Just Me and My Baby!
I have been really enjoying my alone time with Carter, while Evan is at preschool. He has been enjoying it also. For those few short hours, he can be the only child and get ALL the attention from everyone.
Today I needed to run to Walmart, Health Foods Unlimited and Trader Joe’s during Evan’s preschool time. We got up and out the door early so I wouldn’t be rushed. Because I knew that Carter would want to walk through the stores (which is his new passion) which he normally can’t do when I have both kids.
We headed to Walmart first. When we pulled into the parking spot, Carter immediately asked if he could “alk peez”. He touched all types of materials, talked about different colors, found the Walmart logo “star” on all kinds of displays, pulled toys off the shelves to look at and ran through the isles. He had a BLAST. And you know what? I did too! I loved watching him explore and entertain. I loved strolling through without being rushed. I loved having Carter all to myself.
Then we headed to Health Foods Unlimited for my special food items. Carter walked through the vitamin isle picking up individual bottles, looked at them (like I do when reading ingredients) then gently put EACH bottle back where it belonged. MELT. MY. HEART!!
Then off to Trader Joe’s (you know since I LOVE TJs). Where he was given a cup of cookies to “sample” while I shopped. He walked through the store, trying to keep the cup up right so that the cookies wouldn’t fall out. He looked and touched all the different vegetables that were at his height. His favorite were the peppers – red, green, yellow and orange. Over and over again he would pick one up, say what it was, gently touch it (like I do when picking out produce) then put it back. Let’s just say, that the majority of people at TJs today commented on how cute he was or stopped and talked to him.
Then we had a little bit of time left before heading to pick up Evan. So I took him to a park.
I have to admit, that I am a little jealous now of parents who decided to have kids a little bit more spaced out. I feel that I have missed out on so much with Evan and Carter. So I really appreciate the alone time that I have with Carter. He is such a wonderful, funny, sweet little boy. I can’t wait to see how much we learn this year while Evan is at school!
What I want to know is how do parents juggle multiple kids one-on-one time?
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Top Ten Emotions of Preschool Day One!
Today was Evan’s first day of preschool. So in honor of that, here are the top ten emotions I felt this morning while getting ready and dropping him off:
10. Sentimental – of course. What “First Day of Preschool” post would be complete with out the gushy, tearful sentiment of a mom. My baby is looking more and more like a kid. Is he really big enough to being going to preschool? I had many flashbacks today of bringing him home from the hospital, watching his first steps, listening to his first words.
9. Encouraged – I was definitely encouraged that Jeremy and I made the right decision. When Evan ran in, said “hi” to his teachers, put his bag up on his hook without any help from us, and looked around to see what he could play with. He said his goodbyes without blinking an eye and off he went. I knew then, that we were going to be okay!
8. Embarrassed – Yep, I went in to pick up Evan and all the kids were sitting quietly waiting for parents. I was in line with all the parents. When I was second in line, I could have sworn, I heard Mrs. B say Evan’s name. So I called for him to come on after making eye contact with him. Mrs. B immediately put me in my place and told me that they were not supposed to get up until she called their name. I am TOTALLY cool with that. Because I know how hectic it could be if that wasn’t the rule. But I swear I thought I heard her call his name. But there were so many parents waiting after me, I chose not to try to explain myself. Oops!
7. Relaxed – Okay I will admit. I have been looking forward to this day for many weeks. Immediately after getting in the truck, I was relaxed having to only take care of one kid 
! Carter and I went to go see Grandma at work, took Jeremy an early lunch and played at the park. All without having to worry about 2 little ones! Ahhhh!
6. Paranoid – I did forget a couple of times that Evan wasn’t with us. I *may* have panicked a smidge when I couldn’t see him at the park. Okay, so I may have enjoyed the time with Carter, but I sure missed having Evan’s hand to hold in the parking lot – strapping him in his carseat multiple times in one morning – not so much
5. Relief – This day has been looming over our heads and it felt good for it to finally be here! It went as well as I could have imagined it! Yay!
4. Proud – I am so very proud of the boy Evan is becoming. He is a true blessing to Jeremy and me. He is thoughtful, obedient, confident…
3. Amazed – Evan truly amazes me. He is very much like his father – the quiet (in public), confident, independent type. There was no worry or anxiety on his part. Just ready for what the day held.
2. Blessed - to have a beautiful, strong healthy boy that I could take to preschool.
1. Awe -Struck - I watch Evan and still can not believe that God blessed me with such an amazing gift. Wow!
Fashionatas
My men trying to help me pick out a new pair of shades!! What can I say?
This post is part of Wordless Wednesday, for more like it, visit 5 Minutes for Mom, Wordless Wednesday and 7 Clown Circus (Wordful Wednesday)
To view a list of my Wordless Wednesday posts, click HERE.
Me? Stressed? Obsessed? Cakes on my Mind!
Some of you may already know that I can be a little bit of a stressed out obsessed person when it comes to figuring out what cake I am going to do for the kids birthdays (and friend’s kids birthdays). Now that Evan is older he can tell me what he wants and if you remember I started convincing asking Evan what kind of cake he wanted 2 MONTHS before his birthday! Because as you recall, he originally insisted on a Puma cake. But after talking it over *cough cough* he decided he wanted a drum cake. He already is telling me ALL kinds of things that he wants next year for his birthday cake. Lord have mercy! What have I created!
Well starting last month, I began a list in my mind of birthday themes for Carter. And kinda started thinking of ideas for cakes. I think I have the list down to three:
- He LOVES fire trucks!
- LOVES pick-up trucks – maybe because Grandpa has one??
- LOVES Hot Wheels
Do you see a theme there? HA!
