Thursday, November 4, 2010

Ever Swallow A Razor Blade?






I felt the moment when it hit.




I was talking a lot in a meeting and one of those words came out a little worbally.




Razor Blade Throat.


I'm not sure that it is an official medical condition... but we all know what it feels like. And what it means.




Yup... I'm getting sick.




I will fight this bugger like crazy though! Hot honey and lemon, tons of Vitamin D and lots and lots of Vitamin C. Lots of water and plenty of rest.




Plenty of rest... right. Going to bed now.


Wednesday, November 3, 2010

A new KEW & A Feature - Quotable KEW!


I have started a book to document all of the crazy/cute/funny/memorable/adorable/scary things that KEW says... so I am going to start sharing them.

This week, I am going to start with what can appropriately be called "Single Ladies".

This past weekend I pulled a few music video clips up on You Tube. The first was by Willow Smith, Will and Jada's daughter. I had just read a review of her song and video... so wanted to check it out. Not a bad little video or song... but it freaks the crap out of me that she is only NINE!

I also pulled up Beyonce's "Single Ladies". The review of Willow's video made a reference to the dance style in SL... so it made me want to see the video again as I haven't seen it in ages. KEW loved it... we had to play it over a few times as she was grooving to the tunes.

Cut to a few hours later while we are grocery shopping at Thrifty's. Sure enough... what song is playing? But of course - "Single Ladies". KEW noticed right away and made reference to the song. Then, as we are cruising through the veggie section, KEW asks "Mommy, why does she want a ring on it?"

Why indeed my child.... why indeed.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Halloween Horror

Halloween started off great… but finished worse than I ever could have imagined.

KEW had a blast at the Saturday play date at Tumblebums. They did an amazing job there of having Halloween activities for the little ones that were safe and fun. Face painting was a huge hit for KEW since she was able to become a kitty… again (and still). We got a fun filled (and candy free) loot bag to take home that is still providing entertainment. All was good for Saturday.


Sunday, Halloween, was not upon us. We managed to get a bit of a sleep in, which I am still thankful for. A lazy morning ensued since we didn’t have anywhere to go for the day. KEW & A had the usual pancake breakfast and some toons on the TV – a weekend tradition. We followed that with some pumpkin carving, which of course included more of the regular kitty cat theme around here as one of the pumpkins was carved with a cat face. Dora the Explorer noodles for lunch and all was still good.


The afternoon nap didn’t actually happen, but KEW did give it a good try. She was just too excited for the whole Trick or Treat thing… and to get in to that princess dress! We settled for a bit of quiet time and play and then for an early bubble bath. This gave me the opportunity to get her hair wet in preparation for the curlers – I was hoping for a big curly princess doo!

On went the pink house coat and time for hair curlers! KEW sat so still and was so patient with the whole process. I was thrilled… and in shock. We had done a quick trial run on Saturday morning, which went pretty well, but this was amazing. This kid never sits still… or at least not when you want her to! Her excitement over the princess set up took over… it felt like she wanted to be a princess in every way possible! She would gently touch the curlers, but only had to be told once not to play with them or they would fall out. I’m still in awe of this. My kid might be in curlers more often!


Dinner… well, not surprisingly, did not go well. Trying to get some food in this kid was a challenge… there was just way too much excitement. She managed to get two bites of lasagna down and I’m not going to talk about the third bite.

Next up – the costume!!! I put on layers including a t-shirt, sweater and long sleeve shirt along with some pants to be topped off by THE dress. Well I couldn’t quite get the dress over her curlers (was trying to leave them in as long as possible) so we had to take them out. Her hair wasn’t totally dry so we used the hair dryer a bit. KEW was not too thrilled with the noise or the heat… so that didn’t last long. Finally I had to admit defeat and take the curlers out. There was more body to her hair than normal… and we did get one really good ringlet like curl on the side… but ultimately not the curls I was hoping for. KEW didn’t notice or care… so all was still good! Besides, getting those curlers out meant she could get the dress on!


Hair – check.
Dress – check.
Tiara – check.
Princess boots – check.
Purple glitter hearts on her cheeks – check.
Princess flashlight – check.
Princess treat bag – check.
Many pictures – check.

