Occasional Rambling

It wasn’t all bad, just mostly

2009-11-10T18:25:00.001-05:00

Today was a rough day. You know it’s gonna be bad when you cannot wait until nap time no more than 10 minutes after the first kid wakes up. And, that first kid? He woke up a little after 6AM. And started whining. The ENTIRE morning.

It wasn’t just the whining, Sean couldn’t figure out what he wanted and neither could I. Five minutes into every video he started crying that he wanted something different. He was screaming “Give me my phone!” when I wouldn’t let him play anymore games on my iPhone. He wanted to be held. He wanted to be put down. He wanted stickers. No, he wanted his trains. No, crayons. He was hitting. He was in time out. He was, well, acting like an almost 3 year old.

Meghan was slightly better. Slightly. She refused to let Sean play with her today which didn’t help. And she was pushing the limit all day. What could she get away with? How far before I snap? I’d ask her (tell her) to do something and she would flat out say no. They were both throwing toys everywhere. The place looked like a shit storm rolled through (more than it usually does) and everyone refused to help clean up. I found myself saying things like “Watching TV is a privilege, not a right” and “Actions have consequences.” Um, hello? I was talking to a 5 year old and a 2 year old. I just got wide-eyed stares if they even bothered to acknowledge that I was speaking to them. I’m tired of using the Santa/Christmas gift threat to get anyone to do anything. It’s frustrating. But, I know not everyday is like this.

The good? In between the whines and tantrums Sean always is ready for a cuddle. That helps. And Meghan? No tears so far this week. Hooray for little victories.

Now excuse me while I return to my so-desperately-needed glass of wine.

Wordless Wednesday – Hats and Helmets

2009-11-04T08:07:00.001-05:00

Well, this is new…

2009-11-03T08:51:00.001-05:00

Our kids have always handled drop-offs well. Daycare , preschool, child care at the gym, anything really. So well, in fact, that they would try and tear themselves out of our arms to go in. Which kinda makes you wonder. I mean jeez kid, can you at least stop for a second to say goodbye?

Sean is still that way today. Meghan, however, has changed. I don’t know what happened. One day last week she started crying while we were getting ready for school. And didn’t stop. I had to drag her into the school while she was saying she didn’t want to go over and over again. Her teacher had to carry her in the classroom. Sooooo unlike her. I asked her what was wrong. Got nothing. Went through a list of possibilities. No, no, no, no. I took her temperature. Nope, no fever. So I thought maybe she was just having an off day.

The next day she broke down crying in the middle of dance class. It was like someone flipped a switch. All the girls were dancing in a circle and as Meghan came around towards the front her head was in her hands and she was crying. And once again she was not able to tell me why. Preschool drop-off was just as bad as the day before. And yesterday she cried as soon as I took off her jacket at the gym’s child watch.

Not really sure what is going on. Her teachers said she has been crying more in class. There they are in a circle for their class meeting and in the middle of the meeting? Tears. But every breakdown only lasts a few minutes and then she is back to normal. I know she is an emotional and very dramatic little girl but usually there is something that sets her off. Even if it is something as minor as Sean messing up her puzzle. But at least we knew why she was hysterical. Now? No clue.

My only guess is that she is tired. I used to have to drag her out of bed at 9AM so we would make it to dance class on time. But recently she has been waking not long after Sean (who wakes up too damn early). Short trips in the car after school almost will almost always put her to sleep. So is she exhausted? We can’t really put her to bed any earlier. And, other than passing out in the car, she refuses to nap.

She has preschool today and I am really hoping today goes better than the past few times. Because leaving a screaming, crying, begging, pleading kid anywhere just sucks.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T21:52:00.001-04:00

We escaped for two whole hours

2009-10-25T12:47:00.001-04:00

Yesterday Ryan and I went out to eat at a restaurant we wanted to try.

Without kids.

To say this is rare is an understatement.

There was a nice view from our window table.

The dinner was yummy.

And I had crème brûlée for desert.

I’d go back today if I could. If only all of the town’s the potential babysitters were not walking H1N1 time bombs.

I’m actually going to be leaving the house without kids again tomorrow night. Shocking, I know.

Sounds like a blast! Click and RSVP if you too are able to escape.

This child cracks us up on a regular basis.

2009-10-23T18:27:00.001-04:00

Meghan’s preschool has the kids playing outside before pick up time. So, usually, the parents retrieve their kids right at the gate of the play yard. Meghan never comes to the gate when her name is called. She is always not listening and in her own little world. Most days she is crouched down staring at the grass.

