Worst Parents Ever

What's that terrifying picture, you ask? Well, I may have mentioned before that Little Miss is way into The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So, when she has permission, she goes into our room, turns on the DVR and chooses an episode to watch. She got all excited because the show aired a new episode, I, Monster. So, from what I understand (I was away from home when this occurred), she came out to Husband and said it was scary. He made a big deal of deleting the offensive episode in which The Rat King is introduced. Since then, she's been going back to watching Peppa Pig and Third and Bird and some other children's shows which are safer and colorful. I know the show is TV7, and we usually do watch them with her. That was, I swear, the first show she's watched on her own. I guess that'll teach us. Poor thing. That picture is the least scary one, too. He is really scary.

We're in Trouble

It's official. If Pre-K is a sign, we're in a lot of trouble. Last weekend, we were at Little Miss's friend's birthday party. The kids were running around screaming and the adults sat in the corner and chatted. One mom said her son went out of his way to buy Little Miss a special Valentine's Day card and chocolate. Another mom said her son colored her a picture. Last month, another little boy gave her a ring on the playground. She doesn't talk about them in return, and I never see her interact with them, but I guess because she's indifferent to them, they all just vie for her attention. I have seen her act all silly over some of the boys, but she doesn't do it as much as she did last year or earlier this year. 

Actually, you can see her try to be like the girls or play with the girls. Currently, there are 3 girls and 7 boys in the class. However, the girls are 6 months younger (which is a lot at this age) and quiet while Little Miss is definitely not quiet. She will sit and read and draw more than the boys, but she won't sit as long as the other girls. Plus, she's used to playing with her cousins - an older and younger boy - so boys don't intimidate her. It'll be interesting to see her once she's in a larger kindergarten class.

Books Read in January 2013

1. Gone Country by Lorelei James (NOTE: This is part of the Rough Riders series. The order of which can be found here.)
2. The Seduction of Elliot McBride by Jennifer Ashley (NOTE: This is part of the Highland Pleasures series. The order of which can be found here.)

Because I was supposed to be reading my book club book, not a lot got read this month (or last). I like the book club book, but it's due back to the library after many renewing so I figure I'll just start next month's book instead. Meanwhile, my Goodreads account is all up-to-date if you'd rather follow me there. I'll keep this updated, too, at least for a little bit.

Movies Watched in January 2013

1. Lost Girl
2. Lincoln
3. Zero Dark Thirty

It was a slow month. I have been watching Lost Girl on Netflix, a few episodes a night. Not to mention the current season has been filling up my DVR along with the items I usually record. I managed to get to the theater to see Zero Dark Thirty opening weekend, too. That'll probably be all I see before the Oscars with the exception of one or two that I could rent (Beasts of the Southern Wild, Brave, and The Pirates - the last one I have on my DVR actually). I'd like to see Amour or The Impossible, but I don't know if that's going to happen.

Weekend Update - Food and Friends

Last weekend, it was a nice one - for me anyway.  Last Thursday, Little Miss had a touch of a stomach virus.  She was sick at my in-laws and got sick once at home.  Husband had the air mattress in the living room and spent the night watching over her.  On Friday, she felt right as rain, but we kept her home from school to be safe.  She was fine.

On Saturday, she was exactly what you want a perfect 5-year-old to be.  She was great.  Then, we went to a classmate's birthday party.  She had a great time with her friends.  It was at an indoor playground which was perfect because it was so bitter cold.  They had pizza and ice cream cake.  After, Husband dropped me off at book club at Jaleo nearby.  I got to talk about a book I didn't read (thank you, Wikipedia) and eat a lot and drink sangria.  When I got home much much later that night, Husband informed me that Little Miss had gotten sick everywhere.  So, he was in a bit of a mood.  I slept out in the living room that night with her.  

On Sunday, she woke up perfect again.  She had some Cheerios and stayed cheerful and happy.  Then, she went to lunch with my friends where we celebrated a belated Christmas.  She ate a good lunch and loved her presents.  After a friend and I went to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for a talk which was very interesting and got us inspired to search out the book.  When I returned home, I found out that Little Miss was once again the perfect specimen of a toddler.  Except for the stomach pyrotechnics, she had a wonderful weekend. 

Weekend Update - Relaxing Weekend for Once

On Friday, Little Miss had a much-delayed physical.  She does need a new prescription for an epipen as her tree nut allergy seems to be getting worse.  It's not usually a problem because she can eat peanuts and doesn't eat many nuts other than those.  She also got the flu mist which made her so happy because, now that she can take the flu mist, she doesn't need another shot until she turns 11.  After, we hit the grocery store and hung out at home.

