Easter Eggs and Toddlers

Pinterest, and my lack of craftiness failed me again.

I got overconfident.

I tried to dye Easter Eggs with two toddlers.

Won't be repeating that for a while.  

Many of you read my posts, and comment,

"Wow, that looks like so much fun!" and

"What a cool idea!" or

"You do so much awesome stuff with the girls!"

And people do ask,

"How do you keep it so neat?"

The answer there is that we don't.  Most of the time, there's clean up time involved.  But, most of the time, it's not a big deal. Five minutes of set up, playtime as long as they're interested, and usually five minutes of clean up.

Rainbow rice?  Dustpan and broom and a quick hand vacuum.

Indoor snow? Dump it out, wipe with the towel, maybe a little spray of the table.

Painting? Hand wash, brush wash, wipe up any drips, move the easel back into the dining room.

We also do these things often enough now where they basically know the guidelines. I lay down an old tablecloth, and they know to keep the mess on the tablecloth. Does the mess sort of migrate off? Of course. They're little.  But we've never had a situation where I was in a panic that they were going to dye my house pastel colors until yesterday. 

This is Madison's third Easter, and she hasn't gotten to dye eggs yet. She was 8 months old for her first Easter, and we were in the very early stages of her neutropenia diagnosis. She didn't care, and I wasn't in the right mindset.  Last year, Reagan was only a few weeks old, and I was adjusting to two babies (and Madison still didn't care).

But this year Madison has been reading her Easter books, and watching some shows with Easter themes, and she knows that painted eggs are always a highlight.  In art group a week ago, we marbled eggs, using shaving cream and liquid watercolors.

I think art group is what did it. I was planning on using either one of the little kits that people have been giving us, or maybe using KoolAid. But marbling eggs was so easy! It was so neat! The kids loved it, the eggs looked really cool, and clean up wasn't bad at all!

So yesterday, Good Friday, when it was just me and the girls home by ourselves, I got cocky. We would color two dozen eggs! Some traditionally, and some marbled!  There were some really cute egg ideas on Pinterest!

I had a plan. While the girls napped, I got everything set up for them. I laid out the tablecloth. I prepared the cups of dye. I "hardboiled" the eggs in the oven (which is my new favorite trick) and cooled them in a bowl of water. I got everything set to marble, with shaving cream and liquid watercolor.  I had my camera ready to go so I could take pictures. The girls woke up, and had their snack, and then they noticed the magic that was in the kitchen! They were so excited!

Then all hell broke loose.

I am outnumbered by the girls in situations like this and I quickly lost control. One of them distracts me with some sort of mess and while I'm stopping that one, the other starts doing something.

Within five minutes:

•  Reagan had picked up four eggs and thrown them into the tile floor.
• Madison opened a bottle of the watercolors and started squirting it into the shaving cream.
• Reagan began trying to put the eggs, which had been dipped in vinegar, into her mouth, and bit down on them.
• Madison, while trying to see the dye, began spilling it out onto the floor.
• Reagan took the egg in the wire whisk and whipped it into the floor, playing drums.
• Madison, in an effort to help, began taking bowls of shaving cream and flipping them over (when I asked "what are you doing?????" she replied, bewildered "keeping them safe from Reagan").

Within ten minutes we were all covered in egg dye and liquid watercolor. Shaving cream was everywhere. The kitchen stank of egg. Eight eggs (and maybe more) were cracked, bitten, or smashed.  Reagan was screaming because I kept grabbing her as she went to throw another bowl or smash an egg. She didn't understand why I wasn't just letting her play. Madison was taking advantage of this by taking eggs from cup to cup of dye and then rolling them in shaving cream.

It was a smelly, sticky, colorful, disgusting mess. Not a fun mess.

This is actually somewhat cleaned up.

At that point I snapped, washed their hands, and banished them from the kitchen.

Seriously, I banished them. I tried to make it sound like I didn't snap. I cheerily asked who wanted a snack and a show, and herded them into the family room.  Unfortunately, there is no division between our kitchen and family room. It's basically one giant room with tile in the kitchen and carpet in the family room.

So I took the kitchen chairs and blocked off all access to the kitchen. They didn't notice at first.

But then they did.

And they were really displeased.

I kept them banished until I could get everything off the floor and out of reach.

Ideally, I would have cleaned up the kitchen before letting them back in. But Madison was crying that she wanted to keep painting eggs, and Reagan was crying that I was out of reach.  Even after I let them back in, they were upset for the rest of the afternoon.  And I was so frazzled that I forgot all about cooking dinner. Thankfully, when I texted Adam, he sensed the tone and brought home takeout.

Note: This is probably because I texted him "I quit. Everyone is crying. The kitchen is a disaster. Oh, and I forgot to cook dinner."

So clearly, a roaring success. We have cracked eggs that are smeared with fingerprints, and even those that were dyed traditionally stink of shaving cream.

Oh, and did you know that you actually can't eat the eggs you marble? Because I didn't. I saw the directions and didn't bother to look into it any more. But yeah, eggs are porous, and shaving cream is soap. So while they won't hurt you, they will taste like soap. Yum!

So it was an epic fail. A disaster zone in the kitchen, two crying children, a frazzled mom, useless eggs. I was so frustrated that I ate the takeout and went to the grocery store, then ignored the mess and took a bath with a glass of wine.  Oh, and remember how we have 25 people coming tomorrow? Yeah, probably shouldn't have lost a productive night like that.

Here's the thing though. This didn't have to be a disaster.

If Adam had been home, and we all dyed eggs together, we probably would have been fine. Man to man defense works well.

If I had been dying eggs with Madison alone, she could have easily done this, and she would have been fine.

If I had been dying eggs with Reagan alone, I would have tempered my expectations, and she would have been fine.

If I had waited until the girls were a little older, where both of them can follow directions, it may have been messy, but it would have been fine.  Honestly, I really don't think they would have noticed.

If I had strapped them into their booster seats and limited what they could touch, giving them little bits of involvement at a time, it would have been fine.

So basically, even though I planned things out, I didn't think things through.

Thankfully, today we had a fun filled Easter activity day, and the Easter bunny is all set for tomorrow, so although it was a hellish experience, it won't be what they remember. And the house is sort of clean now. If I can trick the girls into napping right after church, we should be all set.

Just don't eat the eggs.

Happy Easter everyone!

A Crappy Picture is Worth WAY More Than 1000 Words

Since I started this whole blogging thing (100 posts ago!) I have discovered that there are a lot of funny moms out there.

Now, many of my anecdotes to my friends start with "so I was reading this blog the other day, and this is hilarious..."

Or I email posts to my message board, or my sister, or my friends.

One blog that I often email is Parenting: Illustrated with Crappy Pictures.

Amber started a blog, and because she didn't have photographs of her daily activities, she drew some crappy ones on her computer.  They're stick figures. The drawings are truly crappy. And hilarious.  Amber lives in California with her two boys. She reminds me a lot of a few friends I have who also have two boys. It's not boy specific though. I have two girls and I find myself relating to it often. And I know people who don't have young children who also love reading her posts.

