Today I am making changes.

I can no longer be all, DO ALL, get it done Mommy.

It is too much and driving me back into a depression. I am going to sit down and write things that need to be done and delegate them out. You know like UNLOAD THE DISHWASHER every time they are clean, CLEAN UP YOUR OWN ROOM, PICK UP after yourself (IE: YOUR clothes, YOUR stuff and anything else that is YOURS and not where it belongs, dust and other various chores. My kids used to very helpful when I had a chore chart for them. Now when I ask H to help her excuse is always homework. B2 will help but WHINE while doing it. Lil O is my biggest helper EXCEPT when it comes to picking up her OWN toys. She will set the table and even try to dust but you ask her to pick up her OWN toys and she ignores you. Superdad helps but mostly when he is asked.I know he works a job M-F BUT I can honestly say my job is more physical hand on wear you down work.

For moms it's about "how much can I multitask?'.

Well, no more!!

Usually in the morning I do a run through of all the rooms. Pick up and tidy the bed type thing. Now B2 is good at doing this himself before school. He makes the bed and such all by his 10 year old self. That's my boy-scout!

Now hormonal teen is another story. OMG, chaos is what I call her room. SO this morning I walked out my bedroom door and looked to the right to see hers and you know what I do??

SHUT THE DOOR AND WALKED AWAY!!!!!

Change is hard but it had to be done. IT had to be done for me. That's life and now I am going to live mine a bit more for me instead of be a slave to housework.

PS. No one ever has to pick up after me. :)

Man, I had a rough night and I fear it only gets worse.

After posting a blog about my beautiful caring teenage daughter with the world at her feet....blah blah blah

All hell broke lose.

MySpace SUCKS and I would totally delete it BUT I have reconnected with some great people from high school that way. It's the only way for me to email them or just send them a comment. Soooo, hormonal teen wanted a MySpace for her own. I understood that. Everyone has an account these days and it is a way to socialize with her peers from school besides HOGGING the phone.

So after much thought, blood, sweat and tears I helped her make an account. Under an alias of course and she used one of MY email addresses. I also had to know the password and she wasn't allowed to change it. She knew I had free range of her account and WOULD be dropping in from time to time to read her email and look around. I am a responsible parent and those were the rules to have the account. Live with them or DON'T get the account. I don't care. It only adds more work for me to begin with.

Last week she had some trouble with a boy, I'll call him twit #2. They were "going out" and such even though he didn't even go to her school. blah blah blah She broke up with him. He got mad and called her NAMES. BAD NAMES. Such big words for someone so young. WHERE THE HELL ARE THESE KIDS PARENTS WITH THEIR BARS OF SOAP?!?!? So, she ended up taking him off her friends list and making him unable to see her profile. That was also a rule, the profile was to be kept private and she wasn't allowed to post any pictures of herself showing off her girls parts of flashing stupid gang signs. ~eyeroll~ So she used various icons as her picture which suited me just fine.

Okay, so last week I get an email saying
"Iam a vanerial diseas like a minstro i bleed! accepted your friend request".

HUH is what I was thinking. So I was irritated already. Since she has gotten MySpace it has only caused grief. I hate MYSPACE. I hope it crashes. After I get email addresses and phone numbers from high school friends first!!!

Last night I wasn't looking for a fight or wanting to cause an argument. I just simply stated to the hormonal teen that I wanted her to clean up her friends on MySpace. I told her, "I want you to pretend your computer is sitting in the middle of your church and your pastor is looking over your shoulder. Who would you be embarrassed by him seeing then DELETE that person." I wasn't asking her to cut her hair off and become a nun. Seriously. I just wanted to her clean up the people that didn't need to be on there. This is where it all went wrong. She screamed. She cried. She screamed some more. She stomped. She slammed doors. She woke up the babies. She screamed some more. Then she gets on the floor, rocking all balled up saying that she wanted her daddy. I said, "He's on his way here so you can have him when he gets here."

He got here and took hormonal teen outside and they talked for about an hour. Maybe a bit more.

I am a responsible parent and I will do whatever it takes to make sure hormonal teen stays grounded and not sucked into crap. She will graduate HS in 4 years and then go to college. SHE will have the world at her feet and I will do everything in my power so she doesn't screw that up! PERIOD!