On Saturday, we went to the pool for some water time and then we hung out at home until friends came over.  The girls are about 6 months apart even though that's still results in an entire grade.  They had fun.  It's always a little surreal to know it is a childhood friend of Husband and now their kids are playing together when it seems like only yesterday that they were that age.  We had pizza and brownies and stayed up too late so it was perfect that Sunday was a perfectly quiet day in which no one got dressed or did much.  I did tidy up a little, but nothing big happened.  All in all, a nice little weekend.

Snow?

Little Miss was very excited about the prospect of snow this week.  We got some flakes allegedly, but I didn't see any.  Yesterday, she brought all her snow gear to school just in case winter weather hit while she was there.  I kept trying to lower her expectations.

Me:  It may not snow today.  Just be prepared.
Little Miss:  But it may will.
Me:  But it may not.
Little Miss:  But it may will.

This went on a couple more times.  She was just so adorable and earnest.  I couldn't bear to correct her.  Plus, what did I (or the weather forecasters) know?  She had a point.  It may will. 

School Daze

Conversation:

Little Miss:  Whoa, this is weird.
Me:  What is weird?
Little Miss:  We're on time to school.

**********

Conversation after every kid showed and told us what they brought for Show and Tell:

Little Miss:  We forgot Show and Tell!
Me:  Well, what do we have on us?  You can wink.
Little Miss shoots me a dirty look.
Me:  I can get a baby wipe from the car.  That's a "w" word.
Little Miss doesn't even acknowledge this option.
Me:  You are wearing your WINTER coat.

The solution is that I had to explain to the teacher that Little Miss remembered Show and Tell last night, but somehow I forgot to have her grab something this morning.  In our defense, Show and Tell is usually Friday, but there is no school tomorrow.  The one day I forgot to wear a watch, too.  Seriously, I think the winking was a good idea.  I also told her to tell the class that she brought a long weekend for them.  My humor was either above or beneath her.

What the What?

My iPad started going crazy.  Some alarm was going off.  At work.  On my desk.  So, first, I have to figure out how to turn it off.  Then, I have to figure out what kind of alarm it is.  I not only turned off the alarm, but I deleted it so it didn't go off again.

Last, I realized to double check what Little Miss is doing when she holds up my electronics and says, "Look!  It's a clock!  It's 9:00!"  I should have been more suspicious especially considering it was only 7:00 at the time.

On the other hand, maybe she meant to add a note and I should be doing something right now...

Yeah, Go Ahead and Judge Me

I don't keep all of Little Miss's artwork.  I'll obviously keep some to show growth, to display or to use in the future to decorate the apartment.  However, all her penmanship worksheets and doodles kind of get thrown away in the darkness of night.  

Last Friday, I was cleaning and threw away one of her pieces of art.  It was just a small doodle on a huge piece of paper.  I already kept two similar ones.  The next morning, I find it soothed out on the kitchen table.  So, Saturday night, I fold it and throw it away and bag up the trash to be put out.  After my shower, I find it on the kitchen table.  On Sunday, I was a little more clever and put it in a box and then threw the box away.

The funniest thing is that this has never come up.  We've not discussed it once.  There's no outrage or hurt feelings.  Nothing.  It's ok though because I'm sure it'll come up while she's on her therapist's couch one day.

"That's Not How Daddy Does It"

As I mentioned in the previous post, Husband was out of town last weekend.  So, it was up to me on Friday and Monday to get Little Miss ready for school which is usually his job.  On Friday, it was fairly easy to get her up because she woke up as Husband left.  We got to school super early.  That said, from the way I served her breakfast to the way I got her dressed, everything I did was wrong.  "That's not how Daddy does it," she'd say every two seconds.

Monday was a little more chaotic because I slept late, but we still got to school early.  I still had to hear that I didn't do things the same way Husband did them.  So, I may have snapped, "This is how I do things, and Daddy will be back tomorrow."

The other pet peeve is that Husband makes pancakes from scratch.  I do not.  So, she registered a complaint.  It turns out that we wouldn't have had time to make pancakes on Sunday with her sleeping until 9:45.  We barely had enough time to do breakfast and a bath before the birthday party.  As she said to my friend Sunday night, "I had cheesy eggs for breakfast because that's what Mommy makes.  She can't make pancakes."  

Everyone's a critic.

Weekend Update - Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Last weekend was busy!  Husband left for Vegas on his annual trip on Friday and returned on Monday.  Little Miss spent Friday night with the inlaws so I could have a night out with a friend.  We did dinner and a movie - a late movie at that.  

