Rules for Babysitting

In the last several months, we've branched out a bit and had a few "strangers" babysit the girls. Of course I learned a bit about them and asked lots of questions before we had them watch them, and so far it really has  been good for us.
The girls who have helped out have been between 18-22. About two years ago, I had a neighbor's daughter come babysit Charlotte as an infant. The babysitter was 12 (ish). She came over with a little binder with questionnaires and a list of phone numbers for me to fill out. I mean, this is big time, people. She's going to take over the biz.

Here are some things that the 18-22 crowd can learn from the tween.

1.  Ask me questions.  Let me know that you're paying attention to my instructions and if maybe I've missed something. It's likely I have. Even if it's "do you have a wifi password?", the answer is yes, but you'll have to figure out which one is the right one because we can never remember.
2. Play with my kids. Act like you like them. Especially when I'm still at home looking for my lip gloss and dusting off my high heels. I don't like silence while I'm trying to figure out what this crust is on my shirt and if I should change before I leave. Most of the time, the babysitters are good at this. But there have been a couple who seriously don't know what to even say to a two year old. How about "hi!"
3. When I ask you a question, like "are you comfortable feeding the baby baby food?" I don't exactly expect you to say no, but if you've never done it before, don't lie. I'll give you more specific instructions, like "put on a bib" or "the food goes here, in her mouth. not in her ears where I'll find it tomorrow if you're lying."
4. If you have rules, speak up. You charge your own hourly rate? Let me know right off the bat. You have a minimum amount of time that you see as "worth it"? Tell me. Sometimes I only need someone for an hour, if that's not something you're interested in, tell me first. 
5. It's always a good idea to check in after the kids are in bed and all is well. I often let the sitter know that I'll be sending a text around 8:30 just to make sure bedtime went smoothly and help out in case something weird is going on. (Charlotte getting upset because the wrong button was pushed on her sound machine and now it's ocean waves instead of static. 2 year olds can be very specific in their white noise needs.) If you can't figure out the remote, text me. I don't want you to get so bored that you start snooping.
6. CLEAN UP. This is something that some people are really good at, and others just don't get it. It may have been messy when you arrived because two kids were awake and pulling out every toy and book. But after bedtime is the perfect time to tidy up. How awkward would it be if I was like an actual employer (or just a mom, i guess) and I said "I will pay you after you clean up these toys and wipe the baby food off the table. Go ahead. I'll watch." Nope, just do it first and we'll avoid that situation.
7. When I come home and ask how it went, "fine." is not an acceptable answer. Tell me how much you love the little nuggets, even if they were sort of naughty. Tell me if they were naughty. If the baby cried, you can tell me, that way I'm not surprised. If you say she didn't cry, can you tell me your secrets? Let me know if dinner went well, tell me a funny story, act like you're in it for more than the money, because FYI 18-22 year olds? You're getting paid more than our date cost. 

Yeah, maybe these rules are stupid or asking too much. 

But I just had a brilliant idea. 

In the spirit of celebrating today's technology, the babysitters can unlock "badges" for tasks they complete. A lot like four square or some other hip thing that I know nothing about.

Keep kids alive: $5/hr

Complete bedtime routine (wash face, brush teeth, comb hair, story): bonus $5

Check in with mom to say all is well: bonus $2
Clean up after the kids: bonus $5

Fold kids' laundry: bonus $5 

Unload dishwasher: bonus $5

Tell me how much you love my kids and how they are the sweetest little girls you've ever watched in your life: bonus $150. (okay, not really.)

Based on a 4 hour night out, this is $47 where over half of the hours the kids are asleep. I mean, you could get $20 for the bare minimum, but don't you feel special when you unlock badges? I do. That's why I track my food on My Fitness Pal. 

But nothing beats having family babysit. They love the kiddos, they clean up so I don't blog about them later, and they're usually free. :) 

What would you add the list? Am I asking way too much?

I babysat a lot in my youth and usually made $3-5/hr for full days, watching 3 kids. Walked uphill both ways to school. Barefoot. I had to use AOL Instant Messenger to talk to my friends. The horror. 

Ultimate Reset

In the last 3 weeks (plus 2 days), I've started and completed the Beachbody Ultimate Reset. Basically, it's a 21 day detox/cleanse with a supplement program and meal plan of whole foods.
It was one of the more challenging things I've done as far as discipline and self control goes. I did this with two of my neighbors and we were all successful with sticking with it and getting great results.
While weight loss is definitely a benefit of the program, it's mostly about getting your body to the healthiest state it can be by eliminating a lot of the garbage that we put into it.
When we started, it was definitely a shock to the system. There was so much food prep and planning ahead. It become somewhat second nature by the second week, but I think it was a good thing. I got used to planning and preparing a good lunch instead of sharing a box of macaroni and cheese with Charlotte.
And adding bacon to mine. Or whatever.
I don't need to get into all of the boring details, but it was actually a much more positive experience than I anticipated. I thought I'd be a lot crabbier, when really I felt the best I ever really have. I expected to be STARVING but I never was. The biggest challenge was not cheating when I really wanted chocolate or crackers. Turns out I really, really like crackers. mmm triscuits.

