Girls' Day

Today, Ian went to the mountains with Grandma and Papa to visit Great Grandma Eva. Paul works today, leaving Laurel and I to do as we pleased. Laurel's first request was to watch Teletubbies. This was a treat since Ian typically vetoes it when we chose a program to watch.


Laurel's next request was to paint, so I had her make some birthday cards for us to give beloved family members. We have lots of birthdays to celebrate in March and April.





Some lunch, a nap, and then we were ready to dress up. Laurel received a trunk full of princess outfits and accessories for Christmas. She loves to put on the jewelry, but had yet to wear an outfit. I decided to put on one of my fancy dresses, hoping she would follow suit. It worked! Isn't she beautiful?



Afterwards, she must have felt that she needed to prove she isn't a girly girl, so she grabbed the toy toolbox and set to work fixing the front door.


We ended our day by taking a walk around the block. She loves to wear Ian's Mickey Mouse Ears. It's so funny that she knows who Mickey Mouse is, but has only seen him in a show once about a year ago. Once she has her hat on, she grabs my keys and is ready to go.









Along the way, we have to stop and smell the wildflowers.






I love to watch her try to balance on the edge of the sidewalk, treating it almost like a balance beam.



A tradition on our walking trips, is for Ian and Laurel to bang every passed street light with their hands. Today proved no different.





Laurel, thank you for a wonderful day full of memories.

Independence on His Own Terms

Do you ever pause a moment and think, "How did we get here?"

I'm in the kitchen heating a can of soup, when I hear Ian bark an order to Laurel. "Laurel, read a book to me!"

"Okay, Ian."

Her sweet voice comes from the bathroom. My curiosity piqued, I walk to the room in question. There they are, Ian on the toilet and Laurel reading to him. Ian's patience with his sister's attempt at reading expires, and he grabs a book of his own. It's a sweet moment, one that I must capture on camera.



Then the thought occurs to me, "Weren't we battling potty training with Ian just yesterday?"

No, it wasn't yesterday, but last October when I was quite discouraged. It was our second attempt at helping him gain more independence from diapers, but he was still not ready. Paul and I decided to put the potty training on hold until Ian showed he was ready and would take the lead.

That day came. The Friday before Christmas, as I removed Ian's nighttime diaper, he informs me, "Mommy, I want to wear underwear."

A bit leery of him possibly not having any follow through, and me having to clean several more accidents, I hesitate before I respond. I tell myself to have faith in my child. I smile up at him and say, "Ok, Honey. Run up to your room and go grab a pair."

I can still hear his footsteps as he excitedly ran up the stairs and into his room.

Paul and I were a bit apprehensive about the timing of starting the pottying process since there were a couple of family parties to attend and my three nieces were coming over to spend a couple of days and nights with us. We didn't want to use diapers or Pull Ups at all since they seemed to only be a crutch and hinder any success. Underwear it was, and we let Ian take the lead.

Ian has not worn a diaper since that day, not even for naps or nighttime sleeping. I think maybe the first three mornings he woke up soaked, but none since. There has been an occasional accident during the day, but only little trickles where he caught himself and ran to the bathroom.

We still remind him to use the bathroom, especially before car trips and bedtime. He has yet to learn how to keep his pants on while sitting on the toilet and how to wipe himself clean, things only essential for starting preschool next year. But man, oh man, he is diaper free! Oh how proud we are of our little man!

Sick

Ian has passed his cold on to Laurel and Paul. Runny, red noses and deep wet coughs, just lovely stuff. They are all miserable. Somehow I have managed to ellude this virus so far. Paul thinks I have a superior immune system thanks to eleven years of exposure while teaching.




Poor guys. You know they're sick when they refuse to eat cookies and ice cream. It's heart breaking, absolutely heart breaking.

Setting Limits

See this picture? Ian is extremely sad. But, aha, he's getting a lesson in planning ahead.

