Mommy Mondays: Names

Do you have a name picked out yet? No. Well, maybe I do but my answer right now is no, I don't. It's hard to pull the trigger in giving this little life a name that will last forever. I want a name thats distinctive, not overly used but something that most people would like and think is strong. I want a name that means something. I want to pick a name that works good for a baby, child, and adult. I want a name that can't be shortened or given a nickname I don't like. There's a ton to consider when choosing a name for our Baby Boo (that's what Corbyn calls him, which means everyone else does too).

Then when you do finally narrow it down and share it everyone has an opinion or two. Even non responses are opinions. Because of this we decided not to share Corbyn's name before he was born. And I think I am leaning towards not telling anyone again till Boo is born.

Did you share your kids names before they were born? Do you think you would? Or would you just like to introduce them once their born?

Baby Boo, I promise I will have the perfect name picked out for you by the time you make your debut! Love you Boo! Oh and ps. Your big brother is very excited to meet you! Can you tell?

Mommy Mondays: 2+2=4

12.5 weeks!
Baby Ryland #2 (more personal name to come) will be making its debut sometime around April 25th =)

This little boy is so excited to be a big brother! He already gives baby kisses and talks to baby, its so sweet. He has nicknamed baby, Baby Boo Boo (which he thinks is hilarious), hopefully that is not a precursor to all the boo boo's this little one is going to get from him ;).

Baby, we are so thrilled to meet you and bring you into our family! We love you and are excited that your life story has already began!

Mommy Mondays: Toddler Chores

Confession: sometimes right after I have cleaned my house, I make sure the next day or two Corbyn and I have lots planned away from the house. I love having a clean home but with a two and a half year old tornado I find myself constantly trying to pick up and maintain my spotless house.

But I've decided it shouldn't be this way, I shouldn't fear his mess but tap into his "I want to be like mommy" attitude. He is more than capable of helping mommy and most of the time is willing, especially when it means turning on the vaccuum or using a spray bottle. Here are a list of Corbyn's chores that help mommy stay sane and teach him how to help around the house.

Pick up toys and books: After playtime we put on some music and put all the toys he was playing with away. He has a place for everything whether it be a box, bin, or parking spot for his tricycle so he knows where everything goes.

Pick up dirty clothes: When we take his clothes off he throws them into his laundry bin and when its time to do the laundry he pushes the bin into the laundry room and tosses them into the washer.

Carry and put away groceries: At the store he helps me pick out all the produce and snacky foods and when we get home he likes to carry them in and can even put them away. I try to always put things in the same places so he knows exactly where mommy wants them.

Feed the dogs: He is bossy so we allow him to be bossy with the dogs. He lets them in, makes them sit, scoops the food and pours it into their bowls. I think it gives him a sense of ownership and respect for the dogs.

Clean up "big" messes: There are certain regular activities that always seem to make a mess at our house, for example: playdoh, painting, baking, even snack time, but instead of just letting him walk away we have been asking him to get out the vaccuum or grab a wet paper towel and help clean up the mess. He is really good at using the vaccuum hose.

Dust: I spray his rag and let him go at the furniture. I will even let him spray the Pledge if I am standing right there, which is by far his favorite part. Warning though, the other day he wanted to help so he went to get a whole glass of water and poured it on the coffee table "cleaning it" when mom wasn't looking. We then had to have a conversation that you only clean when mommy is watching and you have to use special cleaning stuff.

Do the dishes: I give him a couple plastic dishes that I've already sort of cleaned and let him wash and dry them, he is all for doing this because of the water! What is with kids and water obsession?

Corbyn loves being mommy's big helper so I am going to try to teach him and capitalize on his excitement when I can, hopefully establishing some good habits. Happy Cleaning!

From the Lips of Corbyn

Quotes from Corbyn's lips in the past week!

"Jesus love me this I know! Oh, I also know Jesus loves popsicles!"

"I went to the zoo and saw penguins and crocodiles and bird poop, eww gross, that's a bad story."

Looking at my watch "this watch says, it's almost cookie time!"

"Hush Paisley (our dog), it's just a little thunder, you. don't. have. to. freak. out!"

"I am going to get bigger and bigger and bigger and be a teenager. I am going to have a bat and a glove and a big funny nose."

And here is the funny man himself!

Happy Monday! Hope this makes you smile on this Monday morning!

Mommy Mondays: Potty training

I have failed at potty training my boy. Yes, he can go to the potty on the potty and is staying more and more dry every day. He has not failed but I have failed in making some of the most common potty training mistakes.

First, I woke up one morning and thought "hey, I'm home for two days strait, I'm going to start potty training". No plan, no research, I just made up MY mind, went and bought chonies, and went for it. FAIL.

Second, I was inconsistent. This was even surprising to me. I like my routine, I know my son likes routine but I was inconsistent in when he was to go to the potty, when he drank liquids, even in telling our different caregivers what our expectations were. FAIL.

Third, I expected too much. I thought for sure by the end of two days at home with mom he would be putting his poppy and pee pee in the potty every single time, I mean the kids a genius, why wouldn't he (catch the sarcasm, though of course, he is a genius)? FAIL.

