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.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
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?
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
How to Tune out your Kids
I've been able to do this since before my son was talking. Hubby has a problem doing this. He can't get past the high pitched voice screaming, "Mommy, mommy, mommy!" over and over from the back seat or the living room. I have no problem whatsoever, probably b/c I have spent the last 8 hours w/ no one but these small people to talk to and once an adult comes w/in 10 feet of me, I can't contain my mouth.
I first realized this gift one Friday when my family was driving 6 hours to visit the grandparents. I had worked that day (I worked part time before we moved), Hubby had worked, we were both tired but as was our routine he drove the first leg of the trip. I was sitting in the passenger seat chattering away about who knows what while my son tried to be heard from the back seat. He kept repeating, "Mommy, mommy, mommy." His volume never changed, just the intensity and speed of the phrase. I kept jabbering away to Hubby like we were the only 2 in the car. Finally Hubby says, "Can you not hear that?" I looked at him blankly for a minute before turning around and answering the inane question my son just had to have an answer to in that very second.
Further proof that men cannot multitask.
I first realized this gift one Friday when my family was driving 6 hours to visit the grandparents. I had worked that day (I worked part time before we moved), Hubby had worked, we were both tired but as was our routine he drove the first leg of the trip. I was sitting in the passenger seat chattering away about who knows what while my son tried to be heard from the back seat. He kept repeating, "Mommy, mommy, mommy." His volume never changed, just the intensity and speed of the phrase. I kept jabbering away to Hubby like we were the only 2 in the car. Finally Hubby says, "Can you not hear that?" I looked at him blankly for a minute before turning around and answering the inane question my son just had to have an answer to in that very second.
Further proof that men cannot multitask.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Sweatpants vs. Yoga Pants
I have a relationship w/ my sweatpants. It started in college when I bought a fleece pair at Old Navy w/ the drawstring waist. They were all the rage 10 years ago. I never wore them outside my dorm or apartment, I thought that was tacky (at the time). I didn't start "living" in them until I got married and had kids.
My first pair of fleece pants I wore all thru my 1st pregnancy and after. I bought a pair of yoga pants to wear out in public b/c the fleece ones I thought looked sloppy. My husband hated the fleece pair. He said they didn't flatter my ass the way the yoga pants did.
After the birth of my 2nd child, I gave up the fleece pants and bought another pair from the Gap this time. These fit a little snugger than the previous pair and were lots more comfortable. Hubby was thrilled when I replaced them. I wear them all the time. I wear my jeans out during the day then "Boom!" back home, I pull the Gap pants back on. They're usually thrown over the bed waiting for me to return.
Now lets get to the point of this post, my sweatpants are WAY better than yoga pants. They kick yoga pants ass! Don't get me wrong, I own a pair of yoga pants and they are very comfortable. The problem I have w/ them is they aren't very flattering to my shape. They draw attention to my "post pregnancy" tummy and divide the fat into 2 sections above and below the waistband. I'm constantly pulling them up when the spare tire, or muffin top, pushes the waistband down to extreme discomfort level and has me hiking them up to nipple height. Hubby has told me how attractive this looks. I do prefer to wear the yoga pants out in public, they fit better and look nicer than the Gap pants.
I took pictures of both pairs of pants but can't figure out how to download them from my iPad onto the blog. It's going to take some research. I'm not a real tech savvy person but I hope to spruce this blog up a little, and I'm hoping to start a Facebook page in the next week so be sure and check back!
My first pair of fleece pants I wore all thru my 1st pregnancy and after. I bought a pair of yoga pants to wear out in public b/c the fleece ones I thought looked sloppy. My husband hated the fleece pair. He said they didn't flatter my ass the way the yoga pants did.
After the birth of my 2nd child, I gave up the fleece pants and bought another pair from the Gap this time. These fit a little snugger than the previous pair and were lots more comfortable. Hubby was thrilled when I replaced them. I wear them all the time. I wear my jeans out during the day then "Boom!" back home, I pull the Gap pants back on. They're usually thrown over the bed waiting for me to return.
Now lets get to the point of this post, my sweatpants are WAY better than yoga pants. They kick yoga pants ass! Don't get me wrong, I own a pair of yoga pants and they are very comfortable. The problem I have w/ them is they aren't very flattering to my shape. They draw attention to my "post pregnancy" tummy and divide the fat into 2 sections above and below the waistband. I'm constantly pulling them up when the spare tire, or muffin top, pushes the waistband down to extreme discomfort level and has me hiking them up to nipple height. Hubby has told me how attractive this looks. I do prefer to wear the yoga pants out in public, they fit better and look nicer than the Gap pants.
