Janeen Brady is my HERO!

I am one of those moms who cant control my kids in public. You know the type; the lady in the store with all three of her kids screaming at the same time, while she either ignores them completely, or publicly threatens to strangle them if they don't "SHUT UP RIGHT NOW!" (and yes, I do use the word shut-up - immature of me, I know) Yup, that'd be me. It really is embarrassing, but I'm at a loss for what to do with them when we are in public, where there isn't really a time out spot to stick them in and let them scream it out. (Which is my usual method at home, unhealthy though it may be). They know it too, which I believe is exactly why they act up in public - they are testing me, I'm not sure what they want to prove by making me crazy, they are both obviously aware of the outcome if they act up in public... but that is the game I have to play. So ya. Even at home, they will behave like little angels all day, and then someone will come over, and that's the end of it. It doesn't matter if its my visiting teacher, my sister, a friend, neighbor, even my mom, they instantly act like wild animals on some sort of speed. When its just me at home and they act up, I stick them in time-out until they decide to "be happy and cheerful, and apologize for________." I try to be very consistent about this, but it is really time consuming sometimes, and I cant possibly leave guests sitting in the living room while I stick a kicking screaming child in time out over and over for an hour or so until they decide to comply! So ya, I'm going to have to quarantine myself in my house with my kids simply because being around anyone who doesn't know me REALLY WELL is just too embarrassing!
Today, I had an idea. I needed to go to Walmart for diapers, Walgreen's to pick up pictures and krispie kreams to get doughnuts for Brain's work party. So, I made a preemptive strike, I told Zoe if she could be happy and cheerful and NICE and not sassy on ALL of our errands we would do some fun things at home when we got back. She's a little skeptical of doing fun things, since I usually try to convince her that it will be fun to clean her room, or organize the toys in the play room (which usually ends up with her in time out at least once). Anyway, I have these Janeen Brady activity books that have all kinds of pre-school appropriate activities in them, you know like make a bag puppet, or an animal with brads for hinges on their arms and legs. I'm usually just too dang lazy to dig out supplies to do these sorts of things, so I haven't even pulled them out for a year or so. I forgot how cute they are! If you are not familiar with Janeen Brady and you need something to keep your toddlers busy, you should check out her materials here (she is the one behind the safety kids, if you've heard of that program) my personal favorite is the I have a song for you series - so FUN. Bottom line - Zoe almost forgot a couple of times and started being sassy, but when I reminded her that we would make turkey puppets if she kept being good, she remembered how excited she was, and quit. Liam pretty much follows her lead, so as long as she was good, he was good too. We made it through two stores without anyone staring at me like they were contemplating turning me in for child abuse, so the mission was a complete success! So we came home and made little turkey finger puppets, which they thought was awesome, and it was pretty easy for me to throw together, even while I was holding Finn. Only problem is, I think it worked so well because it was a new kind of thing, so what happens after I've exhausted every activity in the books? Oh well, I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it!

YAY for babywearing!!

