I'm not proud of this confession and it's not a secret. The small town we live in doesn't have a McDonald's so it's kind of a special treat when we eat at one.
Today was such occasion. The kids and I met a group of moms from church at the local library for story time and then lunch and play time afterwards. The other kids there were 2 and under (mine are 4 and 18 months).
There was a play place inside which meant my son would be doing his version of hit and run eating, running to the table to take a bite then running back to play. I know this isn't great parenting, but it's better than listening to him whine the whole time, or better yet, telling me he wasn't hungry then complaining he was hungry when it was time to go.
Anyway, one mom there w/ her also 18 month old confessed this was her son's first Happy Meal and her husband stated it would be his last. She then told us they hadn't eaten at McDonald's in probably 10 years. WTF?? She has the time and energy to cook a meal every night?
I didn't mention that the kids and I eat at McDonald's maybe every other week whenever we have a play date or are running errands in Wichita. (The kids get coupons for free Happy Meals from our PAT group. That's a big part of why we eat there so much.)
I didn't want the other mom's to judge me and talk about me later. (Yes, I'm insecure and care what other people think. One of my biggest character flaws.)
I also couldn't hear the whole conversation very well b/c of all the screaming kids, mine included.
I'm always intrigued when I hear people say they don't like McDonald's. Hubby isn't a big fan, but he likes to eat there occasionally. I know other people are caught up in the health craze and obesity, and I'm not saying we shouldn't be worried about these things, but my son eats maybe 1 or 2 of his chicken nuggets and all of his fries.
Also, we're not eating this kind of food every day. He also gets the regular servings of fruits and veggies. Whether or not he eats them is out of my control. We decided a long time ago we weren't going to force our kids to eat something if they didn't want to. We will encourage them to "try it" but there will be no sitting at the table until your plate is clean in our house.
What are the rules in your house?
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Blizzard Prep
We were predicted to get 8-12 inches of snow Monday afternoon-evening. We cancelled our plans to stay an extra day w/ our parents in order to beat the snow home. No one wants to be on the road in that weather, especially w/ kids.
I had to do our weekly grocery shopping and wasn't happy to have to do it on Sunday night in bad weather. Luckily, there wasn't any weather to worry about, the only thing in my way was the million other people also preparing for the blizzard we were predicted to have.
As expected, some areas of Dillon's were cleaned out, for example, milk (not even a half gallon of skim), tomato sauce, bread, and bananas. I found this to be strange. In the event of a blizzard when I would spend a lot of time in my house, bananas are not my go to food.
I do not see bananas as a food I cannot live without. I have 2 children and I still don't view bananas as a staple in my kitchen. Bread, milk, even tomato sauce are no brainers, but bananas?? Seriously?! Out of all the produce, bananas were the only section empty.
There must be more recipes using bananas than I'm aware of, if you know of any good ones, please share!
I had to do our weekly grocery shopping and wasn't happy to have to do it on Sunday night in bad weather. Luckily, there wasn't any weather to worry about, the only thing in my way was the million other people also preparing for the blizzard we were predicted to have.
As expected, some areas of Dillon's were cleaned out, for example, milk (not even a half gallon of skim), tomato sauce, bread, and bananas. I found this to be strange. In the event of a blizzard when I would spend a lot of time in my house, bananas are not my go to food.
I do not see bananas as a food I cannot live without. I have 2 children and I still don't view bananas as a staple in my kitchen. Bread, milk, even tomato sauce are no brainers, but bananas?? Seriously?! Out of all the produce, bananas were the only section empty.
There must be more recipes using bananas than I'm aware of, if you know of any good ones, please share!
Thursday, February 21, 2013
When Hubby Naps
My husband's schedule allows him to be home every other Friday and every other Monday. Today was an exception b/c of the snow we received (and are still getting). Normally, he's the model dad and husband, getting up w/ the kids, letting me sleep in, entertaining them while I get some chores done, etc. And then there's nap time. Now I don't want to say too much about him b/c like I said, he's a great guy, but on some days when he's home and tired (who isn't?), he falls asleep on the couch, before nap time.
On occasion I've mentioned, "If you wait 30 minutes the kids will be sleeping." But this gets almost no reaction. His eyelids are too heavy. In turn, I get pissed off b/c he's snoring on the couch while the kids run around screaming and all I really want to do is take my nap (on the days I give in).
