Finding The Corner Of Mom And Badass

Since becoming a mother I've struggled to find that perfect balance between Me and Mommy.  Well, not since becoming a mother, more like since month ten of motherhood, when I got tired of being a selfless, sleep-deprived, friendless walking zombie. At that point I started trying to figure out how to be true to myself AND be an awesome mother at the same time.

Finding the corner of mom and badass has been a process to say the least.

Hi Lady! Hi Man! HAHAHAHA, I Just Farted! Happy Birthday To You...

Oh how I love my filterless two-year-old. I am learning everyday that not only will my toddler repeat every word I say, sometimes he will repeat every word he knows in four minutes or less...

There is nothing more adorable than a toddler's voice and proud attempts at holding a conversation. My son's voice can melt my heart, and also embarrass the hell out of me while doing it. While I am so proud to say, in the last three weeks his word bank has tripled, it also means those embarrassing moments seem to be happening much more often. Thank goodness not everyone speaks toddler,  because if they did...

Lately, Ollie wants to address EVERY person we come in contact with. If it's a woman walking by, he waves and says, "Hi Lady!," and for the guys it's, "Hi Man." He even does the same for boys and girls. It's cute and all, but EVERY man, woman and child? Ugh. I'm torn at this point between teaching, "Stranger Danger," or just let him continue to be a cute outgoing kid a little while longer. Even if it does mean me either apologizing or having the, "What a cute kid...," convo with every person we pass. Every. Single. One.

Speaking of random convos... Being that we are in a new neighborhood, all of our super awesome neighbors keep coming by to introduce themselves, and you know who is right up in the mix... "Hi Man!" Then off he goes on a tangent about something that not even I can understand.  Of course, the new neighbor nods and smiles and sometimes even tries to talk back. Eventually, Ollie gets annoyed that we don't understand him, and stops talking.

Once the adult conversation carries on for more than two minutes, the wild toddler is immediately struck with a raging case of boredom. Meaning, he begins to entertain himself...  Usually, he starts by looking for dangerous or naughty things to do to win back my attention. If that fails, he returns to our conversation to start a new one, which usually involves him saying random words and singing random songs... NONSTOP.  I mean, he will carry on about anything and everything, including  pointing at random object and naming them, just to keep the attention on him. Bush, road--NO running in the road!- blue car, dog, door, sky, AIRPLANE!!!, mommy, Hi Lady, Hi Boy... A, B, C, D, E, F, G...

Ollie LOVES to sing.  LOVES IT! He sings all of the time. During a recent conversation with my neighbor, he looks over at Ollie, then back at me, and says, "Is he singing Happy Birthday To You?" I don't know why, but he sings it probably 20 times a day.  I told my neighbor that indeed he was singing it, and most likely because he is hoping a slice of birthday cake will materialize once he finishes singing.

The worst is when I am holding him during a conversation with someone, and he farts on me, or really even just thinks about doing it. Immediately, he laughs hysterically and announces what he has done. I would take a Happy Birthday marathon over that any day.  FYI: I have FTD to blame for that.  Potty humor is big business in my house.

I really love that my little one is talking up a storm, even if only three of the twenty words are understandable during any one tangent. I think learning to talk is such a magical time in a child's life, and I do all I can to encourage Ollie to do it. Yes, even if it embarrasses the hell out of me. I hear, "Enjoy it while it lasts...", all of the time, and I know this is one of those times for sure. And truth be told, I don't even mind that he accosts every person we pass, sings happy birthday to them, then farts on me or them while announcing it and laughing hysterically. Such is the toddler way... At least it is for mine.

Dear New Neighbors, I Promise Am A GREAT Mother.

I am just going to come out and say it, moving with a toddler SUCKS!  Doing renovations with a toddler REALLY sucks.  I feel like I am near tears pretty much all of the time, however, I am a mom, so I just keep smiling and trying my best...

I absolutely love my new house, and my neighbors, and my neighborhood for that matter, BUT, I feel like such an asshat mother right now. On our first day of major renovations, FTD and I had a priority list and were focused, we also had Ollie at our feet desperate for attention, and probably a little reassurance that everything was going to be OK in this new big house. So, what did FTD and I do? Our best. We tried to take turns looking after Ollie and playing with him in between projects. Still, it was a balancing act that left us both exhausted.

