Today starts a stint of night shifts at the hospital for the Land Baron. Not exactly ideal hours but the money is good and we figured out that he'd actually get to spend more time with the girls by working nights. He's been putting in loooong hours at the hospital and when he works twelve-hour shifts he's gone in the morning before the girls get up and comes home usually after they are asleep. Make that five days a week and the girls are a bit squirrely by day three or four. With night shifts, he's here to play with them once they come home from school and daycare, have dinner with them and start the bedtime process.
Pepper got her first haircut today. She's not exactly Rapunzel but she was starting to look like she had a mullet, so it was time. She sat stoically, watching the proceedings carefully in the mirror. It's hard to know what a two year old expects with a haircut, but this clearly wasn't it. Although she was psyched about the lollypop at the end.
It's been chilly here in the last week - I've loved it. It finally feels like November to me. But, in typical Maryland form, the closer we're getting to Thanksgiving, the warmer it's actually getting. Thursday it's supposed to be in the 70's. I have mixed feelings about this. And it happens almost every year here in Maryland, so you think I would have come to some conclusion by now. It's great to have weather where the girls can go outside and play while they have five days off in a row, but I really like it to be chilly over Thanksgiving.
I think I was going somewhere with all of this - but it's 10pm, I'm exhausted and the Pepper isn't exactly asleep yet - by which I mean she's still sitting at my feet awake and playing while watching some Muppets on TV. Her sleep has been all off the last few weeks- I'm not sure if it's because she's napping late at daycare or if she's overtired (which unfortunately, makes her sleep less) or maybe it's one of the other thousands of things that disrupts toddlers' sleep patterns. Anyway, I guess it means it's time for me to sign off for now and try to think of something witty and clever for tomorrow's post.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
You Give Love A Bad Name
That's right, I'm going to see Bon Jovi in concert. My dear friend Colleen splurged on tickets so she and I can travel back in time to 1989.
It's time for me to break out my neon halter-top with a black mesh overlay, a jean miniskirt and my Peter Pan boots. I'll stock up on my cans of final net, find some purple mascara and dust off my dozens of black rubber bracelets.
Anyone know where I can borrow a Camaro for the night?
It's ok, you can be jealous. You can't help it.
Me and Jon and his painted on jeans. A night together in February.
Oh yeah, and ten thousand other people crammed into the Verizon Center.
It's time for me to break out my neon halter-top with a black mesh overlay, a jean miniskirt and my Peter Pan boots. I'll stock up on my cans of final net, find some purple mascara and dust off my dozens of black rubber bracelets.
Anyone know where I can borrow a Camaro for the night?
It's ok, you can be jealous. You can't help it.
Me and Jon and his painted on jeans. A night together in February.
Oh yeah, and ten thousand other people crammed into the Verizon Center.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
New Math
25 hyped-up, overly excited preschool girls
+
1800+ toys in a locally owned toy store
+
7 gazillion cookies and juice boxes
+
5 overworked store employees
+
1 forty-five minute late actress in full "Beauty And the Beast" Belle costuming
=
3 days of recovery time for every single mother involved.
And how was your Saturday?
+
1800+ toys in a locally owned toy store
+
7 gazillion cookies and juice boxes
+
5 overworked store employees
+
1 forty-five minute late actress in full "Beauty And the Beast" Belle costuming
=
3 days of recovery time for every single mother involved.
And how was your Saturday?
Friday, November 16, 2007
The Soapbox
I'm in the middle of two blissful uninterrupted hours at home. By myself. With nothing that I have to do. Well, that's not exactly true, but I decided that I would take these two hours and claim them as my own. No laundry, no cleaning, no doing for others. These are mine. They are delicious and I don't have to share with anyone. So there....nyah.
Pickle has an after-school playdate with one of her classmates so I don't have to be at school to pick her up. Since I'm already paying for full-time day care for the Pepper, I decided to leave her there late. I feel as if I am playing hooky.
