Mommy Musings

I think Emmy had her first little hair trim either just before, or just after she turned 1.  It was always falling in her eyes, so I had to trim it up a bit. She got her first real big girl hair cut just before she turned 2 {actually the day we took her was the day after I found out I was pregnant with Charlie!}  She was pretty good at sitting still, and was so good at the salon. I really am not a fan of bangs on my girls though, so I grew out Emmy's and refused to give them to Charlie.  So that pushed back the time I'd have to get her hair cut the first time.  Charlie's hair has always grown pretty fast though, so as we passed year one, then year two, now inching closer to year three, her hair grew pretty long.  And gorgeous  let me tell you.  Seriously, I have such hair envy of my kids.  Her hair was the perfect color with natural highlights, gorgeous wake-up with curls, and it even seemed naturally layered! The only downside to the length {it's...

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. ...

My sweet Emmy.  I barely know where to begin on this post.  Here were are November 29, 2013.  Your fifth birthday.  FIFTH!  As mother's we also have a tough time with our kids birthdays, as they seem to come by quicker and quicker each year.  This year being no different.  But something about FIVE seems so so old to me. You fit five very well my little girl.  You are so  independent and really becoming your own person.  You have likes, dislikes and a real personality.  You are a total sweetheart and really tune in to other people's emotions.  You are extremely well mannered and so so smart.  I cannot believe how close you are to reading already. You absolutely love school and all of your friends.  You work so hard  at everything and are always practicing your school work at home.  You have tons of friends, and they all love holding hands with you, and following whatever you want. We started you on dance this...

I've been struggling a bit to get out of this blogging funk I seem to be in.  But this morning I had grand plans to write this long, witty post about what's been going around here, and some updates on my ever-growing girls {how do I make that stop by the way, stop feeding them??} I never blogged about Baby C's nursery and I have some fun home-improvement projects I'm going to start soon and need to flush out some ideas on here.  But not only did I wake up with a head cold this morning, when I walked into Baby C's room this morning, this is what I was greeted with... Umm, not cool baby girl.  You are only 8 months old!!!  I swear she will be running and talking in full sentences by her first birthday!  So instead of blogging today I'll be up in her room wresting with a crib as I try and lower the mattress.  Good thing I have lots of this to help me get through the day.

This morning Skip and I got up way too early, {on only three hours of sleep...but that's another story} my mom came over to watch the girls, and Skip and I headed up to one of the local Catholic elementary schools.  Promptly at 7:30 we walked in the doors to register for this little girl for preschool in the fall. Let that sink in for a minute....PRESCHOOL.  My baby!  Sure, in theory it will be nice to have a few hours a day with just Baby C, but I don't think that's enough of a benefit.  I'm going to miss my girl!  I'm so nervous about her peanut allergy and trusting other people to watch her, and the thought of all of us having to be up, dressed, fed, and out the door by 7:30 every morning makes me tired.  And that's the other thing...it's every day.  Five days a week for preK 3?!?!?!  Sure they're half days, but still...every day.  Just seems like a lot to me, but that is the trend with most schools around here. I know Little M will not on...

- I swear Little M has grown six inches the past few months.  All of a sudden she is so tall!  All the shorts we got her at the beginning of the summer are short-shorts now!  We had to do a major late summer / fall clothes shopping for her the other day.  Thankful for Kohl's and all their great sales and coupons! - Little M is going to be a computer genius.  Seriously.  She just hops right up at the desk, turns on the family 'puter, opens up Internet Explorer, clicks on one of her favorites {Disney Junior or PBS kids} and starts playing some games.  Girl can double-click with the best of them!  And don't even get me started with her expertise on my mom's I Pad or my I Touch.  I'm going to have to look into those parental controls ASAP.  - I really not sure where this kid running around my house has come from.  Wasn't she just a baby...or at least a toddler?  Now she is a straight up KID.  She carries on long conversations,...

It was a big night here Tuesday night.  Someone spent her very first night in her big girl bed!! Skip and I have been talking about it for awhile and as much as I would have liked to keep Little M in her crib until it is time for college, I knew it was something we should do before New Baby comes.  I really have been dreading the whole thing though.  Besides the fact that this is a big step for my little baby, I was also not looking forward to all the changes it would bring.  You see, Little M is a freakishly good sleeper.  I try not to mention it too much for fear of jinxing it!  But we put her down to bed between 7:30 and 8:00 every night.  She goes down without a fuss, and even if she doesn't fall asleep right away, she'll play quietly in her crib.  She then sleeps until between 8:30 and 10:00 am.  She also naps really well now.  We put her down at 2:00 and she naps until 4:00 or 5:00.  And I'll be honest...I did NOT want to give...