August 2008 - Posts

• Baby Snuggles

  Parents live for baby snuggles.  Holding a warm, sleeping baby is the ultimate connection…here is a little life that you helped to create…and it completes you.  Curled together, the two of you create your own world.  It is an escape from the diapers, constant feedings, mystery pukefests, and colic that is life with a newborn.  Those snuggles are the reason parents don’t return their children to the hospital. At some point, though, babies grow into toddlers.  And toddlers…well…they’re not so much into snuggling most of the time.  In fact, my toddler isn’t into snuggling at all these days.  And I really miss that connection baby snuggles used to give us. When Dom was an infant, he was a major snuggler. Once he could get around on his own, though, he gave it up. He would wiggle away from me whenever I tried to hold him, and if I didn't let go right away, he'd whine, too. He now spends a lot of time saying, “Kiss?  No!!!” as he runs away from me.  Requests for hugs are met with giggles as he shakes his head no. He has something going on right now. It is either teeth or a tummy thing. He didn't want to eat yesterday (he drank fine, though), and he had several poopy diapers.  Yeah…poop again.  I have a two-year-old.  Poop happens. Last night, Dom actually snuggled with me on the sofa (that is how I knew he didn't feel well). And, although I feel awful for being happy he felt so crappy, it was so nice to have those snuggles.  We lay there, watching TV, for a few hours.  As he fell asleep, he curled his hand around my hair and said, "I love you, Mommy."  You’ve got to love those snuggles. Posted Aug 31 2008, 08:40 PM by marylandmom with no comments Filed under: maryland [Edit Tags]

• The Book Corner…August 30, 2008

  Dom and I love to read together.  Rather, I read while he flips the pages so quickly that I can’t keep up.  Same difference. We check anywhere from 5 – 15 children’s books out of the library each week.  We also have an extensive children’s collection on our own bookshelves.  There are some books that Dom and I love so much that I want to share them with other parents.  So I figure that I’ll do that once a week or so.  Here is our first book corner… The Secret Birthday Message by Eric Carle We have a huge Eric Carle library…he wrote such classics as The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Lonely Firefly, and The Very Quiet Cricket (among many other titles you’d recognize if you’re a parent).  Dom owns more than 200 books in total…yet this is the one he reads over and over again.  This is the book he brings if we ask him what he wants to read.   This is the book that he sits quietly to look at by himself. In short, the book is about a boy named Tim.  He gets a secret birthday message that directs him to follow a set of instructions to find his birthday gift.  The instructions contain several shapes, which Dom likes to point to and name.  Throughout the story, those shapes are reflected on each page.  For instance: When the moon (semicircle shape) comes up, look for the biggest star (star shape).  Below it, you’ll see a rock (oval shape). At the end of the story, Tim finds his birthday gift exactly where the secret birthday message promised.  As always, Carle’s drawings make the story come alive.  The text is short and simple, perfect for first readers.  And, apparently, the story is magic to a toddler. Posted Aug 30 2008, 09:59 AM by marylandmom with no comments Filed under: maryland, education, books, Book Corner [Edit Tags]

• It's preschool!

  Over the past week or so, I have been researching preschools for Dom for Fall ’09.  He’ll be three then (and hopefully potty-trained).  I’m doing this way in advance, but I’m the queen of organization.  If I do research now, I won’t have to worry about it next summer, and we’ll be able to enjoy Dom’s last summer as a baby. Or so I thought.  After completing my research, I started making calls to the preschools in our area that met my first-level qualifications.  I was hoping to schedule visits so I could see their educational processes in action.  Those calls made me feel like a complete failure as a Mommy. Apparently, I should have already had our applications in for Fall ’09…the schools in our area are very popular and fill up quickly   We’re welcome to come in for a tour, but the best any of the schools can do is waitlist us.   In every case, this news was delivered in a gleeful tone, as though the person on the other end couldn’t wait to tell her officemates about my neglectful parenting. I was then faced with a barrage of questions…”AM or PM preschool?” (How should I know?  It’s a year away!).  “Potty-trained class or un-potty-trained?” (How should I know?  It’s a year away!).  “How advanced is his preschool knowledge? (How should I know?  It’s a year away!). Is it just me, or are these people insane?  My kid is two years old.  I hope he’s potty trained when he’s 3 ½, but I don’t have a crystal ball.  He may need diapers until third grade.  Likewise, he’s a brilliant kid, but I have no way of knowing whether he’ll know his multiplication tables in a year, or whether he’ll still be skipping 6 every time he counts.  Honestly, I’m not trying to get preadmission to Harvard.  I’m not even trying for a community college.  It’s preschool!  PRE-school.  That means we don’t need all of the answers yet.  I think. Posted Aug 29 2008, 09:17 PM by marylandmom with no comments Filed under: maryland, education, potty training [Edit Tags]

