Ball

The Dandilion said "Ball" today :)

Another favorite phrase over the past few days "vah, to, fwee" - that's "One, Two, Three" or "One, Two, Whee" - usually said when he has climbed on top of something and wants "a ride" down.

A week of dinners

I am happy to say that my resolve to plan better for dinners went well this week. Since the Dandilion joined the family and truly disrupted our sleeping habits for nearly a year, I am always super stressed when it comes to dinner time. I usually have a bunch of ingredients in the house, but no plan of what to make each day. For the past week I have been working to do better at planning meals before going to the store, taking food out in the afternoon to thaw and getting food on the table around 6:00. It hasn't been perfect, but it has been significantly better. Everyone has been much happier :)

Rained out - again

What a wet weekend. The Tumbleweed's soccer clinic on Friday and game on Saturday were both rained out, again. The Eagle's Triathlon still went off as planned though, so it was just the kids and I for most of the day.

A couple of highlights from today...

1- I got the OnDemand Function to work on the TV - I don't know why, but I have never been able to access the free OnDemand Kids programs to work before. For some reason it worked today.

2- We attended one of the Tumbleweed's friends' birthday parties. She had lots of fun at the Backyardigan's themed party and with her first pinata.

3- Stayed up late packing for CKC. So much left to do - make page kits, write journaling, order photos, shop for food, do laundry, pack, pack, pack....

Gone, but not forgotten

Well, much to the Tumbleweed's dismay, I had to remove the coloring table and chairs (and the peek-a-blocks turtle) from the family room. The Dandilion is so into climbing on top of everything it isn't safe right now.

The Tumbleweed has taken this personally, as she cannot color at the table or use the chairs to get everything on the "high" shelves. Each time she wants to use one, I get a whole sob story about how she NEEDS them. How she is having a "Terrible Day" because of me. Oh the drama.

I hope the Dandilion figures out how to climb down on his own soon, or I am going to have to take almost all of the furniture out of the house!

A Week of My Life

Inspired by one of my favorite scrapping blogs, I decided to document a week in my life. And I decided to do an untraditional week -- Thursday-Wednesday, since next Thursday I am going away to CKC and it won't really be a "typical" week.... OK what is a typical week anyway?

So my first assignment is the easy part --- take photos during my day (duh-I do that already), write down the day's routine (Well, I sometimes do that), and save "artifacts" from the day (do I ever throw anything away--NO!) I am going to give it my best shot.

The hard part comes later when I try to assemble them. Yet a another project on the "Started" List. I hope to finish this one. I have a whole bunch of photos from a week in August 2006 I never did anything with...

What did I get myself into?

Today was the Dandilion's first day of gymnastics class. He had to be 15 months old to start. I think moms must have to be under 25 to keep up with their toddlers running across the room around obstacles. I was pretty sure he would have fallen off of every (padded) surface in the gym if I didn't catch him. Maybe I need to let him fall, because he certainly isn't learning how to get off of things with me catching him all of the time. Despite my exhaustion, he was pretty cute learning to jump on the trampoline, hang on the rings and do forward rolls down a wedge mat. What a workout!

15 months old

The Dandilion is 15 months old today... he weighs in at 20.8 lbs... he likes to climb on everything... he is learning to get down, sometimes by falling or calling for help... he still likes to be fed baby food from a jar, yet is capable of chewing lots of table food if he wants to... he doesn't listen to "no", rather thinks you are playing a game with him and runs further and faster... he has a funny little "stomping" dance with "swimming" arms when he hears music... he throws temper tantrums by laying on the floor screaming and kicking... he mimics a lot of words once, but pretty much says "Mommy" to mean just about anything... I don't trust him to walk anywhere holding a hand as he is very good at slipping his hand out of mine... he can climb up the stairs, but not down... he wears mostly 12 month sized clothes, but is starting to wear 18 month clothes because that's what size I bought the warm clothes in.

Say What?!?

The Tumbleweed is sitting on the potty just before a bath and says to me, "Mommy, I wish my bottom was as big as yours." Not quite sure what to say to that, I waited. "Because then I would fit on the seat." With me still formulating how to respond, she continued. "How long does it take to get bigger?"

Oh to have a three-year-old view of the world.

A 6 Layout Day

It is not often that I get a chance to scrapbook on a "regular old weekday" but today was an exception. I had Scrapbooking & Playgroup this morning - and managed to get a complete layout done! Sometimes during this group I start a page but don't finish, sometimes I just search through my supplies and don't even try to start a page... but not today. I had spent much of last weekend organizing my scrap space, so I wa able to find what I needed and get my layout done for Tuesday's Page Swap. No last minute cramming this month!

I also got out for the night, to the local scrapbook store, for a 6 hour crop. While I did forget some key components of a few layouts that I intended to work on, I did manage to get 5 more layouts done for my Road Trip album. Now I only have 15 to go, I think. Maybe I can find a little more time this weekend to finish it up? We'll see... I'd really like to be able to call it "finished" before I go to CKC.