I didn't miss dairy really at all, and I was totally fine without meat. But the cracker part of my  food pyramid was definitely left wanting more.
Both of my neighbors and I reported sleeping better and having a lot more energy. I didn't have a lick of caffeine and didn't miss it. Of course I've had a little coffee both yesterday and today because it's just a nice part of my morning and I enjoy the taste. I didn't go into it thinking it was a "lifestyle change" because frankly, it's not. I think it's a good kick start to some really healthy habits which I will likely maintain, but to say I'm a grain-free vegan now is the stupidest claim I could make. We don't live in a community where that's an easy lifestyle. Community = my house. I would get kicked out.

I don't have any before and afters to share and if I did, I probably wouldn't share them. I'm selfish like that.

But I will tell you that I did lose some weight, and since I last stated my commitment to getting fit (late March), I have lost 13 pounds. That? is something I'm pleased with. I just did the math and I was really surprised to learn it was that much. My quest still continues because I'm having a 1/3 life crisis and when the youngest anyone mistakes you for is 29 when you're 30, I MUST FIGHT IT. Aging gracefully is for the weak.

I'm not exactly sure what my goal is. It's not like I have a race coming up (I don't enjoy running that much) or have anything approaching where I need to fit into an evening gown for judges to rate me.

But yeah. The Ultimate Reset was really worth it. If you don't think you can do it, you can't. It's pretty much that simple. But having the accountability of my friends was the biggest help, and if you're interested if giving it a try, just click here and you can get started.
Or click here and just enjoy life.

Oh, and I got paid to talk about this.*

*no I didn't.

Picture Post Because I'm Lazy

I can't believe it's been nearly a month since I last wrote. For being told I talked too much as a youngster, I just don't have much to say these days.

There's plenty that has been going on. A lot, really. But with my frequent facebook picture posts and instagram, it seems that people already have a pretty good idea of what's been filling up my time.

THIS. 

My normal abundance of patience is wearing thin as Lena has spent about 85% of the last week crying about being cute, fed, warm and loved. I don't know if she's getting a tooth or just preparing me for being crabby for the rest of my life, but it is getting exhausting listening to the whining. She is usually very content when she's within smelling distance of me. Seeing me isn't enough, she needs the essence of mom.

But when she's happy, it sure is fun. 

I took about 50 pictures today of Lena trying to take Charlotte's cookie, and Charlotte subsequently sharing it and then kissing her on the head. Where she learns this sweet behavior, I do not know, but I will take credit for it.

Now that summer is approaching and it's going to getting hot, I want to get in a good routine to pass the time and enjoy the summer. I've been feeling somewhat burned out and maybe getting into a new season with new activities will get me out my rut. 

What are your favorite warm weather activities with your kids? (or places to cool off when it's too hot?)

Lena Lately

I was starting to feel guilty that the last several posts have nothing to do with Lena!
Lena (rhymes with ballerina, for those of you who can't seem to figure this out) is 7 months old already!
She is a good kid that has an emotional streak. She's at an age where she still isn't doing much, but it won't be long until she'll be on the move.
She sits up and plays with toys, and scoots backwards when she's on her tummy. She really prefers to cuddle given the opportunity though. Charlotte was never much of a cuddler, so I mostly enjoy it, but it can be tough to get things done sometimes.
She is soo smiley, but pretty much refuses to laugh unless it's her little grunt/cough combo. She demands high brow humor so she'll have to move out if she wants a good laugh.

Considering starting a line of infant brassieres. Babisieres. 

Lena has been doing well with sleeping for the most part. She takes 2-3 naps, all of which are quite short, but I'm getting used to it, and as long as I can get a 30 minute nap overlap with Charlotte's nap, I'm a happy camper. She goes to bed anywhere between 6:30-7:15, and doesn't wake to eat until about 6am. I think we're over the worst with the frequent nonsense wakeups, and today she even put her own pacifier in, which is truly a game changer.

goofball

It's funny when I compare Lena with Charlotte at the same age. They are really different, but mostly I think I'm different now too. I was always looking towards the next big (and little) milestone with Charlotte, and now I just keep thinking that Lena is my little baby. It doesn't occur to me that she'll probably be crawling in the next couple of months. With Charlotte, I thought she'd crawl any moment for months. I documented every.single.thing she did. 