• Ah...Technology...

  Life has been changed by technology over the past 20 years.  Blackberries chain us to our offices instead of just living in our jelly, and bosses and coworkers never leave us alone.  Cell phones make us reachable by anybody, at anytime, anywhere.  E-mail blurs quitting time, erasing the line between work and home.  Slowly, steadily, technology has taken over our lives. Likewise, advertising has become smarter.  Amex sponsors a Barbie cash register.  Apple computers are strategically placed in our favorite movies.  New mothers are given “gift bags” filled with name-brand baby products.  We share the road with trucks that do nothing but carry giant billboards around town. And now, television and advertising have become one (it was just a matter of time) and produced…the TV Kart.  They have joined to follow us into the grocery store. This cart has a car compartment that will hold your child and show them episodes of children’s TV shows (Barney, Dora, Thomas the Tank Engine, the Wonder Pets, etc).  You can shop in peace and quiet…oh, wait.  No, you can’t.  Because while your child enjoys the enchanting kiddie shows, you get to watch commercials! And, once you’re ready to go, you can transfer all of your bags to a different cart for the trip to your car…because these carts are too special to leave the store.  I’m envisioning prying little fingers from the car door while a little voice screams, “No – more Thomas, Mommy!” The Safeway in Kensington now has at least one of these carts.  I only saw one, abandoned in the middle of an aisle…probably because some poor soul just couldn’t take the constant barrage of commercials thrown at them (or the kiddie show theme songs playing over and over and over and over again).  I assume that where there is one, there are others. The cart I saw has Barney on one side and Thomas the Tank Engine on the other.  It looked very cool and kid-magnet-y.  The roof was taller than the other car carts, which would mean a more comfy ride.  Add in the included TV, and I’m in serious trouble.  I guess I can always wear my IPod to shield me from the ads and screams.  Ah…technology… Posted Aug 27 2008, 09:36 PM by marylandmom with no comments Filed under: maryland, food [Edit Tags]

• Bones, Bling & Frybread (or, Smithsonian Part 2)

