It's been a tough week. My job is stressful but I was given an opportunity to lay out some much needed changes and only hope that it may have an impact and a benefit for the company as a whole.
Marley had a few stressfull days this week. Thankfully her fangs did not come out but the temper tantrums did. This was Wednesday morning with my grumpulophougus.
Marley laying on the floor, crying:
"Marney no want juice"
Mom asks "Do you want a breakfast bar?"
"Nooooooo". sniffle, sniffle.
Mom asks, "Does Marley need hugs and snuggles?"
"No, Marney no want hugs and snuggles." with a louder pitch and a few fists hitting the floor.
Mom asks "Does Marley want to lay on the floor and cry?"
"YEEEEESSSSS"
It was left at that. A happy Marley emerged about 10 minutes later and all ended well.
Sometimes we all need a good cry.
**************************************************************
I love Friday. Marley and I have been walking to the river front to listen to free concerts. We enjoy a slice of pizza and listen to a band and then head home. Sometimes we go with friends and sometimes we don't.
It was raining last night and I was really tired. The music venue was an 80's chick hairband and I was not in the mood. So we opted to stay home. We made a lady bug out of construction paper and glue. It kept our interest for about half an hour. Wondering what to do next, I noticed that it was still raining but the sun was out. This is when we decided to go on a rainbow hunt and we found one. This adventure led us around the block seeing neighbors, a fire truck and a heart built out of bricks.
I can't seem to get enough of the simple things in life these days and thanks to Marley they are more fascinating than ever before.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
It wasn't the rain....
...that detoured me from the beach this weekend, it was the lightning. I was somewhat disappointed because it was our plan, a wonderful day at the beach. I like the beach when it's cold or rainy yet I love the beach when it's warm and sunny. It's simply, earth, in it's raw beauty.
Last Friday Marley was nicknamed "Rain Goddess" at school. I remember dancing in the rain as a child and how much fun it was and how good it felt. Why I stopped doing such things, I don't know. I have come to realize that one of the true joys of being a parent is rediscovering the child in me and all the little things in life that are a joy.
Here is to my Rain Goddess. May you splash in many puddles, dance to the beat of your own heart and live to always enjoy the simple things in life.
Last Friday Marley was nicknamed "Rain Goddess" at school. I remember dancing in the rain as a child and how much fun it was and how good it felt. Why I stopped doing such things, I don't know. I have come to realize that one of the true joys of being a parent is rediscovering the child in me and all the little things in life that are a joy.
Here is to my Rain Goddess. May you splash in many puddles, dance to the beat of your own heart and live to always enjoy the simple things in life.
Monday, June 16, 2008
In the midst of insanity
As crazy as my life is, there are a few treasured moments that bring life back to reality.
After Marley and I read our books before bed she looked out the window and saw the full moon. She exclaimed, "Moon, Mommy, Moon-Mommy Marley go outside see Moon!" It was 15 minutes past her bedtime. The clock in me said "no" and a voice inside said "of course!". I carried her outside and found a spot on the porch where the trees and houses did not obstruct it in any way. We stood there, Marley in my arms, and we stared at it and talked about it a little. After a few quiet moments, Marley kissed me on the cheek and said, "I love you, Mom".
Moments...precious moments......
*********************************
There is a serial biter at Marley's daycare. This little boy, who I will call Lestat in the name of privacy. Lestat was on a rampage for awhile biting who he could and when he could. Marley fell victim three times in a month and other classmates more often. A meeting was held with the director and appropriate action was taken.
Two year olds don't necessarily bite because they are bad/unhappy toddlers. They bite for a variety of reasons one being they don't know how to express themselves any other way. They are only two! Another reason being, simple exploration. What ever the reason, it should not be taken lightly.
Lestat has not bitten Marley in at least a month. Last Wednesday, I was gathering Marley's things and noticed the dreaded piece of paper neatly folded and clipped with her art work and daily report. My first thought was, please not again! Then I looked down at the dreaded piece of paper and saw that Marley was not bitten. She was the one that BIT! I was horrified. My beautiful, blond haired girl grew vampire teeth in a matter of hours!
On our drive home I asked Marley who she bit. She said, "Marley bite Lestat Mom, Marley make Lestat cry". I almost drove the car off the road. Part of me wanted to say 'good for you, great job!" and the rational part kicked in and said, "we don't bite our friends".