We are at a park having a picnic. Both Ian and Laurel are eager to finish eating so they can attack the playground equipment. Ian declares, "I'm finished."

His sandwich is only half eaten, and he has barely touched his carrots or chips. Paul and I comment, "Ian, you will not be able to eat later, so you must finish your lunch now. Do you understand?"

"I understand, I'm done. I want to go play."

I really don't want to argue with him and force him to eat, so I view this as a learning opportunity. We allow Ian to make this choice, and off he heads towards the playground. Laurel is soon in hot pursuit, but being a faster eater, she has already consumed twice as much as Ian.

The two of them have a great time running, climbing and sliding. All too soon, it is time to head home. As we load our little family into the van, Ian asks, "Mommy, can I eat the rest of my lunch now?"

I cringe as I hear the inevitable. Sadly, I respond, "No, Ian. We already ate lunch, but you can drink your water."

"No, mommy, I want to eat my lunch!"

His voice starts to go up an octave, and his breathing gets heavier.

"I'm sorry Ian, lunch time is over." And with that, we buckle up the the kids and drive home. Ian's cries for food continues. Paul and I try our best to not respond. Many thoughts cross my mind about being a bad parent because I am starving my child. As doubt sets in, I look to Paul for reassurance. He looks at me and shakes his head. I take this to mean I should not give in.

Ian continues to cry for about five minutes, and then relaxes. We start to talk about the fun things we did that day and sing some songs. The moment has passed, but hopefully the lesson has stuck. I'm sure I'll find out soon enough.

Cough, Achoo, I Love You

My poor wee man has a Valentine's Day cold. Watery eyes, runny nose, and lots of coughing encompass his world today. Sometimes he tries playing with this beloved cars and trains, but he lacks the energy to pursue his imaginary worlds for longer than 10 minutes. After two minutes of trying to make a Valentine's Day Card, Ian announces he is finished. We read, and read, and read, but now it is only DVD's he asks for. We already watched Toy Story, and have just started Cars. I really, really hate to even complete one movie in a day, and here we are starting movie number two. Sigh.

So here I am, asking you wonderful parents and caregivers of the blogosphere what you do to entertain your children when they are sick. Books, drawing/crafts, TV, and sleep aside, what else entertains your children when they are feeling under the weather?

Crafting and Snow Fun Weekend

We had a fun packed weekend. Saturday, the kids made Valentine's Day crafts at the Arizona Youth Museum. You know it's a good time when there's paint and glitter glue involved. Laurel and Ian got to make placemats, heart shaped finger puppets, flowers, and a couple heart posters.















Surrounded with fun art activities, and what draws their attention? The magnetic letters on the white board of course!












Sunday, we drove up to Flagstaff. After a three hour drive, we reach our destination and get to play in the...









SNOW!!!

Chair Fun

Screech. Screeeech. SCREEEEEECH!

I pause from loading the dishwasher and find Laurel dragging the chairs around the dining table. They resist against the tile floor and complain quite loudly.

"Aw, Laurel, are you redecorating the eating area?" I comment.

Too busy to answer, she continues moving the chairs around. SCREEEEEEEEEEECH! SCREECH! SCREECH!

All the chairs are now corralled together on one side of the room. She squeezes her little body between them and climbs onto the one in the middle. Proudly she sits there, looking between the slats of the chair.



Paul walks over to observe our little criminal. "Laurel, you're in jail!" we both laugh.

"I in jail." Giggle, giggle. "Mommy, Daddy, I in jail." Giggle, giggle.

She plays a bit, sitting in different positions, getting up on her knees to look over the top of the chair, of course then standing. "No, Laurel. Sit in the chair," both Paul and I chime.

Quickly she sits and places her hands through all the openings between the chair's slats. Laurel again tries sitting different ways and directions. Then, in the blink of an eye, the novelty wears off, and she escapes.

