I appreciate having a clean home. Not that I "clean" all the time, but I like it to be picked up and clutter free most of the time. In the past, oh, 11 1/2 months, I'm sure my floors have not been the cleanest. Adjusting to having 2 children, and in the last few months, a crawling toddler who hasn't learned what "no" means has made it that much harder to get things done. The other day, I was reminded of another reason I rarely vacuum.
I pulled the vacuum out of the closet and Jude sees it from across the room and bursts into tears.....before I even have the thing plugged in! So, I can now do one of two things. Give up and put the vacuum away or proceed to vacuum (2000 square feet of carpet no less) with a screaming child on my heels. I decide that it'd been too long since the last time I endured the screaming while vacuuming and that I should, indeed, sweep my floors. In the past when I've vacuumed with Jude around (which HAS happened, but not very often:) I've tried giving him snacks in his high chair, turning on a movie, starting at the opposite end of the house as him, and he screams no matter what!
I started by holding him as I vacuumed. That was fun. As if vacuums aren't heavy enough on their own, but now I have a screaming, 20 lb toddler on my hip as I push the vacuum around. So, I thought to myself "Self, if he's just going to cry whether or not you are holding him, spare your back and arm the agony and let him cry on the floor!" So I did. After completing room number one, I laid him down and continued on my quest. He wailed and followed me around so I could witness his pitiful display the whole time I cleaned (which only took about 20 minutes) because I was vacuuming at speeds you wouldn't believe!
So please, in the future, if you come to my house and notice the floors may not be all that clean, just know that I am well aware.....It's just that I can only stand to torture my kids once in awhile.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
The Things He Knows
It's official...my little boy is on the verge of growing up. Inevitably, all children do this, but it just seems to have started this week. Or perhaps, I've not been paying attention to the little changes taking place in my sweet Jude.
He pays attention and imitates: He has started attempting to put his sister's headbands on his head. I've watched him to see if it's just a fluke, but no, he intentionally places the headband on top of his head, lets it go, it falls off and then he tries again. He knows what a headband is for. (Vital information for a male child LOL)
He also only puts a cell phone up to his ear. Strange?? I suppose not. He's obviously been paying attention to what those things are for.
He sings along with me at bedtime (my personal favorite). As I sing a rousing rendition of "Jesus Loves Me," Jude hums and coos right along with the song.....and stops when I do. I thought that this, too, may be coincidental, but as it happens at EVERY bedtime, I'm learning that he is finding his sweet, little voice.
I'm so thankful for the moments I spend with my children everyday, for my ability to watch and take note of the small things that are happening in their minds and development. They surprise me with something new each day. Any elderly person who sees you with your small children on the street would tell you that "these are the best years of your life!" Some days, I think "That's NUTS!!" Most days, I totally get it. This is what it's all about folks!
He pays attention and imitates: He has started attempting to put his sister's headbands on his head. I've watched him to see if it's just a fluke, but no, he intentionally places the headband on top of his head, lets it go, it falls off and then he tries again. He knows what a headband is for. (Vital information for a male child LOL)
He also only puts a cell phone up to his ear. Strange?? I suppose not. He's obviously been paying attention to what those things are for.
He sings along with me at bedtime (my personal favorite). As I sing a rousing rendition of "Jesus Loves Me," Jude hums and coos right along with the song.....and stops when I do. I thought that this, too, may be coincidental, but as it happens at EVERY bedtime, I'm learning that he is finding his sweet, little voice.
I'm so thankful for the moments I spend with my children everyday, for my ability to watch and take note of the small things that are happening in their minds and development. They surprise me with something new each day. Any elderly person who sees you with your small children on the street would tell you that "these are the best years of your life!" Some days, I think "That's NUTS!!" Most days, I totally get it. This is what it's all about folks!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Weekends With "Nothing" To Do
Going into this past weekend with no big plans excited us!! Our summer has been jam-packed with events, trips.....just PLANS, in general and we were looking so forward to a break.
Friday evening, we did just that....nothing! It was great. Aaron rented us a movie and went and picked up "movie candy" at Casey's for us beforehand. It was nice. Saturday morning came and we decided to take Maya to see the new "Winnie The Pooh" movie. Grandma Lesa came and stayed with Jude so we could have a little 2-on-1 time with Maya. She really enjoyed the movie, but she mostly loved sharing the giant tub of popcorn with us. It was really special to see her sit on the edge of her sit and bounce to the songs and laugh. Aaron and I just kept looking at her and then each other as if we knew we were both thinking "When did our little girl get so big?" It was a great time for all of us.
Saturday evening was Girls' Night Out for me. One of my high school friends had planned a night out for a group of girls from Olympia that all have kids now.....& all needed a night away. We went to dinner at Granite City and ended the night with milkshakes at Steak 'N Shake. We had such a great time talking, laughing and comparing family stories. Can't wait to do it again. Aaron stayed home with the kids and had a special "Dinner and a Movie" night with them. They all ate Casey's Pizza and watched Toy Story 3 in the family room. We NEVER do that, so it was really fun for them.
Sunday, Aaron re-filled up the kiddie pool and we had swimming time all morning while listening to music and lounging poolside. Lunch, naps, then Maya and I attended her friend, Lily's, birthday party while Jude & Daddy went over to help Grandma Lesa with some projects at her house. Party ended and Maya and I joined up with them all for dinner at the Busy Corner in Goodfield!