Fourth, I reacted negatively to accidents. I believe I showed disappointment when he had an accident, I got worked up about having to clean poopy off from all over his legs instead of staying calm, encouraging him and comforting him in his own disappointment. FAIL.

And finally, trying to force the issue. It's very much in a toddler's nature to turn every issue into a power struggle. He became stubborn. Mom became more stubborn. Instead of listening to him and maybe hearing a fear he couldn't express I thought I could will him into preferring the potty. FAIL.

Round one of potty training was a failure on mom's part and though I may be being hard on myself I have learned. So, here's to round two starting Thursday, mom is prepared, read up, and stocked up on patience and mini marshmellows (his treat of choice). We shall see if Corbyn is now ready, fingers crossed.

I thought diaper toosh was cute, but little boy chonie toosh is super cute (sorry about the poopy phone photo)

Mommy Mondays: A must have

If you have a toddler, you need this book! I purchased last Christmas for my sis-in-law and quickly decided I also needed one to have a record of all the hilarious, smart, amusing things Corbyn says. I don't want to forget!

Mommy Mondays: The paci

Corbyn doesn't have a special blankie. Nor does he have a special animal he carries with him or sleeps with. He doesn't have one toy you can't pry out of his fingers. He likes to switch it up. One night he will sleep with Mr. Trunkman (his elephant), the next he will sleep with Church (his little blanket bear, which he named when he was 18 months and his name has never wavered), then he may switch to sleeping with a book. Pretty nice for mom in that if I can't find one I can easily persuade him into something else. Nice for mom in that we have never had a melt down because we left something somewhere and can't get it for a few days. Nice for mom.

But there is one thing he is adamant about...da da da da....the paci. He knows its only allowed when he is in his crib and will happily throw them down as soon as he is awake, but to go to sleep he needs a paci, usually 3, one in his mouth and one in each hand. We actually have never tried going without paci just because he is such a good sleeper (he wasn't for a loooong time) and because he really doesn't ask for much else, so to me, no big deal. I know he's not going to take it to kindergarten or go to college with a secret stash under his pillow but I've started to get looks when I say Corbyn still uses a paci (this could possibly be out of my own mommy insecurity or one person who gave me a look and now I associate negative feelings with). I feel like I have to justify myself and clarify yes, he uses a paci but its only at night time.

So how old is too old for paci? And how do I even try to get rid of it? One fabulous idea from my friend whose daughter had hers till three was to throw paci a going away party. What other ideas have you heard?

I want my paci mommy!

Yeah, thats better. I can even sleep with my leg up when I have paci.

Mommy Mondays: Toys

You open our hall closet, toys. Go into the guest room, toys. Corbyn's closet, toys. Our den, toys. Open drawers in our house, more toys. Toys have taken over. And toys are essential, they keep Corbyn busy, they teach him fine motor skills, how to problem solve, and give him a way to use his imagination. They are needed for his development but eventually they start accumulating and spilling out of every open nook and cranny in our home. If toy takeover is inevitable I would like the toys to look like these (I chose toys that Corbyn would really be into right now)...

Fishing set from Anthropologie (I didn't even know they carried toys! Just another reason if I only had one place to shop for everything it would be there)

Alphabet building blocks and wagon from Anthropologie
Construction trucks from oompa.com
Animals from oompa.com

Mommy Mondays: Toddler Traveling Tips

Last month we visited Kansas City, last week we went camping with a toddler, and in less than two weeks we will be leaving for a 11 day vacation with toddler. During these trips we have learned a few things about traveling with our rambunctious two year old that has led to less melt downs and awesome new experiences. Here are some tips and would love to hear if you have more...

1) Keep up their routine
If we are going to be in the car before and during nap time or night time we will pull over change Corbyn into his pajamas, read him a couple books, say a prayer,give him his paci (yes, he still has a paci at sleepy times at almost 2 ½, but that’s for another post) and tell him its night night time just like at home so he knows now is time to go to sleep. Then when on vacation schedule activities around naptime and bedtime even if it means leaving an amusement park and having your hand stamped so you can come back after naptime, another ride or show is not worth a whiny little one.

2) Bring familiar food.

We have a cooler and basket full of (healthy) snacks and even little meals Corbyn is used to eat so that when he is hungry its available and if we eat at a place he isn’t interested in or can’t find something he can eat with his allergies we know we have something nutritious he can eat.

3) Consider renting an apartment/house/two bedroom hotel

You need space. Toddlers need sleep. Watching a movie with no sound or having to have a conversation in the bathroom is quite hilarious. Renting an apt or house or even suite hotel room allows you to invite people over after babies are asleep, cook a nice dinner, play games, or watch a movie while are getting their beauty sleep.

4) New “toys”

When we took our first flight with Corbyn our church secretary told me that for every hour of traveling get him a new little toy even if it was from the dollar store. This was seriously genius. I wrapped every toy individually and gave him one exactly on the hour. It kept him entertained and excited the whole time. Example of some toys I got him… two matchbox construction trucks (him and the kid seated in front of him on the plane played with these for an hour and a half, kids dad thanked me!), a little puzzle, a sticker book, a new movie, and play doh. I also heard of bringing a roll of painters tape and letting them “decorate” the car or their airplane seat or just crumpling it up…easy to clean up and doesn’t leave sticky residue, I am so trying this!

