Shrunk

I'm starting to wonder if the hubby is secretly doing laundry behind my back. Because that sounds just like him, huh? Well, obviously, someone has managed to shrink 99% of the jeans I own.

Being at home most of the week, I live in yoga pants. We recently started wearing jeans to work, meaning I needed to find a pair in my closet appropriate for work. I tried on all 32 pairs, and 4 fit.

I admit, I've had a lot of them since I was in high school, only a handful have been bought in the last 5 years since being pregnant. Hubby says I need to stop buying juniors pants. But (in the voice of the little one), I don't wanna! I want to fit in my skinny jeans-the ones I haven't squeezed into since I was 18. I want to be able to grab any pair of pants from the closet and have them fit.

Oh, and I just have to mention that I forced hubby to clean his closet, and he had 3 pairs that fit. So take that hubby. At least if I feel fat and miserable, he can feel fat and miserable with me.

I feel a diet coming on.

Monday's Amusing Moment: Pooped

Little man was wound today. I think he literally spent 25 minutes running circles through the downstairs hallways. At one point, he even had daddy joined in, and was trying to pounce and attack.

After so much running that my head was spinning from watching, he slowed down to announce, "I'm too pooped to even poop."

Seriously, what is it about boys that makes them talk about bodily functions all day long?

Only a Mom...

The things that come out of my mouth on a daily basis never cease to amaze me. So many of the sayings I swore I would never say, or I just never imagined I would have to. Here's my Top 10 Only a Mom phrases:

1. Don't pick your nose. Don't use your sleeve. Find a tissue. Eww, don't use my sleeve!
2. Don't scratch yourself.
3. Who left the toilet seat up?
4. How do I know? I have eyes in the back of my head.
5. Nothing else comes out until everything is clean.
6. I'm going to start counting...1...2...
7. Did you use the bathroom? You're sure you went? It's going to be awhile before you have another chance.
8. No. Did you hear me say no? What part of no don't you understand?
9. Go ask daddy.
10. Because I said so.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

The rain leaves me feeling blah. It's the crawl under the covers, grab a coffee and a movie, kind of rain. At least the puddles are good for jumping in.

Little One's Point of View

Look, Mommy, there's a robot!

Sweet Runner

I'm not so mean, I'm really shy
But every cobra has to die
I grab them by their little head
And whack them till they're stone cold dead.

Can you imagine where I read this? It would be the poem lovingly attached to Runner's ear, a Ty Beanie Baby. I rarely complain about toys my little one has, but at times I really wonder who came up with this stuff.

Bento for a Picky Eater

The other day I mentioned how aggravated I was with the little one's eating habits. I started searching online for ways to make fun lunches. What did I do before Google?

I stumbled upon a site with ideas on creating Bento lunches. Hopefully she doesn't think I'm a stalker after spending a good 3 hours looking through her ideas. The Gibbon even joined me in checking out the photos and deciding what new foods he would try.

Bento lunches are very visually appealing. They seem fun and exciting to the little one. He's ready to go shopping for the tools we need and foods to fill up on. While Bento meals are meant to be healthy, incorporating a bit from each food group, we went with a snack version the first time around. The Gibbon went crazy. I can't wait to sneak in new foods and see what happens.Now I know this isn't a true Bento, but it's similar. Filled with: bananas and strawberries, crackers, m & ms and marshmallows, raisins, pretzels, and chocolate dipped vanilla Stix from Pringles.

Time to Play Thursday: Creating a Dino

The Gibbon is going through a bit of a dinosaur phase. He loves reading about them, watching shows about them, drawing pictures, and making fossils. He also loved being able to create his own dinosaur.

Here's what you need:

• 2 Paper plates
• Tape
• Scissors
• Crayons, markers, stickers, etc to decorate

How to make your dino:

• Cut head and tail from one plate. We used the edges to make a long head and tail with ridges.
• From middle of paper, cut two legs.
• Tape pieces together.
• And decorate!

Meet Smiley-a-saur:The Gibbon loves those smiley stickers

Happy Anniversary

Happy 5 years!

Wordless Wednesday: Spring is in the Air

The sand and water table is out:


And flowers are popping up:

WAT-AAH!

We recently had the opportunity to take the WAT-AAH! challenge. Luckily, the Gibbon wasn't alerted by the UPS man ringing the doorbell, or he would have been trying to open the package on his own. Instead, I managed to sneak the box past him and get the WAT-AAH! bottles in the fridge.When snack time rolled around that afternoon, I told him he could pick out a drink from the fridge. He drinks water throughout the day, but usually has juice or milk at snack time. He didn't reach for either this time. Instead, he went right for the WAT-AAH! asking, "Is this for me?"

