The extremely unpleasant...

So, as I promised, this would be a true vision of parenthood. Today's incident today doesn't involve one of my children, but my sweet (almost 8 year old) niece. Nonetheless, one of those parenting moments we all go through that is worth sharing (and warning others about).

We were having a fun little BBQ for Memorial Day with the hub's family. After the eating festivities, my niece was jonesing for a haircut. So I got the scissors and comb and started cutting. We were in the bathroom, and I had just finished a preliminary trim around her entire head when she looked at me with her hand over her mouth. Then she turned to the sink, and (you guessed it) totally lost her dinner. She hadn't been feeling well the whole day and it finally took its toll on her.

I calmly called to her mother and stood there by her and held her hair. The poor thing just kept going. Her mom told me I didn't have to stay, but I just couldn't leave her. Afterwards as we cleaned up a bit (thank goodness we were right infront of the sink) she told me she was surprised I could handle it as well as I did. I pondered this for a short while, to figure out why I was able to handle it without losing my dinner too. (Or at least getting really woozy.)

I realized that once I had kids, who had the stomach flu, or goodness knows what else, that makes them vomit, it's just not the same as it was when you were a kid. I still have semi-nightmares about an incident Moose had when he had lost his dinner after he had gone to bed. We heard him cough, or something, and then start screaming. Me and the hubs shared this millisecond look and both ran in there. Moose always hated getting sick like that and would cry everytime it happened. I just hated it. After that one incident, I used to go to bed dreading him getting sick to his stomach because I couldn't stand seeing him so sad. (Do you notice how I'm avoiding all the normal words for this. I just hate using them.)

Moose has been sick to his stomach a few times, so it has been during those few illnesses that I got over my gross factor for that type of thing. For me (and I'm sure I may just have a semi-tough constitution for this sort of stuff) I just can't think about being sick to my stomach or grossed out when my kid is so sad, or uncomfortable, or however it makes them feel. All of my mental powers kick over into how-can-I-help-this-kid-get-better Mode. I'm sure some people just can't help but feel ill around that sort of thing, but I'm fortunate enough to be able to deal, I guess.

Anyhow, so it was a semi-unpleasant way to end the evening. I'm just glad the Miss is feeling alright and not uber-sick. And no, it was not her seeing her haircut in the mirror that made her ill. (Thank you bro-in-law.) And I still absolutely, for the record, hate it when I get this type of sick, and dread the day Monkey gets it. (She has yet to really be sick like that.) I have other stories like this (one involving baby chicken noodle. Gross.) that come with parenting. Maybe another day.

For today, it was a real day job of the yucky and not so fun. Get better Miss. Hopefully we can finish that oh-so-cute haircut really soon.

I know...

This is a serious pet peeve of mine. Whenever I tell Moose to do something, or explain why we have to do something a certain way, etc. he will respond with "I know". This drives me bonkers. I guess a lot of it is the tone of voice, which is hard to blog. I used to think he learned this habit from a cousin, but I'm thinking that it might just be a kid thing. I don't know if it usually starts this young. But it drives me bonkers.

Here's an example.

Me: Moose, we don't step on the headstones at the cemetery.
Moose: But why not?
Me: They're special and we treat them nicely.
Moose: I know.

This is fictional of course. (We did visit a cemetery today.) But the jist is, it's always something that he doesn't know. It's usually something he isn't happy about, or we're telling him to do something he doesn't want to do, or he'll explain something wrong, and we'll correct him and he'll then respond with "I know". The way he says it is in that slightly whiney tone of voice. It just drives me bonkers.

Random pet peeve. I know. But I just had to share. What are yours?

Eating out...

We have officially decided that eating out with two young children under the age of 4 can be as much, if not more work, than eating at home. The service can take too long. The kid's menus can be below mediocre. And then we get home and the kids are going to bed late.  We're hoping that as our children get older and learn social/table manners it might get easier. Although I still don't know if they'll eat the food as well as they do at home. As nice as it is to not have to cook, or do the dishes, it's still so much work.  Making them stay in their seats while we wait for the appetizer. Then they won't eat that and we have to make them sit in their seats while they wait for their food. And on and on.

Maybe from now on we'll save the eating out for when it's just me and the hubs. That is relaxing.