I was explaining this to Ryan the other night as we all were sitting at the table.

Ryan: Meghan, why don’t you hear the teacher call your name? What are you doing?

Meghan: I’m looking for clovers.

Ryan: You’re looking for clovers?

Meghan: Yeah, I’m looking for clovers. That’s my thing.

Starting at the bottom of the to-do list.

2009-10-22T08:48:00.001-04:00

I am sitting here writing this even though there are about 500 other things I should be doing instead. Like laundry, or vacuuming, or, I don’t know, last night’s dishes maybe? But right now I have a massive headache and I’d rather sit here wrapped in a blanket not moving. So that means you get an update. Lucky you.

Let’s see…we’ve had bizarre weather around here. After a summer of maybe 1 month of summer-like weather, we have had a fall with early snow and freezing temperatures. (Kinda makes you want to more here doesn’t it?) Today might actually be warm enough to open the windows so the goal is to try and get outside at some point.

All this odd weather has left us with unused passes to zoos and farms. I did squeeze in a trip to the zoo last week. It was a bit chilly but that turned out to be a good thing. I’ve never seen the animals so active. Lions were roaring. Tigers and leopards were pacing back and forth right in front of the fences. Monkeys were swinging and leaping from trees. It was great. The kids loved it.

I’ll admit taking both of them myself was a bit challenging. Meghan walks like she is on a mission and is always waaaay ahead of me. If I didn’t slow her down we would have made it through the zoo in about 25 minutes. But Sean was soaking everything in. He stayed behind me. The challenge was keeping them close enough together so I could see both of them. Oh, and Sean? He wanted to get as close as possible to the animals. That meant climbing on top of rock walls, trying to open gates or climb over fences and crawling under wooden fences. That kid has no fear whatsoever.

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Wordless Wednesday – Big Sister, Little Brother

2009-10-14T07:56:00.002-04:00

The (Belated) Birthday Post

2009-10-09T22:53:00.001-04:00

On October 1st, Meghan turned five. 5. F.I.V.E. Five.

She was very much looking forward to her birthday. Last year she was invited to many birthday parties for her friends. They did crafts or gymnastics or lots of other things that were way more exciting than the parties with which she was familiar. But, there was one location that stood out. And, for almost a year now, she’s wanted her party to be at Pump It Up.

This year was the first year she was going to have a “real” party. With her friends. And, although a bit pricey, I welcomed the idea of having 20 kids someplace other than our house.

She was very excited. I wish I had pictures but although we were only responsible for remembering the kids, cupcakes and camera, I managed to forget the batteries. I did, however, remember the flip and the 2 batteries required for that to operate.

Here is just a taste of the fun.

M 5th Birthday: Slide from Dorene on Vimeo.

Of course we sang Happy Birthday.

M 5th Birthday: Birthday Song from Dorene on Vimeo.

And there ~~was cake~~ were cupcakes.

I was not planning on making milk-free cupcakes because I figured I could just give Sean something different. However, after learning that one of the other children also had a milk allergy I decided to look into it.

I found this bakery that makes cakes and cupcakes dairy free.

They looked great and were yummy. Meghan requested the butterflies.

Next up. Thank you cards.

Happy Birthday Princess!

Wordless Wednesday – Still four

2009-09-30T09:24:00.001-04:00

What we’ve been doing the past (um, lost count of how many) days

2009-09-21T22:14:00.001-04:00

I’m not sure why I am finding it difficult to post recently. Sure we’ve been busier but not THAT much busier. I do know that there has been a serious lack of pictures recently and that is most likely contributing to the problem. But, in an effort to catch up, here are some bullets.

We have used our YMCA membership. Now I just need to keep it up.
I’ve scheduled Meghan’s birthday party and am collecting RSVPs. Now I need to get my but in gear and see what to do about a dairy-free cake. Turns out one of the party guests is also allergic so Sean will have a food buddy.
Fall TV has started. I’ll be updating my list over there on the left as I watch the shows.
Saturday we had a Neighborhood Block Party. I forgot my camera.
We canceled our cleaning service. I enjoyed not having to clean the bathroom but they way things were put away was really starting to bug me. I think now that I am not working at at home more I want things the way I want them.
Ryan has this week off.
We have 728364 doctor’s appointments this week.
I had jury duty on Friday. I was thisclose to getting stuck on a trial that was going to last multiple days. Thankfully I had a valid enough reason for getting excused. I knew those kids would be good for something one day.

