The Nightly Sleep Battle

Sleep. It's something I LOVE. I don't need crazy amounts of sleep - eight or nine hours is perfect for me. Any more and I am sluggish and I get a "sleep headache" (I don't know if that's real but it's real to me. I used to feel it, before I had kids). Any less and I'm yawning throughout the day.
So I wonder, like probably every parent in the world, why don't my kids want to go to sleep? We have tried every strategy, routine, bedtime there is. With Owen we rocked him to sleep, we let him cry himself to sleep, we Ferberized him, everything. With Liam we tried letting him cry himself to sleep, but the kid will go an hour without stopping or falling asleep. My latest trick is to read to both of them at the same time, in our bed, and then turn out the light. I hold Liam and Owen snuggles up against me. This has been working like gangbusters for Owen. Ten minutes after lights-out, he's snoozing away. Then there's Liam. My baby boy will hold out for 20, 30, 45 minutes. I put out the lights tonight at 7:50 (20 minutes late, but that's the chicken pot pie's fault). It is currently 8:50, and he's still not asleep. I handed him over to Loren about 30 minutes ago so I could eat my dinner (truth? It's so I can surf the 'net). This way I can eat in peace, and I don't have to fret over when is this kid finally going to go to sleep.
The trade-off is that Owen will come back to our bed (I move him to his bed when I go to sleep) in the middle of the night. He's gotten so good that I don't even feel when he's climbing into the bed. I think he climbs in on Loren's side because that man is a log. Mr. Ed could climb over him and he wouldn't wake up. Liam on the other hand, will sleep through the night, in his own bed. I don't know which one I value more.

PS: I don't like talking about sleep because inevitably whatever sleep they're getting now, it'll change for the worse after I talk about it. I guess this means they'll be up at dawn tomorrow.

Epilogue: 8:54 - Loren just put Liam down in his crib. Success means we can watch "the Office".

A Review

This is important. This is my first, written, public, product review. I am a BzzAgent. That means that I receive various, different products; I try them; and I talk about them to the people around me. Hence the "bzz". I recently received a bottle of Aveeno Baby Essential Moisture Shampoo. Now, I am a follower of safemama.com. That is a website that lists and documents all the products, available for children, that are safe, or unsafe. It is JU-AMMED (say it aloud and it will make sense) packed with information, and suffice it to say, makes me a little paranoid. But, I still like to see what they say about the products I am using, especially soaps and shampoo since I read that phthalates can cause reproductive issues, testicular cancer in boys. I do want to be a grandma at some point in the future so I use products w/o bpa, phthalates, sulfates, etc. I use California Baby or Burt's Bees. I am comfortable with that choice, and only cringe a little when I shell out $8 for 6oz of BB. The California Baby costs more, and the best buy would be Weleda Baby.
When I signed up for the Aveeno Baby campaign, I thought it would be a good chance to try something new. So I tried it, and I like it. It has a built in conditioner, and with Owen's longish hair, that is a plus. Smells nice, works well, and I would use it, EXCEPT that Aveeno is not one of the companies announcing that they are not using phthalates, parabens, bpa, etc. in their products. I researched Aveeno tonight and found several sites documenting Aveeno's use of phthalates (often included, but not disclosed, under "fragrance"). Using these (unnecessary) chemicals on my kids is not an option for me so I won't continue using the Aveeno product. Other than that, the Aveeno Baby Essential Moisture Shampoo is a good product.

more Owen-isms

Today we are sitting at the table "working". I am balancing the checkbook (I know, so responsible right? Just wait...Oprah doesn't come on for another 45 min. Ha-ha), and Owen and Liam are coloring in their coloring books. It's such a nice, kind of quiet, industrious time. Then Owen looks up and says,

"Mommy, I hope I don't become a teenager."

Me: "Why?"

Owen: "Because the guy at the karate show said teenagers are shady and bluh-bluh." (this is said with much hand waving and some muttering. He probably didn't catch exactly what the guy said, which was along the lines of teenagers not watching where they're walking).

Me: "yeah, I hope you don't become a teenager either".

Mommy, Look!

