3 Things

As a mom, I sometimes feel like I get something figured out that I should share. Most of the time, the idea doesn't actually come from my head, but it needs to be shared b/c I've tried it and it works.
So right now I have 3 things.

1. Blanket Time: At the age of 20 or so months, we started teaching Maizie how to sit "quietly" on a blanket for an extended period of time. It started with 5 minutes. Lots of praise, lots of excitement. Then 10 minutes. By 2, she could sit quietly on a blanket for 30-45 minutes. Now it's a full hour. Of course, she's not just staring into space. I give her "quiet" toys, like magnet sets, books, puzzles, sometimes (though very rarely) legos. And she can do it. It's amazing. I can read, cook, be in or out of the room, clean, whatever-and she's in the same place that I left her. On the blanket. It's seriously vital. If you have a young child, PLEASE implement this. It's especially been great since Maizie doesn't nap anymore. This idea was shared with me by multiple people, so I can take no credit, but it works.

2. Never allow your child to ask for anything in the store. The answer is an automatic "no" and possibly other consequences. THEN, when you do surprise her, with a puzzle or a box of animal cookies...oh, the joy! On both sides. It's amazing, and I'm quite glad I've stood firm on this. Remember: In Target, you are weak. Not only have you already spent too much money, but EVERYONE else there has much better behaved kids than you do. You already know this. Soooo, in order to get your kids to APPEAR to be as courteous as the VonTrap family in aisle 2, you will give in to a temper tantrum. I recall knowing this from a very young age about my parents. So stand firm when it's no big deal.

3. Read-Aloud Bible Stories by Ella K. Lindvall. Worth every penny, if not more. Big pictures, little words, action focused...awesome. Can't say enough.


I would love to hear your "3 Things." They don't have to be life defining or changing, just really good advice/tips/ideas.

What I just did to a chicken and another story...

I was going to simply blog about this cute thing that Maizie did that I don't want to forget, and was going to do it after I got dinner in the oven.
That was BEFORE I "made" dinner. Essentially, I took a headless chicken body ripped back the skin (don't want to hear that sound too much in my life) and shoved oranges and brown sugar underneath it. I then broke it's legs (accidentally-and again, another sound I don't want to hear) while trying to figure out which way is "up" for cooking. This is nothing compared to the day I stuck a pop can in the, um, cavity of a headless chicken and had it sitting on it in my oven.
Blech. Is it really worth the money saved?

Anyway, two days ago, I was pretty sick. I actually was very nauseous, and was lying on the bathroom floor with a pillow when Maizie Monster comes in. "Momma, are you sick?"
"Yes, I'm gonna throw up." (In 3-year-old world, this is similar to saying, I'm going to get a leg amputated or hold my cheek to a hot oven for 2 minutes).
Maizie cautiously comes close to me, clumsily strokes my hair back out of my face, and says..."Oh pretty one..."
Then, "Poor momma. I can hold you."
She proceeds to sit on my lap and "hold me" very tightly, all the while stroking my hair.
"You want me read you a story?"
"Sure"
"You stay RIGHT there, momma" (like I'm going anywhere).
She darts down the hall like only small children can, those little feet pounding on our wood floor. Boom boom boom boom.
And back. Boom boom boom boom.
She's got a counting board book, and she then sits on the closed toilet all authoritatively (like her Sunday school teacher, I'm guessing).
One Flower.
Two buckles.
Three Ducks.
I just wished I could have captured it forever. Right there, Maizie at her best. Taken all that was sweet and innocent and unabashed and compassionate about the whole situation and squished it into her whole life.
That's my prayer for her, I suppose. Lord, keep that about my three year old. Clean out the stubbornness and selfishness and grumpiness and anger, but leave that please.

Haiti, Parks, and Hibernation

In no particular order:

Haiti:  I am going to a meeting tonight about a trip our church is taking to Haiti.  We send food via Kids Against Hunger there.  I want to go, not just to the meeting, but to Haiti.  It makes no sense for me in this "season" of life, and I know it would be heartbreaking, but I really want to go. I'll let you know when it is decided .  