By far, the hardest thing about these hours for me is to resist the urge to "do something." My mind keeps wandering back to what errands I could run, what I could clean or organize, what bills I could pay, etc. The little chattering monkeys in my head won't stop their assault - 'What if you just vacuum for ten minutes? Then we could let it go." But they couldn't, not really. After vacuuming would be laundry and filing and cleaning floors or changing sheets - you get the idea. They're little drug dealers offering little hits of self-satisfaction for completing some task that will edge me into the next hit and the next and the next until I'm rushing to get to Pepper before daycare closes and chiding myself for not actually taking time for myself.
Last night there was a presentation at Pickle's school about stress and preschoolers. They brought in a panel of LCSW's to talk about how stress affects kids today and what we can do about it. Three of the biggest offenders of stress in preschoolers are expectations, over-scheduling and absorption.
In general, we expect too much from our kids. Especially smart kids, good kids and kids who seem to excel in some area or another. We expect them to be perfect; we expect them to not melt down when they are tired, hot or hungry. We expect them to remember things because it's easy for us to remember them. I remember being ten and worrying because I hadn't figured out what I wanted to be when I grew up. If I knew then that I'd be 36 and asking the same question, I would have been apoplectic. Even knowing this, this is one of those things I am most guilty of especially with the Pickle. She seems so wise and old and together sometimes that it's hard for me to remember she is five years old. And that is very little.
It's no surprise that kids today are overscheduled. I have to say that is one thing that I am really conscious of. Pickle takes dance. That's it. That's plenty. Pepper is not in a tumbling class or a music class - she has daycare. A daycare that I chose carefully where she gets little to no time in front of a TV and a wonderful daycare provider who is engaged and makes sure the kids socialize and have lots of fun. Lots of Pickles friends take dance and gymnastics or soccer and music and...well, who knows what. They're always running off somewhere. And while sometimes I worry that she might enjoy other activities as well, I try to remember that extracurricular activities never take the place of free time in the space of a child.
What was surprising to me, although I'm not sure why now that I have heard it, is how much over-scheduling of the rest of the family adds stress to a child's life. Parents work many hours and then cram teacher's meetings, church, parties, errands, other sibling's activities and then suddenly, there isn't much time left over for play. And play is important, the most important thing a kid can do.
Then there is absorption- kids pick up on so much. Especially overly sensitive kids, like Pickle. Any conversation about money or disagreements with spouses or negative talk, they soak it up and worry about it over and over again. Limiting this dynamic is very important, and again, something I'm not very good at lately. But hearing it last night made me resolve to do better.
The anecdote for all of this? Play, play, play. Kids need time to play by themselves, but they really need time to play with us. When we're ok, they're ok. If we're having fun, they are too. It's time for us all to chill a little more and make sure we fit in all those things that we profess are most important to us but of which we often neglect.
Breathing and mindfulness and yoga and all those trendy things are fine but what we all need is to blow bubbles and play with playdoh and find animals in the clouds a little more.
As for me, I think there are some blocks calling my name.
Pickle has an after-school playdate with one of her classmates so I don't have to be at school to pick her up. Since I'm already paying for full-time day care for the Pepper, I decided to leave her there late. I feel as if I am playing hooky.
By far, the hardest thing about these hours for me is to resist the urge to "do something." My mind keeps wandering back to what errands I could run, what I could clean or organize, what bills I could pay, etc. The little chattering monkeys in my head won't stop their assault - 'What if you just vacuum for ten minutes? Then we could let it go." But they couldn't, not really. After vacuuming would be laundry and filing and cleaning floors or changing sheets - you get the idea. They're little drug dealers offering little hits of self-satisfaction for completing some task that will edge me into the next hit and the next and the next until I'm rushing to get to Pepper before daycare closes and chiding myself for not actually taking time for myself.
Last night there was a presentation at Pickle's school about stress and preschoolers. They brought in a panel of LCSW's to talk about how stress affects kids today and what we can do about it. Three of the biggest offenders of stress in preschoolers are expectations, over-scheduling and absorption.