She came back inside and apologized to me and her step dad. She was back to my old H. The possessed demon had left her body and she was my loving teenager again. I hate hormones and I hate MYSPACE!!!

I want to set a good example.

Last night I was speaking to B1. ~I think I will start to call him My Man or Mr. Supermom. Hmmm~ I was talking about how I read these other things/blogs that use a LOT of bad words. Not that it is a bad thing BUT I know for a fact my oldest daughter, who is 14, reads my blog. She tells me. "Hey, I read your blog today." I want to set an example of the woman I am and the woman she will want to be. Kids are very observant and will act the way you act. So if you are more likely to cuss every other word chances are so will your children.

I am not saying this to scold anyone, I just know how it makes me feel and I cringe when I think about younger people reading it. My daughter is a wonderful young lady with the world at her feet. I want her to have every opportunity at life. Travel. Enjoy everything. Get a nice job. Someday marry and have babies of her own. 10 YEARS FROM NOW!! :)

Let me add that I am no saint. I have been known to let my mouth get dirty. For some reason when you step on a small toy it is comforting to growl "OH SHIT!". You know what I mean? For some people a band aide makes it better for me it is those 2 words above.

Okay, off my soap box as they say.

My plans for the weekend. Work on Kid Friendly Asheville . Grocery shop. The menu for the week:

Chicken Quesadillas w/homemade guacamole.
Quiches w/salad.
Pasta w/chicken.
Fried Rice.
Salmon Loaf
Veggie Night. Squash, sweet potatoes and corn.

So, in the morning we are going to hit the tail-gate market and Earth Fare for my weekly grocery shopping. Exciting huh?

Okay, I am off to listen to BANG BANG BANG BANG all day.

Oh oh oh!! My great aunt K turns 80 TODAY!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT K!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Company is in town and we are celebrating tonight!!!!!

Free Range Kids Part 2

I'd like to thank everyone that responded to the subject yesterday. I am going to post the your comments and then respond to each one.

Jennifer J said...
Kids have to have freedom, yes, but the world is a lot different than when we were kids! I am 33 and we could go out and play in the neighborhood until the street lights came on and nobody bothered us. These days you let your kids go out and they may not come back.

There are so many loons and killers out there that free range childhood is a bit impractical.

Plus, our neighborhoods are so disconnected these days. Every body's mom looked after everybody else's kids. We could all play from house to house and be safe. It's just not that way anymore. So I agree with you.

I totally understand and agree with you Jennifer. I am 34 and remember running around like it was yesterday. Things have changed no matter what anyone else says. Maybe the news has made us more aware. I see that as a good thing.

Mary said...
I'm a very middle of the road person and can see things both ways. I am extremely cautious with my kids and sometimes wonder if I'm a bit too overprotective. I do remember spending countless hours playing with friends until dark, and I will let my kids go out to play. But only in the front yard and right in front of our home. It's kind of sad that it has to be this way, but it also provides opportunity for parent-child interaction that we may not have had so much as children.

Mary, I bet you aren't too overprotective. We want what is best for of children. What could be wrong with that?

Katie said...
I grew up in 2 towns (divorced parents) and one was a city... I took the public bus to the mall when I was 11 with my friends... we walked all over town... went to the playground until the streetlights came one then had to be home within "5 minutes of the time the light comes on"... in the town my Dad lived in we walked all over the neighborhood... spent hours riding our bikes to the store that was 2 miles away.... I live in that town now with my children... its a Town... pretty small... our biggest nod towards development, is a McDonald's.

Although I wouldn't allow a 9 year old to take a subway alone... I do allow my older kids (12,14, & 16) to basically go anywhere in town... as long as I know where they are going... they need to call me to let me know they arrived, if they leave that area, to go elsewhere, they are required to call me and inform me of any changes. I have spies everywhere... and I am a spy too... everyone knows everyone elses kids... so if I mention I saw Kayla walking down High Street... and her mom thought she was on Spring Street... Oopsie.