Today was a perfect example, he had spent some of the morning w/ the kids playing in the snow and the other time scooping our driveway. I know he was tired, but he still could have waited until 1 PM to stretch out on the couch. Instead, he sat w/ Baby Girl on his lap, started a cartoon and let his head fall back. I finished cleaning up from lunch, kept the kids entertained, and quiet, for 30 minutes, put them in their rooms, and went to lay on our bed.
I shouldn't be complaining too much, we both got our naps right?
On occasion I've mentioned, "If you wait 30 minutes the kids will be sleeping." But this gets almost no reaction. His eyelids are too heavy. In turn, I get pissed off b/c he's snoring on the couch while the kids run around screaming and all I really want to do is take my nap (on the days I give in).
Today was a perfect example, he had spent some of the morning w/ the kids playing in the snow and the other time scooping our driveway. I know he was tired, but he still could have waited until 1 PM to stretch out on the couch. Instead, he sat w/ Baby Girl on his lap, started a cartoon and let his head fall back. I finished cleaning up from lunch, kept the kids entertained, and quiet, for 30 minutes, put them in their rooms, and went to lay on our bed.
I shouldn't be complaining too much, we both got our naps right?
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Apple can bite me
On Friday the 8th my iPhone gave me message the newest update was available for download. I selected install now and was greeted w/ the lovely bar that turns white as the download progresses. Only problem was the bar didn't darken all the way. Instead, I was told to connect to iTunes. Now I've had my iPhone for over a year and never have I been asked to connect to iTunes.
Being a good girl, I followed directions, plugged in my USB cord and was told my version of iTunes was damaged, it needed to be reinstalled. Hubby and I were getting ready to leave town, it was going to take an extra 30 minutes at least to get this update taken care of, so I left the phone home for the weekend planning to deal w/ the problem when I got home.
Weekend over, iPhone was waiting for me. I reinstalled iTunes, plugged in the phone, got a message stating my iPhone needed to be restored. I hadn't backed it up since before Xmas, I had dozens of pictures and videos I was going to lose. Talk about frustration!! I don't handle frustration well, especially technology related. I tend to overreact, assume the worst, throw up my hands and walk away. (Hubby loves this about me. I get it from my mom.) Hubby spent some time researching and told me there was no way around the restore.
I okayed the restore only to get an error message saying restore not possible. Something about not being able to connect to Apple at this time. WTF! When do I have time in my day of being a mom to call and spend an hour on hold w/ Apple support? Tuesday I'm beyond frustrated and the kids are actually being good, so I decide to take a chance. I'm connected w/ a REAL person almost immediately. I spend the next 2 hours on the phone speaking w/ 3 different people about my problem. Nothing we try works. I call a senior supervisor back on Sunday, we try 2 more things, again neither one works. She advises me to try connecting to iTunes from another computer. It may be my WiFi connection isn't strong enough. And if that doesn't work Apple can do a manual restore that will cost a big fat $150.
Hubby took my phone to work today and it worked! Wahoo! Only problem is now it's telling me I have another update to install. Am I a part of some vicious circle Apple created? I'll have to ask during my next customer service call.
Being a good girl, I followed directions, plugged in my USB cord and was told my version of iTunes was damaged, it needed to be reinstalled. Hubby and I were getting ready to leave town, it was going to take an extra 30 minutes at least to get this update taken care of, so I left the phone home for the weekend planning to deal w/ the problem when I got home.
Weekend over, iPhone was waiting for me. I reinstalled iTunes, plugged in the phone, got a message stating my iPhone needed to be restored. I hadn't backed it up since before Xmas, I had dozens of pictures and videos I was going to lose. Talk about frustration!! I don't handle frustration well, especially technology related. I tend to overreact, assume the worst, throw up my hands and walk away. (Hubby loves this about me. I get it from my mom.) Hubby spent some time researching and told me there was no way around the restore.
