Special Visitors

This weekend, my in-laws came in town for Halloween. We had a great time, and I really do always enjoy having them visit. But preparing for their arrival is almost always a lot of work.



First, let me explain that I have a wonderful mother-in-law. But she does make one thing really difficult - she is a super neat freak and a REALLY good housekeeper. No problem, right? Not unless you are married to her son. Sorry, honey, but I will never be able to keep a house like your mother. Oh well. I have long ago accepted this part of my personality. However, when they come for a visit, I always feel just a little extra pressure to present my house looking it's best. And while they are here, I always feel a little pressure to make sure it stays that way. I'm not trying to be someone I am not; in fact, this is the housekeeper I always strive to be and their visits give me a little motivation to succeed.



So, my cleaning started a least two days ahead of their arrival. I can't leave anything for last minute. As soon as I do that, some child will refuse to let me put them down and then I have to shove everything in the master bedroom and close the door just minutes before they arrive. And this was not just a regular visit either. This was a some new people who have never been to our house might stop by and ask for a tour of the house visit.



Here is a list of "in-law" cleaning, both before they come and while they are visiting.



1. After every meal, I thoroughly clean both the high chair and booster chair. Not my typical get the big chunks and major crust off. I actually take the tray off and wash it with soap and water.

2. All trash and toys are brought in the from car - immediately when we get home. I typically tell myself that during nap time I will go back out to the car and bring in all the stuff. And then I usually forget until the next time we go somewhere.

3. Beds get made. I actually do like to make my bed everyday but when the in-laws are here, I make sure to do it - just in case the bedroom door happens to get pushed open.

4. Vacuum stairs. This is a chore I really hate doing but I love the results. It is saved for special occasions, i.e. the in-laws

5. Vacuum the dog hair from under the ottoman. Just in case we decide to move furniture around for sleeping arrangements.

6. Change sheets. Of course this is a no-brainer. But I'm not going to lie. Last time they came I didn't change the sheets. I'm pretty sure they were the last visitors any way.

7. Vacuum the dining room. Our dining room is tucked away and we don't typically eat there. I usually ignore it on my regular weekly routine. But I'm pretty sure our cat sleeps on the chairs during the day. Must be cleaned for visitors.

8. Pick up all dirty clothes and toys after a bath. I like to pretend that clothes go immediately in the dirty clothes and that bath toys are left to dry on the side of the tub. Not always the case.

I know there are so many other things I do during the in-laws visit that aren't always typical for me. You know, pick up toys, clean the dishes, feed the kids lots of vegetables. Trying to be the best version of me that I can be.

I wonder if I've fooled them?

Blog guilt

As a mother, every little thing can make you feel guilty. Going out with friends while your husband watches the kids (even though he just played golf for 6 hours while you stayed home by yourself on a Saturday). Feeding your kids McDonald's. Looking forward to nap time. Napping during nap time. Turning off the monitor for just 5 more minutes of sleep during nap time. Putting your 9 month old in front of the TV so you can go to the bathroom. And the list could go on and on...

But I never expected that a blog would bring me guilt. Especially not a blog that I very much enjoy writing. But that is exactly what has happened.

A few weeks ago, my son decided that he was going to start the process of dropping of his morning nap. Every morning, I would anxiously await for him to show his tired signs - rubbing eyes, getting crabby, etc. I am pretty obsessed with trying to make sure that my kids don't get overtired because then we all suffer. But by 9:30, no signs of sleepiness. 9:45 - still nothing. 10:00 - despite him playing happily, I scooped him up and went ahead with the nap time routine - diaper change, failed attempt to read a book, nurse, sing, put in crib, leave the room. Thirty minutes later, he finally falls asleep. And then sleeps for 3 hours!!

Funny how this SHOULD be a positive thing. If he was my only child, I would have been celebrating. But not with two. Right about the time my daughter is ready for her nap, he is waking up - well-rested and ready to go for hours. Right about the time he is getting grumpy again, it's time for my daughter to wake up. And where does that leave me? With NO time to myself. No cleaning the house time. No Bible study time. No watching Ellen time. No blogging time.

