The latest from our silly imp…!
Amor Chiquito: I want juice.
Me: Little girls that eat their dinner get juice.
Amor Chiquito: No no no. Little girls that eat can see Emily!
Geeky Entrepreneur and I laughed so hard! She decided that she really wanted to see our neighbor, so she tried to change the rules to rules that would suit her! Clever!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Feed me, damn it!
The title... When I was pregnant and got a crazy craving, I would joke around with Geeky Entrepreneur and would say "feed me, damn it!" Now it's "dang it," if anything!
Our little television-obsessed child is in the process of developing a habit, if we let her, that is.
Yes, she loves watching TV. But she has pains-in-the-ass parents that keep an eye on it and get her away from the TV and redirect her – drawing, painting, playing outside, going to the park, etc. This weekend she is getting to watch more TV than usual because all of us are sick. No one feels like being outside.
But that is not the habit I was writing about above. Picture this:
Little Ari sitting in front of her Daddy’s netbook, watching an episode of Cayou, Super Why, Thomas and Friends, whatever it might be…
Amor Chiquito: Da-e, I want pear, please.
Daddy: Ok, let’s go downstairs and get a pear.
Amor Chiquito: No, Da-e, you get pear. I wait here.
What an imp! How about no, me thinks!
Since way before Amor Chiquito was born I thought that we would always eat together, as a family. At lunch time, it is almost always just Amor Chiquito and I, but, still, we eat together. I remember noticing, as a teenager, that my family did not eat together. I don’t want that for my family. I strongly believe that dinner time is the perfect opportunity for a family to reconnect at the end of the day, to keep a strong and healthy relationship going, to talk about the ups and downs of the day.
Furthermore, what is this crap about go make me some food and I’ll sit here and wait for you?! I am a mom, and, as a mom, my job is not to be my daughter’s maid. My job, as I see it, is to feed her healthy, yummy food, but to also teach her that we work, as a team, to get what we need or want.
So, here is the plan. If she is healthy enough to run around the house, then she is healthy enough to go downstairs and help. She can grab the pear, rinse it, put the stem in the trash after I cut the pear. She can put her bowl in the sink. If she is sincerely feeling like crap, feverish, etc., then she can sit at the dining table and wait for mom or dad to bring her some food.
Our little television-obsessed child is in the process of developing a habit, if we let her, that is.
Yes, she loves watching TV. But she has pains-in-the-ass parents that keep an eye on it and get her away from the TV and redirect her – drawing, painting, playing outside, going to the park, etc. This weekend she is getting to watch more TV than usual because all of us are sick. No one feels like being outside.
But that is not the habit I was writing about above. Picture this:
Little Ari sitting in front of her Daddy’s netbook, watching an episode of Cayou, Super Why, Thomas and Friends, whatever it might be…
Amor Chiquito: Da-e, I want pear, please.
Daddy: Ok, let’s go downstairs and get a pear.
Amor Chiquito: No, Da-e, you get pear. I wait here.
What an imp! How about no, me thinks!
Since way before Amor Chiquito was born I thought that we would always eat together, as a family. At lunch time, it is almost always just Amor Chiquito and I, but, still, we eat together. I remember noticing, as a teenager, that my family did not eat together. I don’t want that for my family. I strongly believe that dinner time is the perfect opportunity for a family to reconnect at the end of the day, to keep a strong and healthy relationship going, to talk about the ups and downs of the day.
Furthermore, what is this crap about go make me some food and I’ll sit here and wait for you?! I am a mom, and, as a mom, my job is not to be my daughter’s maid. My job, as I see it, is to feed her healthy, yummy food, but to also teach her that we work, as a team, to get what we need or want.
So, here is the plan. If she is healthy enough to run around the house, then she is healthy enough to go downstairs and help. She can grab the pear, rinse it, put the stem in the trash after I cut the pear. She can put her bowl in the sink. If she is sincerely feeling like crap, feverish, etc., then she can sit at the dining table and wait for mom or dad to bring her some food.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Article" Drowning looks different than you think
This article lists the signs of drowning. You won't hear a cry for help. Everyone should be aware of the signs of drowning. So I urge you to take a few minutes to read this.
