So, we bought the new gate. That's $60 I will never be able to use on shoes or pedicures!
It is 36 inches tall and has only vertical bars, nothing horizontal except at the top and bottom. Now, since this is 3 inches taller than my precious little monkey, and has no center cross bar (which all good children know is the secret to climbing things!), we are relatively confident that she can't climb over this one.
We even tested it with the stool she uses to climb in and out of bed... still way tall!
This is a good thing, naps will now of course return because I have safely locked my child into her room! Right??????
In MY dreams!
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Nap, where fore art thou?
Have I mentioned lately that my new 3 year old won't nap?
W.O.N.T. N.A.P.!!!!!!
We have achieved 3 naps in the last 7 days... 2 of which were car produced. Moms- you know... Where you drive around in the car until the little one falls asleep.
Yesterday, we achieved a new low. (or high as the case may be). Brianna, who we always gate into her room so she can't wander aimlessly, figured out how to climb over her gate.
The first time she climbed over the gate, I was freaked out because I heard the floor creaking upstairs and knew that no one should be walking around up there.
The second time (10 minutes after time #1), she fell and hurt herself. At this point screaming commenced which woke up Grant and prompted a long car ride to no where. Brianna fell back asleep in the car but her beautiful little brother, who had been napping wonderfully at home, would not go back to sleep apparently thinking that a 30 minute nap would suffice for the afternoon.
The third time (at bedtime), she scared the piss out of my husband who didn't expect to encounter her wandering the hallway at 10:00 at night.
Today, we are driving the 30 minutes to Vernon Hills Mall, where Babies-R-Us is king, and buying a new, very tall, gate. Wish us luck in foiling the monkey!
W.O.N.T. N.A.P.!!!!!!
We have achieved 3 naps in the last 7 days... 2 of which were car produced. Moms- you know... Where you drive around in the car until the little one falls asleep.
Yesterday, we achieved a new low. (or high as the case may be). Brianna, who we always gate into her room so she can't wander aimlessly, figured out how to climb over her gate.
The first time she climbed over the gate, I was freaked out because I heard the floor creaking upstairs and knew that no one should be walking around up there.
The second time (10 minutes after time #1), she fell and hurt herself. At this point screaming commenced which woke up Grant and prompted a long car ride to no where. Brianna fell back asleep in the car but her beautiful little brother, who had been napping wonderfully at home, would not go back to sleep apparently thinking that a 30 minute nap would suffice for the afternoon.
The third time (at bedtime), she scared the piss out of my husband who didn't expect to encounter her wandering the hallway at 10:00 at night.
Today, we are driving the 30 minutes to Vernon Hills Mall, where Babies-R-Us is king, and buying a new, very tall, gate. Wish us luck in foiling the monkey!
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Time Out is not a revolving door
In our house we use time out. We put Brianna in the dining room where there is nothing interesting, and you can't see the TV or the parents. We really only use this when she's not listening... We give her a couple of warnings and if she still doesn't listen to our very reasonable requests, she goes in time out. Sometimes she goes there without warnings if it's something we already know she is clear on, like no poking your brother in the eye, or no throwing things in the house.
Lately we have been putting her in time out more for the listening things...
Mom- Brianna, no jumping on the couch.
Bri- I'm gonna jump...
Mom- Brianna, I said no jumping, you could fall and get an ouchie.
Bri- (knees bent, huge grin) I'm gonna jump...
Mom- Brianna, if you jump on the couch I'm going to put you in time out.
Bri- **(Jumps vigorously) I WANT TO JUMP!
(Mom picks up crying child by the armpits and carries her without cuddling to time out spot)
Mom- You need to sit here for 3 minutes until you're ready to listen.
(1 minute crying)
(1 minute silence, sometime punctuated by sniffling)
Bri- (1 minute whining) I want to listen!
(Mom then explains one more time what went wrong and Bri says sorry, life goes on)
Yesterday, Brianna put herself in time out 3 times. People, this is weird. Rather than actually doing the "naughty" thing she wants to do, as soon as I threaten time out, the conversation changes (** point above). Bri grumpily says things like, "I want time out!" So I say fine and she takes herself to time out. Her version of time out is only about 30 seconds long, but she comes back and apologizes, and never actually does what I'm asking her not to do.
I'm not sure how long this will last. I'm totally sure that Jo Frost would not approve. I kind of like it though. She doesn't misbehave as much and I don't have to listen to her scream... I think I'll ride this train as far as I can!
