Tag Archive | january

Month 36: Happy Third Birthday! – Day 1068 to Day 1099

Compare to Sister’s Blog:   Month 36:  Happy Third Birthday!

(2015 — My apologies to my readers.  This was supposed to be set on auto-publish months ago.)


IMG_12091/22 Thursday Day 1068

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

We’ve had a lot of snow and Grandmama had to cancel her appointment, or rather they cancelled her surgery even though she was already there because they were short staffed. The bizzzard had really thrown everyone off. Daddy Man is concerned about the roof and says we are probably going to have to have someone rake it, or he’ll have to do it himself if it is going to be too expensive. He’s raked off the shed already, but the garage and house need some attention and we don’t have a roof rake.

This is going to be the last month for daily diaries for this blog I think. February 22 is Mini Moose’s third birthday if you can believe it. I have been spending a lot of time on the new blog to write about more diverse topics since this one is nearing the end of its life. Mini Moose doesn’t even tell me he has to go potty anymore unless we are out and he can’t take himself, or if he is really sleepy and isn’t thiking on a full brain. He’s even started to bring me back his pants to put on. He’s tried to put them on himself with hilarious two legs in one hole. I suspect he can put on a lot of his clothes himself, but lacks the desire to do so. One day he came up with is boots on to my surprise and announced (naked except for said boots) he was ready to go out. How he put them on himself I have no idea, but this goes to show that what kids are capable of even if they don’t tell you!

I haven’t made an ultimate decision about this blog though I might open it up to more of a Q and A format interpersed with some updates of the Minions. I’ve also been dabbling in fiction writing again and maybe this is my last shot to aim for that dream.


1/23 Friday Day 1069

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


1/24 Saturday Day 1070

Night EC: No night pee!

We are expecting more snow. A lot of it and it looks like my class might get cancelled again.
If I don’t get back to some adult interaction I might really lose my marbles completely.


1/25 Sunday Day 1071

Night EC: No Night pee!


1/26 Monday Day 1072

Night EC: No Night pee! Yay!

Yep. Cancelled. This is going to be one tight semester but we can work on it. I tried to contact my students but only six of them got the message. With all this technology you would think it would be eay to contact people!


1/27 Tuesday Day 1073

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


1/28 Wednesday Day 1074

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


1/29 Thursday Day 1075

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


IMG_13271/30 Friday Day 1076

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Daddy Man tells me that we are most definitely expecting more snow. Monday into Tuesday.
Seriously? The snow is already above the kids’ heads.
Enough already!


1/31 Saturday Day 1077

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


2/1 Sunday Day 1078

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


2/2 Monday Day 1079

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


IMG_12092/3 Tuesday Day 1080

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Will this semester never get started! The third cancellation in a row! I’ve had to request time scheduled for Spring Break and Patriot’s Day in April just to be sure we have enough class time!


2/4 Wednesday Day 1081

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

At this rate I will never get to work!


2/5 Thursday Day 1082

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


2/6 Friday Day 1083

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


2/7 Saturday Day 1084

Night EC: No night pee!


2/8 Sunday Day 1085

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


2/9 Monday Day 1086

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Luckily it was a holiday today because I’m snowed in again.


2/10 Tuesday Day 1087

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


2/11 Wednesday Day 1088

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


IMG_12902/12 Thursday Day 1089

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Daddy Man brought home Valentine’s Day early because he was afraid it might be impossible do go anywhere on Valentine’s Day since another storm is brewing. It also means that for the second year in a row we are going to miss my twin neices birthday because it was scheduled for the fourteenth. I am so done with this winter.


2/13 Friday Day 1090

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


2/14 Saturday Day 1091

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Happy Valentine’s Day from under way too much snow! These storms are just getting ridiculous. We all have cabin fever too.


2/15 Sunday Day 1092

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


IMG_12052/16 Monday Day 1093

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Well, finally the semester can get started. Since I’m teaching only one night a week, I’ve been off an extra month! I feel so out of sorts and just way off schedule. It’s going to be a rough semester for sure.


2/17 Tuesday Day 1094

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


2/18 Wednesday Day 1095

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


2/19 Thursday Day 1096

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


2/20 Friday Day 1097

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


2/21 Saturday Day 1098

Night EC:   1 night catch and 1 morning catch


2/22 Sunday Day 1099

10985334_10203104256516814_5222371288368952664_oHappy Third Birthday to my sweet little boy!

