September 20, 2012 ~ Figs

Today I want to talk about my figs. No worries, you're not missing anything Billy related from today. We spent the whole day in the store and he spilled chocolate milk all over me which was awe.some. (not.)

This is my fig tree.

It's at Grandma's. Not my house. (boohoo), but that's what happens when you move. And this tree started out at another house. My grandparents' house.

My Grandmother's gardener put in some heirloom figs. They grew tall, they grew strong, they produced lots of figs. These are cane figs, much like bamboo and not like a tree so much.

When we moved from their old house eight years ago I took fifteen cuttings. I bought a book on propagation and began to propagate my own figs. Over the course of the first six months, I lost twelve of those cuttings. Over the course of another six months, I lost two more. That left only one sickly little cutting struggling for life.

I nurtured that baby tree. When it was strong enough I moved it out of the house and onto the deck for the summer (at two years old). It immediately became infested with aphids. Aphids kill fruit trees. Every day I cleaned every single leaf off, removing the offending bugs and their eggs. It was a battle of wills that lasted over four months. I won.

When the tree became too big for its pot, I moved it into the garden next to the shed for protection. It was happy and warm there, but not very big.

Look at it now! This tree is now eight years old. Can you see the shed? Nope. The tree is too big. And, after eight long years, I finally have my first crop.

These are all gone and I've already collected another bowl of ripe figs and there's so many more on the tree.

You probably can't see them in the photo, but the unripe figs are there and still growing. I'm hoping for a bumper crop.

Here's Billy looking at the fig. He helped me pick those first few figs by holding the bowl for me. It's a very important job. Then he got to help me with the second most important job when it comes to growing figs- eating them. He loves fresh figs. And I'm glad I can grow them for him.

Okay, well enough of that. But, eight years of work has finally come to fruition. Back to your regualrly scheduled posts...

Drawn In Thursdays: Things Kids Do #13

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A true story from this week.

September 18, 2012 ~ A Lesson in Gravity

We have one of those "self-closing" baby gates. I hate it. It won't stay open. And, seeing as Billy is not always awake, not always home, and not always in that room, I'd like to leave it open at times.

But it's self-closing. And locking.

So, we have a brass door stop in the shape of a kitty cat. It was Grandma's. She didn't need it. It was in her way. Now it holds open the baby gate. Yay!

Well, we've been working on leaving the gate open. Billy is pretty good on the steps. Not perfect. But pretty good. So, I'm trying to get him used to the gates not being there. They're like  security blanket for him, though.

So, when I leave the gate open at the bottom of the steps, he gets upset and insists that we close the gate. He likes to take this task upon himself. And for good reason.

He gets to go pet the kitty cat. Now, we don't have a real cat, but this is our cat. The one that stands sentinel over the steps. And me moves it onto the steps so it can continue to stand guard while the gate is closed.

Me? I move it to the side. But he likes it on the steps. Whatever.

Well, today he was again insisting that the gate be closed. He picked up the cat by the neck and lifted it to the first step. Unfortunately, he missed and let go at the same time.

That heavy old brass door stop came crashing down on his foot.

(Now entering slow motion mode)

I see it drop. He suddenly starts to cry. And he starts dancing around like a looney toon character on one foot whose had his foot crush.

I'm going to be honest. It was funny. Not him being hurt or upset. The dancing. It was hysterical. Comical. But I didn't laugh. No, no. But it was really funny.

I paused for just a second to see the humor in his dance before scooping him up and coddling him. Poor baby.

Keep in mind, that the brass cat isn't very heavy, and it only fell about 4-5 inches onto his socked foot. He was shocked more than hurt.

I still examined both of his feet and gave him kisses on his toes to make it better.

Then we had a lesson in gravity.

"Kitty Cat is heavy. When you drop something heavy on your foot it hurts."

"Mommy. Kitty heavy. I hava booboo toe. No drop kitty."

Well, I think he's got it.

September 17, 2012 ~ Oh, Joy! Sleepless Nights...

Billy is sick again. Well, probably the thing he had last week is onto 2.0. There was no sleeping for any of us Sunday night. Billy was up every 20 minutes screaming. Cough, scream, cry, repeat. Rock to sleep, go back to bed, wake up 20 minutes later.

Poor guy. His lungs are really giving him a fit. We debated going to the doctor in the morning. But, while he's not happy, he's not wheezing. We just can't go darting off to the doctor every time he gets a cold or when the pollen count goes up. But I plan on talking to the doctor about home treatments for his "non asthma" that will eventually be asthma.

And in other news...

I cooked! From a recipe! Okay, okay. I can cook. I just don't like to. Mostly it stems from me coming home from work starving and not wanting to put hours of effort into a meal, only to eat it after 10 and be too tired to care what I'm putting in my belly. You see how cooking is a meh for me.

But I borrowed Grandma's copy of the Joy of Cooking to try out some recipes. So, when Billy went off to bed I started cooking tonight's dinner PLUS tomorrow's. Tonight- artichokes. Yum! Daddy won't eat them, so he went to get McDonalds. Totally missing out, but more for me. And for tomorrow I prepared a summer squash casserole. With some minor tweaks to the recipe.

It's awaiting us in the fridge for tomorrow's dinner, so I don't know how it tastes. But it smelled yummy, so that's a start. I'll let you know how it goes.

Now, off to fetch caffeine...

September 16, 2012 ~ My Jackson Pollock Houdini

Saturday, right after the maids left (and no, I don't have regular maids), the decision was made to redecorate the kitchen. I was not present for this decision, since I was in another room cleaning (yes, I was still cleaning after the maids left).

I suddenly heard lots of yelling, followed by screaming and the dog barking. What is going on, I wondered?

I walked into the kitchen to find Billy in the corner crying, Daddy in the kitchen fuming, Buddy under the table cowering. Well, that was at first glance. Then I noticed that my yellow kitchen with wood floors was now pink. But not just pink. It had been Jackson Pollocked.

Okay, okay, I'm an artist but maybe you don't get the reference. See here for Jackson Pollock.

And when I say Jackson Pollocked, I mean like I've never seen it before.

And what was all of the pink stuff? Oh, God! Say it isn't so1 Not Yogurt! Not the dreaded Yogurt! Strawberry yogurt EVERYWHERE. On the table. On the chairs. On the high chair. Under the table. Around the table. On the walls. On the pantry. In the microwave? (Yeah, that takes some talent). All over the dog. Up and down the trash can. On the floor from the table to the sink.

Splatters.

Pink yogurty splatters.

If you've never cleaned up yogurt from the floor then you don't know. This stuff is insidious. You wipe it up, then it dries and it's back again. So tasty. Such a mess . So hard to clean.

We made Billy stay in time out until the whole mess was cleaned up. I think it took about twenty minutes. To clean my newly cleaned the maids were just here kitchen. Then he had to apologize. Especially to Buddy, who didn't like being coated in yogurt.

Bring on Sunday.

There we are, the picture of domestic bliss. Billy eating his tikki masala in his chair and me washing dishes in the sink with my back to him, but happily singing (off-key) to him.

And then I turn around.

My kitchen has been Jackson Pollocked. Again. This time in Tikki Masala, which STAINS. It's bright orange. It stains orange.

There Billy is laughing, until he see my face.

Straight into time out. He stood in the corner crying "Sowwy Mommy" over and over. It's hard to stay mad when he's being that cute, but I made him time out until I cleaned up the kitchen. Again.

I'm not sure my kitchen can stand all of this redecorating.


