We're Back

It suddenly dawned on me how much information and record keeping of my children that I've kept on here. I revert back to this site like a baby book. I haven't chronicled things in AGES. Whole years of barely keeping record. Poor Zofia! I'm not going to have the reference book for her that I do for Athena!

Well this stops NOW. Spring is springing and it's time for us to start living life in the world again. Today, Louis is at work... AHgain... and Athena is at a playdate. It's just me and Z like usual, sitting on the couch hugging, snacking, and watching a Barbie movie. Let's have our first post be all about her :)


Zofia's 3.5 Year Questionnaire

1. What does mommy call you? Lover, Chicken, Chickybooms.
2. How old are you? Almost 4. (You're still 3.) Whatever, I'm 3.
3. What is your favorite color? (Looks at Skittles) Purple
4. What is your favorite animal? Kitties
5. What is your favorite show? Breadwinners
6. What is your favorite movie? Barbie Princess and the Popstar
7. Who is your best friend? Athena
8. Where is your favorite place to go? The store.
9. What is your favorite restaurant? Applebee's
10. What is your favorite toy? Her stuffed kitties.


Her favorite thing to do? Well, it's still this:

It's like Pride Week for Zofia and me!

Happy World Breastfeeding Week to Zofia and me!

See how excited we are? Any chance Zofia gets to celebrate boobies, she takes it and RUNS with it... usually still with my nipple in her mouth. This is our 4th WBW together and she's not seeming to lose any steam. In fact, this Saturday marks the first time she will ever go to bed without me or my boobies. She's spending the night with her Yia Yia and I'm having a night alone with my husband. This is a HUGE milestone in our breastfeeding relationship. Wish us luck! I think I'll need it more than her.

The focus is to share with people the benefits of nursing, showcase the people that are out there to help with a breastfeeding journey, and to encourage people to support breastfeeding mothers. I made a joke about Zofia getting me a present to celebrate, but in all honesty, the gifts she's giving me are plentiful. Our relationship certainly isn't the norm in the USA but there are so many benefits to BOTH of us in the extended nursing relationship Kellymom.com says:

Breastfeeding benefits toddlers and young children…nutritionally, immunologically and psychologically.

• Breastfeeding contributes to your child’s NUTRITION

• Breastfeeding contributes to your child’s HEALTH

• Breastfeeding contributes to your child’s INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT

• Breastfeeding contributes to your child’s SOCIAL and MENTAL DEVELOPMENT

• Breastfeeding your child past infancy is NORMAL

• MOTHERS also benefit from breastfeeding for a longer duration

If you see a nervous mama nursing in public or have a special person in your life who is currently nursing, give them a high 5 and a little word of encouragement.

We'll be celebrating with boobies:

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It is my kids' fault if I never get Gangnam Style out of my head.

How long has this stupid song been around now? Everyone is past this, the Harlem Shake, and have moved onto something new, no?

Not my children. They watch every freaking version and parody of it DAILY. This particular scene is their absolute favorite:

They do it all the time :/

I don't know which is better... this performance or when they sang Nicki Minaj "Starships" with their garbled "higher than a m****er f****er." Louis and I win at talented kids.

A Terrifying Parenting Lesson Learned

Last night I almost lost Zofia. Typing that sentence, reliving the moment, is making my hands shake to where I can barely type.

We were folding laundry together in the living room like we do every week. She was taking clothes to her and Athena's rooms to put them in their dressers just like she always does. She makes the task take so much longer and their drawers are a disaster, but she loves to help her mama. I was preparing another pile for her to take when I heard s terrifying scream and a thunderous crash. I flew into Athena's room like a woman on fire and I couldn't even see Zofia. Athena's entire dresser and television set had toppled on top of her. She was trapped and screaming. The terror.

Oh, friends.

The terror.

I pushed everything off of her terrified of what I was going to find. By the sheer grace of a power much higher than me she was fine. Shaken, but fine.

I didn't sleep last night. My mind tortured me with all the "coulda beens." What if the TV fell on her head? What if the weight of it all had fallen differently and crushed her body? Why didn't I have it set up more safely? Well, it's because the dresser is so small I never thought about the danger before.

Only three drawers high. Sturdy. Flat on the floor. TV fits perfectly. But none of that matters. The fact is it still fell and nearly crushed my 2 year old daughter. I will never forget this. I will never be careless with furniture and kids and anchor EVERYTHING. I will kiss her every night and thank the Heavens that I still have her.

Others don't. www.meghanshope.org/

Secure your furniture. Spread the word.

What sleeping with Zofia is like.

