MAKE. HIM. STOP.

Look at those 2 little pearly whites!! =)

Well once again my blog has fallen to the side as I have been doing many many fun things! We have visited and traveled and played and painted and thoroughly enjoyed the month of February. We have made new friends and caught nasty bugs that were going around and of course, my kids keep growing. Whew! Especially Easton! So I thought I would take this time to give a little update!! 

Now, for those of you who have kids, you know that parents are always bragging when their kids reach a milestone, especially when they are babies.  Even when they are so obviously made up like,  “Oh, little Suzie is crawling at 3 weeks”, or “my Sally can read at 6 months”, or even “Johnny walked all the way home from the hospital when he was born!”  Crazy?  Yes.  But at the same time you feel that little pang of jealousy.  You think to yourself, “My baby is so much older than that baby and officially does nothing.”

You decide to tackle the situation head on.  You devote hours days weeks getting your child to do the task at hand.  You put toys out of their reach, place them in front of mirrors, or do whatever you have googled that help get your child to be the first to walk on the surface of Mars.  Because walking on Earth is not enough, and you really want to up the ante on your Mommy friends.

With Madileigh I had the time to focus on each individual milestone.  I wanted her to crawl, stand, and walk.  “Mobility will be awesome!”, I thought.  I tried all the tips to get her to “do” more.  This time, with Easton, I have less time and have not been focused on his milestones. Yes I do keep track and I am super proud when he hits them but I figure he will do it when he is ready. This is also my weak attempt to keep him "my little baby" longer just in case he really is always gonna be my youngest. This thought makes me sleep better at night.  So imagine my giddiness when Easton surprised me with his smiling and rolling over and reaching out for me! Yes. Amazing! And now he has started this: 

Pretty sure he learned this from his cousin!! =)

My little climber!

Pullin up on everything! 

"MOM. Eeson try to get my pop tart."

Yay! You did it!  Mommy is so proud.  I will now carry this with me to all my mommy meet ups and herald “Well, my baby can pull up on the couch and climb on the trampoline!” Now stop. Ok. You did it and we know you can do it.  This can’t possibly lead to any place good.  I knew that rolling led to crawling, which eventually becomes walking and running.  And the thought of chasing two very mobile kids around (even if they are going in the same direction) makes this Mommy a little queasy. 

MUST. GET. POP. TART. 

That and the fact that he is supposed to still be my wittle bitty baby. FOREVER.

Happy Valentine's Day 2012

Just waiting for everyone to get home/wake up!! =) 

Its Easton's 1st Valentine's Day!!! I can't believe how fast the time flies!! There is nothing better than having my little Valentine's to share sweet memories like these with!! 

Our February Artwork! =)

My little minis have had sooo much fun making all our Valentine art to display!! Especially Madi! There is just something about playing with glitter that lights that lil girls whole day up!! 

My ceramic mug I painted! 

Our little Bumble Bees!! 

I'll owl-ways love you owls!! 

Madi's hand and Easton's foot!

Left over scraps from our owls! =)

Love his wee wittle hand print!! 

This is 3 Rolos wrapped in construction paper! 

Shovel filled with candy!

My lil Sweetheart! 

My little Heart throb!! 

Happy Valentine's Day to all!!! Let each and every family and friend know that you love them!!! 

Madileigh Moments Monday!

The language of love:

Of course it's delightful to have an affectionate 2-year-old around the house, but sometimes I'm amused by (and slightly suspicious of) the timing of Madileigh's proclamations of love. Say, for instance, I've been awake with my babies since 7 a.m., and by noon or 1 p.m., I slip into the bathroom for five minutes of privacy to finally brush my teeth and get myself together. Suddenly, I'll hear a rap-tap-tapping on the door and a little voice saying, "Mommy, mommy. I need to tell you something." Slightly annoyed, I might say, "What is it, Madi?" to which the small voice replies, "Mommy" ... dramatic pause ... "I love you."

