It's never too late {Changing behaviors}

I use to be so proud that when I asked Leila to sit and eat her snack, she would, just like that.  She would sit down anywhere even for just for a taste of something.

Somewhere, somehow, things changed.  

Now when we go to the park she runs around, snack in hand, like she didn't hear my request, like she doesn't know the rule.  When I do enforce the rule (I do try!) she melts down, runs in circles, and practically chokes on the food in her mouth.

It's frustrating.  It's unsafe.  It's a constant battle.  

The topic of snacks came up with my friend Lauren last week.  She was wondering if Leila could eat trail mix for snack.  I explained that even though Leila has all of her teeth, I do not give her nuts because I am afraid she'll choke on them while she runs around with her food.

Lauren was surprised that Leila hadn't been sitting to eat her snack anymore.  I admitted to becoming soft and down right scared of her meltdowns when I tried to enforce the rule.

As soon as I said those words aloud, I felt embarrassed.  Embarrassed that I let my almost two year old scare me and ashamed that I was willing to risk her safety because of it.

I've had enough!  

Immediately I began implementing "snack-training" with Leila.  (You know, kinda like sleep training, but with snacks.)  I knew the first few attempts would be down right brutal.  And they were.

Leila went into a full fledged tantrum on the floor, kicking, crying, turning red in the face, the whole deal, just because I asked her to sit and drink her smoothie. The second attempt had a similar outcome (in public this time) BUT by the third day of "snack-training" she complied.  Just like that.

I learned two valuable lessons.

1.  It's never to late to make changes in undesirable, or in this case, unsafe habits.

2.  It's okay to to make mistakes or slip up (this one's for me!) as a parent.  I am constantly learning about myself as a parent.  I am a work in progress.

Ever been in a similar situation?  Tell me I'm not alone here.

     

Let's be friends

My long-time BFF has a daughter just seven months younger than Leila.  The girls don't get to see as often as I imagined (due to nap schedules)...but we have plenty of time.   We're not going anywhere!  

Kennady (16 months) and Leila (23 months)

 

A lesson on germs

Dear Leila,

It's been three months since your first head cold. Since then, it seems like you have been a snotty mess just about every other week.

Yesterday when you sneezed, your baby boogers shot out of your nose and dripped towards your chin. I laughed out loud when I turned around to look at the damage. You loved the attention so much that when you sneezed later that evening, you looked at me, smiled ear to ear, and waited for me to bust out laughing again. I did, and you felt proud.

This is the thing, I love you and your drippy boogers, but I'm your Mommy. That's what I do. You see, the other adults that we hang around do not view these boogers as anything but germs. Big, fat, nasty germs that you are passing on their child (or them).

You know, when you wipe your nose with your hand, then play with their toys...GERMS. When you reach your hand into the snack bowl, touching all the crackers, then just pull out the one you want...GERMS. How about when we are at Teacher Lee and you decide to "eat" pancakes with the play kitchen fork, yep, more GERMS.

My dear Leila, I know all the other kids are doing it. (How do you think you got this cold?) Please stop eating half-gnawed apple slices that belong to your friend. Please stop drinking from their sippy cups.

And finally, it's summertime, please stop getting these colds!




Love,
Mommy xoxo

Toddler art {Outdoor messes}

I have no problem with Leila getting messy.

I just don't want it happening in MY house.

The outdoor space at our apartment is limited which leaves us Leila only a few opportunities to get really messy.

We will happily crash your patio if you invite us!

Finger painting

Sponge painting

Shaving cream with finger paint

Messy girl

Thanks Mommy to Elodie for letting us make a mess at your house!

You should know...

I talk about not having Mommy friends and how hard it is to meet other moms, but in reality my long-time BFF has a girl just seven months younger than Leila.

I don't think of Amy as a mom-friend though. We've been friends for twenty years, so we were friends long before any of this baby talk. We are friends that happen to have daughters. (It really is pretty nice!)

Kennady will be turning one at the end of this month!


It seems that every time Amy and I try to get our girls together one of them ends up napping. A couple of weekends ago when Amy and Kennady came to hang out, Leila and Kennady got a chance to play together.

This is how it went down...

Starts off pretty cool.

Someone was not a real fan of sharing her toys. Notice the chicken leg? Yikes! Kennady could care less, she was willing to put anything in her mouth.

Looking forward to Kennady's party at the end of the month!
Any suggestions for a cool gift?

Teacher Lee

That's what everybody calls her.

She is generous, kind, funny, and has a huge heart.

Leila loves going to Teacher Lee's Free Play-To-Learn™ Preschool every week.

***This is NOT a sponsored post. Teacher Lee is just really this great!***

I found this Mommy-and-Me preschool through a meet-up group I joined (thanks to all of your suggestions!) and have been going weekly ever since!

Each week Teacher Lee sets up a developmental preschool at three different locations in San Diego. We attend one just fifteen minutes from our home.

Parents are encouraged to learn and play with their children as they visit each learning center.

I also like to sit back and watch Leila interact with another child, or even watch her learn and play alone. She constantly buzzes around the room checking everything out.

There is no pressure, no feeling like you are playing "wrong", no set rules needed. Just a community of parents enjoying the moment with their child.

These pictures explain it all!

I am so happy to have found Teacher Lee!

Library


Block play


Easel painting


Puppet tent


Play-dough


Listening center


Arts and Crafts


Did I mention this is free?!? (Donations of $5 are recommended.)


Leila's current favorite thing to do at Teacher Lee is sit on the chairs. I swear she spends half the time we are there climbing up and getting down.

