The beginning of my daughters journey to make me feel old began last Thursday. My parents, my sister Megan and my brother Zack were down visiting and we went to the county fair. Last year Eden could ride most of the kiddie rides but needed an adult for some of them. This year she was tall enough to ride all the kiddie rides alone and most of the adult rides with an adult. But that is not what made me feel old. Most of my friends know I love roller coasters, love, love, love them. I am also a fan of most carnival rides. Most because I don't do those totally crazy ones that hang you upside down while you spin. The only time I have ever gotten motion sick was on a cruise boat, little boats don't bother me and when I was pregnant. No, I am not pregnant, let's just get that out of the way. But last Thursday I got totally motion sick. So motion sick that I threw up all night long. Eden however was fine. In fact she got upset when the rides ended. Me on the other hand had to work very hard to keep from puking on the storm. Good thing I had all that practice with morning sickness. So my four year old daughter out- rode her mom at the county fair. Is this the beginning of the end? I guess it could have been food poisoning too. Now that I think about it I like that idea. Maybe it doesn't mean I'm getting old, lol.
Eden is so precocious. We were at Lowe's the other day and she sees a pair of Disney princess gardening gloves, of which she already has a pair. She says she needs another one. I tell her, you already have those. To which she informs me that "I need them, you know why? Because I am going to get pregnant and I need to save them for my little baby." WHAT????? She is already planning her pregnancy? At Publix the other day she asks me "Mom, can I have a magazine about makeup?" My reply was "No way, you are four. You don't get to wear makeup." She is in such a hurry to grow up, and I know all kids are. I just want to tell her to slow down, being a grown up will come soon enough. And trust me there will be days when you wish you could be a kid again. But somehow I don't think she would listen to me.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
The question is...
How many times can a relatively sane adult watch episodes of Curious George before they lose the tenuous grip on reality that they are clinging to? The answer may be somewhere around 32. Eden woke up with a stomach bug that resulted in lots of puking yesterday. In order to keep her quiet and entertained she got to watch TV all day. Really isn't that one of the benefits of being sick? But as a result she watched Curious George all day long. Now I am a fan of the PBS show, I really am. They teach simple lessons, they are cute, and the animation isn't too fast. But seriously who puts a monkey in charge of a candy store? I mean that's just ridiculous. Even more ridiculous is that I have wasted time contemplating this question. This is a dangerous path to go down. Next thing you know you find yourself shushing your four year old because she is talking and you really want to hear the end of Barbie Princess Charm School. Don't judge, I had been forced to watch the beginning multiple times, and I wanted to see the end.
We tried really hard when Eden was little to limit her TV time. In fact she didn't watch any TV until 18 months. Really she didn't. Yes, I know that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children watch no TV until age 2. We almost made it but then we had to drive to Orlando in the day and we broke down and got a DVD player for the car. But poor Eli is not so lucky. He is obsessed with watching the TV. I try to limit his exposure, but I can't never let Eden watch TV. Quite honestly sometimes I need a break and a good bribe.
Some of you may not know that when we moved into our house almost two years ago (I can't believe it's been that long either) we did not turn on the cable or get a dish. That's right we don't even have rabbit ears. Now I still watch my favorite shows on hulu, but we don't have normal TV. Almost two years later and you know what; I think it was one of the best decisions we have ever made. Not only do I get to control what Eden watches, but the temptation to veg out in front of the TV after the kids go to bed isn't as strong. This in no way means that Eden is not totally obsessed with TV, she is. But at least I can decide what she watches. Now some of you may be offended at my next statement. Please don't be, it is just my opinion. Words cannot describe how much I dislike Spongebob Square Pants. I think it is stupid, offensive and makes my kid dumber for having watched it. So I do not allow her to watch Spongebob, and because we do not have TV, she doesn't turn on the TV and find it on. And as an added bonus there are no commercials. This is amazing. Eden begs for enough stuff when we go to the store, but at least I don't have to hear about what she wants at home because she saw it on TV. Now if I could just get the veggie tales songs out of my head and figure out why someone sends a monkey in a submarine to find a splashed down satellite I will have some sanity back.
We tried really hard when Eden was little to limit her TV time. In fact she didn't watch any TV until 18 months. Really she didn't. Yes, I know that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children watch no TV until age 2. We almost made it but then we had to drive to Orlando in the day and we broke down and got a DVD player for the car. But poor Eli is not so lucky. He is obsessed with watching the TV. I try to limit his exposure, but I can't never let Eden watch TV. Quite honestly sometimes I need a break and a good bribe.
