I Don't Like to Name Names, but...

In an attempt to avoid being that parent who says and does things that cause deep embarrassment to her children, I am very selective in terms of what sort of information I post here about the boys and their shenanigans. While they currently seem to think the computer is simply a bulls-eye at which to aim their toys, I realize one day they will become aware of the existence of this blog and I'd hate to have included anything about them that they'd rather have kept private.

That being said, I am having one of those weeks where I'm quite certain that if I do not voice my rapidly growing frustration I will lose my mind.

I have a certain child, let's say his name begins w/an "A", who has been having some, um, let's call them difficulties, w/his behavior. While no mother of a toddler lives a completely tantrum-free life, up until this point I have considered my firm voice, serious "you're in big trouble mister" glare and occasional time-out more than sufficient in keeping the hysterics and misbehavior to a minimum.

I'm not exactly sure what has changed, but for the last week "A" has been completely out of control. At Target, he was throwing groceries out of the cart and trying to swipe items off the shelves as I flew down the aisles grabbing only the absolute necessities that would keep us hydrated, fed and in clean diapers. At home, he cries and throws himself to the ground over such "horrific" events as not liking the color of his dinner plate or the end of Imagination Movers. He suddenly is hitting, pushing and - for the 1st time ever - biting his brother for absolutely no reason whatsoever. He laughs at my "firm voice", mimics my "you're in big trouble" glare and no longer seems to mind how much time he spends in time-out. All this from my sweet little boy who just weeks ago would apologize if a crumb fell on his chair during dinner.

All the books, you know the ones that make soooo much sense before you actually become a parent, say that its best to simply ignore these types of tantrums b/c apparently the experts feel things will only worsen if any sort of attention at all is paid to these behaviors. That's the strategy I've been sticking to those far - continue to enforce the rules in the same calm, but stern manner - but what was once my "firm voice" is reaching dangerously close to a tone I would describe as "shrill" and a few times has crossed over into a full-out yell.

I really don't want to be "that mom" - you know the one who you can hear screaming through her open windows phrases like "if you don't put that down right now I'm going to throw you in your room and leave you there until you don't even remember what the sun looks like!" (though I will say, I have more sympathy for her after the week I've had). At the same time, I want to raise a house full of well-mannered, polite little men who follow the rules and listen to me when I tell them to do something. Gosh, this parenting thing sure is hard!

Anyway, I'm sure its just a phase that will work itself out as all phases do, but in the mean time if you have any suggestions, can send me a pair of earplugs or a prescription for some Xanax please let me know :)

FFF - Finding Your Passion

Years from now, when Aidan graduates from culinary school, I will tell everyone how blessed my son was to stumble onto his passion so early in life...

Welcome Little One!

The long-awaited birth of Auntie Sandy & Uncle Brian's 2nd baby finally happened last night:

Brady was born just before the 10 o'clock news on July 15th and weighs in at a teeny, tiny 6 lbs 12 oz and is only 17 inches long.

He was introduced to his soon-to-be favorite Aunt Kristen today at approximately 12:15 pm.

Mommy, baby, Daddy & new big sister Addy are all doing fabulous.

Fav Foto Friday - Red, White & Blue

Since this has been the Summer of Rain, I was not surprised at all to discover the sun chose not to make an appearance at this year's 4th of July celebration, even though WGN's Tom Skilling assured me he had RSVPed that he'd be there for at least part of the party.

Luckily, we were still able to enjoy all our 4th of July activities anyway, even if Andy had to wear long pants w/his USA t-shirt and Aidan's sleeveless red & white onsie had to be saved for Labor Day.

We started the morning w/the annual neighborhood fire truck parade:Then enjoyed some popsicles in the park:

After naptime we headed over to Grammy & Papa's, where we did manage get in some boating:

and some time in the sand

and most importantly, the fireworks, which, after we pumped them full of chocolate chip cookies, all 3 kids stayed awake to see.

Road Trip

If you're anything like me, when you hear the words "road trip", you immediately picture the following:

cruising along the open road w/the windows rolled down, your hair flying around you as you sing along to your favorite songs on the radio; trying to capture the beauty of miles of corn fields or the sun setting over the Appalacian Mountains on your camera as you fly by them at 80 miles an hour; stopping only to grab a bite to eat in some quaint small town diner and to take ridiculous pictures of yourself smiling like an idiot in front of those "Welcome to..." signs you pass every time you cross a new state line.

Well, that's exactly what our recent road trip to NJ to see Chris's mom was like...if you add in two toddlers, replace your favorite songs w/the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse soundtrack, add in 5 hours of thunderstorms and substitute crowded rest areas filled w/weary travelers & less-than-spotless bathroom facilities for quiant little small town diners. So, it was nearly the same.

Why, you ask, would we ever attempt such a thing when we could've hopped on any number of planes and reached our destination in a little under 3 hours? I know, it seems like a sort of crazy thing to do, definitely not something two experienced parents would willingly subject themselves to when given the choice. Believe me, we asked ourselves many times if we were absolutely insane to willingly commit ourselves to 12 to 16 hours in the car w/two kids who have trouble sitting still for a 20 minute episode of Handy Manny. Hard as it is to believe, driving was the clear winner on my Pros & Cons list - we could stop any time we wanted, we didn't have to worry about our screaming children disturbing other passengers and we could take as much stuff as we needed to bring.

So a few Thursday nights ago we found ourselves stuffing the car w/2 suitcases, 1 pack-n-play, 1 toddler air mattress, 1 travel high chair, 1 double stroller, 2 duffel bags of toys, books & DVDs and 1 bag of snacks. The next morning (and I use that term loosely, it was 4 am) we scooped the boys, along w/their favorite blankies, out of their beds and into the car and we were on our way...



I have to say, despite that fact that it poured from the second we pulled out of our neighborhood until we were halfway through Ohio and despite the fact that Chris & I were convinced the boys would catch E. coli or worse from the family bathrooms at the rest areas the trip did go amazingly well.


Yes, what should have been a 12 hour trip took us 15 hours - but stopping every 2 1/2 hours for 20 to 30 minutes kept the kids happy and reasonably quiet for most of the trip.


Yes, we ended up letting the kids eat about 300 hundred M&Ms & have McDonald's for breakfast, lunch & dinner - but what's a vacation w/o a little chocolate & junk food?


Yes, we did resort to using the built-in DVD player in our car - but not until 11 hours into the trip, which I personally consider a major victory.


And yes, Aidan did have 1 major diaper disaster (probably from all those M&Ms) - but at least the carseat was spared and he was quite happy to ride pants-free the rest of the way.


Besides, what's a good road trip w/o a few funny stories and misadventures???