Reid update - He's 6 months old!

Reid turned 6 months old this past Saturday. We took him to see the doctor then too. He's weighing in at 18 lbs 12 ounces and measures 27 1/4 inches long. This puts him at the 75th percentile for weight and height. His head circumference is in the 95th percentile. He does have a big head, but I think it's because we all tell him how cute and happy he is all of the time.

Reid really is the happiest baby around. He smiles at everyone, even strangers in the grocery store.

He's rolling over from his back to his front. But this is the only time he's unhappy. When he's tired of being on his belly, he can't roll himself back over yet, so he cries.

Reid is grabbing at everything now too. He loves to play with his toys, including his keys, a taggie blanket, and the chicken and cow that hang from his playmat. He also loves his squishie toy, a bunch of wooden balls connected by rubberband-type things. It sounds dangerous, but it's not, I promise.

I think Reid's favorite activity is playing with Jack. He loves when Jack comes over to talk to him. That's when we see Reid's biggest smile. He even likes it when Jack tries to tackle him, although we try to prevent that from happening.

Reid is also making more noises lately. He coos and laughs. But he also likes to make a spitting sound and to buzz his lips.

Finally, Reid is eating baby food now. We started cereal last month, and last week we started green beans and tried some carrots. The green beans were a hit. The carrots are still undecided. Reid had some sleeping issues after we tried carrots and I'm not sure if it was the carrots or just lack of naps. We're going to try carrots again in another week or so.

Hopefully this eating will help him sleep longer at night. We've had a few nights when he only wakes up once, at about 3a.m. or so. Last night, he was up at 1 a.m. and then again at 4:40.

There you have it. There's a little synopsis of Reid halfway through his first year. And, of course, I have pictures to go with it.

Enough with the Pee!

Good news, I have four out of the five ingredients needed to effectively remove the urine stains and smells from my house. I just need to buy hydrogen peroxide and I'm set.

We are a little tired of urine in our house. It seems that Steve and I are the only ones who can get it in the right place. Jack is close.

Over the last few days, we have entered another round of "everyone pees everywhere" in our house. I can't count how many times Breyer has peed on the carpet in the last week. It's been that many. We have convinced Jack to give up pull-ups at night, so we are experiencing that learning curve. And Reid, well, he loves diaper changes, and I don't think he realizes he's peeing on the wall because he just stares at me with this inquisitive look, like "what's the problem, Mom? Make with the new diaper already!"

All of this has led to a disgusting urine smell that lightly permeates the upstairs bedroom quarters. Today I hit my limit. I could smell the odor, but I couldn't find a new source. The Resolve isn't hacking it anymore.

So I again turned to the trusty internet. What did people do without the internet? I guess people just went around not knowing the names of the caterpillars in their backyards and learned to enjoy the smell of urine.

Through my search, I found the following recipe to be the most widely cited. So tomorrow, I think we will be hitting up Target for a little hydrogen peroxide. Maybe we'll pierce somebody's ears, too just for old time's sake.

Ingredients:
White Vinegar
Water
Baking Soda
3 percent Hydrogen Peroxide
Dishwashing detergent

Basically, I'm going to mix a solution of half water, half vinegar and soak the stained areas. After soaking that out with towels, I'll sprinkle the baking soda over the area. Then I'm going to mix a half cup of the hydrogen peroxide with a teaspoon of the dish detergent and spray that over the baking soda.  Scrub. Let dry. Vacuum. And then hopefully success.

I love our dog. I love our children. I really hate pee. I hope this works.

Sleep, time, and Mother's Day

To start this post, I need you to time travel with me way back to this past Thursday.

Alright, it's a beautiful day out. Steve is in Peoria. The sun rose at about 5:30 a.m. I know this, because I was awake to see it. Reid woke up at about 5 a.m. to eat. Jack woke up at 5:30. Neither of them went back to sleep. And so began a very long day. In fact, I don't remember a lot of the details because by 4 p.m. I was so exhausted I was crying. I do remember that neither boy wanted to nap that day. Going through my pictures, I also remember that it was Field Day for Jack at his school. I thought that was going to ensure a nap. It did not. That evening, I decided I needed a blog post about sleep. But I was too tired to write it then.

We are working on training Jack to go to sleep by himself. It's a long process. I started it about 2 or 3 weeks ago. When we started, we had two scenarios for Jack's bedtime. Both scenarios started with a bath followed by two to three books. In scenario 1, the books were followed by Steve and me leaving the room and then proceeding to spend the next 30 minutes to an hour watching television and periodically going upstairs to put Jack back in bed, threatening things like turning off the hall light or closing his door. Scenario 2 had me or Steve laying in bed with Jack until he either fell asleep or we got too irritated and then reverted back to Scenario 1.

Week 1 of sleep training was me laying in bed with Jack, rubbing his back, until he fell asleep. I would calmly enforce the bedtime rules. The bedtime rules are: stay in the bed, be quiet and calm, no talking, no playing. It was a little difficult for me to do his and remain calm at first. But I reminded myself that the point of all of this was to teach Jack how to calm himself and fall asleep. If I got upset, then I would be teaching him the wrong skills.

