Note to self: check pockets before washing all your favorite pants and shirts with a 9-year-old boy’s jacket.
Wordless Wednesday- Shame On The Rainbow
October 26, 2011 By
Coffee Chat – Kids Are Funny
October 21, 2011 By
Wait! That's not coffee... whatever. It's been a long week.
Imagine you just sat down with a bunch of your girlfriends. Coffee (or tea)(or margarita) cup in one hand. No kids around. Just laughter, friends, and good conversation.
Then a question comes up…
What is one of the funniest things your kid has said to you?
Because it has been a loooong week… you take a sip and chime in:
- Walking into the gym Myles pointed at a woman and said, “Mommy, that’s my dad’s girlfriend.” – Melanie S.
- I asked Myles if he wanted to wear a hat today, he said, “no, I want to wear a supervisor.” – also from Melanie S.
- When my nephew was a toddler I said I would come over to visit for a little bit. He said, “No Auntie, you need to come over for lots of bits”. – Casey S.
- My favorite was when 4-year-old Aspen told me she wanted to be a bee for Halloween because, “People will think I am beautiful and then I will sting them!”- Julie M.
- Mom, what are you going to be when you grow up? – Staci P.
- Mom, did cars have engines when you were young? – Meg B.
- This weekend I heard this conversation between Charlotte and 4-year-old Liam– Mama: “Liam I have to wrap Maya’s birthday present later today. Want to help me?” Liam, not even glancing up from what he is playing with: “yes. If I’m available.” – Dottie E.
- Xander emptied out a dollhouse and put a fireman figurine inside. I noticed the family of dolls was sitting around a table on the “front lawn” of the dollhouse. I asked him if the doll family saved the dining room table and food from the fire in their house. He said, “Yes mommy. They were hungry so they went back in and grabbed the table, chairs and food while they were waiting for the firemen to come and save the house.” – Dana R.
- Mom, what would happen if we didn’t have heads? (She’s 4) – Leah S.
- We were at the grocery store and she saw the sign with the person falling (caution sign). She was 3 at the time and pointed to the sign and said, “look mommy we can do flips!” – Stacey C.
- After a long day’s outing with my 4-year old, I plopped down on the sofa and exclaimed, “I’m pooped!” To which she replied, “I’m peed!” – Barbara F.
- Mom, how come my penis is bigger than my brother’s? – Ginger A.
- SugarPlum got out her medicine syringe from her doctor’s kit, and told Pickle “It’s time for your baby medicine! You’re gonna love it! It’s yummy! It has BABIES in it!” – Rehan Blog
- She quoted Toy Story 3, “I’ve got a playdate with destiny,” then asked me, “Who’s destiny?” – Mary G.
- My son was hanging out on the potty taking his time and trying to think of anything to do other than actually use the potty. He looked down at his shirt and said, “Look, Mommy! I have my Starbucks shirt on. See the light saber?” Yeah, it was a Star Wars shirt. – Danielle S.
Check out the last Coffee Chat when we talked about BabyWearing.
Living with Happy Chaos (GIVEAWAY)
October 12, 2011 By
Don't worry... that's my copy.
H A P P Y C H A O S
From Punky to Parenting and My Perfectly Imperfect Adventures In Between — By Soleil Moon Frye
I picked up my copy of Happy Chaos– and just like I do with every book– I opened it to a random page.
Page 113.
Knowing when to ask for help…
(in a chapter called Yes, Michael Jackson Was My Babysitter)
I nodded in agreeance. I smiled. I giggled. I closed the book… then reopened it to page 1.
Page 1 welcomed me to Happy Chaos (hey, that sounds remotely familiar); it also starts with a section called Question of the Day complete with answers from Facebook fans and Twitter followers. I read on to find that Soleil, like many of us, turns to social media as one of the ways to find support from other parents going through the same journey… Parenthood. Throughout the book she also shares parenting tips that work/worked for her and her family– like when she introduced her second child to her daughter, creative ways she encourages her children when they try new foods, how she makes time for her loved ones and ways she continues to be an interactive parent.
Now, I wont summarize the whole book because, what fun would that be?– although I totally could because it had me in stitches multiple times and maybe even prompted me to yell out with some underlying passion, “I so get that!”. The best part was that I was able to relate to a lot of what she said…everything except the star-studded childhood. That part was fun to read about though.
