Thumbs up, thumbs down

In honor of Amelia learning how to do a "thumbs up" (which, by the way, is crazy cute!), here is a thumbs up/thumbs down recap of our Sunday:

Gorgeous sunshine and perfect temperatures...
Thumbs up.

Playground in the morning, followed by shopping at Super Target...
Thumbs up!

Amelia managing to get out of the shopping cart belt - without unbuckling it - and jumping at me in the bread aisle...
Thumbs DOWN.

Amelia sitting on the floor of Super Target, taking her shoes off, then screaming "MY TURN!" at Daddy when he tries to put them back on...
Another thumbs down.

Amelia's incredibly embarrassing and super-gigantic parking lot temper tantrum because she did not want to get back in the car...
A big, really big thumbs DOWN.

Amelia deciding she would stop crying long enough to let me go pick up lunch while Daddy drove over the speed bumps in the lot...
Thumbs up.

Amelia not taking a single minute of nap today...
One more thumbs down.

Outdoor playtime and Steve grilling our dinner so I did not have to cook...
Thumbs way up!

Amelia kissing me goodnight instead of saying "no" as usual...
A happy mommy thumbs up.

It's funny. No matter how tired or frustrated we are, at the end of the day, everything is always OK.

Restaurant grumblings...

I don't cook on weekends. Maybe a sandwich lunch or an easy Sunday night something, but generally, I do not cook. I concentrate on grocery shopping and healthy meals for my family Monday through Friday morning. I look forward to my weekend break where someone else shops for the food, cooks the food, serves the food, and cleans up after us. So imagine my disappointment when two back-to-back restaurant dinners were really quite bad.

Not just the food, mind you. Although tonight my 6-ounce sirloin was as dry as a hockey puck (thanks, Outback) and last night's "cedar plank tilapia" (O'Charleys) was as bland as the wood it was cooked on.

Both times, I was greeted with a brand new menu. Both times, I knew what I had in mind to order and it was no longer available. Both times, I hoped to order something semi-healthy. It seems the new menu trend not only highlights higher prices, it highlights less nutrition-conscious food options. And don't even get me started on children's menus... I will continue to bring Amelia's food with us as long as I can. My kid eats green beans. And she loves fruit. Wheat crackers make her happy. Why does she only get to choose from fried, greasy, or even more fried everywhere we go? Chicken nuggets, hot dogs, or pizza? Fine selections now and then, but certainly not all weekend long. Not as long as she's willing to eat veggies instead.

Perhaps we're to blame for frequenting the mega-chain places. But those are our reality right now, given we are the proud parents of a spunky 2-year old who doesn't like to sit still. Ever.

I see an adult evening out in our future. Hopefully soon. Anyone want to borrow Amelia for a bit?

Taking a little break...

I've been having ongoing migraine issues for a few days now. Not sure if it's my diet or allergies. Or perhaps a chronic sinus infection. Or maybe I've met my match when it comes to stress. I'm even less patient with my girl because of it, and I need to step back and chill out for a minute.

So, thus starts my 48 hours of social media/blog detox.

See ya later :)

If 2-year olds ran the world...

Did you ever wonder what the world would be like if 2-year olds were in charge? No? Too scary? I totally agree.


But imagine it with me... a whole group of 2-year old leaders in mismatched clothing they picked out themselves. A few with shoes on the wrong feet and the others with no shoes at all. And at least one (probably mine) with no pants on.

They are fighting amongst themselves over snacks. And balls. And books. Demanding that the mommies all over the world cater to their whims, and cater to them NOW. Screaming until just the precise amount of ketchup has been placed exactly on their plate in the right place at lunchtime. Crying if the food in front of them is the least bit too warm. Or too cold. Smooshing cupcakes into their hair and watching hours of TV. The same show, over and over again. Terrorizing every cat within reach and trying to ride on all the large doggies.

Riding in cars with no car seats, just like the "big kids". Heck, they'd probably drive the cars themselves too. No naps, late bedtimes, and toddler chaos everywhere.

Wait a minute...

This isn't too far off from my actual reality. I think Amelia is gearing up to overthrow her mommy.

Uh oh.

Three new issues, three new purchases

We welcomed three new items into our home in just one week. It has been a doozy here. I am disheartened and concerned with Amelia's seemingly constant bad behavior. I am covered with scratches and fingernail marks from small hands. Despite giving up practically my entire life and wearing myself ragged for this little creature, I am abused.

I ask her what she wants to do. She says she wants to go outside. I say okay - let's get your shoes. Nooooooo! She does not want shoes. Now she says she doesn't want to go outside. She wants a snack. I let her pick her snack. She picks Goldfish crackers. I put the crackers in a bowl. Nooooooo! She doesn't want that snack anymore. She wants to go outside. With no shoes.

