New Tradition

Back in my pre-child days I would be all for heading out to brave the commercial shopping madness of Black Friday. However, last year I found myself home with my 2 year old moping around like a bump on a log & feeling sorry for myself that everyone seemed to have something exciting and fun to do the day after Thanksgiving. It was the classic holiday let down. So this year, I decided to NOT feel sorry for something that I use to have, but rather to begin a new post Thanksgiving tradition that is more family centered. Today the 3 of us went to the Public Museum and we had a REALLY great time.

Highlights of the trip:
- Holy Moses! Admission was only $8.00 + kids were free.
- There were no crowds to wrestle with.
- C loved riding the carousel, which was also free.
- C was well behaved.
- C was actually intrigued by some of the exhibits.
- C,who is new to wearing underpants as opposed to pull-ups, used the bathroom and
went without any accidents.
- It was 2 hours of pure nostalgia from my childhood & times w/ my grandparents.
- We ate at Yesterdog for lunch and it was actually a peaceful meal.
- C took a 2 hour nap when we got home. In the meantime, I cleaned and watched a
movie.

It really doesn't get better than this folks. It was one of those "Hallmark" days for our family in which all is sweet and good. What a treasure. So, I think this will indeed become our new day after Thanksgiving tradition.

So dear reader, what Thanksgiving/day after Thanksgiving traditions do you have?

Bye-Bye Diapers

Do I dare say, without jinxing myself, that a long awaited moment in child-rearing has FINALLY arrived? C has had 3 (fairly) successful days of wearing underpants instead of pull-ups. Whoo-hooo! What has really been the ice on the potty-training cake is that she will now do #2 in the toilet. Actually she's been very good about answering nature's call (#1) for awhile, but it has been the #2 business that has been plaguing us. FINALLY the other night she announced that she needed a magazine (wonder who she learned that one from, Honey?) and rushed right into the bathroom to take care of the business. She's been listening to her body ever since and doesn't seem to be slowing down. I am so excited about this & also the money that we will save!

However, as much as I have loathed the pull-up, it has now become a bit of a security blanket for me. I find myself caught in quite a pickle. Now that she is (fairly) potty-trained she wants to wear underpants everywhere, like to the grocery store, to Grandma's, to Target, to church - ALL places that would be bad for an "accident". So I find myself REALLY wanting her to wear a pull-up for "leak insurance" but I don't make her because, hello, talk about confusing to a kid! Besides she is doing pretty good - we've made a few wild dashes across the grocery store to the bathroom - BUT - we've always made it. Maybe it is I who needs to get over my insecurities and realize this kid has really got the hang of it. Trust in her, is what I need to do.

Not to mention, she is SOOOOO proud of her daily accomplishments. I wish that I could feel that same pride over the small successes in life. So perhaps it is bye-bye to the world of diapers (at least for a few months) and on to bigger and better things. Yeah for you C!!!!!!

Huh?

The other day someone asked me, "So, what do you do in your spare time?" To which of course I paused and said, "Well, I have a toddler, so I don't really have any free time." Said person was rather non-plussed with my answer, but hey ask a stupid question...

However, as I later pondered this question I mulled over the answer I would liked to have given. Something witty like, "Well, I'm really into toddler wrangling and conflict resolution this year."

Then, I flashed back to what I would have said 7-10 years ago. "What do I do in my spare time, you ask?" "Well, I'm terribly busy! I spend my time watching movies, renting movies, hanging out with friends, getting pedicures, scrap booking, watching reality TV, not to mention, obsessing for hours over my weight, what to wear, and men."

LOL because now I'm lucky IF I get a minute to even think about what I'm wearing out the door each day. My standards have been lowered considerably. Basically, if I'm clean (meaning not stinky), my hair is washed, I have some makeup to hide the dark circles, and my clothes pass as matching - then it's a good start to the day. I haven't seen a movie at the theater in I don't know how long. I'm kinda bummed on this particular fact lately because I'd REALLY love to see New Moon with my friend K, but I don't think it's happening for either of us. I miss my girl time - friendships have essentially been reduced to phone calls and text messages. I'm too far behind on scrap booking and the thought of ever getting into that again overwhelms me.

Anyway, boo-hoo, cry-cry, all this over "So, what do you do in your spare time?" I really LOVE my life just as it is right now. Sure there are days I'd love to have my "single-before-children-life" back, but I think I'd only like to visit it once in a while. I also remind myself that, as crazy and hectic as my life is right now, there will come a day 10-20 years from now when I will ache to have my daughter under foot and miss her continuous chatter. So, I will relish this life sans "free time" and know that it will come around eventually.

Boo! to Halloween

Yes, I realize that Halloween was like days ago, and I am just getting to this. I say Boooooo! to Halloween this year because we had been looking forward to it all October only to end up not celebrating at all. C came down with a high fever on Friday, which we had to retrieve her from school. Her fever spiked on Saturday so we had to postpone her big birthday party and fore go any trick-or-treating activities. Thankfully, she it too young to really have noticed, although she did say something to me on Monday about wanting to go trick-or-treating in her lion costume (which was soooo adorable and she didn't even get to wear it!). I'm such a bad mommy - I totally brushed her off and tried to change the subject when she brought it up.

Her fever finally broke (knock on wood) today, so I hope this means we're out of the woods on this one. Her symptoms presented themselves as a really bad cold, but I wonder..... 4 days of a HIGH fever, lack of appetite, irritable......hmmm anyone thinking what I'm thinking..... what does everyone else have right now too? Perhaps a little H1N1? Hard telling, not knowing, but I wonder. Regardless, if that's all it was for her, THANK GOD!

So, long story short, Halloween was no treat this year.

Have you ever had to miss out on a fun holiday due to illness?