And now, she has a book!  A book that I have been anxiously awaiting the release of.  I pre-ordered my copy weeks ago.  This was a big deal. She was even featured in Parents!

Yesterday, it came!

When the girls and I came home from our afternoon jaunt to Target (as opposed to our morning jaunt to Target), my book was waiting for me!

I couldn't help it. I had to open it immediately and start reading it. Just for a minute. To see what the drawings looked like in print.

Twenty minutes later Adam took it away from me. Because I said I was going to cook dinner. And then I didn't.  Fine. He had a point. He was entertaining the children, and they were hungry.

I cooked dinner, we ate, and Madison started her after-dinner Little Einstein viewing. I stacked up some things to take upstairs with me while I ran Reagan's bath.

I called down that Reagan's bath was ready, and Adam called back that she was happily playing and watching with Madison.  He'd bring her up when it was over, or when she started getting fussy.

Well, that sounded like a "go ahead and read your book" to me.

I ended up reading the entire book by 8:00 last night. I probably could have torn through the entire thing if my laughter hadn't been so loud that it drew both children to the stairs to stare at me.

 Amber's book is the perfect blend of funny and sweet. She includes some bad stuff of course, but she very wisely says "even the bad stuff is good stuff when it isn't happening".  That totally made sense to me. I hope it makes sense to you too.

There are chapters on (not) sleeping, eating, sickness, poop, language, toys, traveling, before and after kids comparisons, the good stuff and Amber's 50 Crappy Laws of Parenting.

When I read a book to review, I bookmark all that pages that are awesome and I want to make sure I talk about.

I have way too many bookmarks. It's all good. I finally stopped, because when you have a bookmark on every page, the bookmark sort of loses its effectiveness.

Amber has done a great job of documenting the everyday moments in her children's lives, with humor that makes her life seem funny, but demonstrating how much she loves her kids.

Another book that is a must read, whether you are a mom or not. And with Mother's Day only a few weeks away, this is a book that would make a great gift.  You can find it pretty much anywhere you buy your books from. I got mine at Amazon (my gift cards are almost gone now, but it was totally worth it).

Once again, I am spending some of my very own cash to give away a copy of this HARDCOVER book to one lucky reader! To enter, leave a comment either here or on my Facebook page. I don't care what you comment on. It could be parenting related, it could be what you had for dinner last night. I don't mind this time. I'm feeling silly.  If you comment both places, you get two entries.  Winner will be selected at random at 8:00 pm on April 3!



All these opinions are my own. I did not receive a promotional copy or any compensation for this review.

My 100th Episode!

I can be syndicated now!

Well, if this was a TV show.  And a network was interested.

Since this is one of thousands of blogs written by moms on the internet, and where the number of posts isn't based on whether or not people actually like what you write, but if you actually sit down and write, it loses a little bit of the shimmer.

Still, in just under 9 months, with two small girls, I have managed to sit down at my laptop and write a few hundred words over 100 times.  I've learned how to create logos, add plugins, review products, and network with other bloggers. I made it onto two Top 25 lists and had two articles published on Circle of Moms (back before PopSugar...sigh).

So maybe I do feel a little bit proud.

I started blogging because I like to talk. I like to share stories. I consider myself somewhat of a "storyteller". I would call my best friend daily, and weave narratives about something mundane that happened, making it (hopefully) interesting.  Whenever anyone asked about the girls, I would chatter on, telling stories about the cute, sweet and silly things they did. Or I'd get philosophical, thinking about where I was going in life.  While she had two little boys running around and I had two little girls running (and laying) around.  I'm a chatterbox (or, as I prefer, storyteller).

Seriously. I'm sort of surprised we're still best friends.

We are (at least, I'm pretty sure we are). We still talk daily and we still share stories. But her husband has told me many times that I'm not allowed to share any of her stories, so we talk about things I don't write about. 

I kept thinking that I needed to document these early days, this massive shift in my life, in a more...lasting way.

I used to scrapbook often, but I stopped.

I wasn't great at taking, printing, and sharing pictures.

I needed a place to share these stories, these anecdotes, these reflections.

So I started a blog.

I was pretty sure my mom would read it. And my mother in law. And maybe some friends.  I had absolutely no plans past that.  I wasn't attempting to be an internet sensation, or anything like that. It was a place to share cute stories.

Now I'm 100 posts in, and I'm nowhere close to an internet sensation (duh). No one is knocking down my door to write a book (I'm considering it anyway) or syndicate my writing.  I have more readers than my close circle of friends, but I'm also not one of those bloggers who counts hits in 1000s.

I write now because I've found that I love writing. I went through a stage in high school where I loved writing. I wrote plays and stories and as life happened, I pictured how it would be as a play, sitcom, novel, whatever. Just in my head (most of the time), but I did it. As I got more involved in music, writing slipped to the back of my mind.

When I was getting my Master's degree, I had to take a class in writing. Yes, much of the class was focused on how to teach writing. But every class we had an assignment due. An exploded moment. A reflection. A memoir. A story based on a picture.

I loved that class.  I really wanted to keep writing.

But I was getting pregnant, and working with the National Choir, and teaching, and all that other "life" stuff.  Then I sort of forgot about it once Madison was born and I went through a year of being completely overwhelmed balancing Madison, my teaching, my friendships, my marriage, Madison's medical needs, and then a surprise second pregnancy.

Now I plan to keep writing. And right now, this blog is my space to do that.

Someone asked me recently if I consider this blog a success.

By blog standards, I really shouldn't. I'm not making money, I'm not getting opportunities, I'm not getting thousands of hits a day.

But it's like many "performance" based hobbies. I'll use the ones I've been involved in.

If you love to sing, you sing. You can't help it. You love it. But are you successful if you never sell out a concert hall? Are you successful if you never have your own concert? Can you still be a good singer?

If you love to act, you act. You can't help it. You love it. Are you successful if you never get past community theater? Are you still a good actor?

No, I'm not in magazines. I don't have a book. I've had my blog receive over 1000 hits exactly three times. I've found that success is combination of persistence, creativity, and a big dose of luck (or more aptly, writing the right post at the right time and somehow having it shared by the right people). Maybe I'll get there some day. Maybe I won't. Either way, I plan to write at least another hundred posts.

Do I consider this a successful venture?

Absolutely.

A book, a laptop, a boppy, and a baby. Those were the days!

Moments of Missing It

Whew.

Ok, it's been a few days. 

This weekend was busy. Some good, some a little more stressful. I was going to write last night, about the good stuff, but then the stressful stuff got in the way.

Starting with the stressful...

We had a big scare with the fridge. Late Friday night the lights on the front panel went out and it stopped making ice. We couldn't adjust the temps. But everything still seemed cold, so we figured we'd keep an eye on it and make a service call on Monday. When we googled the issue, it seemed like when the panel went out you would have a bit of a grace period where the main function of the fridge - to keep food cold - was still working.

