The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games has been all the rage at work lately, so I started last weekend, and finished this weekend. I was not disappointed by the hype. These books were so good I couldn't stop reading. I even did the unusual - bought the 2nd and 3rd in hardback because I couldn't stand to wait to borrow them. Bryan was annoyed with me for not interacting with him and Anna very much, but I had to find out what happened to Katniss and her friends and family. I couldn't decide if I wanted her to end up with Gale or Peeta, but I'm happy with the ending. No, I'm VERY happy with the ending.

I know there are all sorts of political issues that go with this book, but I'm not going there. It's not something I know enough about to delve into on this blog. I'll just keep it simple...

I really loved Katniss. She reminds me of Anna - doing things her way regardless of what authority wants or expects. Even though the story is fiction, it reminds me that there is plenty of need in this world for rule breakers! I loved Peeta - his goodness, and his complete love for Katniss despite her flaws. I loved Haymitch - issues, sure, but so much heart and so much to give.

I will miss all the characters; I get so attached to characters in series books, but I will not miss dreaming about what was going to happen to my "friends". I was only dreaming about the story and having restless nights, so I could only imagine what their nightmares were like. I think I will read all 3 again so I can take my time and soak in all the details - I found myself just trying to read more and faster so I could find out what was going to happen that I'm sure I missed some of the details.

I just love a good book - or 3!

Today I am thankful for:

• great books
• "warm" weather
• snow melting
• my mom visiting today

Anna Update

Anna gives me some trouble, but really, she's a great kid. So I'm going to tell you all about her!

Here are some of the things she likes right now at 2 and 3 quarters:

• dress-ups
• beauty shop dress up (with hair dryer, fake scissors, mirror, and comb)
• books - reading and being read to
• babies
• kitchen
• puzzles
• pink
• blocks
• cats
• Beauty and the Beast and other princess stuff
• jewelry
• Memory
• iPad games
• playing in water - with and without bubbles
• playing - at Chick-Fil-A, the mall, and Monkey Joes
• daycare - she loves her teachers and her friends
• helping - usually with making dinner
• playing hide-and-seek and "scaring" us
• choose her clothes, socks, and panties
• run
• jump off of furniture
• mimic Bryan and me and big kids
• color
• talk, talk, talk
• ask "why?"

Here are some things she can do:

• identify most of her capital ABCs and a word or name that begins with that letter. She's still working on U, V, W, and other letters here and there
• count to 12, but still needs a little guidance
• identify pink, red, brown, and green. I don't know why colors seem to be tricky for her, but she's getting them.
• dress herself if I lay her clothes out. I have to help with her shirt.
• "read" No, David! It is so cute.
• use the potty :)

The thing Anna has never given me trouble over - food. She's a great eater. Some of her favorite foods:

• chips and salsa
• Chipotle tacos with black beans, tomatoes, and cheese
• cucumbers with feta cheese
• yogurt pretzels
• vanilla yogurt
• cereal
• apples
• grapes
• bananas
• blueberries
• pizza
• cheeseburgers
• chicken nuggets (Chick-fil-A)
• french fries
• bagel thins with cream cheese
• red peppers
• pancakes
• bacon
• turkey sausage patties

Love my girl.

Today I am thankful for:

• A snow day by myself. I'm not really feeling so great, so Bryan took Anna to daycare so I can relax and rest.
• getting to go back to sleep after getting ready, and then finding out we have a snow day.
• having time to get the kitchen cleaned up

Easy and Tasty Appetizer

For Game Night on Friday I made a super easy appetizer. The recipe is from my step-mom. Her family always makes crazy appetizers, but this one is a winner. It doesn't have a name that I know of, so feel free to make one up. Also, the amounts are not precise - so just make this according to your taste.

ingredients:

• 1 block of cream cheese - room temp (or microwave for about 30 seconds)
• 1/2 bag (or more) of real bacon bits - these are in a little yellow bag by the salad dressing
• 1/4 cup (or more) of honey - warm in the microwave for about 30 seconds
• 1 scallion - chopped
• 1 box of Wheat Thins or similar crackers

directions:

• Top the cream cheese with bacon, warm honey, and scallions
• Dip with crackers and smile
• You can heat up extra honey if the appetizer needs a little warm up

Anna Baby

Anna's had a really good week. A really good week means good and great days at school, a fun snow day at home, and only a few tantrums. The week before was not so good; I don't know if that's because she was congested and feeling bad or just because. I'm thankful for the good weeks.

Bryan, Anna, and I have been going to Dr. P. for parenting advise and strategies. I was feeling mostly bad about my mothering skills during the summer and fall, and I wasn't OK with that. I felt all my life that I was supposed to be a mother, and then when I finally was, I was doing a really bad job. The tantrums and the battles for control - it was all too much. Anna has a big personality from really happy and excited (so cute) to really angry and frustrated (not so cute), and sometimes I just felt overwhelmed. I love her so much and didn't feel like I was helping her be her best self. So I called Dr. P. I started by myself at Dr. P's, but then she said Bryan should be coming because we're in this together, and then she wanted to meet Anna, so now it's the 3 of us. Between Dr. P. and my book (Raising Your Spirited Child), Bryan and I have been able to get some control and remain in the green zone (most of the time).