Being that Ollie is a very inquisitive kid, who has been locked up in a condo with no backyard all winter long, he is desperate to go outside and explore his new yard--front and back. I try to keep him close, but truth be told, that is near impossible, unless I CONSTANTLY reprimand him and chase him; something I have no desire to constantly do! I firmly believe that if I let him explore his new surroundings the newness will wear off and he will be content staying close to me.

To the outsider looking in, I am sure it looks like I am some super lazy/indifferent mother.  Well I'm not! Since being in that house, I have had to reprimand him more times than I want to admit, but in lieu of doing it in the front yard where everyone can see, I take him inside and talk to him. I am not a mom who is a spanker. I do implement time-outs on occasion, but I have found with my kid, he understands when I talk to him.  He's smart, he understands.  Does he always listen, no... but he is a TODDLER!!!  He is in constant test mode, so sometimes we have to have the same conversation a few times. Still, I do not think spanking or locking him in a room will do a better job of driving in my message.

Speaking of test mode, he is also desperate for attention. With all FTD and I are trying to do at the new house, I'm sure he is feeling left out. He is acting out more than normal, and not listening like he knows he should. I am trying to be patient, and remind myself that this too shall pass.  It just sucks to have it unfold in front of my neighbors. My new neighbors no less.  Ollie runs across yards and refuses to listen sometimes, so I have to chase after him, to which he thinks is a fabulous game. I on the other hand, want to cry.

This is him running across our front porch.
Seriously, the kid NEVER stops! 

I Just feel so lost lately with what to do.  I feel so torn between house projects and letting ollie runaround and play. I feel like I look like a terrible mother who lets her kid run wild and misbehave. I swear I am not.  I am just a first-time mother of a busy toddler, trying to figure it all out.

FTD and I have always let Ollie explore and learn. That's our parenting style. We talk to him like he is a grown-up and teach him consequences, and not through spankings. We try not to only say, NO! and nothing else.  If we say No, we explain why.  I don't want to shelter my kid in a room and control his every move.  I know kids like that, they eventually grow up and go wild.  I would rather my child be wild now and learn consequences at a young age, then do it in his teens.

Parenting is so freaking hard.  I try to find the humor in it as much as possible, and remind myself that the hard stages will pass... most likely for new ones, but none-the-less, they pass. My kid will soon stop running across the neighbors yard, and hopefully the neighbors will see that he is a good kid, and won't run out into the road. Hopefully, I will stop being so sensitive and caring what other people think. I know I am a good mom, and even though I make mistakes, I am still a very good and loving mom.

Oh how I miss the easy days...

For My Birthday My Husband Bought Me A 100-Year-Old House!

It's true, last Friday we FINALLY closed on the 1920's fixer-upper. After almost two months of stress and more stress, we were given a closing date, that just happened to be on my birthday!  What a gift, huh?

The former owner's key... 

Let it be known right now, I am a wanna be writer, and FTD works for a school that caters to children with 'learning difference,' so while our income is above the poverty line, it's not anywhere near six-figures... so, saying my husband bought me a house for my birthday, and meaning it, is CRAY CRAY!

It's just so unbelievable we own a house.  Three months ago we never dreamed it really possible, with my lack of gainful employment and FTD's limited credit and employment history in the States.  Not-to-mention, thanks to our different nationalities (I'm American, FTD is Australian), it feels like we have spent our time and money proving that we should get to stay together. We never really felt like we should put down roots anywhere since immigration could pull them up at anytime during the residency process. I still feel like he could be taken from us at anytime.  Seriously. When I was pregnant with Ollie, we had a routine interview with immigration to verify our marriage and proof of having a true relationship. 

When the interviewing officer looked through our ultrasound photos, marriage certificate and letters from friends, she said, "I need more proof."  
I looked at her with my best, go right to hell, face, and said," I am carrying his child!,"  
She replied with, "I don't know it's actually his."  

You all, I wanted to climb over that desk and unleash my wild pregnancy hormones on her ass.  Yes, I know she was just doing her job, but for f'k's sake!

Sorry, I digress,  Our new house...

We finally closed last Friday, on my birthday.

Magic!

The day was absolutely magical.