Owen's favorite two words are "Mommy, look!" (actually "wook" because he still can't say his "Ls", which I LOVE). He says it when he is racing his cars on the kitchen floor while I'm cooking dinner, "Mommy, look. Which one is going to win the race? Limousine or Speed Race Purple Fast? (he names his cars, cute right?!) Mommy. Mommy. Mommy. Look!" Then he keeps checking to make sure I'm looking.
Sometimes in the afternoon he watches a movie while Liam is napping. I should be making dinner, or folding laundry, or any one of a thousand household chores, but instead I sit on the couch and read. It's such a treat to sit and read in the middle of the day, but the price for this luxury is several "Mommy, Look!", as in "Mommy, look, Mater is going to fly to the moon", or "Mommy, look, the tractors are going to tip over". I don't mind because I figure I brought him into this world, I may as well let him show me it (Reader's Digest wisdom). What is funny is that he has caught on to the fact that I don't really look. If I'm reading, I'll say "oh wow" or "cool" without moving my eyes from the page. Now he says "look, look) and he keeps turning his head to make sure I'm looking at what he wants me to see. I can see his head out of the corner of my eye swiveling back and forth making sure I'm wooking.

Rhythm is gonna getcha

Lately Owen has been more aware of the "Mommy" music in the car. The other day Loren and I were singing the chorus from "We're Not Gonna Take It" (Twisted Sister - yeah!), and Owen asked me "what?". So I said, "what what?", and Owen said "not gonna take what?". We laughed, and said "it".
Then today he asked me if Christmas was here, and I said "not yet", and he said "but the radio said 'Christmas is here'" (yes, I was listening to Christmas music, and yes I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, and yes, I know my Dad would rather poke his eye with a sharp stick than listen to Christmas carols on Nov 4th, and this is not even the point of this blog).
So as an ode to Owen, enjoy this video (and remember to turn off any songs with questionable lyrics you don't want to explain to a four-year old).

growing a boy

My boy Liam must be in training to become a big boy. He's been sleeping like a champ, and eating almost as much as Owen. This morning for breakfast he had a bowl of oatmeal with blueberries (which turns the oatmeal purple in case you were wondering what color his oatmeal is compared to Owen); two slices of cheese, a cup of OJ, half of my breakfast cereal, and a sippy cup of milk. That was all at one sitting! He's been down for a nap now for more than two hours, he must know that in two weeks he'll be two years old and ... a ... big boy!

Pink Oatmeal...explained

So this thing we do - "painting" the oatmeal is Owens' newest thing. He used to eat it all the time, but then got out of the habit. When I re-introduced it a month ago he was not into it at all so I got creative. First I added honey and cinnamon. All I got was the "head turn" (you know, where they turns up their nose). I took it away, did some mommy magic, and voila - pink oatmeal. Since then he's had every color in the rainbow and he eats up every last bite.

Pink Oatmeal

Click here to view these pictures larger

idle hands (this was accidentally left in "drafts" Oops)

I made two phone calls this afternoon. One was to REI to check a gift card balance, and the other was to FedEx to track my Bodum Chambord coffee press. I realize neither was vitally important, but it was on my mind and I thought I could take a few minutes to do these things.
What Owen and Liam did while I was on the phone:

Owen: tore the July page off the desk calendar and wrote my chores on the back for me. (there is a back story to this: I made a chore chart for him and posted it on the wall in the kitchen. It's a calendar grid with happy faces for the days he does his chores, and sad faces when he doesn't. Chores are getting dressed in the morning, picking up his toys at the end of the day, and setting the table). Now I have a chore chart too, including sweeping the floor, washing the dishes, watering the (non-existent) garden, and washing the clothes). He then proceeded to use up a roll of tape to affix my chore chart to the wall. Finally he locked the bathroom door from the outside with the lights on.

Liam: pounded on the wall with his plastic hammer; took the keys out of the drawer and jammed them into the sliding door track; reaaranged the contents of the desk drawer; and lost the cap to the glitter glue.

Was it worth it? Maybe in 6-8 weeks when the coffee press arrives.

sad to say

I did not roast the pork loin. I didn't even buy one. My intention was good, but it just was not meant to be. It still sounds good though, right? Maybe another day.
Speaking of sounds, the sound of traffic outside our apartment is driving me CRAZY! It gets so loud we can't hear the t.v., or even each other from 10 feet away. The apartment is very nice. On the plus side we have no noise from our neighbors (we hardly ever see anyone), and we have a nice big green area right outside our door. On the bad side we have to watch out for dog poop on that green (even though there are little bags provided to pick up the poo - grrr). And there's the traffic. We sit on the street side of the complex and it's a major road. I love opening the windows in the evening, but I can't take the noise.

