96 Hours

So husband Charlie has been out of town skiing with his brother since Friday morning. That left Toddler Charlie and I to spend the whole weekend together by ourselves. The whole looooooong weekend, thanks to daycare being closed for President's Day. (Why are they closed? No one else is.) I feel somewhat guilty admitting this, but this is the longest time we've spent alone, just the two of us, with no work and school to occupy some of our time during the day. Being a stay-at-home-mom n00b, I feel like I learned a few valuable lessons this weekend.

Playdates will save your sanity. Especially when the weather sucks, like it did this weekend. Pack that calendar. Playdate here, gymboree trial pass there, Sunday night wine night with your BFF, whatever you can get. It takes the focus off the fact that YOU are the only option for a playmate.

Don't bargain with something you really want. Of course, the parenting literature would have you believe that you shouldn't bargain at all, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Yesterday morning I had every intention of keeping our morning breakfast ritual of coffee (for me) and munchkins (for us). Charlie was having issues cleaning up the cards from his matching game. He's usually a very good cleaner-upper, so I thought maybe he just needed some motivation. I told him that as soon as he cleaned up the cards we could go and get our munchkins. He didn't budge. I told him that I would help him pick them up and then we would go and get our munchkins. I threw one card in the box, he threw one card in the box, and then he dumped them both back out again. So I brought out the big guns. I told him that if he didn't clean up his cards, then we wouldn't be getting any munchkins at all, thinking that there was no way he wouldn't actually clean them up. Well he sure showed me. He didn't pick up a single card. And I had drawn the line. No coffee for me. Damn.

Relax at Your Own Risk. Last night. The last night of this adventure. 7:30, I shut the door to Charlie's room behind me. I had about 1/8 cup of peppermint ice cream left in the freezer and enough chocolate syrup to make it worth it. I also had half a bottle of wine in the fridge. I pulled the ice cream out and heard Charlie yelling that he needed to go potty. Up the stairs I went. Sat on the potty, re-diapered, back in bed, shut the door, walk downstairs. I got out the spoon and turned on the laptop. "Mama! Need new diaper!" Uggggggh. Up the stairs. Change poop diaper. Back downstairs. WHY is my foot wet? Because the cat knocked over my glass of water. It's UNDER the couch. By the time I cleaned it up, Charlie was shrieking for a drink of water. Then the potty again. Then more water. Then my ice cream melted. Should have just gone straight for the vodka.

It is really, REALLY hard to be annoyed with a toddler. Especially when it's your own. As irritated as I was after the five millionth potty trip after lights out, and as annoyed as I got when he was taking his sweetass time coming in from the car while I had to pee so bad my legs were shaking, and as horrible as the drive to gymboree was after we didn't get the munchkins, he's just being a two-year-old, and looking at him and remembering that these moments are fleeting and just won't last just makes everything else fade into obscurity. Few things are better than snuggling on the couch while watching a Yo Gabba Gabba! classic.

But even after all that, it's kind of nice to be heading off to work right now. And if feeling that way makes me sound like a crappy mother, then that's your problem.

Know What Sucks?

When you get up early to get to daycare and work before the big snow hits, then get to your office only to find out that it's closed. It wasn't closed when you called at 6:30, because it was too early for anyone else to care. Yay for turning around and making the drive all over again 2 hours later.

Home now with peppermint hot chocolate and the laptop and Yo Gabba Gabba! after a harrowing drive back home, trying (and failing) to be productive. So much more pleasant to cuddle on the couch and play the pile stuff on mom game.

Random Parental Confessions

I love Yo Gabba Gabba! as much as Charlie does. Usually I don't mind listening to the CD in the car, because we have a great time singing along together. Unfortunately for Charlie, my morning drive to work is reserved for Mike & Mike. In fact, I'm so much of a Mike & Mike junkie that I insisted on watching all four hours of the show while I was in labor at the hospital. That's where I learned that Charlie's birthday present was likely to be brett favrererere. Talk about a crappy present (although, not nearly as crappy as the gift given to TTT's brand new son, Will.I.Am, who got Rand Paul for his birthday yesterday).

Anyway. Charlie asks to listen to "DJ Wance" and YGG! pretty much every time we get in the car. Every morning I tell him that they're still sleeping. Is that mean?

Charlie has had a bit of the sniffles since he woke up on Monday morning. He hasn't had much of an appetite, either. Last night I let him lay on the couch and eat string cheese and drink his orange juice while watching YGG!. I'm normally big on no TV during dinner and eating as a family, but he just looked so sad and pathetic.

