Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!  Yesterday we had a great day with gorgeous weather.  We all went to a diner for an early breakfast.  The kids did very well even though Madeline ended up eating 3/4 of my breakfast plus all of hers. She's a bottomless pit!  We forgot the camera so we only snapped a few pics on our phones.  Madeline all of the sudden is very into dressing up so please note the 7 necklaces plus 5 bracelets she chose to wear. 

We then headed to a park to run around for a bit.  It's finally nice here and it was great to get some fresh air and some sunshine.  Madeline spent most of her time on the swings and Brooke was running around so much we never got a pic of her!

Of course no holiday would be complete without a group picture.  FAIL.  Madeline was so mad we pulled her off of the slide for this picture that this is all we could get.  Brooke at least looks at the camera these days!

After the park, we came home and I went upstairs and laid in bed while watching "Dirty Dancing".  I even took a short nap!  We ended the day at a relative's house for a BBQ and all kids were in bed by 7.  It was a great day!

Brooke quotes continued

I am so glad I am keeping a running tab of all of the things Brooke asks me.  I would never remember it all otherwise so its going to be a great keepsake later on!

Here are some goodies from the month of February:

• Do I have bones in my face?  What are those bones called?  Why are they there?

• I had a crazy dream last night.  I was in a machine and God was in it and he took me to places when he was around!!!  Crazy!!!

• Mom did the groundhog see his shadow?  (YES).  (STARTS BAWLING)  NOOOOOOOOO  I don’t want it to be winter.  I want spring! 

• MOM!  When you paint your nails, you can use Salon Express to help you put beautiful designs on them!  It’s amazing!

• Mom do you remember in Toy Story 1 how Andy leaves the room and the toys come alive?  Well I really hope that happens in my room one day.

• Mommy, sometimes when you stick out your stomach like this you look fat. 

• The moon is made of rock and green seed and that way it can stay out all day and all night. 

• Why can’t I have my birthday party ON my birthday?  My body won’t know its five if its not my actualy birthday!!!!

• Was Bambi alive before people were alive? 

• All I want for my birthday is a sleepover with you.  I won’t snore or steal your covers like daddy. 

And here is one that I was not prepared for at all!

Mom did you make me with God?
-Yes
Well how did you when God isn’t here?
-Well he is all around
Did you make me when you were a little girl?
-No I was MARRIED and a grown up
Oh.  Do they have TV’s in heaven?
-I don’t know
Well you were in heaven when you were a baby right?  But it was a long time ago
-Yes a long time ago
Were you born just after the dinosaurs died?
-well not RIGHT after, but yes they were already dead when I was born
Oh well you were born a LONG LONG time ago! 

Madeline's take on potty training...

Today I took Madeline to Target to pick out her big girl underwear.  We went a few weeks ago but they were all out of her size so today was take 2.  She happily chose the Hello Kitty pack and hugged them the entire way home.  How awesome right?  I thought it was so great she was this excited about them.

When we got home, we quickly opened the package to try them on.  She took two pairs out and slid them onto her arms and said "OH NO!  TOOOO BIG!".  Hmm.  This is a problem that she thinks these belong on her arms.  I explained to her that these went on our bodies, we pull them down to go pee pee, blah blah blah.  She just laughed.  I let her play with them for a little while and then she got bored and we went our happy ways in the living room.

About an hour passed and I noticed that the pack of underwear with the remaining 4 pairs in it was missing.  We had only been in 2 rooms all morning and they were GONE.

Fast forward to later in the day, I walk into Curtis' office to get a paper off of the printer and look down to see this:

Yes, that is the Hello Kitty underwear in the trash can.  After laughing hysterically and snapping a pic, I took them out.  When Madeline woke up from her nap, she happened to walk in there and was quite perplexed when she walked into the office and the underwear were no longer in the trash.  Sorry kid, potty training is not that easy to get out of!

Chatty Kathy. A.K.A. Brooke

Brooke talks non-stop.  I have to remind myself that 3 years ago she was enrolled in speech therapy with a total of 20 words.  I used to cry thinking she would never talk, etc.  HA!  Well she proves me wrong daily.  Last week I recorded a few conversations we had over a two day span.  This is not even close to everything, but it gives you a glimpse into the questions I have to try and answer.  She has been on a God/Heaven kick so those questions are super hard to answer in a way that she deems satisfactory.  


-Mom, was God in New York when I was born.?  Where is he?  Why did you have two babies in your stomach?  Why didn’t we come out at the same time?  Did I have toys when I was in there?  Why did you want to have me first?  How come Madeline came second? 