Sunday Feast

My goal this week is to roast a pork loin. Extra points for organic meat.
Stayed tuned to see how this plays out....

time wasted

It's bedtime and I did not finish folding the laundry (I didn't even begin). I also did not make my new September calendar that included Owen's chores. I guess that must be why he didn't finish his chores tonight. I did however upload pictures from Nettie's wedding to Shutterfly and FB, created and ordered a photo book, I also answered all my emails, and recommended some books to my uncle in Virginia. I guess you can say it's been a virtual productive day (as opposed to "virtually productive"). Tomorrow has my name written all over it, but for now it's off to bed to read a real book.
Incidentally, I made tacos for dinner and in place of the lettuce I used fresh baby spinach. My kids ate it without a fuss. My husband ate it without a fuss. What an easy, easy, easy way to add spinach to our diet. Not that my boys are picky about their vegetables but who am I to turn down a gift horse?

Owen jokes

Here is a sampling of the dozens of jokes and riddles Owen invents throughout the day (you'll have to imagine him laughing at the end of each one):

Q: Why does the chicken eat bread?
A: Because she usually eats corn.

Q: Why does dressing only go on salad?
A: It doesn't go on meat because it sucks up the dressing.

Q: Why does a chair only sit on the ground?
A: Because it gets dirty outside.

Joke: fly, spider, mosquito, insect, guinea pig.

I tried to get him to tell me some more but he said no more jokes tonight. Because you know, he has to save his energy for some more good jokes tomorrow.

Summer Fruit Crisp

I wrote earlier about the yummy peach dessert I made from a magazine. This weekend we had my parents up to visit, as well as our "second" parents so I made the dessert again. I took my mom and dad driving around Brentwood and we went to the Farmer's Daughter farmstand and got some outstanding peaches and yellow pluots. Owen and I ate almost all the pluots and Mom wanted me to save some of the peaches for her to take home, but with the remaining peaches I made the fruit crisp - sooo yummy again! Here is the recipe for any who want to try. It's really easy. Let me know if you make it, and how you like it!

Summer Fruit Crisp
Topping
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup quick-cook oats (I've also used the regular kind and both work just fine)
1/4 cup flour (I use whole wheat flour to give a lil' healthy to this dessert)
5 tbs unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger (I omit this b/c I don't have ginger)
1/8 tsp salt
Filling:
5 cups chopped fresh fruit (I use unpeeled peaches; the recipe used unpeeled plums and blueberries)
3 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs flour
1 tbs orange juice
1/2 tsp orange zest *optional (I omit this too)

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees
2. Combine all of the topping ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Rub the mixture together with a fork, pastry blender, or your fingers until in forms clumps (I use a fork).
3. In an 8-inch square baking pan, gently toss the filling ingredients. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit.
4. Bake the dish until the fruit is bubblyl and the topping is crisp, about 30 minutes. Let the dish cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Vanilla ice cream would be wonderful, I think. It calls for something creamy and sweet to accompany this dish.

my birthday present

Loren gave me the Flip Video camera for my birthday. I've been wanting one for a while and I am really excited to try it out. I recorded some footage this morning and uploaded to youtube (one of the main selling features of the camera). It took a LONG time, like almost 25 minutes to upload one minute of film. That's a mark in the CONS column. So far the PROS are: it's small, really cute, and new; CONS: long upload time (big one) and trouble sharing the video once it's posted to youtube. I'm going to try to embed it here, and then I'll try some other things. I hope the bugs work out because it's so cute.

Rules of the Universe

Rule #1 Everything belonging to and surrounding small boys (children?) must be slightly sticky from an unknown source.