I okayed the restore only to get an error message saying restore not possible. Something about not being able to connect to Apple at this time. WTF! When do I have time in my day of being a mom to call and spend an hour on hold w/ Apple support? Tuesday I'm beyond frustrated and the kids are actually being good, so I decide to take a chance. I'm connected w/ a REAL person almost immediately. I spend the next 2 hours on the phone speaking w/ 3 different people about my problem. Nothing we try works. I call a senior supervisor back on Sunday, we try 2 more things, again neither one works. She advises me to try connecting to iTunes from another computer. It may be my WiFi connection isn't strong enough. And if that doesn't work Apple can do a manual restore that will cost a big fat $150.
Hubby took my phone to work today and it worked! Wahoo! Only problem is now it's telling me I have another update to install. Am I a part of some vicious circle Apple created? I'll have to ask during my next customer service call.
Monday, February 11, 2013
A visit from the repairman
I hate when an appliance breaks down or my husband calls someone to look at our garage door, roof, etc. Even when I was working I was always the one who had to be home when these people visited our house. It was harder for Hubby to know his schedule day to day and when he would be available. What usually happened was Hubby would call the office and make the initial appt. then call me to tell me when he scheduled the visit.
I never know how to act when these people come to my house. The insurance adjuster is there to look at our roof? Great, I'll just hang out inside and wait for him to ring the doorbell and tell me he's done. I'll take the paperwork he hands me and say goodbye.
The bug guy comes to spray. I got to know our old bug guy pretty well. He was a nice guy who talked while he worked and made you feel comfortable w/ a stranger being in your home. I could usually go about my business when he was working.
An appliance repairman. This is where I get a little uncomfortable. Do I need to stand there and watch while he works? Most of the time it's in a room where I can be working on housework, but sometimes it's not in a convenient location. Like this past week we had a guy come and look at the fridge we keep in our garage. I was standing out there when it was about 45 degrees in our garage (he tested it) w/ 2 small kids. See the problem is, if I had left the guy alone to do his job then he would of had to come in the house every time he had a question.
This is another thing I don't like about being the only person home during these visits. I feel like an idiot calling my husband every time the guy has a question I can't answer, but even worse is explaining to my husband what the guy told me while he was there. Most of the time I don't remember the specifics, just general information, so can't always answer my husband's technical questions in a way that would please him. I'm not a very technical person and when you throw stuff at me like how a fridge works, my mind kind of goes blank. I can nod and say all the right things, "Sure, Ok, I see," but I can't repeat back what I've been told.
I never know how to act when these people come to my house. The insurance adjuster is there to look at our roof? Great, I'll just hang out inside and wait for him to ring the doorbell and tell me he's done. I'll take the paperwork he hands me and say goodbye.
The bug guy comes to spray. I got to know our old bug guy pretty well. He was a nice guy who talked while he worked and made you feel comfortable w/ a stranger being in your home. I could usually go about my business when he was working.
An appliance repairman. This is where I get a little uncomfortable. Do I need to stand there and watch while he works? Most of the time it's in a room where I can be working on housework, but sometimes it's not in a convenient location. Like this past week we had a guy come and look at the fridge we keep in our garage. I was standing out there when it was about 45 degrees in our garage (he tested it) w/ 2 small kids. See the problem is, if I had left the guy alone to do his job then he would of had to come in the house every time he had a question.
This is another thing I don't like about being the only person home during these visits. I feel like an idiot calling my husband every time the guy has a question I can't answer, but even worse is explaining to my husband what the guy told me while he was there. Most of the time I don't remember the specifics, just general information, so can't always answer my husband's technical questions in a way that would please him. I'm not a very technical person and when you throw stuff at me like how a fridge works, my mind kind of goes blank. I can nod and say all the right things, "Sure, Ok, I see," but I can't repeat back what I've been told.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
The Underwear Wars
I am very glad to say that my son is 95% potty trained. We never thought this day would come, we were hoping to see it a lot sooner, but are very proud he's grasped the idea and is following through w/ peeing in the potty.
The 5% he's lacking is, you guessed it, #2 in the potty. Most days he manages to put it all in there, but lately he's had maybe one accident every other day. This makes for an extra load of wash that needs to be done unless I want dried, poopy underwear sitting around in a bathroom.
Right now, I have 4 pairs of dried, poopy underwear sitting in the bathtub. Why, you ask? When my son is done going potty, we've told him he needs to close the bathroom door so his sister doesn't go in and "explore." So at bedtime, the door is always closed and my visual to wash poopy underwear is sitting behind the closed door.