I kept finding myself so overwhelmed by emotions that I just kept breaking out into tears. I honestly did not think the day would come.  Between Adam not holding a permanent residency card, to me not having an income worth a damn, I was sure the bank would pull the plug. I had to keep giving them more and more history of payments, tax forms, the promise of Ollie's first born son... It seemed like every time I gave them something, they wanted three more things.  It was never ending... Then the appraiser insisted on things being fixed, and since we bought the house, "as-is," we had to make the repairs or give up the house! The LONG, incredibly invasive, process was absolutely insane! Then, last Monday, I got the email with the closing date confirmed.  SAWEEEET!! No more 800sft, one bathroom, third floor walk-up, with no backyard and a toddler to remind me of that EVERYDAY!

FTD opening the door to our new home for the first time.

My friends, FTD did it...  He carried my rather plump derrière across the threshold into our new home. It was SO AMAZING!!! After tears, hugs and kisses, we turned to look at our new house... a.k.a the fixer-upper.  Lawd have mercy, we have our work cut out for us! Luckily, we bought a new grill and plenty of beer to take the sting out...

In all seriousness, we have elected to stay in the shoebox walk-up for three weeks while we tackle the place.  From hideous wallpaper, to asbestos tiles, to FILTHY carpet in Ollie's room that is covering horrifying linoleum that appears to have been super gorilla slime glued onto the near 100-year-old wood-- that we still have no freaking idea what we are going to do about--to a mystery leak in the garage, to cast-iron pipes that are corroding... and a yard full of amazing plants and flowers that are being strangled to death by euonymus--LOTS and LOTS of euonymus. Did I mention that we LOVE THIS PLACE?

I spent a good part of Sunday HACKING away at the euonymus.
I felt like an archaeologist trying to unearth ancient bones the way I had to carefully cut around the poor plants being strangled by the evil weed.

On our first night, we did what any new home owners would do-- We (FTD) put together our new grill, then invited our new SUPER AMAZING neighbors over who have a two year old boy that Ollie already talks about non-stop, and drank beers and grilled out in our new backyard.  BLISS!  Freaking. Bliss.

Then... Saturday morning rolled around...

The time had finally come for the renovation madness to begin. I tackled the hideous wallpaper, while FTD began the process of figuring out the electrical system and measuring the floors and windows. Thankfully, the house is structurally sound, so even though it needs quite a bit of love, it's not going to fall on our heads while we fix it up.

I'm not gonna lie, I hugged the walls and even kissed one.  I was finally home, and madly in love with every square inch of it... Happy Birthday To Me!

Ready for some #RenovationMadness DIY Photos? Don't worry, I will tell you all about my adventures in peeling the wallpaper, and FTD laying the hardwood over the horrible asbestos tiles.  But, for now, I am SO SO SO exhausted from our first weekend dealing with the madness, photos will have to do.  But don't worry, no way would I not let you in on the details of the insanity renovations. I learned quite a bit about stripping wallpaper this weekend... 

That Wallpaper... 
And while I'm at it, that green paint! and those WRECKED blinds... No really, I LOVE this house!
FYI: If you put wallpaper in your home,
one day someone will say VERY VERY VERY bad things about you... 

I started in one corner and... yeah, it sucked!
Thanks again, Shay and Hannah, for pointing out that mirror looks like the mirror from the ring.
I locked it in the closet...

This Instagram pretty much sums up how bad removing wallpaper sucks...
To see regular updates on the renovations, follow me on Instagram...
http://instagram.com/firsttimemomanddad 
 

Bye-bye asbestos tiles!
As much as we wanted to remove them,
our bank account and time decided otherwise.
FTD laid a floating laminate floor over them instead while we figure it all out.  

Look how pretty my kitchen floor is!

I am SO pleased at how nice the color match is between the new floor and the 100 year old original wood floors are!
YAY, FTD!
As I type this, he is still at the house finishing up the breakfast room.
He is so awesome!!!!

And last, what about the little guy you ask?  He is already over the renovations and wants to move in, "NOW, Mommy!" 

That second chair is for his new best friend.
I am SO happy about this.
What a blessing to have a super Two across the street! 

Dear Mom, This Mother's Day I Want You To Know... #MothersDay

*This letter has been published in the book,  A Letter to My Mom. A book project that honors the powerful, loving, complicated, one-of-a-kind relationships we all have with our mothers. 

Dear Mom,

WOW.  Now that I am a mother myself, I have so much more appreciation, admiration and respect for you than I ever thought possible. 