Lately we have been putting her in time out more for the listening things...
Mom- Brianna, no jumping on the couch.
Bri- I'm gonna jump...
Mom- Brianna, I said no jumping, you could fall and get an ouchie.
Bri- (knees bent, huge grin) I'm gonna jump...
Mom- Brianna, if you jump on the couch I'm going to put you in time out.
Bri- **(Jumps vigorously) I WANT TO JUMP!
(Mom picks up crying child by the armpits and carries her without cuddling to time out spot)
Mom- You need to sit here for 3 minutes until you're ready to listen.
(1 minute crying)
(1 minute silence, sometime punctuated by sniffling)
Bri- (1 minute whining) I want to listen!
(Mom then explains one more time what went wrong and Bri says sorry, life goes on)
Yesterday, Brianna put herself in time out 3 times. People, this is weird. Rather than actually doing the "naughty" thing she wants to do, as soon as I threaten time out, the conversation changes (** point above). Bri grumpily says things like, "I want time out!" So I say fine and she takes herself to time out. Her version of time out is only about 30 seconds long, but she comes back and apologizes, and never actually does what I'm asking her not to do.
I'm not sure how long this will last. I'm totally sure that Jo Frost would not approve. I kind of like it though. She doesn't misbehave as much and I don't have to listen to her scream... I think I'll ride this train as far as I can!
Friday, June 23, 2006
I just don't know what to call this insane ramble.
I am a teacher.
My husband is a teacher.
For better or worse, this means we are both home all summer with our kids. If you are not a teacher, or a parent, perhaps it is easy to see all the pluses of this arrangement. Believe me, it also has it's down sides.
Despite the fact that there is always 75 million things to do, we have a little arrangement so we each get some alone time. In the afternoons, both of the kids take naps... naps which overlap by about an hour or hour and a half on a good day. This is alone time. I spend mine reading or watching tv movies I recorded that he wouldn't watch if the world collapsed and it was all that was available. He works outside, or goes to the driving range or something. I don't even care most days if he's gone longer than the "nap window" as long as I get my time.
Today I did not get my time. Brianna, is suddenly not napping. (Is this a magical thing that as soon as they hit birthday #3 naps disappear like Houdini?) We still make her "rest" in her room though. Sometimes she ends up falling asleep, most often she reads to her baby doll or looks at picture books. Today my darling daughter spent the better part of an hour and a half, alternately screaming to come downstairs and trashing her room. I almost didn't mind the trashing her room because at least it was quiet. I tried to read downstairs but just couldn't concentrate or relax because I was listening to the upstairs and trying to make sure nothing or no one was being permanently harmed.
I finally went upstairs to get her to find that;
1. She had pulled every single wipe out of her diaper wipes and piled them on her bed.
2. She had emptied several of her drawers and pulled out the sticky drawer liner which she crumpled up.
3. She had found a couple of those "Do Not Eat" packets that come with shoes and opened them, spewing little white/clear crystals all over the carpet in her room.
4. She had jumped on her bed, presumably before covering it with wet wipes, and the sheet had pulled off the corners.
5. She was naked except for a diaper... a different diaper than she had on when we put her in her room.
I silently stormed around her room cleaning up the mess while she sort of cowered on her bed asking me what was wrong. I then quietly explained why what she had done was wrong and that I was not happy with her behavior. I then silently got her dressed to take outside to my husband so he could be tortured by her.
HE WAS NOT OUTSIDE. His car was there, He was gone. I still don't know where. I literally sat in the front window watching for him for the next 20 minutes. When he walked into view, I took her outside and told her to walk to daddy. I pointed to him, I pointed to her, and I walked back inside without saying a word. As I walked away he yelled after me, "What?" I didn't dignify that with an answer.
I walked back inside to try and salvage a few minutes of peace and quiet. I had barely sat down to try and decompress, and figure out why I just wasn't handling this well today, when Grant woke up. At that point, I sat on the couch and cried for a few minutes before I got up the energy to go get him. As I type, he is sitting in my lap trying desperately to get the keyboard.
I figured out the following:
1. I need more sleep now that Grant has stopped sleeping through the night.
2. Working summer school sucks.
3. Feeling deserted by my husband sucks.
4. Kids who don't nap.... should nap.
I think maybe tonight I will go see a movie by myself, Or just go to Denny's and drink free refills and read until I feel revived.
My husband is a teacher.