Because my son has been doing so well w/ his potty training, we let him pick out some new underwear. He chose Angry Birds (who wouldn't?) and is very excited to wear them each day. So excited that he wants to change his underwear several times a day. It's become a battle in the mornings.
I say, "You put on clean underwear last night after your bath, you don't need clean ones this morning."
Followed by him sobbing, "But I wanna wear the ones w/ the piggies on them!"
You can see the dilemma. Sometimes I wonder if he poops in his underwear just so he can change them. I have a laundry system w/ a chart that tells me what laundry I wash on each day. Kid's clothes are Monday's so technically I'm done for the week, but do you think I'm going to leave those dried, poopy pants laying in my bathroom for another 5 days?! Not to mention the fact that if we continue like this, he's going to run out of underwear.
I'm on my way downstairs w/ the basket.
I finally created a Facebook page: Tales of a Suburban Mom. Check it out the next time you're bored on Facebook!
The 5% he's lacking is, you guessed it, #2 in the potty. Most days he manages to put it all in there, but lately he's had maybe one accident every other day. This makes for an extra load of wash that needs to be done unless I want dried, poopy underwear sitting around in a bathroom.
Right now, I have 4 pairs of dried, poopy underwear sitting in the bathtub. Why, you ask? When my son is done going potty, we've told him he needs to close the bathroom door so his sister doesn't go in and "explore." So at bedtime, the door is always closed and my visual to wash poopy underwear is sitting behind the closed door.
Because my son has been doing so well w/ his potty training, we let him pick out some new underwear. He chose Angry Birds (who wouldn't?) and is very excited to wear them each day. So excited that he wants to change his underwear several times a day. It's become a battle in the mornings.
I say, "You put on clean underwear last night after your bath, you don't need clean ones this morning."
Followed by him sobbing, "But I wanna wear the ones w/ the piggies on them!"
You can see the dilemma. Sometimes I wonder if he poops in his underwear just so he can change them. I have a laundry system w/ a chart that tells me what laundry I wash on each day. Kid's clothes are Monday's so technically I'm done for the week, but do you think I'm going to leave those dried, poopy pants laying in my bathroom for another 5 days?! Not to mention the fact that if we continue like this, he's going to run out of underwear.
I'm on my way downstairs w/ the basket.
I finally created a Facebook page: Tales of a Suburban Mom. Check it out the next time you're bored on Facebook!
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Making the most of our weekends
Our Sunday's usually consist of church, eating lunch out, coming home and everyone taking a nice nap, adults included. Last Sunday, our money was a little tight that week so no lunch out. On the way home, baby girl fell asleep so she went right to bed when we got home which put a crimp in our schedule right off the bat. We ate lunch and baby girl woke up before we were done. She had slept for less than an hour which was totally not normal. Naps are usually 2 hours.
After lunch, baby girl had no interest in laying back down so mom and dad didn't get one either. What we did instead was take advantage of our day home. Hubby vacuumed out my car which was long overdue, I vacuumed inside and organized toys in the kid's rooms plus got caught up on some laundry. Our Christmas tree was still up, the car took priority over that. At the end of the day, Hubby and I were pretty proud of ourselves for not sleeping away the afternoon. We felt good in the evening instead of feeling tired, crabby, and unorganized to start the week. I had a plan for dinner and prep and clean up took no time at all.
Today baby girl took a regular nap (2 hours), Hubby took a short nap on the couch, I took the dog for a walk, the tree came out of the basement, which created a huge mess of needles. The vacuum became clogged twice, Hubby had to blow the hose out. The mess still isn't cleaned up, dinner and bedtime got in the way. I made treats for my son to take to school for his birthday, supper cooked and cleaned up. Feeling pretty proud of myself again.
We've been traveling the last 4 years on Super Bowl Sunday due to our son's birthday party falling on that weekend. Of course, we don't have cable so watching at home isn't an option. It's year we're at home w/ no party invites. We didn't go looking for invites but were hoping one would come up. We discovered today that missing the game the last 4 years has made us immune to the excitement. Plus as a parent, the game usually isn't much fun anyway, at least not if you're the mom.
