In It to Win It

I am not sure whether this is an age thing, or just the genetic combination of a former athlete (SleepyPapa played football, basketball, and lacrosse in high school, then lacrosse for Ithaca College) and an overly competitive mother (ask anyone who has played trivial pursuit, cranium, or scrabble with me), but A is all about winning these days.
Everything is a competition:
- any game played with our 3-year-old neighbor ( their conversations go something like this "I won", "no, I won" and "I'm faster"/"no, I'm faster")
- books we read (When a main character says "I'm a big boy now", A follows up with "No, I'm bigger")
- shooting hoops at the Y's pool
(picture A standing next to an 18 month old who's playing ball with his dad and announcing "I'm going to win!")
- his favorite thing to ask "you wanna race?"

The great thing about it is that I can get him to do many things by turning it into a race-- "let's see who can eat those broccolis faster!", "let's race to see who can drink this medicine faster"... You get my drift?
I think it's great to be competitive and it will likely help you challenge yourself to be the best you can be.
Now we just need to understand that

A. Not everything is a competition
B. two people can win or be equally as good.
C. Sometimes, you lose and that's OK too...
But maybe I still need to learn some of these things too...

Ode to Mother Nature

I just want to say a big thank you to mother nature for the amazingly mild winter we have had this year, here in Central New York. Most years we are buried in snow and have to deal with below-freezing temperatures from November until April, but not this year! It was actually 65 degrees Wednesday March 7th in Syracuse.

What does this amazingly mild winter means? It means I haven't suffered from the usual winter blues,  I haven't been dreaming as much about moving to Miami, and most importantly, I haven't blamed my poor husband for my misery.

In short, I have been much happier than usual... We've been able to play outside all season long, and had just enough snow to have fun with it.

January 2012

So once again, thank you mother nature, and although it's unlikely, I'll be hoping for a repeat next year!

January 2012

January 2012

January

February

February 2012

February 2012

March 2012

Just Plain Fun

Yesterday was one of those days where everything works out. A had a fantastic day at school. Some nurses visited the classroom and did a teddy bear check up. They let the children use real stethoscopes and give pretend shots to their stuffed animals, and best of all, they gave all the kids their very own gloves, surgical masks, and hats. A couldn't wait to put everything back on to show me!

Back home we had to take turns being the doctor and checking all the stuffed animals. Of course, many of them needed shots.

A took a little nap, and I was able to do some work. After that, we were ready to head out of the house. At first, I thought we would just go to Wegmans, since there is nothing left to eat in the house, but once in the car, I realized it was only a little after 4pm, which would give us plenty of time to do something really fun. So I offered to go to a bouncy house. He was game for it, so we headed to a place close by. It was my first time there, it's a bit more expensive than most places, but the upside is that it's only 5 minutes away from our house, and ... the price probably keeps many kids away (perfect for us).
We were alone for the better part of the two hours we spent there. There were four different bouncy houses. A agreed to check them all out, but there was no question in his mind which one he wanted to spend all his time on....

So we basically spent the whole two hours climbing up these steep stairs and sliding down this huge bouncy slide! It was exhausting (I am a bit sore), but what a blast!

A thanked me when we left, and he didn't even complain when we made a quick stop by the store on our way home.
That's a good day in my book!

His Own Style

I have many friends whose kids look like a daily fashion show, they dress them in adorable outfits everyday, have holiday-appropriate clothes, and the children are fine with that.
A has a ton of nice clothes, between the fancy French stuff my mom buys him and the cute Gymboree outfits I get him, this kid is all set. But does he wear any of it? I don't think so! A is his own stylist, and no one can tell him what to wear...

a closet full of clothes he won't wear

Most days, he insists on wearing his pajama top to school. I don't fight him on that because my main goal in the morning is to get him ready and happy to go to school on time, and a fight over clothes would probably make us late, and angry... Besides, his PJs are cute, so there's not a huge difference between that and a regular t-shirt. The only problem is that we probably got caught by the teachers last week, because last Thursday was pajama day at school... The only difference for A was that he got to wear his bottoms too!
When he doesn't wear his PJ top, he wants to chose what he's going to wear and I can never predict what he'll pick, except for his current favorite... A Run-DMC t-shirt I got at Old Navy.

his favorite t-shirt

 He has refused to wear any of the holiday-themed shirts I have for him, whether it be Christmas or Valentine's day. Button-down shirts are an absolute no-no. I have decided that for now, I am not buying him anything unless he picks it himself.

the holiday clothes he won't wear

I am wondering how I am going to dress him for his aunt's wedding this spring. It's in LA, but I still doubt a Run-DMC t-shirt would fly...