-When I grow up I want a girl baby, not a boy.  Do I get to pick?  Why not?  (cries)

-Do we have birthdays in Heaven?  What about Santa?  Does Santa come to Heaven?  Who brings toys there then?  Do you have toys in Heaven?  Why do people die when they are young? 

-Did you and Dad make me?  With God?  How did you see God to help you make me?  Will I understand once I have my own baby?  (YES LOL). 

-What time did I wake up this morning?  Did Madeline get up at the same time? 

-Mommy guess what?  I am going to make a picture about a piece of paper. 

-Why when I first saw the Elf on the Shelf movie did I not sing the songs right away?  Why did we get a boy elf?

-Mommy guess what?  Remember the birthday when I turned 3?  Now I remember the 4 and the 5. 

-Are Dinosaurs in Heaven?  Why did Dinosaurs come first?  Is finding Dinosaur bones like finding noodles in sauce?  Why are some bones in rocks?  What would happen if humans and dinosaurs lived together?  How do the people at the museum know what a dinosaur would look like?  Why did dinosaurs lie down when they died?   Did God start making people once all of the Dinosaurs died?

-Why did Claire at school say I was not invited to her party when I am?  Was she lying?

-I think the Lite Brite people are lying to me. The box shows pink lite brite pegs but there are none!

-What designs can I have on my birthday invitations?  I want Rapunzel.  Did you know?  Guess What?  On Lexi’s star student paper it said she liked rapunzel too!

-Mom do I have germs in my body?

Yes but your medicine is taking care of it.

OH so there are little men in suits in my body cleaning up the germs??

Uh…I don’t think so.  The medicine works on its own. 

I plan on doing this a few times a year just to see what her conversations are like as she grows older :)

Blog Giveaway:  The winner of the January blog giveaway has been notified! Thanks to all that participated!!!!

Save the Drama for Your Mama

Madeline has what we call a "Flair for the Dramatics".  Brooke has it too but in a completely different way.  Brooke is dramatic about life events, cries over everything, loves to perform, etc.  Madeline throws fits.  I am sure she will grow into the other type of drama, but for now she just gets super mad and cries.  Screams and cries.

Here was her latest drama.  Funny thing is I have no idea what she was mad about.  We were sitting on the couch watching TV.  Then she suddenly got off of the couch, threw her pacifier and elephant (standard procedure before a tantrum), and started screaming.  One day at her wedding I will show these videos to her husband so he knows what he's in for.  :)

Help! My toddler wants to potty train and I don't want her to.

A while back I wrote an entire post about how there is absolutely no bathroom privacy in this house.  You can read about it HERE.  Madeline pretty much watches everything that goes on in there (minus daddy of course LOL).  She sees Brooke go to the bathroom, says what she is doing, watches her every move, etc.  This is now truly working against me and here is why:  Madeline wants to potty train.  Yes, I am complaining about this.  NO this is not a brag.  I really really really don't want her potty trained right now.

First of all, she is 17 months old (okay two days shy of 18 months).  I can barely keep my eye on her long enough to prevent her from scaling the couch, standing on the top of it, and jumping off.  The thought of her 20 lb body running around in underwear would be cute, but not cute enough for me to have to take her potty in public places just yet.

She started showing signs during the summer.  She would tell me she was going poop, etc.  I just thought it was cute and glad she knew what was up.  Well this week its at a whole new level.  Yesterday she told me she was pooping twice while she was going and then pulled at her diaper until I changed her.  Then today was the kicker.  Before bath time she was in just a diaper while I was getting things ready.  Madeline then proceeded to take her diaper off while saying pee pee.  Once naked she then bent over to stare at her girly parts and await the arrival of the pee pee apparently.  Well I scooped her up and sat her on the potty where she promptly FREAKED OUT.  Okay well that's working towards my advantage LOL.  So I took her off and as I went to turn the bath water on I hear "PEE PEE" and yes, she was peeing all over the bathroom floor.

So what now???  I guess I need to dust off the old mini potty and find it a home in the bathroom.  Madeline is a full year younger than when Brooke was potty trained.  Brooke never even showed signs, I just had to put her through potty training bootcamp at 2.5.   That was pretty normal I thought.  All of my friends kids trained around the same time. 

Do they even make underwear in size 18 months ?  HAHA!  I never thought of that.....  Am I a bad mother if I don't embrace this premature motivation to potty train?  Frankly, its easier to have my 17ish month old in diapers for a bit longer.  However, if she keeps ripping off her diaper before she goes, I am going to have major problems. 

