Category Archives: family

Mommyhood

Every once in a while there are those moments when I miss being responsible only for myself. Usually when a new movie comes out that I really want to see, or when after a long day at work I’d really just like to go to happy hour and not cook or clean or do anything. It’s funny thinking about how much our lives have changed in just a few years, and in some ways it seems like such a long time ago. I wonder what I’d be doing if we didn’t have kids, and while I’m sure I’d fill my time with things, it’s hard to imagine myself as someone who isn’t a mom now that I am one.

I’ve embraced being a mom, and I like it. Sure, my life is crazier, noisier, and messier than it once was, but I’m adjusting. Being a family isn’t always easy since we all have our “off” days, but the good days more than make it all worthwhile. I used to sleep in as late as I wanted to, but now I get to wake up to at least one happy, smiley face every morning. (Enzo and Josh are not always morning people). I used to read A LOT, and while I do still read every day, it’s just more of a Dr. Seuss and Sandra Boynton variety now. I used to have time to be bored, but now? I don’t even know what boredom is… there is always something to do, and if I’m getting cabin fever, chances are the kids are too. It’s amazing how fast an entire day can go by when you try to get your entire family out the door for just a few hours.

Josh and I may have had more time to ourselves and together before kids, but now I think we appreciate those quiet times and dates even more. I don’t really miss going out as often as one would think either. I don’t mind waiting for movies to leave the theater so we can rent them, plus, whenever we miss bedtime (which isn’t often) I feel like I’m just missing something terribly important when I don’t get my hugs and kisses before the kids are asleep.

While I sometimes miss my old self, I wouldn’t trade the new me for anything. Sometimes I look in the mirror and feel frumpy and too “mom-like” but I usually don’t have time to dwell on it for long… often because I have a toddler using my makeup brush to wipe down the sink or a baby bouncing in a jumper in the doorway who has clearly pooped. I don’t even mind that we’re having conversations about buying a minivan because it would be so much easier for road trips and to fit more people. It’s funny because sometimes I feel like I can’t possibly be in my thirties, and then there are days when I feel so much older and “kids” in their twenties seem so ridiculously young.

I’ll just have to hope our kids are okay with their rarely cool mom who is usually in the middle of some sort of identity crisis. I’ll do my best not to embarrass. 😉

To the Zoo!

We decided that since Memorial Day Weekend was 3 days long we should get out for at least one of those days, so we went to the zoo! We figured it might not be too busy if we went early enough on Saturday since a lot of people were also going to be camping. It’s actually much easier to go to the zoo when there a lot of other families rather than a lot of people without kids who for some reason think it’s crazy that so many people take their kids to the zoo and get pissy if you’re walking slow or are chasing down a toddler who no longer wanted to sit in his stroller.

We brought the barge so that way both kids would have the option of sitting in the stroller at the same time. I brought a sling as well in case Phoebe got fussy, but really enjoyed hanging out in her own special seat, especially when Enzo was sitting in front of her and she could reach out to hold the seat in front of her.

Enzo was a little bit of a grump, but Phoebe was very happy just checking everything out. We thought it might put Enzo in a good mood to try and ride a camel, and he got excited at the suggestion, so $10 later (ouch) he and Josh took a ride around on a camel. Enzo got a little scared at first, so Josh showed him how fun it is to make silly noises because of how bumpy the ride was, and he got more into it. Josh is actually recording Enzo making the silly noises (and not checking Facebook).

We did a fairly quick walkthrough this time around since Enzo was kind of having an “off” day, but did stop to see the otters and wolverine, which he thoroughly enjoyed before heading home. Since we renewed our membership it’s nice to feel like we can stay as long as we want, and it’s okay to only see a few things each time. I’m glad that overall the kiddos generally do really well on our little day trips, though.

It’s also the first time, though (at this particular zoo) that I kind of felt bad watching the animals. I never noticed how small some of the exhibits are and (maybe its hormones), I just felt a twinge of sadness as the lynx slept curled up in a ball next to the glass while small children tried to get its attention by making noise and banging. It all felt a little depressing, to be honest.

