So Devin has been working very hard to learn his letters and all their sounds. He has mastered this and apparently dreams about them. I take him to the potty before we go to bed and while I picked him up out of bed he says in his sleep, "No, "Q" says qwa, "r" says errrr." I smiled and just hugged my little sleepy boy as I carried him to the potty. We were practicing everyday, but now that he knows them all and their sounds it is more quizzing them sitting down for a lesson.
We went to his preschool yesterday to drop off his shot record (that I forgot when I paid the deposit.) He brought his backpack and was very upset with me when I told him that today is not the day to drop him off to play with his new friends. It is so so cute how excited he is. I plan on being that lame mom who takes his picture by the sign on the road that shows his school's name. I know it is not as big of a deal as kindergarten...but it is still super exciting. We go for open house in three weeks to meet his teacher and see his classroom.
He has not given up on those trucks yet. He asked Frank again last night when he could get his logging truck. Frank told me the cutest story. Devin asked when Christmas was and Frank explained first he has to start school, then go to NJ, then go to California, then have Thanksgiving, then get really cold out and then it's almost time for Santa to come. He goes to bed one night and when he wakes up Santa will have left surprises for him. So...Frank had to put Riley to bed and Devin followed him upstairs. He usually plays in the toy room while one of us is putting Riley down when the other is out for the night ( I was playing softball.) Frank came out of Riley's room and got a little concerned because he could not find Devin. My first guess when Frank told me the story was he went downstairs to the closet to get his coat on because Santa comes when it is really cold out. Frank started quietly calling his name and Dev said he was up here....so Frank walked into his room and Devin had climbed into bed. Frank asked what he was doing and he said that he has to go to bed if he wants Santa to come. (ohh heart warming) Frank asked if he were tired and Devin said no but he wanted Santa to come so he told Daddy he went to go to bed. I LOVE him. Frank already bought the logging truck as a gift from Santa and Cookie asked me to pick up the cement truck for her. Yay!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Christmas is coming-Devin really wants this truck
Yay....Christmas is less than 5 months away! Now I am not really getting excited quite yet, but we have started to use that excuse when Devin asks for a new toy already. Last week while shopping at Home Goods with Devin he came across this SUPER cool recycling truck. It is actually a 1:16 to scale with working moving parts and is huge. I mean its about 18 inches long and about 10 inches high. Needless to say, Daddy told him he could have it for being such a good boy with this and that. (Daddy is a softy at times with the kids) Bruder makes it and apparently that is a superb toy truck maker from Germany. He has even brought it to his friends houses on two occasions to show them and share his new truck. (Bad Mommy left it there Sat night and it is all I have heard about for two days. OOPS)
He is obsessed with trash trucks and recycling trucks. He received two different trash trucks for his birthday from the new line of Toy Story 3 toys. We have to say hi to the trash guys when they come by on Tuesday and Friday mornings. They honk and wave and Devin gives them bottles of cold water. We love our trash guys.
Now this brings me to why Santa has already started to play a role in his life in July. Yesterday I went back to Home Goods. to show Frank some pictures I had checked out last week. Devin was SO excited when we pulled into the parking lot at Home Goods because this is where his treasured recycling truck came from. We go inside and he wants to show Daddy where his truck came from. After perusing the decor department we went to the toy section. They had two more Bruder trucks left. One was a cement mixer and one was a logging truck. Now both are super cool because they have moving parts and again are to scale and just look cool. Being a girl and from a family of all girls, I know nothing about boy stuff....but man are these trucks awesome!
The dialogue. Devin, "Mom, can I please bring this truck home?" (holding a 20 in long box with both hands and smiling from ear to ear) Me, "No, we cannot." Devin, "But Mom, it is really cool and look at this part, it moves." Me, "Dev that is cool, but you cannot have it today. Maybe for Christmas." Frank then is beckoned because I am not giving him the answer he wants to hear. Devin, "Daddy, can I please please please take this truck home. It is so cool, look at it Daddy." Frank, "No Devin. It is not your birthday. Maybe for Christmas. We can write a letter to Santa and tell him to give it to you." Devin, "Can I please bring it home tonight. I will love it and it is great. I really really really love it. " (now at this point he is smiling and trying all his charm. Frank then explains that Santa may give it to him if he is a good boy. Frank walks away with Riley and leaves me alone with Devin. I reiterate how Santa works and that we can write him a letter as soon as we get home. He asked if we could please bring the log truck home tonight and ask Santa for the cement truck for Christmas. He was really working me and I love him and I love his little face and his little teeth and his sweet eyes. I said no. Haha, I had to stand the ground. He said ok mommy and we walked out with the truck still on the shelf. The whole way home all I heard about was how cool the trucks were and that he really really really wanted one. He used 3 'reallys' everytime he talked about how he wanted one. As soon as we got home he and Frank sat at the table and penned a letter to Santa. Frank told him that he would take it to work tomorrow and mail it to Santa. Devin told him to leave now and go to work so he could mail it now not tomorrow. I mean he is in dire straights for this truck. It looks like I will be making another trip to Home Goods this week to pick it up. I cannot risk someone else buying it before I can get there. Home Goods is one of those stores that you need to buy it then because if you don't you may miss out.
