Cardboard Pirate Ship

B is SOMEHOW turning 4 tomorrow!  I'm in denial.  Sometimes, it feels like she was just born yesterday.  And then I think about when she was a baby. . . how different life was back then. . . and it seems like it was such a long time ago.  We're prepping for her 4th birthday party, which she decided she wanted to be "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" about 11 months ago just shortly after her LAST birthday party. . . The anticipation for this day has been a long-time coming!

Yesterday I started the construction on her Buckey ship for the kids to play in at the party.  Ohhhh my was my house a disaster yesterday!  Between all of the scraps of cardboard plus the chaos I created trying to keep the girls occupied while I works (coloring, play-doh, dress-up, books, and so on) my house looked like a battle zone.  It's almost done -- stay tuned for pictures from the party!

 Buckey is (basically) complete!  spy glass, slide, anchor, steering wheel and all!

 The rope runs into the inside where the kids can raise and lower the anchor

Magnet Madness

Interesting fact that might surprise a few; I'm co-teaching Sunday school now.  You should ask the story of how that came to be, it's pretty comical.  :)

But it's been fun and something good for me and B to do together on Sundays.  This Sunday we learned about helping friends and the story of Jesus helping Peter fish.  For an activity, the lead teacher had some fishing poles made out of a wooden rod, string, and a magnet.  She cut out fishes, attached a paper clip to them, and the kids when "fishing".  They loved it.

She mentioned that the fishing rod used to be the craft and how parents said they played with it all day; B played w/ it for the entire playtime after the lesson and craft was over.  So I shouldn't have been surprised when she found a wooden rod at home and asked me to make a fishing pole.

So, crafty mom hunted down some string, a magnet from our fridge door, and hair pins for the fish.  We already had the fish colored from the Sunday School craft that day, so it only took about 5 min to cut them out and prep everything.  The game of fishing quickly turned into a lesson about magnets, and so then we started hunting around the house for things that were metal and might work with our fishing rod (along w/ a few odd balls to let her experiment).  Science/Jesus/Craft/PlayTime all in one; SCORE!!!  You may notice a costume change in there, too. . . Peter Pan (NOT Tinker Bell because [obviously] Tinker Bell has short sleeves, wings, and no leggings.  She had ditched her Peter Pan hat for the time being) decided that Sofia the first needed to make an appearance so she could sing her song.  Singing Sofia in a Pan costume is a BIG toddler No-No, apparently. :P

 "Look, Mom!! It hold a fork!"

 B's rainbow fish :)

 Plastic ring doesn't work!

Color Mixing and Making Messes

A friend of ours just posted recently an activity she did with her two kids using a plastic bag and paints -- it looked like so much fun, so I had to try!  I was mostly interested in it because it was mess-free and would save me the trouble of a major clean up. . . but then the girls kept begging me to paint on paper so I broke down and brought out the supplies.  30 min later, Isabelle painted cat whiskers on her face and I learned that Melissa and Doug paints are NOT very washable.  She now has a beautifully green-tinted face.  :/  But I digress. . .

This week B has been very inquisitive about colors.  This little girl never ceases to amaze me.  So daily; "Red and blue make what?"  "What do yellow and red make?"  "What about Yellow and Blue?"  She's pretty good and knows them all pretty well and gets the primary colors, but now that she knows which are mixes, it's, "What if you mix purple and red?  What then?"  She's always thinking!

 Start with just paint in a ziplock baggie.  Make sure it's well sealed!

 Tape it over a white piece of paper and let them go to town :)

 Bed head baby!!!

 Our friend (thaks Sarah!) also mentioned you could put it on a window, so we tried that too :)

 Then B discovered she could move it anywhere, and that was her new game.

 B just recently started showing interest in painting, coloring, etc.  S has loved it from Day 1.  She gets soooooo serious when she's working on a master piece.

 . . . starting to get messy. . . .

The face painting began shortly after this shot :)  Mom turns her back for 30 seconds.  . . There was also paint on her belly, her legs, hands, and arms, so rather than take pictures I just ran them both up for a bath!  Sometimes I think they just want an excuse to take a bath!!

Playing at Home

Ok, before I get started on the blogging, I have my resolution this year to BLOG MORE!  I previously have only blogged about big topics, but I need to focus more on the daily shabang of life and document all of these awesome moments with my girls.  Facebook less, blog more.  