But today, Tricia tweeted:
So I started thinking about which post I wanted to link up to. Then it happened, looking through all the posts and pics, I started to have a small panic attack. I know, right about now you are thinking I am a little bit crazy! I AM CRAZY!!
So I linked up Miss Jolie’s Cake since it was the most recent cake I have done. Then for about an hour, started really worrying about Carter’s Birthday – HELLO it is a month away!! To some, that is plenty of time. To others, like myself, that is not enough time. Because my lack of creativity, it takes about that much time to think up something to do!
And I really do know, IT’S NOT ABOUT THE CAKE!! I know that:
- Carter doesn’t know the difference between a cake that takes 10 hours to make versus a cake that takes 15 minutes (or even store bought)!
- Carter does not associate my love for him based on the cake he gets.
- Carter won’t even remember this birthday – geeze!
But, because I am slightly perfectionistic AND pessimistic. My fear is that one day the boys will look back at birthday pictures and if BOTH of them don’t have comparable cakes, then heaven forbid, Carter will feel that I love Evan more. It’s silly, I know! Because really, what I should do is STOP making cakes now so that the expectation will NO LONGER be there!!
So for the next 4 weeks, I will be dreaming about fire trucks, pick-up trucks and Hot Wheels! HELP!
New iPhone App that Your Kids Will Love: Speak, Piggy
Okay parents, if you have an iPhone you most likely have several apps on it for your toddlers to play with for those moments, lets say when you are waiting in a forever long line with a cranky kid. No? Your children never act like that?
Anyway, if you haven’t heard already the crew at A Modern Eden have just launched their first iPhone App: Speak, Piggy, and it is totally for our kids. And it is totally cool. And of course educational – which you know makes my ol’ teacher’s heart jump a beat.
We downloaded it last night when it first became available and played with it without the kids around – ha. But this morning Jeremy busted it out to get the real review of it! Needless to say, the boys were fighting over who’s turn it was. They loved it! And for $.99 you can’t beat it!
So grab your iPhones and download this awesome app. Your kids will thank you and maybe let you have a few moments of silence while waiting in line 
!
Best Lookin’ Panda Around…
Jeremy and I took the boys to the Columbus Zoo this weekend. Oh boy we had so much fun. But the highlight (I think we would all agree) was this…
And if you know Evan, you know that he is not one to want to do things like this. He often shies away from crazy kid things like this. So when he asked to get it done, we of course obliged. I thought he would get a small character done on his cheek. Carter and I went to eat a snack and take a restroom break. I have to admit, when we came out of the restroom and I ran into Evan, I was startled and Carter was also startled, then started CRACKING up and continued to crack up for the rest of the afternoon! I even had to ask what he was – oops!
So…What do you want to do tonight?
I should learn NEVER to ask my boys this question, because the answer is ALWAYS the same…
Yep, they are definitely in a putt putt phase. And let me just tell you now that I HATE putt putt!! But I would never let on that I do.
So, to get out of taking them most nights this past week, I bribed them by telling them that we could go Friday night with their cousin Kaden, who is visiting us from Florida. Evan was satisfied with that answer. So Friday night, the whole crew headed out to play.
Fortunately we had one more coupon to use up from Tropicana Juicy Rewards. You can print a coupon, up to 3 times (you have to pay with your points each time). And because of the putt putt obsession lately we have used all together 9 coupons. Three local putt putt courses are available on Tropicana’s Juicy Rewards site. The coupons are usually buy 1 get 1 free. So it usually ends up only costing us one admission around $6.00 for all 4 of us! (I don’t play! I get to use the excuse of running after Carter so Evan doesn’t know how much I loathe putt putt and Carter is still free!!)!
The kids had a great time…and a special treat of Superman Ice Cream after the grueling 18 holes of golf !
*I wrote this review while participating in the Tropicana Juicy Insiders Ambassador program by Mom Central on behalf of Tropicana. I received 12 free Juicy Rewards points and a $50 Visa gift card to use in redemption of the points and to facilitate my review.
Babysitter Mario
After keeping them outside until they ALL were begging to come in (I just couldn’t pass up the nice weather ), Mario took over and gave us adults a chance to chit chat!! I was kid sitting for Jenny – ha ha! Do you think they were close enough to the t.v.?
Thanks Mario for the little extra help this evening, because after running after kids All. Day. LONG! I needed you tonight and you pulled through!
Birthday Finale
I had another great birthday this year. I don’t really like the fact that I am getting older, but I do LOVE being center of attention, once a year !
As tradition holds, my mom made me my VERY favorite – all time – meal of Chicken and Dumplings, mashed potatoes and green beans. Oh. My. Word! And it didn’t disappoint this year. I *may or may not have* gorged myself! Yummy! I watched her very intently this year, because although I am 32 years old, I have never made it with her and she does not have a recipe for it. Mom, come on now, write it down already, geeze! So I took some notes and some pictures (although the pics don’t do it justice), in hopes that I could replicate it one day for my kids! There were “oohs”, “awws” and “yummies” coming from the peanut gallery. I just went face down and grunted occasionally – HA! Just joking, well sorta!
And the cake!! My mom goes ALL OUT on my cake every year. Funfetti Cake Mix, Funfetti icing, and the sugar candy cake toppers. Just like the meal, she has made me my very favorite cake every year since who knows when. I absolutely LOVE it!
This year, she had a “helper” when putting on the candies. So the decorations are slightly asymmetrical! And possibly slightly accented with drool and slobber from licking a couple to see what they tasted like.
I love my mom! I’ve got the best one in the whole. wide. world!! Thank you for making my favorites again this year. And thank you for taking the day off work so that I could spend it with you – even though you did get a little muddy playing soccer with the boys – hee hee!
