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Thu
18 ^th

A Mother’s Resume

Posted by Pinparent — 37 Comments

Yesterday I did a post about the irrational fears of mothers. A reader commented that these irrational thoughts are part of our job description. This made me chuckle. My response was that our job description is far too long, that sometimes I forget what is on it. It got me thinking. Being a parent is a difficult job. It is demanding, keeps long hours & you never get a day off. Our list of responsibilities is a lengthy one.

A Mother’s Resume

12/18/2014
The Pinterested Parent
https://www.facebook.com/thepinterestedparent
Thepinterestedparent.com

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OBJECTIVE:

To successfully raise our child to be a sweet, smart, well-mannered young lady with family values, respect for others and a strong sense of self, without screwing it all up.

EXPERIENCE:

Mother to Mai (January 2012-present)

Child Care Manager

Nursing with no regard to sore breasts, bleeding nipples or mastitis
Changed thousands of soiled diapers & cleaned poop out of clothing, hair and sheets on several occasions.
Endured sleepless nights comforting a crying baby, a cranky toddler, a sick kid & a scared child
Over-protector and dirty look wielder to playground bullies
Kissed and bandaged many boo boos & ouchies
Wiper of runny noses, poopy bottoms, dirty hands & tears
Personal chef to the most finicky of eaters
Washed, bathed, shampooed & brushed the teeth of a squirming child daily
Hairdresser & stylist specializing in pig tales & Elsa braids
Responsible for transport by either horsey ride, piggy back, carrying, stroller or car
Diffusing tantrums & meltdowns

Education Director

Teacher of colors, objects, animals, math, reading, sign language, problem solving and geography
Acting as a role model trying to accomplish all of the things in the above objective without passing on all of my own bad habits and short comings
Professor of arts & crafts with a deep focus on paper plate art, painting, Play-Doh sculptures & macaroni art
Assists in the progression of crawling, walking, talking, potty training & riding a bike
Responsible for discussions on God, love, sex, death and other various subjects pertaining to life

Purveyor of memories

Amateur photojournalist chronicling the life of my little girl from birth to present day
Collector of art projects & drawings
Archiver of cute, funny & beautiful moments that I will hold securely in my heart & head

Head of Entertainment

Skilled at Peekaboo, I got your nose & shadow puppets
Builder of sheet forts & puzzles
Lead singer of popular children’s songs & silly made up ones
Tea party guest and Play-Doh cake taste tester
Master story teller and book reader
Knock Knock joke aficionado

Housekeeper

Washer of dirty laundry (no sir, that is actually daddy)
Dishwasher
Sweeps up dried up Play-Doh, glitter, crumbs, chunks of crayon, etc…
Wipes up juice spills and potty training accidents
Picks up toys, and then picks them up again and then again and again
Instructs our little housekeeper in training how to be responsible for all of the above chores

SPECIAL SKILLS

Carrying a diaper bag, pocket book, juice boxes and stuffed animal while balancing a child on the hip
Giver & receiver of unconditional love
Demonstrating patience when my patience wears thin
Expert at hugs, kisses & cuddles
Mind reader during incomprehensible crying fits

References are available in crayon upon request.

Thu
11 ^th

When Santa Writes Back

Posted by Pinparent — 4 Comments

*My daughter received a letter in exchange for my honest review. I attest that all opinions are my own.**

If I have seemed overly giddy about Christmas this year that is because I am. Having a child changes the whole feeling of the holidays. Watching her discover the magic of the season makes me feel young again. This year she has a deeper understanding of Christmas & all of its wonders.

We went for our annual visit to see Santa Claus. This was the first year that she was able to tell him what she wanted. Without hesitation she told Santa & his elves what she wanted most this year. “I want a train set.” This is all that she has asked for this year.

Over the past few weeks she has written several letters to Old St. Nick, well sort of. She cannot write quite yet, but she makes squiggly lines across the paper & will recite off to me all of the things on her list. She asks for a train set for herself each time, but being the sweetheart that she is, she doesn’t forget to ask Santa for presents for mommy & daddy and all of her friends. She asked Santa to bring mama a new brush, some candy for daddy & a new pocket book for Nana.

With all of the anticipation for Mr. Claus’ arrival, our little girl has been working overtime to make it onto the nice list. Her good behavior has not been overlooked. Santa has taken notice.

From your smallest little believer to your biggest, Santa’s Red Letter offers a personalized letter just for you. These beautiful authentic looking letters come postmarked from the North Pole. You can pick from a selection of letters from either the naughty (tsk tsk tsk) or nice (awww) lists or you can compose one of your own choosing.