My 6 and 3 year old are allowed to play in the yard... they have gone for walks across the street around the cranberry bogs(we have a nature reserve across the street) with the older kids... but I think they still have several years ahead of them before they get to take off to a friend's house on their own. I know that at 8 years old I would cross a main road to walk 1/4 of a mile to a playground... but I think I'll wait until my kids are at least 10 before they can go anywhere (within the neighborhood) without me walking them there.

Our bus stop is right in front of our house... so I'm going be lenient and let them wait at the bus stop alone ... (besides... I can see them out the window)

Katie, it is really great that you have that community awareness with other adults looking after these kids. I live in a bigger town where you really do not know your neighbors. Also, we live in a tourist town, which means lots of different people that aren't from around here browsing around. xoxox

Dr. Engine said...
Your reaction to the article and FRK underlies the entire point of the article and FRK. You're pulling out anecdotal evidence of a few kids abducted and killed, ignoring the MILLIONS of children who wandered the streets that day and arrived home safely.

Having said that, I think there's a balance that needs to be struck. I would have tailed my 9-year-old the first few times just to make sure he could get home and didn't get spooked. But otherwise I applaud that woman's efforts to raise an independent, confident person who's not bogged by fears they read or see on news reports.

I'm 33, and was raised by a very fearful mother, who saw kidnappers in every white van that rode down the street. It made me fearful, and not only of kidnappers, but of the world in general. That fearfulness, I believe, has hindered me from experiencing some of the opportunities I might have otherwise seized upon, such as the opportunity to study journalism in Prague when I was 18.

I think we need to expect more of our children, and they'll rise to the challenge.

Yes, I know we never hear about the millions that make it home every day. I as a parent worry about so much as it is with my children. My daughter started high school a few weeks ago. There are things I cannot control with that however, I am able to make sure they aren't roaming the streets unsupervised. It really depends on each individual child. There is a middle in this. I agree it comes with your child getting older and being able to make wise decisions.

Janine said...
I live in South Africa, which I think in terms of risks is fairly similar to New York. I would NEVER let my almost-9 year old go alone on a train or a bus. He's not even allowed to walk to the corner shop alone. Just too many what-ifs.

I agree. I am afraid I tend to think about "what-ifs" too many times.

Katie Mae said...
I started writing my comment but it got to be book-length and I wasn't even half-way done!

I'm gonna take your topic and post a blog on it myself :) It's interesting stuff!

I am very pro-free-kid-range LOL! I feel it helps children in lots of ways, such as being independent, stronger decision makers and helps them with creative thinking/playing.

The safety aspect is what REALLY turns me more toward free-range! The chances of something bad happening to my children while they walk to the store 7 blocks away are as great as someone breaking into my home in the middle of the night and taking/harming them. Being free-range has made them much more aware of their surroundings and they have taken in the precautions to take... ie. look both ways before crossing the street, Stranger Danger techniques, stay hydrated, know our name and number in case of an emergency bla bla bla.


WKRP, I left you a comment yesterday basically saying my kids are able to make decisions for themselves and they are very independent. They just aren't out walking on the streets alone. xoxox


Jaime said...
Unfortunately we no longer live in a world where it is safe to allow kids to just be kids while roaming free. There are too many whack jobs out there.

I totally agree with you.

Thank you for the comment. I AGREE WITH YOU as well. :)

Kelby said...
I'm sorry, but I used to be a police reporter. I've written about even older kids, kids who should be smarter, getting abducted, raped and killed. Frankly, we are all lucky we made it when I think about just how free range we were... You shouldn't hover over your children constantly. They do need to learn some degree of independence and self-confidence. You ARE, however, responsible for their safety and well-being. In this day and age, letting a child roam free is flat-out irresponsible and dangerous.


Kelby, I want to repeat something you said above because this is how I exactly feel. You ARE, however, responsible for their safety and well-being. In this day and age, letting a child roam free is flat-out irresponsible and dangerous.


Shari said...
At 36, I am also old enough to remember "going out to play" myself, walking around the neighborhood, visiting friends and playing, sometimes close to a mile away from home. There was no such thing as a "play date". In hind sight, the care free days of childhood blinded me to all the "what ifs" mentioned before. In hind sight, my parents had NO IDEA where I actually was at times. As someone who is about to become a parent for the first time now, I am horrified by that thought. Yes, a middle of the road needs to be reached, and yes, it depends on the individual child, but what it boils down to is: this is a different world than it was 25 or 30 years ago. It is a much scarier place, and that is sad.