I took pictures of both pairs of pants but can't figure out how to download them from my iPad onto the blog. It's going to take some research. I'm not a real tech savvy person but I hope to spruce this blog up a little, and I'm hoping to start a Facebook page in the next week so be sure and check back!
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
The Quality of my Sleep
When I was in college I made it a rule to be in bed by 10, 10:30 at the latest. (I know how lame, right?) As many of you can imagine, there are large parts of college I wish I could redo. I finally came to my senses my senior year and started staying up until midnight on a pretty regular basis.
Up until my family and I moved 6 months ago, Hubby and I rarely found ourselves in bed after 10:30. The clock would hit 10 and I would be headed to brush my teeth and remove my contacts. It was some weird internal alarm I had, I don't know how else to explain it. But now that we've moved, we're night owls. I sit here typing this at 11:17 PM knowing my alarm is set for 5:30 AM (I really hope I can get out of bed and not just turn it off) and that only leaves a mere 6 hours of sleep.
I don't know what changed to make us crave the night hours. Maybe it's b/c I'm staying home and I'm grasping to whatever downtime I can get before the whole day begins again and I won't have a free moment until nap time.
My nighttime routine is the same every night: make supper, eat, rinse and load dishwasher, set timer on dishwasher, put kids to bed, watch TV downstairs while simultaneously playing on my iPad, come back upstairs after a ridiculous long time watching TV to remember the 100 things I need to get ready for the next morning. If I would just get up at 5:30 when my alarm goes off I could probably avoid a lot of that, but I don't. Why? Because I'm lazy! I like my sleep but I'm losing some self esteem and I'm hoping that's more important to me than sleep right now.
I have a sleep cycle app on my phone that's supposed to monitor my sleeping patterns and wake me when I'm in the mode where I won't feel the most tired. It tells me how long I stay in deep sleep and at what times I'm "awake." it also tells me what percentage my sleep quality is and stores past nights. As of right now, the best night of sleep I got was right after thanksgiving. Now I don't usually use this app unless I need to set my alarm so I don't use it on weekends. I found it interesting that I haven't had a good nights sleep for 2 months. I thought I'd been sleeping pretty well. Although I got the flu at the end of last week and I've had lots of coughing fits mainly at night. That hasn't helped my sleep quality.
Now that its 11:30 my chances for those 6 hours tonight is dropping pretty fast. Maybe I should shoot for 5.5.
Up until my family and I moved 6 months ago, Hubby and I rarely found ourselves in bed after 10:30. The clock would hit 10 and I would be headed to brush my teeth and remove my contacts. It was some weird internal alarm I had, I don't know how else to explain it. But now that we've moved, we're night owls. I sit here typing this at 11:17 PM knowing my alarm is set for 5:30 AM (I really hope I can get out of bed and not just turn it off) and that only leaves a mere 6 hours of sleep.
I don't know what changed to make us crave the night hours. Maybe it's b/c I'm staying home and I'm grasping to whatever downtime I can get before the whole day begins again and I won't have a free moment until nap time.
My nighttime routine is the same every night: make supper, eat, rinse and load dishwasher, set timer on dishwasher, put kids to bed, watch TV downstairs while simultaneously playing on my iPad, come back upstairs after a ridiculous long time watching TV to remember the 100 things I need to get ready for the next morning. If I would just get up at 5:30 when my alarm goes off I could probably avoid a lot of that, but I don't. Why? Because I'm lazy! I like my sleep but I'm losing some self esteem and I'm hoping that's more important to me than sleep right now.
I have a sleep cycle app on my phone that's supposed to monitor my sleeping patterns and wake me when I'm in the mode where I won't feel the most tired. It tells me how long I stay in deep sleep and at what times I'm "awake." it also tells me what percentage my sleep quality is and stores past nights. As of right now, the best night of sleep I got was right after thanksgiving. Now I don't usually use this app unless I need to set my alarm so I don't use it on weekends. I found it interesting that I haven't had a good nights sleep for 2 months. I thought I'd been sleeping pretty well. Although I got the flu at the end of last week and I've had lots of coughing fits mainly at night. That hasn't helped my sleep quality.
