My girls are not that great at "independent play". Translation for kids: anytime mommy attempts to (a) accomplish a task that doesn't involve a potato head, blocks, or plastic food or (b) relax or practice a hobby, you must immediately go into survival mode and DO NOT let her out of your sight. Scratch that, you must be actually TOUCHING mommy or you will cease to exist. Crying, whining, and hanging from any available limb are encouraged. Don't be afraid to really give it all you've got.
See what I mean? And I know they need my attention a lot of the time, but I also think it would be great for ALL of us if they could learn to play by themselves for short periods of time...and by that I don't mean that they disappear into the hallway, followed by silence, and then Cbear runs at me saying, "Jellybean's putting herself in the toilet!" Or, as I call it, Tuesday afternoon.
So, like a good mom, I've been scouring Pinterest for ideas to channel their "creative" energy. What follows is a description of my mostly failed attempts at this:
Coloring book and crayons. Simple enough, right? For some reason it just doesn't hold their attention long, and Jellybean eats them. This was remedied by giving Cbear markers, followed by Jellybean shrieking and convulsing because she couldn't have them.
Tri-colored pasta sorting. Actually a good activity, but not for independent play. Cbear liked separating the different colors into three containers, but only if I was helping her. I gave Jellybean an ice tray and showed her how she could put the pasta in the holes. She dumped her whole container onto the tray, tried to eat the pasta, then threw it all on the floor. Rotini shatters, FYI.
Homemade play-doh. All of our store-bought dough was dried out, so I made some actually pretty great homemade stuff. Cbear did pretty well with this and plastic cutlery, but needed help with cookie cutters. Freaked out when she couldn't make a play-doh gingerbread man by herself. Jellybean ate it.
Old wipe box toy. Not sure what you'd call this, but Jellybean actually really liked it. Use an old wipe or tissue box and let her put bottle caps/lids through the opening. Downside: you will have random lids scattered throughout your house.
Pipe cleaners and strainer. This kept Cbear occupied for several minutes as she put the pipe cleaners through the holes. I did that part for Jellybean and showed her how to take them back out. She looked confused and bewildered, then toddled off to try and steal Cbear's strainer. Bickering ensued.
Eyedropper fizzy activity. Fill a flat container with baking soda, then pour food color and vinegar in a bowl. I gave Cbear an eyedropper and showed her how to drop the vinegar in baking soda to make colorful fizzies. Cbear really loved this, but it escalated quickly to "look how much fizzy it makes when I pour in the whole bowl of colors!"Jellybean squalled while I tried to distract her with colors, then play-doh. Same results as above.
Watercolor painting. Cbear got regular watercolors, which she's used before and does pretty well. I gave Jellybean colored paper and a small amount of plain water, which she proceeded to dump and then suck on the paintbrush. Sigh. I'm seeing a recurring theme here. I then just gave her a wet rag to suck on.
Yarn lacing with foam board. I went on and on about how this would be a fun game, and when I actually gave it to Cbear her exact words were, "can I just have a ball of yarn instead?" I let them play with balls of yarn one day, which were tangled all over the house and around them so bad I had to cut them out of the yarn shackles. I guess I chould just do that again, but it makes me twitchy. Anyway, I showed Cbear how to "sew" the yarn, she did one hole, then said, "can you help me so I can be done?"
I'm sure there are more activities I'm forgetting, but that's all for now. All those pictures I saw on Pinterest of children quietly and independently doing these activities are just not reality for us. We'll keep working on it. So, anybody want to do a busy bag swap? I'm running out of ideas!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Just say "no" to sandwiches: favorite weekday meals
It's been two months since I posted? Wow. You may get inundated with several posts today as I've been storing up ideas for the last 60 days or so and am feeling kind of writey today.
Lunch time is kind of sacred at my house. If I can make it to lunch without locking myself in the closet and rocking in the corner, I know I will live to fight another day. Because when lunch is over, the naptime routines start and then there's usually a few moments of blissful solitude, followed by a renewal of energy that gets us through until daddy comes home. So, I try to make lunch just a little special, as a mini-victory for myself more than anyone (sorry, girls!). And although I'm guilty of nuking a chicken strip occasionally (although I draw the line at mechanically separated chicken...I don't like my food to look like a dirty sponge when I cut into it, thanks. I just gagged.), these are my attempts at making yummy and fairly healthy meals that are pretty simple (because half the time I'm doing this one-handed...refer to picture below).
1. Avocado chicken salad with whole grain crackers. I'm obsessed with this stuff. Cbear calls it yummy guacamole and Jellybean likes it so much she eats it with her bare hands rather than wait on me to help her. Simply cook, then shred, chicken breast (I do it on the stove top with olive oil, sea salt and cracked pepper), add a smashed avocado, a spoonful of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, and lemon or lime juice. Season to taste with onion powder, garlic powder, Greek seasoning and lemon pepper seasoning. We really like it with Wheat thins multigrain toasted chips.