~

Not only is he Jackson Pollock, but this weekend he officially became a Houdini as well. He escaped from a pack'n'play by landing on his head. Then I watched him escape from his crib, but I pushed him back in before he fell and really hurt himself. The days of the crib are finitely numbered. Until then, there is a pillow pile surrounding the crib, just in case he Houdinis again.

I'm not looking forward to free range toddler.

The Sunday Post ~ Ipod Touch Review - for Toddlers/Babies

Late to post, but life goes on whether I want to blog or not, and sometimes I've got stuff to do- fun stuff today!

The iPod Touch has been out for several years, but I highly recommend on for the small people in this world. He has his own playlists, some for sleeping and some for play. He's not even one yet and is able to access his music and play it by himself- although navigating the ipod can be a little tricky for him. I usually need to supervise.

But music is an instant way to change his mood. Down in the dumps? Play some fast music! Need an activity? Break out the sing-along songs. Having trouble sleeping? Bring on Strauss.

The best part is that even if he accidentally deletes music from the device, I can just sync it with the computer and everything is back. So, he essentially can't cause too many problems. Unlike CDs, I don't have to worry about scratching and loading them into a player, either. One device, ready to go, and toddler-proof.

And because it's only an ipod and not a phone, he can't place random calls or access the internet. But he can still get to his music and learn electronic devices at an early age. Let's face it folks, technology is here to stay, so he might as well learn it sooner than later. It's a part of our lives now.

I couldn't live without my iPod Touch and it's not for myself, it's for my toddler. It brightens his mood instantly, and that is a win/win.

September 14, 2012 ~ First Pee

I'm so proud. He peed in the potty. One drop. But he got one drop. And he got four M&Ms for his valiant effort.

And this is how my life is different. I'm not singing his accomplishments for graduating Harvard or getting a PHD or winning a prize at school or winning a game against a difficult opponent. Nope. Pee. One drop. One drop of pee.

And on another note...

Happy Birthday to the Star-Spangled Banner, 198 years young. O!

September 13, 2012 ~ To The Pool And Back

"Mommy, I go walk," Billy announced. He didn't wait for an answer. He wasn't wearing shoes. He just popped open the back door and headed out for a walk, the lil bugger.

Down the driveway, then onto the sidewalk, he kept going.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I walk!" he responded. Still barefoot. Still determined.

I would have liked to have thrown a coat on him, and some socks and shoes. It was a bit blustery.

Still walking, swinging his arms, he shouted back, "Mommy, clothes off!" Then he started pulling at his shirt, trying to remove it, still walking forward.

Well, now I knew where he was headed. "Billy, the pool is closed." You know, being September and all, and the weather turning colder, the pool is closed until next summer.

"Clothes off!" he retorted. (Retorted. Really, I wrote that?)

He walked himself all the way to the pool and leaned his head against the closed gates.

"Make it open!" he demanded.

Inside all of the chairs and tables were stacked. The wind blew a few stray leaves across the pavement. And not a soul could be seen. It was so lonely and forgotten looking, when just last week kids frolicked and laughed as the last days of summer passed.

So, I scooped him up and carried him home.

"No, Mommy! Pool!" he cried.

"All gone, Billy. All gone." At least until next year. But to a toddler, that might as well be forever.

Drawn In Thursdays: Things Kids Do #12

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A true story from yesterday.

September 11, 2012 Part 2 ~ What's For Dinner

"Hey Billy, what do you want for dinner?"

"Ice Cream!"

"Okay, you can't have ice cream for dinner. No ice cream today. What do you want for dinner?"

"Apple Pie!"

"No, you can't have pie for dinner. That's dessert. What do you want for dinner?"

"Apple pie with ice cream?"

The trials and tribulations of dinner after having taken Billy to the grocery store. He's got the whole list of goodies I bought in his head, ready to ask at a moment's notice.

After dinner I gave him some apple pie. His response?

"Mommy, I like ice cream. I LIKE apple pie!"

September 11, 2012 ~ More Than "Never Forget"

You probably know exactly where you were the moment things happened on that fateful Tuesday 11 years ago. I bet you could recount the events of the morning in detail. I know I could. So, it's really not that much to say "Never Forget." I don't think I could if I tried. Those horrific images are burned into my brain. I'm sure it's the same for most people.

I was in college back then. I witnessed the tragedy, but it wasn't personal. I lived with 12 other girls, some of whose parents worked in the World Trade Center. I was in class when it happened, and many of my classmates ran out to call relatives and friends to check on them. I witnessed others despair, and then relief at so many friends and relatives that had been late to work that day.

But I, myself, didn't have relatives in New York or DC. Daddy did in DC at the Pentagon. But that's another tale.

The scariest moment for me was the day after. Perhaps you remember that all of the planes were grounded in the whole country? So imagine suddenly hearing the roar of jets. I was walking from North campus to class through a bottle-neck area by the train tracks. Despite the large number of students passing through there at the time, it was eerily quiet. No one was talking. And then suddenly fighter jets scrambled above our heads, flying north towards New York. Girls screamed. People collapsed to the ground and covered their heads. Boys and girls alike were crying in fear. I just stood there and watched them fly over. We couldn't tell if they were friend or foe at the time. They were ours. And I heard a rumor later that they were an escort for the bodies being lifted away from the rubble.

I bet everyone that reads this has a tale to tell too. But just think- Billy has no tale to tell from that day. There are 11 year olds, middle schoolers, born after the attacks with no memory of that day. For the new generation they don't have images burned into their memory.

Often with September 11 we hear the phrase "Will Will Never Forget." No, we won't. But now we must charge ourselves with the task of making sure that the new generation and the ones to follow learn about this moment in our history and that they will never forget either.

Copywrite Sharon White Hove, 2001

September 9, 2012 ~ On the Fence

You know how dogs and cats can just "sense" that they are soon to be making a trip to the vet? I swear Billy senses when we have to go out.

We were on the fence about leaving. But some close friends were getting married, and it's not like they get married every day. But it's also Billy's breathing and health and he's still not 100%. He's still audibly breathing and definitely putting more effort into each breath than he should. But, after a talk with the doctor and more medicine we did decide to go.

Of course, knowing that we were going, Billy tried to get himself into just about as much trouble as he possibly could.

For example:

"Mommy, I go kick Buddy". (He's telling me he wants to go over and kick Buddy, so is sleeping.)

"No. Don't kick Buddy."

So he runs over to Buddy, kicks him hard in the ribcage, puts on his devil-may-care grin and says, "I no kick Buddy!"

Okay, that's it! Time out, dude. This is actually more about listening to me than about the actual action. We're having issues with him listening.

And Grandma was equally having issues with him listening to her while we were gone. I checked in several times during the course of the wedding. I might have been mildly concerned, even after medicating with a glass or two of wine. He tricked Grandma into skipping his nap and got himself into all kinds of mischief.


One highlight from this weekend:

I fixed Billy a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Yum. He loves PB&J. But today he was more interested in licking the contents out of the sandwich than with eating the bread. He pulled apart the two pieces of bread to get to the interior. The jellied bread was discarded after a few licks. Then onto the peanut butter. he licked off as much as he could. But then what? What would you do? Eat the bread? No! Use the bread to smear peanut butter all over his face! He lathered up and laughed about it. I guess peanut butter makes a great moisturizer.


And one last note:
Congrats to R&M on a beautiful ceremony and a reception that 'rocked'. You guys are awesome.

The Sunday Post ~ Playskool Walk N' Ride

Buy it here!

Well, the colors are different this year, but the toy is the same.

We love this little toy. I bought it when our son started standing up and used it as a push toy. He loved it then. It was a huge help in him learning how to walk and working on his balance. It was in use every day back when he was learning to walk. He loved it that much.