It seems that lately, whenever I pick up a book, especially one of Liam's board books, the cover is ever so sticky. I wipe them but the stickiness won't go away. This applies to toys, books, and even our leather recliner. As far as the leather recliner, I blame the Diego sippy cups. Those things leak like a sieve.

peach crumble

I made the yummiest peach crumble today. We had four peaches that were slowly going bad. They were spoiled enough to be unappetizing on their own, but I found a recipe for a berry crumble that worked SO well. I had to cut everything in half since I only had four peaches but it was enough for two (although I totally could have eaten the whole thing by myself). I would post a picture, but we all but licked the bowl clean.

a new day

I worked out today. We have a new plan wherein I will go work out when Loren gets home from work. I leave dinner ready and go exercise. Meanwhile Loren will give the boys a bath and we'll eat after I get back and shower. Today is Day 1. D-Day is Aug. 22. I have decided to give myself specific goals and (near) deadlines rather than a vague idea like "I'll be skinny for next summer". I think I need something more concrete and quickly measurable. We'll see how it goes...so far so good.

new recipes

I love magazines. Mainly the "women's interest", but I hate being so predictable. I'm not even sure what that means. I am a woman, and I am interested in a lot of different things. It used to be fashion (a la Glamour or InStyle) but now it veers more towards parenting (Cookie, Parents, & a really good one that was discontinued called Wondertime). I love receiving my new magazines in the mail. The thing that I love about them is the possibility. The possibility that I will cook the recipes, make that throw, wear that outfit, buy that book or game. I have a binder called "Kalynn's Book of Fun" where I keep the pages and pages of ideas that I tear out from magazines. I am not limited to the above titles either. I shamelessly ask the nurses at doctor's offices if I can take their old copies of Sunset or Better Homes & Garden.
This afternoon I found a duplicate "recipes" folder so I combined it with the other to make one big one. I went through and decided to try some tonight. I made "easy pullapart pizza" from Parents. It involves refrigerated pizza dough, sauce, cheese, and spinach. Sounds easy and kind of healthy. It was easy, but a little messy. I made two, since Loren loves pizza. Owen ate it, but wasn't thrilled, Liam ate it (but he'll eat anything. He's Life cereal's Mikey reincarnated). Loren was the big challenge. He likes almost anything that looks or tastes like pizza (even Combos - eww!). His take? "Needs sausage or something. It's too bready". And that summed it up perfectly. The taste was ok, but there was a lot of crust. The reason is the recipe called for the dough to be rolled then sliced like pinwheels. Also, I should have added some extra spices because the sauce was a little bland on its own. Not a recipe that will be repeated here.
However the lowfat chocolate chip cookies? That's another story! The recipe called for pureed dates which was a little off-putting but I persevered. I have been craving chocolate chip cookies, but I have a bridesmaid dress that needs to look good on me in less than one month. Sooo, I fell under the spell of low-fat. They taste ok. It was a good exercise though because the dough was not so good (usually the best part!!) but the finished product wasn't too bad. I sampled a piece, decided it was full-fat or none at all (I'll go with none, at least until after Aug. 22) and saved the cookies for the boys tomorrow. I'll give it to Liam. He'll eat it. He'll eat anything.

the road not taken...

The pair he wanted:








The pair we bought:









We went to REI today to buy sandals (and to drool a little bit over bikes and camping gear). Liam was easy. A pair of Tevas and he was good to go. Owen tried flip flops, water shoes, and Crocs, and a fair bit of men's hiking boots. He picked up a pair of hot pink Crocs and loved them. Of course they were exactly the right size and he walked around, ran, jumped, and skipped. "See Mommy, watch how fast I can run". I pulled out the blue pair and said let's see how these fit. Take out the plastic tab and run in those. Oooh, fast!
So he contentedly wore them around the store while Mommy and Daddy oohed and aahed over everything. Then came time to check out and he says but I want the pink ones. I tell him that pink is a nice color, yes one of our favorites, but on clothes and shoes - it's for girls. We go back and forth for a while and eventually he agrees to the blue ones. I even throw out the option for red or green Crocs from a different store. However that involves delayed gratification, a concept foreign to Owen. (He will always choose whatever is immediately at hand, but that is another post).
My quandry here is, should I have let him buy the pink Crocs? Loren and I were talking about that tonight. Did I quash a piece of his creativity, his "self" by not letting him choose the color? After all, it is just a color. What's the big deal?? And my answer is this: if we still lived in SP, and he went to the same school, and had all the same friends, I would have let him buy the pink Crocs. Everyone there knows him and wouldn't make any judgements (well, maybe about my parenting choices but that's something I can deal with). Here, we are in a new town. He'll be going to a new school, and making new friends. I don't want people to judge him without knowing him. I realize that is our society, and I believe that we should be ourselves, but, where does a mother draw the line? He likes pink, and we don't care. So am I being hypocritical to let him wear pink at home ("casa" home, as well as hometown) but not buy the pink Crocs that he wanted? It's done, but maybe this was like a little test. What would I say if he wanted, really, really really wanted to wear a dress? I used to think I wouldn't care. That his expression of self was the most important thing. But now? I think I failed the test.