Charlotte and Lena are buddies, but it is only a matter of time before Charlotte starts getting really territorial over her toys. She even yanks Lena's toys away and shouts "DARBY NO!" Then she tries to correct herself and say "Lena, no" but by then, she's over whatever toy she wanted and she moves on. 

Courtesy laughing.

Lena loooooves food, just like Charlotte did (does), and that makes meal time a little more enjoyable because she pretty much will eat anything that is offered. I made some broccoli and sweet potato, but so far, that's the only food she wasn't interested in. I don't blame her. It didn't taste that good to me either.

Photo courtesy B Modern , a friend of mine for 15 years!

In their Easter best

We had Lena baptized last week and she was grunting and fussing a majority of the time up in front of church, but I was happy that there were 9 other kids being baptized that day so all the ruckus took any attention of Lena. 

Baptism day. Matching outfits will never get old for me.

We definitely had a few rough months getting used to a baby in the house, but overall, Lena has been so good. She's so happy, cuddly, and easy going. There are many days where I tell myself "no more babies", but as she gets older, I can already tell I might be going back on my word. I should have written more during those "rough months" so I can remind myself why a 3rd little person in this house might be a bad choice. Or an absolutely adorable, squishy, smiley choice. Hmmm....

What's your favorite age for your kiddos? I think it just keeps getting better, but I'm a glass half full kinda girl.

Lottie Lately

It's been a while since I've posted anything and it's mostly because I just don't have much to write about!
Then of course, I remember that the original point of the blog was to document even the mundane for me to look back on one day.
So the mundane is actually sort of exciting for me. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that we started potty training Charlotte. I'm somewhat proud to say that we haven't quit. The first few weeks were hit or miss, almost literally, but then this week it just totally clicked for her.
We went from excitement about the potty, to sheer horror at the thought in the matter of days. I completely stepped back and left it up to her, and she continued her interest. After asking some friends about what I should do about the tantrums, a few people suggest that I just stop altogether, and it just didn't feel right.
I would ask each day if Charlotte wanted a diaper or undies, and we'd go ahead with what she chose. Most days she'd tell me if she had to go, and I would have to undo her diaper and everything, but she would always sit and go.
Last week she wore only diapers, but kept them completely dry except during naps and nighttime. This week she chose undies and has not only had zero accidents, but she's used the bathroom while we were out to lunch twice this week! She's no longer scared of the big toilet, which apparently happened overnight, and she does better at bath time too. We had a few weeks of struggles because I think the warm water made her have to go and she sorta freaked out about it.
We've made great strides in a few short weeks and I'm really excited about it. This will save both money and time doing laundry. I imagine there may be setbacks in the future, but I'm hoping that I won't have to worry about that.

In other news, the weather has been very unpredictable here lately. We've had a few nice days, but some record setting flooding too. We've been fortunate to be dry, but we can't say the same for some of our family. It's starting to warm up, and I hope that it stays warm now!
Our neighborhood has a couple of small parks and whenever it's sunny, Charlotte demands that we visit the park. One day, the "baby park" was flooded so instead of the small slides and climbing structures Charlotte can manage easily, we headed back to the big structure right on our street.
By the time I had Lena on the bench, Charlotte was off to explore. And I had to talk myself out of a panic attack.

Deuces, mom. I'm outta here.

NBD. 

You have to pump your legs, Lena. 

The weather warmed up on Monday, so I took some laundry outside to fold, and Charlotte just lounged and enjoyed the warmth.

I'm probably not doing her any favors giving her outdated toys like the etch-a-sketch. But she played with it for almost a half hour outside.

 She's now referring to herself solely as Lottie and my husband usually calls her that now too. It might be sticking.
I do feel like I should pinch myself because boy, this little kid can be sweet. Her little sister is pretty nice too. I'll write more on her next time.

The Glamour of Motherhood

On Saturday, my husband left in the wee hours to drive down to Atlanta with his brothers to go see Michigan play in NCAA Final Four/Championship game. I recognized that this was pretty much a once in a lifetime chance for them and they are huge fans.

I gave him a little piece of my mind before he left, just explaining that with the ages that our girls are right now, it's not exactly a piece of cake on a day to day basis. He definitely acknowledged that, but wow, things got interesting.

I mentioned before that we're attempting potty training with Charlotte. The first week was great, then we had a really tough time where she was too scared to sit on the potty, but didn't want to go in her diaper either. Many tantrums occurred, and she started to get a really bad attitude. I was nervous about dealing with it on my own 24/7. On top of that, the hours between 4:30-7 are hellish between trying to prepare dinner, calming a fussy 6 month old who wants to be held, watching the two year old to make sure she gets to the bathroom on time, feeding both children, bathing both children, getting them both off to bed...
oh wah wah wah you say. And that's fine, because I probably would have said that before I had two little kids.