That's my 2Cents - Shari

Thank you Shari!!! I am glad you posted your 2cents.

cj said...
I think it was last week when I had seen this story on the Penn & Teller's Bull&hit show. I have to admit that I was in the "are you kidding me?" crowd. Free Range Kids are way out on the crazy limb of the spectrum for me. On the other hand, I can also see some of the "stranger danger" stuff being equally as crazy on the far end of the spectrum. What works for one family won't work for another..... like the woman across the street from me who leaves her 2 year old in the house while she walks 3 blocks to the bus stop with her two other kids. For me - somewhere in the middle of the spectrum makes sense to me.


CJ, I agree with you. What may be good for family may not be for another. We have to find a happy medium as they say. Thank you for the comment. BTW, I'd never leave a 2 year old to walk 3 freaking blocks. That says STUPIDITY all over it!!!!!


Tina Williams said...
Ok...I have four daughters and the only thing free range in my world will be some eggs and occasionally some chicken! I a 44 and both a New Mom and an Old Mom with my girls being 2,11,12 and 13. I absolutely remember the days that our parents sent us out a first light, put out some PB&J and Koolaide for lunch and didn't see us again till the street lights went out.

We do not live in that world!

My kids do have freedom to a point. One thing we have taught them that I don't think we were so aware of is to be aware of our surroundings.

My older girls have taken basic self defense classes. They also have been taught to trust their instincts. If someone or something doesn't feel right get away.

I agree with you 150%. Having been heavily involved in Girl Scouts, my church, my school and several sports as a volunteer leader or coach I can't tell you how many parents live by this "free range" philosophy out of sheer laziness!

Bottom line you don't get a second chance with your child...protect them without smothering them.

Teach them to be safe themselves.

Great post!

Tina, thank you for your comment. I also agree kids have to have freedom to a CERTAIN point!!!! There is no second chance.


Monkey's Momma said...
I am 39. When I was a kid, it was nothing to spend all day long playing outside with my friends. We lived in a small rural area. We biked, skateboarded, built forts, etc.

Not to shock you, but outside was safer for me than inside because my step-dad was a pedophile. I wanted my friends as far away from him as possible (and myself too).

Now, the outside world is unsafe too. My five year old son will NEVER be free range. I live about 30 miles from where Shawn Hornbeck, the Missouri Miracle, was abducted (Google it). I have seen what his parents have been through, and I would not wish that on anyone. He was a free range kid because his parents were trusting, as all the other parents in their community were.

We must remember: Child molesters are everywhere. You probably know one. You just don't know it. It is our job to protect our children. It only takes one incident to change our child's life forever.

First, let me give you a great big hug. ((((((MM))))))) Thank you for opening up and commenting on something you know all about. I remember when that young man was found. It broke my heart. I would hate for my child's innocence to be taken away, when I could have helped prevent it.


Dr. Engine said...
And as a spin-off to this conversation, my wife and I were discussing the double-standard that we both embraced when we talked about this blog. I would tail my 9-year-old boy on the subway (and I live in NYC, by the way, it's not that dangerous). But I probably wouldn't let my daughter ride the subway alone until she was 13 or so. For the record, I have no children. But do you find that double standard as well...letting your boys do things you'd never let your girls? Curious about that.

There is a double standard with sons and daughters, I am sure. My son is 10 and I still won't let him do certain things. Let him be a child for as long as he can because once he becomes an adult, he can never go back to playing and being a child. Thank you for bringing that up.

Anonymous said...
Our family is suffering while I type, as a result of "free range kid" parenting. The truth is...all children are different.
Here are my truths.