Before I knew it, two weeks had gone by with no blog post. Every day, I would promise myself that as soon as the kids went to bed, I would blog. But then I was just too tired.

And then, I started to feel the guilt. I might as well not even continue the blog if I can't post regularly. I started to imagine all my readers wondering what happened to me. (When in reality, I am pretty sure my Mom is the only reader anxiously awaiting a new post). Most people probably didn't even notice I had dropped off the face of the blogging world. I started wondering why I had even started to blog and was feeling embarrassed that I couldn't get it together. So I decided to just quit.

But then I realized something - this is supposed to be fun, right? The whole point of this blogging thing is to give me an outlet to write and record the funny things in my life. It doesn't really matter if I have any readers at all. So, I'm back. Maybe not as often as I would like, but I have so many stories in my head that I can't wait to tell. Hope you enjoy reading them Mom!

We have a tooth!



Finally, my son got my first tooth!



Honestly, I had given up looking for it. I had even given up blaming fussiness on teeth (almost). You see, my daughter didn't get her first tooth until almost 10 months. And when her teeth did come it, they were far from perfect. So, I just expected that our children must have weird teeth genes.



I'm not sure where they would get it. I have never had braces or any major problems with my teeth. Growing up, I never had any cavities or work done on my teeth. My husband also has a beautiful smile. Of course, he does call his smile The Million Dollar Smile. I guess it has something to do with the baby teeth that never fell out or the mouthful of veneers or the FIVE years of braces.



So honestly, I wasn't surprised when every time I would check my son's bottom gums I didn't see any signs of teeth. It never occured to me to look for teeth on top - babies always get those two cute little teeth on the bottom first. I even had a friend ask me a few weeks ago if his top teeth were coming in. No, of course not, he hasn't even gotten his bottom teeth yet.



But I was wrong. His first tooth popped through just last week. And guess which one it was. The top tooth. But not even a top middle tooth. The top tooth beside the middle tooth! My son is a snaggle tooth.



I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Weird teeth just run in the genes around here....



Not that I'm blaming anyone.

I Need a Time-Out

As a modern day preschool teacher, time-out is not my favorite form of discipline. I do believe that every now and then, a good old-fashioned time-out is in order. But most of the time, I try to use more natural consequences. You know, if you don't ask politely, you don't get what you want. If you spit your milk, you get it taken away. If you run from Mommy in the store, you have to ride in the buggy. I also try really hard to give my daughter a second chance to make a good decision; she is, after all, just learning what is expected of her. But even though I have had lots of practice with discipline as a teacher of Deaf preschoolers, sometimes I am not really sure what the appropriate consequence would be - and this is when I usually decide to try time-out.

Over the past few weeks, my daughter's "two-year-old-ness" has really been shining through. I have resorted to time-out a total of two times, and this is how that went:

First attempt: Last week, the weather was finally bearable. So, we all went to play outside. My son and I sat on a blanket in the shade, and my daughter was pretending to drive to Texas in her little red car. At this point, I can't even remember the specifics about what upset my daughter, but I do remember that she decided to yell at me. I just remember her yelling, "NO" at me. Now, because I always believe in warnings, I calmly stated, "I cannot accept you yelling at me. If you yell again, you will have to have a time-out from your toys." (sounds like a teacher, huh?) She looked at me for a moment. Then, let out a very obviously pretend yell and then exclaims, "I need a time-out" as she plopped down beside me to pay her debt. Somehow, that didn't really feel all that effective.

