When Mommy Is Sick....

When mommy get sick from staying home with a sick toddler and daddy has his first night in his bowling league and can't be home....

Mommy still has to make dinner regardless if she has an appetite or not

Mommy still has to deal with temper tantrums and timeouts

Mommy has to keep her eyes open while sitting on the couch

Mommy still has to play Ker-Plunk.... over and over

Mommy still has to play Memory..... over and over

Mommy still has to smile and wrestle

Mommy lets toddler watch as much TV as possible but its the one night he's not interested

Mommy still has to do bedtime routine right down to reading every word in every book

Mommy is still mommy....

So why am I here blogging instead of sleeping now that I can go to bed? No clue. Good night!

Ker-Plunk

Connor adding the marbles.

Ever played the game Ker-Plunk? Take all that time putting the sticks in to place. Like A LOT of time because towards the end none of the sticks want to find another hole on the other side. Only to pull the sticks out one by one and wait for the marbles to fall in less than half the time it took you to put the sticks in! We had the game growing up as kids. I played the game many times with my sister.

As I grew up and moved out of the house I packed up most of my games from when I was a kid and took them with me. In our early 20's we did a lot of drinking and partying. We turned Ker-Plunk into a drinking game. However many marbles fell when you pulled the stick... that's how many drinks you too. SIMPLE!

Now I STILL have that same game in our game closet. It hasn't been played with for years... regular or drinking way. Being home with Connor this afternoon on his sick day I thought about the game. We could TOTALLY play that game. I've come full circle.

The toddler's patience isn't very great for waiting on putting the sticks into the game. Thankfully I was able to keep him preoccupied with the marbles (even though I watched him like a hawk to make sure he didn't stick any up his nose, ears or mouth). Once I got the sticks in Connor took joy in putting the marbles in the top and then the game was over within 30 seconds.

With this game we worked on patience, taking turns and counting. Pretty simple!

Did I Set Myself Up??

I'm sitting here totally thinking I set myself up for the sick day with Connor that we are going to have tomorrow....

Last week I finally got access set up at work so I can log in and work from home if needed. I should have done this sometime in the last year and a half since I started working at this job BUT I thought it was this big mysterious thing to accomplish... requiring many steps and contacting many people.... NOPE! A simple email to one person got me the form needed. I filled it out... had it signed off on and then sent it to technical support. The next day I had an email telling me it had been complete. Hmmm... it was THAT easy... so there I set myself up with the ability to work from home if needed.

THEN this weekend... I was cleaning out Connor's room. Pulling out and putting away clothing that no longer fits him, dusting and reorganizing. I found his humidifier under his end table. It hasn't been used since the Spring and has just sat under his end table collecting dust and waiting for the winter season to hit us with the dry heat circulating through the vents. I figured this weekend would be a great weekend to wash it out and soak it in vinegar and prepare for the upcoming winter. That way I'm ahead of the game.

Well... right after cleaning out the humidifier.... it happened... Connor's nose started sounding stuffy... then it started to run a little. He was still his happy toddler self so I was just hoping in the back of my mind that it was just a little allergy and all would clear up in a day.... or two.

Yeah... no. At lunch today I got a call to come pick up Connor from daycare... he had a fever. I pretty good one at that, 101 - 102. I usually just monitor anything lower than 101 but this kid was going to need some ibuprofen.

So far he's in good spirits with some tired spells. The ibuprofen makes the fever go away but it comes right back after its worn off. Connor has to be fever free for 24 hours before returning to daycare and I'll be doing part sick day and working from home because... last week I had the whole work from home thing set up.... and the humidifier is in the closet waiting to clear up a stuffy nose....

See... I've totally set myself up for this. UGH. Here's to a quick resolving fever!!!

Summer Fun

Catching up on what we did over the summer.....

We went camping out in Western MD at my dad's trailer at Little Orleans Campground. Everyone had a great time and getting away with family was perfect. I even discovered Chocolate Chip Cookies S'mores.... YUM!

