Chomping Cars

We went and met my dad for lunch today and on our way home Sunshine was making "chomping" sounds in the back seat.  I asked her was she was eating and she said, "Cars!" As a car would drive by us in the opposite direction she would go, "Chomp! Yum! That was tasty!!!" Silly girl.  She kept doing this over and over until she said, "Yuck!" and made the sound as if she was spitting something from her mouth.  I asked her what was wrong and she stated, "That one tasted like strawberry and I don't like strawberry!"  I asked her what kind she did like and she replied, "Green, yellow, and blue!"  So silly!  She continued to chomp on cars most of the way home and would occasionally come across a yucky strawberry flavored car that she would spit out.   When we came home she asked for a snack; apparently car chomping makes one hungry!

Three Year Old Professional Pictures!

Tot School: How Long Has It Been?!?!

Sunshine is 36 months old.

Its been a long time since I have done any official Tot School stuff with Sunshine and I realized this week how much we both miss it, so we (meaning I) made an effort this week! YAY!

She painted a princess wooden sign that we picked up at the dollar store (love that place!) a while back.  She also painted on some paper, but I didn't get any pictures of that.

Playing in the sink with a couple of her duckies! When she was all done, she was soaked as was the floor and her stool.

We also went to the park and played at a splash pad for the very first time!! It was great fun and I will have a whole post on just that later!  She has also been really into her duplo legos this week. She got 4 new sets for her birthday and she just loves to build with them.

Here's what other tot schoolers were up to this week!

Awesome Article about Single-Child Families

From the time that Sunshine was about 3 months old to now at 3 years old, we have been asked when we are going to have our next child.  There are many reasons that we are more then likely going to remain on single-child family.  People look at us like we're crazy or say something silly or ask us why.  Honestly, that is our business and none of theirs.  Here is a great article that was brought to my attention about it and I am hoping it will shed light on things and put things into perspective for others!

January 29, 2009, 8:00 AM

What’s Wrong With Having One Child?

By LISA BELKIN

On the heels of the news that a family in California has gone instantly from no children to eight, our guest blogger today is deciding whether to go from one to two.

Nataly Kogan was a venture capitalist who switched professions a few years ago and created the Web site WorkitMom.com, a collection of blogs for working mothers. She and her family just moved from Manhattan to Newton, Mass. Her daughter is 4, and recently everyone around her seems to feel free to ask when the little girl will get a sibling.

WHY IS IT A CRIME TO HAVE AN ONLY CHILD?
By NATALY KOGAN

You know those moms who are easy-going and just take parenting in stride?

I am not one of them.

From the day my daughter was born, four and a half years ago, I’ve been a little obsessed with doing the right thing, parenting-wise. For example, when she was three months old I went back to work, and, even though my milk began to dry up almost immediately, I spent 45 minutes, three times each day, connected to the loud monster (a.k.a. breast pump) in my office, my assistant watching guard outside and some male colleagues making cow jokes in just-loud-enough voices. My doctor, my friends, my mom, my husband and my assistant, who was probably getting tired of the daily watchdog routine, all told me to just chill and give it up. No way. I had this artificially made-up goal to make it to six months and I was going to do the right thing and get there.

I tell you all this to show how hard I try to be a good parent. But apparently, my husband and I are completely messing up our daughter’s life anyway because we’re thinking she might be our only child.

The questions from, well, everyone, began around the time when our daughter turned three. I’d meet another mom who would ask me, a few minutes into our conversation, when we were having another. (It was usually “when”, and rarely “if”.)

“Oh, I am not sure, we might just have one,” I’d say, only to see the other mom’s face turn into one of disbelief, at best, and instant negative judgment, at worst. This would be followed by a range of comments, from the passive-aggressive “Are you serious?” to my personal favorite, “I’m sure you’ll change your mind soon.”

I got the same response from an OB GYN I visited recently, after we moved. When I said we might have just one child, I was given a look that made me feel like I’d just announced I planned to leave that child starving and alone in the house for days. I switched to a different OB, but I kept running into women who made it sound like having an only child is borderline criminal parent behavior.

This is probably a good time to tell you that I am an only child.

If you’re conjuring up images of a self-absorbed narcissist or a total loner without any friends, I’m going to disappoint you because while I have my quirks and “issues,” I’m actually quite nice. I like people; I am pretty good at sharing, unless it’s a piece of delicious dark chocolate for which you might have to fight me; I love my parents dearly and don’t think they ruined my life by not “giving” me a sibling. O.K., I’m a bit of a perfectionist and can’t sleep if the house isn’t clean, but I have enough friends from large families who are the same.

The other day I told a friend that I am getting really tired of the presumptuous “more kids” comments and she told me to just ignore them and do what’s best for our family.

She’s right. But first I have to figure out what IS best for our family. As much as my husband and I have talked endlessly about the reasons why we think having one is best, this is a ridiculously difficult and emotionally charged decision, and I obsess about it all the time. I hear a friend talk warmly about visiting her sister and I immediately think about how nice it would be for my daughter to experience that warmth when she is older. I see my daughter play with a little baby at the park and my eyes almost tear up as I daydream about her playing with her own sibling. I go through the good-things-about-having-siblings checklist in my mind, and come out convinced that yes, we should definitely have another.

And then I remember all the reasons why we think we may just want one. Some of them I hesitate to share here, but most have to do with worrying about maintaining our sanity, our relationship with each other and our daughter and having any time for horribly selfish things like our non-family and non-work interests.

It isn’t that I don’t think those reasons are good enough, but that I am struck at how many others don’t seem to think so. Sometimes I wish that I had a more “acceptable” reason to give them. If I were older I could say that, well, we’re too old to have another. If, like during my childhood spent in the former Soviet Union, we lived in extremely difficult conditions and literally didn’t have enough means for another child, I could use that as a justification. But we’re young, we have the means and, on top of it all, we appear to have gotten this parenting thing under control – we’ve got no “excuses.”

