Monday, February 27, 2012

Patience?

As we were leaving church yesterday, the woman next to us leaned over and complimented my patience.  


Nice, right? So why am I having a hard time accepting it as a compliment?


I have been replaying it all day trying to decide if she truly meant that she admired my patience with my children, or if it was a nice way of saying my kids were not behaving up to her standards and she didn't think I was doing enough.  Why am I so hung up on it? Why the mommy guilt?


Bringing two toddlers to Mass by myself is not easy, but it's something I enjoy doing and feel is important for our family.  There is no "baby room" to sneak away to, so I bring a few quiet things to keep their attention.  We sit in the very last row because I feel that their pew-gymnastics will be less distracting.  I try to get them engaged in the "stories" and the songs, but they find a lot more enjoyment in trying to escape (O) and talking about the people sitting around us (JD). 


I've been around the block long enough to know that holding them down to their seats or shushing them every time they make a peep will not have positive results, so I choose my battles.  Yes, sometimes my toddler speaks up at a quiet moment.  Sometimes my other toddler squeals when I stop him from climbing under the seats.  But generally the people surrounding us smile.  I'd like to think that seeing my beautiful babies' smiles would make anyone's day.  I tell myself not to care if anyone is annoyed.


So why do I worry so much that I am not doing enough when I know I am doing my best? 


I wouldn't want to sit next to anyone else!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

We Didn't Forget Valentine's Day

I know this post is a week late, but the boys and I had such a fun Valentine's Day that I really want to document it here.  And "VDay Post" has been on my to-do list for a week.  I can't start a new list until I cross everything off the old one. Issues -I know.

I started the night before by filling their hallway with heart shaped helium balloons for them to see when they woke up.  I also made a new batch of heart-shaped snacks for JD's class.
I threaded doilies on the ribbons.
Heart-shaped strawberry pancakes were on the menu for breakfast.  I made the batter the night before because I knew I wasn't going to feel like it at 6am.

O was a little confused.
By lunch, we were on to heart-shaped pb&j.

I gave them the pretty ones, and my lunch was made up of all the crusts.  Add it to the list of sacrifices.

O thought this was AMAZING.

JD played it cool.
I had them in bibs so as to not stain their adorable, matching Valentine's Day shirts, and now I realize I don't have a single good pic of them in the shirts.  Oh well.  Can't have it all.


By dinner, I was all hearted-out.  And heart-shaped chicken cutlets seemed like a step too far.  

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Preschool-Approved Valentine's Day Treat

As class mom, I've been stressing about what to send in for JD's class on Valentine's Day.  It has to be fun, healthy, and easy- which, of course, is not easy.  I found this granola bar recipe at Joyful Abode and tweaked it to include more fruit and no nuts or seeds.  Then, instead of cutting them into bars, I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter to make them a little more festive.


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healthy_preschool_toddler_valentines_day_snack_granola
It took me .5 seconds to realize that I was not going to be pushing the cookie cutter through it with my bare hands.  A wooden spoon worked out great!

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My plan was to save the scraps to sprinkle over yogurt.  JD had other plans.

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1 batch made 19 medium-ish hearts.

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I'm going to send them in wrapped in cupcake wrappers, but you could also seal them in plastic wrap with a heart sticker or put them all in a container separated by wax paper.  

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Sweet & Healthy
You could make them even more festive with heart shaped sprinkles on top (I went to 2 stores but couldn't find them) or more of a "treat" with chocolate chips.  My mind started to wander with the pretty possibilities of wrapping them, but I didn't want to be cursing myself and my over ambitious ideas the night before Valentine's Day, so I am keeping it simple!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Toddler

Last week we took a quick trip in to the city, and JD has not stopped talking about the "booty truck" and the ICE CREAM CONE!





(Did you miss me? I know I've been MIA around here lately, but I have been busy interviewing mompreneurs for New York Mom's World, talking about our transition to a toddler bed and must-have sleep products at sleep.com, reviewing aps, theater productions and wine tasting rooms for LIParentSource, and kicking off the DiaperBuds blog with tips about getting through the airport with ease.  Now that I'm getting into a schedule with the other sites, I will be posting regularly here again.)


(Oh, and our NYMomsWorld facebook page is getting close to 1000 fans!  We'd really appreciate it if you gave us a like!)

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