TrainerMomma & Good Days

One of the great things about moving is that you get to meet new, fabulous, and inspiring people. I have met such a person, and she has inspired me to make more of an effort to get in shape, eat well, and keep a smile on my face. She is marvelous and I completely love her blog (TrainerMomma), and find her enthusiasm really refreshing. She just makes me feel like it isn't hopeless or impossible. I am also unashamed to admit that she is having a giveaway that I would really like to win.

Randomly, but along the lines of meeting new people, these are the LG's new girlfriends. They are adorable and I could eat them up. Their mother is from Spain, father from Russia, and the girls are already trilingual. And so cute.



We have also been having a hard time recently with the LG. We have frequently been talking about his high energy while waving our rabbit ear fingers. The little devil has been making many more appearance than the little angel.



After a few breakdowns over the phone with my mom, in desperation she sent me a book called The Power of Positive Parenting by Glenn Latham. I read the first 3 chapters last night and decided I would start today with testing the effectiveness of its principles. Wow. What a difference a day makes.



This is not to say that annoying, obnoxious and downright stinky behavior didn't occur, but I stuck to his advice to ignore most of it. I ignored Mater as he was driven repeatedly into the glass patio door, ignored with crossed fingers and high anxiety as the LG carried the TP around the house teaching her to "walk", ignored his jumping from one item of furniture to the next, and ignored his spitting on the TP. I also made an effort to praise every possible positive behavior which included tenderly kissing the TP, cooperatively getting into his car seat, taking his shoes off at the door when we arrived home, leaving from the park without a tantrum, and making it though dinner out at Chipotle without one single outburst or reprimand. It really was an incredible day. And it makes me depressed. Depressed because it makes me realize that it really is all my fault. I know that as parents we like to stick together and tell each other we are doing a great job, but just one day of refusing to be bothered has made all the difference. Yowza. Anyway. For anyone interested in how this progresses, I plan to chronicle my study of this book and ensuing behavior modifications or lack thereof on my educational blog (the BigEd Project) that I haven't touched in months.

So we took these Easter pics of the kids for posterity, and as any of you with children know, it was not easy. There were a few gems, however, including this one that captures the enormity of the TP's mouth. It's enormous. She can easily stick her own fist in there, and unfortunately, we have also learned that the LG's foot fits in there as well ; )



Additionally, thanks to the BK and his idea to give them toys (I was adamantly opposed - I mean, come on, can't they just sit still like porcelain dolls for 5 minutes with beautiful smiles on their faces without being coerced?). Of course it worked like a gem. Love these two sweeties. So glad that they are mine. So glad they tolerate me as their mother. Just so glad generally.

Out of the Loop

Have you ever felt like you missed the mommy seminar that would address a particular behavior or issue? I generally consider myself fairly well educated, unless it comes to my kids. On that front, I'm pretty sure I missed more than one or two semesters. And often, I feel like I am the only one left completely in the dark. A few examples:

1 - Grocery shopping with more than one small child. The first and last time I tried this was a couple of weeks ago. TP in the baby Bjorn, LG in the cart. There was eye poking (LG), hair pulling (TP), screaming (both), pulling items off the shelf (LG), and standing up in the cart (LG). I've seen people there with more than one kid. I know it can be done. I just can't do it.

2 - Making dinner. This may seem a little broad, and you may just think I should at least be able to put some hotdogs in a bun or something (yuck). It's not so much the dinner, it's the keeping the kids out of the kitchen long enough to keep things from burning, boiling over, or simply not making it to the frying pan to begin with. This is why I need money - lots of it - to hire a cook. And someone to do my laundry. And clean poopy diapers.

3 - Taking a shower after 7am. If I wanted to wake up early, and I just might convince myself this is reason enough to get out of bed, I could shower. Unless the TP is napping and I turn on the electronic babysitter (TV), there is simply no time. Hello? It's a shower. People shower right?

I often feel like I am the only mother on earth who has been at this mommy thing for 3+ years and just feels less and less clued in. I'm looking for some validation that there are classes that other people have missed. Help me out. Please.

In the meantime, here are a few pics of my brood.

Daytime Television and other random thoughts

I can't believe I am sitting here watching the old (or otherwise physically challenged) exercise segment on PBS. The lovely host is currently barely moving to some swinging western tunes. Makes me want to go run a few miles and do some yoga in hopes that I never have to take this segment seriously. Seriously. It's snowing in San Antonio. Things are looking up. Those statements aren't really linked to each other.

I love the olympics, but I have also reached my limit. Even the skiers are starting to look like ice dancers. I've got to get out of the house. We are considering ditching our cable all together and watching the few shows we care about on the internet. Am I crazy, or just beginning to be sane. Our dilemma? The world cup. I must watch the world cup, and not on my laptop. Anyone know how I can hook up my new MAC (yup, just made the switch- and am sometimes loving it, sometimes kicking myself in the pants since I don't really know how to use it) to my ancient TV?

As you can imagine, this mid-day blogging is accompanied by my looking the other way as the LG pulls things off our mantle, climbs all over me and the furniture, and whacks me with a balloon. I better go do something productive.

Welcome To TEXAS! (A pep talk to myself)

Yikes. We just landed here in San Antonio, TX about a we. It's a lot like I imagined - big, big trucks, big homes, big apartments, big freeways, big furniture stores EVERYWHERE, big roads, big churches and big, friendly personalities. Portland was small. People did not live in excess in Portland, consumerism was not quite so in your face. It will take some adjusting.

The move was comical. Me, the LG and the TP were in UT. The BK was in TX. The BK and my father flew to OR, rented a Penske, bought a washer/dryer to replace my beloved machines that were in our house we are now renting. Loaded all our belongings from our POD onto the truck, picked up my washer/dryer at the house and set of on a very, very long drive down the 10 through California. No, this is not the fastest route, but my dad wanted to see the ocean, and the BK was happy to oblige until he realized that it was a 5 hour diversion. My dad, who was helping with the driving, appeared to the BK as if he was frequently nodding off, or at least driving with his eyes only half open. Neither of them got much sleep. They left Friday afternoon and arrived in San Antonio Monday morning around 10am.

Back in UT, my mother and I were holding down the fort as well as we were able. By Friday, both kids were sick, coughing and running fevers. A Saturday run to the Dr. office for the TP determined that she had an ear infection. Additionally, since our health insurance had recently changed, all 3 Dr. appointments for that week came right out of my pocket and now I get to try to find the receipts to submit to our insurance. Sunday night I was unable to pull up our flight reservations for the next day. A call to the airline assured me that yes, they could confirm our itinerary for Monday, March 8th. Hmmm. After a long two hours of being on hold and speaking to the airline, and more than a few $$$$ later, we were booked on flights for February 8th, and my parents' tickets returning them to UT were also modified to spare them from spending another month living with our motley brood.

Monday morning, the men unloaded the truck, returned the truck, took a nap and picked us up from the airport around 10pm. Tuesday we spent the day unpacking and meeting our downstairs neighbors who were pounding on our door and asking that we tame the wild beast who was waking up their 4-year old. Hmmm. Things we should have thought about when taking a 2nd floor apartment - a wild LG who we have come to realize stomps, runs or jumps EVERYWHERE. There is no walking. Wednesday our neighbor was at our door again claiming that the LG was shaking their flatscreen off the wall. Hmmm. I decided to intervene with a friendly but firm chat about my limited ability to control the beast. I haven't seen them since although I have definitely heard their TV blasting. Good times.

I should also mention that the BK, in his gallant effort to return my beloved washing machine and dryer to me (this was the primary reason we didn't just call POD and have our stuff shipped) was unaware that you are supposed to place "shipping rods" in a washing machine before moving it anywhere. Otherwise the 100 pound drum just dances around inside the machine doing all kinds of mischievous things that don't bode well for it working upon arrival. Other items of note - in all the chaos, the BK returned to his bachelor pad (not the apartment we rented for the fam) to find an eviction notice. Apparently, even if you are busy moving a family of four, driving an enormous truck across country and dealing with all sorts of logistical and emotional issues (like a wife who can't properly book airline tickets) you are still expected to pay your rent on time. Go figure.

Finally, my father was suffering from an allergic reaction and his eyes were literally only half open from Portland to San Antonio. Needless to say, we are just glad it's over. I will post pictures when we find the necessary cables. Could be a while.
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Fly Me to the Moon

For starters, as I suspected, I hate the new blog look. Any suggestions/help? I know that many of your blogs look much beter than mine, so give me the dirt. I may just have to go back to something basic.

We recently decided to take a day trip to the Hill Air Force Museum in Ogden. We took Grandma and Grandpa too. I love finding great places to take the kids, and air museums always seem to be a hit with both the LG and BK. The best part was that it was free with donations accepted. They also had this amazing area for kids where they could put on flight/space suits and sit in cockpits, fly a simulator, take pictures in front of the moon, play games, etc. It was definitely worth the trip.






The BK probably loved this place more than the LG. He got suited up, put a helmet on and took a few too many pictures. The funny part is that the flight helmet he put on made him look like Eeyore. He's going to like me posting this picture about as much as he enjoys his fingers splitting open from the cold dry air. Love you BK ; )




This escapade also reminded me of one of our favorite new books called Big Plans, by Bob Shea & illustrated by Lane Smith. It's a gem. Too funny, and I'm not sure that the LG finds it nearly as amusing as I do.

Summary: Little boy with big plans bosses everyone around including the President until he finally makes it to the moon to announce his Big Plans in grand fashion. My favorite line is when he orders Missouri to, "Cheer up. You're bringing me down!"

If you haven't read it, read it. Then buy it. It is definitely worthy of a fine-free existence on your shelf.

Face Time

As promised, the TP takes center stage on this one. What is it about the second child that makes me so sad with every milestone she hits. A new tooth? Tears. My tears. Learning to finally sit up? More tears. Downward dog moves that inevitably lead to crawling? Big tears. Learning to crawl? Major depression. Maybe something is seriously wrong with me. When the LG started crawling at 6 months, I was a very proud parent who was quietly thinking to herself how physically gifted my baby was. I was so ready to have him walking out the door with briefcase in hand - okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating - a little. With the TP I wouldn't mind if she laid around cuddling with me for another 2 years. Who cares if this stunts her development. I want my baby to stay a baby. I'm out of luck. She's crawling, sitting, teething, babbling, eating real food, sleeping, and she is even regularly wearing the adorable pair of boots Santa gave her for Christmas. What kind of baby needs boots? The kind that won't be a baby for much longer. Oi, I think I need some of that medication they advertise on TV with a depressed egg that hops around.





Man she's cute.

New Year

I wanted to change my blog. Something new, bright and cheerful that exudes the same enthusiasm I have for this upcoming year, but as always happens when I have something specific in mind, I came up with nothing. I could have my brother, who thinks he is some kind of up-and-coming world class designer, come up with something, but that would cost me a lot of money. He's my business partner and I don't think he would even cut me a break. Ouch.

2009 should have been a very difficult year. The BK was laid off back in March - and we undertook a lot of crazy, should-have-been-stressful endeavors like having a baby without pain meds, packing up a month later and moving to Utah to live at my parents' house, and hanging out with my friends' parents for a good 6 months. Don't forget an inordinate amount of nightmarish road trips. All-in-all, however, this year hasn't been that tough. I've definitely had worse. And all I am left with thinking is that I am incredibly blessed. I have a fabulous, feisty and forgiving family. I have generally great health minus a few unwanted pounds. I have shockingly happy children who don't seem affected by my moodiness or tendency to raise my voice. My husband never stops working - even when he is out of work, and he hasn't stopped loving me yet.

I suppose it would have been rational to wish for things I didn't have last year like money or my house or half of my winter clothes that are still in storage, but every time I thought those things, there was always a loud voice shouting in the back of my mind, "WAKE UP STUPID, MOST PEOPLE WOULD LOVE THE FREE TIME, THE FAMILY TIME, AND THE VACATION TIME YOU HAVE." It's true, so I would take an aspirin and get on with my fabulous life.

Well, as always happens, seasons pass. The BK found a job. Provided that all things work out over the next couple of months, we will be moving to San Antonio, TX, baby! I am ecstatic. I love a new adventure, and I will be shocked if any season of my life lasts longer than a year or two. We hear good things about San Antonio, and I have always liked thinking that somewhere inside me is a cowgirl waiting to escape to someplace wide open, ridiculously into all things enormous, and just waiting for me and my horses to trample a path into fame. Huh? I don't even know what that means.

Anyway, I have high hopes for this year. It's the year of the Tiger. It's a New Year, and my only resolution that you need to know about is that I plan to take more pictures of the TP. Poor thing, we broke our old camera not long after we had her, so I need to make her feel like she existed when and if she ever reads these memoirs. I love you baby girl.

Here we come 2010. Hope you're ready. Happy New Year y'all!!!