I have lost it. Sometimes the things that come out of my mouth even surprise me. I have one 2 1/2 year old that seems to monopolize all my time. She cannot, and I mean CANNOT, play independently with her toys. If I do not spend time with her, or let her watch TV, the child finds mischief.
Yeah. Yeah. I know. Its typical behavior for a 2 year old but its my FIRST two year old.
Today, after hours of arguing, and pleading, and yelling and such I lost it.
I took her to the park to play with her friends. We were there for 2 1/2 hours. We even stayed longer after everyone left. But STILL we have to have a crying, screaming jag just to leave the park. When we got home, I simply told her to got potty and wash her hands and she could watch TV while I made dinner. Did she deserve to watch TV. NO! But I did. All I wanted to do was load the dishwasher. Nothing exciting. Nothing major. Just friggin dishes. Not even 5 minutes passed when I hear screaming from the bathroom. Kaia has clogged the sink, turned on the faucet and is sitting in it. Water is just millimeters from overflowing.
Seconds later...I hear the car in the garage. Daddy's home. THANK GOD!!
Mike enters the house and I lose my mind. I am screaming and yelling things like...
"She does not appreciate me."
"She listens to NOTHING!"
"She needs to go to daycare!"
Anything I can spew at him. (Poor guy finally gets off work early and comes home to THIS! But hey...oh well.)
He tags me OUT and I have to go to my bedroom to calm down.
Will I ever get good at this??
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Spirit the Horse has nothing on Kaia
So what is a mom to do? I enrolled my 2 1/2 year old daughter in dance class. She loves to dance and performs regularly around the house. When we first moved her into her big girl bed, she would trapse into our room at 5:15am and declare, "Mommy, I want to dance." Clearly a girl who just loves to get down.
But now that we are enrolled, dance is the furthest thing from her mind. Oh she does a little here and there, but for an hour long class we are talking maybe 15 minutes.
The rest of her time is spent tooling around, invading other girls on their "mark", going to the mirror and making funny faces with her hands, running back to mommy to whisper God knows what, etc.
This morning, things almost took an ugly turn when long plastic drum sticks were given out to the girls. They were to be used for drumming and rubbing together and such. My daughter decided to caress the cheek of another child with her stick. Then the bottom of the other girl next to her. All I could imagine was her winding up for a good whack!!! I finally stepped in and moved her away from the other dance students. Phew! Crisis adverted.
Now while I know that this is hardly atypical behavior for a 2 year old, I am just not sure how to address it.
Options:
1. Let the teacher take care of it. I mean it is why I enrolled her in a formal class anyways.
2. Take her outside the classroom to scold her, demand that she listen to her teacher and then return.
3. Sit next to her "mark" so that mommy can always be near to coach her and help her.
In the course of one dance class, I almost do all three options.
While I want my daughter to have a free spirit, I am troubled at how much she just DOES NOT listen. To anyone really...not just me.
So, we have taken to practicing our dance class at home in hopes of improvement. I have started taking her to the park in the morning before dance class just so she is a little tired and less...well...free!
So far nothing has really made an impact. She just flutters about when she wants, talks out of turn, and generally does her own thing.
Thank God there is only 4 more sessions left. I am looking into karate for toddlers as we speak. Please tell me they offer it!
But now that we are enrolled, dance is the furthest thing from her mind. Oh she does a little here and there, but for an hour long class we are talking maybe 15 minutes.
The rest of her time is spent tooling around, invading other girls on their "mark", going to the mirror and making funny faces with her hands, running back to mommy to whisper God knows what, etc.
This morning, things almost took an ugly turn when long plastic drum sticks were given out to the girls. They were to be used for drumming and rubbing together and such. My daughter decided to caress the cheek of another child with her stick. Then the bottom of the other girl next to her. All I could imagine was her winding up for a good whack!!! I finally stepped in and moved her away from the other dance students. Phew! Crisis adverted.
Now while I know that this is hardly atypical behavior for a 2 year old, I am just not sure how to address it.