I really don't know how you did it. As a fairly new mother, I find myself so overwhelmed at times with my one little guy, to think you had three! As I struggle to maintain my sanity through the 'terrible twos,' you did it three times. As I struggle to change my thousandth diaper blow out with out throwing up, you did it three thousand times. As I struggle through dinner time and bed time on nights I am exhausted, you did it every night for three children.  When I am so dog tired I cannot muster the strength to do anything, my husband steps in; you didn't have that luxury, you found the strength.

All alone you spent countless sleepless nights holding your children through illness, let downs and heartbreak. When the days were long and tiring, you still smiled through bath time and bedtime. When the money was tight, you still made sure your children didn't go to sleep on an empty stomach. All alone you worked tirelessly to provide the very best you could for your children. 

On this Mother's Day I think of you, and wonder what it must have been like every Mother's Day alone with three young children. When so many mothers were getting breakfast in bed, you were serving it. When so many mothers were being showered with gifts, you were providing for your children. I wonder if you knew back then just how much it would mean to your children now.  I wonder if you knew your unconditional love and strength would finally be noticed and appreciated. 

Mom, thank you. Thank you for holding me all of those nights I was sick or crying over a heartbreak. Thank you, mom, for standing by me when I made poor decisions and let you down.  Thank you, mom, for teaching me about unconditional love and tough love. Thank you, mom, for being the most amazing woman I know. 

I love you.

April 

It's Finally Here! Moving Day... oh wait... never mind...

It's here... moving day.

I am TOTALLY freaking out, stressed beyond belief, scared of this big step, worried about how Ollie and our cat, Professor, will make the transition, so far from packed and ready... But more than anything I am excited! Life is about the journey, not the fear of it...

Should I be sitting here typing away on this big day? No.

Am I procrastinating? Yes.

Is anything packed and ready for the movers? Not really.

Am I proud of this? No.

Is the new house ready? HA! Not even close.

Is Ollie's room ready? CHECK!

Sorry for the glare, more pictures soon.
After realizing restoring his floors would be WAY more than we could do right now, we put a no glue laminate on top until we could get up the nerve to undertake the refinishing .. But the paint and trim look really good!

Are any other rooms ready? Yeah... no.

Is FTD looking at me like, Get up and pack something?  Yep.

OK,  I am going to move now... Wish me luck!


UPDATE!  It's no longer moving day... We hired the national company Two Men And A Truck and After NUMEROUS issues on their end, including a rude mover, they refunded our deposit... I am SO Furious!!!  Ollie's bed is in pieces, his toys are in boxes and we are no longer moving... Buy a house they said... it will be fun they said...

Lice? Yuck. Ain't Nobody Got No Time For That.

Yesterday, when I picked up Ollie from his Mommy's Day out Program, I was informed that he was in a class with a little girl who had lice.  I was stunned.  Shocked into silence.  When the shock wore off, I felt like I had been punched in the stomach.  Lice?  People flees? My son might have them? OH HELL NO! (Clearly, I am a first-time mom.)

The director of the program said that the little girl got them at church, and that Ollie and the three other children that came in contact with her had been check, and all did not appear to have eggs or symptoms.  I put on my best, It's OK face, but I am sure it looked more like my, shit!, face.  Lice?  People flees?  I just couldn't get over it.  I honestly had not ever thought about Ollie getting them before.  I've aways worried about him catching colds and stomach flus at school, but lice?  Nope. The thought never crossed my mind.  I gathered up Ollie, and smiled and said it was OK, and off we went... to call the doctor STAT!


The whole ride home I was sure I was covered is lice.  I was scratching all over and could feel the things crawling on me.  Yes, I am that neurotic.  The minute we got home I called his pediatrician and explained the situation and asked for next steps. The nurse told me that since he did not share a hat or brush with the little girl, I should not be too worried, since lice cannot jump, but to keep an eye out for the eggs, aka nits, attached to the hair shaft at the scalp and base of the neck and behind the ears. The eggs can be yellow, white or brown--and hatch 1-2 weeks from being laid. GROSS! GROSS! GROSS! She said to also watch him for constant itching or a rash which is a reaction to bites and the Lice's saliva. Last, she said to calm down, lice will not kill him or scar him for life, only me freaking out will, and to call immediately if signs of lice occurred for treatment options. Per the nurses recommendations, I calmed down, but still wanted to throw up.

