There is something innately endearing about a child putting his or her shoes on the wrong feet.

Nathan is completely enamored with his fireman boots. They were a Christmas gift from my mom, and let me tell you, Nathan can’t get enough of them. The first thing he does in the morning, before he’s even out of his PJ’s, is put on his boots. He clomps around in them all day, just as proud as he can be. Never mind that half the time they’re on the wrong feet. That stuff just doesn’t matter when you’re two years old.

I love this age. Well. I LOVE the age, but dislike the phase he’s going through right now… we’re going for yet another round of NOT MINDING! It’s driving me completely bonkers. For example, we got into a bit of a power struggle today. There’s a local mommy group in my area that meets once or twice a month for lunch and play with our kids. There was one today, and before I even left the house, I had inhibitions about attending. Nathan was in one of his moods, and I could just feel that things probably wouldn’t go smoothly.

I made his lunch (which is pretty much mandatory whenever I take Nathan somewhere. He’s incredibly picky, and coupling that with an intense desire to run amuk with the other kids makes Nathan want to completely forgo his dinners.) So it’s just easier to bring his own lunch, and we rarely get into power struggles over it.

Not today, however.

I told him after he ate his lunch, he could get down and go play with the other kids. Well, Nathan would have none of my rules, dontcha know. He balked. Loudly. He wanted to completely skip his lunch and go play, but unfortunately Nathan without food is a very-hard-to-manage Nathan. So I tried to compromise and advised him to eat just half of what I packed. No success. I tried to bribe him with a cookie. Nope, still didn’t work. Applesauce? He took a few bites and then had enough. Then he tried to pick up his plate and move it away. Finally, I told him to open his mouth and I would feed it to him. COMPLIANCE! Never mind that my child is nearly three years old now and I had to hand-feed him his lunch. All I was worried about was getting food into that grumpy little belly while simultaneously sticking to my rule of eating before play.

But then he went kinda nutzo. He had no sugar (the cookies “mysteriously” disappeared into my own mouth), so I’m not sure where all the crazy energy came from. But he started running around the room, yelling and bouncing around while his wavy hair flapped crazily around his head. I watched in horror as he forcefully yanked toys away from other kids, stole their stickers and decorated his own torso with the loot, and danced around like a jumping bean that had been soaking in adrenaline for a number of days. I tried to reprimand him. When I saw him jerk toys away from other kids, I immediately went to him and gave the toy back to the other child, explaining to Nathan that he needs to share and be nice to others. I took the stickers off his torso and handed them back to the kids he stole them from.

But the ultimate embarrassment was when Nathan physically shoved another little guy down, causing him to cry. One of the volunteers approached me and told me what Nathan did, and I immediately whisked him away into a corner for timeout after I making him apologize to the other boy. I told the mother I was terribly sorry, but she was a bit of a bitch about it. Yeah, I know my child hurt her child, but guess what? It happens. That does NOT mean it’s ok, but it IS to be expected with two and three year olds. But she was absolutely bitchy about it. As I was apologizing for my son’s actions, she didn’t even acknowledge me. In fact, she turned away from me and ignored me as she held her crying son. I totally get that she was upset, but there was no need for her to be rude about it. So I just shook my head and left her alone.

That’s ok. Her child will shove another kid one day when he’s around Nathan’s age. Hopefully the parent of the child he hurts will be nicer to her than she was to me. After being shunned like that, though, I won’t be apologizing to her again if my child ever behaves inappropriately towards her child again. Nathan will apologize to the child he hurt, but I won’t go out of my way just for her to reciprocate with rudeness.

Yes, I’m a little pissed off at her arrogance.

But enough of that. Arrogant, bitchy people are everywhere in this world. I am quite sure I will encounter many, many more throughout my life.

So yeah, Nathan has his super sweet, precious and endearing moments… but this belligerent phase he’s going through right now is driving me insane. I’m hoping this phase doesn’t last long. I want him to be sweet again. Don’t get me wrong, he totally has a multitude of sweet moments. I’ve noticed he gets really wound up when we’re out in public, especially if there’s a lot of other kids around or bustling activities. I’m going to have to figure out a way to work on this…

In the meantime, I’m going to soak up every single sweet moment he has. I know his not-so-sweet moments are just a phase that he will outgrow with love and patience. I’ve had SO many people tell me the Terrible Two’s are nothing compared to the Terrifying Three’s. He’s almost three. I hope this behavior is not a taste of what I’m in for in the coming year!

