Merry (Belated) Christmas!

What a great Christmas we had this year. Of course, we had an obscene number of presents for the kids and family, but it's so hard to curb one's enthusiasm when it comes to Christmas. Sarah's big gift was a digital camera, and Danny's was a remote control front-end loader with plastic rocks.

Dinner was wonderful - we had Peppercorn Seared Beef Tenderloin with Merlot-Shallot Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, the Trader Joe's Brittany Blend veggies, Baked Onions with Sage and Gruyere, and lots of desserts and stuff. My brothers even seemed to like it! The most gratifying thing in the world for me is to see everyone eating what I made and liking it. Sweet bliss.

So, now it's on to my HUGE list of things that I was procrastinating on in order to prepare for the holidays. Hanging curtains, building shelves, making some office curtains. Aaargh.

Annual Christmas Party

Our 3rd annual Christmas get together was last weekend, and overall, I think it was a success. I tried some new appetizers this year, most of which weren't what I expected, but the old standbys were all good. I think everyone got enough to eat, and they definitely had enough to drink!

The kids all had fun running around, screaming like banshees along the way. It's amazing how much entertainment they get just by being together. We are so lucky to have good friends with kids who are as easily occupied as ours.

Sarah was just devastated that her friend couldn't spend the night after the party. She woke up the next morning crying for me to "Call Emily's dad" and ask again if she could sleep over. Why do I feel guilty about this??? I will be planning a 5 year old sleepover before too long, I think.

Wildlights

This is, of course, a late post, but worthwhile mentioning, I think. On Tuesday evening, Steve and I took the kids to see the Wildlights display at the Columbus Zoo. It was unseasonably warm - about 60 degrees. There was a bit of drizzle, but it didn't seem to bother anyone too much. I guess we were all thankful to not be knee deep in snow!

The kids had a great time. We rode the carousel and strolled around at a fairly quick pace. We even managed to see the train exhibit! Afterward, we made our "Super Secret Special Stop" at Tim Horton's. We ate doughnuts and even had some fries from Wendy's...a dream meal for our children.

They flipped out about halfway through, but hey, we got a good 3 hours out of them. Pics to follow soon.

Happy Birthday

We went to my parents' house yesterday to celebrate my birthday, albeit a bit early. Mom and I always go on a short shopping trip, since neither of us really likes to shop. We do enjoy going out to lunch together, without my children! That was the "peaceful meal" as Mom said.

In the evening, my parents took us out to dinner at a local Italian restaurant. My children seemed on the brink of complete psychological breakdown most of the meal, but the food was really good. Steve had to leave halfway through the meal with Danny, but after that, it was smooth sailing (for us anyway).

I love the presents I chose...oven safe bowls from Williams-Sonoma for French Onion Soup, rugs for the bathroom on the main level of the house, and a new silicone spatula. I am so boring, but I have wanted these things for a long time!

Bedtime Update

Lord, I wish this phase was over! Danny was up 12 times last night, and since his door no longer locks, I have resorted to the time honored method of putting him back down with a neutral expression and no conversation. I did okay at first, but then when he's up at 4:30, that's a bit more difficult. Last night, he just sat on the steps, but the night before, he turned all the lights in the house on, went downstairs, and fell asleep in front of the TV on the floor. He did all of this without waking me up. Scary, eh?

Through all of this, Sarah has been an angel. She stays in bed without complaint, even when he wakes her up. Last night, I tried to have Danny look at Sarah in bed, in a dark room, just like his. You can see from the above paragraph how well that one worked!

As most of you who look at this know, my background is Clinical Research, and I am a Nurse Practitioner. I am looking for a book...an algorithm...something....I just want to see how to handle this event and have it over with! Motherhood is so complicated!

First (Real) Snow

Today is the first real snow of the year here in Dublin. We've had a dusting prior to this, but we currently have 3-4 inches on the ground right now. The kids had a blast playing this morning, but we only lasted about 30 minutes. By then, each kid's boots had fallen off at least twice, and they were getting cranky due to wet feet. We came in for hot chocolate, and Sarah just completely broke down crying. The tragedies in the life of a 5 year old in middle class America. It's just not fair!

