Are you flipping kidding met?!?!?

Ok.

I know that I am all about "Mommy-ing by your own book" but when your child is being mean and abusive to another child you have to intervene and 1) stop the behavior immediately and 2) tell your child that it is not ok to hurt another child.

Scenario: I'm at Barnes and Noble rummaging through the 50% off bin (it's like Christmas and my birthday all in one), Danny is in the stroller being a good boy-playing with his Elmo remote. Suddenly a little girl walks over with this big bucket that must have had toys in it because there were toys all over the ground around her mother. The little girls seems like she wants to show Danny the bucket that she stole, she seems friendly enough so I just say "Hi sweetie" and continue rummaging/observing the babies. The girl starts out nice "talking" to Danny, they hand the bucket back and forth. Then the little girl walks away, I say "bye bye" while Danny waves. The little brat girl walks back over and lunges the bucket right into Danny's face, then picks it up and continues to hit him with it. I take the bucket away from her and say "oh that isn't nice lets to find mommy." Well mommy was standing right there, comes and takes the little girls hand and walks away! She doesn't tell Danny or myself that she is sorry, doesn't say anything to the little girl, just walks away!!!

What the HELL??? I'm sorry, I don't care how amazing and perfect you think your child is, when your kid is beating on another kid you stop him/her and give the child a good talking to!! You don't just walk away so he/she thinks that the behavior is ok. I know these kids are young but it is never too early to teach your child right from wrong. Some behavior is not acceptable, and beating on another kid is one of those behaviors.

People underestimate the ability that these kids have to understand what is going on, they know when they do something wrong (if you freaking tell them)!! Kids are so observant, if you talk to them in a nice, calm voice they will understand I PROMISE. Every kid has the ability to be a kind, gentle and caring person, if only their stupid parents will give them a chance by teaching them right from wrong.

I sure hope Danny isn't afraid of the bookstore now ;)

Check this out . . .

The Bra*Kette.



From these people: www.coco-designs.com


I've been wearing the Bra*Kette for a couple of months now (while running of course) and I think it is incredible. Not only does the bra have a pocket (Brakette. . . get it???) but it is the most comfortable sports bra I have ever used. Here is a little TMI: Before pregnancy I was a perky B cup, after pregnancy and nursing for ten months I am a not-so-perky D cup. This body change made it hard for me to work out, I didn't feel like myself when I would run. The Brakette really holds the girls in place, there is no bouncing or anything. The bra is made out of really good moisture resistant material which keeps your skin fresh.

Love, Love, LOVE IT.

My Day

Here is a vague glimpse of a day in the life of Ella and Danny.

7:04-My wake up call gets me up late for the second day in a row (usually my son is up at 6am on the dot).
7:10-Waffle is in the toaster, I peel a banana for a very impatient 14 month old.
7:45- Diaper time.
7:55- Water the plants on our little deck before we turn on the TV just in time to watch Curious George.
8:00- Watch CG and chase Daddy around as he gets ready for work.
9:00- We say goodbye to Daddy. My son cries and tries to go with him (am I really that bad).
9:30- The little one wont hold out for Sesame Street. . . Nap time.
9:35- I check my email and do a little facebook-ing.
10:00- Laundry and cleaning up the house a little.
10:45- Danny wakes up. Short nap.
10:46- Diaper time.
10:51-Snack time which turns into me holding Danny captive in the highchair while I get a lunch packed to take to the pool.
11:13- Leave for the pool (my Grandma's house).
11:35- Visiting with Pop-Pop (my dad) and Uncle Joe (my brother) poolside.
Noon- Danny eats his lunch outside. Rather, Danny throws his lunch on the deck and Uncle Joe gives him a cookie.
12:45- Danny goes swimming while I get ready to bare it all in a bikini.
1:00- Swimming pool fun for Danny, Uncle Joe and I for the next hour and a half.
2:30- I sunbathe while Danny plays like a good boy on the deck.
2:32- I catch Danny trying to run back to the pool. Time to pack up.
3:00- Danny falls asleep on the way home.
4:30- Danny wakes up, we play.
6:10- Dinner is ten minutes late which pisses Danny off. He is in and out of the kitchen every 3 minutes to check if I've taken anything out of the oven.
6:14- Danny is in the highchair enjoying lasagna, broccoli and a cresent roll.
7:10- Bath time.
7:40- I tell Danny he can get one thing off the bookshelf for me to read. He slyly gets the box of alphabet books. "I'll show you mom, I got one thing that contains 26 books." I read all 26 alphabet books.
7:56- Daddy walks in just in time to say goodnight to Danny who is in his crib by 8.