So Ive felt like an invalid lately, this new baby Finn at our house is a high maintenance baby, compared to my other two... He is sweet as sugar - as long as someone is holding him, which can be SO annoying if you ever have to do anything else... like pee, for example.
I must have known he would be this way while I was pregnant (either that, or I jinxed myself), because at about 8 months along, I made myself a baby sling. Today was our first try using it, and I'm ready to call it a success! Its only mildly uncomfortable (I think the positioning will take a little more practice), and makes me a little paranoid to move too fast - but all in all, it works beautifully! I managed to clean my kitchen BEFORE Brian came home to take him off my hands for a few minutes! I'm pretty excited about that. Finn thought I was just rocking him the whole time. I did jiggle him a little while scrubbing dried up junk off the stovetop, but he didn't even seem to mind that at all. And right now, I am typing with BOTH of my hands! I was getting pretty good at one handed typing though, I might still do that anyway, just because I can!
I found the pattern for my sling online, and purchased rings from a company that makes them especially for this purpose. (You don't want to use craft rings, because they aren't made to hold the weight) - Anyway, while I was researching the different types of slings and rings, and positions and such, I came across a whole underworld of parents who "wear" their babies because they believe in a parenting style called "attachment parenting". This is where you wear your baby all day every day, and sleep with them at night, and pretty much never make them do anything on their own until they are pretty big kids, because you want your child to form a secure emotional attachment to you (which is apparently accomplished through constant physical presence).
The theory was developed by Dr Sears, who is well known and respected as far as I can tell, but most of the actual parents I was able to blog-stalk came off as total hippies - almost to the point that it was a little creepy (one mom nursing a 5 year old, another still co-sleeping with an 8 year old boy so he could "feel her presence" - not that I can judge, but that seems a little much, ya know?)
So I googled attachment parenting - to see what Dr Sears really intended, and from what I could gather without purchasing books or programs, it seems like a decent idea of a way to raise kids - albeit a little unconventional.
Then I came across the Wikipedia article, and I'm starting to think I must be a hippie... I'll paste the portion that made me laugh out loud:
"Many attachment parents also choose to live a natural family living (NFL) lifestyle, such as natural childbirth, home birth, stay-at-home parenting, co-sleeping, breastfeeding, baby-wearing, homeschooling, unschooling, the anti-circumcision movement, the anti-vaccination movement, natural health, cooperative movements, and support of organic food."
Lets see, natural childbirth? Nope, I'm a wuss, I like epidurals :) Home birth? Again, wuss. Unschooling? I would like to know about Unschooling, I think... well, no, I would have liked for my parents to believe in unschooling- I can hardly wait to have 5 hours or so to myself 5 days a week! Natural Health? If refusing to get antibiotics for every little cold falls under the natural health category, then ya, I believe in that. What do you suppose they mean by cooperative movements? Politically? Ok... BUT I am anti circumcision, anti-vaccination. And I co-sleep with my kids as long as they are nursing (only because I'm lazy though). You might say I'm an advocate for breastfeeding, since I'm going to be a lactation consultant, but am I really over the hippie line?
The point of this whole thing was that it seems to me that spending that kind of time with each kid would be next to impossible when your kids are all about 2 years apart like mine are. What if I were still baby-wearing Liam when Finn was born? How would I be able to juggle the both of them without crushing Liams little heart, if I had not encouraged him to be a little bit independent beforehand? Not only that, but isn't the whole point of parenting to teach your kids to eventually be independent and self motivated? Dont we all want our kids to be self-driven and know that they can think and choose and live without our constant presence? Just a thought. Maybe the parents I was reading about took the idea to extremes, but it seems like they ended up being too attached to their kids, instead of giving them a healthy sense of what a secure relationship is like, they are using their kids as a security blanket for themselves. That being said, my reason for "attaching" (lol- i mean wearing) my kid, is also totally selfish. But at least I admit it right? Hey anything that enables me to use both hands without listening to a screaming kid! :)
Ok, I'm done ranting now. Maybe I'll get my kids vaccinated so somebody wont write a blog about this crazy hippie lady who doesn't vaccinate her kids! ;)

Yes, I had him. No, we didnt (quite) fall off the planet

Okay, so.  Finnian Clark Curtis was born Oct 10th at 8:45 pm (for those of you who didnt already know). He was 9 pounds and 19 and 1/2 inches long. Except at his two week checkup we discovered that either hospital nurses cant measure, or babies grow about an inch a week, because he was 21 and 1/2 inches by then! I'm thinking they cant measure cuz he really didnt seem two whole inches longer to me. Since I have a tendancy to give way too much information, we will just say that labor was induced, threatened to not work- but eventually did, and I had to push longer and harder with this one than I did with the other two kids combined. But compared to some stories I've heard, I still had it easy!  It was a really long day.
We were pretty spoiled those first couple of weeks, we had a ton of people bring us meals, and Katie and my Mom took the "big kids" off my hands a couple of times in the afternoons - so other than trying to teach Finn to nurse, it was really pretty relaxing for me. Brian took a few days off work to help us all adjust, and now that everything is getting back to "normal" I miss having him home all day!  I've totally been hiding out these past weeks,  Zoe and Liam just love baby Finn, and like to help out any way that I'll let them. Sometimes it would be nice if they could understand that they can help the most by just staying out of the way, but no such luck. So, I have resorted to putting the baby gate up in my bedroom doorway, to seperate them from the baby, for his safety, and my sanity. It's a lot quieter around here since I started doing that, no more "mean mom" yelling at the kids to "GET OUT OF HIS FACE!". I promise they do get to hold him all they want - just not when he's trying to eat for crying out loud! Anyway, I'll see if I can remember how to post pictures, so everyone can see the little guy!

