Last Sledding of the Season

It is April, and we are STILL getting snow.  Then it warms up, the snow melts, and a few days later..... snow AGAIN!  What are we gonna do?

Go sledding!

Taj & Daddy were able to get some crazy fun, last sledding of the season on video.  Although the adults are eager for the weather to warm up, the kiddos don't seem to mind.  In fact, every time it snows, Taj excitedly shouts "I want to go sledding!"

March Madness

Spring has arrived....ah yes, the blooming of flowers, the twittering of birds, the warmth of the sun.... except, not here!

Its Spring on the East Coast:  SNOW, SNOW, and more SNOW!  Some days, I feel like we are in a snow globe!  Probably more snow than we received in January and February combined!  Forget the flowers and trees blooming, we have icicles hanging off our roof and trees covered with snow!  Forget the twittering of the birds and little critters scurrying around, those guys are probably so confused and sick of hibernation as we are!  Maybe this is all a cruel April Fools joke, and on April 1st the "real" Spring will actually arrive laughing hysterically at us!  Fingers, arms, legs, and toes crossed!

My dear friends, I won't sugar coat it, its cold, its snowy, and we are SO over it. So Spring officially started this week, and after a good laugh and cry, we've decided this is March Madness.  I wish we were referring to the March basketball tournament, but sadly, this is just us going mad over this Wintering.  You heard right, I invented a new word for the East Coast transition season, its not Winter any more and its not Spring yet, its Wintering!  And it sounds like waiting..... lots of waiting (and hoping).  We've been told March is the month that everyone around here dreads.  By the time March hits, Winter feels sooooo long.  But this, they swear, this kind of Wintering snow is highly unusual for this time of the year!  Hmmm, I don't know if I buy that!!!  March is also the month that everyone heads to Florida!  With Spring Break officially starting today, I guess we didn't get the memo about Florida?!  LOL  Spring Break is 2 weeks long for the kiddos here (which is a plus); however, not when you don't have a vacation planned because its seems that all the YMCA classes, preschool, music classes, are put on hold and the town turns into even more of a ghost town :( We are happy we took our vacation to Turks & Caicos back in February, but almost wish we saved it for the end of this month! By the time March rolls around, everyone around here is ready for Winter to be over, and you can feel and almost taste that Spring is around the corner.  What a funny month.  Teasers and Injuries.  Our teasers have been the numerous days of 50-60 degree F temperatures (which feels ridiculously warm considering the our temps in the 'teens), blue skies, rosy sunsets, heck, even the birds have flown back and have been chirping up a storm!  The little critters were out of hibernation as well for a little bit, as I almost ran over an opossum the other week! We get these teasers, and then old man Winter storms back in (injuring our excitement and hope over Spring) to regurgitate the rest of the snow he's trying to get out of his system.  That old man is stubborn, and he's one tricky fella!

Note to self: January and February are for skiing, sledding, snowmobiling, gatherings with friends, playdates with little buddies, and lots of hot cocoa.  March and April are for traveling.   I wouldn't trade our dream house for the world, but I will gladly enjoy my Wintering elsewhere.  I predict lots of roadtrips, weekenders, and vacations during this time of year.  After experiencing my first March in Bemus, I already know where I want to spend my 2nd March..... in a foreign country, and where they are well known for their bull-fighting and paella! :)