As soon as I answered, he was ready to start chugging! Well, after a brief pause to imitate the face on the bottle. WAT-AAH! is a huge hit with my 4-year-old.Wondering what WAT-AAH! is? WAT-AAH! is pure, clean water. It contains electrolytes to help keep the body balanced and calcium to aid in strong bones. It comes in an attractive, BPA-free bottle that definitely got my little one's attention!

Picky Eaters

I am the world's pickiest eater. It's not that I don't eat a huge variety of foods, but my food has to be just right. All meat has to basically be burnt in order for me to eat it. The slightest bit of pink, and I'm done. Everything has to be plain, no mayo, no ranch, no mustard. Except honey mustard. I'll eat that on anything.

I feel so awful because I know I've passed my eating habits on to the Gibbon. He has a handful of foods he'll eat, and they have to be just right too. Strawberries must be cut in circles, not slices. Grilled cheese must be in two triangles, pancakes must be in circles, no trying to design silly shapes with batter.

The kid is so stuck in his food habits, it's a daily battle to get him to try new things. And, if he has to try something he thinks he won't like, he gags until he's sick. It makes for truly miserable mealtimes. I feel like I'm at my wits end some days.

Even though I have read that picky eating may be inherited, I feel like I haven't made enough effort to get him to try new foods. When I try it mostly ends in frustration from me and whining or tears from him. I've read all the tips: giving them two choices, eating together, being consistent and persistent, cutting out junk food.

So, for the next few weeks, my goal is to calmly get new foods on the table-over and over. To find fun and creative ways to present things, and to try to get the Gibbon excited about eating. And to stop feeling such pressure about what he's eating. Wish me luck!

Monday's Amusing Moment: Pick & Flick

The Gibbon's new favorite book is called Oops! by Alan Katz. We've read it cover to cover several times in the last few days. We're at the point where the little one knows most of the words throughout the book. The book is filled with silly poetry, and is geared at kids age 7-10. And, after this weekend, I can see why.

We're sitting at my parents' kitchen table when the Gibbon leans over to me and asks if he can "do the pick and flick thing?" Since I didn't quite catch what was said at first, I shook my head yes, and by the time I realized, it was too late.

An ice cream cone, your lips, a pop are all things that you lick. If you see something green fly by, watch out--I pick and flick.

In horror, I watched my sweet little boy pretend to dig into his nose, then proceed to flick a pretend booger at my sister. I wanted to climb under the table, even though everyone else got a good laugh.

The two things I'm glad of: 1. We were only at my parents and 2. He only used pretend actions. I think I would have died if he really picked his nose and tried to fling a booger at someone. Oh the joy of boys.

Random Giggle

As we're sitting around watching cartoons this morning (okay, more like playing with toys, writing, doing a million this at once), a commercial came on that said "You rock."

All of the sudden, the Gibbon was waving his hands in the air and jumping around with a huge smile on his face. Then, he turns around to me and says, in all seriousness, "They're talking about me. I rock."

He was so sure they were talking about how awesome he is. I couldn't do anything but smile and nod.

Small Talk Six: Spring

Today's Small Talk Six is all about spring? Here's what I love about the season:

1. Going to the park
2. Easter egg hunts

3. Going fishing

4. Everything blooming

5. Weather warm enough to enjoy ice cream outside

6. Babies & new beginnings

What do you love about spring?

Registration

I would love to know where the last 4 years or so of my life went. Seriously, wasn't it just yesterday that I was pregnant? My little one was still little not too long ago. Now, he's going on 5 and registering for school.
We went this morning to register. We saw the school (the same one hubby went to way back when), did the speech screening, met with the nurse, and completed the kindergarten assessment.

For the last 4 years, I've had a spunky, non-stop talking little rugrat. But, after walking into the building today, he morphed into a shy, quiet, face-hiding little man. He was overwhelmed by all the new people and activity, nervous about the questions.

The Gibbon will be a young 5 when he starts kindergarten. The staff we met today were a little to quick to jump on the fact that he would still be young. I, however, stood my ground, that he was ready for school. It doesn't help their case when I started school at the age of 4.
They also said he seems to have issues with small motor skills. Nothing serious-borderline. I hate that term-borderline. Borderline what? He had trouble holding the scissors to cut, and only wrote the first letter of his name. These, however, are things he does at home with little issue. I think it was the nerves.

During the meeting with the nurse, we discussed his peanut allergy. They mentioned wanting to set up a "peanut-free" table. I get that it's safer, but his reactions only happen if nuts are ingested, and he is very careful. I feel like my baby is going to be segregated from the other kids. They did say that he could have a few friends sit with him though, if they had nut-free lunches, and that it seems that the "peanut-free" table in other schools within the district has actually become the popular place to be. My mom, who teaches in the district, says the same things.

Change always seems to bring new fears. I worry if my son will make friends and be accepted, that he'll know what's required when he starts, and that he won't end up being segregated. I love my baby, and I just want what's best for him. It's hard not to worry.