After he was walking we converted it to the ride-on version. He liked that too, but was only ever able to figure out how to make it go backwards, so we put it back to the push version for him to play with.

Now he loves to play with it both ways, and best of all, he doesn't get bored with it as quickly as other toys because its really two toys. He'll push it around and then ask to have it made into a car and then ride it around as well.

It has five little activities, but they pale in comparison to pushing a walker or riding a car. His favorite activity it the trunk, where he hides his binkies.

We love it.

Pictures from one year ago.

September 8, 2012 ~ September's Mittens

Well, I'm behind a post, so here's an extra one for you!

Some photo highlights from today. Billy picked another flower and carried it around all morning. This is the same kind as the one he clutched all yesterday in the ER.

Then Billy wanted to wear mittens and insisted on wearing them on his bike ride. Note the beach chair in the back of the one photo and the lush greenery in the back of the other. Maybe in Minnie's Soda it's cold enough for mittens at night in September, but in the middle of the day in Maryland it's a sauna out there!

September 7, 2012 ~ A Day at the Hospital

Yes, it's true. Billy got his third trip to the hospital.

It started Thursday night. He woke up soon after going to bed and asked for cuddles. Uh oh. Billy only likes attack cuddles and usually in the daytime. Never at night. And every time I tried to put him down he asked for more cuddles.

 Then, late into the night he started throwing up. He was up all night, miserable, screaming, puking and whimpering. It was terrible night for us all. In the morning he finally fell asleep, so I let him sleep as long as he wanted- a whole four hours and then called the doctor once he got up.

It was clear to me that he was having breathing trouble again, which is what prompted me to take him to see his pediatrician anyway. By morning the puking had stopped.

They treated him at the ped's office with a nebulizer, but his breathing only improved marginally. So, we were sent off to the ER for further treatment and evaluation.

At the hospital they gave him his magic adventure bracelet so that everyone would know he was on a grand adventure. Listen, I had to make him think it was a good thing somehow. The ER is a big adventure.

He was treated with a dinosaur mask to three more nebulizers, and still he was breathing better but not well. He was a big boy though, didn't cry and helped hold the mask in place. He didn't like the elastic around his head, but as long as he could hold it or Mommy hold it he was okay and sat quietly while he was treated. This is a huge improvement from the last time.

As it turned out, even with three temp readings showing him having a normal temp, a final temp check with a rectal thermometer proved he had a fever. Immediately, the doctors suspected pneumonia. It was off for xrays to verify.

The xrays showed one small spot of infection on a lung, but no pneumonia. So, they treated him with a steroid, motrin for the fever and sent us home once his pulse-ox got up to 95.

We were there until almost 5 and in that whole time he didn't sleep and had a total of 4 crackers of food for the day with a handful of cheerios in the morning. I hadn't sleep either and I didn't have food and only half a cup of coffee- no other drink, for the whole day. I didn't think we would end up at the hospital, so I hadn't planned on it.

When we got home Daddy was making chili. Billy went down for a nap but got up shortly thereafter to eat. He wasn't really hungry, though. But he did want Daddy's chili. He helped make it, but it needed to Cook and Billy had to go back to bed. He went to sleep with his spoon- ready to eat at a moment's notice.

I heard him singing in his crib a few hours later and went to check on him. When I did, he popped up, spoon in hand. "It ready?!" he asked excitedly. Nope. Go back to bed. Actually, it was done, eaten and packed away in the fridge. But that's life. He can have some tonight.

Well, tonight puts him through the danger zone and then he should be fine. He's still sick, but I think he's on the mend.

Oh yeah, and the whole time at the hospital he had an aster clutched in his hand that he picked from my garden.

My question... You've got a kid with upper respiratory illness, fever and stomach conditions and you don't take a blood test? He was just at the fair twice. Swine flu? He's covered in mosquito bites. West Nile? But they didn't test him for these. I'm just curious why not? I didn't think about it then, but after I got home and thought about it. He's got flu-like symptoms and you don't test? What am I missing?

(our state has had outbreaks of both diseases in the past two weeks.)

Where's My Post?

Hi all,

After a long and exhausting night followed by a day in the ER we are home. Billy is unwell but home sleeping. Having not slept, I am a Mommy Crankypants. I will write more later after I recoup for a very long day.

Drawn In Thursdays: Things Kids Do #11

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September 4, 2012 ~ The Toddler Butter Dance

Butter to me is like kryptonite to Superman. It's my downfall. I would eat it on cardboard if it meant getting to eat more butter. I try to be good, but it's my weakness. And I should have known...

A few days ago I gave Billy a sweet potato. He didn't want to eat it so I put some butter and cinnamon on it. He gobbled it down. I told him the white stuff was butter. "Butter, yum!" And yesterday I made him a cheese sandwich. He removed the cheese so he could just eat the buttered bread. The poor discarded cheese, once his favorite, was shoved back in the fridge like unwanted garbage. "More butter bread?"

Well, after dinner, bath and play he wanted more food. "Butter, Mommy?" Wait.. just butter? Um, let's think about that one. No.

"How about bread and butter?"

"No. Butter?" Okay, try again.

"Would you like some cheese?"

"Cheese with butter?" He sounded expectant.

"Um...no. We don't eat cheese with just butter. How about a nice yummy piece of cheese?"

"With butter?" Uh oh. I think it's time to enroll lil man in the 12 step program for butter addiction...

Wait, I know! I pulled out the brand new loaf of raisin bread. and got out the tub of butter.

"Butter!" He did a little dance. Imagine a toddler doing Riverdance. That about sums it up.

After I gave him his first ever taste of raisin bread- with butter- he continued to dance around. I tried to get a video of him but he kept running away. He knows all about cameras now, and yes, he can work them too. But I did finally catch a piece of video for your enjoyment.

You can view a Billy Dance here: The Butter Dance

Labor Day 2012 ~ Another Day at the Fair

Isaac Came to town. Only, he's not Isaac anymore, just a lump of rain, thunder and humidity hanging over the region. Well, what better way to spend a rainy morning than playing in the rain?

Billy stood out on the stoop and shouted to the rain, then would run back on the porch and tell me he was wet and messy and ask for a towel. He did it repeatedly until the rain stopped. "More?" he asked. Well, not until Isaac throws some more at us. The sun came out and it was back to humidity soup.

After nap it was off to the fair for the last time of 2012. It was the last day of the fair. We met up with a friend, and Daddy arrived from "Minnie's Soda". ("Mommy, Daddy in Minnie's Soda. Daddy's Soda? Mommy's Soda!")

We checked out the animals while Isaac threw a torrent of rain and thunder our way. You know, hanging out in a wooden, exposed hut in a storm with ear-splitting lightning. But he didn't seem to mind. He screamed at the bunnies and got yelled at by the 4-Hers about it. Listen, he was happy to see those rabbits. And he pet a billy goat. Hehe.

When the storm was over it was time for food. Do you think he liked his first corn dog? I couldn't tell, it was gone so fast.

Then it was off to the rides. He went on the carousel and flying elephants with Daddy, the Crazy Bus and Wiggle Worm with our friend, and back to the horseys with Mommy.

He tried to get on the bigger rides, especially the roller coaster, but, well, he's a little too short to ride those rides. Maybe next year- or next decade. Something like that. He loves rides. LOVES. *fear!*

He also tried his first fried oreo and funnel cake. I bet you can figure out how he felt about those. And the sugar of everything got to him, so he started breaking out into a rumba in the middle of the midway. At least, we think it was a rumba. It looked something like that.