Then on Sunday I went to get some milk for Reagan...and it was frozen.

Hmmm...but if we were going to have a problem, too cold was ok, right?

Then we opened the freezer and saw some dripping.

To use a Madison-ism oh craps.

Did I mention that we're hosting 25 people for Easter dinner?  No?

Nothing says "Welcome to our home, sit, eat, and enjoy" like a house without refrigeration. Because knowing our luck, we would not get anything repaired this week. When our microwave broke it took three weeks to get it repaired.

This is the part where we started bashing the appliance company for their shoddy products. We replaced several appliances a few years ago and the microwave has been a problem child since the warranty expired. If the fridge had gone over to the dark side, we would have been REALLY upset.

Fortunately, just as we were starting to panic, plug in the old fridge in the basement, and try to save the food, we tried the old standard repair.

Turn it off and turn it back on.  Modified into "unplug it and plug it in to another outlet".

And that did it. Completely functional.  We tested the old outlet, and it seems like that was where the problem was.

Thank goodness.

Stressful situation over. I am strangely relaxed about having 25 people over. We'll see if that continues this week. Anyone want to place a bet?

The other part that contributed to the busy nature of the weekend was definitely different. I took a visit back to my "music teacher" persona.  Specifically, my overachiever music teacher persona.

From 2005-2010, I managed the OAKE National Children's Choir.  Talk about stressful. I listened to auditions, I juggled numbers and balance to find the right group of kids, I communicated with parents and conductors. I created seating charts and schedules and sent countless emails. I went to the site for five days and supervised 150 fourth and fifth graders.  I answered questions and located bathrooms and found tissues.  It was a massive volunteer job that I absolutely adored.  I got to work with incredible conductors and help 9 and 10 year olds have an incredible experience.

The very first year I was involved.

Backstage at Chicago Symphony Hall. The music geek in me was going nuts.

I also made sure some of "my" kids experienced this as well. Every year I prepared some fabulous singers, helped them create CDs, taught them the music, and helped them through the process.  This was a massive job too. I spent a huge amount of time getting the kids prepared for the experience.  I loved this part too.

I was very skeptical about posting this. Then I realized that all these kids are in college now.

I never really thought about how much I put into the choir until I stopped to write it down. I loved what I did, so it didn't overwhelm me. It didn't feel like work. It was an experience I was lucky to have. I think anyone who has found something they really love feels that way.

Anyway, it was also something I gave up once Madison was born. Although I went back to teaching, I couldn't spend hours upon hours of additional time.  I could barely balance my regular teaching and parenting. In fact, there were many moments when I felt like I wasn't even keeping those two balls in the air.  It was absolutely the right part of my life to step back from.

But I missed it.

I did find a solution and was able to keep a few kids active in the organization, but once Reagan was born, I even stepped back from that.

This weekend, the choir was in Hartford. Thirty minutes away. Not in Phoenix, not in Minneapolis. Hartford. I couldn't not go.  Plus, three of my former students were singing.  How could I miss an opportunity to hear them?

So on Friday night, I turned dinner, bath and bedtime over to Adam and had dinner with those students and their parents.  And on Saturday night I did it again to attend the concert.

It was interesting to put that music teacher persona back on. At dinner I was "Mrs. N." instead of Mommy. At the concert, I saw people I'd worked so closely with for years. As I watched the managers get the choirs organized, I remembered my experiences.

I was talking to a friend from the organization. She asked after the girls of course, if I was loving my time with them. She complimented the pictures from Reagan's birth announcement and our Christmas card. And of course, she asked if missed it.

I'd been asked the same question from my students' mom the night before. I was pretty confident in saying that most of the time, I didn't.  Once I was at the concert though...

I admitted that being at the concert gave me a little pang.  I loved teaching, but I really loved the work I did with this choir.

She said "Yes. But it'll be a pang for tonight. Tomorrow you'll wake up with your girls, and that will fade".

She said "You're going to have moments like tonight, where you miss it. But it'll always be there. Your kids are only one, two, three, four, now."

When I hear an amazing children's choir, when the excitement of the concert is palpable, when I'm talking to students who love music like I do, I get that bit of longing.

But I can't imagine squeezing that into my life right now.

Before anyone thinks I'm jumping on the working/not working/one of them is better/one of them is not thing, stop right now.  I'm not.  Not. At. All.  I know amazing moms who work, I know amazing moms who stay home. People find their balance and do whatever is best for themselves and their families. End of story.

I lie. It's not the end. I have an encounter that I really need to write about that touches on that topic, but that's not today. For today, end of story.

But we're talking hours upon hours upon hours of extra, unpaid, all consuming work. On top of a delicate balance that every parent searches for.  I know that there are people who can handle that. But I also know that I couldn't right now. 

The moments of longing let me know that I really loved what I did.  The moments where I don't even think about it let me know that I really love what I'm doing right now.

Both have their stressful moments. Both have moments where I just wanted a break. As much as I loved children's choir, there were moments when I was trying to coordinate how to get 150 children to have a tissue in their sleeve that they could pull out at the exact moment, or how to walk them through the streets of Chicago, when I wondered why I was voluntarily working sixteen hour days.  And there are moments now, when both girls are needy and melting down, when I just want to take a break for a while.

There are moments where I miss it.

There are moments when I don't give it a second thought.

And I'm ok with both.

If you've liked my Facebook page, you can see a YouTube video of this year's children's choir singing at a 5K supporting the community of Sandy Hook.  THOSE are the moments I miss.

The Best You Can Do

Two meltdowns.

Two different locations.

One mommy.

What do you do?

Go.

The girls fell asleep on the way home from art playgroup this morning. I know some people adore it when their kids fall asleep in the car. I hate it. It never ends well. It's not enough sleep for them, but it's enough where they won't go back in their beds.

When I saw they were sleeping, I decided to let them stay asleep. I pulled into the garage, closed the door, turned off the engine, and opened the car doors a crack.

Then I unplugged Reagan's monitor, brought it into the garage, and hooked it up.

I had about 15 minutes. I did a few little tasks, talked to a friend on the phone, all while keeping an ear on the monitor and peeking in the garage every few minutes.

Reagan woke up first. She would have been ok. She falls asleep in the car more often, so it doesn't really throw her when she wakes up in her seat.  But thrown or not, she's cranky lately, and she started to cry.  I hung up my phone and dashed out to the garage.

But I was too late. Madison was awake. And she was not happy.

In fact, she was having an epic meltdown.


In our house "epic" describes the kind of fit that she truly has no control of. She screeches in short bursts, because she's practically hyperventilating. She doesn't want to be touched and will flail her way out of your arms and slap your hug away. She will scream "no" to absolutely anything. She claws at herself like she's truly itchy in her own skin. This is not a "I said no" meltdown. This is a full blown, overtired, no reason, no logic, nothing to do but wait it out meltdown.  It is totally normal for her age, but that doesn't make it fun.

