You know you're really tired when....

- You go to get a cup of coffee only to realize you still have a full one.

- You go to refill your cup of coffee only to realize you have two full one's sitting on the table.

- You put the cereal in the fridge and the milk in the pantry.

- You stay at the open fridge trying like crazy to remember what it is that you wanted from in there; give up, walk away and immediately remember what it is that you wanted.

- You fall asleep rocking your little one to sleep (and wind up with a wicked crick in your neck).

- You fall asleep rocking, only to realize that your little one has been asleep in their crib for an hour.

- You and your little one pass out on your bed after a full day of running around. It's only after you wake up that you realize not only do you have your drool on your face, but you are covered in your little one's as well.

- You leave the house while still in your PJ's.

- You manage to leave the house fully dressed, but with your slippers still on.

- You leave the house, get to your destination only to realize you don't have your diaper  bag (which contains all the necessary items to keep your little one entertained)... or your wallet.

- You pull out of the drive way only to realize that you have left your little one, fast asleep in their crib.

- You put your little one's diaper on backwards.

- You put your shirt/dress/pants/sweater on backwards and don't realize it's that way till you have run errands for over an hour and only find out because you see yourself in a  mirror in a public bathroom.

- You spend the morning walking around in public with spit up on your shirt.

- You spend the morning walking around in public with a Cheerio in your hair.

And my current favorite way to know your tired is: you fall asleep on the couch, only to wake up with small pieces of a toy imbedded in your face.

Ah, Motherhood - ain't it grand?!

K

Arrrggghhhh!

"A cry of frustration escaped her lips. Why was it so damn hard? This was supposed to get easier as it went along, not harder. It's wasn't that she didn't have any ideas... there were just too many. All clamoring in her head, wanting to be heard. She'd start one, and would get distracted by the next thought that came along, making it virtually impossible to keep any one train of thought going. Aaarrrggghhh."

You know, it's really concerning that I've started referring to myself in the third person - it's been happening more and more lately.

Why is it, that when we become parents, we automatically start referring to ourselves (and each other) as 'Mommy' and 'Daddy'. 'Mommy has to go now'. 'Daddy needs to go to bed.' 'Mommy really needs a makeover.' And so on, and so on. It's as if we don't exist to our little ones unless we are talking about ourselves in the third person. Why is that?

I am serious. Why do we do it? I know I'm not the only one. There has been many a time when I have been at a park and over heard something like this:

'But why?' (usually said in a very high, whiny voice).
'Because Mommy says so.' (said very matter of fact-ly, by none other than Mommy, herself).
'But wwwhhhyyyyy?' (in a much higher pitched whiny voice)
'If you ask me one more time "why" Mommy is going to get very angry and we are going to leave the park'. (said through clenched teeth with one or two veins popping out on their forehead).

If we don't refer to ourselves this way, are we worried that our little one's won't know who is the one talking/doing these things? Or are we merely trying to validate and reassure ourselves that we do actually exist outside of the realm of parenthood. And if so, wouldn't we be better off using our real names, or just going back to referring to ourselves in the first person. Or am I once again over thinking this situation and should really just stop typing, pour myself a glass of wine and go and watch some really bad TV?

*sigh*

I really do need to start planning these posts out a little better - they definitely have a tendency to get away from me (I know I was going in a particular direction at the beginning, but seemed to have been side-tracked).

And yes, I do know it's Thursday, and I usually post something crafty, but to be perfectly honest with you, I've been a little lazy in the crafting department (aside from a little painted vase experiment I did with some fellow Mothers the other night). I do however, have some grand ideas, and hope to implement at least one of them tomorrow, so I'll post it as soon as it's done.

I thank you for your patience in this matter.

Now, where is that glass of wine and the remote?

K

The 'timey-wimey, wibbly-wobbly' bits of raising a child

And for those of you who aren't 'Doctor Who' fans (for shame) it basically refers to the relation of the speed of time to your little one progressing to adulthood - or to put it simply, time really does fly by when you have a child.