Should I be more forceful about the clothes? To me, that's a useless battle, if it makes him happy to look like a rap-fan, I'm cool with that.
Are you kids picking out their own outfits? Do you let them wear PJs to school? Are you strict about clothing?

More Chick Hicks Love

Hope you enjoy hearing Chick's evil laugh...

One of a Kind

I know every child is unique, but mine seems to be particularly intent on being different. If you think of something that kids are sure to love, there's a good bet he won't like it. It makes things tough sometimes, especially when we go visit people who try really hard to please him, and very little works.
He can also get excited about something, but if it doesn't match what he pictured, beware!
A's tastes are constantly evolving. When he started eating solids, he wasn't too difficult, but things he used to love don't work anymore, so here's a snapshot of his likes and dislikes:

What he doesn't like (in no particular order) :

- pizza
- mashed potatoes (and any thing mashed for that matter)
- soup
- chicken nuggets (not such a bad thing)
- most cakes
- sandwiches
- scrambled eggs
- pirates
- the zoo (so sad about that one!)
- dogs
- bouncy houses (expect after an hour of coaxing, and if he can jump with me)
- when I take pictures of him

his favorite pose when he seems the camera

What he (suprisingly) enjoys:

- sticky asian rice (particularly at sushi restaurants)
- broccoli and green beans
- hard boiled eggs and omlets
- pasta with ketchup
- playing with legos
- any type of car, truck, or construction vehicle
- bread with nutella
- Barnes & Noble

playing at B&N

- going to hotels and eating colored cereals there (cause he doesn't get them at home)
- Chick Hicks
- NASCAR racing (ugh! NOT happy about THAT!)
- Dunkin' Donuts chocolate frosted donuts with sprinkles
- Panera's candy cookie
- Lindt Chocolates (right now, snowmen and raindeer, but he won't eat santa because he's not a fan)
- a new found passion for popcorn
- vanilla ice-cream
- cats (so happy about that one!)

shows and books he enjoys this week:

- Chuggington, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. (after being favorites for several weeks, Dinosaur Train and Jungle Junction have fallen out of favor)
- L'Automobile, Splat the Cat

Do your kids have surprising likes or dislikes? Do their tastes change from one week to the other?

Vanishing Naps

Most parents I know dread the idea of their kids not taking naps anymore. It's true that having an hour-and-a-half-to-two hour break in the middle of day can be pretty nice, but as we reach the point where naps are not always a given, I am actually kind of glad.

 As you already know, A has never been a good sleeper. The first year of his life, he only cat-napped, 10-15 minutes at a time, 30 if we were lucky. If I wanted him to sleep more, I had to either hold him or drive around for 2 hours. Then I quit my full time job and started spending naps in his room.  That brought on longer naps, but it's not like I could tend to the house or do whatever I pleased... Eventually, A settled into the routine, and I have been able to leave him alone in his room for nap time for almost a year, however, he usually wakes up crying and stays cranky for at least a half-hour.

For the past few weeks, A has, from time to time, skipped his nap. I still take him upstairs, and we read for a bit, but if he's still not asleep after a few books and wants to get up, I let him (well, what are my options exactly? strap him to the bed?). On those days, he actually has played nicely and stayed in a good mood for most of the afternoon ( better than the after-nap meltdowns). The other major plus, is that bedtime is A LOT easier on those days. Just a few poems and he's fast asleep.. nothing like the hour-long ordeal during which I often fall asleep myself.

So the pluses of the vanishing nap?
- better mood
- easier bedtime

the minuses?
- not quite sure which day he'll sleep and which day he won't
- I am a little afraid of going anywhere on the no-nap day, for fear that the car will put him to sleep

All in all, I look forward to the day when naps have totally vanished, so there's no question about it and we can go about our business, do fun things, and stay out all day if we feel like it!

When did you child give up his/her nap? How did you deal with the transition?