Second attempt: Another fantastic behavior to recently come into our household is hitting. Although, I am glad to say that I think the phase is already almost over. But for a few days last week, I got hit A LOT. So, one day when we were playing in my daughter's room, she got mad about something and raised her hand to hit me. I stopped her half-way by giving her a good mom stare and saying, "If you hit me, you will have a time-out" (there's that warning again). Of course, in a test of my parenting, she went ahead and hit me. Being that I hadn't really thought this through, I swept her up and quickly scanned the room for a good time-out spot. Nothing. The floor was covered in toys and way too much fun to be good for a time-out. So, I whipped her around the corner and sat her right outside of her door. Immediately, she begins wailing. I tried to pretend that she was crying because she was so upset that she was in time-out. At least that would mean the punishment was a little more effective this time. But I was pretty sure that on the way to the ground, I had hit her back against the corner of the door. Maybe, just maybe, she hadn't noticed. She was doing one of those cries where no words can come out, so I couldn't know why she was really so upset. But she was upset. And loud. And again, because I hadn't really thought this whole thing through, I had put her in the hallway only a few feet from my sleeping son's room. She was wailing and I wasn't willing to wake him up. So, I let maybe 15 seconds pass before I ask, "Are you ready to try again?" "NO!" she cries. Great. Now, I have to follow through and leave her in time-out. Please, don't let her wake up her brother! Another 15 seconds go by. "Are you ready to try again?" "Yes," she whimpers, while holding her back. "Did I hit your back?" Of course, I did, and I know it. So, I apologize and give her a hug. Again, not so sure that was effective.

Needless to say, I haven't tried time-out again.

Those Magical Numbers

As a mother of two young children, I have to confess something: I don't really like having a newborn. Don't get me wrong. There isn't much better than holding your sweet, tiny newborn in your arms. I have felt overwhelming love for both of my children from the moment they were born. In fact, I felt that love the whole 9 months I carried them in my tummy.

But, I can still admit that having a newborn is one of my least favorite things. When I found out I was pregnant with my second child, I was most overwhelmed by the thought of having another newborn so soon. I felt like I had just made it out of the dark ages. In fact, I had just made it out. My daughter's first birthday was the day of my LMP, and therefore, the beginning of the 40 week countdown to a newborn. And for me, the first birthday is a major milestone.

Once my son was actually here, and I was walking him around the house for the one-hundredth time, I remember thinking, "If we can just make it to 3 months, things will get easier." And we did, and they did. And although I try to cherish every precious moment with my children because I know they will grow up too fast, there is a secret side of me that lives for those first year milestones; one step closer to that fabulous first birthday.

3 Months: The first of the great milestones. This is the point (in theory) that fussiness starts to slow down. Finally, my babies are happier for more than 5 minutes at time. This means fewer trips walking around the house, bouncing the baby, and maybe a few dinners actually sitting at the table.

4 Months: Old enough (according to some people, me included) to let a baby cry-it-out when going to sleep. That doesn't mean Mommy is ready, but at least you don't have to feel as guilty when you turn the monitor off just for a few moments of silence.

6 Months: Half-way there! Probably sitting up. This may seem like a tiny accomplishment, but it means so much as a mother. Finally, you can set the baby down, even on hard floors. They can ride in the grocery cart and sit in high chairs! Hard to explain why this is so great; trust me, it is. And solids are great too. I am finally not the only source of food and that is so freeing.

8 Months: It just gets better! I really do love 8 months! This is the moment when you start to realize that your baby is understanding LOTS. Their personality starts to shine and are easily entertained. Plus, finger foods start about now. Sometimes you just need to be able to occupy a baby with a graham cracker.

1 year: All the hard work has paid off. Baby is starting to communicate, eats regular food, drinks regular milk, sleeps through most nights, and is endlessly entertaining.

And it just gets better. Everyday is better than the last. In fact, today is really fantastic - my son is 8 months old today. I can't believe we made it, but here we are. Although I look at his newborn pictures and wonder where my little baby has gone, I can't help but be pretty happy right where we are.

A-Camping We Will Go

For my daughter's 2nd birthday, she received a kid's camping set. Fun, right? At first, that is what I thought. It seemed like a great gift! I used to love making forts and tents as a kid, and when I was a teacher, the students loved when we did a camping theme and set up a tent in the room for reading and playing. The preschool teacher side of me loves stuff like this. I studied early childhood so I could do things like this - have a theme and set up fun, hands-on activities for the kids to do all week. For camping, we would set up a tent, build a fake fire, go on hikes around the school, eat marshmallows, read books about camping, pretend to go fishing, etc. I LOVED it. In fact, although I personally feel that I am supposed to be at home raising my children, I must admit that every now and then, I miss teaching preschool and all the fun ideas I could come up with.