I put Reagan in her booster with some fruit, put a show on TV, and carried Madison upstairs while she screamed at me. I put her in her crib; shoes, coat and all.  She batted away her pacifiers, batted away her teddy, batted away her blankets. I sat next to the crib with my hand between the bars, rubbing her back, breathing slowly, and repeating "it's ok, it's ok, it's ok".  We've had these before, and although they feel much longer, it's usually a 15-20 minute process. I can't hug her, but I also can't leave. You sit close, you stay calm, you wait it out.

As I was doing this, and actually making progress (in the sense that Madison was no longer batting my hands away), Reagan started screaming downstairs.

She's teething in a big way. She's got a massive diaper rash that makes anyone who sees it wince. She was done with her lunch, she was strapped in, and she was all alone downstairs.  She was getting into a similar type of fit, the kind she had last night, where holding her, shushing her, cuddling her doesn't help.The kind of choking sob that her sister was also experiencing.

But they were both screaming. On different floors.

Do I leave Madison, and attempt to calm Reagan, which will restart the Madison's fit that she isn't even finished with?

Do I stay with Madison, letting Reagan get to a screaming fit herself where she will require massive levels of soothing?

Who gets "the full mommy"?

Who do I make the priority?

I make little choices like this all day long. I have two little girls who need me often. When their needs overlap, it's usually pretty easy to determine who needs me more, and who'll be ok waiting a few minutes.  They may not like when they need to wait, but I can choose pretty easily.

It's moments like this where I feel like I am failing someone. Both girls really need me. At the same time.  How on earth do I choose?

This isn't a "it's tough, but you put your kid first" choice. They're both my kids.

This isn't a "ok, I know you're sad, but you're ok" choice. Neither is "ok" at that moment.

This isn't a "you don't like sharing mommy, but you have to" choice. Neither is having a meltdown "by choice". One is having an overtired fit and is actually incapable of getting control at the moment. One is physically uncomfortable and can't really communicate what she needs.

When you have multiple children, you balance them the best you can. There is always enough love. Sometimes one gets more time, sometimes one gets more attention, but it's a fluid balance. 

But sometimes you just aren't physically, literally, enough.  And someone has to be miserable because you can't help.  And you had to actually choose that their crisis was less important.

And no matter how long it takes to get everyone calm again (and things always do get calm again, usually before any help could have gotten there, because of course, you're not above asking for help), you still feel awful.

Awful for the one you didn't choose.

And awful for the one you sat with thinking "please hurry up, your sister needs me too. Come ON, just stop it".

You do the best you can. That's all anyone can ask.  That's all you can do.

Two meltdowns.

Two locations.

One mommy.

What do you do?

Go.

Thank you for all the comments and suggestions to help Reagan through this horrid teething time. Keep them coming!  Something is BOUND to work, right?

Another Reason to Hate Teeth

It isn't just the teeth. I'm well established as hating teeth, and Madison will probably end up that way too.

It's the process of getting them.

We are in teething HELL right now. There is no other way to put it.  I am at a loss for what else to do.

Reagan is almost 13 months old and only has two teeth. I think Madison had between 6 and 8 at this point. Nothing to worry about of course, some kids get teeth later, some earlier. Her doctor and Madison's dentist aren't concerned. But they warned me that she may be a "cluster teether". In other words, she may get a few all at once.

See? There they are!

I certainly hope that's what is happening. If this ISN'T teeth, I have no idea what it could be.  But whatever it is, it needs to pass soon because I am quickly losing my sunny disposition.

She's cranky. Really cranky. Even our standby, failsafe, Reagan-approved methods to cheer her up aren't working.

Taking her picture didn't help.

She's basically glued to me. She'll play, eat, whatever, with at least one hand touching me. Preferably more contact than that. No matter how much she was enjoying herself, if I try to slip away, she'll lose it again.

She's got a killer diaper rash. The kind where you wince as you're changing them because it looks so horribly painful. Naturally, she's pooping more often too, and screaming bloody murder through every diaper change. We're trying to hold her down, clean her up, and reapply cream as fast as we can. I feel like my hands smell like poop and Desitin, no matter how many times I wash them.

Her appetite is all off. She'll reject a meal entirely, then wolf down something random.

Her sleep is off. She had a few nights of waking up at 3 am screaming bloody murder. Picking her up made no difference. We finally started giving her a dose of Advil and a cup of cold water, and that seems to calm her down enough where she'll fall back to sleep. Then she stopped that and had a good night. Then she started taking an hour to fall asleep in the evening. Now she's taking an hour to fall asleep AND waking up around 5 am.

And of course...

She's chewing on everything she can get her hands on. She's not sucking her pacifiers, she's gnawing them with all her strength. She was obsessed with trying to gum the cart at Target today (I basically stuffed her full of snacks to keep her mouth off that disgusting thing - no matter how clean it looks or how many wipes I used, gnawing a cart is pretty revolting).

1. Ignore the Santa jammies. It's cold. 2. I had to stop Madison from taking the pieces away and saying "no, no, no, not for eating." Madison, your sister is relatively happy. She can eat whatever she wants.

Pretty clearly teeth, right? I mean, if nothing else, she's definitely due for another one or two.

So the question is, what do I do now?  I'm really at a loss as to how to get her more comfortable.  I feel like I've tried everything I know, and I've exhausted my bag of tricks.

Of course, I don't have experience with a ton of tricks. Madison was a pretty easy teether. She'd get red cheeks, maybe drool a little more, and out popped a tooth. The only ones that really bugged her were the toddler teeth (canines and molars) and even those weren't bad. A little Advil before bed did the trick.  Reagan is in another league. She is truly miserable.

We're using the Hyland's tablets. We're giving her Advil (if I'm in pain, I take a painkiller. I can't help but offer the kids the same comfort). We're giving her cold stuff to chew on (bagels, washcloths, whatever we grab).

So what else do I do? I know it's something she just needs to get through, I know it doesn't last forever, but I also can't stand seeing her so miserable.  And as we all know, miserable babies make miserable mommies, which make miserable...well, everybody else.

My next step is an amber necklace. I've been a skeptic in the past, and Madison didn't need it, but I think it may be time to suck it up, take a chance, spend the $25, and get Reagan a new accessory.  If there's anyone out there who's had success, I'd love to hear it. So far, most of the testimonials seem to be from people who tried it before their kids had a chance to enter teething hell. I need to hear from someone who used it to get out of teething hell. Who were as desperate as I am and found success.

Because right now I'm typing as fast as I can, so I can go to bed, so I can prepare to be up in a few hours, soothing, shushing, medicating, and chilling the gums of my poor peanut.

We want out. Right now.

I'm ready for my smiling peanut back.

Catching Up

I'm not focused enough to write a real post. Time to catch up!  One of the bloggers I love calls this kind of post "blogkeeping".

Well, it's here!

Thank you Uncle Sam, for holding all that money from us last year, because it allowed us to make a big splurge and get an amazing outdoor area!