I was trying (somewhat in vain) to  organize hundreds (literally, hundreds) of photo's of Little P and it struck me just how much she has grown in the past six months. Not just physically. I mean, yeah, she's gotten taller, and her hair has grown (although it's hard to tell under all those adorable curls), but her language skills, her coordination, even her likes and dislikes are getting to be so fully developed, that it's hard to believe that just over 18 months ago, she was just a wee baby. 

Her little personality is developing (as is her attitude - but I blaming the current fits of 'diva-ness' on the approaching 'terrible two's), and she's becoming her own little person.

Now you may ask, what has this got to do with Doctor Who? Well, nothing I guess. Other than the fact that a) the new episodes start on Saturday (excited much?) and b) watching it the other day made me realize that these 'precious' moments when she is young and wants my attention constantly are going to end and before I know it she's going to be heading out the door to college. And while in some alternate universe or parallel dimension she is, in theory, already a grown up, right here and now, she's my little girl. The one who wants Mommy to hold her when she's fallen over at the play ground, or who takes me hand to go show me something that she found. The little girl who loves peas and edamame but won't eat cake or anything sweet. The little girl who loves read 'Axel the Truck' and 'The Thinks You Can Think'. My baby who still likes to curl up on my lap and have me sing to her to go to sleep.

That little girl will one day fall in love and have her heart broken, only to fall in love again. A little girl, who, I have no doubt, will develop a passion for shoes and anything shiny. Who will (hopefully) continue to love reading and keep her imagination active. A little girl, who will turn into a young lady, then into a woman, who will marry and have children of her own. A little girl, who will always, ALWAYS, be my baby girl.

But for now, we have tea parties to attend, and books to read, games to play and new places to explore.

So, till next time, whether they be little or grown up, spend time with your children, because, time really is relative and you never know how much of it you have left.

K

(and just for something different, I am trying this whole 'blog hop' thing. So give it a whirl and let me know what you think)

It's going to be alright...

I know people mean well when they say things like this. I really do. But sayings like this rank right up there with 'maybe it's meant to be' or 'well at least you know where you stand' or my all time favorite 'it's always darkest before the dawn'. Really? Where did you pick up that piece of really obvious information?

Okay, maybe I'm being a wee bit cynical here, but tired cliches aren't going to make me feel any better, no matter how well meaning you are. 

Perfect example of this was the kind of day a friend of mine had recently. I think she heard just about every 'it's going to be okay in the end' saying that existed. And you know what? The thing that finally put it into perspective for her was something her six year old said to her at the end of what was a really horrible day. 

She knew it was going to be a bad day the minute she got up. Her new puppy had left a little present, right where she would put her feet down as she got out of bed (I know, eeewwww, right?). Next, there was no milk in the fridge to go in her coffee. But that was okay, because there was no coffee left (apparently hubby had finished both that morning).

After dropping her kids off a school, she ran over something in the road that caused a rather loud 'clunk' and then her car rolled to a stop. She did tell me what it was that happened (all I heard was 'yadda, yadda, yadda after a while - it was all mechanic tech speak), so after a phone call to roadside assistance and two hours later, her car was in being repaired and a friend had driven her to work.

And it only got worse. A document she had been working on was nowhere to be found on her computer - apparently the IT guys had done a complete reboot over night and hadn't informed anyone they were doing it, so the word document she had left open on her computer after she finished work yesterday got wiped (all I can say is 'save, save, save') so she had to start from scratch and try and remember what she had written (did I mention that it was due to her boss by the end of the day?). She had issues getting items printed, accidentally hung up on a very high profile client... it just went on and on.

So, understandably, by the time she got home for the day, all she wanted to do was go curl up in a corner, in the fetal position and cry. While sitting on the couch, and feeling pretty low, her six year old son, guessing that Mommy had had a pretty rough day, came up to her, gave her a hug and said 'You are doing a good job Mommy'. 

And that was it - waterworks kicked in big time. Her poor son thought he had upset her and was saying 'sorry' when she grabbed him in a big bear hug and said 'It's okay honey, that's just what Mommy needed to hear'.

Sometimes you don't want to be told it's going to be okay. Sometimes you just need to know that you are doing a good job and that someone loves you no matter what.

