"Time Out" time

Well, we started it, we started "time outs".

I was talking to a friend about this last week and she has been doing it with her little one for awhile now, and he is younger than Ry. And it works well for them. Why I thought Ry could not handle this I don't know. Well, we have been having temper tantrums like crazy over the littlest things. So we needed a change.

This is how "time out"time started. I took a discipline class about a month ago. I really liked it, I felt that I got alot of useful info from it. One of the things we talked about was, time outs. She said 1 minute for every year they are. It may not work for some kids and we may just have to figure out what works for us.

I decided most people all have a corner by their front door (at least we do and all his grandparents/sitters do) so it will be the same spot at every ones house. So instead of having a chair, he stands in the corner by the front door.

We did for the first time over the weekend (it has been countless times since then, maybe 2-3 per day). Well, he does really good in "time out". Maybe too good...I walk him over and tell him to stand in the corner till we say it is time to get out.

My sweet sweet baby walks stands in the corner and just stands there, not a peep from him. He will even sigh half way through, and maybe rest a shoulder on the wall. But never looks back or cries. We even have to say "okay Ry you can come out now" a few times...then when he does he turns around really fast and says "taaadaaa" with a huge smile on his face. (what the heck, is it some kind of game to him). Then I tell him to come give me a hug (which he runs to us with open arms) and we explain to him what he did wrong to go in there (you know, just like they tell you to do on Super Nanny). And while he is in there we are laughing so hard (I don't think he can hear us), because it is so sweet how he just stands there and does nothing.

So, yes this is working. He is not going back and doing the same thing right away ( he may later, which he usually does). I think it may only be working because it is a distraction from what ever he was doing. And when he goes in there because he was having a fit, he is ultimately getting our attention, and I think that is what he was seeking to begin with.

I don't know what to do. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Do I keep it up? Do I try something different? Should I not be complaining?

Family night

Last night Lauren, Jonathon, and Bradley came over. The kids played while we got to play games. Finally they are old enough to just let them play while we can play a full game as adults (kinda, they still some attention I guess.) I just don't know when we turned into our parents. They came over around 5, we ate and played and they were gone by 9:30. We had tons of fun, and the kids were tired, it was definitely time to call it a night, but after they left I was sitting on the couch wanting to go to bed. It felt like it was 11 or 12. My age progression is definitely showing.

Ryan and Bradley played very well together, not to many injuries. They even shared pizza off each others plates in their jammies.



Then they watched (kinda) word world and Shrek. But I love this next pic, cause when they were babies we had similar pics. I hope they remain life long friends like their mommies. Ryan was 4 months and Bradley was 2 1/2 (?) months.

I did it again...

I locked my keys in the house.

I had to take Clementine to the vet and Ry to my mom and dad's. I was putting Clem and Ry in the car, and it hit me...I had no keys!

I do this about 3 times a year. This does not include the times I lock them in the car. Plus I loose them on a weekly basis. I have even locked Ryan in the car with it running while I was at Shop-N-Save (my phone was in there too!). No, I didn't go in the store with him in the car, I put the groceries in the back and shut it, forgetting I had it locked so no one could steal my son. (thank God, I saw a friend in the store, so she watched him while I ran home to get a spare set)

Well, when these things happen I have to go to the back of the house, pull a chair up to the kitchen window, (I leave it unlocked for this purpose only, and this is when I definitely grateful we built that deck on the back of the house) clear everything off the window seal, take everything out of the sink (I just got done doing dishes before we left). And then I hoist my self up into the window, onto the sink and counter and jump down. I definitely feel like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible ( or sselyap, right Matt). Then I go get my keys and walk out the front door like nothing even happened. I am quite used to this by now!

Why don't we leave a key outside you ask. We have/do, but we put it in different spots or we forget to put it back, so we don't always have one.

And for Clem, her vet appointment went well. No heart worms, and she got all her shots. Dr. Patrick ( which I just love) was still concerned about her vision since it was just gone one day and never came back. He was also concerned with her weight, she gained 2 lbs in a year. Which is alot since she only weighed 18 lbs. He chalked it up to the holidays, but I know exactly what it is. Since she went blind, she doesn't run around as much and Ry feeds her half of his snacks. He said to start buying lean dog food. He said she is not obese yet, but she definitely is not a super model...poor Clem, I'm sorry baby girl, but it runs in the family :(

Our lil' CC...Construction Camper

For Christmas Ryan got this backpack/tent combo thing. He loves to build forts, hide under blankets, he just loves to get inside things. So I figured why not get him an indoor/outdoor tent (which I don't think I would trust this tent outdoors with my child in it). The whole thing came in a backpack, that included a whistle, flashlight, cones, vest, tent and sleeping bag ( and I got it on black Friday, so it was only $12).