Options:
1. Let the teacher take care of it. I mean it is why I enrolled her in a formal class anyways.
2. Take her outside the classroom to scold her, demand that she listen to her teacher and then return.
3. Sit next to her "mark" so that mommy can always be near to coach her and help her.
In the course of one dance class, I almost do all three options.
While I want my daughter to have a free spirit, I am troubled at how much she just DOES NOT listen. To anyone really...not just me.
So, we have taken to practicing our dance class at home in hopes of improvement. I have started taking her to the park in the morning before dance class just so she is a little tired and less...well...free!
So far nothing has really made an impact. She just flutters about when she wants, talks out of turn, and generally does her own thing.
Thank God there is only 4 more sessions left. I am looking into karate for toddlers as we speak. Please tell me they offer it!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Potty Training may be grosser than diapers...if you have a dog
My little Kaia is potty training. We are about a month in and things are going pretty good. We have a few "misses" here and there but overall we are quite able to get the pee into the potty.
The poop is another thing. I am not sure what to do. She initially started to poop in her pants and not really notice that it was there. I took to the message boards. In this instance, I was directed to show her how to clean herself and then set her on the potty anyways. Eventually she would learn to use the potty if she was to have to clean herself and she would have to sit on the potty in the end. This is what "they" claimed.
Well...not exactly.
Things have taken a very drastic and gross turn.
Kaia now takes to taking off her panties, filled with poop mind you, anywhere she makes: backyard, bathroom, family room, my bed...well at least I caught the last one in time.
What was a pretty gross process to clean up has now turned into a hazmat suit situation.
This morning, while watching a morning cartoon, she removed her panties. Her poop made a lovely plop onto the carpet. (Phew we rent!)
EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! I am not really that sqeamish but ewww people.
I had 2 options. Leave her there and go get something to clean it up or take her with me to get something. God knows what I would have come back to if I left her....ah the horror. No way. So I picked her up and went into kitchen grabbed a couple paper towels. (It was a hard one!)
I then returned to the scene of the mishap...nothing. Wait. What happened? Where did it go?
As I scanned the room, I noticed the dog licking his chops!
EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
Yes ladies and gentlemen. The dog ate it. Can't say as I was all that disappointed...but was definitely grossed out. I had to put dog outside the rest of the day. I just could not look at him.
Diapers...I am rethinking the option.
The poop is another thing. I am not sure what to do. She initially started to poop in her pants and not really notice that it was there. I took to the message boards. In this instance, I was directed to show her how to clean herself and then set her on the potty anyways. Eventually she would learn to use the potty if she was to have to clean herself and she would have to sit on the potty in the end. This is what "they" claimed.
Well...not exactly.
Things have taken a very drastic and gross turn.
Kaia now takes to taking off her panties, filled with poop mind you, anywhere she makes: backyard, bathroom, family room, my bed...well at least I caught the last one in time.
What was a pretty gross process to clean up has now turned into a hazmat suit situation.
This morning, while watching a morning cartoon, she removed her panties. Her poop made a lovely plop onto the carpet. (Phew we rent!)
EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! I am not really that sqeamish but ewww people.
I had 2 options. Leave her there and go get something to clean it up or take her with me to get something. God knows what I would have come back to if I left her....ah the horror. No way. So I picked her up and went into kitchen grabbed a couple paper towels. (It was a hard one!)
I then returned to the scene of the mishap...nothing. Wait. What happened? Where did it go?
As I scanned the room, I noticed the dog licking his chops!
EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
Yes ladies and gentlemen. The dog ate it. Can't say as I was all that disappointed...but was definitely grossed out. I had to put dog outside the rest of the day. I just could not look at him.
Diapers...I am rethinking the option.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Light-Up Sketchers are the new Manolo Blahnik for the kindergarten sect
This morning my son woke me at 5:30 am. He was ready to get dressed for school.
You see the day before we had visited our local Sketchers outlet and purchased the Holy Grail of shoes - light up race car sneakers. He simply could not wait to show off these new shoes to all of the kids at the bus stop. So the crack of dawn seemed like the appropriate time to start getting ready to go.
