Sunday, May 29, 2011

Just Dance 2

Dang! This has got to be one of the most fun games around to play on our Wii.  It's a great calorie burner and my son makes me laugh so hard every time we dance.

"Mom! Dad! Do you want to dance the Viva?" -- this is how he excitedly begs us to dance to "Viva Las Begas," as he calls it.

And tonight, total bonus, I beat my husband's best score! It was 9,000+ and I danced my butt off to a triumphant 10,488.

I'm feelin' pretty bad-a** right now.

Woot!  :)

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Consistency vs. Trial & Error

There is nothing kids crave more than consistency - with the obvious exception of love and affection - yet parenting requires a huge amount of trial and error.

When trying something new, it can be hard to know how many errors in a given trial is 'good enough.' For me, I tend to feel more successful when I check in with my gut.

For example, when my son, who never slept well, was about 6 months old, I had read in some book about an odd method of sleep training that involved a lot of picking up a crying kid and laying him back down again until he finally fell asleep. It seemed strange to do this back-and-forth thing, yet this author had a huge following on her forums and so I gave it a shot... for about 8 minutes.

It was so wrong for us. I even think my infant son was looking at me like I was nuts to try it. So, for this one I threw consistency out the window and went back to the drawing board.

But I do truly believe that kids need consistency. When I do find something that works, especially if I'm teaching my kids something new or trying to solve a problem, I try really hard to stick to it. It's not always easy, but the payoff has been nice.

What's Your Worst Fear?

A friend posted this question on Facebook recently. 

Fear is a stinky thing, one that can overpower and consume you if you let it. Like anyone, I've dealt with fears in my life, and some fears have come and gone over the years. Fear of flying and a fear of heights have competed for my attention for the better part of my life.

But when I read this question the other day, there was only one answer.

My biggest fear is dying while my children are young.

I do not let this thought consume me, but it does scare the hell out of me. To combat it, I keep a journal, written, with love, from me to them, recording some of their cute moments, and telling them how much I love them over and over again. I write the journal, not as a teenager who keeps her thoughts hidden from the world, but in full hope and knowledge that my kids will one day read it and know how much I love them.

I also take plenty of photos and videos. I recently had an idea to record myself reading some of my kids' favorite books. What fun! I really must begin that project soon. I love reading and love that my son is, so-far-fingers-crossed, an avid reader.

But, mostly, I treasure each moment with my kids. Even the ones where I want to pull my hair out or scream in frustration. I am so very blessed with these two gorgeous, happy, wonderful children.

Live in the now. Be here.  That's the way to blow this fear out of the water.

Friday, May 27, 2011

The Power of Um

My son likes to stall when it's time to go to bed (or time to do anything he wants to delay, really).  Pretty normal for a preschooler.

Last night on the way to bed, his stalling tactics were all about asking me which books I wanted to read:

"You wanna read... um... Curious George?"

And after he had a few specific books in mind, he sort of trailed off like this:

"You wanna read... um..."
"You wanna... um..."
"You wanna read... um..."

... and that was all he had. I could see his brain twirling, searching for something important to say so that he could stay up just a few more minutes. I smiled and loved him for this attempt.

He has a brilliant use of the word, "um." :)

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Buying Guide: Diaper Bag

A friend recently asked me what I liked about my diaper bag. I fired off what I thought would be a very quick email and it turned out to be a laundry list of must-haves and nice-to-haves. Here is that info, without any apologies for the lack of brevity.

Most important:
The number one thing I like about my diaper bag is that I can wear it as a backpack. There were times when I could not have gotten in and out of buildings, events, trips or whatever without the bag being a backpack. I prefer that the bag can also be worn over the shoulder so you have both options. I wouldn't want one that was only a backpack, or only worn on the shoulder.

Here are specific things I like about mine:
  • Several small pockets on the outside - it's easier than dumping all those little things into one big area.
  • Also must have some pockets inside - or you'll never find that tiny little pair of socks.
  • Outside pocket just for bottles - very handy.
  • Pocket flaps with magnets, not zippers - now, this can depend on the situation. If you're one-handing it (which happened a lot with me), you may want a way to get into something quickly while holding baby. I think zippers can make it harder.
  • Mesh. I have some mesh pockets inside and it's good for breathability for some things like wet clothes.
  • Separate (not attached) diaper changing pad. I have used this over and over and over. I always put it back into the slot in the diaper bag - which on my own diaper bag can sometimes be a bit hard with the straps where they are, but honestly, it's a tiny problem for a bag I love.

