containing the crazy while maintaining the fabulous
Welcome to Camp Mama. We opened this week. It’s a free camp. Electronic devices are allowed. The goal is to make the day go by as quickly as possible for all participants. Counselor might drink. Campers will take quiet time from 1-230 (at least here). And damn it campers will enjoy themselves (ha!).
Read MoreThings are weird right now, am I right? Global pandemic - it feels like I woke up in the middle of a Dan Brown book. “Social distancing” is a thing now. That is, except for me and my 4.5 year old. We are together all the time. It’s only day 5 and I’m feeling it.
I have a history of anxiety and now have a decent grasp on how to keep my mental health in check. These are bound to be trying times for everyone and even if you don’t have a history on mental health issues, don’t be surprised if you start to feel off kilter.
Below is a list of things you can do to keep yourself healthy during this absolutely bonkers time. Starting with showering, and putting on deodorant. Promise, it makes a difference :-)
Read MoreSo far the upstairs work has plugged along without any major delay - I did not say without any surprises or major change in price - and we are on schedule. As of Monday everything was drywalled and just awaiting cabinetry (another 3 weeks - yay custom!)
While all of this has been swirling around I’ve been finalizing the style and design of the main level. It’s not really just the kitchen because with only 500 square feet for the whole level I have to create a cohesive design for the kitchen, entryway, and living space.
Read MoreYou buy the PERFECT house. Perfect location. Just adorable. Just enough space.
You live in the perfect house for 5 years.
You have a kid,
The walls of your perfect house start closing in on you. WHY DID THEY MAKE SO MANY WALLS IN HOUSES IN THE 80s?!?!?!
You realize you still love your house in spite of the tiny kitchen and lack of laundry room and tiny living room and huge fireplace.
It’s time to renovate.
We are embarking on our own HGTV show, so come on and join us for the ride!
Below are the initial renderings of the before and after for the 2 main floors we are renovating.
First Floor
Fingers crossed, we will be removing the wall separating the kitchen and living space, creating an open living space and better flow for the small 500 square space main floor. Also we are removing the huge, imposing, wood burning fireplace and replacing it with a sleek, thin, electric fireplace.
Basement
I’m referring to this part of the project as “Zach’s Bathroom and Kait’s Laundry Room”
This is where the big work is taking place as we are moving the bathroom from one part of the basement to another, and creating a dedicated laundry space out of what was part of the old basement bath. This part of the project will involve a lot of plumbing and busting up concrete but fingers crossed not a lot of surprises!
In following posts I’ll give you updates on what finishes I’m choosing and how progress is or isn’t (eek) going!
Which part of this rehab are you most looking forward to seeing - the upstairs transformation or the creation of the basement laundry and man bathroom?
We made it through another trip around the sun. Teddy is “this many” [shows four fingers]. Teddy had an awesome year being 3, he rocked it, really. Now I am holding on for dear life and hoping that we make it through this year in one piece.
Yep … that’s the face
I was told to watch out for the Terrible Twos and when Teddy hit three I heard “ahhh, he’s a Three-nager now.” But none of that hit our house. I walked through the world smug and smiling with my joyful and sweet little boy, thinking, “Not my kid.” Never once did he run away from me in public or throw a tantrum in a store.
No one told me about age four. No one warned me my kid was going to become a possessed manic. I knew he would stop napping eventually, but become an exhausted sleep monster? I knew he would be smarter, but a manipulative genius? I knew he would get older and change but who is this person in my house?
We have hit the Fucking Fours. I”m here to give you fair warning that they exist.
It happened all at once. One day he was a cute, toddling, little cherub and the next he was a lanky, leggy, fast and loud, maniac. I was convinced I needed to consult a therapist for this sudden change in behavior.
In desperation, I asked my trusted group of friends what the heck was going on, was my kid going phsycho or was this some developmental phase I wasn’t prepared for.
My friends told me that yes indeed 4 year olds suck (phew, my kid wasn’t turning into a Lifetime Movie headliner) and this phase is actually called the Fucking Fours. The **what?!** you say.