(We were able to eat out with some family tonight. It was a fun time, but in reflection we just realized how much work eating out can be. We still like doing it, and had a good time tonight. It's just still a lot of work.)

Date Night...

Not for us, but for someone else. Last week we had a date (which included Monkey staying at home with us because she was feverish and lethargic) and dropped Moose off with a friend. Tonight, we had the pleasure of watching their little guy. He's just over 2, and a bit small for his age. It was so much fun having him over. Moose gets so worked up about him coming over (and I know he does too) but they don't end up playing much together. Moose is into the interactive play, whereas the little guy is very much a parallel player. Watching him made me remember what Moose was like when he was younger. I kinda miss that age.

Moose would play by himself for an hour. He would take out his box of cars and line them all up one by one, and then slowly drive them somewhere else and park them all next to each other again. He would do this for hours, it seemed. It was great. He was completely absorbed in his own little world.

It will be fun to see Monkey get to that stage. She's already getting so big, it's hard to believe a year has passed. We're just waiting for words to start popping out. She's expanding her sign language to: more, please, papa, mama, help, and I might be forgetting one. She used to say milk, but now refuses. I feel like she's just going to wait, and then start speaking in half sentences. My niece did that. You can never underestimate the observant ones. There's no way to tell what's going on in those brains of theirs.

All in all, such a nice night. The little guy was a joy to watch (and didn't want to go home, which was cute.) and the two hours really went by quite quickly. Now it's relax time for the parents, including a small marathon of "Life". (Our latest Netflix TV show craze.)

Brush Your Teeth...

I'm realizing over and over again that my son (and I'm sure Monkey might not be too different) can be extremely sensitive and sometimes overly emotional. The most random thing will set him off crying and throwing a fit. But more importantly, my tone of voice will completely set him off. My most natural tendency when I'm getting upset or frustrated, or when Moose isn't listening, is to raise my voice. My hubs told me a long time ago he doesn't like it. Said it gets his blood pumping faster. (at least if I get to yelling, or close to it anyway.) Over the past few years I've noticed that when I start to raise my voice (in the natural way that I do) it completely changes the way Moose responds to me. He gets more agitated, fidgety, responds slower and is overall less agreeable.

It's been hard for me to learn to change this habit of mine. I'm still not great at it, but I can say I'm getting better. Take the other day for example.

I was trying to get ready. I still needed to brush my teeth and maybe dry my hair. Just a few things. The kids had been bombarding my bedroom and bathroom, making it hard to get anything done. Monkey, by herself, I can handle. But it's when they're both in there that I can't get anything done. Moose, sadly, is always the one to push me over the edge. As I had on a few other occasions, I finally told him, "Get out of my room." He absolutely hates this. Moose cannot handle banishment. His response is, "I don't want to." To which I say, "Then go to bed." (I'm so patient, right?) To which he says, "I don't want to do that either." After a short minute of this I realized we're going the wrong way.

So I stopped, took a breath, got down on his level and held my hands out to him for a hug. His breathing is slightly jumpy, as if he was about to break into tears (which I doubt would've happened, but still.) and came in for a hug. I gave him a big hug and told him I loved him. Then I told him exactly what I wanted to get done and asked if he could play in the living room for a few minutes while I did that. He looked at me with a smile and said, "Okay Mama." It was the sweetest thing and such a 180 from where we had been 3 minutes before. I was amazed at the reaction I got from him and so pleased that I was able to turn it around.

So the next time your kids are driving you crazy and you're getting too agitated, give them a hug and tell them you love them. As for what happens after that, it will have to be better than what would've happened otherwise. Whether or not you end up being able to get your teeth brushed.

Pink flowers...

So today while at a plant store, Moose found this small sprig of pink flowers. He wanted it to keep growing, so we had a small chat about how it won't keep growing because it doesn't have roots anymore, but we can put it in water to keep it alive a little longer. It was a bit more in depth than that, but at some point I must have made the point that it would eventually die.

Fast forward about 2 hours to him already being in bed. The hubs walks past their bedroom door and hears him crying. He goes in there with the intention to be upset because he's not sleeping, only to realize he's crying because his pink flowers are going to die. What do you do with that? Bless his heart, the hubs brought him out to say bye bye to his flowers and give them a hug and kiss. So Moose kissed and hugged his pink flowers, and went back to bed, still pretty emotional. He eventually calmed down and after I got Monkey calmed down and back in her crib, I went over to soothe him a bit. After some hugs and kisses, Moose tells me he wants to have a pink flower that won't die. So I told him that tomorrow we can make him a pink flower that won't die. He was happy with that.