morning parade

This morning the boys were up at 7 am, which is early for them. I am so thankful they are not early birds because I am not. I like the idea of getting up at 6:00 and going for a run (!), or making fresh smoothies, or even just getting online (as opposed to waiting until 10:00 at night). I think about how nice the fresh morning air would feel, how pretty the rising sun would look coming through the windows, how much I could get done while the boys sleep.
Sadly, as much as I would like to be this person, I'm not because I LOVE sleep. So I love that my boys don't get up until 8 am, or even later sometimes. Today though, they were up at 7:00. I woke up to cries of "Moooommmmyyy." "Mmmmmoooooommmmmyyyyyy". So I went into their room hoping to quiet Owen before he woke Liam, but no luck. "Look Mommy, see? His eyes are open. Liam's awake!" And he was. I tried to take them back to bed with me and get them to maybe go back to sleep. Of course that was wishful thinking. And then Daddy stepped up and earned double good husband points. He got up and told the boys to come on out and leave Mommy alone. Yay! what a good Daddy!!! As they walked out the door I sleepily watched them, and thought what a nice parade: Handsome, rumpled Daddy in tshirt and shorts, elf-size Liam in colorful striped jammies, and sleep tousled Owen in cowboy pj top and red underwear - all heading away from me and another hour of sleep.

physical labor

As you may or may not already know, we are moving away. Northern California came through with the best job offer for Loren so off we go to Brentwood (not O.J.'s Brentwood, this one is near Stockton). We are moving on Wednesday so have been packing for a few days now. Considering we have been living in four rooms plus one storage, you'd think it would be pretty easy. Four days of packing later, I'm wishing we were like gypsies with whatever fits in our wagon. Today was the hardest day (so far) and I'm longing for a hot tub. Tomorrow is the couch and other big items so my torment will not end until Thursday when everything is unloaded and arranged. Actually I like this feeling of being physically tired. Like when you go swimming in the ocean and your muscles are pleasantly sore that night. Dinner tasted especially good (just spaghetti) after several hours of loading furniture and boxes, and I have a feeling a steaming hot shower will send me right into dreamland.

Cool Dudes

this one of Owen's buddies from school, Tanner

boy or girl?

As you know we have been discussing about whether to have a third baby. We've asked Owen if he wants another brother or sister one day and his answer is always positive.

Tonight Loren is camping with friends, so Owen is my "bedtime buddy". He's sleeping in Mommy's bed, and not long after I kissed him goodnight, I heard him calling. I go in and he says:

- Mommy, when we have another "beebee" (his pronunciation of baby), I want to get a girl.

- well Bubby, if we have another baby, we have to see what God sends us.

- I think God is going to send us a girl, because He already sent us a boy.

We'll see....

useful muffin top

Finally I have found something good about my muffin top. Liam comes to me, lifts my shirt up and lays his face against my (soft) side. He doesn't like the shirt to get in between his cheek and my skin so he holds it up out of the way. So sweet, right? (and yes, kind of weird).

big kid

Let me set the scene: my cousin's two kids are visiting, ages 8 & 2.  It's morning and Owen and Emily are playing "Go Fish".  Donny wants to play too.  Aaand action:

Donny: I want to play.

Donny: I want to play too.

Donny: Ooowwwweeeennnnn, I want to plaaaaay.

Owen: you can't.  You're not a big kid.

Donny: yes I am. 

Donny: Ooowweennn, yes, I'm big kid too.

Owen: how old are you?

Donny: two.