I can hardly believe my Mini Moose is three.   You, my little one, have changed so much in such a short time.   I hope you still enjoy those delicous, warm cuddles for years yet even though I know that the days of me carrying you on my back are numbered.  I will miss it very much!   Even if I may complain daily that you are always underfoot asking for “teckmenup” (pick me up, which sounds a lot take a nap), I love it.  You still have that baby giggle and all of us love to draw it out of you.

We are now quite sure that you are a lefty since you kick and throw left handed, though your writing hand is up for debate.    While your sister is athletic in terms of raw power and strength in climbing and gymnastic, you’ve inherited a more calculating approach where you trade force for accuracy.  When you were two you were kicking a soccer ball while running, and now you’ve discovered net aiming.   Watch out for your sister and her power kicks.  While she may not make contact as often, once she does the ball will line drive to your head.      I’ve also noticed your abilities at T-ball.  You take time to aim and make contact with the ball 75% of the time, though they don’t always go very far.   Your sister goes for the power swings that miss 75% of the time, but the balls tend to go far and hard; I  wouldn’t stand near her when she’s swinging!  The tricycle still gives you trouble, but I think by the end of this summer you’ll be racing down the driveway.  You’ve already taken to your three-wheel scooter to the biggest slope on the driveway so you can fly down and go “faster”.  I should have know you were going to be a speed lover ever since we first put you on a swing before you could walk and could hardly get you off of it from then on.

Your hair.  Can we talk about that for a minute?    It’s all business in the frong and a curl party in the back.    You’ve got my hair just like your sister.    Not much of it, but what there is is wild.   I know I might get flack for not cutting your hair, but I just love how it matches your personality because you do have focus that then bursts into wild abandon once you have made your decision.     You do what your sister wants a lot of the time, you follow her everywhere, and get distressed if she goes somewhere without you, but you have no trouble making that terrible noise to make her stop doing something you dislike.   Can we go one day without you two fighting!?   Of course there is a lot of hugging, kissing, and affection, too.  You do care when the other is hurt though sometimes it is hard to remember between the rows.

IMG_1414You love cars and planes and trains and balls.   And it also pleases me to see that you love books and that you care for the baby dolls.   Your sister at times tries to take all of the Little Ponies and you let her know that you aren’t standing for any of that!     You love building things as much as the demolition now.  You get this pleased look on your face when you’ve figured out a puzzle you couldn’t do yesterday, or put the wood tracks together without needing help, or when you figured out the Penguins of Madagascar pattern puzzle for the first time all by yourself without needing to ask for your sister’s help.     You do say “heppa me” a lot when you need it, but sometimes need to be reminded that you can do it yourself if you work at it.    You are more of a cooperative mind than an independent one right now, so you need a nudge now and then to remind you what you can accomplish on your own.   While your sister had to do everything herself with a very loud, “Me do!” even before she could, you are quite different.  While you can do a lot on your own, you prefer assistance until you decide out of the blue, “I do this self.”   A phrase you learned from your sister that you use on yourself generously is, “I super strong!’

You are very much into role play with toys lately.  You give them voices with your new vocabulary explosion.  Speaking of new words, you get very frustrated with us if we can’t figure out what you are saying in your elaborate sentences.   You might be the only toddler who say “Yesh” more than “No” simply because you seem to be praising us for correctly puzzling out what you are trying to communicate!  Along with your new words, you have new awareness of the world around you.     Suddenly the alphabet song interests you, the automatic lights in the car suddenly appeared,  the decals on the bedroom ceiling beg a “what’s that?”,  how lincoln logs work challenges you, a better understanding or crayon color vs pressure has changed your artistry,  how electronic toy buttons interact with the special attachments keep you occupied with testing, the way puzzle pieces fit one way but not another confounds you, the way water behaves in the sandbox vs the tub gives you hours upon hours of experimentation fascination, and even which sled moves fastest on the snow has gotten your attention.

You are concerned when others are hurt and get confused if another child on the playground hits you.   You stand there with this look on your face trying to puzzle out what just happened.  Interesting enough both you and your sister defend yourselves but don’t hit back, but when it is you against your sister someone ends up getting hit during the wrestling match.  Perhaps one day you will explain it to me.     Then you’ll explain to me why you insist on carrying balls and trucks up the ladder with one hand.  Are you trying to give your parents a heart attack.     Do you know how hard it is to sit on my hands sometimes when you are doing all those primate climbing experiments!?    I draw the line at leaping into brush from rocks — though I think you learned that lesson quite well on your own last October.  Pointy sticks near your eye don’t mix.    I do have to admire that when you fall, you pick yourself back up and keep going.  If it is a bigger hurt you come to me with a cry asking for a hug and kids and a cuddle, then you tell me you are better and you run off again.   Never let anyone tell you that you are taking too long to decide you are ready to take on a new challenge, or to shame you for deciding the risk isn’t worth it.  And never be afraid to cry or to admit to being hurt.