Or, say, for instance, I've lost four games of “Wets play puzzle” in a row (Not that I'm a sore loser or anything, but I'll be two spaces away from completing it when I see that my mysterious missing pieces are under her little smiling booty and she miraculously wins the game.) Madi, of course, will want to play another round. So hoping to soften the blow of my defeat or butter me up, she'll say, "Mommy," (pause again) "I love you." Who can resist right?

What The Heck Is A Compromise??

So it's just me and the kids today and I forgot to get some milk on the way home from work so of course I had to get the kids out of the house and run to the grocery store! Anyway, Madileigh started to get in a cranky mood. Because Madileigh always gets in a cranky mood if we are doing something that isn’t exactly what she wanted to do at that very second. So, my very cranky toddler in the backseat, who coincidentally is hopped up on cookies and cupcakes, was asking for her favorite… To watch “Mickey Mouse” on the screens in my car. Please note that I do not know how to work those things yet unless I am out of the car and standing by her door looking at it and it just so happens that I was driving and our conversation went a little something like this:

Madileigh: “Mom. I wanna watch Mittey Mouse. Tan I have it?”

Me: “You know what sweetie, I forgot Mickey at home but we will all sit down and make a pallet and watch it when we get back! That will be so fun right???” 

Madileigh: “Yea Mom.”

(pause)

Madileigh: (whining) “I wanna watch Mittey Mouse.”

Me: “I don’t have it baby… You want some crackers??”

(Hand her the snack bowl)

Madileigh: (yelling) “MIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTEEEYYYY MOOOUUSSE!”

(Easton giggled)

Me: (annoyed by her tone) “I heard you. We will watch it when we get home.”

Madileigh: (sweet, innocent voice) “We watch Mittey when we doe home Mom?”

Me: “Yes baby. I promise we will watch it!”

Madileigh: "Otay Mom.”

(Pause…………. 2 minutes later)

Madileigh: “MIIITTTTTTTTEEEEYYYYYY MOOUUUSSSSE!”

Me: (remaining calm) “Okay honey, when we get home.  How about we sing a song until we get home?  What about Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?  That’s your favorite song.  Twinkle, twinkle little star…”

Madileigh: “MIIITTTTTTTTEEEEYYYYYY MOOUUUSSSSE!”

Me:  “How about we do something else until we get home? What about itsy-bitsy spider?  You love him, right?  Itsy-bitsy spider went up the…”

Madileigh: “MIIITTTTTTTTEEEEYYYYYY MOOUUUSSSSE.. Mom. I looooooove Mittey Mouse!”

(pause)

Madileigh: “MIIITTTTTTTTEEEEYYYYYY MOOUUUSSSSE…. Pwease Mom.”

(20 seconds later)

Madileigh: “MIIITTTTTTTTEEEEYYYYYY MOOUUUSSSSE!”

(Music goes up!)….. Silence.

She’s is a heck of a negotiator right???

 The art of compromise is lost on her!

How Far Is Too Far??

A few years ago (and long before Madileigh was even a thought) I was at home during the day and turned on the Dr. Phil show.  Oh, how I love daytime television, even Dr. Phil.  This particular episode stuck with me and focused on a woman named Treffly Coyne, who had been arrested and charged for leaving her sleeping 2 year old in the car while she walked approximately 30 feet away to donate some money to a Salvation Army bell-ringer.  


Coyne explained to the audience that when she put her daughter in the car that evening she was asleep, and she was still asleep when they reached the Wal-Mart where she was to donate the money.  It was sleeting outside, so she made the decision to leave her toddler in the car, and only take her older daughters with her.  She left the car running with the heat on, locked the doors, set the alarm, and walked over to the bell-ringer.  After donating the money, they began their walk back to the vehicle, but were stopped by a community safety officer.  Coyne was then arrested and charged with child endangerment and obstructing an officer, charges which carried a $2500 fine and up to a year in jail.  Public outrage ensued.  People dug in their heels on either side of the issue.  After months of debate, the charges were dropped.

