Lest you think I have it all together

A friend of mine recently shared some thoughts with me from the book Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe by Todd Wilson. This guy runs through a literal gamut of comparison and envy issues plaguing moms.

Check out the list of lies he says we believe:

• Everyone else's kids are better.
• Everyone else's home is cleaner.
• Everyone else fixes better meals.
• Everyone else is more disciplined and more spiritual.
• Everyone else's marriage is better.
• Everyone else can do it all.
• Every other mom loves homeschooling.
• Everyone else is more capable.

Yup.  I've definitely fallen for several of those whoppers in my weaker moments.

Summing the book up, I'd restate these unrealistic comparisons this way: Everyone else has it all together but me. 

And let's face it, judging by my online persona, I certainly seem to have it all together.  Snagging deals, making homemade fruit roll-ups, and creating crafty projects to correlate with our homeschool studies paint me as some homesteading do-it-all mom that is whistling a happy tune and enjoying every moment of domestic existence.

And that is NOT me.

I'm not purposely trying to fool you all.  I just get more excited about sharing my successes and mountain-top experiences than my low-points.  I mean, c'mon do you really want to hear about how my youngest broke our $250 air purifier?  Or how my floor hasn't been thoroughly mopped for 2 months?  Or how it took me NINE hours to bake said stupid homemade fruit roll-ups and then my husband was so miffed at my excessive use of energy that he went out and bought me a dehydrator?

Honestly, most days I feel fairly overwhelmed and tired.  There are always toys on my floor to be picked up, noses to wipe, dishes in some state of uncleanliness and unsightly scattered paper piles on my desk.

So, lest you think I have it all together let me assure you - I DO NOT.  And below there are pictures to prove it.

I'm inexpressibly thankful that regardless of my failings and inability to get my act together, God never lets me down.  I'm living proof that His grace is always enough.  

How about you?  Have you fallen for any of these lies?

Our dining room table mess during a typical homeschool morning. 

My son drinking milk from a bowl on the floor while playing puppy.

Trying to keep Solomon occupied by putting dry spaghetti noodles into a sieve.  Great idea, pinterest!  Now if only you would have warned me about what a mess this was to clean up. And how frustrated Solomon would get when the noodles broke.  (An even better picture would have been capturing what happened next.  Clive decided he was hungry for peanut butter and shared it with Solomon.  Both boys eating peanut butter out of the same jar with their fingers.  All this happened in the span of 2 minutes while I was working with Chloe on schoolwork.)

Yes, I let my son play with sewing pins.  While perched on the edge of my bed.  Not my wisest decision as a mom.  But he's my fine-motor-skill guy and he didn't prick himself even once!  Honest!

Chloe is my sweet angel.  But I'm afraid she might suffocate while she sleeps beneath her obsessive collection of stuffed animals.

A Heinous Injustice

My Solomon hit the 18 month mark a few weeks back.  He's growing and developing in every way imaginable!  He's a spunky (read: a disciplining challenge), independent, joyful, interactive, book-loving, dancing, rough-housing toddler. 

The Heinous Injustice, you ask?  He STILL wakes up in the middle of the night.  And I'm certain it's my fault.

Thankfully, he doesn't wake up EVERY night.  Whew.  And despite the occasional teething or sickness episode his sleeping habits were lovely between 6-14 months. 

But now he's up once a night 2-4 times a week.  For this nap-loving narcoleptic mom that's almost more than I can handle.  It's not like we're up for a long period of time.  Just long enough for him to suck back his sippy cup of milk while we lay on the couch together.

I'm pretty sure the problem with this boy's restless nights is that he's a milk addict and not taking in enough regular food during the day.  This week I cut him off (almost) completely from his sippy cup of milk in hopes that the milk-absence would force him to eat more solid food.  That seemed to help him eat a bit more than usual at mealtimes but still not as much as I expected.  I've also been feeding him a snack before bed in an attempt to fill up his toddler tummy.

The other complication in the Solomon sleep issue is that he shares a room with his older brother, Clive.  So, while I'm a 100% believer in the crying-it-out method my stubborn Solly can really wail and often wakes up my sweet sleeping Clive.  And then I have two boys to soothe back to sleep.  Said soothing sometimes translates as Clive crawling into bed with us.  Which means I end up sleeping on the couch since I don't enjoy being kicked or have my knees used as a pillow. 