Regretfully, I did not. But only because I had food poisoning from (I’m pretty sure) some gravy I ate for lunch on New Year’s Eve. I started feeling queasy 3-4 hours after I ate it… and then about 8 hours after consumption, it hit full force. I had waves of chills hitting me every 15 seconds, nausea, and my whole body hurt. My joints and muscles ached, and anything touching my skin caused pain, even laying in bed. I was lightheaded and dizzy and (of course) completely lost my appetite. I only threw up one time, but it was so violent that I couldn’t breathe and it felt like someone sucker-punched me in my sternum. It started around 9:00 on Saturday evening. The worst was over by 24 hours, but I had some lingering symptoms that lasted an additional 24 hours after that. So I was sick New Year’s Eve and all day New Year’s Day. Let me tell you, it was NOT a good way to bring in the new year!

But there is always a silver lining.

While I was laid up in bed, I was able to get caught up on a lot of stuff I was behind on (like emails) from my… NEW PHONE! That’s right, I totally upgraded from my old (like, REALLY old) RAZR to a smartphone. This one in particular. My husband got it for me for Christmas, and I love it! There’s a huge difference going from a “dumbphone” that can’t do anything to a smartphone. I can’t believe all the things I can do from it… it’s like having a hand-held computer! And the slide-out keyboard is great. It also has a virtual on-screen keyboard, but I totally prefer the slide-out one. It’s much easier to type with. I’m totally addicted to it now… it’s SO much easier to check the news, emails, and even Facebook from the convenience of my phone. It’s MEGA AWESOME!

So anyway, my poor husband had to bring in the New Year all by himself. I’m just thankful to be finally feeling like my old self again. Everything here is getting back to normal after the Holidays. Paul has returned to work after a 2-week vacation. We had a wonderful time!! It was awesome having him home for so long, and I miss him when he’s not here. But on the bright side, I can finally get caught up on the housework! Christmas came and pooped everywhere… my house is still a mess! New toys scattered everywhere… Christmas decorations still out… boxes strewn throughout the rooms… counter tops cluttered… refrigerator stuffed full of leftovers… It comes with the territory and it was totally worth it! I had an AWESOME Christmas this year so I’m not complaining.

I am hoping to get the Christmas post written in the next few days. In the meantime, check out the picture.

It’s a new book Nathan got for Christmas. It didn’t take him long to scribble in it. I can’t turn my head for a second around here without him coloring on something or making big messes! Oh life with a toddler. But it’s a life I wouldn’t trade for anything!

They are awesome. Yes, I know I am quite partial.

We had Thanksgiving at Paul’s grandmother’s house and totally gorged ourselves on some delicious food. Nathan, being the persnickety little feller that he is, refused to eat any of the food. Naturally. He wouldn’t be Nathan if he wasn’t so dang stubborn. But to make up for it, I was able to snap some cute pictures.

We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving. The entire Holiday season, from Halloween through the New Year, is so much fun! Even though it’s the busiest time of the year for us, we totally enjoy it all. I’m sad that the season is drawing to a close. The New Year is coming up… I can’t believe it. Ready or not, 2012 here we come!

Only three more weeks til Paul’s Christmas vacation! I can’t wait!

So Thanksgiving was awesome this year. We ate at Paul’s grandparents’ house, and let me tell you, it was a delicious feast. Turkey, ham, spinach salad, green salad, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, dressing, deviled eggs, a corn dish, gravy… I can’t even remember everything we had! And the pies, we can’t forget about those delicious pies!

Nathan, however, would not partake in the feast. By the time we ate, it was way past his nap time, and I’ve noticed the more tired he is, the more strong-headed he becomes. He didn’t even want to taste any of the food. Oh well. There’s always next year.

On the bright side, I was able to get him to try a pretzel the other day. It’s the little things, folks. It’s the little things.

Also, I was able to get a few cute pictures, so I’ll have those up within the next few days or so.

Well, it’s been a long day… I didn’t have much time to write, but I just wanted to update everyone on our Thanksgiving. I hope you all enjoyed yours as well!

Nathan really likes to color. What’s really cute it watching him color in a coloring book or on one of those children’s menus that restaurants give kids… he tries so hard to color in the lines, but of course, he doesn’t have the motor skills to do that just yet. And he also really likes when Paul or I draw on the paper as well, and then Nathan will try to mimic what we’ve done. Right now, we’re practicing circles.