After lunch, baby girl had no interest in laying back down so mom and dad didn't get one either. What we did instead was take advantage of our day home. Hubby vacuumed out my car which was long overdue, I vacuumed inside and organized toys in the kid's rooms plus got caught up on some laundry. Our Christmas tree was still up, the car took priority over that. At the end of the day, Hubby and I were pretty proud of ourselves for not sleeping away the afternoon. We felt good in the evening instead of feeling tired, crabby, and unorganized to start the week. I had a plan for dinner and prep and clean up took no time at all.
Today baby girl took a regular nap (2 hours), Hubby took a short nap on the couch, I took the dog for a walk, the tree came out of the basement, which created a huge mess of needles. The vacuum became clogged twice, Hubby had to blow the hose out. The mess still isn't cleaned up, dinner and bedtime got in the way. I made treats for my son to take to school for his birthday, supper cooked and cleaned up. Feeling pretty proud of myself again.
We've been traveling the last 4 years on Super Bowl Sunday due to our son's birthday party falling on that weekend. Of course, we don't have cable so watching at home isn't an option. It's year we're at home w/ no party invites. We didn't go looking for invites but were hoping one would come up. We discovered today that missing the game the last 4 years has made us immune to the excitement. Plus as a parent, the game usually isn't much fun anyway, at least not if you're the mom.
Friday, February 1, 2013
My kids are addicted to technology
When my son was born in 2009 we were a technology minimal house. We had a desktop computer and neither one of had smartphones. Shortly after he was born, we bought a laptop which progressed into Hubby getting a smartphone and me getting a blackberry. The point is: my son didn't know about technology until he was at least 2. Even then Hubby and I didn't have anything exciting on our phones that he could play with.
When my daughter was born, in 2011, we had our laptop, Hubby had an Android phone, an iPad, I know have an iPhone and iPad. Our son is a whiz at Angry Birds (like seriously better than me) and pretty much every other game I have on my phone. Baby girl also enjoys pushing buttons and seeing the animation of these games. They each have their own folders on my iPhone and iPad. My son knows exactly which one is his while baby girl just likes to randomly push buttons.
My son is at the age where he understands when he can play on my phone or iPad. Baby girl is not. She believes she should be playing w/ these devices all the time. If she sees one, or sees her brother holding one, she begins to scream and throw a royal temper tantrum complete w/ foot stomping, arms flailing and hitting. The only action she's missing is throwing herself on the ground. She's started bending at the waist so it's only a matter of time before she ends up on the floor.
In order to avoid this horrific scene ever time I use my phone, I have to hide it in my pocket if we're out or I just leave it on the countertop when we're at home and whenever I need to read or reply to an e-mail or text, I lean over the counter really far when baby girl isn't around. If I hear her coming, I put it down and step away from the counter so as not to draw her eye to the phone sitting on top. She's still short enough she can't see it sitting up there but that doesn't stop her from standing on her tiptoes and trying.
Do your kids go crazy over technology?
When my daughter was born, in 2011, we had our laptop, Hubby had an Android phone, an iPad, I know have an iPhone and iPad. Our son is a whiz at Angry Birds (like seriously better than me) and pretty much every other game I have on my phone. Baby girl also enjoys pushing buttons and seeing the animation of these games. They each have their own folders on my iPhone and iPad. My son knows exactly which one is his while baby girl just likes to randomly push buttons.
My son is at the age where he understands when he can play on my phone or iPad. Baby girl is not. She believes she should be playing w/ these devices all the time. If she sees one, or sees her brother holding one, she begins to scream and throw a royal temper tantrum complete w/ foot stomping, arms flailing and hitting. The only action she's missing is throwing herself on the ground. She's started bending at the waist so it's only a matter of time before she ends up on the floor.
In order to avoid this horrific scene ever time I use my phone, I have to hide it in my pocket if we're out or I just leave it on the countertop when we're at home and whenever I need to read or reply to an e-mail or text, I lean over the counter really far when baby girl isn't around. If I hear her coming, I put it down and step away from the counter so as not to draw her eye to the phone sitting on top. She's still short enough she can't see it sitting up there but that doesn't stop her from standing on her tiptoes and trying.
Do your kids go crazy over technology?
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