Oh you read that title right, I take my kids out in public so that they will behave. It is a new trend in the Evans' household and it is getting a little old. I love getting out to things like the zoo, museum, forest, playground, however I do like a few days to just stay home and my kids used to like down days as well.
Recently I have noticed that unless I am engaging my children all the time in doing an activity or an art project they are finding ways to annoy the crap out of each other. Now I know this is normal, but sometimes after doing the Frozen puzzle or playing the princess games for the tenth time of the day my eye begins to twitch, I walk away, the kids then take the opportunity to annoy each other, and we are off on an adventure.
It is amazing how well behaved the kids seem to be when they go out and about on these adventures. It may be because they have seen enough crazy for the day and they don't want to unleash that beast again, or it may be because they were just bored at home. Or it could be that they just wanted to get out of the house, they played me for a fool and have me wrapped around their little finger and they knew they could break me and the end result has been going to fun places, so why not act like raging lunatics at home? More than likely it is the last of the three, however it is the only thing that is keeping the sanity in the house right now, so let it be.
Watch now that I just blogged about this, my kids will not only act like maniacs at home, but they will want to keep it consistent for Momma and they will start acting the part out in public as well. However, I wouldn't mind a few days at home...so....wait who am I kidding? If my kids will act normal somewhere I cannot let this one slip away from me!
So yes, I will be that crazy mom, running my kids around to activities and preschool to save all of our sanity and life will be good. I may be a little tired, but at least we are all getting along.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Friday, September 12, 2014
Plan...what plan?
Ahh...you know how things sound great in your head and then when they actually become reality you begin to think that maybe it wasn't such a great idea?
I am starting to feel that way with afternoon preschool for Audrey. Don't get me wrong the thought of taking her to preschool at 11:45, having my son fall asleep in the car, I transfer him to his bed, I get a ton of stuff done around the house until about 2:15, transfer little man back into the car, and pick up Audrey by 2:45, all seemed great, but then reality set in. The only things that have gone as planned listed above is our drop off and pick up time for preschool. Ayden has boycotted naps and even though I am down to one kid in the afternoon, the noise level feels like it has increased to having three kids when there is only one present.
Now I thought we could do a bunch of activities in the morning as well and then go to school from there. I didn't take into consideration that I would have to pack a lunch to have the kids wolf down before we ventured to preschool. This whole event is like herding cats, and like I said, everything seemed ideal and perfect in my head and then reality set in.
We have only gone to school for about a week and a half, so I really still need to give it time, but it kind of put things into perspective for me that nothing really goes as planned. I mean added bonus when it does, but after being around for thirty some odd years you would think I would catch on to the fact that most plans get thrown out the window and you have to resort to Plan B, C, D, etc, especially when it comes to dealing with kiddos. :)
Therefore, I will continue to plan things out in my head, as my type A personality allows me to do, but I really need to get over this disappointment when the plan doesn't work because really at least something is working right? I mean even though the afternoon is not working out according to my ideal plan, Ayden gets extra time with me and this now means I can volunteer in the classroom! There always has to be a silver lining, I just have to get better at finding it.
I am starting to feel that way with afternoon preschool for Audrey. Don't get me wrong the thought of taking her to preschool at 11:45, having my son fall asleep in the car, I transfer him to his bed, I get a ton of stuff done around the house until about 2:15, transfer little man back into the car, and pick up Audrey by 2:45, all seemed great, but then reality set in. The only things that have gone as planned listed above is our drop off and pick up time for preschool. Ayden has boycotted naps and even though I am down to one kid in the afternoon, the noise level feels like it has increased to having three kids when there is only one present.
Now I thought we could do a bunch of activities in the morning as well and then go to school from there. I didn't take into consideration that I would have to pack a lunch to have the kids wolf down before we ventured to preschool. This whole event is like herding cats, and like I said, everything seemed ideal and perfect in my head and then reality set in.
We have only gone to school for about a week and a half, so I really still need to give it time, but it kind of put things into perspective for me that nothing really goes as planned. I mean added bonus when it does, but after being around for thirty some odd years you would think I would catch on to the fact that most plans get thrown out the window and you have to resort to Plan B, C, D, etc, especially when it comes to dealing with kiddos. :)
Therefore, I will continue to plan things out in my head, as my type A personality allows me to do, but I really need to get over this disappointment when the plan doesn't work because really at least something is working right? I mean even though the afternoon is not working out according to my ideal plan, Ayden gets extra time with me and this now means I can volunteer in the classroom! There always has to be a silver lining, I just have to get better at finding it.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Something in the Air
There has been something in the air and my kids have gone crazy.