Yes, we realize that a big refund is actually NOT a goal to strive for.  I suspect losing an income last February, adding a dependent, and doing a major refinance had something to do with it.  In case anyone is wondering - as I know at least ONE person was - because we bought the display model and bought in February, we got an amazing deal that actually included the installation. We saved well over 50% of the total value. The couponer in me was thrilled.

It's been a busy couple of days, getting the yard ready.  Adam did about 95% of the work, but that meant that I didn't get my usual weekend break. The time that he'd typically spend with the girls was spent outside, cutting the remains of a downed tree, hauling away all our wild rose vines that overtake the wood line and try to choke out everything else, and getting the ground marked off. Considering it was about 35 degrees, this was pretty impressive for us.

And today, we got to turn it over to the pros. They got there just when they said they would, were unbelievably efficient, and had the area completely weed blocked and edged, and the structure completely built and mulched within a few hours. I can't imagine how long it would have taken us (and by us, I mean Adam and whoever he convinced to help him).

I wanted to get a true "before" picture, but those guys were FAST.

Three guys who do this for a living. Much more efficient!

Halfway point.

The timing was perfect because they got started as the girls were eating lunch. Madison saw the pieces, but headed up for a nap before she started begging to go out, and both girls were awake and had their snack when we were able to try it out.

It was 28 degrees.

Madison was determined. She climbed ladders, tried all three slides, played in the sandbox, spun the wheel, and looked through the binoculars. The only thing she wouldn't try was the swings, which wasn't surprising. She played with Adam until he insisted she head in for the night.

Reagan tried...but she's a lightweight like me when it comes to cold.  She went in her swing for a while and enjoyed it, and we had her slide down a few times.  However, once I put her down to take a few pictures, she decided that it was much too cold for her.  I took one for the team, and brought her back inside. The things we do for our kids.

Now we're getting more snow.  Honestly, if it's SNOW, and Madison is up for it, I'll probably bundle her up and let her play anyway.  But if the forecasts can be believed, by the time we'd be ready to head outside, it'll be slush and freezing rain, and I need to draw the line somewhere.

Anyway, that's the long way of saying that I didn't get my usual amount of relaxation this weekend, and that's why my brain isn't that focused. I don't quite have it in me to write my usual post.  Madison has now had a tantrum the past three nights at bedtime, never quite making it to epic, but enough where we're sort of wondering if anything is going on. Since that's an exhausting end to the evening, and I only write after the girls are in bed, my focus is even less than it could be.

See how incoherent that last paragraph is?  I was about to delete it, but it proves my point. Tired Meredith = unfocused writing.  I really need a blog mentor to get me back on track when I hit these kinds of nights. (And to help me figure out about 1000 other things....any volunteers?)

I hosted a giveaway for the book I Just Want to Pee Alone, which full of awesomeness. A winner was selected and I posted that on Facebook. If you didn't win, don't despair! You can find the book on Amazon, iTunes and many other places.  And HERE'S a carrot I can dangle. I'm really close to 200 fans on Facebook. If I hit 200 this week I will give away a second copy!

In a week, another blogger that I love will have her book release, and I'll be reviewing and giving away a copy of her book as well!

All these books releasing is making me REALLY want to write a book of my own. Sounds plausible, right? The mom who can't write a coherent post authoring a book?

Hoping by tomorrow we have an easy day at home, I stay caught up around the house, and I'm focused enough by the evening to get something much more coherent out!

Well, That Backfired

We thought it would be a good idea.

Now we have a two year old on the verge of a meltdown, who barely made it to bed without a full blown tantrum.

Here's the story. See if you can tell where things went wrong.

Madison loves Cinderella. She can sing all the songs and loves to dance along.  Disney Jr is running a "Cinderella Weekend". Last night, the early evening movie was Cinderella. Tonight, it was Cinderella II: Dreams Come True.  (Tomorrow is Cinderella III: A Twist in Time.  If you know Madison, you know that saying the entire title is necessary).

Last night, she watched about half of Cinderella, but then she needed to go up to bed since I grocery shop on Friday nights. She was fine with that. We own the movie, so she watches it often, and didn't mind missing the end.  However, she has been telling us that tonight she's watching Cinderella II (Dreams Come True).

She had a very energetic day, so I didn't want to keep her up past her bedtime, especially when she definitely needed a bath. We had a fun morning at an indoor jungle gym play area.  She didn't nap well today because Reagan was a mess during naptime, and her antics woke Madison about an hour earlier than usual. 

So I had a brainstorm. She and Reagan could take a bath together, and afterward, I'd put Reagan to bed, and then we could cuddle together in our room, in our pjs, snuggled together, watching Cinderella II (Dreams Come True). 

Madison loved this idea. We don't (and have never) co-slept. The girls never needed it when they were babies, and the few times we tried to have Madison in our bed (like when we lost heat during the October snowstorm) it was a nightmare. No one slept.  Therefore, our bed is a huge novelty.  She couldn't wait to put on her pjs and get all snuggled up in our bed. She even convinced Adam to join us for our "sleepover party".  I thought this was because her favorite Sofia episode is "The Big Sleepover" and she was excited to have her own.

The plan started off well. The girls had a fun bath together. Reagan was so tired that she drank her milk and was asleep within minutes. Madison did her typical protest when she was getting out of the tub, but once she remembered she'd be putting on her pjs and watching a movie in Mommy and Daddy's bed, she was back on board and happy to brush teeth, use the potty, her entire routine.

Could NOT be happier.

She happily cuddled in between us and we watched the movie.  Although she definitely watches TV, she generally flits in and out, and is usually playing.  Sitting still was new, but she was thrilled to stay in her spot.  She loved having our attention.  She was getting sleepy, she was winding down, and it seemed like a great way to end our evening.  At the end, we'd carry our sleepy girl down the hall for an easy bedtime - right on time.

Poor little guy...couldn't make it through.

When the movie ended, we did big hugs and immediately she started getting upset.

"I can't go back to my bed!  I can't sleep in my bed!  No! Do not carry me! No! I'm not going! Madison stays here in this bed and watches Cinderella II: Dreams Come True!"

Uh oh.  As Madison now says, "Oh craps".

Note: She picked that one up from me. The only thing keeping me from hanging my head in shame is the plural. For all I know, she's aware of the dice game and is referring to that.

Somehow, she assumed that Mommy and Daddy and Madison would all be watching Cinderella movies before drifting off to sleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed. All night. She was not pleased to hear the reality of the situation and made that very clear. VERY clear.  The fact that the movie was over was irrelevant.

She started doing that tight, clenched, tense "NO!" body language, that, in this house, usually precedes an epic meltdown. 

No, no, no, no, no. I did not have the patience or stamina tonight for the rare, but terrifying, epic meltdown.

If she goes epic, we're talking a 20 minute minimum of sitting 6 inches from her, speaking calmly, while she throws her fit and screams at us to leave her alone. This is not a "hug it out" meltdown. If you touch her, she acts like you are lighting her on fire.  Any question you ask will be answered with no. There is no helping her. The only thing that works is waiting it out, close, but not too close, and praying that it's on the shorter side.