Parks:  The temperature reached 30 degrees yesterday, so we went to a park.  We weren't the only ones there, either.  Maizie was all decked out in her snowsuit and Iris rode in the stroller which did surprisingly well in the slushy, dirty, snow.  It felt very Minnesotan.  Where else are people doing things like this?  Maybe Alaska, I suppose.

Hibernation:  I have figured out that I actually need to hibernate.  No, really.  Every winter, I must put on extra weight and stay in my jammies all day.  Is there any purpose to this other than it's too cold and dark for me to deal?  No.  Same with bears.  The problem comes when my kids don't hibernate.  See, they actually have learned to anti-hibernate.  They get more energy and skinnier.  

ho-hum...

Steve, not Joe

It's cold.  And despite all my desires, when the windchill hits 35 below, I will stay home with the girls for the day.  A lot of women I know never leave their houses.  I have no idea what would possess them to do this.  Actually, I do know, and they are good reasons, but not for us. Maybe two days during the week we stay home.  

Anyway, during the dark, deep, bear hibernation winter, this all changes.  I am required to stay home.  Winter one was easy, b/c Maizie napped in the afternoon and so did I.  Winter two, same thing.  Winter three, tougher-two kids.  Lots of t.v. for Maizie, and I kept telling myself it was because I had a new baby and that things would get better in years to come.  Never again, I swore, would I pass a winter with television.

Results show: Winter four, not better.  

As we speak, my napless 3 year old is watching Blues Clues.  She's already watched Curious George (one and a half times), Superwhy, & Sesame Street.  This is not good.  She is like an addict.  The more she watches, the more she wants to watch. 

I feel pretty guilty about this.   

But, before I am too "judged," let me tell you what else we did today.

We played: restaurant (a LOT), Pat-Pat Rocket, tickle war, dance-a-thon (mommy exercised), and magna doodle.

We had blanket time...this is when Maizie sits on her blanket for about an hour and quietly plays with puzzles, books, dominoes, and magnet sets while I sit on the 

couch and read my Bible and other books.

We colored a zillion pictures from Maizie's coloring book with colored pencils, which she seems to be quite good at, but takes forever.

And we read about 100 books-half of them non-fiction (we're learning about birds right now), a science magazine (thanks, grammy!), and three iSpy books.  

So....

My question is, those of you moms who rarely leave your houses and don't let your kids watch t.v....

WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!  

I am staring down another month of this, and I can't even begin to fathom coming out a sane person.  I am afraid when it's done, I'll be a cross between Mr. Noodle, Steve, and June, and I'm not sure I can handle it.  But on the other hand, at least those people can speak (MOST of those people, anyway), have friends (despite the fact that most of them are talking animals), and a fan base.  

          

 So maybe the t.v. is better than the alternative of no t.v. and coming out of the winter with a fake smile, wide-blinking eyes, glitter stuck in my hair, and responding to everything like a preschool teacher ("Ohhh....weeelll....oopsies....that blow torch to your sister is probably not a great idea, but what ELSE could you do, sweetie?  *blink, blink, blink*").   

  

I'm taking suggestions.  Not one time craft ideas, but real life suggestions on what to do with myself and my kids for the rest of the winter.  So, I beg, if you've got this under control, please give me the heads up.  I feel like I need to take a community ed. class about mothering in a MN winter.

sigh...

And now, 

more Blue's Clues.  

Cutie, cute, cute

I really don't have all that much to write about.  I just wanted to update the blog so that people don't think I'm dead.  Christmas was fine, we had a nice time together.  I think that what makes Christmas so special and not-so-special is that it never ends.  I'm always excited on the beginning end of the celebrations-Thanksgiving (anymore it's just an early Christmas), the Christmas program (more on that later...maybe), Christmas parties, family, etc.  But then, anytime after about December 26th, I just burn out.  I'd love to take the tree down, in years past I have, but we have one more round of "holidaying" to do with J's mom.  We'll see if I make it that far with the tree.  Maybe if my house was big enough that the tree wasn't in my main living space, it would fare better.  Alas, it is in my way and will be destroyed shortly.

Here's some photos, though.