For the other days in the Winter and Wintering time of year, when we are not out road-tripping or traveling, I learned an important lesson--the week we returned from our tropical vacation---
DO NOT sit around the house for 3 days straight! (unless you are sick, like in my case right now and virtually can't) Okay, we admit we were tired, we were lazy, we liked playing and laying around house since it was cold and cloudy out..... but on the 4th day, we went bananas!  The lesson is that during the Winter it is even more essential we keep busy and stick to our schedules.  I figure its like that for every stay-at-home mom, but for the moms living in cold climate its even more crucial.  I'm not afraid to drive in the snow, and there's a lot to do with kiddos during this season.  Its all about effort, motivation, scheduling, and being productive.... and it makes time pass quicker.  From the story times...... at the local libraries, at Erie Zoo (the weekly themed Zootots indoor classes include stories, art & crafts, animal showcase and playing), and at the Children's Experience Museum (these are science themed, and since we are museum members, their weekly classes and events are free!,) to the Tuesday toddler time at the local bounce house place at the mall, and lots of bouncing going on in our own mini bounce house we have in the game room!  Taj adores his YMCA Tuesday and Friday preschool class, where they play, make art, have sensory play, and jump on trampolines.   We also have our usual Thursday library and Musikgarten class at the Ashville library, and I'm looking forward to taking over their toddler story time in the near future! Then there's the Peak n' Peek ski resort for indoor swimming and playground, Splash Lagoon indoor water park, and seeing shows at the Theater! Taj and Jax also have their play buddies we coordinate play dates with.  So really, boredom is a choice, and in this family, that word does not  and will not exist.

So far this month we've not only done the above, but we also took the boys to see the elementary school's talent show, the Sesame Street "Elmo Makes Music" show in Buffalo, had a special breakfast at the fire station, playdates with cousin Finley and Taj's girlfriend Charley.

Elmo Makes Music show, our first musical with the kids!

 cousin munchkins

Taj's girlfriend Charley, they have so much fun together at the YMCA :)

Mom & Sons 1st Official Weekend Away (Cleveland, OH)

 Daddy Brad went to Vegas last weekend for business/pleasure, and my little boys and I were in the mood for some adventure!  So what do we do?  We go on an adventure of course! Our first Mom & Sons weekend away (a new tradition we are starting, along with other ones). Since we've checked out the majority of the museums and aquariums around Bemus, Erie, and Buffalo, we thought it would be fun to venture to the next closest biggest city..... 2 states away, and a 2 hour drive later we found ourselves in Cleveland, Ohio!  On our first day--Saturday, we explored the Great Lakes Science Center, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (pictured above.)  Quick trivia:  Where is the birthplace of Rock and Roll? Cleveland, duh?! Yeah, took me by surprise too but its true, just google it!

 Surprisingly, Cleveland has a hip little vibe to it! With University Circle being the central for all these grand art museums, manicured parks,  and top notch Medical Research University and Center, I can only imagine how beautiful the area looks when its not Winter.  Murray Hill, the Coventry Village, and Little Italy were some of my favorites with their restaurants, shops, and yes, mansions!  I always thought Ohio was supposed to be flat, but not in the city.  So many hills, curvy twist streets, and forests.  And if you need to shop and dine it has it all (Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and all the others), and their giant Italian shopping village with its grand entrance gate (as if you were pulling up to a castle) called Legacy Village has California's Irvine Spectrum beat by far.  Cleveland Heights was my favorite area, and if we had to live in Ohio this is where I would want to be.

Great Lakes Science Center:

Dinner with my boys at the famous Tommy's, in the Coventry Village:

After dinner, we checked in to our beloved Embassy Suites, fed their turtles, had Tommy's famous milkshake for dessert in the room, took a bath, FaceTime with daddy, story time in bed, and then I cuddled with my boys until we fell asleep.  Love the feeling of waking up and Taj is laying to the left of me in bed, and Jax to the right of me in his pack n play.  When Jax awoke I pulled him up into bed with us and nursed him, while Taji showered us both with kisses.  Such sweet mommy and son moments I will always treasure!  Then, after we plowed through our breakfast, we packed up, checked out,  we visited our friend Bridget and her girls, who live in Richmond Heights.  Because they were moving that weekend to their new house and their family was in town we couldn't have much play time with them, but nevertheless, it was nice to see them and plan our next Cleveland visit with them.  The boys took their nap in the car on the way to the aquarium, which I honestly I have to say wasn't too impressive.  Taj did love the sharks and the long shark tunnel though and it was great for the boys to run around indoors in such a pleasant environment.  My boys love aquariums, no matter what size or how many species of fish they have.  We have been to a total of 5 aquariums in 3 different states so far (the Monterey Bay Aquarium being the best.)  My mommy goal is to be able to take the boys to as many aquariums, zoos, and museums around the country and the world :)

 Turtle feeding!