Through luck, grace, prayer, what have you, we somehow skirted the meltdown.  She didn't happily climb into bed and cheerfully tell us "Hasta Pasta!" (don't ask), she didn't want to get covered and snuggle her teddy, she didn't even uncross her arms.  But she didn't tantrum. 

Whew.

Still, I don't think I can count tonight as a roaring success. In the future, we'll need to be very clear about the timeline of the entire evening, and keep her updated as we go.

On second thought, maybe we'll just stick to using the DVR and keeping bedtime the same.

I will be announcing the lucky winner of I Just Want to Pee Alone TONIGHT!!!!!  You want this book. You need to read this book. If you haven't already, leave a comment on THIS Facebook page.  You can tell me your funniest moment with kids OR your favorite mom character (real, fictional, relative, friend, or writer).

Mommy Guilt in Unexpected Places

There is mommy guilt everywhere.

Today it hit me as I was attempting to get the girls to nap at the same time.

Note: I was unsuccessful. By the time I finally got Madison sleeping, Reagan was awake. Then I didn't want Madison to sleep past 3:00 so she'd be willing to go to bed tonight. Ugh. I blame daylight savings.

The guilt of the Stay At Home Mom: What do you do during naptime?

I'm not talking about the one infant who wakes up all night so you need to sleep when the baby sleeps and ignore the housework for a little while dilemma.

Say you have....oh, let's say a 2 1/2 year old and a baby who just had her first birthday.  You know, hypothetically. Both girls (theoretically) go to bed early and get out of their beds about twelve hours later.

Should you feel guilty about sitting down and taking a break in the middle of the day?

Because I do.

This morning, Adam and I were discussing the yard, since we can see grass again. Our playscape is coming a week from today, and we have some clean-up to do. We're lucky enough to have the playscape installation included, but they do ask that you provide them with a level, clear space.  We had that...until we lost a tree earlier this year.  I don't do chainsaws....or lugging tree pieces....or clearing out thorny branches...so that's firmly an Adam project. But I helped brainstorm.

Having a plan in place for that, we went on to discussing how else to clean up our yard this year.  Adam is planning to take a vacation week in early April to fertilize the lawn, mulch, weed, powerwash, and all that other good stuff.  The man works crazy hours, and a lot of weekend days. If we need a massive project done, taking a vacation week is the best way to do it.

This sparked an idea in me.  Maybe if I took a whole day - dare I say, two - I could do some of those big organizational projects that I've totally fallen down on. Laundry closet. Basement. Kitchen cupboards. Not to mention the fact that since we live in New England, I have to do the major clothing swap (winter to summer) and figure out which child needs which clothes and shoes.

I floated this idea by Adam. Just the spark of it, no real plan. I was kind of excited though (which should have told me how sad my life is. I want a vacation day from my children to clean).

He didn't think it would be necessary. Come on, those jobs weren't that big. All I needed to do was really hustle during a few naptimes, and poof! I'd be done!  I mean, all I really needed to do was keep off the Kindle, or not get so involved in my blogging, or be careful not to get sucked into the DVR.

OK, before anyone goes off on Adam, he is really helpful, works an obscene amount of hours to ensure that I can continue to stay home, and completely encourages me to make sure I'm getting some solo time to recharge on the weekends. I'm not mad at him. And his suggestions for me to be more productive are things that I've complained about whenever I get behind. It's not like he's spying on me and charting my "working hours".  Adam is not the bad guy here.

I let it go. Not forever, but for now. It was a spur of the moment thought and I wasn't going to start an argument when I wasn't sure exactly why I was arguing.  When we have time to sit down and figure out exactly what needs to be done we'll work out a way to do it.  I'm honestly not worried about that. 

But I was thinking about it later and getting frustrated with myself.  It's that idea that when the girls sleep, I need to be in hustle mode. Sitting down is unacceptable. I'm not on a "break", I've just shifted roles. I'm taking a break from childcare to move into housekeeping. I vacuum. I mop. I clean the kitchen. I prep dinner. I clean bathrooms. I do laundry.  I clip coupons and make meal plans. And I need to do it fast enough so that I have time to get these bigger projects done.

This isn't me. I don't like bandanas.

I think this is still ingrained from my teaching days. Breaks from kids weren't "breaks", they were prep. I did a quick or a working lunch about 75% of the time. It's not like I had downtime at school.  Once I had Madison, I would pick her up, drive home, get dinner made, bag unpacked, lunches repacked, bath, bed...I didn't stop.  Downtime came once Madison was in bed, the kitchen was cleaned up, and we were ready for the next day.

Last Friday, I was cranky. So once the girls were napping I downloaded this book, and read it. All of it. I didn't vacuum. I didn't dust.  I didn't do the chores on my Friday list.  I sat with my feet up, watched DVRd TLC shows, and read. Hilarious book, relaxing afternoon. Awesome.

TWO toddlers. Double the fun.

Today I was feeling all guilty about that.  As in, I can't take a whole naptime like that again. I need to make sure I can get these chores done quick enough to figure out the big projects.

Why? It's not like I'm allowing the house to go to shambles because I pick up my laptop during the day. I'm not letting the sink overflow because I picked up the Kindle. I'm not causing us to run out of clean clothes because I got caught up in last season's Mad Men. I'm not destroying the home because I sat down, made myself lunch, and ate it.

It's my guilt. I don't think it's coming from exterior sources. It's mine. I'm home. I'm not bringing in income (contrary to popular belief, blogging is not exactly lucrative. I've actually lost money). And because my job is now household management, I need to treat it as such, and make sure I'm not slacking off.  I love staying home. I have very few days where I'm complaining. I like it when things are done.

So much for the idea that stay at home moms are lazy, huh?

Anyway, I feel like I should wrap this up with an answer, but I don't have one.  I hate the idea that I feel guilty for taking a moment to relax during the day, but I also don't know that I can make myself stop.  Maybe if I make peace with taking a few minutes daily, I won't have days (or many days) when I don't have a stitch of motivation left.

I guess there's always some Mommy Guilt afoot. I'll never vanquish it, so I might as well make peace with it.

The winner of Manner-Man was announced tonight! Karla is the winner and will receive her copy soon!

Don't forget, to win a copy of the book that gave me an afternoon of laughs on Friday, you need to visit Facebook! I will give away either a Kindle download OR a paper copy (if you are tablet free).  To enter, like my page on Facebook and leave a comment ON THAT PAGE telling me the funniest parenting moment you've experienced yourself, or through someone else. I'm amending the comment where you can ALSO tell me who you think is the FUNNIEST mom you can think of (real or fictional). Contest ends on SATURDAY!

What Every Mom Desires...

Don't we all just want to pee alone?

I am now a full on Kindle convert. I don't know how I survived without it. It has been especially awesome in the past month, since it feels like we'll never see grass again.  Thanks to my birthday, I've got Amazon gift cards and I am NOT afraid to use them.

