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...

Why I Voted This Election

     The reason I voted this election is simple yet complex. Simply put, I voted to set an example for my daughter. The complex part? I also voted to get out of my own way. You see, over the last several years I have adopted a bitter attitude toward our government. I have complained that the system sets us working class folks up to fail. I won't go into all of the reasons why because it doesn't really matter. What matters is that Remi knows she can and will make a difference, and voting is just one way to do that. That's why I voted today and took her along with me. This little girl inspires and motivates me more than I ever could have imagined. (And, trust me, I have always been a very determined young woman. I have always wanted to make a difference and still strive to do so.) 

     On a side note, Remi enjoyed her first trip to the polls. She especially enjoyed opening the curtain while Mommy voted, poking her head out and making others laugh. Our little entertainer.

#We Voted #Election2016

Traveling with a Toddler: The Puke Story

     Both Brian and I were feeling a bit queasy after landing in Chicago from San Diego. It may have had something to do with the fact that we partied with a friend of his from high school our last night in San Diego and only got three to four hours of sleep. But, Remi on the other hand did no partying that night. Still, as it turned out, she was feeling quite queasy herself after the three and a half hour flight. As I sat her down on a chair in the terminal, she spit up a little bit. No big deal. It was the color orange like one of the pouches we fed her on the plane. I picked her up off the chair to wipe it up and as I put her down - bam! She profusely spewed all over the carpet and me -- it was down the front of my shirt, dripping down my chest and stomach inside my shirt, and all down one of my pant legs. Also, the puke was no longer the color orange; it was green. Seriously, it was like a scene out of the Exorcist. It just kept coming and coming and then came some more. I never saw her throw up like that before. Immediately, Brian and I jumped into action. He cleaned up the carpet in the terminal while I started changing Remi into a new outfit. (Teamwork, folks. That's what it's all about. And, I feel very fortunate to have a husband who is always so involved, right by my side.) As for me, I didn't bring myself a change of clothes so I was pretty much screwed. I did the best I could to wipe the puke off.
    The crazy thing is -- I wasn't even worried about being covered in throw up. I was shocked when it happened but the only thing on my mind at the time was keeping Remi calm and making sure she was okay. Not once did I worry about what others around us might be thinking. In fact, as it turned out -- people were very supportive. One couple jumped up to try to help us. A few others gave me words of encouragement once we got everything cleaned up. Thankfully, the throw up wasn't the smelly kind. And, thankfully, Remi was back to herself a few minutes later running around the terminal, smiling, and laughing.

#ChicagoOhareAirport #PukedOn #TravelingWithAToddler