For better or worse, this means we are both home all summer with our kids. If you are not a teacher, or a parent, perhaps it is easy to see all the pluses of this arrangement. Believe me, it also has it's down sides.
Despite the fact that there is always 75 million things to do, we have a little arrangement so we each get some alone time. In the afternoons, both of the kids take naps... naps which overlap by about an hour or hour and a half on a good day. This is alone time. I spend mine reading or watching tv movies I recorded that he wouldn't watch if the world collapsed and it was all that was available. He works outside, or goes to the driving range or something. I don't even care most days if he's gone longer than the "nap window" as long as I get my time.
Today I did not get my time. Brianna, is suddenly not napping. (Is this a magical thing that as soon as they hit birthday #3 naps disappear like Houdini?) We still make her "rest" in her room though. Sometimes she ends up falling asleep, most often she reads to her baby doll or looks at picture books. Today my darling daughter spent the better part of an hour and a half, alternately screaming to come downstairs and trashing her room. I almost didn't mind the trashing her room because at least it was quiet. I tried to read downstairs but just couldn't concentrate or relax because I was listening to the upstairs and trying to make sure nothing or no one was being permanently harmed.
I finally went upstairs to get her to find that;
1. She had pulled every single wipe out of her diaper wipes and piled them on her bed.
2. She had emptied several of her drawers and pulled out the sticky drawer liner which she crumpled up.
3. She had found a couple of those "Do Not Eat" packets that come with shoes and opened them, spewing little white/clear crystals all over the carpet in her room.
4. She had jumped on her bed, presumably before covering it with wet wipes, and the sheet had pulled off the corners.
5. She was naked except for a diaper... a different diaper than she had on when we put her in her room.
I silently stormed around her room cleaning up the mess while she sort of cowered on her bed asking me what was wrong. I then quietly explained why what she had done was wrong and that I was not happy with her behavior. I then silently got her dressed to take outside to my husband so he could be tortured by her.
HE WAS NOT OUTSIDE. His car was there, He was gone. I still don't know where. I literally sat in the front window watching for him for the next 20 minutes. When he walked into view, I took her outside and told her to walk to daddy. I pointed to him, I pointed to her, and I walked back inside without saying a word. As I walked away he yelled after me, "What?" I didn't dignify that with an answer.
I walked back inside to try and salvage a few minutes of peace and quiet. I had barely sat down to try and decompress, and figure out why I just wasn't handling this well today, when Grant woke up. At that point, I sat on the couch and cried for a few minutes before I got up the energy to go get him. As I type, he is sitting in my lap trying desperately to get the keyboard.
I figured out the following:
1. I need more sleep now that Grant has stopped sleeping through the night.
2. Working summer school sucks.
3. Feeling deserted by my husband sucks.
4. Kids who don't nap.... should nap.
I think maybe tonight I will go see a movie by myself, Or just go to Denny's and drink free refills and read until I feel revived.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
pics
New pictures of my kids are posted on Jamie's site under Wednesday, June 21.
As always... Jamie is more on top of things than I am!
As always... Jamie is more on top of things than I am!
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Summer is here!
SUMMER IS HERE!!!!!!
The good things:
1. More time with my kids.
2. Less time at work (In a moment of December insanity, I committed to teach summer school 2 hours a day).
3. Time to read, get jobs around the house done, watch tv I've been recording for months.
The bad things:
1. Getting annoyed by my kids.
2. My time at work is the only time I seem to find a moment to check the internet.
ie- less e-mail's read, less blogs written, no pictures posted
3. Yeah right, I have been home for 2 weeks and have maybe read 4 chapters of the book I started in March. TV- watched at least a million (each) of Dora, Calliou, and other various PBS kids programs. Have still not watched movies I recorded in April!
Why is it that my "free time" is busier and more stressful than work?
The good things:
1. More time with my kids.
2. Less time at work (In a moment of December insanity, I committed to teach summer school 2 hours a day).
3. Time to read, get jobs around the house done, watch tv I've been recording for months.
The bad things:
1. Getting annoyed by my kids.
2. My time at work is the only time I seem to find a moment to check the internet.
ie- less e-mail's read, less blogs written, no pictures posted
3. Yeah right, I have been home for 2 weeks and have maybe read 4 chapters of the book I started in March. TV- watched at least a million (each) of Dora, Calliou, and other various PBS kids programs. Have still not watched movies I recorded in April!
Why is it that my "free time" is busier and more stressful than work?
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