Is She Gonna Dougie?

 Last Friday night the family (Dave, David and I) decided to venture off to the land of consumerism and tantrums...Target. Sure we usually save Target for "Sunday FUN-day" but any day is a good day for savings right? What family can resist a place that you can get groceries, electronics, and a dress designed by Jason Wu? 

Well Puss In Boots was coming out on DVD, so there we were on a Friday night. Deciding that we were going to build a fort, order in, and watch the movie... & we allowed David to get these foam swords he was eyeing! I had promised David for being such a good boy at the dentist earlier in the afternoon, he could get a prize! He chose swords because he knows Puss In Boots fights with them...because we saw it twice in IMAX and now we are going to own it...because movies really are better the thirtieth time aren't they!? 

In the midst of all the excitement-David had taken the swords out and ripped off the tags. Well a good parent would take the toy and put it back on the shelf, a GREAT parent would put Puss In Boots back and leave the store. Well, as much as I would consider myself having a lot of good parenting qualities, considering myself a disciplinarian is somewhat laughable! A little bit of it is I don't want him to be mad at me. Some of it is I'm having fun too! I don't want to put the movie back. Who am I kidding I've only seen it twice! If I have to watch CARS again I will have a nervous breakdown!!

I get to thinking how do I fix this? How do I teach him a lesson without ruining our Friday night....and then it came to me. With Dave going along with it, we decided to tell David he could only get the swords if he walked up to the sales person, apologized, and begged for her to still let him buy them. If not he would be leaving without them and THAT I could live with!!

 So he looked at us and looked at her and we shoved him along- and God love him he walked up to the sales girl, who had to be a little shy of 17- and he shook and teared up and with a little voice muttered out "I'm so sorry can...I...buy, these?" She laughed and looked at us (which I'm still not positively sure she wasn't judging us) but she scanned the swords and we patted ourselves on the back for good parenting. 

On the way home I told Dave we may be on to something! Embarrassment as a means of discipline? Okay so stay with me...I said before I am not a good  disciplinarian but EMBARRASSMENT that comes pretty naturally too me! When he went up to that sales girl he wasn't scared he was beat red! He...was....embarrassed. But what if it didn't end there...the possibilities are endless.

Of course these would all be tailored to age...embarrassment is subject to your maturity. But for example if he won't get changed in the morning, FINE no problem, I'll go drop you off  at school without any shoes on MY feet. I'll go barefoot...that will save time!

When he's a little older and thinks he can disrespect me in front of his friends I'll just hook up the karaoke machine and have a little Aretha Franklin concert in our living room 

"R-E-S-P-E-C-T...David what's it mean to me"?

Won't turn off the TV/COMPUTER/I PAD,,,etc. to do your homework? That's cool, I'm just gonna sit right down next to you and have a  FART-A-THON.

If I see you when your older skipping school, loitering, or not being a stand up citizen in any way. I'll stop my car in traffic, get out and do the "Dougie" in front of all of your friends. At a certain point I won't have to do any of this though! That's the beauty because it will become like psychological warfare-I'll break him down so badly that I will just have to give a look, and he will be terrified, because he doesn't know what I'll do next! Voila! It could be messed up or pure genius. I don't know yet?

But someday when David is a senior in high school and he's working on a Friday night instead of hanging at whatever local wooded area the kids are drinking at. It's gonna be because I showed up in mini-skirt and  a Mojito...."Hey David come muddle this for your Mother" 

Mommy Style!

Between being home with David; carting him to school or karate lessons, having endless play dates at the house, doing the dishes, laundry, and cleaning, or working my part time job- There's just not a ton of free time at the end of the day, or enough coffee. BUT when there is, there's something I love to do. I love to curl up on the couch & read a celebrity mag rag or blog ( i.e. In Touch, or http://www.perezhilton.com/). I don't know, call it a guilty pleasure. I love to sip on some tea & read about these fabulous people who even with all their money can't get it together! I don't know it makes me feel like I'm on some kind of even playing field.