Talking with her teachers the next morning, the consesus is that Marley had just had it with this boy. She was acting like a typical two and she stood up for herself. I simply can not stop laughing as horrible as that sounds. In a way I am very proud of her and in another way I am realizing she is going to be a handful as she gets older.
After Marley and I read our books before bed she looked out the window and saw the full moon. She exclaimed, "Moon, Mommy, Moon-Mommy Marley go outside see Moon!" It was 15 minutes past her bedtime. The clock in me said "no" and a voice inside said "of course!". I carried her outside and found a spot on the porch where the trees and houses did not obstruct it in any way. We stood there, Marley in my arms, and we stared at it and talked about it a little. After a few quiet moments, Marley kissed me on the cheek and said, "I love you, Mom".
Moments...precious moments......
*********************************
There is a serial biter at Marley's daycare. This little boy, who I will call Lestat in the name of privacy. Lestat was on a rampage for awhile biting who he could and when he could. Marley fell victim three times in a month and other classmates more often. A meeting was held with the director and appropriate action was taken.
Two year olds don't necessarily bite because they are bad/unhappy toddlers. They bite for a variety of reasons one being they don't know how to express themselves any other way. They are only two! Another reason being, simple exploration. What ever the reason, it should not be taken lightly.
Lestat has not bitten Marley in at least a month. Last Wednesday, I was gathering Marley's things and noticed the dreaded piece of paper neatly folded and clipped with her art work and daily report. My first thought was, please not again! Then I looked down at the dreaded piece of paper and saw that Marley was not bitten. She was the one that BIT! I was horrified. My beautiful, blond haired girl grew vampire teeth in a matter of hours!
On our drive home I asked Marley who she bit. She said, "Marley bite Lestat Mom, Marley make Lestat cry". I almost drove the car off the road. Part of me wanted to say 'good for you, great job!" and the rational part kicked in and said, "we don't bite our friends".
Talking with her teachers the next morning, the consesus is that Marley had just had it with this boy. She was acting like a typical two and she stood up for herself. I simply can not stop laughing as horrible as that sounds. In a way I am very proud of her and in another way I am realizing she is going to be a handful as she gets older.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Why I miss Blogging
My schedule:
Rise and Shine: 6:30
-Snuggle time with Marley
-Juice and breakfast for Marley
-Coffee is percolating
-Beagles are walked to the back yard (don't ask, ask the house instead)
-Sit with Marley and enjoy a cup of coffee
-Make Marley's lunch
-Brush teeth, get dressed, etc and try not to forget the beagles in the backyard.
Run out the door at 8:05 a.m.- This, on occasion, has been the time Marley chooses to take Elmo for a walk around the block. An activity that is slated for the evenings and weekends.
8:20 a.m. Marley and I arrive at daycare. I help Marley settle in, talk to her teachers, etc.
8:30 a.m. time for Mom to go to work.
8:45 a.m. I'm clocked in.
5:45 p.m. Clock out. Race to the daycare.
5:58 p.m. Big huge smile from my most adoring fan and a "Mommy!"
Some days a run to the grocery store as Marley would say "shopping!" other days straight home.
Then it's dinner, activity time and the night time ritual.
8:30 Marley is sound asleep.
It leaves me with two hours of time for dishes, shower, miscellaneous odds and ends and maybe a little reading, video watching time to myself.
All I can say is I love weekends!
Being a Mom that has to work has it's challenges.
More to come.
Rise and Shine: 6:30
-Snuggle time with Marley
-Juice and breakfast for Marley
-Coffee is percolating
-Beagles are walked to the back yard (don't ask, ask the house instead)
-Sit with Marley and enjoy a cup of coffee
-Make Marley's lunch
-Brush teeth, get dressed, etc and try not to forget the beagles in the backyard.
Run out the door at 8:05 a.m.- This, on occasion, has been the time Marley chooses to take Elmo for a walk around the block. An activity that is slated for the evenings and weekends.
8:20 a.m. Marley and I arrive at daycare. I help Marley settle in, talk to her teachers, etc.
8:30 a.m. time for Mom to go to work.
8:45 a.m. I'm clocked in.