Show Us Your Life – How We Picked Our Kids Names
I love Kelly’s Show Us Your Life series. Well I just love Kelly. So when I was browsing the schedule of post ideas I knew I could definitely do this one!!
As you know, or may not know (if you are visiting from Kelly’s site) I have 2 beautiful (I can say that right?) boys!!
Evan is my oldest and of course my first born. When Jeremy and I decided to get pregnant, I was still teaching and planned on teaching one more year to help Jeremy get his dream of owning his own business a reality. I had it all planned out. I read all the books which said that you should plan on a few months, on average, to get pregnant. So I got the calendar out and wanted to have a baby right around Spring Break so I could take the rest of the school year off. So I counted backwards and figured out that I needed to become pregnant around June. So we started trying in April. Well, to all of our surprise, it took only one try. And before I knew it was pregnant!! So my plans on taking the rest of the year off, didn’t end up that way.
Any mom can attest that your first pregnancy – the one that makes you a mom – is surreal. Every morning on the way to work (I had a 30 minute commute) I would pray and thank God for this little amazing life He was growing inside of me. Jeremy and I began scouring all the Name Books almost immediately. Because unfortunately, we didn’t really have any “family” names to pass down from a previous generation.
As a teacher, naming your own children is the absolute hardest thing to do, because you have known so many children. And by all means, you don’t want to name your child the same name as the “trouble maker” or the “kid that bounced off the walls” or “the kid that bugged you severely” or the “name of the moment” so when he/she got up to grade school there would be 4 of them in their class alone. Come on, just telling it like it is. Us teachers are human too !
Jeremy and I got so discouraged. We couldn’t agree on any name. Until…
We knew we were having a boy. And about 8 weeks before my due date, we were again spending some time one afternoon arguing discussing options. I decided to do one last search and I am so glad I did. I found it!!
“God is Good“! Everything that I wanted to sum up, all in one name: Evan! I knew at that moment, that my beautiful gift from God, the One who made him, would be named Evan.
Psalm 33:8:
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Psalm 52:9:
I will praise you forever for what you have done;
in your name I will hope, for your name is good.
I will praise you in the presence of your saints.
We were lucky in the fact that my dad’s middle name and Jeremy’s dad’s middle name were the same, so Evan got to be named after both his grandpas! Evan Charles.
Although after trying so hard to find a unique name, every time we go to the park I hear “Evan” and it isn’t my child who is being spoken to. So I guess he will be Evan L. in his class ! I had rarely heard of the name “Evan” and never had an Evan. And out all the teachers I had worked with, there was only ever one Evan. But I guess, I wasn’t the only one that thought the name was awesome!!
On to Carter… Let’s face it, every child after the first one, is lucky to get named. Ha ha, just joking, sorta! We knew Carter was also going to be a boy! And again we had a hard time finding a name that we both agreed upon. We had a full list of names that neither Jeremy nor I could agree on. Names that we didn’t even have on the original list 18 months prior – all new names. I wanted to find a name that had great spiritual meaning but after the ordeal with Evan’s name, I knew that the odds of finding another one would be slim, so I started finding names that I liked and not necessarily with grand meaning.
When Jeremy and I discussed the name “Carter”, we both liked it! But there was one thing that kept us from immediately choosing it! The meaning! The meaning of Carter is “man who carts”. Yep, oh the mommy guilt! But I loved the name. I mean, loved it!!
Even when we first told my parents that we had most likely decided on a name, I recall my dad saying something to the effect of, “No grandson of mine will be named after Jimmy Carter. Reagan, yes! Carter, absolutely not!” Sorry dad! The name stood.
But, because of the great mommy guilt I was having, I decided that I would find a middle name that had some great meaning. Because you know, the only family name that was acceptable was already taken by the oldest heir.
I again scoured the name books and the Bible. I didn’t want to go with the usual names from the Bible. I did want something unique enough but had a great story behind it.
Even up to Carter’s birth, we hadn’t decided on a middle name. I remember laughing about it and discussing it with Jeremy, my mom and Tricia, while waiting in the delivery room. We had several names picked out and so the great debate had begun, all while waiting for the little guy to come out!
We finally chose the name Solomon. Based on his request of wisdom when God asked him what he wanted most.
1 Kings 3:5-14:
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, ‘Ask for whatever you want me to give you.’
Solomon answered, ‘You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindess to him and have given him a son to sit on his thrown this very day.
Now, O Lord my God, you have your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of your?’
The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, ‘Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for-both riches and honor – so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.
Unfortunately, Solomon did not obey God. He compromised and tolerated idolatry. God’s gift of wisdom did not guarantee that Solomon would always persist in godliness; for this reason God emphasized “if you walk in my ways”. Although in the end Solomon isn’t the greatest example of what I would want Carter to grow up and reflect, Solomon’s story is one that hopefully will teach Carter the importance of walking in God’s ways. And his name will always remind him (hopefully) that God can grant wisdom and discernment if he asks Him and walks in his ways.
The funny thing is, we have had so many people ask us if we are Jewish or have Jewish heritage based on Carter’s name. Silly people!
I have even tried to connect my maiden name with it also. My maiden name begin with “Sol” and my first initial is C, just like Carter’s . Although it is a great coincidence, not really the main reason for choosing it!
So there you have it! How we named our kids!
Anatomy 101
Okay, so I have shied away from “embarrassing” or “too much info” types of stories, but I really couldn’t pass this one up.
Let’s face it – moms have to – how should I say it – multitask!! So most of the time I don’t get private moments in the bathroom. I mean come on, when a mom’s got to pee, a mom’s got to pee! A few days ago, I was “multitasking” in the bathroom by doing my thing and getting Evan’s pants put back on him since he took his completely off when he used the bathroom.