I spend the rest of my evening catching up with an old friend on the phone and then hanging out with my husband.

We couldn't have had a more perfect day. It may seem boring to some, but this is the life I dream of. I am so blessed to be a stay at home mom all summer.

Quote of the Week

Yes, it is only Tuesday and I've already decided that nothing can beat this one.

"Danny looks really cute, his outfit isn't very masculine though."

Oh crap! I hope my son doesn't become gay because he wore a not-so-masculine outfit!!!

I wouldn't mind a good shopping partner though :):)

Terrible Mother??

Moms,

Do you ever feel like the most terrible mother that has ever walked the earth? Maybe that is a little extreme, I do actually know that I am not a terrible mother, but some days (or weeks if you're me) I just feel like I can't do anything right.
If I can recap some of the joyous things that happened in the past week. My son fell getting out of the pool-big scratch on his forehead; my son got stuck in his crib-bruise on his leg; my son scratched his face in his sleep because I forgot to trim his nails; my son got a big bump on his head because he was so slippery when drying off after a pool trip that I dropped him.
I don't know how this kid is going to survive growing up with me as a mother.
Or maybe I don't know how I am going to survive mothering such a rambunctious little boy.

Hi, my name is Ella. Sometimes I suck at being a mother. But I do love my son with all my heart and I always do the best I can. Some days are difficult, I'm not perfect nor do I try to be. I just wish we'd stop having accidents!

Booster Seat

For my brother-in-law's wedding I decided I needed to bring a booster seat for Danny to use during the reception (I posted previously that he didn't make it to the reception), so I didn't get to try it out. I wanted a very basic seat that can be easily taken from place to place (vacation/restaurant/Grandma's house). I did a little research and found the Prince Lionheart Cushiony Booster Seat to be everything I was looking for. It is made of a soft-ish material, it is light, easy to clean off and it has grippers on the bottom so I don't have to worry about it slipping. It is very similar to the Cooshee Booster that my nephew used when he was around Danny's age. To be honest I only chose the Prince Lionheart seat because it came in green and I have a slight OCD need to color code my children, but that is beside the point.

The other evening my husband was away doing a police ride along I decided to make a special dinner for just Danny and I and try out the booster seat. The seat works great, it is comfortable for Danny (as best as I can tell) and it doesn't move around. I think my son did better with just me at the dinner table then he would have had my husband been there (he knows he can't get away with misbehaving when it is just me, I guess you could say my husband is the good cop). I'm not 100% ready to stop using the highchair, sometimes I need to have my little one buckled in where he can't get out and run around like a mad man, but it is nice to know that we are on our way to taking that step and it is nice to know that I don't have to take the huge highchair on our vacation next month!

Here are links to both boosters. I have used them both and like them both. If I had to recommend only one I would probably recommend the Prince Lionheart because it has separate gripper feet on the bottom, where the Cooshee does not, it relies on the material that the seat is made of to keep from slipping.

Prince Lionheart: http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=lionheart+booster+seat&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=3721376916908411773&sa=X&ei=E-gATsXHDafy0gH8tqiLDg&ved=0CFQQ8wIwAQ

Cooshee: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2908480&prodFindSrc=rv

Happy Boostering!

SUMMER TIME!

Remember when you were a kid and you dreamed about summer vacation? You couldn't wait to hang out, relax and have zero responsibility. Those were the days when you could stay in your jammies until noon, go to the pool every day, play outside, go to the mall, spend a week at the beach. Those were the days.

Well. . . I may not be a kid anymore but I am in the middle of my summer vacation and I feel just like a kid again. Thursday evening I finished my first summer course (online. . . love online courses) and my month long summer break began. I have never truly appreciated a break like this before. Last summer was my first time not working or in school but having just moved across country and taking care of a newborn I didn't really get to enjoy the season. I went back to school last August and didn't get a single break from school because I am taking winter/summer school in order to graduate when I want.

I am making sure to take full advantage of my summer vacay! Danny and I have been to the pool every day since I turned in my final assignment for the last course I was in. We have gone to the mall, gone on runs every day. We are having a great time. I feel incredibly blessed to have this time to spend with just my son, I don't have to take him to the sitter, I'm not stressed about writing papers or doing extra readings, I'm not up all night taking care of any of those things. Once my son is in bed for the night my husband and I actually get to spend some quality time together.

Just stopping to smell the roses :)