In other news, I am so looking forward to Thanksgiving! My husband will be off from work Wednesday through Sunday for a much-needed break. I can’t wait to hang out with him and enjoy some time together! And don’t even get me started on the good food I will be gorging on. We’re having Thanksgiving at Paul’s grandmother’s house, and let me tell you that woman can cook like you would not believe. And the most awesome part is that many of her recipes are from her her mother and grandmother… talk about deliciousness!

Hopefully, I won’t gain too much weight this year…

(Yeah right. Lock up your pumpkin pies because I am on a path of consumption!)

I have somewhat of a plan this year, though. I’m going to try to steer clear of foods that I have easy access to throughout the year such as candy, etc. But stuff that I don’t get that often will be okay to eat, as long as I (try) to keep it in moderation. I only have 10-15 more pounds to go before I’m at my goal weight, and with the holidays factored in, I am giving myself til March to lose it.

Wish me luck.

So today, I walked past him as he was playing in his room. I heard him say, “Time to clean up!” and as I peeked my head through the door, I saw him picking up his Hot Wheels, one in each hand, and transporting them to their proper place into the basket on the toy shelf. He did this multiple times until all 50+ Hot Wheels were picked up off the floor.

I could not be more proud. I know plenty of adults who are too lazy to clean up after themselves, so seeing my two-year-old do it without any prompting makes me feel like I’m doing something right. I tell him all the time how important it is to clean up after himself because if he doesn’t do it, then that means someone else has to, and that’s not right.

For instance, I used to be a waitress when I was 16 years old. And out of all the different people that I served, guess who I hated waiting on the most? FAMILIES WITH KIDS. I especially hated, HATED waiting on the families with small children. Why, you ask? Well, because the majority of all the parents that came in apparently thought it was perfectly fine and “normal” for their kids to fling food all over the table and floor, spill drinks, be disruptive, and make the most God-awful messes I’ve ever seen. And the kicker? The reason why I hated serving them so much, aside from the irritation of dealing with a child who has no discipline?

SHITTY TIPPERS.

I tell you, parents with messy kids tended to leave the saddest tips I’d ever seen. You see, servers don’t get paid crap. At the time (over a decade ago), the hourly rate was $2.13 an hour, and to this day, it still hasn’t gone up to minimum wage. That’s because servers are expected to make up the difference with tips. So here I am, busting my ass cleaning up after these bratty little booger-crusted hellions and for next to nothing. No matter how great of a server I was… never letting their drinks empty, bringing their orders out in a timely manner, etc… they still only left a dollar or two. Even if that tip was 10-20% of their bill, when they allow their child(ren) to leave such a horrendous mess, they should tip more because the server now has to go above and beyond to take care of something the parents apparently didn’t have the capacity to take care of themselves. And the more time I had to spend cleaning up after a table, the less turnover I had, the less tables I could wait on, and the less money I could make.

It was really such a welcome relief when the few families with well-behaved, respectful kids came in. That’s probably why whenever we go out to eat, our server inevitably comments on how well-behaved Nathan is.

Here’s the deal. People who let their kids make these disgusting messes pretty much look like complete Parenting Failures to all who observe them. Typically speaking, the messy kids are also the ones throwing tantrums, screaming, standing up in their seats, flinging food across the room, climbing up on top the tables, being disruptive and disturbing the other patrons, etc etc etc etc. Lazy parenting at it’s best, folks. So what gives me the right to say that?  Well, my two-year-old would LOVE to do those things. I’ve never, NEVER allowed him to drop his food on the floor, take food off his plate or play with it, stand up in his seat, climb on the table, or any of that. Don’t get me wrong, he definitely tries. But I am the PARENT. It’s my job to prepare him for the next stage in life, and letting him do all those things teaches him nothing but how to be self-absorbed, entitled, and bratty. My child will not be allowed to be a brat. I know he is capable of better, therefore I expect more of him. I teach him what I expect of him when we’re at the table. And when he doesn’t comply, there are consequences (like putting him in time out, for example. And there have been many, many times I’ve had to get up from the table, take him outside, and put him in time out for not minding me at the table.)

Time and time again, I see parents “check out” while their kid runs amok at restaurants.

There is no excuse. None. Put on your big girl (or boy) panties and BE A PARENT. Teach your child the right way to behave. It’s not the kids’ fault that their parents suck, and believe me they will pay for your failures as they grow into adults, and that’s not fair to the child.  They usually end up becoming bratty, self-absorbed and entitled adults who won’t be able to get far in life.  What a shame.