Remember, that there are no such things as boy toys or girl toys.    Play with the toys you want regardless of color.     Don’t be afraid to walk away from those who would tell you other wise.    Be bold and strong, sweet and considerate, adventurous and confident, curious and calculating.     Above all, I hope you remember to be happy and carefree even when the world wants to rain on you.  Get out there and jump in some puddles.

10985334_10203104256516814_5222371288368952664_o
2/22

Happy Third Birthday to my sweet little boy!

I can hardly believe my Mini Moose is three. You, my little one, have changed so much in such a short time. I hope you still enjoy those delicous, warm cuddles for years yet even though I know that the days of me carrying you on my back are numbered. I will miss it very much! Even if I may complain daily that you are always underfoot asking for “teckmenup” (pick me up which sounds a lot like take a nap), I love it. You still have that baby giggle and all of us love to draw it out of you.

We are now quite sure that you are a lefty since you kick and throw left handed, though your writing hand is up for debate. While your sister is athletic in terms of raw power and strength in climbing and gymnastic, you’ve inherited a more calculating approach where you trade force for accuracy. When you were two you were kicking a soccer ball while running, and now you’ve discovered net aiming. Watch out for your sister and her power kicks. While she may not make contact as often, once she does the ball will line drive to your head. I’ve also noticed your abilities at T-ball. You take time to aim and make contact with the ball 75% of the time, though they don’t always go very far. Your sister goes for the power swings that miss 75% of the time, but the balls tend to go far and hard; I wouldn’t stand near her when she’s swinging! The tricycle still gives you trouble, but I think by the end of this summer you’ll be racing down the driveway. You’ve already taken to your three-wheel scooter to the biggest slope on the driveway so you can fly down and go “faster”. I should have know you were going to be a speed lover ever since we first put you on a swing before you could walk and could hardly get you off of it from then on.

Your hair. Can we talk about that for a minute? It’s all business in the frong and a curl party in the back. You’ve got my hair just like your sister. Not much of it, but what there is is wild. I know I might get flack for not cutting your hair, but I just love how it matches your personality because you do have focus that then bursts into wild abandon once you have made your decision. You do what your sister wants a lot of the time, you follow her everywhere, and get distressed if she goes somewhere without you, but you have no trouble making that terrible noise to make her stop doing something you dislike. Can we go one day wiithout you two fighting!?

You love cars and planes and trains. And it also pleases me to see that you love books and that you care for the baby dolls. Your sister at times tries to take all of the Little Ponies and you let her know that you aren’t standing for any of that! You love building things as much as the demolition now. You get this pleased look on your face when you’ve figured out a puzzle you couldn’t do yesterday, or put the wood tracks together without needing help, or when you figured out the Penguins of Madagascar pattern puzzle for the first time all by yourself without needing to ask for your sister’s help. You do say “heppa me” a lot when you need it, but sometimes need to be reminded that you can do it yourself if you work at it. You are more of a cooperative mind than an independent one right now, so you need a nudge now and then to remind you what you can accomplish on your own. While your sister had to do everything herself with a very loud, “Me do!” even before she could, you are quite different. While you can do a lot on your own, you prefer assistance until you decide out of the blue, “I do this self.” A phrase you learned from your sister that you use on yourself generously is, “I super strong!’

You are very much into role play with toys lately. You give them voices with your new vocabulary explosion. Speaking of new words, you get very frustrated with us if we can’t figure out what you are saying in your elaborate sentences. You might be the only toddler who say “Yesh” more than “No” simply because you seem to be praising us for correctly puzzling out what you are trying to communicate! Along with your new words, you have new awareness of the world around you. Suddenly the alphabet song interests you, the automatic lights in the car suddenly appeared, the decals on the bedroom ceiling beg a “what’s that?”, how lincoln logs work challenges you, a better understanding or crayon color vs pressure has changed your artistry, how electronic toy buttons interact with the special attachments keep you occupied with testing, the way puzzle pieces fit one way but not another confounds you, the way water behaves in the sandbox vs the tub gives you hours upon hours of experimentation fascination, and even which sled moves fastest on the snow has gotten your attention.

