Kids

Do you have problems with the kids eating you out of the house? I tell you, this weekend my kids have been eating nonstop. I get breakfast out of the way and they ask for pudding. I get lunch finished up and they ask for another cheese stick. Dinner is done and they want ice cream. I went to the store on Thursday last week and I am surprised at what is left! After I get home from the grocery store, I wash all the grapes and put them in snack size baggies. I do the same things with pretzels, goldfish, any snacky stuff so they last longer. I'm starting to think though that this might not be the best way to go. I want them to last longer because most times, Nate inhales a whole bag of Doritos or the girls eat all the goldfish. I thought baggies would solve the problem by being a grab and go snack. I think they're ending up being a grab a few and go snack! I think the real problem this weekend though was that they were bored. There was nothing better to do than eat, so that's what they did. I need to nip that in the bud quick! It's a good thing I do coupons and got half the stuff they ate for $1 or less! What am I gonna do with these girls! Can't live with them...can't live without them! Plus, it's the only way I can justify MY fruit snack addiction!

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From the article, "39 Things Every Mom Should Know", here are my favorites:

1) If the kids are awake, bit the bullet and be awake yourself. You'll waste so many hours trying futilely to extend early-morning snoozes that it's just not worth it. If you are sick, pregnant, or it's in the middle of the night, ignore this advice.

2) Teach your kids not to pee outside unless you're camping - you'll be glad you did. But if other people's kids do it, don't judge the parents too harshly. It's all about karma. If you're in the midst of potty training, all bets are off!

3) Buy cheap shoes when kids are little. Feet grow faster that you think.

4) Know this: the stain WON'T come out! And it's OK. The sooner you accept this, the better!

5) Answer this question: What is the worse thing that can happen if your kids sleep in their clothes.

6) Never stifle a generous inclination.

7) Teach them to pump on the swing ASAP

8) If your child falls asleep occasionally without brushing her teeth, don't wake her; baby teeth do eventually fall out.

9) Teach your children to make their own breakfast - and allow enough time to do it without pressure.

10) Use duvet covers on your comforters and forget about a top sheet. Not only will you thank me but your kids will too as they learn to make their beds.

11) Always pack wipes. If your kids go somewhere without you, send along wipes. It's like having a mom with them!

12) Dress your little girls like, well, little girls.

13) Don't buy the most expensive school-picture package. It's a waste of money.

14) You're never too old to dress up and decorate your house for holidays. It's more fun for everyone if you're into it. It also entitles you to more candy!

15) Independence is a wonderful thing. For everyone! So is together time. Make sure you have a healthy dose of both!

Threes

In the last addition of Parent's magazine there was an article in there about children turning three. Lucky for me, I have a two year old that is turning three tomorrow. It caught my attention so I had to read it. It was called "The Terrible Threes". The quote that was on the first page caught my attention: "Two-year olds have a well-deserved rep for defiance and tantrums. But as I found out firsthand when my daughter turned 3, they haven't corned the market on bad behavior." I just started to remember recently when Aiva turned three and boy, are we in for a challenge with Ana. All I remember is when I went in to have Ana, Aiva was a very nice, well behaved little girl. The day after Ana was born, our world changed! I'm not sure what clicked in Aiva but she changed! Ana was born on October 6 and Aiva's third birthday was October 10. I would have to agree with the author of this article that three is the worst age yet. Now I know I haven't hit the teenage years so I'm only speaking from my experience with Aiva. The author says that it should go this way, "The terrible twos, the trying threes and the freaking fours. The two's are only the beginning!" She says that toddlers and preschoolers go through six-month cycles that alternate between pleasant and make-you-want-to-pull-your-hair-out. With Aiva, I don't really remember the pleasant cycle so I'm hoping for good things with Ana. The author says that toddlers get frustrated because they know what they want but they don't have the language skills to tell anyone. We're really trying to work with Ana on this. It seems to have helped but it's in those times that I don't have the time or the patience (check out lane at the grocery store) to teach a lesson. I've found that I need to have a plan before I go into these situations with my kids. This is the exact reason why I don't take them with me to CVS anymore. No plan needed...they just don't get to go! So the truth is, according to the author and ME, is that while kids start declaring their Independence at 2, they're shouting it by 3 and yelling it through the megaphone directly into your ear by 4! The author suggest you give your three year old two options. I just need to be happy with whatever option she chooses. By doing this, they feel like they're the one calling the shots and in the end, makes them happy. So with that being said, bring on the threes! If I did it once with Aiva, I'm sure I can get through it with Ana!

Potty

I think we've just about done it! We are almost out of diapers! Recently Ana has had an over abundance of gifts that have been new big girl panties! She has been more than thrilled. With Aiva I had to make up a potty chart and it was a very long process. Did I mention that she was about 4 when she was potty trained? I haven't really pushed Ana since it took Aiva so long but Ana has had an on again/off again relationship with panties. Oh, just so you all know - they ARE called panties and not underwear. Underwear is for boys, panties are for girls! Just so we're all educated on this small area. Back to potty training...Ana will be turning three on Tuesday so my mom and Nate's mom got her new panties so instead of a reward after she goes she puts on a new pair of panties. This was totally her idea and I thought that since it was working that we would go with it. It makes me have a tad more laundry but hey, if it's working, I'm not gonna stop her now. She has forgotten from time to time to switch to a new pair so I think we're slowly getting over the idea of switching panties. I'm just in awe that she's been doing this for about three weeks now. I asked my mom last night at what point are they really potty trained and she said that if they can go without having an accident for three weeks you should be safe. Ana did have a small accident two weeks ago so I guess we have one more week to be trained. I do need to mention that we are doing diapers at night. They are getting dryer the longer the process goes on but just in case we're going to do this for a bit until she starts to go at night by herself. Through this whole process of training we've read many books to Ana, one being "It's Potty Time". I received this book for Aiva when Ana was born. It helped Aiva and once again has been very helpful to Ana. Here's to another week of dry pants, skirts & dresses! Time to switch panties!

