Teach Me How to Mommy

If you were to stop by my house (unexpectedly) anywhere between 7am-3pm you would think I have things mildly under control.  You may hear a crying baby, there may be a splatter of matchbox cars on the living room floor and you'll definitely hear Kidzbop playing throughout the house, but you won't see a (terribly) frazzled mom, sad children or filth. But if you were to stop by my house (unexpectedly) between 4-6pm you would likely see huge messes, dirty plates, a hungry, screaming baby and two toddlers who have forgotten their manners.  Many people have told me it's the witching hour.  Yes, yes, I see it now. It's the hour I suddenly have to prep a meal that represents all the food groups, while also simultaneously breastfeeding and dealing with toddlers who are beginning to unravel. So please, maybe don't come over - or, rather if you do, please come at 7 am.  I'm as fresh as a daisy then. So to the poor guy who mistakenly knocked on my door at 4:45 and wa...

Just when you think you've got it all together.... Your son comes to tell you that there is poop on the floor.  So even though he's been potty trained for a nearly a year and ASKS for privacy when he goes, there are still mishaps.  Like, well this: He was such an easy kid to potty train...a few skittles here, a few there and BAM, bye bye diapers.  Yet, he has his quirks.  For instance, I am not sure why his own private potty ended up getting flipped over, but I do know that he was in there building a fortress with toilet paper.  It's what he does - I don't know, I tend to think it's creative and not destructive. I think my mistake was loading up the shelf with fresh new rolls (I did that at 7am).  It was all just too exciting for him. And so even though this was the first day in history that both children slept until 8am allowing me to deep clean the bathroom (again at 7am) I was right back at it at 11am. Please remind me of this as I have a ...

Kelly is our most featured guest-poster.  In other amazing news she came back to CT!  She's written about being a new mom , mom instincts and going back to work .  Now she's, "home" and starting a new chapter by "staying home" and moving forward with a few of her passions.  I say a few because unlike many people (ok, me) she's good at so many things.  Read on for more... So I have decided that I am too old to sleep in a sleeping bag on the hardwood floor, even just for one night. Let me back up… … We decided to make the move from RI to CT to be closer to family. Our house sold in 2 weeks (thank goodness, it was hard to keep picking up all of the toys for showings). We would close after the school year, pack up a truck, move in with my parents’ in CT, and put our stuff in a storage unit. It makes me laugh to think about our whole little house packed into one tiny (ok large) room, I wonder what all of our stuff is doing in there? The Mayor of...

My temporary-stay-at-home mom status this summer has been an adventure.  We are currently doing the beach life thing and it is equal parts amazing and tiring.  No complaints here, but I am allowed to yawn right?  Anyways, before we left I got to thinking that much of my identity is tied to the fact that I live with, care for and am attached to two toddlers 24/7.  In case anyone didn't know, I've compiled a list of tell-tale signs. 1.  If you get peed on you just keep going.  This weekend we went to Lake Compounce and while waiting in line for the merry-go-round John peed on me.  Yes, he was wearing a diaper - No I have no clue why it came out more like a flood and less like a stream.  I didn't bring a change of clothes (for me) and they still wanted to go on rides.  What's a mom to do?  Shut up, air dry and keep on trucking. (Sidenote - I didn't even end up showering until 10 that night, oh well). 2. My phone tells me every night my...

This picture doesn't represent his usual state, but for some reason I love it.  Lucy and I tried to trick him by getting him all sleepy in the car and then transferring him into his crib at Memere's.  15 minutes later he woke up and didn't know where he was.  Since I was in the pool it took a few minutes to get to him.  When I walked in the look on his eyes was of pure devastation.  It was as if I had given him up for adoption and his new family hated him.  He was sad and angry and it didn't let up for awhile.  It was sad, but kind of funny. I talk a lot about how different my two children are.  Often, I realize that it insinuates that Lucy is somehow easier than John.  She always slept better, she appears to need me less and (with the exception of a few brief phases) she listens and wants to be good.  I could say the same about John on many days, but he does seem to need and want me a bit more than Lucy - he always has.  He can b...