I can’t stand to see bad parenting because it’s so selfish on the parents’ part and is nothing but detrimental to the child. Your child deserves better. Your child deserves a parent who is going to at least TRY mold them into becoming a responsible adult. I have friends whom I am embarrassed to go eat with because their own children, who are older than my son, are hellions at the table. When we leave the restaurant, my son’s area is clean. There is no food on the floor, no spilled drinks (I understand it’s inevitable, but some kids spill their drink nearly every single time they eat) and no disruptions such as standing up in his chair or getting up and running around the table.

The world doesn’t revolve around a single one of us. We have to be respectful of others, and we have to understand how our actions affect those around us. It’s our job as parents to teach our children those same principals. Anything less is letting your child down and inadequately preparing him/her for life. That’s not fair to the child.

It all started a few weeks ago when we bought some Lay’s Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue potato chips. Now, I’m not getting paid to do a review, nor have I been asked to. But I just have to say those are the Best Chips Ever. Not only because they are delicious, but check out the ingredients. You can pronounce them all. That means the chips are all natural and don’t have any of those chemicals you find in processed foods. And they are so incredibly GOOD. As in I find myself completely pigging out on them from time to time.

So anyway, I was eating some of those chips one day when Nathan ran up, snatched a chip off my plate, and before I could stop him, he shoved it into his mouth.

“Mmmm,” he said after the initial bite. After a few seconds of chewing, his smug smile morphed into a painful grimace. “HOT!” he exclaimed.

“It’s ok,” I said. “Just drink some milk and that will help.” I handed him his milk and he guzzled it down. Then he looked at me, looked at his milk, then back at his chips. And he grabbed some more, shoved them into his mouth, and repeated the process of telling me they were hot and then drinking his milk.

I haven’t been able to stop him since then. He loves them. And whenever he eats them, he makes sure his milk is nearby. Once he ate some while his milk was sitting in the refrigerator and let me tell you, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him run so fast to get it. He didn’t run… HE GALLOPED. Once he made it to the fridge amid mutterings of how hot the chips were, he chugged his milk and ran back to the living room for some.

Paul and I both love spicy foods. Looks like our son is no different.

He ignored me.

He does that a lot.

“Okay, I see you’re not hungry so I will just have to eat all that delicious food all by myself,” I said. Reverse psychology works. So I backed out of his room and waited in the doorway between the kitchen and living room, listening to his clamoring footsteps.

“Stay in your room!” he hollered to himself the moment his house-shoe clad foot touched the kitchen tiles. I caught a glimpse of light brown hair as he galloped out of his room and through the kitchen, running with such speed that HE WAS ACTUALLY A BLUR.

Sometimes it’s really hard not to laugh.

Maybe I shouldn’t have eaten all that after all…

Then again, it just makes me work out even harder at the gym!

I’ve only gained a pound from my gluttony. That’s not bad at all. I think it’s because muscle burns calories more efficiently than fat, and since I’ve been working out like an animal for a number of months now, I’ve built up a decent amount of muscle. Therefore when I do decide to splurge, I don’t gain 5-10 pounds like I used to before I started being more healthy. So bring on the holidays!

See, when I was growing up, the churches we attended were really strict when it came to “worldly” things… such as celebrating Halloween. I’ll never forget being told that Halloween glorified Satan, especially when one dressed up as a witch, goblin, devil, etc. The times my brother and I were allowed to go trick-or-treating, I could never be anything “satanic.” I remember one year, I wanted so badly to be a skeleton, but I had to be a clown instead. It finally got to the point that I just didn’t want to fool with it… the desire to participate in Halloween activities seemed to always erupt into an argument between our parents and us.

Now that I’m an adult with my own child, I am doing things a bit differently. I don’t think Halloween is a Satanic holiday, as long as that’s not what you let it become in your family. Maybe for some people, sure. But then again, I’m sure those very same people can turn any day into a Satanic holiday, including Christmas and Easter. That’s their business. For me, Halloween is a time to have fun, dress up in cool costumes, and collect free candy. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s all in good fun, and I am 100% certain that if I let my child dress as a devil one year, he will not be “glorifying” Satan nor will it turn him evil.

I think when I was growing up, I was over-sheltered. My parents tried so hard to protect me from the world. Their intent was honorable, and I know they had my and my brother’s best interest at heart. However, once I turned 18 and moved out, the world hit me full-force. I was so naive and completely unprepared for real life, and I ended up getting myself into some trouble simply because I truly didn’t know any better.