The Fucking Fours … because they are fucking loud, fucking annoying, fucking scream-y and fucking tantrum-y and it’s fucking exhausting.
My mind knows that this is a really hard age for kids, they are not (for the most part) trying to be jack-asses. It’s an in-between age, between baby/toddlerhood and real childhood. Full of BIG emotions and ideas but not quite ready to handle them yet. Life is starting to become real and scary. It’s the age of no more naps but damn he needs a nap. Now he he tired and cranky by 4pm and wired again by 5pm but so ready for bed it isn’t funny.
I want to scoop him up and cuddle him and make it all better when he is crying so hard that he says “I can’t stop the tears” but he won’t let me, he needs to figure it out on his own terms. It does makes it that much sweeter when he is ready for a snuggle and a kiss though.
He may not always be in the mood to hold hands, he might be running away at break neck speed, but he still always replies to my I love you with “I love you all the way around.”
The fucking fours are master manipulators. They are aware of what you are doing and how to work around you. Maybe it’s a stand off, maybe it’s a tantrum, maybe it’s tears. Something will work today for them to get their way. At least it often does in my house. Is today going to be the day that mom just doesn’t want to deal with any tears/screaming/mess and gives in to that cookie before breakfast? Probably.
The Fucking Fours are sometimes so fucking cute
Fucking Fours like to press boundaries with all things making bed time super enjoyable. The once loved bath is touch and go. Getting ready for bed is a delicate matter hinging on whether you set out the right pajamas and have prepared the correct books. No? Well then back to square one, after he’s calmed down. But as he gets sleepier, he gets more cuddly and wants to read more (ONE MORE BOOK JUST ONE MORE!!!) and you lay in bed and sing songs like you did just a few months ago.
You tuck that long lanky kid into that big boy bed and the Fucking Fours slide away and he’s just your sweet little boy.
Until 1:47am when he screams your name and demands you sleep in his bed …
CES, the holy grail of all things gadgety and new. Whether you are in the market for a a TV that rolls up and hides away, amachines fold your clothes for you, a smart hair dryer, or a helicopters that is going to partner with Uber, there was something for everyone at CES 2019 😮
I narrowed down my favorites to the top dozen or so items that you should check out in 3 categories Health and Fitness, Baby & Kids, and Lifestyle. Read on and see what you need
Read MoreFresh fruit from the farmers market gets me so excited. To me peaches and apples might be my very favorite. signal a very special time of year. Just like watermelon signals summer, and crisp apple says fall, peaches stand for the middle ground between the two.
Apples I buy in droves every weekend. When I find perfect peaches at the market I tend to buy a lot and make big plans for them. Usually these plans involve desert.
Read MoreAs a new mom you are told everything will be soft baby smells and cuddles, night time feeds and daytime naps, weird poops and lots of burps, not much sleep but a lot of smiles. You are not often told about the sneaking feelings of doubt and dread, or the suffocating sense of being overwhelmed and the inescapable feeling of inadequacy that may join you.
Read MoreTeddy was so deliciously adorable. I did want to eat him up, just like everyone said I would. I just couldn’t understand why he made me feel so out of place.
Three years ago yesterday, July 27, Teddy had life saving open heart surgery at Children's National Medical Center. (You can read the story about his condition and surgery here ).
Two years ago this week he started walking.
One year ago this week Teddy was running around at his first beach trip.
Friday he finished his first summer at camp with the big kids.
Nothing I just listed would have happened without Children's National.
Read MoreI ran into a friend the other day and we started talking about how we view ourselves as moms. She said she didn't feel like she was a great mom because she was short with her kids, unable to deal with the whining and arguing, and felt like she yelled and pushed back too much.
The first thing I thought was, **I feel that way, too. We all do. **
Read MoreWhen I was 4.5 years old my parents told me I was going to be a big sister. I did not want a little sister. I had to be bribed with a cat.
When they brought her home she cried - a lot. I promptly asked them to please take her back. Mom and Dad did not oblige.
Looking back, I'm glad they did not.
Read MoreOn this special day, let’s hear it for the men!