I have a feeling that I’m not going to do much better with the updating this week. Maybe next?

Preschool: Year 2, Day 1

2009-09-10T19:30:00.001-04:00

Unhappy.

Overwhelmed? Possibly. Overtired? Probably.

Overdramatic? Definitely.

Summer is over. We are expected to go places now.

2009-09-08T08:09:00.001-04:00

This week is the week we need to ease into our fall schedule. Today is Meghan’s dance class, tomorrow: parent’s night at school, Thursday: mini-day at preschool. Next week is the first (almost) full week at school for Meghan. She will be going 4 afternoons a week this year. I know she cannot wait to start.

Monday is also the day I’ll need to hand out her birthday party invites. The parents are going to love me. “Hi! You don’t know me but here is a birthday party invite for your kid. I’m sure our kids will know each other by October 3rd.” Ugh.

We also just joined the local YMCA. I wanted to get the kids swimming lessons and, remembering last winter, I wanted a place where we could go to just get out of the house. We haven’t actually used the membership yet. We just registered on Saturday and there were a few things we needed before we went. Locks for locker for instance. Oh, and I needed a pair of sneakers that had laces. And was not slip on. I got both of them yesterday and I am going to try my bestest to go there tomorrow morning. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Sorry, had to do it.

Have I got a diet for you

2009-09-04T09:33:00.001-04:00

Sean had his checkup with the Growth and Nutrition Clinic last week. I sort of new that he was not going to astound them with a tremendous weight gain. He had a stomach virus the week before so he probably lost some ground there. However, I was hopeful that he had gained enough to consider his graduation.

Nope.

He weighed 24.4 lbs. Last time we went he weighed…(checking blog archives)…crap, can’t find it, but he did weigh 23.2 lbs at his 2 yr checkup. That was in March. So not great.

I think they have run out of idea on how to get him to gain more weight with just regular food in his diet. How does one gain weight with no dairy anyway? Everything he eats is soy or tofu based. He has the occasional chicken nugget but it’s tough getting him to eat much else. I try to load him up with pasta, bananas, bread, anything he will eat, and all loaded with dairy-free margarine. It hasn't helped.

The plan now is to add extra calories to his soy milk with a few scoops of Doucal. We head back again in October.

This is why we have 2 TiVos

2009-09-01T09:31:00.001-04:00

It’s that time of year again. The time when we make sure we have everything scheduled properly on the TiVos so we do not miss the fall premieres (sad, I know). A few show we used to watch ended last year so that knocks a few off the list. We have not yet decided if we want to watch anything new this season. I suppose it may depend on any possible TiVo conflicts.

We NEVER watch primetime shows when they are aired. Everything gets recorded on the TiVo. Occasionally we will start a show 30 to 45 minutes into it if we want to see the outcome before the end of the night (reality shows, for example).

I found this page which lists when everything is scheduled to start.

Here are the shows we plan to record:

Survivor: Samoa
Bones
The Office
Fringe
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Heroes
How I Met Your Mother
Two and a Half Men
CSI: Miami
Law and Order: Special Victims Unit
CSI
Law and Order
Dollhouse
The Amazing Race
Desperate Housewives
Cold Case
Lie To Me

Wow. That is a long list. We should probably get out more.

Are there any new shows that are worth watching?

And now we have two chatterboxes

2009-08-31T14:43:00.001-04:00

Sean has officially graduated from Early Intervention. Last week he has his final group session and today was his last session with the speech therapist.

Six month. That’s all he needed. He is probably going to miss his sessions and all his “friends” he got to play with every Wednesday. But, if you spend 5 minutes with him it’s pretty obvious that he has no trouble talking anymore. I thought Meghan talked a lot. He’s giving her a run for her money. Sean now has the words to yell when Meghan takes one of her toys or to tattle on her when she pushes him (I’m sure she loves that). It’s just constant chatter around here. Enough that it makes it difficult to hear yourself think.

I sort of wish he was still in the program. If only because it gave him something to do every week with other kids his age. We now need to find something else he can do. Meghan will be back in preschool and dance soon but poor Sean has nothing as of yet. We probably going to join the local Y. I’ve wanted to get both of them in swimming lessons for awhile now. I am not looking forward to shuttling from one place to another but it’s got to be better than what I have now (kids literally bouncing off walls and furniture).