While I was at the crop I won a free crop - now I just have to find time to go back :)

Two Weeks to CKC!

I am so excited that my weekend of scrapbooking is coming up quick! I have lofty goals once again, but hopefully I will get a lot of pages done. I am getting more done now than I was a year ago, but I definitely don't seem to scrap as frequently as the kids have milestones.

To get ready to go I have been putting together kits of supplies for the crops, catching up on some journalling, and next I have to order pictures. At some point I will have to start packing my tools & supplies, oh and maybe some clothes :)

Yeah for girls weekend!

"Wicked High"

The Tumbleweed is picking up the local slang. After spending some time on the playground today, she asked me to push her on the swings. After a few pushes I heard, "No, Mommy. Higher! I want to go wicked high!" How New England of her :)

Another cute "new word moment" happened over the weekend. We were eating chocolate birthday cake when the Tumbleweed said to her brother, "You are so accusting" His face, hands and much of the floor were covered in chocolate. After a few minute of assessing the situation we discovered she meant "disgusting", but we won't tell her for a while. It was pretty cute.

Sunday Ticket

It is football season again, and as is normal for this time of the year, ESPN is on all morning counting the minutes to the days games. This morning hearing the theme song jogged some memories of when the Eagle and I lived in New Jersey - pre-wedding, pre-kids, pre-house.

We were both living outside the "TV market" for our football teams, so the games were not regularly on the network channels. This prompted us for three seasons to head to the local TGIFridays to watch NFL Sunday Ticket. We sat across from each other, watching different TVs, rooting for our teams. We also kept close track of all of the games, hoping that our picks would "win" or "cover", as we participated in the Pigskin Pick 'Em with friends across the country.

We would stay for the entire game (yes, before "eat as fast as possible to get out before the kids melt down"). We started with drinks when we sat down - mine was a "Strawberry Shortcake". We ordered appetizers (Sesame Jack Chicken Strips or the Jack Daniels Tower) when the drinks arrived. With 5:00 to go in the half, we ordered our meals - so they would arrive to eat at halftime. As the third quarter wrapped up we would decide if we wanted dessert (Ice Cream Oreo Cookies).

We earned lots of free appetizers with our Fridays gold points card every fall. And, watching all of that football paid off - I won the Pigskin Pick 'Em for two years in a row, the Eagle won the third year (I was second).

Ahhh - the simple life :) Go Bills!

Name that Object

The Dandilion is so cute sometimes. He is working on talking and has developed his own lingo. He uses the following words to name objects we use on the daily basis. (Hint: we say these words while using the object in question)

Name that Object:
1. Ow (ouch)
2. Che (cheese)
3. Hi



Answers -
1. Ow = brush or comb... the Tumbleweed still makes a pretty big stink about getting her hair done each morning. Anytime the Dandilion gets ahold of a hairbrush, he walks around the house banging it on his head, smiling, saying "Ow. Ow. Ow."

2. Che = camera (although it can also mean cheese)... I guess Mommy takes too many pictures :)

3. Hi = phone... after months of coaxing, the Dandilion says "hi" when you put him on the phone. He also enjoys playing with real or toy phones, holding them to his shoulder or back of his head and saying "hi."

There. Now you will be able to translate (and months from now I will remember this cute little stage).

The First Soccer "Game"

Loosely speaking, the Tumbleweed played in her first soccer game today. It was cute, chaotic, frustrating and victorious all at once. To recap:

1 orange shirt with the #1 on it
4 kids (we had to borrow players from the other team to let our kids rest)
3 goals scored by "our team" (2 by the borrowed players)
2 potty breaks on the sideline
6 periods (we ran out of time to play 8)
2 shots blocked by the Tumbleweed (she liked playing goalie!?!)
0 goals scored against us

getting to play on the swings afterward - priceless!

He learned from the best

The Dandilion has learned some new skills in his 14th month. He seems to be following in his sister's footsteps when it comes to climbing and getting into things. Here are a few photos for comparision...

The Tumbleweed on Moving Day from Cambridge (5/31/06)


The Dandilion last week while Mommy tended to the Tumbleweed (9/8/08)


The Tumbleweed stands up on the new table from Ikea in our new house (6/20/06)


The Dandilion proudly walks on the coloring table (8/10/08)

Why, why, why?

Now, if you have a two or three year old you probably think this post is going to be about my daughter asking "why?" all the time. It isn't. If you have heard my son "talking" over the past few days you probably think it is about his latest words. One of them is "why", but it isn't about that either.

It is about all of the things I said to myself while I did the laundry today, which happened to be "kids laundry day".

