we were about halfway home when I discovered Blanket was not along for the ride. J asked where Blanket was, and in that moment I realized what had happened. Using my best quick thinking skills, I told him that I couldn't reach it (which was true...), but just to relax and watch the movie (thank goodness for in-car DVDs, but that's anther post). He seemed satisfied with that, as he'd already made a lot of requests for things I couldn't reach. I knew he wouldn't be so satisfied when the whole story came out.

When bedtime rolled around, he helped me tuck Miss M into her bed. Her blanket had just "taken a bath" and was in the dryer, so we were sitting around waiting for the familiar "ding" to tell us it was dry. As I explained this to J, he asked me where Blanket was. Uh-oh - the moment I'd been dreading. I asked him if he'd put blanket into the toy bag before we left Grandma's and he figured it out too fast - Blanket was still in bed at Grandma's. I know what you are thinking - how mean to turn it around like that and make him feel like it was his fault. Well, we are trying to teach him to be responsible for his possessions, but I also apologized that I did not remind him to find blanket before we left. And, having called my mom earlier in the day to ask her to put Blanket in the mail, I was able to assure him that Blanket was on his way back home, thanks to Grandma and the mailman. After explaining that Blanket was in a big envelope or a box, and that he would return on Friday, J promptly told me he wanted Blanket to be in a box. There were some tears, but not nearly the amount I had anticipated.

By the way, there's only one Blanket. After searching the house for a couple of possible substitutes, and having J veto every one, he had to go to sleep alone.... He didn't want to sing a song or say prayers, as is our usual routine, so I said his prayers for him, thanking God for Grandma and the mailman, and asking to help Blanket get home safely. I'm not sure if that's an ok thing to pray for, but I imagine that if it's coming from the heart of (or on behalf of) a child, God doesn't mind.

The big issue with the candidates? The holes weren't big enough. They were all knitted or crocheted, but none of them had "holes" as big as Blanket. And J reminded me of this when I put him down for his nap this afternoon. I am so proud of him for really taking this in stride (he's growing up!), but Friday at 2pm can't come fast enough. I bet we will be on the front porch then, waiting for the mailman and Blanket to arrive.

UPDATE:

Blanket was home by 11:30am today (Friday), and arrived on the front porch in a BOX. J could not have been more pleased :)

I wiped off my elbows, so I'm good now.

I met my youngest reader over the weekend! During my trip to SC, I was able to visit with my good friend H, her husband P, and their new little bundle, Miss A. P was generous enough to allow us big girls a lunch date, and then we picked Miss A up for a little shopping trip. I got to practice my tried-and-true "bounce-pat-shh" method of baby-calming (which still works!) and then my sweet little friend drooled all down my arm as we strolled around Babies R Us. Then, after the ride back to her crib (during which she fell asleep), H and I both realized that we forgot to take any pictures! Can you believe two scrapbookers forgot to take a single picture?!? I guess we were so excited to see each other and share everything that's new - Miss A's new nursery, pics of my kids who are SO big now, and just general catching up - that the actual being there was just too important to stop for a single "cheese" moment!
Thanks, H, for sharing your day with me, and for the yummy Yo! Burrito lunch. P, thanks for letting me steal your wife for a couple of hours for an adults-only lunch, and both your girls for the shopping excursion. And Miss A, thanks for all the smiles and chatter and even the drool. You are definitely a keeper!
PS - Check out H's account of our day - she beat me to the blog!

Take it easy.... Take it easy.... Don't let the sound of your own wheels....

Today, my status on Facebook says, "RL is taking the kids over the river and through the woods...." That's right, we're at Grandma's house! The drive to my mom's house takes about three hours if you drive it non-stop, but it usually takes at least one stop with the kids. There are stretches of interstate and four-lane highway, but about half of the drive is on two-lane roads. Being from the "big city," a lot of the driving I do on a daily basis is on four-lane highways and interstate, going around 65 miles per hour. Either that or 35 miles per hour - but not a lot of variation otherwise. I think that these speeds have somehow become a part of me. If I don't pay attention to the speedometer, my surroundings seem to dictate my speed - and it's either around 35 or around 65 (or maybe just a few miles per hour higher....).

When we were about 20 minutes from my mom's house, on the last bit of "country roads," I found myself going 65 miles per hour where the speed limit was only 55. Normally, I'd probably slow down to about 60 - and later find that my speed had crept up to 65 again. But today - on this beautiful, sunny afternoon under the bluest SC skies that you can't find anywhere else (nope, not even in NC...) - I felt the need to slow down and go only 55 mph.

Maybe it was because for the first time in a long time, we hadn't left late. I didn't feel pushed to get here as fast as I could to make the most of our short visit (since this time we are staying FIVE days - yay!). Maybe it was because the kids hadn't started getting fussy - and I had even turned off the movies and turned down the music so they could enjoy this part of the trip along with me. Maybe the One who's really in the driver's seat was telling me something simple - something that I should adopt on a grander scale.