We were ready to roll!

Off we went over to Grandma and Grandpa’s house to make an appearance and to pick up Grandma to join us for the fun (Grandpa stayed home to give out treats). Then back to the hood to make the round of houses. I didn’t expect to go as far as we did, but KEW was having a blast and instead of the traditional “Trick or Treat” when the door opened, she went for “Boo”! Needless to say a purple and pink princess wasn’t too scary… but many on the other side of the door played along which added to the fun.

After taking Grandma back home we were in to wind down mode and attempting to get ready for bed. One treat from the goody bag (the one and only Reese’s Peanut Butter cup) and then in to the tub to attempt to get the glitter off (you can only attempt to get glitter off as it has more staying power than Donnie Osmond). KEW was starting to get tired… the lack of nap, food and extra excitement was taking its toll. Off she went to bed with not much of the usual stall… but definitely later than “normal”. All was good… for now.


Later that evening the real horror began. KEW woke around 1am and was not happy. She came to Mama’s bed to try to get back to sleep and feel safe. Unfortunately sleep was not happening. She tossed and turned and kicked and fidgeted and fussed and cried and screamed and cried and did I mention that she screamed? And cried? She could not settle and was so afraid… of something.

It took a while, but she finally started talking about the monsters in her room – under her bed and in her closet. So you might think this is a whole post Halloween trauma… but it’s not. I blame this 100% on a show called ‘Toopy and Binoo’. I dislike this show… a lot. On any given day this show makes me a little bonkers… but KEW likes it, so I tolerate it. Treehouse is generally a great station for toddlers/preschoolers… but not on Sunday. They aired an episode of T&B that wasn’t even Halloween themed… but was all about finding the home for the little monster that they found. They checked with the monster in the closet.
And the monster under the bed.
And the monster in the toy box.
And so on.
Monsters! Monsters! Monsters!

Did they forget that little ones have an active imagination and already think there are monsters in their room? Did they really think that a cartoon talking about all of the monsters in a bedroom was a GOOD idea?

Freaks.

They are SOOOOOOO getting a letter from this frustrated Mama!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Dairy Free - Round Two


Alrighty… dairy kicked my ass in round 1 as I tried October 1st to go dairy free again. I’ve done it before and know I can do it again… but October was not a good month to be without my comfort food. So here I am approaching the beginning of another new month and thinking that it is time for round 2… and I’m optimistic this time. Yes, things are still rather stressful and full of change… but too much dairy isn’t helping matters.

It’s not that I am officially allergic to dairy or anything like that… but it isn’t good for me or to me. After I eat dairy I generally feel like crap and have less energy than I started. Not to mention the huge fat content in dairy! I’m not a milk drinker… and I’ve managed to cut out yogurt for a while now… my nemesis is cheese. Ok, maybe chocolate too. Just the thought of a big slice of cheesy pizza makes me smile - the lump in my stomach and the bloated feeling afterwards… not so much. And yes… Dr.Bovee was right when she told me that a dairy free lifestyle will greatly reduce my menstrual cramps. It worked the last time I went dairy free… so that alone should be incentive enough! Or at least save me some money on Advil!

Ok, so here goes again… cheese, thanks for the good times… see you around sometime.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Smarty Pants


So on Wednesday evening when I was picking up KEW from daycare, one of the gals says to me “She is so smart, sometimes it scares us.” Whew… good to know that I’m not alone with that sentiment. Ok, I know, every parent has a beautiful and bright child. But really, I’m not talking about this to brag or to boast… but to tell you how much this scares me!

KEW is a smart cookie… and oh, how amazingly observant she is! She has also been nick named the ‘Hall Monitor’ for a while now as she doesn’t hesitate to tell anyone and everyone what the rules are and how they are being broken. She is often a little organizer (ya ya, I know where she gets THAT from) and she doesn’t hesitate to tell you how she’s feeling or what she knows or what she sees (ok, I get it)… but the kid is only 2 ½ years old! Since it is just KEW and me on the home I really feel most days like this is how all toddler/preschoolers behave. But I’m learning more and more that this isn’t necessarily the case!