On Saturday, I picked up Little Miss and met Sister and Nephew at The Olive Garden for lunch.  Then, the four of us went to Toys 'R' Us where Little Miss got a little treat and I got 2 rolls of wrapping paper for 80 cents (40 cents each).  After, Little Miss and I went to Target where we met up with a school friend of Little Miss's.  The two of them played for quite awhile running around the store.  We hung out at Starbucks with her friend and his mom and then shopped a little and went home.  OK, we shopped a lot.  Little Miss got to use her gift cards and had her heart set on some rock and roll Dora and finally got Donatello (her latest obsession is the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).  She also got a purse and sunglasses.  I also may have picked up a purse and wallet.  

I also tried two recipes from Pinterest (a honey/lime fruit salad which was decent and a brisket recipe - with a roast substitute).  I even made a decent gravy though next time will be better.  I lacked a bit of seasoning, but I feel if I got color and consistency correct, I can always add to it.  After dinner, I cleaned and the place looks huge now!

On Sunday, Little Miss and I both slept late.  Then, she had a birthday party for two school friends.  We went home and cooked dinner and waited for my friend to come over for our 4th annual Golden Globes viewing.  It was low key, but it was a lot of fun to have some company.

It was a busy weekend, but we had a lot of fun.  Plus, now my flu is completely gone which is fantastic.  I did have a sty (or so the doctor believes) and have to deal with some eye issues, but it's more of an inconvenience than an issue.  It's not like the flu that just sucks the life out of you and leaves you a shell of your former self for 3 weeks.

Why Do Today What I Can Put Off Until Tomorrow (or Thursday)?

Occasionally, we have those moments where Husband and I look at Little Miss and see a reflection of one or both of us. Then, we have moments where she is her own unique human being. Last night, Little Miss came home with her homework book. Homework comes home on Tuesday and is due Thursday. We usually do it on Tuesday because it is not a bath night. Wednesday is bath night. However, this week, homework is due on Friday. So, I figured we could do it Thursday. Nope. No such luck. Little Miss got out her homework supplies and started right in. We ended up doing half and will do the other half either tonight or tomorrow (or both tonight and tomorrow if she's super slow). I applaud her work ethic. I do. I just also wish she'd appreciate my procrastination and laziness.

Goodreads

I made the decision not to blog about the books I read, but I think I may still track them on the site anyway.  I just won't double post them.  If you noticed (or maybe you didn't), I deleted the extra pages of my blog which tracked the totals of books I read over the last 5 years.  I still have the posts so you can still sort by year, but I'm not putting in the work I did before.  

I have cleared out and organized my Goodreads account so it only tracks the books I have read.  I have long ago given up on tracking the books I own or have owned.  That was a lost cause.  You can link up to my account if you have one or follow my account (http://www.goodreads.com/princessapr ).  Honestly, I forgot I had an account, but I noticed more and more people using the website and thought I'd give it more of an effort than I had in the past.

Preschool Conversations

You know how people love babies?  I'm not that person.  I love preschool-aged children.  They can talk, follow instructions (if they want), do stuff on their own.  Plus, they usually like me which is nice.  I think it's because I'm smaller than the average grown up.

This morning, I was sitting on the floor with Little Miss waiting for the bell to ring.  The kids line up in the hallway and, after the bell rings, walk like little ducklings to their classroom.  The kids swarmed around us to start chatting.  Here is what I learned:

1.  All of them had a Band-Aid.  I'm unclear on whether they all needed one, but they all had one.  And they all had to show me and each other.
2.  One little boy told me his birthday is in 10 days.  He also is getting a job so he can have some pocket money.  He was going to wash dishes so he could save up to buy a calendar.
3.  One little girl's birthday is in February.  
4.  All the girls had braids in their hair today.

I love how fast the conversation moves and how many topics we could discuss in exactly 4 minutes.  Little Miss has such a good class this year.  It's small and really close-knit.  It'll be sad when she goes to kindergarten on many levels, but I'm enjoying the end of the toddler years at least.

Questions I Never Thought I'd Have to Answer

Is my pee better than your pee?

Seriously? 

Overheard this Past Weekend

First story:
Husband asked Little Miss who was the prettiest princess.  She said, "Mommy" which is totally adorable, right?  Then, he goes, "Mommy is the prettiest princess?"  My darling offspring went, "Well... maybe not the prettiest."  Nice ego check.

Second story:
I tidied up Little Miss's room for her.  I know she's old enough and she did help out a lot, but I needed it done so sometimes, I'll just pick it up.  Also, it was only dolls and a puzzle (truth be told, those dolls were really tricky because she stripped them naked and the clothes wouldn't go back on so I would have ended up doing it anyway).  So, at bedtime, I asked her if she noticed that I cleaned her room.  She nodded her head.  

I prompted her further, "Isn't there anything you wanted to say to me?"  
She gave an impatient sigh.  "I nodded my head.  That means yes.  I saw you cleaned my room."