5:45 p.m. Clock out. Race to the daycare.
5:58 p.m. Big huge smile from my most adoring fan and a "Mommy!"
Some days a run to the grocery store as Marley would say "shopping!" other days straight home.
Then it's dinner, activity time and the night time ritual.
8:30 Marley is sound asleep.
It leaves me with two hours of time for dishes, shower, miscellaneous odds and ends and maybe a little reading, video watching time to myself.
All I can say is I love weekends!
Being a Mom that has to work has it's challenges.
More to come.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
The Sneaky Chef
Marley is a very picky eater. As a baby she ate almost everything that I put in front of her until she was 18 months old. It was like a light bulb turned off. She started refusing all the food I normally prepared. Her doctor and many friends and relatives told me not worry, that kids only eat what their bodies need. Being a first time Mom, I still worried. She's healthy but I worry that she's missing out on a crucial developmental stage of trying new flavors and textures.
For Christmas my sister in-law gave me a fabulous cookbook called The Sneaky Chef. This cookbook for kids "hides" vegetables in favorite dishes like pizza, mac 'n' cheese, hot dogs, etc. My first reaction was, what a wonderful concept!
I was going through the cookbook yesterday to pick out a couple of recipes to make this weekend and I started thinking. Is this concept really fabulous? It certainly makes meal time less of a struggle for a parent but is it truly a good idea in the long term for kids? The vegetables are pureed, so that children do not detect them and the flavors are hidden-hence the sneakiness. Shouldn't a child be offered the cauliflower in it's unpureed form to be able to enjoy it as an adult? If children are only eating vegetables that are hidden, won't they miss out on a developmental stage of being introduced (even if it's over and over again) to certain foods?
Like Marley, I was a very picky eater as a child. As an adult, I will eat certain foods that I would not even try as a child. Although, I am still picky. Certain vegetables I still won't eat but it certainly was not a lack of my parents trying.
Any thoughts about this would be greatly appreciated!
I am still going to make a couple of the recipes today. The corn muffins with zucchini sounds delicious! And I am not a fan of zucchini at all.
For Christmas my sister in-law gave me a fabulous cookbook called The Sneaky Chef. This cookbook for kids "hides" vegetables in favorite dishes like pizza, mac 'n' cheese, hot dogs, etc. My first reaction was, what a wonderful concept!
I was going through the cookbook yesterday to pick out a couple of recipes to make this weekend and I started thinking. Is this concept really fabulous? It certainly makes meal time less of a struggle for a parent but is it truly a good idea in the long term for kids? The vegetables are pureed, so that children do not detect them and the flavors are hidden-hence the sneakiness. Shouldn't a child be offered the cauliflower in it's unpureed form to be able to enjoy it as an adult? If children are only eating vegetables that are hidden, won't they miss out on a developmental stage of being introduced (even if it's over and over again) to certain foods?
Like Marley, I was a very picky eater as a child. As an adult, I will eat certain foods that I would not even try as a child. Although, I am still picky. Certain vegetables I still won't eat but it certainly was not a lack of my parents trying.
Any thoughts about this would be greatly appreciated!
I am still going to make a couple of the recipes today. The corn muffins with zucchini sounds delicious! And I am not a fan of zucchini at all.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
What to do in February....
I found this over at Montessori Mama's and had to steal.
The February 10
I think the February ten is right up my alley:
1. Blogger.
2. Snuggling under warm blankets with Marley.
3. A car that has finally warmed up to the point that I can blast the heat.
4. My bathrobe and slippers at night.
5. Two obnoxious beagles that keep my feet warm and my face clean.
6. The warmth of the oven when I take out a batch of oatmeal cookies.
7. Very happy that I no longer live in snow country. Although 11,600 feet was fun in my twenties the coast of NC is more my pace in my 30's.
8. Bundling up and taking Marley for walks in her stoller.
9. My sweaters. I have a few that I just love to wear!
10. The Febraury 10 that I will steal and post on my blogger page in hopes that the author does not mind.
The February 10
I think the February ten is right up my alley:
1. Blogger.
2. Snuggling under warm blankets with Marley.
3. A car that has finally warmed up to the point that I can blast the heat.
4. My bathrobe and slippers at night.
5. Two obnoxious beagles that keep my feet warm and my face clean.
6. The warmth of the oven when I take out a batch of oatmeal cookies.
7. Very happy that I no longer live in snow country. Although 11,600 feet was fun in my twenties the coast of NC is more my pace in my 30's.