Meghan doesn’t start her first full week of school until September 14th so my plan is to figure out what we are doing for the fall while trying to squeeze as much as possible out of what summer we have left.

A merry-go-round. Sure. Why not.

2009-08-20T08:26:00.000-04:00

We always have music on when we are in the car. I think most people do. For short trips I take daily I generally tune the radio to a local music station and then my brain sort of tunes out. Most of the time the music becomes almost a type of soundtrack in the background. I often am not really paying much attention to the song (as long as the song is not irritating).

Wednesday’s we take Sean to school. It is a relatively short trip so the radio is on. Meghan is always yapping about something (always with the chattering) but I noticed she was asking me something.

“Why are the diamonds on the ground? Why did he say they are melting? It must be hot.”

Huh? What? Oh, Matchbox 20 is on the radio. Huh. She really listens to the lyrics.

I mentioned to Ryan that night that we will need to be more careful about what we listen to because she is picking up everything.

Fast-forward to the next day. We are (always) in the car running errands. And, once again, I hear questions coming from the back seat.

Meghan: “What’s a disco stick?”

Me: (oh, crap)

Meghan: “It must be some kind of ride. Like a merry-go-round!”

Me: “Um, sure, it must be.”

*************************************************

So now I am creating a “preschool friendly” playlist. At least with mp3s this task is much easier than it would have been in the past. I can remember wanting to watch Flashdance sooooo bad when I was younger. My parents, obviously, had other ideas. But, they tried to censor the movie themselves so I could watch it. One night they sat there while the movie was playing on cable, recording it on the VCR, and hitting the pause button whenever they thought something objectionable was about to happen. Sure, this may not have been to difficult for skipping a scene. However, they also tried to remove the profanity. Yea, not so easy. Also? Makes the conversation a bit choppy and jokes are missing punch lines.

As I go through my road trip playlist there are some obvious songs that should be probably be removed. Examples*:

Laid - James

Wasn’t Me –Shaggy

I Wanna Sex You Up – Color Me Bad (Shut up. There is no judging here.)

Push It – Salt N Peppa

The list goes on….

And what about songs sprinkled here and there with un-kiddy-like language? Sure, anything marked “Explicit” in iTunes is easy enough to find. But, I also have many, many, many songs that came from our CD collection. Most I don’t even remember having a curse word in it until I hear it again. I can’t even remember what is wrong with some songs marked explicit. Why is Raspberry Beret marked that way? I can’t remember anything in there.

Clearly this is going to take some time. But it is worth it to not have to listen to five hours worth of Backyardigans songs.

And, just because I have this song stuck in my head, here is something for your viewing pleasure.

* I’m realizing that some people may cringe when reading the list of songs up there. All I can say is that the songs listed here in no way represent our entire mp3 collection. No really. I promise.

Wordless Wednesday – ACK! WATER!

2009-08-19T07:33:00.001-04:00

Yes, I sometimes crop/fix my photos

2009-08-18T10:58:00.004-04:00

This is a photo I took on our vacation.

But, that was not the original shot. I cropped out some of the frame. Why? Well here is the original:

At first glance, not so bad. But take a closer look. See that guy? The one on the left? Here, let me show you.

That guy did not need to be in my picture. And that is why I fix my photos.

But, it is fun to look in the background of your shots. You never know what you will find.

I tend to do this when Ryan is watching sports. I never pay attention to the action. I’m always looking at the people in the stands. It’s just more interesting to me.

There can be so much going on in just one picture.

Vacation 2009 – The Rides

2009-08-17T12:18:00.000-04:00

Ahh, the rides. Last year we went after Labor Day so the only ride that was open for the kids was the carousel. This year, we made a point to take them to one of the piers and let them go on a bunch of rides.

We spent $50 (yikes) for 100 ride tickets and away we went. Both Meghan and Sean were just shy of 2 of the height requirements. Sean was not quite 36 inches so he had to miss some of the rides. And Meghan was just shy of 42 inches so she also missed a few. But, there were still plenty and we managed to go through those tickets without a problem. In fact, Meghan cried when we ran out because she didn’t go on a few of them.

I already posted my absolute favorite picture but here are some more.

There was the carousel again (of course).

The Ferris wheel.

The log flume.

I am not so sure Meghan enjoyed this one.

The fun house.

Lots of cars and buses and bugs.

And, what appeared to be a favorite, the big slide.

