I love it when things fall in your lap, especially good advice. Lately I have struggled with communicating successfully with my toddler. Thank goodness Parents magazine arrived.
The Toddler Dictionary - Tips on Communicating with Your Toddler
This article was just what I needed. Simple advice to help me communicate with M and remind me that he is just a toddler. Sometimes when I try to explain something to him, I get rather lengthy and I see his eyes roll back in his head. It can be hard to get the point across in just a few words. Self-teaching moment: learn to be a more concise communicator.
Another article I was wishing that the motherly goddesses would write involved simple stretches to ease everyday mommy ailments. After flipping through the pages of Parents, voila:
Feel-Good Moves for Moms
These stretches don't take too much time. I seldom get enough time to carve out for productive exercise, so I try to make the most out of household chores. This is perfect for me! Even M tried to do some of the stretches with me!
Not only is Parents magazine full of great advice and short articles, the Parents web site is just as resourceful! Happy reading fellow moms.
As always, feel free to reply with your own antics and great advice.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Making Lemonade Out Of Lemons
First, a great big thank you and a mwah goes out to all of my friends. You have been so supportive and encouraging as I have shared my frustrations and daily nuances of adjusting to a new place. Your kind words have meant so much--and you know who you are. You have helped to make each day a little brighter...and put a great song in my head:
"I get by with a little help from my friends."
-John Lennon
Click to hear the midi music file
“Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.”
-Anonymous
Who knew a social network would be so effective for mommies? Maybe it should be marketed for the baby blues. Being in a new state and knowing no one aside from my husband has made for some long and lonely days. Posting status updates and photos and receiving comments has made it all the less lonely. It's funny how I can feel lonely even though I have two little ones with me at all times. I just miss adult interactions and conversations and perhaps I long for some alone time. Fellow mommies out there: you know exactly what I mean!
"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."
-Anais Nin
"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being."
-Goethe
Alas, I try to look at the positives. At least D has a job. Our family is together. Although we don't get to spend much time together, I cherish each and every minute that we spend together. When I want to pull out my hair because my toddler is being a typical toddler, I put M in his crib and try to step back from the situation by reminding myself that he is only two. About that time, I look at m and he smiles or coos like only a baby does. It is all rewarding when M says "Mommy" or hugs me and says "I love you" or gives me his deep hardy laugh and a big smile! I'm just taking it one day at a time and continuing to make lemonade out of lemons.
"When life hands you lemons... squeeze them into some sweet iced tea and thank God you were born a Southern Girl!"
-Anonymous
"I get by with a little help from my friends."
-John Lennon
..Gotta love The Beatles!
“Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.”
-Anonymous
Who knew a social network would be so effective for mommies? Maybe it should be marketed for the baby blues. Being in a new state and knowing no one aside from my husband has made for some long and lonely days. Posting status updates and photos and receiving comments has made it all the less lonely. It's funny how I can feel lonely even though I have two little ones with me at all times. I just miss adult interactions and conversations and perhaps I long for some alone time. Fellow mommies out there: you know exactly what I mean!
"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."
-Anais Nin
"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being."
-Goethe
Alas, I try to look at the positives. At least D has a job. Our family is together. Although we don't get to spend much time together, I cherish each and every minute that we spend together. When I want to pull out my hair because my toddler is being a typical toddler, I put M in his crib and try to step back from the situation by reminding myself that he is only two. About that time, I look at m and he smiles or coos like only a baby does. It is all rewarding when M says "Mommy" or hugs me and says "I love you" or gives me his deep hardy laugh and a big smile! I'm just taking it one day at a time and continuing to make lemonade out of lemons.
"When life hands you lemons... squeeze them into some sweet iced tea and thank God you were born a Southern Girl!"
-Anonymous
Monday, February 21, 2011
Time-Out For Mommy
Do you ever have one of those days where your toddler will not listen? Or more like one of those weeks? This morning my son has only listened to about half of what I have said. This is probably better than most days, but also very hard for productivity.
"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want."
-Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes
I got him a snack (more like the other half of his breakfast) after he pushed a chair into the kitchen and tried to climb up to get it himself. I attempted to watch a show on TV for a change--if we aren't watching cartoons, my husband is choosing the program. Once I realized that M was doing everything possible to play loud and distract me, I gave up the notion that I might watch a TV program in its entirety. Then I gave him all of my attention and tried to work with him on numbers. We could not even get through zero! He subsequently began slamming our area heater into the wall. We are currently staying in a rental hoe, mind you, and I would like to keep repairs to a minimum. I them decided that a time-out in the crib was a necessity. Did I mention that at the same time I was carrying around m while he nursed?
"The time to relax is when you don't have time for it."
-Attributed to both Jim Goodwin and Sydney J. Harris
Time outs are for Mommy as much as they are for kids. I do not get much time to myself. Every now and again I get to shower alone (maybe once or twice a week), for usually my toddler climbs in and wants to bathe. I like to call my daily showers my spa time. It isn't really spa time when my child is lying in the tub and I am standing cramped on the other side. I used to enjoy drinking coffee while M played. Nowadays I am usually nursing m and M is climbing on me while I try to chug my coffee. Coffee has become fuel to me. I now drink it throughout the day. Generally it is decaffeinated because I am nursing a baby. Doesn't matter; I still enjoy coffee--regular or decaff. I no longer get to sleep through the night, for our now 11-week-old m continues to eat EVERY TWO HOURS around the clock! If I want to take a "relaxing" walk, I am either pushing a stroller (weigh ~70 lb) or carrying a child. To keep M out of trouble, I am usually carrying m around to nurse or to keep him from crying. To stay sane as a mother of two under three, I try to find joy in the little things in life.
"Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you."
-John De Paola
I really miss some of my former life in the Bluegrass. I miss having M in daycare two to three days per week. it gave me one-on-one time with m and we were starting to establish a decent daily routine. I miss not having almost everything in boxes. M had a playroom with all of his toys and books and it was a separate area that he could play. He had his own space and it was safe. I miss having great friends to stop by for conversation and adult time. I miss having a big yard for M to play. I miss mall walking with a designated play area for kids. I miss our dogs and cats. I miss not having a headache and neck/shoulder/back aches on a daily basis. I miss not being exhausted by 9 am. I miss my comfy bed. Overall, I miss structure and our old routines and am having trouble establishing new ones.
"Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths."
-Etty Hillesum
You've got your hands full! I cannot tell you how many times I hear this expression in a week. Here are a few more: "the first year is the hardest with two" and "they are only little once!" These expressions are reassuring, as they give a finiteness to my current situation, but every day is a struggle. I feel very alone in motherhood, living in a new state where I don't really know anyone but my husband. My husband works late almost every night and has been working on the weekends lately. I know that he wants to get his new job in order, but sometimes I think he just wants to be away from the kids and me. I love being a mother, but it is often very trying. When I hit the wall, I know it's time for a time out for Mommy!
"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want."
-Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes
I got him a snack (more like the other half of his breakfast) after he pushed a chair into the kitchen and tried to climb up to get it himself. I attempted to watch a show on TV for a change--if we aren't watching cartoons, my husband is choosing the program. Once I realized that M was doing everything possible to play loud and distract me, I gave up the notion that I might watch a TV program in its entirety. Then I gave him all of my attention and tried to work with him on numbers. We could not even get through zero! He subsequently began slamming our area heater into the wall. We are currently staying in a rental hoe, mind you, and I would like to keep repairs to a minimum. I them decided that a time-out in the crib was a necessity. Did I mention that at the same time I was carrying around m while he nursed?
"The time to relax is when you don't have time for it."
-Attributed to both Jim Goodwin and Sydney J. Harris
Time outs are for Mommy as much as they are for kids. I do not get much time to myself. Every now and again I get to shower alone (maybe once or twice a week), for usually my toddler climbs in and wants to bathe. I like to call my daily showers my spa time. It isn't really spa time when my child is lying in the tub and I am standing cramped on the other side. I used to enjoy drinking coffee while M played. Nowadays I am usually nursing m and M is climbing on me while I try to chug my coffee. Coffee has become fuel to me. I now drink it throughout the day. Generally it is decaffeinated because I am nursing a baby. Doesn't matter; I still enjoy coffee--regular or decaff. I no longer get to sleep through the night, for our now 11-week-old m continues to eat EVERY TWO HOURS around the clock! If I want to take a "relaxing" walk, I am either pushing a stroller (weigh ~70 lb) or carrying a child. To keep M out of trouble, I am usually carrying m around to nurse or to keep him from crying. To stay sane as a mother of two under three, I try to find joy in the little things in life.
"Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you."
-John De Paola
I really miss some of my former life in the Bluegrass. I miss having M in daycare two to three days per week. it gave me one-on-one time with m and we were starting to establish a decent daily routine. I miss not having almost everything in boxes. M had a playroom with all of his toys and books and it was a separate area that he could play. He had his own space and it was safe. I miss having great friends to stop by for conversation and adult time. I miss having a big yard for M to play. I miss mall walking with a designated play area for kids. I miss our dogs and cats. I miss not having a headache and neck/shoulder/back aches on a daily basis. I miss not being exhausted by 9 am. I miss my comfy bed. Overall, I miss structure and our old routines and am having trouble establishing new ones.
"Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths."
-Etty Hillesum
You've got your hands full! I cannot tell you how many times I hear this expression in a week. Here are a few more: "the first year is the hardest with two" and "they are only little once!" These expressions are reassuring, as they give a finiteness to my current situation, but every day is a struggle. I feel very alone in motherhood, living in a new state where I don't really know anyone but my husband. My husband works late almost every night and has been working on the weekends lately. I know that he wants to get his new job in order, but sometimes I think he just wants to be away from the kids and me. I love being a mother, but it is often very trying. When I hit the wall, I know it's time for a time out for Mommy!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Southern Hospitality
Growing up in the South, southern hospitality has always been second nature. I smile at strangers, wave at neighbors, open the door for people, and try to have a generally nice disposition. Moving to the North had me a bit concerned that my new neighbors might not be so friendly. I was especially concerned after visiting Boston for a conference and having the cab my friends and I hailed stolen by some locals! Bad Bean Town reps, bad, bad, bad!
“Because I was born in the South, I’m a Southerner. If I had been born in the North, the West or the Central Plains, I would be just a human being.”
–Clyde Edgerton
“Southern women see no contradiction in mixing strength with gentleness.”
–Sharon McKern
Upon being here a few weeks, I have discovered Cape Cod hospitality. The people here are a different breed: not as course as Bostonians, but rather very welcoming. I don't know if it's because I always have a kid or two with me, but it doesn't hurt. I like friendly people. Mean people suck, right?
For all you Cape Codders out there: thanks for being so kind and welcoming!
“Because I was born in the South, I’m a Southerner. If I had been born in the North, the West or the Central Plains, I would be just a human being.”
–Clyde Edgerton
“Southern women see no contradiction in mixing strength with gentleness.”
–Sharon McKern
Upon being here a few weeks, I have discovered Cape Cod hospitality. The people here are a different breed: not as course as Bostonians, but rather very welcoming. I don't know if it's because I always have a kid or two with me, but it doesn't hurt. I like friendly people. Mean people suck, right?
For all you Cape Codders out there: thanks for being so kind and welcoming!
Welcome
As promised, I have created a blog to share my family's adventures in the Cape. Moving from the Bluegrass state to the Bay state has been a moderate adjustment so far, especially in the cold of winter! It will take some time to acclimate to our new surroundings, but we will get there together.
We relocated to Cape Cod because my husband was offered a job here. We left behind a beautiful custom-built home on almost six acres. We also kenneled our pets: two cats and two dogs. We are renting a furnished home until our house sells. So right now our life is in boxes--in more ways than one!
I hope you enjoy the posts. This is a way for me to stay connected to family and friends in the Bluegrass. Please feel free to leave comments. Happy reading!
We relocated to Cape Cod because my husband was offered a job here. We left behind a beautiful custom-built home on almost six acres. We also kenneled our pets: two cats and two dogs. We are renting a furnished home until our house sells. So right now our life is in boxes--in more ways than one!
I hope you enjoy the posts. This is a way for me to stay connected to family and friends in the Bluegrass. Please feel free to leave comments. Happy reading!
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