So, till next time, 'keep your chin up', as 'there's always light at the end of the tunnel' and 'remember, tomorrow is another day'....

K

Stop. Hammer Time.

Every once in a while you just have to stop. Just breathe and enjoy watching the world pass by.

It's been a very lazy day today. 

At 11am Little P and I were still in our PJ's. We had cookies for breakfast (along with milk for her and coffee for me). We lay on the floor in the playroom and 'talked' while squishing play doh in our hands. We sat and read books (okay, we sat and read her books, but still reading is reading). I contemplated getting us both dressed and going out to do something about 10 times before M woke up - didn't eventuate.

And I'm okay with that.

Anyone who sees me on a regular basis knows that Little P and I are pretty activate. Almost every morning we are at a play group event, or we are at a local park if nothing is planned. Most afternoons we go out and play in the back yard, go for a drive, do crafts or just have a tea party with us and 20 of Little P's closest furry friends. It's pretty much none stop most of the time. So every once and awhile, we need to just sit back and watch the world go on without us.

Granted, today was more because we had a rough night last night and I wasn't feeling up to being perky and sociable (it happens), but there are days when I swear she looks at me as if I'm crazy for going out with her again. And maybe I am. 

Most days however, she's the one whose standing at the top of the stairs saying 'Drive. Go, go, go.'

I once had a friend ask me if I did so many things with Little P because I was scared to be alone with her for extended periods of time. Yup. You can just picture the look on my face can't you? My response to her was somewhat long winded, but it essentially comes down to this:  I do a lot of things with Little P because a) it wears her out so she will take a nap (works on most days, sometimes it backfires) and b) because there is so much more to the world than what I can show her with just the two of us. 

I like our quiet time. I really do. But there is just so much out there to see and do, I really don't want to miss a minute of it. Because, before you know it, I will be back a work, she'll be in school and our special adventures will be things of the past. Sure, we will still do things together, but it won't be quite the same.

So I'll be lazy today. Maybe we will do some painting later, or go for a walk. But more than likely we will just lay on the floor and 'talk' some more, eat some more cookies, and read a book (or three). And that's okay. Because tomorrow is another day full of surprises and adventures waiting to be had.

Till next time, go forth and conquer!

K

Mommy-ism #23: When you realize that you just had an in depth discussion with your 11 month old, and actually feel like you had a real conversation... if insanity is when you start to answer yourself, how do you classify having a conversation with someone whose main word is 'hi' and most of the noises she makes belongs in a SyFy movie soundtrack?

A Little Insight Goes a Long Way...

Thought I would share some of the wisdom's that have been imparted on me by some of my little friends (and I totally said that as Tony Montana in my head).

"Orange isn't really orange - it's just a yellow that's angry."

"Batman is the best because he has cool cars and bikes and things to throw at people that go 'whoosh."

"Ketchup is the blood of tomatoes."

"I don't like it when Mommy wears make up. She looks scary. Like the Joker." (I love this one. Should have seen the look on Mommy's face when she heard this).

"If you spend too much time in the water, you skin gets all puny." (I am assuming he meant 'prun-y' but you never know).

"If you smile too much, your cheeks fall off."

"Remote's aren't toys. Unless they come with a toy, and then they are just broken."

"I like wrestling with Daddy - but when he and Mommy are wrestling they make way more noise than I do."

"Mommy was drinking her 'special water' yesterday and today her head is going to fall off."

I love how kids minds work.

K

Nailed It - 'Hand Stamped Jewelry'

Okay, I have to admit, this is kind of my obsession lately. However, being somewhat of a perfectionist, I have only made three items, two of which I am going to be brave and show you. And yes, I know that hand made essentially means 'imperfect' it's what makes the items unique, but I am what I am ("I'm Popeye the Sailor Man" - sorry, my mind works in mysterious ways), and there's no changing that.

I fell in love with hand stamped jewelry last year when I discovered Etsy and all the wonderful hand made goodies out there. It's enough to make a girl swoon. I would see things all over the place and my heart would skip a beat.


But the $63 price tag made me gag a little (I'm not undermining her skills, it's just not something I could justify spending $60 odd dollars on). 

