Play-Learn-Grow-Repeat

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
Over the weekend, we finally moved Haley into her own room. We’ve been meaning to do so for a long time, but life always got in the way. We needed to paint, do a good carpet cleaning, and even move our own bedroom to make it all work. It’s finally all done and it’s very exciting!

We painted her room a very light blue. Who says it’s just for boys?! I have had a painting for a long time that I felt would be the perfect focal point for a baby’s room. It has tons of bright colors and I thought the pale blue would be a perfect background, kind of like the sky. It looks great. Haley’s cherry wood furniture also matches nicely.

Now it’s time to get accessories and additional décor, and here’s where I am trying to not go too crazy.  But it’s not easy. There is so much cute stuff out there, and it’s all too readily available to me on the internet. I’m eyeing wooden letters to spell out her name (naturally), a little, soft, pink lounge chair (she hates sitting), and hot pink curtains (why not?). Never mind the fact that these items mean absolutely nothing to her. By the time she’s old enough to truly care about her room, we will have moved someplace else. But it makes me happy.

My parents helped me paint the room, and we talked about my dad painting my room pink right after I was born and still in the hospital. My brother, who was a toddler at the time, sat on a paint can and watched. I don’t remember my room being pink (the earliest I can recall, there was flowery wall paper), but I’ve heard the story a million times. Haley’s room may not mean much to her now, but one day, the care I put into it will.

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
I really enjoy watching and reading biographies of people. Often, I’ll see a news piece about some well-known politician or actor or newsmaker and wonder more about his or her life. I immediately head to Wikipedia to see what I can find out. He was born in Kentucky? His father was a plastic surgeon? He has a twin sister? I don’t know why, but I find the origins of well-known figures fascinating.

Perhaps I am trying to uncover that magic moment or broader circumstance that allowed the person to become a success (or a failure). Sometimes the person was groomed to greatness by a parent. Other times, luck played a huge role, with the person being “discovered” walking down the street. It’s also interesting when people have nearly nothing going their way, but rise to prominence anyhow.

I do not particularly want my daughter to become a famous person, but I do want her to be happy. I wonder what variables in her childhood will have a major affect on her outcomes in life. Having a dog? Grandparents who are immigrants? Being from New York?

I guess that’s what we are all trying to figure out as parents. How will what we do affect them? What should we be doing for them? There are no easy answers aside from “love them,” “support them.”  The other intangibles will fall into place as they are meant to. We do the best we can to raise our children in the right circumstances, but not every influence is under our control. However I do know this. The great thing I was able to accomplish in my life so far is my daughter. And my parents certainly played a huge role in my becoming a proud, confident mother, which is all I ever wanted to be. Let’s hope that fact makes it to my Wikipedia page.

I can still remember when I was little, if snow was in the forecast, I’d wear my pajamas inside out. My sister and I would do a little “snow dance” in hopes that the silly gesture would somehow conjure up enough of the white stuff that there would be no school the following day.

Snow days meant sleeping in and relaxation. Especially if we could string together a couple snow days in a row. There were no thoughts about how the cars would get out of the driveway or who would shovel the front walk. That stuff just magically happened.

And now that we’re parents, snow days take on a whole new meaning.

Who gets to go in to work and who stays home with the little guy if day care is closed? Who has the honor of scraping 18 inches of snow off the cars? Who watches Andrew while someone shovels out the cars so we can move them before the plows come through?

But the larger challenge is, “How do you entertain a 2 year old in the middle of a blizzard”

After we got 18 inches last Saturday, we got another 18 between Wednesday and Thursday. Shockingly, the courts and my office closed (two things which very rarely happen), along with daycare. So we’ve all been home together for the past two days.

I can’t even count the number of episodes of Sesame Street, Thomas the Tank Engine and Bob the Builder we’ve watched. Andrew somehow got himself on a post-Christmas Santa kick and we’ve seen “The Santa Clause” no less than 5 times.

We’ve run around the house flying like airplanes, chugging like trains and jumping like rabbits, or “bunny puppies” as Andrew has dubbed them. We’re read stacks of books. Colored pictures until our crayons are worn down to the nub. We’ve eaten popcorn and drunk hot cocoa, played in the snow.

And I have to say, I’m actually looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. It’s funny how things change…

Have a great weekend everyone.

I may be one of those moms who has a hard time letting go. Yeah, my son just left his crib at nearly four. He still sleeps in one of those “sleepsacs” sleeping bags. Tonight he wanted to stay in his old “cub scout” class (3 year old) with the teachers and friends he was familiar with, I said fine. He still isn’t fully potty trained. I don’t really rush anything. Now, I wouldn’t mind having him fully potty trained (I will be honest, I am all “pooped” out).