I do have something good in my back pocket.  Madeline is addicted to candy corn.  ADDICTED.  (yes she is my second child and has had candy.  Brooke never had a piece until well over 2).  Maybe the candy corn addiction would work to my advantage?

Please tell me if you have potty trained a child under the age of two and how did you do it?  Is it even worth my time?  Do I just close my eyes and ignore the signs and hope I don't miss my window? 



Sale Time!!!!  

I also want to tell you about a sale from one of our sponsors, Layla Grace.    They are offering a special discount for my blog readers this week!

Layla Grayce is offering a fabulous deal in celebration of their 7-year anniversary! For one-week only, save 15% off coupon for the ENTIRE site (some exclusions apply) with promo code LG7YRS valid 10/11 through 10/18! While I certainly love all things Layla Grayce, I just love this blanket lovey.

 If you are searching for a unique baby gift, look no further. The Kashwere Kreature Blanket Bear is perfect for naptime snuggles and bedtime hugs. This unique blanket is just the right size for little hands, and features a teddy bear head. It’s too cute for words!

It's also CrockPot Wednesday!

Wow I have a lot to blog about today!  Here is a new recipe I tried.  Sorry, no links.

Southwest Crockpot Chicken

1-1.5 lb chicken - breasts or tenderloins (You can even put it in there frozen!)
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn
1 (15 oz) can black beans
1 can rotel (or you can use 15 oz jar of salsa)

Throw it all in the crockpot and cook on low for 4-6 hours.  We put it in tortillas and made burritos, but you could eat it alone over rice.

Happy Wednesday!

Privacy please?

I saw this quote last night on Pinterest (my new favorite addiction by the way!). 

This quote really does sum up my life right now.  This is something you NEVER think about before you have kids.  The fact that once you do have them, you have little to no privacy unless they are passed out in bed, and even then it might not be true LOL!   I never used to really get it when I just had Brooke around.  A lot of people would make reference to this "not peeing alone" business and I would just smile and nod.  Brooke always played well alone and I never had to worry about her bothering me in the bathroom.  Plus we had many bathrooms so if I needed privacy I would just go to a different one.

Then I moved to a house with just one bathroom.  All four of us share it.  Now this hasn't been as bad as I had envisioned, its certainly tight quarters.  So needless to say, all bathroom privacy is GONE.  Madeline can't be left alone for a second, and her ninja skills also make it her mission to get into the bathroom and pick up the toilet brush before you can even blink!  It's like she thinks the bathroom is Disneyland and she just can't wait to run in there and explore!

Even when I am showering (when Madeline is asleep of course) I have to leave the door unlocked in case Brooke has to go to the bathroom.  Well this is the downfall of all privacy needs.  You tell a 4 year old "only come in if there is an emergency or if you have to use the bathroom and let me have my privacy while I shower".  The 4 year old hears "please come in every five seconds to tell me something and interrupt my shower".

This is how my shower went the other day.

I hear the door open first.

 me:  What do you need Brooke?
Brooke:  can you button the back of my nightgown?
me:  Brooke is this an emergency?
Brooke:  No
me:  okay I will button it when I am not wet in the shower.  Please leave.

2 minutes later the door opens again.

me:  Brooke what do you need?
Brooke:  mom I think there is a giant black jumping bug in my room.
me:  I will look at it when I am out.
Brooke:  okay but what if it attacks me?
me:  it won't.  go in the playroom until I am done.

2 minutes later she is back again

me:  Brooke I really need privacy
Brooke:  I love you mom.
(great now I feel guilty for being annoyed)
me:  I love you too can you please leave  the bathroom?

She returns yet AGAIN

me:  Brooke is it an emergency???
Brooke:  yes mom I have to go to the bathroom.

Of course you do. 


Ironically whenever Brooke is in the bathroom and I walk in she proclaims:  MOM, I need some privacy please?!   I guess its not a two way street :) 

The Great Escape

The Ninja is at it again.  This time, we had to get serious.

Yesterday I put Madeline down for what I prayed would be a second nap of the day.  I was downstairs on the computer and had my video monitor on.  Let me remind you that the video monitor had to be purchased after she got her leg stuck in the crib and I had to vaseline her leg out of it.   Anyways, after she fussed for a while I started to hear her scream so I turned the camera on and see this:  Madeline in the corner of the crib with an arm on each side, and BOTH legs on the top of the crib.  She was still on the inside somewhat, but definitely on her way out. 