You all who have boys or need a gift for boys should really check out Bruder trucks. SO cool! They retail for $50-$75 a truck. Home Goods pricing is only $25! I LOVE that store. Oh, and if you are asking if this is my first purchase for Christmas 2010....nope. I started a few months ago. If you have read my posts before you will see I love a good deal and to shop. It only makes sense to buy when on sale and hold. I "save" Frank money this way. We also set a limit to spend...so why not try to get the most under that limit as possible? Black Friday is only 4 months away and boy am I pumped!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Why, Why, Why?
There are so many things I wonder why they do it...
Why does Riley walk into a room and shut the door behind her and then yell to get out? She knows that closing the door will cause her to be stuck in there. She loves the attention of me coming to get her. Her face lights up when I open the door and say, "Yes?"
Why are all kids obsessed with dog food? I know it is not only my two that went through this. Why do they find the need to play in the kibble? To drop it in the water and make a disgusting mess? To feed the dogs one piece at a time? It is so gross. It does not smell good, taste good or even feel good in their hands. Its hard food with those little crumblies around them. Gag.
Why does Devin insist on picking Riley's boogers? Yes I said it...if Riley has a boog (as Devin calls them) he will go in her nose and pick it out and them throw it in the trash. It is foul. She lays there and lets him do it. If I go near her with a tissue she not only screams but she rapidly thrashes her head side to side....but yet she lets her brother go to town?
Devin insists on helping me change her diaper. He HAS to do the straps. Why is this? Why can't I just do it quickly without assistance? Riley squirms like crazy if I try to do it alone...but as soon as he in involved she lays still and allows him to undo the tabs on her diaper.
Why do a lot of kids have to hold on to a blankie of some sort when they suck their thumb? Riley has to have her mittie when she goes to bed/nap. It is her woobie. It is one of those generic no scratch mitties that she got as an infant. She holds it in her left hand and sucks her left thumb. I know my sister Dana used to have her blankie in her hand when she sucked her thumb. So what is up with this?
Why is food on my plate so much better than the food on theirs? I will serve us all the same dinner, but yet Daddy's food tastes better than what Devin actually has on his plate. He always has to have a bite of Daddy's dinner and he makes Daddy taste his dinner. Last night I made lasagna and Devin ate his whole plate only after he tasted Daddy's and then compared what his food looked against Daddy's plate. I remember my Dad's root beer always being so much better tasting in his big huge glass. Why is that?
I have these types of things on my mind all the time... I will post some again. If you have any light to shed please do.
Why does Riley walk into a room and shut the door behind her and then yell to get out? She knows that closing the door will cause her to be stuck in there. She loves the attention of me coming to get her. Her face lights up when I open the door and say, "Yes?"
Why are all kids obsessed with dog food? I know it is not only my two that went through this. Why do they find the need to play in the kibble? To drop it in the water and make a disgusting mess? To feed the dogs one piece at a time? It is so gross. It does not smell good, taste good or even feel good in their hands. Its hard food with those little crumblies around them. Gag.
Why does Devin insist on picking Riley's boogers? Yes I said it...if Riley has a boog (as Devin calls them) he will go in her nose and pick it out and them throw it in the trash. It is foul. She lays there and lets him do it. If I go near her with a tissue she not only screams but she rapidly thrashes her head side to side....but yet she lets her brother go to town?
Devin insists on helping me change her diaper. He HAS to do the straps. Why is this? Why can't I just do it quickly without assistance? Riley squirms like crazy if I try to do it alone...but as soon as he in involved she lays still and allows him to undo the tabs on her diaper.
Why do a lot of kids have to hold on to a blankie of some sort when they suck their thumb? Riley has to have her mittie when she goes to bed/nap. It is her woobie. It is one of those generic no scratch mitties that she got as an infant. She holds it in her left hand and sucks her left thumb. I know my sister Dana used to have her blankie in her hand when she sucked her thumb. So what is up with this?
Why is food on my plate so much better than the food on theirs? I will serve us all the same dinner, but yet Daddy's food tastes better than what Devin actually has on his plate. He always has to have a bite of Daddy's dinner and he makes Daddy taste his dinner. Last night I made lasagna and Devin ate his whole plate only after he tasted Daddy's and then compared what his food looked against Daddy's plate. I remember my Dad's root beer always being so much better tasting in his big huge glass. Why is that?