I was amazed by what I noticed when all of the distractions were gone. We looked at the cows, the pecan groves, the fields growing whatever grows best around here (I think it's soybeans). I noticed the beautiful green of the grass and trees. I also noticed how much quieter the "road noise" is when you go slower. I am sure I noticed it because I felt compelled to slow down - and even found myself crusing along below the speed limit at one point. That never happens.... Except for today - when the sky was blue, the grass was green, and I took a moment to slow down and enjoy it all.

Searching for Summer Fun

Oh, me, oh, my - how the year did fly! Preschool is almost over - Miss M's last day was today, and J's last day is Friday. The school year ends with a picnic lunch - and then we are on the road to Grandma's! Mister J has been quite a handful for Miss Caroline this week, but it seems that's the norm for the entire class. I think the kids realize it's the end of the year (classroom decorations are coming down, lots of art is coming home) and they are a little off-kilter.

As I ponder the summer months ahead, I'm trying to think of projects I can complete and fun things I can do with the kids. I am imagining a clean house (ha!), healthy homemade lunches (already making a good start on this), and lots of fun activities and projects. I wonder what happens when art and lunch collide....




Mmmm.... tasty......

Wishing you a great summer - tasty treats, outdoor fun, and art projects that are easy to mail to Grandma, Grandpa, and all the aunts and uncles!

UPDATE: Shortly after I finished this post, J came down from his not-so-quiet time to tell me he was hungry. I asked him what he wanted for dinner - hotdogs! I did not make the octopi (octopuses?), but I did make hotdog flowers with ketchup centers (mustard for mine). I took a picture so you can see how it turned out, but won't get that posted tonight. Exhausted....

Bye-bye crib...

We zoomed past yet another milestone this weekend.
On Friday afternoon, we moved a twin bed into J's room, and moved his toddler bed into M's room. He loves the big bed with its bright new bedding - but wondered why his walls were not yet painted the "dark yellow" he had requested. (One step at a time, son - we have the whole summer ahead of us!)
M spent just one more night in the crib, and has been in the toddler bed for naps and at night since Saturday. She hasn't even tested us that much with sneaking out of bed - knock wood.
I guess this weekend I'll be sending the crib up to the attic until/in case we need it again.

UPDATE 5/21/08, 2:30PM: I put M down for her nap this afternoon, then J and I went outside to watch a cement mixer delivering to the house across the street. Afterwards, we watered our newly-transplanted daylilies (thanks Grandma and Grandpa R!). We kicked the soccer ball around a few times - J can't resist this when we go outside, and he's getting pretty good! Finally, inside and quietly upstairs to put J down for a nap/quiet time. We tiptoed into his room and found Miss M asleep on the floor in front of his book case. Apparently, she got out of bed and went looking for him when she was supposed to be napping! My two are quite a pair - they love each other so much, and I couldn't be more blessed!

Growing up waaayyy too fast

Seems my kids have a lot of things to say lately, and I'm finding many of them funny enough to post. We were on our way to a friend's house this morning when my son piped up with this:

"Mom, I'm getting old."
"Really? How do you know?"
"Because I have a headache."

If anyone out there has had a headache, I hate to tell you, but in the eyes of my four-year-old, you are nearly dust.

I do think he's growing up too fast, though. He has recently been telling people that his sister is "one-and-a-half." Fairly accurate, but I didn't know that almost-four-and-a-half-year-olds cared about it that much.

My daughter has several new words and phrases lately. She's picked up "cool" from her brother, loves to look at one of her picture books (on the "Good Morning, Baby" page) and shout, "Moh-nin' Bay-bee!" and often says to me "Aw-wight" when she's in the mood to actually agree with me (a rare occurrence this week).

I always heard from more experienced moms that I would be sad when my kids began sitting up/walking/talking - that I would miss what used to be. It's a little bittersweet, but watching them grow into themselves - does that make sense? - become their own little person fills me with such joy that I can't put it into words. I'll take them "getting old" just to marvel at who they will become.

Not Exactly Pointless....

On the way to preschool this morning, we saw a fire truck as we passed through an intersection. My son observed (and by that I mean saw it and told me about it) that the fire truck turned and followed us as we continued down the road.
"I think it's going back to the fire station," I said, referring to the station that's about a mile ahead of where we were at the time.
"Good point, Mom," said my 4-year old.
What a great feeling it is to have your intelligence confirmed by a preschooler....

All the love...

*you may need a tissue - grab it now*

I think it's a safe guess that most of you out there know that I recently lost my grandfather and my great uncle. And that I have been trying to help my 4-year-old wrap his brain around death and heaven. Two events in the last week have really touched my heart, and reminded me just how complex these ideas are for children to understand.