It's the dead of winter and girlfriend has developed a raging case of spider fear. Why? I have no idea. She keeps waking up in the middle of the night yelling, "I don't want it! No spiders! No spiders, Mommy!" And the she shoves me and slaps the pillows. It's pretty much like this:




I have all these awesome posts in my head while I'm laying down. I'm a daggone literary genius while I lay in bed and nurse Zofia, then I forget it when it comes time to sit here on my blog. That must be the difference between the successful bloggers and me. When they have good ideas they write them down. When I do I lay on a hippie floor bed with a child who is MUCH to large to be nursing.

Duty calls.

Wordless Wednesday

Today I'm going to let Kim Rosas do all the talking for these pictures because she says it better than me in Oops! I Forgot to Wean My 2 Year Old

How do some parents do it all?

I've got it pretty good. This I know. Things have changed a little bit with Athena starting school and me dipping my toes back into real estate, but a typical 24 hour period for me goes a little something like this now:

After cuddling, kissing, nursing, and sleeping with my favorite 2-year-old, we get up and at 'em at 7:50am. We then join the sweetest 5-year-old in the world on the couch for more cuddling and some cartoons. I make the ladies breakfast, get them dressed, and take Miss Athena to kindergarten at 8:50am. After drop-off, Zofia and I take care of any household or school related errands and head home. I do some housework, maybe do some social media work, and take care of any real estate business I have going on. Zofia and I cuddle some more, have lunch, nap, then pick Athena up at 3:10pm. We do homework, chat, start dinner and then welcome home dad. After some family time, it's back in bed with Zofia to start the cycle over again.

Of course I get overwhelmed sometimes. Working at home can be a challenge, housework piles up, I've got duties to take care of for the PTA, and I never get a break for just me (unless you count grocery shopping, and until they start serving booze, I don't), but for the most part I've got it easier than someone that works full time.

What about when things change? What about when I have to get TWO kids to school and start working for real? Like how do you get one kid to elementary school on time, get the other one to junior high on time, and THEN make it to a job on time? How do people do this? When the time comes will I get one of those necklaces that Hermione has in Harry Potter to be three places at once? Is that how parents do it? Honestly, it's the only way I can think of.

Are you someone that does it all? How does it work exactly?

My heart. She walks about the word calling me "Mama."

Adios, 2012. I don't think I'll miss you.

I entered 2012 feeling pretty "meh" and the sentiment never really left. There were positive things for my family, such as Athena starting kindergarten thus making her SO HAPPY, but 2012 still involved anxiety, hair loss, marital strife, and a new diagnosis for me. My mind is still trying to process all of the thoughts and feelings.

I'm saying "ADIOS 2012!" Let's start this thing off RIGHT!

 In regular fashion it's just the girls and me tonight. My daughters LOVE Max & Ruby and leading up to tonight they've been watching the Max & Ruby New Year's Eve episode. I'm giving them the New Year's Eve they want complete with clock cookies, fizzy drinks, noise makers, and balloons. They are SO PUMPED.

Balloonification!

Crowns and noise-makers!

Max and Ruby Clock Cookies!

Every year we get a new beginning. Tonight I'll welcome 2013 with my girls, open arms, and hope. Let's make things better.

Athena's First Cheer Performance

Is it just me or do we spend a lot of time doing school fundraising? Why don't I remember my mom having to? After juggling a bagillion pounds of fundraiser cookie dough, a toddler, and Athena all balanced precariously on a double stroller and getting it to the house, I then had to further solo-wrangle everyone to McDonald's for an athletic's boosters fundraiser and Athena's first cheerleading performance.

First up? Adorable kindergartner Christmas carols:


(Sorry about my phone zooming in and out. It's being a hoser lately.)

Here's what Zofia thought:

Athena seems skeptical herself.

Cute and ready to cheer:

Athena and a cheer pal:

The videos all turned out wonky this time so I just have to document this with a picture. Womp Womp.
Go Otters!!

Say hello to Ottawa River's newest junior cheerleader...

She got right down to business leading Zofia.

Where ya headin', ladies?

Off for the holiday weekend, I s'pose.

Happy shopping!

Zofia

Since we focused on Athena for Saturday, let's talk about Zofia today. First of all, I'd like to report that she has quit barfing and we we all survived. Praise Jeebus. Have a sucker.

Second, this is currently her favorite thing to watch. She yells at me to put it on every time I open the damn computer:




Third. While we were watching cat videos on YouTube a very boob-centered picture of Nicki Minaj came up and she tried to honk it.

Girlfriend loves her boobies.

And there you have Zofia's week.