Let's hear it for the men that were there for us when we were little and needed our knees bandaged, daily. When we wanted to play Candy Lane and Pretty Pretty Princess, daily. When we were surly teens, talking back and skipping out on curfew. Bandaging our hearts when they got broken for the first time.
Let's hear it for the men who displayed to us what a father should be.
Let's hear it for the men who were there during those 9 crazy months of pregnancy and all 22 hours of labor.
Read MoreThree years ago we brought you home. Now you are three years old. You just seem so big and mature.
You conquered this last year with ease , if not grace, and I have a few wishes for you for this coming one:
I hope you never lose your adventurous spirit… keep on being the most fun kid at the park.
Read MoreA year has passed since I have started this blog and started documenting our lives and my musings. A year with a child can seem like an eternity, the days creeping by so slowly, then BAM, you look back and the 365 days have flow by in the blink of an eye. Things are ever changing with kids, their needs and wants and favorite colors. And just as you are focused on how much things have changed, you can be surprised by how much they stay the same. Time is a strange beast and nothing shows you the power of it more than kids.
Read MoreIn this day and age where actors and politicians and media figures, men whom our sons would once have looked up to, are falling from grace for harassing and disrespecting women it is oh so important to teach our sons the strength of positive social behavior. Being a parent to a boy is a huge responsibility, it is our job to make sure our sons grow up to strong, kind, respectful, empathetic people and break this cycle of bad behavior.
Read MoreSo it's been pretty quiet on the blog this summer. With summer activities, days spend playing with friends and family, and Teddy running and talking to everyone who will listen, it's been quiet busy. Oh, that and Zach and I made a totally normal summer decision ... let's renovate ALL the bathrooms in the house.
I've been at Home Depot and on Pinterest every hour that I wasn't with Teddy (ok, ok, and some that I was). Teddy has become quite accustomed to running around HD and sitting still in tile stores. I've been shopping, designing, buying, returning, and working with a contractor all summer long.
Read MoreSAVE THE DATE
Fun for a Purpose - The Race for Every Child
October 21, 2017 @ 8am
Freedom Plaza
Join us! Team I Heart Teddy (PS - free team t-shirts!)
WE HEART TEDDY
Two years ago yesterday, Teddy had life saving open heart surgery at Children's National Medical Center. (You can read the story about his condition and surgery here ).
We owe our happiness to the team at Children's and we do whatever we can to support the hospital. Zach and I find it especially important in this day and age, when the future of healthcare is in flux that we do what we can to support the hospitals and staff that do the amazing work of saving our little ones. As well as do what we can to support the families going through the hardest times of having a sick child.
When we were thinking of ways to give back we were thrilled to find out about the Race for Every Child 5K. Not only is it an awesome and fun event but it fits right into our family's active lifestyle. Those of you that know us know that we are a running, biking, swimming, active threesome, so a 5K to support our most precious cause is perfect.
Read MoreTo the dad who fist bumped me as we passed each other stroller running, each with a sleeping kiddo, thank you ...
To my running "tribe", who answers all sorts of questions, at all hours of the day and night, and is always there for a good laugh, too, thank you ...
To my best friend of 30 years, whose son was born within days of Teddy, who I cried on the phone to those first few weeks (I don't even remember what it was about, but I know I needed it), thank you ...
To the friend who lets us barge into her house, good day or bad, thank you ...
To Teddy's favorite people at Trader Joes, who play with him while I grocery shop, thank you ...
Read MoreBefore having a family of my own, it never occurred to me that there are so many questions surrounding families with one child.
As soon as you get engaged people start asking, do you want a family? When you say I do, the question becomes, when are you going to start a family?
Then as soon as you announce you are pregnant, boom, the questions start again, "How many more kids do you think you'll want?" or "how close in age do you want your children to be?" Somewhere down the line not only did how and when we start a family become everyone's business, but it became standard practice to assume every couple is going to have multiple children.
Read MoreSharenting: a term used to describe the overuse of social media by parents to share content based on their children. It is related to the concept of too much information
Read MoreFollow our house renovation on my THIS OLD(ish) (TOWN)HOUSE page.
Hope you have fun!
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