As I pulled out of the preschool pick-up line one day last week, my son asked me if he could listen to "his" music. As I reached to switch from the radio to the CD, the last words we heard from the radio were, "... all the love is gone." My son caught this part of the song and asked me, "Mom, all the love is gone???" His voice was a mix of shock, sadness, and misunderstanding. How could all of the love be gone? I quickly reassured him that it was just a song, and that of course there was still love. After all, he still had the love of his parents, his sister, his grandparents, and lots of other people. I reminded him that he still loved all of the same people, too, so all the love was not gone, after all. I thought all was well until I heard him say quietly, "I think all of Great Grandpa Jim and Uncle Henry's love is gone...." My heart ached, and my brain scrambled for a way to help my dear little boy understand. "Sweetie, even though they are in heaven, we can still think about them and remember the time we had with them. We can still love them even though they are in heaven." I know my son continued to ponder these ideas long after the conversation was over, and I hoped for a way to be able to help him just a little bit more the next time such questions should arise.

Two days ago, we attended a family get together to celebrate my grandmother's birthday and Mother's Day. It was the first time my son had been to my grandparents' house since my grandfather died. After a great meal and plenty of time spent playing with his cousins, it was time to head home. We said our goodbyes to a dozen family members and loaded into the mommy-van. A few minutes down the road, my son asked me, "Where was Great Grandpa Jim?" Deep down, I knew that this question was coming. It's the first time he's had to face the idea that death means someone is gone. That someone is missing from the space in your life that they used to occupy. That they are not coming back. My husband glanced my way with an "OK, you're up...." look. I reminded my sweet boy that Great Grandpa Jim is in heaven. He responded, "Grandma still loves him," and continued with some other hard questions, most notably, "Does everybody die?" Thankfully, I found the words to answer these questions - though I'm sure those words were given to me at just the right moment by the One who's really in the driver's seat.

I am so thankful that we are nearly always in the mommy-van when these questions come up. I don't think that I would have the presence of mind to answer these questions if I was looking into the face of my son who, at 4 years old, is having to learn about death. He knows that his Great Grandpa is gone. He misses him, and that breaks my heart.

While losing someone is sad, I have always felt the greatest sadness for those left behind, who have to deal with the empty place in their lives. My grandfather's death was the end of an earthly presence for someone who had lived a very full life. It was his victory over a disease that had caused a long, slow decline. My son's most vivid memories will be from a time when we (adults) already knew that my grandfather was dying. My heart aches for my grandmother, who had a front-row seat for 60+ years - who watched my grandfather go off to war and welcomed him home, who bore their 6 children, who worked, traveled, and celebrated with him, and who is alone now. My heart aches for my Mother and her siblings, who also remember him as a strong, hard-working man. My heart aches for my cousin, who spent several years as a teenager living with my grandparents, and who learned some great life lessons from our grandfather. As the time passes, my sorrow fades, but it's dredged up again each time my son - my sweet boy - says something that reminds me that there's a hole in his life, too. I am heartbroken for my little boy who senses this hole, and can't yet understand why God would take his Great Grandpa to heaven or how that's better than here with the people who love him.

Storm Warnings

What an eventful night we had last night. Around 9:45pm, a line of storms started moving in, and within 15 minutes the thunder was so loud that both of my kids were awake. As usual during this type of weather, they ended up in bed with me. The difference was that this time, I had the idea to show my older child the weather report and radar to explain a little more about the weather. I didn't even have to turn to the all-day weather forecast - our favorite local station was already on with news about thunderstorm warnings and tornado watches. Just a few minutes later, there was rotation in the atmosphere indicative of a possible tornado - about 5 miles from our house. The forecasters were warning us to get into the lower lever of 2-story homes, into a small room or closet with no windows. They did not have to ask me twice. Downstairs we went, and I sat the children nearby as I emptied the floor of our closet under the stairs. My husband gathered some pillows and a comforter, then helped me finish cleaning out the closet. The kids and I went inside while he listened to a bit more of the weather report.

It's quite interesting to sit in a small, un-air conditioned space with 2 preschoolers who are up in the middle of the night. My son wanted to ask LOTS of questions (really not that different from any other time) and my daughter just didn't want to sit still. My kids started playing (um, fighting over) the flashlight until we started making shadow animals. They were quite entertained - and even tried to make their own, but they just aren't quite coordinated enough.

Another interesting thing? What crossed my mind as I considered what to take into the closet just in case things got really bad. Aside from the kids, I grabbed my purse (which is where I keep my camera, insurance cards, keys, and cell phone) and the external hard drive that's my photo backup. My husband grabbed his wallet and keys. Not much else mattered at that point. I realized how little the "stuff" of life actually means, and how replaceable many things really are.

As it turns out, several homes in our town and one nearby received significant damage. We were quite lucky, both that we had no damage, and that the kids quietly went to bed 2 hours later and slept through until morning.

For the techno-mommies out there...

Here's a FREE podcast - you can download it from iTunes or listen here. There are lots of different topics, and you can even get some older 'casts in the iTunes library (go to the iTunes store, select podcasts, then select Kids and Family). Easy enough - and you get your daily dose of comfort or worry, depending on your personality type....

That's got to be a boy thing....

It's Saturday morning, I'm out in the backyard, pushing the children in their swings, and the following conversation takes place:

Son - Mom, can you push me faster?
Mom - Sure (and gives another push).
Son - I want to go higher Mommy, and flip out of my swing.
Mom - Oh, that would be very dangerous....
Son - OK!