Which doesn’t mean, of course, that anyone has any business telling us what horrible parents we are for raising an only child or for well-meaning folks to give us endless insight about how great our daughter’s life will be if only she had a sibling. (This always makes me want to start telling them about all the people l know who don’t get along with their siblings, hate their siblings, don’t talk to their siblings or swear that their life would be so much better if they didn’t have to deal with their siblings. Last I checked, sibling love isn’t guaranteed.)

Like other parenting decisions — to breastfeed or not, to let kids cry it out or not, to go back to work or to stay home — figuring out how many kids to have is an extremely personal process, but it’s also one that causes others to share advice and opinions without much invitation.

My daughter recently asked me why we don’t buy her a brother or a sister. I tried not to laugh at the buy comment and asked her if she wanted one. “Nah,” she said, “I like being with you and Daddy.” And for that little moment I had no doubts — whatever we decide, we’re all going to be O.K.

More Blog Postings To Remember

I did a post a bit ago about posts from other blogs I wanted to remember and here are some more!!!
14. Hand Print Sampler
15. Eye Spy Bottle
16. Appreciation 7 Days A Week
17. Bricks and More
18. Magic Potion

Menu Plan Monday

I have been following a blog called "I'm An Organizing Junkie".  She has some wonderful ideas and great inspiring posts so I am trying to learn from her.  On of her features is called Menu Plan Monday, where each Monday she posts what she is planning for her families menu for the week and encourages others to link up; what a great place to get recipe ideas!  So here is my first post and link up:

Monday: Frozen meals (we have a wake to attend this evening)


Tuesday: Marinated chicken. crock pot baked potatoes, salad

Wednesday: Kielbasa, corn on the cob

Thursday: Black Brimmer

Friday: Pork Boneless Ribs on the grill, ???

Saturday: Spaghetti, garlic bread

Sunday: Homemade burgers, fries, salad

THREE?

Really? Already? Can it be true? My baby is three?  Three years old? When did that happen and who said it was ok for her to get so big so quickly?? I am so not ready to be the mom of a three year old.   She turned 3 on July 13th while we were camping (but that's for another post).  We took her out to eat and brought 2 gifts with us into the restaurant. Of course we had a big bash for her over this past weekend (again another post) that was a great success!  I still can't believe that she is three.  As I sit her typing I am watching her play with one of her birthday gifts (Peg Number Boards) and it just seems like yesterday that she couldn't sit up on her own, whine talk,  walk, feed herself, or create her own game.  Well its time to end this post because my big three year old is beckoning me to "come play with me! come play with me!".  Happy birthday, Sunshine!!! I love you very much!

"You want a violin?"

Today Sunshine was sitting at the table drawing with a variety of art tools and she began singing "ABC".  She stopped half way through and asked me to sing with her.  I of course told her yes.  Then she asked me, "You want a v......?" I had no idea what that last word was that she was saying and I asked her to repeat, but much to my chagrin I still could not understand.  She then showed me two pencils and repeated the word. I told her I didn't need pencils to sing and she said, "Ok." As we sang she took the two pencils and held them in the shape of an X and began to rub one over the other.  Light then dawned on marble head as I realized that mysterious word was VIOLIN! LOL! She wanted me to play the violin with her while we sang "ABC"!  WOW! Yet another moment that she blows my mind! With each new day she never ceases to amaze me!

Party Prep: Part II

Well, we have about 15 1/2 hours til Sunshine's party begins.  I am so excited! We got so many things done today and we just have to put the finishing touches on things tomorrow:

1. Finish up banner and hang it (buy hole puncher!)

2. Set up tables and chairs

3. Cut up watermelon

4. Make juice

5. Make iPod play list

6. Put bags on the last of the candy wands

7. Finish decorating

8. PARRRRRTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Party Prep

It's a good thing birthdays only happen once a year.  Phew.  It's two days before Sunshine's 3rd birthday party and I am already worn out.  We spent yesterday and today working in our house and shopping (minus a break today to go see Toy Story 3, which was EXCELLENT and it made me cry) to get ready for her gig!  WOW!  I put together the goodie bags for the children who are attending last night and we wrapped all her gifts in the afternoon.  We also spent mucho time cleaning and decluttering as well as a bunch of yard work.  While it's been  a ton of work I am thrilled that we got as much done as we have.  Still have lots of things to do though:
1. Go to Wally-Mart and get pics printed
2. Clean the rug in the porch
3. Cut up the watermelon and make the grape fairy wands
4. Finish up birthday banner
5. Get balloons
6. Make sure we have enough snacks
7. Get money to pay for cake
I am sure there are many other things to add to my list, but for now thats all I can think of.  Phew. I am tired already just looking at the list! Wish me luck!

Posts to remember

Here are a bunch of blog posts that I have come across that I want to remember and go back to! Many of them have been added to my "To-Do Notebook".
1. Framed Fabric Handprints
2. A Lamp Makeover
3. Framed Fabric Monogram
4. Butterflies
5. Movie Night Concessions
6. Felt Paper Doll Dress Up Book
7. Picture Display
8. Freeze Pop Holder
9. Dry Erase Activity Book
10. Bubble Snakes
11. Toilet Paper Tube Mini Album
12. Bathroom Towel Car Organizer

Behavior Incentive Idea

I was reading the blog somewhat.... simple and found this LOVELY behavior incentive idea for kiddos! I think this might have to be done when a child is a bit older then Sunshine is, but I wanted to blog about it and share it with others!!  Check it out!!!