Now to put this into perspective, I had been hearing about these shoes for weeks. Television marketing dollars are not wasted on my son.
"Mom you can go super fast. They light up and they have stripes on the side."
Until yesterday, I was unaware that these shoes are the topic of extensive conversations on the school bus. So I did what many parents would, I went out and bought them.
I would like to say I feel horrible for giving in to his wish, but the lights on the shoes were only outmatched by how much my sons face lit up when we put the sneakers on.
I figure once in a while it is OK to avoid the clearance rack and indulge in a special treat for my little guy...next time I might even get me a pair.
You see the day before we had visited our local Sketchers outlet and purchased the Holy Grail of shoes - light up race car sneakers. He simply could not wait to show off these new shoes to all of the kids at the bus stop. So the crack of dawn seemed like the appropriate time to start getting ready to go.
Now to put this into perspective, I had been hearing about these shoes for weeks. Television marketing dollars are not wasted on my son.
"Mom you can go super fast. They light up and they have stripes on the side."
Until yesterday, I was unaware that these shoes are the topic of extensive conversations on the school bus. So I did what many parents would, I went out and bought them.
I would like to say I feel horrible for giving in to his wish, but the lights on the shoes were only outmatched by how much my sons face lit up when we put the sneakers on.
I figure once in a while it is OK to avoid the clearance rack and indulge in a special treat for my little guy...next time I might even get me a pair.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Ten 10 minute solutions to organize your kitchen
As a personal organizer, I thought I would share a couple tips for the kitchen. Let me know what you think.
1. Put all your Tupperware lids in one place albeit a drawer or large rectangular bin.
2. Remove 50% of the items underneath your kitchen sink. You may think that you need EVERYTHING under the sink but it’s just not true. Silver polish?? Really. You use THAT once a week? Well maybe you sell silver over EBay so YES. Okay then Silver Polish for you would stay, but for the bourgeoisie homeowners’ it is just not necessary. Move all items to the garage or laundry area. I know I know. This area is a mess as well but we will get to that later. Underneath the sink needs to be close to 35% full. Why? Such a waste of good space. This is why. You probably use most of these cleaners, plant food and soap more than once a day. With that kind of traffic, you need room to function. Removing all unnecessary items from under the sink will help make everyday chores more manageable.
3. Throw logic out the window. If the biggest cupboard in your kitchen would be best used for lunchboxes, coolers, and travel coffee mugs then go for it. Kitchen feng sui for me means the tools I need most often get the best real estate. Switch 2 cupboards. I LOVE having my measuring cups and spoons just above the stove. They are always in disarray but since the cupboard is so roomy, it does not matter. I can reach for what I need with one hand.
4. Organize your refrigerator in sections. Breads in one area. Actually utilizing the meat and cheese drawer FOR meat and cheese. Once a week do this. I do it once a day but I REALLY like a clean fridge. Put the dairy together. I put everything that needs to be eaten or cooked in the next two days on the middle shelf. The one that your eye is attracted to first. Leftovers go here so they are not forgotten. Best real estate. Questionable berries are added to a fruit smoothie or yogurt. If left on the top shelve behind the Chinese take-out, they would mold. You also will save money as you will be throwing less away each week.
5. Organize your pantry. Same concept as the fridge. Place pasta with pasta, and green beans with kidney beans. HOW you do this is not as important as just doing it. You will naturally come up with a system for your family. Some hints? For a family of 5 with 3 school age children, get a basket and put all chips and snack items in this. The heavy traffic in and out of this container will be high. Kids will soon gravitate to look for snacks in this area reducing waste. Just put “like” with “like.”
6. Clean out the utensils drawer. The easiest way to do this: remove five things. Do you really need 4 whisks and 7 spatulas? Does the walnut cracker really need year round real estate in this drawer? Put this in your bar or laundry area. Take the five items and donate them. Donate anything that is broken, melted, or cracked.