Cupcake Craze

I love to bake. There's something very therapeutic about mixing some ingredients together, watching them rise and bake, sometimes adding some frosting or, joy of all joys, adding sprinkles, and then tasting the hopefully deliciously sweet results.

So far, I've limited myself to cookies, brownies and other bars, and boxed cake mixes. It just wasn't enough. Suddenly, I found myself searching Google for cake recipes, you know, the ones from scratch. In my search, I kept coming across dedicated cupcake blogs. The thought of making already individually prepared little cakes, each one perfectly frosted, is intriguing. Oh yes, I am hooked.

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, I find myself craving strawberries, thus the search for the perfect strawberry cupcake and frosting began. As we know in our internet searches, there are so many sites to choose from. Well after much skimming and head spinning, I finally decide upon a recipe that makes the cupcake and frosting using fresh strawberries.

Recently, I've become obsessed with the idea of using cake decorating tips. I love the pretty swirls that adorn the cupcakes I see at the supermarket. Without much knowledge on the subject, I blindly purchase a tip. My husband later informs me I should have also purchased a tip coupler. Oh well, I decide to pop the tip into the cut corner of a Ziploc bag and just go for it.

Here's the end result:



Pretty, but alas, only okay tasting. The frosting is much too sweet. I kept adding more and more confectioner's sugar, trying to thicken the consistency so I could pipe it. Sigh. The cake itself is more like a muffin, kind of heavy. Hmmm, perhaps I'll try a different recipe. So many recipes, so little time. Happy baking!

Walkin'

For more Wordless Wednesday, try these sites:
Wordless Wednesday
5 Minutes for Mom

Intuition

I've recently joined a Mom's Club, and tonight we are having a Discipline Forum. Purse and keys in hand, I say goodbye to Ian and give him a hug and a kiss.

"Mommy, where are you going?" he inquires.

"I'm going to talk with some other mommies about our children."

Plainly, he states, "Oh, are their kids not doing what they say either?"

Superbowl Sunday

Our little family actually watched the Superbowl.

Laurel's perspective of football as she watches a tackle: Mommy, they giving hugs! Then she smiles sweetly, jumps up and down and giggles.

Ian's perspective of the same tackle: Ah, ah, aaaahhhh, they bump into each other and roll around. Aaaahhhhh! Then he runs off, throws himself to the ground and rolls around, screaming the entire time. I feel lucky he didn't include Laurel in his replay.

Two different kids, two very different perspectives.

Blog on Hold

Sorry, I haven't kept up with blogging. There's a never ending TO DO list I've got to tackle, especially to renew my teacher certification, printing pictures from the last year and putting them into some sort of photo album and labeling them, SPRING (ha, will it ever get below 90F so we can play outside without coming home in a complete sweat?) cleaning, holiday activities, etc. I miss blogging, I miss talking with my blogging friends. I hope to get things done as quickly as possible and then continue with blogging. Until then dear blogging world, be healthy, be safe, be happy, and make wonderful memories!

Love and hugs,
Mamacita Tina

Calling All Mommies...SOS!!!

Potty training - I feel like I have completely failed my son in this endeavor.

We started potty training Ian the beginning of June. This was actually our second attempt. The first attempt just never seemed to take off, so we gave it up until Ian seemed more ready.

The second attempt started out much more successful. A few weeks beforehand, we had Ian try to use the potty first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Then we dove right in and had our little guy running around the house naked. We reminded him to try and use the potty, and occasionally he was seen trotting off to the bathroom by himself. Accidents were few and far between. Amazingly, he woke up from naps and night time sleep dry during the first few weeks.

We took him to the mall in a pull up, not really expecting much, and he asked us to take him to the bathroom. The big toilet didn't bother him at all, just the noisy hand dryers. He came home dry and clean. Even at swim class, Ian asked to use the potty. We started letting him use the big toilet at home, he didn't flinch. Of course Ian's the size of most five year olds, so he has an advantage.