Which brings me to this morning. I'm Super Mom and forgot to replenish the car supply of washcloths (we use them instead of tissues). On the way to school this morning he sneezed. One of those sneezes that you know is just baaaaad. I couldn't see his face because it was too dark, but I knew there had to be a giant glob of snot dripping down his face. There was, and he asked me for a tissue. I searched the front seat for a scrap of tissue, maybe a fragment of a napkin leftover from Friday's Dunkin run, but there was nothing. So I grabbed a pair of (clean!) underwear from his school bag and handed it to him. He didn't question me at all, and wiped his face with his undies. Poor kid, it's a good thing none of his friends saw him do it ;)

Friday Fragments

Friday Fragments is brought to you by Mrs4444!

In a pinch the other day and needing caffeine with no Dunkin in sight, I broke down and bought a drink from Starbucks. I figured that while I was crossing over to the other side I may as well go balls to the wall, so I ordered a froufrou drink - the toffee mocha. It was a huge disappointment. Maybe it would have been better with the whipped cream. Either way, I will never again stray from my loyalties.

I love mac and cheese. Really, really love it. Especially this Ina Garten recipe, which kept us fed and happy for three nights this week.

The MLB Postseason is in full swing. I'm already tired and stressed, but it was super cool to see Roy Halladay pitch a no hitter on Wednesday, even if it was against the Reds. I know my Cinci friends really wanted that win, but I hope they can get past it and appreciate how neat it was to have a postseason no-hitter happen during our lifetimes.

Yankees are up 2 games to 0, and I'm a happy camper. Even happier because it was Pettitte who got the win yesterday. <3 him!

I hate the TBS broadcasts because everyone is so anti-Yankees. I also hate their broadcast team. WTF was he wearing?

Did you ever have one of those spans where you feel like you got absolutely nothing accomplished? From Monday at 1:30 until Wednesday at 4:40 I got pretty much nothing done. Not for lack of trying, either.

A newly discovered benefit of Yo Gabba Gabba! - If I sing the "Try It, You'll Like It!" song, Charlie will usually take at least one bite of whatever we're eating. 9 times out of 10 he'll decide that he likes it, too, and finish his dinner. He's eaten a wider variety in the last week than he has in the last year.

Is it bad that I sometimes find myself listening to the CD when he's not even in the car?

I think I need to get this shirt for Charlie.

I could do some serious wallet damage at ThinkGeek.

Office QOTW:

I almost didn't do a QOTW because the episode kind of sucked, but then I decided that I would go ahead and do it anyway, because I like tradition. Also because of the BSC shoutout.

Erin: I really wanted to see Andy's play, because he's so, so talented, but I've been trying to get in the babysitting game forever. The 13-year-olds in this town have a complete monopoly. It's almost like a babysitters' club.

How's that for a flashback? If you loved the BSC as much as I did, then you'll love What Claudia Wore. Big thanks to Tube Top Tricia for the link.

Oh, and one more final inclusion. You may have heard that Deadspin has posted pictures of Brett Favrerereres, um, anatomy. No need to go and see if it's true. It is. And now I can't scrub my eyeballs hard enough.

Did you Know....

The Yo Gabba Gabba! CD makes for a surprisingly upbeat and enjoyable drive to work?

Learn something new every day.

There's a party in my tummy. So yummy! So yummy!

Friday Fragments

Friday Fragments is brought to you by Mrs4444!

My child won't sleep. What happened? He slept for an hour on Wednesday night. An HOUR! Last night was a little better, but not by much. The weird thing is that he screams even louder if C or I go in to sit with him. TG for Dunkin coffee, that's for sure.

About halfway through my shower yesterday morning I looked over and saw that there was a spider in there with me. I tried to wash him down the drain, but he just kept climbing back up. I did a thorough shower inspection this morning, deemed the shower to be spider-free, turned the water on, and got in. 5 minutes later I look down and the spider is BACK IN THE SHOWER!! Not a good start to the day.

Yesterday I heard Just a Friend by good old Biz Markie on the radio on the way to work. It made my morning a little more bearable.

The Derek Jeter controversy is getting old. If it had been anyone but the Yankees, no one would have cared. Come on. How do you even know it was all an act? I bet that if you were holding a stick and a ball hit that stick close to your hands goign 90+ miles per hour, that might not feel so great.

Leave my captain alone!

I'm not even going to get into the ugliness that was the series against the Devil Rays, except to say that I stayed up waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too late to watch my boys lose in extra innings.

Last night we were watching the first quarter of the Cincinnati Bearcats football game and there was a commercial encouraging people to test drive the "German-Engineered Buick Regal." Really? Last I checked, Buick was a GM brand. So much for pride in American manufacturing. (no, I don't drive an American car, but I can still point out hypocrisy when I see it)

Speaking of the Bearcat football game, someone forgot to tell them to show up for the game. This has not been a good week for my teams. Let's not even go to the disaster that was the Monday Night Jet game.

I've rediscovered the awesomeness that is a hair clip. Sure, it's not the most attractive style in the world, but the extra 8 minutes of sleep I get by not blow-drying my hair are well worth it. Besides, it's not like I was ever the most fashionable person, anyway.

