Friday Fun: Memorable Quotes

Here's the latest from the mouth of our precious and precocious preschooler:

• Anna (as I pick her up from day care): "Can I please have a baby sister?"  Me: "Umm, no, honey, these things are really complicated."  Anna: "But I promise to take good care of it!" ...and I'm sure "it" would be fortunate. But I don't see that happening!  

Adventures in babysitting with our friend's adorable little girl!

I May Be Just a Little Bit Crazy

"I'm not completely insane....I may be just a little bit crazy...."

This is my favorite line from the song "Crazy" by Alana Davis.  It's how I feel a lot of the time - I know I'm sane, but I have my crazy moments. And lately I've been having more and more of them.

Part of it is the stress of changing career roles and expectations. Part of it is the financial pressure and uncertainty that causes. And, of course, part of it is having a very bright, verbally skilled toddler who's always trying to play me like a fiddle.

But other than that, I'm super.

Bedtime Blues?

I know we're not the only ones who find bedtime to be well, a bit of a struggle sometimes. Or most of the time.

Aside from the fact that Anna has difficulty falling asleep without me, our biggest issue is that it takes her a long time to wind down at the end of the night.  Recently, we've tried to implement some changes that will provide more structure, get Anna in her own bed again, and give us some grown-up time to relax and maybe watch non-cartoon TV.... with mixed results.

I just came across this article on tackling bedtime issues, which I think contains some good ideas. Some of it is new and some isn't....but the more I come across ideas I've already read about before, the more it helps reinforce for me that these are methods that do work.

Please let us know what you think and what works or doesn't work for you. And sleep well tonight!

Friday Fun: And the Pie Says....

Here are the first funny Anna conversations of 2012.  Happy Friday, all!

Are We There Yet?

Happy Monday!  Anna and I are coming off of a very fun weekend. We took a road trip to visit Uncle Keith and had a fabulous time! I just wanted to send him a big "thank you" for having us visit and for being patient with a certain super energetic three-year-old.

One interesting thing I've noticed is that with every trip we take, a theme for the weekend seems to emerge. Perhaps this is because Anna's growth and development is moving faster and becoming more pronounced....or maybe it's just random, who knows.

Look out, everyone! Here she comes!

Kids & Bedtime

I receive regular parenting tips and other information via email.  Today's message included a link to an article about bedtimes written by someone who lets her kids stay up later than many kids their age.  I always start Anna's bedtime ritual early (like around 7:30) but it's a good hour or two before she's actually asleep.  Sometimes it's tempting to let her just stay up until she crashes instead of enduring bedtime struggles, but of course, I don't want her to be too tired the next day, so I usually try very hard to get her to sleep.

Please check out the article and share your thoughts about early vs. late bedtimes!

Once Upon A Time....

Image from Childhood's Favorites and Fairy Stories, by Various

How many of you loved fairy tales when you were younger?  Reading them seems to be a childhood rite of passage. Do you find yourselves reading them to your kids now?  Personally, I don’t have a real recollection of reading them, although I’m sure I did. I’m just a little fuzzy on the details.

So, when Anna brought me her giant book of bedtime stories and asked me to read her Little Red Riding Hood, I thought, sure, why not?  We snuggled closely together and I began the story.

Go The F*** To Sleep: Harmless Fun for Parents, or Harmful Reflection of Reality? Discuss.

I’m sure most, if not all of you, have heard about Adam Mansbach’s new book, Go The F*** To Sleep, which was recently read by Samuel L. Jackson on CollegeHumor.com.  Mansbach wrote the book to parody children’s books, and to humorously describe the internal frustration that parents face when their child resists sleep.  I know we’ve all been there.

However, as a book with this title naturally would, it has stirred up controversy. There is widespread support for the book as a way for parents to blow off steam by laughing at something that can be really frustrating.  Supporters say that most of us think the things that the book narrates when our kids employ sleep-delaying tactics, even though we certainly would never say them aloud. Clearly, while it is illustrated like a children’s book, the book is not meant to be read to children.

The Wrong Signals

“Don’t be insecure if your heart is pure,

You’re still good to me if you’re a bad kid, baby.”  - Lady Gaga

Ok, I realize not all of you are Gaga fans, but hear me out.  The above quote is from “Bad Kids,” one of the songs on her new release, Born This Way.  It’s a song worth listening to, but even if it’s not your style, the song does contain a message from which all parents can learn.

Where Does This Stuff Come From?!

The light was about to go off. Finally, bedtime had arrived.  And then she said, “Hide, quick! I see one, two, free praying mantises!!!”  Huh?

I complied, and we huddled under the thick comforter, despite the fact that it was a 90 degree day and we don’t have air conditioning.  Anna was wide-eyed – clearly it would be a long time before we actually got to sleep.

Alligator, Go Away!

One of the most interesting things about parenting, as I’m sure it is for just about everyone, is seeing bits of yourself in your child.  Reliving childhood experiences, yet handling them through the prism of parenthood, is eerie, yet fascinating.

Almost every night as Anna and I have our bedtime “huggle” (one of my favorite of her original words), I repeat the now familiar mantra: “Alligator, go away! Leave my Annapie alone!”  Anna smiles and closes her eyes contentedly …. until they pop open again approximately 10 seconds later.

Anna's non-imaginary alligator, "Aaron"

“Can you say ‘alligator go away’ again, mom?”