Owen: That's not old enough to be a big kid.  Now don't come back until you're big.

Pithy

The other day we were at the park and Liam was on the slide. As I stood with my arms out guarding him to make sure he doesn't fall off I thought:

This is what it's about - letting him learn how to do it himself, but keeping my arms out to catch him if he falls.

a glimpse into my purse

Front and center - calendar, wallet, and a book about kids.

Karenlynn's been cooking again

This was a dish I made for my darlings today, April 1st. Sushi? Are you surprised?


Why? It's April Fool's Day!
By the way, my family loved the rice crispy treats :-) I found this idea from the April issue of Parents magazine. I'm not normally a crafty person (I want to be but that's another blog) but this was too cute to pass up. I made rice crispy treats and wrapped them in fruitaboos. Fruitaboos are basically fruit roll ups but they are made with organic fruit and less sugar. Owen loves them and thinks of them as a treat, and so do I.

Sunday, happy Sunday

How do babies know to wake up right when Mommy sits down to finish the newsletter? To use teen-speak, brb....

worst mommy moment of 2009 (so far anyway)

On Thursdays Owen goes to school. Last Thursday I dressed Owen in plaid shorts and a t-shirt (it was supposed to be hot). Owen decided he didn't like what he was wearing and changed into fleece sweats and a sweater, oh and snow boots. After much battling we compromised on the sweats and a different t-shirt. When he came out with an Iron Man t-shirt, I groaned inwardly. Owen's school frowns on superhero clothes (because boys act like superheros when they see them. As if they didn't act like superheros anyway). That's when I made a bad choice. I decided to shift the burden to his teacher. When we got to school I asked the teacher if she could tell him that superhero shirts weren't allowed. I figured she'd pull him aside and ask him to change. Not exactly. She told him in front of all the kids that superhero clothes were not allowed and would he rather turn his shirt inside out, or change. I knew immediately that I had made a mistake. I should've taken care of it myself. As it was, he got so embarassed and started crying. I never should've asked someone else to parent my child. We would've battled some more but at least I would have saved him that moment of embarassment and being upset. Lesson learned.

No complaints here

I have two boys who are good eaters. I bought the Deceptively Delicious cookbook in preparation for hiding veggies, but the boys eat broccoli, spinach, carrots, tomatoes, and tons of fruit. However, I would like to branch out even farther into, say...tofu, or hummus, or papaya and kiwi. Big O won't eat mango. How can you not like mango?! It's like candy. From what I can understand, it's not the taste he objects to, it's the texture. He's always been a texture-picky eater. He doesn't like mashed potatoes (I know, weird) because of the texture. Any ideas to incorporate tofu?

Owen's birthday eve

For the first time this weekend I saw Owen as a boy, not just a little boy. We were playing Taboo and he was watching and helping, and enjoying the game with us. Normally we would have had to distract him with something else, or wait until he went to bed to play a board game. He even came up with some pretty funny clues himself. Then today, we actually played Uno together, and he won, and I enjoyed myself. I didn't let him win, but I will admit we were playing a little loose with the rules. Number one because he's only four and can't hold all those cards in his hands, but also because I am not sure about all the rules (what do the arrows stand for? What's +2?) I say honestly that I don't like playing kid's games. They are boring. Of course I play Memory, CandyLand, and the most repetitive of all - Chutes & Ladders, but I can't honestly say I enjoy them. I am so excited that Owen is moving into a stage where we can play games I like too! Uno, Freeze Tag, even Hide N Seek. A world of possibilities is opening up!

so many places to go

so now I am up and running on Facebook. I joined GoodReads, and have two email accounts, not to mention the several blogs I like to follow, oh yeah, and this [somewhat neglected] blog. I get so excited about the new sites I find and join, check them alot, and then get tired of checking them all the time. I joined facebook in March, but never did anything until about a month ago when I heard from a friend from San Francisco. Then I got really into it, connected with other old friends and really liked it. My cousin set me up with other cousins/friends so now I have alot of "friends". It's fun, but how often does do I need to post "what I'm doing right now"? I joined Twitter and LiveJournal (on someone else's request) but never did anything with those sites. With all this instant updating, I have to say I was happy to receive handwritten Christmas letters. How refreshingly slow and thoughtful.