For not having any plans, we sure kept ourselves plenty busy this past weekend. It was wonderful spending the whole weekend doing things together, though. Movies, dinners, swimming.....making memories. Aaron and I are so ecstatic that we are just as free next weekend. Looking forward to having just as much fun.....& maybe going to work harder to be less busy in the future. It sure makes for great weekends!
Friday evening, we did just that....nothing! It was great. Aaron rented us a movie and went and picked up "movie candy" at Casey's for us beforehand. It was nice. Saturday morning came and we decided to take Maya to see the new "Winnie The Pooh" movie. Grandma Lesa came and stayed with Jude so we could have a little 2-on-1 time with Maya. She really enjoyed the movie, but she mostly loved sharing the giant tub of popcorn with us. It was really special to see her sit on the edge of her sit and bounce to the songs and laugh. Aaron and I just kept looking at her and then each other as if we knew we were both thinking "When did our little girl get so big?" It was a great time for all of us.
Saturday evening was Girls' Night Out for me. One of my high school friends had planned a night out for a group of girls from Olympia that all have kids now.....& all needed a night away. We went to dinner at Granite City and ended the night with milkshakes at Steak 'N Shake. We had such a great time talking, laughing and comparing family stories. Can't wait to do it again. Aaron stayed home with the kids and had a special "Dinner and a Movie" night with them. They all ate Casey's Pizza and watched Toy Story 3 in the family room. We NEVER do that, so it was really fun for them.
Sunday, Aaron re-filled up the kiddie pool and we had swimming time all morning while listening to music and lounging poolside. Lunch, naps, then Maya and I attended her friend, Lily's, birthday party while Jude & Daddy went over to help Grandma Lesa with some projects at her house. Party ended and Maya and I joined up with them all for dinner at the Busy Corner in Goodfield!
For not having any plans, we sure kept ourselves plenty busy this past weekend. It was wonderful spending the whole weekend doing things together, though. Movies, dinners, swimming.....making memories. Aaron and I are so ecstatic that we are just as free next weekend. Looking forward to having just as much fun.....& maybe going to work harder to be less busy in the future. It sure makes for great weekends!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Swimsuit Shopping.....Cringe!
The kids and I ventured out to P-Town today to meet Aaron for lunch and we had some birthday shopping to accomplish, so I decided to bundle it all into an afternoon of excitement!! We headed to the mall after lunch and succeeded in buying the birthday gifts needed within the first 25 minutes of being there.....score!! So, I decided to just browse around for a bit. In the back of my mind I knew that I needed a new swimming suit....I've needed a new swimming suit since, oh, like 4 years ago, but with the bigs and smalls of pregnancy, post-partum, breastfeeding, dieting, etc, I'd just spared myself the torture. But with a big Mexico trip looming in my near future, I knew it couldn't put it off much longer.
But what better day to shop for a swim suit than today, right?? I have both of my children in tow, I have no extra hands to help me with them, they're both on the verge of a melt-down since it is currently PAST their usual naptime and I've been, let's just say, "off" my diet for the past couple week......perfect timing!!!
Much to my surprise, Sears had their suits 60% off. Was this a sign? Was God smiling down on me? What's that?? Jude just fell asleep in the stroller and Maya ISN'T talking?? Holy Cow!! Run! Run! Shop!! I grabbed about 40 different top/bottom combinations and took them all into an abandoned dressing room nearby. Jude slept and Maya critiqued as I tried on every single piece. Not only did I find a suit, I found 3!! I liked them all so much that I bought them all. I figure this way, maybe I can get another decade in before I have to shop for a suit again.
However, I was thankful for my well-behaved babes today. They were both such troopers and they actually made swimsuit shopping practically enjoyable!
But what better day to shop for a swim suit than today, right?? I have both of my children in tow, I have no extra hands to help me with them, they're both on the verge of a melt-down since it is currently PAST their usual naptime and I've been, let's just say, "off" my diet for the past couple week......perfect timing!!!
Much to my surprise, Sears had their suits 60% off. Was this a sign? Was God smiling down on me? What's that?? Jude just fell asleep in the stroller and Maya ISN'T talking?? Holy Cow!! Run! Run! Shop!! I grabbed about 40 different top/bottom combinations and took them all into an abandoned dressing room nearby. Jude slept and Maya critiqued as I tried on every single piece. Not only did I find a suit, I found 3!! I liked them all so much that I bought them all. I figure this way, maybe I can get another decade in before I have to shop for a suit again.
However, I was thankful for my well-behaved babes today. They were both such troopers and they actually made swimsuit shopping practically enjoyable!
Monday, July 11, 2011
My Boy Today
Just can't get enough of this little smile. We went outside to play this morning and Jude was as happy as ever. Maya was outside with us too (she, however, was not as thrilled about being photographed :)
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Just Checking
As I was preparing breakfast this morning, Maya, who was watching some PBS on TV calls over to ask me a question. I stopped what I was doing and went to her in the family room. She says "Mommy, you have the same pee-pee as me, right?" To which I respond, "Yes." She says, "It's a 'gina,' right?" And I say, "Yes, it's called a vagina." Then she says, "And Jude and Daddy have a 'pee-nuts'?" "Yes, Maya."
She looks at me, says "OK" and turns around to continue watching her show as if that was the most normal conversation she'd ever had in her life. Unfortunately for me, I know that's not the last time we'll get to discuss our anatomy.
She looks at me, says "OK" and turns around to continue watching her show as if that was the most normal conversation she'd ever had in her life. Unfortunately for me, I know that's not the last time we'll get to discuss our anatomy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)