I checked Ollie's head, and when I felt sure I could see no signs of the nits, I put him down for his nap.  I called FTD to fill him in on the goings on and got an, "Eh, let's just shave his head. Problem solved." Did I mention that FTD works at a Kindergarten through 8th grade school for children with special 'learning differences,' so very little surprises him when it comes to children. And even less will get a rise out of him.  He was able to get me to realize that we have a kid, lice are normal run of the mill things, this kind of scare is going to happen ten more times before he goes to high school, so calm down and stop calling them, people flees. 

FTD is right... I spent an hour all huffy and puffy and ready to call in a HAZMAT team over something that may or may not amount to much of anything. I'd be lying if I said I was cool with it now, because I am not, I am still checking Ollie's head every twenty minutes and itching my own head every twenty seconds, but, I do see the error of my ways. Freaking out or not, this whole lice thing is going to run it's course.  I have just got to try to relax and let it work through and if nits show up, call the doc and deal. Full stop.

You know, as if day-to-day parenting is not hard enough... we have to have these stupid curve balls thrown at our heads from time-to-time too.  I know the curve ball hurts a whole lot worse when you make a big deal out of it before it even a big deal in the first place... but sometimes I forget when the curve ball is super gross and takes all kinds of work to deal with...

The One Thing All Parents Should Have... I know I wish I had one...

It astounds me that even after hours and hours...and hours, of pregnancy and parenting advice from friends, books and strangers, I was still grossly underprepared for what being a mother really entailed. I had no clue how hard it would be, or that my bundle of joy would rock the hell out of my joyful marriage. I was not prepared for the constant fear, worry and endless sleepless nights for one reason or another. Most of all, I had no clue how important it was to have a dependable person to watch my son periodically to save me from the nonstop 24/7 365 life of a parent.

                                         
The majority of the advice focused on parenting and how to rock my baby to sleep, change a diaper without getting peed on, ... not to make sure I ran from mommying a couple of times a month to maintain my sanity.  Not once did anyone tell me to make sure my husband and I had at least one date night a month to reconnect and decompress from parenthood, starting the very first month. Not once did anyone tell me how hard it would be to find that one person, so start looking early.

When it became apparent that we desperately needed a babysitter, I started asking around and quickly learned finding someone was not going to be cheap or easy. It turns out, if someone has a great babysitter they are apprehensive to share their name, or worse, every parent in the zip code has the sitter on speed dial. Another option I entertained was a nanny/babysitter services that has a large group of well screened and qualified sitters. The issue is that the service has a $50 minimum, which is astronomical when you are talking about looking after one kid for three or four hours! Plus, you are not even guaranteed to get the same sitter every time, so while the sitter is qualified on paper, their personality may not be right for your family. 

My son is two, and I am still looking for that one person. It's hard to leave your child with a stranger, or someone you do not know very well. Because of this, we have had to turn down numerous invites from friends and coworkers, and have all but alienated ourselves from our single or childless friends. This inability to find time to be alone together has also caused our relationship to suffer. We used to go out all of the time and have a blast.  Now we do our best to get out with a toddler in tow, which is not always easy, or fun.

Bottom line: EVERY parent needs a break and someone they can trust to give that to them. If you are an expectant or new parent, start looking for that one person you can depend on and trust right now, because you will need them.  If you are like me, and desperate for your third date night in two years, you are not alone, keep looking. We have two good options we are looking into now thanks to our new neighbors! For those of you who have family close by who will help, thank them and your lucky stars...

Happy Cinco De Mayo! Want Some Random Tasteless Cinco De Mayo Humor?

Cinco De Mayo represents victory in battle, democracy, pride and freedom.  It's a day for Mexicans and Mexican-Americans to rejoice and celebrate, but somehow along the way, us wild holiday lovin' Americans managed to turn it into a drunken taco eating fun fest! And of course with that comes tasteless humor and jokes! And you know me, ever ready to jump on the tasteless humor and joke bandwagon, so without further ado, the reason the crack to hell is opening up a little more for me today...

Credit: Huffington Post

And this would be the reason I do not touch Tequila

Good to know...

#Fact

10 Tips For A Super Awesome Mother's Day

With Mother's Day fast approaching, I thought I should drop a few hints and tips to help those dads and kids out there looking for free and easy ways to create the perfect Mother's Day. Below are 10 sure to please Mother's Day ideas...