Before my divorce, I always intended to have more children. So we kept everything – literally every bib, pacifier, toy, piece of clothing, and large items. Well, last week I started to list my baby items on Craig’s List. I realize that the odds are pretty good that I will never have another kid. Thankfully Brady fills my heart completely.

So tonight I watched as another “soon to be mom” left my house with several items for a low price. I priced everything significantly lower than it is really worth, hoping that I can help out some new parents with little to spend. So far it has gone pretty well. I have made a decent amount of money and cleaned up the house. I will be honest, the only thing that was hard to part with was my rocking chair (er – I mean Brady’s rocking chair). I rocked him on that chair for at least two years every night as we read stories, sang songs, or nursed. That chair holds a lot of memories. But it was time; we haven’t rocked on that chair for a long time. A new baby will be born in a few months and they will create new memories on that special chair.

It is depressing watching the old stuff go forever; it is also time to start fresh. And that is exactly what we are doing. Out with the old – in with the new! There are no more teddy bears, crib, changing table, or rocking chair. We now have a loveseat rocker/recliner, toddler bed, construction rug, and new bookshelf. Next project, painting a wall bright orange (he wanted pink, but he did finally accept his 2^nd choice). We are doing a construction theme. The lamp, letters of Brady’s name (with trucks of course), hooks with trucks, and more is on its way. Soon my old “baby bears” room will be a Construction Zone. So although it is sad to be out with the old, it is exciting to see (and watch Brady enjoy) this new stage of his life.

After a week of driving cross country, and another week of unpacking all of our belongings, I can finally say that we are settled into our new home. It’s something that couldn’t have come soon enough.   I must admit, it feels so good to have our life back again (and in order).  We cooked our first homemade meal, and after two weeks of fast food, grilled chicken never tasted so good!

Jack has been handling this move so well that sometimes I wonder how a two year old can cope with this much change when at times I’m having a hard time.  I guess he is just oblivious to the fact that we uprooted and moved 2300 miles.  As long as he has his train tracks and trains he is one happy little boy.  It was like Christmas all over again when he opened all the boxes labeled “Jack’s toys”.

Now that we have the house in order, we are going to go explore our little southern town and show Jack a new community with new places, parks, lakes, and so many other fun adventures he can experience.  I look forward to discovering these adventures with him.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

A few short weeks ago, I moved from my rather large home to my parents’ small, 1960s ranch. To give you an idea, my house had two playrooms, an office, and my son and I each had our own rooms (with our own closets). Well, now we share a room (and a very tiny closet), my office is my red chaise and laptop, and the playroom is my parent’s living room.

It was surreal to me as I was hanging up clothes into the closet that I used for 20+ years. When I was 3, like my son, I slept in my crib in this very same room. I have to be honest, there is a huge part of me that enjoys being home and having my son sleeping right across the room, rather than 5 rooms away. Don’t get me wrong, eventually I do want to have my own bedroom again. But for now, it is nice to see him sleeping. This is a luxury that my light sleeper never gave me. I would open his door and hear “hey mama.”

In honor of “coming back home,” I have made a list of the five biggest surprises of returning to my parents’ house:

1. Shockingly, no one is getting on each other’s nerves yet. Yes, my dad runs around in his underwear. My son runs, screams, and makes messes. My mom and I have yet to run out of things to talk about during our late night chats. But be aware: if I ever forget to put a cover on a plate before I use the microwave (her only rule), I may begin to get on my mother’s nerves.

2. I truly think that everyone is better off with this multigenerational living. Cultures that practice this style of living, know what they are doing! One caveat: you have to actually all REALLY like each other for this to work! My son LOVES getting the extra hugs, kisses, and giggles from mammaw and papa. My parents are staying young listening to the pitter patter of his little feet. And I secretly think my mom loves that she wakes up to a clean counter, table, and dishes. We are truly the essence of teamwork.

3. Sometimes less is more. We are in a much smaller place right now. But you know what? That requires us all to be closer, in the same living area. Ironically, before we moved in my parents had the leaf in their table making it quite large. Once we moved in, we realized that it just wasn’t “intimate” enough, so we created a small circular table by removing that leaf. Again proving, less is more.

4. Okay there are times that sleeping in the same room as my son isn’t the greatest. Like at 4am when I hear, “hey mama, are you in here?” Or when I am laying there and really have to go to the bathroom, but don’t want to wake up my light sleeper with the creaky door. I also wonder how it will be, when we are in separate rooms again. How will he adjust?

5. The biggest surprise…My son and I are happy! We visit my son’s father a few days per week (he is currently residing in our former home). Sometimes we meet at the old house, other times at a park, and sometimes at other random locations. But when it is time to go, there are no tears. My son is ready to see mammaw and papa. When asked where he wants to go (which I am afraid his father sometimes does to try to feel vindicated himself), my son proudly says “home, to mammaw and papa’s house.”

Happy Grandparents Day Mammaw and Papa!