All told, I'm not getting as much sleep as I'd like.  :(

HELP!  What else should I try?

Solomon's coffee consumption may or may not be linked to his sleepless nights.

Blurry milestones

I have a theory regarding time. Time is proportional to the number of children you have distracting you. Now that I'm the mother to three little blessings, time seems to go by THREE times as fast.

Somehow my baby Solomon grew overnight into a 16 1/2 pound bundle of baby chub. He's rolling, laughing, eating cereal, TRYING TO CRAWL (he doesn't yet realize he's not allowed to achieve mobile status for many more months) and blowing spit bubbles. He's knocking down the milestones like a boxing champ.

And instead of waiting expectantly for these precious baby milestones, I'm a spectator watching as they speed past me in a blur.

Solomon isn't the only one blowing past the milestones at lightning speed. My baby girl Chloe is doing it too. This past week she turned 5, lost a tooth, spent a day all by herself with grandma (during which she got to eat at a super fancy restaurant -- subject for another blog post), and has grown into a lovely "big girl".

Thankfully Clive is frozen in super-cute 2 year old mode. My favorite word he says right now is "actually". He uses it correctly too. It just sounds so darling in his little 2 year old voice!

As the milestones blur past me, I'm reminded to slow down the blurring and savor these moments. To let go of petty minor issues and to focus on the big stuff. Like loving God, living in peace, and laughing with the children He's given us.

What fun things are your kids doing in their current phase?

Pretty tips?

Today was an insanely productive day for me. I simply can't believe all that I got done in a 12 hour span of time! I won't tell you what I accomplished because

a) you won't believe me,
b) you'll think I'm bragging, and
c) God should get the credit since HE supplied me with the strength and motivation.

Five hours of uninterrupted sleep and several cups of coffee helped too.

Mid-afternoon I raced upstairs to use the bathroom and as I washed my hands I caught a passing glance of myself in the mirror. YUCK! Who was that sweaty messy person looking back at me? My brushed-once-this-morning hair was disheveled and frizzy. The powder I had hurriedly applied was completely gone. Sweat droplets, red cheeks (will I EVER remember to put sunscreen on myself?) and blotchiness covered my skin.

Besides that my clothes were a wreck! After grocery shopping and plastering layer 1 on Chloe's birthday pinata I felt like one huge stain.

I don't expect to look like a fresh dewy supermodel while I'm in the grind of mommyhood but I DID hope I'd look better than the bride of Frankenstein. It's no secret that I don't spend much time on myself. Primping and floofing are NOT high on my priority list right now. Sleep, having fun with my kids, sleep, making meals, sleep, connecting with my husband and keeping the house slightly cleaner than filthy are tops on my agenda. Did I mention I need more sleep?

Today I neglected to take a few minutes to pretty myself up. It doesn't usually take more than 5 minutes to do my normal routine of face powder, mascara, clean clothes, painted toenails, earrings, a spritz of perfume and lip gloss. (And I must confess, I often apply my makeup in the car. It saves precious minutes in the morning and I can apply almost everything without ever taking my eyes off the road. Granted, mascara is a bit tricky but I apply that at red lights.)

Which leads me to ask . . . what quick things do you do to up your daily pretty factor?

Chloe's Disappointing First Dental Visit

This morning the kids and I headed to the Small Smiles dental clinic for Chloe's first ever dental visit. We had read some dentist-type books and almost every mom I talked to (or that commented on FB) reassured me of what would happen on the first visit. According to them, the first visit would be a simple tooth-counting and comfort-building chair sitting experience for Chloe. And of course a brand new toothbrush to culminate the event. Sounded pretty non-threatening and even sort of fun!

This morning at breakfast, I was giving Chloe the expectation run-down again so she'd know exactly what would happen. Chloe is a sweetie but she is a girl that doesn't roll with the unexpected well. She needs time to feel comfortable and letting her know exactly what will happen seems to ease her fears.