However, there is also all the FASHIONS that just scream out on those pages! All those celebrities look so flawless...all the time! Even the Mom's! You don't see them donning ripped yoga pants and four-year-old Ugg's  So maybe like me, you Mom's out there try to fit these trends into your life? Without looking silly, looking like a teenager, or looking just plain embarrassing (I am some one's Mom ya know?) Sure it's easy enough to rock a pair of cool boyfriend jeans and grab a scarf, but some of them are a little trickier to accomplish than others...like all these recent nail trends! Whatever happened to slapping on some Lincoln Park After Dark  and being done with it! Now there's all the nail art, neon nails, shatter nail polish, and the newest nail trend...the one nail that's painted a different color.

Well I decided to try to take on the challenge of pulling off these trends without looking like I was twelve-teen. So I decided to try two different trends in (shatter nail polish and painting one nail a different color) I used neutral colors, so my nails were still subdued. The colors I used were Chincilly by ESSIE and a purple shatter nail polish.

So there it is... a little reminder that I'm still current and with it! Fashion is always something I've loved! I was known to try just about any trend and a lot of them were failures (i.e. Vinyl Pants) But HEY! Barely there mini skirts landed me my fiancee! It's more than that though, fashion has a silly way of making me feel like...me. Not just David's Mom, but that fearless, wild, care free, girl that would have thought painting the living room with primary colors was awesome! I think David deserves to meet her... sometimes : )

Things Just Piled Up!

So sorry! I've been away for awhile. My son got that God awful stomach bug called the norovirus (don't know about it click here)- right after he got over a bacterial infection! Ugh kid can't catch a break this season. Well he's four and in pre-school not much we can do...but thanks to Lysol, bleach, and a little elbow grease... all David's toys and our house have been completely sanitized. So here's to hoping he can kick all this! So he can go back to driving me crazy...cause I kinda miss that! Here's what I do every 3-4 months or so to try to keep germs out...

• Buy or use a 5 gallon tote you already own. Rinse out add boiling hot water and Clorox bleach (according to directions and how many toys you are sanitizing) dump all toys in that are NOT electronic...i.e action figures, cars, Lego's, blocks. Let sit for 20 minutes, rinse out, and let air dry on a towel.
• Grab a cleaning bucket, an old face cloth, and rubber gloves, add boiling hot water and your favorite cleaning spray. Spray down walls, door handles, electronic toys, tables, chairs...etc.
• Wash all throw pillows, pillow covers,  blankets, and curtains
• Spray a carpet cleaner like Resolve and vacuum
• Put all toy holders & containers in the dishwasher
• And at the end of the day pour yourself a very large glass of wine!

Most useful cleaning products around!

and....

and a sincere thanks to...

Sick Day : (

  

   My poor David has a bacterial infection that caused him to have infections in his ears and sinuses and resulting in conjunctivitis.Yes it's sad but true, this warm weather in January does have its consequences...bacteria, bacteria, bacteria! The cold weather kills the germs, at least that is what David's doctor told me, while I was tearing up! How did I not realize he was getting so sick?! He had NO fever, he was eating, drinking and still pretty active. Yea sure he was a little run down but I just thought he was still hungover from all the holiday hoopla (who isn't). I didn't know he had an infection so bad it came out of his eyes! Ugh, feeling completely helpless & discouraged I made way for my kitchen! The only place I feel completely in control. It isn't an original thought ...but I'll make him soup!