Yesterday I was pretty cranky. I was tired. I was done. Then I found out this book had been released, and I downloaded it.  I started reading it right away.

Collection of Kick Ass Mom Bloggers, compiled by Jen of PIWTPITT

I tore through this book in record time. I laughed. I laughed harder. I laughed so hard I very nearly peed MY pants. 

Jen from the award winning blog People I Want to Punch in the Throat (who is hilarious on her own AND who has a kick ass book of her own that I reviewed back in October) pulled together a team of 37 bloggers to put together a humor anthology. It's a group of hilarious moms who are willing to poke fun at themselves in the name of humor and sanity.  They are a varied group.  Some have one kid. Some have 5. Some have boys. Some have girls. Some have babies. Some have teenagers. Some live in the cities. Some live on farms. Some are deep in suburbia. Some work outside. Some don't.

They are all hilarious.

If you've read my blog since the beginning (thank you!) you know that I don't review anything unless I feel like it's worth it. I won't review books I don't like. I don't this space to be a negative one, so if I'm presented with an opportunity, and I don't feel strongly about it, I simply say "no, thank you" and move on.

This book is worth it. If you are a mom, have a mom, or may become a mom, you'll love it.  Beware: there's some salty language in there. These moms left their filter off, and for some of them, that means uncensored language. I'm completely fine with that, but it's not for anyone who would immediately find it hard to "find the funny" when they're confronted with some four letter words.

In Jen's words,

I love my kids. Don't we all? But do you know what else I love? I also love all-day kindergarten and early bedtimes. I love Moms' Night Out and Date Night with the Hubs.  But I especially love anything that gives me five minutes of uninterrupted peace to myself to JUST PEE ALONE.

Here are some of the topics you'll laugh at:

• Nudity - post kids
• Disney with toddlers
• Things you'll do to break the monotony
• Pregnancy and delivery stories
• Things to remember when you leave the house
• "Cougaring" up to go out
• Birth control after babies...and a priest...and why you'll need it begin with
• Charting baby poop
• Toy takeover (beware of those that talk)
• Bathroom conversations (slightly different from "potty mouth")
• Moving with kids - what NOT to do with yours while selling or buying
• Grocery club (I'm a member - and a proud one)
• Pinterest aspirations...and letdowns
• Baby 1, 2 and 3
• Parenting style disagreement - conversations NOT to have
• Man Sick
• What's normal, what's a tumor
• Parenting boys and parenting girls
• The need for a PA
• Mother's Day smackdown
• And of course...
• Potty training, breastfeeding, chauffering, and finding the humor in the everyday

 My favorite quote (abridged) came from Patti of Insane in the Mom Brain.

I have absolutely zero concept of how anyone without a sense of humor can actually survive this task of raising a child, or for that matter, how a child can survive being raised by a bummer of a parent. When you're a mom, crazy shit happens every single day.....

...So you have to laugh.

I'm telling you, this book is worth the download (or the order from Amazon if you're a holdout like I was). Buy it, read it, and laugh. Laugh at what you relate to, laugh at what you hope you'll never relate to.

Someday, I hope to be a part of this group of mom bloggers. Who've taken a passion for writing, laughing, and sharing and created an amazing community that I'm thrilled to be on the fringe of. Until I meet my own goals, I'm reading every word I can find time for, and feeling like I have a virtual village of mom friends to help me find the light in every parenting corner.

Read it. You won't regret it.

I am giving away a copy of this book!  I was not provided a copy, for this review or for the give away. But I feel like so many moms can benefit that I will spend money out of my own horrific mom purse to make sure at least one other reader gets laughs in her day.  I will give away either a Kindle download OR a paper copy (if you are tablet free) or MAYBE both if I have enough entries!  To enter, like my page on Facebook and leave a comment ON THAT PAGE telling me the funniest parenting moment you've experienced yourself, or through someone else. You can also comment telling me who your favorite mom writer is! Winner will be notified a week from tonight!

Dear Mother Nature, Enough is Enough

Ugh, another snowbound day.

Disclaimer: this post contains more than my usual amount of whining. If that annoys you, you should probably stop reading right now. 

March is probably my least favorite month of the year.

I know plenty of people love to hate winter as a whole, but I enjoy having all four seasons. Snow is pretty, snow is fun, in moderation. And at the proper point.  Snow in January seems right.  Even February is just fine with me.

Snow in March gives me cabin fever.

By March, I'm tired of the snow. I'm tired of the cold. I'm tired of runny noses. I'm tired of high oil bills. I'm beyond tired of bundling the girls up, and finding indoor activities for them to get their energy out.  I'm ready for short sleeves, and throwing open the windows to get some fresh air!  I'm ready for spring already!

I think I'm just exhausted when we get to the end of these "extreme" New England seasons.  Usually, by the end of the hot days of summer, I feel the same. I get tired of bathing suits and trying to keep both kids covered in sunscreen.  I'm ready to turn off the AC and throw open the windows and let the crisp fall air in. I'm ready to retire the shorts and welcome fall.

I've just hit my wall. I am tired of winter.

A week or so ago, we made a major purchase: a playscape. The bargain shopper in me was thrilled that we caught a major sale on the models. We are getting a crazy playscape for over 50% off, plus free delivery and assembly, so of course, we bought a little bigger than we anticipated.  I am so excited to let the girls loose outside.  In just over a week, we're due to have this amazing monstrosity of fun erected in our yard.

That is, assuming we can see the ground again.

We just got a glimpse of our ground again, now that the three feet we got a month ago has finally melted. Adam set aside a few hours this weekend to get the area prepped. 

This particular snowstorm was supposed to give us about 3 inches.  Right now, we're getting close to a foot.

Plus, this snow was supposed to be over by now.  It's afternoon and it's still coming down.

That means we probably won't be playing outside today. Madison hates the wind and hates when anything blows in her face, and despite being a winter baby, Reagan doesn't like the cold.  We've already done some fun indoor activities.  We watched a few movies.  We'll probably take the snow inside again. We normally don't go out on Fridays anyway, but something about the snow forcing an inside day makes me feel trapped.

Middle of the day bath with bath paint.  It's all fun and games until someone paints her eye.

I need to go grocery shopping.  Yeah, we could make it until tomorrow, but I didn't think it would be necessary to postpone, so I didn't plan to be stuck today.  We're out of milk, we're out of eggs, we're out of bananas.  I need to get out, and soon, before the girls figure out what we're missing and start begging for it.

And more importantly, I'm supposed to have a girls' night out tonight. I need this night out. From the moment Reagan's party ended on Saturday, I began a week of solo parenting while Adam was at a massive conference in Vegas, staying in a fancy suite and eating fancy restaurant food and seeing a Carrie Underwood concert (and, if you listen to him, attending about 47 meetings a day).

He's home now, and although the girls were really good this week (they slept, they ate, they kept meltdowns a minimum), after party planning, and being solo for a week, I need a break. A real break (as opposed to a trip the grocery store, or to return bottles and can, or those other chores I manage to break away for).