I am happily making lists for all of my Christmas parties, gifts, cleaning, you name it....there's a list. Somewhere. You see, my problem (one of them) is that I'm great at making an all inclusive list, and then I set it down and it grows legs. I usually find them in January. Here's to hoping that I develop an organizational method for this!

Handyman

Okay, I've had it. Today at nap time, Danny threw the usual fit about not wanting to go to bed. I attempted to lock his door, and it is now so warped that it won't lock. Plan A foiled. I proceeded to execute Plan B, which is to hold the door closed while he has his fit. This was working well, I thought, until his little fingers came out from under the door to grab my foot. So, I put him back to bed, and go to Plan C (moving my feet so that he can't see them). A minute later, I hear his toy Black and Decker drill, and he's saying "Take screw out, Mommy pwee" and he's drilling the door! I am in SO much trouble with this one.

Need out, pwee!

Danny has decided not to stay in bed anymore. Not the crib, not the big boy bed, not any bed. It's been three days now, and he is alternating between the big boy bed and the floor next to the door. We turned his door knob around, so at least he can't get out.

The first night, we put him back down about 10 times. We didn't hear anything for awhile, so we started to get ready for bed. When Steve went to let the dog out, he noticed Danny's door open. The little sneak was sitting downstairs with his blanket, watching TV!!! So, door knob is turned, he is locked in, and he is routinely screaming "Need out pwee!" at the top of his lungs for 20 minutes before he gives up.

I have read every bit of literature on this, and I know I'm supposed to be putting him back to bed with a neutral expression. However, after 20 minutes and 10 times of putting back to bed, the only expression I can muster is sheer anger mixed with a bit of exhaustion. I think I'll try my method first. (Before anyone says anything, I know, my removal of the crib didn't exactly go well, either.)

Thanksgiving at Mom and Dad's

Our Thanksgiving this year was wonderful, but too short lived, as usual. We drove up to Mom and Dad's and enjoyed the day with my mom's sisters and their families, as well as one of my dad's brothers and his family. My brothers were there as well, so all in all, a really great day.

Mom made a huge feast, and we all ate (and drank) more than we should have. The prayer was most likely too short and our thanks too few, but I feel blessed to have enjoyed the day with my whole family.

Go Bucks!

I admit this post is a bit late, but I've been busy working on my Christmas planning. Yes, I really am that anal.

This weekend, for anyone who doesn't follow the Big 10, was OSU-Michigan weekend. Sarah came home from school on Friday notifying me that she had gym that day. In class, her gym teacher taught them a new song. "Hang on Stupid, Stupid and all! O-H-I-O!" I tried to convince her that it was actually "Hang on Sloopy," but she's convinced. I proceeded to let her sing it to her heart's content for the weekend. What a riot!!!

I don't recall much of the game, since I was, ahem, busy with my girlfriend doing other, more important things, but I do know that we won! Go Bucks!

Santa

Last night, we wrote our letters to Santa. Sarah asked for a pretend camera, pet shop "thing", and a monkey "thing". It took quite a while to get her to think of the word "please" as something that might be missing!

Danny, on the other hand, knew just what he wanted to write. When I asked him to tell me what to write to Santa, he said "Get truck please!" I was questioning whether or not he really understood the whole Santa idea, but today at the mall, we saw Santa riding around in a wheelchair. (Yes, that's right) Danny said "Where truck?" when Santa came over to us. The joy of the holiday season begins!

Now, any suggestions on how to communicate the real meaning of Christmas to my darling beggars?

The Best Day Ever!

Last weekend, we went to my parents' house to play in the leaves and do other fun things outside. Sarah declared that it was the best day ever, since she was able to play the "jail game". She remembered playing the leaves last year, and apparently Dad and I were chasing her, telling her she was bad, and throwing her in "jail" aka the leaf pile.

Both kids had a blast going in the leaves. They were also able to go for rides in the wheelbarrow and have a bonfire. We darn near lost Dad to the bonfire. Whatever accelerant he used caused a minor explosion that shook the house. He caught on fire...but only a little bit. The side of his face, head and neck were burned a bit, but he's survived worse, I suppose. Probably not a good model for fire safety!