1)all children are different. We have leaders followers, hyper, docile. Each personality impacting AND taking impact from their world differently. Our oldest son, when he was 14(of course never 9!) could make good decisions even above maturity level for his age. He's a big guy and walked confident. He's a true leader and much less likely to become an abductee or be solicited by a harmful person. Our 2nd son...well...just put him in a room with other kids, and no matter what they're doing,good or bad, if it looks fun or generates excitement he's gonna get involved on some level. Both kids raised with the same standards and values(set high by the way)

2)You can deny it if you want, but it IS a different world than 25 yrs ago. Yet 25 yrs ago, even in my neighborhood a little girl was abducted on her way home from school. I will never forget the pastor of our church crying and telling all of us that they found Melonie's little body. Melenie was raped and killed. Hollywood, Florida.33023. Look it up. Adam Walsh was also from Hollywood, Florida. Same zip code. Look it up... and yes...when I was 9 years old on pembroke road, walking back from Pic'n'Pay grocery, a man pulled over and grabbed my arm trying to force me in the car with him. Thank GOD IN HEAVEN another man saw and stopped his car and confronted the "would be abductor" who jumped in his car and sped off. So there you have 3 incidences in one neighborhood. Please don't minimize what has happened to these children by putting them into a statistic and don't set the value of protecting today's child according to statistics. Set the value according to your love for them. Every child of all age deserves age appropriate supervision and protection. Every parent owes it to their child to become educated on what is the safest and wisest way to protect their child. What are the real dangers? Have you looked at the National list of registered Pedophiles to see how many live near you? I'll bet you'll find at least 2 between most of your homes and children's schools. I would be interested in hearing all the damage that parents caused their children once grown because of the protection and supervision they gave. Not including the cop-out excuses of blaming their parents for their college drug days and wild oat sewing because their parents were too strict. Just about everyone goes thru the wild "I'm finally free" stage no matter how they were raised.

3)Finally, Why in today's society does everything have to be extreme one way or the other? After reading "Free Range Kids" I was shocked at the insulting tone that was directed at parents who love and protect their children. When you understand the value of something you want to protect it and keep it safe. Children are a valuable treasure. Boundaries are not always comfortable, but they keep us ALL safe every day. Those boundaries are a reminder that our life is valuable and important. I'd rather send THAT message to my child while they are young. The "I trust You message" comes as they EARN and GAIN the trust. Their learning Independence comes with the territory a little at a time. Since when does a bird push a chick out of the nest before the feathers are grown? Since when does a bird hold and not allow a maturing chick to spread it's wings. You see? There doesn't have to be extremes. Since I mentioned "messages" we send to our children. Parental involvement at all ages sends a wonderful message to kids. They will definitely let you know when it's too much and when it's time to reevaluate the level of involvement and in which activities it is necessary. Here is where I notice parents making some of the biggest mistakes. There kids become adolescents and want freedom and are not afraid to challenge, manipulate, and fight for that freedom. Mysteriously suddenly, the "parent first, friend second" role becomes revered and parents become afraid to say "no" because they may have to accept a challenge, or actually explain , "I do trust you and you will continue to have many opportunities to be trusted, but I am the parent/adult and I possess grown up judgement. No. You can not spend the night over your boyfriends house who I found out smokes marijuana and I haven't even met his parents."

It is acceptable to protect, loosen leashes, permit flying solo etc. All in due time.
Just make sure you really know the challenges that could face your young one, that you have equipted them to face the challenge, and finally that they personally are able and skilled enough to take the challenge. Not all are.

"Free Range"
comparing our children to animals for slaughter. Hmmmm.


Thank you so much for commenting on the subject!!! I hope that all my readers take the time to read your post! It was awesome and very honest.

I think we should let our kids be kids for as long as they can. They eventually become adults and will have all sorts of responsibilities. Let them play and have fun. There is a happy medium, as we have mentioned before.


Anonymous said...

http://amberalerts.globalincidentmap.com/home.php

this link says it all


Wow, never knew this existed. Thank you for sharing. Pretty scary when you take a look.


Brenda Jean said...
I grew up in the country on a farm, my husband grew up in the inner city. I wasn't allowed to "free range" except on our own property. My husband pretty much was allowed to roam with his brother and cousins. We both think this "free range" kids thing is full of crap. He looks back and thinks "Man, that was stupid." and he wanted a different life for our kids. We have friends and relatives who think we are overprotective at times. So what? All it takes is ONE incident, ONE second and ONE accident to change your family forever. I think we can be protective but still allow freedom, imagination and growth within safe boundaries.