Bless his sweet, tender heart.

First Child Syndrome...

So I read something years ago that talked about how your placement in the family will often give you certain characteristics, etc. First children have the most easily distinguished, I think. I've realized a lot about why they say these things since I've had my own children. Here's my version.

Why Moose will be different than our other children:
*He will be the recipient of our worst parenting since we're still figuring out what on earth we're doing and he has to deal with it the longest. (And will remember the most of it too.)
*He, being the eldest and who Monkey looks up to, has to be the good example. i.e. "Moose, do xyz the right way. Be a good example to Monkey."
*He, being the only child for a small 3 years, was micromanaged way more than any of our other children will ever be. Some of those habits die hard, for him and for us. So he'll be used to a lot more grief.

I'm sure there are other things that go along with this. The reason I started thinking about this came in our trip to the library today.

As we were leaving the apartment, he went down the stairs first. As Monkey was waiting for me to pick her up she watched him go down the stairs. He had one hand on the wall as he went down. She decided she wanted to go down the same way he did. So she held my hand and went down the stairs one foot per stair the entire way down. (She did really well, I might add.)  Then, if this weren't enough, on the way back to the house after our trip to the library, she watched Moose go up the stairs. She then decided she wanted to walk up the stairs as well. So she held my hand and took the stairs one foot per step. On the second half, she even held onto the hand rail.

So as much as it pains you first children, it's not our fault. Your younger siblings are watching, and it's so much easier for us parents if you are just a good example so we don't have to re-teach them everything.  :)

Dogs...

My brother in law has this huge, but really friendly dog. For the most part, Monkey has been terrified of it. When she was younger, it had to be kept outside all the time if we were over. Or she'd be in tears. Slowly, she's been warming to him. He could be in the house, but not near her. Then he could be near her, but not look at her. Then today, out of nowhere, she decided she wanted to pet his face! It was so awesome! And she did it twice! When kids decide to do something, they do it on their own time. But when they do it, they do it! We were so proud of her making such a brave step. (She could literally fit in his abdomen.) Way to go sweetie pie!

Fishing...

So I got in really late from a girls night last night, so the house was already shut down when I got back. But we had a super busy day yesterday!

My mother in law got Moose a little guy fishing pole and we went fishing! A local place has days where they provide bait and you can go fishing at the chosen location. We didn't last terribly long at the pond (although it was longer than I thought we would.) and sadly, we didn't catch anything. But Moose had a ton of fun with his Spiderman fishing pole and enjoyed the fake worms and bobbers. Monkey actually really enjoyed it too, and at first was super mad I wouldn't let her in the water.

After that excursion, we went and got some seeds and starter plants and started some gardening at my in-laws place. They have 2 huge raised garden beds and Moose was able to help plants some beans and onions. The onions were tons of fun. We had him poking holes with his finger and then stuffing the onions in the holes. We plan on going back tomorrow to plant some more since the kids were pretty pooped by that point.

Sweet Monkey has still been a bit off. I almost took her to Urgent Care Saturday morning. She was so cranky and tired and I just didn't know what was going on. Her fever was gone, but she seemed to still be so uncomfortable. However, after a nice full diaper, she seemed to be all better. So we're thinking maybe a small bit of constipation? Hopefully she'll be back to normal in no time. Her day today was still a bit off, but that might've just been because she spent the morning/afternoon with the hubs and he does things differently than I do. Sometimes that's all it takes.

The upcoming week is looking quite busy. But I'll try to take it one day at a time. This week was so busy and hectic with my parents visiting (which was so great, the visit was too short, and we're looking forward to the next one already!) and coughs and colds. Fortunately I never got sick. (Knock on wood.) Let's hope for a calm and un-busy week this week. What do you say? I like it!

Oh, the hubs just signed his contract for next year. (Teaching) So we're officially staying put for another year. Did I already say that? I forget. If I didn't, there's the happy news. Yay for us!

Tired baby...