Oy, these snow days have been killer.  

I remember before I had kids thinking my sister was the SAHM (Stay-at-home-mom) genius.  (Yes Jen -- start bragging now!)  She always had something fun to do with the kids, was always keeping busy. . . she had it mastered in just a few months.  Thank GOD I had her after I had B, because she definitely taught me how to do it!  Despite the fact that my daughter couldn't walk, talk, crawl, speak. . . much of anything. . . you bet I climbed on board whenever they took a trip.  Even if it was just to Target.  Staying home day in and day out is tedious.  

I've come to the point that staying home 2 or 3 days in a row pretty much never happens.  I have to leave the house almost every day.  Which in turn has created a few monsters, because the girls are usually always wanting to know what we are doing and when we are leaving.  I'm more of a leave-the-home mom than a SAHM.

BUT Ohhhh my Lord are these crazy winter days killing us!  More snow than I ever remember having and sooo bitterly cold that even *I* don't want to leave the house.  So we go a little stir crazy.  But keep busy.  PlayDoh.  Painting.  Plays.  Dress Up.  Toys.  Baths.  Forts.  And some craziness in between.

Daddy loves that I brought the slide indoors :)  But S loves it!

PlayDoh is my best friend and worst enemy.  OMG it's so freekin' messy!

  Take a bow!!

  B was so proud, she learned to spell her name and mastered her S's today!!

 Shas Dad's fix-it, mechanical, how-does-it-work, lets-put-it-together genes.  She gets so serious when she's concentrating!!

 Cat faces with the bath markers :)  Ever since her trip with Aunt Casey, she's been painting herself like a cat whenever she can!

 Sister love!

 Ummmm I love those toes!

 Bringing the snow inside!!

 Hot cocoa and popcorn are becoming a little too regular :/

B has always enjoyed floor time, but S is a wrestle MONSTER.  She goes crazy when anyone gets down on the floor to play with her, she's all over it!

Never Ask If A Woman Is Pregnant

NEVER ASK IF A WOMAN IS PREGNANT.  Ever.

I don't care if she is obviously at least 9 months along.  Don't ask.  You know you have -- shoot - *I* have.  You see the cute pregnant lady at the grocery store and yearn for that feeling of a life growing inside of you that you admittedly once upon a time yearned to be over.  You are curious - when are they due?  What they are having?  Is it there first?  Besides that this is REALLY annoying to answer over and over and over for several months, it's really none of your business.  But that's not all.

Even if she IS, if it's too early, she'll think you just think she's fat.  Maybe it's still a secret and she's trying to hide it, so she really doesn't want to answer.  A mom who looks to be nearing the end of her pregnancy STILL should never be asked.  It doesn't seem like a personal question, but it might be.  I starting thinking of all of the worst-case scenarios that you just never know about, especially when you're talking to a stranger.  What if she is planning on giving it up for adoption?  That could be hard for her.  Or maybe she is pregnant with a baby that has a complication and may not make it to see it's 1st birthday -- or even it's first DAY.  Perhaps she just miscarried.  Perhaps. . . I don't know. . . she had a 10 lb baby and has diastasis recti and her body is just still in recovery.  So just don't ask.  Ever.

If you feel the need to recognize a pregnant lady you pass on the street, just smile at her.  If you must say something, just tell her she is beautiful.  That's what every woman needs to hear EVERY DAY.  That they are beautiful.

The end.

I will never. . .

Sometimes, I feel like a freak when I see articles or posts on things kid or parenting related.  I hate all of the news putting mom against mom; this isn't a competition or about comparing notes.  It's not about who is right or better, it's about what is best for US.  Individually.  For the most part, as long as you love, care for, and feed your children, I'm behind you.  Regardless of how you do it.  I know I'm not the only one who parents this way, but sometimes I feel like I am.  It's easy in the craziness of life and stay-at-home mom world to feel alone.

Regardless, I am proud of it.  It's really not what I DO, but what I don't do.  I came up with a list of promises for my girls.  It's meant to be both serious and funny, so hopefully it's perceived that way!

1.)  I will never leave you to cry alone.
    I don't care if I'm behind 10 hours on sleep.  I don't care if you've been up all night for the last 10 nights.  I don't care if just want me to hold you, or will only sleep if I'm by your side.  I don't care if you've done something wrong and you're crying because you just got in trouble.  I don't care if you're throwing a temper tantrum.  I will never leave you to cry alone.  (Unless you ask me to!)
  Unless you're crying because you're in trouble for hitting your sister, who is ALSO crying.  Sometimes mommas have to prioritize.  Caring for 2 or more children who are crying at the same time is difficult.