For week 2, I stopped rubbing his back. I would lay in bed with him, but we added a new bedtime rule: no touching. After books, I would give him a big hug and a kiss, then the rules would go into effect.

Week 3, I sit on the floor next to his bed and wait for him to fall asleep.

We are about to start week 4. I'm going to sit in his room, but close to the door.

I am hoping that I will eventually be able to leave the room and he will be able to calm himself and fall asleep on his own. Maybe by week 6 or 7. That would take my time involvement for bedtime from about an hour to an hour and a half and shorten it to about 30 minutes. That would be awesome! Not to mention the life skill for Jack of being able to calm himself down and fall asleep. I don't want to have to lay with a 16-year-old kid to get him to fall asleep some day.

I'll keep you posted on the progress.

So right now, it's 9:30 and I should be sleeping myself. But it was Mother's Day and we were very busy doing fun things today. We didn't get home until after 6 p.m. That means that bedtime didn't start until almost 7:30 since we had to eat dinner and such. The boys finally fell asleep at about 8:30-9:00. I wanted to be ready for this week, so here I am still awake. I'm almost ready.

There are so many other things I wanted to write about. But my brain is turning to mush from lack of sleep. So here are some pictures from Field Day and Mother's Day. My boys were very good to me this year. They made me a painting and brought me breakfast in bed. Jack says he wants to bring me breakfast in bed lots more. I told him that would be fine. We also went to Independence Grove in Lake County with our families. Everyone had fun as you can probably tell from the photos. Enjoy, and hopefully I'll be back to my regular writing self tomorrow.

Field Day
Tag, Drop and Run


Jack's Sleep Hollow Preschool Class


Mother's Day
The Painting and Flowers


Reid and his grandmas


Climbing the rock wall


Chasing bubbles

I'm still not a gardener

Way back in 2007, Steve and I were looking for a new home. When we saw the house we eventually bought (this one in Dundee), we were both very excited. He loved the unique design and the opportunities for improvement. I loved the yard, and I thought it would be awesome to finally learn how to garden. I actually read articles describing the relaxing benefits of gardening, and that sounded incredible.

Then we moved in. I quickly discovered that I did not enjoy the "relaxing" aspects of gardening. The weeds hurt when I tried to pull them out, and then I got rashes. So I would avoid weeding until the weeds were as tall as I was. I also had no idea how to prepare soil or where to plant which plants. It was overwhelming and unenjoyable to me. And I came to terms with it. Steve laughed, but also came to terms with it. We hired a landscaping crew to keep the weeds in check and to create a landscape that didn't require much from us to keep up.

Today, I took another opportunity to find my inner gardener on a much smaller level. The moms group had arranged an event at Platt Hill Nursery for the kids to plant flowers in a pot for Mother's Day.

Platt Hill is a beautiful place. We walked through the retail section to get back to the huge greenhouse that just oozed beautiful, growing things. Jack was captivated by the scene too. Reid was happily chewing on his keys. I felt positive, enthusiastic even. I was ready to help Jack plant his flowers.

When we got to the table where the nice woman from Platt Hill was going to show us how to do this, I had my first inklings of trouble. Jack was not running over to watch. I had to encourage him a few times to pay attention. Unfortunately, I was standing behind the nice lady, so I didn't see or hear enough to get the full directions.

Jack enjoyed step one: fill pot with dirt. He got right in there. He did alright with step two: pick out flowers. Step three got a little complicated. I struggled to get the flowers out of the plastic containers. Then we both tried digging a hole in the dirt to place the flowers in, but the dirt kept sliding back down, so our holes weren't deep enough. Jack decided he would just push the flowers in hard. I almost stopped him, but I realized that I did not have a better plan.



We managed to get two pots together in about a half an hour. When we finished, I looked around at the pots our friends had made. They had obviously done this before. I'm still not sure how they got so many plants into such little pots and got them so nicely arranged.



So I'm still not a gardener, and I'm okay with it. We'll see how Jack does now that he's had his first exposure. Maybe I'll give him a little corner of the yard and see what he can do.

Jack asked me to take a picture of him and Reid today. Enjoy!

Caterpillars and butterflies

We had a very relaxing day today. The only thing on our schedule was Jazzercise this morning. And Steve was even working from home today.

Our big excitement came from the back yard. With the swing set up and going, we look for any excuse to go out and play. So after lunch, when Reid went down for a nap, Jack and I played on the swing set for a bit. While we were there, we found caterpillars.



After a little research, it seems that they are Eastern Tent Caterpillars. They will turn into moths eventually. Not the pretty moths, unfortunately. Just plain old grayish brown moths. But for now, they are pretty cool to watch.



They move pretty quickly too. Jack found the first of three and had me come down to see it. He set up a nice grass bed for it along with a rock "cave" for it to sleep in. He also tried to feed it some grass. While we were intently staring at "Rocky," another caterpillar snuck up on us. We turned around, and there he was sitting on the wood behind us. Jack then proceeded to set up another grass bed. We stepped away for a moment to search out other caterpillars along the wooden edge of the swing set only to return and find a third making his way along the wooden frame.

