Mommy Musings

Big things have been happening around these parts for my Charlie bear.  Back in the summer, her crib turned toddler bed, broke.  The metal part in the middle that the mattress lays on broke.  So for the past few months she's been sleeping on a mattress that just sits on the floor, while surrounded by the bed frame.  Needless to say, it was time for a new bed. It was quite a process and took a lot of research to find a bed.  Charlie's room is tiny .  Like really really tiny.  So I spent hours measuring up in her room, trying to find the largest bed we could fit.  I really wanted to get a twin bed with a trundle.  We have a decent amount of people stay over our house, and I wanted to have as much room as possible to accommodate them.  I also was willing to pay for quality, but didn't want to drop thousands on a bed and mattresses, so I really put in the time searching for the best deal. After being delayed by snow, the flu, and more snow, ...

The other day we were in the car, the four of us driving back from somewhere.  I pointed out a new construction house to Skip and was commenting on how I didn't think the two-tone exterior paint color looked good.  I then heard a little voice pipe up from the back. Emmy: Mommy, it doesn't matter if you like the house, it only matters if the owners like the house.  It's their house.  You should only worry about your own house.  If you are thinking about somebody else's house, then you're not thinking about your own.  And that's not the Christmas spirit. My six year old....wise beyond her years.  What she said is so true {and really put me in my place!} and can be applied to so many different things in life.  So this Christmas, let us remember to look inward, instead of judging others around us.

I seem to be surrounded by pregnant ladies or those who just recently gave birth.  First babies, second, third.  Real life friends and online buddies.  I swear something is being pumped into the water. I love all things baby.  I love their sweet newborn smell and the way they curl up and sleep on your chest.  I love the tiny little clothes and impossibly small newborn diapers.  And as rough as my pregnancies were, I also loved the ever growing belly and the sweet baby kicks from within. It seems my entire Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds is filled with pregnancy bumps and those sweet newborn shots.  I love each one, seeing families grow bigger by a person, bigger in love.  It makes me remember the days of a baby moving inside me, those precious first moments of bringing home a new member of the family. But that chapter of our family has been closed.  Our little family is now complete.  There won't be any new babies brought home. ...

Well, it's official.  My sweet littlest, my Charlie bear, is potty trained!!  Other than some pull-ups at naps and bedtime, we are a totally diaper-free house.  And I'll be honest, man that feels good . Potty training is probably one of my least favorite parenting experiences, but once it's done, it's such an accomplishment for both  of you.  It's definitely a lot of hard work and diligence, but I really believe it can be done in a matter of a few days when done right.  Now, I'm definitely  no expert, but as I've been through this twice now and we all came out of it relatively unscathed, I figured it was worth a shot to share my tips and tricks with you! {one} Wait until your kid is ready.  This is definitely the most important step.  Just after Emmy turned 2, I attempted to potty train her.   I  wanted her to be out of diapers, more than she did.  After a full day of both of us crying, I tabled the whole thing for a few months...

When your children are babies, your primary job as parents is to keep them happy, healthy, and safe. As they start to grow, you need to begin teaching them things...how to walk, talk, feed themselves. Once they have mastered those skills, it is time to delve a little deeper into their education.  Letters, numbers, colors, shapes.  We are our children's first teachers. Before you know it though, there comes a new stage in your relationship with your child.  One that comes much much  sooner than expected.  The one of "letting go". Try as we might, we cannot keep our children in the protective bubble of our arms and homes forever.  They need to learn to grow their wings and assert their independence a little.  They need to test the waters and try some things on their own. Let me tell you.  This stage is one of the more scary ones I have experienced so far as a mom.  It goes against all my instincts to let Emmy start to venture off on her own. ...

Big things have been happening around here this weekend!  If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, then you probably saw this picture that I posted: That would be Charlie's room with a toddler bed  in it!  I can't believe it, my sweet little baby in a big girl bed! I'll be honest, I've been putting this off for a while.  Emmy was much younger when we moved her to a toddler bed, but as is with most second child things, I was in no need to rush this.  I would have happily let Charlie sleep in a crib until she was 5. But with our upcoming trip to Disney in June, Skip and I decided it would be best to change over before that, since she'll have to sleep in a bed on that trip.  I'll ideally potty-train her before we go as well, and didn't want too many big changes at once. I realized this weekend was the perfect time to do it, because Emmy is off school this week.  If Charlie struggled to go to bed at night, I didn't want to have to get up super early the n...

Even though I still regularly refer to Charlie as "the baby", in actuality we are only hanging on to the baby stage by our finger tips around here.  Other than the fact that Charlie sleeps in a crib, isn't potty trained, and still uses a pacifier, we're all "big kid" around here. I'll admit it, I often get wistful when I see tiny baby clothes in the store or I hear another pregnancy announcement.  I'm still somewhat mourning that stage in our lives.  It's strange that it's over forever for us. But at the same time, this new period in our lives is equally fun and exciting .  It is such a wonderful feeling knowing our family is complete and whole .  There is a freedom that comes with having a toddler and preschooler.  It is way easier to go out...and requires way less stuff!  I can communicate with my two girls now instead of having one-sided conversations with a newborn.  I can really play with the girls, or get things done while they indep...

My sweet little baby Emmy, the girl that taught me to be a mommy, will be starting preschool at a local Catholic elementary school in just two weeks.  'Scuse me as I cry into a tissue for a minute. I know she is ready and will just LOVE school, it's me that's taking this hard.  Mainly because for the past three and a half years she has been home with me every single day.  And I have loved every second.  She never went to daycare, mother's day out, or even library story time.  Only family and a few very close friends have ever babysat.  With me I know she is safe and happy.  But now, for five mornings a week, I have to trust someone else to take care of my girl.  She'll be doing things without me, meeting kids, playing, learning new things, all without me.  She'll have SUCH a wonderful time, but it just hurts my mom heart a little. I'll miss her those hours she's gone.  I'll miss our lazy mornings sitting around in our pajamas.  As o...