Recently, Amy and I have been talking about our comfort zones and how they have been shattered (purposely or not) this summer. 5 minutes into our visit and my anxiety is through the roof. Markers on Nana's new deck. AHHH! I am working on being a little more impulsive .  Instead of having everything scheduled for the kids, I am trying to go with the flow.  Hence, this week I decided to pack a few bags and bring the kids to the beach.  Of course I am lucky to have a place to go (thanks Mom and Dad).  I packed enough for a few days thinking if it goes well we will stay, if I get too tired or things are too hard I can leave. I have a lot of pride so escaping was never really an option, but boy I came close.  The kids started pushing the limits immediately.  What can I climb?  What snacks can I pillage? Where can I run off to?  And, of course the ever popular how late can I stay up? With Jerry these questions and rebellions are easily manage...

Last week............. was it that long ago already??? There are no words to describe the amazing weekend we had celebrating Alissa..  Pictures... yes.  there are lots and lots of pictures but since most of the weekend was dedicated to snapchatting, it's probably good that most of that evidence is "deleted".   There was rarely a moment where a drink wasn't in our hands, a snack was never more than a few inches from us, and a song was ALWAYS being belted out at FULL volume.   Everyone was smiling, happy, carefree, uninhibited.... Here are a few of my favorite memories: 1)  Snapchat that! Colleen and Snapchat might be dating... we're not sure... because every time we looked over she had a different devilish grin, and soon 5 snaps arrived to our phones.  Girlfriend was on FIRE this weekend.  She reaallllly was the Kylie Jenner of the Cape!  There were so many snaps I couldn't keep up, and I mean that in the best way possi...

I am fresh off a wonderful trip to Maine.  More on how full my heart is later.  For now, let's just quickly recap how awful a 9 hour car ride can go, even when you plan everything right. For the record Jerry was nervous about the drive.  I naively assumed all would go well. Since it was a 9+ hour drive we wanted to maximize the kids' sleep/nap time.  Sooooo, Jerry and I woke up at 2:30 am.  The car was packed so we scooped up last minute things and attempted to transfer the kids peacefully. That damn milk cup. The kids were so excited that they got up and stayed up.  They wanted to know when we were "at Maine."  John chugged a milk cup about 4 hours too early, but who cares, right? Well, apparently we should have.  He puked it all up within the first hour of the car ride.  That's right, milk puke on him and the car seat. We cleaned up as best as we could in the dark, at 4am, off an exit ramp with no stores open. After 7 hours ...

Just this week we have had lot of visitors.  Some visitors were scheduled (Nana and Uncle Justin) and others were surprises - neighbors and friends. In general I am not the biggest fan of surprise visits.  I am a planner (teacher much?) and so when I am caught off guard I am not at my best.  I got worse when I had kids.  If a visitor came when they were napping I nearly had steam coming out of my ears.  Yet, having kids also forces you to become flexible, so I often sometimes go with the flow. The visitors this week have brought such joy to my home.  A visit by Uncle Justin made John into a temporary cuddle monster.  He doesn't readily go to other people that aren't, well, me.  Yet when Justin drove up in his BIG diesel truck he was a puddle of hugs.  Justin's visit is another story altogether - I'll share when I am ready to embarrass myself (which also may be NEVER) . Unfortunately, every time someone came over my house this week my ho...

Lucy and John are at the stage where they are starting to fight.  It's kind of cute at the beginning, and then turns immediately un-cute.  Since they are of different sexes I don't have anything to compare it to.  When my sisters and I fought we used really hurtful words until one surrendered.  Sure maybe there was some hitting when we were young, but we knew exactly what to do to get the other one to stop (insult them) . Sidenote - Once you tell your sister that she is adopted and that's why she looks different then there is really nowhere else to go from there (that "she" was me and I am still a little shaky on my heritage).   These two are different.  John is very VERY physical.  I have seen him hit, pinch, slap, push and kick his sister.  It's a cross between not being able to communicate how he wants and being instigated by his sister.  We've had lots of chats and time outs and overall he is doing so much better.  Lucy's no...

Today at daycare drop-off my kids were dawdling, procrastinating and being silly.  Even though it takes 2 minutes to get from home to daycare, it often takes us 10 minutes to get from the parking lot to their rooms.  It's a silly little habit we all have.  We look at the baby chicks in the lobby (yes real chicks) we look at the "library" for the book we want to take home and we say hi to all the teachers in our path.  Yes, I often have two thousand steps before I even walk into my building (7:30 am). Well, this morning a mommy kind of blew passed us.  It wasn't in a rude way, but an urgent one.  I've been there, I know.  We quickly discovered that her daughter was sick and she was swooping in to save the day.  She did the typical Mom thing - picked her up high in her arms and brushed her hair with her fingers.  The girl was mumbling something, but I couldn't hear.  The mom had no time for more pleasantries, she rushed out to take her b...