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/drowning-looks-different-than-you-think-2010225/
Thank you, Liz.
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/drowning-looks-different-than-you-think-2010225/
Thank you, Liz.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Clever kid!
We got into a minor car accident about ten days ago. We are currently carless. (Is that a word?!) My mother let us borrow her car a few times.
The stories:
Amor Chiquito: Da-e, I want see Mama (my mom).
Daddy: I can’t bring you to Mama’s. We don’t have a car right now.
Amor Chiquito: Mama has car. You drive Mama car.
Later on:
Amor Chiquito: Da-e, I want go big agua park, pwease!
Daddy: I am glad you liked the park. But we can’t go there right now.
Amor Chiquito: Why? Mama have car!
Clever child! I love it!
The stories:
Amor Chiquito: Da-e, I want see Mama (my mom).
Daddy: I can’t bring you to Mama’s. We don’t have a car right now.
Amor Chiquito: Mama has car. You drive Mama car.
Later on:
Amor Chiquito: Da-e, I want go big agua park, pwease!
Daddy: I am glad you liked the park. But we can’t go there right now.
Amor Chiquito: Why? Mama have car!
Clever child! I love it!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Great Blog Entry on Parenting and Happiness
Bed time, so this will be quick.
In the following blog entry, a mother of two discusses parenting and happiness. She also links to several articles with different points of view.
http://www.phdinparenting.com/2010/07/21/grin-and-bear-it-parenting-happiness-and-the-pressure-cooker/
Thoughts?!
In the following blog entry, a mother of two discusses parenting and happiness. She also links to several articles with different points of view.
http://www.phdinparenting.com/2010/07/21/grin-and-bear-it-parenting-happiness-and-the-pressure-cooker/
Thoughts?!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
We love water parks!
Finally get around to wrapping up this post. This is my third try! Can you spell busy mom of a toddler who also happens to have ADD?!
Last week Amor Chiquito, Geeky Entrepreneur and I spent three days at an indoor water park in Fitchburg, MA, about an hour and 20 minutes from us. My mother-in-law joined us on the second day for the day. It was a lot of fun!
Water park = fun.
Water park + grandma = even more of fun!
There was a toddler pool, a spray area, toddler slides, squirt guns, and ropes that the child could pull on so that lots of water could land on mom and dad’s heads!
There were slides for older kids, a 4 feet deep pool, several hottubs, and, best of all, three awesome slides for bigger kids and adults! Thanks to Nana, Geeky Entrepreneur and I got to go on the slides at least 15 times!
The three of us got to enjoy the pool. Ari is beginning to feel more comfortable in the water. She loves wearing her “swim coat.” That is the name she gave the life jacket. She enjoyed practicing her swimming and she learned how to float.
There was pizza and milk shakes right at the water park. Ari was in heaven!
A few things I really liked about this park:
There were huge windows, but no skylights, so no need for sunscreen or any of that. There were several hot tubs and beachchairs outdoors, so people could enjoy the sun if that is what they wanted.
Everything was on or ended on the one main level. This made learning the layout of and getting around the park much easier for me. One of the tricky things about my eye condition is that I have no depth perception. Staircases going up, no problem, but staircases going down... Let's say that there have been a number of falls in my past! Yay for the white cane and for the husband who has a cute and subtle system worked out to let me know when there is a step coming up!
Since there was only so much junk food we felt like eating, we decided to go on a drive and check out a tiny restaurant that had great reviews. Ok, so onto the real reason: they had fondue! Yumm!
I wish you could have seen Ari’s chocolate mustache! She had way too much fun! She was powering through the food on my plate like there was no tomorrow. She ignored the strawberries and the banana slices; she went straight to the cheesecake, the brownie bites, the Oreos, etc.! Daddy noticed just how much yummy stuff she had been eating, removed the yummy stuff, and left the fruit for her. She promptly decided that it would be best to go sit near Daddy, seeing as how the yummy stuff was near him now!
