The New Scooby-Doo is Scary

I loved watching Scooby Doo when I was little. It was a Sunday morning ritual for me and my brother. Did you know they've updated Scooby Doo? 

We don't have cable just a Roku box and we stream Netflix. When I saw Scooby Doo was on there I thought, "Great! A cartoon I used to watch and now my kids can too!" Not even close.

The new Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated has some scary villains! The first episode we watched was about a town that was taken over by alligator people. Now these are what the alligators looked like when I used to watch the show. 

Not too scary right? Here is the updated alligator people. 

They are terrifying! I found it hard to watch. It took my kids awhile to want to watch another episode b/c they were scared of the "ghosts." 

Also, what is up w/ the romance plot on the show? Why are we trying to get Shaggy and Velma together? What is the target age range for this show? I guess they needed another plot line rather than just catching ghosts. 

And the mystery of the kids that disappeared 20+ years ago? Talk about a complicated story line. Maybe I just had a hard time following it b/c my kids were asking me a million questions or I was trying to fix lunch and switch laundry. I haven't given the show my full undivided attention. I guess if I did I could better follow that plot. 

Does anyone else have trouble following the New Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated? 

Am I Failing at my Job?

I've been so sporadic w/ my blog posts ever since I started this blog that I can't remember how I introduced myself. So I'm going to start over. Pretend this is the 1st time I'm writing to you all out there.

 I'm 31 years old, I live in Kansas w/ my Hubby of 9 years, our 3 kids and our dog. My son (C) is 5 and just started kindergarten, my oldest daughter (A) just turned 3, and the baby girl (Baby C) is 6 months. (The dog is 8 in case anyone was wondering.)

C is very laid back, curious, observant, and highly emotional. He gets upset over the smallest things. "My cracker broke in half." "I wanted the baseball cup." "I wanted to brush my teeth first." Imagine these are being said in the whiniest of voices. This causes much anxiety and stress for all of us. He's better now that he's getting older but there are still some times he'll cry over nothing.

We're a month into kindergarten so we're still giving him some slack adjusting to a new routine. I find it hard most mornings not to snap when he cries over not wanting to wear the clothes I've laid out.

A is blond and blue eyed, has a winning smile, and looks utterly adorable. She's also the sassiest little girl I've ever encountered. The terrible 3's have certainly hit our house. She likes to talk back, scream, throw fits, demand to play on my Iphone or Ipad, and torment her brother, which basically means she hurts him. C does his fair share of the antagonizing, but A is the one to take it to the physical level.

Hubby just got a new job that has him traveling quite a bit. We knew this opportunity was coming and knew what it would mean for me at home. I was okay w/ it, I still am, but some days it's hard being the only one home. Especially during that 4-6 PM time period. That's when I lose my mind. I haven't had a minute to myself all day to sit down and unwind. I'm tired, cranky and instantly on edge. This means I yell at my kids at the drop of a hat. (I know you've all been there too.)

 Just now C came in crying b/c A had scratched him on his collarbone. I looked and yeah she got him good. A scratch about an inch and a half and it was bleeding. Last night, she bit him in the bathtub. (They still take a bath together. Think what you will but it saves time.)

I put my head in my hands, counted to 10, and fought back the tears.

I find myself taking these "moments" where I count to 10 more and more frequently, especially since school has started. Some days I just completely lose my cool and don't bother counting. Then I feel like a jerk. Is that the way my kids are looking at me? Are they scared of me?

And then there's the guaranteed to make you feel like a crap parent when your kid yells at their sibling b/c that's the example you set.

 This should be my "Aha!" moment, and it was for a few weeks, but then school started and I had to get up earlier than normal, adjust my routine, had to make sure lunch was packed for the next day and the girls and I were prepped for whatever activity we had going on, not to mention keeping up the day to day housework. And the baby STILL isn't sleeping through the night.