Kelly has shared with us before .  She's a super teacher mommy.  She'll tell you about a breast and bottle feeding journey below.  Whether \feeding came easy for you or not, it's more about the worries that come along with being a mom and the lengths you'll go to fix any issue.  Ultimately, moms know best right? Right?????? As an educator we always talk about how early intervention makes all the difference in the world for children. But how early is early??? Gus and I struggled from day 1 with breast feeding, and taking the bottle wasn't much easier. The bottle ended in both of us covered in half of the milk. As he sucked and slurped and garbled and squeaked, the milk would pour out of the sides of his mouth. I was blistered and cut and defeated. I joined a breast feeding support group which was amazing. All of the moms and the lactation consultant had great ideas, but it all came down to one thing, something didn't seem right. Gus had an undisco...

I was pleasantly surprised that my husband had the day off this year and I had planned for it to be the best "good" Friday it could be.  This involved a run to the toy store, visiting with Nana's brand-new puppy, outside play and of course Easter egg dying.  (You can get all of this done in one day - plus more- if your son refuses to nap). As opposed to doing it the standard, traditional, without-a-doubt successful way (you know buying a package from Walgreens and dropping the eggs in a cup) I decided to do it the Pinterest way (the trendy, fun and sure-to-fail way). We did cool-whip egg dying.  I thought it would be fun and cleaner (I literally have no idea why I thought this - 100 wipes later...).  The process was so fun.  It was one of the few crafts that I have done where both kids have held an equal interest.  John and Lou are so different that keeping them focused on the same activity has been a challenge.  Turns out cool-whip makes anyone ha...

After last week I think it's safe to say my house has been touched by each and every one of the icky illnesses that a family could endure.  Yes, that includes croup, colds, stomach bug and the ever popular hand-foot-mouth virus.  (Wait, I just realized there are a few we didn't get..how common is scarlet fever these days?).  Every illness has been viral and so there have been no antibiotics to ease the pain or quicken the pace of these damn things in my kids' bodies.  In short, much of the winter we have been in and out of the doctor's office and waiting for the discomfort, sniffles, pukes, lack of sleep and hours of whining to dissipate. Last week I pulled into the school parking lot only to be called immediately by daycare.  John had puked all over the breakfast table.  This has never happened to me before.  I have always been able to call out of work with some advanced warning.  (Having flashbacks of a stomach bug last year that had me s...

My husband and I aren't allowed to play cards with each other anymore.  More specifically, in order to stay married and carry on with our vows we can never, never play rummy again. We are both really competitive.  He is more so (he'd admit it too), but I am not meek - I like to win. After we first start dating we realized that playing cards and a few other things (like that time he tried to teach me to golf) just were not for us.  The final straw was when he accused me of cheating after I finally (outright) beat him at rummy.  I was fuming - like I'll dump your ass if you say it again kind of mad.  Instead, we just agreed to not compete anymore. Everything has been going really well.  I mean we have been together for over 12 years..something must be working. Oh, and I figured out what's working.  We DON'T PLAY GAMES with each other...like ever. Until we both got fitbits . I really love my fitbit.  It's the small recognition I get for j...

Sometimes you hit it just right. On a whim Amy and I met at the local trampoline park for a play date.  We brought our husbands (ok, they brought us).  All kids felt well and even though the line was hella long, we got in and had a blast.  The only reason I am even typing this right now is because my kids are knocked out (jumping, running, balancing, falling, sliding, and free-falling = an awesome nap). Even though it took Colin a few minutes to love it (which he did) and Jerry and I got "talked" to for numerous rule infractions, it was a great time.  There were no injuries (parents included) and the kids left red-faced and smiley. I only had to hold back once from knocking a kid out.  That's a record...

December 14th is a day a lot of us remember, especially if you live in Connecticut. I remember I was six months pregnant and teaching when another teacher told me there had been a school shooting - in CT.  I think I remember being shocked and worried, but I wouldn't say it fully captured my attention until I looked it up and realized it was at an elementary school. The weekend that followed was full of tears, a near obsession with media coverage and quick donations to a variety of charities.  I was, of course pregnant so already on the verge of emotional breakdowns, but I think many of us were moved to tears after listening to the stories that surfaced from the event:  teachers and administrators covering students, the quick locking of doors, hiding, telling students stories to calm them down, running down the street.  I put myself in the parent's shoes as they waited to hear news of their kids.  Unimaginable.  Brave.  Unnecessary.  Beyond wor...