Today was one long exhaustion for sweet Monkey. We went to a park this morning. She had a low fever and a runny nose, so I figured she's working on her molars, which have been coming in for a while now. She completely konked out on the way home and after a quick diaper change, went to bed at the apartment. Moose insisted on going to bed at noon as well, looking forward to an evening playdate, while me and the hubs have a date. When Monkey finally got up from her nap about 4 hours later, she was super hot (much of it due to the super warm clothes she was wearing from our slightly chilly time at the park.) and had a high fever. After some tylenol and walking around in her diaper, her fever was already going down significantly. However, she was still lucky enough to stay home with us and encroach on our date while Moose got to go play.

I never like having a sick (or teething-sick) baby. But it's so precious to have them fall asleep on you. She fell asleep with me in the afternoon, and the hubs at bedtime. Hopefully she'll sleep well and be a ball of energy tomorrow. We have a lot on the menu and it will be a lot easier and way more fun if she's up for the challenge. If not, we may have to weed out our plans a bit.

It was nice to have a date. Even if Monkey was home with us. Those nice, quiet times can be so essential to couple-health. We were having regular (weekly, for the most part) date nights in our previous city. For almost 2 years. We've had an occasional one here and there for the last 8 months, but nothing close to regular. It was nice. Next week we'll be watching Moose's buddy, and the week after that: Date night! Yay for date nights!

Let it go...

I realized yesterday, after a little to-do at the library that sometimes I'm just too stingy and need to let things go. I'll explain why after the story.

It's nothing really big. We went to the library and while we were there, Moose comes up to me and says "I have to go potty." I hate taking my kids to public bathrooms. It's so much work. They're usually dirtier, in general, and when I've got 1 year old Monkey crawling around on the floor trying to find Moose, well, let's just say eww. So I give him this really mean-mommy look and grumble about how he should've gone at home, which is really my fault because I didn't ask him to. Of course, after sitting down for 5 seconds, I hear the melodious sounds of, "Wipe my bum bum please." Then there's the post-fun of trying to get him to wash him hands in a public bathroom, which is always iffy because he can't always reach the sink, not to mention the soap. All in all, it wasn't a bad experience, but I had a really bad attitude.

I thought about this later and after some pondering, scolded myself. I didn't ask him to go before we left for the library. For pete's sake, the kid had to go. At least he's never soiled himself in a public place. He's never even wet the bed. What more do I want from the poor kid? But before I beat myself up too badly, I realized why it is that I reacted the way that I did. (I'm not about to excuse myself, but find the source for my negative attitude, so as to correct it next time.) I realized that I have a very poignant memory of all of our horrendous public bathroom experiences. I do not like taking my kids to public bathrooms. Period. But sweet, little Moose doesn't remember all of these experiences. He can hardly remember what we did yesterday, unless it involves ice cream. So when he came to me in the public library, I instantly recalled all of our uncomfortable public bathroom experiences and had a super negative attitude towards him for his very natural urge to take care of business.

So, lesson learned. Make sure you are reacting to the present situation, and not past experiences. So, the next time Moose comes to me in a public place and says "I need to go potty." I will not give him "the face", but will kindly say, "Thank you for letting me know. Let's go to the bathroom." Well, I'll try to do that anyway. :)

Family...

So we just finished having a visit from my parents, who live quite a ways away. It was so nice to see my children interacting with them. Me and the hubs enjoyed having them around tons too.  Despite how far away we live and how little face to face time we get, it's still great to see how well we all function when we're together.

Moose just loved playing with my Dad. My Dad does a great monster, crawling around on his hands and knees. Even Monkey got into the fray (which was so adorable.) running away from my dad and hiding under the kitchen sink.

I wanted to take pictures of the kids with the grandparents, since I basically forgot to take out my camera during their visit. We weren't sure how to do it since we figured Monkey wouldn't enjoy being on either of their laps. However, as they were situating Moose with my Dad, my Mom held out her hands and miraculously, Monkey went and sat on her lap. Moose then went on to have a mini-breakdown and I took pics of Monkey and my parents. It was so precious. Once Moose calmed down, he had his own little photo shoot with them. All in all it was so great to have them visit.

There is so much to learn from parents and past generations. I'm just glad that my kids will be able to know my parents and who they are. I want my kids to learn from them and enjoy the wonderful personalities who raised me.

Spring has arrived...