What Kind of Parent are You?

DreamBox Learning K-2 Math is an interactive math education game that learns with your child and adapts to their skill level. The game is curriculum based and has a dashboard where parents can monitor their child's progress.

Over at DreamBox Learning, parents can also take the "What's Your EDU-Parenting Style?" quiz. Here's my results:

Mentors are focused on preparing their children for life-long learning. When talking with their children, they listen and guide with questions, often providing choices and decision-making opportunities. While strategies and boundaries they establish might be invisible to the casual observer, they ground their parenting style. By modeling independent thinking and problem solving, Mentors hope their children become independent learners and thinkers in their own right.

I think it was right on! What type of parent are you? Take the quiz and let me know!

Wordless Wednesday: Writing

Tired, but proud

The Leprechaun

So late last night, some sneaky Leprechaun slipped into our trap. He left sparkly footprints (their magic is in the glitter), and he fell into the trap. But, he got away.

However, he left behind a few fun treats for the Gibbon. That sneaky Leprechaun knew the Gibbon's love for Crunch bars and rubber duckies.

On a completely unrelated note: Did anyone else notice that St Patrick's Day stuff was next to impossible to find this year? But, the Easter stuff has been out since February? Maybe next year I'll have to stock up on shamrocks in January.

Monday's Amusing Moment: Name in the Snow

Yesterday, the Gibbon runs from the bathroom, and out of nowhere asks, how do I write my name in the snow, Mommy?

In response, I asked how to make a G. He wiggled his finger in the air, showing me the outline of the letter.

When I told him he'd have to wriggle his booty an awful lot to write his name in the snow, he dropped it without any other questions. I guess it wasn't worth the effort.

Now, I'm dreading that he'll repeat his question in Kindergarten next winter. The teacher asks him to practice his name, and he'll respond can I write in the snow?

Trapping a Leprechaun

Usually, we don't do much to celebrate St Patrick's Day. We dress in green, maybe make some green treats, and hubby and I have a drink after the little one's in bed. Last year, we were on vacation over St Paddy's Day, so we didn't have the chance to do much.

This year, we are trapping a Leprechaun. We spent hours thinking up a plan to lure him in and building a trap.

The plan according to the Gibbon: The Leprechaun sneaks in looking for the treasure chest of gold. When he spots the tornado, he runs up the ladder without noticing the trap door and falls in. The smiley rainbow tricks them into thinking it's not a trap.

How do you celebrate St Patrick's Day?

Small Talk Six: Green

Today's Small Talk Six is all about the color green. I had a really hard time coming up with 6 things I love that are green, but I finally decided:

1. Grass and running through it barefoot.2. Fresh salads, especially with some chicken straight from the grill.
3. Kermit the Frog, he's so darn cute, and one of the few cartoon characters that don't drive me insane.
4. Flowers getting ready to bloom.
5. Mt Dew, my drink of choice most of the time.
6. Green Eggs and Ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-Am. We love this book!

It's the Little Things

On Monday, we spent the afternoon planting seeds with the Gibbon. He was ecstatic to have little pots of his own. After the seeds were in the dirt and watered, he checked them every hour to see if they had grown yet. All our efforts to explain that it took time were useless.

This morning, we came downstairs to find this:
It was a moment of pure excitement.

Me Online

The other week we were talking about whether people are the same in real life as they are online. This got me to thinking, and I have to admit, I'm basically the same person when I'm on the computer as when I'm anywhere else. With a few minor differences of course.

Online, I'm easily able to cover my coffee addiction. No one has to see that I drink a minimum of 6 cups to make it through the day.

Online, I don't curse, or at least only rarely. Around here, you can here the word asshole come out of my mouth at least 8 times a night. It's the only profanity I'm really fond of.

Online, I can make much self look presentable, hair done, make up on. The only thing is, I post those pictures as I sit here in my pajamas sans makeup, chugging my 2nd cup of caffeine.

Online, I'm not nearly as funny. My goal for this year is to figure out exactly how to convey sarcasm in my posts. Because I stink at it right now.

Online, I avoid most of those words that find their way into my vocabulary way too often. At home, I'm always saying: seriously, some people, and in a minute. Oh, and I count a lot. Little one drives me crazy, 1---2---I'm going to say 3---3.

So this is me. There's all my secrets. Now I'm off to get cup #3 as I think to myself what an asshole lazy bum hubby is for still being in bed. Hopefully I didn't scare anybody off.

Time to Play Thursday: Cars

Cars are a big hit in our house. I swear, we have 2 billion of them filling up the toy bins. Okay, okay, 264 on last count. Somehow, the Gibbon comes home with a new one every time we go to the store, or grandma goes to the store, or he visits great-grandma. You get the idea.