Yes, things seemed to be moving right along, my little man was having great success at this potty training business.

But, yes you knew a humongous BUT was coming, here we are, almost five months later, and it's like we never started the potty training process. Somewhere we've lost our way, and now it's a pink elephant nobody knows how to handle.

Ian runs away whenever we remind him to use the bathroom. He cries and struggles if we try to get him to sit on the toilet. I believe in letting him wear underwear so that he learns from his mistakes. After asking him to try and use the potty, or even after he's tried to sit a few minutes on it, five to ten minutes later he'll have an accident. I'm not talking one accident a day. We're talking at least three. I'm really tired of cleaning urine out of the carpet and chair cushions.

I've tried incentives in the form of Skittles, stickers, TV time, and special play time. It's become obvious none of this matters to him, the accidents continue to happen. I'm losing my patience with him, and I know it's become a power struggle between the two of us. Ian's 3 1/2 years old. Am I feeling pressure to train him because of his age? Absolutely, and I know I shouldn't. I know I need to put Ian's needs first and not care what others are saying.

I'm not sure why he's regressed. We haven't moved, there are no new siblings, there haven't been any changes that I can think of. I try to make sure he gets individualized attention throughout the day, whether we work on puzzles, play with trains or garbage trucks, share a snack, or attend a special class together. Ian just doesn't mind sitting in wet or soiled clothes. He doesn't want anything to interfere with his play time.

So what do I do? Right now, I'm giving up and putting him back into diapers. I think both he and I need a break from potty training and all it entails. I need advice on how to approach it for hopefully the last time. Does anyone have a book they would recommend I read? Does anyone have a tip they found particularly useful? If you've already written about this on your blog, please send me the link so I can learn some beneficial approaches. I need help, especially from those of you who have already experienced this wonderful time of preschooler potty training.

HELP!!!

Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 5

Another week has passed, is it possible? As the holidays approach, time seems to speed up.

This week, I maintained. I actually feel pretty good about that, especially when I reflect on how awful the week went. All of us caught some version of Ian's flu. Laurel got the worst of it, but fortunately recuperated more quickly than Ian. I had some serious headaches over most of the week that wouldn't go away with Excedrin or Tylenol, or even sleep.

Paul worked late almost every night, leaving me alone with the kids (and sick at that) most days. Poor guy, he even had to work on Saturday. I'm not complaining, it's just not the usual routine, and I wasn't feeling 100% yet.

Needless to say, I didn't focus on eating habits or exercise. Maintaining, yup, it's a good thing. As for total loss, I'm still down four pounds, only six more to go to reach my goal. I realize ten pounds does not seem that much, but I want to have some fun with food over the holidays. The big picture is finding a somewhat smaller me in the mirror come January 1, 2008.

My family is healthy, there are lots of fun activities planned for the following week, it's time to focus again on good eating habits. Here are my goals:

• Drink water!
• Journal food and beverage intake and be aware of every little bite
• Get moving, try to involve the kids in the process (there will be lots of walking at the farm on Sunday!!)
• Find some low calorie alternatives for those snack attacks

Have a great week everybody!

Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 4

I know, I know, I'm a day behind in posting this. Ian's been sick with flu, poor fellow. Just when I think he's over it, another symptom pops up. At first he complained of pain in his ankles, then vomit reared its ugly head, then just lethargy, of course diarrhea followed, more lethargy, more pain in his ankles and he's hobbling, and we'll see how today goes. Monday night I had to ask Paul to come home early since I thought I caught whatever ails Ian. I felt nauseaus all evening, but woke up the next day absolutely fine. At any rate, our days have been a bit low key and yet I'm extremely busy trying to keep them that way.

I'm glad to report that I'm down another pound, that makes a total of four pounds lost so far. This week I haven't been journaling like I should. I seem to have internalized how much I can eat during the day, but I need to be cautious since it's still early in the game.

