M&M's and Swimming Pools

I love my children...I really do. However, today I have come to the sad realization that in order to be a good parent I'm going to have to resign myself to the fact that I will most likely have to look like a raving lunatic 70% of the time I am out in public with my 2 angels. This realization has been entering my mind for awhile, but today I fully embraced the situation.

I first noticed how other parents act, I mean really noticed, when I was pregnant with my first child. I remember seeing a mom singing to her little baby - Old MacDonald Had a Farm - throughout the produce section. The little guy could have cared less and was staring off to the bakery quite content, but mom was just singing away like no one else was in the store. "How sad", I though, "mommy needs a night out". I also noticed the chasing after, yelling after gait of parents of older children who would be trying in vain to control the little tykes. Sometimes I thought they were over reacting and wondered why they were getting so upset. I thought in my superior childless brain that if only they just left the child alone, they would surely return once they realized that mom and dad weren't chasing them. And of course, there is the other end of the spectrum. The parents who don't want to deal with it and pretty much let their children run amok. That is plenty of fodder for another post, but needless to say something that is also noticable in society today.

Admittedly I have sung to my children in the store, parking lot, restaurant...anywhere needed to prevent crying, however as of late, the lunacy has gone to a new level. No longer can I just hum a tune, perhaps slightly off key, and prevent a melt down. No, now I have to have discussions with my 4 year about whatever her current obsession and also try to reign in the 2 year old who is that child racing across the store...and really doesn't care if I never came to get her so the chase is a must.

Today at the local Y, I made the brilliant decision to take the two of them swimming. Actually it started out ok, and if they didn't offer candy treats in vending machines it would have been fine. Whoever it was that decided to put vending machines in these locations was brilliant...countless children find them to be so tempting that they too will drive their parents insane in order to buy a bag of M&M's for a mere $.85. And, as it was, I was hungry when we got there so I paid the $.85 to get a bag of M&M cookies. To my mind this seemed like a perfect solution. Candy...kids like candy and cookies...a little more substance than just the candy so it would be a better snack. The 2 year old was totally cool with that thought process. Ok she pitched a little fit when she didn't get her own bag, but it quickly subsided once she had a cookie. The 4 year old did not buy for a second that this was the same as having candy so throughout the entire swim experience she kept saying "can we have candy after this?" - "No, I don't have any more money" was my response. I had used all of my change for our first purchase and really, really did not have any more change to buy another goody...and we already had one. The answer was 'no.

We played in the water and survived the splashing and water toys being thrown throughout the pool without incident. The kids even sort of stayed together so I didn't have to chase after one worrying about the other one going for the deep end. All was good, but then we got out of the pool and we were back to the candy. "Can't I please have some candy? Pulleezz?" ok she wasn't screaming or pitching a true fit, I should be happy about that however the questions just kept coming and my response stayed the same. I was seriously tired of the situation and trying to stay cool, but it continued...and continued...and continued...until I was done! And then I lost it. "I said no!" I bellowed in the family locker room. I was trying, really, but the louder I had to explain the "NO" the more I felt as though everyone in the room was staring at us. And then to add insult to injury my 2 year old was determined that she must carry the bag with the swimsuits. A task she was slightly too small to do, but I was already dealing with one issue so I thought perhaps I would be able to fend off another by simply letting her do this. I was wrong. She kept dropping the bag and then getting upset when I would pick it up and try to carry it myself and really upset if her bigger sister tried to do the same.

Finally, when all hope was lost of being a cool and together parent I picked up the 2 year old...kicking and screaming all the way and yelled at the other to follow me "WE ARE LEAVING!" So much for a nice day at the Y. In my previous life I would have been mortified to be a part of such a scene...but once you are a parent your world changes, and suddenly singing Old MacDonald just to keep the peace or chase after your child because you never know who may be lurking down the aisles, makes perfect sense. And although I know there was probably some person thinking I was in desperate need of a "mommy night out", I finally got my point across...and sometimes that is the best we can do.

Make the Diet Cheating Worthwhile

Ok so I feel the need to add to these ramblings with a topic that has been of great interest to our family lately and probably always - FOOD! I have been on a diet successfully for the last 4 months, losing 30 pounds so far...but I am hitting a wall. That wall is complete boredom with anything green and healthy and chicken. So sick of chicken...

So as of late I have been allowing myself more "cheat" meals. I know I will have to get back on the wagon so to speak, but my issue with these cheat meals is simply that as a new resident in Middle Tennessee we have been trying to find some new favorite dining establishments to enjoy and, wow, it has seriously been disappointing. Disappointing from the "food wasn't that good and we paid for it" standpoint, but also from the "I ate 1 million calories and I didn't even like it" standpoint which if you have ever been on a diet you will understand how devastating that can be.

Mexican fare around here hasn't been too bad. Chinese has been a little tough and even the old stand by chains are only so so. And of course there is the whole smoking issue. I can't wait until they ban smoking in restaurants around here. (Another very disappointing factor.) And pizza...well that has been the worst. Of course my husband is from Chicago so perhaps the expectations are a little high.