2. Mini Pizzas. Cbear likes to help me assemble these. Use a whole-grain pita, add some pizza sauce and whatever toppings you like- we like spinach, cheese, tomatoes, and pepperoni (my weakness). Bake at 375 until cheese is melted (10 minutes or so).
3. Peanut butter roll-ups and popcorn. We had this today...these girls go crazy over popcorn! Spread peanut butter with honey or banana slices on a whole-wheat tortilla (to make your own tortillas go here). You can serve them warm. If you've never made popcorn on the stove top I definitely recommend it! Pour enough oil (coconut or olive) to cover the bottom of a heavy pot with a lid. Drop a few popcorn kernels in the oil and cover until they all pop, then add 1/4 to 1/2 cup popcorn and cover again. Move the pot back and forth constantly until popping slows (you may have to tilt the lid to vent the steam), then remove from heat and pour into a bowl. If you like butter, and we do, melt it in the hot pot and pour over popcorn.
4. Hardboiled eggs. Boy, am I glad the girls like these as much as I do. Clint thinks we're all gross. Cbear regularly requests these, and Jellybean shrieks and points when I get them out, so I assume she's pretty pumped about them, too. Pair with a cheese stick and grapes and everyone is happy.
5. Mini burritos. Very simple: corn tortillas spread with refried beans, topped with cheese, spinach, and salsa. Yum!
6. Cheesy Rice. This is really helpful when I have just a bowlful of leftover rice from the previous night's dinner. I reheat it with a torn-up slice of muenster on top and the girls think they've died and gone to heaven.
These are the items I usually keep on hand for sides: grapes, pears, bananas, apples, kiwi, blueberries (oh my, if you ever want to see a feeding frenzy at my house, just break out the blueberries. I'm fairly certain if I just threw a pint of them on the kitchen floor and then filmed the girls I could sell it to National Geographic), clementines, cottage cheese, cheese sticks, applesauce, frozen peas (yes, they eat them straight out of the freezer!), veggies with ranch dip (carrots, broccoli, cucumbers), yogurt, and anything from last night's dinner is fair game.
I hope this gives you lunchtime inspiration, and I'd love to hear what other people are eating! What can I say? I love food. Which reminds me, I need to figure out dinner.
Lunch time is kind of sacred at my house. If I can make it to lunch without locking myself in the closet and rocking in the corner, I know I will live to fight another day. Because when lunch is over, the naptime routines start and then there's usually a few moments of blissful solitude, followed by a renewal of energy that gets us through until daddy comes home. So, I try to make lunch just a little special, as a mini-victory for myself more than anyone (sorry, girls!). And although I'm guilty of nuking a chicken strip occasionally (although I draw the line at mechanically separated chicken...I don't like my food to look like a dirty sponge when I cut into it, thanks. I just gagged.), these are my attempts at making yummy and fairly healthy meals that are pretty simple (because half the time I'm doing this one-handed...refer to picture below).
1. Avocado chicken salad with whole grain crackers. I'm obsessed with this stuff. Cbear calls it yummy guacamole and Jellybean likes it so much she eats it with her bare hands rather than wait on me to help her. Simply cook, then shred, chicken breast (I do it on the stove top with olive oil, sea salt and cracked pepper), add a smashed avocado, a spoonful of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, and lemon or lime juice. Season to taste with onion powder, garlic powder, Greek seasoning and lemon pepper seasoning. We really like it with Wheat thins multigrain toasted chips.
2. Mini Pizzas. Cbear likes to help me assemble these. Use a whole-grain pita, add some pizza sauce and whatever toppings you like- we like spinach, cheese, tomatoes, and pepperoni (my weakness). Bake at 375 until cheese is melted (10 minutes or so).
3. Peanut butter roll-ups and popcorn. We had this today...these girls go crazy over popcorn! Spread peanut butter with honey or banana slices on a whole-wheat tortilla (to make your own tortillas go here). You can serve them warm. If you've never made popcorn on the stove top I definitely recommend it! Pour enough oil (coconut or olive) to cover the bottom of a heavy pot with a lid. Drop a few popcorn kernels in the oil and cover until they all pop, then add 1/4 to 1/2 cup popcorn and cover again. Move the pot back and forth constantly until popping slows (you may have to tilt the lid to vent the steam), then remove from heat and pour into a bowl. If you like butter, and we do, melt it in the hot pot and pour over popcorn.