As you know, Christmas was almost 2 weeks ago, and I am just now getting around to putting this thing up. I just thought it was going to be huge, and put a tent up in our living room are you crazy! So, today was an icy day, and we are staying in till this afternoon till I have to go to work. So, I figured why not pop it up. Well, it is much smaller than I thought (if I would have read the dimensions, I would have know this. It is only big enough for 2 people to sit in. Ry has been screaming with excitement since I pulled it out...why oh why did I wait for this

I thought, yeah, we can have fun today! I put batteries in his flashlight, I told him to go grab his favorite books and lets meet back up in the tent. So I turn off the lights, and I crawl in. Well he just kept waving his hand saying he was finished (sign language). I couldn't figure out what he was finished with. Well, it was me, he was finished with me in the tent with him. He wanted his flashlight and books all by himself. So, with my crushed heart I crawled out. This tent is obviously just for him. He did not like it when I put his sleeping bag on the floor of the tent either. Apparently, only Ry, vest, flashlight, and books allowed :(

He figured out how to blow his whistle really fast. Ofcouse since it makes noise, but I can't get him to blow his nose for anything.

The Game

On Friday afternoon, Matt got off work early, so he had the great idea of going to The Game in Glen Carbon. It is just a facility for indoor soccer that has this huge padded climbing/crawling area for kids to play. The bottom is for toddlers and its $1 for unlimited play and the top is for older kids $3/unlimited. Well try keeping a toddler from going up top...but thank God daddy was there to follow him to the top since I am so scared of heights, plus there was like a 30 big kids crawling around up there. But he had so much fun, it was so worth it. I think we are going to become regulars.

Welcome 2009

Well its another year...WOW, time really does go by faster when you get older and when kids are in your life. Where does the time go, I can barely remember Ry as an infant, the only thing I can think of is the fact he is going to be 2 in April. Thank God I have over 2000 pictures of him ( and unfortunately its true)!!!

Matt and I have set a resolution. We ARE going to get organized in '09. Our house and our life has been so flipped upside down for the last couple of years. We both want to be organized and more put together, but for what ever reason its a struggle any more.

We went to my parents again on NYE. There was 12 of us, including Ry. He stayed up the entire night, some good moments some not so good. Over all though it was fun, we played games and rob your neighbor. We even missed the countdown. A few minutes till we turned on the TV, but the countdown was 2 hours behind us, and it took us a few minutes to get it, so it was 12:02 when we all got to kiss...Hope everyone had fun, and have a good new year.

I am allergic to everything!

And when I say everything, I mean everything. I am now officially allergic to cold. That's right cold. Cold air, cold objects, cold water, just cold anything.

It all started a little over a year ago. October 2007 I had to have this minor surgery done on my finger. I had some weird growth on it. The dermatologist told me the day he looked at it, it may be some kind of skin cancer. So I immediately freak out. He sent me to a face and hand plastic surgeon in Maryville, were he set up an operation date. So it officially became surgery when I had to lay on an operation table. (it was honestly more prep and freak out than my c-section, and I walked out with 5 stitches and a band aid) Anyway, when they were done my whole arm broke out in hives. They gave me some benadryl and told me they should go away and I should be fine.

Ever since then, any time I hold or touch something cold, or even go outside in really cold weather, I would bet hives and some times full blown welts, that just burn and itch like crazy. And not just on my arm, but any where on my body. So it was winter after this surgery incident and I was getting them like crazy. But being a new mom, and trying to balance a household with out ending up in a nut house, I did nothing about it. I said I was going to call the doc and just never did. Then the summer came, and it calmed down. It only happened when I would wash my hand with cold water or hold something cold. Well, it has been getting really cold again. So I made an appointment with the doc, cancelled it because, well you know the whole mom thing ( I haven't even been back to the OB since my check up after Ry was born...how bad is that)

So me being the motor mouth that I am, I have told just about everyone I know. Which has really paid off, because Jen, a girl I work with brought me in an article she found in the paper. I think the article was written about me. It lists my signs and symptoms just like I have them. This is called "cold-induced urticaria". It is having an allergic reaction to cold. They say it may only last a couple years, but some have it so bad they can have an anaphylactic reaction.

But I am not worried, I am just happy its not any type of reaction to the meds they gave me. So I am not going to do anything about it, just like I don't about any of my other allergies. So cold, is just another thing to add to the list.