RAINBOW CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP:

• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Large Carrots
• 1 Large Onion
• 2 Ribs of Celery (ends discarded)
• 1 Zucchini
• 1 Summer Squash
• *1 1/2 Cups of Shredded Chicken* ( either rotisserie or roasted)
• 2 Quarts of Chicken Stock (store bought or homemade)
• 3 Cloves of Garlic (smashed and minced)
• Heavy Pinch of Kosher Salt
• 4 Heavy Grinds of Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 2 Bay Leafs
• 3-4 Sprigs of Thyme (stripped)
• 8 oz of  *Ronzoni Garden Delight Pasta *(or any other short pasta)
• Handful of Parsley
•  Grated Parmesan Cheese

Wash, peel and chop all your veggies evenly to be about bite size- Add garlic, onions, celery, carrots, salt, pepper, thyme, and bay leafs to a pot with olive oil  on medium heat or until all veggies are soft and pot is fragrant (6 minutes or so).

Put the chicken stock in the pot and stir. Shred chicken save about 1/2 for next day chicken salad sandwiches (need a recipe click here)  and put 1 1/2 cups in the pot with the halved and sliced zucchini and summer squash.

Bring to a boil add pasta and turn down the pot to low and simmer for about 20 minutes. Pasta should be al dente. Throw in roughly chopped parsley and serve, garnish with grated parm!

** David loves all the colors of the pasta & I feel good he's eating his veggies!

** Roast your own chicken or take home one of the delish rotisserie chickens they have in your local grocery store and enjoy some time saved!

      

    So we are bunked in at the house! Making sure to take Amoxicillin breaks and cuddling on the couch with a warm bowl of soup and blanket big enough for two. I'm just hoping we can maybe watch a movie other than Cars or Cars 2....

On second thought, maybe I'll catch up on my over loaded DVR episodes! Modern Family anyone??

New Years Absolution

  
   So January's about resolutions right? I know we are half way through January, but when your a Mom what ever starts on time?! So my New Years resolution this year, like many's, is what my resolution has been every year since David was born....to lose my "baby" weight. That baby weight I've been carrying around with me, longer than I've had to carry David around (who is now four ). I wish that my fat would just jump off my body and ask to walk! But I suppose that's not going to happen right?
    I signed up for Weight Watchers & it's a new year, it's a new me right?  Well that's what I'm going for! Because my New Years resolution this year isn't just to lose weight, although that will be a added bonus. It is a resolution that combines a lot of things in my life, something I've always had troubles with. This year is the year, I am going to finish things that I start. I'm going to be organized, disciplined, focused, go after what I want, and achieve goals that I've had stored away since college.

There's a couple of reasons for this resolution...

1.)

     I'm getting married this year in June. Dave and I are finishing up something we started so long ago...I met Dave when I was a freshman in college. Back then I had a butt you could bounce a quarter off. Now when I sit down on the couch my butt swallows up all the change that fell out of Dave's pants pockets. Truth is, I had a really hard pregnancy towards the end, a hard labor and delivery, and I got really sick after David was born. I was on steriods for a couple months and my weight ballooned. I had been feeling bad for myself ever since. So there I admitted it. I haven't been doing everything humanly possible to stay fit & healthy. I've spent a lot of that energy being mad & feeling sorry for myself.
     Well that will change this year! Why? Because Dave has loved me every day, in every shape & weight. He's seen me transform from young, hip, skinny college girl- to doubty, self depreciative, sleep deprived new Mom-to this new woman I am becoming, who is comfortable with who she is but wants a little more from life.
      I want to loose this weight because not only does he deserve to marry a healthy happy woman but also because I want him to know that I'm not going to take the free ride anymore. For many years I've become complacent and well lazy... we had so many dreams when we met-dreams seperately, dreams for our future together & I had given up on them. Let's be frank I gave up on me. I took me out of it. Being a Mother has been amazing, but it's hard figuring out who you are after your whole life becomes about someone else. So this year I am working on finding the balance in it all.

2.)

     My second reason is-not that I truly believe in any of these Mayan or Nostradamus 2012 predictions. But just in case, just to cover all my bases. If the world does end, I would like to not have any regrets. So that includes getting married, losing my baby weight, being the best Mommy and wife I can be, and doing more things that I have been too afraid to do. Which brings me to my third and final reason for this resolution.