4. Hardboiled eggs. Boy, am I glad the girls like these as much as I do. Clint thinks we're all gross. Cbear regularly requests these, and Jellybean shrieks and points when I get them out, so I assume she's pretty pumped about them, too. Pair with a cheese stick and grapes and everyone is happy.
5. Mini burritos. Very simple: corn tortillas spread with refried beans, topped with cheese, spinach, and salsa. Yum!
6. Cheesy Rice. This is really helpful when I have just a bowlful of leftover rice from the previous night's dinner. I reheat it with a torn-up slice of muenster on top and the girls think they've died and gone to heaven.
These are the items I usually keep on hand for sides: grapes, pears, bananas, apples, kiwi, blueberries (oh my, if you ever want to see a feeding frenzy at my house, just break out the blueberries. I'm fairly certain if I just threw a pint of them on the kitchen floor and then filmed the girls I could sell it to National Geographic), clementines, cottage cheese, cheese sticks, applesauce, frozen peas (yes, they eat them straight out of the freezer!), veggies with ranch dip (carrots, broccoli, cucumbers), yogurt, and anything from last night's dinner is fair game.
I hope this gives you lunchtime inspiration, and I'd love to hear what other people are eating! What can I say? I love food. Which reminds me, I need to figure out dinner.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
A little Christmas Craftiness
This really doesn't even qualify as a tutorial, because it literally takes about five minutes to make (even with little people badgering you the whole time). I thought I would share for those of you, like me, who are trying to keep little hands busy and out of trouble. I saw these felt Christmas trees on Pinterest a while back and decided to make one for the girls to decorate, since they had such fun "helping" decorate our big tree. I have massive amounts of felt from various projects, so I grabbed some, cut out a tree from a large green piece, and masking-taped it to the wall. Then I cut out different shapes from several colors and viola! Ornaments to decorate their tree. I have to say, although it doesn't keep them out of our real tree, they seem to be enjoying it (Cbear likes to decorate it, Jellybean likes to take all the decorations off and run away with them...).
"Jesus helped me to not be sad"
We had a pretty rough week here. I had some personal issues that were making me emotional and tired and just plain icky feeling. I wanted peace and quiet and rest, so of course the girls were clingy and cranky 24/7. It felt like someone was crying or hanging on my leg all day long the entire week, so I am beyond excited that the weekend is finally here. Everyone's asleep now, the house is quiet and I was reflecting on how awful this week was and how I epically failed as a mom (I had zero patience...my poor kids) and I remembered the highlight. So I have to write it down before I forget that something good happened in the midst all of the other crap going on.
Cbear is my little sensitive introvert. She doesn't generally like being around lots of people, especially if they're loud. And while she's energetic and talkative at home, she gets very shy when out in public. Situations that are out of the norm scare her, and she's super sensitive to tones. For example, if I raise my voice or speak too sternly, she accuses me of "being mean at her." Also, when Jellybean (who's the total opposite and is all, "hey, let's play, everybody! I mean, everyone's here to see me, right?") shrieks excitedly because she wants to play, Cbear bursts into tears because she thinks her sister is yelling at her.
Bearing all this in mind, we have particular difficulty on mornings when we go to MOPS. Since it's only twice a month, she still isn't used to her classroom and she cries every time we go. This past Monday, it started while we were still at home getting ready and I was talking it up: "We get to go and play with friends at MOPS today, won't that be so much fun?" Her little face puckered up and she said, "I don't want to go to MOPS!" She sobbed the whole time we were getting dressed, brushing teeth and putting on shoes. Somewhere in all that she started saying, "I want Jesus to be in my classroom!" over and over again between cries. I'm not sure where that came from, but a few weeks ago she started saying that whenever we'd go to church, so I'd been trying to explain to her that even though we can't see Jesus right now, he's always with us in our hearts and we can pray and talk to him anytime. I tried to reinforce this while we were getting ready. I stopped to pray with her and even though she was still crying, we headed out the door.
I was nervous as to how the day would go. It's never easy to leave my child in someone else's care when she is crying like her heart will break, but it's especially hard when we're not even there yet and she's already saying she doesn't want to go! The mommy guilt creeps in and I start second-guessing everything I do. I tried to stay positive and remind her that Jesus would be with her, and if she got scared or sad she could pray to him and he would help her. By the time I dropped Cbear off at her classroom, she had stopped crying.
When my meeting was over and I went to pick the girls up, Cbear was actually smiling and having a good time! Her teacher told me she did exceptionally well that day. As we were leaving, I asked her if she prayed to Jesus in her classroom, and she said excitedly with a huge grin on her face, "I did! Jesus helped me to not be sad!"
And yeah, I did cry on the way home after hearing that.