During the course of the show, Dr. Phil took an audience poll to see whether they thought Coyne had done something wrong.  In a rough poll based on people raising their hands, it appeared that about half of the audience thought she should be prosecuted.  At the time, I didn’t really know where I stood.  On one hand she left her toddler in the car, unattended.  A myriad of bad things could have happened.  On the other hand, it was 30 feet (or less), during inclement weather, and the child was sleeping in a locked car with the alarm activated.  My mother left my brothers and I in cars when we were little under less favorable conditions, and we turned out okay.  As the show progressed on, one of the audience members said something to the effect that she wouldn’t even leave her kids in the car when she walked down her short driveway to put something in the mailbox.

Now like I said this story stuck with me and I really do think about it all the time. About a year ago I was out grocery shopping with Madileigh all by myself.  I had unloaded the cart and gotten Madileigh into her carseat.  I then looked at the empty cart and realized that I needed to return it to one of the cart corals or the store.  As someone who has had her car scratched by a loose shopping cart in a parking lot, I hate when they are left just anywhere.  So there it was – do I turn on the car, start the air, and walk over to return the cart by myself or take Madileigh out of her seat, make her walk with me to the return area, and then buckle her in all over again?  I remembered the Dr. Phil episode.  I debated it in my head for what seemed like an eternity.  After all, I could keep my eye on her the entire time I walked the cart over and the air conditioning would be on…but what if [insert all sorts of bad things that could happen in the span of 60 seconds here]…  In the end, I decided to take Madileigh out of the carseat then walk over and return the cart.

After that day, I learned to unload the groceries first, return the cart, then put Madileigh in the carseat.   But even with the grocery store figured out, similar situations kept arising.  What about at the post office when I have to drop a letter in the box which is right next to the front door?  How about at the ATM when you have to exit your vehicle? What if I have the kids loaded up in the car to go somewhere but remember that I forgot something in the house?  Is it okay to go back and get it?  If we lived in a townhouse and had a community parking lot, would that change your answer?  These are all situations where I would have to exit the vehicle and walk 30 feet or less.  This all prompted me to ask, “How far is too far?  How far can you walk from your car with your kids inside?  At what point is it no longer okay?”

Now I' not saying I have never done this. I have! Mostly in the driveway! Occasionally I would ask other moms how they handled these types of situations and they acted like it was no big deal.  One mom told me that she regularly left her infant in the car (with the car running) when she walked into the school to get her older child.  That’s a little too far for my personal comfort zone, but perfectly within hers. Other moms, like that Dr. Phil audience member, said that there was no comfortable distance.

So how do you handle the shopping cart conundrum? It blows my mind to think that you could literally get arrested for not taking both children out of the vehicle and walking up to the ATM with them in tow. My opinion of her has definitely changed now that I have more than 1 child. 


I bet you won't see a female police officer with children EVER write one of those tickets!

Making Scribbles Into Art!!

I saw this on Pinterest (of course) and I just had to do it!! With all the birthdays and Valentine's this month I thought it would make perfect gifts!! 

I had to make myself one too! I made mine out of Easton's first picture (scribbles) and a picture (bigger, darker scribbles) that Madileigh drew for him! =) 

All you need for this project is:

-Canvas

-Paint (Single color shows up best!)

-Mod Podge 

-A Small Sponge Brush

-& The scribbles of your drawings cut into 

whatever pattern you may like!! 

First paint your canvas whatever color you choose! 

Dont forget to paint the sides & let your canvas completely dry!! 

Next, cut out your scribbles however you desire!

Then place them however you want and mod podge them to the canvas! 

After they are a little dry and pretty secure, mod podge over the entire canvas and let it dry!! 

I did about 3 coats of this and it turned out perfect!! 

Be careful and smear it evenly! Any really thick lines or dribbles will dry like that!! 

Help! My Toddler Is Running My Life!

