Archive for the ‘Parenthood’ Category
We went to a pet store!
Posted on: July 7, 2016
M is getting to an age where she wants a pet.
Unfortunately, M is allergic to cats and Hubby is allergic to dogs. I like animals, but I get really nervous having to hold them or take care of them. Malia likes lizards, but there is NO WAY I can be in the same room with one.
So…..
Fish! A pet fish is what we have to settle for.
We went to Petco in order to see all that we need to get a pet fish into our home. We went to Petco to see what fish were available and how much money we could be possibly spending.
After talking to the associate, he told us that a good starter pet fish would be a beta fish. After hearing that, we went to the beta fish section and looked at all the items we would need and all the different beta fish were available.
After looking to every possible thing we could about beta fish, the girls wanted to explore the store for other animals.
Birds. We found birds. The girls loved the birds. They loved listening to their tweeting. K loved tweeting back in response. It was so cute watching her just stare at the all the cute birds. I’m sure if I told them they could take a bird home, they would jump at the chance to have one.
So this is where we are….
We are at the “I want a pet” phase of life. It’s going to be interesting. I just hope she outgrows her cat allergy and pray that neither girl will develop a dog allergy!
M’s Summer Craft – Wind Chimes
Posted on: July 5, 2016
This year, M is working on some summer crafts. We went to Walmart and purchased art supplies. While browsing, we came across all the DIY craft kits and stumbled up on this wind chime kit.
It’s about $9.99 before taxes. Paint your own windchime. M really wanted it. I knew this would be a perfect project that I could take a few days to complete.
The kit comes with a wind chime already assembled. Paints, paint brushes, stickers and stencils come with the kit. There is also a paper with suggestions on how to paint the wind chime. We didn’t need those. M was going to paint it her own way.
The wind chime is currently a ‘work in progress.’ It’s been about two days worth of work so far and I’m expecting another two to three days more before it’s completed. She’s having a blast painting it and asks about it all the time.
Unfortunately, we usually have to wait for K to be napping for her to do this. If K was awake, all she’d want to do is get involved. It would be messy and a bit frustrating for M who just wants to take her time and do a good job. Thank goodness M is really understanding about waiting.
I can’t wait to show you the finished wind chime!
Monsters in my closet
Posted on: July 3, 2016
The girls love playing in my closet. They love hiding in my clothes.
M says she’s a shirt whenever she hides inside. K loves hiding around just like her sister.
That photo above? Well, they’re being shoes! Duh!
Thank goodness for a clean closet, right?
Little sisters
Posted on: July 1, 2016
Gotta love little sisters.
K adores M. There are times when K just watches whatever M is doing. She just observes her big sisters actions. Then suddenly, she’s trying to do the same thing.
It could be a small action. M was touching her tooth one morning. K was just observing. Suddenly, K starts touching her touching her tooth in the exact same way M was.
It could be big actions. M was jumping around and dancing to a song on the television. Without any hesitation, K got up, jumped and danced around like her sister.
K learned how to ‘freeze dance’ just by playing with her sister. We use the songs already loaded on our electronic keyboard. When I turn the volume all the way down, the dancers freeze. When the music comes back up, they dance. It’s so funny watching the girls ‘freeze dance’ because K usually follows whatever frozen pose M finds herself in. It’s very cute.
That picture above? That’s at Costco. M was leaning forward and kicking the shopping card behind her. It took K awhile to figure out how to drape herself over the cart handle. I had to show her to put her arms over to prevent her from hitting her head on the cart. However, once she got it, she was trying her best to get her little feet and legs to reach that back of the cart like her sister.
Gotta love little sisters!
Sharing is caring…
Posted on: June 30, 2016
First off, I can’t believe those are my kids! When did they get so old?
Secondly, when did I start dressing them all ‘matchy matchy?’ That was totally unintentional. (Confession: I ended up wearing a heather gray top that day too. It was completely coincidental.)
I can’t get over how sweet this picture is. We were about to leave to run some errands. I was gathering things to take out the door with me. K decided to distract herself with the iPad.
I was just about to tell them to go, when I witnessed this.
M was helping K with the ‘Alphabet with Elmo’ app. It’s currently K’s favorite. She loves the letters and loves the little videos that correspond to each letter. It’s a bit advanced for her because the app requires the child to trace the letter before unlocking the video. K tries her best, but at 18months, it’s not good enough to unlock the videos.
Big sister, M, to the rescue!
I love watching them work together. I love that they can share (sometimes!).
I just had to snap the picture and capture the moment before getting them out the door for the day.
It really is those small moments that make me so happy!
Sleep
Posted on: June 28, 2016
Summer is in full swing and bedtimes have flown out the window.
During the school year, M began her bedtime routine at about 8pm. By 9pm, all of us were in bed and the kids were usually sleeping.
That meant they woke up relatively early, even on the weekends.
Once summer hit, that routine just ended. Bedtime has started around 10pm, and there are times M won’t sleep until almost midnight!
It’s not like I wanted it to be that way.
We went on vacation to Las Vegas about two weeks ago (hence the blog silence), and bedtimes don’t really exist on vacation…
The one thing about late bedtimes means that the girls are sleeping in until about 9:30am now. It’s pretty nice. Sleeping in feels nice. It’s just that simple.