3.)

To be fearless. And this will prove to be challenging because I am afraid of my own shadow! It's more about taking more chances & more risks. Putting myself into uncomfortable situations to get out of my comfort zone. This blog is terrifying for me! I had talked myself out of it for years...no one will like it, I won't be any good, people will talk about me negatively, and so on and so forth. But this year I want to turn those negative thoughts into positive ones and not care too much about reprecussions. I want to go on that trip, I want to go to the movies alone, I want to take that kick boxing class WITHOUT a friend & not care if people stare, I want to be a Mommy that David can be proud of, and I want to write cause it's all I've wanted to do since I was little. And I want to be happy and healthy and fulfilled,,,and I'm not going to feel guilty for it!

Let Him Be...

    Let me introduce you to David (you will be hearing A LOT about him)! I could have published one of my many photo's of him looking adorable, but I don't think that would have done him justice! He is much more than a cute face. He is brilliant, busy, inquisitive, imaginative, and any "tive" you can think of-but more than anything he's a little...fresh. He is really fresh and I'll tell ya, I kinda love it!! Let me be clear though, he's great at school & fantastic with friends. But to me he's fresh! He locked me in our shed once while we were raking outside and my neighbor had to find the spare key.

 

   Once at a Home Goods he wanted a toy & I said NO, not liking that word he had an out right EPIC tantrum. While dragging him out of the store he was screaming "No, Please, Stop, Stop hurting me I'm just a baby, I'M JUST A BABY!!" While sitting on my porch that night wine in hand. I sat there and burst into laughter. How did he come up with that!? I mean our neighbor's boys who are ten and eight are always reminded that he is just a "baby" so they are not too rough with him. But putting it together like that...well that's just kind of brilliant? Like most Mom's I have millions of stories or (evidence) that my son is the ________ kid alive (insert your adjective here).

Call it rose colored glasses, or call it the bond between Mother & child.  I call it letting him be who he is and loving him for it-and with boundaries I think that's what we are all here for, to love our children for what makes them special.  In David's case he's a four-year-old, who chooses to test those boundaries, who also has better negotiation skills than Jim Sokolove it doesn't make him bad, it just means I have to be a smarter Mom.  

Words With Friends



Kelli & I 

               

So a couple of nights ago there was a get together at my friend Kelli's house. A night we so rarely get to have anymore. A night without work, or men, or even rarer...a night without kids. We all got together to help my friend Amanda (http://www.mandapandapuddinpie.com/) put together her candy bar for her upcoming Wedding Reception! Well I forgot the candy & EVERYONE remembered the wine...So I suppose you all can guess how that turned out? Unproductive to say the least. Or was it? Maybe it was one of the most productive things we've done in months. We needed to put down the laptops & ipad's, get sitters, kiss our husbands & boyfriends goodnight-to just talk about some not so serious girl things for awhile. Sure we broke a couple of rules, we called to check on our kids, checked a couple of texts and I may have been guilty of checking that words with friends game that I was playing earlier (and that is breaking a personal rule of mine one should not play words with friends, while having words with friends). But we got to get together at least without the interruption being poop in someones pants...



The Girls Circa 2004



Not so long ago that was not so hard to do. We all had similar paths, college, trade-schools, part time jobs, full-time social lives. Now we all have careers, babies, husbands, and homes. We all have etched out our own paths & a lot of the times they don't necessarily jive together. And as adulthood encroaches let's face it it's hard to make new friends. Every conversation seems to turn into a big game of  "one-up". Whose baby walked first, who's going on vacation where, who got a new car, whose ring is bigger, are you working or are you staying home, and whose salary is bigger...and you leave the run ins feeling exhausted instead of fulfilled. But it's refreshing when you realize some things don't change. Some friendships are this easy. That when you get together the laughter is so loud, it's down right obnoxious and instead of "one-up" we played the game "remember-when" and we all decided that life's hard, so pass the wine!