Let Me See You Dance

I have no idea where she learned her moves.

Potty Training

Disclaimer: Sometimes I try to think up clever titles for my posts, but this time, I want you to know exactly what you're about to read. Just in case some of you have problems reading about such things. I mean, I know everybody does it, but I also appreciate that not everybody likes to hear about it. So, use your own judgement. That being said, I'll keep the icky details to a minimum.

We are potty training today. And it is no joke. Violet is currently (fingers crossed) napping. I kind of wish I was, too. I am exhausted. My head hurts. My back hurts. My emotions are fragile.

I haven't spent this much one-on-one in-your-face time with Violet since she was an infant. We've been in constant contact and communication since she woke up this morning. I've barely taken my eyes off her. And that's intense. There have been few distractions such as tv or friends, because distractions are exactly that. They distract. And when Violet is distracted, she pees on the floor. Not in the potty. And we're aiming for potty here, folks.

As soon as she woke up this morning, she donned the Minnie Mouse "big girl pants" she picked out at the store. I set my phone to beep every five minutes and we were off. Phone beeps, she sits on potty, she gets an M&M. We probably did this six times in a row to no effect. And then she had three accidents in a row, often just a minute after getting off the toilet. Not cool. I tried not to get discouraged. I received multiple encouraging texts from my neighbor Kim.

Violet takes care of business while playing on the phone. Oh, like you've never done that.

Finally we struck gold and you should have seen my happy dance. This time, the reward was a fistful of gummy bears. That seemed rather motivating. Kim came over as emotional reinforcement and brought stickers and stamps to further bribe encourage Violet. And she brought lunch, which probably saved my sanity. We had some more success. And some more failure. Step forward, step back.

At last count, there have been nine accidents and seven bullseyes. I'm not sure if that is a good ratio or not. My biggest issue is whether Violet is truly ready for this. Because if she's not, I don't want to waste my time. After all, daycare can take up this cross when school starts again. But hey, if the time is right I want to take advantage of it.

Using stamps to count up our victories. Look how proud she is!

But honestly, diapers seem awfully convenient at this point. And the thought of continuing the effort when she wakes up in a few minutes is frankly exhausting me. Part of me wants to pat myself on the back, get a gold star for effort, and live to fight another day. Consistency - what a drag.

A friend from school gave me the best advice. When this is all over, I'm going to buy myself a present. Oh, I'm supposed to get Violet a present to use as motivation, you say? Nope, I think I'm the one that really deserves it!

Playing Favorites

My daughter is currently going through a daddy phase. Given a choice, she'll choose her daddy. Daddy gets her up in the morning, picks her up when she's sad, Daddy can convince her to put her shoes on and brush her teeth. Daddy this, Daddy that. No Mommy, I want Daddy!

Secretly, I'm loving it!

Does it hurt my feelings that she'd rather have her daddy right now? Not one bit! It gives me a little bit of breathing room, and that's good for everyone.

Besides, they're so darn cute together!

O-H-I-O

The definition of relaxing: Aunt Stephanie's patio.

So late last week the three of us hopped in the car and made the long drive to Ohio to visit some of Matt's family. It's always fun to visit a place where there are so many old memories - Matt was full of anticdotes from his elementary school days when he lived in Ohio.

The drive up was... tolerable. Violet watched approximately 87 hours of dvds on the two day drive up north. But it was worth it when we finally arrived at Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Steve's house. Their home is truly a tranquil escape - a beautiful home, warm swimming pool, cool breezes blowing through the windows, perfect patio with lovely views. Violet warmed up to our hosts right away; the fact that they have a sweet dog just sealed the deal. And I should really call Aunt Stephanie "Grandma 2"... she spoiled Violet just like my mother-in-law does!

Violet and her vacation buddy Marley. Does this mean we have to get a dog?

Uncle Steve shows Violet how it's done.

Our driving reason behind this Ohio trip was to visit Matt's grandmother. She lives in a sweet little nursing home that serves up all-you-can-eat ice cream as a treat to visiting great-grandkids. You can believe Violet took full advantage of that perk!

Ice cream at Great-Grandma's "house" - look at that concentration.

Great-Grandma and cool girl Violet.

Aw. (Did you know that Violet's middle name - Elizabeth - is courtesy of this lovely lady?)