5 THINGS

5 Things I was doing 10 Years Ago...(October 1998)
1. Brian and I had been dating for about 4 months. We got completely lost in a corn maze - they had to send the owners in after us!
2. I was working at Kmart AND Taco Time. It was pretty bad, I would take NyQuil when I got home from Taco Time, so I could fall asleep fast - and wake up at 5 am. Then I'd guzzle caffeine all morning at Kmart, walk straight over to Taco Time as soon as I got off, stay there till 11 pm or so, go home and drink NyQuil! (needless to say, that didn't last long - that was nuts, why was I doing that?)
3. I was living with aunt Tella, cuz my mom said I was too difficult (not sure why, since I was at work all the time)
4. Spending money, yeah, I did that too- I've always been bad with money - where does it all go?
5. I spent pretty much every second of my free time with Brian at that point.

5 Things I Need To Do Today...
1. Finish this post.
2. Make something for dinner.
3. Finish packing my hospital bag (yay!)
4. Watch Iron Man with Brian
5. Finish up the laundry and change my sheets.

5 Snacks I Enjoy...
1. Wheat Thins
2. Penny Candies
3. Cold Cereal (or snacks made out of cereal, like muddy buddies, or rice krispie treats - YUM!)
4. Cheese (I LOVE Havarti lately - put it on a slice of pink lady apple, and OH, HEAVEN!)
5. Carrots out of my garden are topping the list the last couple weeks!

5 Things I Would Do If I Were A Millionaire...
1. Pay off all of our debt.
2. Use the remainder to set up savings plans for retirement and my kids college funds.
3. Live on cash -only what we make working
4. Teach my kids to always pay cash
5. Pray the economy somewhat recovers so my million dollar savings plans don't go "POOF!"

5 Places I Have Lived...
1. Springville, Utah
2. Milpitis, California
3. Spanish Fork, Utah
4. Springville, Utah
5. Leland, Utah - then, Payson, Spanish, and back to Springville - haha!

5 Jobs I Have Had...  OH GEEZ
1.  Cleaning offices at National Fuel and Energy
2. Babysitting - I did a LOT of babysitting
3. McDonald's - man, I am a pretty stereotypical high-school dropout!
4. Kmart and Taco Time- as mentioned
5. Arbys - this one was a record 3 years! I must have liked smelling like a curly fry


5 People I Tag...
I'm not sure I know 5 people who blog!

Rules: Each player answers the questions themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let them know when you've answered the questions on your blog.

Man Tagged!

What's your husband's name? Brian Mart Curtis
How long have you guys been married? 9years
How long did you date? 1 year.
How old is he? 28
Who eats more sweets? I do - by far, and it shows!
Who said I Love You first? He did. And my response was "Are you sure?"
Who is taller? Brian, by about 3 inches
Who is the better singer? Probably me, being trained and all, he's not tone-deaf or anything though, he just wasnt brought up in a singing type household.
Who is smarter? Brian, but I'm a close enough second to hold my own in an interesting debate.
Who does the laundry? Mostly me, but he helps out when I get behind.
Who pays the bills? I do.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? We switch off all the time. Why do couples have a certain side of the bed? So weird.
Who mows the lawn? Brian.
Who cooks dinner? Usually me. Unless I want waffles, then he makes them.
Who drives? Brian, he's so critical of my driving, I'd rather he drive than have hear about it the whole way.
Who is the first to say they are wrong? I am, almost always. Then, I immediately make him admit he was wrong too, so we can get on with our lives. For the record though, our fights are almost never rational enough for either of us to be right.
Who kissed who first? Brian kissed me, after I MADE him hold my hand, I guess that was the icebreaker he needed - haha.
Who asked who out first? Technically he asked me out first, but if I hadnt started bugging him and showing up to have him come hang out with us, that never would have happened.
Who wears the pants? Well, we let him wear the pants, with the understanding that I always get my way. - LOL works out nicely for everyone.