  Don’t you love cliffhangers?  I know you were all anxiously awaiting part two of our National Mall trek.  Stop banging on your computer…here, already: Because the American History Museum is still closed for renovation (slated to reopen November 21), we started at the National Museum of Natural History.  Dom loves the dinosaur bones there; my niece could look at some serious bling while she dreamt of Prince Charming (currently Joe Jonas); and there are activity rooms for kids.  We spent some time waiting in line for the bathroom, playing with fossils and shells in the Discovery Room, waiting in line for the bathroom, elbowing our way through hordes of people to see rocks, and waiting in line for the bathroom.  Dom had a great time, but I think that’s his age – what toddler wouldn’t love to hold a priceless 2-million-year-old fossil over his head while giggling devilishly?  Summer even had a good time taking picture after picture of exhibits. After the Natural History Museum, we headed over to the National Museum of the American Indian.  Dom and I are Potawatomi, and both we and Summer have Cherokee and Shawnee blood in our family trees, so it seemed like a good bet.  Thankfully, the American Indian Museum was slightly less crowded than the Natural History Museum.  We spent hours looking at historical pieces, pottery, and lifestyle exhibits.  We had a meal in the cafeteria, but I really don’t recommend it.  The food doesn’t taste authentic, and my frybread is much, much better. As we left the museum, we took seats outside of the entrance to watch the Museum’s last summer concert (they do these every summer for free).  On this day, we saw Tonolec, an Argentinean band with their own blend of “tradition-infused electronica.”  Their music is modern traditional and keeps your feet tapping.  Dom kept climbing off of my lap to dance in the aisle, and he cried when the concert was over.  As we walked back to the Metro, the band gave in to the crowd’s demands for an encore, and their last song was the perfect accompaniment to the setting sun on the quickly emptying Mall.  If you haven’t yet visited the American Indian Museum, why not?  The building itself is a gorgeous work of art, and the exhibits are fascinating.  The Natural History Museum is a must-see, and even the Air and Space Museum should be visited at least once.  The Smithsonian Institution doesn’t charge anything to enter these museums (films might have a ticket charge, though).  This is an often-overlooked educational opportunity, so get down there! Posted Aug 25 2008, 11:01 PM by marylandmom with no comments Filed under: maryland, education, teenagers, dc, native, fun stuff to do [Edit Tags]

• All Aboard to the Smithsonian (Part 1)

  On the second-to-last night of my niece’s visit, she mentioned that she had never been on a subway or to a museum (The shocked gasp you just breathed out?  I had the same reaction!).  I immediately decided that we had to do both the next day, lest Summer return to her rural home completely uncitified.  They only have one Starbucks in her town, and you can’t get more rural than that. Fortunately, D.C. is home to the world-renowned Smithsonian Institution, which enables broke and/or cheap visitors to see priceless objects for free.  Since we were feeling pretty cheap by the end of a week entertaining a 13-year-old with a sweet tea addiction, we hopped on the Metro and away we went. Dom loves the captive audience a train provides him, and he kept us all entertained by screaming, “Hello!” to everyone who entered, “Bye-bye, Baby!” to everyone who exited, and “Tunnel!” to everyone fortunate enough to share our Metro car between stations.  As usual, we got off at the Smithsonian station.  As usual, I complained for the next 20 minutes that Metro put the elevator as far from the Mall (the tourist area that contains the museums) as possible.  We put the kids on the Carousel for a ride, and then we got down to the serious business of picking a museum. That, you see, is the downside to the world-renowned Smithsonian Institution.  It contains 19 museums and the National Zoo.  Where to start?  The National Air and Space Museum, which is supposed to be a hit with kids but bores me to tears?   The American Art Museum, which is a hit with me but would bore the kids to tears? Art, history, design - all are covered by the Smithsonian.  There’s even a Postal Museum for those kids who strive to attain quasi-government disgruntled employee status.  (Disclaimer:  That last comment was a joke.  Yes, it was loosely based on my own experiences with unhappy window clerks at a wide variety of U.S. Post Offices.  But it was a joke.) We finally narrowed our list down to two museums. Posted Aug 23 2008, 10:49 PM by marylandmom with no comments Filed under: maryland, education, teenagers, dc, fun stuff to do [Edit Tags]

• Sweet Tea, Sushi, and Girliness

  I have been having an awesome time with my niece while she’s visiting us.  She keeps Dom out of my hair long enough for me to clean (or read or play on the computer or shave my legs), and she keeps me laughing with her goofy faces, funny jokes, and giggly hiccups. Since Summer has been here, we haven’t stayed home for long.  We went to the County Fair, we went shopping, and we drove around drinking gallons of McD’s sweet tea (no comments about my butt not fitting on carnival rides, okay?).  Tomorrow, we plan to go to the water park at Bohrer Park.  Last night, we had a lazy night in.  Once Dom was in bed and hubby barricaded himself into our bedroom (something about too much girliness), it was just us girls.  We watched TV while we played computer games.  I put purple streaks into her hair (relax, brother-in-law of mine.  It’s very light, and it won’t last long).  We ate Chili Boy sushi from Whole Foods and cried when someone – not the 13-year-old in the room – put too much chili sauce on it.  We put out the fire with…you guessed it…sweet tea (homemade this time).  Basically, I have been trying to cram months worth of fun into one week.  I know that’s impossible, but something in me insists on trying, anyway.  On Thursday, my niece will go home with her purple, blue, and pink hair dyes (prepare yourself, Daddy).  Our apartment will be too quiet with no Disney Channel playing in the background.  Dom will again climb all over me once his favorite friend is no longer here (and that goodbye will be painful for all involved – trust me).  We’ll spend more time at home and less time driving around singing the Bangles at top volume.  In short, we’ll start to mark off the days until Summer’s next visit in December.  Four months and counting. Posted Aug 21 2008, 03:44 PM by marylandmom with no comments Filed under: maryland, holidays, teenagers [Edit Tags]