And now that I’ve completely ended things on a dismal note (whoops), if I ever win the lottery, I know I want to put some of it towards wildlife conservation. Anything helps, right? Hopefully if you visit your own zoos frequently you’ll educate yourself and see what ways you can help support your local zoo as well as support wildlife in general. There are so many simple things we could all do.

Hey, Brother

While I know from experience that having a younger sibling can be difficult at times when you’re a child (I wanted a puppy, but instead got a brother), I can tell that Enzo doesn’t mind Phoebe all that much. Sure, he may still be having those moments where he gets frustrated that the baby always gets to be carried around and sleeps in our room, but he’s also insistent that he get to tell her good-night and see her first thing in the morning.

For a while he kept saying that Bee-bee was crying whenever she’d make noise and look concerned, but now he realizes there’s a difference between actual crying and when Bee-bee is talkin’.

I think most of all, Enzo is waiting for the day that Phoebe will be a good playmate. He tries to play with her, but is still just a tad too rough and tumble at times. He also wanted me to put her in the tub with him last night so he could share his bubbles with her, but so far we haven’t mastered bathing them together because they’re both so active and squirmy and she isn’t sitting up unassisted yet.

Still, they make do and Phoebe is more than happy to just sit and watch him and be as involved as she can be, even if that means becoming his canvas.

I know they’ll probably squabble as they get older, but hopefully they’ll find a common ground sooner, rather than later and enjoy being brother and sister in their teens as I was able to do with my younger brother. In the long run, it’s probably better that he wasn’t a puppy. 😉

And, as a bonus, I’ve been hooked on this song lately… and it fits.

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What’s In A Name

While you might think that keeping your new baby alive is one of a parent’s biggest responsibilities and pressures, I think that choosing your child’s name is actually one of the most stressful parts of parenting. Thankfully, once you make the decision it’s done and over, but making that choice is such a big deal because the last thing you want to do is to burden your child with a name they end up hating. While we looked up name meanings after they were chosen, we didn’t really put much thought into it, and ultimately didn’t affect our choices. I thought it would be fun to look up meanings now, though, and see if either of our kids seem to truly fit their name choices.

I went with SheKnows.com because they seemed to have the most information for names, including so-called personality traits, which was a fun bonus. So, here’s the rundown (I did both first and middle names):

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Cooking with Toddlers

Sometimes I think the most difficult part of working full time with two small kiddos is the rushing around that happens in both the morning and the evening. Try as we might, there just seems to be no avoiding it due to our schedules and trying to ensure everyone gets enough rest. Dinners during the week are thrown together quickly and are usually easy standbys simply because we know we can get them made in half an hour without thinking twice about it. Even using the crockpot during the week can be difficult because so many recipes are done in 8 hours and I need something that is more like 10-12 hours.

Because of our time constraints, the weekend tends to be the time when we have the most fun with food or branch out and try new things. With that in mind, we decided to make pizza because we figured it would be a good meal that Enzo could help prepare and be involved in.

Using my tried and true Weelicious cookbook, I made a fantastic veggie pizza sauce and really great pizza dough. I may alter them a bit next time, so I’ll share the recipe once I do that. Catherine’s recipes have always been a hit in our house, though, and great for our entire family. It’s not always easy to convince a toddler to try something new… or sometimes even old favorites for that matter.

One area in my own life in which I need more patience, however, is when Enzo is assisting in the kitchen. So often it’s just easier to do it myself (as well as less messy and time consuming), but he gets so excited when I ask him if he wants to help me make something. He runs over to grab a chair from the kitchen table and pushes it over to the island so he can climb up and assist me in pouring and mixing ingredients. I try not to turn my back too long as Enzo is known to stick his fingers in everything and loves the way flour goes everywhere when you stir it really fast.

Anyway, I digress. The pizza was a hit in terms of constructing it, but Josh and I were the only ones who really ate it. Enzo had eyes only for pepperoni.

Dino and Bunnies

Every day adventures