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 MoreI unpacked my car this afternoon from my morning trip to @homegoods. Teddy was zooming around, 🚴🏻 without his helmet, and whining how hungry he was for a smoothie. I was sticking to my guns that I was almost dinner time and getting called *the WORST mama EVER* while simultaneously yelling 📢 at him to *come back here RIGHTNOW and be safe*.
Read MoreLet’s talk every one’s favorite comfort food (next to mac’n cheese and ice cream) - Chinese food. Being gluten free makes eating Chinese food hard, the brown sauces usually contain soy sauce, and many restaurants don’t have gluten free soy sauce to sub out on the spot. Totally understandable. But I still crave it. What to do, what to do?
Read MoreWe 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 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.
On 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 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 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 MoreLike vodka and soda, this post and my post from yesterday go together perfectly! Everything is a-changing when you have kids, once you were clubbing and now you are just trying to get out the door without spilling apple juice. Stick with me, this will all make sense soon.
Read MoreI've seen this around for years but I can finally play along! SweetTeaMakesThree designed this hysterical Bingo card and I am pretty sure scored Bingo by 9AM today I may even get a black out today ... what's my prize!?
Read MoreSo you've got your dream running stroller. You've been cleared to run by your OB or you have decided it is finally time to get back out there, so grab your shoes and go, right?
Hold on there, before you lace up your shoes there are some how to's and some don'ts to run over (pun intended) before you head out. Keeping them in mind will make your run even more enjoyable and help you and your little one continue logging those stroller miles.
Read MoreAs anyone with a toddler can tell you, they are destructive little beings. Give them a crayon and paper and they will find the nearest sofa. Give them a cracker and they will find the nearest rug to grind it into.
Recently, we experienced the true destructive power of our toddler when it comes to the bathroom and learned that for the bargain basement price of $400(ish) you too, can have an ongoing relationship with your plumber and get a new toilet.
Read MoreTeddy is all boy. He likes trucks and cars, he runs at breakneck speed through the day, he climbs up and jumps off furniture. One of our closest friends calls him T-Dog and T-$. But sometimes even the craziest of kiddos need to chill.
When Teddy seems like he needs a chill activity we head down to the basement bathroom and set up his artist's studio.
Read MoreFollow our house renovation on my THIS OLD(ish) (TOWN)HOUSE page.
Hope you have fun!
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