Cheering for Chick

What is it about villains that make people like them anyway? Or maybe, people don't like them, and A is really confused. Let me explain. He likes the movie Cars, but unlike most kids, who have fallen in love with McQueen or Mater, my son's favorite character is.... Chick Hicks! I bought him a McQueen hat, and he asked me if the store had Chick hats too. I tried to explain to him that they don't, because people don't like Chick... because he's not nice, but A doesn't want to hear it.

When we play, he likes to pretend he's Chick. I usually have to be McQueen, and then Chick crashes into me. It's all good and fun, except that today, his teacher told me that he was doing it with the other kids in the gym, and that didn't go over so well... She explained to him that he was not a  race car and that we don't crash.
Why does my son like the villain of the story? Maybe it's hereditary... I did have a bizarre infatuation with Dallas' J.R. Ewing, back when I was 8 or 9 years old. When I watched The Shining, I was sad that Jack Nicholson got stuck in the ice, and I've always rooted for the shark in Jaws. The bottom line is that bad guys tend to be a bit more exciting, and that's probably the same with Chick.
I don't mind that A likes Chick, he just needs to understand that we should not behave like Chick...
I tried to ask him today why he likes Chick, this is what he said...

 Translation:
Me: A, do you like McQueen or Chick better?
A: Chick
Me: Why?
A: because he's nice
Me: really, what's his name?
A: Chick
Me: Chick who?
A: Chick nice

I was a bit surprised by his answer, because he usually says "Chick Hicks", squinting his eyes, like he knows it's bad and exciting at the same time... He also usually says he likes him because he bumps people, but he is  probably starting to change his tune as more and more people are telling him that bumping is not so nice...
So far, Chick is the only  villain he's aware of, other than witches, but he doesn't like them. I try to police what he watches as much as I can, and we usually watch Chuggington, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Jungle Junction, or Dinosaur Train. All great shows that do not have bad guys.
I try to avoid watching Cars because he's really only interested in the beginning... the race where, you guessed it, Chick "bumps" the other cars. He gets giddy with excitement watching it, and I think it's not the greatest thing, and that he's still a bit young for that kind of thing, but this too shall pass, and as he grows he'll start being interested in more than just the crash parts.

Did your kids' favorite characters surprise you? Any tips on stopping the "bumping"?

Going to School

As I explained in yesterday's post, A started going to a little preschool in September. He started out going two mornings a week. He seemed to like it, but would always cry a lot when he got dropped off. SleepyPapa works near the school, so he's been on drop-off duty, and this crying business was very tough on him. The teachers said A was doing well, only cried for a minute after SleepyPapa left, and seemed happy. When I asked A at night what had been nice during the day, he would often say "school", but still, the tears kept coming in the morning. Things got a little better at one point, but shortly after, A got sick, skipped school a few days and it was back to square one.

We needed to switch him to four mornings a week for the Spring because my mom went back home and I will be teaching Monday through Thursday, but even though it's more school, it seems to make things a bit easier... A went four mornings in a row last week and day 4 of this week will be tomorrow. He still whines once or twice while getting ready in the morning, but happily jumps in SleepyPapa's truck, walks to his room without protest, and only once his dad says he needs to leave, tries to pretend he's crying.  In the afternoon, he tells me school was fun, but adds here and there that the teacher is "not nice", for good measure. (I think he knows he has to say something negative to support his whining). And... even though she's "not nice", he can't wait to show her his new shirts in the morning!

A concentrating at school

The bottom line is that four days a week seems to work better because it's more of routine, and there's no guessing whether it's a school day or not.

I think school is somewhat improving his social skills, he seems to get along fine with his classmates, and has even found a good friend. We have parent-teacher conference next week, so I'll find out more about his in-class behavior. What I really enjoy is that everyday we get a "toddlergram" which tells us how the day went, how the child behaved, how much he ate, and what his favorite activity was. A's favorite is usually "cars" or "outside". His behavior is often "happy, cooperative, chatty".

Overall I am really happy with our decision to send him to this little school, and I look forward to several more years there.

How old was your child when you first sent him/her to preschool? Did they cry? When did they stop crying?

Weather Break

So, it wasn't enough to have to deal with A being sick the week before last... I had to get an e-coli-like bacteria this past week! I'm finally back to normal and hoping no one gets sick for a while.
I don't know if the Weather Gods read my blog, but they did decide to grant us a two day break with temperatures reaching above 30! (that's roughly above 0 Celsius)
So, e-coli or not, we weren't going to pass on the chance to play outside...
Wednesday, after a stroller ride on our street, A actually ventured in the snow (for no more than 10-15 minutes, but still!)



snow-swing!



