Mama, You Aren't Alone

It won't be like this forever. It won't be like this forever. It won't be like this forever.

I have those days where I feel like a pretty big failure of a mama, for one reason or another. It is so easy to get lost in that sea of negative thoughts. I've had my moments where I knew that I was the one who needed the time out. With one kiddo, I could give myself a time out (close the door on my bedroom for a good 10 second count...) while Miss S was safely screaming in a crib or a pack 'n play.

With two kiddos, it can be more challenging. Usually when Miss S is fully embracing a terrible-two moment (which I've now heard can stretch into the 3s and 4s...), Mr. C is napping. At least until he wakes up because of the temper tantrum being thrown by his big sister...

I usually remember to breathe, pray, remind myself that other parents out there have these same days, and comfort myself by saying, "It won't be like this forever. It won't be like this forever. It won't be like this forever..."

::think Dorothy 5 years post-tornado holding a crying baby while her toddler is screaming, and she's still wearing her ruby red slippers which now have worn out heels from so much clicking::

Other days, I lose my perspective and can't see beyond my own thoughts.

Christmas 2013 in Review

I can't believe that a month has flown by since Christmas. I still don't have my New Year's picture taken, never mind the card ready to be mailed. (A few years ago I took an idea from a friend and decided to take one thing off of the Christmas to-do pile and share it with New Years; hence why they are New Year's cards...but maybe they'll be valentines this year?)

I strive to keep stress out of Christmas and at some moments I'm better than others. It's a work in progress. I think different families have their holidays that they do really well and are relatively stress-free. My parents might disagree with me, but I remember birthdays to be the best "holiday" (with the lowest stress) when I was growing up. We'd sometimes do parties, but it was more about the specialness of the day. They weren't anything elaborate (especially according to today's standards), but we'd have a special cake and at least a few friends over to celebrate. I still love birthdays and celebrating them.

It's All about the Cake

Yesterday evening we celebrated Karl's birthday with the long awaited birthday cake (when Miss S knew we were making it, that's all she could ask about for the rest of the day). Dinner was merely a means to the end cake.

It was well worth the wait...

Happy Birthday to You, My Love (A Do-Over)

Last night (about 24 hours ago, exactly; the night before Karl's birthday) I stayed up putting together a birthday post. I scheduled it to post at 9 am. That way, even though I had to work, my birthday message would arrive on Facebook for him. It kinda worked. 

See?

My sister even read it. It existed for some period of time. By the time Karl clicked on the link, it had disappeared. Instead of reading the post, he saw this message.

Sigh.

So, here's a birthday do-over. 

It was a Good Day.

Tonight when getting Mr. C and Miss S ready for bed, I said to Karl, "You know what? Today was a good day. I kept thinking I needed to be stressed about something and then realized I didn't. I didn't need to stress about anything."

After Karl said prayers with Miss S, she said, "It was a good day." Definitively.

And again, when he left the room (I was breastfeeding Mr. C), she said, "It was a good day. Goodnight, Daddy."

Melts. my. heart.

While we all know that little ears hear everything that we say, it was wonderful to hear Miss S repeat those words. That I said.

Because...

I'm a perfectionist and a worrier...which has been exacerbated by postpartum hormones. Today was so remarkable because it wasn't really remarkable. It just was. And, it was good.

And, that is good.

Goodnight.

Potty Training: I Must Have Lost that Chapter in the Parenting Manual

First a warning...I'll be writing about poop in this post, so if that topic bothers you READ. NO. FURTHER! You have been warned. (I promise that it won't be graphic. This post contains no photos).

When we started taking the kiddos to Tutor Time (or TT as we call it in mama and daddy speak), I was a little nervous when a notice came home explaining that Miss S's class was going to be potty-trained together.

Nervous? Why nervous, you ask? 

Five Minutes in My Life

Where the Magic Happens

Mama: "Go potty and wash your hands."

Mama: "Go potty and wash your hands!" (with a little more emphasis)

Miss S: "It's too bright!"

The bathroom, that is. It's too bright for potty-ing and hand-washing. Who knew?

2013 in 1000 Words or Fewer

One of the blessings of this blog is capturing memories. I journaled very rarely over the past few years, so moments have passed that I'll never remember. That's ok...I don't need to remember everything, but I sometimes want to write something down so I don't forget. I probably write down about 80% of what I want to remember, such as sweet words spoken by Miss S, but other things slip away. I'm already thankful for giving myself the time to write.

Since I started my blog at the end of 2013, I decided to do the Cliff Notes addition of My Life - 2013 for anyone who might be interested. You'll never have to read the unabridged addition, and you won't be tested on any of the content. No need to write a summary or report, either. While most of it isn't remarkable, I'm learning that sometimes ordinary is more than ok.