And after a long day, we took him home and he didn't want to sleep. But our little family had a wonderful time at the fair.

September 2, 2012 ~ Buddy Did It

Highlights from this weekend:

~ I left the room for thirty seconds and came back to find Billy still sitting at the coffee table, but his bowl of dry cheerios had been dumped all over the table. "Billy who spilled the cheerios?" He pointed his finger accusingly at the dog, "Buddy did it." "Hmm, are you sure? I think Billy did it." "No, Buddy did it." He's only one and he's already blaming the dog.

~ We sat and watched a thunderstorm pass to the south of us. "Billy, what does a thunderstorm say?" "Boom!" Then the thunder would boom and he'd clap. I pointed out the lightning bolts. "Mommy, more lighting?" Close enough.

~ "Where's Daddy?" "Minnie's Soda."

Mommy and Billy with the Blue Moon

The Sunday Post ~ Fisher Price CD Player Review

Buy it here

Our friend gave our son this toy before he was born and it has been a favorite his whole life.

As a baby the blinking lights and music were attractive to him. He would be mesmerized by it. And best of all, it's rated 6 months and up, so even small babies can play with it without risk of a choking hazard or breakable plastic.

As a toddler he loves putting the CDs in the CD slot and pressing the buttons. He sings and claps along to the familiar songs and will go back to play with this toy every day.

It comes with three fake CDs and has 4 buttons which play a variety of songs. I will point out that some of the lyrics to favorite kids songs have been changed up for some reason (Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water/ the grass was green, the sky was blue, the shining sun was yellow). But, each song is done in a different musical style, exposing kids to all different types of sounds, which I love.

This one is a winner. Even I sing along to it!

August 31, 2012 ~ A Day at the Fair

Billy got to go to the fair today. We started with the petting zoo. They had a variety of farm animals. He was excited and terrified to see them. They're much bigger in person. He said "moo!" to the cow and "neigh!" to the ponies and "baa!" to the sheep. But he wouldn't touch any of them. "Scary, Mommy."

The animals he liked best were the alpacas. Although, he told me several times, "No, Mama. Llama." Yes, yes. We'll just go with llama for now. I know the difference, but to a one-year-old that's splitting hairs. (Llamas have long necks with shorter hair. Alpacas have shorter necks with longer hair. And their wild cousin, the vicuna (v-eye-coon-ya) is smaller and looks more like an elk than a llama.- from my trip to Peru.)

One alpaca really liked Billy. It made a chirping noise to him. With all of the llama/alpaca/vicunas I met in Peru, I never once heard any of them make noise. But, apparently, at least this one chirped.

Then we headed over to look at the cows being judged and to go over to the birthing center. We saw baby chicks, newborn calves, and Billy got to watch three little pigs be born. He could have cared less. The bleachers were more interesting than the pigs. Well, Mommy liked the pigs.

Then we headed back to the petting zoo to meet up with a friend with two little boys, one about Billy's age. They walked around and looked at all of the animals together. After Billy saw the other little boy, T, run up to touch a baby duck, Billy decided that the little duckling wasn't so scary after all.

From the animals it was off for some tractor rides! Okay, they weren't real tractors. Just little pedals cars, but the boys had a great time playing on them. Unfortunately, Billy's feet didn't reach the pedals, so I pushed him around instead. He loved the tractors. I think he wants one. Daddy said he might get one for him soon. You know, there's an awfully big day coming up this month in Billy's life...

After the tractors and a quick bite to eat of fair food, we headed off for the rides. What's a fair without rides? First up was the merry-go-round. Billy sat on his horse expectantly, not knowing what would happen. When the ride started to move, his face lit up. But when that horse started to go up and down as the ride went round and round, his smile went from ear to ear. I don't think I've ever seen him happier. Boy was that fun!

And, of course, he refused to smile for the picture.

After the merry-g-round we did some of the other kiddie rides- flying elephants, flying bananas (what?), and the wiggle worm. Billy was too small for most of the rides. One more inch and he can ride by himself. One inch, folks.

 

We walked around the indoor exhibits (in the air conditioning) for awhile and then, to round out our fair experience, we took the boys to get ice cream. Freshly made ice cream over at the cow palace. They had baby cones, so that's what I got Billy. I opted for vanilla this time, since I still haven't gotten the chocolate out of his shirt from the beach. He ate the whole thing, cone and all.

The ice cream sent Billy into a sugar rush. He was up, down, running all around. Over, under the ropes for the ice cream line, hoping to score another cone.

But, it was time to go. So we went home and Billy said to me, "Mommy, I sleepy." Then he pretended to snore on my shoulder. I tried to feed him dinner. But he said, "Mommy, I sleepy. Bed?" And he went into his room and put himself to bed.

August 30, 2012 ~ Love/Hate Relationships with Toys

He loves it. I hate it. That damn toy lawn mower, I mean.

"Do you want to eat?" "No. Mow."

"Do you want to use the potty?" "No. Mow."

"Do you want to watch Elmo?" "No. Mow."

"Do you want a cookie?" "Cookie, then mow?"

He wants to sleep with it. He wants to cuddle it. He won't put it down. Epic meltdown ensues when things like diaper changing have to take place. He loves it. I hate it. But at least it keeps him occupied, right?

Please Help

A woman on one of the discussion boards I hang out on has been missing her children for a year and a half. Her two middle children went for a routine visit with their father and never returned. Because it is a family kidnapping, law enforcement has not been pushing the case and no Amber Alert was issued.

A number of us mommy bloggers (I won't say which site, but I may have a link to it from my blog) started this past week writing to news agencies to get the word out. Yesterday, CNN and TruTV ran stories about the missing children.

Please watch the video and spread the word, especially to people living in Georgia, South Carolina, and neighboring states. No Mom should be without her kids.

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/bestoftv/2012/08/29/exp-find-our-children.cnn

August 29, 2012 ~ Lolas and Lawn Mowers

Drawn In Thursdays will return next week...

Billy began his morning begging me for a lola. What the heck could he mean? (In my head I might have used stronger language, but let's keep it clean). "Sit lola?" So I'm thinking.. things you sit on... sofas, chairs, the floor, in the car, in a swing, in a stroller... Wait. "Do you want to sit in the stroller?" "Yes! Lola!" Okay, apparently lola=stroller. Wouldn't it be awesome if in the Mommy Handbook there was a dictionary of toddler terms? Wouldn't it be awesome if there was a Mommy Handbook?

After a long walk in the stroller Billy passed out, long before naptime, but I packed him off to bed anyway, sans lunch and all. He was tired.

After nap he went on a big adventure to the pet store to buy some stuff for Buddy. We walked in and headed for the fish first. Had to go look at the fish- it's almost like going to the aquarium, but free! He turned the corner and there was a wall of fish. And what did he do?

Screamed at the top of his lungs. All of the employees came running, sure that some baby was being murdered in Aisle 5. Nope. It's okay. He's just excited about the fish. Nothing to see here. Move along. Move along.

After the pet store toddler mania Grandma, who had come along, suggested a stop at the new Froyo store. (That's frozen yogurt). Billy was not about to turn sown an opportunity to eat ice cream, so off we went.

This new place is a self-serve style. You grab your own cup, fill it with your choice of 12 different flavors- as many as you want and as much as you want- then add whatever toppings you like. They charge by weight. So you weigh it an pay. I gave Billy his cup and put a little peach yogurt and some chocolate in his cup- not together (one size cup, it's huge). Then I let him choose chocolate or rainbow sprinkles. He wanted rainbow. I fixed my own and Grandma got one too. And they gave Billy a sticker at checkout. Then we headed outside to eat.