So I think that spring has finally arrived. As pleased as I am, I can already feel the typical grumblings in my head. "It's so hot." "Do I have to sunblock everyone?" "Can't we just stay inside?" How naughty of me to already be thinking this when spring has just barely arrived, and quite late in the year for some people.  However, there are a few things I'm looking forward to.

Swim Lessons. I did these last year with Moose. Despite his size, he was still able to do the Mommy & Me class, which I was glad for since he's a bit hesitant in large bodies of water. I'm really jazzed to do the Mommy & Me with Monkey, although I imagine she might be equally clingy. She'll just be way more manageable since she won't be 3 and over 30 pounds. It will be a bit nerve wracking to take Moose to his class, with a few other kids and their teacher. I just don't know how he'll do. But we'll do it either way, so I'm excited!

Camping. We can't really afford camp site fees, but I know we'll be able to go with the hubs' family over 4th of July and possibly other times during the summer. (I know we said it's just spring, but around here they're basically the same season.) The last time we went camping was when Moose was almost 1 and crawling. We do have a decent sized tent and enough gear to sleep semi-comfortable. We'd be stuck with campfire cooking, but I'm sure we would manage. We could also borrow from our camp-loving family that lives nearby. Either way, I'm jazzed about taking the kiddos camping!

I don't really know what the summer will bring, but I'm pretty excited about the possibilities. I'll just have to remind myself that the heat is far more preferable to the snow. I'm sure I'll manage. I just hope the kiddos deal with the heat as well as I do. (Or should I be saying I hope I handle the heat as well as the kiddos do.)

Sick babies...

Well, right before we took a small trip to see my bro graduate from college and visit my parents, the kiddos started getting sick. Poor Monkey has been extremely congested, and it has been interrupting her sleep quite a bit. Yesterday, she had a total of 3 3-minute naps. Not quite enough, as you can imagine. On the way back home (it was a 1 day trip of about 2 hours each way.) she was so extremely exhausted (it being about 6 in the evening.) and was trying her hardest to just fall asleep. Unfortunately, her breathing started to get strained and she ended up throwing up a little bit. So sad. :( I think it was mostly mucus, so she wasn't literally ill. Just too much congestion and drainage and those sorts of fun things. She ended up not sleeping on the way home. But when we got home we gave the kiddos some applesauce to settle their bellies (it always settles mine.) and a nice bath. They still got to bed after 8, but it was so nice to be home.

Today was still a day of recovery. We've found it takes at least 2 days to recover from traveling, if not more. It depends on how long you were gone. So I'm hoping by tomorrow she'll be back on track. As long as she gets her naps in, anyway. My parents will be here for a day or two, so we'll have to temper our desire to be out doing things with helping the babes get their naps in.

It's so awesome having my parents here to visit. The last time they saw Monkey was when she was 6-8 weeks old. Other than that it's only pictures. So it's so sweet to watch her interact with them. Granted, she's not the quickest to warm up to anyone, she's come a long way and is very interested by their being here. She always points and grunts at them.

Of course, Moose had a wonderful time and didn't really nap either. He is enjoying Grandma and Grandpa immensely and will be super sad when they leave. Better go and enjoy them while they're here!

Hello Sunshine...

Well, it seems like spring has finally hit our city. It is so nice. Living in a wintery climate most of the year, I'm learning that I need to take advantage of the warmer weather while we have it and let the kiddos play outside. So after errands and naps, it becomes outdoor time. I'm still not good at doing this, but I'm getting better. (It's a lot of work to take the kids outdoors sometimes. You have to have toys, possibly sunblock, and gear if you plan on going anywhere that's not outside your front door.)

Luckily, we have a grass patch outside our apartment, and our downstairs neighbors have a little guy and a good amount of outdoor toys that kind of reside in the grass. So they're nice enough to let our kids play with it whenever we're out. Among these toys, there's also a water table. Basically a big table that holds a few inches of water. The last two times we've been out to play, Monkey has managed to completely soak her frontside with water. Today she practically climbed ontop of it, reaching across it for a toy.

We currently live far from my family, but close to my hub's family. However, tomorrow we will have the pleasure of driving down to see my parents and my sibling's family. (My bro is graduating college.) We will be driving back after dinner with tired kiddos and my parents in tow. So it's very possible I won't post tomorrow. But otherwise, expect a post Sunday night.