Brenda, thank you for your comment. I am going to repeat something you said because it is RIGHT ON!!!

All it takes is ONE incident, ONE second and ONE accident to change your family forever. I think we can be protective but still allow freedom, imagination and growth within safe boundaries.


The main point we have as parents is to protect our children. Teach them and help them grow. Being a little strict is needed to have a strong foundation.
Thanks to everyone that left a comment. I look forward to hearing from you all again.

Preparation for Parenthood.

Preparation for parenthood…

It’s not just a matter of reading books and decorating the nursery. Here are 12 simple tests for expectant parents to take to prepare themselves for the real-life experience of being a mother or father.

1. Women: To prepare for maternity, put on a dressing gown and stick a pillowcase filled with beans down the front. Leave it there for 9 months. After 9 months, take out 10% of the beans.Men: To prepare for paternity, go to the local drug store, tip the contents of your wallet on the counter, and tell the pharmacist to help himself. Then go to the supermarket. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office. Go home. Pick up the paper. Read it for the last time.

2. Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who are already parents and berate them about their methods of discipline, lack of patience, appallingly low tolerance levels, and how they have allowed their children to run wild. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child’s sleeping habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior. Enjoy it — it’ll be the last time in your life that you will have all the answers.

3. To discover how the nights will feel, walk around the living room from 5 pm to 10 pm carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious noise) playing loudly. At 10 pm, put the bag down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1 am. Put the alarm on for 3 am. As you can’t get back to sleep, get up at 2 am and make a drink. Go to bed at 2:45 am. Get up again at 3 am when the alarm goes off. Sing songs in the dark until 4 am. Put the alarm on for 5 am. Get up. Make breakfast. Keep this up for 5 years. Look cheerful.

4. Can you stand the mess children make? To find out, first smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer. Stick your fingers in the flower beds, then rub them on the clean walls. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

5. Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems: first buy an octopus and a bag made out of loose mesh. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out. Time allowed for this: all morning.

6. Take an egg carton, using a pair of scissors and a pot of paint, turn it into an alligator. Now take the tube from a roll of toilet paper. Using only Scotch tape and a piece of foil, turn it into an attractive Christmas candle. Last, take a milk carton, a ping pong ball, and an empty packet of Cocoa Pops and make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower. Congratulations! You have just qualified for a place on the play group committee.

7. Forget the BMW and buy a station wagon. And don’t think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don’t look like that. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there. Get a dime. Stick it in the cassette player. Take a family-size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seats. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car. There. Perfect.

8. Get ready to go out. Wait outside the bathroom for half an hour. Go out the front door. Come in again. Go out. Come back in. Go out again. Walk down the front path. Walk back up it. Walk down it again. Walk very slowly down the road for 5 minutes. Stop to inspect minutely every cigarette butt, piece of used chewing gum, dirty tissue, and dead insect along the way. Retrace your steps. Scream that you’ve had as much as you can stand until the neighbors come out and stare at you. Give up and go back into the house. You are now just about ready to try taking a small child for a walk.

9. Always repeat everything you say at least five times.

10. Go to your local supermarket. Take with you the nearest thing you can find to a preschool child — a fully-grown goat is excellent. If you intend to have more than one child, take more than one goat. Buy your week’s groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goats eat or destroy. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

11. Hollow out a melon. Make a small hole in the side. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone. Tip the rest into your lap, making sure a lot of it falls on the floor. You are now ready to feed a 12-month-old baby.

12. Learn the names of every character from Spongebob Squarepants, Barney, and The Backyardigans.

When you find yourself singing “I Love You” at work, you finally qualify as a parent.

Sleeping Like A Baby My Butt...

Who started this phrase anyway??

Because apparently they haven't met or heard about my fourth child. Baby M. I would never say I want to sleep like her. More like NOT sleep like her.

She is 13 weeks old and not really a sound sleeper. It's odd. I can vacuum in the room right beside her crib and it not even make her flinch. BUT someone can whisper across the house in a room with the door shut and it will wake her up!!!!

THAT IS JUST WRONG!!! WRONG!! WRONG!