I did not know what to expect when I set out on this weekend adventure solo with my boys.  A part of me feared the worst as I often jokingly refer to myself as a masochist mom!  I seem to always challenge my mommy abilities and patience, and knowing something is going to be difficult and tiring makes me want to attempt it that much more just to prove to myself that I can do it.  Instead of picking the easy route, I go for the adventurous crazy one....... ahhh, story of my life, I guess!!  I enjoy spending time with my little boys, and especially going on adventures, and creating unforgettable memories...... I may not be able to do this with them forever as they get older, but I will sure take every opportunity I can get at this stage of our lives! 

I wasn't sure how tired I would be after this experience or if I would even be brave enough to do it again.  Even with Taj's meltdowns (3 to be exact) on this trip, my patience was tested but we had an incredible time at the places we went to, the hotel, and my boys were [rambunctious] angels!  My favorite parts were at dinner (both boys were model citizens at the restaurant and we got a few compliments too!) and all the "wows" and "mommy, look at that!" when we attended the museum and aquarium.  Love to see their little eyes light up and their wheels turn in wonder and delight! If you were to ask Taj what his favorites were from our weekend trip, he would probably say "seeing the sharks at the krenarium" and "having a little poopoo fall out of my butt on the hotel carpet!" when he was running around hyper and naked before bath time!  My crazy moment was when Taj announced he had to go pee in the car on our way home.  Lucky for us, we can pull off on the side of the road around here without being run over, so we did just that and Taj made his own yellow snow!!!  Have I mentioned how wonderfully nice and easy it is now that Taj pees standing up?  All we have to do is pull his pants and undies down to his knees and help him aim, boys have it SO easy!!!

If you were to ask me if I would go away for the weekend again with just my 2 little boys, I would say......Definitely!!! In 6 months or a year maybe! LOL We'll make it an annual tradition!

The only negative of our trip was at the very end.  Arriving home to discover that our furnace (heater) shut off the night before when we were in Cleveland, so our house was freezing!!!  Its especially difficult when you spend all weekend driving in freezing snowy weather, and look forward to being back in our toasty warm home.  That did not happen.  You win some, you lose some.  This was our bad luck.  What many don't understand is that since we have a gas- water heating system versus forced air heat it takes hours for our house to warm up.  I was able to reset it and the heat kicked on again but we had to use our electric heater and the boys went to bed bundled up.  Oh, and on the last note, our weekend apparently wore me out physical because another reward I got at the end of our trip was Laryngitis!! Ah, let the adventures continue!

Gone Paci Gone

This is a story about a boy who bravely gave up his pacifier.....

Being that Taj is 2 1/2 months shy of his 3rd birthday (and pacifiers past this age can become really addictive and bad for growing teeth), we had a discussion with him about how he is "outgrowing" his Paci, that his teeth are getting bigger and Paci no longer fits.  We explained to him that we would be sending his beloved Paci (same one he's had for over a year) off to Paci Land, and in exchange he would receive a special gift.  Since Taj has relied on his Paci to soothe him solely during nap and bedtime for the last two years, and always left it in his room after waking, we knew he was ready for this momentous "big boy" milestone.  As with all of his "big boy" moments (potty training, toddler bed, etc) we have always slowly and gradually prepared him (and in this case, weaned him from his pacifier).  

When we told him that in 3 days we would have a "going away" party for his Paci, he got very excited and agreed to send Paci off with a bang!  We reminded him every day until the party, and in the mean time, I made Paci a little less desirable by discreetly puncturing a few teeny tiny holes along the seam of  it so it didn't inflate the same way!  It was perfect timing because he noticed right away that Paci didn't feel the same, saying "Mommy, there's something wrong with Paci.  Fix Paci, please."  In which I answered, "that's because your teeth are growing and Paci doesn't fit in your mouth anymore.  That means you are a big boy now and no longer need Paci."  To my luck, he took it well and agreed.

The day of our goodbye party, Taj decorated and colored the special box we would send Paci off in.

