Challenging Times with the Kids

Let me start by saying I love my kids. I love them to pieces. However, I am not one to sugar coat stuff. If things are bad, I'll tell you. If they are great, I'll tell you that too. Lately, things have been challenging . . . like teeth grinding challenging. Their recent sleep patterns bring me back to the times when they were newborns. Though I loved those times, it's a bittersweet reminder that I am perfectly content with my family of four. I'm tired, go back to sleep kids!

Recently my kids have entered into a monkey see monkey do phase. You know what? It sucks. I try my best to keep them busy and engaged in activities that are fun for them, because this monkey see monkey do crap is less likely to present itself. To be completely honest though, life isn't always about fun and games. There are obligations . . . like buying groceries. Shopping with my kids, sighhhhhhh. Somebody might as well throw a brick at my face, because it would probably be more pleasurable.

Over the weekend I thought we'd kill two birds with one stone. The prior week had been filled up with several play dates that included apple picking, pumpkin picking, the mall play place, and several visits to the park. I figured taking a "me" day wasn't out of the question. My mom had offered to get me a new purse for my upcoming birthday. You know, a real bag, a nice one! I've always been into nice bags, but for the past three years I have been sporting around the "trendy" diaper bag. I was ready for a change, and she wanted me to pick it out. The 45 minute drive to my mom's house is always more fun with company, so I opted to bring my kids along. Plus, my mom was excited when I said I was considering bringing them both. A visit with Nana and a new bag. A win/win, right? Who was I kidding? That shopping trip was a nightmare.

It all started when we arrived at the store and I took the stroller out of the car. My oldest hasn't ridden in a stroller or shopping cart for a very long time so I no longer tote the massive double stroller around. She does a great job holding your hand while walking, so I now stick to the single stroller for my youngest. Let's just say, that doesn't go over so well. Naturally, my youngest wants to follow her big sister's lead and walk. I warned my mother about this, and she has always said to me "Remember, you're the boss." Charlotte is still little, and in my opinion at her age, in situations like this, she should be riding in a stroller but, like I've said before, with small kids you pick your battles. I figured this would be a quick trip in and out. I'd put her in the stroller, she'd cry for maybe a minute, then be fine. Of course, I was wrong, very wrong!

Well, as we all know, no shopping adventure with kids in tow is a quick trip. (What was I thinking?) Secondly, Charlotte didn't cry for a minute, she wailed for five minutes before I finally took her out of the stroller. I figured since my mom was there to help out it wouldn't be too bad. Once she was freed from said stroller she immediately greeted a fellow onlooker with a great big smile and a "hello!" Okay. . . so all is well now, I can get my bag, right? Wrong. During the couple of minutes that I took to look around, my kids set off at least 15 security alarms attached to these purses and they did this while under the watchful eye of my mother and I. I'm not joking, we were right there and it turned into a game of who could set the most alarms. Now, I'm not sure when or who invented these snazzy new security devices that attach to the bags and have a button that, when pushed, sends the alarm into panic mode. (Whoever you are, thanks buddy!) At any rate my kids figured out exactly how to make these things screech and they found great joy in pulling away from my mom and I to do so. With several alarms going off all at once, the store sounded more like a birds of prey exhibit at the ecotarium than your standard department store. I was mortified, and figured it would be best to get out of there . . . quick. We went to another department store where this same thing happened, again. I'm not sure which kid started this awful button pushing nightmare, but the noise was horrid. We left that store too but not before getting my bag and dealing with two massive temper tantrums because we did not buy the black and white polka-dot shoes.

Oh, well. Kids will be kids, so the saying goes. Lesson learned from my unfortunate adventure in shopping . . . when you take your next "ME" day, LEAVE the kids at home!

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The Limit Testing Button Pushers a.k.a. KIDS

I said it before and I'll say it again, when it comes to your kids it's always best to pick your battles wisely. I had far more battles than I'd like to fight this week starting with a trip to the mall for new fall clothes.

The car ride over consisted of my oldest not liking any song that came on the radio. "Who sings this song?" Well, since she's not a fan of your typical kids jams and Barney sing-alongs, or whatever the kids listen to these days, it was Katy Perry's new hit playing about about some eye of the tiger roaring or something. "This is NOT Katy Perry, and I DO NOT like this song." Ok fine, it is Katy Perry, but let's find something else. Three radio stations later and now my youngest chiming in that she doesn't like any of the songs, the radio was turned off. Now they are both yelling and screaming for songs. (I am the sucker that gave them one more chance, because frankly I could not handle the screaming in my ears while I was driving.) Dumb move, should have stuck to my guns . . . no radio.

BATTLE 1: MY Car, MY radio . . . I would sacrifice my song preferences if you actually liked the damn Wiggles, but you don't. So, therefore, no songs.