So. That being said, I won’t be sheltering my child as much. I think he should be exposed to things that way we can talk about it and I can explain it to him. He won’t be hit by a ton of bricks, so to speak, when he finally moves out.

At first, we weren’t going to take Nathan at all since he’s so young and wouldn’t understand. But on Sunday (the day of the trunk-or-treat), I asked Nathan if he wanted to go trick-or-treating. His little eyes completely lit up.

“Tricker treat?” he smiled. “Yeah?” He was like a happy little elf, running around, bouncing with every step in anticipation of this thing called Tricker Treat. He had no idea what it was, yet he wanted to do it. So I told him we would go to the store and get him a costume. So my little man was a fireman this year and he absolutely LOVED it. After I put his costume on him and told him what it was, he was as happy as a bug in a rug. His whole face lit up and he could barely contain his excitement.

The look he gave me when I told him we were going trick-or-treating and that he was a fireman

Just like a fireman... checking out the water hose!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCWqM8Doe-g

Let's go trick-or-treat!

At any rate, I was worried that the church trunk-or-treat would be anti-Halloween. But it wasn’t! I was pleasantly surprised to see trunks decorated with witches, ghosts, giant spiderwebs, goblins, and creepy music. I saw ghouls and goblins roaming around with jack-o-lanterns stuffed to the brim with candy. Everyone was super friendly and no one pestered me with uncomfortable attempts to get us to attend their church services. They even had someone making s’mores over a little fire (with a tent set up for good measure) and were giving out free food like hotdogs, hamburgers, and drinks. They even had an area set up for pictures, complete with a photographer, and they will print and mail the picture for free.

It was awesome. And a great testimony as well. I was super impressed with the whole thing… and how there seemed to be no affiliation to their particular denomination other than it was held in the church parking lot. That, my friends, is the best way to witness to people- No “bible thumping” and no shoving the message down anyone’s throat. That is what impresses people and will make them more apt to visit your church.

Paul was unable to make it to the event with us, so it was just me and Nathan. Nathan didn’t really understand the whole thing in it’s entirety, but that’s ok. He still had a blast helping me hold out his bag, and he loved the plopping sound the candy made as it thunked to the bottom. Every time, he would peer into his bag at the candy that was slowly accumulating. Nathan especially loved when the candy-givers would let him get his own piece of candy. He would rake his hands through the bounty and slowly examine three or four pieces before deciding on one. Then he’d open his bag and watch as he dropped it inside.

There was more than one occasion when he reached his happy little hands back into the candy-giver’s bowl. I would gently take his hand and inform him that we needed to leave some for the other children. (Every time this happened, the candy-giver said it was fine for him to take another piece. Except this one time, Nathan tried to snatch a GIANT handful!)

By the time we made it around the parking lot and oohed-and-ahhed over the scary decorations, Nathan had his fill. It had only taken 30 minutes, which is perfect for a little guy like Nathan. Unfortunately, because he was starting to get fussy, we couldn’t grab any of the food. I was a little sad because my mouth was on full-salivation mode as the smell of grilled hamburgers wafted lazily through the crisp air. But that’s okay. There is always next year!

When we got home, I turned and faced Nathan as he sat in his car seat, babbling happily about Tricker Treat and firemen. I gave him a Smarty to eat. He plopped it into his mouth and chewed.

And made the funniest face I have ever seen. EVER!

You would have thought I’d given him the world’s most sour lemon. His face crinkled up, his eyes squinted shut, and he opened his mouth and stuck his Smarty-peppered tongue out with a pained grimace. It was too sweet for him! Even though I love love love sweets, we don’t eat a lot of them at home, so he’s not had a lot of exposure to processed sugar. The sweetness overwhelmed him! I tried to coerce him into eating another one so I could get it on video, but he was too smart for that.

 httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idGx8pN7JaQ

And then the next day (yesterday, Halloween itself) I tried to coax him into trying again. And he still refused.

 httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pmmOlM7Urg

I can’t believe my child refuses to eat sugar! I’m thankful though. It’s (hopefully) less cavities I have to worry about and less health problems. I don’t really want him eating a lot of that stuff because it’s simply not good for him. But I don’t mind it on special occasions, such as Halloween. I bet he will be more willing to eat it next year!

Such a happy little guy!