He tried both flavors in his. Then he grabbed the spoon from me and tried mine. Then he put his own spoon in Grandma's cup and tried hers. Then he ate all of his, ate more of mine, and scooped out all of the candy from Grandma's cup to eat it, then ate half of her yogurt too. I think he liked it.

When we were done I took him back inside to wash up. When we came out of the bathroom, he saw the stand of self-serve cups and went to grab one. "Mommy, more?!" Um, no.

After our treat we headed over the the Dollar General (it's like a five and dime) to look for a toy boat. No toy boats. But we did find a toy fire truck. Grandma promised Billy to buy him a fire truck over two weeks ago and every time he sees her he asks for that fire truck. So we found a really cool one with lights and sound and a big, telescoping ladder. They also had toy lawn mowers. He pushed it up and down the store and thought it was the best thing ever.

That might be the best $2.50 I've ever spent. We got home and he pushed it around the house for an hour, without needing Mommy to play with him. It's just a red plastic mower, no lights, no sound other than a clacking when it moves, but it is all kinds of Mommy awesome.

Then he asks, "Mommy, George mow?" George mows Grandma's lawn, and we were at Grandma's. He hasn't seen or heard about George in over a month. But he remembered George. And, luckily George showed up to mow. So Billy went outside and pushed his mower around while George drove the tractor around to mow.

Billy loves his mower. He wanted to take it to bed with him. We had major epic meltdown about not sleeping with the lawn mower. I let him take toys to bed, but I had to draw a line at the lawn mower, as big as he is, made of cheap plastic- and it's a lawn mower. Sorry, dude. You can't cuddle your lawn mower.

August 28, 2012 ~ Allergic to Fleas

Grandpop is going to kill me but... he's got fleas. No, no. Not Grandpop himself. But his dogs, and therefore his house. Not a lot. Just a few. But it's enough.

I guess they don't play on the floor with the dogs all that often, so haven't noticed. But with a lil one in tow, I'm on the floor all of the time. And there are fleas on the floor. I've got the bites to prove it. So does Billy.

And yesterday Billy broke out into hives. He had them again today. I knew the doctor couldn't really do anything for him- you've got hives- but I took him anyway, just it case. The likely culprit? Flea bites.

I didn't even know you could be allergic to fleas. But given the welts Billy gets from mosquito bites, I can't say I'm surprised. So, yeah, Billy appears to be allergic to Eastern Shore Fleas.

~

A funny story for you from my past...

That same house at the beach was empty for a number of years, including the year I graduated from high school. So a good friend and I drove down, intending to stay there for Senior Week right after graduation. We arrived late at night and hauled everything up into a bedroom to unpack. Just then, we noticed the floor was hopping. Like the floor was a giant vibrating speaker hopping. When I say fleas, I mean FLEAS. That area has a big problem with fleas. And since the house had been empty, it was full of them. We drove out to an open gas station- about the only thing open at that hour- and bought a box of trash bags to seal all of our stuff into. When we were finished, flea-bitten and exhausted, we cuddled up into my friend's compact car in the driveway and fell fast asleep until morning, when we sought out other accomodations.

And that's my flea story...

August 27, 2012 ~ Mommy Guilt Pie

It's true. I had the day off and instead of playing with my baby (big boy, Mommy!) I packed him off to daycare and went home to do stuff sans Billy. Eating a big piece of Mommy Guilt Pie.

As much as I'd like to stay home with him and hang out, I had stuff to do. And let's face it. With him around it would have taken three days to accomplish everything I got done in one. I know, that's terrible, right? But it's true. He always wants to help, but often his "helping" is unhelpful as it can get.

Argh.

Serve me up another slice of Mommy Guilt Pie, please.

August 26, 2012 ~ Billy the Beach Bum

So, if you read Friday's post you'll know that I drove to the beach Friday night with a few hijinks.

Best laid plans...

What better way to spend your beach weekend, than cooped up in the house because of constant thunderstorms- 24 hours of them straight. No joke. Not a whole lot of beach fun going on there. So, we hung out at Grandpop's with Nana and the dogs (and Grandpop). It was probably a good thing to have a lazy day. Although, Billy was up bright and early and only took an hour nap. Too much exciting stuff to do.

On a great note, Grandpop's house is the quintessential NOT baby-proofed house. Antiques and breakables everywhere, two staircases to the second floor with no baby gates, electric outlets everywhere without covers- you know, a helicopter mom's worst nightmare. He did fine. Except for attempting to escape to go for a walk by himself in the pouring rain (yep), but other than that he waited for Mommy for the steps and pointed out all of the "no touch".

I did let him jump in the puddles. Boy was that fun. We live on a hill, so we don't get puddles. Grandpop had lots of puddles. Billy had the best time running in the puddles. (Actually, we received over 5 inches of rain, and driving around I noticed parking lots turned into lakes and businesses under water. So, while it was fun for the little one, there is a lot of mess and clean up to do on the Eastern Shore. It was hard on the heart to see.)

Well, there was no way I was going to take Billy to the beach and not actually GO to the beach. I had intended to take him Saturday and then pack up early and head home on Sunday. Revamp the plans! By 6:30 Sunday morning the thunderstorms stopped (ask youself how I know what time, go on...) So, Grandpop, Billy and I hopped in the car and headed to the beach on Sunday morning.

I wish I had the photos from the sunscreen debacle, but they are on Grandpop's camera. Let's just say that Billy helped apply sunscreen to himself, and, well, he looked like he dunked his head in a vat of the stuff...

Off to the water. "Pool, Mommy?"

This kid loves the water. He wanted to run right into the ocean. Thanks to Isaac, the ocean was extra rough, so I had to keep him right at the water's edge. I mean REALLY rough. Did Billy like it?

We played in the ocean. We watched the boats go by. We built sand castles. Visited with cousins. (Yes, I have cousins everywhere.) And what day at the beach isn't complete without this...

I asked him. Do you like the beach? "Mommy, I LIKE it!" he said.

The Sunday Post ~ Carter's Safari Friends Reclining High Chair

Buy it here

If you read my blog then you'll probably see this chair in half of the photos I post here. It's that integral in our lives.

We originally bought it to match a dining room set we intended to purchase. Of course, we don't own it and the chair doesn't match our current set. But it still looks great and is more dressed up than the plastic high chairs. Here's what we love about it and what we don't:

We love the 2 tray design. Honestly, when I'm really lazy and the top piece isn't clean, it's awesome to have the secondary tray underneath. And I run the top piece through the dishwasher every time I run that machine. So, that function is great. However, a lot of chairs have this feature- not all, but a lot.

We love how heavy and sturdy it is. Now, for some that might not be a plus. But we almost never move the chair, except to clean. And the sturdiness is a major plus with a toddler around. He can hang off of it and not tip it over. This is great because he's often trying to climb into the chair by himself.

We love the small profile. It doesn't collapse, like many of the plastic chairs, but it requires less space when set up than the standard plastic high chair. And let's face it, the high chair is always up. So, the ability to collapse it is not a function we need.

What we don't love: There's not a lot to NOT love about this chair, but there is one major design flaw. The chair pad slips down and falls out. Now, it's not an issue if you strap your child into the chair, but I don't strap him in and haven't since he could properly sit up. I should but I don't. And the straps are the only thing properly holding the pad in place. I reverse engineered the pad and now it works great. I had some bias tape (that's fabric if you don't sew) in an accent color and so I cut some strips and tied them through the velcro loops of the pad and up over the back of the chair. It works great now.

