Ugly McUglyson...

I have a few pets. Nineteen actually....nope, twenty. OK, maybe eighteen. They just keep moving so fast I can't count em.

We are fish people, y'all. We did not choose to be fish people, they chose us.

We purchased our home complete with a HUGE built in fish tank. So now we are fish people.

Our fishtank is rather sparse looking being that it is so big, and we haven't been able or willing to upgrade it's decor or inhabitants much.

We did, however, purchase a helpful sucker fish so that we could be lazy and watch him eat the gook off the inside of the tank.

Meet Ugly McUglyson:



I named him. Cause he isn't exactly attractive. He's actually kinda creepy looking.

But I didn't care because owning him allowed us to be lazy. And I like myself a good dose of lazy.

Alas, I am speaking in the past tense because a few weeks ago, Ugly passed away and went to the great big fishbowl in the sky.

I'm not able to get my dose of lazy anymore...and the fish tank has seen better days. It's not exactly the pièce de résistance of the house that it once was. More like a grody goo box.

I want a beautiful, lush, tropical snorkel vacation invoking fish tank. Not a grody goo box. Maybe something like this:



And while I'm in the fishtank makeover process, I may just redo the downstairs bathroom and add this:



and this:



Because who doesn't want a dozen or so eyes on you while you go about your bathroom business?

I'm sure a certain toddler of mine would be THRILLED to use the fish potty and sink. He might even put his potty and poo-poo into the fish potty chair on a regular basis.

That's it, I'm SOLD!

A

Elephant Fun...

I've been feeling convicted of favoritism lately.

Here I am, having had SO much fun decorating Lil Chick's room with doodads and cutesy crafts, while Bubbalu lives in a cave with bare walls devoid of color or inspiration.

Bad Mommy! Bad!

Really now, toddlers need color and shapes to stimulate their brains. There's even scientific proof:



See? I told you.

So in the best interest of Bubbalu's brain growth, I finally came up with a fun project to do for him.

Remember the Scrappy Silhouette Artwork I did in a bird theme for Lil Chick's room? I took that idea and gave it some good ole toddler boy influence:



Very fun, doncha think?

Meet Elmer:



Meet Phanty:



Elmer and Phanty are going to meet their new owner tomorrow. Hopefully they will acclimate to their surroundings quickly and provide entertainment, color, charm and whimsy to the cave of destitution.

Two 11x14 frames from Walmart - $10. Scrapbook paper - almost free. The most expensive part of this project is time - can I get a busy mom shout out about that!?

Find the elephant template here, courtesy of Ms. Martha. I'm including the link because it took me an embarrassing amount of time to find a simple elephant template.

Directions: Print the template directly onto your scrapbook paper, cut out, affix somehow and embellish or decorate as needed. Put in frame...aaaannnnd DONE. Whew.

Any other crafty toddler boy room decorative awesomeness ideas for me?

A

Fashion Friday : Man-pris?

I remember a good 4 years ago being at Disney World with my husbands' family watching the euro boys confidently wearing their Man-pris.

Why I was in Disney World on vacation WITH my husbands' family while he was back at home is another story. OK, really it's not that big of a story. He was in Dental School and couldn't come. I was invited along with my in-laws, and being that I have a superb relationship with them, I went and had a grand ole time despite leaving my poor scholarly husband at home to fend for himself.

As the Man-pris' wearing men walked (strutted rather) past, my MIL and I raised our eyebrows and looked to my FIL and bro's in law to catch their reaction.

They were less than impressed.

I believe they said something along the lines of, "I wouldn't be caught DEAD wearing man-pris!". Or, "that's as bad a man-purse!". Or "chya, whateva".

However, I wasn't as turned off by them as I thought I would be. They just looked like long shorts that weren't very wide. Here's an example from REI:



The real reason I'm writing this post is that I recently bought some nylon cargo-ish shorts for my little man. He wore them for the first time yesterday...and had MAYBE two inches of leg showing beneath the hem.

They may not be classified as Man-pris (or toddler-pris) but they sure looked like them. Being that he is off the top of the height charts but in the lower end of the weight charts may have something to do with how they fit him. Meaning they are about to fall off. I cinched down the waist strap so hard I might have frayed it. I need 3T shorts with a 12-18 month waist for him.

But you know what? He looked cute. Really cute.

I noticed an increase in the Man-pris wearing trend around here last summer. I've not seen many around the stores yet this season so I'm wondering if the fad is over.