Was today a GORGEOUS day, or WHAT?

Oh my goodness, I was right. Its fall already. My favorite season! I just love days like these, where its just starting to get cooler outside and the air feels fresh, you can sense change. We went for a ride up the canyon today, just for the sake of being out of the house. And we pulled out the ice-cream maker. I know that seems like more of a hot day thing to do, but it felt like we should be celebrating something, with the weather as gorgeous as it was. I think we had planned to do a whole list of chores and such, but most of them were forgotten by the time we realized that it wasn't going to hit three-hundred-fifty-billion degrees outside today! But what a trade-off! I could have sworn we were in southern California! Yes, I realize it will be three-hundred-fifty-billion degrees all next week (and possibly even next month) - but don't go bursting my bubble. ;)

I just got done folding all the laundry. Yes, for those of you who have seen my pile(s), ALL the laundry is done! I had help, of course, we all know I'm helplessly co-dependant - but at least I stuck with it all day and got it all finished! Now Brian wont have to hunt for something for he and the kids to wear while I'm gone next week. (He probably wont know what to do with all that spare time he previously spent searching for socks and panties - ha ha!) Speaking of my little trip next week, I'm starting to get a little nervous... I'll be surrounded by nurses and dietitians (and its pretty obvious that I am neither of those) and even though I've been studying the text, I'll still be completely out of my element in this setting! Aaack! I'm hoping this course will set me in the right direction to get a job in the field (or even a volunteer position), if not at least help me become more familiar with all these hoops I have yet to jump through to sit for the IBCLC exam. In the meantime, it should be fun(ish), a nice little break from the day-to-day before we add another kiddo to our family. I'll get plenty of that thing that is so scarce around here lately - alone time. So hopefully my course wont be so intense that I cant enjoy it!

Summertime wind-up

Can you feel it ending? Is it just me? Its almost like the Christmas rush; every family wants to have a party or reunion, you have to rush around last minute shopping (for school, instead of gifts), the weather is miserable (although the clouds the past couple days have been a welcome break this year). I don't know, when summer ends its a relief, yet I'm kinda sad, and wish I could have some of that time back. I wish we could have gone swimming more, but after last year I'm just too paranoid about getting sick. Oh well, I guess we still have a month or so to do that.

Having Gingers dog has been fun - something to do as a family in the evenings after it cools down. The kids love to have her chase them. Even Milly Moo-Moo seems restless though. The days are so hot (and humid, which is weird) we just hole up inside, and she's pretty much become nocturnal -sleeping in the shade all day, and tearing around the yard after dark. Liam is learning to talk more all the time, and last night he was looking out the kitchen window and said "night-night moo-moo"! So cute!

Liam seems to have moved on from "eee-eees" (horsies) to "bdrrrrrs" (anything with wheels). Its fun to play cars with him, he lines them all up, then drives them all to the next location, and lines them up again. So precise, and you cant mess with his system or he gets ticked! Its kinda funny to see him try to carry all of them at the same time too (because one or two is just not going to cut it, you have to hold ALL of them)! With summer ending it's probably time to get him a normal haircut too! Its so traumatic for him, I always feel bad when we cut his hair! LOL

Zoe is still SOO into dress-up. She's probably going to grow up and be a fashion designer or something. Its fun to let her dress herself, just to see what weirdness she'll come up with next. I'm a little worried about dressing her for school, because she's not a fan of "real clothes" most of the time, so I aniticipate a little arguing over the matter. She's generally a pretty reasonable kid though, so I'm sure when she sees that the other kids are wearing jeans and t-shirts she'll conform. How sad is it that I'm happy about that? Geez, I should be glad that she'll happily wear her princess dresses (which at this point are practically torn up rags, they've been used so much!) and my old tank tops and such for clothing and not complain! Oh, and always about 6 necklaces, and any hair-ties, or strings she can find made into necklaces and bracelets. Makes me smile... My silly babies!