8. Bundling up and taking Marley for walks in her stoller.
9. My sweaters. I have a few that I just love to wear!
10. The Febraury 10 that I will steal and post on my blogger page in hopes that the author does not mind.
Daily Chef
As I am learning how to cook daily foods again I came across a great dish. It did not come from a food website or one of my many cookbooks nor my Mother. I found it on the back of a Pierogies box and changed it of course.
Pierogies a la Spectacular
A box of delicious frozen Pierogies
Portobello Mushrooms
Red Onion
Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese
Dice the onion, chop the portobellos. Heat the olive oil until warm and throw all the ingredients in until the pierogies are no longer frozen and the onion and portobellos are to your liking. Sprinkle with parmesan and feast!
Next time I may add fresh spinach, red pepper and a smackering of hot red pepper flakes.
This is the best dish I have found so far when you are tired, hungry, have a two year old and need to find the time to blow bubbles.
Pierogies a la Spectacular
A box of delicious frozen Pierogies
Portobello Mushrooms
Red Onion
Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese
Dice the onion, chop the portobellos. Heat the olive oil until warm and throw all the ingredients in until the pierogies are no longer frozen and the onion and portobellos are to your liking. Sprinkle with parmesan and feast!
Next time I may add fresh spinach, red pepper and a smackering of hot red pepper flakes.
This is the best dish I have found so far when you are tired, hungry, have a two year old and need to find the time to blow bubbles.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Ease on down, Ease on down the road...
All of life's changes in the last six months has completely changed the way that I normally have done or handled situations. Priorities are different, the time I have in which to accomplish tasks has significantly reduced and the tasks keep multiplying. It's a good thing that I was a great multitasker prior to all of the changes! At least the changes have subsided for the time being and I'm hoping I'll be able to blog more often.
I started a new job a couple of weeks ago. It is a job that I have been looking for and I am thrilled to have the opportunity.
My only complaint is that Marley has fallen into the category of the child in daycare for 9+ hours a day and I miss her. Thankfully, I am I am over joyed with the daycare. Marley seems very happy and loves her teachers. They give each parent a review on paper of the daily activities. Periodically they will make a suggestion of a game to play with your child that incorporates what they are learning. One week it was reptiles. The suggestion was to roll play dough between your hands and make snakes. Now when Marley sees play dough she says SNAKE! Which make Mommy jump every time.
*********************************
I just came back from seeing the movie The Wiz. The movie is based of off L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz. It has an amazing cast but I am not amazed that it did not win an Oscar. It was still a joy to see. It made me realize what a fortunate person I am. When a person has positive, supportive people surrounding them, they can unlock inside of them what they thought they were lacking.
Dorothy's quest through out the film is to go home. At the end of the story, Glinda the Witch tells her that home is not a place where you eat or where you sleep. Home is the strength that you find within yourself to accomplish life. A satisfying life that only you can define on your own.
On that thought I bid a good night to everyone!
I started a new job a couple of weeks ago. It is a job that I have been looking for and I am thrilled to have the opportunity.
My only complaint is that Marley has fallen into the category of the child in daycare for 9+ hours a day and I miss her. Thankfully, I am I am over joyed with the daycare. Marley seems very happy and loves her teachers. They give each parent a review on paper of the daily activities. Periodically they will make a suggestion of a game to play with your child that incorporates what they are learning. One week it was reptiles. The suggestion was to roll play dough between your hands and make snakes. Now when Marley sees play dough she says SNAKE! Which make Mommy jump every time.
*********************************
I just came back from seeing the movie The Wiz. The movie is based of off L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz. It has an amazing cast but I am not amazed that it did not win an Oscar. It was still a joy to see. It made me realize what a fortunate person I am. When a person has positive, supportive people surrounding them, they can unlock inside of them what they thought they were lacking.
Dorothy's quest through out the film is to go home. At the end of the story, Glinda the Witch tells her that home is not a place where you eat or where you sleep. Home is the strength that you find within yourself to accomplish life. A satisfying life that only you can define on your own.
On that thought I bid a good night to everyone!
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