So weigh in. Does your man wear Man-pris? Do your boys wear Boy-pris?

A

In Which My Sander Comes In Handy...

As many a parent can attest, children will completely destroy your house. Do not buy expensive irreplaceable furnishings. Your progeny will jump on it, puke on it, throw it down the stairs, pee on it, kick it, throw it, burn it and so on.

We have officially experienced it firsthand.

We have had a gate in front of Bubbalu's doorway for a few months. He had been doing superb with staying in bed to sleep, so I STUPIDLY took it down. I thought he had matured into a sensible slumbering toddler. (Enter thematic appropriately suspenseful and foreshadowing music : Dum dum DUM...)

The evidence gallery:



Beautiful, no? And there's more:



He is a strong boy, my son. He etched into the wood as shown here:



I read somewhere that being able to draw loop-de-loops was a developmental milestone.

I am PLEASED as punch to announce that he has met this milestone:



I like the angle of this shot...very artistic:



Remember the post that talks about him getting up too early?

And wandering around the house unsupervised?

And why there is a sizable gate blocking his doorway?

Yeah, this is why.

A

Toddlertainment...

First of all, I am digging these word smooshing titles. Just so you know.

On to the subject of the day. I often have a hard time coming up with fun projects for Bubbalu during the day. A wise mother recently let me in on the time-honored, well known formula:

Toddlers + Water = Hours of entertainment

Here's my easy to follow recipe...

Ingredients:

one kitchen sink
water
dining room chair
beachtowels
measuring cups
bottles
toddler

camera
dryer

Directions:

1. Fill sink 4-5 inches with warm water.

2. Set chair in front of sink.

3. Locate ALL beach towels and drape counter, floor and chair generously.

4. Place diaper-only clad (and socks I guess) toddler on chair in front of sink.

5. Dump measuring cups and bottles into sink.

6. Tell toddler to have at it.

7. Hold tongue when toddler splashes to his hearts delight.

8. Take pics of toddler giggling contagiously.

9. Drain sink and wipe down toddler when he starts to shiver.

10. Wipe up all splashed about and puddled water (there will be copious amounts)

11. Throw towels in dryer

12. Be prepared for an extra long nap as toddler giggled and splashed himself into exhaustion...

A

Sid Rocks My Playlist...

Is it weird that I want to add the Sid The Science Kid 'Looking For My Friends' song to my workout playlist?



Yeah, I thought so...

So you must also think it's a little strange that I dance to the song while doing my hair in the morning and Bubbalu's watching the show.

And sometimes he's not even in the room and I keep it on just so I can hear the song.

Yep, carhazzzy over here, but at least we're having FUN.

A

My Toddler Sleep Solution Update #1

First of all, I am listing this as the first update, as I am certain there will be many more to follow.

The first toddler sleep solution post mentioned how Bubbalu had started to get out of his truck bed and wander hither and yon instead of sleeping. It has now been two weeks since that post, and a sleep update is warranted.

First of all, I still have the gate on the outside of the door, so that if he DOES get out of bed, his escape is thwarted. He does not like this. Mama doesn't either. Mostly because she can hear him protesting...and we have an open floor plan...and it echoes.

Second of all, I have the Pack 'n Play set up in his room. It is always ready for sleep with a pink crib sheet and cozy blankets.

(I'm sitting here thinking why in the world haven't I changed that pink sheet out for one of the 3 blue crib sheets that I have? It's not like I have a boy-themed crib sheet deficit, I'm just lazy, that's why. And I forgot. For 2 weeks....but whatever.)

Anyways, the story goes like this...Bubbalu is put to bed for nap/night, we recite our sleep rules:

1. We stay in our bed
2. We close our eyes
3. We are quiet
4. We do not jump or kick the walls
5. We go to sleep

and he is told that if he gets out of bed, he will be put into the Pack 'n Play to sleep. Two weeks ago I reported him crying after being transferred unwillingly into the Pack 'n Play after getting out of bed.

Now? Bubbalu goes right to his Pack 'n Play at nap time or bedtime and tries to climb in by himself.

So, either he already knows he will disobey and is just eliminating a step (aka the middle man) or he is liking the security of the Pack n' Play.

My vote is he is liking the security of the Pack 'n Play. He gets in, snuggles in and goes right to sleep. No crying, no gnashing of teeth...occasional singing. Not bad.