5) Pack a convenient extra outfit for everyone

I pack an extra outfit or two for Corbyn almost everyday in his diaper bag, it never fails he will spill something, or get super dirty, or have an explosion so I always have extra clothes for him. The first time we flew with Corbyn about an hour and fifteen minutes into the flight he got super antsy started climbing all over me mumbling “mommy, mommy, mommy” and then proceeded to puke all over me and himself. We quickly changed him from head to toe but I had to sit for another 3 hours covered in throw up. Disgusting!

6) Bring a babysitter with you

Growing up Carrie came on every family trip with us, she would ski with us, go to the beach with us, and then watch me and my cousins when our parents went out at night, not a bad gig. She became part of our family and our parents always had an extra set of hands and someone they trusted when they went out on dates. We did this when we went to my brothers wedding and it seriously eased all my fears when leaving Corbyn in an unfamiliar place but with someone he was familiar with and knew us as parents.

7) Umbrella Stroller

Rarely do we use our stroller anymore, Corbyn says “I walk all by self” which is usually fine, except we tend to walk a whole lot more on vacation. Bringing a small umbrella stroller allows him to choose when he wants to ride or “walk all by self” and I found he would say “ok, I ride now” when his little legs would get tired or he wanted to look more at what was around him. Plus, even if they are not riding in it you can put your purse and diaper bag in the seat and not have to carry it ;).

8) Bring something to change them on

Public bathrooms totally gross me out, even if it’s the cleanest bathroom ever it still grosses me out not knowing when it was last sanitized and who’s tushies were where. There are many times I have been thankful for the foldable pad in our diaper bag that virtually lets me change Corbyn anywhere comfortably. If your diaper bag doesn’t have one, get one it will save your baby from ewwwies.

9) Talk to them
This may seem like “duh” but a couple weeks before we leave we talk about everything that’s going to happen and when, what is exciting about a long car ride or airplane ride, even what will be difficult about the long car ride or airplane ride, who they get to go visit or what awesome things they get to go do. He may not understand everything but tone certainly helps! By the time the trip arrives Corbyn is well aware of the expectations and is excited for the whole thing.

10) Technology
I’m not a huge advocate of using technology all the time, but traveling with a toddler or kids is a different beast…whip out the iPad (we are so getting the back seat connector before our trip in a couple weeks), the DS, the cell phone, whatever it takes to keep them entertained.

After seven hours in the car Corbyn literally just ran into the ocean, I barely got his pants off he was so excited. Enjoying the ocean view...the drive was worth it!

Hope this is helpful! Any one have any other tips?

Mommy Mondays: The cheap babysitter

On this Mommy Monday I would like to talk about the cheap babysitter...aka the tv.

In the United States the average time television is on in a home each day is approaching seven hours. Holy moly batman, that's A LOT.

Taken from the Huffington Post featuring David Perlmutter, M.D. the main areas of concern with reference to television and children are:

1. Time spent watching TV displaces other types of creative and imaginative activities.

2. Television watching discourages reading.

3. Television watching discourages exercise.

4. Television advertising increases demand for material possessions.

5. Exposure to violence on television can increase aggressive behavior in some children.

These are my concerns also. I want Corbyn to have an imagination, it makes me happy when he says to me, "wait a second mommy, (checks his pocket and with a smile and holding some invisible item exclaims) yup, got my screwdriver (or paintbrush or bat or camera whatever it is needed at the time)". I don't want him to lose that creative enthusiasm. I want Corbyn to love to enter into stories quickly flipping the pages of a book wondering what the next chapter holds. I want him to rides bikes, play baseball, and skateboard calling him home only when it starts to get dark out. I want him to be gentle and sensitive. And I believe every parent wants this for their child...in fact, I actually can't think of anyone who has ever told me "yeah, I want my child to be an uncreative, illiterate, unhealthy, materialistic, violent person".

However, if we're being honest, if I'm being honest, sometimes TV becomes the cheap babysitter. You can put it on and for an hour or seven do the laundry, clean the house, chat on facebook knowing the whole time your child is sitting motionless in front of the tv only turning around and calling to you if they need a snack or drink. Their entertained. Your getting stuff done. Sounds ok. But as I have watched my own child get zombified in front of the tv I have decided my quiet, my productivity, is not worth his mental, physical, and social development.

According to Nielsen statistics, children between the ages of 2-5 years typically spend approximately 21.8 hours each week watching television. That works out to approximately three hours each day (not a ton), or 25 percent of their time awake (wow).

It adds up and these are precious moments I have with my boy shaping, teaching, influencing him and though we don't have a no TV rule we are becoming more and more strict in what he watches and how much he watches. What is your TV policy in your home? How much do you think is ok for your children to watch? Do your kids ever look like this haha?

Images taken from google.com