Visiting with Grandma in what has to be the least child-proof room ever.

A few other scenes from the trip:

This adorable establishment has been serving up ice cream and candy since Matt's parents were little, and I don't think it's changed a lick in the years since (see what I did there?). The staff behind the candy counter wear bow ties! Adorable!

Oh instagram, you make me feel like a professional photographer!

Earning It

Remember last week when I wrote about keeping score? Yeah... should have kept my mouth shut. It's like Violet knew Father's Day was coming, knew I wanted it to be a special day, and decided to make us earn it by making Saturday a complete disaster.

Here's just a brief glimpse of what we endured:

Violet: I want a popsicle.
Me: No, you didn't take a nap today, so no popsicle.
Violet: Pooooooooooooopsicle!!!!!!!
Matt: Violet, we already told you...
Violet: Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Giant tears, throws self to floor in a dramatic display I used to swear they only did in movies. Finally, after realizing we're not impressed...)

Violet, tearstained, hiccuping, snotty faced: I want juice.
Me: You already had juice today. How about some water?
Violet: NO JUUUUUUUUUUUUICE!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

And.... repeat.

Finally Matt, my sainted husband, loaded Violet into the stroller, put on his headphones, and took Violet on a long walk while I tried to get the ringing in my ears to stop. Things were much better when they finally returned. So we rewarded ourselves with one of our favorite pre-kid pastimes - Mexican food and margaritas on a patio in beautiful weather.

Yes, she ate the rice off the bottom of her shoe.

My beautiful mess.

I earned this drink. And I'm loving this view.

And after all that drama... Sunday was lovely! Matt and his dad went golfing (my dad was out of town) while us ladies took Violet to the pool, then steaks were grilled and consumed, ice cream was procured and someone else handled bath and bed time. Come to think of it, it was a bit of a Mother's Day for me...

Happy Father's Day!

Happy family, all smiles.

Dog Days of Summer

We've been dog sitting while the neighbors are away. Violet loves these dogs. They were rescued after being abandoned in a church parking lot and they are so sweet. In my opinion, they are the perfect size, not itty bitty annoying, but not too big scary. They don't jump up (much), don't bark (except when Matt leaves the house) and although they've managed to wake Violet up before 7 a.m. almost every morning that they've been here, we still like them. Matt has been making puppy eyes about getting pooch of our own, but in my opinion, this is the perfect scenario - we have two adorable dogs... who live next door! (It's like being a grandparent - love 'em, spoil 'em, send 'em home!)

An unintended side effect of keeping the pups has been all the accessories they come with, including this lovely crate, which Violet promptly upcycled into a playhouse for herself.

I swear she crawled in by herself.

 

And then brought some toys to keep herself company.

Silly girl!

Happy Father's Day!

Violet would just like to say that she thinks her dad is pretty awesome. I would like to agree.

Gimme a D...

Gimme an A...

Gimme a D...

Matt, you really are an awesome dad. I love how you are so hands-on with Violet. I often find you two in in the playroom putting together puzzles or kicking the ball to each other. (That gives me hope for tea parties to come!) You always think of new things to teach Violet, be it vocabulary words or ball throwing technique. You are lenient enough to let her get away with skipping a bath now and then, but firm when it matters, like finishing dinner or saying "thank you".

I secretly love when she insists you be the one to brush her teeth or get her up in the morning, and not just because it gets me off the hook for a few minutes - it's obvious how much our little girl adores you!

You never seem to mind when I'm off for book club or girls' night and you're home with Violet. I always return to a happy baby and hubby, even if Violet refused her nap or begged for 18 snacks. You love sharing those hilarious details of her day and you can't hide how proud you are when she shows off her latest feats - like singing all the lyrics to Bert and Ernie's "But I Like You" song with you.

Thanks for being such a great dad - we love you! Happy Father's Day!

Keeping Score

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Sure, we've heard it before. But it rings even more true when you are a parent. Although perhaps the way my father-in-law puts it is more accurate - parents have to win sometimes.

My day is made up of a never-ending string of wins and losses. Some are minor, some are huge. Sometimes it's hard to remember the good details when I finally collapse on the couch at the end of a long day. But if I kept a tally, I'd like to think I'm coming out in the green. Let's take a quick look, shall we?

Yesterday...
Violet woke up at 6:30 a.m. (lose)
She watched tv before 7 a.m. (lose)
She was pleasant while we ran errands (win)
She went down easily for a two hour nap (win-win!)
She pitched a fit about watching tv with dinner (lose)
I went to book club and hung out with my friends while Matt handled bedtime (win)
I came home and heard that Violet's bedtime prayers went like this "Thank you for Backyardigans, and Elmo, and Mommy." (Hey, I might have been last but I still made the list - win!)

Today...
Violet was up at 6:15 (sheesh, we're on summer vacation girl! Sleep in! Lose!)
She is therefore watching tv as I type this (I'm trying to limit screen time but I just can't deal with her this early in the morning - lose)

Not off to a great start, but there is plenty of room for improvement. We have a playdate planned for the park (okay, the playdate is really for me, but the setting is for Violet), the weekend is almost here, Father's Day plans are locked and loaded, I might even know what I'm cooking for dinner tonight. Bring me another cup of coffee and let's see where this day takes us!

Pockets

Violet is currently obsessed with pockets. The first thing she does after getting dressed is check her outfit for "paw-tets". Then she checks my clothes for pockets. And proceeds to give everyone else in the house a thorough pocket pat-down.

Along with pockets, she's also repeatedly saying "Ooh, I found something!" This is uttered every time she sees something new, something old, something over there, anything really, and I'm pretty sure she's using it as the old bait-and-switch distraction so I'll turn my head one way while she sneaks the other way.

This girl. Gotta love her. (And I do.)

I'll Raise You One Popsicle

Lately I've fallen victim to one of the most classic motherhood traps, a I'll never do that when I'm a mom reversal, an ah-ha lightbulb moment that illuminates the obvious reasons why the many moms who have gone before me have trod this same path.

I'm talking about bribery.

That's right, I bribe my child.

It's not the first time it's happened, but it may be the most obvious. Sure, there have been little incidents of "if you eat all your tomatoes I'll give you some watermelon for dessert" and "if you stop screaming at me I'll turn Elmo back on".

But short of using M&Ms as a potty training tool, I try not to make the bribes so big, so monumental, that it is clearly the only reason my child is doing what I want her to do. There has to be some intrinsic motivation, too. A small part of her, acknowledged or not, knows that tomatoes are good for her and eating them is the right choice. Some inner conscience understands that screaming at a mother is wrong and should therefore be silenced, regardless of Elmo being on the other end. (Why are you snickering?)

But when it comes to napping, Violet just can't seem to understand how important this hour or two of solitude is... for me. I'm not tired she screams with conviction, or would say, if she were not too exhausted to form coherent words. So instead she just screams. Until I want to give up and start screaming too.

So in order to keep everyone happy, I've resorted to pulling out the big guns.  The Holy Grail.

Popsicles.

Oh yes. You take a nap, you get a popsicle when you wake up. Easy as that. And before you judge me (or jump off your pedestal to go stock your own freezer - and you're welcome), know that I'm sticking with the homemade variety so I can monitor how much sugar and food coloring the noodle ingests. I figure, I was going to give her juice anyway, why not put it in delicious, frozen form as wield it like a carrot on a stick?

Lady Liberty

Coasting Along

Now that I'm home from the beach, I'm feeling the need to be productive. And not just in the "I've got to clean up this house" way. I'm talking about producing - making something new. I was bumming around on Pinterest and I stumbled on these cute coasters and decided to try my hand at them. A trip to Home Depot coincided perfectly and I was able to pick up the supplies I needed. And now I present you with a quick and fun 2-and-a-half minute DIY project. (Original tutorial here.)

First up, gather supplies:
4 white tiles (I got mine at Home Depot for 16 cents each)
4 paint chips (again, Home Depot, free, already cut in these cute leaf/fish shapes)
Package of self-stick felt circles for the coasters' feet (2.97 for 75 - I can make a lot more coasters!)
Mod Podge
Sponge brush

The supplies

Step 1:
Brush the tile with mod podge.
Position the paint chip on the tile and brush more mod podge over the top.

Make sure to completely cover the paint chip. I used the wooden end of the brush to push down the edges of the paint chip that kept trying to peel up. Like the original tutorial suggested, I kept all the paint strokes going the same direction, since you'll be able to see the grain once it dries.

Painting done, now it's ready to dry.

Step 2:
Let it dry. It dries quickly, in just 20 minutes or so, but I left mine over lunch just to be on the safe side. Remember, it will dry clear, so you'll still be able to see the writing on the paint chip. But the paint names are rather fitting - "darkest grape," anyone?

Step 3:
Once dry, flip tile over and apply felt circles. These will serve as the feet and keep the coasters from scratching the table surface.

Felt "feet" applied.

Step 4:
Drink up!

Disclosure: wine glass is empty because I shot this at 10:30 a.m. and even I have standards.

Taking out the cost of the mod podge and sponge brush because I already had these supplies, the coasters only cost me 32 cents each and took roughly 2-and-a-half minutes to make (minus drying time). So fun and easy!

Random Vacation Photo Dump

The face that greeted me each morning, mere inches from my own, since Violet got the "special treat" of sleeping in my bed each night.

Yes, we are mere blocks from the beach, but Noodle here preferred to stay inside and watch the ocean through the eyes of Nemo. I can now quote this entire movie with my eyes closed.

Chillin' by the pool.

Goggle test run.

The annual vacation putt-putt experience. Violet's version involved placing the ball an inch from the hole, watching it roll itself in, then applauding herself. Nothing wrong with this girl's self esteem.

Possibly my favorite moment of the trip. My solution to a whiny trio of kids was to give them each a beach towel, plop them down and command them to take turns telling each other stories. To my complete astonishment, it worked. Bring it, Super Nanny!

Violet with Super Sitter. Love.

To the Beach and Back

Friends! It's been so long. Sorry for the absence, but Violet and I have been bumming it at the beach. If you follow me on FB, or Twitter, or Instagram, you probably know this by now. We've just returned, full of sun and sand (and a bit of an attitude that I'm hoping will straighten itself out).

Each year my neighbors have a tradition of packing up the kids, throwing them in the car on the first week after school lets out, and heading to Florida. Last year was my first time tagging along, and it was so much fun that I decided to try it again. Alas, this time the dads had to stay behind to win the bread, but us three moms bravely wrestled our five kids for the trip. And we've been patting ourselves on the back because this year, we wised up and brought along our secret weapon - a babysitter. Yep, we tricked begged asked our favorite neighborhood babysitter S. to tag along and she nervously happily agreed to the adventure.

The beach crew and our saintly sitter. (Don't let those angelic faces fool you.)

Our party of five. Showing their true colors. (Their true colors are apparently varying shades of pasty white.) Oh Violet, falling prey to peer pressure already.

Ready for the beach!

Once again we stayed at the lovely resort RV park (ignoring your snarky looks of superiority and/or your gasps of mild repulsion). It's cheap and it works for us. It's actually rather quite nice in that quaint, rustic campground kind of way. We were spread out between three units, but we all congregated for meals and downtime. Our Super Sitter even corralled all the kiddos one night so us ladies could have a night on the town! A night that consisted of a beer and nachos, but a night out nonetheless! Which was pretty much the only downtime we had, as a trip with five kids to the beach goes something like this:

Wake up (in Violet's case, at 7 a.m.)
Hope that Kim walks over with a cup of coffee (we left the coffee pot in her unit and were at her mercy).
Feed everyone breakfast, clean up.
Immediately give the kids a snack.
Dress and sunscreen everyone.
Haul massive amounts of gear to the beach, haul selves to the beach, set up.
Give the kids a snack.
Watch with grateful tears in eyes as Super Sitter takes over beach duties.
Feed everyone lunch, reapply sunscreen, give the kids a snack.
Eventually, haul everything home, possibly stopping at the pool on the way.
Unsuccessfully attempt to get Violet to nap.
Try to keep kids from snacking as one of us tackles dinner (we each had a night).
Feed everyone, clean up.
Give the kids another flippin' snack.
Bath, pajamas, attempt bedtime.
Crawl into the shower after Violet finally falls asleep 2-3 hours past her usual bedtime.
Insert a hearty sprinkling of whining, fighting, laughter and Finding Nemo throughout the day.
Repeat for four days.

Could. Not. Be. Cuter.

The big blue sea. Just you and me.

Snack break no. 647.

Violet's innocent attempt to feed a bird a cheeto turned into a creepy seagull stalking scenario.

 

Did I Do That?

Happy Friday!