Our Littlest Moo has taken to trains lately and loves building his Duplo tracks. But it is not just enough to put the tracks together, he has to make them better!
Who doesn’t want tracks that rise and fall!? Sadly, these are not designed for such ingenuity.
I think I can, I think I can, and then I can’t.
Being a toddler is hard.
So my bestest friend is preggers and is absolutely crazy and insists on not knowing the gender of her baby. Okay, she’s not really crazy, I think it sweet that she waits to see what nature’s miracle will be BUT it does make it ultra tricky for her friend (who wishes to live vicariously through her pregger friend) to spoil her rotten with tons of baby stuff. I’m doing the best I can, but don’t worry I will make up for it once I know the gender, and I don’t think my friend will mind one bit. In an effort to give her something other than white onesies I decided to craft it up a notch.
Enter, dyed onesies!
I got the idea from Make It Cozee
I started with some white onesies I found for a spectacular deal
Then dyed with some Sunshine Orange Rit Dye, following the instructions in the above link.
And ended up with what I think is a beautiful orange color. It is splotchy on some of them, but I think it gives it a little charm and will look great on what will undoubtedly be an ADORABLE baby.
LOVE! I will definitely be doing this again, hopefully she loves them too!
Oh Pinterest. How I love thee. You are a terrible time suck that I can’t ever stop referring to, as if you were my best friend. It is sad really, but then…I stumble across something that can truly change our family’s dynamic. And I’m going to do it. I’m going to take The Orange Rhino Challenge
I hate that I yell. It is one of the things I feel the worst about as a parent. Sure there are a lot of things I don’t do right, but yelling is the one thing I feel the worst about, and I see my boys modeling my behavior and it hurts my heart. I don’t want to be remembered as the mom who yelled all the time. I want my boys to know they too can be heard without yelling or being angry.
So…
365 is a little to large a goal for me, for now. Much like I can’t say I will lose 50lbs, I can’t say I’ll go a whole year without yelling. Start small. So I will be starting with one week. Spring break.
Hold me. This. Will. Be. Hard.
I told Little Moo about a no yelling week and he seemed happy about it and laughed when I told him he could say “Orange Rhinoceros” when I seemed like I might yell, but that I could also say the same thing to him. He laughed and said “and then we’ll both stop!”.
I will need your support oh wonderful readers because this may is going to be a challenge for sure. It may result in a few facebook posts in all caps or even the occasional text or two. You too can say “Orange Rhino” and remind me I’m doing this for my kids, and me too. Or just let me vent. And if you’d like to join me in The Orange Rhino Challenge I will do the same for you.
Wish me luck!
There are so many things that bring great joy to us as mothers but with that comes guilt too. That we aren’t enough. Are they watching too much tv? Are they eating well enough? Do I have them in enough activities? Are they spoiled? Literally the list can go on and on. I have been struggling with my own shame of failing my son. I was so frustrated by his outbursts and behavior that I started to push him away because of my own frustrations of failing to figure him out. Not abuse or even neglect, just distance.
Add that to my list of guilt.
Guilt, there is plenty to go around. However I am going to take credit. I am going to take credit for the fact that while it may have taken me longer than he deserved to see the light I have figured it out and I am taking steps to help. It took one scan of an article for the light bulb to blink on.
Duh, it takes one to know one!
So how does and anxious person parent the anxious. Easy, my anxiety goes something like this,
He’s upset and making a scene. Oh my god, is he going to be made fun of? Will he fit in? Other parents think I’m a terrible mother! I’m failing as a mom!
Fortunately I got my head out of my ass and was able to hear what he was actually telling me during his episodes. It won’t be an overnight change but at least we know what we are dealing with which is good, because this little boy
deserves the best!
Should we? Shouldn’t we? We’re pretty sure, we’re done having babies. Nothing is 100% but at this point we are pretty close. But now that most of the women I know are having babies I started to panic. Are we missing out on something? Is there something magic that happens after baby number two? I mean other than being outnumbered? I’m pretty sure Zippercow is tired of me asking. To be honest I’m pretty sure we’re done too, I’m just getting swept up in baby hormones. But I feel we are ready for something new…
A dog?