"Rocky"


Jack was beyond excited. I was given the task of watching the caterpillars while he explored the area. I was a good watcher and watched caterpillar #3 run away into the mulch. The other two waited nicely for Jack to return.



My mom and Jack actually noticed the first evidence of the Eastern Tent Caterpillars a few weeks ago. They were outside playing and saw the tents the caterpillars build way up at the top of one of our trees. There were two in our yard, and they weren't small. You can see an example if you look it up on Wikipedia.

Caterpillars aren't the only interesting living things in our back yard lately. We have a lively colony of butterflies too. Again, a little research led me to identify them as Red Admiral butterflies. I haven't been able to capture a photo of any despite there being at least 15 flying around the yard at any one time. One even landed on Jack's back today while he was busy with the caterpillars. Hopefully that wasn't a case of butterfly jealousy.

Now, all of my research on caterpillars and butterflies was done tonight, after Jack had fallen asleep. We did research one flying visitor together today. There was a ginormous bee flying around our yard, and it scared the beejesus out of Jack. He was up on the swing set by himself after rest, and the bee paid him a visit. I learned of the visit by the piercing screams. No, the bee did not sting Jack. He just flew a little too close for comfort. So Jack and I looked up bees on the internet together. We think it was a carpenter bee. Those don't sting unless dreadfully provoked. That seemed to calm Jack a bit.

All of this insect identification has given me the willies. I have to admit, though, it is pretty fun watching Jack interact with the "wildlife." I guess this is another nice thing about where we live.

Here are some other pictures from our day!

An update on Jack's office

I haven't written much about our office adventures lately. Mostly, that's because we haven't been working in the office much lately. Between play dates, soccer class, preschool, and cleaning, we haven't spent a lot of time in "the office".

We also haven't spent much time in the office because of what happens when we are in there. The last few times I've tried to get Jack interested in an "office" (Montessori) activity, he tries to jump on the bed or rearrange the furniture instead. I try not to get frustrated, and I certainly don't try to force him to do anything. We usually just go to the basement and play or do laundry instead.

I did get him to do a picture punch-out activity once that was fun. Basically, he uses a push-pin to make little holes along a black outline of a shape. Once there are holes all the way around the shape, you can punch out the shape, like a perforated piece of paper. It teaches him how to hold a pencil correctly. We both really liked it the first time we did it. But when I tried it again, he wasn't as interested.

One thing I have noticed lately is how much he remembers from our Ocean Animals week way back in February. He still talks about jellyfish and their feeding arms and stinging tentacles. This has me thinking more about what kinds of things we do in the "office". I really like the Montessori activities. And I really like the classroom setup. And I really like the Montessori philosophy of observing the child and guiding him based on his interests and abilities. But I think Jack likes more content, not just skills.

Maybe I'm on to something here, my professional educator friends. Or maybe I'm just rediscovering what great teachers already know. My kid loves to learn about the world around him (also a Montessori idea). He wants to be able to work in that world, but more than anything, he loves to know "stuff". He wants to talk about interesting topics. I think it's much more interesting for him to count octopus legs than it is to count pennies in cups.

So, I had let the "office" work lapse because I wasn't interested in making Jack hate going in there and I didn't really know how to keep him interested while we were there. But I have some new ideas now. I found an interesting site through Pinterest called Homeschool Share that has a bunch of free printables  and lesson ideas that go with popular children's books. The site is a homeschool curriculum of literature-based units. You can see why I might like that, right?

At this point, I feel like I can combine what I like from Montessori with the theme ideas from earlier to create some fun things for us to do together.

On a related note, Steve and I did make a decision regarding Jack's preschool for next year. He's going to stay at Sleepy Hollow. Hooray!

Relationships with food and family

I have an unhealthy relationship with food. I love it way more than it loves me. Yesterday was a prime example of this. The good news, though, is that I have a great relationship with my mom and sisters.

My unhealthy relationship with food manifests itself in my inability to resist chocolate or most melted cheese. I also stress about what and when my next meal will be. The experts say I eat to satisfy my appetite instead of my hunger. I would agree. I really like chocolate. They also say that I probably have an emotional trigger. If they mean the emotion of joy and comfort, then yes.

I have learned to manage my food issues by planning out meals on the calendar. This also has the added benefit of helping the grocery bills since I only buy what we need, not what I crave as I walk through Trader Joe's. The calendar doesn't help much when I plan to go out to eat though.

Yesterday, I succumbed to the chocolate and melted cheese big time.

For the first time in a long time, I met my mom and three sisters out for lunch without husbands or kids, just us girls. It was awesome. For two hours, we sat and talked and ate waffles. I had a Chocolate Delight, a waffle with chocolate chips, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. I paired it with a side of peanut butter ice cream. Yum!

My sisters and my mom are pretty funny women, so our time together is always full of laughs and fun. I feel so lucky that I can count them as my friends. Yesterday, we laughed about Jack and Nick stories as well as a few Connie and Cathy stories. I got just as much pleasure from our conversation as I did from my waffle.