Some of our tools to help Anna be successful and help us manage daily life with her:

• Tell her everything that's going to happen and in what order - either for a short period of time or the whole day. Then we give lots of reminders as we go. For example: We are going to play one game, and you can finish your blue berries. Then it will be time to go potty, and then take a nap. When she tries for more games, we remind her again. Or you may jump in the pool 3 times, and then it will be our time to go...OK this is your last jump, and then it will be time to go.
• We compromise or make a deal. For example, You may brush your teeth by yourself in the morning, and I will brush your teeth at night. Then we remind her of our deal when she tries to brush at night.
• We tell her the expectations and consequences before we go someplace, and then remind her of our expectations and consequences while we are there. For example, While we are at the grocery store you must stay by mommy or daddy. You may not run off. If you choose to run away, you will go to the car, and you will not get a pony ride.
• When I see her energy rising and she starts loosing focus, it means she's heading to the red zone, and that's not a good place. That's when the screaming, hitting, kicking, biting, and scratching start. So we try to get her to go to her room to cool down (not a time out). She sits with her baby and calms down. This one's a little harder in public, but it's great at home.
• When she's fixed her mind on something it's close to impossible to win a "yes/no" battle, so we try a diversion. This helps when we are cleaning up or just doing things around the house. For example, if she's getting in my way while I'm making dinner, I ask her to set the table.
• We also try removing her from the situation/leaving the area for a few minutes, then before coming back, provide expectations. This helps with the "yes/no" battles too.
• We set routines and stick to them. For example, after getting her PJs on and teeth brushed, she chooses 3 books. I read a book, Bryan reads a book, and Anna reads a book. Then we give hugs and kisses, and she climbs into bed. She was trying all the typical kid stuff and dragging bed time out, and this routine has been working great.
• She likes choices, so we provide choices, and then she feels like she has some control.
• She likes to feel like she's a part of things and that she has some control in situations, so sharing the task makes her much more willing to do what I want.
• We try to choose our battles - no hurting self, others, or property are our guidelines.
• I'm trying to help her identify her feelings. So as she gets older she can do that for herself and then express herself without the tantrums and find a healthier way to manage her emotions.
• All 3 of us try to get plenty of sleep so we're not cranky.
• If Bryan or I need a cool down, we take it for 5-10 minutes, then come back ready to try again.
• I take deep breaths, count to 10, you know, all those calming techniques, when I'm heading towards the red zone.

Life has improved greatly. That's not to say that we don't have bad days, and the tantrums and frustration have ended, because they haven't, but we're learning how to minimize the unhappy stuff. We will probably always be learning new ways to help Anna be her best self and manage her emotions appropriately, and that's OK, because we love her so much.

Today I'm thankful for:

• feeling really well rested
• Bryan is making beef stew for dinner - yum!
• warm clothes, a coat, and a warm house

House Plans

Our house has always been nice, but there have been some things we'd like to change. Bryan was taking measurements yesterday, so maybe we'll be getting to some of the changes when the weather warms up.

The things we'd like to do:

• put a fireplace in the basement - this will be a big expensive job, so I don't know if the following projects will actually happen...
• tile Anna's bathroom and fix or replace her toilet
• replace carpet in Anna's bedroom and toy room (which will turn into Anna's bedroom, I think)
• put shelves with toy baskets in basement
• buy a bedroom set for us (we'll give Anna our dressers)
• get the bed Bryan bought from Craigs List stripped, then stain it for Anna
• buy a mattress for Anna's new bed. I already have the bedding!
• paint living room, dining room, and Anna's bedroom - and accessorize as needed
• clean and organize the office which currently is the messiest disaster area in the house
• put hardwood floors in the living room (this one's a long way off)
• buy a flat screen to be hung over the fireplace (this one's a long way off, too)

Neither of us plan on getting an extra job, so I'm not really sure how long this will take. We tend to be REALLY picky, and we only like to spend money on things of nice quality - even if we have to pay a little more. One of Bryan's qualities that I admire most is his ability to do HOURS of research on things before buying anything (like the fireplace), so it takes us a really long time to buy things.

Good luck to us!

Today I am thankful for:

• a day off with roads clear so Anna could go to daycare, and I could get the house cleaned
• Anna seems to be free of sinus congestion and is in a much better mood than last week
• 3 Jillian Michaels DVDs for some variety in my weekly exercise
• $1 bin at Target has foam stickers that Anna loves to play with - for like 15 min at a time!!!
• Anna is doing awesome wearing panties - no more daytime diapers!!!!
• Anna's bedtime routine: get PJs on, brush teeth, then we each get to read a book. Anna "reads" No, David, and it might be the cutest thing I've ever seen.

How will I do it?

Yes, how will I wake up at 5:30 tomorrow????? This is a serious question because for the past two weeks, plus 2 snow days I have been sleeping in until 7:30 or 8:00 (that's sleeping in at our house). I feel so well rested - like I could get a ton of stuff done around the house with all my extra energy (but I won't because I'm usually doing what Anna wants to do).


I've had a great break and Christmas. Our travels were safe despite the snow, and it's always fun to hang out with family. My best Christmas present: Nikon D90 camera. Bryan found it on Craigs List for a really good deal. It's only a few years old and the previous owner hardly ever used it. These are 2 of my favorite pics from Christmas morning:





Anna's favorite gifts are the dress-ups from my Aunt Donna and the Beauty Shop dress-up and play restaurant food set from my dad. She actually loved everything she got, and had a blast just opening the presents, but those are the things we've played with over and over and over again. She did really well during the break considering her routine was all messed up, she had to travel a long distance in the car, and she went to a lot of over-stimulating family parties. Our strategy that works the bestwhen a tantrum or breakdown is coming: take a cool down (like a time out but before the screaming, kicking, hitting, biting start). She goes to her room with her baby and calmly recharges for a few minutes - works like a dream and she really likes it.

I've had a lot of fun hanging with my family, playing with new Christmas gifts, shopping, baking, and having some quality alone time, but it will be good to get back to our routine. I actually miss my kids at school and am looking forward to seeing them tomorrow - just not so early.

Today I'm thankful for:

1. potty training is off to a great start. She was definitely ready. I'm so proud of her.
2. the healthy foods stocked in my fridge.
3. Anna's nap time - I got my report card labels finished.