As for exercise, I didn't quite reach my goal of three days of activity. One day, I pushed the kids in the stroller and went for a three mile walk. Our neighborhood's hilly, so it's a good workout. Another day, I worked in the garden digging out dead shrubs and replacing them. I'm not saying this isn't exercise, just that I didn't intend to count it. Monday, I did 45 minutes of aerobics. I may have over exerted myself and ended up feeling sick. So, all in all it could be counted as three days of exercise. But if you feel the gardening doesn't count, then yes, you can send a raspberry my way.

Goals this week:
Journal
Drink more water, less diet soda
Go for walks!!!! The weather is finally down in the 80's, no more excuses.

Here's to another week where losing is a good thing!

WW: The BEST Christmas Gift Idea For Toddlers

For more WW, click here and here.

Please, Oh Please, Just Go To Sleep

A wonderful, busy morning is spent at the railroad park. To my surprise, Ian insists that we go to the playground first. The kids play hard running between slides, climbing stairs and ladders, and getting completely dirty from head to toe in the sand. We rest a bit while riding the carousel, and then meet up with Paul to have a picnic. Lucky for us, his work is across the street from the park. After lunch, we ride the train. Paul gives us all goodbye kisses and hugs, and the three of us head home.

My two completely exhausted children scream as we leave the park. "No mommy, I don't want to go! Nooooo, wwwaaaaahhhhh!!!!!"

Trying to comfort my babes, I offer, "Say bye-bye to the park."

"NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO, wwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!"

Ugh, they're over tired. Nothing to do now but usher them into the van and head home. Within minutes, Laurel is passed out. Ian is a zombie. He tries to talk to me about the trucks he sees on the road, and manages to stay awake the entire ride home. When we enter the house, Laurel wakes up in my arms and Ian runs off to use the potty. Laurel's diaper is changed, Ian finishes in the bathroom, and we head upstairs for a much needed nap.

We read a pumpkin story, and then Ian curls right up, ready for Slumberland. Laurel, is a different story. She yells, "No, Mommy, no nap! Downstairs now!"

I quietly kiss her head and lay her down in her crib for a nap. As I walk downstairs, I hear her kick the wall and cry, "Mommy, noooooooooo!"

I'm wondering if she'll wake up Ian. She is extremely loud and her pleas don't seem to be coming to an end any time soon. I refuse to give in to her requests, so I decide to find a project to keep me busy. The neglected photo album screams for my attention as well, and wins.

Ten minutes later, Laurel is still whining and crying. I am amazed Ian is sleeping through her song and dance. But then, the magic words are said that get my total attention, "Diaper off!"

My mind races, did she really just say what I think she said? Do I dare set foot in her room to check on her? Where is the surveillance camera when I need it?

I rush up the stairs, peek in her room, and find out she has indeed taken off her diaper and is playing with it (fortunately, it only contains some urine). Drat, I did leave off her pants when I changed her, otherwise she probably wouldn't have been able to accomplish this feat.

Quietly, I walk over to her crib, remove the diaper, pick up Laurel and place a new diaper on her. I also put her in a pair of snug fitting pants that she won't be able to take off, well at least I'm hoping. No words spoken by me, I just go through these motions and gingerly place her back in her crib. "NO, MOMMY, TIME OUT!"

I walk out her room and decide to blog instead of finishing the photo album. She was really pissed off and crying and yelling at me, but as of a few minutes ago, she had calmed down and was just talking and singing. At least she still doesn't sound mad. She just finished singing, "Happy Birthday," and said, "Night-night, Daddy. Night-night, Ian. Night-night, Mommy."

I guess she's no longer mad at me. And now, what do I hear? Nothing, except the clicking of the keyboard. Sweet dreams, Laurel.

Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 3

Another pound lost! That makes a total of three pounds I'm saying sayonara to.

Hip, hip, hurray!
A pound was lost today!
A little change here, a little change there,
For my health, I'm showing great care.