At only $9.95 +free shipping, Santa’s Red Letter is a wonderful way to keep your children believing in the magic of the holidays.

As an added bonus 10% of the proceeds of sales are being donated to Toys For Tots, so you can help spread the Christmas cheer to those less fortunate as you add a little joy to your children’s day.

It looks like Mai might just get that train set this year after all. Thanks Santa.

Fri
25 ^th

Choosing A Daycare

Posted by Pinparent — 6 Comments

I was extremely fortunate that after the birth of our daughter I was able to take a year off from work & stay home with her during such a crucial period in her life. It offered me the opportunity to be there for all of those beautiful milestones that I might have otherwise missed out on. It gave me the ability to nurse her for a full year, to take daily naps with her, to grow our bond & to just soak up every second of her short infanthood even with all of its difficulties. What was even luckier than that was when I was ready to re-enter the workforce I had a mother-in-law that was willing to take on our child care responsibilities.

Under her Nanna’s care, Mai flourished. Together they would read books, go the park & library, do puzzles and built forts. Our daughter is bright, imaginative, caring and so happy & I know that it is largely in part of her time with her Nanna. There was only one thing missing during these past 2 1/2 years, social interaction. Sure we would play with her friends on occasion, but being an only child I found that Mai lacked a certain understanding in regard to waiting her turn, not always being the center of attention and sharing.

When we made the decision to put her in daycare a couple of days a week, I am not going to lie it freaked me out. It still is and she hasn’t even started yet. Being the helicopter mom that I am, I am extremely paranoid about entrusting my heart to a stranger. Choosing a daycare has been very stressful. I found that many were full or that they didn’t have the days available that I needed or the hours did not work with our schedule. Then I also found that I myself had reasons that I did not like the facilities. When you are picking a place that it going to be caring for your most precious of packages, you better be sure. It turns out I found one that I liked. I interview with them next week.

Here is my checklist in finding a daycare…

1. Figure out what is most important when choosing a facility. Is it distance, cost, curriculum, # of children? For me I wanted her to be in a smaller more intimate daycare where there was more attention to each child & the same educational values as we have with her at home.

2. Make sure that they are licensed & accredited. You can find this info online by state. Believe me that I stalked each daycare to make sure they were legit.

3. What hours do they operate? Is there a fee if you run behind? I discovered that many of the daycares hours were outside of our needs. With my husband and I’s schedules we would have to juggle a few things to make it work. What I did not realize is that some places will charge you an additional fee for picking up your child even a few minutes late.

4. Do they have a set nap schedule? This is something you should find out ahead of time. Mai is on a nap as she gets tired schedule. Many daycares have a set nap schedule. If you are thinking of putting your munchkin in daycare you might want to start them on a mid-day nap schedule right away to make the adjustment.

5. How many children do they have & how many workers? I opted for a smaller home based daycare. The one I am interviewing with next week only has 4 children at a time.

6. What kind of activities do they do? I was pretty certain that I found a winner when I saw all of the things that this child care professional did with the children. She puts a lot of focus on nature activities, does nature walks, lots of crafts and alphabet & number lessons. When I saw the photos on her site, it looked like things that I would do with Mai.

7. Meet the caretaker in person & check out the facility. This I will do next week. We have spoken several times on the phone.

8. What is the daily menu for meals and snacks? If it is Pop Tarts and Spaghetti Os 5 days a week than it is not for me.

9. Do they have a policy on toilet training. We are still in the process of potty training. We have taken a more natural approach and have been doing it slowly. Some daycares will not accept a child that is still in diapers. Be sure to find this out up front.

10. Don’t be afraid to ask a million questions. If they don’t want to answer then you probably do not want them there anyways.

Thu
30 ^th

10 Reasons That I Wish I Was A Toddler

Posted by Pinparent — 32 Comments

It was a bad night for mommy. The terrible twos have blown through our home like a tornado & have left exhaustion & frustration in its wake. Tonight was especially rough. My daughter had a meltdown that lasted from the moment I came home until I tucked her into her crib. Collapsing on the couch with a beer and a headache got me thinking. What is my little girl so distressed about? Sure she is contending with a lot of young emotions and her little brain is taking in a lot, but all in all, I have to say I think that she has it pretty good. I would not mind being in her shoes for a few days.

Here are 10 reasons that I wish I could be a toddler.

1. I could wear footie pajamas every day. I used to joke with my husband all the time that I wish I could spend all day in footie pajamas like our daughter did. My hubby obliged & last mother’s day I ended up with a pair of these.