I guess I'm just not meant to understand, being a girl and all. I looked at my husband, who grinned right back at me with a "That's my boy!" look on his face.

Boys.....

Neighbors Just Don't Understand

It's a lovely Saturday here. Not too hot, with a gentle breeze. Partly cloudy, with a chance of rain in the evening. It was a great morning for the kids to spend plenty of time playing outside before the rain sets in around dinner time. They played hard, they got dirty, and they wore themselves out. When naptime rolled around, there was no argument from the Little Miss - she was so ready to snuggle up with her blanket for a few hours. There was considerably less argument from the Little Sir than usual, which was quite pleasant from my perspective.

With my kids safely tucked in for their naps, I crept quietly down the stairs to eat a late lunch and finish up the grocery list. I was gearing up for a kid-free shopping trip - woo hoo! About that time, one of my neighbors was gearing up for an afternoon of lawnmower blade sharpening. I kid you not. If you don't know what this sounds like, imagine chainsawing through a piece of metal - a healthy-sized chunk.

You know, I see the UPS man less often that I see my neighbor, but he remembers that I have small children. When he drops off a package, he knocks lightly on the front door - he never rings the doorbell. I really appreciate that about the UPS man. He probably put a note in his little computer/scanner thingy - "Lady with napping kids lives here - knock on door - don't ring doorbell." I mean, he may not have committed it to his personal memory, but he has a note to remind him. Awesome.

I don't expect that my neighbor will never sharpen his lawnmower blades. My husband has sharpened the blades on our mower before. I know that lawnmower blades need to be sharpened. I was just kind of cringing that my kids might wake up and miss their naps - ugh. And, I needed to vent. Thanks for "listening."

By the way - the kids didn't wake up (I waited to be sure....). I did get to shop alone, and I spent about $160 on groceries. All of that food will be gone in about 20 minutes, so I'm glad my husband likes his job.

Tools Every Mom Needs

I'm not talking about a sense of humor, a cast-iron stomach, or enough band-aids for a school full of children - although these are certainly important. Nope, today I'm talking about a literal tool box. Whether yours is red, black, or yellow; metal, plastic, or just a cardboard box, there are a few things you MUST have:

• Tape - clear, for repairing books; packing, for repairing puzzle box bottoms. You will certainly encounter many more items that need taping - these are just the things on my "frequently repaired with tape" list. Notice I left off duct tape - it's only needed by men for on-the-fly repairs and boys of scouting age who are using it for the duct tape wallet craft.
  
• Batteries - lots of them, in all different sizes. More AAAs than anything, but also AAAs, Ds, Cs, and the occasional 9 volt. NOTE: If your toys don't sing, dance, read aloud, flash, or need a remote to perform, skip this one - but I bet you think this should be at the top of the list.
• Screwdrivers - assorted sizes. You will need them to replace all of the batteries, since every battery cover screws on. It's a great safety feature - especially since kids think batteries are a delicacy. I use a Phillips head (the "not flat" one) and a mini Phillips most often. Of course, you probably need a flat head, too - toy companies are always throwing you a curve ball - it's entertainment for their R&D departments. Note: You can get a great set of mini screwdrivers (3 flat and 3 Phillips head) from Walgreens for about 2 bucks right now. Another note: DO NOT get a cordless screwdriver. Although it's convenient, you'll just have more batteries to change.
  
• Pliers - needle nose and regular. Toys need some interesting repairs.
  
• Valium - For after you fix all of the toys, install all-new batteries, and listen to the singing, flashing, buzzing, dancing toys, and your child's gleeful giggles and squeals.
  

I'm sure there are many more things you must have. In fact, I know there are - I just want you to have at least the basics handy. My toolbox (red and black plastic, by the way) has all of these things plus: picture hanging hardware, assorted screws, fishing line, a small level, a ruler, a pencil, a pen, stick-on felt pads, stick-on cork pads, a mini wratchet-type set, allen wrenches, and more. I also keep a box in the closet under the stairs (i.e. - very easily accessible place) that's full of assorted batteries, wood glue, an extension cord, one of those measure-your-wall-and-mark-the-hanging-spot tools, and a staple gun, among other equally groovy tools.

So, what's most important? Screwdrivers, batteries, a sense of humor - and perhaps some earplugs.

Parked at the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

There's something to be said for the classics when it comes to toys - crayons, blocks, dolls, trucks, and balls. They let kids be creative and imaginative, and you can play with one just as easily as with 15. You don't have to have the entire set for it to be fun. You don't have to replace the batteries all the time or find the missing remote. However ... there's also something to be said for the few quiet moments you can steal while your kids sit motionless in front of the TV on Saturday morning. We have a busy afternoon, I have a lot to do this weekend, and my husband is out doing a service project with our church. While the kids are parked, I'm checking in with friends online, emailing my dad, and posting for your enjoyment - all of this while I take advantage of cable tv, the already-paid-for babysitter.