Last night, I proceeded to go out again, but this time with my new friends from the Moms group. We went out for Seis de Mayo drinks and dinner. I indulged in the chips, salsa and queso, a beef empanada, and some tortilla soup. It wouldn't be Seis de Mayo without a margarita, so I had two of those too.

Again, I spent my meal laughing with some pretty great women. I know it has been said before by many, many people, but there's really nothing better than good food and good company.

Next on my calendar, a dinner date with Steve.

Neighborly help and a swing set

Did you know that only 42 percent of adults know all or most of their neighbors? According to a June 2010 Pew Research Center study, you are more likely to know your neighbors if you have completed college and earn more than $30,000 a year. Luckily for us, we fit into this category.

Today, Steve, our friend Phil, and our neighbor Larry assembled the swing set we purchased from our other neighbors, the Mollsens. It was originally just going to be Steve and Phil assembling, but Larry stopped by just as Steve and Phil were trying to move one of the massively heavy pieces into the area for the swing set. Thank you, Larry!

Overall, it took about four hours for the three of them to get the entire thing put back together. They did have a little help from Jack. He brought out the bag of bolts, and he disassembled Steve's socket wrench set. He also measured a rock and moved some equipment. The end result is pretty awesome.



So back to neighborliness, I think it was pretty cool that Larry came over and spent the middle of his day with Steve, Jack and Phil putting together a swing set. Larry has children, but they are older and have children of their own. We offered him pizza and drinks and an open invitation to bring his grandkids over whenever the spirit moves them.

We are lucky to be surrounded by several great neighbors. I hope you are too. If you don't, there are a few houses for sale in our neighborhood. Come on over!

I'm exhausted

This is going to be a fairly short post tonight. My brain is not functioning at its best. Though, I've learned a few things this week that I would like to share before I forget.

#1 - There is such a thing as too much fun. I love the Moms group that I found in Dundee. The organizer, Rachel, is amazing at planning really fun stuff. And all of the moms and kids we have met are lots of fun to hang out with. This week, I signed us up for three events. Before this week, I was trying to do at least one event a week, maybe two. I learned that three in one week is too many for us. We had fun today at the park. It was great. But there was also an open house at Jack's school that we wanted to stop by. And this morning while Reid was napping, Jack and I were playing Slap Dragon, a fun card game. All I could think about while we played was how nice it would be if we didn't have anywhere to go today. That's when I realized there is such a thing as too much fun.

#2 - Figuring out your own child's education plan is way harder than helping other people's kids do the same thing. I can sit down with just about any high school kid and talk future plans. I can help them explore options and think about their possibilities. I can even do a pretty decent job of helping them come to their own conclusions about what they should do. But I cannot seem to pick the best preschool/elementary school option for Jack. I am really appreciating Sleepy Hollow Elementary now. I really like his preschool teacher there. No, it is not Little Wildcats (I don't think anything can compare to Little Wildcats), but I do think Jack has adjusted well and is succeeding there. But we signed him up to go to Liberty Elementary next year since that is where he will go to kindergarten. Today, I was talking to another mom from his preschool class and found out that her son will go to Liberty Elementary for kindergarten too, but she purposely chose SH for preschool because of the teacher. SH has a 5-day morning spot still open for next year. Now I think I should have him stay there instead of switching schools again. At least this way when he goes to kindergarten, he'll go with three or four kids he knows.

If I'm having this much trouble with preschool, I am screwed when it comes to college. Hopefully Jack will remain his independent, confident self and have his own ideas about what he wants to do post-high school. If I could get him to make the preschool decision, I would.

#3 Sleep/rest is really important for me too. I have mom-guilt today. Reid started rolling over two days ago. He is now a rolling mad-man. He can only get onto his tummy though, so after a few minutes he gets  irritated and needs help getting back to his back. Once you put him on his back, he rolls right back over to his tummy. It's quite cute really. But here's the problem. In my haze of exhaustion this afternoon, I forgot how quickly he rolls and put him on the couch. I stepped away. He rolled off the couch and started screaming. I felt terrible. He is fine. No marks, no concussion, no bleeding. Just shock and fear. I held him for the next two hours just to make sure. And he let me hold him for the next two hours just to feel safe. Usually he doesn't like to be held for too long. I need sleep so I can be on my game. These guys move too quickly for me to be off.

So now I'm going to go to sleep. Tomorrow should be a pretty easy day. Shopping and a birthday party. I think I can handle it.

Summer's back... again!

I can't believe how much we fit into today. The 80-degree weather definitely helped. During bath-time, we always talk about our favorite parts of the day. Tonight, when I started listing off the options, I started to realize how many fun things we did, and so did Jack. His response to the most fun thing we did? "I liked everything we did today." Me too, buddy!

No school today and no Jazzercise this morning meant we could have a slow morning, which meant I could make pancakes. We really like pancakes in our house, so Jack and enjoyed the blueberry ones this morning. Then, we did a little laundry, changed the sheets (another really fun chore because we count to three and run), and watched a few Jack shows (Reid rolled over a few more times too!).

