Mommy Monday...To the Clueless and Kidless...

Hey Y'all!

I hope you've all had a great week.  I'm sorry for the lack of posts lately, but I've been SUPER busy between work, school, and the kids.

Speaking of kids....

Yesterday I read a post on Facebook titled, "19 Things People Swear They'll Never Do Until They Have Kids".  It is hilarious and much appreciated by parents everywhere, I'm sure.  You can read it here.  Anyway, reading this article reminded me of a recent visit to Target...

I'm in Target A LOT...Usually it is my quiet sanctuary without kids, but several days ago, I brought the kids with me.  My kids aren't calm...Sitting in a buggy for more than 2 minutes causes major stress for them, apparently.  My kids aren't quiet....They sing, they giggle, and they fight (with each other and with me).  On this particular outing, they were being pretty good about sitting in the buggy.  We quickly strolled through the baby department without incident.  Then, on the trip from the wipes to the groceries, Karleigh started singing.  Not singing at the top of her lungs, but singing none-the-less.  And what cutesy, children's song was my 4 year old singing, you ask?  Dancing Queen!  Yes, ABBA's Dancing Queen (we can blame this on my mom) !  She knows every word to the chorus and continued to repeat it OVER and OVER again as I tried to grab groceries as quick as possible.  We made it through the groceries with no more than a few strange glances and replies from me like, "Yes, it's Dancing Queen...Don't ask.."

My little Dancing Queen...

Then, I made my mistake...I needed a new mascara.  If you know me, you know that I can't just go straight to the said mascara...I have to browse the make-up for just a couple of minutes.  I turned down the aisle and saw a cute 19ish girl in her sorority shirt standing at the other end.  She heard Karleigh singing and looked over to look at us like we had 3 heads.  I promise, she was barely singing above a whisper.  I understand that people don't go to Target to get a personal concert from a 4 year old.  But if you have kids, you know to choose your battles.  She wasn't loud and she was sitting in the buggy, which was a miracle.  As Karleigh continued to serenade us, this young girl huffed...you could tell she was annoyed...Hey, I know kids can be annoying, especially mine (they are just like their daddy)..I gave birth to them, and they aggravate the heck outta me sometimes.  I told Karleigh to stop singing and be quiet.  She did...as she climbed out of the buggy.  She was standing next to me as I was bent down picking out the right type and shade of mascara.  She swung around and her arm knocked over several lipsticks that were on display.  The noise scared Mason and he started to cry.  Karleigh was profusely apologizing (and covering her bottom)... I NEVER leave a mess that my children have made, so I started picking them up while holding Mason on one hip, fussing at Karleigh to get back in the buggy, and trying to keep the oncoming panic attack at bay...I looked up, and Ms. College looked over at me, rolled her eyes, and shook her head.  I was standing there with a crying baby, one that was alternating between "i'm sorry" and Dancing Queen, and just about the entire collection of Maybelline lipsticks on the floor in front of me.  She didn't offer to help me pick them up, she just gave one more huff and roll of her eyes and walked off.  

Maybelline's collection was returned to the proper spot on the shelf and we paid for our buggy full and walked outside.  I was boiling mad at Ms. College...how dare she be such a witch?!  

And then...
I remembered 19 year old me...The one that would see children in the store throwing temper tantrums.  "My kids will NEVER act like that", I'd say.  "I'll never use a TV as a babysitter!".  The list goes on and on...

We can't blame these kidless people.  They have great intentions; just like we did.  But the reality is, kids aren't perfect.  They will be loud, they won't listen, they'll make messes.  They will embarrass you nearly every time you are in public.  You can do your best to discipline them and teach them right from wrong, but they are human!  They will eventually mess up, and chances are, it will be in public.  

 As for Ms. College, I'm not mad at her.  She'll have her day in Target someday.  Maybe she'll even remember the day she got so aggravated at my kids and she'll have an Aha moment.  

So, when you're in that situation, think back to your 19 year old self.  Think about all those know-it-all parenting remarks your clueless butt made.  I would go back and punch my 19  year old self in the throat!  And young people, remember, don't EVER use the phrase, "My kids won't act like that."  Because they will.  And, they'll probably be worse!!  

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Mommy Monday....The Toddler Bed Conundrum

Hey Y'all!!