Ok, back to why this scares me. As a parent, it is my job to help her learn and grow and become a wonderful person. That she wants to learn and picks up on everything around her to advance is a great thing. But wait - what if I’m not doing enough? What if I am not controlling my own bad habits and have now passed them on to her? Is she balanced enough and getting a chance to get the people smarts as well as the book smarts? Will she throw a baseball “like a girl” or like a ball player? How to I make sure to continue to stimulate her so she does develop… and not become bored and frustrated with learning? There are so many things that we do… and so many more that we don’t do… and this unwritten competition among parents to ensure their kids can do it all adds even more to the pressure!

ARGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Ok, it’s out there… I’ve said it. I’m sure most parents have these same worries… but honestly, it feels way too often that there is a script of what we parents are or aren’t allowed to say or do to raise the perfect child. Most days I’m doing all we can to make it from beginning to end. But man oh man… I so want her to have all she deserves and learn everything that the world has to offer. For now, it seems to be working for us, so I have to cross my fingers that it continues!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Out of the Mouths of Babes

While dropping off KEW at Gingerbread this morning a small group of the girls were talking about bedtime stuff and one mentioned that she snuck in to her parents’ bed to sleep the night before. I said that KEW did that last night too. Then one of the girls said she did too and asked the last little girl if she snuck in to her Mommy and Daddy’s bed. To which she answered “My Daddy doesn’t live with me any more.” The other girl responded, without missing a beat, “Oh, then just your Mommy’s bed?”

I was a little stunned, and honestly… impressed. These little 3 and 4 year olds are wise beyond their years. It doesn’t faze them to have different family set ups… it is just ok and normal. I guess it could be considered sad that there are so many non-traditional families out there that this is somewhat normal now. But I am trying to look on the bright side and see that these kids aren’t picking this as a point for others to be noted as “different”.

It is so different from what I grew up around that it doesn’t feel normal to me. Families are so many things now… which is really a good thing… just different. I don’t want KEW to feel different because of our set up… so I think I’m over sensitive and careful about the expectations of her and others.

Explaining to KEW about why our family is different has and continues to be one of those things that I think about and worry about ever once in a while. She has never said anything about a Daddy… and so far doesn’t seem to care. Maybe she won’t ask for a while… as none of the other kids seem to be concerned about who has what when it comes to parents. I know I will have to talk about it one day… but after today I’m thinking that she is growing up in such an accepting environment that perhaps it isn’t going to be as tough of a conversation as I originally thought!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Afraid? Not me!



I just turned 39 this past weekend. And according to a lot of people out there this is my last good year as I’m so rapidly approaching 40!

Queue the “dun dun dun” evil music!

Really?
Honestly?
What is so scary about 40? Is someone going to come and visit me and take away all of the joy from my life? Does my time with chocolate expire at 40?

I must say that the thought of 40 doesn’t scare me. In fact, getting older all together doesn’t scare me nearly as much as it did at 27. Yes… 27 was my scary year… being in my late 20’s freaked the crap out of me. And turning 30 wasn’t so great… but I spent a lot of money on a piece of jewelry and that did make me feel better. Heading towards 40… meh, I’m not so worried.

Sure, at 39 I can no longer drink like I did in my 20’s… but now I drink the good wine and martinis instead of toxic Long Island Iced Teas and evil shooters.

At 39 I cherish every moment of sleep and get up at 5:30am to get ready for work… not like the days in my 20’s when going to sleep at 5:30am to catch a few hours before work was enough.

Now at 39 I look for sales on things like toilet paper, diapers and chicken nuggets. When I was 20 I don’ think I thought much about sales unless they were connected to cocktails!

At 39 my clothes don’t fit like they did in my 20’s… but now I really do understand that it’s what is on the inside that counts. Ok... I do admit that a great pair of shoes helps… a bit.

So c’mon 40 - I’m not afraid of you! I’ve worked hard these last 39 years and 2 days to learn a lot about life and the world and ultimately myself. I’ve gotten better with age and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon!