Bye-Bye Ball-pit!

Last week, the ball-pit looked like this:

Today, the ball-pit looks like this:

The reason for the dead ball-pit?

Obviously I realize that kittens (with very sharp claws and teeth) and blow-up toys don't mix. But I didn't think she would be capable of destroying the entire ball-pit. Sides and all. I also realize that in the above picture Kuzco is sleeping with three of my favorite Vera bags. Grrrrrrr.

Two Steps In the Right Direction!

I realize it's only Tuesday (and that yesterday was all kinds of hell), but if the rest of the week is as nice as today was/is I will be content. Everyone had a great day.

Jon usually has a good day. He has so much patience, and very little annoys him (except stupidity and malapropisms). He loves his job and comes home happy every evening. His day was better than usual in that he 1) got to "share" leftovers with his entire office (Last night I made waaaaaay too much stuffed zucchini.), and for some reason he loves showing off what he gets to eat at night; and 2) he is working on a project that he loves. He also has his yearly evaluation this week, so he's also excited about that.

I try to have a good day every day. I wake up optimistic, but usually before the coffee has had a chance to kick in all of my energy (and patience) is used up. It doesn't do me any good to bitch - such is the life of a stay-at-home-mom. But I'm trying to make the best of it, and one of the things I am doing is to make ME feel better. Jennifer and I started Weight Watchers last week, and I have already lost over 6 pounds! I know it might not sound like much to be excited about, but I am thrilled. I don't have lofty or unattainable weight loss goals - I just want to be able to show my girls that you can be proud of being a plus-size woman (and show Gabriel that you never treat a bigger woman with anything other than respect, something my brothers never learned). Just knowing that I am making a healthy life change makes my days a little brighter.

If you ask Gabriel, I'm sure he would tell you that he has a great day every day. If you ask me, he gets a little worse every day. But since I want to think positively, I will say that today was the first day that Gabriel was able to nap with his door open. He has this weird fear/annoyance/anger towards our kitten. He f.r.e.a.k.s. out when she is near his room. Since he decided that Sunday was a good day to peel the paint off of his walls (he literally picked at a section of the paint and peeled it off the wall - what possesses a 4- year old to do this??), we decided that he was no longer allowed to have his door shut while sleeping. He managed to take a 2 hour nap this afternoon, and I am so proud. Not proud of the behavior that took place after the nap, but proud.

Elliott has taken the antics that got a 2.5-year old Gabriel in trouble to a new level. She is an animal. Today she was an animal that eats - like an animal! She ate three helpings of dinner this evening (grilled chicken, broccoli florets, salad, and scalloped potatoes). This is huge for her. Most days she eats little to nothing. Jon and I were all kinds of proud and amazed that she ate as much as she did. She ate more than I did!!

Janna literally took her 2 steps today! She was holding on to my leg this morning and cruising in circles around me. She let go, and took 2 steps all by herself. Then she stood up, and did it again! She took another one this evening for Jennifer. Obviously I am thrilled that she is trying to walk, but I'm not sure if want her walking. It's been so nice not having her completely mobile (her siblings were both walking at 9.5 months), but I guess she has to grow up at some point. Sigh.

I'm going out for my nightly walk with Jennifer now. I hope you all had a great Tuesday!

It's 6:10 - Wanna know where my kids are?

Didja guess yet? Yep. They are on their way to bed. Last night, Erin posted about her kids being in bed by 7:15. I loved her post, and I'd say that 3 out of 7 nights a week are like that at my house. Tonight is an exception. But only in the fact that it's now 6:16pm, and my kids are getting ready for bed. They will be in their actual beds well before 7:15.

Why? Well, let's see. First would be the lack of decent naps. Which is directly responsible for the series of melt-downs that plagued the entire afternoon/evening. Said lack of naps mystifies me. The Big Kids and I spent the morning on the top of a boat. In the sun. Fresh air billowing all around us. Fresh air + sunshine = awesome naps. Not today. Gabriel came out of his room at least 5 times before 2:30 (they went to bed at 1). Then he spent an hour and a half playing loudly in his room. I would have been worried that he was going to wake the girls up, but since they were already awake, I didn't really care. Elliott? I'm not entirely sure she slept at all. Janna? No nap there either. In her defense, she took a huge morning nap with Nana. Still, she could have at least tried to sleep for a little while. In fact, she screamed for most of the 3 hours she was in her bed.

I NEED nap-time. It's not just something that I like. It's an absolute necessity in this house. I realize that Gabriel is getting older, and at some point (probably in the very near future), he will outgrow the napping stage. I will cry. Like a baby.

In my mind, Elliott still has a few napping years left. I'm sure if you asked her, she would disagree. Totally. She seems to be able to function on very little day-time sleep. She will willingly go up to bed, but she refuses to actually sleep. Until about 3pm or so, and then it's very hard to roust her. And of course then she doesn't want to go to bed at bed-time. You don't even want to get me started on the night-time terror that is Elliott's bed-time.