All has been going well, really. Charlotte was super happy on Sunday, used the potty without crying, and had no accidents, and was just fun to be around. I had my parents over in the evening for dinner so they could occupy the kids and give me a little break while I prepared dinner.
Then we get to Monday. I go into Charlotte's room at 9:30 (she's a lazy bones) and noticed quickly that she had thrown up all over the place, and the poor thing just slept in it. I quickly called my friend who was on her way over for a playdate to cancel, just in case this wasn't a one-time thing. Charlotte seemed happy, but was concerned that this whole mess was poop and that really freaked her out. I thought about explaining what vomit was, but she seemed pretty bewildered as it was.
I got her in the tub, put Lena down for a nap and took off all of Charlotte's bedding to get in the wash.
I was giving myself a little pat on the back for remaining cool, calm and collected throughout all of this. I am pretty much the best mom ever.

I offered her a mini muffin that I made fresh that morning, and she wouldn't touch it. She drank a little milk (that I hesitantly offered), and seemed pretty chipper. So chipper that she started hopping around like a frog during a song, and I told her that maybe that wasn't a great idea.
"Tum hurt!"
<barf!!!!!>
I was folding laundry, so I just grabbed a towel and guided her to her little potty where instinct took over and she barfed there. No mess! I am rockin it!!!
After getting everything cleaned up, I made Charlotte a little spot on the couch with some towels and a pillow. I peek up at Lena who is in her swing, DANGLING.

Not nearly as frightening as this

Her legs were hanging off the side, and even if she had fallen, she would not have been injured. I learned that it's time to use the little harness. That incident basically took away any positive feelings I was having towards myself for the day.

Charlotte continued to be sick throughout the day, and unlike many mothers I've read about, I had no instincts to catch her puke with my hands. That shit cray.

Crying out to the heavens. WHYYYY

so sad.

We managed to make it through the day, and we were so happy to have Marcus home on Tuesday. I'm wondering if there's any chance the rest of us will come through this unscathed, but I suppose only time will tell. I had two miss two workouts this week that I already paid for, cancel a play date and a get together with a friend. The one week I had some semblance of a social life, completely went to crap.

 We've been blessed enough to be quite healthy most of the time, but lately we just haven't caught much of a break. But like always, it could be much worse. I'm such a silver linings type of girl. 

She's still pretty whiny and every morning she's crying about her pajamas and I can't figure out the problem. But such is the life of a two year old - spazzing and being particular about everything for no reason. 

This concludes the story of my super fancy stay-at-home life. 

Being Two

1. I want oatmeal!
2. This is good, but it'd be even better if I could eat it on the stairs.
3. It would be even more delicious if I didn't have to feed myself. "MOMMY!"
4. I have to go potty.
5. Oh! The Cat in the Hat is on! 
6. I really need to pee.
7. Where are my sparkly shoes?
8. It's been a couple hours, I think I'll start crying.
9. I'm going to see how much crazy shit my mom will do in hopes that I'll use the potty.
10. Hahaha, she's a fool. 
11. Play-doh!
12. Where's Grandma?
13. Where's the dog? 
14. I bet the dog likes play-doh.
15. Why isn't Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on RIGHT NOW.
16. I want milk.
17. No, water.
18. Wait, juice.
19. no, milk.
20. wait, water.
21. this water is not actually what I wanted.
22. Milk, please.
23. POTTY NOW
24. Scream in terror in anticipation
25. CELEBRATE, LET'S CLAP OUR HANDS!
26. I'm hungry.
27. I refuse to accept any offers on lunch choices.
28. My hair wants to be brushed.
29. I want to brush the baby's hair.
30. Why doesn't the baby have hair.
31. Where's my lunch.
32. I want a diaper change, but I'm not wearing a diaper.
33. Ask for diaper, but I'll cry when it's on.
34. Mommy looks like she needs a hug
35. I think she wants to be kicked
36. It's time to read 15 books.
37. I love cuddling with my mom.
38. I feel funny. Like I just really need to scream.
39. Like I'm losing all control. 
40. Time to slam my body down
41. and wind it all around
42. Slam, Slam, Slam, Slam
43. Zig a zig ah.
44. Nap time. finally I can take a break from the theatrics.

We've got a two year old in full force these days. Her favorite word is no. Says it for everything. Then gets angry when you don't know when she actually means yes.

Fortunately, the tantrums have only happened while at home. (my mom's house too). The moment she busts it out in public is the day she knows she's winning the battle.

wish me luck.

I'm 75% cute, 15% sweet, 95% INSANE