But then I found out that wonderfully crafty woman I know who also happened to stamp jewelry (not naming any names.... 'Sierra'). Huzzah!! 

So, after a few quick lessons, and a little bit of snooping around on the world wide web, I tried my hand at it. Admittedly the first time was a little, well imperfect. But after practicing on some scrap pieces and doing a little more research, I finally got a little more confident and decided to try again. But what to make?

I loved this idea:

( from The Pink Monogram)

But there's a lot going on, and I didn't have anything on hand other than letter stamps and a few images, so I'll leave that one for another day when my skills are a little more developed.

And I thought this was pretty cool:

(from PureRoxinPrint, an Etsy seller who no longer carries them)

But I didn't have sterling silver bars on hand (and wasn't going to order them online as I'm kind of an 'instant gratification' girl when it comes to crafts).

Then I saw this and inspiration struck:

And since it was just an image on Pinterest, with no link to any store, I figured I would wing it and make it my own.

This is the end version (it does need some polishing, but you get the general idea):

And the best part, it was essentially free, since I already had everything on hand from other jewelry crafts I had been trying. So, as you can see, it has four tags with each of our initials and the the ever popular '<3'. And since it came out rather well, I made a necklace as well, taking a little inspiration from the 'Mr & Mrs' pendant above.

Of course, after I had done it, I realized I had done the 'S' upside down, but hey, it's hand made.

So, all in all, not a bad way to spend an afternoon while Little P slept. 

And what says you? Did I 'nail them'?

K

Easy Peasy...

Today, instead of showing something that I made (although, I have a feeling that I will post one later today, just depends on how I'm feeling), I thought I would make a confession.

I. Heart. Subway. Art. 

Phew. I feel so much better now that I got that out. Yup. It's totally an addiction and one that started around Thanksgiving last year. It all began innocently enough. I was looking for ideas on how to decorate the house for Christmas time - I wanted to do something other than the traditional ornaments and Christmasy things. And I stumbled upon this wonderful website - Eighteen25 - three sisters who were born and raised (and still live) in Las Vegas and their awesome subway art printables!

                                             (the one that started it all)

What's this? Something that wouldn't cost me anything and that would be a quick and easy way to update our Christmas decor? I was so 'over the moon' happy about this that I think I lost the next couple of hours trying to find more. And before you know it, I have a bunch that I like, printed out, put in frames (thank goodness for Michaels and the Dollar Store for cheap frames) and had placed through out the house. Poor M didn't know what happened. He went to work one night and came home to find that there were frames with subway art on pretty much every spare wall space there was.

So, I may have gone a little overboard that first time. And I totally got my mother-in-law hooked on it as well (so much so that when there is a change in the seasons or a new holiday coming up that we will send each other photos of the subway are we are using. And the best part? Most of the time we don't use the same ones and get more ideas and inspiration from each other).

Once we got through all the holidays and came into Summer, I kind of slowed down a little bit - partly because I wasn't finding any that really grabbed my attention, and partly because I found that people where making free printable art!

For Summer this year, I decided to go with more art-like images than subway art (although I did still have a couple of them).

Like this one from Blooming Homestead

She has a ton of them, for all different occasions and even shows you how to make your own (gotta love that).

And ones like this from Printabelle:

I've also found some really cool ones for the playroom (/office/escape space):

(credit - The Answer is Chocolate)

I couldn't find the website where I got this from but 24/7 Moms has some pretty awesome ones too.

I have some great ones in Little P's room from Sprik Space and a couple I just made using Photoshop (told you, it's an addiction).

As you can see, I've got quite the collection going and very soon, I hope to talk a certain crafty Momma I know into helping me create some myself.

So, till next time, make sure there's room on the wall, ink in the printer and go NUTS!!

K

You can't handle the TRUTH!!

I've come to realize that there are three types of people in this world when it comes to confrontation:

- Those who can handle it.

- Those who can't.

- And those who say they can, but really can't.

I like to think I fall into the first category. I may not like what you have to say, and it may hurt me, but at least I'll know where I stand. Too many people that I know fall into the last category - think they can, but really, when it comes down to it, they really can't. They would much rather deny anything was ever said or done then deal with it.