I hope everyone had a good Monday.  Well, as good as it could have been being that it was Monday and ridiculously cold!  Right now it's 19 degrees is South Mississippi...That might seem like a slight chill in the air to some of you, but if it gets below 50 down here, we have our Snuggies on and our fireplaces lit up!

Anyway, I'd like to introduce you to this handsome devil....

This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is Mason Dale!

Mason is 2 1/2 years old and full of mischief (like any two year old is, I guess).  This one came out of the womb small, meek, and calm.  He was born 6 six early, weighing a whopping 4 lbs, which might explain his little demeanor.  However, as he has grown, so has his voice, his curiosity, and his MESS!  This kid is like a 24 lb wrecking ball (think Miley without the tongue and drug use and with clothes).  He's at that age where he is hitting lots of little milestones.  The latest one being transitioning to a toddler bed...

And this, y'all, is where the conundrum begins....

Mason's crib transitioned into a toddler bed.  So, it's the same bed, just lowered and without one side.  We decided a few days ago that it was time for him to start sleeping in a "big boy bed", so we took down the crib and introduced him to his "new" bed.  He was excited and proud to be a "big boy".  I was a little nervous about bedtime that night.  I thought for sure he would be freaked out and not stay in his bed now that it was low to the ground and easy to get out of.  I was pleasantly surprised when bedtime went just as smooth as usual.  NO crying and NO climbing out of the bed.  I went to bed feeling pretty accomplished and proud of myself (I was raising a child that deals with transition well). That is, until 8:30 the next morning when I heard "Momma!  I'm up!  Come get me out!" ...It was then I realized, I'm not SuperMom...Mason just hadn't realized that he could get right out of bed on his own.  He was so used to being stuck in the crib until someone got him out.  I walked down the hallway feeling somewhat defeated trying to figure out how to explain to him that he didn't have to wait for me anymore.  Wait a minute...No ma'am!  I decided not to tell him a thing!  The longer he believed he couldn't get out of the bed by himself, the easier bedtime would go and the less likely we'd have a midnight visitor in our room.  You can judge me if you want...chances are if you are judging me, you don't have children, and that just makes me giggle!  

This ignorant bliss went on for a couple of days, until one day at naptime, Matt and I heard Mason's door open and watched him walk down the hallway with a big smile on his face.  Matt and I looked at each other and new our evil plan had run its course. Dangit!  He figured it out!  

Since then, we've given the speech before every naptime or bedtime.  "Mason, don't get out of your bed."  Mason doesn't listen.  The other day during naptime, I heard him in his room rummaging though his toys.  I guess he thinks if the door is closed, I can't hear him.  Anyway, he must not have been able to find the toy he was looking for, because I heard his bedroom door quietly open.  I peeked around the corner and watched him stick his head out to see if anyone was looking.  He thought the coast was clear...he took off running across the hall to his sister's room, dug through her toys, got the one he wanted, checked the hallway again, and ran back to his room.  He shut the door behind him and continued to play what I think was a mix between Buzz Lightyear and Ariel for the next 30 minutes.  

Needless to say, sleep has been a precious commodity around here lately.  I've been stressed trying to figure out how to keep him in his bed at night.  Do I ignore him when he cries?  Do I just bring him straight back to bed?

Last night, though, I think I got my answer.  He had been in bed about an hour.  I was in a bubble bath (one that I had waited all day for) when I heard my bathroom door open and saw my little wrecking ball walk in.  He was trying to be a big boy...I could see his bottom lip quiver as he looked at me and said, "I wanna rock"..I don't know what it is about your little boy trying not to cry, but I couldn't handle it!  I hopped right out of that bath (who needs to shave their legs in the winter anyway?), put on my jammies, and brought that baby to his room and rocked him for at least 45 minutes.  Did he play me?  He sure did!  Did he manipulate me?  For sure!  Did I let him win?  Absolutely!  Will he probably be walking in here any minute to do it to me again?  You betcha!  

But GUESS WHAT!!  I don't care!  That is my baby, and if he wants to rock with his momma, then that's what we'll do!  One day too soon, he'll be embarrassed of me.  He'll be too big and bad for his momma to love on him....So, I've decided I'm gonna take all the lovin' I can now!  I might be tired and have a strong addiction to coffee and Diet Coke, but my son will know that WHENEVER he needs his momma, I'll be there...

I hope we can all find the balance between disciplining our children, but also knowing when to give them that extra bit of love.  After all, it won't be like this for long...

With Love, 

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