I have never run so fast in my LIFE.  I ran up to her room and grabbed her before she let go and plunged down onto the hard wood floor.  I put her down again and watched her try to get out two more times before I gave up.  I got her up and Curtis' watched the girls while I ran to Buy Buy Baby to buy a crib tent.   Yes, at 16 months old my daughter needs a tent permanently attached to her crib to keep her in.

Let me just say that the crib tent was harder to assemble than the actual crib!  Curtis and I almost had an assembly divorce (a divorce that occurs while a couple is assembling some type of household product, especially ones for the kids).  $70 and an hour later we had this:

In case you need to buy one, this is the model we got for convertible cribs:  Crib Tent

I can't offer a review just yet as we have only used it for a day, but I am loving it.  The netting goes all the way down to the bottom of the crib so she can't throw anything out!!!  She went to sleep super fast and woke up later (well woke me up later) this morning!  I am thinking its because she can't throw her pacifiers and lovey out and scream 20 times a night.  Hopefully this tent holds up until she is ready for a bed! 

What's Grosser than Gross?

What's Grosser than Gross?


Brooke has lice.



Oh and I do too. 


Yes.  I am coming clean.  We have lice.  And its pretty gross.  I would say this even surpasses vomit.  I would rather have vomit.

Poor Brooke has been complaining that her head itches for quite sometime.  Curtis and I blew it off. I swear she just had an anxiety problem and we got onto her about stopping the scratching, etc.

I checked her head 1000x for bugs or lice.  Seriously.  Once I found something that looked like a gnat so I brushed it off.  I saw nothing else.

Then last week, my head started to itch.  It was like my scalp was on fire.  I bought some Head and Shoulders thinking I just had a dry scalp and it did nothing.

Yesterday morning I started putting Brooke itching with my itching together and decided to look at her head one more time.  That's when I found the bastards.  After pulling 3 or 4 out, I did what any mother would do.  First I placed a frantic call to my husband.  He was with a coworker so he calmly said "we will get it handled, don't worry".  This made me laugh but also furious because I was envisioning a lice filled party on my head and was freaking out!  Oh  my God I had lice too.  I called the pediatrician who said to go buy something over the counter, so that's what I did.  I bought every single lice product I could find.



After giving Brooke the 2.5 hour shampoo and comb out, I then had to start on washing everything we own.  Joy.  Like I already didn't have enough laundry that I couldn't get done.  Last night Curtis got the job of giving me my treatment.  He looked at my head over and over and told me he saw nothing and didn't think I had it.  I KNEW I did.  I told him to treat me anyways.  I will spare the details, but yes there was a small village of lice living on me.   He was a good sport but men just don't know how to deal with female hair.  I screamed at least 10 times LOL!

So now we begin the process of fighting off the lice.  Combing, vacuuming, washing, repeat!  I guess I will let you all know in 10 days if we are lice free. If not, I am calling the professional lice ladies to come in.  Yes, this is an actual job that I had no idea existed until yesterday.  They charge $200 an hour, but they deserve it. 

I took Brooke to Toys R Us to let her pick out a gift for the ordeal she has been through.  The beauty of taking a 4 year old to that store and saying "pick out whatever you want" is that she chose a $7 tea seat and a $4 pony.  LOL!

Madeline and Curtis have been spared. I am so glad because there is no time to comb another head in this house right now!  At least its the summer and I didn't have to call school to tell them my child has lice :) 

First Day of Summer Break.....

Yesterday was the first day of summer break. No more school for Brooke and time for me to run errands with just one child (which is so shockingly easy compared to taking both somewhere!).

I had high hopes (as I usually do for such days). I had a plan. We would get up, have breakfast, then head to the grocery store by 9am. I love shopping early with just me and the senior citizens. It's very relaxing and no one yells at me. After that we would come home and unpack. Then we would head out to the pool to buy our passes and play at the park next door until lunch.

Well this was not meant to be. Madeline woke up with a cold and was literally tearing my living room apart by 8am. I don't even know how many times I had to say "NO" in a one hour period. Needless to say I wanted the day to be over and it had barely started. Brooke was whining because she wanted to play "dress up" and I was telling her to get real clothes on to go to the store. So the grocery store got pushed back!

We finally made it there around 11 am. The girls were actually the most well behaved of the day there! (Side note: I found a new grocery store. It's so beautiful it almost brought a tear to my eye. Yes, my life has come to this.).

Came home for lunch and naps. Madeline took 2 hours to fall asleep thanks to her cold. When she finally got up she was screaming. This screaming is not unusual for her. She likes the drama. She also prides herself on being a baby ninja and has already tried to climb out of the crib. Yes, she is 13 months old. Kill me.

Now here is where my day just became laughable. I had to experience something I have only seen on TV or in a movie.