He then decided it was time for Wegmans!
We headed out to the zoo on Thursday, but I forgot my camera.
The snow was back on Friday, but at least we got some fresh air before that...thank you Weather Gods!

Cabin Fever

For those of you who may not know, we live in Syracuse, NY, which gets the dubious title of "Snowiest City in the US" (not coldest, but snowiest, thanks to "lake effect" snow), we get on average around 120 inches of snow a year-- that's about 3 meters-high for my friends in the normal metric world.



Doesn't this look fun?



Well, if that wasn't bad enough, this year, it's even worse than usual. By the end of January, we had reached and surpassed the average yearly snowfall, and the snow keeps falling....

In pre-kids days, this would annoy me, but I'd find ways to make it ok (go outside, snowshoe, go snow tubing), but this year, it's gotten really unbearable.

A does not find the snow fun at all. Most days, it's too cold to go outside. The one day, two weeks ago, when it was sunny out, I offered to put on our snowsuits and go sledding. He joyfully slipped on his snow pants, asked for his mittens and proudly displayed his gloved hands... everything was going great, until we actually stepped outside... He sat in his sled, looked a me with a bewildered look (like "why are you doing this to me, Maman? I thought you said this would be fun"), and proceeded to start crying and cried until I took him back inside. I guess A's idea of fun does not include being cold.
So we play in the house, but after four months, even if the house is big, it gets a little boring... A has recently gotten in the habit of going to the door, asking for his boots and saying "partir" which means "leave", so it's not just me.

We go places, but Syracuse is a medium size city and there's only so much you can do with toddlers in the winter. There's the library, MyGym, the Y's pool, Barnes & Noble,the bouncy places, the mall's indoor playground and A's favorite.. Wegmans (for those unfortunate enough to have never experienced Wegmans, it's the most awesome grocery store on the side of the Atlantic). But every trip involves putting on our winter gear and getting in the car. I just long for those summer days when we can just step outside and run for hours after a ball in the backyard, or go for a walk, get ice cream and visit with the neighbors...
To make matters worse, I started reading this great blog (http://www.momjovi.com/), where the family lives in Orlando and does all kinds of fun outdoors stuff all winter-long (not to mention they go to Disney as easily as we go to the library), and I am totally jealous!
  I'm running out of ideas to keep A and me happy this winter, other than moving to Florida.
I know that when A's a bit older it will get better, we'll be able to actually go skiing and take advantage of all that snow, but in the meantime we have serious cabin fever!

What about you? What do you do to keep your kids entertained in the winter?

My Toddler Hates Our New Cars!

SleepyPapa and I got new cars over the weekend! No, we didn't win the lottery, but both our cars were getting to that point where you just need to switch them,and so we did. SleepyPapa got a new version of his SUV and I switched from a VW Beetle to a Subaru Impreza. Believe me, I am happy to forgo the flower power for the fact that I don't have to climb in the back of the car to install A. in his car seat!

My New Car!

Anyway, all that change was very exciting, except for one member of our family... A. was not happy to say bye-bye to the old cars, not happy at all!
On the way back from the dealership, he spent the ride telling me that the other car was crying because we left it. I thought he would get over it, but it got worse. The next morning, we decided to go to the pool, A. was very excited, until we got to the garage... He started screaming when we got close to my car, so we decided to go in the truck, since it's pretty similar to the old truck, but that didn't work either. He started crying his eyes out! Needless to say, we went back in the house and forgot about the pool for a while. We made a second attempt, but to no avail...
In the afternoon, we headed out to a Super Bowl party, but I had to spend the trip in the back seat while he hung on to me for dear life. Finally, this morning, he had to go in SleepyPapa's truck to go to the sitter's, he cried for a while but eventually calmed down.
I was a little worried about picking him up, so I stopped by Target to get two rubber dinosaurs, or "RRRAHs!" as A. calls them. I put them in his car seat, took a picture and brought my camera up with me to show him while he was putting his coat on. He was excited to see the picture, but still a little apprehensive when we got near the car.  In the end I have to say, my two pals the "RRRAHs!" did the trick, and he was a happy camper on the way home.
I am just hoping our next car trip goes as smoothly...

What about you? Does your child get emotionally attached to things you don't expect? How do you deal with it?


My friends the "Rhaas!"