Anyways, Chloe was excited about the dentist visit and said animatedly, "I sure hope I get a new princess toothbrush at the dentist!" She even dressed up her favorite teddy bear in baby clothes and brought him along for the occasion.

As soon as we walked into the clinic door, I had a foreboding feeling. The lobby was VERY crowded and felt more like a daycare center than the comforting low-key lobby experience I had envisioned. Nonetheless, the kiddos settled in to play while I filled out the paperwork. And then we waited. And waited. And waited some more! It was 45 minutes before Chloe's name was called.

After a brief introduction, the dental hygienist took us back and instead of asking us anything curtly stated she would start by taking x-rays of Chloe's mouth. Sphincter say what?!? I tried not to let my hyper-mommy-alarm bells go crazy and decided instead to go with the flow and see how Chloe did. My girl was all smiles until the hygienist shoved the x-ray slide into her mouth. And then Chloe lost it -- with good reason too. The hygienist did NOT prepare Chloe for what was happening and I tried my best to comfort her from out in the hallway. Needless to say, the x-ray photography session did not happen. Chloe kept crying and was obviously scared.

The WORST part was the hygienist's impatience and obvious frustration with Chloe's meltdown. She just kept telling Chloe to stop crying and to be a good girl or she wouldn't get a toy. Hello?!? What 4 year old is going to stop crying on a dime for a stranger who is doing foreign things and is telling her she's not being good? I was starting to get seriously ticked off. I asked the hygienist to stop and that we'd have to do the x-rays on our next visit.

Moving on, the hygienist brought us to a huge room with about 8 dental chairs all filled with kiddos having various procedures done. Again, the mommy-alarm-bells started ringing like crazy. Talk about a distracting, loud and scary place! Chloe, unnerved and whimpering by this point, was not trusting this hygienist chic. It didn't help that the lady lowered Chloe in the dentist chair without warning. Chloe's tears started again (and so did my tears - I hated seeing my baby girl fall apart) and I quickly saw that wisest course of action was to split. I told the hygienist we were going home and we'd reschedule.

UGH. What a yucky experience! I truly think the worst part of it was the hygienist's use of bribery and her scolding impatient manner. I spent the entire ride home reassuring Chloe that I was not mad at her and she was not "bad" for being scared. I think it was perfectly natural and reasonable for Chloe to be frightened given the circumstances.

We will NOT be going back to that crazy clinic again. We're taking my little girl's teeth elsewhere!

What have your kids' dental experiences been like?

Thankful?

Today I am seriously questioning my thankfulness. The day is not going at ALL as I planned.

Matt was up several times in the night suffering from a minor stomach-plague. He's been in bed all day. The kids have had several conflicts resulting in spankings, crying and whining. I'm wishing I could have had a few more months before Clive learned the word "mine". Have a major to-do list to accomplish before leaving for MI tomorrow and thus far I've completed a whopping two items on the list. One of which was accompanied by a seriously major crying fit thrown by my darling Chloe. In the public library of all places (the librarians know us by name).

Now that I'm sitting down and have a few moments to reflect I know that I am thankful. During a day like this where everything is going contrary to my plans I am thankful that God's not surprised. He planned this day for me and HE is sustaining me and giving me the strength to not turn into monster mommy.

I'm so thankful for God and His unchanging character and unceasing goodness to me! Regardless of circumstances, I have MUCH to be thankful for. (Not the least of which is a york peppermint patty recently consumed -- why didn't I buy two?!?)

And with that I wish you all a happy happy Thanksgiving!

A problem that sucks

In the last few months Chloe has developed a rather annoying habit.

She sucks.

On her shirts, her fingers, toys, spoons, zippers . . . anything that's nearby when the urge strikes goes into her mouth. Of course, it isn't a constant sucking. I've noticed that she sucks things when she's rather in active. When she's watching a video, riding in the car, or listening to music the sucking begins.

I guess there's nothing inherently wrong with her sucking habit but during this cold/flu season especially I'm more leary of the germs she's imbibing while sucking. And in general it seems like a dirty habit.

I've rebuked her several times and she always stops when I ask. But then I'll find her sucking again later. I'm guessing it's a comforting habit rather than a teething issue since she's old enough to be past all that jazz.