I went in to Madeline's room to get her. I went to pick her up and then realized her body would not move. She was stuck. I look down to see her leg bent and her knee shoved through the slats and is all red and not moving.

I did not panic. If figured if my MacGyver skills could not help me, then I would have to call the Fire Department. I guess I didn't freak because I knew she was "okay", just needed a little help.

I propped her up with one arm and started scanning the room for things I could use to help me. I tried just using my hands but her leg wouldn't budge. I called for Brooke and told her to come to the room. I spotted a jar of vaseline! Perfect! Brooke handed it to me and I started greasing up Madeline's leg while still propping her up with my other arm. After I was done I gave her leg a gentle push and BAM! She was free!

All I could do was laugh. Did this really just happen? Will she even remember that her trying to climb out is what caused her drama? NOPE. I caught her this morning trying to climb out again.

So let's hope the second day of summer break is more fun but a little less eventful!

Hey Stranger, can you watch my kid?

An incident happened at Ballet class a few weeks ago and I have just not had time to post about it. We've been busy around here for once :)

I have found as your kids get older and you spend more time out in public with them, you soon realize how other people parent. I am a hawk parent. Or maybe the term is helicopter parent? LOL. My kids are never out of my sight. Ever.

I remember the first time I experienced the fact that other parents do not watch their own kids while out in public. I think Brooke was around 15 months old and Curtis and I took her to a local park by our house in NC. We were both playing with her and we realized there was a 3 year old boy also playing with us. He was needing help on things, etc. So we helped him. Then we realize his parents are a good 100 yards away at the picnic area and cannot even see him! I was appalled. I felt responsible for this boy's safety since we were now the only adults who were supervising him!

Of course there were more run ins with this as our park trips were more frequent, etc. However, what happened at ballet a few weeks ago takes the cake.

I showed up before class and sit in my usual spot, get Brooke ready, etc. My friend sits across from me and does the same with her daughter, etc. We both have babies in strollers as well.
Soon we notice two moms walking up and down the benches looking for something. One of them lost their car key, which is apparently not on a key chain or anything. At this point I am not paying a ton of attn. since I am getting Brooke ready, shoving food at Madeline, etc.

Next thing I know the woman dumps her giant house of a purse out onto the bench next to me. She rummages through the mound of stuff looking for the key, etc. Meanwhile their two girls (who are 2 years old) are running around in the dance room behind me. The mom with the lost key states how she had gone to get coffee but did not want to go back there because she didn't like the people in there. So my friend says "well you should probably go check since its the last place you went before coming here". So the two moms agree and then look at us and say "okay we are going to go to the coffee shop. Our girls are in there ok?'

And they freaking LEAVE.

My friend and I have no idea who these ladies are and don't even know their kids names. They are freaking two years old and you leave them in a dance studio with strangers??????My friend swore we were on the "What would you do" show . So now my friend and I are watching these two little girls and pretty soon they come out of the empty dance room and start looking for their mom. We tell them she will be right back, etc. One of them just looked sad and scared. I mean I could not believe it!!! Would you ever do this????

They were gone for 10 minutes and then return with the missing car key. Could not one of the moms go by herself and the other one stay with the kids? Am I totally off here? I swear the one mom was afraid to go back to this mystery coffee shop alone. They just sort of walked in and said thanks and grabbed the kids and left.

I am amazed at people. What if one of them got hurt or we really didn't keep an eye on them ,etc??? What if they came back and the kids were gone?

Brooke is 4 and I would never dream of just leaving her with people I didn't know. I can't think of any instance that would qualify.

The Witching Hour

It starts young. Like at birth. The almighty Witching Hour. It's the hour/s of the day where you really question your sanity and wonder if your kids have secretly plotted against you.

As newborns its when the babies suddenly cry for no reason. And they don't stop. It's usually right around when you reach your point of exhaustion for the day and are trying to cook a meal to give yourself more fuel to get you by until bed time. I distinctly remember cooking dinner with Brooke in the Baby Bjorn because it was the only way she would calm down.

As they get older, the witching hour changes slightly. While the kids might not be crying from 4-7 pm, they instead embrace the almighty whine. This whining could involve just about anything and usually makes no sense. Sometimes the whining is about the fact that they are staving and cannot wait until dinner to eat. Sometimes its about Rapunzel's hair not being long enough to rescue Flynn Ryder from the couch. It's anyone's guess.

It's usually when an infant insists on being held and not put down until bed time. Of course what are us mom's trying to do: Cook dinner! The result of this is many nights of frozen pizza and left overs (if you are lucky enough to have cooked a meal earlier in the week).

