Fingers crossed! Making progress.

I'm fully prepared for a setback, but I have to take this evening's post for a little brag about my girl. Amelia has been extremely well-behaved for two full days! We're getting along really well, and I couldn't be more proud of this cutie-pie.

For my part, I am working very hard on patience. My brain is probably tired of hearing "she's only two... she's only two..." over and over each day. But really, I often try to make Amelia older than her 107 weeks. She doesn't understand Mommy's obsessive need for organization. Nor Mommy's intolerance of clutter. She has no idea why Daddy freaks out about crumbs (although she does notice the new ant visitors we've been battling in the kitchen). She needs some room to be a kid, and I'm trying my best to give her that space.

I'm also consciously manging her expectations. It's amazing that something so simple as "choo-choo show, then diaper, then nap", repeated a couple times, can really cut down on the tantrum when naptime comes around. I try to use my new-found "first this, then that" strategy throughout the day. She knows what to expect, and she accepts my timeline pretty well.

I'm proud of my girl. It's be a very challenging few weeks. That's not to say the Terrible Two monster won't rear it's ugly head again soon. But I'm happy. Two days where Amelia and I can be friends and have some fun. Not too shabby.

Vegetables should not sing

Chick-Fil-A, I love you. Always my choice if I have to (or want to) eat fast food. Your chicken nuggets are yummy, your fries are crispy and tasty. You offer diet lemonade, which makes me happy. Amelia is always excited about her 4-piece nuggets kids' meal with fruit and juice. You give us a child-friendly, easy place to grab a mommy & daughter lunch once in a while. You even have employees who bring the food to my table because you understand rambunctious toddlers. And sometimes you have an indoor playground. Awesome.

But my dear Chick-Fil-A, I have to say, I am not happy with you this week. I am not happy with you for putting those Veggie Tales CDs in the kids' meals. We now have two of them. These CDs introduced me to the talking and singing vegetables for the first time recently. Amelia loves them. Asks for them in the car. But oh my goodness... these vegetables CAN NOT SING! The song lyrics are not bad, but the mouse-like, squeaky high octave vegetable signers really hurt my brain. And now I can't turn off the pain, because my demanding little princess in the back seat requires this music at least once per day.

Someone told me that the kids' meal prizes can be turned back in for ice cream. I believe I will let Amelia in on this secret next time. I'll accept sticky hands and messy clothes any day if it means I don't have to listen to Veggie Tales in my car. Ever. Again.

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.