Besides asking her to stop when she's sucking on apparel, my recent strategy is to provide her with a clean sucking apparatus (usually a spoon or a straw). That way at least I know she's not getting any weird germs in her mouth.

Have any of you encountered this? Is it a normal phase for a 4+ year old? If you have seen this before, what strategies did you employ to deal with it?

I'm not stressing out about this. She could certainly have yuckier habits! (And she does. But eating boogers is a pretty normal thing and I'm being a strict booger policeman when I catch her in the act.)

Sharing a room experiment

Tonight our family embarks upon a big transition. Tonight Chloe and Clive are sharing a room for the first time.

Though our small home does indeed have three bedrooms making it possible for Chloe and Clive to have separate rooms, things get shuffled around when overnight guests arrive. And guests will be arriving shortly! My in-laws are coming this Saturday for their annual 2-3 week stay.

Usually Clive gets moved to our room or vice versa but that does NOT go well for anyone. Clive's old enough now to know we're present in the room and that disrupts both his sleep and ours. And this mama needs her sleep!

So, the siblings are in the same room tonight. The new roomies talked, laughed, and sang until 10 p.m. tonight (WAY past their bedtimes). Other than that all has gone smoothly.

Any tips for us as we continue on this new room-sharing venture?

A stand-off with a 17 mos. old?

For awhile now we've noticed that Clive is a much fiestier toddler than Chloe ever was. Fiestier meaning he's super stubborn and vocal about it. He's done his share of whining and has already earned himself heinie-discipline.

Last night Clive made his stand at the dinner table. I usually serve a main dish along with some kind of bread, fruit and veggies. Clive is most assuredly a fruit and bread man. Last night he saw the muffins and the fruit on the table and he REFUSED to eat his main dish (a yummy bowl of turkey tetrazzini).

We tried spoonful after spoonful and he obstinately kept his mouth shut and vehemently shook his head "no". We explained that he couldn't have a muffin until he ate some of his food. He cried and cried and cried and still would not open his mouth for a spoonful of tetrazzini.

For what seemed like ages, Matt and I repeated our instructions to Clive that he needed to eat one spoonful before getting to partake in muffin bliss. The rest of us finished our dinner while Clive cried intermittently before finally calming down.

We regathered at the table to read a devotional story and Clive decided to try a bite of the turkey tetrazzini. We applauded him loudly and praised him profusely for eating his dinner. By the time the story was over, he had cleaned his bowl.

Matt stood firm and was not about to lose the dinner-fight with Clive. I was so surprised that such a young kiddo would exhibit such a strong will over a spoonful of food! And I'm so glad we won round one. Parents 1, Clive 0.

Have you all experienced this same kind of dinner-table-stubbornness? How do you handle it? Any tips are welcome! Is it just my imagination, or is this rather young for a kiddo to show such overt stubbornness?

I'm not supermom

Somedays I feel like I must be supermom. Today was not one of those days.

After a morning outing with the kids to the gym for a workout, I fell asleep on the couch while Chloe watched 2 episodes of Wonder Pets (gotta love those cute singing animals). I took a nap this afternoon and Matt gave me the night off from dinner-cooking. Dinner consisted of microwaved lean pockets accompanied by carrot sticks and orange slices. :)

We've had a series of busy days and today it all caught up with me. I'm so thankful that I don't HAVE to be supermom to be loved or accepted by my family (or by God for that matter).

I wonder . . . do you all feel the supermom pressure too? I think stay-at-home mamas might feel that pressure more than others. Since we're at home all the time we think we should be doing lots of extra work. I reason that I should prove that I'm working just as hard as all those moms who "go to work". Do you agree or disagree?

Hello, caring for, feeding, clothing, and cleaning two children while maintaining a basic level of tidiness in my home is plenty of work for me! Why do I also endeavor to sew my own clothes, make homemade-everything from bread to yogurt to laundry detergent, and grow my own organically fertilized lettuce?

I'm sure a big part of this do more pressure is a part of my latent human nature. It's totally contrary to my nature to stop and rest. BUT I'm reminded on a slow-paced day like today that I can do NOTHING good in my own strength. Anything good that comes from me is straight from Jesus.

Today felt good. Slowing down and enjoying the kids and my hubby without worrying about all that I've accomplished or not accomplished was intoxicating. Ahhhh. I pray God gives me more non-supermom days like today!

Confessions of a slacker mom

My kitchen floor is dirty. And I don't plan on cleaning it anytime soon.

Clive donned pajamas and Chloe wore her princess dress the entire day. And I didn't even brush her hair once.

Today we did almost nothing. Though the sun was shining brilliantly the thermometer never got up past 40 degrees. Too chilly to play outside or take a walk. So, we hunkered down and bounced off the walls (correction: the kids bounced and I just sat and observed in envy) all day long.

By the end of the day, I was TIRED of being a mom. The kids didn't nap well (probably because they didn't run off enough energy) and my thyroiditis was sapping me. The golden napping overlap hour did not happen so mommy didn't get a break. Wah! Instead I sat on the kitchen floor with Clive and let him eat his weight in rice cakes.

As soon as Matt walked in the door I passed off the parenting baton and took a much-needed nap while he conducted dinnertime.

I admit my enthusiasm for all-things-mommy waxes and wanes but today it was at a rare low. I got tired of meeting everyone's needs and exerting much energy to maintain a level of expected tidiness. Anyone else been there?

After a nap and some buttery popcorn I'm feeling much better. Thank you Jesus for my dear capable husband and for the grace to get out of a mommy slump!

(attractive picture courtesy of Chloe Horn)

Winter insanity

Between runny noses, energetic kiddos, and frigid outdoor temperatures in our household we have come to a consensus . . . WINTER SHOULD BE OVER BY NOW!

Am I the only mom who comes dangerously close to insanity during these waning winter months?

Chloe and Clive have both had on-off colds the last 10 days and it's kept us at home more than usual. Lately I've been noticing how desperately my kids need to expend their energy and how easily they can become bored with the same old sights and sounds of home.

Yesterday I made concerted efforts to do some creative and fun activities to fend off the impending insanity factor. We did bubbles twice (giant bubble wands are magical! The big huge ones that look like sheathed swords, know which ones I mean?), made winter suncatchers, played elefun several times (boy, did Clive dig that game!), colored with chalk on our basement floor, and generally destroyed every room we played in.

Still, 5:00 p.m. did not come soon enough! (And Matt came home later than usual so it was more like 5:40 p.m.) Part of that is because on these "at home" days Chloe just doesn't get tired enough for a nap so I don't get a child-free break time. And I need a child-free break. Even from my precious and adorable little Chloe.

Chloe's tummy is now a bit uneasy and she got sick this afternoon. I feel for her, she's a pitiful whiny little sickie right now. But it means another day of quarantine at home tomorrow. The forecast looks to be a promising 36 so we might brave the elements and take a walk. That always helps the day go by faster. (Especially if we make a stop at Dairy Queen . . . Ice cream is comforting to me regardless of the weather.)

Anyone have any creative suggestions for fending off the winter crazies?

Question for moms of tummy sleepers

Clive is sleeping well on his tummy but I have a logistics problem. Because he almost always fusses a little bit before falling asleep, he drools and sweats on the sheet all the time. To prevent washing his sheets every single day I've been laying out a blanket on top of the sheet and tucking it in tightly so it won't bunch up or be a choking hazard.

Well, our Clive is proving to be an extremely active and strong little guy! Today he managed to grab the blanket he was laying on and pull it up. He then somehow maneuvered himself to turn 180 degrees! Of course all that activity woke him up and his nap didn't happen this morning.

What do you moms of tummy sleepers do to save your sheets from constant drool?

I may regret this . . .

Today while we were coloring with markers, I made the mistake of drawing a heart on Chloe's hand. It looked so cute and I knew I was going to give her a bath this afternoon. No harm done, right?

I kept emphasizing to Chloe that we were just playing because she was getting a bath later. Normally we only color on paper.

I have a feeling I made a big oops here.

Oh well. It's Friday, live it up and color on yourself if you want to!

Chloe update

As you can see from her goofy smile, Chloe is feeling much better!