This time of day is also when you never feel like leaving the house and going somewhere. It would be such an easy fix if you can just load them up and go to the park at 5pm. The issue is, Madeline goes to bed at 6pm. Plus your energy level is so low by 5pm that you might as well call it quits.

I learned this yesterday as Brooke had a Dr. appointment at 3:30. OH BOY. Normally I would never in a million years schedule a Dr's appt in the afternoon. It is just a recipe for disaster. You are basically combing the start of the Witching hour with kids in a confined space! I brought enough snacks to feed us for 3 days, but they were all eaten within the first 10 minutes of our visit. The highlight was Madeline trying to stick her fingers in a socket as I am talking to the Dr. about Brooke. Mother of the Year here. Then you are stuck driving home in traffic with over tired kids screaming in the back.


Today's witching hour includes Madeline throwing a fit because the two bowls she is carrying around do not fit on her head as hats at the same time. Brooke is obsessing over a lost piece of play food from the picnic basket and has emptied out the entire toy box in an attempt to find one small lost piece of cheese.

Will I make it to bed time? YES. Will we have dinner cooked? Who knows. Will the house be picked up and cleaned? Definitely Not. Will we all survive and still love each other? Of course. :)

Following Directions

This weekend was a struggle for both kids and following directions. It was a very long weekend with lots of time outs! Today there was finally a turn around!

Madeline has been doing pretty well following one step directions. She is very good and finding objects if I ask her to bring me her baby, cup, shoes, etc. I like this age because its so fun to see how much they learn every day.

Well today I could not find my car keys. Little swiper LOVES car keys. So after a few minutes of searching I said "Madeline, where are the keys?". Well wouldn't you know she walks over to the Little People farm, opens the hatch, and there are the keys!!!! I would have never looked there! She was so very excited to hand them over.

I was very proud that she followed the directions so well, but then became terrified that she actually took my keys and hid them somewhere. This kid gave me my first gray hair I swear!

Then tonight I had promised Brooke she could go get her nails painted. This was something we were supposed to do on her birthday but it kept getting pushed back. We walk into the salon and she chooses hot pink and a purple glitter color. She wanted them on alternating fingers. Have at it kid! Well due to the language barrier we ended up with hot pink fingers and purple glitter on top. Even better! They also put flowers on her fingers too. To top it off, they did it for FREE! So nice of them! They thought she was hilarious. Plus I was just in there yesterday getting a pedicure. Brooke just kept turning to me and saying "thank you so much mom for bringing me here".

After that we walked over to the Italian Ice place and got some Italian Ices and then started walking home. Pretty soon we see tons of Police cars so we stopped to see what was going on. We saw people processing down the street carrying something. All of the sudden Brooke screams "ITS MARY!!!!! She's wearing her crown!". (Good to know she is learning something in Catholic School )Yes, we stumbled upon a procession of the Virgin Mary with a ton of people following her and singing hymns. Brooke seriously thought this was the coolest thing. She was screaming "This is the best day ever!!!!!!". Then we had long conversations on the walk home about how she wished the Virgin Mary lived closer, like here in NY.

It was just such a nice night! The weather was great! Brooke also was on her best behavior. She didn't whine or cry at all and was just so appreciative. I needed this. It was a rough weekend with the kids.

Growing up too fast part 2

I posted a few weeks ago about Brooke's dance recital costume being too mature for her. I still do. I sort of casually asked the other moms if they liked the costume. One mom said she wished it was more frilly. However, other moms at ballet class said "Oh its so funky and cute". Funky? For a 4 year old? They don't even know what funky means. I was clearly the only one who had an issue (or the others just didn't voice their opinions). I am interested to see what the other classes are wearing since they are at least dancing to more appropriate songs like "Do You Believe in Magic?". Cute! Fun! Age appropriate! Sigh. Picture day is a few weeks away so I will post the outfit in its full effect then.


I saw someone post this great article today about dressing little girls like tramps. Harsh words but so true. It's a good read if you have the time to do so. Click HERE to read.

Pushing our kids to grow up too fast.

I consider myself a pretty conservative mom. I was raised this way and I think it was good for us to not be exposed to too many things. This meant that when "I Touch Myself" came on the radio, my mom quickly turned the station. Looking back it was a good move on her part. That song came out in 1991 when I was 11. At the time I am sure I wanted to listen to it, but now as a mother I know that I was not old enough to be rocking out to that song. I did see Color Me Badd in concert the next year, but that's another story.