I loved reading Happy Chaos. It made me smile. Plus I’m a huge advocate of supporting other parents, even in the simplest of ways– like sharing stories. There’s nothing better than knowing that you are not alone in the land of parenting. (Especially when you are going through a trying time… and I’ve had my fair share of those). It definitely takes a village and sometimes you just have to laugh with your village because not only do kids have their own agendas, they teach us a lot along the way.
One thing I took from reading about Soleil’s life and adventures is that sometimes I need to just let go and accept. Let go of all the little things, accept that there’s no such thing as perfection, focus on the good, embrace the fun that can be had and treasure the memories that are being made along the way. Soleil has that part down… or at least she tries to.
Here’s a great excerpt from Happy Chaos:
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Heart-to-heart talks are great, but when our kids are having a hard time articulating
how they’re really feeling, I will ask them to draw it out. Rather than send the kids to
their rooms to calm down, I’ll ask them to draw me a picture about how they are
feeling.
Soleil can be found as Target’s Mommy Ambassador on Twitter, Facebook and on her online community, Moonfrye.
You can purchase Happy Chaos on Amazon (HERE) or you can continue reading…
GIVEAWAY TIME!
Enter below to win a copy of Happy Chaos signed by Soleil Moon Frye
What I Learned Preschool Edition
September 27, 2011 By
Ah, Preschool. You know the saying, Everything I Learned Or Need To Know, I Learned In Kindergarten. It’s not Kindergarten, it’s Preschool my friends. Well, at least for parents it is. Per usual, the second child is teaching me more than I expected to learn from any child and because of that, I am scared grateful. So, basically, I didn’t know just how enlightening the entire preschool experience could be. Until recently.
We have had an amazing experience with preschool to date. I couldn’t be happier with our decision of placement and the environment for our son. And with that comes some inspiring, interesting and hilarious experiences that we are sure to never forget.
What I Learned Preschool Edition
1. Not every teacher is right for every child. Rather, not every child is right for every teacher.
2. Sometimes you need to consider other options for your child. Even if the familiar is comfortable. (sigh).
3. Finding a teacher that is willing to work with your child on behaviors and other difficulties is like gold.
4. Luckily all the teachers we spoke with were willing but we had to find the right fit. Or platinum if we’re sticking with the analogies.
5. 3-year-old’s eat a lot of bugers.
6. 3-year-old boys are little dirt balls running around. Think Pig Pen from Charlie Brown. That is my son.
7. Food containers hardly ever come home with the lid in tact.
8. Applesauce is nasty to clean out of the little cracks of an insulated lunchbox.
9. It’s smart to invest in 2-3 lunchboxes each school year.
10. Better yet, a (BPA-free) plastic (dishwasher-safe) lunchbox.
11. It is pointless to send your child to school in cute, expensive clothing.
12. Vinegar is good at getting out most stains.
13. You do not need to keep every piece of art or every shred of paper thanks, scissor practice.
14. Preschool is not too young to teach your kids about recycling, right?
15. New Rule: Shoes get taken off before entering the house.
16. It’s amazing how much sand a child can transport home in two tiny shoes.
17. Oh, don’t splurge on shoes either.
18. Keeping essentials in the car, at all times, is extremely helpful.
19. Essentials= hand sanitizer and snacks… and sometimes water.
20. I still wonder how a child can go all day without barely eating a thing and then eat his weight in food during a 5-minute car ride home.
21. Potty-trained children can have accidents when highly distracted.
22. A reusable bag or waterproof wet-bag is a good essential to have on hand as well.
23. Especially for a child that still has accidents at school.
24. Stock your child’s cubby or preschool bathroom with bum wipes.
25. Note to self: drill in the requirement that your child washes his hands after going potty. (see #5)
26. It’s easy to spot the parents that only have one child.
27. It’s easy to spot the parents that have multiple children, like me.
28. Strapping my toddler to my body is the fastest way to drop off the older children.
29. But letting my toddler run all over the preschool playground counts as going to the park, right?
30. To be continued…
You might also like… What I Wish I Learned Before Having Boys
News Flash: You Don’t Have Control Of Your Children Today
September 1, 2011 By
Last week I begrudgingly took my oldest (8) and my youngest (1) to the beach to join some friends for an “End of Summer Playdate”. My youngest has become a little (what’s a nice word) put off by all types of sand lately so I wasn’t exactly sure how it would go. I sucked it up, packed the over-sized beach blanket and hoped for the best. Surprisingly, the morning went smoothly and fun was had by all.