As I was talking to some of my mom friends last week, a group conversation started regarding crazy things moms do.  Specifically, they were discussing a woman who had just had her second child a few hours before.  A few of them wanted to go see the new baby, but the parents had asked that no one visit them in the hospital or at home for the first few days.  The conversation then turned to several rules the “Crazy Mom” has for her toddler, which included that she be the only one to put him to bed, limitations on where they could go and at what times, and that she needs to sneak out of the house as opposed to saying goodbye when she leaves him to run an errand.  Sure, there were several comments to the effect of, “Well, they’re her kids, so I guess she can do what she wants,” but the general consensus was that she was letting her kids run her life.  It was further determined that this was a really, really bad thing. Now keep in mind, I did not shed any light on the subject because she is friends with the moms, not me. I have heard a lot about her but I have never met her. 

Not letting kids run your life…easy concept right?  You’re the adult, they’re the kids.  I have a quarter of a century of life experience, my kids can’t so much as put on their own clothes. Correctly anyway. So no. Im not like her. How can they possibly be in control?

But they are.

To a certain extent at least.  I’m a believer in the idea that you shouldn’t stop living when you have kids.  Since having Madileigh and Easton we have not travelled a whole lot, but we have friends over to our house regularly, and maintain busy professional lives, but in making daily decisions, I have to consider my kids.  And, truth be told, I often change my plans based on my kids.  For example, I’m a night person, but now my toddler is not.  She has recently started to slowly meltdown as the clock gets closer to 9pm.  To avoid a nasty (and quite possibly embarrassing) tantrum, I often leave places early. Way earlier than I would like.  But it keeps her sane and happy, and that’s what matters. This is also the reason we usually just have the friends come over to our house! I also much prefer not being driven out of places simply because she is screaming, spinning, and generally losing her mind since it’s past her bedtime. (Thanks Target!)

As I listened to tales of “Crazy Mom”, I found myself identifying with her.  I wanted to defend her.  I understand the chaos of having a new baby.  While I personally enjoyed having people visit us in the hospital, I can understand someone who has had a rough or long labor not wanting to see people right away.  I can understand wanting to develop your own schedule at home before allowing others in. I understand not wanting toddlers around when you are having trouble keeping your own toddler gentle.  Like Crazy Mom, I also prefer to be the one to put my children to bed.  I like tucking them in at night and making sure they hear the words “I love you” as their last words of the day, regardless of how trying of a day it has been.  I will schedule our appearances at parties around naptime, because Easton has been sleeping so poorly lately.

I would rather show up to a birthday party 45 minutes late and apologize than wake them up from a nap early.  And I too, have had to sneak out of my house so that my toddler doesn’t know that I’m gone.  Madileigh has a love for the outdoors, but lacks focus to take the dog on a quick walk.  What I can do in 3 minutes, takes her at least 5 times as long.  To avoid the tantrum, Johnny will keep Madileigh distracted, and I will leave (and probably be back before she knows I was ever gone).

If those things make me crazy, I’m totally cool with it.  Feel free to stamp Crazy Mom right on my forehead for everyone to see.

Of course, I don’t blame the group for judging Crazy Mom. 

Once upon a time, I would have judged her too.  I would have thought her rules and restrictions were insane.  But you see, something happens when you become a mom.  You start doing things that work for you and your children and ignoring what people think, or at least trying to ignore what people think.  Unlike the me of 3 years ago, I will not judge a mother for insisting on putting her child to sleep.  Sleep deprivation can be the worst form of torture and I go to great lengths to avoid it.  If your child sleeps best when you put them to bed and it doesn’t bother you to be depended on like that, do it.  I will not judge.

Sure, there were some things that came up during the conversation about Crazy Mom that I didn’t necessarily identify with.  There were even one or two that I thought were a little out there, but every mom has her own rules and I respect that.


So while I’m not going to let my toddler or infant make any medical, financial, or employment decisions for me, they do to an extent run my life, and I don’t necessarily think that is a bad thing.  In the end, it’s all about balance, but sometimes that’s hard to find.  You end up slipping to the “crazy” end of the spectrum, and you don’t even realize it.  I try to find and maintain balance everyday and often fall short.  More often than I would like to admit, I am that Crazy Mom! (& I mostly blame it on my female sassy toddler!!!)