Some of you may not know that when we moved into our house almost two years ago (I can't believe it's been that long either) we did not turn on the cable or get a dish. That's right we don't even have rabbit ears. Now I still watch my favorite shows on hulu, but we don't have normal TV. Almost two years later and you know what; I think it was one of the best decisions we have ever made. Not only do I get to control what Eden watches, but the temptation to veg out in front of the TV after the kids go to bed isn't as strong. This in no way means that Eden is not totally obsessed with TV, she is. But at least I can decide what she watches. Now some of you may be offended at my next statement. Please don't be, it is just my opinion. Words cannot describe how much I dislike Spongebob Square Pants. I think it is stupid, offensive and makes my kid dumber for having watched it. So I do not allow her to watch Spongebob, and because we do not have TV, she doesn't turn on the TV and find it on. And as an added bonus there are no commercials. This is amazing. Eden begs for enough stuff when we go to the store, but at least I don't have to hear about what she wants at home because she saw it on TV. Now if I could just get the veggie tales songs out of my head and figure out why someone sends a monkey in a submarine to find a splashed down satellite I will have some sanity back.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
So here goes...
So here goes my journey into the murky world of being a stay at home mom. Enter the world of temper tantrums and play dates, leave the world of a working mother. I am excited to be on this journey and slightly cautious as to what lies ahead. It has been five months since Elijah was born and I think I am still getting used to it. I have been on maternity leave for the last five months and will continue to be until March 20th. On the 20th I will be officially a member of the stay at home mom club. The biggest lesson I have learned being a stay at home mom so far has been that just because I am staying at home does not mean that my children will miraculously become perfect children. In fact I think the opposite has been true. Eden seems to be much more comfortable pushing her limits now that we are home. Her favorite time to explore: when I am feeding Eli. She knows I am stuck in one spot for a little while and she can create chaos. As a result she has been banned from my room and bathroom. Not that this stops her, but it makes me feel better.
And that leads me to my second lesson: Take joy in little victories and in your own delusions. Seriously no kids are perfect, and being the mother of a toddler is a lesson in accepting and taking joy in the tiny victories. For example I could get seriously frustrated that we have to visit the bathroom 12 times in a one hour trip to Target. But then Eden looks up at me and says "Mom, I listened to my body and I didn't have an accident." It makes the frustration of going back to the bathroom even though she just went ten minutes ago a little more tolerable.
My final lesson/mini rant is: Don't compare yourself to other mothers. Does it make you feel like a better mother to make super healthy lunches and snacks for your kids? Good for you, but don't look at me like you are going to call DCF because I gave my kids frozen chicken nuggets, hey I cooked them first. This is not to say that I don't try really hard to make sure that Eden eats well balanced and healthy meals. But I am not going to make myself feel bad because all she ate was two frozen go-gurts. At least it is yogurt. There is enough pressure and outside forces telling us that we are bad mothers. Do we really need to do that to each other? I promise that if you stop tsking at me because I told Eden if she doesn't start behaving that I would sell her on ebay, and I won't comment on the fact that your kid is making fart sounds behind your back.
I can't promise that my blog will contain any amazing insight into being a stay at home mom. In fact I can pretty much promise the opposite, but I will try not to sugarcoat the journey. Because someday I will find it in me to laugh at how yesterday at the park Eli had a blow out diaper. It might be funny that I discovered this because I picked him up and poop ran down my wrist. Until then I am going to take a victory in that it didn't get on my clothes, and that I am eternally grateful for hand sanitizer.
And that leads me to my second lesson: Take joy in little victories and in your own delusions. Seriously no kids are perfect, and being the mother of a toddler is a lesson in accepting and taking joy in the tiny victories. For example I could get seriously frustrated that we have to visit the bathroom 12 times in a one hour trip to Target. But then Eden looks up at me and says "Mom, I listened to my body and I didn't have an accident." It makes the frustration of going back to the bathroom even though she just went ten minutes ago a little more tolerable.
My final lesson/mini rant is: Don't compare yourself to other mothers. Does it make you feel like a better mother to make super healthy lunches and snacks for your kids? Good for you, but don't look at me like you are going to call DCF because I gave my kids frozen chicken nuggets, hey I cooked them first. This is not to say that I don't try really hard to make sure that Eden eats well balanced and healthy meals. But I am not going to make myself feel bad because all she ate was two frozen go-gurts. At least it is yogurt. There is enough pressure and outside forces telling us that we are bad mothers. Do we really need to do that to each other? I promise that if you stop tsking at me because I told Eden if she doesn't start behaving that I would sell her on ebay, and I won't comment on the fact that your kid is making fart sounds behind your back.
I can't promise that my blog will contain any amazing insight into being a stay at home mom. In fact I can pretty much promise the opposite, but I will try not to sugarcoat the journey. Because someday I will find it in me to laugh at how yesterday at the park Eli had a blow out diaper. It might be funny that I discovered this because I picked him up and poop ran down my wrist. Until then I am going to take a victory in that it didn't get on my clothes, and that I am eternally grateful for hand sanitizer.
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