2.)  I will never force independence.
   The most independent adults were very dependent children.  I want you to be secure.  I want you to be as attached to me as you need to be, to know you are safe.  I won't force you to go with someone you don't want to go with or be somewhere you don't want to be just because you need "time without mom".  You let me know when you're ready.
  This may change when Kindergarten starts.  I can skip preschool and stay home more, but I'm not sure I'll ever convince your dad to homeschool. :/  

3.)  I will never put you in timeout.
  I will sit down alone with you when you need reconnecting.  I will take you aside and explain what you did was wrong.  I will let you tell your side of the story, and I will work through the problem with you.  I will teach you.  If you want, I will give you time to think about what happened and how you can make it better.  We will work through it together.  I will teach you.  But I will never banish you to a corner/room/chair/etc and leave you.  Also See #1.
   No exceptions found just yet :)

4.)  I will never take something important away from you.
  You are welcome in our bed as long as you want to sleep there.  You can nurse as long as you are happy.  You can sleep with a blanket until you are 30 if you want.
  Unless there is a heath concern.  i.e. you can't eat the entire carton of ice cream.  And I will probably try to wean you by college so it's easier on you.

5.)  I will never put my happiness above yours.
  Because every mother knows nothing is more important to them then their own child's happiness.
  Unless you're not happy until I'm happy.  Then I'll make sure I have a daiquiri.

6.)  I will never force affection on you.
  You don't have to kiss or hug ANYONE (me, your father, your grandparents, your cousins) if you don't want to.  It's your body and you have every control over it.
  However, don't be surprised if I want to hug and kiss you ALL OF THE TIME.  But I'll resist if you insist.

7.)  I will never insist you say "I'm Sorry"
  I want you to say you are sorry because you ARE sorry.  We can talk about what you did, why it was wrong. . . maybe how it hurt someone.  I will make suggestions and we can talk about how to make it better.  But I don't want you to ever give an insincere apology.  When you say you're sorry, I want you to always mean it.
  This doesn't mean I won't be mad as a hornet when you do something that hurts someone and you won't say you're sorry.  We'll probably both be pretty frustrated.  It's still maddening!!  

8.)  I will never hit you
  No freekin' way.  I understand there is a very strong and powerful difference between a child who respects his/her parents, and one who merely fears them.  I know two wrongs don't make a right.  I know the physical, emotional, and life-long effects spanking has on children and I PROMISE you, I will never be a statistic.
  I may or may not goose your cute little booty to get a giggle, though :)

9.)  I will never make you share something that belongs to you
  There are some possessions even *I* am not willing to share with just anyone.  Like my car.  Or my camera.  Just because I know the difference in monetary value between a car and a blanket doesn't mean you do.  If you don't want to share something, that is fine.  (Although be prepare that I will make you put up anything you don't want to share while friends are over).  If you are playing with a toy and someone wants to play with it, I won't make you turn it over just because I think they are entitled to anything they ask for.  I will teach you to take turns and give it to them when you are finished.  And vise-versa for you.
  I may ask you to share food, however.  Like, say. . . jelly beans.  With mommy.  Maybe your sister can have some too. :)  And some serious lessons may be in our future for clothing two teenage girls.  Oy.

10.)  I will never threaten or manipulate you with a false pretense.
  i.e. Santa.  The Easter Bunny.  Whomever.  I love the characters.  But I hate and will not EVER manipulate your behavior by threatening you.  No, "You better be good or Santa won't bring you any presents!"  or "Uh oh. . . Santa is watching you!  He's going to skip our house because you are being so bad!"  I want you to know that people give you presents because they want to, not because of who you are.  (So when you are older, don't act a certain way because you think people will like you more or give you want you want).  I want you to be sweet because you want us to be happy and have a good time together, not because you want something out of it.  It sends completely the wrong message.  I only wish I could keep OTHER people from saying it to you, too!
  I could and will make lots of notes on your good behavior, though. . . just so you know I am noticing. "Look how happy Sophia is when you play so nicely with her!"  "That is so helpful when you clean up your messes so I don't have to do it all!"