Cbear is my little sensitive introvert. She doesn't generally like being around lots of people, especially if they're loud. And while she's energetic and talkative at home, she gets very shy when out in public. Situations that are out of the norm scare her, and she's super sensitive to tones. For example, if I raise my voice or speak too sternly, she accuses me of "being mean at her." Also, when Jellybean (who's the total opposite and is all, "hey, let's play, everybody! I mean, everyone's here to see me, right?") shrieks excitedly because she wants to play, Cbear bursts into tears because she thinks her sister is yelling at her.
Bearing all this in mind, we have particular difficulty on mornings when we go to MOPS. Since it's only twice a month, she still isn't used to her classroom and she cries every time we go. This past Monday, it started while we were still at home getting ready and I was talking it up: "We get to go and play with friends at MOPS today, won't that be so much fun?" Her little face puckered up and she said, "I don't want to go to MOPS!" She sobbed the whole time we were getting dressed, brushing teeth and putting on shoes. Somewhere in all that she started saying, "I want Jesus to be in my classroom!" over and over again between cries. I'm not sure where that came from, but a few weeks ago she started saying that whenever we'd go to church, so I'd been trying to explain to her that even though we can't see Jesus right now, he's always with us in our hearts and we can pray and talk to him anytime. I tried to reinforce this while we were getting ready. I stopped to pray with her and even though she was still crying, we headed out the door.
I was nervous as to how the day would go. It's never easy to leave my child in someone else's care when she is crying like her heart will break, but it's especially hard when we're not even there yet and she's already saying she doesn't want to go! The mommy guilt creeps in and I start second-guessing everything I do. I tried to stay positive and remind her that Jesus would be with her, and if she got scared or sad she could pray to him and he would help her. By the time I dropped Cbear off at her classroom, she had stopped crying.
When my meeting was over and I went to pick the girls up, Cbear was actually smiling and having a good time! Her teacher told me she did exceptionally well that day. As we were leaving, I asked her if she prayed to Jesus in her classroom, and she said excitedly with a huge grin on her face, "I did! Jesus helped me to not be sad!"
And yeah, I did cry on the way home after hearing that.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Jellybean turns one and life lately
Last Saturday Jellybean turned one year old! We officially no longer have a little baby...hello toddlerhood! I'm a little sad, but at the same time feel like fist-bumpin' my husband in celebration of surviving another year of parenthood. The kids are both still in one piece (each) and we don't appear to be messing them up too badly.
We celebrated Jelly's bday with a family party complete with frito chili pies (hey, Jelly's favorite foods are beef, beans, and cheese, so why not?) and cupcakes/ice cream. She was very concerned about the frosting on her cupcake and made a yucky face whenever it came near her mouth. And forget about the ice cream! Finally she decided the best course of action would be to turn it upside down and eat it from the bottom so as to avoid the strange fluffy stuff on top (which, by the way, was delicious. My kid is crazy.). After seeing the mess in and under her highchair, though, I'm not sure she actually ingested any of it. She had lots of fun playing with new toys and her cousins, though!
Life has been pretty crazy lately (thus my neglect of the blog). If you thought some of my other posts were a little chaotic, imagine what things must be like if I can't even catch a minute to write about what my wild girls are up to. I have tried, though, so I thought I'd give you the titles of all the half-finished posts I've started along with a brief summary of what I was writing about:
Sleepless Nights and Busy Days
This was me wondering if I'll ever know what it feels like to be well-rested again. Jellybean still doesn't sleep through the night, and we've converted Cbear's crib to a toddler bed so she can wander around at all hours of the night now. Thank goodness we're past the phase where I would find her in the living room with all the lights on at 4 a.m. playing with her toys! Maybe someday I'll sleep again...I hope...I mean, I do remember about five minutes of wonderful restfulness between the time Cbear started sleeping through the night and getting pregnant with Ellie. I don't remember life before I had kids.
Body Image Confessions
Something about how I should stop using the excuse "I just had a baby" to justify the elastic-waisted pants and lack of exercise (although I'd like to see someone else carry/chase two 20+ pound kiddos and all their crap around every day and then tell me that's not exercise/weight training). Between when I started writing this post several months ago and now I actually did start exercising several times a week doing pilates, tabata and walking/running, and was feeling great, but then I hurt my knee running and have had a little setback. But I've also come to accept that my body will never look the same as it did pre-babies, and that's okay. I'm a little more mom-ish now...at least I'm a soft place for kiddies to snuggle!
Let's Play Pretend!
Oh, this was a fun one I wish I'd finished! Cbear has entered a really fun stage of playing pretend and I love it. One day she had two pet mice named Skippyjonjones and Crocodile, and they kept hiding in the cabinet and we had to get them out to play. And now there are crocodiles in the living room and hallway we have to battle sometimes to get by. Recently she's been into playing "doctor" and we have to take care of owies, check out eyes and ears, and give shots and band-aids. It's so much fun, and I can't wait to see what she'll come up with next!
