Some days, the three of us have great days. The kids get an educational - or at least engaging - activity or two, the house stays reasonably clean, dinner gets made, and no one loses an eye. And some days, days like today, I wonder what the hell I was thinking replacing my blessed daycare lady with...me. Sure, I am technically the mother, but we're living in a world of outsourcing. Why do what I can pay someone else a subpar wage to do? It's worked wonders for corporate America's bottom line.
Anyway, I digress. Actually, I was feeling a bit smug this morning when we left the house at 8:50 am. I had recently recieved an email from Portrait Simple saying if you brought your kids in for thier christmas pictures before September 30th, you would get 50% off your christmas cards. Well, sign me up for that, right? So I was actually congratulating myself as we headed out the door on being a together enough mom that I was actually getting my Christmas cards made...in September! and at 50% off! look at me, mom of the year.
Oh, how we all did laugh.
The pictures were a flop. After 45 minutes of trying to pig wrestle my two (adorable, by the way, but you'd never know it from the photos) kids into some semblance of a passable photo, I gave up. The pictures are actually hysterically funny in their bad-ness. you can check them out yourself at portraitsimple.com (online portraits, search cox, password is 2803). I think I'm going to go ahead and order that one you see mocked up as a holiday card - I think if you can't get a great picture, the only thing to do is to send a flat-out AWFUL picture...sort of a go big or go home holiday card ethos. But the amount of time and trouble the whole endeavor took left me needing a drink by 11.
After the pictures, I decided to head over to watertown to return some shelving for the playroom I had bought from Target the day before. I had bought some shelves for the playroom downstairs - the toys are out of control and we have only an old 3 drawer dresser to contain them - but Andy didn't like it and thought we should get one he saw at Ikea instead. So, fair enough, I troop all the way back to watertown to return them. The dang thing weighs a TON, and I had both kids to wrangle as well, so when I ever finally get all three of us plus the shelving system up to the service desk to find out that somehow I didn't have the recipt....so, moving on. let's say I was annoyed, yes?
Heading back home, now about noon, I get caught in some god-awful construction on arsenal street and end up spending 25 minutes sitting in traffic cursing fate. Normally, Owen would be interested enough in the digger activity to distract him from the car not moving, but he was starving and had to pee. Elias also, (I think, he can't talk) was starving. Either way, I was treated to a meltdown in stereo.
Driving back up Galen street, I pulled into the parking lot of a Bertuccis. I can still save this day, I thought to myself. I'll bring the boys out to lunch, everyone will pee and then we'll head home for a better afternoon. Well, remember the part about the kids having their pictures taken this morning? right. So what were they wearing? right. Matching white button down shirts. NEW. Matching. White. shirts. Bertuccis = pizza place. You do the math.
Feeling duly chastised by the universe, I brought the kids back out to the car.
Which doesn't start.
Yep. Dead battery. Oh, did I mention it was raining? And that I didn't have ths stroller in the car? So we had to walk to a nearby garage (thank God we were relatively near to one) and present our damp, sorry butts to the mechanics there to ask for assitance. After a jump and an assurance that I needed a new battery posthaste, we were finally on our way home.
hubris. It'll get you every time.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
say it with me now....
Awwwww.
Owen goes to a Pre-preschool program Monday mornings. It's a drop off class for kids ages 2.5-3.5. It's billed as "preschool readiness" (I know. the insanity). Basically they run around the gym at the y, stand in a line, have a snack, listen to a story, go potty and get picked up 2 hours later. It's great fun for him and he gets to bring a backpack, which is pretty much the highlight of the whole endeavor. Of course, all that's in there is a change of pants and underwear in case he has an accident, but it's the spirit of the thing that counts.
Here's my baby boy growing up before my eyes.
Owen goes to a Pre-preschool program Monday mornings. It's a drop off class for kids ages 2.5-3.5. It's billed as "preschool readiness" (I know. the insanity). Basically they run around the gym at the y, stand in a line, have a snack, listen to a story, go potty and get picked up 2 hours later. It's great fun for him and he gets to bring a backpack, which is pretty much the highlight of the whole endeavor. Of course, all that's in there is a change of pants and underwear in case he has an accident, but it's the spirit of the thing that counts.
Here's my baby boy growing up before my eyes.