I can't even imagine not being able to drive up there for the day. Our lives our so much better for being close to friends and family. But that's a different topic, isn't it?

I'm bored!

I realize that this is ridiculous only 3 days after I returned from my last trip. I suppose that I got very used to traveling every week with my job, and I haven't quite adjusted to the new, easygoing, unscheduled lifestyle. At about 2 pm every day, while Danny is napping, I have a major boredom attack.

Don't get me wrong, there's plenty I can do...clean something, make my office curtains that I bought fabric for a year ago, make the shelves I would like in my laundry room, clean something else. But I don't want to do those things!

Do I hear a violin?

Houston

Despite my best efforts, we had a great time in Houston last week. Steve is looking at the possibility of relocating there, to cut back on the travel that he does every week. While that part sounds attractive, I would much rather stay in Ohio...

That said, Houston was really nice. There are FAR too many power lines and businesses, but the people are incredibly nice, and there's something for everyone there. For such a large city, the art museum left a bit to be desired, but this comes from someone whose favorite place is the Met. Hard to compete I suppose.

We went to the Johnson Space Center while we were there. That was really cool! We were able to see a mock up of the lunar habitat, the area where the astronauts train for missions, the vacuum chambers where they do simulations, and there were engineers everywhere explaining their research. I don't know if this it's routine for the engineers to be out, as we were there during a festival, but it really added to the experience.

So...will we move? That remains to be seen.

Reversal

Okay, so the crib is back. First, I tried to use the toddler bed option. After a couple of night of being up at 1 or 2 in the morning picking Danny up off of the floor, I decided that it just isn't worth the frustration. The sides are back on the crib, and I am sleeping again. None of my child rearing books said to return your child to the crib when it gets difficult.....hmmmm.....more to follow on that one, I am sure.

This morning, I left to take Sarah to school, with Danny playing in the playroom and Steve watching...picture to be added soon.

Big Boy

Oh crap. I have taken away Danny's crib. It seemed like a really good idea this afternoon, when he was climbing out of it every time I turned around, but now I'm rethinking the whole thing. What am I going to do when he's not really tired at night?

Benadryl, my sweet friend.

By the way, Danny's finger is much better, but it's really ugly. I have been informed by a friend that one can get through life with a bent pinky and turn out ok. That's something I can worry about for a while!

Fall Fun Days

Today we went on an excursion to a pumpkin patch about 30 minutes south of us http://circlesfarm.com/ and we had a blast. They had so many cool things for the kids: a sunflower maze, corn maze, straw "caves", of course a pumpkin patch, and hay rides. It was a bit pricey for us, but was well worth it in the end.

Danny's favorite part was the hay loft. The owners set up huge slides and the kids can slide down into a deep, soft pile of hay. Sarah preferred the straw caves. So much so that I nearly had to go in and extract her to move on to the next activity.

We did leave with two pumpkins to show for our $36.00. They will be proudly displayed along with our other Halloween crafts, which include a spider web and little black bats hanging on sticks that Danny and I collected. The kids think they live in a haunted house...isn't that cool?

I Told You So!

It finally happened. Danny's pinky finger was crushed in Sarah's bedroom door yesterday. Crushed. It was FLAT. Thank goodness, Steve was not traveling yesterday and I was able to take Danny to the urgent care without his sister. We spent an hour waiting in a lobby of Columbus Childrens' Hospital where I would not let him play. I was afraid that he'd get something much worse than a crushed finger. He had xrays and a doctor bent his finger all around...nothing broken. How can a finger be flat and not be broken? God has truly designed us well, I guess.

Paradise

Steve and I returned last night from a 4 day trip to Key West. We had a great time, and I will post at least one picture...in time. It was SO nice to be there as a couple, rather than as parents! Thankfully my parents were willing to watch the kids for the time we were gone.

The whole trip was great, but the highlight was taking a 2.5 hour catamaran ride to the Southeasternmost National Park, Dry Tortugas. Fort Jefferson was built there prior to the Civil War, but never finished. It was used for many purposes, including as a Union prison for deserters and as a prison for Dr. Samuel Mudd (of John Wilkes Booth fame).