I have these types of things on my mind all the time... I will post some again. If you have any light to shed please do.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Devin-isms part duex
Back in March I took Devin to go and see "Walking With the Dinosaurs" down by the strip. Everyday, yes literally everyday we drive from the house Devin says that the dinosaurs and Elmo (who we saw live in April) are over there at the casinos. I now told him that the dinosaurs are no longer there. He asked where they went. I told him Texas. I know, I know. It is not good to lie to your kids, but when I tried to explain that they travel the country so other children can see them he looked at me like I had four heads. It is a hell of a lot easier to say they are in one place. Now he has no idea where Texas is but knows we need to get on an airplane to get there. (Maybe he heard Frank and I talking about potentially vacationing at a ranch there along with airfare?) Devin, "Mom can we go on the airplane to Texas?" Me, "No, I do not have any money in my wallet to buy airplane tickets." Devin, "OK, maybe next week." Me, "OK. Sounds good Dev." We then drove home and continued on his day. The following morning he comes down the stairs and spots the change jar on the counter and says, "Mom! We can go to Texas!" I said, "What?" Devin, "You have lots of money right there!" (pointing to the change jar), Mom, you said you had no money in your bag, there is lots of monies over there." I just laughed and hugged him and told him maybe in the fall. He is the best. This was a week ago, but he still asks now and then if we can go to Texas in the fall.
We had visitors back in July that are friends of ours. I put them in here before. Steve and Dale Hoops are old friends of Franks and now mine. Devin seems to hold a special place in his heart for them. For a while everytime my notification went off on my cell phone he would ask me if it was Hoops. Now he asks if it is Hoops first then Kelly. At least twice a week Devin asks where Hoops and Dale are. Sometimes he slips and asks where Chip and Dale are...but it is usually Hoops and Dale. I explain again where they are and that we will see them again sometime in the future.
He has a calender in his room that in interactive with magnets. I try to put an activity on the day that we have things planned so he can reference it. He is starting to understand that there are different days of the weeks and each day has a number on it and so on. Starting in August we will have a count down to preschool via a paper chain. That seemed to work well as a tool for him when we were getting ready to go on vacation in FL. Conception of time is a tough concept for toddlers. He knows certain things but only in regard to what we do throughout the day. I can say we have something going on Saturday and that its three days away. He understands both individually but not that the days of the week go in order. I am hoping he learns this at school.
Riley Mae is a trip. She is extremely vocal and animated. She gets very frustrated when she cannot open something and she shakes and growls. She idolizes Devin and tries to do everything he does. From when Devin would lay down on the floor, she lays down next to him. If he plays in my curtains (gasp) she goes over and hides in them. I think it is so cute. Devin tries to make her laugh throughout the day and he is always successful. I am thankful to have had them close together. They really do enjoy each other. The pure exhaustion at the end of the day is worth it when I see their faces when they are entertaining one another.
We had visitors back in July that are friends of ours. I put them in here before. Steve and Dale Hoops are old friends of Franks and now mine. Devin seems to hold a special place in his heart for them. For a while everytime my notification went off on my cell phone he would ask me if it was Hoops. Now he asks if it is Hoops first then Kelly. At least twice a week Devin asks where Hoops and Dale are. Sometimes he slips and asks where Chip and Dale are...but it is usually Hoops and Dale. I explain again where they are and that we will see them again sometime in the future.
He has a calender in his room that in interactive with magnets. I try to put an activity on the day that we have things planned so he can reference it. He is starting to understand that there are different days of the weeks and each day has a number on it and so on. Starting in August we will have a count down to preschool via a paper chain. That seemed to work well as a tool for him when we were getting ready to go on vacation in FL. Conception of time is a tough concept for toddlers. He knows certain things but only in regard to what we do throughout the day. I can say we have something going on Saturday and that its three days away. He understands both individually but not that the days of the week go in order. I am hoping he learns this at school.
Riley Mae is a trip. She is extremely vocal and animated. She gets very frustrated when she cannot open something and she shakes and growls. She idolizes Devin and tries to do everything he does. From when Devin would lay down on the floor, she lays down next to him. If he plays in my curtains (gasp) she goes over and hides in them. I think it is so cute. Devin tries to make her laugh throughout the day and he is always successful. I am thankful to have had them close together. They really do enjoy each other. The pure exhaustion at the end of the day is worth it when I see their faces when they are entertaining one another.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Can't they both take a nap at the same time?
Today I met 2 of my other mom friends at the gym for a spin class. Devin and Riley went to the day care in the gym and we headed up stairs to spin class. I hate spin. I am bored to tears sitting in a room riding a bike with resistance and not getting anywhere. I guess it is the same reason I hate running on a treadmill. Staring at the same thing the whole time blows. Once the 60 minutes was up I was out of there!
We then headed over to Mandy's house to allow the kids to play and have some lunch. Mandy has a big house with white furniture so I am on edge when our other friend Tina's daughter Olivia and Devin play in one of their rooms. Mandy has an adorable 11 mo old baby girl and she is not walking yet....so the house is not baby proofed. I miss those days before Dev was walking and I could easily get into a cabinet, walk up the stairs or open a door without all the latches, gates and knob protectors. Devin and Olivia had a blast in their multi floored house. They spent an hour jumping down the two step decline into the sunken living room. I would love to be that easily entertained. Mia and Riley hung in pretty well and kept each other occupied.