Monday, September 13, 2010
I'm still here!
Once again, I've let my blogging fall by the wayside, but I'm determined to keep up with it - if for no other reason than one thing I know about myself is that I am not the baby book type. Heck, I'm not even the photo album type. Ever since the advent of digital photography every picture I've taken (which are remarkably few - I came back from my honeymoon with 15 pictures. 15. Total) is just in a jumble of files somewhere on this computer with easily archivable names like 1103329m4.jpg. So the blog functions as the baby book I'll wish I had 30 years from now. If they ever, I don't know, cancel the internet or something, I'll just have to go and print it all out beforehand.
So what's new? Nothing, really. Things are great. The kids are GREAT. Forgive me for getting nostalgic but Owen is such a big kid these days it kills me sometimes. He's (forgive my mom bias) smart and funny and remarkably coordinated. He's also 2 and a half, so he has his "moments", as they say, eupehmistically. Overall, however, he has fewer moments than he might have, and those moments he has are pretty funny. Today, I was vaccuming the living room sofa (why? because www.motivatedmoms.com told me to. Laugh all you want, I need structure, dammnit.) and after I unplugged it I let Owen play with it for awhile. When it was time to put it away, he wasn't having it, and yelled at me "you can't touch this! it's too dangerous! you have to be safe!" when that didn't work and I proceeded to continue putting the vacuum away he protested "don't touch that! it's really expensive! you might break it!" I find that my biggest parenting challenge these days is keeping a straight face.
Elias remains a joyful, snuggly pile of baby love. He is the most good natured and charming baby I've ever come across. When I was pregnant with Owen a coworker told me her 'decoy baby' theory. She said when you get a baby that is really easy and smily and laid back, you must be on high alert, because that baby is dangerous. He or she is a decoy baby. You'll be convinced that you should have 10 more babies - or at least another one. And when you do, that next one will have 10 months of colic, guaranteed. Eli is absolutely the most devilish decoy baby there ever was. I'm ready for a conversion van full of Elis. I am aware, however, that another Owen would probably cause total system failure, so I am able to keep my head about me in these matters.
I've gotten the swing of my new schedule and it's going well. We're packed with activities: We have something every day in the mornings. On Mondays, Owen goes to a 2 hour program at the Y called "kids club" which is really just running around the gymnasium like a maniac with 9 other 2 year olds. On tuesdays, he has swim lessons. Wednesdays, we joined a rotating-house toddler playgroup. Thursdays, we have our music class at the local Alzheimer's center (it sounds odd but is actually awesome. Both the kids and the patients adore it) and Fridays we go to public skating at the ice arena down the street. In the afternoons, we generally try to do playdates. all these activities alleviate my biggest fear about staying home, which was that I'd be trapped in my messy house going nuts with the kids bouncing off the walls, but really we're hardly home at all.
So in sum, I'm back to blogging and have resolved to do a better job of it. If I don't start updating twice a month or so, feel free to pester me.
So what's new? Nothing, really. Things are great. The kids are GREAT. Forgive me for getting nostalgic but Owen is such a big kid these days it kills me sometimes. He's (forgive my mom bias) smart and funny and remarkably coordinated. He's also 2 and a half, so he has his "moments", as they say, eupehmistically. Overall, however, he has fewer moments than he might have, and those moments he has are pretty funny. Today, I was vaccuming the living room sofa (why? because www.motivatedmoms.com told me to. Laugh all you want, I need structure, dammnit.) and after I unplugged it I let Owen play with it for awhile. When it was time to put it away, he wasn't having it, and yelled at me "you can't touch this! it's too dangerous! you have to be safe!" when that didn't work and I proceeded to continue putting the vacuum away he protested "don't touch that! it's really expensive! you might break it!" I find that my biggest parenting challenge these days is keeping a straight face.
Elias remains a joyful, snuggly pile of baby love. He is the most good natured and charming baby I've ever come across. When I was pregnant with Owen a coworker told me her 'decoy baby' theory. She said when you get a baby that is really easy and smily and laid back, you must be on high alert, because that baby is dangerous. He or she is a decoy baby. You'll be convinced that you should have 10 more babies - or at least another one. And when you do, that next one will have 10 months of colic, guaranteed. Eli is absolutely the most devilish decoy baby there ever was. I'm ready for a conversion van full of Elis. I am aware, however, that another Owen would probably cause total system failure, so I am able to keep my head about me in these matters.
I've gotten the swing of my new schedule and it's going well. We're packed with activities: We have something every day in the mornings. On Mondays, Owen goes to a 2 hour program at the Y called "kids club" which is really just running around the gymnasium like a maniac with 9 other 2 year olds. On tuesdays, he has swim lessons. Wednesdays, we joined a rotating-house toddler playgroup. Thursdays, we have our music class at the local Alzheimer's center (it sounds odd but is actually awesome. Both the kids and the patients adore it) and Fridays we go to public skating at the ice arena down the street. In the afternoons, we generally try to do playdates. all these activities alleviate my biggest fear about staying home, which was that I'd be trapped in my messy house going nuts with the kids bouncing off the walls, but really we're hardly home at all.
So in sum, I'm back to blogging and have resolved to do a better job of it. If I don't start updating twice a month or so, feel free to pester me.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Time is flying.
So you (I) probably thought that since I'm now only working part time in the evenings, I'd have plenty of time to stay on top of the blog, keep up with email communications, keep my house sparkling clean, and pick up quilting. Well, you (I) would be totally wrong (just kidding about the house cleaning thing. I might yet pick up quilting, but it'll be a cold day in hell before my house is sparkling clean while Owen still lives in it). I'm finding I'm busier these days than I've ever been, and compounded by the working till midnight thing 4 days a week, I'm pretty tired. I have to say, though, of all the permutations of work-life balance we've tried so far, this is by far the best one. True, I could use a little more sleep. But I really think that eliminating just one element from my life - the daycare drop off and pickup and related stress about timing, etc. - has made a huge difference in my stress level. Things just seem so much easier now, late nights notwithstanding.
So anyway, a few quick updates (and sorry no pictures, the problem is that I usually blog on the computer we don't upload the pictures to, so in order to put up pictures I have to a) remember to update the blog and then b) remmeber to update it from the other computer. apparently a 2 step process is now beyond me. I blame the kids.)
1) potty training. we're done. that's a wrap, it was over in a week. Don't ask me how, because I had nothing to do with it - it was Owen's idea, and now he's a pro. He even is waking up dry in the morning, although I'm nervous about pulling the plug on the nighttime diaper and am keeping him in one now just in case, but I think another week of dry mornings and I'll let that go too. Don't ask me for any potty training advice, because I have none - all I know is that the kid decided he was done with diapers and that was it.
2) Our vacation. I'm not a paid shill for Smuggler's Notch family resort, but I'd be happy to be one (note to smuggs, you listening?) It was awesome. We had a condo, which relieved the two major reservations I have about vacations - the first being the need to eat out all the time, and the second the lack of laundry facilities. The fully equipped kitchen in the condo was the key to vacation success, in my opinion. I only like to go out to eat when what I'm really doing is going out to drink - I think it's fun to get dressed up, go someplace trendy, and order a $17 martini. I do NOT think it's fun to get food out just because I'm hungry. I'd rather buy a powerbar at a gas station and be done with it. And I'd rather have my toenails extracted than go out to dinner more than once in a week with 2 kids under 3. So the kitchen solved that problem and saved us a ton of money as well. And the laundry - well, again I mention we were travelling with 2 kids under 3. Do you know how much laundry they can generate in a week? Coming home with a suitcase full of clean and folded clothes felt like a vacation in and of itself. Beyond that, the place was just really well done for families. We spend 4 days with the kids and 3 days without, which was the perfect balance and everyone had fun the whole time. And for what we got, it was extremely affordable. I highly recommend it and if you want more details, please ask because I'm happy to shill away.
3) Being home during the day - or, as someone recently put it to me - so have you 3 killed each other yet? Surprisingly, no. We're all having a really good time. Part of me was kind of anxious about making the transition to home full time, and to be honest I was secretly reserving the option to put Owen back in half time daycare if I couldn't handle it, but it's actually turned out great. The one problem I've found is that we're certainly not lacking in places to go and things to do, but if we're on the go all the time Elias naps for crap. If we stay home all day, he takes 2 beautiful 2 hour naps in his crib from about 9-11 and again from 2-4, and then goes down at 7:30 and sleeps really well all night. But if we're out and about on the go, he catnaps here and there and is cranky and paradoxically up more in the night. Most of the time I say screw the naps (I'm exhausted anyway, what's a little less sleep at this point, right?) and we've filled our days, but the days we've been home have been really good for Eli's sleep. I'm still trying to work this one out.
So that's about all the news. I'll try and post pictures soon.
So anyway, a few quick updates (and sorry no pictures, the problem is that I usually blog on the computer we don't upload the pictures to, so in order to put up pictures I have to a) remember to update the blog and then b) remmeber to update it from the other computer. apparently a 2 step process is now beyond me. I blame the kids.)
1) potty training. we're done. that's a wrap, it was over in a week. Don't ask me how, because I had nothing to do with it - it was Owen's idea, and now he's a pro. He even is waking up dry in the morning, although I'm nervous about pulling the plug on the nighttime diaper and am keeping him in one now just in case, but I think another week of dry mornings and I'll let that go too. Don't ask me for any potty training advice, because I have none - all I know is that the kid decided he was done with diapers and that was it.
2) Our vacation. I'm not a paid shill for Smuggler's Notch family resort, but I'd be happy to be one (note to smuggs, you listening?) It was awesome. We had a condo, which relieved the two major reservations I have about vacations - the first being the need to eat out all the time, and the second the lack of laundry facilities. The fully equipped kitchen in the condo was the key to vacation success, in my opinion. I only like to go out to eat when what I'm really doing is going out to drink - I think it's fun to get dressed up, go someplace trendy, and order a $17 martini. I do NOT think it's fun to get food out just because I'm hungry. I'd rather buy a powerbar at a gas station and be done with it. And I'd rather have my toenails extracted than go out to dinner more than once in a week with 2 kids under 3. So the kitchen solved that problem and saved us a ton of money as well. And the laundry - well, again I mention we were travelling with 2 kids under 3. Do you know how much laundry they can generate in a week? Coming home with a suitcase full of clean and folded clothes felt like a vacation in and of itself. Beyond that, the place was just really well done for families. We spend 4 days with the kids and 3 days without, which was the perfect balance and everyone had fun the whole time. And for what we got, it was extremely affordable. I highly recommend it and if you want more details, please ask because I'm happy to shill away.
3) Being home during the day - or, as someone recently put it to me - so have you 3 killed each other yet? Surprisingly, no. We're all having a really good time. Part of me was kind of anxious about making the transition to home full time, and to be honest I was secretly reserving the option to put Owen back in half time daycare if I couldn't handle it, but it's actually turned out great. The one problem I've found is that we're certainly not lacking in places to go and things to do, but if we're on the go all the time Elias naps for crap. If we stay home all day, he takes 2 beautiful 2 hour naps in his crib from about 9-11 and again from 2-4, and then goes down at 7:30 and sleeps really well all night. But if we're out and about on the go, he catnaps here and there and is cranky and paradoxically up more in the night. Most of the time I say screw the naps (I'm exhausted anyway, what's a little less sleep at this point, right?) and we've filled our days, but the days we've been home have been really good for Eli's sleep. I'm still trying to work this one out.
So that's about all the news. I'll try and post pictures soon.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Potty Update
because I know you're waiting with baited breath:
dry all day. No accidents. Still not down with #2, this apparently still requires a diaper. But hey - not a single pee accident? really? that HAS to be a good thing.
I'm still in shock. Do kids really potty train themselves?
dry all day. No accidents. Still not down with #2, this apparently still requires a diaper. But hey - not a single pee accident? really? that HAS to be a good thing.
I'm still in shock. Do kids really potty train themselves?
Sunday, June 27, 2010
the mind, it boggles.
we had a great vacation - I will post about it in detail and with pictures later. But first, I simply must share this news: Last night around 8:30 Owen announced that he needed to use the potty. We pretty much ignored him, but he insisted. He walked over to the potty and started pulling off his diaper. So to humor him, Andy took it off. He peed.
He got up this morning, and did it again. And again. And again. In fact, he has not been in a diaper ALL DAY at this writing (4:51pm) and has had exactly one accident.
I have no idea what happened, but I think this is a very, very, very good thing.