I even went down the slide.

Gotta zoom in on these.

Well, at least Sean looks like he was having fun.

Vacation 2009 – The Pool

2009-08-14T16:16:00.002-04:00

See where Sean is sitting? Right there on the top step? That is where he wanted to stay. He was just find right there thankyouverymuch. He could do everything he wanted to from that step.

He could play with the ball.

He could play with the noodle.

He could even play with Meghan. He was happy. When we tried to bring him into the pool this is what we got.

Not happy.

Meghan, however, was a little fish.

Once she realized the swimmies were keeping her afloat there was no stopping her. You would turn your head for a second only to turn around and find she made her way to the deep end.

She decided that the swim mask was an essential part of her pool ensemble.*

Which was okay with me because it was very adorable.

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*That picture was taken underwater with our new camera. It felt very, very wrong taking the camera into the pool let alone sticking it underwater. But, it passed the test.

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Related Posts:
Vacation 2009 – The Introduction
Wordless Wednesday – Best Vacation Photo Ever
Vacation 2009 – The Beach

Vacation 2009 – The Beach

2009-08-13T14:52:00.001-04:00

We hit the beach a few times this year. Definitely not everyday. The rain and not feeling so great kept us away some days.

Meghan? Loved the beach. She was not too crazy about the ocean. She would put her toes in but did not want to go any further. And there was some running from waves. But she had a blast searching for shells and playing in the sand.

Some things to note:

Meghan will always walk across the blanket with her sandy feet. Even 2 seconds after you tell her not to.
Meghan throws sand EVERYWHERE. I got a bunch in my head one day. I didn’t realize it until I took the rubber band out of my hair in the bathroom and heard a shower of sand hit the floor. Also? I found a shell in my hair while showering. No lie.

Sean? Not so fond of the beach. He tried his best to keep his feet out of the sand. But, on the days he warmed up to the idea of playing in the sand he had no problem dumping it on other parts of his body. Just not his feet.

He HATED the water. I think I still have marks on my body where he clung to me if we even started to approach the water. It sounded like we were torturing him. Things to note about Sean:

He will fight a nap on the beach like nobody's business. And when/if he finally does fall asleep, any stray voice will wake him up. This is not good on a crowded beach.
If you attempt to carry Sean to the water be mindful of where your swimsuit top is positioned. He grabs onto whatever he can and hangs on for dear life.
Bring lots of tissues. There will be snot.

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Related Posts:
Vacation 2009 – The Introduction
Wordless Wednesday – Best Vacation Photo Ever

Wordless Wednesday – Best Vacation Photo Ever

2009-08-12T08:17:00.000-04:00

Vacation 2009 – The Introduction

2009-08-11T15:57:00.003-04:00

Our vacation started just like it has every other year. Most of the car was packed the night before. We got up, fed the kids, packed last minutes things and headed off (after a quick stop and Dunkin’ Donuts of course). In the past we made it all the way to Tom River before stopping for lunch at McDonalds. This year, I guess we left a bit later than usually because we did not hit the Garden State Parkway until around 11:30AM. After a quick discussion we decided to stop at a rest stop and feed the kids their lunch a bit early. And boy, am I glad we did.

Four hours! It took us about for more hours to get to Seaside Heights. Apparently there were accidents. We did not see any. All we saw was bumper to bumper traffic all. the. way. That sucked.

My original plan was to recap day by day but, honestly, it’s all a big blur. I remember Saturday. Because of the hellish drive down. I remember Sunday, a little. It was Ryan’s birthday. I’m pretty sure it rained. I think we ate spaghetti and meatballs and I know there was angel food cake and candles. But the rest is mush. I only have the date stamps on the photos to guide me along. So, instead, I’ll recap in a totally random fashion over the next few posts. Basically how I live my life.

I did buy a new camera for this trip. I was afraid to bring my other camera on the beach because, well, sand + kids = bad for camera. I found this one:

It’s waterproof and everything. And yes, I did try that out. All the picture I took on this trip were with this camera. Here was my test shot.

I’m now going through the rest of the pictures and getting more posts together. I know, pins and needles, right?

Buried Under Laundry

2009-08-10T10:30:00.001-04:00

We returned from a week at the Jersey shore late Saturday night. It is now Monday morning and I am still doing laundry. Actually, there are still unpacked bags scattered around the house.

I’ll give a recap of the week as soon as I can find my camera. It’s in a bag still. Somewhere.