When it was time to go around 12:30 Riley was spent and Devin was ready to stay and play. Mandy jokingly said he could stay and play and Devin told me to go and come back later for him. I love that he is so outgoing and comfortable with my friends. I told him next time and we were on our way. Riley passed out before we were even to the end of her street and I kept Devin awake by looking for Spider Man on the highway. He gets all pumped when I said I saw him jump off the (red) car ahead of us. Mean mommy I know, but hey if he falls asleep in the car forget a nap when we got home. So here we are, Devin giving me his once biweekly nap and Riley Mae wide awake playing on the floor. Apparently the 25 min in the car was enough for her. She cut out her am nap....so her afternoon one is usually 1.5-3 hours. Great; she is either going to go down again around 4, or be miserable and have to go to bed early tonight. Both stink. She is happy and playing alone which is all I can ask for.
We then headed over to Mandy's house to allow the kids to play and have some lunch. Mandy has a big house with white furniture so I am on edge when our other friend Tina's daughter Olivia and Devin play in one of their rooms. Mandy has an adorable 11 mo old baby girl and she is not walking yet....so the house is not baby proofed. I miss those days before Dev was walking and I could easily get into a cabinet, walk up the stairs or open a door without all the latches, gates and knob protectors. Devin and Olivia had a blast in their multi floored house. They spent an hour jumping down the two step decline into the sunken living room. I would love to be that easily entertained. Mia and Riley hung in pretty well and kept each other occupied.
When it was time to go around 12:30 Riley was spent and Devin was ready to stay and play. Mandy jokingly said he could stay and play and Devin told me to go and come back later for him. I love that he is so outgoing and comfortable with my friends. I told him next time and we were on our way. Riley passed out before we were even to the end of her street and I kept Devin awake by looking for Spider Man on the highway. He gets all pumped when I said I saw him jump off the (red) car ahead of us. Mean mommy I know, but hey if he falls asleep in the car forget a nap when we got home. So here we are, Devin giving me his once biweekly nap and Riley Mae wide awake playing on the floor. Apparently the 25 min in the car was enough for her. She cut out her am nap....so her afternoon one is usually 1.5-3 hours. Great; she is either going to go down again around 4, or be miserable and have to go to bed early tonight. Both stink. She is happy and playing alone which is all I can ask for.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Devin-isms
So anyone who has met him knows he is a pretty comical little guy. He says the funniest things. I know all toddlers do...and I do love to hear his reasoning.
Today-He loves to take showers. He especially loves them now that we have shower crayons. Devin "Mom I need to take a shower." Me "Ok, you can take one after dinner." Devin, "No, I need to take one now." (mind you its 2pm) Me "Dev you are not dirty, you had a shower last night and we did not play outside today." Devin "Yes, I am very dirty. I have pee pee on my leg, my face has ketsup on it from lunch and my hand has red marker on it." (lifting up his leg, touching his face and holding out his hand) Me "Ok buddy that is pretty dirty." He then smiles and walks his naked little self to our downstairs bathroom to take a shower. Gives me 10 min to blog and check email anyway while Riley naps.
On our way home from Franks work today he says, "Mom, I need to pack a suitcase and stay at Olivia's house." I said, "oh yeah?" Devin, "Yes, Tina says it will be ok." Me "Where will you sleep?" (Olivia is in a crib) Devin "Tina needs to buy a big boy bed and we can share." So apparently Devin has been thinking about this for some time now that he even has reasoning behind where he will be sleeping. This conversation by the way was out of the blue. We were not talking about Olivia, Tina or sleepovers.
Yesterday he asked me when Riley would stop smelling like a barnyard. I mean I guess I need to watch what I say more. I always tell Riley she smells like a barnyard and Devin just laughs at her about it. He said "Riley really smells mom. Really bad." I say, "I know. Hopefully by Christmas I will have her potty trained. He then asked if Santa was going to take her diapers away and give them to babies.
We were shopping the other day and a larger lady walked by and was talking to him about his shirt he had on. He was very polite and told her all about the dinosaurs we saw etc. After she walked away he turned and asked me, "Why is that lady's bum so big mom?" Yes she was still in ear shot and yes she turned around and looked at me. I told him that everyone is made differently and gave her the "I am so sorry for my 3 year olds diarrhea of the mouth" look. He then told me my bum is not big and maybe she will have a bum like mommy one day. Good god I wanted to die.
He says stuff like this every day and he really makes me smile. I love this age. May just be the coolest age of a kid.