Then, just after dinner, he said his thank you's and bye bye's to dear little Paci, 

and put him in the special box.

Both Taj and his baby (doll) said goodbye to their pacifiers.

He gave the box a tender kiss and we placed it outside by the front door.  We told him that during the night, both pacifiers will travel to Paci land (that's where all the pacifiers go once they outgrow children's mouths).  Then in return, when he wakes in the morning, he will find the box by the door with a special toy in it!  He received a new little car just before going to bed for being so brave.

Paci flew off to Paci Land (aka, was hidden and stored for safe keeping so one day when he's all grown we can pull it out and show it to him) :)

Taj took this little car, his lovies, and snuggled with all of them....enough to soothe himself to sleep.  We still keep the ocean sound machine in his room to help him get to sleep.  With only a couple of cries, or excuses, to have a sip of water or a bandaid for the hangnails he likes to pick at, he slept solid all night long his first ever night without Paci!

In the morning, he discovered his gift from Paci!

This all happened almost a week ago, and I'm happy to report that Taj has been sleeping great at night without his Paci!  While Taj received his awesome new cars in return, this momma had to forfeit her down time during Taj's usual nap time.  Not all transitions are perfect, so for the last few days, because Taj has a harder time winding down for his nap without his Paci, he decided he wasn't going to nap!  I didn't give up, so I told him he still needed to remain in his room for "quiet time".  "Quite time" meant that he could either try napping or stay quiet and play or read books until it was time to get up.  After 2 consecutive days of him crying and screaming during his 1 hour quiet time, he finally conceded, and was quiet enough to earn his Thomas the Train and Little Einstein cartoons afterwards.  So because he has refused his naps during the day, he goes to bed earlier in the evening and is so worn out that he doesn't need his Paci to soothe him to sleep!  Today though, we had another breakthrough...... Taj fell asleep during his typical nap time!!!  I'm crossing my fingers that this trend continues, and he gets back into the swing of things with his usual 2 hour lunch nap.  I sure need him to!  LOL

And that is the story of the wonderful little big boy who bravely moved on from his Paci..... and mommy and daddy (and Jax) couldn't be more proud!  Taj makes everything look easy!

Jax's 12 Month Portraits

our handsome littlest man.....

Our Turks & Caicos Family Vacation

We just got back from 'heaven on earth'.  No joke.  Turks & Caicos Islands (Providenciales) to be exact.  With its turquoise waters, white sandy and never crowded beaches, no traffic lights, no fast food chains....... ahhhh, it was pure paradise!!!  Why did we choose Turks & Caicos out of all the Caribbean Islands?  Being that it was mine and the little boys' first time vacationing in the Caribbean (Brad's been to the Bahamas), we didn't want to fly too far (we are traveling with TWO toddlers lets not forget!), we wanted a very family/ child friendly and safe island, and the most amazing turquoise warm ocean to play in.  After researching and reading reviews online, Turks & Caicos was hands-down the winner!  We booked a nice modern 2 bedroom condo on the world-famous Grace Bay (with a babysitter referral!), a rental car to zip around the 20 mile long island, and scored a good price on airline tickets!  We had an AMAZING tropical vacation!

Traveling with 2 squirmy toddlers, on a plane, to an exotic island, for a whole week..... how did we do it?  Easy peasy!  If you follow these tips, you will have the BEST family and R&R vacation! Really!!

-Let's be honest, flying with little ones is stressful and tiring.  If you know this and expect it to be difficult, you will do just fine and best case scenario, you will be pleasantly surprised! Choose flights during the wee ones' typical nap time or evening flights.  We've learned that the maximum length of flight that a toddler can sit and squirm through is around 4 hours..... you don't want to push it (for your own sanity's sake.)  Having a stopover is also great because between flights the wee ones can go hog wild and get all their energy out at the airport (and you can sit down for a meal) before getting on the last leg of the flight.  We have always done just that.  For our TCI trip we had a little under 2 hour flight from Buffalo, NY to Charleston, SC then a 1 hour stopover, then another 2 hour flight to Provo (Providenciales, Turks & Caicos).   Bring books, the kids' favorite DRY snacks, lots of sanitizing wipes, and a portable DVD player (the portable DVD player and Thomas videos is something we will definitely do next time to help pass the time and wear them out!)