And Janna? Well, Peanut likes her morning nap. She's just not sure about the afternoon one. But if I don't lay her down around 9:45am, then she's a cranky-crankerton for the rest of the morning.

The problem with the nap-time anarchy isn't simply that I like to have some down-time. It's that the kids are actually tired. Gabriel will tell me that he is "exhausted...just so exhausted". Elliott will do the same. And then neither of them will actually nap. Which means that the evening ends like tonight's did. With Mommy screaming and frustrated, wanting to sell said children on eBay. Daddy readying his spanking hands with his patience gone. Gabriel shrieking that he isn't eating, sleeping, pottying, showering, brushing his teeth ever again. Elliott mimicking Gabriel. And Janna throwing her own mini-tantrum.

It is now 6:43. My kids are all in bed. Quietly. At least for the moment. But since I have a Board Meeting, I don't care if they get loud. I won't be here!!

Another Childhood Favorite

I love this movie. "The Last Unicorn" is at the top of my Top 10 favorite kid movies. It's just so good. And totally cheesy. I remember watching it as a smallish girl, and becoming mildly obsessed with unicorns. And princes. The music is extremely catchy, too - America sings all of the songs. While I am not usually a fan of the band, I love the soundtrack for this flick. It's so soothing (at least to me). TLU also has a wonderful cast. It's a movie that I can just listen to - I don't have to actually watch it to be entertained.

When I was 14 I started babysitting a neighboring family. Their girls had the VHS of this movie, and I was once again transported back to my unicorn-loving early childhood. After I graduated from high school, I borrowed the movie (and kept it until last week. Yeah, I "borrowed" the video for 12+ years.). I watched it on a regular basis while in college, and I even made my husband watch it when we were first married (he really wasn't all that enthused with it).

One day this spring, the kids were fighting over which video to watch, and they finally settled on The Last Unicorn (Gabriel wanted something with animals, Elliott wanted something in a red box). They had never seen it, and I wasn't sure it was a good idea - it isn't exactly a Disney movie in theme or animation. Of course my hesitancy set them off on a loud and whiny tangent, so I caved. They immediately fell in love with the movie, too. As soon as Jon got home Gabriel started yammering about a red bull and a King Haggard. Elliott could only talk about a "horsey wif horn". Once Jon figured out what they were so excited about, he actually thought it was pretty cool. I think he might be sick of Disney movies. He even suggested buying the DVD so I could actually return the VHS to it's rightful owner.

At least 3 times a week, the kids watch The Last Unicorn. Gabriel has most of the songs memorized, and he asks if the iPod can play the Unicorn music (I have CDs of Disney music and a number of soundtracks from his favorite movies). Currently, the iPod cannot play the music, but soon it will be able to!!) And when he and his sister aren't watching and singing along with the movie, they are reenacting it with their Little People. Gabey gets out the castle, and he arranges his own small cast of characters - a unicorn (of course) and Lady Amalthea, King Haggard, Prince Lear (on a horse with a dragon for slaying), Molly Grue, Schmendrick the Magician, the Red Bull (or in our case, a fuzzy camel), and the salty Cat with a peg-leg. Elliott carries around her own unicorn, farmer (apparently he's Prince Lear), and lion (her Red Bull).

Am I the only person who loves this movie? Most of the time when I mention it, I get blank stares. No one seems to know WTF I am talking about. Do YOU know??

Happy Birthday, Peanut!!

Where has the time gone? It is really possible that my Sweet and Petite Peanut is really One whole year old? To be honest, I'm not quite sure how I feel about this. She's my last baby, the last kiddo of mine to turn one. She's no longer a baby-baby. She's becoming more and more independent as the days go by. She still stops moving long enough for hugs and kisses, but she's far more content to play (by herself!!!!) and make messes than to be cuddled by Mommy. That being said, I am so glad that she is a strong-willed, attitudinal girl. I wouldn't have her be any other way.


Here's a walk down a short memory lane - the lane being 12 months long.

After a slightly traumatic entrance into the world, I am ready to go home for the first time!

One month old - I am smiling, rolling over (seriously), and almost sleeping through the night.

2 months old - Happiness is a full tummy (I love to eat) and sleeping all night.

3 months old - Still a very happy baby girl!

4 months old - Rolling over, laughing at my Big Siblings, and eating are my favorite things!

5 months old - I have almost have this sitting thing down.

6 months old - Mommy says I am sweetness and light. Unless I am suffering from an ear infection.

7 months old - Playing is what I like best. And eating, too.

8 months old - I'm trying my hardest to pull up and to crawl.

9 months old - Still working on the crawling, but I have mastered pulling up!

10 months old - I am a mobile girl - I crawl and cruise!

11 months old - Where did all of this hair come from?

Today is my First Birthday! The last year has gone by so quickly. I think I need a nap!