While we were there, I was able to try snorkeling and discovered that I am a bit claustrophobic. I was panicking that I wouldn't get enough air through the tube...or that the tube would fill with water...or...you know. I don't understand why I felt that way, since you can just lift your head up and take the tube out if you need to. Despite this, I was able to partially conquer the fear and swim out far enough that Steve told me I needed to come back.

I am ready for the next vacation, please!

Gone Already

Today was my daughter's first day of full-day kindergarten. She was identified as needing some extra help with literacy skills, and the school district just started a program for 10 children at her school. Initially, I didn't want to put her in the class, thinking that she would catch up naturally. Some good friends convinced me to accept the help when it's offered, and I think that was a good call.

I must admit that I am not ready to give up my child for an entire day, 5 days a week. It was so hard to drop her off this morning. Sarah, on the other hand, was jumping up and down at the thought of eating lunch at school and having a recess period. This is just one more of the many steps one must take to help a child grow.

So, it turns out that she had a very short recess, as she took a long time to relish her tasty lunch. Thankfully a kind teacher sat with her while she ate. She doesn't remember what she did in the literacy portion of her day, but she did tell me ALL about rest time, recess and lunch... and so it goes.

Working....

My husband, God love him, is "working" in Munich this week. Interestingly enough, he got his schedule "mixed up" and he's there two days longer than he needed to be. Did I mention that this week is Oktoberfest? In the beginning, I questioned whether this was a true meeting or just a junket. You be the judge.

Piano lessons

Yesterday I caved in to Sarah's request to start piano lessons. I have been dodging this request for quite some time, as she has little ability to sit and do anything. In fact, the only things that really hold her attention are swimming and the computer, so I figured that piano lessons probably wouldn't added to the list.

Well, I lowered my expectations for what a lesson would be, and I thought, we'll discuss the black and white keys, along with one note. Middle C. Surely we would get that done, and she'd have the satisfaction of learning one note. She looked at me like "Duh!" when I talked about the black and white keys. Then, the discussion about middle C began. We found C on the keyboard together, and then she began reciting the alphabet while pressing the other keys. It was over. She then got out a book of sonatas and asked if she could read the music now.

Oh brother.

The Reluctant Blogger!

It seems that no matter how many good ideas one has for writing, they will not place themselves into my blog. Darn. You see, I have this problem with perfectionism. (For those of you who are familiar with FlyLady, I am a complete SHE) I think that I shouldn't post anything until it's perfect, which is the same philosophy I have applied to everything else in my life. Let me tell you, it keeps you from doing quite a bit.

Maybe that's why working outside the home was so satisfying. There were things that I had to do, I did them, and I did them well. Heck, I even enjoyed it...and they PAID me, told me that I did good work....you can see where I'm going. If I didn't like it, I quit. Staying home with children is the complete antithesis of everything that I liked about working! I am, nonetheless, finding it rewarding in a much deeper sense. Someone please just remind me of that on Day 5 of my husband's business trip!

Meet my family

As you may have guessed from the title of this blog, I am a mother. I have two lovely children, although just how lovely they are is debatable at times. Yes, I am biased, and no, I do not think they are perfect. Far from it, actually.



My oldest is Sarah, who is 5. She has recently started kindergarten, and has informed me that she is so old that she is going to die soon. Sarah loves nature, especially large animals, and would like to be a large animal vet. She is also going to be an astronaut, scuba diver, and an Irish dancer. Her interests may be even more divergent than mine! She is not particularly fond of being a sister, and would much rather be an only child.



My son Danny is 2 and is quite a handful, as most two year olds go. He has quite a vocabulary, but all of his words are monosyllabic and contain only one consonant. He smiles and laughs all the time, especially when there are girls around. He already trips over his feet when he sees a pretty girl. Maybe it's good that no one else can understand what he's saying!



Of course, there's always my husband and myself, but I find it much less interesting to talk about us, although I suppose I will get to that in the future. For now, just know that my husband travels for work and that I stay home with the kids. I am a stay-at-home mom.