All of a sudden he yells, and I mean yells, “Mom your not pushing down your pee-pee, while your pulling my pants up, pee is going to go EVERYWHERE.”
“Well Evan, ummmmm, Mommy doesn’t have a ‘pee pee’….”
{Evan interupts me PANICKED} “But Mom, How can you go pee-pee if you don’t HAVE a pee-pee?”
“Well, ummmm, Evan. Mommy has a pee-pee just not like the one that you and daddy have.”
Evan thought about it for a moment and then responded, “well then I need to see it!!”
By now I am frantically pulling up my pants, trying to cover up any views, so that we wouldn’t have to deal with his request (Awww the innocence).
“Mom, but I wanted to see yours!!”
Fortunately at that moment, Carter threw a ball at him and they went tumbling through the house. Thanks Carter, I owe you one!!
Lucky Dog!
Last week the fam went to a local park. Evan saw this sign:
My very analytical son (which I don’t know where he gets that from *cough cough*) views the sign. He understood most of them but him and Jeremy needed to discuss it a little further.
The wheels began to turn and when he got back to the truck he informed me:
We can hike and have a picnic but we MUST throw our trash away. We CAN NOT hunt or shoot any guns. We CAN NOT ride our bikes. And we can walk our dog. Wait a second we didn’t bring Victor. We HAVE to bring Victor since we have a dog to walk and the sign says we need to walk him.
So……
The very next day, guess what we had to do. Yep we had such a *great* time. I just love hauling a stroller with a toddler, a preschooler and an out of control, barking, pulling on the leash dog! It was so much fun! {insert very thick sarcasm} Okay fine, I didn’t have the greatest time but the boys did bond with the dog and had a great time. And isn’t that all that’s important.
Weekly Winners April 4
Surprisingly enough, I haven’t brought my camera out too much this past week, even though it has been absolutely gorgeous outside. But that’s the problem, it has been so beautiful that the boys and I have just been enjoying it. We have played and played and played. Trying to soak up and catch up on that vitamin D we have missed so much this winter . We have had long days of heading to the parks, having picnics, playing baseball and golf all without me bringing my camera. I did manage to get some of shots of the kids this week, but that is all, nothing else. But then again, I didn’t have much time for anything else .
Carter, upon asking for the blue egg, cracked it on the table deliberately – ha – lil’ stinker. And of course he didn’t want to taste the egg, just wanted to take the shell off.
Evan, my son who refuses to smile for me, EVER, asked me to take this picture and a couple other ones. I don’t know what came over him. I guess he knew it was about time to give his mama a smile.
After noticing no sounds coming from the living room – moms you know that can only mean one thing…they are doing something they shouldn’t be – I peaked into the living room to see this. I literally tip-toed back to the kitchen and grabbed my camera.
My son who will not take ANY chances, decided that this day he would climb this rock. I spotted him of course, but he did the rest. I quickly asked to take his picture, he agreed but said “make it quit, I scared.”
What can I say about this shot! My beautiful little boy!
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To see my past Weekly Winners posts click HERE. For more Weekly Winner photos, visit Lotus’ Blog and visit the other Weekly Winner participants as well!
Juggling Act
I don’t know how so many moms juggle everything! I just CAN’T seem to get my act together. I admit it! I feel like I am in a hamster wheel and I just keep running and not really getting much accomplished. And I know that I don’t even have it nearly as hard as some moms!
I have decided the problem is the “house wife” aspect of this whole SAHM gig is what is killing me. I can be a great mom OR a great housekeeper. But I can’t do both. I know that sounds silly or sounds like I am throwing my hands up and taking the easy way out. Judge if you like, it doesn’t bother me!
So I need your help, because obviously I know in reality that I can’t just stop cleaning and cooking and laundry and…sorry I digress… I need some pointers on how moms do it with multiple small children in the house. How do you find a balance without feeling guilty that the children need more or the house needs more.
I have read books and blogs but none of them really seem to have an impact on me. I need to know how to juggle happy, healthy kids with the other demands of being a wife! If you are a mom of multiple small children (or were one ) and have come pointers, I would LOVE to hear them. Because this mom is just about to lose her mind!
Wasn’t it Supposed to be Harder?
Knock on Wood!
Why?
Well, I am going to let you in on a little secret!
There are many things when raising a toddler that stresses parents out. Binky wars, potty training, big boy beds, to school or not to school – SHOCKER – I know. You guys know these things. And as a blogger, I admit, I was looking forward to having these things be my writing prompts – Get a couple of funny posts out of the deal. But Evan decided he didn’t want me to write about the agony of potty training or the defeat of the binky.
Instead Evan decided that he would wake up one day and give his mom a break.
As you might remember, a couple of weeks before his 3rd birthday, he decided that he was ready for a big boy bed. Okay, I can deal with that. But when that first night came we explained to him that “big boys” didn’t need binkies. He thought about it for a moment and very matter-of-factly told us that he was not ready to get rid of his binky. That when he was, he would throw it in the trash.
From the beginning, I decided NOT to put a schedule on the boys. I believe that when kids are ready to move on, they will at their own pace. So I didn’t push getting rid of his binky, I made suggestions for Evan to think about but never did I force it on him, I didn’t force potty training, I didn’t force a big boy bed. Just as long as all of those things happened before he started kindergarten – you know !
Anyway, he kept his binky, temporarily!
As you also remember “the stars aligned” and he started preschool the week of his birthday. Not because I WANTED him too, but because he was ready and wanted to. Second stress down! Whew!
The week after his birthday, one morning he woke up and informed me that “today, I hant to hear underhears”. Yes, you saw that right, he can’t way say his “w” sound very well yet.