Look out, kids, Mama's smashing garlic again!
A mini-rant about how Cbear has decided she doesn't need to nap any more (I disagree...although I may need her nap time more than she does) and the majority of our weekdays we have a 2 hour or so battle to get her to sleep. It's making me slightly cranky, and I kind of felt like the worst mom ever when I was speaking a little harshly and she stuck her hand out at me "Stop, in the name of love" style and said, "Hey. Stop being mean at me." My patience is wearing paper-thin, but I'm trying to do better. I've found smashing fresh garlic cloves helps me cope in some odd way. So, yes, you do smell garlic, and it's me.
Wal-Mart is the devil.
Do I really need to explain this one? I try to avoid that store like the plague, but I needed several things there the other day, among them party supplies for Jelly's birthday. All I wanted were some fall, pumpkin-themed items, which I figured would be easy because it is October, after all. Nope. The "holiday shop" is full of Christmas stuff, so I was all over the store looking for fall party supplies, with two whiny, tired kids because it was nearing lunch time and for-the-love-of-all-that-is-holy-it-wasn't-supposed-to-take-this-long! I still didn't find what I wanted, but grabbed some plates, napkins, and cups in "fall colors". Oh, and we had to make two trips to the bathroom (gross!) because Claire announced (loudly) in the dairy aisle "I gotta potty!" (which was true) and then in the Halloween aisle "I gotta poop!" (which was false). Nobody wants to gamble on the latter one, though, so I took her anyway.
So, there you have it, a snapshot of the things I've wanted to write about the last couple of months. The trenches of parenting aren't always fun (though it is sometimes!) or glamorous (ever!), but is challenging and making me grow and stretch...and try to see the humor in the ridiculousness.
We celebrated Jelly's bday with a family party complete with frito chili pies (hey, Jelly's favorite foods are beef, beans, and cheese, so why not?) and cupcakes/ice cream. She was very concerned about the frosting on her cupcake and made a yucky face whenever it came near her mouth. And forget about the ice cream! Finally she decided the best course of action would be to turn it upside down and eat it from the bottom so as to avoid the strange fluffy stuff on top (which, by the way, was delicious. My kid is crazy.). After seeing the mess in and under her highchair, though, I'm not sure she actually ingested any of it. She had lots of fun playing with new toys and her cousins, though!
Life has been pretty crazy lately (thus my neglect of the blog). If you thought some of my other posts were a little chaotic, imagine what things must be like if I can't even catch a minute to write about what my wild girls are up to. I have tried, though, so I thought I'd give you the titles of all the half-finished posts I've started along with a brief summary of what I was writing about:
Sleepless Nights and Busy Days
This was me wondering if I'll ever know what it feels like to be well-rested again. Jellybean still doesn't sleep through the night, and we've converted Cbear's crib to a toddler bed so she can wander around at all hours of the night now. Thank goodness we're past the phase where I would find her in the living room with all the lights on at 4 a.m. playing with her toys! Maybe someday I'll sleep again...I hope...I mean, I do remember about five minutes of wonderful restfulness between the time Cbear started sleeping through the night and getting pregnant with Ellie. I don't remember life before I had kids.
Body Image Confessions
Something about how I should stop using the excuse "I just had a baby" to justify the elastic-waisted pants and lack of exercise (although I'd like to see someone else carry/chase two 20+ pound kiddos and all their crap around every day and then tell me that's not exercise/weight training). Between when I started writing this post several months ago and now I actually did start exercising several times a week doing pilates, tabata and walking/running, and was feeling great, but then I hurt my knee running and have had a little setback. But I've also come to accept that my body will never look the same as it did pre-babies, and that's okay. I'm a little more mom-ish now...at least I'm a soft place for kiddies to snuggle!
Let's Play Pretend!
Oh, this was a fun one I wish I'd finished! Cbear has entered a really fun stage of playing pretend and I love it. One day she had two pet mice named Skippyjonjones and Crocodile, and they kept hiding in the cabinet and we had to get them out to play. And now there are crocodiles in the living room and hallway we have to battle sometimes to get by. Recently she's been into playing "doctor" and we have to take care of owies, check out eyes and ears, and give shots and band-aids. It's so much fun, and I can't wait to see what she'll come up with next!
Look out, kids, Mama's smashing garlic again!