This summer we've had many trips to the park with our new friends we met in gymnastics this Spring. Our second trip to Tick Neck Park with PJ and Blake found us fixing boo boos, playing t-ball, and looking for tigers in the woods.

We celebrated 4th of July with family swimming and cooking out. It was VERY hot and we were thankful for the pool and still having electricity after the Derecho storm that came through. Connor enjoyed eating a burger the way you normally eat a burger for the first time and had fun with sparklers.

In mid July, Connor and I met up with three of my mom friends at Sandy Point State Park. Two of whom, I have talked to on an online forum for the last two and half years but never met even though they live in Maryland. Three of us mom's have toddlers born in January 2010 and the other two infants were a month or so apart. The trip was a success and it was great to FINALLY meet each other.

Taran and I took Connor and PJ to the Chesapeake Beach Waterpark in Chesapeake Beach, MD. It was A LOT of fun and perfect for kids Connor and PJ's age. Connor was in rare form that day and was only happy when he was in the pool. So when it was time to eat lunch and wait to get back in the pool there was lots of melt downs and he ended up in time out. Time outs aside everyone had a great time and ending the day in the Lazy River was perfect. I also was able to enjoy a Sonic shake for the first time EVER. Since Connor didn't pass out with PJ in the backseat Connor also enjoyed a Sonic shake.

 
Our Staycation about 3 weeks ago was what it sounds like. Kev and I took off work and kept Connor home from daycare. We stayed home but went and did something almost every day. Monday we took Connor duck pin bowling, Tuesday we took Connor to play mini golf, Wednesday we took Connor to the Baltimore Aquarium and Thursday we took Connor to the Science Center. It was really nice being home together as a family and spending all our time together. We made the most of our time together and I felt like we it was a success as I headed back to the work the next week.

And of course there were random Pig Roasts, a Welcome Home party for my brother in law as he was able to have a short visit home from his station in Afghanistan, and other summer fun.

Soooooooo I think that wraps up what we've been up to.... Just a little bit of summer left, I can hear fall activities calling my name already.

Finding Peace in the Chaos

Its been quite a chaotic week. Not really busy doing things but I've felt mentally and physically exhausted. I was counting my blessings that today was Friday as I was pulling into my parking spot at work and looked up and found a friend on the Faculty/Staff Parking sign.

It reminded me to be thankful for the peace that I do have in this crazy wonderful life that we have. So take a moment and be blessed by whatever goodness you have going on in your life and let it block out the chaos... even if its just for day!

How We Said Goodbye To The Bink...

Why and Preparation:
So the time came where Connor would loose his Bink (pacifier) in the middle of the night and then whine until on of us (most of the time me) ran into his room to search through his blankets, under the bed or along the floor to find the missing Bink to stop the whining and put Connor back to sleep.

This started to get OLD. We had a toddler not an infant. I should not have to be getting up in the middle of the night to try and get this kid back to sleep with something a baby uses. So I decided it was time to say good bye to the Bink.

I decided it would be easiest to pull the Bink when we were home on our Staycation so he can get his addicted self off the Bink without having to involve daycare at nap time. I printed off a calendar from a template in Word and put a star on the date that the "Bink Fairy" was going to come to our house. Yes... we lied to our child and invented the Bink Fairy.

I then put the calendar in Connor's room and explained to him that he was fast approaching becoming a big boy and that the Bink Fairy was coming to the house. I explained to him that the Bink Fairy would ask him for all his Binks and in return he would receive a present. He liked this idea. 

He was so excited he wanted to see her right then and there for his present. Since I did not have his presents YET I explained to him that she wasn't here just yet and he had to wait. He demanded to see a picture of her.......... um.... he's way too smart for mommy! I opened my lap top and started to think about where I would find a pic of the Bink Fairy..... then it popped in my head.... FlyLady.com! Hehehe!! He believed me and all was well.