Calculating, calculating calories all day,
Wanting a smaller number on the day I must weigh.
Making good choices, keeping the mind set,
To reach my goal of a sexy silhouette.

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A poet, I'm not, but it was fun to quickly put that together. So, I'm still journaling. I didn't journal during girls' weekend, but I didn't go overboard on eating while having fun, either. I came back and started journaling again on Monday. Keeping track of foods I eat, the amounts, and calorie counting helps me keep focused. I'm still struggling with integrating exercise into everyday life. As the weather cools down, if ever, it's still in the mid to high 90's here, I will go for longer walks around the neighborhood. The zoo is also a great place to get moving. I know I'm being lazy, there should be no excuses. I'm going to set a goal of going for walks with the kids three times in the next week. If I don't reach that goal, you can all send me a great big raspberry!

Have a great week!

Breathe that Mountain Air

Escaping city life and relaxing in the mountains with some friends is just what the doctor ordered.

Friday night, we sat out on the porch, glass of wine in hand, and star gazed. It was a bit windy, so the pine trees swayed and sang to us.



Saturday morning, we headed up to Hawley Lake. We successfully got a shot of the four of us by the lake. Even our four legged friend is in the picture.


The ten second limit on the camera's timer just wasn't enough for me to sprint across the street for this shot.






We found a closer to spot to place the camera and voila, success! You can see the aspens are just now changing color.







That afternoon, we happily watched the Diamondbacks sweep the Cubs. Whoo-hoo, go Diamondbacks! After the game, we went out for dinner and then hung out a traditional spot for us gals: the Lion's Den, a local bar. Typically, they've had karaoke on Saturday nights. No, I don't typically sing, but the others do. We were a bit surprised when we walked in and found a live band. They were good and the girls danced their cares away. Sober (since I volunteered to be designated driver), I'm a wallflower, so I pretty much stayed at the table. But even sitting/standing there, my whole body was moving to the music.

Sunday morning was lazy. The four of us lounged and gossiped and giggled. The only event for the day was to have brunch at one of my friend's mom's house. She spoiled us with absolutely delicious food, the best being the chocolate chip pie. So we ate, watched football and lounged in the sunlight on the patio. Life was great!

Eventually, we had to head home. But I was ready, I was missing my family. I could hear Ian, Laurel, and Paul all yell, "Mommy!" as I was unlocking the door. Their giggles, smiles, squeals of delight, hugs and kisses said it all. I was missed, I am loved.

Dieting Advice from a Three Year Old

Sometimes Ian will say something absolutely brilliant or funny, and I quickly write it down for future blog posts. In light of my new diet health changes, I thought the following scenario to be perfect:

We're sitting at the kitchen table and Ian ravenously eats his lunch. He's enjoying it so much he has seconds. But then he notices his stomach is not feeling too well and states, "Mommy, my tummy hurts."

"Oh honey, maybe you should stop eating. Maybe your tummy is telling you it's full."

Ian thinks about it, looks down at his belly and gingerly pats it. "Mommy, I can take my shirt off and all the food will come out of my tummy and I can eat more."

Don't I wish, don't I wish...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, dear blogging friends, I bid you adieu. Tomorrow, I'm off on a girls' weekend up in the mountains. No hubby, no kids (all of whom I love dearly and will miss oodles). It's going to be a selfish it's-all-about-me time. No diapers to change, no peeing or pooping accidents to clean up, no dressing two little darlings in the morning or at night, no feeding three hungry mouths, no whining other than the wining and dining I plan to do with friends, no breaking up fights, no laundry, no dishes, etc. I only have to take care of myself. I plan on relaxing, gossiping, reading a book, taking a walk, and above all else, laughing my a** off with friends. And yes, I'm being purely selfish, but in the end I know this will help me be a better mommy and wife. I'll be recharged and ready to tackle the endless tasks of domestic life.