“Are you sure, Evan?” {because come on kid, I don’t really want to clean up your messes all. day. long}
“Yes, MOM! I want to hear underhear like daddy does.”
“Okay, fine! {in a very positive voice even though I was not thinking positive thoughts}
Besides he did have some CUTE Gap undies folded and waiting so patiently to be worn.
He had one accident! And one accident only. I still will force encourage a pull up when we go out to places that restrooms aren’t accessible but even then he has stayed dry.
But the only complaint is that he won’t pull down his own pants. He is slowly getting the idea but he still insists on help. And won’t go to the restroom unless one of us goes in the restroom with him.
“Mom, I got to go potty!”
“Okay, Evan go ahead!”
“But mom, I NEEEEED you to go with me.”
So this week, I actually said it out loud. Evan is potty trained. I guess! I was expecting it to much more difficult, so it really is hard to say that out loud!
Then came the binky decision. The same week he decided that diapers were for babies, he decided one afternoon, “that I will now throw away the binky in the trash can for good!” He has done this a few times before and has regretted the decision come night time, so I have gotten pretty good at being stealth while pulling the binky back out of the trash can without his knowing it.
This time was no different. He marched into the living room with his head held high as I scurried to pull his binky out of the trash and hide it without him knowing it. That evening he asked for it and explained to me, “that I always had one for him” but I explained to him that his was gone.
He fell asleep without it fairly quickly and painlessly, but it was the middle of the night awakening without it that was somewhat difficult, but for only one night. He asked for it a couple times the next day when he was tired, but then it was over. He was done. Except at Grandma’s and Babci’s house. He knows that they still have one for him, so he will use it for a few moments when he goes to their houses, but then returns it to them and is content.
Wow!! All the “big” milestones in such a short amount of time. It is almost unreal how smoothly it all went! But that is why I am a firm believer in allowing your children to have a say in these decisions. Why fight them before they are ready?
I am actually really heart broken that these mile stones have come and gone because it reminds me that my baby boy is growing up quickly and I can’t do anything to stop it! How quickly our babies grow. I know so many moms can’t wait to have a child that is weaned completely from the bink, fully potty trained and independent. But for me it was bitter sweet because the time has flown by and there is nothing I can do to get those moments back. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t miss the diapers and the calling out in the middle of the night when he couldn’t find his binky, but that time was so short!
Before long, I will be walking him to kindergarten, then buying his first car, then watching him march at graduation, and even getting married! OH MY!!
So these last few weeks, I have made it a point to hold him a little longer, kiss him a little more, sneak in a binky here and there when he has been sick, let him “sneak” up in our bed at bedtime and snuggle, tell him he is my baby boy for always and that even when he is as big as his daddy that he will always have room on my lap!
Being Blessed in Unexpected Places
IT happened today. I shouldn’t complain too much because after 3 years of having children, IT has never happened. But today IT did.
IT? You ask?
Well let me just start from the beginning? Okay? It’s Monday morning. Monday’s are hard because Jeremy leaves for work early for a Partner’s Meeting every Monday. The boys wake up after having him home all weekend and immediately ask where daddy is. And besides that, I don’t do mornings!! And I don’t do mornings with the boys. Jeremy and the boys have their morning ritual – including breakfast and play time. So on Mondays it is just me. I know I shouldn’t complain because really, I have it super easy!
So today was like any other Monday. The boys showing disappointment when seeing me walk in their rooms instead of daddy. We got up, ate breakfast, played, got dressed and it was only 9:00! So I NEEDED to get out of the house!
I was going to just drive around for a bit with both boys, I didn’t really need to go anywhere and I was planning on my dad being at the house around 11:30. I did however have $.80 off/gallon on my Kroger Card for a fill up on the truck. The problem? The closest Kroger gas station is 20 minutes away. Normally I wouldn’t go all the way out there to get gas, but it gave us a reason to get out of the house for a nice drive. {I am REALLY getting sick of the cold and snow!}
So I packed up the boys and headed out. We were getting off the highway, we were about a minute to the gas station, when Evan informed me that his “tummy was hurting”. I didn’t think much of it because he was having some “bowel issues” this weekend and hadn’t had an appetite. So I turned around to tell him that it was probably hunger pains since he hadn’t eaten for a couple of days.
Then IT happened. He started violently vomiting all over himself. Screaming and crying and vomiting.
That is when panic set in! I DON’T do throw-up!! When I was teacher, I spent almost half the day out of my classroom with my ENTIRE class because one of my students had thrown up at her seat. And I couldn’t bear to be in that room until it was cleaned up thoroughly and the smell gone. GOD BLESS JANITORS!! Anyway I digress.
Don’t the boys know that if they are going to throw up, it needs to be done when Jeremy is home?
So I tried to calm him down and explain to him that Mommy was on the highway and that I would stop as soon as I could. He of course was freaking out by now and continued to vomit until I pulled into the Kroger Gas Station.
I was freaking out inside also, but trying to stay calm for the boys sake. I ran up to the Cashier in her Glass box and asked for a plastic bag because my son had just thrown up. She was a very sympathetic Grandma, I soon found out. I grabbed the bag, said my thank yous and ran back to the truck. I didn’t know where to begin. It was EVERYWHERE. After about a minute of standing there not knowing really where to begin, the cashier ran out and volunteered to help me!
She explained to me that since she was a grandma, this stuff doesn’t gross her out anymore. She began wiping up all the mess for me. I was fortunate enough to have a bag of clothes from when my boys spent the night at my parents on Saturday night. They were dirty but really, not that dirty. I was also fortunate enough to have the booster seat in the back of the truck. So I didn’t have to clean up all the mess on the car seat. But this wonderful woman insisted on helping me get Evan dressed and cleaned up and then began to clean up MY son’s vomit on his car seat. She was scrubbing and cleaning as much as could be done with wipes and paper towels! She was an angel!! AN ANGEL or at least a saint!