Ooh, in fantastic news, my hubs got his pay and contract figured out for next year. Yay! He just needs to sign the dotted line. But this lets us continue plans for the future and that's always exciting! We're super jazzed to be staying in one place for another year! (The longest we lived anywhere was the city before this, and we lived there for two years. Other than that, the longest we stayed anywhere was about 8 months. This is in the entire almost 6 years that we've been married. Oh, the student life.) We'll be excited to see if we can't manage to stay here for 3 years and beat our record!

Moments you love...

Sorry, last night was another spreadsheet night, figuring out our health insurance for next year. Wonderfully, the hubs received his contract today (although it's not finalized) which means the job is his once he signs the dotted line. And once they get his salary right, the line will be signed! But, back to my kiddos.

Yesterday, I had an awesome moment with Moose in the car yesterday. We were on our way to a playgroup and he likes to tell stories in the car. Most of the time it sounds something like this:

You take a seed, and you add water. Water, seed, water, seed, water, seed, and then it grows into a big skyscraper. There are lots of people in the skyscraper and it gets really heavy and falls over. Then they pick it up and it falls over. Pick it up, falls over, pick it up, falls over. And then it stayed up. The end.

Today, however, he started to tell me Goldilocks and the Three Bears. (Which he hears on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Website.) He started telling the story and I didn't think anything of it. Then he got to the part that says, "Then Mama Bear said, 'Someone's been eating my lunch.'" As he started to quote Mama Bear, he stopped, then started over again with the best falsetto he could muster and repeated it over again. Then for the rest of the story, I heard a very distinct and gruff Papa Bear voice, a nice falsetto Mama Bear, and his regular voice for the Baby Bear. It was just too adorable. I absolutely loved it!

Sleepy Head...

Sorry for the missing blog last night. My hubs was busy working his magic on some spreadsheets, trying to figure out next year's health insurance, with our estimated paycheck (since that's not settled yet either), trying to make ends meet.

The last while Monkey has been sleeping in until about 8:30, so she's trimmed down to one nap instead of two. But by the time we get to naptime at about 1, she's so pooped out, she generally falls asleep with me in the rocking chair. It's so sweet. I really enjoy it. Granted, Moose stays awake the entire time, I think specifically to say good night. But it's really sweet to have a baby fall asleep in your arms, no matter how old.

P.S. I'm gearing up for a visit from my parents this weekend, so I'm busy cleaning/planning for their visit. We haven't seen them since Monkey was about 6 weeks old. We stayed with them on a mini-vacation for 2 weeks. So it's been forever, and they kids have grown tons. So good times are coming.

Happy Mother's Day

Today is the day to celebrate all women really. Mothers, Grandmothers, Aunts, Sisters, and any influential woman that has made an impact in your life. I have had many women play this part in my life, and am now privileged to be numbered among those Mothers as well.

My sweet hubs got a card for the kiddos to sign (well, Moose did anyway). Moose made a sweet little flower for me in church. Monkey showered me with love and giggles. The men in our family made us all dinner, including a brownie dessert. It was a wonderful day full of love, and I can't wait to continue the growth of that love as our families continues to grow over the years.

I absolutely love being a mother. Next to being a wife, it is my most favorite thing in the world. Despite all of the challenges that come with motherhood (pregnancy being an entirely separate book of challenges) I would not trade any of it. The challenges are 100% worth it, when weighed against the amazing benefits I receive. I am daily (mostly) showered my sweet, pure, and sincere love from my children. They look to me in all things, whether I like it or not, and I am a major source of love and nourishment for them. What an honor.

So, I put out a large thank you to all of those women in my life who have at one time or another, nourished me and played that role. My beautiful mother. There is no replacing the impact you have had on me. My oldest sister, who at times played mother for me in our large family. My sweet twin sisters, who in completely different ways, have been a buoy to me in times when I really needed it. My best friend's mother, who was as example in many ways and adopted me into her own family. My mother-in-law, the jackpot of mother in laws, what a treat it is to have you in my life. There are so many others. Thank you, all women, who are a force for good and positive impact on those around you. The world is such a better place because of you!

Grandparents...