While Reid was taking his morning nap, I folded a load of laundry while Jack played in the basement. It was one of those moments I just stopped myself and watched what was happening. Jack had his Thor helmet on and was "fishing" with his fishing pole and my mom's exercise tube. He told me he was fishing for rainbow fish. I couldn't help but smile. It only lasted about five minutes before he ran off to build a fort, but I really enjoyed watching him "fish".

So Reid woke up, we all got dressed and packed up the sand toys. It was off to our play date at a new park. Again, the Moms and Tots group comes through with a win. We went to Deicke Park in Huntley. This park had a play area called the Discovery Park that is all fenced in. It has every awesome play thing a kid like Jack could want: sand, water, railroad crossing sign with working bell, swings, playhouses, and more.







Outside of the Discovery Park, there is also this huge old-school metal slide. We checked that out with some our new friends, and it passed the inspection. We had a picnic lunch on a picnic table near the slide. Jack would slide, then stop in for a few bites of yogurt. There was also another playground near the old-school slide, and we played there for a good hour. Reid had a pretty good time hanging in the stroller. He even took a little nap.

On our way home from the park, we stopped at Dairy Queen for ice cream. I love hot fudge sundaes, and I needed an excuse to get one. A hot day seems good enough reason to me! Jack decided he wanted the drinkable ice cream. Turns out this means a shake. Done and done.



After rest, it was still hot and sunny, so we took out the sprinkler. Are you tired reading about this yet? I was definitely feeling tired by then. So Jack played in the sprinkler while I rested on the screened in porch. Reid was sleeping, so I had the monitor on and I figured the screened-in porch was a good middle ground.



We also got some more basement playtime in before dinner and bath. Both boys were asleep by 7:30 tonight. I should be asleep now. And that's where I will be heading momentarily.



Unfortunately, all of Chicagoland did not have the wonderful weather we had today. Because O'Hare seems to be getting some hail, Minnesota gets to keep Steve for another night. While we were talking about the bummerness of it all, both Steve and I realize that we've been pretty lucky that this is the first time this has happened in a LONG time. I hope Jack is as understanding. He did ask me as he was falling asleep if Daddy was going to be home tonight and if Daddy would come in and check on him. I told him he would be. I think we'll get donuts in the morning to cheer us up.

Milestones on a do-nothing day

Steve left today for another business trip. Jack was up at 6 a.m. to see him go. He's very cute about watching Steve leave through the tall window in our room. He actually jumps up and down waving at him. Don't worry, he's also this excited to see Steve return home.

So Steve left and it was raining. In my book, those are good reasons to have a "do-nothing" day. Jack still went to school, but we didn't have any other plans for our day. We could do, or not do, anything we wanted. I wanted Starbucks, so Reid and I stopped there on our way back home after dropping Jack off at school. I enjoyed my coffee while Reid and I played on the floor. He practiced rolling onto his side and getting me excited about the possibility of him rolling over (just to fall back onto his back and smile at me).



After we picked Jack up, we came home to play Play-Doh, Ice Cream Shoppe Play-Doh to be exact. Jack and I both enjoyed this a ton. I had no idea they made sprinkle Play-Doh. It looks like Funfetti cake batter, so that made it a little hard to not actually eat. It definitely does not taste like Funfetti cake mix, for the record.



We also got a little laundry done. Jack enjoys pouring the soap into the washer and helping put clothes in. Actually, he likes every step of the actual washing and drying process. He hasn't caught on to the folding part yet, but I can get him to put clothes away. So overall, it's a pretty successful and fun operation we have going. That's why we can do it on a do-nothing day; laundry is fun at our house :). And before you all start asking, we do not do laundry at other people's homes. Sorry.

So what milestones are you alluding to, Karen? Well, Reid finally DID roll over tonight! I was talking to my mom on the phone and making dinner while Jack watched Calliou and Reid played on his playmat. When I walked back around the corner to check on Reid (who was playing in the dining room, far away from Jack), he was on his tummy! I tried to get him to do it again, but he wouldn't. He is a very happy kid, and I don't think he sees a real reason to roll over. So I think when he did it tonight, it was accidental. We'll see tomorrow.



I often feel that this blog focuses a lot on me and the boys and not enough on Steve. I think that's because I know my husband is not big on talking about himself and certainly not boasting about himself. But he does some pretty amazing stuff. He loves to run, and that's the focus of my bragging about him tonight. He flew to Minneapolis this afternoon for some meetings that take place tomorrow. That gave him lots of time this evening to do what he wanted. He decided to run. He ran through a wildlife preserve about a mile away from his hotel. It looks pretty nice. Check out the photos.







When I travel, I like to order room service and watch TV shows I don't normally watch. My husband is a much more ambitious person than I am. He likes to run. I think that's pretty awesome.

On a final note, here is Reid perfecting the do-nothing day. It looks pretty awesome doesn't it? You should all try it tomorrow.

Recent Event Wrap-up

I was so enjoying writing these posts, and then my husband came home and I remembered how much I enjoy spending time with him too. Then I got sick. But I'm back!