She had another customer to take care of and that allowed me to get the car seat in the truck without her cleaning ALL of it. I tried several times to explain to her that I could just wait to get home. I filled the truck up and before we left she came back out to make sure we were all okay!!
I cried on the way home! Did this woman know how much she just blessed me?? She didn’t have to do anything she did. She could have just handed me the trash bags and wish me luck. But she didn’t. She got her hands in my son’s vomit and cleaned up the mess!
So Kroger’s if you come across this post, let me just say, that you have an Angel working for you! And that woman needs a medal of honor!
Ask the Teacher Tuesday – Questions I have been contemplating
Today’s post isn’t necessarily discussing a single topic about education. It actually deals with some of the things that I have been dealing with as a mom who happens to be a teacher.
I am analytical by nature. I love math and I love data. I guess I am kinda weird like that. I love research. Give me a good case study with data and I will eat it up.
Now before I continue, I am not trying to be controversial in ANY way and if you ask those closest to me, they will tell you that I HATE controversy, period. So I am not writing this to get in a debate with anyone, I am just stating some things that I WOULD love to study some day and see some good raw data on the topics.
There are several topics that one day I would love to study. And I say one day, because these topics that I am interested in, I believe, may not have real statistical information for many years to come. I am only writing about two today.
Topic #1: The first topic that really interests me is the topic of technology and the implications of when/how we use it with our children. I know that we will never go backward in the use of technology, as a parent I have drug my feet when it comes to introducing it to Evan, particularly computers. I finally broke down and bought Evan a computer game for his 3rd birthday.
As a teacher, I have seen the negative implications of too much use of technology in this generation of kids. Students now a days “need” to be entertained in the classroom. If what is being taught in the classroom, doesn’t have fast moving graphics, bells, whistles, interaction, music etc., students aren’t interested. The attention span of students seemed to decrease each year I taught. Do I believe this has to do with the ever increasing use of technology amongst our students? Yes, in some part, but not fully responsible!
Just by talking to the students, you begin to realize just how much time is spent in front of the computer, along with time spent in front of the television playing video games.
How much is too much? I am not anti-technology (geeze, I own a blog for goodness sake and Evan is proficient on the iPhone). But I do believe that technology is not the answer to everything, all the time. School districts are paying millions of dollars to implement software (study games) for studying for the achievement tests, teachers are encouraged to have websites with study information, teachers are also bombarded with games and interactive websites to share with their students on projection screens. When and how is this too much?
Going back to my introduction, someday in the future, I would love to see hard core, unbiased data on how technology has increased or decreased intelligence. Are kids smarter then they were ten years ago? Are IQs increasing or decreasing? Are students losing their common sense and trading it in for better test scores?
As a parent, with a teaching background, I would love to know how much is too much? And how much is needed to just keep your kids up with the ever-changing technology?
Topic #2: How the bombardment of parenting books – in particular baby rearing practices – have long term implications on children. I’ve read the books, I know the arguments. I chose what, I felt, was best for my children. What is interesting to me as I read the books and articles, were the arguments that were given against other methods. Both sides have somewhat valid arguments, but neither have any hard-core mathematical studies to support their claims.
I just think this whole phenomenon is intriguing. What did parents, especially mothers, do before “the experts” wrote books. Oh yeah, they relied on their mothers for advice and relied on their God-given instincts on what was best for their children. I find it almost humorous that first time mothers run to their books for advice, stress about not being able to find a written answer to a question. Don’t get me wrong, I am not judging or making fun of any one. Besides, to an extent I was that mom (with Evan), running to the “experts” who obviously know everything, so they obviously know how I should handle Evan. With Carter, I was much more carefree and just allowed myself to love Carter, not worrying about what the “experts” had to say. Besides who knows my boys best – me! I still, will on occasion, read up on child rearing practices. Obviously I am NOT saying that I know it all, I will always listen to advice from my parents and of experts. But I don’t necessarily follow ONE particular source to the tee and do exactly what one person says to do. That just doesn’t make sense to me.
Basically, there are some startling and discouraging “statistics” given in some of the best selling parenting books, if you don’t follow their guidelines. (No wonder why moms are so stressed!) I would just love to see how these children turn out in the long run. Are these claims, ones that should be taken seriously, or are these people quacks who have impacted a whole generation of moms. I don’t know, but I would love to see some mathematical and scientific studies about it one day.
So now it’s your turn. If you have come across some great case studies and would like to share them with me, please share. Remember I love the data, not just merely opinions.
Are there any issues or topics that you have really been interested in since becoming a mother?
He’ll Thank You One Day…
That is what Jeremy said to me today as we watched Evan finish his first round of Ice Skating Lessons. We laughed about Evan not needing me often (he insists on having Daddy the majority of the time) but when it comes to situations where he stresses out, he definitely relies on me more than anyone else. I am the firm one. TRUST! He trusts me and knows that I will be firm yet protective of him. Yep, I am the “iron fist” in this family.
You see when I was away last week, Babci and Jeremy had to take Evan to class, where he proceeded to cry and want off the ice. I really felt horrible about leaving for the weekend – just because Evan did have a class and I know how much he needs consistency in his routine. But at the same time, I needed to get away and I just prayed that the previous 4 lessons wouldn’t be undone, with me not being there.