Today-He loves to take showers. He especially loves them now that we have shower crayons. Devin "Mom I need to take a shower." Me "Ok, you can take one after dinner." Devin, "No, I need to take one now." (mind you its 2pm) Me "Dev you are not dirty, you had a shower last night and we did not play outside today." Devin "Yes, I am very dirty. I have pee pee on my leg, my face has ketsup on it from lunch and my hand has red marker on it." (lifting up his leg, touching his face and holding out his hand) Me "Ok buddy that is pretty dirty." He then smiles and walks his naked little self to our downstairs bathroom to take a shower. Gives me 10 min to blog and check email anyway while Riley naps.
On our way home from Franks work today he says, "Mom, I need to pack a suitcase and stay at Olivia's house." I said, "oh yeah?" Devin, "Yes, Tina says it will be ok." Me "Where will you sleep?" (Olivia is in a crib) Devin "Tina needs to buy a big boy bed and we can share." So apparently Devin has been thinking about this for some time now that he even has reasoning behind where he will be sleeping. This conversation by the way was out of the blue. We were not talking about Olivia, Tina or sleepovers.
Yesterday he asked me when Riley would stop smelling like a barnyard. I mean I guess I need to watch what I say more. I always tell Riley she smells like a barnyard and Devin just laughs at her about it. He said "Riley really smells mom. Really bad." I say, "I know. Hopefully by Christmas I will have her potty trained. He then asked if Santa was going to take her diapers away and give them to babies.
We were shopping the other day and a larger lady walked by and was talking to him about his shirt he had on. He was very polite and told her all about the dinosaurs we saw etc. After she walked away he turned and asked me, "Why is that lady's bum so big mom?" Yes she was still in ear shot and yes she turned around and looked at me. I told him that everyone is made differently and gave her the "I am so sorry for my 3 year olds diarrhea of the mouth" look. He then told me my bum is not big and maybe she will have a bum like mommy one day. Good god I wanted to die.
He says stuff like this every day and he really makes me smile. I love this age. May just be the coolest age of a kid.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
I LOVE to shop! All time record savings at Gymboree.
Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE to shop. I could do it all day long. For me, Frank, kids, friends, family.....it doesn't matter. I love to shop. Rewind...I love to shop for everything but groceries. I dislike having to grocery shop.
OK...so here we go. Since becoming a stay at home mom, I have had to curb my love for shopping. Dropping my contribution to the household finances has tightened things a bit but that is ok because I LOVE good deals. I comparison shop for groceries and would rock the house at The Price is Right. I know how much everything at the supermarket costs and I use coupons. Frank loves how frugal I am.
Since April, I have only spent $100 in kids stores (and that includes a birthday gift for my nephew.) From that $100, I earned Gymbucks at Gymboree. Those gymbucks can be used during a redemption time at a later date. I have sold some stuff on craigslist of the kids and have been stashing $ to spend when I redeem my gymbucks. I went there last night to preshop and put everything aside. Tonight was the first night to redeem them and I took Devin with me to try some stuff on him. I only bought items on clearance for next spring/summer and made sure I picked out matching outfits instead of random pieces.
I wanted to get to the $100 (pretax) mark because I had $50 in gymbucks and you have to buy double the amount you have in credit. So...I got to $98.03 booo and I had to go and pick one more item out. Riley ended up with another super cute hair tie. Came to $101 then taxes brought it to $107....take $50 off of that for my gymbucks and 5% for being awesome....Total was $56.63. Now you ask how much merchandise that was worth? $296.93 full price with taxes! That is right....I got $296 worth of clothes for $56! Frank was truly impressed this trip. Now it is all for next spring besides one fall outfit for Riley but since I did this in the beginning of the spring on fall clearance of 2009, Riley is pretty set for this fall. She will need a few more pants (jeans) but other than that she is set until late spring/early summer.
Devin on the other hand is struggling with clothes. This is the first time I will have to buy a whole wardrobe for him for a season. I have had to get pieces here and there....but never a wardrobe. Hopefully I will make lots of money selling their clothes from last fall to buy new for him for this fall. I do shop on eBay as well for gently used clothes for him to play in and from Janie and Jack (my all time favorite store!)
I do not know if you all are like me...I could dilly dally in stores all day. MAC is one of my favorites....kids clothes stores, jewelry stores, and any clothes stores for Frank and myself. Pottery Barn, Williams and Sonoma. Oh and Homegoods...I love to wander around Home Goods. HAHA. I sound ridiculous....but when I am stuck in the house with a 16 mo old and 3 year old...I love my time away from home to be spent in a store. Frank golfs....I wander around stores.
OK...so here we go. Since becoming a stay at home mom, I have had to curb my love for shopping. Dropping my contribution to the household finances has tightened things a bit but that is ok because I LOVE good deals. I comparison shop for groceries and would rock the house at The Price is Right. I know how much everything at the supermarket costs and I use coupons. Frank loves how frugal I am.