Fountains

This past weekend the guys in my family went to the Clippers game and the girls went out to eat and to Easton. We had a great time and the girls had a ball. We’ve never been over to the fountains at Easton so this was a new adventure. At first they were a little apprehensive but after awhile Aiva got the hang of it. She couldn’t stand watching all the kids play in the fountains and her watch from afar. After about 10 minutes she put her foot on the fountain and let the water run through her toes. She thought that was pretty funny. Once her toes and legs got wet she was officially ready to go for it. At one point she ran over to me and asked if I had her ear plugs. Of course I wasn’t thinking we would need them and left them at home. I shooed her back to the fountain and told her that she’d be fine. She ran back with her hand covering her right ear and told me that she had her own “plug’. Ana never did get the hang of it and only ran back in forth between the fountain and where we were sitting. She was all smiles watching her sister and the other kids playing in the water. She truly is not a water baby…or so I thought. Both girls started swimming this week at the Rec Center and they both LOVE it! Aiva was ready for swim lessons weeks ago but Ana has never been one to get into water on her own. The lessons I signed Ana up for required Nate to get into the water with her so I think she felt a little more comfortable with having daddy by her side. They do “Ring around the Rosey” and London Bridge is Falling Down” and I guess Ana has a ball. She even went under the water 5 times yesterday. The teacher said she’s the best kicker in the class. Looks like that trip to Alum Creek beach last weekend paid off! As you can see were having a great summer and can’t believe it’s already July! We’re one month away from our vacation! Yeah! Hope you all have a Happy 4th!

Gymnastics

Aiva and Ana are finally done with gymnastics! This was Aiva's third year and Ana' first. They had a ball. On the last night they had an awards ceremony and all the kids got their trophies. It was such a precious time. All the "teams" came in to the sound of the Olympics and they did their "routines". Here are some pics of the night. I'm so proud of my little gymnasts!

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A little late but here is Wednesday's gratitude list...

1) Aiva got dressed so nicely today. Normally she ha all kinds of comments about what I pick out for her. Wednesday she actually put on and made no comments about her attire!
2) I finally got all of my stuff put together for my little presentation that I did today...you'll hear more later on that! I actually felt like I was doing something big!
3) Nate had dinner cooking and almost ready when I came home yesterday. He's a hard working mama...I mean man!
4) The girls had gymnastics as well. They both love jumping on the trampoline. Hearing them giggle made me laugh.
5) When we got home, Aiva jumped on her bike, Ana got in the wagon, we got the dog and we took a nice long walk. It was very refreshing to be out and about with my lovies!

Stay tuned for what happens today...

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1) We went to the ENT and found out that Aiva needed tubes. I'm so happy that it's nothing more than that. Praise God!
2) Tree of Life Athletic Dept sent the church staff and edible arrangement and it was amazing. You almost hate to eat it! The strawberries were the best I've ever had!
3) Those two vanilla cream donuts were amazing. I cheated...but it felt so good!
4) Got the girls closets flipped for summer. That was a huge undertaking!
5) The Biggest Loser is on...I need some encouragement. It's been a rough day!

Do you ever have "just got'a have it" days? Today was one of those!

Dread

Tomorrow is finally D day. The day that I'm officially on the phones. I finished my last day of training yesterday and I'm absolutely dreading stepping into my actual new job. If I could turn the other way and run I probably would. Two Fridays ago I found out that 5 of my teammates and I are moving to another team. They knew at the beginning that five of us would have to leave yet they decided to hold off in telling us. This last week has been long and hard b/c I knew that this day would come that I would have to face the next day with another team. I just want this job to be over. I submitted resumes to quite a few churches so I'm hoping that one of the churches takes an interest in me. Two have actually responded so I'm praying for good things. I know that we are here for something but I'm still waiting for the plan to be unfolded. The good thing about moving here is that I've actually gotten closer to Adriene the gal that WCC hired to replace me. We are so much alike that it's unreal. We sit and gab on the phone like we're been friends forever. I really with that we have become friends sooner. I know that we would have been the best of friends Nate asked me yesterday why I always pick friends that are out of state. It's not like I plan it that way but it just happens. I really wish she were here so we could hang out more. The homesickness is getting better but I'm sure it will creep back up once the holidays arrive. Today Nate and I went shopping for the girls birthday party's. I never knew how difficult that this was going to be. Well see how things unfold. I can already sense a feeling of doubt in having to do this every year. What are we going to do!?! Things with Nate and I seems to be a little strained too. I think it's the whole thing of living with his parents and doing the stay home/working parent thing. I'm hoping that this get better once we do it more often. SO for those of you who might be reading my blog please pray for this church job. I really need this to come through. I really want to be happy and I know that this job at Dell is not it. I'm going to try to stay positive and see what happens but I knwo that I don't want to do this full time for the remaining days that I have. Help. I need your prayers!