Last Friday, the boys and I met my parents and Nick at The Treehouse in Lake Zurich. That place is so awesome. My parents and I got to sit and talk (and play with/hold Reid) the entire time. Nick and Jack ran around the place laughing for two hours. They did make a brief stop for lunch. It was at lunch that I saw the most amazing thing. Nick finished eating his hotdog and then asked to be excused. He has such great manners! And I definitely give credit to my sister Susie and brother-in-law Pete for teaching him. Now, can I get Nick to teach Jack to sit at the table the entire time while eating and then asked to be excused?







I already posted about my fun adventure with a flat tire on Saturday. But Steve and I also had a pseudo date night. Steve's boss got married, and we were invited to the reception. We met up with a bunch of his co-workers for dinner and then headed over to the party. Dinner was fantastic. I had a great steak and twice-baked potato followed by S'Mores for dessert. Yep, we roasted marshmallows at the table and everything. It was great! Steve's co-workers are also a pretty fun bunch, and I laughed a lot at dinner. The wedding reception was also very nice. But Steve and I don't really dance much or party very hard any more. We usually have to wake up way too early for that business. My parents did stay with the boys for us and even stayed overnight to help us out in the morning. They are great!

Sunday was an awesome day. We had absolutely nothing we HAD to do. I had forgotten how wonderful those days are. We all stayed in our pajamas until noon, much to Jack's delight. Steve got Jack down for a nap. Reid slept. Steve got a haircut. I wrote a blog post. It was wonderful. Reid and I even got to go hang out with Auntie Bubbles so I could re-learn how to sew.

I haven't sewn in a very long time. Way back in junior high, I made a pretty nice potholder for my mom and some sweet "multiples" pants. I guess I did make my bridesmaids purses when I got married too, but that was almost seven years ago. Anyway, Cathy has become an incredible quilter. Both Jack and Reid love the quilts she made them. Steve and I love the burp clothes she has made for us. So now that I don't have papers to grade all of the time, I was able to spend a Sunday night hanging out with my sister working on sewing projects. I cut out squares of fabric for a quilt she's making for Susie's baby. I helped edit and size pictures for another quilt she is making. And I got to make my very own burp clothe. She was very nice to let me use her very expensive sewing machine.



I don't know if you can tell in the photo below, but I'm definitely a beginner. I got three out of the four seams pretty straight. The last seam was definitely NOT straight. I didn't tighten the guide enough, and we went off the rails so to say. Fortunately for me, this does not affect the final outcome of a burp clothe very much. So it was still a rousing success, and I get to come back again to learn more.



And now it's already Tuesday. We've taken Jack to school, gotten the tire fixed on the Honda, gone to soccer class, gone to Jazzercise, checked out new books from the library, and attended a very fun play date with the moms group. We still have more school and play dates to come this week too. I do love that this is the busy in my life.

Here are a few more fun pictures just because

Reid waiting for the tire to be fixed


Jack leading stretches at soccer class


Breyer sunning herself on the deck

Depending on the kindness of strangers

I wasn't quite in the same situation as Blanche in "A Streetcar named Desire" (feel free to read the play if you are unfamiliar, but basically she had a mental breakdown), but I was in an uncomfortable situation yesterday morning, and two very nice people helped me out.

On my way home from Jazzercise, I hit a curb and popped my driver's side front tire. Yep, popped it. You can see the inch and a half hole in the sidewall and everything. If I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it big, and that includes getting a flat tire. I was only about a mile or so from home, and after a quick thought of just driving on the flat, I thought better of it and pulled over to change it out.

Normally, I would call Steve and have him talk me through such a situation (or have him come help me), but with my new "No Facebook, Twitter, etc" lifestyle, I don't use my cell phone as much, and I forgot it at home. So I was on my own.

I took the stroller out of the trunk and found the spare and tools to go with it. I took the jack out, and figured out where to put it on the frame so the car would not fall on me in the middle of the tire change. It took me a minute to figure that out, but luckily there were pictures on the jack. I was feeling fairly confident when my kind strangers pulled up.

I think the stroller standing up next to the car might have made me look like a damsel in distress. I had not intended that. I just didn't know where to put it while I was trying to jack up the car. It was pretty cold out, and I just wanted to get done quickly.

Jose and Stephanie were very kind. Neither of them asked me what I did to pop my tire so well, and even after I told them, they didn't judge me. They made nice conversation as Jose made quick work of changing the tire. He did double check my jack placement and confirmed that I had it in the right place (score!). He also knew how to work the locking lug nut, which, I think if I had gotten that far by myself, would have stumped me.

After Jose had finished, I hugged them both and embarrassingly offered them the little cash I had for helping. Jose laughed at me and said he did not do this for money. They got back in their Envoy and drove away.

As I drove home, I thought about just how cool it is that there are people out there who still stop to help change a tire and don't expect anything in return. I'm honestly a little sad that chances are I will never seem them again. They were really nice, good people, and who couldn't do with a few more nice, good people in their lives?