PS..... expect to have at least one funny (not at the time it happens though) story to tell about your air travel!  Ours was on our way to Turks and Caicos.  Taj announces he has to go poop, so I rush him to the airplane bathroom.  You know how tiny those plane potty cabins are for 1 person, so 2 of us in there was tight.  The funny part is that I put Taj on his potty seat over the toilet seat and he got pee/ poop shy!  I encouraged him to "push" and we made the scrunchy face together.  Taj pushed so hard that he not only pooped but he also peed so hard he sprayed me and got the bathroom floor all wet!  Oh Boy!  Makes for an adventurous plane trip, don't you think?!  When things like this happen or when the boys act like little monkeys I always think it could be worse.  At least Taj didn't fall into the toilet and thankfully we weren't that lady whose cat crapped all over cat carrier on the plane and she had to wipe it down in the airport restroom.  So glad I wasn't that lady (saw her in the restroom) and more relieved we weren't on her flight or that our kids didn't crap in their carrier! LOL

-Carseats.  Leave them in the car or check them!  Not having to lug around those heavy things will also save your sanity. Taj was so much more comfortable sitting on the plane's seat because during the flight he could squirm about and both boys had space to roam and perform acrobatics on our 3 seats (Jax still passed as a lap infant) and they also had the little floor space to sit and stand about.  A double umbrella stroller that you could check at the gate could also prove to be useful to contain the kiddos when walking from one terminal to another.  We didn't bring one since we didn't need a stroller on the island. When we rented our car on the island, carseats were complimentary!  Bingo!  It doesn't hurt to ask, but if a car rental company provides carseats why not take advantage?  As long as you check to make sure they are installed properly.  Remember, traveling with as few baby gear as you can get away with is the key to an easier travel!

I found this great portable high chair that I also recommend!  You can use it for travel or even at restaurants, and folds easily into its own little pouch!

-Book a 2-room hotel suite (we like Embassy Suites) or a vacation rental, bring the baby monitor, request a pack n' play and extra pillows, and ask for a babysitter referral.  When you travel with a family, you need family accommodations.  And a rinky dinky hotel room is not going to allow you to enjoy your free time as mommy and daddy.  We've always booked suites or vacation rentals (especially those with kitchens) and taken the monitor with us so when the boys nap or go to bed for the night, mommy and daddy can have a life of their own!  In TCI we were lucky that while the boys napped we could take our monitor down to the pool area (since our balcony overlooked the pool we had good reception!) The extra pillows were for converting a regular queen or double sized bed into a toddler safe bed.  I stuck the pillows under the sheet around the edges of the bed, creating a barrier so Taj would not roll out of the bed during the night!  I also brought our own sheets for the boys (for the pack and play), their ocean sound machine, and their lovies of course.  Our boys sleep like angels every where we have traveled because they always have their comforts from home.
This is the exact 2 bedroom condo unit we stayed in:
The babysitter referral idea is something new I have stumbled upon, and we were fortunate to have one from a trusted source in TCI.  I suggest wherever you travel to check with friends first to see if they have family or friends with kids who have babysitter referrals at your vacation destination.  We are so lucky to have friends all over the country and the world, so using their resources and referrals is the way to go.  We got our Turks & Caicos babysitter referral through the lady we booked our condo with, who has a child of her own and has been using the babysitter for years every time they vacation there.  As a mom, you go with your gut feeling and feel out the environment and culture where you are vacationing.  Both nights that we used a babysitter, we put the boys to bed ourselves, and did not dine far from where we were staying.

-Don't forget a first aid kit!  We learned quickly (say..... on the very first day of vacation HA!) that toddlers are clumsy and accidents are waiting to happen.  When we stepped out for breakfast on our first morning, and were walking in our flip flops (on the travertine tiles outside, which are the WORST for little ones), poor little Jax tripped and slid face down on the tiles.  As he fell, his sunglasses pierced his forehead OUCH, and caused him to bleed.  We had no ice, benzoyl peroxide, or bandaids!!! I had to use cold pita bread to ice and apply pressure on his injury.  That same day we ran out to the grocery store and stocked up our first aid kit with benzoyl peroxide and bandaids (and filled the freezer ice cube tray with water to make sure we had ice on hand for the next "booboo".)  I recommend packing your own ice pack, bandaids, Neosporin spray, and benzoyl peroxide.  After that first incident, Brad and played defense on our whole trip, doing what we could using our cat reflexes to prevent falls and bumps/ bruises!


Okay, so back to our AMAZING Turks & Caicos vacation....... In a nutshell, we lived in our bathing suits and flip flops, and explored the island by car the British way (steering wheel on the right, drove on opposite left side of the street!) We stumbled upon breathtaking beaches and beach coves (yes, also perfect for photo opportunities!)  We celebrated Valentine's Day on one of the world's most beautiful beaches. We shopped the locals' handmade jewelry, shells, and handmade helicopter for Taji.  We found a playground on practically every beach, and had wonderful family meals in family friendly restaurants right on the beach!  The boys ate Conch (a shell fish that lives in a Conch shell) for the first time and loved it.  We played in the ocean, in the sand, and in the pool...... the boys have the cutest tan lines to prove it!  We met new friends (from Montreal, Canada), and Taj met a new little girlfriend.  Brad and I went on not one, but TWO dates, after we tucked the boys into bed.  We wined and dined in fabulous restaurants in the fabulous hotel resorts.  Jax learned to say "flip flop"and Taj learned to pee standing up!  What big boys we have!!!  All in all, it was an incredible, relaxing, FUN family time!!  We made some awesome memories, have crazy stories to tell, and amazing photos to show.  We loved it there so much that I am certain we will be back!  The NY Winters are not only for playing in the snow, but its the best time to fly a few hours south to beach paradise.  Because the winter can often times be the longer season, many Northern East Coasters (and Canadians) escape the cold by heading to Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean.  Maybe Turks & Caicos will be our respite from the cold, and the gateway to exploring the other islands in the Caribbean.  Maybe one day we will have a Turks & Caicos condo (and rental income) and make it our island home away from home.  You never know :)

Just as in the song "Kokomo" by the Beach Boys, PROVO (the nickname for Providenciales, Turks & Caicos) is our "Kokomo" !!! "

"Everybody knows a place like Kokomo..... it's where you want to go..... to get away from it all..."   

A [Crazy] Day in the Life of a Supermom

It started out like every other day, oh wait, hold up..... lets just cut to the chase.  Today started out crazy and ended crazy.  Just another day in the life of what I would hardly call myself a "Supermom" of two stinker winker toddler boys.  Days like these, I ask myself....why did we multiply our offspring by two? (kidding!) It was a day that started out sober, but ended tipsy...... moms of small children raise your wine or beer glass up and let's toast to that last ounce of patience we have in our bodies, and lets hope the trials and tribulations of the day doesn't produce any gray hairs.  This may just be one of my most raw posts yet.......

