The sweet spot

I almost hate to post this, lest I jinx things, but I will anyway, maybe to give some “hope” to those with little bitties who are struggling a bit with parenthood. As stressed as I am with life in general lately, I seem to have hit a sort of “sweet spot” with my girlies, and I’m loving it. Ages 3 and 5 are rocking my world.

They are still little enough to be cute, yet big enough to be semi-independent. I can do things like shower, use the bathroom or clean (lol) without them needing constant supervision. I can send them to play in the basement and not have to crawl along behind them. And when I do play with them, its fun. They like to watch movies, read books, dress dolls and have dance parties. All pastimes that I can get behind.

I’ve stopped using a baby monitor and can count on them to sleep all the way through the night, save for occasional night-time cuddle sessions with Little A, which I admit I don’t mind too much. The best part is how much they love each other. When Big A went to a sleepover the other night, Little A was in tears. Big A drew her a picture and Little A slept clutching the paper all night. So sweet.

Going out in public isn’t so hard either. I have more threats to use, and don’t have to bring as much crap. Throw in a Pull-Up and a pack of wipes, and I’m good. Hoping to minimize that even further if Little A finally gives in to the potty “training” (aka, begging, cajoling, bribing, banging my head against the wall).

In a way, I feel like we’re having our own little love affair. My girls love me with a passion and tell me - multiple times a day. Its hard to be stressed for long when your 3 year old tells you that she “loves you to the moon and the sky and back” when you’re putting her to bed or when your 5 year old yells out that you’re the “best mommy in the world” as you walk away. Little A holds my face in her hands and demands me to let HER kiss me, then plants one on me. She takes my arm and wraps her arms around it as she sleeps next to me. Big A listens to my fashion advice and tells me she’ll wear “whatever I think.” She tells me she’ll always be my baby and never leave me.

Yes, I know this won’t last forever or very much longer. Which is why I’m savoring every second right now.

Hi, Betty!

This post goes out to Betty - my most loyal and devoted (and perhaps only?) blog follower. She always gives a helpful prod when its been too long. Of course this time she had the nerve to suggest that I might be too busy with my iphone...What does she think, I go to bed reading emails, wake up and type in my password before hitting snooze, and jump every time it pings that I have a new email, voicemail, text or Facebook message? Oh wait...

Beside all that stuff, its been kinda busy around here. I've thought of the blog quite a few times when Big and Little A have done funny or embarrassing things. Speaking of "Little" A, I may need to change her name, since her recent doctor visit puts her at 92% in height. That means in a line-up of 100 three year old girls (how cute would that be?), 91 of them are shorter than my girl. Look out Elena Delle Donne! At that doctor visit, she had to change into a tiny little gown with cartoon characters. She then proceeded to pull it down (yes, with the doctor in the room) and tell me she wanted to touch her "little boobies." I don't know what it is about the doctor's office, but my kids ALWAYS embarrass me there. It just never fails. I'm kind of surprised I haven't had CPS called on me yet, what with comments like that, and the last time when both girls threw their shoes at the doctor's back. Sigh.

Then there's Big A - or should I call her "BKOC" - Big Kindergartner on Campus. Yes, my girl is a real full-fledged school girl and she's been doing great. I never thought my kid bringing home a "green light" would make my day, but it pretty much does. Take that, I feel like shouting, my kid got a green light. BAM!

We were standing at the bus stop the other day with another mom and kindy kid, when I pointed out a slug to the kids. They screamed and then Big A proceeded to say loudly, "Mommy, remember when we found a slug at our house and Daddy threw it on the neighbor's lawn?" Cue the other mom laughing. I really need to talk to the kid about "family secrets."

In the last two weeks, my life has become a bit of a hamster wheel. Rise at 6, get myself ready, get both girls ready, pack three lunches, pack two backpacks and a work bag. Drive both girls to bus stop, get Big A on the bus, get back in the car and drop Little A off at preschool, get back in the car and drive myself to work. Work. Get back in car. Pick up Big A at bus stop, drive back to pick up Little A at preschool, drive home, hand out snacks, unpack book bags, make dinner, clean up dinner, play with kids, clean kids, put kids to bed, watch too much bad tv in an effort to decompress, fall asleep and wake up to do it all again. Throw in a PTA meeting, a back to school night, several playdates and weekend travel and this mom is wiped. And next week we start soccer and swimming. Hold me.

