Testing Boundaries

We've had a rough week.  I was in a sales course that required long hours at the same time Evan decided to show us that the threes can be just as terrible as the twos.

Nighttime routines around here have fallen into the "one more minute" trap.  There's always "one more minute of TV" or "one more minute of pbskids games" or "one more story" or "one more snuggle" or "one more drink" or or or or....ad nauseum!  Unfortunately, even if you gave him every last "one more...." he would fall apart when you finally made him go to bed.  It was hard for me to say "no" to his requests because, honestly, I felt a bit guilty for being so focused on other things.

If only this was the only problem.....because after every nighttime there is....

the Morning.......

Mornings are usually pretty mellow.  I go in a bit later so that I can hang with Evan a bit usually.  He pulls the "one more...." card in the morning too but usually not so often.  He is really clingy in the mornings, though, which means that I have to get his milk, snack, etc even though his nanny is sitting downstairs in the kitchen.  This is fine if I'm not running late but this morning Evan and I had a melt down b/c I was desperately trying to have a shower & he was insistent that I go get his milk.  The situation kept on the same track right up to the time when Evan was blocking the door and screaming "MOOOOMMMMMMYYYYY!  DON'T LEAVE ME!!!!!!!"  I could hear him screaming when I got in the car to leave.

It wasn't pretty!

In my head I know that he is just testing his boundaries with me & I also realize that I'm a good mom and that I give him what he needs.

But my heart breaks every time he cries when I go to work or when he throws himself on the floor because I am soooooo mean!

Why didn't they tell us that motherhood was so damn hard?

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Worst...Mother...Ever!!!

We headed out to Carseland Provincial Park for our last big camping hurrah this weekend.  We were camping with six other families and a boatload of kids so I thought 

"YES! This is the perfect opportunity to get rid of Elmo!"

You see....Elmo has been a thorn in my side for the last year.  I bought an Elmo pinata for Evan's 2nd birthday party but I was afraid to use it for anything other than a decoration because he would be traumatized.  So Elmo has graced our kitchen counter for the entire year (except for a brief stint in Evan's room before Elmo was deemed "too creepy" for a bedroom decoration).  You may have noticed him here, here...basically any picture that showed the kitchen.  I planned to get rid of him once and for all at Evan's birthday party this year but we forgot.

So.....

My new plan included taking Elmo camping so all the kids could pull the strings and get the candy (this is a string pinata instead of a "beat it with a bat" pinata).  Evan seemed okay with the plan.  

I should have known things were going to go badly when the older kids wanted to dismember Elmo....then it was decided that the pinata would go into the fire when we were done (as does most paper garbage).

Yeah so this scene sent Evan in hysterics screaming "I don't WANT Elmo to BURN!!!!!"

Yeah....

WORST

MOTHER

EVER!!!!!

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Not Too "Matchy, Matchy"

We're getting our family pictures taken on Sunday and we scheduled it sort of last minute. So tonight I got to go shopping. Now normally, I love to go shopping. Especially when I can go to the mall without Evan. Tonight, though, not so much. "Why?" you might ask....well, I was shopping with a purpose.....and a deadline. I needed to find shirts for all of us that "go" together but aren't too "matchy, matchy". We thought about the whole jeans with white shirts thing but we have to do the pics indoors b/c of the weather & we will most likely use a white background. Doh!

It would be much easier if I knew what all Will and Nicole have for clothes but I don't. And trying to explain what I'm looking for when even I DON"T KNOW is not a conversation I really want to have with their mother!!!! Thankfully, a trip to our new mega-mall, Cross Iron Mills, did the trick (or at least I hope it did). I have sweaters for Will (brown) and Nicole (dark purple). Dewey (dark green) and I (purple) have sweaters that will work. Now I just have to figure out if Evan has something for us to be done.

Yay!

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WHY GOD MADE MUMS

My friend Jenn sent this to me and it was so cute I thought I would share. Enjoy! Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions: Why did God make mothers? 1. She's the only one who knows where the sticky tape is. 2. Mostly to clean the house. 3. To help us out of there when we were getting born. How did God make mothers? 1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us. 2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring. 3. God made my Mum just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts. What ingredients are mothers made of ? 1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean. 2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think. Why did God give you your mother and not some other Mum? 1. We're related. 2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's Mums like me. What kind of little girl was your Mum? 1. My Mum has always been my Mum and none of that other stuff. 2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy. 3. They say she used to be nice. What did Mum need to know about Dad before she married him? 1. His last name. 2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer? 3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores? Why did your Mum marry your Dad? 1. My Dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mum eats a lot. 2. She got too old to do anything else with him. 3. My Grandma says that Mum didn't have her thinking cap on. Who's the boss at your house? 1. Mum doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because Dad's such an idiot. 2. Mum. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed. 3. I guess Mum is, but only because she has a lot more to do than Dad. What's the difference between Mums & Dads? 1. Mums work at work and work at home and Dads just go to work at work. 2. Mums know how to talk to teachers without scaring them. 3. Dads are taller & stronger, but Mums have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's. 4. Mums have magic, they make you feel better without medicine. What does your Mum do in her spare time? 1. Mothers don't have spare time. 2. To hear her talk, she pays bills all day long. What would it take to make your Mum perfect? 1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery. 2. You know, her hair. I'd die it, maybe blue. If you could change one thing about your Mum, what would it be? 1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that. 2. I'd make my Mum smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me. 3. I would like her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

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More Mommy Weekend Photos & The Moose is Pooping!

Even though I'm getting near my wits end with Dewey being away, Evan and I have had some great moments. One of the highlights that I didn't get a picture of was when he bent down & kissed the sidewalk art that we had all drawn before Dewey left. He kissed the flower & said "Mama drew the flower" and kissed the rainbow and said "Daddy drew the rainbow". I know...Eww he kissed the sidewalk but it was still sweet!

Food has been an issue for me that I didn't really even think about before Dewey left. I cook after I get home every night (our nanny doesn't cook) and I have a hard time getting excited about cooking for myself and a picky toddler. Enter TAKE OUT! Here is Evan eating teryaki chicken noodles from Wok in the Box (not a very good restaurant but they do make decent teryaki chicken noodles). At one point he shouted "Mama the noodles are dancing!"




We also had "Mama McMuffins" (a shameless rip off of Dewey's Daddy McMuffins but I don't care!). Evan actually ate some of it. You just never know with that kid!


On a totally unrelated note....we've been ignoring the whole potty training thing. He doesn't really seem ready and I must admit that I'm more than a little lazy. We did bring a potty in and put it in the first floor bathroom in the hopes that he would be interested. Nope, not at all. Well, until today. I heard him rustling around near the bathroom while I was cooking supper. I walked around the corner in time to see him go in the bathroom with a blanket...hmmmm. He excitedly said "Mama, Moose is pooping!" I said "huh?" because I had no idea what he was talking about...I just hoped the blanket wasn't in the toilet. When I went in the bathroom here's what I saw.




I said "Well maybe we should give him some privacy and let him finish". :)

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Mommy & Evan Saturday!

Dewey has been away since Wednesday & has a few more days left to go. I must admit that I have a shorter temper than I would like when I have Evan by myself. I don't see how single parents do it! He really knows how to push my buttons but he also knows how to turn me into mush. Since it is rare that we have a Saturday without prior commitments & fall is coming fast, I decided to take Evan to Butterfield Acres. This is the last weekend they are open this year except for their annual "pumpkin hunts" in October. We did their Easter "thing" so I don't think we'll be going for a pumpkin. Anyhoo....I invited my friend Beckie & her little boy Teigan along. He and Evan are close to the same age so I hoped he would like it as much as Evan. Unfortunately, they live in South Calgary so it took them a LONG time to get there. Ooops! Oh well, I think they had a good time once they got there! You can see all of our pictures here.

Evan hugging a goat.

The goats are CRAZY! He was shooing them out of the wagons like he shoos the cats at home.

Not a smile to be had when he stuck his head out the peep hole. I think he might be tired of me & my ever present camera!
Evan's whispering "Avoid looking at the camera....it drives her NUTS!"

Pony Ride!

What's more fun that kicking the fence with your friend? Nothing!

Feeding the horses. I kept thinking that he was going to get bitten but he managed to keep all his digits intact.

The bunnies could run but they couldn't hide. Evan crawled under a step to corner this one. Thankfully he was pretty nice to them.

After getting home, Evan was exhausted. All that running around made him need a nap BAD. He actually slept for 2 hours which is amazing since he normally naps for 30 minutes to an hour. After he woke up we headed to the mall. I wanted to do some shopping (with a toddler....yea right!) and Evan had requested fries for dinner. We had a great time looking at stuff & at people. Evan got to get one of his favorite "race car" strollers (it's a huge plastic car that is pretty much impossible to take in any store) and there was a balloon animal lady who made him a monkey. Put that with fries & what more could a kid want????

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