So, why not do these awesome activities at home with my children? When I was pregnant with my daughter I honestly believed that staying at home with her would be just like having a preschool in my home. I dreamed of doing weekly crafts, art projects, and even themed snacks. Yet, somehow my dreams of an incredibly creative, stimulating environment have given way to real life. Sure, I still fill my kids days with plenty of stimulating activities - we paint, we sing, we dance, we read, we do science experiments in the bathtub and we have a lot of fun. But we also do laundry and vacuum and go to the grocery store. In her two and a half years of life, we have probably only done a handful of crafts and very little theme based play.

Until this week. Honestly, I have kind of been avoiding the tent. Not sure why because I really was excited to receive it. I think it just seemed bigger than I could handle. But this past weekend, I finally braved the tent. Oh, how I wish I had done it earlier! It has been so much fun. She has been playing in it almost non-stop. And it even motivated me to build a pretend fire for her to roast marshmallows. I bought her a book about camping and we have been talking non-stop about camping. I am even trying to convince my husband to take her camping for real. (Notice I am not planning on being included in this fabulous learning experience)

And the tent has even come with an unforeseen bonus: naps. As I think I have posted before, my daughter does not take regular naps (even though she really needs them). She has a rest time everyday where she must stay in her bed, but she only occasionally falls asleep. She usually just plays in her bed for a couple of hours. So, when she asked to nap in her tent on the first day, I was more than a little hesitant. But, I figured, it can't be much worse than her bed because she doesn't sleep in there either. I agreed but with strict rules that she could not bring any toys into her tent. And guess what? She slept!! In fact, in the last five days she has slept four - in her tent! I had every intention of letting her nap in the tent for a few days before I took it down. But now, I just can't bring myself to do it. I am enjoying this extra sleep (for me and her) too much. I may never take it down. Surely it's okay to let a child take naps in tent forever, right? Although I can't get my hopes up. Next week, I am sure I will report that naps are once again a thing of the past. But for now, I am getting what I can. And I will do it as long as it works.

Motivation

I'm having one of those super motivated afternoons. You know the kind where you feel like you could conquer the world (and your kids and household). I get these feelings every now and then and always swear that this time I really will keep up with everything I need to do. I usually make a series of lists (I obsessively write lists even on ordinary days) and prepare to get back in a routine. I think my motivation today was a direct result of both of my kids napping for over 2 hours - at the same time! Here is a list of some of the things I decided to change in my life:

1. I will clean up the kitchen COMPLETELY every night after dinner. That includes wiping down the high chair and removing random pieces of food from the kid's seats (i.e. dumping it on the floor so the dog can eat it)

2. I will be better about making my daughter pick up her toys immediately after she uses them instead of having a huge cleaning party every couple of days

3. I will do my Bible study every day. I started a One Year Bible study almost exactly one year ago. I picked up the study in the middle, on August 21st, and am currently on the readings for December 20th. At this rate it will only take me three more years to complete it.

4. I will lose these last 15 pounds. This is a post of it's own.

5. I will follow my cleaning schedule. I have an elaborate house cleaning schedule that includes "zones" and daily chores. I'm pretty sure my favorite part of this cleaning routine was making the schedule and all of the lists that go with it.

6. I will vacuum the house twice a week.....no, I probably won't.

7. I will wipe down my bathroom counters everyday after taking my shower and putting on make-up. I used to do this before kids and it really does make a huge difference in your life - especially if you shed like me.

8. I will exercise. When? I haven't quite figured that out yet.

9. I will put away clothes as soon as they are out of the dryer. I will no longer throw clothes that I know are clean into the dirty clothes basket just because I don't feel like hanging them up.


Just a few of my motivations for today. Let's see what happens tomorrow.