Once I figured out how to be sneakier about getting Chloe to take her antibiotics, we noticed huge improvements in her behavior and spirits. (If you have a toddler who refuses to take all her medicine, try mixing it in a smoothie. It's working like a charm for our smart cookie. After two days of only taking 1/2 a teaspoon full, I tried mixing her antibiotics in with some milk and chocolate syrup. One sip later Chloe said to me, "Mommy, you put chocolate in my medicine!" )

Nana recently made Chloe this doctor's shirt and along with her medical kit, hat, and emergency cart Chloe has been passing much time fixing up sick animals. Thanks, Nana for another activity to pass the time while we're stuck indoors!

I think I'm more ansy than Chloe is for spring to arrive. I can't wait to get outside to walk once the weather gets warmer.

Our Chloe is blooming more and more into her personality these days. Here are a few anecdotes which should give you a glimpse of her funny self . . .

Last night during supper.
Chloe: Mommy, what do we do after this really yummy supper?

While I was preparing for a bath.
Chloe: What you doing mommy?
Me: I'm getting ready to take a bath. Would you like to take a bath with me Chloe?
Chloe: (said with much enthusiasm) That's a great idea, mommy!

Questioning Chloe about the objects she drew in a picture.
Me: What's that, Chloe?
Chloe: Oh, that's kind of like an angel.

:: :: ::

I wish you could hear her intonation during these precious moments! She's so cute and energetic. I love these toddler days!

My new favorite baby book

Clive is now 9 weeks old and showing no signs of sleeping through the night. Truthfully, that's my fault. I didn't do any reading or mental preparation before Clive was born to prepare me for these newborn days. I just figured, hey, I've been there done that. I'll know what to do when the time comes. Plus I was so stressed by the Babywise philosophy with Chloe that I vowed not to go down that same road with Clive.

But now we have an unorganized overtired baby on our hands. I've found that I don't routinely put him down to nap in the same place and that I don't use the same soothing techniques each time. Yesterday we had a horrible day with Clive. He never took a good solid nap despite all our rocking, singing, and soothing efforts. I even resorted to driving him around to get him to fall asleep. That's something I've never done before but we were desperate! After a long day of only a few dozes and much fussy crying, he finally konked out at 11 p.m.

A girlfriend of mine had recommended the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child to me when I was pregnant. I smiled politely and thanked her for the advice never dreaming I'd need any help with baby #2. What was I thinking?!

After reading a few chapters last night I was shocked to read such an accurate description of our overtired Clive! Dr. Weissbluth stresses the importance of putting babies down to nap in a 1-2 hour window after waking up. He says (and I can attest to this through our experience with Clive) that once a baby passes through the "drowsy" window he becomes overtired. And an overtired baby is VERY difficult to put to sleep. In fact, rocking or soothing an overtired is actually counter-productive causing additional stimulation.

So, this week I'll be actively putting Dr. Weissbluth's suggestions into practice including:

• watching closely during the 1-2 hour window for Clive's drowsy signals
• soothing him consistently in the same manner before naptime
• putting him down in the same place for each nap (his bassinet upstairs away from the loud downstairs activity)
  
• letting him eat what he needs to rather than trying to force him to eat a certain amount at each feeding
• keeping a sleep log
• staying close to home so he can nap for longer chunks of time

A lot of what I've read from Dr. Weissbluth thus far makes sense. Here are some of the segments that I found especially helpful . . .

"It comes as a surprise to many parents that healthy sleep habits do not develop automatically. In fact, parents can and do help or hinder the development of their child's healthy sleep habits."

"Sleep training means starting to respect your baby's need to sleep by anticipating when he will need to sleep (within one to two hours of wakefulness), learning to recognize drowsy signs, and developing a bedtime routine. Then your baby will not become overtired."

"Two hours of wakefulness is about the maximum that most babies can endure without becoming overtired. Try to soothe him to sleep before he becomes overtired - before he becomes crabby, irritable, pulls his hair, or bats his ears. . . . Expect your overtired child to protest when she is put down to sleep."

"Remember that your baby is fighting sleep for the pleasure of your company. . . . Always going to your child when he needs sleep robs him of sleep."