So where we stand right now I am not going to fault my child for wanting a little more secure sleeping environment. Some Moms warned me about regression in older siblings when a new baby arrives. If this is his only regression, that is fine by me.

Bubbalu is sleeping well full-time in his Pack 'n Play, he is safe, he is rested, end of story...

...or, we'll see what happens in a few weeks...

A

My Toddler Sleep Solution...

Remember my post about Bubbalu starting to escape from his room instead of sleeping?

Well, Lance woke up Saturday morning to find him standing in the laundry room, blankie and all, looking at the door to the garage saying, "where's Mommy where's Daddy?" over and over again.

Hmmm. We have no idea how long he was downstairs by himself.

I'm not too thrilled with the idea of him wandering all over the house completely unsupervised. Especially since he can get into the garage...and because he should be sleeping and isn't getting the rest he needs...and because Mommy might lose her sanity.

All valid reasons to remedy the problem posthaste.

Saturday afternoon he jumped right out of bed during nap time to come and explore. Over and over again, despite repeat 'punishments' and stern lectures from Mommy about the merits of staying in the truck bed and following our sleep rules:

1. We stay in our bed


2. We close our eyes


3. We are quiet


4. We do not jump or kick the walls


5. We go to sleep

Apparently the sleep rules aren't that fun to follow. I don't know why he doesn't like them, I LOVE the sleep rules. Sometime I have to remind myself to not to jump or kick the walls instead of sleeping, but usually I remember.

So, my solution. First I jumped into the car and zipped over to my in-laws to borrow their gate which (at the suggestion of my MIL) we put on his outside doorjamb. We put him to bed as usual that evening, reciting the sleep rules and tucking him in.

He was none too thrilled to find a gate blocking his escape when he opened his bedroom door one minute later. Much crying and gnashing of teeth. He was one ticked-off little dude. He ended up falling asleep that night lying against the gate clutching his blankie.

However, I decided that, despite the gate introduction, he was still getting to sleep 2 hours late and we needed another something.

Enter the Pack 'n Play. Every mother's tool for ensconcing their child safely whilst you go about your day.

I set it up in his room for Sunday nap time and told him that he needed to stay in bed or he would be put in the Pack 'n Play. He didn't believe me.

Oh my dear Son, have you not learned anything about your Mommy? Do NOT test me.

More crying and gnashing of teeth. But only 5 minutes, not 2 hours of singing, crying and yelling by the gate. And he had a super nap.

Sunday bedtime? Same deal. Only 3 minutes of crying and gnashing of teeth.

So there you have it. I am hoping it will only take a few days of Pack 'n Play enforcement before he just stays in his truck bed. I'll be leaving the gate up for his safety and my sanity though.

I'll keep you updated...

A

- Ok, I wrote this Sunday night, and now, Tuesday morning, we are still sleeping in the Pack N Play. Hmmm. I'll update yall bout the situation in a week or so...

And Then Bubbalu Turns 2...

Or 2 years and 29 days, but whatever.

We decided to celebrate Bubbalu's birthday a bit late because:

• we had Lil Chick 4 days before his birthday
  
• his Mama is neurotic and can't have a birthday party for her boy without making him a truck cake
• half the family was in Winthrop for Shane and Joanie's wedding (which we actually made it to!)
  
• he wouldn't know any different or care as long as he got to tear into presents and nosh on cake
  

So, after I made his truck cake we invited the fam over for coffee, presents and cake.

Opening an alphabet puzzle (which he has almost mastered!) :



A 'TEEE-RUCK!' rug:



Hmmm, what's in here:



Nice look, Daddy. Your head looks HUGE:



The cowboy hat is for Bubbalu to wear when riding the stick horse he got for Christmas. Here he is a week ago tearing up the living room on his horse:



I love my little cowboy. I almost bought him cowboy boots, but Lance vetoed that notion. Apparently they weren't "necessary" and there was mention of some ridiculous fact that we don't live on a farm or ranch.

Once again, WHATEVER. I still think he looks adorable:



Little People stuff always a BIG hit, provided you can untie all those arthritic-inducing twisties:



And yes, the picture is blurry, but Auntie Beppa and Uncle Dusta gave him another Little People Police car a few days later to add to his collection:



And Mama and Papa bought Bubbalu his first official Radio Flyer tricycle, since his scuttle bug scooter is now way too small for him:



Hello nostalgia.

He's our own little LIFE photo come to, well, life.

It was (of course) raining, so on with his rain coat and Daddy helped him on his inaugural ride down the front path:



Happy Birthday darlin, we love you...

A

And It's Begun...

So far Bubbalu has been spoiling me.

Bubbalu loves his truck bed. He is a good sleeper most of the time, taking 2ish hour naps every afternoon and in bed for 12 hours at night. He often talks and plays in bed but never gets out of bed. He ALWAYS waits for me. I do realize how good I have it. Um...I mean had.

Until yesterday.

Yesterday morning he must have heard us up and about downstairs and decided to get out by himself, "hi Mommy, hi Daddy!".

And a good hour before he should be up from his afternoon nap he came sauntering down the stairs holding 2 pieces of his nightlight, "hi Mommy, hi Daddy!".

Oh crap...

A

Things You Learn In The Hospital 2...

Children do not enjoy visiting the hospital.

However, if you have a privacy curtain and daddy's slippers you can do this:

If you have a window you can drive your cars up here:



If your Grandma is smart, you can have a snack:

Or you can dance to the song Rockin Around The Christmas Tree:

Guess how much time that takes up? About 10 minutes. Then Grandpa and Grandma have to take me on a walk to see the fish tank ("Nemo!") and get some lunch.

Can you see why Mommy looks tired in this pic?



Oh yeah, and you can visit with Mommy a bit too. Cause Bubbalu is the very best medicine she ever received:



A

Snail Trails...

Do you know what the worst thing is about toddler cold snooky noses?

(I mean, the worst thing after having to watch your child suffer.)

It is the snail trails of snot left all over your clothing. Just a quick exam in the mirror shows I have a snail trail on my shoulder (from giving my frustrated toddler a cozy hug), my sleeve, and on the side of my shirt.

I've had this shirt on for an HOUR.

ONE HOUR.

So, if you happen to randomly drop by my house (which I don't recommend unless you want to come down with our plague or be forced into manual housework) please excuse my appearance and the snail trails.

A

Big Boy Truck Bed...

We moved Bubbalu to a big boy bed about a month ago.

I must admit the whole process was kinda weird for me, emotionally. My sweet baby is growing up and looks SO TINY in his new big boy bed.

When I took him home from the hospital at 5 pounds he didn't exactly fill his crib either:

He really was VERY tiny.

So, as for the big boy bed, we have had one fall-out, 2 get out of bed and play instead of sleep, and no leaving of his room.

How can this be? What made the transfer so smooth? What are my secrets?

I have NO idea. I just don't know.

But, we did buy him sheets that have trucks all over them:

And also splurged for the matching truck toss pillows:

The truck pillows and sheets are endless sources of excitement for Bubbalu. He is, after all, obsessed with trucks and cars.

But, he is ONLY allowed to play with the truck pillows ON his truck bed, so there is a sense of it being a treat to go and sleep in the truck bed.

I also used a basic bed rail so he wouldn't fall out in the middle of the night (which I purchased for the outrageous price of $1.00 at a thrift store).

The funny thing is, he stays in his room until I come and get him. When he wakes up from his nap or in the morning, he plays with his truck pillows or goes to his book bin, grabs some books, and gets back in his bed!

I know!

Of course, now that I've posted about it I am fully expecting a relapse.

I'll keep you updated...

A

Decorated Windows...

What happens when your toddler finds a random misplaced tube of lipstick:



I managed to swipe a huge blob of it off his face before the picture was taken, but check out the bottom of the window. Seem kinda...pinkish?

Thankfully, Windex cures all, right Mr. Portokalos?

A

The Craigslist Posting...

Wanted:

Creative or basic entertaining young toddler activities. Preferable length of activity to last at least 20 minutes. Minimal preparation and clean up a must.

Please respond promptly to 1-800-Mama-is-losing-her-mind.

Thank you.

A

How To Eat, Toddler Style...

Words are not necessary...

A

Toddler Friendly Insta-pizza...

1. Take open hot dog bun and get it all nice and crispy using your BBQ, toaster, toaster oven, or your oven.

2. Squirt any tomato-based sauce on the insides. Use bottled pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, BBQ sauce, or like I did, ketchup. Cause we gotta teach them young to love the ketchup. That's how we roll in this house.

3. Pile shredded cheese and various toppings on. I just used plain ole mozzarella and nothing else.

4. Nuke until the cheese melts.

5. Cool and serve.

6. Viola! Easy toddler friendly insta-pizza.

A