So today I helped him on the ice and he turned around with his lip quivering while trying to get off the ice and I shook my head no and said “you will stay on the ice, Evan! You can do this” and sure enough once he knew that I was firm, he skated on out there and enjoyed himself. There was a moment of stress when he didn’t see me up in the stands, but like a nerd I stood up and waved my arms and he immediately relaxed. We even got a few smiles and a couple of waves.
He came out of the lesson, grinning ear to ear, with his certificate in hand.
“I am so proud of you Evan!”
He proceeded to smile and show me what he had earned.
“Your class is finished, but since you did such a great job, would you like Mommy to sign you up for the next set of classes?”
“Ummm, no mom,” Evan replied casually.
“Well sweetheart, you can’t play hockey unless you continue your lessons,” I immediately explained knowing how much he wants to play hockey.
“Well Mom, I don’t want to play hockey then.” Evan said unconcerned.
“Hmmm, well, Mommy is going to go ahead and sign you up for the next round of classes.” I quickly said nonchalantly.
“Okay mom. That’s fine.”
And there you have it. I won’t let him wuss out ! After all, he is his Mother’s child!
Why Am I Doing This Again…
I am tired! I mean all.the.time! I cannot wait until February 12 – that is when I am going to the Doctor and I am NOT leaving until there is a reason to all of this, or at least a game plan to figure it out! But that really isn’t the reason for this post – well sorta!
As you might recall, I haven’t had much free time lately. My dad comes over 3 afternoons a week (during the boys “rest” time) to allow me to go work out! And I have mentioned a few other times that as much as I appreciate and love the time, it has given me NO down time to unwind! I put the boys down for their naps (although Evan has decided that naps are for babies and downright refuses to take one) and they get up pretty much about the time that I get out of the shower. So it has worn me out!
I was in the shower yesterday, thinking about this predicament and came up with a list of why I am doing this to myself, in hopes that it will encourage me to continue and that the end result outweighs the temporary craziness! So here it is from least to greatest:
5. I really want to get back into my size 6 clothes. They are soooo cute. I walk into my closet occasionally and long for the day that I can just throw on any thing in my closet without the worry that it won’t fit!
4. I REALLY love to eat! I mean – love.to.eat!! And nothing really healthy for me. So I can justify the slice of pizza if I know that I have worked out that day! Once I get to my goal weight that is. Right now, I am super strict with what I am putting into my body!
3. The runner’s high is becoming quite addicting. Even on the days that I really don’t want to head to the gym, knowing that I will feel great afterward is enough to get me there and at least attempt to work out!
2. I have found that running really clears my mind. It is the most amazing feeling for about an hour after I am finished with my workout, especially when I get a great run in. All the stresses of life almost disappear for a small window of time. The argument that I had with a friend, the craziness of boys stuck inside of the house, the 10,000 items on my to do list, the fact that I didn’t get any sleep the night before – all of these things and more take a back seat and I can honestly say that I feel de-stressed and relaxed. And it is an amazing feeling!!
And the #1 reason that I am putting myself through this craziness….
These 2 guys! I want to be that mom who runs with her kids, plays with them, teaches them new things. Not the mom that sits on the sidelines and watches from afar! I wanted boys!! God has blessed with two amazing, spunky, active boys and I don’t want to miss a second of that! I want my boys to look up to me, to be proud that I am their mother! I want them to have a role model on healthy eating and exercise! I want to be able to be tackled, to race, to jump rope all without getting tired and worn out! I believe that this is one of the best gifts I can give these two boys – a healthy, happy mom!
So, now it’s your turn, what keeps you going?
Napping Wars
Evan has decided that naps are no longer fun! I was very blessed with a child who LOVED to nap. He would request it, quite often. People were amazed to hear him come up to me and ask to go nap.
Those days were so nice! But as we all know, babies grow up and decide that naps are no longer needed.
For the last few weeks, Evan has refused to nap. He will nap maybe every fourth day. Of course there are pros and cons to this new found independence. I do NEED this down time, but I really HATE the fact that if Evan takes a nap, he ends up not going to bed until 9:00 or 10:00. Which I NEED some quiet time in the evenings. So I have to weigh the lesser of two evils.
I do have him “rest” every day even if he isn’t napping, but we have different views of the definition of “rest”. We are still ironing out the afternoon ritual sans naps 
!
One of the negatives to not taking a nap is that by about 5:00 every evening, Evan, we’ll say, is in rare form. He is definitely tired by then and shows it! Whiney and crabby are two of the nicer words that can explain his behaviour!
Now that I have explained what has been going on, let me give you a little story about Friday. I got home from working out a little earlier, took a quick shower {while my dad and Evan watched t.v. since Evan WILL NOT sleep when he know Grandpa is coming over}, in hopes to try to get a quick nap in on the couch with Evan.
Thursday, I convinced Evan to nap with me on the couch and was able to get in about a 45 minute nap (so did Evan). So Friday, I was hoping for a miracle of two-fold: Evan would nap with me on the couch and Carter would take a exceptionally long nap!! Well, Carter did take a long nap – a 3.5 hour nap. But Evan decided that he would either kick me or whisper “Mommy” each time I started to doze! I tried pleading, threatening, whining and just plain ignoring, but to no avail, Evan and I did not nap !