Where I am in CrazyLand

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

By Mayo Clinic staff on www.mayoclinic.com 

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder characterized by unreasonable thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead you to do repetitive behaviors (compulsions). With obsessive-compulsive disorder, you may realize that your obsessions aren't reasonable, and you may try to ignore them or stop them. But that only increases your distress and anxiety. Ultimately, you feel driven to perform compulsive acts in an effort to ease your stressful feelings.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder often centers around themes, such as a fear of getting contaminated by germs. To ease your contamination fears, you may compulsively wash your hands until they're sore and chapped. Despite your efforts, thoughts of obsessive-compulsive behavior keep coming back. This leads to more ritualistic behavior — and a vicious cycle that's characteristic of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Emetaphobia
From Wikipedia

(from the Greek εμετός, to vomit, and φόβος (phóbos), meaning "fear") is an intense, irrational fear or anxietypertaining to vomiting. This specific phobia can also include subcategories of what causes the anxiety, including a fear of vomiting in public, a fear of seeing vomit, a fear of watching the action of vomiting or fear of being nauseated.^[1] Emetophobia is clinically considered an “elusive predicament” because limited research has been done pertaining to it.^[2] The fear of vomiting receives little attention compared with other irrational fears, yet it is the fifth most common phobia.
According to experts, emetophobia can be triggered by a single traumatic event, such as a long bout of stomach flu, accidentally vomiting in public, or having to witness someone else vomit. This fear can be triggered at any time and at any age and is not specific to a gender or demographic. Interestingly, most people with emetophobia rarely, if ever, vomit. Some sufferers report that they have not thrown up since childhood, yet they constantly worry that it might happen

I have both of these afflictions, a toddler with the stomach flu, and the sole responsibility of getting a kindergartner to and from school. The vomiting in the car may be my brain's final undoing.

I'm dying. Crazy hurts.

Wordless Wednesday - Dern Kids

Oh Starbucks, you are my little gentleman...

...I will take you to foggy London town because you are my gentleman.

Teh Barfs. I've had enough. There has been so much barfing in this house, I stopped caring LONG ago when the dogs got to it first. Whatever. Lick it up. See if I care seeing how I've only slept like 15 damn minutes. Zofia was a boogerbarf fountain yesterday then Athena joined her around midnight. When Athena says "NO SCHOOL!" I know shit got real. Especially since she was so excited about the food drive she participated in to help people in our community AND to earn the ability to wear jeans to school for the day.

Even with all the OCD Terror Threat Level: RED barfing happening, I still got my contribution to the school bake sales, visited Athena at school, and made it to the polls. I'm beginning to feel like this disease isn't bigger than me anymore. I never thought this would happen. I should send my psychiatrist flowers.

Today I'm moving forward and it actually has nothing to do with Obama.

Halloweeners

Gosh kids make stuff more fun! I'm tellin' ya, each year since we've had wee spawn Louis and I keep getting more and more into things like holidays and family activities. Last year Louis carved his first pumpkin, this year he joined us on out trick-or-treating, walk and NEXT year he wants to wear family costumes. I'm so excited I could die. I will spend this next year planning the most awesome family get-ups I can come up with.

Athena got to have her very first school party and wear a costume to school. I think her face will forever be frozen in smile.

Zofia was kind of being a turkey about putting her costume on for our daytime preschool trick-or-treating.

First she wanted to paint zombie eyes on:

Then she demanded she be a witch in a tutu. Whatever kid. Let's go:

Finally, once she saw Athena in the Goddess Athena costume, she was ready to put hers on as well:

I'm bummed they wouldn't let me get better pictures of them but you win some, you lose some with kids. We  had a great night strolling the streets as a family, spider goblet of wine in hand.

Happy Halloween!

October, I don't hate you.

It has been absolutely glorious here in Northwest Ohio lately. The leaves have all changed, so that's lovely, but the WEATHER! Oh the weather! It's perfection. We've been going everywhere in short sleeves and flippy floppies and with a high of 77 today, we couldn't be more delighted.

Our daily walk to the water is splendid.

 Nice warm "no pants weather" in the backyard.

My plants are still trying to grow!!

We lounge by the water table and have icy beverages.

Sunny, late October is rocking my non-existent socks off. Keep it up, autumn and I may stop dreading you

Little Halloween Weirdos

I love that my kids want this. They crack me up every time the commercial comes on.

"MOM! ZOMBIE BARF! CAN WE HAVE IT?!?" My kids are my favorite.

I call this "Dad's in the Shower"

It's a spectacle. It has been for a long time.

Upon entering the shower dad hears things such as:

"You have a peep!!"
"I see your peep!"
"Are you peeing?!"
"Can we PLEASE come in?"

I take this as an opportunity to enjoy a nice glass of pinot noir. Cheers!

(Ok. I'm going to take this as an opportunity to be completely honest and tell you that that shot was taken from me on the toilet. We all have zero privacy. It's like a locker room. However, immediately getting off the pot I enjoyed my glass of wine.)