Its not all been bad though. I did win an office contest for a sweet blinged out ID lanyard. Yes, I said lanyard. We had to guess how much the bar bill was for one of my coworkers who went on a cruise for a week. Okay, I'll admit it, she totally gave me a big hint by pointing her thumb downward, but whatever - that lanyard is MINE. The rest of the office was very disappointed in the low total of her bar bill. During our staff meeting today, we made her promise to drink more next time.

And now for some photos. First day of school for Big A:

First day of school for Little A:

 210th day of work for me (what?):

Some pictures from this past weekend at the orchard. How cute is that baby goat??

And, as promised the big reveal of Little A's "big girl room" - gotta love this new 360 app on that handy iphone. I love how it turned out, but am a little sad I'm done with the girly room decorating. I guess this means I'll have to update my room next :-)

Till next time, Betty. Mwah.

When life is like a Calliou episode

Calliou, for those that don't know, is a children's cartoon about a bald Canadian 4-year-old who whines a whole lot. He has a mom who wears mom jeans, a tremendously dorky dad, and a bratty little sister named Rosie. In this case, life is like the episode where Caillou goes to the strawberry patch with Clementine's family. If you're not lucky enough to have seen this episode, I won't ruin the suspense.

We spent a thrilling day at Ikea, and while there the girls got their faces painted:

Exhibit A

 When we finally got home, J and I flopped on the couch in exhaustion and tried to pretend the previous 6 hours hadn't happened. From upstairs where the girls were playing, we heard water running. This is never good.
 
We called up to see what they were doing but got no answer. And then we heard the scream. We both ran upstairs to find Big A wearing only underwear, with bright red drops of blood running down her chest and streaming out of her nose. Trying not to panic, I laid her down on my lap and began to wipe up the blood while at the same time trying to figure out what had happened from a sobbing Big A. I was internally panicking at the sight of so much blood, but trying to remain calm. (This seems like a fine time to insert the story about when I was little and my big sister clocked me in the nose with a baseball. I ran inside with a bloody nose and my mom promptly ran outside to get the neighbor who was luckily a  nurse.)

Unfortunately, none of my neighbors are nurses so I didn't have that option. As I mopped up Big A and mentally prepared for a hospital visit, J went to investigate to try to figure out what could have caused the accident. Big A kept insisting that she had not bumped her nose and said she was just washing off her face paint and started bleeding. Suddenly J called out from our bathroom, "That isn't blood, that's face paint."

Big A immediately stopped crying and we all started laughing. The big drops of red "blood" suddenly turned benign and we cleaned up quickly - crisis averted.

And just so I don't leave you hanging if you haven't been so lucky as to see that Caillou episode, Caillou falls on the strawberry patch and gets a bloody knee. Or so everyone thinks -- turns out it was just a smushed strawberry. Haha. I just love when life imitates "art."

Stay tuned for the "big girl room" reveal!

What's been on my mind

iPhone mania: I finally entered the smart phone world with my very own iphone. I love it so much. I immediately downloaded a million apps and it totally appeals to my obsessive personality. More lists to make, more ways to check my budget, even a fitness app to enter in my food and exercise. Love. The girls are also enjoying playing games on it, and it amazes me how quickly they’ve picked up how to use it. They also have been calling their play phones iphones. I predict that by the time they are 12, we’ll be paying for the a 4-phone package. Eek.

Speaking of all that, it really makes me wonder what it will be like to be a kid/teenager in today’s world. Whereas home used to a refuge from the big bad world, it is now connected with the multitudes of technology available. Remembering what I do about the cruelty of youth, I can only imagine how much it would sting to be left out of a party and then see photos on Facebook, or to have a frenemy “drop you” from their friend list. I have to put it out of my mind before I hyperventilate.