A funny diaper story and a trip to the zoo

Are you sick of my daily posts yet? Now that I'm giving up Facebook and such, I need an outlet for my fun life stories and pictures. And I don't want to wait an entire week to post. I'll probably throw a few of these photos on Facebook just for fun, but the real stories are here, on the blog.

Plus, I'm really enjoying writing again.

First up, the diaper story. Steve and I have teased Jack about changing Reid's diapers since before Reid was born. And Jack has always said he doesn't want to change any, especially the poopie ones. That started to change in the last week. Jack started to tell me he wanted to help. He'd even come over and watch while I changed Reid's diaper. Then one day, he helped take off Reid's pants and unsnap his onesie. I thought this was pretty cool. Maybe I could teach Jack how to change Reid's diapers, and I could have a few minutes to myself. Ha.

Then it happened. I walked away from Jack and Reid playing to put away a toy or put a dish in the sink, and Jack would undo Reid's clothes and announce that there is a "blue line". I thought Pampers was genius for putting the line on diapers that turns blue when they are wet. But now that Jack knows the color blue and knows that it means a wet diaper, it is an early warning signal for imminent danger. See, Jack can take off Reid's clothes, and he can take off the dirty diaper. But that's where he stops. He then yells and laughs until I come running and finish the change. Oh, he does bring the new diaper and a wipe, he just doesn't do anything with them.

So here's the funny story from today. We were getting ready to go to the zoo. I was showered and dressed. Reid was dressed. Jack was half-naked. I gave Jack the time notice that we would be leaving in 20 minutes. I reminded him that he needed to be wearing underwear, pants and a long-sleeved shirt to go with us to the zoo. Jack went upstairs to get dressed. Reid played on his playmat on the floor in the dining room. I ran outside to check in with the landscapers preparing our lawn for the swingset we just purchased from our neighbors. I was outside for 5 minutes. I came back in. Reid was naked from the waist down. Jack was completely naked. There was pee all over the playmat and the carpet. And yes, Jack was screaming and laughing hysterically. Don't worry, it was Reid who peed. Reid was also laughing.

Some moms have to worry about their children hurting one another or themselves if they leave the room. I have to worry about pee. I do realize I have the better end of the deal. That doesn't make cleaning up pee any more fun.

We did make it to the zoo today. The weather forecast called for high 50s, almost 60. So I thought it would be a good day for our first trip to the zoo. I also didn't have anything else for us to do today, and Steve was still in St. Louis. It didn't feel like high 50s at the zoo, but we had a good time anyway, all bundled in blankets and coats.

We bought a membership to the Brookfield Zoo this year. I think this is a must-have for stay-at-home-moms. We have only been once, but I already recognize the benefits even if we don't go again (but we will definitely be going again!). First, I spent all of $3 at the zoo today (if you don't count what we paid for the membership). The only thing I paid for was our ride on the carousel. We packed a lunch, which Jack loves to do anyway. The butterfly exhibit isn't open yet, so we passed that up. And our membership includes entrance to the Family Zoo, which is where we spent most of our time. It's inside and it's hands-on. Fun and Fun. To top it all off, I did not feel pressured to see as many animals as we could since I knew I could come back next week and it won't cost me another $40. Win. We only stayed as long as our energy allowed, which was about 2 hours.

On our way home, we stopped off to visit Aunt Connie at work. We got to see the new ambulances she was working on as well as a tour of the headquarters building, including the station that she manages. Jack was very intrigued by the bunkbeds. He also loved climbing in and out of the ambulances. He would have done that all afternoon if we had let him. It was really neat to see my "little" sister at work. She loves her job, and it shows when you see her doing it.

Alright, I have so much more I could write about, but I need to get to bed. Perhaps there will be more tomorrow :) Afterall, I also went to my first school Open House and got a tour from Jack. But that's a story for later.

Riding the Carousel




Checking out the lions


Watering the plants


Visiting Aunt Connie

No technology update

I didn't want to leave you hanging as to how I did today. I did it! I didn't check Facebook, Twitter, email, or anything social media related until 8 p.m. tonight. And as you can see, I am done before 8:30! I did check text messages and the weather on my phone. But I don't think that counts as mental escapes.

So what do I think of this experience, you ask? I think it was awesome! I played with the boys in our basement this afternoon (after rest) and I got to hear Jack tell me all kinds of "cool stories". He has such a great imagination. He also wanted to play dress-up and search the basement for hidden passages. We did that, and it was as fun as it sounds.

No, it wasn't easy. While I was making lunch, I was very tempted to check the phone and the computer. I resisted though! I didn't know what I was going to look for, so that helped me remain true to the cause. Luckily, I did not have the phone or a computer while we played in the basement, so that made it much easier.

Yes, I will be continuing my plan tomorrow. Tomorrow might be a little more difficult. Jack doesn't have preschool and we don't have any plans with anyone else. I think we might try to go to the zoo if the weather is warm enough. I figure a good zoo visit will keep us all busy!

Oh, and a nice bi-product of my little test today - a cleaner house. While Jack was at school, Reid and I vacuumed my bedroom and got some laundry in. Hopefully this will continue too!