Two other things I think are important:
  1. Get yourself a smaller diaper bag too - one for short, well-timed outings, and just big enough to carry one diaper, some wipes, a tiny tube of ointment and maybe even a snack for you. You won't regret it! How I used it: I would pack both diaper bags into the car and when I got to the grocery store (or wherever), I could decide if a little bag was fine, or if I felt more comfortable with the bigger, has-everything-I-need bag.
  2. Nice-smelling plastic bags for dirty diapers. I got these as a baby shower gift when I was pregnant with my now 2.5-yr old. I still have some left. They last a long time since I only use them in public places. You will be SO happy to have these while out and about and your friends will thank you too. Go to www.amazon.com and search for "Sassy Disposable Diaper Sacks" - I'm sure there are others, but that's the kind I have.
Links:
I have a Ju Ju Be bag. Here is my bag and I love it. My colors = brown robin.

JJB has a smaller bag too, which might be perfect for the smaller bag occasions. But I'm still partial to my Seattle-made Laura Bee bag. Bonus = no animal cruelty with Laura Bee Designs.

Petunia Pickle Bottom is also adorable. I see them everywhere.

Happy shopping!

Monday, May 23, 2011

Proof of Dreaming?

This morning when I went in to greet my waking son, we had the following curious conversation.

Me: "Good morning, sweetheart."
Him: "You were riding in James' car."
Me: "Why?"
Him: "Because James was driving."
Me: "Did I like it?"
Him: "No."


I'm pretty sure this is the James to which he was referring:

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Dressing for Bed

I love the zany and fun design of kids' clothing. So brightly colored was my daughter tonight as I put her to bed: pink footsie jammies with little green frogs all over. And let's not forget the darling frog ears on the feet that complete the look.

When else in your life would you ever go to sleep dressed as a frog.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Dad Standards

Me: "Honey, did you clean her face after she ate breakfast?"

My husband: "yeah, I wiped it."

Ten minutes later, I'm putting my daughter into my car to take her to daycare and I see clear signs that my husband and I have very different standards of clean.

My daughter smiles at me and coos, completely unaware that there are still peaches on her cheek and a giant booger beneath her nose.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Bedtime Rituals

When my son was born, I was completely unprepared for how hard it would be to get him to sleep well. And when a baby doesn't sleep well, neither does the mama. I bought countless books, poured over them (many pages read while he was asleep in my arms), and found one common theme that has meant the most to me:

Wind your kid down with a consistent bedtime routine.

And you know what? A bedtime routine is just as important for the mama. I am finally doing right by my aging skin and washing my face each night. Some nights I skip it, but mostly I'm faithful to my little routine.

Tonight I started the ritual in an irritated huff, my brain busy with repeated memories of the day's events, and a little black cloud of annoyance hovering over me because it's late and I'm still not done with all the crap I need to do. Resentfully, I splashed the warm water over my face. And then something happened... I breathed in the calming scent of my favorite face cleanser and sighed with contentment as I realized that I was relaxing, winding down from my own busy day.

And with that simple ritual, all was right in my world again.

I must remember this the next time I am tempted to hurry my toddler off to bed before he's had a proper wind-down.

Fake Kid Names

I look forward to sharing funny stories of my kids with you. Let's face it, when you have two in diapers, you're bound to have a laugh or two. To play it safe, I've decided against using their real names, but that made me think... what would be good fake names? Count I invent something new? Ooh, goodie, and opportunity to be creative!

I played around with 'real' names like Max and Sarah or Josh and Betty, but that almost felt like a deception, like I wouldn't be admitting they were fake names. The point of this blog is to share some honest thoughts, stories and opinions and it didn't feel right to enter that world under false pretenses.

In the end, I think doing something a little outrageous is way, way more fun. So here they are:

My son, who is currently 2 1/2 years old, shall be called Turbo (because he loves to run and because he is full of enough energy to power a small town).

My daughter, who is currently 8 months old, shall be named Smiley (because she's a smiley, content little gem of a girl).

And so I begin to share the Adventures of Turbo and Smiley.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

A Name Explained

One of my favorite radio shows is This American Life, and one of my all time favorite episodes of this program was called Kid Logic. In this enlightened broadcast, Ira Glass explains how kids come to conclusions that are perfectly logical and perfectly wrong. I always liked that notion.

When trying to come up with a name for my blog, my brain sorted through various meaningful but not so very clever names. Luckily for me, all of those options were taken. While putting my 8-month-old daughter to bed tonight, my brain wandered in another direction and out popped the name Kid Logical. I kind of like it. And, hmm, maybe it's because it's now nearly 10 PM and I've finally succeeded in getting my I-don't-wanna-sleep-toddler to bed, or maybe it's hunger, but that name is starting to sound a little like, "popsicle."

I think I'll go check the freezer.