I know there have been theories with the full moon and pressure changes, and let me tell you...I believe these theories. This week we have struggled with random wake up times, growling, screaming, crying, and hitting. I am sure there has been more that has occurred, but today is only Tuesday and I am on day two of a 3 am wake up call. Two words can be said about all this, tired momma!
Now don't get me wrong, my kids go crazy at least once a weekend on a regular basis, but it seems like when we have a full moon, the behavior is set askew and we act like raging maniac and unfortunately I can add myself to the category of "we". Sigh....
What gets me right now is the arguing. Yes I know siblings will argue and continue to argue for the rest of their lives, however the arguments are insane. One minute they are so angry with each other, they come to tell Tyler and I about it, and then somehow in the mix of them telling us about the problem they get mad at us and they are best friends. How all this becomes our fault as parents, and result in Ayden growling at us is beyond my understanding, but it happens.
I find myself just walking away from situations because I can feel myself being sucked into the drama the moment I ask if I can help. It's like my children are setting a trap for me to be at fault for them not being able to share a squirt bottle. And honestly it works every time, unless I walk away. Some times I feel guilty for walking away, but I am finding this is the only way for me to save my sanity. I can only help the kid so much before they need to learn on their own, right?
Don't worry I definitely assist when there is a knock down, drag out fight, but for the most part the drama is very silly and it drives me nuts.
I know there have been theories with the full moon and pressure changes, and let me tell you...I believe these theories. This week we have struggled with random wake up times, growling, screaming, crying, and hitting. I am sure there has been more that has occurred, but today is only Tuesday and I am on day two of a 3 am wake up call. Two words can be said about all this, tired momma!
Now don't get me wrong, my kids go crazy at least once a weekend on a regular basis, but it seems like when we have a full moon, the behavior is set askew and we act like raging maniac and unfortunately I can add myself to the category of "we". Sigh....
What gets me right now is the arguing. Yes I know siblings will argue and continue to argue for the rest of their lives, however the arguments are insane. One minute they are so angry with each other, they come to tell Tyler and I about it, and then somehow in the mix of them telling us about the problem they get mad at us and they are best friends. How all this becomes our fault as parents, and result in Ayden growling at us is beyond my understanding, but it happens.
I find myself just walking away from situations because I can feel myself being sucked into the drama the moment I ask if I can help. It's like my children are setting a trap for me to be at fault for them not being able to share a squirt bottle. And honestly it works every time, unless I walk away. Some times I feel guilty for walking away, but I am finding this is the only way for me to save my sanity. I can only help the kid so much before they need to learn on their own, right?
Don't worry I definitely assist when there is a knock down, drag out fight, but for the most part the drama is very silly and it drives me nuts.
Monday, September 8, 2014
Painting and Play Dough
Painting and Play Dough...two things that I absolutely hate as a parent, but my kids love it! Seriously why must these two activities be desired by my two babies? These are two activities that literally make me cringe when they ask to do them. I always hope that they ask to do these things closer to dinner time so I can get through the activity with a glass of wine or a beer. Judge me friends, that is fine, but seriously these two things drive me batty!
Play dough is actually a great activity for kids to use their imagination and also in studies it has proven to allow children to work out their aggression. However, in my household the activity of play dough results in that substance being stuck to my floor, a child's butt, my foot, and somehow it gets on the cat...every time! This event also results in fighting over a tool that goes along with the play dough. We have fifty million tools to use to cut and design, but for some reason they both want the yellow knife. Really...what is wrong with the blue one or even if I get you a butter knife from the drawer? There is always a knock down, drag out fight about something by the time play dough time has ended! Getting out aggression my ass, I think it brings out aggression for my children.
Now on to painting. My children feel that with painting the more paint the better. I will admit I only allow for them to use water color paints at this point in the house. We had that color wonder stuff, but that costs an arm and a leg so we only did that once until it ran out. Don't worry though my kids are not neglected from reaching their inner artist self with painting. Audrey paints at preschool, and both kids get to paint at Mud Pies, which is a great place for them to do a lot of arts and craft activities and I don't even have to plan them:)
Maybe I am the fun police with these two activities, but I feel that I clean up sixty million messes daily, why would I encourage another mess that I will have to clean? Don't get me wrong, I understand with kids there comes messes, I mean a lot of messes, and I foster their creativity but these activities are limited for my sanity. Just the other day the kids got out play dough, even after we asked the kids not too, and we finally gave in to the idea, and sure enough I was cleaning the floor and my foot from the little pieces that escaped the creativity and cursing under my breath.
With that being said, don't think my house is a sterile environment where no fun happens. Currently my kids are cooking in their kitchen and dumping every piece of play food on the floor that we own. They are making meals for me and their stuffed animals, and they are happy. I am perfect with leaving the play dough and painting to the other folks, and just embracing the chaotic mess we have on a daily basis.
Play dough is actually a great activity for kids to use their imagination and also in studies it has proven to allow children to work out their aggression. However, in my household the activity of play dough results in that substance being stuck to my floor, a child's butt, my foot, and somehow it gets on the cat...every time! This event also results in fighting over a tool that goes along with the play dough. We have fifty million tools to use to cut and design, but for some reason they both want the yellow knife. Really...what is wrong with the blue one or even if I get you a butter knife from the drawer? There is always a knock down, drag out fight about something by the time play dough time has ended! Getting out aggression my ass, I think it brings out aggression for my children.
Now on to painting. My children feel that with painting the more paint the better. I will admit I only allow for them to use water color paints at this point in the house. We had that color wonder stuff, but that costs an arm and a leg so we only did that once until it ran out. Don't worry though my kids are not neglected from reaching their inner artist self with painting. Audrey paints at preschool, and both kids get to paint at Mud Pies, which is a great place for them to do a lot of arts and craft activities and I don't even have to plan them:)
Maybe I am the fun police with these two activities, but I feel that I clean up sixty million messes daily, why would I encourage another mess that I will have to clean? Don't get me wrong, I understand with kids there comes messes, I mean a lot of messes, and I foster their creativity but these activities are limited for my sanity. Just the other day the kids got out play dough, even after we asked the kids not too, and we finally gave in to the idea, and sure enough I was cleaning the floor and my foot from the little pieces that escaped the creativity and cursing under my breath.
With that being said, don't think my house is a sterile environment where no fun happens. Currently my kids are cooking in their kitchen and dumping every piece of play food on the floor that we own. They are making meals for me and their stuffed animals, and they are happy. I am perfect with leaving the play dough and painting to the other folks, and just embracing the chaotic mess we have on a daily basis.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Not a laughing matter
I remember before kids I would always snicker at the crazy things kids did, or cover my mouth to try and not show my reaction to some of the craziness. As a parent, I now know how critical it was to mask that snicker or laugh!
Recently I have noticed that my kids thrive on my reaction, especially Ayden. Recently Ayden has begun this thing when he wakes up super early, flips on the light, and begins his day with the loudest and most obnoxious toys he can find in his room. This is all heard and seen through the baby monitor and if I don't get up quickly to stop the insanity it awakes Audrey as well, which results in a long day for us all. The first time this occurred we laughed it off, and well that was the reaction Ayden he wanted. This kid thinks he is a comedian and anything that makes people laugh he will do it over and over, even if it is naughty or annoying.
Our wake up routine has been changed, which is adaptable, however its his latest shenanigan that gets on my last nerve. It's his boycotting of napping at age two that is not going over well. He obviously still needs his rest, but as I watch him over the baby monitor he is all over the place, as a typical two year old is. He looks out the window and barks at the passing by dogs, plays with an toy he can find, etc. I then ask him to go back to his bed for rest, and the kids literally looks up at the camera and laughs. He then jumps into bed and lays there for approximately 2.5 seconds to then repeat his crazy antics. I don't remember laughing at this chaos, but I am sure he heard Tyler and I talking about it and snicker, so of course another funny reaction in his book.
Now Ayden isn't the only one that reacts to the laughter, as we have seen Audrey react the same way. However, she reacts to more of the shock value. She loves to shock us, whether it be good or bad. Her latest shock value is her dramatic reactions to things. Ayden takes away one of her puzzle pieces and she is storming upstairs and states, "I am going to my room and never coming down!" Really? You promise? I know bad of me to think that way, but I can't help but laugh and think these things as our world came to a major crisis because of a puzzle piece. Now she has got to be feeding off this somehow because the behavior continues, or it may just be a girl thing.
Now I've also noticed that as the stress level in our house has increased we have seriously been laughing a lot of things off because I would rather laugh than lose my ever loving mind, which could occur on a regular basis.
Here is to laughing behind the closed doors or papers so your children cannot see your reaction, and stirring up yet another annoying habit that was cute the first time but after the 25th time a bottle of wine may be the only cure!
Thursday, September 4, 2014
3 AM Shenanigans
Seriously Ayden will be the death of me. My favorite thing is sleep, and seriously if I do not get 8 hours of sleep I am not a nice person, unless I pump myself full of caffeine and even then that is a recipe for disaster.
This shenanigan story begins at 3 am, yes 3 am my friends. It was at 3 am and I heard the light switch in my son's room click on and the obnoxious garbage truck toy turn on. Of course I get up and look at the monitor to see yes indeed my son is awake, and yes it is 3 am. Tyler at one point rolls over and asks if Ayden is awake, but that was the extent of his involvement of the early morning ordeal. I find enough energy to get a blanket and pillow and decide the only way for him to go back to bed is to lay in his room with him.
I find him in his room using a bulb syringe trying to extract his own boogers. Really Ayden? Where in the hell did you find the bulb syringe and you seriously hate that thing so why that object to play with at 3 am? So after putting up the bulb syringe and changing his diaper I guide him to his bed. We turn off the lights and then I realize he is ready to party.
I am literally barricading him in his bed with my leg, and he is trying to escape from his bed. He is throwing his stuffed animals on me as if they are bombs and there are noises that go along with this activity. He finally gave up because I think the scary, Mommy voice came out and I told him he better go to bed. We both laid there, I could hear him sigh every so often as if laying in his bed was torture and of course I am sure he heard me wincing as I adjusted myself on the hard floor.
We eventually fell asleep because as I awoke it was 7 am and I could hear Audrey and Tyler downstairs. I took advantage of quiet time and attempted to get ready for the day. Ayden must have awoken once the shower was turned on because when Tyler found him in his room he was right back at using that darn bulb syringe. I hope that he still has a love for that thing when he has a cold!
The day progressed as normal, and he has continued to follow suit with not napping. By 4 pm he becomes a hot mess. Screaming, crying, and attacking us all. He gets to bed early, but fights it 100%. However I was smart and hid those loud toys and the bulb syringe is put up for safe keeping. We shall see if the early bed time means he will simply awake me at 2 am. If he does, I recommend staying very far away from me.
This too shall pass they say and I will look back and miss my TIME with my kiddos. I will look back and miss my time with my babies, this much I can agree with. However this particular shenanigan I will not miss or laugh at, but rather learn from and hope this was just a one time thing. One can be hopeful, right?
This shenanigan story begins at 3 am, yes 3 am my friends. It was at 3 am and I heard the light switch in my son's room click on and the obnoxious garbage truck toy turn on. Of course I get up and look at the monitor to see yes indeed my son is awake, and yes it is 3 am. Tyler at one point rolls over and asks if Ayden is awake, but that was the extent of his involvement of the early morning ordeal. I find enough energy to get a blanket and pillow and decide the only way for him to go back to bed is to lay in his room with him.
I find him in his room using a bulb syringe trying to extract his own boogers. Really Ayden? Where in the hell did you find the bulb syringe and you seriously hate that thing so why that object to play with at 3 am? So after putting up the bulb syringe and changing his diaper I guide him to his bed. We turn off the lights and then I realize he is ready to party.
I am literally barricading him in his bed with my leg, and he is trying to escape from his bed. He is throwing his stuffed animals on me as if they are bombs and there are noises that go along with this activity. He finally gave up because I think the scary, Mommy voice came out and I told him he better go to bed. We both laid there, I could hear him sigh every so often as if laying in his bed was torture and of course I am sure he heard me wincing as I adjusted myself on the hard floor.
We eventually fell asleep because as I awoke it was 7 am and I could hear Audrey and Tyler downstairs. I took advantage of quiet time and attempted to get ready for the day. Ayden must have awoken once the shower was turned on because when Tyler found him in his room he was right back at using that darn bulb syringe. I hope that he still has a love for that thing when he has a cold!
The day progressed as normal, and he has continued to follow suit with not napping. By 4 pm he becomes a hot mess. Screaming, crying, and attacking us all. He gets to bed early, but fights it 100%. However I was smart and hid those loud toys and the bulb syringe is put up for safe keeping. We shall see if the early bed time means he will simply awake me at 2 am. If he does, I recommend staying very far away from me.
This too shall pass they say and I will look back and miss my TIME with my kiddos. I will look back and miss my time with my babies, this much I can agree with. However this particular shenanigan I will not miss or laugh at, but rather learn from and hope this was just a one time thing. One can be hopeful, right?