A mini-rant about how Cbear has decided she doesn't need to nap any more (I disagree...although I may need her nap time more than she does) and the majority of our weekdays we have a 2 hour or so battle to get her to sleep. It's making me slightly cranky, and I kind of felt like the worst mom ever when I was speaking a little harshly and she stuck her hand out at me "Stop, in the name of love" style and said, "Hey. Stop being mean at me." My patience is wearing paper-thin, but I'm trying to do better. I've found smashing fresh garlic cloves helps me cope in some odd way. So, yes, you do smell garlic, and it's me.
Wal-Mart is the devil.
Do I really need to explain this one? I try to avoid that store like the plague, but I needed several things there the other day, among them party supplies for Jelly's birthday. All I wanted were some fall, pumpkin-themed items, which I figured would be easy because it is October, after all. Nope. The "holiday shop" is full of Christmas stuff, so I was all over the store looking for fall party supplies, with two whiny, tired kids because it was nearing lunch time and for-the-love-of-all-that-is-holy-it-wasn't-supposed-to-take-this-long! I still didn't find what I wanted, but grabbed some plates, napkins, and cups in "fall colors". Oh, and we had to make two trips to the bathroom (gross!) because Claire announced (loudly) in the dairy aisle "I gotta potty!" (which was true) and then in the Halloween aisle "I gotta poop!" (which was false). Nobody wants to gamble on the latter one, though, so I took her anyway.
So, there you have it, a snapshot of the things I've wanted to write about the last couple of months. The trenches of parenting aren't always fun (though it is sometimes!) or glamorous (ever!), but is challenging and making me grow and stretch...and try to see the humor in the ridiculousness.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Cinderella in Boots and Baby Communication
My two-year-old has style. So don't say I didn't warn you if you see us around town sometime and she's wearing a puffy blue Cinderella princess dress with cowgirl boots. I'm just letting her express herself...and boy, is it hilarious to see her preferences unfold.
It all started a couple of weeks ago. See, I sing silly songs all day long because well, what else am I going to do with my time, and sometimes we have dance parties too (in which we may or may not dance to the ending song from High School Musical or the lively tunes of Flogging Molly, which Cbear calls "jumping music"...we have a wide range of tastes in this house). Somehow with all this dancing "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" turned into the twirling song, and of course one must wear a skirt when twirling (according to my daughter, anyway). So for the next week she refused to wear anything but, as she called it, a "twinkle twinkle little skirt". Understand that this meant she wore the same two skirts all week, because apparently denim doesn't qualify: twinkle twinkle little skirts must be a floral print.
One day I had a brilliant idea. A friend had given us some dress-up clothes and I hadn't shown them to Cbear yet. And you should have seen her face when I showed her the Cinderella dress. Priceless. We put it on and she exclaimed, "I'm a little princess now! Let's show daddy!" So she wears her princess dress quite often now and even though I'm not totally into the whole princess thing, it is pretty adorable. There was almost a meltdown today when she had to go to the bathroom with it on and I wasn't in the room and she sat down and peed on it, but I reassured her the dress would survive and she could wear it again later.
Fast forward to the boots. We just got some hand-me-downs from my cousin and there were a couple pairs of cowgirl boots in the box. Cbear was so excited, because daddy and her papas wear cowboy boots and now she had her very own. Well, it was good-bye sandals and flip-flops in our house and now it's all boots all the time. Mostly without pants on. She went to church tonight in jean shorts and boots. Yep, I'm that mom. I love it. I love my little Cinderella in boots, because it totally captures the essence of her personality. On one hand, she's a little girl who wants to be a princess and dance and show daddy how pretty she is. But she's also my little tomboy in cowgirl boots who loves to run and jump and play in the dirt. It's just so her, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
In other news, my Jellybean is becoming quite a cute little monster. I should probably stop calling her that because Cbear has picked it up, but she bares her teeth and scrunches her nose and snorts and growls, so what would you call her? She also eats books and stickers. I don't know why. She's kind of like Animal from the Muppet Babies, only cuter and more lovable. I guess that makes me the legs with the striped tights?
Jelly's as full of life as ever, so expressive, happy almost all the time with a major temper streak if she doesn't get her way. And the most determined person I've ever met. If she could turn herself inside out to try and get something she's not supposed to have I think she would. She's a little ham and loves to be silly and make us laugh. I can't wait until she starts talking to see what she has to say.
For now, she has discovered her own way of communicating with us. A while back she started nodding or shaking her head, and I finally realized that she knew what she was doing when I asked her questions! We did a lot of baby sign with Cbear, but I've been more lazy with that this time around and she doesn't seem very interested anyway, so I'm just going with her chosen form of communication. Now I purposely ask her yes or no questions just to see her response. "Jellybean, do you want to go to bed now?" Vehemently shakes her head no. "Are you done eating, do you want to get down and play?" Excitedly nods. She also points to things she wants and then looks at the nearest person with eyebrows lifted so high they're about to jump off her head and mouth open expectantly, like why aren't you hopping to it now? Especially if someone's eating cheese and not sharing with her or if there's a phone or remote out of reach. I love watching all these new discoveries and can't wait to see what she'll tell me next!