Each night we crossed off a day on the calendar and counted how many bedtimes we had left until the Bink Fair came. Through the week he would talk about how she was coming to our house and he would get a present if he gave up his Binks.

Day Of:

The Letter from the Bink Fairy

The morning of I left a letter from the Bink Fairy explaining to him that today was the day he stepped in the shoes of a big boy and gave up his Binks so she could give them to other babies that needed them and put an empty basket beside the letter.

He woke up and came out to the living room and I read him the letter. Immediately he ran to him room and gathered all the Binks in his room and put them in the basket. We placed it on the front porch like the letter asked.

While we were eating breakfast, I snuck out the backdoor through the backyard and pulled the presents out of my car. What presents did he get you ask??? Well... he got a Cars themed scooter that I found on Craigslist (the big boy toy), a Mobi Glomate Junior so he had something at bedtime to replace the Bink (we call him Buddy), Cars stickers and the Professor car from Cars (yes I spoiled him). I took the Binks and hid the in the glove box of my car. I snuck back through the back door. After breakfast we peeked out and saw the presents. He was very excited.

Checking out his scooter...
The basket is empty!

He played around with his scooter in the house for a little bit and then it was time to get dressed and go bowling for the late morning/lunch time. We figured if we went and did something that would wear him out MAYBE nap time would go smoothly....

We had fun bowling (I'll post pics of them later), but once we got home and nap time arrived... he was not a happy camper. It finally sank in what he did with his Binks. I felt bad because I feel like I tricked him into giving up his Binks for a dance and a song... and he did.... but at the same time it needed to be done. He screamed for a good 45 min, we went in every so often to console him and then all of a sudden it was quiet. He went to sleep!

An hour later he was up again screaming. UGH! Nap time cut short!

Then came bedtime. We adjusted bed time routine a little different. He got a bubble bath and I lathered him up with lavender lotion. Instead of reading books in his room with one of us, we read books as a family in the living room. After books he got into his bed but didn't ask for his Bink. He was whiney and sad looking so talked with about which friend he wanted to snuggle with and after he was settled down with his new Buddy and snuggle partner I was out the door. It took him an hour to fall asleep and he slept through the night.

Days Following:

Nap times can be a bit of a struggle sometimes. I think the Bink just helped him fall into a relaxed state and he hasn't figured out how to do that yet. He now prefers to sleep on the floor instead of his bed or tries to talk us into random things when he should be getting ready for taking a nap. We noticed his naps went from two hours to one. Slowly but surely they've been getting longer again.

Bedtimes a fairly easy but again... he's trying to talk us into sleeping on the floor of delaying bedtime as long as he can. Bedtime is a little more hard work than reading a book and getting into bed these days. You never know which Connor you're going to get. Happy helpful Connor.... or "I don't like my bed" Connor..... I guess it all goes with that thing called parenting that we signed up for. MOST nights he's sleeping through the night again.

He really hasn't asked for the Bink flat out. Every once in a while he mentions the Bink Fairy and how she took his Binks. I remind him that he gave them to her. The other morning he asked when she was bringing them back and I told him she wasn't. So far its been almost 3 weeks and we're moving along fine.... ***knock on wood***

Hello?? Anyone still out there?

Yeah.... I totally just fell off the face of the interwebz.... no excuse... just the blogger inside of me went on a vacation I suppose. I'm back though, I searched deep down inside and found the little blogger hiding out with his feet propped up.


So I guess we should get the formal stuff out of the way.... How have you been? Everything ok? We're doing fine. Everyone is healthy and happy.

 So what did we do while we were away? Hmmm....


Well.............

We've had lots of play dates with a new friend.

We've been to few summer parties.

We had an awesome Family Staycation two weeks ago.

The Bink Fairy came and Connor gave up his binks (pacifier).

Ummm... Connor learned the term, "God Damnit" and can use it in context.

I'm trying to get back into running.

I joined a new book club... been doing lots of good reading.

Life is good.

Now that we've got this awkward first blog back out of the way expect new and exciting blogs!!!