At the end of the day, I would prefer the person who has an issue with me, take it up with me. At least that way, I'm getting it directly from the horses mouth (so to speak). 

When people rely on other people passing these kinds of things on (which, is really what they are doing when they talk to everyone else but the person they have the problem with), it tends to get distorted. Remember doing 'Chinese Whispers' as a kid? Where one person would say 'I have two lemons', and by the time it had gone round the room it turns into 'I'm Batman'. Well the same thing happens when you tell one person something, knowing full well they will tell another person, who may just tell another person, who may, at the end, tell the person they were talking about what it was the first person said, and before you know it, a simple comment like 'I don't see them much anymore' turns into something like 'They think they are so much better than everyone else - they can't be bothered to see us anymore'. See? And this creates a whole other bunch of issues.

What is worse, is when people deny they even said anything. Look, I know I'm not everyone's cup of tea (although why, is totally beyond me... I'm fabulous. But that's beside the point), and I know I'm not going to click with everyone (who does?), but accusing me of ignoring you just because I didn't get the chance to say 'good bye' the last time I saw you, is kind of ludicrous don't you think? And yes, I know that my parenting style doesn't line up with yours, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends. I'm not saying I want to spend every waking moment with you, and I know I won't remember your favorite color or that you just lurve Keith Urban, but that also doesn't mean that if I see you walking down the street that I will cross said street to avoid talking to you. Understand?

I like to think, that as grown ups and parents, that we are past the whole 'he said, she said' business of high school, but unfortunately, it just doesn't appear to be the case.

So, while I may not come running up to you screaming how great it is to see you, it doesn't mean that I'm not happy to see you. I'm just not that kind of 'screaming' person.

Are we good now?

K


               

I don't care who started it.... I'm going to finish it!

I was put in the somewhat awkward position of being a mediator for two friends recently, and completely by accident.

Let me give you a little bit of background (and please note that the names and places have been changed to protect the innocent - namely, me). 

Two little ladies, we shall call Thing 1 and Thing 2 have been good friends for ages (and in four year old terms that's about a year). They go to each other's houses, spend time together at the park and just recently, started at the same pre school. So, for all purposes, things are just wonderful.

That was till about a week ago, when apparently (and this is all just heresy, as the only people present were the two little ladies in question), Thing 1 told Thing 2 she didn't like her anymore because, and wait for it, she smells funny. Now, I'm no child psychologist, but one would think that with them being all of four, that this would eventually just blow over and they would be friends again, within the week. Right? Wrong. Because their Mommies got involved.

It would appear, that when Thing 2 went home and told her Mommy what Thing 1 said, Thing 2's Mommy got very upset (I believe the term 'went ballistic' was used) and immediately called up Thing 1's Mother to give her a piece of her mind. I don't know how the whole conversation went, but I believe this was the gist of it.

Thing 1 Mommy: Your daughter just said she wouldn't be friends with my daughter because she 'smells funny'. What on earth are you teaching her? (the tirade went on for quite some time apparently).
Thing 2 Mommy: (speaking somewhat irately as she now feels she's being talked to like, well, a four year old) Well, if you would stop feeding her the crap that you do, maybe she wouldn't smell funny.

You get the idea. This conversation continued for a good 20 minutes with neither Mommy backing down. 

Now, I'm friends with both, and just by sheer chance, I happened to be at the park with Thing 2 and her Mommy, when Thing 1 and her Mommy turn up. Almost immediately, they start at it. It got so bad that I had to step between them, I thought they were about to throw down and get nasty.

When I was finally able to separate the two screaming women and put them in their respective corners, I asked them what their problem was with each other. And to leave the girls out of it. As it was obviously more about them than it was their girls. That shut them up, big time.

After a pause, Thing 2's Mommy said she felt she was always being left out. That even though their girls played together, she had only been invited into Thing 1's house once. And she knew others had been in there more. To which Thing 1's Mommy said she didn't think Thing 2's Mommy would want to come in. Thing 2's Mommy had a much bigger house, in a nicer neighborhood, was always talking about how nice it was, yadda, yadda, yadda, so Thing 1's Mommy just assumed she would feel like she was 'slumming it' (her words, not mine) if she was in their house.