For me to actually be able to do things around the house instead of sit on the couch/bed and hold her as she sleeps I have to use my wrap. She will just sleep in that. I sometimes wish I could do something like that. All snuggled up to my mamaw asleep as she rubs my back. Now that would be a good nights sleep for sure.

Baby M fell asleep in the swing for the first time this past week. I thought, "THIS IS HEAVEN!".



Sooo, for me, instead of saying, "I wish I could sleep like a baby".

I will say, "I wish I could sleep like a man after a Thanksgiving meal." Or any meal at that on a Sunday. :)

BTW, I came up with this post after reading another blog about the same topic. I am sorry but I forgot where I read it. Please if you are a reader of my blog yell at me and I will give you due credit for this post of mine! :)

Here is a picture of Lil O WITHOUT her paci sound asleep.



Last night was really hard for us. My HB said he was about to go to Walgreen's and buy her a new paci. She would tell us, "I miss my paci". "Please give it back." "I miss sucking it." Add lots of tears and crying--it broke our heart.

I know today will be better for her.

We almost cracked.

I am so glad there wasn't a paci in the house because we would have given it to Lil O tonight.

She was exhausted from playing at Fun Depot. Plus not getting a nap. Add a bath and a full belly. Sadly that equaled a fussy screaming 3 year old.

If I wasn't afraid of scaring her, we could have ripped the bear open and played Operation.

She's Got The Pacifier Blues

~written while sitting on the couch watching 2 1/2 Men, holding a sleeping baby~

If you read the previous post you will know all about Lil O and her paci. Plus Build A Bear.

It has been very hard but we have stood firm. Last night she had a breakdown of sorts. We were sitting around talking to her. She flipped Paci Bear over thinking she could just get her paci out. You could see the sadness in her eyes. It was depressing to see. To her she had lost her best friend. The world as she knew it was over.

We explained that the paci was gone. She couldn't have it back. And we didn't have another one to give her.

She no longer wanted the bear. She just had eyes for her paci.

Once bedtime rolled around there was lots of crying. More talking. Lil O finally went to sleep with me rubbing her back.

She was restless most of the night. ~pout~

This morning she was upset and we talked. She asked me to hold her hand and talk about her paci. She told us that she missed it. Then she asked for me to give it back to her. It was very sad but this is something we have to do. I told her I understood and it was okay to miss her paci. I told her I missed paci as well.

~shrug~ I hope we are doing the right thing.

Now she is taking a walk around the neighborhood pushing her stroller with paci bear.

Build A Bear For A Pacifier Purpose.

$74.00 later....

If you are a reader of this blog then you know the trials of Lil O and her pacifier. I have blogged about it several times!!!

An idea came to me last night. How can I get rid of this paci?? How can I make it special to her?? What are my options?? You know what I came up with??

BUILD A BEAR!!!!!!!!!

So, this morning we went to the mall to Build A Bear. I explained to Lil O the process and that she was going to put her paci in the bear before they sewed it up and she would have her paci forever in the bear. If she was sleepy she could hug her bear and such...

She picked out a snuggly pink bear with white hearts all over it. She warmed up and kissed the heart and put it in the bear. Then she was ever so brave and kissed her paci and put it in the bear. Then the woman sewed it up. We bragged and bragged about her. Everyone there was so proud. They gave her a sticker for being so brave! It was really touching to me. For Lil O to give up something so precious to her and her well being.

Then I let her pick out clothes for her bear. You have to have accessories you know!! She picked out a pink stroller to push her bear around in. A Cinderella dress. A pair of Hello Kitty PJ's and slippers.

When it came to naming her bear she said "Bear". I said, "Why don't you name it Paci?". So Paci is her bears name. She has pushed Paci around all afternoon and changed her clothes often.

The test will be bedtime!!!

Introducing the new member of our family. Paci Bear.



Lil O and Paci Bear at the Nature Center.



We headed to the Nature Center after Build A Bear. They were having a Butterfly Exhibit. It was AWESOME. They had this special place set up. You walk in and they would spray your hand with sugar water and as the 100's of butterflies were flying around they would land on your hand. I took pictures of them and will post later. I have only so much time to type and I had to brag about Lil O this time.

Have a great afternoon and spread the word about Build A Bear to a parent trying to get rid of the pacifier. :)