One-on-One January 30, 2009

Getting to spend one-on-one time with anyone is difficult these days. I relish in any time I can get with Jeremy that does not include the kids interrupting, TV background noise, or discussion of finances. (Sounds like an exciting life, doesn’t it?)

But I realize I often take for granted the one-on-one time I get with my kids, especially Cooper. Since he goes to bed before Mason, she gets alone time with us every night. But rarely do I get to spend quality time with Cooper without Mason around or without a bottle in his mouth.

Proud Mama and her boy.

Since yesterday was a snow day, we had the benefit of having a quiet (ha!) day at home. Out of character, Mason decided she wanted a nap right after lunch, and since Cooper had recently woken up from a nap, he and I got the one-on-one time I realized I missed from my maternity leave days.

We got to play with HIS toys in HIS room.  This is quite a feat since mostly we play with Mason’s toys in Mason’s room.  Best of all, I got Cooper to consistently do “So Big!”  (you know…  How big is Cooper?  So big!)  He lifts up his arms and just giggles.  It is awesome. 

It’s really cool to watch him learn.  He is constantly doing something new.  With the second child, you forget what all the milestones are supposed to be and when, so it’s nice to just enjoy him without worrying too much about whether he’s behind or ahead.  He’s healthy, he’s growing, he’s learning, and he’s loved.  That’s what matters. 

They grow up so fast, don't they?

Kid-isms January 16, 2009

There are always emails going around that have cute quotes from little kids.  I think I got one today about “butt dust” or something.  Anyway…  you know what I’m talking about.  Just like Bill Cosby’s “Kids Say the Darndest Things,” we get such joy out of a child’s misunderstanding of the world.  

We’ve been trying hard to teach Mason how to tell time.  Well, that might be a little lofty.  Mostly we’ve been trying to teach her that she cannot get out of bed in the morning until she sees a 6 in the first spot on her clock.  I thought that she would try to get around this rule by saying she saw a 6 at 5:56 or getting other numbers confused.  But she quickly learned this rule, and like clockwork, she has been coming up to our room at 6:01 on the dot for the past few days. 

I was really proud of her this morning because I was up with Cooper at 5am, and she still did not get out of bed.  She finally came out of her room after 6am.  When I told her how proud I was, she said “The 6 took a long time today, Mommy.”  It cracked me up.   I can just imagine her lying in bed watching the clock and waiting for the 6.  So that’s my “kid-ism” for the day.

She's so mature these days.

On a similar note, Cooper has learned a new phrase.  “Uh oh.”  He loves to say this so much, he has started the dropping game just so he can say “Uh oh” every time.  Drop a sippy cup – “Uh oh.”  Drop a piece of waffle – “Uh oh.”  Drop a princess – “Uh oh.”  It’s pretty darn cute.  (Except for the fact that my back is aching with all the picking up I’ve been doing!)

How about I drop this notebook? Uh oh!

Simplicity January 7, 2009

I love Real Simple magazine. When I actually get the chance to read it, I gain great wisdom and a lot of cool ideas for simplifying my life. I also get the Real Simple Daily Thought email every morning… Many times I can relate the quote directly to my life. Today was one of those times.

This morning could have been better… I had a dissenting daughter who did not want to listen, and a clingy son who did not want to be alone. Made it difficult to get ready for the day, but luckily it is a Nana day, so we had a little extra time. I quickly lost my temper, and that bad temper was reflected in the rest of my family.

So the Real Simple quote for today really hit me hard.

“Whoever is happy will make others happy too.”

– Anne Frank

Pretty good, right?  It’s like a slap in the face today.  It takes things like this quote to snap me back into reality.  I affect those around me.  My mood affects those around me.  If I’m negative, those around me will be negative.  If I’m in a bad mood, others around me might be in a bad mood.  But if I’m happy, those around me just might be happy too.   Seems pretty easy.  This might need to be my new mantra.

Broken Scale January 5, 2009

Honestly it is not hard to find the good in a broken scale. For some reason, Jeremy and I decided to make Monday our weigh-in day. Maybe to make us feel even more guilty about the weekends or to make us feel even worse about a Monday… Either way, it’s our ritual.

I got on the scale today and saw a huge loss. It obviously isn’t right, but I’ll take it this Monday after all the holidays. I won’t complain… until tomorrow when I recheck and it is working again.

Red Velvet – Interesting Choice January 3, 2009

My family has often discussed the seasonality of cakes. Lemon is a summer cake. Spice is a fall cake. Chocolate and vanilla are all-season cakes. And red velvet is definitely a winter cake. (This was a big point of contention when Jeremy wanted red velvet for our June wedding 5 years ago.)

Since Cooper’s birthday falls in January, it seemed appropriate to make him red velvet cupcakes for the big day. In the moment of Cooper stuffing his face, I thought that it might not have been the best choice. But now, in looking at the pictures, it was perfect.

The image of a 1-year-old stuffing his face with red cake is priceless. And definitely the best part of my day (in addition to playing beauty parlor with Mason after dinner.)

Started off sans bib...

Quickly realized a bib was absolutely necessary.