This was purely a suggestion for a few years from now, you know, when I’m tearful about Littlest Moo going off to school, but something I said recently flipped a switch for the hubs and he’s game on. I’m not sure if it was the argument that boys should have a dog, that it may help Little Moo with his anxiety and give Littlest Moo an active playmate in the back yard or that he too sensed we were ready for something new, but now he is beyond antsy to get a dog. We are pretty specific in what we want and apparently dogs don’t grow on trees (who knew?) which means instant gratification is not in the cards.
He’s worse than a kid sometimes, but his excitement is contagious for sure! Who knew that a Golden Retriever or Golden Mix would be so hard to find? So for now we will prepare for a dog and wait until the right one comes along, I’m sure it will happen sooner than the nine months you wait for a baby!
You all know how I feel about carving pumpkins at Halloween? Well addressing valentines takes a close second. It seems like it should be fun. Cute little valentines, red, pink, and purple everything, and sticker hearts, what’s not to love? It screams everything girly I adore. And as a grade school girl I remember sitting down to my list of nearly thirty classmates and picking just the right valentine for each classmate. But that was the later years, when all my parents had to do was buy the box I’d so carefully chosen and then I’d sit down to the list and do the work.
Yeah, we’re not there yet.
Now, it is just a painful exercise in patience. Really it is just a holiday themed homework assignment. “Don’t forget Uppercase “A” and lowercase “l” and “Use your best writing” This is the first year he had to address them to each student. At least last year all he had to do was sign his name on them (this cut down time on passing them out, man she was an awesome teacher!) but even that was painful. He was done signing his name after the ninth one, still eleven more to go son.
So this year his teacher requested no candy. I believe she said it is so the kids can focus on the valentines and not all the treats (when did Valentine’s Day turn into Halloween Part Deux?) So we picked some awesome Cars 2 Valentines that came with tattoos. Cool right? Right???
“Mommy, it’s kind of like a Valentine Factory!”
“This is hard work!” ~ Little Moo
Yeah…I have awesome fine motor skills and even I was struggling getting the little tattoos into the manufacture provided slits.
Sure Little Moo was excited to make them, but it took the ultimate parenting patience to complete them all.
Sigh….the things we do for love!
I will apologize up front because I’m sure this might offend some of my friends, especially since I’ve never said this to them in person because…well I’m a chicken. Please know I love you dearly and will in no way reveal who you are, but I’m sure you know who you are. As much as this is a cowardly way to say what has been bothering me to my friends, this is not meant to be my wagging finger at you, this message is for everyone, even if I don’t ride with you.
Please don’t cell phone and drive.
It. Is. Terrifying.
No joke, I’m a terrible passenger. I’m sure I know it is why my husband lets me drive when we are going somewhere as a family, so that we can stay married. When I am riding as a guest in a vehicle I try to be on my best behavior, but when you pull out your phone to text or talk it is everything I can do to not lose my shit. I find it absolutely terrifying and what’s worse is when we are on the freeway doing 60mph (or 70mph) and you start reaching for your phone in your purse and start reading, texting, or talking on your phone I’m stuck. Everyone thinks it doesn’t effect their driving, but if you are looking down and not at the road how on earth can you tell? As a passenger I can see that it does effect your driving and all I can do is warn you if you are wandering too far out of the lane, but trust me I’m on pins and needles watching.
It can . I promise. I have NEVER been with someone in a car who got a call or text that was so important it couldn’t wait. And let me just ad that if it is an emergency you sure as hell shouldn’t be driving when you get that message anyhow.
I know there is a convenience to being in touch with everyone at all times but while you are driving is not the time. Sure, if you have handless with Bluetooth and voice activated everything and can manage not to be distracted looking for buttons go for it, but otherwise feel free to have me (or your passenger) read or answer it if absolutely necessary. Or wait.
I don’t know why I’m such a coward about bringing it up when it happens. Mostly I don’t want to be annoying or high maintenance. Which is just ridiculous. It isn’t high maintenance to want to be safe while careening down the freeway at high speeds or heaven forbid busy streets. I wouldn’t get in a car with someone who had been drinking, and trust me it is just as dangerous. The problem is, unlike someone who has been drinking, you don’t always know who is a cell- phone- while- driving user until you are already in the car on your way somewhere.
I’m not even just requesting you don’t do it while I’m in your vehicle, I’m asking you not to do it at all. It terrifies me that it is being done while your children are in the vehicle with you, or even when you are by yourself. Nothing is 100% safe, but this is a variable you can control. I PROMISE you will never forgive yourself if you hurt someone in an accident just so you could read the “k” text.
I love you. Be safe!