Just call me Lady Martha

Just take a look at that creativity, that talent, that awesome coat of arms! My son has been invited to a "Princesses and Knights" birthday party tomorrow, and while he's not all that into costumes, I think I can get him to wear this smock-type costume with the dragon shield. He's also got a dragon puppet that's pretty fancy - the body is as long as an adult's forearm. A knight (Sir J the Dragon Tamer!) with a coat of arms and a dragon in tow ... I think we're all set!

It's amazing what I can do with some felt, scissors, and spray glue - just wait until there's glitter involved when Miss M's time for dress-up rolls around!

Get the chicken off of your head....

Nope, I couldn't say it with a straight face. My daughter, who was refusing to eat dinner last night, perched a bite of chicken on top of her head as she played with her carrots and dumped rice on the table (only to later try to lap it up like a puppy). So, how long did the chicken stay up there? Well, since it was honey-and-herb-glazed, it stuck pretty well. Needless to say, my girl got a bath and a good shampoo before bedtime.

Two little monkeys

My kids are getting a little too big to bathe together. I know that some folks don't agree with the idea of a brother and sister in the tub together, but that's a conversation for another day. So, back to my kids ... They are just physically too large to share that same space comfortably anymore. They wiggle too much, they splash too much, and generally just annoy each other because they are getting tired and a maybe just a little cranky when bath time rolls around. But tonight was different.
I was sitting by the tub letting my daughter splash around a bit before it was time to get down to the business of scrubbing and sudsing and rinsing. My son was in his room, but came in (I assume) because little sis sounded like she was having a lot of fun. I can confirm - she was having fun. And it must be impossible to be four years old, to hear someone else having fun in another room, and resist the urge to go check things out. So, he came in and sat down alongside the tub to play, too. Then he decided he wanted to get in the tub. I was a little surprised, since he now prefers a shower, but agreed without hesitation. I have never seen a child get into the tub so fast! My daughter was thrilled with the company, and I was delighted to watch them splash and play together. After all, they are siblings - they often disagree and don't want to share or take turns. As I watched them tonight, however, I noticed how much more at ease they can be with each other than they are with me. I watched them pour cupfuls of water over each others' heads - both of them laughing all the while. Watch them when I wet their hair, and you will see them stiffen, close their eyes as if they will never let light between the lids again, screw up their mouths, and stop breathing for fear of inhaling the water - all while they are supposed to be looking up at the ceiling to direct the water away from their faces. They were taking turns this time ... with cups full of water ... and they were having fun. As a few droplets of water hung on to the tips of her brother's hair, my daughter gently (attempted) to pick them up - and he sat there, still, letting her focus on the few tiny beads. It reminded me - bear with me here - of the monkeys you see at the zoo, grooming each other. The monkeys sit so still. My monkeys were, in that moment, sitting so still and taking care of each other. They were trusting each other - yes, apparently more than they trust me. That realization had a little sting to it, but I was more pleased to realize that even though they disagree, they do love each other. And it's a lot more than I knew before bath time tonight.

The Princess Wears the Pants

My little princess is officially potty training now. We have the see-n-learn, cool effects, and nighttime pulls-ups now. We are stocked to the gills, and not buying diapers anymore. If my sweet little dear has any say, she'll never wear a diaper again (after all, the pictures on those aren't nearly as cool). I'm so excited by her progress that I can hardly stand it - but I hate to get too excited thinking maybe, just maybe, she will be in big girl panties when she goes to preschool in the fall. I don't want to jinx it, you know. But, she has woken up dry the past 2 mornings, and has even made it through her afternoon nap without wetting the pull-up! However, I need to pose a question to anyone out there reading. When my son was potty training, we called pulls-ups "Bob the Builder pants" or "Elmo pants" or "whatever-
character-was-on-them-this-time pants." For some reason, with my daughter, "Dora panties" and "Princess panties" just doesn't sound right in my brain. I want to call them "Dora/Princess pants" since they are not real panties. In our previous potty-training experience, the reason we called them Bob/Elmo/etc pants was to not say "underwear" - so the next step up could be really cool. Since, to me, the logical next step is "panties", what do I call them this time? Is "pants" okay? My friends, what suggestions do you have?

My Days are Really Like This...

This came through my e-mail, and I wanted to share it with you (since I haven't blogged in a while - and now you know why).

If You Give A Mom A Muffin...

If you give a mom a muffin,
She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She'll pour herself some.
The coffee will get spilled by her three year old.
She'll wipe it up.

Wiping the floor, she will find some dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do some laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over some snow boots and bump into the freezer.

Bumping into the freezer will remind her that she has to plan dinner for tonight.
She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She will look for her cookbook (101 Things To Make With A Pound Of Hamburger).
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.

She will see the phone bill which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The checkbook is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two year old.
She'll smell something funny.

She'll change the two year old.
While she is changing the two year old the phone will ring.
Her four year old will answer it and hang up.

She remembers that she wants to phone a friend to come for coffee on Friday.
Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.
She will pour herself some.

