A Homeopathic Remedy

Uses: For the relief of stress, frustration or feelings of insanity brought on after a week-long lockdown with a potty-training toddler, followed IMMEDIATELY by becoming quarantined again because of the flu caught by aforementioned potty-training toddler.

Remedy: For this remedy to be effective you must get out of the fetal position. Turn music of your choice (of the adult variety) up to loudest volume and begin singing at YOUR own loudest volume. Proper tone or pitch is not necessary, but volume is a must, along with dancing moves that are only appropriate in your home. Then, proceed to the pantry and decide that lunch time today will consist of baking a huge batch of Chocolate Chip cookies. Between the dancing, loud singing, eating cookie dough and then warm cookies and glasses of milk, every possible stress from all involved parties will immediately subside. Stress will be replaced with laughter, cuddles, new dance routines and fantastic memories.

Follow these instructions as often as necessary to maintain a positive attitude while locked inside your house for extended amounts of time. :)

My Girl!

Parenthood really does change, just as soon as you think you have the hang of it! We are at a new stage...or at least the beginnings of it. My little girl is growing up. I realize that this sounds drastic, but quite frankly it FEELS drastic. I am not sure when it happened exactly, but I keep looking at Rose Marie and wondering where my little girl went.

Suddenly, she is confidently striking up conversations with older children and even adults. I catch myself listening very attentively to find out what is going to fly out of her little mouth. She loves to be responsible. Several times this week I have walked into a previously messy room to find that she had "surprised" me and cleaned it up without my asking her to do it, and she actually does a good job! She is incredibly affirming and I love her postitive feedback on my mothering. :)

But along with all of these positives, there is the other side to this growing up. Her worldview is getting broader. She is seeing, hearing and understanding things that were previously unnoticed or simply too difficult to understand. She wants to know what happens when we die. Will we all go to heaven at the same time? Why are there children in other parts of the world without food or mommies and daddies? Why does she have those things and they do not? Do you only get babies in your tummy AFTER the wedding, or can it sometimes happen before? Why do only big kids get to drive cars and not little kids? How long will it be before she can drive a car, because she is bigger than Sam, and therefore considered a big kid? When are we going to fly to England and talk to the Queen?

Yes, hard questions. I find myself getting exhausted by trying to be honest about all of these questions, without giving her information that she is still not ready for...like dying for instance.

It is a good time of growth, for her and for me. I am enjoying this new, older side of my daughter. I am loving seeing her personality continually take on a new form. It is truly fascinating. But, I still will miss these moments of her smallness and her innoncence. It is exciting and bittersweet, as every part of parenting seems to be. I love you Rose Marie, and I love watching you grow into your own unique, very inquisitive little self!

Happy New Year!!!!

Since I have been so negligent with this blog recently, I think this particular post will have to be done in "Quick Takes," format. :) So here we go, a whirlwind catch up on our lives since Advent.

1) Christmas was more than I could have wished for our little family this year, which is probably what is largely to blame for my silence. Silence. That was probably the word for our Christmas. Our hearts were full, our home was happy and we were very at peace. Jake was able to take almost a full week off from work, and I had made sure everything was ready beforehand. That final week before Christmas was spent mostly in pajamas, snacking on sugar cookies, drinking hot chocolate by the fire, re-reading favorite stories and wrapping Christmas presents. I felt so connected to my husband, and I always thrive when that is the case. :) We were so blest to be able to sit through the ENTIRE Christmas Mass! Yay! I was so proud of Samuel.

2) Speaking of sitting through Mass, that has been a HUGE recent blessing! I think we may have officially graduated to only leaving the Church for disciplinary issues, or potty breaks. Sam is actually very intrigued by what is going on at Mass and the closer we can sit to the front, the better he seems to behave ( I really hope I am not going to jinx us now!) This does not mean that our Mass experience is without many wiggles, stepping on of toes, putting runs in Mommy's nylons, or speaking loudly at inopportune times, but it is overall, much better than before! I just love being able to listen attentively to at least one reading, and sometimes all of them!

3) This year, I do not have any major resolutions. I am not on an anti-resolution crusade or anything, I just simply haven't made any. I may get to it at some point this month, and when I do, I'll let you know. :)

4) Last update thought...my little girl is growing up! I think this may have to wait and be a post all on its own. I feel like she has changed so much just since Christmas and I am not even sure how. She is so smart and opinionated. I love the conversations we have had recently. Yes, I think I will wait and post on these new Mommy/Daughter changes at a later time.

So that's a wrap! I know it has been short, but I do have a lot of other things to catch you up on and I promise I will! God bless and Happy New Year!