1. Why is the pile so big?
2. Why does EVERYTHING have a stain on it?
3. Why does the Tumbleweed always eat tomato sauce while wearing white?
4. Why won't the Dandilion keep his bib on?
5. Why would the Eagle let the Tumbleweed wear her brand new back-to-school clothes for the first time to play in the backyard?
6. Why are there toys in the hamper?
7. Why did I buy a white shirt for my 1 year old?
8. Why do they bother making white kids clothing?
9. Why don't I just have the kids eat naked?
10. Why didn't the stain come out?!?

And finally --- after all of the pre-treating, washing, re-washing, drying... why can't it fold itself?!?

I can't believe...

Recently I have seen some new commercials that have had me saying "I can't believe..."

1. I can't believe they thought this would sell jeans. I believe it is Lee that is running a commercial for comfort fitting jeans, with a tummy compressing panel and "no gap" waistband. Sounds good right? Now - given the qualities stated in the commercial I would think - "hey, maybe I should try a pair of these jeans," but then I saw the people wearing them and thought "oh, those jeans are for really skinny people" So they might be great, but I would have liked to see women in the commercial who would actually benefit from these jeans. Instead they had beautiful, skinny models who have probably never had a "tummy" and probably can find a hundred pairs of jeans that would fit them perfectly. So either they screwed up, or I wasn't their target audience...

2. I can't believe they make "odor-eating" paint. Yes, that's right. Dutch Boy makes paint to paint your walls with that will eliminate everyday household odors (it has baking soda in it). I can't decide how this makes me feel. On one hand, I don't like smells so it would be a good thing. On the other hand, household smells usually mean something needs to be cleaned.

3. I can't believe they are airing commercials about how "good" High Fructose Corn Syrup is. And, boy they are playing them a lot! Basically the corn farmers are trying to change people's opinions that High Fructose Corn Syrup is bad for you. Well, I am sorry, it is bad. So are cigarettes. Just because it isn't illegal to make something doesn't make it good for you, moderation or not. It just means that the government isn't stepping in to tell us what to do, we have to think for ourselves!

From the Book "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes... "Sugars—sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup specifically—are particularly harmful, probably because the combination of fructose and glucose simultaneously elevates insulin levels while overloading the liver with carbohydrates." The book has a lot more of the science behind this, but there are a lot of reasons why we should watch out for sweeteners in our diets.

Unbelievable.

The Sound of Silence

I hate thunderstorms. They scare me. I'm sure it is just a phase, maybe I will out grow it when I am old enough to turn off my hearing aids and take off my glasses. I will admit that daytime storms slightly better than nighttime ones on the fear scale... but not when the power goes out in the middle of "Diego".

Yup, that's what happened today. Just after the storm blew through, while Mommy was putting the Dandilion down for his nap, we lost power. I guess this must have been the first time in recent memory that it had happened because the Tumbleweed just could not understand why Mommy could not "fix" the TV. "But why, Mommy? You can do it. I know you can." (quoting "Little Quack")

Since it was almost naptime for her anyway, I convinced the Tumbleweed that it was a really good time to sleep. For some reason she decided to listen to me (a rarity at naptime) and for the first time in nearly a week she actually took a nap!

With the gift of two sleeping kids, I put my feet up on the couch and listened to the rain. No kids talking, no TV, no baby monitor, no computer, no fans, no phone, no dishwasher, no nothing! Very relaxing. I even caught a nap myself :)

Thunderstorms & power outages might not be so bad after all

Running Group

A new activity for parents of very fast & sneaky toddlers. I went to a particularly challenging one today. Here's what it takes to hold your own running group...

1. Location, Location, Location --- be sure to find a place with many things a toddler should not touch/use. Things such as stairs/steps are my favorites. Toilets are good too.

2. Obstacles --- these are things that can block the view to your toddler, making it easier for the toddler to escape and harder for the parent to catch. People (and lots of them) make good obstacles.

3. Distractions --- something the parent can do while giving the toddler a head start. Talking is a good distraction.

4. Toddler --- child who can move quicker than the speed of light and has no common sense.

5. Parent --- person who wants a good workout and is the person responsible for catching the toddler.

Like I said, I attended a challenging one this morning. We all survived, thankfully, with some help from friends :) Both the Dandilion and Mommy needed a nap afterwards.

*Activity not recommended if you can avoid it!

"Is it really raining Mommy?"

The Tumbleweed must have asked this a dozen times today. She was hugely disappointed that her first soccer game was cancelled. We were all dressed and halfway to the car when we got the call... and at that moment, it was not raining. Sure it rained a lot before and after, but at the very moment I had to break the news, it was not actually raining. Obviously this was very confusing to the three year old mind. She did have a cute suggestion... "We could all wear our raincoats and boots! Then we won't get wet from the rain!"