To be honest, I kind of tuned out, after they started talking. I figured they were on their way to making up and didn't need me to point out the obvious anymore. So, after much crying and blubbering, as only women can, both Mommies, agreed to talk more, not assume anything and all was forgiven. Meanwhile, Thing 1 and Thing 2 had gotten over it way before their Mommies had. While this had been going on, they had been playing together with Little P and having a ball. So when it was time to go home, and their Mommies told them it was okay to be friends again, the look of confusion was well founded. I figure they had long forgotten the whole 'she smells funny' conversation days ago, and were just happy to be able to play together again.

And me? I'm just glad I managed to avert WW3 between these two. 

So, till next time, try and avoid feeding the kids asparagus when they are going to be playing with their little friends, okay? No one want's to be told they 'smell funny'.

K

I'm Baaaccckkkk.

I know I've been a little slack in the posting department recently, but I do have a valid reason. Last week and this weekend were just so jammed pack with things, that it was literally hard to catch my breath. And after a full weekend of birthday parties and play dates (and a lot of time in the sun) we are finally able to sit back and go 'Phew. We survived'.

Now I know I'm not 25, and I shouldn't expect to be able to bounce back from a packed weekend like I used to, but man, this having kids business is definitely designed for the young.

There was a time when I used to be able to go non-stop on my days off and still get up and go to work without having to 'shake out the kinks', but those days are long gone. And the realization that I turn 39 (the 'almost but not quite 40' birthday as it has come to be known around here) in a few weeks doesn't help any either.

But this weekend did make me think - would it have been any different if we had Little P earlier? Now, I'm not for or against having kids later in life; it's just how it worked out for M and I. And I have nothing against people who have their kids pretty much as soon as they get out of school (my folks did), but I really do think that our bodies are more designed to run around after toddlers when we are younger.

A very wise friend of mine once said that 'having kids is a young person's game. That's why, when in your twenties, you can party like a rock star all night and still go to work as if you had a full nights sleep. Our bodies are designed to be able to keep up with kids at that age. But, you hit your thirties, and not so much.' How very true my friend, how very true.

So, now that I have had a relatively decent nights sleep, and have my coffee on hand, I am ready to tackle the week (albeit a day late, but M's weekend starts on Sunday, so, if you think about it, today is our Monday, so I'm on track. Like that bit of 'Mommy Logic'?).

I've got some fun posts lined up for you this week - just need a little bit of tweaking and they are ready to go (I had hoped to have them done over the weekend, but well, you know, the best laid plans and all that).

So, here's to bouncing back after a long weekend like you are a toddler on a bouncy castle. Bring on the coffee!

Till next time, 'keep it real my peeps'. 

K

Mommy-ism #7: Sleep becomes like a dear old friend that moved away (to another country). You still talk from time to time but you don't get to spend the time together that you used to.

Nailed It - Butterfly Shadow Box

I had intended to include two crafts in this post. Partly because I felt bad that I hadn't posted yesterday and partly because the first one was just so quick and easy. However, after writing about the first one, I decided that my 'verbal diarrhea' had gotten the best of me, and figured I would leave it at just the one. 

So, without further ado - Butterfly Shadow Box.

This is something I had seen quite some time ago on Pinterest - thought it looked simple enough (which was important as this was just as I was discovering my 'inner Martha Stewart'). I saw this:

                                                        (credit - Ali Edwards)

and after reading how she got inspired to do this and how simple it was, I figured, what the hey, I could so totally do this and that it would make for cute artwork in Little P's room.

So off to Michaels I went, with my trusty printout of said craft, and proceeded to locate a butterfly punch and some scrap book paper. It was then, that I realized just how expensive some of the scrap booking stuff is - it's crazy. And then I did a mental calculation of some of the items friends of mine have and I'm thinking 'Holy crap - they spent that much?!' Anyway, armed with a coupon for 40% off, I buy my punch and some funky paper (none of this girly stuff for me) and head on home (I already had a shadow box on hand from a previous debacle of a craft - which I may or may not tell you about one day).