I may have gotten a little snotty then and told her that maybe a "thank you" would have been nice and next time she could pick up her own toys.  But seriously, rude much?  Who raised that kid?  Oh, wait...

I was rewarded with a "thank you" and a big hug and kiss.  It's nice that she's become more affectionate lately. 

Weekend Update - It's Beginning to Look a lot like the Flu

I'm a couple of weekend updates behind.  This should go quickly though.  

The Friday before Christmas, I worked from home.  Little Miss had a show at school so we saw her class perform in the classroom and then again in a very long fantastic show.  It was the pre-K class through the 8th grade and lasted approximately 2 hours.  After, my dad picked Little Miss and me up to go to their vacation house for Christmas.  Husband had to work through the weekend and Christmas Eve so he met us up there.  The trip was long, but it wasn't full of traffic or tedious as the ride has been in the past.

On Saturday, I fell sick with the flu and I stayed down.  It was snowing so bad that we did not go to church much to Little Miss's chagrin.  Christmas was a giant orgy of food and presents.  I stayed sick.  Christmas was my worst day full of aches, pains, fever and all sorts of coughing, sneezing and blowing of the nose.  Still, it was nice seeing family.  My parents, sister and her boyfriend, nephew, aunt, uncle and cousins were all there.  We talked, played Scattergories, some skied.  Fun had by all - flu notwithstanding.

On Christmas, we went home after an early dinner.  I worked from home the balance of the week in between naps and medication. I literally spent that entire week and a half down in bed going through tissues like, well, like they were tissues. 

New Year's Eve was spent at least on the couch.  I made myself stay up and also made myself see if I could go the entire day without a nap.  It was possible, but it wasn't any fun.  

The flu also made it so the apartment was a disaster area.  I tidied a bit but then it quickly became a disaster area again.  It was so horrible, but I was so run down that nothing was getting done.  I'm not 100% but I'm definitely a productive member of society now at least.  Hence my productive weekend last weekend.

Last weekend, we took down all the Christmas decorations.  Then, I tidied up the living room, Little Miss's bedroom.  Later this week, I intend to do the buffet, our bedroom and the bathroom.  They're not that bad, but they need a solid cleaning and dusting.  On Sunday, I met a friend for lunch and a movie.  It all made the weekend go quickly, but it's nice to be back in the land of the living.  My appetite isn't completely back yet and I'm still coughing.  Still, the flu was a nice little diet.  Without doing sit ups, this is the best my stomach is going to look with the least amount of work.  The cheesesteak at lunch probably didn't help though.

Apologies.  Because of the flu, there are little to no pictures of the last 3 weeks.  I have some video of Little Miss at school, but I don't like posting pictures of other people's kids.  I have one family photo from Christmas which I will post later. 

Tidbits

1. Little Miss has decided she wants to be a mom when she grows up.  The other day, she amended this to say she wants to be a mom construction worker.  She goes back to wanting to be a construction worker a lot actually.
2. My office moved last month.  I'm still not quite used to the new routine.  
3. I did not read one book in December.  That felt weird.  I haven't gone a month without reading a book in at least the last 5 years.
4. I just bought Little Miss an autographed Tomie dePaola book.  It's a favorite that we just picked up from the library.  She has a nice little collection of autographed books.  I prize the books where we actually got to meet the authors, but it's nice to have a little something especially while we live in a time where so many great classic children's book authors are still with us.  I'm just sad I didn't stalk Dr. Seuss while I still lived in Massachusetts.  In my defense, I was a child.
5. I'm trying to see how long I can go without cleaning the house.  It's ridiculously scary, but I have absolutely no ambition to do so even though it's kind of driving me insane.  
6. I want to get out of doing something tomorrow, and I'm totally using Little Miss as an excuse.  I hardly ever do this, but I think she'd understand.
7. I've been watching Little Miss with her friends.  It's an odd dynamic.  She'll be a good friend if her back is to the wall, but she doesn't go after friends.  She likes them to come to her.
8. A little boy gave Little Miss a ring at school yesterday.  She wanted to sleep with it.
9. Little Miss got a Hello Kitty board game similar to Trouble.  If it disappears in the night, I have no idea what happened to it.  
10. After having the flu and no appetite for 10 days, I now want to eat everything in sight.  I'm not (yet), but I want to.

Movies Watched in December 2012

1. What's Your Number?
2. Captain America: The First Avenger
3. Les Miserables
4. Pitch Perfect
5. New Year's Eve

It was a slow month. I caught a few streaming. Then, we caught a break and got to see an early screening of Les Mis which was a nice Girls' Night Out before Christmas. During Christmas, I caught the flu so I watched the last two while recovering.