• Girly Stuff

  I have become a stand-in Mommy-figure to a teenager.  My niece, Summer, is 13 years old, and she has finally outgrown dolls, ribbons, and cartoon underwear.  Due to some personal issues, my sister is not around to provide the mothering that my niece needs.  The girl lives in the House of Testosterone with two older brothers and her father (two additional older brothers live on their own, but nearby).  Needless to say, no “girly” stuff is discussed in their home, and Summer is at the age when it all begins.  My brother-in-law is a wonderful father, and I have no doubt that he would easily handle anything that came up.  But some things a girl just can’t be comfortable discussing with a man…even her Daddy. Since my sister is not in the picture, it has fallen to a hodgepodge of adult women in Summer’s life to fill in the womanhood blanks.  Her friend’s Mom took her to get a dress for her first dance, and my sister-in-law took her to get her hair and makeup done for the big night.  Summer is visiting us for a week (she lives three-hours away), and I just gave her a lesson tonight on how things in the “feminine hygiene” aisle work.  This information, while obviously important to know, still can’t touch the true lesson a 13-year-old girl needs - how to be a woman.  That is something that my sister should be teaching Summer, but can’t.  So it falls to me, as the cool Auntie, to do the best I can.  Things have changed a lot since I was 13, so I’m nearly as lost as Summer is.  I’m afraid I’m too strict, but certain things scare the poop out of me.  No, she can’t buy thong underwear.  Blue hair is not okay.  Maybe we can find some blue extensions, but no dye. Those shorts are way too short.  It’s not really Summer’s fault - she’s got long legs.  But way-too-old men keep looking at her (have I mentioned how beautiful she is?).  I’m thinking floor-length, flowing skirts. A belly button piercing?  Does she know what her father would do to me? And that’s just the based-in-reality list.  If we go into possibility scenarios, it all gets even scarier.  I constantly drill “no sex,” “no alcohol” and “no drugs” into her head.  She’s a great girl, and I don’t see any reason to be concerned (Well, other than the fact that she’s a teenager in today’s world). I just don’t want to see Summer make the same mistakes I did.  I want to protect her from making any mistakes at all.  I know that’s not realistic, but it’s a nice fantasy until the next, “How about a nose piercing?”  I think she’s kidding. Posted Aug 18 2008, 12:21 PM by marylandmom with no comments Filed under: maryland, education, teenagers [Edit Tags]