Fast forward to yesterday. It was “Come Meet the PTO, Parents and Kids Day” at the beach. Of course we couldn’t miss that. Especially since my son is changing schools. What kind of mom would I be if I didn’t take my 8-year-old to meet and mingle with the kids at his new school before the first day of school?! But what mom in her right mind wants to take three young kids to the beach on her own? uh huh.
I ignored the thought of this “beach day” thinking that it would never come or that I could just wing it and everyone would pleasantly surprise me. And by everyone, I mean my children. I called my mom early yesterday morning,
“Mom, are you working today? …can you take some time off and come to the beach with us?”
She said something that resembled a “no” but I couldn’t quite hear over the laughing coming from the other end of the phone. I asked my husband just one more time (one more time = at least five more times) before he left for work yesterday morning if he could stay home with the little guys or come to the beach with us. The front door slammed so fast it made my eyes water.
Completely out of options, I ended up putting it off as long as I possibly could and then piled the kids in the car. In my attempt to make myself feel better, I set some expectations and loaded the kids up on some important reminders on our car ride there. While seeking some compassion, I reminded my 8-year-old that it’s only mommy today and pleaded with him asked him to please listen well and to remember that safety comes first– for instance, checking in often and definitely alerting mommy before going anywhere. I mustered up my really high voice (cause a high voice means love and butterflies and makes your preschooler actually listen to you, right?) and just short of batting my eyes, I sweetly asked my 3-year-old to listen to mommy and be a good boy. His reply?
“Can we go see trains… the fast trains… the fast BLUE trains?”
Can you say one-track mind? It was at that point that I knew I should have turned back. I might have also whispered sweet nothings (something about being a good boy) into my toddler’s ear but I never admit to willing my children to be on their best behavior. ahem.
Let me see if I can accurately describe our afternoon. The shortened version, of course.
8yo fixated on the water and could hardly contain himself (you’d think he has never seen the ocean before or it’s more likely he was way excited and a tad nervous. Understandable… for the most part).
1yo patiently rested on my hip while the 3yo explored nearby.
I introduced myself to a nearby parent. She then directed me to a mom of another 4th grader and we chatted.
8yo said hello to the other mom and then ran towards the water.
She called her son over to say hi to my son. (oops too late for that).
3yo ran farther away but still within a good range.
8yo ran by me (I think he said hello to the other 9yo boys) and yelled something about putting his shirt in the stroller.
I ran after the 3yo (1yo was surprisingly still on my hip… likely due to the sand aversion).
I looked around… 8yo was nowhere to be found.
The mom (the one I had JUST met) told me that she’d run after my 3yo and watch him. (extremely sweet but slightly embarrassing at the same time).
I started to inwardly panic and then ran towards the stroller, looked towards the restrooms, then back towards the beach…
I saw the other mom literally running after my 3yo child.
A few seconds later, I finally saw my 8yo in the water.
After a few more similar type incidents (and feeling totally overwhelmed and utterly embarrassed) I strapped the two little guys in the stroller and motioned for the 8yo.
I motioned for the 8yo for 5 long minutes.
I ran towards the water, leaving my two children in the stroller, and with a different mom, to get my 8yo.
I then made the 8yo stand with his brothers while I apologized to the parents that got more than they bargained for out of their beach day.
We left the beach.
Then my husband texts me to see how our day at the beach is going and asks me to send him some pictures.
Here’s what went down.
Lucky for me my husband knows I’m a little dramatic but, after we spoke on the phone, he did agree with me that it was a difficult outing.
Validation. Phew.
At least I was smart enough to bring the double stroller.
I’ve been called “maternal” since the day I could hold a baby doll. I’ve become a pregnancy, baby and parenting resource since having my first child almost 10 years ago. This is my blog and where I share my journey through parenthood with you.
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