We also didn't love the the reclining feature of the chair. It never worked right for us with our son strapped into the chair and reclined. It was awkward for us and we ended up using a smaller seat until he could properly sit in his high chair.

All in all, we love this chair. It's not for everyone, but if you need a sturdy chair, this is a great one.

August 24, 2012 ~ This Is The Day That Never Ends...

...and it goes on and on my friends...

Yes. It's true. Your day probably ended some time on Friday night. It's Saturday night and my Friday goes on...

It was a brilliant plan, based on past experience and entirely fool-proof. Enter toddler.

Grandpop lives at the beach. And if you're going "downy ocean" (to the ocean) and you're from the area, then you know that summertime traffic is hell headed to the beach, and the worst part is the Bay Bridge. I know this. I'm used to it. Daddy and I used to either eat out in town and then drive down, or wait until late and eat at an Applebees half-way down and get in around midnight. I've even left town at midnight and arrived in the early a.m. just to avoid traffic. It works. Who wants to drive that late? Me.

Enter my fool-hardy  fool-proof plan. Billy sleeps in the car. Easily. I actually plan around it because if it's close to bedtime or naptime he'll pass out in the car. So, I planned for Billy to sleep in the car on the way to Grandpop's. Fool-proof. Really. We left right at bedtime.

I might have over-estimated the fool-proofness a little. Okay. A lot.

He cried for the first two hours. Yep. Cried. "I don't want it/I want it". That old argument with anything I tried to give him. Then he decided he wanted some of his toys that either were not in reach without causing a massive traffic accident or were back at home. Useless! Why didn't I bring ALL of his toys? Mommy fail.

So, in an effort to curb the crying I started to talk up all of the wonderful points about going to visit Grandpop. First, there's Grandpop. And Grandpop has flowers. Well, they're Nana's flowers, but they're at the house. And then there's  the beach and the ocean. Ooh, and puppies.

Well, the crying stopped. Bonus. But, unfortunately, Billy didn't going to sleep. I made a rookie mistake. I got him excited about going to Grandpop's and so, instead of sleeping, he was woofing and meowing in the backseat in anticipation. Damn.

So, at 11:30pm when I pulled into the driveway at Grandpop's, Billy was still awake. Well, okay. At least he got to say hello to Grandpop and meet the dogs. So, we visited to two minutes and then I whisked him off to bed. He went down no problem.

That was great because I could visit for a few minutes before heading off to bed.

Boy did that boy have me fooled. He wasn't sleeping. He was waiting for me. See, here's the problem with sleeping in the same room with him- he can bug me and he's got a captive audience.

He cried and cried.until finally I started giving him some new toys that were my old toys that live at Grandpop's. Specifically bunnies. So, I gave him the bunnies. You would think after making one rookie mistake tonight that I wouldn't repeat the same mistake. And that would be where you're mistaken.

He settled for awhile and then started crying again, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!" The pitch getting higher and higher until it cracked over and over again. And so I relented and cuddled him into bed with me with all of the bunnies that he refused to put down while screeching loud enough to wake all of the real rabbits in the county.

And there we are lying in bed and he tells me he asks me to sit up and then sits up himself. I remind him we're sleeping. But he sits up and starts bouncing the bunnies up and down "hop, hop, hop!"

And I'm done.

So, I put him back in the crib and climb in the bed, pull the sheet up and close my eyes and pretend to sleep. I laid there listening him howl, pretending to be asleep and silently begging him to go to bed. It was after 2 when he settled enough that I dared to move enough to look at the clock. And much later when his breathing finally calmed and I was sure he was out.

I hate the sun. Well, not usually, but this morning I truly hated the sun. He was up at first light, stirring, hopping bunnies, and crying. I tried futilely again to move him into bed with me to get him to settle, but that hopelessly failed again and I stuck him back into his crib. He cried and cried and cried. And after he settled, it was close to 6:30 but then Grandpop popped his head in to check on us and Billy started screaming again. He didn't go back to sleep until well after seven and by then I was awake.

I think now that Saturday is almost at a close that I'm ready for my Friday to end.

August 23, 2012 ~ A Booboo On Daddy's Heart

Daddy and I have differing views on this subject. He doesn't want me to tell Billy anything. But Daddy is upset and Billy doesn't know why. He's apologizing, thinking Daddy is being short because it's something he did.

So, I explained to Billy that Daddy has a booboo on his heart. Grief and loss. Those are things a toddler can't understand. But he knows what a booboo is. And he knows where his heart is. He gave Daddy a big hug to make it better.

Uncle Charles

After a long battle, may you finally find peace.

Drawn In Thursdays: Things Kids Do #11

Click to Enlarge

A true story from last week...

August 11, 2012 ~ I Want It I Don't Want It

Billy has a new tantrum. I want it, I don't want it. It goes like this:

I hand him a plate of awfuls (waffles). He takes a few bites.

"Mommy, I don't want it." So I take the plate away.

"Mommy, I want it." So I bring the plate back.

Picking up in whiny-ness, "I don't want it."

And back and forth.

Works with toys too. He has it, he doesn't want it. He can't just sit it down, he has to whine and make me take it from him, only to realize he wants it back, but doesn't really want it back.

I asked around the mommy bloggers and it's official. He's tired. So, even though he barely touched his dinner (I don't want it!) I packed him off to bed early. I got no complaints for the lil guy department. But, I also told him that Puppy Dog and Toby Dog were tired and needed a nap and he had to show them how to nap. So he tucked them into his crib, each with a MeMe and then cuddled up and fell fast asleep.

August 20, 2012 ~ Ode to Enchanted Forest

Once upon a time in a strip mall not far away, was a land full of enchantment and magic. Its impressive gate loomed by a deli and was guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. And deep within its walls the characters straight from storybooks built there homes and lived on in imagination.

Now, that land lives on only in memory. For in that strip mall the gates stand barren and empty, guarding nothing.

This place was called: the Enchanted Forest.

It's funny how the places that inspired us as kids change or disappear. Enchanted Forest was one of those places to inspire kids. Enough so, that locals of my vintage still talk about it with longing. It's too bad our kids will never get to know the joy that was Enchanted Forest (I guess we'll have to take them to Disney...) So, in honor of that memory... here's to the Enchanted Forest.



For S&A...we're not old!

August 19, 2012 ~ Flower Child in Big Boy Pants

UPDATED

It was chilly, but after a long nap I took Billy outside to have some italian ice. It's been awhile since he's had any and he had totally forgotten about it. Just to make things easy I called it "ice cream" (close enough!) He pronounced it "I geam".

But soon enough, the ice started to melt and was dripping everywhere. I snatched it up and whisked it away to the freezer. This prompted a head banging on the floor feet kicking screaming at the top of his lungs tantrum.

Briefly I thought, "you scream, I scream... we all scream for ice cream?" (inward chuckles in the middle of a tantrum).

Okay, this requires breaking out the big guns. How to end the screaming for ice cream tantrum? Distraction!

"Want to go look at the flowers out front?"

Who? What? Flowers? Flowers! Out front? Out front! Walk! Woohoo! (I'm pretty sure this was the thought process).

So we headed out front to check out the only flowers still doing well in my gardens thanks to those damn slugs. Yes. Damn. Slugs.

He loves the bright pink flowers out front. They were mislabeled "impatiens" so I have no idea what they are other than healthy. And he loves them. He immediately picked one. "Ear?" (asking me to put it behind his ear). Then another and another. Mommy needs flowers behind her ears too, apparently. So, we both had a flower behind each ear.

And this brings us to the point where he wanted to go to the playground. So, prettied up with our flowers, we headed over to the pirate ship to play on the slide and gang plank. (amazingly, no swings!) I'm sure we were quite the pair with our flowers.