Honestly, I don’t like the super late bedtimes for the girls. I’ve been trying to get the bedtime routine started about 9:30pm, but she’s just not used to it yet. She’ll be in bed by 10pm. Then she’s tossing and turning until almost midnight!
She’s lucky that she gets to sleep in!
I’m hoping that I can start getting her on an earlier bedtime again.
But it’s summer! There is just too much to do!
Mani/Pedi
Posted on: June 15, 2016
Four years. Nine months. Eight days.
That’s how old M was when she got her first mani/pedi.
Yes. A real mani/pedi at a nail salon. She was in the big massage chair. She had her feet in the water. She had a nail tech pamper her.
Yes.
My baby girl.
She was so happy. The smile on her face was priceless.
She came out of the salon with blue finger and toenails. She had cute little flower nail art on her thumbs and big toes. She was so proud of them.
She told me after, “Mommy, I loved it!”
I’m glad.
I can’t wait until she’s truly old enough and mani/pedi dates could be a regular thing for us!
The beginning of summer vacation…
Posted on: June 14, 2016
We’re officially on summer vacation.
YAY!
I have to say that these first few days without school have been a bit weird for me. I keep waking up early thinking I have somewhere to go.
M, on the other hand, doesn’t even miss it! She’s been fine not having to really adhere to any schedule right now.
We haven’t been doing much. My parents came to visit for a few days after the graduation and we’ve just been lazy.
We’ve been giving our brains a break from the structure of the school day and the school year. We’re waking up when we want and we are doing things (or not doing things) without a schedule.
She’s been thriving. She’s feeling refreshed.
She’ll grab a coloring book and color. She’ll grab a piece of paper, some water colors, and she’ll paint. We’ll go outside, play with sidewalk chalk, and she’ll end up writing letters and words. She’ll draw shapes and pictures.
She’s implementing all the wonderful things she’s learned from this past school year and adding it to her ‘play’ time.
I love it!
As the summer progresses, I do have some educational activity books that I would like to see her play around with.
I’ll slowly reintroduce a scheduled quiet and focus time so that she is prepared for the academic environment again. I will work with her on some of the thing she needed to improve on based on her preschool teacher’s “end of the year” evaluation.
We’ll get into all of that as the summer progresses…
But for now, we’re just going to let loose and enjoy the free time.
As for K, I know she’s enjoying the fact that she isn’t constantly being strapped into a car seat and driven around all the time. She’s also enjoying the fact that her sister is around all day!
How do you usually spend your summer vacation? How lazy do you all yourselves to get?
Sidewalk chalk
Posted on: June 12, 2016
The girls’ latest obsession is sidewalk chalk.
For $1, I purchased a pack of 12 pieces at Target. I feel like ‘Super Mom’ because this chalk can keep them occupied for at least an hour, and I didn’t pay an excessive amount of money for it!
Yup, Super Mom.
The girls love it. The back yard concrete is full of colorful drawings and lines. It’s really brought our backyard to life!
The Target chalk is great. It gets the job done. It’s chalk.
However, I found an old pack of Crayola side walk chalk that we received as a party favor years ago. I brought that out to them for them to try.
Crayola chalk is vastly different than Target chalk.
Target chalk feels like, well, chalk. Crayola chalk has a creamer and smoother feel. It’s not a dry to touch.
Target chalk makes fainter lines on the concrete. Target chalk makes chalky lines. Crayola chalk makes darker, more pigmented, lines. The colors are more vibrant and noticeable. The chalk glides on the concrete in a creamier way.
But honestly, the kids don’t care. Chalk is chalk, no matter what the brand. They are having fun with both sets and can spend a whole afternoon out there playing and drawing.
I love watching them enjoy some time outside!
Personalities
Posted on: June 11, 2016
M – first born
She’s intense. She’s ‘in your face’ but in the super friendly way. She sees wants to be everyone’s friend the second she meets you. She doesn’t understand personal space because she just wants to be your best friend. She’s super sweet. She’s affectionate. She’s funny. She’s opinionated. She’s understanding and can ‘go with the flow’ in most circumstances. She’s articulate. She’s innocent. She never means anyone any harm. She can lose control because she gets so excited and happy about the smallest and simplest situations. She is a fun, but strong, personality.
K – the baby
She’s a bit quieter. She’s a bit more reserved. She can run and laugh with her sister, but you can tell she holds back a little bit more than M does. While M openly laughs loudly, K can be seen giggling demurely with her hand over her mouth. She’s a bit more cautious when it comes to other kids. She’s learning to be more friendly, but hasn’t gotten too close to people she doesn’t know. She’s opinionated. She’s strong willed. She’s a fighter. She won’t give in. She will make known when she is unhappy. She’s a little more serious. She shows affection on her terms and doesn’t like to be bothered with random hugs and kisses (especially when she’s in the middle of something). She’s the baby and it definitely shows.
I’m loving how their personalities are shaping and changing. I love the similarities. I love the differences. I love watching them interact and how their personalities affect how they play and deal with each other.
Living life in the carpool lane.. 