The Only Mom Playing in the Sandbox

As I sat next to my daughter digging and building castles the other day, I looked up at one point and realized I was the only parent playing in the sandbox. And, it got me thinking about all the different parenting styles. I know there isn't any one "right way" of doing things. But, for me -- I believe in the hands-on parenting approach. If Remi is digging in the dirt and picking up rocks, so am I. If she's rolling around in the leaves or splashing in puddles, you can find me rolling and splashing with her.

Remi and I visited a local farm where we went on an egg hunt hayride, sat with the Easter Bunny and explored the "Discovery Barnyard" and "Animal Farm." The "Discovery Barnyard" has lots of different play areas including a huge sandbox. Remi had a blast. She left that place with muddy knees, sand in her socks and shoes and a dirty rear-end. And, you better believe -- I left in a similar fashion. The way I see it is -- participating in these activities is a chance for us parents to feel like a kid again and, most importantly, bond with our children.

(When I say "I was the only parent playing in the sandbox," I actually mean sitting in the sand and playing. There were plenty of other parents standing in the sandbox talking to other parents and watching their children - some children were older than Remi and others were here age. She'll be 20 months on April 13, 2017. Also, as we were leaving I did notice one other mom sitting in the sand :-)

Broken Phones, Blowouts and Tantrums

It's day three of my single parenting gig (the hubby is away for two weeks traveling for work) and, boy, are we having fun. I'm sure you can sense a bit of sarcasm in that statement but, overall, Remi and I really are enjoying our time together. The past three days have been filled with plenty of laughter, hugs, kisses and "mommy and me" activities including a Phillies game. Of course, my days are never complete without some excitement such as two trips to the mall for a broken phone, a couple of blowout diapers, a few tantrums and a whole lot of mommy chasing toddler around.

With Brian gone, it's imperative that my phone is working properly. I just bought the iPhone 7 about a month ago and for the past several days it has been intermittently crashing on me. I took it to the Apple store the other day but it crashed on me again this evening. Luckily, my mother-in-law was over and able to go to the mall with me to keep Remi occupied while I took my phone back to Apple.

We decided to make a little evening of it and have dinner in the food court. First, let me tell you -- like many toddlers at this age -- Remi doesn't want to sit still for very long. As a result, mommy either eats on the run or doesn't eat at all. As I quickly stuffed my face full of salad, she began wiggling her chubby, little legs out of the high chair. She stood up and lunged right at me. Yes, lunged. Don't worry, I was prepared. I caught her. She sat on my lap for maybe a minute before squirming her way to the ground. She was off. And, so was I. Chasing her around doesn't bother me; I want her to enjoy and explore. I just wish I could get a full meal in my belly before the race begins. To make things more interesting, Remi stopped and squatted in the middle of the food court (a position I know very well). She proceeded to let me know she was making a "poopy." Once she was done, she was off to the races again. I realized as we were finally leaving the food court I -- surprise, surprise -- forgot my purse at the table. Never a dull moment...

The three of us finally made it out to my car where I changed Remi in the trunk (I have a hatchback). I knew the "poopy" was bad. And, it was. It must have taken at least eight wipes to get her heinie clean. And, guess what? The excitement wasn't over yet. Remi didn't want to sit in her carseat. I think I'm pretty good at remaining calm in these situations. I try to give her time to settle down then try again. But, once a tantrum sets in, there's no stopping it -- all you can do is let her work out her frustrations. She did and eventually sank down into her seat. However, that was after screaming, trying to bend backwards over the seat and some flailing of her arms. She let out a couple more yells as we drove off before sticking her thumb in her mouth and returning to her sweet self. (Seriously. It's like our children briefly become possessed during a tantrum.) Another day down. But, a great day nonetheless.

Still, I have to admit -- she's cute even when she's screaming...

(Two things:
1. Daddy, if you're reading this -- we love you so much and miss you!
2. Full-time single parents are amazing and deserve SO much credit.)

Bushkill Falls, April 3, 2017

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Put K-Cup in Keurig Before Brewing

     Its been one of those mornings. You know -- you wake up not knowing where you are, what time it is (despite your alarm clock going off at the same time each morning), or what day it is. That was me this morning. I was in a fog. I'm not sure why I was so tired and out of it this morning but that fogginess led to a couple interesting happenings. Happenings I'm sure all you moms out there can relate to.

     First, I brewed a cup of joe as I do every morning but realized I forgot to add a K-Cup to the Keurig. I rushed to prepare the Keurig for a new cup and then realized I forgot to spray the pan before cooking my egg. So, while my new cup of coffee was brewing I was trying to scrape my eggs up and salvage as much of them as possible. Mind you, I am tiptoeing around the kitchen trying not to wake Remi who is asleep in her room just down the hall.

     Okay. I got my coffee. I got my egg sandwich. Remi is still asleep. I'm ready to go. As I'm walking to my car, I just felt like something was missing. The load I was carrying didn't seem heavy enough (we women take a lot of bags with us, or at least I do). I looked down at everything I had in my hands. Got it - it was my lunch bag. I ran back into the house to grab it.

     What else? Lets see. I forgot to brush my teeth too.

   I know how you feel, Mr. Lion...

Let's Stop the Violence

     Let me start by saying this is not exactly a political post. Not really. It is not meant to start a debate about whether guns should be banned. However, this is a pro love post. I realize love is not the answer to all of our problems but I do believe it's a great start. So, if you think being pro love makes this political - so be it.