Kindergarten: Its been looming over me for many months, and now it is August, and in 25 more days, my girl enters the real world. I am confident that she will do fine, but it still scares me a bit. See above re: cruelty of kids. Luckily, my Big A has proven to be an independent spirit who doesn’t get bogged down in doing what everyone else does. Her “I don’t care” attitude (which you really can’t fake) has proven to attract lots of admirers. She’s not a center of attention type girl, but I have no doubt she will find a nice group of kids to be friends with. I just have to remember that.

Potty-training hell: Ugh. For a kid that has met all her milestones ahead of schedule, it really sucks to be behind on a big one like this. Little A successfully used the potty three times to earn a Baby Alive doll, then promptly stopped doing it. She will sit on the potty if we make her, but nothing happens. I know it will happen when she's ready, but this momma is ready to put the diaper days behind her! 

Summer: After a short beach hiatus due to some commitments at home, we’re heading back to the beach this weekend...and for several of the next ones. So although it feels like summer is screeching to a close, we still have some sun and sand left to experience, and I plan to enjoy it to the fullest. My varied childcare plan this summer is drawing to a close as well, and I’m a little happy about that. Its been a nice break for the girls, but a bit hard to keep track of with every week being different. The consistency and routine of school will be a nice change. And I’m sure my house will stay a lot cleaner.

So that’s about where I am these days. Poring over my phone, working on making my tan last for the year and soaking up the last rays of summer. I foresee some big changes coming up this fall so stay tuned!

Type A+

So last night I purchased the girls’ Halloween costumes. Its July 22th, so that means I’m ready over three months early. Overkill? I would tell you what they’re going to be, but then I’d have to kill you (why is that joke still funny?). The only person I’ve told is my sister. And she doesn’t really count.

When I was pregnant with Little A, we decided to keep her name a secret. We thought it would be fun to have a surprise to share that day. After we made the final decision, I was talking to my sister and I said, “We’ve decided on her name, but we’re keeping it a secret.” “Oh,” she said. “So you’re not going with Alexandra after all?” Oops. When had I told her? That’s when I made the rule that sisters don’t count when it comes to secrets.

I do realize that its a little crazy to plan things like this so long in advance. I mean, what if they actually have an opinion or something? I’ve decided they’re too young to have opinions for now. And luckily they kinda worship me, so they’ll usually go along with what I say.

Do I sound cocky when I say that? I’m not trying to...its more of a fact. Its smothering to say the least. This morning, Little A cried for the entire time I showered. J couldn’t console her. She went to her room to cry and scream “mommy” over and over. I went in to get her and found her rocking on her lambie rocker crying in her pj’s. She said Mommy on every forward rock. It was frankly hilarious.

Then there’s Big A - she’s made a lifetime career of being my stalker. This morning, she disappeared for a few and then came back in our room. She had found her never-worn pink fluffy bathrobe that looks exactly like mine and she had put it on. “I’m Mommy,” she proclaimed and we had a good laugh. Then she disappeared again, and came back with a towel draped over her head to further mimic me. Finally she went and got her make-up and pretend hair dryer and proceeded to copy my morning routine. We could not stop laughing, and it was a little frightening to be honest.

At this rate, I’ll probably be Christmas shopping by next month. Big A’s backpack and lunchbox have been purchased since last November. I’ve had Little A’s “big-girl room” mentally planned for over a year, and most parts have been purchased already. We’ll probably start wedding dress shopping next year.

What a day...

Just another day in paradise - full of critters, bee stings and blood. Ah, parenthood.

As if its not bad enough that we have a mouse (or mice) in the workplace, I came home from work today to a little "surprise" - my parents had found a dead mouse in our basement playroom. AHHHHH. When J got home from work, the girls took him down and I hear them shout "It's not dead, its sleeping." Big A laughed like it was the best thing ever. She ran upstairs and screamed "I didn't know this was going to happen today!" Neither did I.