Today was a semi-big day. Me and the hubs went on a day trip away and we left the kids with the grandparents. We were away with my bro-in-law and his lovely wife, so their 3 sweet girls spent the day with the grandparents as well. This was the longest I've been away from Monkey (if I am not mistaken) and I was a little worried about her getting her naps in. Since she would not be in her bed, but the pack-n-play, in a foreign room.

But, lo and behold, Monkey did great! I was so pleased when we arrived and she was happily playing. What a joy! I knew she was capable and know that she isn't that needy that she would absolutely need me or the hubs to be around her. It was just nice to know that it went so smoothly. How great! Now I will have no fear of leaving them for a few hours for dates, etc. It was quite encouraging. And to see that she went to sleep happily if someone else did her bedtime routine. Yay!

Me and the hubs are currently gearing up for a special anniversary this year. (It's number 6, but we've never really done anything very special outside of going to a restaurant.) We've been checking out flights to fun locales, as well as Broadway type shows. Now I know that we can go for a weekend and all will be well. What a relief!

It is so important as a parent to be able to be away from your kids. You need it. And, amazing as it may seem, they need it too! And, seeing as tomorrow is Mother's Day, we brought them home with sweet little crafts they made with their pictures, a lovely fan for me, and some beautiful potted flowers! Being a mother is the best!

For all of you mothers and future mothers out there, have a wonderful Mothers Day tomorrow!
*And a special hug and kiss for my amazing Moms (in-law, you too!) My life wouldn't be the same without you!

Tender moments...

I had a really tender moment with my kids tonight. (Of course it was ultimately ruined and ended with some crying, but what doesn't with kids?) As I got out of the shower after my run this evening, my hubs came in and Monkey was crying in the room. He said it seems like she's having a harder time going down since I've been bumped back up into favorite status. (I think it's all the giggling I get her to do before I put her to bed.) So I went in there and cuddled her in the rocking chair and sang songs to the kids for a while. She was completely relaxed on me, and almost fell asleep. She roused a bit as she tried to find the ears on her teddy bear. (They're actually bunny ears, he's wearing a bunny costume. She loves to hold those ears.) But she still stayed completely relaxed. I tried to sing her back to sleep, which didn't work. I had decided to sing one more song, when Moose started to ask me what something meant. It was a word which didn't make sense, and wasn't anything I had said. (It was probably some conglomerate of a few words he heard me said, or one bad translation of something I was singing.) His speaking brought Monkey out of her lovely sleepy state, and ruined the moment, I'm afraid. So I got up to put her to bed, and Moose started crying immediately, telling me to keep singing. I told him if he quit crying right then and laid back down, I would sing one more song. He did, so I did. It was really quite nice singing to them like that. I rather enjoyed it. Maybe next time it will end without any tears at all. I just love cuddling sleeping babies in my rocking chair. I highly recommend it. (She hasn't fallen asleep on me since she was just a wee thing, so it was really quite sweet.)

I'm still mad at you...

Let me preface this story with saying that I'm very open with my children about emotions. If Moose is making me angry, I will tell him in those words. He knows the words angry, mad and frustrated. He uses them too. We're also very open with positive and happy emotions as well. We've also been having a problem with Moose and going potty. I always have Moose go before his nap and before bed. He has the habit of saying "But I don't have anything." However, I am always right. He always has something. This has been a bit of a problem lately, because I'm tired of his retort. So this is what happened today:

Me: Please go potty, it's naptime.
Moose: But I don't have anything.
Me: Do I like when you say that?
Moose: No.
Me: So go potty please.

He then went to the bathroom and came back after about 10 seconds saying he "didn't have anything". I told him to go back and sit longer and that's when he starting fighting back. Ultimately he was told to get on the potty or he would lose his book and song for naptime and have no fun privileges afterwards. (movie.) With that ultimatum, he went to the bathroom. He comes out a few minutes later and stands next to me silently.

Me: So?
Moose: I had pee.
Me: Good. Go flush the toilet and wash your hands.
Moose: But I'm still mad at you.
Me: That's fine. Go flush the toilet and wash your hands.

We encourage identifying our emotions and expressing them. As long as you still flush the toilet and wash your hands.

Playdate!

Yeah for playdates! This morning there was snow on the roof and it was still coming down a little. Such a downer start to the day. (Although I was super rested, which was awesome.) So I decided we (meaning, I) would ask Moose's friend to come over and play. It was so great. I chat with the mom, the kids entertain themselves, somewhat. You still end up giving them attention, but not nearly as much because they have someone else to bother instead of just you.