Yes Mom, I'll be responsible. If it's not safe to go out tonight, I won't. I'll be a big girl and I'll drown my disappointment in leftover birthday cupcakes and a bubble bath (with a nice big glass of Mommy juice).

But spring better be ready and right around the corner.  Otherwise....

Ok, I've got nothing. But for the sake of my sanity, and my reputation as a good, fun, patient mom, Mother Nature needs to make the switch NOW!

How does she KNOW????

Today I was in Target with the girls.

Sidenote: it was actually my second trip to Target today. Reagan and I killed an hour in there this morning while Madison was at her School Skills class. Then during naptime I realized we hadn't gotten about half of my list, and the half we missed was the half that I actually needed TODAY. I know I'm not alone in that.  Target has some sort of mind control that forces you to fill a cart with things you don't need, and purposely forget things you do, causing you to come back. I'm onto you, Target.

We were wandering down the aisle with the sippy cups, looking for a new milk cup for Reagan, and Madison started calling out

"Mommy! We get this cup for Reagan! It has Elmo!"

"Mommy! Look! I have this Dora cup?"

That shouldn't be weird to me, right? Dora and Elmo are staples of the preschool set.  That's why they're on sippy cups, and snacks, and underwear, and pretty much everything else.  Kids see their favorite characters, they beg for the product. Brilliant merchandising.

Right, except my children have never seen an episode of Dora, or Sesame Street.   

So how on earth does she know???

Dora I can understand. We don't watch the show (I don't like it, and I still control the remote), but we do watch other shows on Nick Jr, and in between they'll show songs, or promote upcoming episodes, and she could have easily picked that up.

I know it's not a bad show. But I can't STAND her voice.

Elmo is a little more confusing. She's never seen Sesame Street. In fact, she's never watched the channel. No DVDs, no books, no real "introduction" to the seductive powers of the red monster.

Yet over a year ago, she started pointed to her diapers and saying "Elmo!"

Everyone knows Elmo!

In elementary school, I understand. Kids talk. But when Madison plays with kids her age, they don't spend a lot of time chatting.  They just ... play.  They don't discuss who is excited about the new Mickey episode coming out this Friday.

Sidenote 2: I currently hate Disney Jr for their promo tactics.  They have been teasing this new episode for WEEKS now. Every single time Madison sees the promo she asks to watch "Crystal Mickey". And two year olds don't understand "it doesn't air until a week from Friday".

Anyway, she hasn't been to daycare in over a year, she only watches TV at home, and I've never introduced her.  So the question remains, 

How does she KNOW????

I used to feel this way about the princesses too. I had no idea how she picked up the concept.  However, we've become complete enablers in this house, so it doesn't bother me as much.

My only theory is that somehow, all children are born wired to gravitate toward little girls with big eyes who yell and red monsters that speak in adorable toddler voices.

But that doesn't explain how she knows their names...

Is there some sort of toddler orientation program that is mandatory and hidden from parents?  When to tantrum...what foods to eat/reject....and a full bio on Elmo?

Maybe I'll just ignore it.  Hey, it worked in Target today!

Inadequacy on Display (My Stint as a Party Planner)

Yikes.  It's been a long hiatus for me again. I was first trapped in party planning central, and now I'm deeply immersed in solo parenting week. Both can be fairly overwhelming on their own, but when they back directly into each other (as in, Adam left the party before about half the guests so he could make his flight) it becomes truly overwhelming. 

By the way, hats off to all the single moms/military moms out there. It is TOUGH when I am outnumbered by toddlers for more than a day.

I hate planning parties.

Don't get me wrong, I want my kids to have fabulous parties.  I just hate planning them.

No, wait, maybe that's not right either. I hate planning parties that show off my lack of craftiness, creativity, and culinary skills.  And having them out the house, which means that I have to pretend that our house is clean and organized.

I'm a big fan of outsourcing.  We all have our skills, and since this isn't one of mine, I'm ok with farming it out. We had Madison's second birthday party at Gymboree, and I was a huge fan. I could really enjoy her party, because I wasn't worried about tiny details, getting the house cleaned, or providing a meal that appealed to adults and children.  I loved it so much I swore that this was the way to have a child's birthday party. 

However, that doesn't work as well for a first birthday party.  Like Madison's, Reagan's first birthday was held here, at home, with a small group of family and friends. 

Two key differences:

1. Madison's birthday is in July. Reagan's was in February.

2. Madison's first birthday had no theme (assuming that "first birthday" doesn't count). Reagan's did.

That means:

1. We had no outdoor option for Reagan's party (which caused the guest list to shrink sizeably - in case you were wondering where your invite was).

2. Once I started, I was stuck with a theme. That I ended up having a really hard time with.

I was so proud that I came up with a theme that wasn't "One" or "Birthday". It wasn't even generic!  My theme is so cute!  Leap Baby = Leap Frogs!

In the future, if I ever get the urge to plan a "themed" party, please remind me that I should first see what kind of decorations are available, and then choose the theme. If I wanted a princess party, I'd be golden. Ladybugs? No problem. But cute little first birthday frogs? Nope.

Therefore, because of my own procrastination and thriftiness (because, yes, I could probably source everything from Esty if I were willing to pay and had started pulling things together 6 weeks ago), this party turned into much more of a DIY event than I am comfortable with.

And thanks to Pinterest, and some very talented and creative family and friends, I put all this pressure on myself to make everything adorable.  I am a Type A perfectionist and I don't like feeling inadequate.

In the end though, as usual, things ended up working out beautifully. It turned into more of a pink/green with frog accent, but the theme came across and it was adorable.  Through some very creative persuasion and meal shifting, I managed to get both girls napping (or at least in their beds) for the 2 hours preceding the party, which was just enough time to get the house cleaned and decorated.

I painted this, since the easel wasn't going anywhere. It only LOOKS like Madison painted it.

Otherwise known as "we still have a snow covered front walk, so don't use this door".

Slightly bothered that it's not even...still wasn't worth stressing over.

Birthday Princess/Leap Frog...it comes across, right?

At first I was disappointed that the bakery didn't do the cupcakes in the right shade of pink and green. Then I remembered that I didn't have to make the cupcakes, and I got over it.

Most importantly, Reagan was celebrated and surrounding by friends and family who love her, and she had a great time showing off her running and climbing skills. 

No time for posing...she's got places to go!

What? They're for me, right? So what's the problem?

Now it's time to put the house back to normal, stop Madison from stealing all the new toys, and catch up on all the writing/cleaning/laundry/bill paying/general household maintenance that I put off while trying to channel my inner party planner. The party planner has gone back underground, seven loads of laundry have been washed, dried, folded, and put away, and I am catching up on writing again.  Reagan's new toys have been integrated (and controlled).  I think I'm back on track! 

Because I basically went social media silent for the last five days, I'm extending the book giveaway an additional week. Leave me a comment on Facebook letting me know who you'll share Manner-Man with for a chance to win! Winner will be selected Sunday!