Shopping with a toddler and a 3 month old comes with its own set of challenges. I swore before my daughter was born I would never take the two of them shopping alone. Now that she's here, you can find the 3 of us wandering the aisles of Target on a regular basis.
Today we ventured out to the craft store (or the "crap" store as my 3 year old pronounces it) while Daddy helped a friend move. As we drove to the second craft store of the day (just my luck the first one didn't have everything I wanted), I saw a bumper sticker that caught my attention. "wag more bark less". I'm not a huge dog person, but it hit me that I too often bark rather than wag.
My husband will be the first to tell me that once I start barking, more things will go wrong, giving me more to bark about. (He wouldn't actually call it barking but you get the point.) I know he's correct yet I still let my "bark" take over. Starting today my motto is "wag more bark less". I'll try it on for size. Wish me luck in my new bark free lifestyle. :-)
Inventory
After reading a post on Cafemom today, I decided to inventory my pantry, freezer, and refrigerator. Apparently my goals were too lofty as I only finished the pantry. But I'm flabbergasted (what a fun word!) by the amount of food in our pantry right now. Yet if you asked me I'd tell you we don't have many meal options on hand (it's been a while since I've shopped for groceries). I'm going to see how many meals I can create with only the things we have on hand. Boy my hubby is not going to like the menu this week! He's a picky eater for those of you who have never met him. Cindy's Porch actually has inventory sheets along with other helpful tips to save money. I have yet to find the time to delve into the wealth of useful information on her site but it looks fun. I apologize for the lame nature of this post. My guilt for neglecting diaper bag diary compelled me to post something.
These Are a Few of My Favorite Things....
I don't have long before the little ones get fired up but I wanted to post something for your reading pleasure. A few things I love (besides my kids and husband of course!)...
-Cinnamon Vanilla Nut cappachino (my little treat to myself each morning... helps me get my butt out of bed many mornings)
-baby smiles, especially as they drift off to sleep
-toddler interpretations of the world
-cozy sweaters (can't wait for fall!)
-being the first person up in the morning... there's something peaceful about knowing everyone is cozy, happy, and not screaming :-)
-the smell of fresh baked bread (yes I make my own homemade bread)
-decorating cakes/baking in general
-cleaning.... it gives me great satisfaction to see the results.... at least for the few minutes it lasts around here
-bargain shopping (try it... it's addicting!)
-live music (get to see the Nadas tomorrow night at the State Fair!)
-dancing with my kids (dancing while holding a 36 pound 3 year old is a great workout... so why doesn't my butt fit into my jeans?!?!?!)
-cloth diapering my daughter
-breastfeeding
-watching my kids sleep at night
There are many more but I'm off to see what adventures today holds!
-Cinnamon Vanilla Nut cappachino (my little treat to myself each morning... helps me get my butt out of bed many mornings)
-baby smiles, especially as they drift off to sleep
-toddler interpretations of the world
-cozy sweaters (can't wait for fall!)
-being the first person up in the morning... there's something peaceful about knowing everyone is cozy, happy, and not screaming :-)
-the smell of fresh baked bread (yes I make my own homemade bread)
-decorating cakes/baking in general
-cleaning.... it gives me great satisfaction to see the results.... at least for the few minutes it lasts around here
-bargain shopping (try it... it's addicting!)
-live music (get to see the Nadas tomorrow night at the State Fair!)
-dancing with my kids (dancing while holding a 36 pound 3 year old is a great workout... so why doesn't my butt fit into my jeans?!?!?!)
-cloth diapering my daughter
-breastfeeding
-watching my kids sleep at night
There are many more but I'm off to see what adventures today holds!
"Look, Mama! My head moves from side to side!"
I love all of the discoveries that babies make each day. My 10 week old has been practicing her head lifts and her neck control is improving every day. Last night as we cuddled at bedtime, she once again lifted her head. This time she turned her head from side to side as she held it up. It was the first time I had seen her purposely moving her head around that well. My baby is growing up!
Other random thoughts this morning...
The word "quiet" holds no meaning to a 3 year old. Unless he's watching Cars. For the 500th time. In this situation, you can get yelled at for any audible noise. I can't tell you how many times I've heard "Mommy, be quiet! I'm trying to hear my movie!". Apparently screaming "McQueen has blown a tire!" at the top of your lungs while your baby sister is sleeping falls below the acceptable decibel level. Breathing while Cars is playing does not.