::

Those are just a few of the common sense (and yet enlightening) thoughts of Dr. Weissbluth's that I'm totally latching on to as sleep strategies for Clive. I'll keep you posted on how things go! Today has been FANTASTIC so far.

What strategies do you (or did you) employ for your little ones?

Winter megrims

With only one car for our entire family, we end up spending lots of time at home. Normally it's not a big deal since Chloe and I are big outdoor walkers - regardless of the temperature. But throw baby Clive into the mix and now we're usually homebound on the days when we're car-less.

We usually do ok hanging around the house but lately I've been getting restless. We can only do play-doh or bake so many times. Plus I'm fairly limited when Clive is awake as he wants to be held a lot. And we're instituting a movie-only-every-other-day rule so no chance plopping Chloe into a chair to zone out for an hour. (I'm curious, what are your toddler tv viewing limitations?)

The other day I got the bright idea to trace Chloe onto some paper bags I taped together. Chloe loved it! She colored herself and then we traced a few of her stuffed animal friends. All three drawings are now hanging proudly in our hallway.

Today we went "fishing" in a makeshift boat (i.e. rubbermaid storage tub) and then we brought out some old baby toys of Chloe's for Clive's future use. Of course Chloe was happy to break them in for him. It's always fun to get some new-again toys into playing circulation.

I'm sure you all are much more creative than I am . . . what do you do indoors to help the winter months fly by?

Sleeping poll

I preface this post with a promise NOT to report you to the FDA or your local health department if you put your baby to sleep on his tummy. :) I'm filled with curiosity on the whole sleeping position issue and I know you all have oodles of baby experience out there that I must tap into!

Chloe was always a back sleeper and we had nary a problem. She ate and conked out easily in her newborn days. Clive on the other hand obviously prefers sleeping upright or on his tummy. He gets restless and wakes up quickly when I put him on his back. Not sure if I can tell this so early on in his young life but he seems to have nose problems; that might have to do with his tummy sleeping preference.

Which way do you (or have you in the past) lay down your babies to sleep? Back or tummy?

One-handed wonder

As we survive these newborn days, I'm rediscovering my talents as a one-handed woman. As I carry Clive around to soothe him (walking calms him like nothing else), I try my best to accomplish tasks one-handed. Though it's a slow business at least I feel like I'm doing something helpful.

Here's a sampling of my many one-handed tasks.

• Made jello
• Peeled an orange
• Helped Chloe pull down her undies for potty time (don't worry, I washed my hands afterwards)
• Blogged
• Completed crossword puzzles (helps to keep my brain functioning in the wee morning feeding hours)
• Worked for my online job (one-handed typing is tortuously slow!)
  
• Applied makeup
• Loaded the dishwasher
• Addressed mail
• Put Chloe's toys away
• Brewed coffee

What's the weirdest thing you've done single-handedly?

Napping battles

For months as I've made mommy friends we dish about our toddlers and their toddler-issues, and inevitably the topic of naptime has come up. I usually politely nod my head as the other mommy complains about how early her toddler "gave up" naps. On the inside I'm thinking, "Right, your toddler gave up naps. Who's in control here? That will NEVER happen to us. Chloe's such a good sleeper and I'm strong enough as a mom to put my foot down and make her take a nap."

Yet another case of my huge and inexperienced mommy-pride. You'd think I'd have learned by now that I do not have all the mommy answers and that just because we're not in a particular developmental/behavioral stage yet doesn't mean we won't be soon. In fact, usually each dreaded stage is right around the corner.

As I type this blog post, Chloe has been crying for 30 minutes in naptime protest. She's gotten a spanking and a talking-to and now I'm letting her cry it out. Now that she's so verbal she tries everything she can think of to get me up to her room. For example, this afternoon she screamed at various times "I poopy, mommy", "I hit my head", "My nose has boogies", "I wake up", "I need help". The poopy one got me up there today but she was bluffing.

I seem to have won the battle today. Chloe cried for almost 40 minutes but she did finally give up and fall asleep (albeit vvvvvvvery late).

Got any tips for a mom who needs naptime advice? What do you do with your naptime protesters? I'm extremely curious and anxious to hear your responses on this one. My mommy pride walls have broken down in the last few weeks and I'm more than ready to admit I need help!