I wake up with every muscle in my body begging me to take a "sick" day.  A "sick" day?  Not in this stay-at-home mom world of mine!  At least my boys sleep in until 8am, and the hubby gets up to greet them in their beds and bring them into our family bed.  I'm also lucky enough to get my "me" time in every morning in the bathroom.  But after the hubby jogs off to work, thats where the buck stops, and its "go" time.  I check-in with all my necessary assistants: Patience, Energy, Creativity, and Humor..... "You guys there?" (I ask them)  "Ok good, because I'm gonna need you the whole day..... so don't slack off!" Ummmm, apparently Patience is about to take his sick day! HA.  Getting back to my morning, first we start with breakfast...... nonchalantly sneaking in homemade carrot & broccoli cream cheese on waffles, then picking up the waffle pieces off the floor from my youngest professional food thrower.  The dishes piling in the sink and on the counters glare at me, but I just glare back.... I remind myself my priority is playing with my children and not worrying about messes until way later in the day.   Jinxed it.  Yep, the messes just got meaner as the day went on and wouldn't cut me any slack.  No matter what the play activity or art project was, those pesky little puzzle pieces and millions of crayons found their way all over the house.  The youngest is also notorious for pulling everything off the shelves and out of bags.  And the funny thing is, that i'm that OCD that I actually attempt to pick up and clean up every time to only find the same mess seconds later! We play with trains, watch Little Einsteins, puzzles, blocks, make Valentines, draw, race cars, playdoh...... and then, it's finally our pre-nap lunch....saved by the bell! Literally!  We have our town's fire station siren that goes off at noon every day, and I've named it our "Nap" bell.  Works like a charm!  As lunch goes off without a hitch, and the accumulation of dishes continue to glare at me, I release the toddlers from their chairs to burn their energy off right before we sit down for story time. Surely, only to discover within minutes that the youngest sat in the Lego box and as he proceeded to climb out of it, it came flying at his head so much that it "burned" the right side of his cheek.  Injury #1.  There were loud screams, tears, blood, scratches, and a bump.  I seriously cannot leave them alone to play for a minute!  After lots of consolation, hugs, kisses, ice, and spray of Neosporin, Jax was ready to retrieve to his bedroom.  I was ready to fall back on the couch but I kept going full force.... story time, potty time, teeth brushing, the whole nap time routine with Taji, nursing Jax, and putting him in his crib. Finally, the crickets sounded, and the whole house was quiet...... for a whole 30 minutes!  Isn't it funny the days you plan to get the 4 loads of laundry folded, the dishwasher loaded, the dinner prepped, the packing started (for our vacation in 2 days, hallelujah!), are the days your toddlers decide they don't feel like napping (their usual 2- 2 1/2 hours!)
Yep, hilarious!
I was just in the middle of folding the first batch of the boys' laundry... please don't let that be the sound of Taji calling for me!  I try to trick my brain in pretending I didn't hear him calling for me over the monitor.  Doesn't work. Taji keeps yelling.  So I make my way up the 4 flight of stairs from where I was in the game room, and luckily get Taji back to his nap.  As I sprint back downstairs, my grumbling tummy reminds me that I'm hungry and forgot to eat lunch.  I quickly make my lunch in the kitchen, and the dishes keep glaring at me, then cuss at me.  I hiss back.  I'm just about to finish my last load of laundry folding, when stinker #2 starts crying.  I scan the clock...... it's only been an hour!!!  Why oh why, do they pick the days I have the most to do, to not nap?  I have learned from experience that its virtually impossible to get any clothes folding, organizing, cleaning, food prepping, or dishwasher loading done without little hands and fingers grabbing at everything and making a mess.  I go back upstairs to rock Jax to sleep, and whisper sweetly "please give me another hour." He complies.  But not the older one.  Taj begins to cry and scream that there are monsters in his closet, and when I comfort him and show him that there aren't, I discover he is laying in droplets of blood.  Injury #2.  Taj must have scratched the inside of his ear and then while sleeping he continued rubbing it, so needless to say, he had one bloody ear and finger nails.  There goes the laundry hamper staying empty for half the day!!!  I clean him up, soak the sheet, change his sheets, and by then, he's fully awake and ready to party.  I try to get him to play independently while I get some things done.  Impossible.  Taji follows me around, touches everything, pulls everything out, and asks me hundreds of questions.  By the time Jax wakes up from his nap, Patience quits on me and leaves for the day.  I hate yelling.  But tell me, how do you not yell when your two little toddlers knock each other over purposely, push each other, and scream when the other takes the other's toys?  I totally feel like I have twins.   Wherever they go, trouble follows them.  Like... my bedroom closet: clothes pulled off the shelves. Our bathroom:  toilet paper roll unrolled. Taji's room: clothes and books pulled off the shelves.  Kitchen:  spices and plastic bags taken out of cabinets and drawers. Living room bathroom: spice container thrown in the toilet, plugging it up (that happened 2 weeks ago). It's like the Taj-manian Devil X2.   I guess this is my pay-back for deciding not to baby proof every single cabinet, drawer, and door in the house.  Say hello to Double Trouble!  Most of the time, Jax is the ring leader, and you would think Taj would be the responsible, mature one....... Oh, NOOOO.  He loves to egg his little brother on and really stoops down to his level.  My yelling, several time-outs, and even a couple smacks on the bottom don't seem to be the solution.