Today was a shower day. Woo hoo! I feel so... clean. I even squeezed in a quick leg shave. I can't promise there aren't a few hairy patches left. Curse my dark leg hair! But at least I can walk outside in shorts with some shred of dignity left.
I'm on day 4 of my "Total Mom Makeover". It's going to "transform the way I think about my life". This week I'm learning to use positive words to change my outlook (not easy for a naturally sarcastic pessimist but I'm trying). I'm not typically a self help fan, but the book jumped out at me on my last trip to Half Price Books. More on this in a future post...
I'm determined to finally finish losing the baby weight. The way I see it, I can squeeze roughly 2 more months out of the capris that actually fit. At that point, my ass will need to fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans. I wore those darn jeans until I was at least 20 weeks pregnant with my daughter. They fit just fine back then. Suddenly, 10 weeks post-partum, my rear is refusing to budge. How does that work? I'm sure I'll have more to share on my butt and its refusal to conform very soon.
I feel very productive this morning. In addition to my shower and semi-shave, I've washed some laundry, put clean laundry away, and made blueberry and flaxseed pancakes. I learned something about myself in the process. I don't like blueberry pancakes. But when you buy a giant vat of blueberries at Costco because it's a really good deal, you suck it up and eat blueberry pancakes. On that note, I leave you with a happy blueberry pancake.
Other random thoughts this morning...
The word "quiet" holds no meaning to a 3 year old. Unless he's watching Cars. For the 500th time. In this situation, you can get yelled at for any audible noise. I can't tell you how many times I've heard "Mommy, be quiet! I'm trying to hear my movie!". Apparently screaming "McQueen has blown a tire!" at the top of your lungs while your baby sister is sleeping falls below the acceptable decibel level. Breathing while Cars is playing does not.
Today was a shower day. Woo hoo! I feel so... clean. I even squeezed in a quick leg shave. I can't promise there aren't a few hairy patches left. Curse my dark leg hair! But at least I can walk outside in shorts with some shred of dignity left.
I'm on day 4 of my "Total Mom Makeover". It's going to "transform the way I think about my life". This week I'm learning to use positive words to change my outlook (not easy for a naturally sarcastic pessimist but I'm trying). I'm not typically a self help fan, but the book jumped out at me on my last trip to Half Price Books. More on this in a future post...
I'm determined to finally finish losing the baby weight. The way I see it, I can squeeze roughly 2 more months out of the capris that actually fit. At that point, my ass will need to fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans. I wore those darn jeans until I was at least 20 weeks pregnant with my daughter. They fit just fine back then. Suddenly, 10 weeks post-partum, my rear is refusing to budge. How does that work? I'm sure I'll have more to share on my butt and its refusal to conform very soon.
I feel very productive this morning. In addition to my shower and semi-shave, I've washed some laundry, put clean laundry away, and made blueberry and flaxseed pancakes. I learned something about myself in the process. I don't like blueberry pancakes. But when you buy a giant vat of blueberries at Costco because it's a really good deal, you suck it up and eat blueberry pancakes. On that note, I leave you with a happy blueberry pancake.
$120 Investment Finally Paying Off!
My son adored his swing from about 3 weeks on. He napped in the swing. He hung out in it so I could actually clean my house. It was amazing. So when the motor died at 3 months we were at a loss. We survived that dark time in our lives and came out of it with a son who actually napped in his crib!
When we finally saw two lines on the pregnancy test this time around, one of the first things on our "must have baby gear" list was a new baby swing. We didn't want just any baby swing. We wanted the Cadillac of baby swings for our new addition. I searched Amazon until I laid my eyes upon the Fisher Price Starlight Papasan Cradle Swing. That was it! Everything from the pretty canopy to the star light show had me hooked. I envisioned my daughter drifting off to sleep in her cozy little swing. She had other plans.
My daughter decided that she didn't like the swing. What do you do with that? I can barely put her down long enough to go potty (sorry, I have a toddler, I know longer "go to the bathroom", I "go potty"). Forget about cleaning the house. Not only was the mounting mess throughout the house stressing me, the $120 we spent on this glorious piece of baby gear was down the drain... until this weekend. My sweet little angel has finally taken a liking to her swing. Thank goodness!
Today was the first day in a long time when both of my children slept at the same time. It may not seem like a big deal, but with a toddler and a newborn it takes me all day long to finish cleaning 1 room in my house. Someone always needs something. They're so needy! :-) I cleaned and organized my kitchen, picked up and swept the living room, and still had time to get rid of the bathroom grime. She's still sleeping away in her swing. Two months later it was worth it!