Now that its 11:30 my chances for those 6 hours tonight is dropping pretty fast. Maybe I should shoot for 5.5.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Sick SAHM
I must have jinxed myself w/ my previous Booger Nose post b/c I woke up yesterday and my throat was horribly scratchy and sore and my body was aching (I'd worked out the day before so couldn't be sure my body aches were sick related). I haven't been going thru much Kleenex on my account (the boy is going thru it like crazy). Today when I woke up my throat was on fire, I hadn't slept well and had coughed most of the night, my head was aching and as the morning wore on I started to feel light headed and sick to my stomach.
Like every other SAHM, I had kids to take care of regardless of how I felt. After dropping my son off at preschool, I brought my daughter home and took my temp which said 100.5. I sent my husband a text thinking of how great a day in bed would be. I had checked out several books from the library and had added them to the growing pile on my nightstand. But I sucked up my symptoms and told him I would be fine, and I was later in the morning.
When my husband came home from work, I planned to "retire" to the basement and veg in front of the TV and let Hubby take care of the kids. I'd already fed the kids so he didn't have much left to do. He is having a "lodge" weekend where he will be spending 2 days w/ friends hunting, drinking, laughing, etc. while I spend those 2 days w/ my parents and mother-in-law as a single mother. (Can you tell I love to torment Hubby w/ this?)
I figured if he was going to spend the next 2 days "kid free" I deserved an hour of solitude in the basement, especially if I didn't feel good. I wasn't alone 5 minutes before I heard the "thump, thump, thump" on the stairs and the lights come on. Hubby had brought the kids downstairs. In his defense, he had explained to our son that mommy didn't feel good and wanted to watch her show. I had started an episode of My Strange Addiction that isn't exactly kid friendly.
I gave Hubby a look and explained my reasoning. He asked if he should take the kids upstairs to which I said no. Hubby was tired, I was tired, neither one of us had the strength to corral the kids.
This weekend should buy me some "mom" time for the next couple weeks. :)
Like every other SAHM, I had kids to take care of regardless of how I felt. After dropping my son off at preschool, I brought my daughter home and took my temp which said 100.5. I sent my husband a text thinking of how great a day in bed would be. I had checked out several books from the library and had added them to the growing pile on my nightstand. But I sucked up my symptoms and told him I would be fine, and I was later in the morning.
When my husband came home from work, I planned to "retire" to the basement and veg in front of the TV and let Hubby take care of the kids. I'd already fed the kids so he didn't have much left to do. He is having a "lodge" weekend where he will be spending 2 days w/ friends hunting, drinking, laughing, etc. while I spend those 2 days w/ my parents and mother-in-law as a single mother. (Can you tell I love to torment Hubby w/ this?)
I figured if he was going to spend the next 2 days "kid free" I deserved an hour of solitude in the basement, especially if I didn't feel good. I wasn't alone 5 minutes before I heard the "thump, thump, thump" on the stairs and the lights come on. Hubby had brought the kids downstairs. In his defense, he had explained to our son that mommy didn't feel good and wanted to watch her show. I had started an episode of My Strange Addiction that isn't exactly kid friendly.
I gave Hubby a look and explained my reasoning. He asked if he should take the kids upstairs to which I said no. Hubby was tired, I was tired, neither one of us had the strength to corral the kids.
This weekend should buy me some "mom" time for the next couple weeks. :)
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Booger noses
For me the worst part about having a cold is the runny nose. It makes your nose red and raw from blowing/wiping, is annoying b/c you have to sniff until you think you'll pass out, and makes you go thru a lot of Kleenex which you don't always have on hand when you're out and about w/ small children. I've been known to rifle thru the side car door (what we use for a trash can) looking for a used Kleenex b/c my son is most likely licking the stream of snot running out of his nose (sorry for the visual but it's the truth).
Right now my son has a runny nose. Not just your standard runny nose, I mean thick yellow snot (what color means its healthy? Is it yellow?). There's also a dried ring of snot inside one nostril that I have to practically hold him down to dig around and clean it out.
My daughter doesn't have a runny nose, she gets the dried crusty boogers that I have to fight her to clean out. My technique is to kind of scrape them out w/ my fingernail when I can get a clear shot.
The perks of being a mom, right?
Right now my son has a runny nose. Not just your standard runny nose, I mean thick yellow snot (what color means its healthy? Is it yellow?). There's also a dried ring of snot inside one nostril that I have to practically hold him down to dig around and clean it out.
My daughter doesn't have a runny nose, she gets the dried crusty boogers that I have to fight her to clean out. My technique is to kind of scrape them out w/ my fingernail when I can get a clear shot.
The perks of being a mom, right?
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