A classic Ari story: she told me she needed the potty and I did not get her there soon enough. So she had an accident. She promptly took off her shorts and underwear and ran across the restaurant butt-naked to inform her Daddy that she had an accident! I was glad that we were the only ones in the restaurant at that point in time!
Long story short: lots of fun was had by all! Three days at a water park is perfect, just right. We will be doing that again some time.
Last week Amor Chiquito, Geeky Entrepreneur and I spent three days at an indoor water park in Fitchburg, MA, about an hour and 20 minutes from us. My mother-in-law joined us on the second day for the day. It was a lot of fun!
Water park = fun.
Water park + grandma = even more of fun!
There was a toddler pool, a spray area, toddler slides, squirt guns, and ropes that the child could pull on so that lots of water could land on mom and dad’s heads!
There were slides for older kids, a 4 feet deep pool, several hottubs, and, best of all, three awesome slides for bigger kids and adults! Thanks to Nana, Geeky Entrepreneur and I got to go on the slides at least 15 times!
The three of us got to enjoy the pool. Ari is beginning to feel more comfortable in the water. She loves wearing her “swim coat.” That is the name she gave the life jacket. She enjoyed practicing her swimming and she learned how to float.
There was pizza and milk shakes right at the water park. Ari was in heaven!
A few things I really liked about this park:
There were huge windows, but no skylights, so no need for sunscreen or any of that. There were several hot tubs and beachchairs outdoors, so people could enjoy the sun if that is what they wanted.
Everything was on or ended on the one main level. This made learning the layout of and getting around the park much easier for me. One of the tricky things about my eye condition is that I have no depth perception. Staircases going up, no problem, but staircases going down... Let's say that there have been a number of falls in my past! Yay for the white cane and for the husband who has a cute and subtle system worked out to let me know when there is a step coming up!
Since there was only so much junk food we felt like eating, we decided to go on a drive and check out a tiny restaurant that had great reviews. Ok, so onto the real reason: they had fondue! Yumm!
I wish you could have seen Ari’s chocolate mustache! She had way too much fun! She was powering through the food on my plate like there was no tomorrow. She ignored the strawberries and the banana slices; she went straight to the cheesecake, the brownie bites, the Oreos, etc.! Daddy noticed just how much yummy stuff she had been eating, removed the yummy stuff, and left the fruit for her. She promptly decided that it would be best to go sit near Daddy, seeing as how the yummy stuff was near him now!
A classic Ari story: she told me she needed the potty and I did not get her there soon enough. So she had an accident. She promptly took off her shorts and underwear and ran across the restaurant butt-naked to inform her Daddy that she had an accident! I was glad that we were the only ones in the restaurant at that point in time!
Long story short: lots of fun was had by all! Three days at a water park is perfect, just right. We will be doing that again some time.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Love, I just don't know!
Amor Chiquito asks "why?" 100 times a day. Many times, I simply don't know. I liked this mommy's letter to her child:
http://www.phdinparenting.com/2010/07/12/i-dont-know/
I must say that my little girl has helped my creativity levels increase a great deal!
http://www.phdinparenting.com/2010/07/12/i-dont-know/
I must say that my little girl has helped my creativity levels increase a great deal!
Friday, July 9, 2010
A First: Ari is having fun at play group without us!
Today we brought Amor Chiquito to an early intervention play group where the kids get dropped off. No parents. I wanted to try it because I figured it might help with the transition in the fall. Also, Amor Chiquito is becoming more and more interested in hanging out with peers.
I was uncertain as to how Amor Chiquito would feel about getting dropped off, but I was hopeful. She is cautious and a bit on the shy side but feels more at ease around strangers.
We decided that we would stick around for a while, until it seemed that Amor Chiquito felt comfortable. We stayed for half an hour. I feel very strongly about not leaving until she is ready. Anyone who insists on me doing otherwise is simply showing me that their location is not the right place for us.
After half an hour, we told Amor Chiquito that we would be going home and that we would come back later. We did hugs and kisses. She walked away. Said bye from far away. No crying. She felt fine.