He got up this morning, and did it again. And again. And again. In fact, he has not been in a diaper ALL DAY at this writing (4:51pm) and has had exactly one accident.
I have no idea what happened, but I think this is a very, very, very good thing.
Monday, June 14, 2010
What do we do without daycare?
Why, we go to the cemetary. Of course. Isn't that what all the stay at home moms do?
My new schedule has begun - the new schedule being that I'm working 6pm-12 am Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. A pretty nice schedule for a working mom, (although admittedly not a great one if you want any sort of social life) and although the job is a bit on the boring side, it's compensated well enough and can be done from home. How can you argue with that? for the first time in 2 years none of the money I earn will be going to daycare, which is pretty fantastic. And the kids and I will now have plenty of quality time together which is....well, we'll see. Right now we're going with that's fantastic too. In case of emergency, I still have our daycare provider on speed dial.
Anyway, back to the cemetary. I was thinking that the kids and I should do something fun today, and figured there'll be plenty of time for me to yell at them to go find something to do while I watch soap operas. So I came up with a few ideas: there are 3 things Owen loves more than anything - games that involve balls, making a mess, and animals. I figured we could play baseball for awhile, cook something, and do something involving wildlife.
We had a bag of stale bread Andy was throwing away and I realized that we could take it to a duck pond and feed the ducks with it. But the only duck pond I know of is at Newton Cemetary. So, this afternoon, (after playing baseball in the backyard and making banana bread) that's where we went. FYI: those ducks are a toddler dream. They are the tamest creatures on the planet, and will come up within inches of a bread-proffering toddler. (they are, however, smart enough to shake a tailfeather when they sense the toddler is going to try and touch them). Owen had an awesome time feeding the ducks our stale brioche. And, really, turns out a graveyard is an excellent place to spend an afternoon. There's very little car traffic (and what there is is slow moving), there's plenty of open space to run around and explore, and, well, you're really not bothering anyone. I mean, really. The inhabitants of Newton Cemetary are probably the most toddler-tolerant folks out there, if you know what I'm saying.
Anyway, a good time was had by all, but I'm kind of out of ideas. I feel like I went and outdid myself and now have to figure out what I'm going to fill up all the time between now and preschool with. When do ducks head south for the winter, Octoberish? I'll need to figure it out by then.....
My new schedule has begun - the new schedule being that I'm working 6pm-12 am Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. A pretty nice schedule for a working mom, (although admittedly not a great one if you want any sort of social life) and although the job is a bit on the boring side, it's compensated well enough and can be done from home. How can you argue with that? for the first time in 2 years none of the money I earn will be going to daycare, which is pretty fantastic. And the kids and I will now have plenty of quality time together which is....well, we'll see. Right now we're going with that's fantastic too. In case of emergency, I still have our daycare provider on speed dial.
Anyway, back to the cemetary. I was thinking that the kids and I should do something fun today, and figured there'll be plenty of time for me to yell at them to go find something to do while I watch soap operas. So I came up with a few ideas: there are 3 things Owen loves more than anything - games that involve balls, making a mess, and animals. I figured we could play baseball for awhile, cook something, and do something involving wildlife.
We had a bag of stale bread Andy was throwing away and I realized that we could take it to a duck pond and feed the ducks with it. But the only duck pond I know of is at Newton Cemetary. So, this afternoon, (after playing baseball in the backyard and making banana bread) that's where we went. FYI: those ducks are a toddler dream. They are the tamest creatures on the planet, and will come up within inches of a bread-proffering toddler. (they are, however, smart enough to shake a tailfeather when they sense the toddler is going to try and touch them). Owen had an awesome time feeding the ducks our stale brioche. And, really, turns out a graveyard is an excellent place to spend an afternoon. There's very little car traffic (and what there is is slow moving), there's plenty of open space to run around and explore, and, well, you're really not bothering anyone. I mean, really. The inhabitants of Newton Cemetary are probably the most toddler-tolerant folks out there, if you know what I'm saying.
Anyway, a good time was had by all, but I'm kind of out of ideas. I feel like I went and outdid myself and now have to figure out what I'm going to fill up all the time between now and preschool with. When do ducks head south for the winter, Octoberish? I'll need to figure it out by then.....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)