Since April, I have only spent $100 in kids stores (and that includes a birthday gift for my nephew.) From that $100, I earned Gymbucks at Gymboree. Those gymbucks can be used during a redemption time at a later date. I have sold some stuff on craigslist of the kids and have been stashing $ to spend when I redeem my gymbucks. I went there last night to preshop and put everything aside. Tonight was the first night to redeem them and I took Devin with me to try some stuff on him. I only bought items on clearance for next spring/summer and made sure I picked out matching outfits instead of random pieces.
I wanted to get to the $100 (pretax) mark because I had $50 in gymbucks and you have to buy double the amount you have in credit. So...I got to $98.03 booo and I had to go and pick one more item out. Riley ended up with another super cute hair tie. Came to $101 then taxes brought it to $107....take $50 off of that for my gymbucks and 5% for being awesome....Total was $56.63. Now you ask how much merchandise that was worth? $296.93 full price with taxes! That is right....I got $296 worth of clothes for $56! Frank was truly impressed this trip. Now it is all for next spring besides one fall outfit for Riley but since I did this in the beginning of the spring on fall clearance of 2009, Riley is pretty set for this fall. She will need a few more pants (jeans) but other than that she is set until late spring/early summer.
Devin on the other hand is struggling with clothes. This is the first time I will have to buy a whole wardrobe for him for a season. I have had to get pieces here and there....but never a wardrobe. Hopefully I will make lots of money selling their clothes from last fall to buy new for him for this fall. I do shop on eBay as well for gently used clothes for him to play in and from Janie and Jack (my all time favorite store!)
I do not know if you all are like me...I could dilly dally in stores all day. MAC is one of my favorites....kids clothes stores, jewelry stores, and any clothes stores for Frank and myself. Pottery Barn, Williams and Sonoma. Oh and Homegoods...I love to wander around Home Goods. HAHA. I sound ridiculous....but when I am stuck in the house with a 16 mo old and 3 year old...I love my time away from home to be spent in a store. Frank golfs....I wander around stores.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
some days are better than others
Yesterday was such a great day with the kids. They were both in great moods. We played outback, upstairs and neither one gave me an issue in the daycare at the gym. Too bad that did not carry over to today.
These are from the kids playing yesterday out back in the sand box
Today is one of those days you would like to put in fast forward and get to the end so you can start fresh again tomorrow. Riley no longer wants to sit in her high chair for meals. She insists on sitting in the booster seat of Devin's. She actually will throw all of her food off the tray of the high chair, side swipe her cup off and then yells. I take her out and put her down. She walks over to his seat and "ehh ehhs" until I put her in the seat and she smacks her lips (her way of telling me she is hungry). She ate all three meals yesterday in his seat and breakfast today. This weekend it looks like I will be purchasing another booster seat.. She is such a pain in the ass but oh do I love her.Sitting in Devin's seat this am-happy as a pig in poo
We went to a friends house to play with their 3 year old and play in the pool. Devin decided to be a bad boy so we left. I do not tolerate misbehaved children and he knows this. He is so sensitive and gets embarrassed when he is reprimanded. I tried being nice about it but ended up having to be mean. (leaving) I hope he grows out of this stage quickly. It is not often I have to deal with it...but man alive it sucks. I am lucky that he is such a good kid otherwise. He must have been over tired because he decided to grace me with a nap. This is his first in about two weeks. He sadly gave up naps around 2.5. I long for him to take one at least once a week. I am not that lucky...but he does about once a month.
So, since both kids are napping....I (should) be cleaning up their mess from earlier and doing the dishes...but I sit and type this blog post. I am just exhausted. Boot camp class yesterday kicked my butt and I am sore from neck to ankle. I will have the house neatened up before Frank gets home...but for the next 20 min I will relax.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Devin will be attending preschool this fall!
Starting August 23rd Devin will officially be a big boy. Frank and I decided that 3 was a good age to send him to preschool part time for a few reasons. First, he loves to socialize and play with friends and does this well. Secondly, he knows his ABC's, most of the sounds, can count well and listens to directions when we do crafts and play games. Lastly, he is obsessed with older kids (like most younger kids) and wants nothing but to be in school just like our neighbors. Preschool seemed like the logical next step.
The search was a little over whelming. Las Vegas is really just a big town with little boroughs/sections of towns all around the strip. We live in the SW area of the valley and it takes about 25 min to get from one side to the other in either direction. I was fine with a small drive since I have to drive to get anywhere being as we live in the corner. I knew one thing when we started this search, I did NOT want a daycare center that offered preschool. I wanted a 'school' that accepted younger kids. I wanted the formality of a structured school without babies/younger toddlers as a distraction.