We've been replacing our CFL lightbulbs with LEDs as they blow out. C is completely enamored with the technology. I think they're ugly and I don't like the light they give off.

The Office comes back next Thursday! Can't wait for the return of Jim and Pam and my Friday Fragments Office QOTW!

On a semi-related note, Angela Kinsey is going to be on Yo Gabba Gabba! this Sunday. I'm way more excited that Charlie is :)

Friday Fragments

Friday Fragments is brought to you by Mrs4444!

We celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary yesterday. After a week full of tax bills, broken down cars, and large vet expenses, we canceled our dinner out and just met for a nice lunch, instead. After Charlie went to bed we had some Ben & Jerry's and watched the old X-Files movie. It was just perfect.

I might be biased, but I think we live a very lovely life :)

Speaking of movies, do you know how hard it is to actually find a movie at a brick-and-mortar store these days? I called more than ten stores in our area looking for the X-Files Blu-Ray, and no one had it. No one even had the DVD version!

I guess next time we want to watch a movie we'll just have to plan ahead and order online. Luckily for us, we were able to borrow it from some friends. When did the Suncoast Videos of the world go out of business? I know I've been an Amazon/Ebay purchaser, but how did I not notice that these stores were shutting down?

The friends that let us borrow their DVD are also the friends that we're going to the baseball game with tomorrow night. That's right, Charlie is going to his first baseball game! I'm kind of sad that it's not a Yankee game, but I guess I'll take what I can get. At least the Reds are doing well. He will definitely be wearing his Jeter shirt, though. Sorry Alison :)

I keep catching Husband Charlie trying to teach Toddler Charlie to say "Yankees Suck." I've been able to restrain myself, but it's very difficult not to teach him to say something even nastier about the red sux. I'm sure Charlie will grow up knowing exactly what team he should be rooting for. After all, I've created the perfect environment in which to socialize him in the Yankee direction.

Over the weekend I discovered that Toddler Charlie knows the words to "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," and it just might be the cutest thing ever.

Never thought I'd be this parent, but I'm about to buy the Yo Gabba Gabba! CDs to listen to in the car. I can't figure out if they're more for Charlie or for me. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle... hold still!

Have I mentioned that I hate Gillian Anderson?

Potty Training Update, Again

I thought we were making pretty decent progress toward being fully potty trained, but this weekend was a total disaster. He didn't go on the potty a single time. He sat on it quite a bit, but after five times of Charlie calling wolf while his friends were over I let the sixth potty request go about 10 seconds too long and ended up with a mess. Then yesterday evening he asked to go potty so we ran in the bathroom and as I stuck my hand in the waistband of his pants to help him get them off a little quicker I felt the unmistakable squish of a hand that had just been plunged into, well, you know what. No need to share the details.

Anyway. It's a little discouraging, but at least both of the big failures came while we were at home, and not out and about in public. He still did ok holding it (or whatever he's doing) through a trip to the store and the mall on Saturday morning, and for our weekly park and grocery shopping outing yesterday. He even sat on the big potty at the mall, which I think is progress even though nothing came out.

Is there a potty episode of Yo Gabba Gabba!? I'm going to have to do some research.

Friday Fragments

Friday Fragments is brought to you by Mrs4444!

My friend Lynn found a dancing Brobee at a thrift store and gave it to Charlie. It's his new favorite friend. He went from having absolutely zero interest in any TV to being completely enthralled with Yo Gabba Gabba! I love that show. It's not that I'm encouraging my kid to watch TV, just that having something to distract him with for 15 minutes while we make dinner is a helpful thing. That and we had a great time dancing along with Elijah Wood in the living room.

Tried a new Ben & Jerry's flavor: Boston Cream Pie. It was just ok. I've been kind of disappointed with the recent flavor rollouts, with the exception of Mud Pie. Full review to come soon.

I laugh every time I hear or see an advertisement for the cheesy movie of the summer: Piranha 3D.

"There are thousands of them! And they're pissed!"

How awesome is that?

Old Navy had a 30% off everything sale online yesterday, so I did some e-shopping and thought I was going to get Charlie's fall wardrobe for about $60. Not so much, because when I put in the code it turned out that it only applied to one item in my order. I was very disappointed.

I've tried to order Charlie a Star Wars lunchbox twice now, and both times my order has been canceled. I'm disappointed.

Speaking of Star Wars, I want the new R2D2 Droid phone! Too bad I have to wait another 18 months before I can get a new one.

Is Roger Clemens going to jail? I think he's a giant toolbag, almost to brett favrererere status. I think he was a great pitcher, steroids and all, but come on. Man up to the fact that you enhanced your performance. Stop being a liar. Give your kids someone they can look up to.