After disposing of the mouse, we headed to Big A's t-ball game - in the nearly 100 degree heat. Good times. As we sweated on the bleachers, Little A kept climbing on me and I muttered, "This is torture." As if to taunt me, I suddenly felt a prick in my finger and looked down to see a half-dead bee hanging out on my thumb. Ouch. Being an adult kinda sucks, because you can't even cry when you get stung by a bee. You just have to kinda brush it off and look brave all the while wanting to scream like a baby and get a Popsicle for your pain. Or is that just me?

We headed home and Big A asked me to change her earrings...easy enough, right? Ha! I should have known to quit while ahead. I took one out and noticed some blood...some kind of puss-filled ball had burst when I took the earring out and it was pouring out. Gross. I cleaned her ear and attempted to put the new earring in. Kids must have super-galactic healing skin because in the 2 minutes her earring was out, her skin seemed to have fused together. In the ensuing fuss, the earring flew out of my hand and went...you guessed it - right down the sink drain. Sigh. Cue screams.

I immediately blocked the sink from use and we went in her room to put on her other pair where we couldn't lose it. The ear started bleeding again and she jumped - the earring went flying. I told the girls to shake their clothes. At this point, Little A was naked except for a diaper so she said, "I can't shake my clothes, but I can shake my belly." A moment of much-needed humor. Big A peeled off her clothes and after a few minutes, I finally found the earring on the carpet. I managed to get both in her ears amid some screaming. Crisis averted.

As I put Little A to bed, she requested her usual: "Rub my back and sing a song." I began to rub her back and sing her favorite tune, when suddenly she looked up. "Just rub my back. Don't sing a song."

I think its time to call it a day.

Back to the blog....

So, as my three or so loyal readers may have noticed, its been awhile. I was actually considering being done with the blog, but lately, I've been feeling inspired again, so I'm back! I'm pledging to write at least weekly, so please check back!

So updates on me and the As...things are good! Summer is in full swing and it has been BUSY. I feel like each week is flying by in record time and we are hurtling toward the fall. And this scares me because Big A is set to start kindergarten on August 27th and that is just...major.

But to back up a bit, since I last wrote (on Big A's 5th birthday), a lot has happened. Big A graduated from preschool! It was bittersweet...she has come a long way, and yet I can't believe my first baby is about to be a school-aged kid. It boggles the mind. She had a great year and made a lot of good friends at school and had some great teachers. I'm glad we still have Little A at the preschool so at least we will stay in touch.

After school ended, the girls embarked on their summer schedule, which is a crazy mix of camp at school, a babysitter and plenty of beach time too. The girls have been lucky enough to spend two weeks so far at the beach with their grandmother (and us there for some of that time). We also joined a swim club again, so we have been trying to get there as often as possible. The girls love the water, and this year has been super easy, as they love to play together and don't really need us right there. Its a nice change, though I am still cautious about water safety since neither girl can really swim yet. Big A is getting there though.

As for me, my job is still going well. I really like it, and am starting to get to know my coworkers better and having some fun doing it. I walk during lunch almost daily with a group of coworkers, which is a nice way to get in some exercise and gossip at the same time. We also all recently bonded over a mouse sighting, which we have named Pedro. Of course, it wasn't all fun and games when I saw him stalking my office and started screaming like a maniac. I think I've sealed my reputation as a nutcase, better sooner than later. We are also planning some Olympic office games, which might include roller chair races. I'm in training.

In other exciting news, Big A has gotten in touch with her athletic side - something I never thought would happen.

Exhibit A - if you're gonna be sporty, you gotta be cute.

J signed her up for t-ball and she is a natural. Clearly, she gets that from J. He is also the coach for her team and they both are having a ball. I think this is the start of long athletic career for both of them. Its not quite as much fun for me sitting on the sidelines with a restless and active almost-three-year-old who uses me as a jungle gym and cries about everything and nothing.

Exhibit B

At least she's cute

I'm starting to think my parents were lucky we weren't into sports (or rather, they weren't into us). Saved them a lot of time on the sidelines. Nevertheless, I'm determined to unlock my inner soccer mom and cheer my girl on. It helps that she seems to have a talent for it, which is fun to watch.

Make sure to check back soon - I promise to regale you with even more tales of my oh-so-exciting suburban life!