 I know my triggers, know how to avoid that rushed feeling in the mornings, but I refuse to change my routine. I continue to fail at this aspect of my job as a Mom and it depresses me to no end. I feel like absolute garbage when I yell at my kids before 8 AM.

My goal for next week is to get out of bed the first time my alarm goes off. This is going to be hard b/c Hubby will be gone for 4 days next week. Wish me luck!

My Dog has Allergies

For the past couple months our dog, Eddie, has been licking his feet. At first we let it go thinking he was bored. But recently it's become incessant licking. His paws are turning red. Whenever we get on him about it, he moves out of our eyesight and keeps licking. 

Eddie's been due for his shots since the spring, we've been putting it off b/c we spent $600 earlier this year when he had his teeth cleaned and they removed 8 due to plaque build up. What great parents huh? 

So we'd been putting off this vet trip, but the feet licking was out of control. We googled it and found he could have an anxiety disorder, an allergy, a number of different diagnoses. 

The vet said he probably had an allergy and the grass on his feet was making them itch. Say what? My dog, who spends a good 2/3 - 3/4 of his day outside, is allergic to our grass? 

Hubby took him in today and the vet prescribed a solution to wipe on his feet once a day and said we could give him Benadryl. All we have in the house right now is children's Benadryl in liquid form. I planned to pour some in his water dish and he'd lap it right up. 

Yeah right. He sniffed it and backed away. 

Not to be discouraged I came back w/ a syringe from the infant Tylenol. I held Eddie by the collar and poked the syringe into the corner of his mouth while he twisted his head trying to avoid me. It took several tries but I managed to squeeze all 3 ml of medicine in his mouth. Now to fill up and do again. And again. Lots of treats were given between doses and he still wouldn't cooperate. 

Tomorrow we're buying the chewable tablets and sneaking them into some cheese. He loves cheese. (Who doesn't??) 

Oh and he's overweight. :( By 2-4 lbs. so not too much. His portions have been cut and he wasn't too happy about that today. He does have a big backyard to run around in and we do play w/ him out there. But he's getting up there in dog years (he's 8) and after a few throws he starts limping and we feel bad for him. The vet assured us it was healthy for him to run even when he acted sore. 

This is the first pet I've had that's stuck around the longest. Growing up we lived along a highway and dogs were always showing up and would stay for awhile. We've had him since he was a puppy, he's my first "baby." Who wouldn't love a dog like this? 

This isn't my Eddie but he looks very similar to this corgi. Same coloring and same brown spots over his eyes. 

My Eddie is laid out on his back, feet up in the air, snoring. That must be some good Benadryl. 

Showing Skin Around your Kids

I had an earlier post about privacy in the bathroom and I want to bring up a similar topic: Nudity in front of your children: At what age do you stop? 

I usually come out of the bathroom after my shower wearing my bra and underwear. If I happen to be naked and hear my children coming down the hall, I pull my shirt on really fast or grab my towel. 

A friend and I have been taking an aquatics class at our local Y every Wed. evening. When Hubby comes home I'm usually in a hurry to change and get out the door. One Wed. night I'm changing in the bedroom and Hubby comes back to get "instructions" so to speak. Of course, the kids are close behind him. I'm naked, putting on my swimsuit, and the kids are jumping all around the room. 

Later Hubby asked me when I was going to stop undressing in front of our 5 year old son. I was quick to point out I was alone in the room when I started changing, the kids followed him back to the bedroom. 

And what did he mean by naked? Completely naked? Bra and pants? Bra and underwear? There's a number of combinations he could be talking about. 

My kids see me nursing Baby C every day. My son doesn't ask questions or stare. My daughter thinks the baby is eating from my tummy. And I'm not going to correct her. :) 

I don't really want to be reduced to changing in my bathroom, and I certainly don't want to give my girls a complex over body image if I'm constantly hiding while changing. It's no secret I'm insecure about my body (who is?), but I'm not going to complain in front of my kids. I want them to be more self confident than I am/was.