And chances are...
If she has a cup of coffee,
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

By the Light of the Silvery Moon

I really don't know if there was a moon that night - or if it was silvery - even though I was up most of last Thursday night on into Friday morning. Want to know how my night went? Because I really want to share.... This is what mommy-ing is about sometimes - being the go-to girl at any hour of the night, no matter what the request, and trying not to be cranky about it....

11:45pm - Fall asleep sitting in a chair in the den while trying to catch up on the shows you DVRed because prime time is not ok for children to watch.
2:30am - Wake up in chair, realize bed might be more comfortable, so tiptoe upstairs to get into bed.
2:45am - After changing into pjs, peeling contacts out of tired eyes, and brushing teeth, quietly crawl into bed so as not to wake hubby.
3:00am - Finally get back to sleep.
3:15am - Wake upon hearing footsteps of 4-year-old making his way across the carpet to your bedside. Due to extremely tight tucking-in by Daddy, combined with wiggliness of a 4-year-old (even in his sleep), the sheets have come off of said 4-year-old's bed, and he's requesting that they be fixed so he can go back to sleep.
3:30am - After making bed by the soft glow of a blue fiber-optic "nightlight", return to own bed and try to go back to sleep.
3:45am - Walk to son's room to turn down his CD player. He's listening to a "Between the Lions" story on CD to help him drift back off to sleep - but the whole neighborhood does not need to hear it.
4:00am - Walk to nursery to retrieve howling 20-month-old from her crib. Bring her back to bed with you (no comments on co-sleeping - just not in the mood, folks) to try and get everyone in the house sleeping at the same time.
6:00am - After hours of walking between the master bedroom and the nursery - rocking, bouncing, patting, shh-ing, and trying to get the shrieking toddler in your arms to finally go to sleep, you resign yourself to sleeping upright in the rocker and not trying to put said toddler in the crib when she finally goes to sleep.
6:15am - With snoring toddler still attached, gingerly make way back to master bedroom, put an extra pillow on the bed to maintain a semi-upright position, and slowly, slowly lean back onto pillows to try to get some rest without waking toddler. Remember to set the alarm clock for 20 minutes later that usual so you can get some rest.
6:30am - Drift into tired-but-still-alert mommy-sleep, while trying to figure out how to make up for those extra 20 minutes you are trying to spent asleep.
6:55am - While still asleep, toddler gently rolls from your arms to a comfy spot beside you. Ahh, you can finally rest easy....
7:00am - Alarm clock begins buzzing, after a generous 5 minutes of true sleep. Time to get the preschooler up, dressed, fed, and out the door!

Of course, it's not like this every night. And, truly, I was perplexed about the real reason for all of this unrest. My kids had both just finished a round of antibiotics and seemed to be feeling better. By Friday afternoon, my daughter was running a fever. Only then did the lightbulb come on and I realized my sweet little girl was just not feeling well. For my son the perfectionist, sheets that come off of the bed is a BIG deal - but he can't go to sleep without the tuck-in, either, and Mommy just doesn't do it right. It's good to know that they do rely on others - but good to know that they still need Mommy, too. :)

By the way, if you were doing the math, you realized that I got about 3.5 hours of interrupted sleep. Thankfully it's not like this all the time!

How many teacups?

The world of my son, it seems, revolves around numbers. If I'm working in the office and he wants some one-on-one he will ask, "What number of minutes until we can have some mommy and me time?" If I'm putting him down for some nap/quiet time, he asks, "What number is it when I can get up?" That's his way of asking "What time...?" - that is, what number he needs to look for on the clock beside his bed (so he can get up without being asked to return to bed....). And, of course, the age-related numbers - like asking, "What number are you?" for "How old are you?" He has some interesting thoughts on growing older, such as, "When I get 13 years old, I can drink coffee." And, the most interesting number theories of late have to do with the dispensing of medicine. As I mentioned earlier, the kids have ear infections. My son comes up with a different dosing suggestion each time he has to take his medicine. The best one, so far, is, "The doctor told me I have to take 14 teacups." Really now, let's knock out that infection so it NEVER comes back! I am certainly glad I don't have to force down their single-teaspoon-or-less doses. They have not always been easy to medicate - and that's not so far in the past I don't remember. But 14 teacups? What a hoot!

Ugh

Illness is not fun. If you don't believe me, just come to my house. Well, not today, everyone is on the mend. Come to my house two days ago. My son had a fever and told me his body was hurting. Look at the alligator below - he's FOUR. That's not something you expect to hear from a 4 year old. My daughter was just generally cranky, with congestion and a runny nose (that was no longer running clear....). Her history goes like this - get a runny nose, get congested, drainage changes color, get ear infection. Every time. No exceptions. Husband and I have been swapping off childcare duty for four days now. I'm so grateful he can do some of his work from home! (Did I mention that all the while, his car has been in for a major repair, so we have managed to swing the childcare, working from home, and one of the busiest weeks of my year while sharing a mommy-van?!? Yep, we rock! I know he's working from home, but we still have to go places!)