• The I'm-too-fat walk of shame

  You know those “Your child must be this tall to ride” signs you see at amusement parks and fairs?  I’ve come to the realization that they’re not enough.  Because it’s not just little kids who are at risk on rides.  We also need signs that warn, “If your butt is more than 10 inches wide, you won’t fit in these seats.”  Alternatively, I would settle for one that says, “If you try to squeeze your butt into this ride and it doesn’t work, you’ll look really, really stupid when you take the I’m-too-fat walk of shame back off of the ride.” Granted, I am slightly exaggerating the situation.  I am an average-sized American woman.  That makes me technically plus-sized, but completely normal.  I think my mistake was starting off our County Fair adventure on a kiddie ride.  My butt really didn’t fit there…and that shouldn’t have bothered me as much as it did.  It was a kiddie ride, after all, and even my too-skinny niece fit awkwardly into the seat.  We followed up that kiddie ride with another, and then another.  Dom is finally big enough to ride, so we took full advantage of the all-you-can-ride wristbands.  By the time we had ridden every kiddie ride once (and the teacup ride twice), the damage was done.   I felt huge.  With each ride we entered, I held my breath and sucked every ounce of fat into my body as far as I possibly could.  At one point, it didn’t look as though a seatbelt would fit, and I looked at the worker and said that I didn’t care if I flew out while the ride spun around.  That scenario would be preferable to the above-mentioned walk of shame.  Turns out the seatbelt just needed to be adjusted.  Thank God. So, let’s work on those signs for next year, okay?  I do have a special request for the gravity ride, though.  That sign should read, “If you ride this ride, all of your fat will be magically sucked away from the front of your body for two minutes.  You’re welcome.”  That ride rocks. Posted Aug 15 2008, 11:00 PM by marylandmom with no comments Filed under: maryland [Edit Tags]

• Mindless Questions

  Every now and then, my brain goes on overload and I am left with a lot of mindless questions.  Many of those questions are unanswerable, yet they will drive me insane unless I get them out of my head.  So now they can keep you up at night instead. I bought a bag of flour the other night that says on the front in big bold letters,  “Great for baking.”  What else would I use it for?  Sure, a little can be used as a sauce thickener or for breading…but isn’t baking an obvious use for flour? Why is it that a french fry on the ground is infinitely more edible to a toddler than a clean one you just bought? What is with the motorcycles speeding by at 100 mph on the Beltway?  Do the idiots really believe they will get somewhere faster if they are dead? Is it wrong to drink Pepsi out of a Coca-Cola glass? When your kid has a temper tantrum in public, why is it that half of the people around you glare at you for not doing anything about it, and then the other half glare at you when you do something to stop it?  Why is it that public changing tables with holder slots for table covers never actually have table covers in them?  Why not just install the changing table without a cover holder?  Is it some sadistic, “Nyah nyah” thing?  “You have a kid, and he must roll in another child’s poop while being changed?”  And, yes, you knew poop had to get worked in here somewhere. At the County Fair, there was a barbecue stand next to the pig races.  Was that thought out at all?  And do you think the racing pigs knew? Now these can drive you nuts.  If you come up with any answers, let me know.  Because my brain apparently abhors a vacuum, I will be over here coming up with even more mindless questions. Posted Aug 13 2008, 10:59 PM by marylandmom with 1 comment(s) Filed under: maryland [Edit Tags]

• The Vaccination PR Machine

  Somehow, as a child, I dodged several diseases (and their effects) that are now considered horribly dangerous.  For example, I had chickenpox when I was six.  It wasn’t the most comfortable week of my life.  I remember being itchy and my mother covering my hands with socks so I couldn’t scratch.  I was dotted with mountains of calamine lotion that couldn’t hide the chickenpox eruptions.  Mostly, though, I remember the ice cream.  I got lots of ice cream when I had the chickenpox. I took Dom to the pediatrician a few days ago.  While we were there, the doctor tried again to convince me of the horrors of chickenpox.  See, I’m one of those delayed-vaccination parents.  I’m not anti-vaccination.  I just think we inject kids with way too many diseases at once, way too early.  Dom will get all of his shots (except flu, which is useless some years, anyway).  But we’re behind on the AAP schedule, and I’m just fine with that. The nurse read me a list of chickenpox dangers.  Rash, flu-like symptoms, death.  Death?  I never knew anyone who died from chickenpox.  No to the chickenpox shot. Then I was faced with another decision – the Hepatitis A vaccine.  Put on the spot, my thought process was:  “Hepatitis is bad.  It can kill you.  He needs this shot.”  No time to research (this one wasn’t even on my radar screen!), completely unfamiliar with Hepatitis A, I let them give him the shot. I know better.  I’m educated about vaccine ingredients, combinations, and dangers.  I have alternative schedules drawn up.  I know not to blindly trust doctors – an incompetent one cost Dom’s big brother his life.  Yet I caved.  And if it’s that hard for me to say no – with all of my knowledge – how can a regular parent resist the vaccination PR machine? That is how they get us.  They bank on parents being too busy to research.  They count on fear to bring us into line.  Nine times out of ten, I’m not given the vaccine fact sheet before Dom’s given a shot.  I’m sure mine isn’t the only doctor who lets this legal requirement slip.  It doesn’t help that the vaccine “dangers” on those fact sheets are incomplete, that the ingredients aren’t listed, or that the disease dangers are typed in a font five times larger than the vaccine dangers. Lest I sound like an anti-government wacko, let me say that I don’t think vaccinations are a bad thing, and I don’t fault any parent for following the AAP schedule.  Vaccines have saved lives, and all parents need to make the decisions that are right for their families.  I’m just saying that all of the facts would be nice when parents are faced with a needle…and that we need to educate ourselves, since the “machine” isn’t. Posted Aug 11 2008, 06:27 AM by marylandmom with no comments Filed under: maryland, doctor, vaccinations [Edit Tags]