It all started a couple of weeks ago. See, I sing silly songs all day long because well, what else am I going to do with my time, and sometimes we have dance parties too (in which we may or may not dance to the ending song from High School Musical or the lively tunes of Flogging Molly, which Cbear calls "jumping music"...we have a wide range of tastes in this house). Somehow with all this dancing "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" turned into the twirling song, and of course one must wear a skirt when twirling (according to my daughter, anyway). So for the next week she refused to wear anything but, as she called it, a "twinkle twinkle little skirt". Understand that this meant she wore the same two skirts all week, because apparently denim doesn't qualify: twinkle twinkle little skirts must be a floral print.
One day I had a brilliant idea. A friend had given us some dress-up clothes and I hadn't shown them to Cbear yet. And you should have seen her face when I showed her the Cinderella dress. Priceless. We put it on and she exclaimed, "I'm a little princess now! Let's show daddy!" So she wears her princess dress quite often now and even though I'm not totally into the whole princess thing, it is pretty adorable. There was almost a meltdown today when she had to go to the bathroom with it on and I wasn't in the room and she sat down and peed on it, but I reassured her the dress would survive and she could wear it again later.
Fast forward to the boots. We just got some hand-me-downs from my cousin and there were a couple pairs of cowgirl boots in the box. Cbear was so excited, because daddy and her papas wear cowboy boots and now she had her very own. Well, it was good-bye sandals and flip-flops in our house and now it's all boots all the time. Mostly without pants on. She went to church tonight in jean shorts and boots. Yep, I'm that mom. I love it. I love my little Cinderella in boots, because it totally captures the essence of her personality. On one hand, she's a little girl who wants to be a princess and dance and show daddy how pretty she is. But she's also my little tomboy in cowgirl boots who loves to run and jump and play in the dirt. It's just so her, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
In other news, my Jellybean is becoming quite a cute little monster. I should probably stop calling her that because Cbear has picked it up, but she bares her teeth and scrunches her nose and snorts and growls, so what would you call her? She also eats books and stickers. I don't know why. She's kind of like Animal from the Muppet Babies, only cuter and more lovable. I guess that makes me the legs with the striped tights?
Jelly's as full of life as ever, so expressive, happy almost all the time with a major temper streak if she doesn't get her way. And the most determined person I've ever met. If she could turn herself inside out to try and get something she's not supposed to have I think she would. She's a little ham and loves to be silly and make us laugh. I can't wait until she starts talking to see what she has to say.
For now, she has discovered her own way of communicating with us. A while back she started nodding or shaking her head, and I finally realized that she knew what she was doing when I asked her questions! We did a lot of baby sign with Cbear, but I've been more lazy with that this time around and she doesn't seem very interested anyway, so I'm just going with her chosen form of communication. Now I purposely ask her yes or no questions just to see her response. "Jellybean, do you want to go to bed now?" Vehemently shakes her head no. "Are you done eating, do you want to get down and play?" Excitedly nods. She also points to things she wants and then looks at the nearest person with eyebrows lifted so high they're about to jump off her head and mouth open expectantly, like why aren't you hopping to it now? Especially if someone's eating cheese and not sharing with her or if there's a phone or remote out of reach. I love watching all these new discoveries and can't wait to see what she'll tell me next!
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Why Two are Easier than One
I've been thinking about this topic for quite some time...every time one of my friends mentions that they are so exhausted with one child and can't imagine adding another one, how do I do it with two, etc. So this post is for all the moms of one. Here is a well-kept secret: Sometimes two are actually easier than one!
Occasionally I have days where I wonder what life would be like if we only had one child. On the surface, it seems like it would be easier...my attention wouldn't be divided and there would be plenty of mommy to go around, perhaps discipline would be more effective (Right now it's like this: "I'd love to continue this chat, dear daughter, about why we ask nicely and don't throw a fit, but your sister has climbed into the fireplace and is eating a candle. Excuse me while I dig candle wax from her mouth, and feel free to totally forget everything I just said and continue to whine.") and maybe I wouldn't be so frazzled.