Carter awoke and I grudgingly got off the couch to get him out of his crib, feeling bitter that Evan did not allow me to sleep and sluggish since I did drift off several times in the hour of battling Evan. I got Carter out of his crib and came back into the living room to this (excuse the pjs, yeah we decided to stay in them all day):
It was 3 minutes!! Three minutes from when I got off the couch where Evan was wide awake and returned with Carter. In that time, he rolled off the couch and fell asleep. It was 4:30! Needless to say, I didn’t try to keep Carter and the dog quiet! Apparently all that hard work of keeping me awake wore the little kid out! Poor little guy! {insert major sarcasm and bitterness!}
My Baby Boy in a Big Boy Bed…
It seems like just yesterday that I brought my baby boy home from the hospital. And through those first few months it never occurred to me that he may actually grow up. Okay so I am being slightly sentimental, but you bring home a tiny little baby and can’t even imagine what he or she will become. I have admitted more than once on here, that I get teary-eyed very easily over the small things with my boys, so bear with me, even though I don’t think that transitioning from a crib to a big boy bed is a small feat.
We have been blessed with a child who likes structure, order and rules. Up until 2 weeks ago, it NEVER occurred to him that he could climb out of his crib. He loved the security of those four “walls”. I was always amused by comments and curiosity by friends and strangers when they found out that Evan wasn’t in a big boy bed yet. I don’t know why it was such a big deal, but apparently Jeremy and I are in the minority by keeping him in the crib. By hey, to each their own.
But the past couple of weeks, Evan has shown signs of being ready to move on up. And I have shown signs of having a meltdown. Again, I am being slightly over dramatic. But to me this is a huge deal. My baby is growing up!
He has tried sleeping in a twin bed that his cousin had at my mother-in-law’s house but soon after the naps he informed us that he would rather sleep in his bed. He didn’t quite understand either what the big deal was.
But a few weeks ago, he finally realized that he could climb out of his crib and a whole new world opened up. Nothing like hearing tiny, running footsteps across the hard wood floors at 6:30 in the morning and finally a creek of the door and up the stairs and a giggly boy jumping in our bed. We knew then that we should probably start looking into buying a bed.
Well that search ended Monday night! And last night 
Jeremy and Evan assembled it. He was soooo excited and couldn’t wait to try it out! He picked out sports bedding – shocker I know – to go on his new bed that I kinda encouraged since it matched the paint colors on the wall. Trying to help Jeremy out on that one. But Evan actually saw the bedding and proclaimed “that is what he wanted” so we were all happy. We originally told him that he could sleep in his new bed on Christmas Eve, but he was so excited that we worked late (9:30 which is 2 hours past Evan’s bedtime) to complete it.
Evan’s squealing and giggling kept Carter awake, so we allowed Carter to check it out also. Carter was super excited to see stars on the blankets – he loves stars right now- but Evan quickly turned Carter’s attention to the footballs and basketballs and baseballs that were on it. Evan also made sure to remind Carter that he was a big boy now and Carter was still a baby.
So to many moms, this isn’t a big deal, but my heart is just a little sad to know that indeed he is growing up and this is one of the first (of many) times that I have to let go and allow him some freedom.
But I have informed him that even when he is 6 foot 4, he will still be my baby boy!
The Face of Croup
Let me just start by saying that I have been very, very blessed by God not to have sick kids up until this point. Neither of my boys have never even had a fever that was related to sickness. Croup itself isn’t life threatening or even compares to many of the illenesses that hopefully we will never experience, so I don’t want this post to come across as if our world has come to an end! Just wanted to document how our week went! And how stir crazy this mom is getting!! So when Evan woke up Sunday night screaming and couldn’t get consoled, we knew something was wrong and Jeremy immediately took him to Children’s Hospital. I have mentioned before that Evan has an EXTREMELY high pain tolerance, so when he was telling us that he was in pain and had a 102 degree temperature, we were not about to wait it out!
He was diagnosed with Croup! On Wednesday Carter started running the temperature too. Each boys has reached 102 at least once each day! So guess what we have been doing ALL week long:
This one is my favorite because notice how we transformed the living room! We brought down our T.V. from the bedroom so that we could hang out in daylight during the day instead of having to hang out in our basement. I am so against having a T.V. that accessible but your got to do what you got to do. And we brought up the futon mattress from the basement, because Jeremy spent a few nights sleeping down by Evan!
The doctors told us that if his croup flares up severally enough to take him outside in the chilly night air. So a few nights, that’s what Jeremy had to do. This scene just broke my heart and I happened to have the camera next to the door. He fell asleep out there, but the moment we brought him back inside the house he started back up again! Poor little guy!
But we are hopeful. We have gone almost a full day without temperatures! {fingers crossed} Maybe I’ll we’ll be out running around very soon!
Who Needs T.V.?
I love watching Jeremy interact with the boys! Especially when they are in their “little bubble” where nothing or no one else matters. Moments like these are one of the many reasons that I am so proud to call him the father of my boys and my husband. I am truly blessed!
Click on the [View with PicLens] to view the gallery!
The Moral of the Story…
Not one of our proudest moments as parents. Carter looks darling sitting in the car doesn’t he? But what it isn’t 
showing is the most important moral of this story! If you have a 15 month old who loves trains, wants to do EVERYTHING his older brother does and insists on being a little Dare Devil…let’s not choose the car RIGHT behind the Tractor!
Yep, one of the Parent-of-the-Year moments we had last week. Not even thinking, we stuck Carter in front of Evan, which he loved, but right behind the tractor. When the tractor began to roar, Carter completely lost his mind!! Do you blame him? Fortunately the kid that was driving the tractor had enough sense (obviously more than both Carter’s parents combined) to keep a close eye on him as soon as he turned the key. He drove one turn and immediately shut down the tractor and waved us over! Because of our view we didn’t see him begin to cry!
HORRIBLE isn’t even the word I could use to describe the way I felt! After a few moments of crying by me by Carter, and then seeing Evan enjoying himself on the train, he wanted down and join his brother. Not going to happen kid!!
Probably not the smartest decision we have made, probably not the last one either!! But hopefully they won’t remember these things when they get older, but maybe we should start a therapy fund just in case !