When we got back home it was time for dinner and Billy wanted to wear some of his new clothes (tax free shopping week!). He wanted to wear his new underwear- on his head.

Excellent choice, but he ended up with it on his butt where it belongs- sans diaper. He walked around all evening after dinner with just underpants and no diaper AND... no mess! Now, he didn't use the potty, but he didn't mess either. Woohoo!

The Sunday Post ~ Little Tykes Spiralin' Seas Water Park Review

But it here

If you don't know much about water tables, they are a great way to keep your kid entertained in the hot months without the effort of going to the swimming pool. There's a huge selection out there, from the most basic to ones shaped like pirate ships. We opted to buy the Spiralin' Seas Water Park.

I'll admit that I partially chose this particular table because it was on sale at the time that I wanted to buy one. But, we've been extremely happy with it.

This table comes with four activities, plus water- which is enough to occupy a toddler for an hour by itself (and make the mess to prove it). It has the large spiral tube, a "merry go round", a funnel with cogs and a spinner. It also comes with 5 balls (to throw into the spiral tube or to put on the merry go round) and a cup with a handle to pour water down the funnel.

First, it is a table on the smaller side, which I consider a bonus because it only takes a few minutes to fill it with a garden hose and doesn't waste too much water. There's not a whole lot of waiting around to start playing.

Next, only three of the activities are fun. The spiral piece, which is intended to create a current in the table, it practically useless. But the other activities are interesting and fun.

I will say that this table requires having plenty of bath toys or water toys on hand to use in it. I keep a box of bath toys ready for water table play. The five balls and one cup are not enough to keep my little one occupied for long. But the table creates the perfect base for play, with added smaller toys to round out the experience.

It's also easy to drain.

On the minus side, it was difficult to assemble the tube and the tube has proven difficult to clean. I find leaving the table upright out in the rain and sun the best method to keep the tube mold free. And we did get mold in it at one point, so be prepared to encounter that. It is, after all, a water table.

All in all, this is a good buy and totally worth it.

August 17, 2012 ~ photos!

August 16, 2012 ~ Up the Down

And the latest fad? The Slide.

Yes. For months he's been telling me, "it's dirty." Not anymore. I hosed it down and dragged it out in the sun and away from the trees where the birds dive-bomb the thing. Nope. Clean. And now the toy du jour.

There we are eating dinner and he says to me, "Mommy, slide? Push!"

This is not him asking me to push him down the slide. This is him asking me to watch him push his toy trucks down the slide. That's right. The toys go down the slide. Then Billy. Rinse. Repeat. I don't play fetch. He has to go get the toys after they careen to the bottom and bring them to me to hold until he climbs to the top again.

Today, the mosquitoes got after me so I had to head for the porch to save my skin. Billy wanted to keep playing, though. And he thought I wasn't watching.

So, he took the opportunity unsupervised (I was right there watching) to try to climb up the slide. To "go up the down." First attempt- no success. He failed midway up and came careening down. No big deal. Try again. Second attempt- score! That called for sliding back down to try it again!

I wonder what else he gets into when I'm not watching...

Drawn In Thursdays: Things Kids Do #10

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A true story...from last week.

August 14, 2012 ~ Tornado Cuddles

So, there I was, sitting on my fabulous porch (best room in the house!) watching the light show nature provided. Suddenly, the phone rang. I knew what this meant before I even picked up the phone. I knew who it was and what it was about. Grandma was calling. She almost never calls that late, and given the storm I was watching to the south it meant WARNING. Specifically: TORNADO WARNING. Sure enough, Grandma was letting me know about the warning. She knows I rarely have the TV on local programming if I'm watching it, so she always lets me know.

Daddy knew immediately too and checked the weather. But he and I have different opinions on what to do in a weather warning. I'm a take no chances gal. He's a worry about it later guy. He said, oh the warning expires in 15 minutes so don't worry about it. But, tornadoes don't need 15 minutes to come get you, so I worry about it.

I scooped up Billy and brought him to the basement and let him sleep on my chest. Last tornado warning I happened to have been washing the Go Crib and got it up in only a minute and put him in that. But, I'm not sure where it is, so he got to sleep on my chest instead.

Sure enough, the storm I was watching was heading straight for us. It wasn't like I was terribly worried, but I'd rather be safe than sorry and have Billy downstairs with me. The warning expired, but the storm still hadn't made it to us and the local weathermen were still seeing the "hook" pattern in the storm very close to our location, so I decided to keep Billy downstairs with me.

He got to cuddle with me for 2 hours. He woke up towards the end, startled awake by the sound of hail slamming against our front door and the lightning getting closer. This storm was producing over 2000 strikes per hour- so a lot of thunder. Some so close you could hear the crack of the lightning prior to the earth-shattering thunder. So rattling, that it knocked our framed art askew on the walls.

But the best part were the cuddles. Billy has not cuddled with me like that since before he could crawl. As an itty bitty he used to sleep on my chest, but once he could move, he wanted to MOVE, not to cuddle. But he cuddled with me the whole time, even awake, scared of the storm but safe in Mommy's arms.

August 13, 2012 ~ The Random Toddler Tantrum

I have proof that a toddler can have a tantrum over just about anything.

Daddy decided to give Billy chocolate milk with dinner instead of plain milk.

"I don't want it!" he screamed.

We tried to convince him that he would like it but the more we tried to convince him the more he screamed. Eventually, we just tried to calm him down so he would eat rather than scream. He had epic meltdown over the milk.

But then, randomly, he tried it.

Wait! What's this? Chocolate milk tastes... wait for it... good??? Why didn't someone tell me this tasted good? Can I have more?

Yes, it's true. Chocolate milk does taste good. Oh, and Billy likes it now. Yep. When I gave him regular milk he handed it back, "Mommy, yucky. Chocolate?"

Proof that toddlers will throw a tantrum over even the good stuff.

August 12, 2012 ~ Sleeping With the Fishes

Daddy took Billy to the National Aquarium to look at the fish. I was out of town, so I didn't get  to go, but I heard all about it. There were shacks, towdulls and lots of fishes. (sharks, turtles and fish).

(If you haven't been, you should check out the National Aquarium. They have a fabulous collection of fish, sting rays, sharks, dolphins, jellyfish and a whole host of other sea creatures. They even include a trip to the rainforest and another down under. It's my favorite non-art museum in town. Check it out.)

I got home right at the beginning of nap time, but Billy and Daddy weren't home yet. Then, it was wake up time, and still Daddy and Billy weren't home yet. But finally, they came home raving about the fishes.

Daddy had bought Billy a collection of sharks and a sea turtle with a diver- it was a "diving" set. He's working on learning the different kinds of sharks. The set came with 3- a hammerhead, a whale shark and a generic shark that I am telling him is a lemon shark- close enough. He calls them "hamhah shack, whale shack and lemon shack." The whale shack is boo and white. The hamhah and lemon shacks are gay. That's what he tells me, anyway.

"Mommy, shack is a fish."  He learned ALL about them.

Well, after lots of big hugs it was clear that Lil Man was waaaaaay beyond tired. So, I sent him off to take a nap. But, he refused to go unless the sharks and turtle could join him, because, the sharks needed to take a nap too. So, the sharks went off to bed. He snuggled up with his sharp little plastic sharks and the turtle and fell sound asleep.

He was sleeping with the fishes.