• Tonight, I eat blackberries

  There are many places in the D.C. area to pick your own fruits and vegetables.  We go to Homestead Farm in Poolesville, Maryland.  We pick apples in the fall and berries in the summer.  In December, we buy our Christmas tree from Homestead.  We always take the hayride whenever it’s running.  It’s a quiet way to see the workings of a farm…and Dom loves to yell out the names of animals as we pass them. Today, we went blackberry and peach picking with my mother-in-law.  I love to have her join us on these fruit-picking excursions.  I think she gives Dom more freedom than I would.  She allows him to run through the fields, and she even lets him eat fruit straight off of the vine.  I’m a paranoid Mommy, and if Dom had only my reaction to go by, he would think all natural beauty is to be avoided at any cost.  I mean, they say they’re pesticide-free, but don’t birds still poop on the trees? Dom is finally old enough to really get into the fun at the farm.  He helped us pick too many peaches…that may have been Daddy’s fault, since the midget couldn’t reach them without help.  We fed the already-overfed goats and counted the eggs in the henhouse.  And we watched the pigs sleep.  For 40 minutes.  Seriously, the boy was transfixed. Dom also helped us eat…er, pick…blackberries.  We had to hunt for the ripe ones, and he quickly learned the difference between the ripe and unripe berries.  His Grandma had so much fun chasing him through the rows of blackberry bushes that she didn’t get many berries picked for herself (she’ll be fine…I’m baking her a cobbler).  As I sit here, the apartment is finally quiet.  I’m exhausted.  I have more fruit in the kitchen than I’ve had since we went apple picking last fall, and I’ll worry about it all tomorrow.  Tonight, I eat blackberries. Posted Aug 09 2008, 09:08 PM by marylandmom with no comments Filed under: maryland, food, fun stuff to do [Edit Tags]

• Flush and Repeat

  Dom has been obsessed with the toilet lately.  He still hasn’t actually used it, but he loves to sit on it and talk about going potty.  There is a wide array of potty-related reading material in a small box on top of the toilet tank.  He insists that his potty ring insert stay on the toilet at all times.  He demands that his stool rest perfectly aligned in front of the toilet to make it easier for him to get on by himself.  Did I mention that he still hasn’t actually used it?  A lot of obsession without cause. He likes to flush the toilet and wave bye-bye to the water as it disappears.  He also likes to drop things in and wave bye-bye to them as THEY disappear.  For the record, Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars don’t flush very well…they just get sucked partway back and clog things up.  I have never spent so much on makeup replacement as I have since he learned how to flush the toilet.  A few months ago, Dom’s Diego took a bath in the toilet and lost his ability to speak…and his place in our home (yeah, I am heartless toward disabled toys, okay?).  A few nights ago, Elmo used the potty by sitting in it.  He was saved from the trash only by his sheer size…29” can’t get fully crammed into a toilet, so his voice box remained above the waterline.  I still couldn’t wash him because of the just-mentioned voice box, but at least I was able to soak his lower body in a strong Lysol solution to kill any Hot Wheels cooties he might have caught from the toilet water. The main problem with Dom’s potty obsession is that it frequently leads to clogs and overflows.  Q-tips, cotton balls, cat food, and loose change are often flushed.  Today, Dom decided to unwind a roll of toilet paper into the toilet bowl. Flush and repeat. Posted Aug 08 2008, 07:07 AM by marylandmom with no comments Filed under: maryland, potty training [Edit Tags]