Now as a spectator, I was grateful not to have to sit in the rain at the game. But as a mom with nothing else planned for the day and a child moping around the house, I was not so happy. It took a while but I did manage to convince her that we would still have fun, and that she would get to play soccer again very soon.

Mortified

It started as a simple errand - Drop off form to sign up for playgroup - but with kids nothing is simple. We pull into the parking lot and I hear "I have to go potty, Mommy". OK, we will all run in and you can use the potty inside. We do just that, but afterward Mommy starts talking to the director, who allows the kids to play in the playroom.

We are having a nice conversation until I turn around to see the Tumbleweed (who has been potty trained for more than 6 months), pulling at her underwear. Here comes the part that I couldn't believe... she pulls out her hand and wipes something on the play mat - POOP! Flabberghasted I whisk her off to the bathroom where sits on the toilet, poops, and tells me "I wanted to check to see if poop was really coming out" I should have followed that with "When you figured out that it was, why didn't you run to the bathroom?" but I was too stunned by what had happened. We cleaned up our mess, and got the heck out of there.

Ah, the joys of potty training.

Mystery Solved

Today was the Tumbleweed's 4th day of school (counting the first day when the parents stayed). After the last two school days, the Tumbleweed was proud to repot that she played with her "New Best Friend, Emma". Apparently they both like the slides. Now this sounds great - but there is no Emma in her class. Puzzled, I tried to figure out if another child's name might sound like Emma. I tried asking the Tumbleweed what "her best friend" looked like. And after that didn't work, I asked the teacher if there was an Emma that she could have playing with. When she answered, "No, there isn't an Emma in class", I told her that I suspected that she might have created an imaginary friend.

To put my theory to the test, I asked the Tumbleweed when I arrived to pick her up where Emma was. "Over there" she said pointing in the direction of all of the kids. "In the pink?" I asked, choosing a child at random. "No, silly" she says, as I see eyes start to peek over a bookcase, "that's her" and the little girl came around the corner smiling from ear to ear and they went off playing. So I turned to the teacher, and asked "who is the little girl in the flower shirt?" "That's Abby." Mystery solved - the Tumbleweed's "New Best Friend" (which says quite proudly each time) is a real girl named Abby.

My So-Called Stay-at-home Life

When the need presents itself, I check the box for Stay-at-home Mom. But I am hardly ever at home. I am on the go as much now as I have ever been. I drop off one kid at school, I take the other to swimming lessons. I take the kids to storytime, shopping at Target and spend an hour and a half at walking group all before naptime.

Today was no exception... I took the kids to a Backyardigans movie at the theater, headed to the Y for lunch and the Tumbleweed's Dance class (which was cancelled!) and then took the kids blueberry and raspberry picking. Too much - I thought maybe - but the Tumbleweed was so excited about the berries, I was really glad I added it on. She was so helpful during the picking and behaved really well. A stark contrast to her behavior when the dance class was cancelled :(

Good thing the Dandilion loves "singing" the Backyardigans' song "Go Go Go"!

A good day

With the passing of Labor Day, we have returned to our busy schedule.

Today I took the Tumbleweed to school, and headed to the Y with the Dandilion. It is nice to have a few moments just the two of us. He enjoyed most his swimming lesson today, although was SO ready to nap about 10 minutes before the end. He is developing such a cute little personality. He knows what he wants - and for 20 minutes this morning all he wanted to do was splash Mommy.

After picking up the Tumbleweed at school, I took her to her first swimming lesson since June. She didn't really enjoy lessons then as she was not too keen on getting her eyes/head wet. That is why I was so proud of her effort today. No tears, no arguing, no refusing. She listened, she tried and she even chose to blow bubbles and jump off the side.

And the last first today was the Tumbleweed's first soccer practice. She certainly looked the part heading out with her cleats, shin guards and hot pink ball. I think she had fun - although by the end it was late and she was too tired to discuss it - and that's OK.

It was a good day.

Wake Up!

I was dressed and ready to go this morning, when I made my last stop before heading to the car... I brushed my teeth. Clearly I was not yet awake. I picked up my brush, put the toothpaste on and into my mouth... Yuck! Oh, it's pink & bubble gum flavored. I had used Daniela's tothpaste. I guess it could have been worse. I was not sleeping anymore :)

"Mo-meee Da-deeee Ge Uh"

This morning we woke too the sound of the Dandilion yelling in his crib. Not the usual screaming his head off, rather shouting "Mo-meeee Da-deeee Ge Uh." Which I like to assume meant "Mommy Daddy Get Up." He said it over and over again. sometimes it was "Mo-mee Ge Uh" and sometimes "Da-dee Ge Uh". We found ourselves lying in bed waiting to see if that is really what he was trying to say, and waiting to see what he might say next. Clearly that wasn't what he had hoped for, as he switched to a much louder version of "Mommee, Mommee, Mommmmeeeee!" which woke up the Tumbleweed and forced us to start the day at 5:30.