So, yesterday, I call the ped for an afternoon appointment. For two kids. I just hoped that the nurse would come up with a time that was after nap, since my kiddos really needed the rest. 4pm - jackpot! Of course, when we get there, the kids are happy and well-behaved. Typical.... Until after my son's strep test. He did well with that one - but when he figured out the flu test involved his nose, well, let's just say he wasn't as agreeable as I'd have liked.... I hate having to wrestle my kids onto the exam table and hold them down. It's just not cool. And he's 40 pounds now - a good workout, I suppose.... He "passed" both tests - he only has an ear infection and perhaps a random virus that caused the other symptoms. As for my daughter - well, I already told you what to expect, and I was right.

They have been on antibiotics for 24+ hours now, are feeling better, are fever-free, and are going back to preschool tomorrow! And, my husband's car is back from the repair shop, so I have the mommy-van all to myself again. All is right in my world again (ha!).

Attention!

Kids say the funniest things. I know that you already knew that, but we have had some humdingers here lately. For one thing, my son has had some problems with using potty words on the playground at preschool. So, as you can imagine, we have instituted the "no potty words unless you are in the bathroom" rule around here. I got called out on that one today. Let me defend myself by saying that I was in the laundry room while putting clothes in the wash, talking about poop on some clothing, and my son heard me say it from two rooms away. How come his hearing isn't that good when I ask him to pick up his toys?

My daughter is chattier by the hour, it seems. She, who frequently refers to animals by the sounds they make, began shouting "doggy! doggy! DOGGY!" from her second row perch in the mommy-van this morning. Any other day, I would have heard "Arf, arf, woof, arf, woof, ...." But today, another new word. Hooray! Her enunciation is pretty good - she even managed "den-ist" yesterday. There are still, however, some cute "misses":
Buh-T = bite OR book
ah-pohw = apple OR hippo
doh-wa = Dora, OR an attempt to say her brother's name

Another fun thing kids do with words - using a word or figure of speech in a manner that's not quite right. Last night, I told my daughter to "drink up" as she was ... slowly ... drinking ... her ... cup ... of water after brushing her teeth. She promptly threw back as if she was downing a tequila shot..... Look at the little fairy counter below - that's how young she is - and she took me literally. Just too funny! My son keeps telling me when he's sick that he needs to go to the dentist - not sure how he confused that one with the doctor - you know, the one with the "skefo-scope"!

An alternative to misusing the figure of speech is totally misunderstanding it, and then using it anyway. My son's current favorite - and we just play along - is, "I'm gonna take your attention!!!!" What does it mean? Excellent question! Where'd he learn it? No idea. I even asked the preschool teacher. Really, we have no idea. In what manner does he use it? It's sort of equivalent to "I'm gonna beat you!" (in the racing sense of the phrase). Mainly, we hear it in the car. He jumps into his booster seat, yells, "I'm gonna take your attention!" and the race to be the first to buckle in is ON! Of course he wins - I'm always busy buckling in may daughter (who is saying "no, no" or "bah-kul" depending on her mood). The good news is that this has been going on for weeks now, and he's still just as excited about it every time - now I need to try it out at clean-up time!!!

The Pink Power Ranger

One night about 2 weeks ago, when he was supposed to be in bed and should have long since been asleep, my son got up to use the potty. Apparently, he got distracted on the way back to bed by some clothes that a friend had lent me for my daughter. They were sitting on the upstairs landing - not too far from the bathroom door, but definitely out of the way if he was on his way back to bed. As he perused the contents of the bag of clothes, he tried to put on a zip-up, "floaty-enhanced" pink swimsuit. Then, he got stuck in it and started crying.

Let me stop right here in the middle of the story to tell you that my son has night terrors. He's had them for years now. They occur more often when he's not on a good sleep schedule. We are having trouble maintaining a good sleep schedule right now, as he's trying to give up his afternoon nap. Go ahead, scroll down to the bottom and see how old he is according to the alligator. And yes, while most kids his age have given up the nap, he still takes one most days (lucky me!).

So, we heard him crying upstairs, and thought it was a plain old night terror. Go ahead and try to imagine our surprise when we walked into his room and saw him crammed into girls size 3 swimwear! Notice I said try, because you really can't imagine, and I can't do our reaction justice with words alone. To say we could not stifle our laughs is putting it extremely mildly. Of course, we pried him out of the thing as fast as we could (imagine taking the casing off of a 3.5-foot-tall sausage.....). He cried for at least another 10 minutes after we got it off of him (while Mom and Dad failed miserably to stop their bodies from shuddering with laughter). Do you know how hard it is to sound comforting while your entire body is shaking because you are laughing so hard and trying at the same time to not laugh out loud? Thankfully, we kept the lights off (we could see well enough by his nightlight) or he'd have been much more upset.

By the way, do you know how badly I wanted to have my camera in the room to take a picture? But, my son's pride won out - putting this on the blog is bad enough, I think. By the way - the "Pink Power Ranger" thing is just between us, ok?

