How To Not Go Crazy in 21 Days

Seeing as how we have travelled 1500 miles to visit our family over the Christmas holidays (yes, all by truck, and yes, all with a 3 and 5 year old), I thought I'd share my ideas on how to not go crazy when visiting family for this long.  (We are the mercy of our families, and have to play nice, otherwise we'd be homeless...oh yeah, and we love them)

How To Not Go Crazy in 21 Days (whilst living with family over the Christmas holidays)

*ahem*

10.  Eggnog and rum.  Lots of rum.

9.  Lots of outings with friends while leaving the kids under the care of any available Grandparent.  (Much of the time it's a dump and dash - dump the kids with the Grandparent and dash out the door)

8.  Make funny "parental" faces to your siblings when your parent says something that's reminiscent of the Costanza's.  Yelling out "GEORGIE!!!!!" helps, too.

7.  Allow yourself to roll your eyes as often as you feel will keep you sane, but not so much that they get stuck in the back of your head.  (I know that could never happen, but I've come close)

6.  Realize that every time you see your parents, they are getting a little older, and will say things that don't make sense.  (For example:  last night, my Dad says, "you do realize that you are at the age where, when you are trying to figure out who a person is just by their name that they may come from a generation after you, right?"  WHAT?!)

5.  Retail therapy.

4.  Look forward to all of the driving we have to do to get home after this is all said and done.  All of that glorious "just my little family - alone time".

3.  Bury myself in my computer pretending to be researching gifts or the weather, or how a little dog from New York ended up being found in Arizona 8 years later.

2.  Know that my mother in law means well when she keeps asking to give my 5 year old daughter an ipod for Christmas.  Leap Pad will do, thankyouverymuch.

1.  Be able to very discreetly look over at my husband with an expressionless expression and see that in his eyes, he gets that I'm ready to lose my mind from the chaos that is 21 days with the family over Christmas holidays.

***disclaimer - I love both of our families very much, and acknowledge that although I'm pretty wonderful, they probably also have their own coping mechanisms for having me around for 21 days***

Lest We Forget....

courtesy of google images

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

-Major John McCrae


God bless our fearless soldiers, and those who are left waiting for them.

I Did It!!!!!!!!

After only 8 months with Arbonne (and if we're being honest, only 3 serious months), I have gotten a promotion to District Manager!!!!  I'm so darn excited!!

This company is completely amazing!  The opportunities that they are offering their consultants are truly incredible - it's becoming clearer and clearer to me that this is a company that takes care of its people!!

I am so fortunate and blessed that I chose this journey 8 months ago, I can't wait to see where I am in a year, 3 years, 5 years....  I have the opportunity to stay home with my kids, chose my own hours and live my life the way I want to!  That totally sounds like an infommercial....LOL!  But in all sincerity, it's true!

I heard the other day that only 1% of Canadians have even heard of Arbonne....that is such exciting news -  I just can't wait to keep sharing this company and watching how amazed and thrilled people are about these products!

Soooooo excited!!! (can'tchya tell?!?!)

If I Had A Nickel For Every Time I've Been Peed On...

Let's just start off by saying I knew this was going to be hard.  It was hard with my daughter, and I have no idea what I'm doing with my son. 

Potty training sucks.

I have no idea on how to train a boy.  He won't stand up and will only sit on the potty with his legs so wide apart he looks like he's training for the 2024 Olympic gymnastics team.  The one thing I do know is this: 

legs spread wide = hips being raised = peeing device being raised = ever so patient Mom, who sits on the floor singing Wiggles songs ad nauseum, gets covered in pee.

And, it usually happens 5 minutes before heading out the door.  (I may or may not have left the house with teeny tiny pee spots on my shirt this morning).  Don't judge.

I know so little about training a boy, that I've had to ask questions of my husband about what I can do and shouldn't do (I don't want to hurt the poor boy, and I am looking for what I'm missing....).  I am met with strange looks from hubby, strange enough that I want to throw a roll of toilet paper at him (or at least sit him in front of the line of fire...)

With all of this aggravation, there is still a cheer of victory every time he does pee, and the gummy bears taste oh so good!  Now with the introduction of licorice as a "poo" treat, I'm afraid potty training isn't only going to turn a few hairs white, it's going to add inches to my hips. 

But.

If I never see another diaper again, I'm willing to sacrifice my rock star hips, 'cause I'm a good Mom like that.

BREAKING NEWS!!!

My good friend, Single Infertile Female is hosting a holiday shopping party!!  Holidays.  Shopping.  Seriously, how much better can it get?!

Okay, so here's the lowdown!

1.  The Arbonne holiday shopping party starts today, and ends in 10 days on October 25th.  Only U.S. residents are eligible to participate (sorry to my Canadian friends, I can't include orders from other countries in an American party). 

2.  Visit SIF over in her blogfrog community to get information, share what you love or just to read what others are saying about amazing Arbonne products! 

3.  Visit my Arbonne website here to browse all of the fantastic products.

4.  Email me with any questions or orders. (This is an important one!!  If you order off the website, you won't be included in the benefits of the party - for every $500 sold, I'm giving away a Pampermint set to one lucky person who places an order!!!)

courtesy of Arbonne.ca

(I mean seriously, can't you just smell it?!)

5.  Have fun!!  I'm so excited to be able to introduce these fantastic products to everyone!

6.  And, finally, please, please, please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions!  I'm always here to answer questions and love "educating" people about the benefits of our products!!

P.S.  Many of the holiday products are great gift ideas for that special teacher or coach - it's something new and different and will surely be appreciated by whoever is the lucky recipient!!

Techno Dumb

I like to think that I'm up with the times.  (How's that for an opening old person saying?!)

At 38, I do think I'm still pretty young.  Relatively speaking, of course.  However, with all of the new gadgets (another OPS) and computers and phones coming out at lightning speed, I will admit that I am ignorant when it comes to matters of technology.

I am a firm believer that my 3 and 5 year olds don't need anything more than the barbie and princess "computers" they have (totally learning oriented).  When my nieces and nephew got into the new technology, I was a little taken aback. 

This was actually said by me a couple of years ago:

"I can't believe that a 5 year old needs and I-pod!  That's ridiculous!  I don't see any reason.....what?.....it's an I-PHONE????  Oh Good Lord....."

My mother in law has offered to buy my 5 year old an I-phone for Christmas for "educational purposes".  Right.  As I try to bring my blood pressure down, and try to be appreciative for the gesture, I can't help but think "what the hell is this world coming to??". 

I feel guilty when my kids watch too much tv.  There's no way I'd stick them in front of an I-phone.  Not now, anyway.

I have a feeling I'm going to be "that parent".  You know, the one who is last at getting their kids into what's hot and happening (OPS). 

The other day at playschool, my son's EI worker asked if he used the computer, and if so, she would bring in her laptop to give him some "activites" to do.  Really?????  He's 3.  In my mind, 'nuff said.

The only interaction with our computers that our kids have is when we show them a video of something they would enjoy, usually from Youtube.  That's it. 

Am I doing my kids a disservice by not introducing them to the newest technology out there?  Maybe, maybe not.  I see kids with cell phones at the age of 7.  That isn't going to happen in my house.

But, then again, I've been known to eat my words now and then.

Never say never.  Perhaps getting my kids into technnology will actually give me a clue.  You know, about I-pods and such.

Recess Was Her Favorite Subject....

And, now....not so much.

While the hubs and I were traipsing off in Vegas last week, having a grand old time, enjoying our 15 years of blissful marriage, our sweet, friendly, innocent, doe-eyed little girl was getting punched on the playground at recess.

Yep.  Socked right in the eye.  By a little boy.  A 5 year old little boy.

Apparently what happened was that she asked him to play and he said no.  I'm assuming her feelings were hurt (she just wants to be friends with everyone!), then she asked him again, and then he punched her.  This was verified by other kids, so it leaves me to wonder:  how does a 5 year old know to punch with a closed fist, and why would he do that to begin with?  What has he seen in his life that has taught him that's it okay to punch? 

I have sympathy for this boy.  I mean, did he see his Dad punch his Mom?  Does he have an older sibling that does this to him? 

My daughter seems to be doing okay after a few days of not really wanting to be at school, and keeping a sharp eye out for any adult to be close to her, but I'm sure this has changed her thinking about how other kids are.  I'm so sad for her that this had to happen during her first few weeks of her school career, but after seeing how all of the other kids are so happy to see her at school every day, I'm sure she'll be just fine.

The school takes a hard stance on bullying, and this boy has been "grounded" from recess for a week, and then he has to be with a supervisor the whole time he's out for another week.  While I was picking her up after school on Monday, he came over and apologized (again) to her, and she got very nervous and managed to squeak out an "it's okay, thank you".  I thought it was brave for him to come over on his own in front of her Mom to apologize to her.  Hopefully this will change his ways, as this isn't the first time they've had an "incident" with him.

It makes me wonder how many parents sit their kids down and talk to them about bullying and about how they treat other children.  It makes me think about the "my kid would never do that" mentality and how it happens more than we think.

It's been a good lesson for her, in the way she treats her brother (and I'm sure all siblings have their scraps) and in the way she treats others at school. 

Hopefully the rest of the school year goes smoothly, and all we have to deal with is uneaten fruit in the lunchbox at the end of the day!!