2. Chubby belly & thighs are considered cute. If this were only true for me, I would be considered a goddess.

3. Running around naked is acceptable. I am sort of a nudist. If it was socially acceptable, I might never put clothes on.

4. Napping I don’t understand why my daughter fights napping so much . It is wonderful. You don’t realize how much you love a good nap until you can’t take them when you want anymore.

5. You can get away with wearing anything. As adults we are always so self-conscious of our appearance & what other people think of it. I am guessing I could not get away with this mis-matched ensemble that daddy put her in one day.

6. Everything you do is funny, smart & cute. I can’t remember the last time someone oohed & aaahed over me smelling my own feet or farting. It just doesn’t happen.

7. If you pee or poop in your pants it is not embarrassing. Ok, ok, it is not that I do these things, but if I did it would be nice to know that someone would be ready with a pack of water wipes & some powder to wipe my bum down with.

8. When you are mad, you can throw a tantrum. As adults we often have to suppress these feelings which leave us stressed. How wonderful would it be to have a toddler-like tantrum & throw things & pound your fists on the floor? I would like to try this at work tomorrow & see what happens.

9. You can be a slob. How fun would it be to enjoy your food so whole heartedly? I would drop food all over myself & not bat an eyelash. When you make a mess, somewhere is always there to clean it up for you.

10. The world is your playground. One thing that I find so wonderful about my daughter is that everything is so new & exciting to her. Things that we take for granted, fill her with such wide-eyed wonder. I would love to be able to see things again through a child’s eyes.

Thank you as always for stopping by. Please follow us on Facebook as well.

Vacationing With Your Toddler

Posted by Pinparent — 26 Comments

My husband and I love to travel. Before having our daughter, we would plan our next trip before our suitcases were even unpacked from the last. I have a travel bucket list about a mile long. There are so many places that I want to see, people I want to meet & foods that I want to taste. I don’t think I will have the time. We were going up until my 3rd trimester when we took an anniversary trip to Iceland.

When we had Mai, we both agreed that we would continue our travels with our little passenger in tow. We thought it would be a great learning experience for her as well as a great way to create memories & bonds for us as a family.

We just took our first big family vacation last week. Hubby, Mai, Nana & I all took an 8 day cruise to the Bahamas. It is amazing how different vacationing is when you add a 2 year old into the mix.

Packing has changed for sure. I once went to Europe for 17 days with nothing but a duffel bag. Now that duffel bag would barely fit just the diapers alone. P.S. Potty training starts when we get home.

Last call at the end of the night is no longer buying a beer for each hand, it is one of us scrambling to try to find a chocolate milk before bed.

The first night on the ship there was loud music playing a few floors down. Before having kids, we would have been rushing to get ready to see where that music was coming from, instead “Oh my God!, Why is that so loud at…8 o’clock at night.” Oh yes, I am a mother now.

And maybe it is just me but I wanted to punch random strangers in the face almost daily. It was shocking to me, how easily some people walked right through my child as if she was not even there. “Heeeellllo! That is a little 2 year old that you just knocked over.” Yeeeeah, you know who you are.

Meal times are a race against the clock. You are always on the run. Sleeping in is not an option.

It is tiring…

and stressful…

…but it is still fun. Your fun has just been redefined.

Traveling with your little one can be exhausting but also rewarding and fun.

Be prepared for everything. If you think you need it, bring it. Make sure to bring extra clothes, diapers, toys, first aid etc…

Plan ahead. Call & check with your hotels to see what amenities they provide for your little one. Many places have cribs & Pack n plays for guest use. We had a crib set up in our room & it was a life saver.

Stay as close as you can to your bedtime routine. If you read stories before bed, be ready to do that on vacation too. If your child has a favorite animal or a lovee that they sleep with, bring it. If they go to sleep using a music box, it has to come.

Plan kid friendly activities. If you have a feisty toddler who like to run and explore, don’t pick long bus tours or boat rides. If you must, make sure they have toys or books to distract them. You know you child best & know what they can handle.

Dress in layers and always bring a blanket. On a very windy boat ride in the Bahamas. I was relieved that my mother-in-law had packed a blanket away. We wrapped it around Mai’s head & face to protect her from the wind.

Pack plenty of snacks & drinks. My toddler goes from thirsty to meltdown in a matter of minutes. Keep them handy at all times.

Bring hand wipes and wash everyone’s hands frequently. Vacation is never a fun time to get sick but it does happen. Try to prevent with washing up often and make sure to bring medicines in case they are needed.

And if you are fortunate enough as we were, having an extra set of hands always helps too. Thanks Nana!