Alrighty, then!

For those of you who don't know my daughter, she's a bit headstrong. She has no problem letting you know what she wants, and she's getting more verbal (and more determined) every day. I know this will be of great benefit to her one day - but I mostly don't like it when she uses these tactics on me. After all, I'm the adult (most days). Well, tonight, this skill came in kind of handy for her - and for me!

Note: For those not accustomed to the very open dialogue moms often have about the bodily functions of children, stop reading now. You have been warned.

OK, so I'm reading a book while my dear daughter plays in the tub for a bit before the actual hair-and-body-washing-negotiations begin. Pretty normal, run-of-the-mill evening, right? We did our usual let-her-sit-on-the-potty-and-shove-tissue-squares-between-the-knees thing while I ran the water into her semi-bubbly bath. Then, she's ready to get into the bubbles and splash around a bit, and I pick up where I left off months ago in "How to Make Your Children Mind Without Losing Yours." I'm making pretty good headway for not having picked the book up in ages - still awake enough that I'm not reading the same sentence over and over without it making any sense - when my growing girl says, "pee pee." I look at her - notice she's holding herself "there" - and say, "Yes, that's where the pee pee comes from," and go back to reading. She waits a moment more and does it again. So, only partly concerned that I'm about to open the door to more potential tp waste, I ask her if she wants to sit on the potty and try to pee pee. "Hessssss!" is her enthusiastic response. (In 20-months-old-today-speak, that's a big 'ol "Yes!") So, on the potty again, dripping wet from the tub. She asks to wrap up in a towel (a trick she learned at her last bath when I put her on the potty post-bath and was afraid she'd get cold. She's got a bit of a track record with peeing on the floor after bath time if she doesn't get a diaper fast enough. I thought I'd give it a shot, you know? So far, nothing doing.... But I digress....). So, she gets the towel and milliseconds later, asks for some tp. I give her a few squares, then take it off the holder so she can't waste too much more, since she can reach the holder from her perch atop the BIG potty. Then, she gives me back the towel and suddenly, she's actually peeing in the potty! She goes a bit, then stops - and I'm woo-hooing and clapping and have that huge, silly, mommy-grin - then goes a bit more and stops, then a bit more before she's done. The house is quiet enough that I can actually hear that there's something going into the potty. The whole time, I'm clapping and woo-hooing, she's grinning and clapping, too. Then, while we are clapping hands and all excited, she says, "Toot toot." Yep - the girl passed gas, too, and told me all about it! And all the while, the boys are downstairs, oblivious to all of the celebrating going on upstairs. So, we had our just-the-two-of-us celebration, then shared the news with the boys once my little one was wrapped in a nice, dry towel.

A Tail of Epic Proportions

No, folks, that's not a typo up there. I really mean tail. Let me explain....

It was a dark and snowy evening (really!). As I piloted the mommy-van home from church this evening, I was struggling to see through a foggy windshield - the heavier-by-the-minute snow not aiding me one bit. Suddenly, I see a small, furry animal in the road ahead of me. A million (well, ok, only several) things flashed through my mind at once:
- "Move small, furry animal - I don't want to hurt you!"
- "Outta my way, small, furry animal - I don't want to kill an animal with kids in the car!" Not that I ever want to kill small furries, but my son and I have had lots of talks about Heaven and dying of late, and I am not interested in him being around for the actual moment of death.
- "Ewww, yuck!" - in the event of an actual mommy-van v. small furry encounter.

Yep, you guessed it. After small furry's attempt to get out of my way, and my attempt to not hit small furry by pressing firmly on the brakes and trying to steer around it (darn that foggy windshield and the headlights of oncoming traffic), well, small furry lost. But - can you imagine that there is more to this story?!? Oh, yes! Not only did I hit a small, furry creature while my entire family was riding along with me - small furry was a SKUNK!

Soooo - 2 carwashes later (yes, on a dark and snowy night I took the mommy-van to a touch-free carwash and parked my front wheels over the undercarriage wash until it timed out), a bottle of super-strong odor-eliminator (not just that stuff you get at Target), and 30+ minutes (in the snow) emptying the car of everything that could take on skunk odor, the mommy-van still stinks. I even went out (on a dark and snowy night) to buy a new air filter. Oh, yeah, there is plenty of skunk funk in the AC filter! When I took out the glove compartment to change the filter, the odor was much stronger. However - oh, yeah, still more to story - the directions apparently don't match my particular mommy-van. So, I'll be taking it to the dealer tomorrow to let them change the stinking thing (literally, it stinks!). They will love me. Just in time for Valentine's Day.

Work your brain

I'm always interested in things that help me exercise my mind - Tetris, Sudoku, crossword puzzles, trivia - you name it. So, when I found out about this site I wanted to share my find with you. When you can combine "exercise" with feeding the hungry, who wouldn't be interested? So, here's a fun workout for your brain! Just click the FREE Rice banner and check it out! (Also, keep your ears open for info about the CROP Walk this fall - another kind of exercise you can do while you help feed the hungry!)