Having my type of school in mind made it much easier to narrow it down. There are only two kind of preschools in Las Vegas that are not daycare facilities as well; Private and Parochial. Both require kids to be 2 yr 9 mo/3 yrs old and fully potty trained. I wanted to make sure I saw as much as I could so I checked them both out. Two friends of ours are sending their children to Faith Lutheran preschool in the fall and they spoke highly of it, so that is where I started. We are not a religious family but we both felt that it was ok if a church based preschool is where Devin went if it fit our needs.
our needs
1. two days a week
2. half days-am session
3. not too too far away
The parochial school does teach religion and understanding of faith and Jesus. I would like Devin to learn about this at some point since Frank never did and I did not until college. We were both brought up with good morals and values just not taught from a church.
Next was the private preschools. We narrowed it down to three purely for price, location and parental reviews. We did our walk through at school one and Devin fell in love. This school offers age 3-5th grade. He sat down with the director of the preschool to "talk" which was to really evaluate what level he was going to be fit with. At this school the children in each age group are divided as to their skills. We then went out to the playground to see it and Devin joined right in with the other children and then when they had to go inside, he lined up with them. (sigh, so sweet) We stayed outside a bit longer and then once we walked into the classroom he was very inquisitive to what they were doing. Being time to go, the headmaster told Devin it was nice to meet him and he started to cry because he did not want to leave. The teacher gave him a special treat, and we were on our way.
Private school 2 which is closer and offers up to 8th grade was next. They just started to offer half day schedules, but require a 5 day attendance. I met up with the director and asked if we could split a full week with another family since we really only need part time. She said although it was highly requested, "NO." Well ok then. School 2 was squashed within 5 min of the walk through.
Private school 3 did not have two days a week at part time available. They had 3 days a week part time or two days a week full time. Tuition wise, that was just way too much money considering I am a stay at home mom and do not 'need' to send him to school. School 3 now not an option.
So now after going back and forth between the parochial and private we decided private. At this point we figured it would be better for him that 100% of his school day be dedicated to scholastic study instead of scholastic and religious study. Three hours is a short amount of time to be shared with an additional concentration. Devin will be attending Challenger Day School this fall! Hooray. We went yesterday and turned in his application and tuition and he is set to go Tuesdays/Thursdays in the morning. I already spoke to the director of the preschool and he has been accepted and from his previous evaluation he will most likely be grouped with the advanced group. Now I think it is funny they rate 3 year olds...but in the same sense it is great because I would rather him be learning with kids at his pace instead of having to relearn information he already knows. They say he will be reading this school year-PSHT we will see about that. I know he can sound letters out now, but reading?
Now for the bonus......if we are still in Las Vegas by the time he attends kindergarten in 2 years, I can get a job teaching at this school and tuition is taken care of completely for his kindergarten and Riley's preschool she would have to attend. Since it is private, you do not have to have a elementary teaching degree and after speaking to the director and headmaster they seemed pretty confident that I would have no problem. The Las Vegas school district is one of (if not THE worst) systems in the country as a whole. Florida is bad too....but I do believe Clark County rivals that. We would love him to stay private if we are out here but that will not work unless his tuition is covered by my employment.
The search was a little over whelming. Las Vegas is really just a big town with little boroughs/sections of towns all around the strip. We live in the SW area of the valley and it takes about 25 min to get from one side to the other in either direction. I was fine with a small drive since I have to drive to get anywhere being as we live in the corner. I knew one thing when we started this search, I did NOT want a daycare center that offered preschool. I wanted a 'school' that accepted younger kids. I wanted the formality of a structured school without babies/younger toddlers as a distraction.
Having my type of school in mind made it much easier to narrow it down. There are only two kind of preschools in Las Vegas that are not daycare facilities as well; Private and Parochial. Both require kids to be 2 yr 9 mo/3 yrs old and fully potty trained. I wanted to make sure I saw as much as I could so I checked them both out. Two friends of ours are sending their children to Faith Lutheran preschool in the fall and they spoke highly of it, so that is where I started. We are not a religious family but we both felt that it was ok if a church based preschool is where Devin went if it fit our needs.
our needs
1. two days a week
2. half days-am session
3. not too too far away
The parochial school does teach religion and understanding of faith and Jesus. I would like Devin to learn about this at some point since Frank never did and I did not until college. We were both brought up with good morals and values just not taught from a church.
Next was the private preschools. We narrowed it down to three purely for price, location and parental reviews. We did our walk through at school one and Devin fell in love. This school offers age 3-5th grade. He sat down with the director of the preschool to "talk" which was to really evaluate what level he was going to be fit with. At this school the children in each age group are divided as to their skills. We then went out to the playground to see it and Devin joined right in with the other children and then when they had to go inside, he lined up with them. (sigh, so sweet) We stayed outside a bit longer and then once we walked into the classroom he was very inquisitive to what they were doing. Being time to go, the headmaster told Devin it was nice to meet him and he started to cry because he did not want to leave. The teacher gave him a special treat, and we were on our way.
Private school 2 which is closer and offers up to 8th grade was next. They just started to offer half day schedules, but require a 5 day attendance. I met up with the director and asked if we could split a full week with another family since we really only need part time. She said although it was highly requested, "NO." Well ok then. School 2 was squashed within 5 min of the walk through.
Private school 3 did not have two days a week at part time available. They had 3 days a week part time or two days a week full time. Tuition wise, that was just way too much money considering I am a stay at home mom and do not 'need' to send him to school. School 3 now not an option.
So now after going back and forth between the parochial and private we decided private. At this point we figured it would be better for him that 100% of his school day be dedicated to scholastic study instead of scholastic and religious study. Three hours is a short amount of time to be shared with an additional concentration. Devin will be attending Challenger Day School this fall! Hooray. We went yesterday and turned in his application and tuition and he is set to go Tuesdays/Thursdays in the morning. I already spoke to the director of the preschool and he has been accepted and from his previous evaluation he will most likely be grouped with the advanced group. Now I think it is funny they rate 3 year olds...but in the same sense it is great because I would rather him be learning with kids at his pace instead of having to relearn information he already knows. They say he will be reading this school year-PSHT we will see about that. I know he can sound letters out now, but reading?
Now for the bonus......if we are still in Las Vegas by the time he attends kindergarten in 2 years, I can get a job teaching at this school and tuition is taken care of completely for his kindergarten and Riley's preschool she would have to attend. Since it is private, you do not have to have a elementary teaching degree and after speaking to the director and headmaster they seemed pretty confident that I would have no problem. The Las Vegas school district is one of (if not THE worst) systems in the country as a whole. Florida is bad too....but I do believe Clark County rivals that. We would love him to stay private if we are out here but that will not work unless his tuition is covered by my employment.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
July is here and so is three year old defiance
We have been able to spend a lot of time outside and playing with friends lately. Last summer Riley was just a few months old so we spent the majority of our days inside. Las Vegas heat and sun intensity are not good for a baby neither is chlorine from the pool....so that pretty much eliminates any outdoor activities from May to Sept out here. This summer is a totally different story. We play with friends from different parts of the valley at least two days a week, sometimes three. The kids we play with are mostly Devins age, but most of them have a sibling Riley's age as well. Devin and Riley both really enjoy playing with other kids and they thankfully are well behaved the majority of the time. Hitting/Biting was never tolerated and thankfully they never really tried either one. I think it helps that we hang out with other parents that are like us and do not put up with any shit from their kids. We used to hang out with a little girl who was very possessive of her stuff and got spanked a lot so she in turn became sassy and intolerable. Thankfully we no longer socialize with her. I have to say, Riley Mae will swat at Devin if he takes her toy away from her. I laugh because she will actually yell at him and go after him if he runs away with it before I can catch him. Devin does share well wtih other kids (Riley he thinks he can rule) and knows he needs to take turns. I think he will really excel in preschool this fall.
Devin never really went through the terrible twos. He actually has fantastic manners for a kid his age. He says, please, thank you, no thank you and you're welcome usually without having to be reminded. He says excuse me when he toots or burps and is always willing to help do something. I thought I had it made. Then he turned three and all the sudden he has an attitude and is defiant. He is VERY sensitive when he gets yelled at. He is not yelled at often since I try to not raise my voice unless I am really mad since I think it loses its touch if you do it all the time. He will now do something wrong and I tell him to say sorry or to correct it and he hides his face. It is so sad but in a way I am glad he knows it is not ok to do that. If he is in a "mood" he will say, "NO!" if I tell him he needs to apologize for something.
Most of the time what he did wrong is unintentional. For example, yesterday we were swimming with friends and he splashed another mom playfully. Not a big deal but adults do not usually enjoy getting splashed so I told him he needed to say sorry. No voices raised, no yelling-simply said Devin no splashing now say sorry for splashing her face. He refused to so I made him get out of the pool. He was embarressed and sad. I told him when he was ready to say sorry and play nicely he could come back in. I reminded him that it was not on purpose and it was not a big deal and was ok....just that he needed to say sorry for splashing another mom right in the face/sunglasses. He sat outside of the pool for about 5 min or so because he refused to apologize. He did eventually and was back to playing but he gets so sad and frustrated at times. I am sure this is normal...and I am hoping it does not last long.
Devin never really went through the terrible twos. He actually has fantastic manners for a kid his age. He says, please, thank you, no thank you and you're welcome usually without having to be reminded. He says excuse me when he toots or burps and is always willing to help do something. I thought I had it made. Then he turned three and all the sudden he has an attitude and is defiant. He is VERY sensitive when he gets yelled at. He is not yelled at often since I try to not raise my voice unless I am really mad since I think it loses its touch if you do it all the time. He will now do something wrong and I tell him to say sorry or to correct it and he hides his face. It is so sad but in a way I am glad he knows it is not ok to do that. If he is in a "mood" he will say, "NO!" if I tell him he needs to apologize for something.
Devin and Olivia getting ready to swim. They play very well together.
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