Brooke is exposed to many things that other kids her age are. Nick Jr., Disney Princesses, My Little Pony, etc. I don't let Brooke listen to too much radio other than country music or kid songs. Laurie Berkner is a favorite around our house. She only watches shows on Nick Jr. and isn't allowed to watch shows for older kids. Even if those shows are on a kid channel, I just don't push it. I figure if kids in the 3rd grade are watching it, my 4 year old probably shouldn't. This is how I choose to parent, but I don't think I am too off from other moms of 4 year olds.

Brooke is in tap and ballet this year. She loves it. She did ballet last year and had a ball! Her outfit (which cost me a small fortune) was straight out of TLC's Toddlers and Tiaras, but she LOVED it.



This year I guess I was expecting much of the same. I figured a cute little tutu type outfit for her tap routine. I knew their song was "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus. Wouldn't have been my first choice but I guess it could be worse. I thought at four they would have done something cute vs. a song about going to a club but we can deal.

Last week we were all excited when the teacher announced at the end of class that we could come in and get the kids dressed in their costumes to see if they fit! I was handed a bag with a red and blue outfit in it. I thought it fit the "USA" theme they were going for. Then I opened it to find this:



I was immediately turned off. Some of the moms were quiet. Others loved it and were taking pics with their phone. I was somewhat distracted by Madeline crawling around the room and screaming at herself in the mirror. I got Brooke dressed, saw it fit, and got her out of it. The teachers wanted the jeans under the skirt, but none of the jeans fit so it was decided to just do the skirt.

Am I wrong here? My daughter is turning FOUR at the end of this week. Not fourteen. Do I want her dancing in this suggestive school girl outfit with a fake tattoo on the front? I am not savvy to the dance costume world, but I would think this outfit is for older girls. Maybe 9? Even then I would say its pushing it. Don't even get me started on the fake denim vest...

What is the need for this? My daughter is still young. Barely out of toddler hood and moving her way into her school years. She loves Princesses and thinks they are real and wants to grow up and live in a castle. She has no idea who Miley Cyrus is. Her idea of dressing scandalously is wearing hot pink tights instead of light pink tights under her leotard (which by the way she thinks is so great). That is her idea of fun and pretty.

I just don't see the rush or need to make little girls seem older than they are. I will have plenty of years of wardrobe battles and fighting over curfew. I don't need to have it any sooner.

Destructive Chompers

Madeline has started to chew on her crib! GASP! Another thing her big sis never did. I asked my friend Kristine to make me some crib rail covers so she doesn't completely destroy the crib over the next two years. They turned out GREAT! They are so cute too!

Full view (her room is this small)


Close up of fabric. Love it!


Standing in the sleep sack! Hilarious!


And a pic of the destroyers...the bottom two teeth.



Check out Kristine's Esty shop. She makes awesome bibs, blankets, and more!
Sweet Little Threads

The Guiltless Bottle

Here is a shout out to all moms who formula feed their children. Why you ask? Because I feel that there is just no love sent our way . I wish there was a pamphlet in the OB office that said “If Breastfeeding Doesn’t Work Out”. I needed this pamphlet. I had a ton of literature and books about how to breastfeed. None of them had any guidance on what to do if it didn’t work.

Regardless of WHY you are formula feeding, I feel there is little support . Society is full of literature about why you should breastfeed. Even on my daughters can of formula it says “Breastmilk is always best”. I’m sure that is on there due to legal reasons, but do I need to see that every single time I make a bottle? Now some people choose to go the formula route right from birth. It’s their choice. However, some people also TRY to breastfeed and cannot.

I tried to breastfeed both of my kids. I wanted that experience as a mother and knew that breast milk is full of essential things that a baby needs. Before my daughter Brooke was born I even went to a breastfeeding class. My husband came too. The woman was very informative and gave us great information to leave with. She did make a statement that threw me for a loop. She said “I only breastfed my oldest daughter and her IQ is 10 points higher than my younger daughter. That just supports that breasts milk helps the IQ”. WHAT? I get what she was trying to say, but is there really a way to prove that is why your older daughter was smarter? I know as a teacher I never looked at a student and said “Wow, Johnny must not have been breastfed. You can tell that Susie was though.”