"That Mom"

I just got back from Target, and I realized that I'm one of "those moms" today.  Maizie was having a horrible time.  I don't know why, she actually woke up really sad today so I should have known it wouldn't be a good day to be out, but I have an agenda, and I do not often stop to think about what my girlies might need.  We started out okay, we went to the Y, I left them in good hands for 30 minutes while I exercised.  Maizie made a craft and drew with markers.  I really like going right at 9:15, because the staff that work at that time are really great. 

Anyway, we went to Target, spent a lot of time in the toy aisle, and I even got some stocking stuffers for the girls.  I'm still sort of  sneaky (or my kids are just too little to know that I'm putting their gifts on the bottom of the cart), but Maizie almost catches on.

Then we went to get the groceries, and Maizie started acting super terrible.  She was fussing and crying.  Maizie is usually a peach in Target & grocery stores.  No joke, I have lucked out. But when she threw the string cheese out of the cart, I should have left.  I always said I would leave the cart and go if things like that happen, but I had already gotten so much done!  I had so much left to do!  How could I leave?  I mean, getting the yogurt and MM filled candy canes seemed so important.  So she kept crying.  I threatened horrible things.  Then I took her out of the cart and she scraped her knuckles somehow.  Then she started bawling.  And I became "that mom."  

"You'll be fine.  It's just a little scrape.  You need to get some self-control.  I'm sorry your knuckles are bleeding and that you probably need to go potty and that your breakfast was totally non-nutritious and that you are cramped with a huge coat in a tiny cart and that you can't touch anything here, but I need to finish this all-important shopping trip and I need to get this stuff done so that I don't have to come out later in the cold because I am tired and I am busy and I don't have time for you to have a bad day!" 

When is the last time God has done that to me?

"Katie, you need to get it together, because I have

 so much to get done and don't have time for your petty little problem.  No matter that you're in pain, it's not that much pain compared to all the things that need to happen in the world today, and it's what you deserve anyway.  I need to keep the earth in orbit, make sure all the seasons are running properly, deal with famine, save lives, count hairs, and watch sparrows.  I don't have time for you to have a bad day."  

You get the picture.

Thank you God, that 3 year olds are extremely forgiving.  And that Clifford, hot-dogs, a Hello Kitty band-aid, and a brand new (ex-stocking-stuffer) Candyland work wonders to mend a discouraged 3-year-old heart.  

The American Girls Store

The Mall of America is opening a new store VERY soon.  IT's the American Girl Store.  See here if you have no idea.  www.americangirl.com

Anyway, I have been in love with these dolls probably as long as they've existed.  Since 1986.  I've gotten and poured over the catalogue.  I know all of their names and stories.  And now the actual store is opening here.  I can finally go see all of the dolls, accessories, books, even their beds.    

But I'm 27 years old.  

So here's what I'm going to do, I think.  Someday soon (like in the next 2 years), I am going to book a wedding, I am going to use some of the profits I make to buy two dolls and accessories (over $250-yikes!).  I will carefully brush their hair and dress them up.  And then, even though it will probably creep my husband out, I will put them on shelves in my room.  WAY up high.  I can play, I mean DUST them whenever I want.  Because they will technically be mine.  I may even buy them outfits at those garage sales that say "American Girl Clothes Boutique."  

And then, when the girls are big enough, they can play with them.  

I get this idea from my mom, who had these little ceramic cats and urns.  And I LOVED them. I played with them whenever I could, but I always had to ask.  They were teeny tiny, don't ask me why she had them, but I loved to build museums for them with my wooden blocks.  It was amazing.  And they were so special b/c they were hers and I had to be so careful with them. Once I broke the tail off of the tiniest kitten.  The nice thing about my mom is that it wasn't that big of a deal.  (Now ask me about the time I got gum on her sandals, and that's another story.)

Now the question is, which two?  I've always wanted Kirsten.  But Samantha was so much more popular when I was little.  However, they are putting her in the vault (similar to the Disney Vault, maybe?) soon, so she will be unavailable.  If it was just one doll, Kirsten it would be.  But two...they make dolls that look like their owners.  So I could get one with "red" hair and blue eyes.  And one with gray hair (Iris's hair looks gray for some reason) and blue eyes?  I don't know.

I suppose I have a while before I have to make this decision.  But I cannot be talked out of it. Don't even try.