While Little P was sleeping, I punched out the butterflies from my scrap paper, and then I read further down on the tutorial and realized that she used pages out of magazines. Brilliant! Thought I, and headed off to get my rather large collection of magazines that I just happen to have lying around the house (in hindsight, I could have saved myself some $ and just used the magazines, but oh well).

Once I had enough punched out, I chose the background paper (I didn't want to do plain white) and started to lay out the butterflies. This bit took the longest, as I moved them around to get the positioning that I liked. Then it was time to glue them. I folded them in half, so they were somewhat raised from the paper, and with a glob of glue on a plate, I slid the folded edge in the glue and then gently placed them on the background.

I then left them to dry overnight - I wanted to make sure that they adhered to the paper properly before closing the frame and putting it on display. Once it was all done, this is what I had:

The picture doesn't really do it justice (yes, I know M, we have a perfectly good camera and mini photo studio to take pictures of these things. What can I say? I'm an 'instant gratification' kind of gal. I promise, for the next one, I will use these). But I like it, and I kind of love how it looks like a butterfly display case. I was a little concerned that I should have used a larger shadow box (this is an 8 x 10) but I don't think a larger one would have worked in Little P's room.

It's now one of my favorite pieces in her room.

If I was to do it again (and I am seriously thinking of doing one for Fall, with pumpkins), I would change a couple of things:

1) I would use a larger frame, as it would be on display in the house, not in a room, and I 
    really think a 10 x 12 would be better suited.
2) Use a white shadow box. I think it provides a 'cleaner' look. If I had of had white spray 
    paint on hand, I probably would have painted it.
3) I would use nothing but punch outs of magazine pages. The one's with text on them are 
    my favorites.
4) Use sticky dots instead of glue. Would give more of a 3D look I think.

So, what says you oh wonderful readers? Did I 'nail it'?

Till next time....keep on punching.

K

Mommy-ism #72: There is something to be said for having your little one covered in paint (and glitter, and googly eyes….). While your first thought might be ‘Oh lord, how am I going to get this all off of you’, the moment you see just how delighted your little one is playing with all of it and making their ‘art’, you almost want to get down in there with them. Almost.

You are getting sleepy...sleepy...sleepy

Oh, for crying out loud, go to sleep!!

Why is it that little ones fight going to sleep so badly? The tears, the tantrums, the down right crankiness - it's all signs they just need to give in and sleep. It's like they feel they will miss out on something wonderful if they close their eyes. 

Sorry to disappoint you little one, but we really aren't that interesting. Know what we do when you finally close your eyes and go to sleep? We take a nap. Or we do the laundry. Or goof of on the internet. See? It's not worth all that fight to stay awake, it's really not.

I'm currently listening to Little P over the monitor, fighting nap time. It goes from tears, to pleading (Mommy, please, Mommy), to being angry (Mommy!! Mommy!!), back to tears... if she doesn't settle soon, I'm going to be the one giving in and get her out of her room. Once she gets to a certain point, it's beyond helpless. She'll be awake for another couple of hours and then pass out, exhausted.

I hate days like this - it just makes the whole day a big old waste of time. I can't do anything till she's had a nap - if I try and take her anywhere she'll be happy for all of ten minutes and then she'll want to do something else. Which will result in tears when I put her back in the car, to excitement when we get somewhere, to being bored once we get there. And then we repeat the cycle again. Her attention span when she's tired is like a gold fish - about three seconds.

I'm hoping that she'll eventually give in. The pauses between noise are getting longer, so fingers crossed she's gone down. 

And then, maybe, I can take a nap too. Or do the laundry. Or maybe start the laundry and take a nap. Yeah, that's what I'll do. I'm nothing if not a multi-tasker (and yes, sleeping while the laundry is running is classed as doing more than one thing at once).

Till next time, sing those lullabies, keep your fingers crossed and hope the Sandman comes to visit soon.