You are concerned when others are hurt and get confused if another child on the playground hits you. You stand there with this look on your face trying to puzzle out what just happened. Interesting enough both you and your sister defend yourselves but don’t hit back, but when it is you against your sister someone ends up getting hit during the wrestling match. Perhaps one day you will explain it to me. Then you’ll explain to me why you insist on carrying balls and trucks up the ladder with one hand. Are you trying to give your parents a heart attack. Do you know how hard it is to sit on my hands sometimes when you are doing all thos primate climbing experiments!? I draw the line at leaping into brush from rocks — though I think you learned that lesson quite well on your own last October. Pointy sticks near your eye don’t mix. I do have to admire that when you fall, you pick yourself back up and keep going. If it is a bigger hurt you come to me with a cry asking for a hug and kids and a cuddle, then you tell me you are better and you run off again. Never let anyone tell you that you are taking too long to decide you are ready to take on a new challenge, or to shame you for deciding the risk isn’t worth it. And never be afraid to cry or to admit to being hurt.

Remember, that there are no such things as boy toys or girl toys. Play with the toys you want regardless of color. Don’t be afraid to walk away from those who would tell you other wise. Be bold and strong, sweet and considerate, adventurous and confident, curious and calculating. Above all, I hope you remember to be happy and carefree even when the world wants to rain on you. Get out there and jump in some puddles.

Month 35: Easy Peesy – Day 1037 to Day 1067

Compare to Sister’s Blog:   Month 35:  Beach Trifecta

DSC_0033 (28)12/22 Monday Day 1037

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

It will soon be time for this blog diary to come to an end since we are really at the end of this potty journey. I’ve considered Mini Moose done for quite a few months since the poop was under his control. He may never fully be able to go the whole night without a pee which is not unusual. I often get up to go myself. The key point is that he is still waking up to go potty and our accidents at night are rare. I still expect some to happen from time to time over the next few months


12/23 Tuesday Day 1038

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


12/24 Wednesday Day 1039

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

It has really been unseasonably warm and I can’t rememer the last time this time of year when you could practically go outside in shorts. Well, some people around here I’ve een in long shorts, but the rest of us are in pants and light sweaters. After the kids were asleep Daddy Man and I finished wrapping the Santa Gift (Rockenblox that Itty Bitty asked specifically for) with special paper and a gigantic fancy bow. I stuffed the stockings and put the British Christmas Crackers on the tree (I am so excited about these little things. They should be way better than cracker jack prizes and I am a fan of the cracker jack). I put a santa tag with everyone’s names on them in gold ink because it was my Santa Gift. Yeah, I asked Santa for presents. He’s progressive and uses Amazon to ship. I also made a huge gift tag for the Frozen Jeep gift from us and Daddy Man’s parents to go with the big bow. Daddy Man spent a couple of days putting it together and sticking on the stickers. The kids will have a blast with it this spring.

Santa is also left a mess of magical glitter dust from the downstairs chimney, up the stairs and all over the tree. Yeah, I know how to do the Kringle right.


DSC_008712/25 Thrusday Day 1040

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Merry Yulmashanakwanzaa! We opened gifts in the play room and it is a disaster area, but I think fun was had by all. Then the whole family: me, Daddy Man, kids, brother in law, and Grandmama moved to grandmama’s house for the second set of present spoils at her house. We stayed for dinner. The kids pretty much passed out when we got home after they ran around like crazy people for an hour.


12/26 Friday Day 1041

Night EC: 1 night miss (twice) and 1 morning catch

Mini Moose was quite disturbed at being soaking wet twice in the night. I am not surprised at this since it was a long day and he slept hard. I doubled up his training pants just in case and that helped keep the bed dry!


12/27 Saturday Day 1042

Night EC: 1 night miss and 1 morning catch


12/28 Sunday Day 1043

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


12/29 Monday Day 1044

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


12/30 Tuesday Day 1045

Night EC: No Night pee!


12/31 Wednesday Day 1046

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Yes the kids stayed up very late tonight to ring in the New Year. I encourage it and even poked Mini Moose awake a couple of times so he wouldn’t miss it. We spent the night in watching way too much TV and eating take out. We rang in the new year and then went to bed thirty minutes later.


DSC_01081/1 Thursday Day 1047

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Happy New Year! I cannot believe that it is 2015 and I feel like all the time is the world is just passing us by. I say this and I let the kids watch old Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman VHS tapes all day. That’s hardly being productive or making use of our time!