In general, we expect too much from our kids. Especially smart kids, good kids and kids who seem to excel in some area or another. We expect them to be perfect; we expect them to not melt down when they are tired, hot or hungry. We expect them to remember things because it's easy for us to remember them. I remember being ten and worrying because I hadn't figured out what I wanted to be when I grew up. If I knew then that I'd be 36 and asking the same question, I would have been apoplectic. Even knowing this, this is one of those things I am most guilty of especially with the Pickle. She seems so wise and old and together sometimes that it's hard for me to remember she is five years old. And that is very little.
It's no surprise that kids today are overscheduled. I have to say that is one thing that I am really conscious of. Pickle takes dance. That's it. That's plenty. Pepper is not in a tumbling class or a music class - she has daycare. A daycare that I chose carefully where she gets little to no time in front of a TV and a wonderful daycare provider who is engaged and makes sure the kids socialize and have lots of fun. Lots of Pickles friends take dance and gymnastics or soccer and music and...well, who knows what. They're always running off somewhere. And while sometimes I worry that she might enjoy other activities as well, I try to remember that extracurricular activities never take the place of free time in the space of a child.
What was surprising to me, although I'm not sure why now that I have heard it, is how much over-scheduling of the rest of the family adds stress to a child's life. Parents work many hours and then cram teacher's meetings, church, parties, errands, other sibling's activities and then suddenly, there isn't much time left over for play. And play is important, the most important thing a kid can do.
Then there is absorption- kids pick up on so much. Especially overly sensitive kids, like Pickle. Any conversation about money or disagreements with spouses or negative talk, they soak it up and worry about it over and over again. Limiting this dynamic is very important, and again, something I'm not very good at lately. But hearing it last night made me resolve to do better.
The anecdote for all of this? Play, play, play. Kids need time to play by themselves, but they really need time to play with us. When we're ok, they're ok. If we're having fun, they are too. It's time for us all to chill a little more and make sure we fit in all those things that we profess are most important to us but of which we often neglect.
Breathing and mindfulness and yoga and all those trendy things are fine but what we all need is to blow bubbles and play with playdoh and find animals in the clouds a little more.
As for me, I think there are some blocks calling my name.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
10pm is too late
-for me to keep trying to post. And yet, here I am again. I've got to start working on this earlier because I am soooo not a night owl.
Goodnight. I'll check in earlier tomorrow.
Goodnight. I'll check in earlier tomorrow.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Shhh.....
Finally came up with a great Christmas gift for the Pickle and the Pepper.
Princess Katie, their favorite kids Pop Princess has a new album coming out in late December and a CD release party in NYC the weekend after Pickle's 6th birthday. Can anyone say road trip!
If you have young kids, check out Princess Katie and Racer Steve at www.princessracer.com. Great folks - fun, good message, well-written music that doesn't make my ears bleed when the girls ask me to play the CD for the 6th time in a row. Lots of people make a comparison between Princess Katie and Natalie Merchant, but since I'm guessing she's probably getting tired of hearing that, I won't say that. I'll just say she sounds a lot like the front woman for 10,000 Maniacs.
I finally found one gift safer than anything on the shelves of Target.
Now if I could just find an old Bass O'Matic on ebay.
Princess Katie, their favorite kids Pop Princess has a new album coming out in late December and a CD release party in NYC the weekend after Pickle's 6th birthday. Can anyone say road trip!
If you have young kids, check out Princess Katie and Racer Steve at www.princessracer.com. Great folks - fun, good message, well-written music that doesn't make my ears bleed when the girls ask me to play the CD for the 6th time in a row. Lots of people make a comparison between Princess Katie and Natalie Merchant, but since I'm guessing she's probably getting tired of hearing that, I won't say that. I'll just say she sounds a lot like the front woman for 10,000 Maniacs.
I finally found one gift safer than anything on the shelves of Target.
Now if I could just find an old Bass O'Matic on ebay.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
So...
Two guys walk into a bar, which is really stupid because after the first one hit it, you'd think the second one would be smart enough to move out of the way.
Sorry, my writers were all out on the picket lines in front of Universal Studios today. Hopefully the industry will come to an agreement soon so this blog can be funny again.
I hope so, for your sake.
Sorry, my writers were all out on the picket lines in front of Universal Studios today. Hopefully the industry will come to an agreement soon so this blog can be funny again.
I hope so, for your sake.
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