Good Mom, Bad Mom and other random thoughts

Today was a typical Tuesday at our house. No preschool for Jack. Steve worked (today, he left for St. Louis for a few days). I took the boys with me to Jazzercise class. We went to the library afterwards. We played. We ate lunch. We attempted to nap during rest time. We played some more. We watched TV. We ate dinner. I put Reid to bed. I bathed Jack and put him to bed.

And throughout all of this, I check my phone and the computer almost compulsively.

Tonight while I was bathing Jack, I realized what a problem I have with checking Facebook, email, Twitter, Pinterest, news websites, and whatever other social interaction via technology I can find. No, I wasn't using the technology while Jack was in the bath. Instead, I was talking with Jack. Just me and him. No distractions. It was probably the first time all day I wasn't thinking about anything else but what he and I were doing and talking about (we were talking about our favorite parts of the day and how the bath cup works). I really enjoyed the moment, and I felt calm and relaxed. That's when I realized what a problem I have.

See, during the day, I feel rushed and anxious. I'm always thinking about the next thing I should be doing. This is ironic since I really don't have anything I HAVE to do other than feed and care for my children. Yet, I stress about what to make for lunch, getting to the library, throwing a load of laundry in. It's all pretty silly. What I should be worried focused on is the people I am with and the moment I am in. Cliche, I know, but true.

So tomorrow, I am going back to something I tried to do about a month or so ago. I'm going to limit my Facebook/email/Twitter/et al usage to 30 minutes a day, and I'm going to wait until the boys are in bed to do it. Please send positive thoughts my way. I think this is going to be hard. I'm also going to try to find other ways to relax my brain. I think I use the technology as a momentary escape from whatever I am doing, and it has gotten out of control. So when I need a moment to myself, I think I'm going to try closing my eyes and mediating instead. Again, this is going to be hard.

What does that have to do with the headline on this post? Well, that's one of the random thoughts. On to the Good Mom, Bad Mom stories.

Over the weekend, I think it was Saturday, Jack damaged a library book during rest time. I couldn't lay with him to help him calm himself (I was taking care of Reid at that moment). The poor book suffered an almost completely ripped page and a broken spine. In the heat of the moment, I told Jack he would have to pay for it with his piggy bank money. Many tears ensued. But I also told him he would have to talk to the librarian when we took the book back and that he could only check out 1 book this week so he could show me he could take care of library books.

Over the next fews days, we talked about the library book a little. Jack was getting very nervous about having to tell the librarian what happened, and he was even more nervous about having to do it by himself. I reassured him that he wasn't going to do this alone. We decided I would tell the librarian what happened and he would apologize. He was still a little scared. I spent lots of conversations reassuring him that it would be okay (there are no police at the library arresting people for breaking books) and that I would be right there with him.

Today was library day. We went to the desk, and I told the librarian about the damaged book. She thinks they "might be able to mend it". Without any prompting, Jack apologized for breaking the book and explained that it was an accident. The librarian looked him right in the eye and told him not to worry, that accidents happen. She also told him his was a sweetheart for apologizing. As she walked away, Jack turned to me and told me how he had worried that this would be scary, but that it wasn't that bad at all. I think my son learned the power of taking responsibility for his actions today. And he's only 4.

That was my good mom moment. Here's the bad mom.

Jack has battled rest time for at least the last year (if not since he was two). So yesterday after soccer, I decided to let him watch a television show while I got Reid down, and then Jack and I were going to rest for 30 minutes. He felt asleep after 20 and slept for 2 hours. Today, I decided to use the same tactic. I would put Reid down for a nap (he goes to sleep like a champ, by the way) and let Jack watch a "Jack show" for 30 minutes and then we would rest for 30 minutes. We did this. He did not fall asleep even though he was yawning and quiet the entire time. Bummer. So we came downstairs and he asked for another "Jack show". I figured what the heck, he's pretty tired, maybe he'll rest a little more and then we can play. Jack watched television and I started cleaning. An hour goes by, I decide to invite Jack to help me sweep and mop the floors, a chore he loves to do. He says he wants to help, right after "Martha" is over. Okay, I say. Another 30 minutes goes by and "Cat in the Hat" starts. I explain that I'm only sweeping and mopping today, he's going to miss his chance. He tells me he help "next day when you do it". The stinker knows I will have to clean again. In the end, my floors and kitchen are clean. Jack watched 2 hours of television. We went outside to play when Reid woke up. I still have mom guilt over the long television time today (especially since that wasn't the end; I had to make dinner too!).

Okay, so I alluded earlier to favorite parts of the day with Jack. My favorite part of the day: watching Jack figure out how to get his wagon up the steps in front of our house. He found rocks from our landscaping to put under the back tires. With the front tires already up on the next step, this lifted the back tires off of the ground enough for him to be able to pull the wagon completely on to the step. What a little engineer! Jack's favorite part of the day: our plan for a jammie walk in the wagon. Unfortunately, Reid fell asleep before we could do. I promised him that we will go tomorrow, even if we have to take a sleeping Reid.