Easter 2013

Like last year and the year before we took Michael and Sophie to their child care center's Easter egg hunt event that includes an opportunity to sit with the Easter Bunny, crafts, snacks, and a small petting zoo.

The kids' interest in sitting on the bunny's lap has diminished more and more each year.  The best we could get this time around was a high-five for the bunny from Sophie which seemed much more like a defensive smack.



Michael and Sophie did really well with the egg hunt, though.  They both picked up a few eggs and kept their cool in the daunting crowd.



They enjoyed the animals, of course, but the turn-out was easily double what it has been in the past. It was hard enough just to get both kids a turn to pet each animal. Getting a picture from the other side without much interference was nearly impossible.



It was a sunny 50 degrees on Saturday morning, the warmest day we'll enjoy for a while.  Michael and Sophie enjoyed playing on the center's playground for a bit before we went to lunch with Grammie, Grandma, and Grandpa.



The Easter Bunny hooked the kids up with some favorites this year: A Thomas book and flashlight set, Dumbo DVD, and frog eyes for Michael, and a Ladybug Girl doll and book, Peter Pan DVD, and a butterfly headband for Soph.  They both also got the same Rice Krispy bunnies as last year (well, fresh ones) and colored eggs we dyed for the bunny on Friday.



Hunting for the baskets when the kids woke up will be a fun memory.  Michael matter-of-factly saying he didn't think the bunny came when we didn't find the baskets right away, and Sophie slowly pointing to the baskets on the kitchen chairs with a look of awe as she spotted them--kind of wish I'd taken a video, but the memory will do.  :)



Lazily watching Peter Pan, eating Rice Krispy treats, and blogging about Easter will be a pleasant memory as well.

Later today we'll head to Grammie and Grandpa's for Easter dinner!

Haircuts

Until yesterday, I've been the kids' hair stylist, trained quite poorly by Pinterest and Youtube, and operating my salon from a beach towel in the living room. The results have been consistently disappointing, but after a couple of weeks of growth I tend to think my work's not so bad and am eager to hack away again once the looks become overgrown.

While hunting for evidence of bad haircuts past, I stumbled on this gem just begging for a comic bubble.

Because Michael and Sophie will be three years old in a couple of weeks (what?!), I thought it was time to seek professional help and more sophisticated looks for my kiddos.

I was considering Cookie Cutters when I checked with some mom friends (MoM friends, actually), for some recommendations. One gave Cookie Cutters a thumbs-up, so we went for it.



The stylists were great with the kids and gave good cuts. I was a little nervous about Sophie's bangs here, but they came out pretty cute.



I did hope to keep Michael's hair a little longer, but his stylist's version of "clean up the edges while leaving some length" was different from what I envisioned. She really did what she described, and my boy looks super handsome (how could he not, though, seriously?), but it is more of a big boy look than I had intended for him. I was diggin' his Christopher Robin do. But yeah, it was probably time.



The kids were able to choose a show on demand and a vehicle. Michael went with Super Why and a blue airplane.



Sophie chose a pink car and Sophia the First. She had never seen the show, just previews, and still calls it Sophie-Uh as she does all Sophias. :)



The big slide and toy selection out front kept the kids occupied before and after their turns in the "chairs." They also got balloons and suckers (we passed on the candy--they still don't really know much about it).

I printed two coupons for $2 off from the company's website, but when I handed them over I learned that booking appointments as I had rather than walking in gets you the same deal. They also gave me a coupon book and will send email coupons as well. This time came to about $22 + tip.

We'll likely return and start a new cycle of haircut habits.

The next post will include pictures from an Easter egg hunt that show Michael and Sophie's hair pretty well. Stay tuned!

Little Wins

Is there anything better than those little mommy wins?  You know, like when your kid screams, "I don't want water. I want MILK!" and you just tilt your head, raise your eyebrows and he automatically goes for a do-over.  "Mama, I want milk please?"  Way better.

While I'm still wrestling with the bigger challenges like getting the kids to sleep consistently (grr, Daylight Saving!), I've been consciously noting the little things that are working for us like surprise toys and painter's tape.  It's been good for my soul.  Here are a few more.

"Don't Wash My Hair" Meltdowns
Sophie got all weirded out about having her hair washed and rinsed for a few weeks there after somebody got soap in her eyes.  What ended the battles?  When I'm ready to lather the kids up, I tell them I'm going to give them bunny ears or doggy ears or rhinoceros horns or whatever creature is that moment's fascination, and I sculpt their sudsy hair into a goofy little masterpiece.  They get a kick out of looking at each other and at their reflections in the tub faucet.  Requests for reindeer antlers have offically replaced protests.  Mike has even given a few drama-free baths again.  :P

Clean-Up, Schmean-Up
I've always been pleased with how well Michael and Sophie clean up after themselves, but when we reached the age of two-and-a-half and the Barney "Clean Up Song" didn't consistently work magic anymore, I tried something new.  Now I alternate that song with singing in a silly voice about whatever chore I want them to do.  Remarkably, they both join right in singing and cleaning.  Look for "Put the Blocks in the Bucket" sung in the style of Louis Armstrong-meets-Cookie Monster on my first album.

We also clean up consistently at every transition, and I think that keeps Michael and Sophie pretty cooperative.  Now when I say, "Before we can go outside/eat lunch/read books for bedtime, what do we need to do?" the kids respond, "Clean up and go potty!"  We're big on routine around here.

The Potty Fly-By
It's not uncommon for the kids and me to go into the bathroom, Michael to sit on his potty, Sophie to sit on hers, and before I can get myself settled anywhere, Sophie's standing, pulling up her pants back up saying, "No potty."  Luckily I've found that "I'll tell you about the Big Bad Wolf " are the magic words to get my kids to stay seated or sit again long enough to pee in unison.  I've read them countless stories in the bathroom but telling stories engages them even more.  Quite likely, instead of "happily ever after" and such, my kids are going to think that Aesop's Fables, Mother Goose's rhymes, and Grimm's Fairy Tales all end with "Did you poop?"

Do you have any helpful tips for tricky parenting moments?  Please share any mommy (or daddy or grandma or auntie...) wins of your own!

Mom-to-Mom

This upcoming week is that crazy one of the year when work consists of end of the marking period grading, lots of professional development and school improvement work during standardized testing, and afternoon and evening parent-teacher conferences.

These spring traditions tend to coincide with preparations for my MoMs club's spring mom-to-mom sale.  Since I'm selling again this coming Saturday, this week also consists of sorting, pricing, hanging, and arranging outgrown clothes and somehow baking and packaging bake sale goodies.

The first time this perfect storm came along, Mike had the audacity to be sent out of town for work.  With loving Grammie and Grandma pitching in, we managed that time, so we certainly will again.

I spent most of yesterday in our basement prepping for the sale and was surprised by how many pairs of outgrown shoes we've accumulated.  I've done some other sales and donating since my first mom-to-mom sale two years ago, so this is really only one year's worth.  With sneakers, dress shoes, boots, sandals, flip flops, and the occasional "can't resist" splurge, sometimes two sizes in a season x 2, it's really no wonder, I guess.  Thank goodness I get most of them for only a few bucks each at other mom-to-moms or at our local Once Upon a Child stores! 

My basement time was very productive, so now I just need to pack it all up and reassemble at the sale. Mike has even volunteered to do my baking.  Perhaps I made him feel guilty that first time around? ;)