With Brooke I tried to breastfeed her from birth. I even refused a bottle in the hospital because I was going to breastfeed. No pacifiers either (which would turn out to be ironic as she was in love with her pacifier for many years…) It was not going well. I requested lactation consultants come and visit and help me out. Before we left the hospital my milk had not come in and Brooke was still not latching. The woman showed us how to feed formula down a tube to simulate real breastfeeding. This was a lot. As we went home we had all of our supplies I was overwhelmed. I remember doing this at 1am the first night home with Curtis helping me and I looked at him and said “what are we doing???”. I started pumping immediately. Finally my milk came in but she still would not latch. She was so cranky and would not sleep at all (was up pretty much the entire time we were at the hospital. My husband finally convinced me to give her a bottle and she guzzled it down. I felt horrible. She was starving. I continued to see lactation consultants and by the time she was 3 weeks old I could feel myself feeling so guilty over it. I was crying and wondering why this wasn’t working for me. I realized at that point that I just needed to pump and bottle feed and be the best mother I could be.

The weeks that followed I felt SO GUILTY. Should I have tried harder? Why can my friends do it and I can’t? I would get jealous if I saw other moms breastfeeding in public. When Brooke had a check up they would ask if I was breastfeeding and it felt devastating to say “no”. I ended up pumping for 10-12 weeks until I went back to work. Brooke got formula from that point on. As the months passed I moved on. She was thriving and my guilt slowly faded.

With my second daughter Madeline, I decided to try again. I thought “I will have learned from my mistakes and get this right”. My husband was leery since he knew what had happened the last time. I went to see a lactation consultant before her birth to discuss my concerns and they reassured me it would be fine. Out pops Madeline and she tries to breastfeed right away. “How great” I thought. Already so much better than Brooke. Then the nurse takes her from me and feels inside her mouth and says “oh wow….super high palette. Let’s see how she does”. Of course. Of course there was an issue. The lactation consultants were great at the hospital. They got me a nipple shield (which I was familiar with) and Madeline was doing great. Then her latch changed and even the lactation people could not get her on right. When we got home I tried for about a week to get it right. Then I saw myself falling into the same pattern I did with Brooke. I had a really good cry with my husband about it and decided to bottle feed. I just knew it was right for me. I also had a second child at home so getting to the lactation person a few days a week would be impossible to manage. I felt relieved. I knew Brooke had formula and was totally fine. Madeline would be too. I would be a better mom if I was not stressed out and crying about breastfeeding every day.

I am in no way saying that breastfeeding is wrong. If it works for you that is fabulous. This was the right decision for ME.

As I have moved around and met other moms, I have heard tons of different stories. I have had friends that breastfed their children for a long period of time. Some friends were in the same position I was in. I had some friends that went straight to formula feeding. There are many stories. We may not hear about them but they are out there.

So here is a shout out to all of you formula feeders: It’s okay! There are a lot of us! You are not less of a mom because you didn’t breastfeed. Or less of a mom if you only breastfed for a short time. Your child will bond with you. They will be healthy and smart. Don’t feel guilty. When you child is 21 are you really going to be dwelling on it? I doubt it. Be the best mom you can be. That is what will matter in the end.

(Feel free to pass thing along to another mom who might need to hear it too!)

Cleaning House

I love making lists. You can ask my husband how many lists I have floating around the house. There are a lot. Lists help me focus. I feel calmer when I write out a list. I make packing lists, trip lists, grocery lists, to do lists, cleaning lists, etc.

In an attempt to stay organized and on top of the house work in 2011, I decided to make a weekly list of what needs to be done. When I typed it all out, it was overwhelming. I decided to break it up by day and try to even things out a bit. I am on week two right now. The first week went great. This week we have been housebound a lot and well...the house is a wreck. It is helpful though to have this list to refer to. I hope once I get in the swing of things I won't feel so overwhelmed.


Here is what I came up with:
Before bed:
Lay out all clothes for kids and myself.
Pick up playroom and living room.

Morning list:
Prep dinner for the day.
Clean up dishes and kitchen

Sunday:
Strip master bed/wash sheets
Cut coupons and sort
Vacuum downstairs/mop

Monday:
Grocery shop
Dust living room
Clean out fridge

Tuesday:
Girls laundry
Sort through paperwork on desk
Dust/clean girls room

Wednesday:
Wash towels
Wipe down kitchen

Thursday:
Dust and clean master bedroom
Vacuum upstairs/mop
Clean out pantry

Friday:
Wipe down bathroom and clean tub
Dust/clean playroom
Our laundry

Saturday:
Strip kids beds and wash sheets
Meal plan
Clean out purse and diaper bag

The "Play" Room

We are fortunate enough to have a play room in this house which is rare for this part of the country. I love it and its the only place Madeline can roam free. However, the play room is more of a "let's throw everything we own onto the floor in 5 minutes" room.

Does this scene look familiar to anyone?



This was after just 5 minutes of "playing". No wonder I can't keep up these days!