The Sunday Post ~ City Squirtees Review

We love these. It is a set of four bath toys, all squirtees, and each one shaped like a BeepBeep. (Car, motorcycle, airplane and helicopter). Our lil guy plays with them in the tub and out. They are colorful and fun and so far, with constant use for year, yet to develop mold on the inside, a major issue with squirtees. Some of his other bath toys of the same vintage are already discolored, but these, even with water sometimes left in them seem to resist the mold.

This bath toy set is definitely a winner.

Unfortunately, since this toy was a gift, I don't know where to find it, but if you see it, it's a win win.

August 10, 2012 ~ Winter Coat in August

Every morning Billy helps me get him dressed. Sometimes he picks out his outfit for me. Well, it was raining this morning. Usually, he takes either his rain hat or his raincoat with him to school on rainy mornings.

Is that what he wanted?

"Nooooo!"

What did he want?

He found a flannel pullover that we used as a coat in the winter. It was too big last winter and he rarely wore it. But, today, in the middle of August he decided to wear his winter coat.

Now, the trip out the door and down the street to daycare might be one thing. But he insisted on wearing it from the moment of dressing, all through breakfast and me getting ready and all the way to daycare. Only after he had been at daycare for awhile did he decide that flannel might be too hot for a summer day.

So, one piece of advice for my lil man: flannel is too hot for August.

August 9, 2012 ~ Candy

I've tried. I keep him away from sugary foods (minus fruit loops and awfuls, okay and cookies.) I limit his sugar intake.

But there we are in the grocery store going down the aisle and he spots "THE CANDY". I'm not talking the packs of gum at the register. I'm talking about the baking aisle/Willy Wonka Factory. Yes. "THE CANDY."

"Mommy, candy! I want!"

Of course, he wants it. It's candy. He's a kid. So, I relent and buy one piece of candy. Total. Epic. Meltdown.

"No, you may not have any candy until we get home and if you don't behave I won't give you any."

Harsh? Maybe. But he was the perfect little angel the whole way through the store and check out and getting in the car.

Did he forget by the time we got home? No.

"Mommy, I want candy!"

Just for kicks I ask, "What kind of candy is it?"

"Choc-il".

Damn. He already knows different kinds of candy.

So, I gave him one little square of the Hershey bar and let him eat it before dinner. He gobbled it all up and then gave me a big hug.

"Thank you, Mommy."

Aw, he's so sweet. Then...

"More candy?"

Drawn In Thursdays: Boy's Best Friend #3

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All Drawn In Thursdays are based on true events.

August 7, 2012 ~ War of the Rose (Garden)

I'm a Mom. I don't have time to garden. I try to get Billy to help, but he just likes to weed- by pulling ALL of the plants out. But, I do it anyway because I love flowers. And I'm only getting started. I created three new flower beds at our house and am adding several more come fall planting season. But, I am waging a war.

3 invasive vines. Yes, not 1, but 3! Ivy. The dreaded ivy. It looks so pretty- on someone else's house. But I turn my back and it starts climbing the walls. It's so maddening that... it makes me want to climb the walls!

Then, there's the periwinkle. So pretty. But will it leave the other plants alone? No! It wants to choke the living daylights out of the ornamental grasses and ground cover. It thinks the grass in the yard is there to be taken over. At least it doesn't grow up the walls and try to tear the house down brick by brick.

Wild strawberry... well, at least when the apocalypse doesn't happen we'll have some fruit to eat. It gets into everything, behind the shutters, between the slats on the porch, trying to pry my house apart and choke all of the other plants too. It's enough to want to launch a nuclear war at all of these terrible weeds...

But, that wouldn't stop the most dreaded and awful enemy of my garden... the lowly slug. I have a city of them. No. Scratch that. An entire metropolis of slugs. They have already killed 4 of my begonias- flowers that I have lovingly watered, pruned and nurtured all summer long. And for what? A few juicy noms on the stem and the whole plant dies. I'd rather have deer and rabbits. At least I would get to look at the cute and cuddly deer and rabbits. No one would ever say that about a slug.

I'm with Ron Weasley on this. Damn those slugs.

(okay, I've finished venting. Carry on, carry on...)

August 6, 2012 ~ Big Pool Little Pool

I decided to torture myself take Billy to the pool after school today. We immediately came home and had epic meltdown put our swimsuits on and headed over to the pool.

First we hopped in the baby pool. He's not a baby, so I call it the "Little Pool". He reminds me that he's a "big boy" so we refrain from calling him "baby". So, we went to the Little Pool. He was terrified. Remember that fearless swimmer at the river? Billy doesn't. The mild current of the Little Pool had him clinging to me like white on rice. He wouldn't let go of my hand.

Well, I got tired of standing ankle-deep in the Little Pool, so I picked him up and took him over to the Big Pool. Now, the Big Pool starts at 3 feet deep, so he can only stand on the steps despite being a beanpole 3 feet tall.

He was nervous at first, but when he saw all of the other kids splashing around he decided that he belonged in the Big Pool. He was kicking and splashing, jumping from the steps into my arms, sticking his face in the water and coming up laughing.

"Do you want to go back to the Little Pool?"

"No, Big Pool."

Big boys swim in the Big Pool. It's true, so long as Mommy is holding on to him.

Explain to me how the Little Pool is terrifying and the Big Pool is awesome? Makes no sense to me. I was with him both times. Go figure.

Well, we had to go back to the Little Pool to get our stuff so we could go home for dinner. But, Billy didn't want to go home for dinner. He wanted back in the Little Pool. I calmly explained while he had another epic meltdown that it was time to go.

So, after a stressful lovely time at the pool, we headed home for dinner.

August 5, 2012 ~ The Cleaning Hat and Sulky Sailor

Saturday ~

We took Billy for a little boat ride. We were trying to teach him how to pronounce the name of the boat "Solstice". It came out "sulky". He wasn't terribly thrilled with the idea of going out on the boat if he didn't get to drive, so he really was the sulky sailor.

Sunday ~

Boy did the house need to be cleaned. So after playing outside for an hour in the morning, I brought him inside to the air conditioning after it started to get really hot outside. Then, I suggested that we put our cleaning hats on and get to business.

So, Billy thought that we actually needed to wear hats to clean. Yep. So there I am in a beach hat scrubbing away and Billy in his frog hat supervising. Well, whatever gets him to help, right?

I brought out the Evil Dreaded Vacuum too. Did you know that it's gay? According to Billy it's gay. And purple. But if you ask him what color it is, he'll say it's gay.

Billy hates EDV. "No on, Mommy. No on!" I was only allowed to vacuum if Billy was up in my arms so that EDV couldn't eat his toes off. Even when I moved it when it was off he started shrieking and ran into the other room for safety. (And this is why I don't vacuum when he's awake). It's not easy to vacuum with a toddler in your arms. I had to use my feet in a series of awkward dances to move the cord around.

But, the house got cleaned and we got to take our hats off. I had hoped to reward him with a trip to the pool, but Mother Nature stepped in. So, he got fruit loops instead.

The Sunday Post ~ Circo Peg Puzzle Review

I can't find an online link, but Circo's wooden peg puzzles are available at Target. We have the pet edition. (Peg puzzles are the flat shapes with peg attached to the top and fit into a board with matching shapes).

It's rare to hear me say this, but I absolutely hate this toy. I am convinced it is possessed by the devil. No really, it's possessed.

Our son loves peg puzzles and seems to like this one too. But, it makes sounds when you lift the pieces up and is light sensitive. The sounds are the cheapest, worst animal sounds you can imagine, barely sounding like the animal it is supposed to represent. And it goes off randomly. Once something sets it off it can go off for hours. It's truly possessed.

While I love learning toys, this is not the one to buy. Stick to battery-free puzzles, or take out the battery in this one!