Now that the little princess is improving her neck control, I'm counting down the days until I can pull out my Fisher Price Jumperoo (the freestanding one, not the doorway jumper of our childhood). If I could pick only one piece of baby gear it would be the Jumperoo. Seriously, if you have a baby between the ages of 3 to 6 months, close your laptop, get in the car, drive to Target, and buy one. It's worth your $60!
When we finally saw two lines on the pregnancy test this time around, one of the first things on our "must have baby gear" list was a new baby swing. We didn't want just any baby swing. We wanted the Cadillac of baby swings for our new addition. I searched Amazon until I laid my eyes upon the Fisher Price Starlight Papasan Cradle Swing. That was it! Everything from the pretty canopy to the star light show had me hooked. I envisioned my daughter drifting off to sleep in her cozy little swing. She had other plans.
My daughter decided that she didn't like the swing. What do you do with that? I can barely put her down long enough to go potty (sorry, I have a toddler, I know longer "go to the bathroom", I "go potty"). Forget about cleaning the house. Not only was the mounting mess throughout the house stressing me, the $120 we spent on this glorious piece of baby gear was down the drain... until this weekend. My sweet little angel has finally taken a liking to her swing. Thank goodness!
Today was the first day in a long time when both of my children slept at the same time. It may not seem like a big deal, but with a toddler and a newborn it takes me all day long to finish cleaning 1 room in my house. Someone always needs something. They're so needy! :-) I cleaned and organized my kitchen, picked up and swept the living room, and still had time to get rid of the bathroom grime. She's still sleeping away in her swing. Two months later it was worth it!
Now that the little princess is improving her neck control, I'm counting down the days until I can pull out my Fisher Price Jumperoo (the freestanding one, not the doorway jumper of our childhood). If I could pick only one piece of baby gear it would be the Jumperoo. Seriously, if you have a baby between the ages of 3 to 6 months, close your laptop, get in the car, drive to Target, and buy one. It's worth your $60!
Plight of a Potty Training Mama
My house smells like poop. Toddler poop. Toddler poop from a very stubborn toddler that refuses to poop in the toilet. He has no problems peeing there (when he remembers). It's just the pooping that's become a problem. Some days he'll save it until I put on his diaper at nap time. Holding poop for that long can't be healthy or comfortable. Most days, though, he squats wherever he is and poops right in his underwear. Let me tell you, you haven't lived until you've cleaned a toddler size pile of poo out of a pair of underwear. Every day. At least once a day.
This morning I knew he had to "do the deed" so I tried everything to get him to use the potty. I tried to help him squat carefully over the toilet since that's his usual position. I told him his friends on his underwear didn't want poop on them. I even told him the toilet wanted to eat his poop so we had to feed it (disgusting yes and not effective either). He wasn't buying what I was selling. No way was he pooping in the toilet. Five minutes later he had the big poop bulge in the back of his underwear. Nice, Buddy.
As I pulled down his "Queenie" and Mater underwear (from the Cars movie for those of you who haven't been tortured by it yet!), he saw his handy work. It was his last clean pair of Cars underwear. The first thing out of his mouth was "Aww, dammit!" For the record, he claims he learned that word from Daddy and Grandpa. So I take no responsibility. Even though it may have slipped from my mouth once or twice. Or three times. But who's counting?
After using a massive amount of baby wipes, he was finally clean. My house still smells like poop. Anyone want to come over for coffee?
Dedicated to my good friend Tara and all the other potty training mamas out there. :)
This morning I knew he had to "do the deed" so I tried everything to get him to use the potty. I tried to help him squat carefully over the toilet since that's his usual position. I told him his friends on his underwear didn't want poop on them. I even told him the toilet wanted to eat his poop so we had to feed it (disgusting yes and not effective either). He wasn't buying what I was selling. No way was he pooping in the toilet. Five minutes later he had the big poop bulge in the back of his underwear. Nice, Buddy.
As I pulled down his "Queenie" and Mater underwear (from the Cars movie for those of you who haven't been tortured by it yet!), he saw his handy work. It was his last clean pair of Cars underwear. The first thing out of his mouth was "Aww, dammit!" For the record, he claims he learned that word from Daddy and Grandpa. So I take no responsibility. Even though it may have slipped from my mouth once or twice. Or three times. But who's counting?
After using a massive amount of baby wipes, he was finally clean. My house still smells like poop. Anyone want to come over for coffee?
Dedicated to my good friend Tara and all the other potty training mamas out there. :)
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