K

Mommy-ism #77: 'I don't want to go to sleep!', 'I don't want to go to sleep!', 'I.... don't...... want..... to.......' Yeah kiddo, you do.

I don't know why they fight so hard to not go to sleep, if someone told me to take a nap, it would be 'okay, don't have to ask me twice. Na-night'.

Sharing the Love

Little P is a hugger. She really is. And I'm good with that. 

She doesn't think twice about going up to someone and saying 'Hug?'. It's kind of cute. And for the most part it doesn't cause me any concern, because she's hugging people we know, especially her little friends. Witness exhibit A:

                   (and a big shout out to my very talented friend Rochelle for catching this photo).

But there have been times when she has gone up to a complete stranger (an adult), raised her hands up and said 'Hug?' to them. This usually results in a slightly concerned look from said grown up as they look to me to see if a) it's something that she normally does and b) if I am okay with them giving her a hug. My general response in this is 'It's okay. She likes to hug people.' The result is a somewhat surprised adult cracking a smile and Little P getting her hug. 

I actually think she picks people who might be having a bad day - it's almost like she can tell they need someone to say it's going to be okay, but since she can't do that (not yet at least) she offers up a hug.

The other day however, kind of caught me off guard. We were walking around a local Target, picking up a few little things, when she makes a dash down the aisle. Somewhat concerned that she's making a run for it, I chase after her, turn the corner, and find her standing next to what can only be described as a brick wall. The guy was huge. Not fat, just really tall and really built. He looked like a line backer. And Little P had gone straight up to him without any hesitation and said 'Hug?'. Not surprisingly he looked straight at me and asks 'Is it okay?'. I was still recovering from seeing how big this guy was, that I just kind of nodded my head. He scoops her up, she gives him the biggest squeeze, and as he puts her back down he says 'Thank you little lady. I needed that.' 

It turned out that he had just found out that his mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer - literally moments before Little P had come up to him to give him a hug. I'm telling you, this little one just knows when someone needs a little pick me up.

And I'm just fine with that. Who doesn't need a hug every now and then?

Till next time, keep on squeezing and sharing the love.

K

A Play in Five Acts

When it comes to eating at meal times, we tend to go through the 'Five Stages of Eating'. I decided a while ago that it's easier (and more productive) to let Little P eat when she wants to - she's a 'grazer' and doesn't really like having three separate meals; she'd much rather have a bunch of little ones through out the day. I've made peace with that, but M, well he still likes to play the game.

So, when Daddy is home for dinner, this is how it progresses for us:

Act One: Cajoling. 

Daddy: 'Honey, you need to eat more. Please eat some more for Daddy.'
Little P: 'No'.

Act Two: Bribery

Daddy: 'If you eat just one more, you can have (insert appropriate treat or favorite item)'
Little P: 'No'.

Act Three: Threatening

Daddy: 'You can't have (insert appropriate treat of favorite item) till you eat this.'
Little P: 'No.'

Act Four: Scare Tactics

Daddy: 'If you don't eat this, a monster (or giant bug or big clown - whatever works) will get you.'
Little P: 'No.'

Act Five: Admitting Defeat

Daddy: 'Fine. What do you want?'
Little P: 'Down.'

(Right about now, Daddy, sensing that Little P wants to get down more than anything else, starts the whole scenario again. At which time, I have usually finished eating, and simply let her get down. This generally results in Little P wanting to sit either in my lap or in a 'big chair', upon doing so she will usually eat a little something more.)

I'll admit, I would love for us to sit down as a family and have a full meal together, but I know I have to pick my battles when it comes to Little P, and for the moment, she's a healthy, happy kid that is gaining weight at a steady pace so I'm not going to worry about it. 

As for M, I have no doubt that this little scenario is going to keep playing out for some time. And that's okay - I enjoy watching the battle of wits between the two of them - it's like dinner AND a show.

Till next time, keep picking those battles and maybe one day we will be the victors!

K

Mommy-ism #21: Repeat after me; mealtime is not a battlefield, mealtime is not a battlefield, mealtime is not a battlefield. O, who am I kidding? It's totally a battlefield and my troops are getting annihilated by an 11 month old with a wicked right arm.....