My baby is growing up! This felt like a big first! I have left her for hours many times, but she has been with my mother. That does not really count!
I was uncertain as to how Amor Chiquito would feel about getting dropped off, but I was hopeful. She is cautious and a bit on the shy side but feels more at ease around strangers.
We decided that we would stick around for a while, until it seemed that Amor Chiquito felt comfortable. We stayed for half an hour. I feel very strongly about not leaving until she is ready. Anyone who insists on me doing otherwise is simply showing me that their location is not the right place for us.
After half an hour, we told Amor Chiquito that we would be going home and that we would come back later. We did hugs and kisses. She walked away. Said bye from far away. No crying. She felt fine.
My baby is growing up! This felt like a big first! I have left her for hours many times, but she has been with my mother. That does not really count!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Article on Gender Equality and Stay-at-Home Dads
Quick because a cute little person is putting very dirty hands all over my arm and screen! Yuck!
http://daddy-dialectic.blogspot.com/2010/07/who-changes-diapers-in-your-house.html
http://daddy-dialectic.blogspot.com/2010/07/who-changes-diapers-in-your-house.html
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
My haircut turned into a learning experience.
I got my hair cut last Saturday. Don’t like it! My hair has never been this short. Everyone likes it, but I feel very strange. Glad I did it, though. It is more than worth it to me. I will be mailing about 10 inches of hair to Whigs for Kids. I plan to continue doing this. I am lucky in that my hair grows relatively fast. I grew enough hair to donate in about 18 months.
I did not anticipate this, but getting my hair cut turned into a wonderful learning experience for Amor Chiquito.
I told her that I would be getting my hair cut later that day so she would not be surprised. I anticipated that, once she saw me, she would talk about it, but I was still surprised at all that she learned from me getting a haircut.
Amor Chiquito: Mommy, you got your hair cut.
Me: Yes, love, I got my hair cut.
Amor Chiquito: Why, mommy?
Me: Sometimes, people get sick and their hair goes away. I want to give my hair to little kids that do not have hair.
Amor Chiquito: Why, mommy?
Me: Because I think it will make them happy to have hair.
We have had this conversation at least five times since last Saturday. She is still asking why I got my hair cut! She knows why, but that does not mean that she will stop asking! If you have a two or three year old, you know that’s how it is!
I am glad that my little girl is learning, by watching my actions, that there are people out there that could use help and that little things we can do for people mean a lot to them.
I am thinking that, perhaps, we will bring her with us next time we go give blood. Don’t worry; she will be with me while Geeky Entrepreneur gives blood and vise versa. I will not leave a child unattended when there are people with needles on their arms! I love her, but, scary!
I did not anticipate this, but getting my hair cut turned into a wonderful learning experience for Amor Chiquito.
I told her that I would be getting my hair cut later that day so she would not be surprised. I anticipated that, once she saw me, she would talk about it, but I was still surprised at all that she learned from me getting a haircut.
Amor Chiquito: Mommy, you got your hair cut.
Me: Yes, love, I got my hair cut.
Amor Chiquito: Why, mommy?
Me: Sometimes, people get sick and their hair goes away. I want to give my hair to little kids that do not have hair.
Amor Chiquito: Why, mommy?
Me: Because I think it will make them happy to have hair.
We have had this conversation at least five times since last Saturday. She is still asking why I got my hair cut! She knows why, but that does not mean that she will stop asking! If you have a two or three year old, you know that’s how it is!
I am glad that my little girl is learning, by watching my actions, that there are people out there that could use help and that little things we can do for people mean a lot to them.
I am thinking that, perhaps, we will bring her with us next time we go give blood. Don’t worry; she will be with me while Geeky Entrepreneur gives blood and vise versa. I will not leave a child unattended when there are people with needles on their arms! I love her, but, scary!
Blog Post on the Maternal Bond
I found this very interesting, for lack of a better word. She has a point!
http://midwiferyramblings.blogspot.com/2010/07/maternal-bond.html
http://midwiferyramblings.blogspot.com/2010/07/maternal-bond.html
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