1. Let mom sleep in! Who doesn't love a few extra minutes... or hours of sleep?

2. Breakfast in Bed is AMAZING, but so is cleaning up after it.  Don't leave it for mom to do!

3. The only thing better than a clean kitchen... A clean house! Give mom a break from Sunday chores and do them for her!

4. Clean your room! Dads... Kids... Clean up after yourselves ALL day.  Mom will LOVE it!

5. Kids... Get along! All day... NO fighting, bickering, bitch slapping, toy hogging, sand/rock throwing, TV show fighting...  Act like you actually love each other.

6. Dad... While I am sure you are perfectly agreeable and can find anything in the house you need, spend the day in a selfless state and also try actually looking for something first before asking... just saying...

7. Mothers... Yes, it is totally your day, but unfortunately, it's your own Mother's day and your Mother-in-law's day too, so should you have issues, do your best to smile through it... just like the kids, no bickering, bitch slapping or sand/rock throwing. This will make for a wonderful day for all mothers involved. If it becomes too much, write down the things you want to say and do, then on Monday... game on!

8. All moms love naps. If mom wants to take a nap, let her and maybe everyone else in the house take one too, that way she is sure to have a nice nap... one where Hot Wheels and Barbies are not shoved in her face with questions about if she is awake, or when is she going wake up, every five minutes.

9. If mom cleaned the house on Saturday, and there is no housework needed, don't screw it up! If the house is clean, leave it that way! No sticky fingers or Popsicles left to melt on the table.  Do not get food on the couch, floor, bed or dog. In fact, don't even eat one goldfish cracker on Mother's Day. Lift the seat, wash hands, and put things back where you found them. It's only for one day, surely you can make some sort of fun game out of not screwing the place up!

10. Of course mom wants to spend the day showered in love and presents, but maybe not staying attached to her the entire day would be nice too. If mom wants to run out for a mani/pedi, shopping trip or peace and quiet, let her go... alone! In fact, tell her she should go do that, so you can clean the house/keep it clean while she is away. Yep, send mom off for some alone time and clean the house/keep it clean while she is away, and I promise that will be the most perfect Mother's day gift EVER!  Don't forget the toilets...

Trying To Find The Humor in Parenting, Before Losing My Mind From It

I am always carrying on about how important it is to find humor in parenting, even when the moments strike where you are sure it is impossible. I am always carrying on about it because I still struggle with it, and need to constantly remind myself to relax and laugh. Thankfully, I am getting better at it...

Just yesterday, the crazy toddler struck again with an all day festival of cranky boy. It made the day very difficult to find those moments of parenting humor.  Between throwing himself on the floor because I wouldn't let him play with my phone, then crying the whole time that I was on a phone call, to running off before I could get him in the car, to throwing rocks on the playground... we both had our moments of ridiculous frustration. Thankfully, for some of those moments, I no longer cater to his silly behavior by either refusing to give him the attention or thing he wants, or just walking off until he is finished throwing a fit.

Still, some days I fall short and wish I had the mentality of parents of multiples. I see and talk to mothers of multiples who have gone through the toddler stage, at least once, who are so calm about those moments that I find myself crazed. I wish I could have that "whatever, he's fine," mentality of my been-there-done-that friends. I wish I could not be so fearful and crazed!

"Fearful" being the operative word. At least once everyday, I have that heart stopping moment when my son gets too close to the road, or runs off and doesn't stop when I say, STOP!, or takes a bite that is too big and coughs. I even still worry when my son takes a nap that last more than three hours that he is in a coma or something! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME???

Yesterday, while chasing Ollie all over the front yard to get him into the car, I saw my neighbors laughing at us. All I could do was wave, and feel like a complete idiot.  Here I am, 35 and chasing a 2-year-old around trying to reason with him... "If you don't get into that car, we are not going to the park!" then...  "Do you want some ice cream?  Then get into the car. Right now!"  The entire time, my son is having the time of his life!  Running and laughing, and positive that this game of chase is WAY better than ice cream at the park...

Yes, you should be laughing, of course I see the humor in it now... even if it is at my expense.

                                         
This whole parenting thing... What a blessing... and constant lesson about life and learning to not get so worked up about the small things...

Speaking of finding the humor in those difficult situations, in case you missed it, The Toddler Code of Conduct Part 2 is on the Huffington post.  So is Part 1 if you missed that... To read them, Click here!