My current favorite part of Teacher Lee is circle time. I love that I am not the teacher up there. It's fun to be on the other side of things.

Teacher Lee leads the group though a variety of songs and finger-plays. It is so cool to watch these young children interact with her. She's very animated and silly too!

Leila sits for most of circle time, only occasionally trying to steal a closer look or running to my bag for a snack. We've been going to Teacher Lee for two months and I'm amazed how Leila can anticipate what comes next during the finger-plays. She sang aloud today and it made me laugh. Definitely the best way to end the class!

Circle time


I've invited two friends from the park to join us and their children loved Teacher Lee too! Hopefully they will be back for more.


Click to learn with Teacher Lee



Or visit Teacher Lee's Facebook page for more information.

That was easy.

Second dates are fun. Third dates are exciting!

I wrote about our first play-date with our new found friends. I was worried about being myself around her, you know, because she's a mom.

Then I realized...

I'm the one who feels like I should have it all together. I'm the one judging me.

Really, all moms are way too busy chasing the kids around, making snacks, and cleaning food off our butts to care what the mom next to us is drinking at night.

So here's to being yourself...It's really all you've got.

I was right.

We had a wonderful third play-date at the zoo! Our kiddos were on the same page the whole trip. We stopped for snacks, took our time, and played in random spots along the way. It was easy.

Guess who would rather play in the dirt than see the elephants?

Leila!

I did hold myself back a little bit.

Mom-friend didn't need to know how hilarious I though it was to see a very excited male zebra. However, I did mention that I can't lose these last five pounds because I drink wine every night.

We'll see...

Mommy-friends {Don't give up}

It happened again...Leila and I had a date!



Almost two months after Leila's first play-date we met up with some new friends this week.

Leila and I have run into this mother-daughter duo at the park (of course) and at the library's story time. I first noticed this little girl because she is practically bald, like Leila. They also both got up during story time and busted a move, front and center. These girls like to dance!

I'm proud of myself for initially striking up the conversation, way back (two months ago) when the need for Mommy-friends really hit me. I later regretted not swapping numbers with her.

It turns out that those dating rules I followed before my Mrs. days still apply:

Mommy-dating Rule #1: Put yourself out there

Mommy-dating Rule #2: Don't give up

So every time I saw her I made sure we chatted it up. I even befriended her mom.

Now our girls seem to recognize each other, but are obviously still in the "getting to know you" stage too. At the park we talk, chase our kids, talk some more, and move on...

Until last week...we exchanged numbers! We talked on the phone, we emailed, we met up.

Our play-date meeting spot was a Mommy & Me dance class and it couldn't have been a better pick! Not because of the awesome fun great time. No, not that at all. It was the perfect pick because both of our experiences were not-so-great. (I'm being nice here!)

So now that's just another thing we have in common. I'll take it! And apparently she will too...we have two more dates planned.

My next dating rule to follow:

Mommy-dating Rule #3: Be yourself

Hopefully I don't scare her away with my passionate, blunt, and sometimes judgmental personality. (Please don't tell her!)

I'm that mom

I was that mom at the park today.

We go to the park, a lot. We practically own the park we go there so much.

Leila is very comfortable hanging out with all of the children and adults there. She'll try to play with each group of kids in the sand. Then she'll head to the play structure so she can climb. After a while she'll head to the grass and sit on other families' blankets (and laps). She even tries to convince the other moms that she needs that goldfish cracker from their snack baggie.

Basically it's a free for all.

A few months ago you could find me following behind Leila about ten feet back. Always ready to apologize for her invading their space.

Not anymore.



I'm that mom that lets their toddler run across the park while I am building sandcastles (with the kids she was just playing with). I'm the one that doesn't make my child "ask" to play with your toys. I'm the one that waves from afar when I see the nearby adult scanning the park for her mother.

I'm the mom that panicked today when she couldn't see her child.

As usual, she left me playing in the sand with a bunch of kids I don't know. She went off to climb around, in, over, and through the play structure. She's so tiny that I could barely see her behind it. The next moment I looked, she wasn't there.

Panic.
Look for her hat...moving.
Safe!
She was following some older girls and was trying to sit on the swing.

I sat back down like it was no big deal. Still watching her play by those swings, I saw how happy she was.

The smile plastered on her face, as she stared up at the big girls, reminded me that I know I'm doing the right thing...for both of us.

(I met three new friends at the park this week! No real play-dates scheduled, but it was great to relax and chat with some Mommas I see their regularly.)

Mommy friends- Where are you?

Please tell me I'm not the only one.

Leila is sixteen months old and we've never been on a play-date, until today.

It certainly is not her fault. She's got the best personality around! Leila loves playing with kids of all ages at the park. And yes, that's about the only place we go where she interacts with other kids.

Sad, huh?

I have only a handful of friends in a town I've lived in for eight years, and one of those is my sister. And of those friends, only one has a baby. I hang out with people who write things like...This is why I don't have a baby.

Leila's only chance for picking up a play-date was at the park.

Actually, we all know that when your kids are young, you are the one making the date. So, the first time I ever swapped numbers at the park I was so pumped. Unfortunately after a couple attempts to match our schedules, it just didn't work out. Since then, I have left the park two times without a phone number of a mommy I clicked with.

I was just too shy, maybe? Worried about being awkward? Afraid of being turned down?

But last week it happened.
We clicked.
Our girls clicked.
She mentioned getting together.
I was brave enough to ask for her number.
We had our first play-date.

And bonus...it wasn't at the park!


Walking to her first play-date


Am I the only one that has trouble making Mommy friends?
Can you suggest any other places to meet Mommas?