So I guess we'll have to just continue with the diet without the cheats. I suppose that is why I was able to lose the 30 pounds to begin with! But seriously let's get some good food around here!

P.S. This post was created at lunchtime and I have been craving a Costa Vida Shredded Beef Taco Salad for 4 months. We may be taking a road trip to Memphis (their closest location) soon.

Disney "Little Ones" Vacation

As a former employee and a total Disney junkie, I was excited to hear about a special offer coming up at Disney World this fall for preschoolers. Between August 26th and October 28th the most magical place on earth is hosting events such as Little Ones Magic Hour where the parks are open early just for families with young children, a Playhouse Disney concert and special dining experiences just for the kids. Checkout http://www.disney.com to get the full details.

Getting some zzzz's

When I was pregnant with my first chld everyone kept telling me to get lots of sleep. Enjoy it while you can! After 9 months of everyone telling me to sleep I was sort of tired of the advice. Ok, ok, I'll be tired when I have kids I get it...

Then my daughter was born and I was exhausted!! I mean this wasn't the typical run of the mill baby here. We are talking about an amazing child who seriously did not seem to need to sleep at all. I mean, the whole, "sleep when baby sleeps" mantra was definitely not working when she would only sleep about 20 minutes at a time and the nights weren't much better. Oh sure we would get that solid chunk of sleep from 2am till 6am so I should have been ok, but really that didn't cut it for my new mommy brain that was struggling with the new 24/7 responsibility.

Thankfully at age 4 she is sleeping for 10-12 hours a night and her little sister for the most part has been a better sleeper...that is until she reached about 18 months and now we are struggling with her occassional night wakings. However it is nothing compared to the insanity of their earlier months. But this week we have been dealing with a spring cold that hit our 4 year old last week and our 2 year old this week and once again we are reminded about how tiring it is to be a parent.

Between the coughing fits that they don't even wake up for and the actual waking up because they are miserable, we have been getting maybe 3-4 actual hours of sleep in a night all week. This of course makes the days incredibly long as we operate in a dysfunctional haze. Oh the joys of parenthood!

My husband's newly married friend called and during their conversation my husband brought up that we hadn't been sleeping much this week. "It can't be that bad" he replied... We could tell him of course about all of the challenges and give him the advice that we received of "enjoy your sleep now"... but as with most of the triumphs and turbulations of parenthood, most things have to be experienced in order to truly understand!

Fundom Kids

As a mom of a 2 year old and 4 year old, we have been actively looking for fun things to do that won't cost a fortune and allow for some quality entertainment. We recently discovered FundomKids in Joelton, TN.

As a newcomer to the area, I was surprised after making the drive to Joelton that there wasn't much else around the Fundom and the building itself was a bit older than I expected. However after going into this renovated playland for kids under 9 and watching my 2 children embrace the experience I can honestly say it was worth the money and the drive. Unlike expensive and shiny new theme parks, Fundom allows kids to do what they do best...imagine and play. With stations for race car driving, and a magical castle as well as a kitchen area and play school, my kids thoroughly enjoyed the experience and it was difficult to convince them to leave.

Fundom offers birthday parties and is always available for "free" play even when parties are being held which is great advantage over other party venues. They are also very mom friendly and offer a nursing area and seating throughout for parents to just sit back and enjoy watching their kids let their imaginations go.

For more info, check out their website at www.fundomkids.com

My Friend Pablo

Our youngest daughter Megan has always been the quieter, more calm version of her sister. From sleeping to eating to social situations, where Kellie's anxiety sometimes gets the best of her, her sister has always had a laid back approach to life.

Big Sis Kellie never grew attached to any playthings, instead preferring to have mommy or daddy as her playmates. I would try in desperation to get her to find a "lovey" of some sort. Something she could sleep with so that I could leave the room when she was a baby, instead of having to stand, hanging over the crib for hours, rubbing her back. Or a toy she could bring along on vacations or even when we had to leave her with a caregiver to give her some additional comfort and support, but nothing caught on.

Megan on the other hand has been alternating objects of affection. The "binky" of course is the favorite, but she is also attached on various days to different baby dolls, Care Bears and Princess dolls. And now there is Pablo.

If you don't know Pablo, he is one of the Backyardigans, a show my daughter has maybe seen 5 times in her life. It really isn't about the show, but there is something about this little blue and yellow penguin that seems to have captured her heart. She has 3 versions of this little character. One that is small enough to easily carry, go into stores and ride in the car without much of a fuss...this is not the one she likes. The other is a larger than life, well larger than Megan, size doll. This one also fortunately is not the one she likes either. No the one she has become quite attached to is the version that sings and dances, spinning around the room singning the Backyardigan tunes. This is the one she wants to take in the car, have sit at the dinner table with us and if I would let her, take a bath with her as well.

As her first "best friend" I suppose I shouldn't complain. He is very attentive, is always there for her and always has a special song to share...but I am a little concerned about taking him on vacations...