     Let me continue by asking - who is scared to raise a child in our country today? As the mom of a toddler, yeah, it is scary. When I'm driving, or walking through downtown Trenton in the dark into work, or visiting any public place with a crowd there's always a "what if" scenario lingering in the back of my mind. What if an irate driver decides to take their anger out on me today? What if someone kidnaps or robs me while walking in the dark? What if a gunman decides to show up here today? I don't let these thoughts stop me from living my life but it is a sad fact that they are all possibilities these days. Again, it's scary. Not a day goes by that I'm not reminded how lucky I am to be alive. And, I value my life. I value it even more with a child. I want to see her grow. I want to be there for games, recitals, parent-teacher conferences, graduations, etc. Don't even get me started thinking - what if Remi were to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just the thought of something happening to her makes my heart hurt.

     Here's what I believe - It's not about banning weapons or (God forbid) declaring Martial Law. Leave it up to our political leaders to argue about what should be done. In the meantime, we need to be the change. We need to set the example. And, I think we do that through love. As parents, let's raise informed, well-behaved, honest, respectful, and loving human beings. That means we need to be informed, well-behaved, honest, respectful, and loving adults ourselves. If you're not a parent, you can still set an example through love. Think about it - we can change the future. We hold the power. I'm not saying violence wouldn't exist but I think we can certainly prevent some of it. If we work together, we can make the future world a safer place to live by raising a kinder, more loving generation...

Switching out the Old with the New

     Remi loves her Patches (or, as she calls him - "Patchey"). Patches is her four-legged best companion. We're not sure exactly where Patches came from. What we do know is that my brother found him several months ago lying somewhere around the house and gave him to Remi. The rest is history -- she LOVES that dog. She takes him EVERYWHERE.

     As you can imagine, Patches has become quite dirty and matted. He has also developed what looks like cataracts from being dragged all over the place. And, despite washing him once a week - Patches never looks clean.

(The old) Patches

     For Christmas, Oma and Opa bought Remi a brand new Patches. As it turned out, he wasn't an easy find. They said they searched all over the internet and finally found him at an antique toy store. Yes, an antique toy store. And, boy -- does he look great! So great, in fact, that Brian and I worried Remi might realize it's a brand new dog.

     How did we make the switch? Well, I took Opa's advice. I told Remi I was giving (the old) Patches a bath. I had her watch as I put him in the washing machine. I didn't expect her to throw a fit, but she did. She was devastated to be separated from her "Patchey." So, I rushed upstairs, grabbed the box with (the new) Patches in it, brought it down to the laundry room, threw him in the dryer and brought Remi over to watch as I pulled a clean (new) Patches out and handed him to her. I could tell Remi was taken aback by his cleanliness and softness. She stared into (the new) Patches' eyes inspecting them. She was probably wondering why they were no longer grayish and scratched. To explain the nuances, I started to say things like, "Wow, that was a great bath! Look how clean and soft Patches is now." I prayed she believed me as I bent down to her level and petted the dog. I think I even hugged and kissed him. In my mind, doing that would make it all the more believable. And, guess what? Remi started lovingly hugging and kissing (the new) Patches saying, "Patchey, Patchey." She was SO happy which means -- Mommy is VERY happy...

Mommy & Me Shopping Gone HORRIBLY Wrong

     Imagine your child pulling over a whole rack of clothes and tearing every piece of clothing item she can reach off the display table. That's what my child did today at Carter's. But, before all of that even happened she threw one of the worst tantrums minutes after walking into the store. 

(Taken about twenty minutes after the shopping experience.)

     We were all but five minutes into our shopping trip. Remi and I strolled into Carter's. I was checking out the tops and pants on the $5 dollar table. Remi seemed to be sitting comfortably in her stroller, sucking her thumb, relaxed -- maybe about to take a nap? Wishful thinking, mom. She spotted some article of clothing she felt compelled to reach out for and grab. I took it off the rack and let her hold it thinking it would keep her occupied while I hurried to pick out a Thanksgiving outfit for her. But, that didn't work. She threw the outfit she was holding on the ground, started flailing her arms, kicking her legs, and yelling because she wanted to get out of the stroller. I took her out of the stroller but she didn't want to be held. She wanted to run around the store. (Trust me, that would be a disaster.) I decided to take her outside of the store to calm her down - maybe she needed some fresh air. That didn't work either. So, I proceeded to carry her, kicking and screaming, back to the car. After a few minutes, she calmed down. I don't know why but I decided to go back into the store in hopes of getting her an outfit for the holiday. She didn't throw any tantrums this time but she did throw every hoodie on a display table on the floor. And, she managed to get a good grip on an outfit hanging up resulting in the whole rack toppling over. Still, we shopped on (after I cleaned everything up, of course). We made it to the register and finally back out to our car and home.

    This girl definitely makes life interesting. But, while being a parent can be difficult at times, I wouldn't trade a single moment with my daughter for anything in the world. Tantrums come and go. God help us all when they come...

  

Toddlers and Christmas Trees

     I decided to pull out and decorate our Christmas tree on Sunday. I figured it would give us time to enjoy it as well as give us an opportunity to teach Remi about the holiday. Remi was quite amazed by it all - pointing at the tree saying, "Ooooouuu." She especially loved the ball ornaments. She would point and yell out, "ball!" However, the "fun" really began when she started pulling the balls off the tree. At one point, she pulled so hard I had to catch the tree before it toppled over. I tried explaining to her that it's all for decoration and not a toy. But, do you think that stopped her? Not exactly, which is why I decided to only decorated the top half of the tree. (I did hang a couple ornaments towards the bottom but only ones we don't care much about.) If you look at the picture below closely, you can see where the candy cane garland stops - out of Remi's reach. The tree came pre-lit so there wasn't much we could do about the lights. Thankfully, Remi hasn't tried pulling on the bulbs or wires yet. Although, I think I might need to stick a couple sand bags under the tree skirt to avoid any other possible "timber" situations...