• Will my kid end up in therapy in 20 years?

  Mommies make many choices each day.  Most are benign, and the outcomes don’t really matter in the overall scheme of things. Barney or Wubbzy?  Bob the Builder or Diego?  Blues Clues or Teletubbies? To steal time away from the kid to make a healthy lunch for myself…or to eat his nugget leftovers?  How much do I really want to lose that baby fat?  Enough to listen to a ten-minute tantrum while I make myself some food? To force a nap and miss the playgroup…or to make everyone else on the playground listen to constant whining?  I confess that, sometimes, the misery-loves-company philosophy wins out. Which arts class to choose…crafts or finger-painting?  And how much does it really matter, either way?  Honestly, my angst over this one makes no sense…it is not as though Harvard will someday turn down Dom’s admission based on a toddler art class. To steal the filthy toy to clean it, or to let the kid know what I am doing?  For the record, if you tell, be prepared for a bombardment of “Elmo clean yet?” queries.  (Oddly enough, I began this blog yesterday, and last night Elmo took a dip in the toilet).  The toughest decisions, though, are about discipline. Should I spank/swat/time-out/yell?  I honestly don’t think there is a one-size-fits-all answer.  I do some time-outs, but Dom usually laughs at me from his perch on his time-out chair.  So, since that doesn’t work, a lot of yelling goes on in my house.  Thankfully, that works, or I would be raising an out-of-control terror. Following the same thought, should I punish the laughing-at-Mommy that happens during time-outs? If I choose the wrong punishment, will my kid end up in therapy in 20 years?  Or would that have happened anyway, based on who is raising him (lalalalalala)… Most importantly, though…What punishment best suits painting the cat purple?  She started out white, and even after four baths, she’s a light violet.  Washable Tempera paints apparently aren't completely washable. Posted Aug 06 2008, 06:01 PM by marylandmom with no comments Filed under: maryland [Edit Tags]

• Scarf Man

  Recently, I have been collecting all types of music-appreciation toys for Dom…toy instruments, CDs, ribbon twirly thingies, and scarves.  My thinking is that music helps build math skills, and my kid can use all the help he can get in that area.  I was an English major who took consumer math to fulfill the requirement…I can now balance a checkbook, though.  Don’t laugh – it was a stretch before. Anyway, Dom and I have spent a lot of time lately playing with tambourines, triangles, rhythm sticks, drums, and maracas.  We have danced madly around the living room, trailing scarf tails and ribbons behind us as we ran around furniture and plopped on the sofa, exhausted.  We have listened to a wide variety of music – country, rock, hip-hop, classical, blues, and weird (that would be thanks to my friend’s constant e-mails that state “You have GOT to see this YouTube video!”).  There is an endless loop in my mind of every nonsensical children’s song ever recorded.  Even the bad ones…and there are a lot of them. Occasionally, we tie the scarves around Dom’s body in various ways (I swear I am not tying him up, though, okay?  No need for outraged calls to my editor).  He giggles that his “clothes” are so silly, and then he gets bored and strips down again.  The other day, we came up with this look: I am not quite sure what our end goal was.  Shades of the Tropics?  Cross-dressing?  Rambo meets Silk?  But the result is incredibly adorable…and definitely worthy of being pulled out during the teen years for full embarrassment when dates come by. Posted Aug 04 2008, 12:09 PM by marylandmom with no comments Filed under: maryland, education [Edit Tags]