On the other hand, there are times when Cbear goes to spend the day with her grandparents or Jellybean takes a long nap and I only have one child. And while I cherish that one-on-one time (Cbear is loving "helping" me cook or asking me to read Fox in Socks for the millionth time, and Jellybean is totally delighted by me hiding behind something and jumping out) but by the time Cbear returns or Jellybean wakes up I'm actually relieved. Shocking, I know. But it does get very tiresome being the sole entertainment for someone. And while I do encourage them to play on their own, sometimes they flat-out refuse and it's really not effective to try and put away dishes while a ten month old has a death grip on your legs. Also, it wasn't so long ago that I only had Cbear and I remember how lonely the days could be with just one baby that couldn't talk. So here are five reasons why two kids are actually easier than one:
1. They entertain each other and always have a friend to play with. This one takes a few months, but once the younger one is out of the tiny baby stage they can actually interact a bit and the older one can be enlisted to help keep an eye on the younger one. Watch out if they're out of sight and quiet, though...I made this mistake a few months ago. They may be sliding through a pee puddle, playing in the toilet, or have escaped into the back yard (this all happened within a thirty minute time span...I was ready to be committed that day).
2. Communication. Jellybean can't talk much, but when she does I'm sure it will be entertaining. For now, Cbear jabbers to her and Jellybean responds with hand gestures, random sounds, clapping, and others. It's really funny to watch and listen.
3. Sweet sibling moments. There is nothing better than seeing your kids hugging or happily playing together. Of course it has the ability to morph into something like this: C patting J's head lovingly, saying, "good night, Jellybean...you're beautiful...I love you!" and J sweetly smiling and then reaching out to pinch C's face, resulting in screaming and C saying angrily, "I just want a hug!" I know, I shared this story in the last post, but it really was hilarious to watch C try to be so nice and J wouldn't have it.
4. You are never bored. There's no time for that, and there's always something that needs done or someone that needs attention. So when you actually get time to yourself, there's a list a mile long of things you'd like to do and it's much sweeter to get to do them. Simple things bring me so much joy now...reading a book, going out with the hubs, even exercising because it's something good just for me.
5. Twice the love! You'll get double the hugs, kisses, and "I wuv you"s. Jellybean can't say that yet but I'm assuming the endless mantra of "Mamamamamamamama" kind of means the same thing.
Occasionally I have days where I wonder what life would be like if we only had one child. On the surface, it seems like it would be easier...my attention wouldn't be divided and there would be plenty of mommy to go around, perhaps discipline would be more effective (Right now it's like this: "I'd love to continue this chat, dear daughter, about why we ask nicely and don't throw a fit, but your sister has climbed into the fireplace and is eating a candle. Excuse me while I dig candle wax from her mouth, and feel free to totally forget everything I just said and continue to whine.") and maybe I wouldn't be so frazzled.
On the other hand, there are times when Cbear goes to spend the day with her grandparents or Jellybean takes a long nap and I only have one child. And while I cherish that one-on-one time (Cbear is loving "helping" me cook or asking me to read Fox in Socks for the millionth time, and Jellybean is totally delighted by me hiding behind something and jumping out) but by the time Cbear returns or Jellybean wakes up I'm actually relieved. Shocking, I know. But it does get very tiresome being the sole entertainment for someone. And while I do encourage them to play on their own, sometimes they flat-out refuse and it's really not effective to try and put away dishes while a ten month old has a death grip on your legs. Also, it wasn't so long ago that I only had Cbear and I remember how lonely the days could be with just one baby that couldn't talk. So here are five reasons why two kids are actually easier than one:
1. They entertain each other and always have a friend to play with. This one takes a few months, but once the younger one is out of the tiny baby stage they can actually interact a bit and the older one can be enlisted to help keep an eye on the younger one. Watch out if they're out of sight and quiet, though...I made this mistake a few months ago. They may be sliding through a pee puddle, playing in the toilet, or have escaped into the back yard (this all happened within a thirty minute time span...I was ready to be committed that day).
2. Communication. Jellybean can't talk much, but when she does I'm sure it will be entertaining. For now, Cbear jabbers to her and Jellybean responds with hand gestures, random sounds, clapping, and others. It's really funny to watch and listen.
3. Sweet sibling moments. There is nothing better than seeing your kids hugging or happily playing together. Of course it has the ability to morph into something like this: C patting J's head lovingly, saying, "good night, Jellybean...you're beautiful...I love you!" and J sweetly smiling and then reaching out to pinch C's face, resulting in screaming and C saying angrily, "I just want a hug!" I know, I shared this story in the last post, but it really was hilarious to watch C try to be so nice and J wouldn't have it.
4. You are never bored. There's no time for that, and there's always something that needs done or someone that needs attention. So when you actually get time to yourself, there's a list a mile long of things you'd like to do and it's much sweeter to get to do them. Simple things bring me so much joy now...reading a book, going out with the hubs, even exercising because it's something good just for me.
5. Twice the love! You'll get double the hugs, kisses, and "I wuv you"s. Jellybean can't say that yet but I'm assuming the endless mantra of "Mamamamamamamama" kind of means the same thing.
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