I can only hope & pray at this point that Amelia is a normal 2-year old. Maybe a little feisty, but not beyond the range of normal. I'm terrified every day that I'm not handling situations correctly and creating a monster child. I'm already near the point of begging to be on Nanny 911.

So, anyway... it has been a doozy of a week. In the past 7 days, Amelia became terrified of getting her hair washed, furious over brushing her teeth, and afraid of the dark. I don't get any freebies or money for product reviews - my blog just isn't that big (yet?). But these three items really saved our lives this week:

(1) Shampoo Rinse Cup.

I found it at WalMart. When we first tried it, Amelia had every muscle in her little body clenched, just waiting to scream at Daddy for getting water in her eyes. But when her hair got rinsed and her little face stayed dry, she immediately exclaimed, "Daddy did it!". She is thrilled with this new bathtime helper, and is no longer afraid to get the shampoo rinsed out of her hair.

(2) Battery-powered toothbrush.

Amelia used to love to get her teeth brushed. Until this week. For three nights in a row, we endured painful battles over a chore we feel is not optional. Based on the advice of other moms, I took Amelia to the store, showed her the battery-powered toothbrushes for kids, and let her pick the one she wanted. Despite my best efforts to steer her towards something girly, she chose the ugly Diego one. But she carried it proudly through the store and couldn't wait to use it when we got home. We call it the "tickle toothbrush". She starts the process by touching her tongue, then each of her teeth. And she lets us finish the tickles - or brushing - for a squeaky clean smile. Crisis #2 averted.

(3) Night Light.

I've been taking over nighttime duty for a couple nights because Steve is working. Amelia has been acting up more and more at night, and tonight she adamantly refused to lay down. My heart broke as I had to listen to her scream and cry after I left the room. I gave it almost 10 minutes, then went back in to soothe her. I asked my girl if she would like a small light in her room. She looked at me with that red, tear-stained face and puffy eyes. Then she just nodded her head. "Amelia scared", she said. So out came the standard, nothing fancy nightlight. She loves it! I hope if she is having some nighttime fears, that this light will help her. Crisis #3 (hopefully) averted. She's asleep, and we'll see what happens in the morning.

Whew. Life is ever-changing in our household these days! I hope I can keep up.

We may not be cool, but we're moms

Growing up, I often wondered why my mom's friends were usually the mothers of my friends. But two years into Amelia's precious little life, I think I get it.

While there will always be a very special place in my heart for my single and/or currently childless friends, I'm pretty sure they don't want to endure hours of conversation about Amelia's latest antics, potty training, and tantrums. They are still cool. They still dine at trendy restaurants. And enjoy music concerts. And go to MOVIES! They wear nice clothes and go to work and always look current and beautiful. Many days, I wish I could still be like them (but with Amelia somehow).

My mommy friends are available for 9:30 a.m. playtime. They understand why I'm so excited by Amelia's latest potty achievement. They are as clueless as I am about what movies are out and which ones are being talked about.

A mom acquaintance of mine recently posted a question on Facebook, regarding current clothing trends. I laughed as I read the responses from other moms:

"It's a personal victory if my clothes match and are stain-free!"
"One of the guys at work tells me I dress like a Mom now."
"Just now realizing I can no longer shop in the junior's department"

See? None of us are cool anymore! That's why we get along so well. Perhaps our husbands don't enjoy that we make each other so comfortable with comfy. But my mommy friends can save a horrible day with a few minutes of toddler playtime; they know exactly how I feel when I've had one of those days. They struggle with the same things I've struggled with and they rejoice in the same seemingly small accomplishments.

It's nice to find comfort in a group of friends. But it's also nice to have the option to branch out and spend a few minutes with the trendy crowd again.

So how about this?

Mom friends -- please continue to keep me sane as I battle these terrible twos.

And others -- promise to pull me out of the abyss of total uncoolness if I take it a little too far.

Love you all!

She'll hate this story when she's 12

Amelia just treated me to the most revolting child moment so far in her 735 days of life. Spit-up, vomit, and diapers have nothing on this one.

Picture if you will, a quiet moment or two in our house. I'm enjoying a few moments of lounge time while Amelia plays nicely in the other room.

I ask, "Amelia? Are you doing OK?"

"Yes, Mommy!", Amelia replies.

Ahhhhhhhhh. I lean my head back and enjoy my rare moment of peace.

About 52 seconds later, here comes my girl. She shows me her hands. Alarms blare in my head. Amelia has something BROWN all over her hands.

"Moooooommy! I pooped!"

WHAT?!?!

So now my ahhhhhhh.... moment has turned to AHHHHHHH!!!! My daughter stuck both of her hands down her dirty diaper. She is a smelly mess. It's even ground down into her fingernails. We rush to the bathroom for a serious scrubbing. I still feel grossed out by it.

Add this to the fact that she did not take one minute of nap today. May I go to bed now, please? We'll just start again tomorrow.