And my new blender part is here! (About a month ago, now, I broke a part in our blender and have since been suffering without it.) I am one happy camper. I'm sure Moose will be happy too, as he enjoys the fruit smoothies I make for him. Actually, Monkey really likes them too. So smiles all around!

All in all, another really good day. Yay for brand new days. Really all it takes for me is no major freak outs or break downs, and I'm able to accomplish one or two things on my personal to do list. And I did. So I'm happy. Relax time with the hubby now. Woohoo!

Way!

(Way would be how Moose says Yay.) Today was a day of little victories.

*Moose got an ice cream at McDonalds for filling out an entire sheet with stickers. (Which he earns when he focuses and does well during school.)
*I continued the battle of making Monkey resume signing "all done".
*I have kept her pacifier out of her mouth except for naptime.
*Despite a really sore bum from participating in P90X yesterday, I still did my two miles this evening.
*Moose remembered the number 11 in english and spanish during school this morning.
*Monkey had her first bite of ice cream.
*I folded my clean laundry and started the kid's laundry too.
*Made it to a playdate. (Good for the kids and me too!)
*About to enjoy a relaxing evening with the hubs.

Way!

Brand New Day 1

So, after my weekend away, and being inspired by amazing people at TOFW, I feel like today was starting a brand new day. Monkey slept in, so I was showered and dressed before she got up. I had her breakfast ready and waiting for her. We had school (Moose and I), made a trip to JoAnns (so I could get patches to fix Moose's pants) and had an overall great morning. (Although, for some reason, Monkey has decided that she will no longer say "all done" when she is finished sitting in her chair. It's so annoying.)

The kids napped, I sewed (or patched, more like it.), and spent some time reading the scriptures on the lovely small couch that now resides in my bedroom. I repotted the bean plant that was getting the biggest (I still have, now 6, plants growing in my windowsill from Moose's urge to plant things from like a month ago. The biggest bean plant is really close to sprouting beans. Or however you say that.)

I ran my two miles (well, ran 1 1/2 and walked 1/2) and even did an extra p90x (new exercise craze) workout with some friends. I might even be sore tomorrow. We had an amazing dinner with knock-off Red Lobster cheese biscuits (Oh my goodness. Yum.) and spaghetti.

I was really productive today. The kids had a good day. I didn't yell. We didn't have one time out. (Although Monkey was put back in her bed after throwing huge fits in her chair, while refusing to say "all done". But I dare say she rather enjoyed being put back in bed.) Moose ate carrots (I love when my kids eat vegetables. Is that weird?) and our grilled cheese sandwiches at lunch were amazing.

Yay for good days. I hope you all decide to do you best to have one tomorrow. (I think in most cases it's 95% attitude.) Here's to Brand New Day 2...

The Mama Returns...

Well, I came back from my small weekend trip. I arrived at the lovely hour of 2 am, and was greeted by my sweet Monkey crying from her room. So I had an excuse to cuddle her for ten minutes mere minutes after returning home.  I was very comfortable being away from the kids (some moms do get quite anxious being away), but I was very happy to be back.  I will admit, I was most excited to be back with my hubs. (I really do sleep horribly when we're apart.)

This weekend ended up being such a great time for me to relax, reflect, and recharge. I was able to remove myself from the daily pressures of parenting. It gave me time to think about our days, what I like, what I want to change, and about our family's flow in general. Then I was able to charge my batteries, so to speak. To make plans, make goals, and overall fill myself with positive energy for my return back to my real world.

Even if it's only for an afternoon, I think every mom needs this. I am extremely fortunate to have a hubs who knows how vital this is to a happy wife and mother. He's so supportive and I couldn't have asked for more.

Today was a peaceful Sunday, complete with naps and a small furniture rearrangement project. (Which we both love doing!) So the apartment is refreshed and feels new. I feel refreshed and renewed. I am hoping for a really great week this week. I'm sure it won't necessarily work out that way, but I'm prepared for the ups and downs. Hopefully I'll be able to share some of the wonderful insights I gained over the next few days. For now, I'm going to go enjoy a quiet evening with my hubs.

Here's to a positive mind set to start out the week. Sending all you moms good vibrations!