7. Clean the cutlery tray. A dirty cutlery tray is like getting indigestion after eating Taco Bell. Everyone has it. Take out a clean kitchen towel. Pick up and place all cutleries onto towel. Do not dump over or you will just move the dirt from tray to towel. Now, wash the cutlery tray by hand and dry it. You may use a few seconds from another task but trust me. It will be worth it. The organization is in the placing the spoons and knives and forks in all the correct sections. Cleaning it will just make you feel better. I HATE looking at all that gook and stuff that falls into it off the counter
8. Windex or clean the front of the oven, dishwasher, and refridge. Your kitchen will look a million times better without all those fingerprints. Promise.
9. Clean out your linen drawer. Some of those kitchen towels NEED to be demoted to rags. Again, send to garage.
10. Restack your Tupperware. Squares with squares. Circles with circles. If you have a 3-4 year old, get them to do this job for you. Once a week is really all that is needed.
Let me know how you are doing!
1. Put all your Tupperware lids in one place albeit a drawer or large rectangular bin.
2. Remove 50% of the items underneath your kitchen sink. You may think that you need EVERYTHING under the sink but it’s just not true. Silver polish?? Really. You use THAT once a week? Well maybe you sell silver over EBay so YES. Okay then Silver Polish for you would stay, but for the bourgeoisie homeowners’ it is just not necessary. Move all items to the garage or laundry area. I know I know. This area is a mess as well but we will get to that later. Underneath the sink needs to be close to 35% full. Why? Such a waste of good space. This is why. You probably use most of these cleaners, plant food and soap more than once a day. With that kind of traffic, you need room to function. Removing all unnecessary items from under the sink will help make everyday chores more manageable.
3. Throw logic out the window. If the biggest cupboard in your kitchen would be best used for lunchboxes, coolers, and travel coffee mugs then go for it. Kitchen feng sui for me means the tools I need most often get the best real estate. Switch 2 cupboards. I LOVE having my measuring cups and spoons just above the stove. They are always in disarray but since the cupboard is so roomy, it does not matter. I can reach for what I need with one hand.
4. Organize your refrigerator in sections. Breads in one area. Actually utilizing the meat and cheese drawer FOR meat and cheese. Once a week do this. I do it once a day but I REALLY like a clean fridge. Put the dairy together. I put everything that needs to be eaten or cooked in the next two days on the middle shelf. The one that your eye is attracted to first. Leftovers go here so they are not forgotten. Best real estate. Questionable berries are added to a fruit smoothie or yogurt. If left on the top shelve behind the Chinese take-out, they would mold. You also will save money as you will be throwing less away each week.
5. Organize your pantry. Same concept as the fridge. Place pasta with pasta, and green beans with kidney beans. HOW you do this is not as important as just doing it. You will naturally come up with a system for your family. Some hints? For a family of 5 with 3 school age children, get a basket and put all chips and snack items in this. The heavy traffic in and out of this container will be high. Kids will soon gravitate to look for snacks in this area reducing waste. Just put “like” with “like.”
6. Clean out the utensils drawer. The easiest way to do this: remove five things. Do you really need 4 whisks and 7 spatulas? Does the walnut cracker really need year round real estate in this drawer? Put this in your bar or laundry area. Take the five items and donate them. Donate anything that is broken, melted, or cracked.
7. Clean the cutlery tray. A dirty cutlery tray is like getting indigestion after eating Taco Bell. Everyone has it. Take out a clean kitchen towel. Pick up and place all cutleries onto towel. Do not dump over or you will just move the dirt from tray to towel. Now, wash the cutlery tray by hand and dry it. You may use a few seconds from another task but trust me. It will be worth it. The organization is in the placing the spoons and knives and forks in all the correct sections. Cleaning it will just make you feel better. I HATE looking at all that gook and stuff that falls into it off the counter
8. Windex or clean the front of the oven, dishwasher, and refridge. Your kitchen will look a million times better without all those fingerprints. Promise.
9. Clean out your linen drawer. Some of those kitchen towels NEED to be demoted to rags. Again, send to garage.
10. Restack your Tupperware. Squares with squares. Circles with circles. If you have a 3-4 year old, get them to do this job for you. Once a week is really all that is needed.
Let me know how you are doing!
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