We got to our destination and it was a fresh start. They were both excited to get out of the car and start our adventure. This adventure consisted of my oldest having a meltdown about me not buying her a black sequined, woman's size 10 ball gown for her first day of school outfit. Oh, and my youngest stole a pair of purple glitter pants off a clothing rack and stuffed them in her stroller. She made it all the way to the car with them before me noticing. Prying those horrid glitter pants from her grip and returning them to the store was definitely not a puppies and rainbows kind of moment.

BATTLE 2: I am not spending $95 dollars on a Michael Kors ballgown for your first day of preschool outfit. (Even if it was on the clearance rack.) Also, I don't condone stealing. (Even if you're too young to know better.)

Later in the week my mother came over for a visit and we decided to take another venture out shopping to get my oldest new school clothes since my last trip was pretty unsuccessful. This was great, two sets of eyes are always better than one especially when taking my youngest, "Sticky Fingers", out for a trip to the mall. This trip was not much better. As my mother and I were searching the racks for a specific size,  my three year old decided to pull on a rack of jackets causing the whole display to come crashing down. Luckily, she was not hurt and it was just a big mess to clean up. She helped me pick up the coats, and attempted to assist me in putting the rack back in place. When I asked her to please step back with Nana and let me do it, she purposely pulled another jacket off the rack . . . and down they came, again. Is this fun? Do I look like I'm having fun? No, time to go.

We pushed our luck with one more stop on the way home. A children's clothing store in a nearby plaza. I would not have stopped, but she really needed clothes and there was a huge sign outside that read "Labor Day Sale". Those four letters, S A L E are a stay at home mom's dream. Desperate for some new clothes, we ventured in. A perfect, kid friendly atmosphere with a large Lego table and puzzles set up in the middle of the store. As my kids played, my mother and I found a few good buys. Our trip was successful, and it was time to go home. Pulling my kids away from the Lego table that they were so happily playing at was (insert sarcasm here) *just peachy*. I asked my mother to grab a hold of my youngest and I'd take the 40 pounder. Charlotte went to my mother fairly easy, while Lanie was beyond furious to leave. She started in with a little fuss about not wanting to leave, when a kind sales associate came over and offered her a Mickey Mouse sticker. The woman left to get the sticker, and I said to Lanie "As soon as she comes back, it's time to go." The fuss turned to a full fledged temper tantrum, and I scooped her up kicking and screaming. She was yelling as we left the store. "I don't like it when you scoop me, I'm not ice cream."

BATTLE 3: If the sticker attempt actually worked, I would have been thrilled. Props to the sales associate for trying, but I kind of had a hunch that this would be the outcome . . . you throw a fit like that, you don't get a sticker.

PS. Thanks for the scooping ice cream idea. That's just what I had for dinner after you kids went to bed.

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Picking My Battles

Over time I've learned to pick my battles wisely. Because, let's be honest, there's the logical way of doing things, and then there is the toddler/kid way. It may not always be the same approach that you or I would take but if it works for them, then so be it.  Just this morning I found myself sitting at the kitchen table when my oldest was on the verge of a mini meltdown because I would not give her a fork to eat her cheerios with. My first thought was, I'm not getting up to get you a fork when you have a spoon right in front of you. Then I thought to myself, do I really want to go there right now?  Do I really want to start the day off with an argument about utensils? Heck, I'm happy she uses utensils and honestly what difference does it make if she uses a fork or spoon? I'd give her chop sticks if it actually meant she was going to eat what was in front of her. Needless to say, she ate a record breaking 3 bowls of cereal . . . with a fork.

The other day my husband and I were driving when we passed an area with cows. My youngest was in the backseat saying "Mooooo, Cow"  while my oldest glanced out the window and said "Oh wow! Look at all the elephants!" We laughed, and I said "No Lanie, those are actually cows." She said "No, they are elephants." The same thing happened later when we saw some deer in our backyard. Despite my telling her three times that they were deer, she insisted that they were kangaroos. I probably could have sat there for a half hour or more trying to convince her that they were deer and not kangaroos. Not worth the battle.

My kids have also changed the cats name to "Joe". Apparently he'll respond to anything, so it really doesn't matter I guess. I do remind them that his "real" name is Jasper. They don't seem to care, and neither does he. Whatever . . . I'm not going to argue about it.

There are battles that I will fight though. One is nap time.  My kids get up at the crack of dawn every day, and shortly after noon time it shows. One will go down without a fuss, while the other tends to be a bit of a challenge. She will "rest" in her room for about an hour. By "rest" I mean that I'm usually serenaded by various hits like Wheels On The Bus, Ring Around the Rosie, or anything by P!NK and Fun. As long as I can fit a shower in and she doesn't wake up her sister with her loud singing I don't really care. 

All the battles I pick to fight are worth the struggle. I just don't sweat the small stuff.

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