Its 5 o'clock in the evening now.  Patience ran out of the house at lightning speed hours ago, and Energy, Creativity, and Humor all have their foot out the door as well.  What to do?  I leave the toddler trouble-makers behind as I seek refuge in the game room, and I make the call.  What call, you ask?  Oh you know, the call to the hubby, letting him know what a "crazy day its been, and if he doesn't come home soon, I'm going to 'snap'".  LOL  For all those men who have ever watched the show "Snapped", you never ignore when a woman makes that threat! (kidding!) There.  I admit I was weak.  I could't control the children, because the children took control of me (and the household).  I climb back up the stairs, defeated.  I walk in on Taji sitting in front of the opened refrigerator (that he opened) shredding and ripping his YMCA Valentine he made last week, that was hanging on the refrigerator.  Jax is to his right, dumping out the billionth puzzle piece all over the kitchen floor.  And the pissed dishes in the sink are now madly giving me the finger.  My last assistant, Humor, that stuck around (he gets a raise!) took over the situation as my mind went to auto-pilot.  Leave it to Humor, to turn on the boys' favorite Thomas the Tank Engine song (and put it on repeat), pop open a bottle of wine, and pour me a glass.  I sure needed it after a day like this.  And after a couple sips, I immediately feel more relaxed.  Relaxed enough to have a heart-to-heart with Taj explaining to him that he needs to listen, and be a good boy, and help mommy.  I also readily apologized for yelling at him and explained to him how tired and frustrated I felt.  Kids need to know their parents are not perfect, and that we are only human. Immediately, he became the perfect child and walked up to his little brother and told him it was time to clean up the puzzle pieces, and began to put each one in the bag.   A couple more sips of wine later, the dishes were gloriously loaded in the dishwasher, dinner started, kitchen cleaned, boys dancing and singing happily to their song.  Then, on the 50th repeat of the song, the hubby comes home to a clean kitchen, dinner ready, children laughing, and mommy with an auto-pilot wine smile.  Of course, the timing couldn't be more perfect, right?

Did I get the things done on my list that I set out to do?  Hardly to none.  No follow-up phone calls, no packing, no errands, no work-out, or that home pedicure I was going to give myself.  Oh, well.  Another day.

Ahhh, it's just another day in the life of a not-so-super and very worn out mom.  Thankfully, not all days are like this, and unfortunately, some days are even more challenging when we are out in public or heading out the door to go places.  Fortunately, my boys ARE very well-mannered most days (especially in public) and play really nicely.  I think its when they sense stress and a jam-packed day of things that need to get done, they get really spruced up to torment me.  Good thing I have my wine and Nutella to go to for therapy after they go to bed for the night!

Sleigh-Ride Sunday!

 Dashing through the snow....

 in a 2-horse open sleigh...

 over the hills we go, laughing all the way!!! 

 After a wonderful breakfast out at Chatterbox, and the boys' naps, we relished the pretty sunshine and blue skies and drove over to Chautauqua Institution for a horse drawn sleigh ride!  Here is what we saw on our sleigh ride:

We weren't sure if we were going to make it on the sleigh ride because the day before Taj woke up from his Saturday nap with a fever.  

 He rested and snuggled with daddy, took medicine, 

got his appetite back, and luckily we were able to enjoy the rest of the beautiful weekend.

After our sleigh ride, Daddy took Taji out on a walk ON the lake.  The frozen lake.... but look at how trippy that is.  My boys are walking on [frozen] water, yikes!

And we captured some pretty fun sledding! 1st video is off just Taji, 2nd video is of both boys, and the 3rd video is Jax by himself!!