1/2 Friday Day 1048

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


1/3 Saturday Day 1049

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


1/4 Sunday Day 1050

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Mini Moose and Itty Bitty have been absolute BEARS. I am losing my mind and yelling every day; I don’t want to be a yeller but I can’t seem to STOP. They seem to fight over everything and I am stressed about money and its just not good to have all this happening when stuck in the house.   This cabin fever is a horrible thing.


1/5 Monday Day 1051

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


1/6 Tuesday Day 1052

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


1/7 Wednesday Day 1053

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


1/8 Thursday Day 1054

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


1/9 Friday Day 1055

Night EC: No Night Pee!


1/10 Saturday Day 1056

Night EC: No Night pee!


1/11 Sunday Day 1057

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


IMG_11331/12 Monday Day 1058

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

I think both the kids are in some major growth spurts and mental development. Mini Moose is suddenly talking in more elaborate sentences (though I can’t understand most of it) and his memory is sharper. He’s developed a new sudden interest in puzzles. Itty Bitty has some new fine motor control skills she’s been showing off with scissors and drawing and coloring (she can now color in the lines and she was surprised that she could). They are still both at each other’s throats too which is not making for a harmonious household with Dragon Yeller Mommy.


1/13 Tuesday Day 1059

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

I’ve been trying to make a little money through some online review writing and some survey work, but it is very slow going and I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere. I can make a little more doing another text based service, but the kids distract me so much that it is hard to concentrate on that kind of work when it has to be so precise. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I know that I am tired of being in a money crunch. Though we aren’t wanting for anything, there is still stress of not being able to set aside money. I’ve done a lot of smart shopping, saving on gas, cooking everything from scratch. I don’t even buy coffee two days a week anymore, I’ve been brewing it at home.


1/14 Wednesday Day 1060

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Today. I might eat my children.


1/15 Thursday Day 1061

Night EC: 1 night miss and 1 morning catch


1/16 Friday Day 1062

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch


1/17 Saturday Day 1063

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Let it snow. We are in a blizzard zone. As if we aren’t cooped up enough. Itty Bitty did go to dance class today and she continues to love that and she and her dad will likely go skiing afterward. She definitely is the outdoors type. I decided not to take Mini Moose because he doesn’t have equipment and he gets very mad if he can’t do what his sister does. I also don’t ski so I would be of no help to him anyway.


IMG_11671/18 Sunday Day 1064

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Happy 42nd Birthday Daddy Man! This year I had to redeem myself from the Marble Cake Disaster of 2014, so I and my little sous chefs baked from scratch chocolate cake and frosted it with homemade chocolate butter creame and chocolate ganache. While this project wasn’t without its hair pulling and near disasters it did come out delicous and beautiful and we presented it to Daddy Man very pleased with the result.

I also made some fantastic English toffee bars. That, however, didn’t go as smoothly the first attempt. There is a patch of burnt molten sugar outside of the back door. Nothing my grow in that spot for a few years since I am sure it charred right through the slush and to the ground!


1/19 Monday Day 1065

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Snow Day!

It was a HUGE brain burst for the kids and we are in the tail end of it. I’m exhausted and twitching from the lack of sleep. Mini Moose, aside from the puzzles, is also now much more adept at using computers and touch pads. He’s very good at turning on the Rokenbok vehicle and manipulating it much better than he did when they kids first got it for Christmas. He remembers sequences and can follow three and four step instructions. He’s also learned the art of stomping feet and protesting his displeasure with more vigor. His vocal chords can now peel the paint off the walls with it’s shrill.

MiniMoose Wordisms:

I do this self!
I helpa you momma peas?
Shista get out!
Go upstairsh/downstairsh.
I crying, I sad!
Vroom Vroom cars on puta, dad? (Can I watch cars on your comuter Dad?)
Angee Berd (Angry Birds)
No Nebba! (No never!)
Powpoo Gos (Power Puff Girls)
Keyfo (Clifford the Big Red Dog)
Monsta (Monster)
I no wike it. (I don’t like it)
I bruff teef (I want to brush my teeth)
Heppa me yucky (Help me floss my teeth with this dental flosser that gets yucky and goes in the trash when I’m done)


IMG_11581/20 Tuesday Day 1066

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

My first class of the semester got cancelled yesterday due to the obscene amount of snow we got. I also cancelled Itty Bitty’s second dentist appointment because the weather seems so iffy right now.


1/21 Wednesday Day 1067

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch