When to start??

When to start??
(January 2010)

So Paul and I have found ourselves with a little bit of a dilemma. My house is a haven for anything technology. I myself was a computer/networking and web design teacher for almost 10 years. My husband works in the technology industry as well. Some people will even call me a "gadget queen" so it isn't a surprise that Jacob has started to notice all of the technology in our home and wants to use it.

TV is a big part of my life, I am sorry to say that I love to watch TV. But other than a few months after Andrew was born, I try very hard to stick to a schedule with Jacob so that his TV watching is limited. So I am not really worried about TV. What I am worried about is computer games. I obviously blog and have email that I like to check, I also like to keep up to speed with things going on in the world. Recently Jacob has been interested in my laptop so I have tried to find a few "toddler friendly" websites out there to help him with his ABC's and 123's as well as colors and shapes. There is a website called "Zoodles" that is great. It goes out and searches the internet for you and finds games based on your childs age and compiles them in an easy to use and AD FREE environment. Jacob loves to play along with me and is doing great with the matching and colors/shape games.

My dilemma is that now that is ALL he wants to do. I know that this will be a phase, like most things with him. He tends to play the heck out of things for awhile and them will drop them like yesterdays news the next. So I am not really worried about this being a long term problem, I just worry that I shouldn't have introduced it so soon. When should you start learning games online?? Since he is only sitting behind a computer screen for educational purposes maybe 30-45 minutes a day is that OK?? I guess each parent will probably answer this differently...I am sure I could have some parents that are hardcore NO tv or computer , and some that are like me and think "everything in moderation"......

But like most parents of first borns you have trial and error, if it turns out that this was a HORRIBLE mistake, the spring is just around the corner and Jacob will be outside 80% of his day so I will slowly die off like everything else he obsesses over!

wishing it away....

Wishing it away....


This week was a tough week for me. Paul was gone all week for training and I was left for the first time since Andrew was born with two kids for a whole week. But to make the situation worse both of my kids came down with a pretty nasty cold. One that is still, 9 days later, going strong. Most days were spent dealing with a very very cranky 2 1/2 year old who didn't want to play, eat, sleep, or even watch TV. All he wanted to do was complain and throw toys, make a mess, and be disagreeable. Then to top it off Andrew being only 5 months old gets the same cold. But unlike Jacob he can't blow his nose, consciously clear his throat/cough, or tell me what is wrong.

Since just after Jacob was born in 2007 the CDC has removed all medicine for any child under the age of 4 (it used to be 2) so any sort of medicinal help for the symptoms was not happening. Tylenol was used during the first stages of the cold when Jacob had a slight fever, and of course vicks, and vaporizers have been running nonstop for the past week and a half.

I found myself wishing away the week, and honestly wishing away their childhoods. I found myself alone unable to ask for help (for fear of infecting other people), and wishing for anything that Jacob was old enough to be given medicine, and that Andrew was old enough to be able to at least blow his nose or at least talk and tell me what is wrong and to understand what is happening to him when he can't breathe!

What I wouldn't give for them to be feeling better, and for this cold to be gone and for me to be able to get more than an hour of sleep at a time during the night without having to wrangle those God forsaken nose aspirators into my babies nose or find that the 3rd box of kleenex was gone because of how often Jacob needed to blow his nose. I had finally gotten to the end of my rope when I found myself with two sleeping children and a small amount of time to myself. I decided to start reading the other blogs I follow and I ran across a post that suddenly made my life a lot less crazy and frustrating.

MckMama is a great blog if you have never read it, she is very well written and has a lot of really great posts. When I was reading this particular post I realized that she is soooo right. I have been so wrapped up in my "misery" that I wasn't looking at the bigger picture. This week wasn't about just my boys feeling bad and being frustrating. As I took a step back and thought about my week I realized that it wasn't just about the tantrums, and the lack of sleep. But during this week I also gave my boys 500+ kisses (no joke), I rocked them to sleep, I kissed boo-boos, I sssshhh'ed them as they fell asleep, and I was there with hugs and a smile every time they woke up (even if it was for the 10th time that night). I was their "one and only", they were sick and they needed me. They needed me more than I needed sleep, or time alone, or another person to help.

I was wishing away the week and years, and for what?? For maybe a two week cold? I suddenly felt so foolish and realized that although the cold would be much easier to weather if they were older, by having them old I would miss so much more, and who knows how long they will "need me". There is nothing I love more than my kids and their kisses, hugs, "I love you's" and smiles. It seems like I have already blinked and found myself with a 2 1/2 year old and a 5 month old. What I wouldn't give to be able to keep them small and innocent. When they are older they won't need my kisses on their "boo boo's" or need rocked to sleep when they are 15 or 20 years old. They will be obnoxious teenagers who "know it all" and don't need me (or think they need me) anymore.

I realized right then that I can't keep focusing on the bad parts of my week and I needed to be thankful for the moments I do have with my children. And as MckMama said I will not wish away their young years, always hoping to get more sleep, movies watched, laundry done, house cleaned. "I will relish each kiss, hug and song. I will leave their childhood behind with no regrets, no "I love you" unsaid, no cheek unkissed, no request to "Cuddle wif' me!" turned down.

I am gonna miss this.....


(thank you MckMama for such as inspiring post, I hope you don't mind that I quoted you in my post!)

A new find!!! Go get it!

A new find! Go get it!!!
(January 2010)

So I don't normally get all "ga-ga" over things, much less a toy but I found something for Jacob that I have to say should become a "MUST" for all parents out there. Jacob has always been very very very good at sorting whether it was shapes, colors, etc.... about the time he turned a year old he got into the "I Spy" books and hasn't looked back. He loves anything "I Spy" and I don't mean the kids "I SPY" books but even the adult ones. You might have to help him a little (very little) with the adult "I SPY" books but not much and the childrens versions you don't have to help at all.

So recently we have moved into the memory games for children. Most board games are for 3+ years old which I have to agree with not because they are too hard but because Jacob still doesn't have the greatest of attention spans being not quite 2 1/2 years old. We have purchased two memory card games, one in "Thomas the Tank Engine" and one in "Super Hero Squad" (his new favorite with Iron Man, Hulk, Wolverine, etc....). The only problem with these is that even though he knows how to play it, the lure of 10+ cards laying on the ground just screaming to be thrown around can sometimes be too much for a little guy! So most games of Memory aren't finished because they get scattered. Which inevitably leaves myself or his father crawling around trying to find all of the missing pieces.

I knew I needed to find an alternative to this while still being able to teach him "patience" and "matching". I went on a search of the internet and found some online "memory" games but they were a little boring and not nearly as interactive since I was the one having to move the mouse and click the buttons (problem of only having a laptop). But then one day while the kids were sleeping I started searching the internet again and found the most AWESOME thing!! "Melissa and Doug" have fabulous toys and they have created a toy that is not only extremely educational but it is almost 100% mess free!!!!

The game can be found here and at Amazon (and probably a lot of other places too). The best part about it is that it comes with a bunch of cards for numbers, colors, shapes, farm animals, zoo animals, vehicles, and fruit. We have been working on colors and this is an added game that I can use to help with colors without Jacob feeling like all I do is "teach". Basically what you do is choose the card you want to play (each card is double sided for twice the amount of games) and then you can open up the blue wooden "doors" and see what is behind them. The "doors" are attached with elastic band so that they don't come off. The only pieces that you can lose would be the big cards and those will be hard to lose! Plus I have already decided that I could easily get a piece of card stock and use stickers to create a new card with other items on it. Most packs of stickers come with at least two of every sticker and being able to create new cards would make this game never ending. For when Jacob gets a little older "Melissa and Doug" even have other games that will great for teaching sorting, sequence, and memory.

See ya later 2009, and thanks for all the......

See ya later 2009, and thanks for all the...
(January 3, 2010)

When most people think back to 2009 they are going to think about the hard times that most of us had with finances, politics, and just the overall "stinky" impression that 2009 left. I however will remember what a great year 2009 was, and how all of the "thanks" that I have will forever overshadow any hard times that we went through.

Here is a list of my top 10 (although there are many more) things that didn't make 2009 stink!

10) We got to spend our first "family vacation" visiting Thomas the Tank Engine in Baltimore. Hopefully we will have many more vacations in the years to come.

9) Jacob learned to speak and communicate with us about what he did or didn't want. And even started saying Please, Thank you, and Excuse me on his own.

8) We made it through 2009 with only 2 minor colds. Even though we did have a fractured leg, but we were still extremely healthy for the year!

7) We found out that Jacob was going to be a big brother, and he has not only done well but clearly loves his brother. (which is evident with the 50+ kisses he gives him daily)


6) Jacob became much more independent so didn't mind being left with a babysitter. This allowed Paul and I to go out on a few "date nights" without having to worry about getting home within a 2 hour time limit!

5) We joined a playgroup and met other kids and mothers that we get to spend time with weekly.

4) Having a husband that is able to work from home and can spend lunches and some extra time with Jacob, Andrew, and I throughout the day!

3) Grandpa after suffering a stroke Thanksgiving 2008, went through a lot of therapy in 2009 and is able to spend time with Jacob and Andrew almost every day!

2) Jacob learned to say "I Love You" and will (on his own) tell us those three wonderful words randomly throughout the day.

1) I was able to stay home another year with my children. I know that some people aren't able to do this or choose not to, but I will never be thankful enough for the fortune that I have in being able to spend everyday with my kids from the moment they wake up to the time they go to bed. I have truly been blessed!