Cars may seem like they are only good for the obvious: pretending to drive and racing down tracks. But there's so much more you can do.

You can line them up. You can create a pattern. You can count them. You can build garages for them out of blocks.


You can sort them by color.

You can create stories about them, or put them into groups to show teamwork. Can we do it? Yes, we can! Too much Bob the Builder.

Kind of Wordless Wednesday

I need your advice! Should I keep my hair long:

(2009)

Or go back to short?

(2006)

A Letter to my Hubby

To my dearest hubby,

You've been home for 7 long weeks. In that time, you have yet to learn the rules of the house. They are fairly simple, easy enough that a 4-year-old can follow them without complaint. But since it seems that you are having some issues abiding by them, I thought I would spell them out.

1. Garbage goes in the trash can. It doesn't go on the coffee table, it doesn't go the counter, and it doesn't go on the trash can lid when the bag is full.

2. Dishes belong in the dishwasher. Going along with #1, don't leave them in random places for me to find by smell 3 days later. Thank you very much for that smoothie cup under the edge of the coffee table that was only discovered by the funk it was omitting.

3. Video games are not meant to be played all day long. I get it, they're fun, they give you something to do. But I've got lots of cleaning you can get done instead.

4. Money does not grow on trees. If you aren't bringing in a normal paycheck, don't think you can splurge at the store. Pretty soon you'll be getting an allowance or a babysitter so that I can shop without you.

5. Don't complain about "what I do all day." When I'm alone, the house is clean, the Gibbon is happy, and everybody's fed. You are throwing off my schedule, so you don't get the right to utter a single complaint.

Signed your loving & irritated wife,
GetOffYourButt & GoBackToWorkNow

Monday's Amusing Moment: In the Gutter

Mommy, what's a gutter ball?

Oh, wait, I know. It's a ball that has guts!Oh, and that ball return-so entertaining.

The Zoo in Pictures

First time on the Metro:

Flamingos:

Checking out the clouded leopard:

Sea lion:

Random duck:

Orangutan:

And our new best friend, Long Ears, who danced the whole way home:

How was your weekend?

miYim Review

Meet Baby Ben Plush Frog:

Ben recently arrived at our house, but we were a little frightened that he wouldn't make it. When the wonderful UPS man arrived, we found that Ben's box had been battered and beaten on his trip here. Luckily, Hosung NY Inc. had Ben tucked safely inside a sturdy, reusable box.

Ben was quickly given the nickname Frog Legs, and even earned a spot on the Gibbon's bed. Anyone with a four-year-old knows this is a coveted spot, and only the best of the best stuffies are allowed to snuggle under the covers.

A Little About Hosung NY Inc.

Hosung NY Inc is a Brooklyn based company that works with several leading toy distributors and retailers in the US and internationally. Their sites include miYim, SimplyFido, and MyNatural Toys.

miYim carries an assortment of soft critters made from organic cotton for little ones. The miYim toys are incredibly soft, due to the fact that the do not undergo any chemical treatments. Instead, the PureWaterWash process is used. Basically, untreated cotton thread is used in the fabric, then brightened with plants and minerals. This causes slight differences in each critter, but adds to their unique personalities.

As I mentioned before, the box Ben arrived in is reusable. But, it is also handcrafted from recycled materials. It seems that in every aspect of production and shipping, miYim works hard to create safe, natural toys while showing the utmost respect for the environment. They definitely recieved the Gibbon's seal of appoval.

Small Talk Six

Small Talk Six is all about travel this week. I think everyone could use a vacation right now. I know I definitely could. While part of the topic was to list places to visit if I had someone trustworthy to watch my son, I have to admit, I would hate a vacation if he wasn't along right now. It's more fun as a family.

Here's our six:
1. Australia: The Gibbon is in love with the animals there, and I would love to see Sydney Harbor and visit Gold Coast.
2. Scotland: I love the architecture there, almost as much as I love the accents.
3. The Caribbean: I have amazing memories of snorkeling off the coast of one of the islands, and exploring the little shops that seemed to appear every where you looked.
4. Hawaii: Looks like paradise to me.
5. Massachusetts: Years ago, I went whale watching, and I've made a promise to myself to take the Gibbon there some day.
6. Ireland: Being partly Irish, I would love to see the countryside and sit in a pub. To me, it just seems like an amazing place.

But, for today, we'll settle for a more local adventure. A trip to the zoo and our first ride on the Metro.

I took the day off...

Today, there was no thinking of blogs. There was:

Drooling over bathrooms:
(Note the tv cubby by the tub)

Hoping that our house will one day have this sink:

Walks through the woods:

Watching waterfalls:

And lots of sliding on the slides:

This particular slide was far too skinny at spots for this momma's behind. I unfortunately found that out part way down. Ouchie!

How was your Friday?