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
The Afternoon Give Up
I am a little ashamed that I am admitting this, but it is the reality of my world at this point. I have discovered that I am great at doing activities with my kids from 6 a.m. up until I put Ayden down for nap, which varies from 12-2. At this point I feel like all energy has been sucked out of me and I struggle to find things for Audrey to do and I normally ask her to do some reading or quiet play with her Barbies. Once Ayden awakes from his nap it is then time to try and make sure they don't kill each other and begin dinner. This is where I begin to feel the guilt set in. I am literally counting down the minutes until bed time so that I can just lay around and be a big lazy bum.
Lets face it, I feel all my energy is zapped from the morning, so that 30 minutes of rest Audrey has at the beginning of Ayden's nap is a time I live for. What do I do...absolutely nothing. Yes I said it, I do nothing for 30 minutes and I have no problem stating this. Yet then when that 30 minutes is up, Audrey is ready for her individual time. Earlier this summer I ran out of things for her to do because I wanted to get things done, but I realized that just made her even more irritable by dinner time so I knew something had to give.
We currently do about 45 minutes of different school activities. We work on everything from handwriting to scissor activities. Audrey seems to enjoy this a lot, so I continue every day. However I have come to realize I will never be able to homeschool my daughter...like EVER! It is so hard to have patience for a child that you are aware of their full potential. Seriously I could teach a class of 25 kids at all ability levels and never lose my patience, and yet I can't even deal with Audrey complaining she cannot make her "y" the way it is suppose to. I have to walk away from the table at least twice on a daily basis. Why is it that I can work with other people's children, but not my own? This is definitely going to become an issue when we have to work on homework in the future. Maybe this can be a Daddy task because I am not sure if I would survive helping her, unless it involved a bottle of wine and then who knows what the answers to the questions would look like.
This post is obviously all over the place, so I guess I better get back to the actual focus and that is attempting not to give up in the afternoon. I have taken note that my kids love schedules and plans, so I have found myself writing daily schedules so the kids, and myself, know what is going to happen next. However the more I think about this, this is kinda crazy. Who has their two and four year old looking to a list of what is next in their day? Kids truly need to just be kids and play, however I guess if they thrive in this type of environment I should embrace it.
I am sure I am not the only mom out there that is burnt out by lunch time, but I sure am looking forward to preschool starting so I can take Audrey to her afternoon class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. She can get what she truly desires during my bad time of the day. Ayden can also get his nap, and well I can get those daily chores completed or better yet find a time to sit down and probably work on posts for my blog.
Lets face it, I feel all my energy is zapped from the morning, so that 30 minutes of rest Audrey has at the beginning of Ayden's nap is a time I live for. What do I do...absolutely nothing. Yes I said it, I do nothing for 30 minutes and I have no problem stating this. Yet then when that 30 minutes is up, Audrey is ready for her individual time. Earlier this summer I ran out of things for her to do because I wanted to get things done, but I realized that just made her even more irritable by dinner time so I knew something had to give.
We currently do about 45 minutes of different school activities. We work on everything from handwriting to scissor activities. Audrey seems to enjoy this a lot, so I continue every day. However I have come to realize I will never be able to homeschool my daughter...like EVER! It is so hard to have patience for a child that you are aware of their full potential. Seriously I could teach a class of 25 kids at all ability levels and never lose my patience, and yet I can't even deal with Audrey complaining she cannot make her "y" the way it is suppose to. I have to walk away from the table at least twice on a daily basis. Why is it that I can work with other people's children, but not my own? This is definitely going to become an issue when we have to work on homework in the future. Maybe this can be a Daddy task because I am not sure if I would survive helping her, unless it involved a bottle of wine and then who knows what the answers to the questions would look like.
This post is obviously all over the place, so I guess I better get back to the actual focus and that is attempting not to give up in the afternoon. I have taken note that my kids love schedules and plans, so I have found myself writing daily schedules so the kids, and myself, know what is going to happen next. However the more I think about this, this is kinda crazy. Who has their two and four year old looking to a list of what is next in their day? Kids truly need to just be kids and play, however I guess if they thrive in this type of environment I should embrace it.
I am sure I am not the only mom out there that is burnt out by lunch time, but I sure am looking forward to preschool starting so I can take Audrey to her afternoon class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. She can get what she truly desires during my bad time of the day. Ayden can also get his nap, and well I can get those daily chores completed or better yet find a time to sit down and probably work on posts for my blog.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)