Dear Terrible Twos

Dear Terrible Twos,

You just started rearing your ugly self, and I have to say, I don't care for the likes of you.  You are turning my sweet, lovable daughter into an evil monster.

You are causing her to (ever so gently and slowly, because she is still a lady) throw herself onto the floor, to kick her legs and feet, and to cry over nothing.  Why are you doing this to our once peaceful and calm family?  I had a good gig going here until you came along.

Terrible Twos, you are causing me so much grief!  Because of you, I dread taking my, once kind natured,  daughter into public, which means I have to rearrange my life around my husband's work schedule.  After school, my son's very first question of What's for dinner? has been replaced with What kind of mood is she in?  As you can see, your presence is not only affecting my daughter, but the rest of us as well.

So I'm begging you to show yourself the door, to find another family to disrupt.  Please....?

Sincerely,
A Worn Out Mama

It's Derby TIme!

Today was Martin's very first (of many) Pinewood Derby races.

Here's the process:

 My dad is a machinist, Brian is a BSA Executive, my step-brother is an engineer, and my son is a 1st grader.

All of which had advice for the design and structure of Martin's car.

Next comes the paint job.

 The finished product.

 Can you find Martin's car?

Now that's racin'!!

Little Bookworms

Helen's First Haircut

Helen has the finest, scraggly hair of any little girl I know.

I really hope this is just baby hair and it will thicken over time.

Her hair grows in chunks and in random spots.

I dream of putting little bows and ponytails in her hair, but there aren't rubber bands small enough to hold her soft, fine hair.  All I can do is comb it down.

I didn't want to cut it, after all, it has taken almost two years to get to where it is now.

But I was worried people might think I was allowing my daughter to sport a mullet.

So I got out the scissors and hoped for the best.

It's obvious I'm not a hairstylist and it's not perfect, but I think she looks adorable.

(she hates the flash)

Now I can just sit back and watch it grow into long, luscious, brunette locks.

Congratulations, Brian!

Today Brian was awarded the Bronze Pelican!

"This award recognizes individuals with exceptional service to the Scouting Program by their contributions to the spiritual development of Catholic youth."

 Brian receiving his award from Bishop Campbell.

In his glory.

In my opinion:  It's kind of a big deal.

I [heart] Hand Me Downs

Other people might turn up their noses at Hand Me Downs; as though new clothes and toys are a must for fast growing, hardcore playing kids.  Not me.  I love and am grateful for such generosity.  My family isn't rich, nor is my family poor.  We are practical and frugal, which is a big reason why we are able to survive on one income.  We have friends who have older children and are ready to pass on clothes and toys to our younger kids.  Why would I say no?  They feel blessed to be able to pass on some great items and I feel blessed they think of our family. 

Martin grows at an incredibly fast rate and is very much a boy who loves to play in the dirt and the mud.  Helen is the complete opposite.  She is small and grows much slower.  She is very dainty and panics when she gets dirty.  I'm sure most kids fall into one of those categories, and knowing what I know about kids and the cost of their clothes, it seems silly to fork out ridiculous amounts of money for clothes they will out grow before they wear out.  Don't get me wrong, they do get new things, but only if there is a sale, or I have a discount or coupon, or I buy off the clearance rack for the next year.  I've only paid full price for one thing and that was my bouquet of roses on my wedding day.

So when our unseasonably warm January weather started to dip into the 40s, I took it as a sign to start going through the kids' clothes to weed out the Too Smalls and the Too Worn Outs.  When I was looking at coats and boots it had occurred to me, this was the first year we needed to buy Martin a winter coat.  He had out grown all the rest, which were gifts or passed down from an older friend.  I felt so lucky to think he had a nice warm coat given to him for almost the past three years.  What a blessing! 

Then I started looking through Helen's things.  She has one of the best wardrobes of any little girl I know.  She has more shoes then our entire family combined, most of which belonged to someone else, which were only worn once or twice before they needed to be passed down.  Helen will be two years old in April and I can count on one hand how many times I needed to buy her something new.  As I was going through her 12 and 18 months things, I realized she was close to needing 24 month clothes.  She only had a few outfits, most of which where more for spring or summer.  I wasn't upset I needed to buy her some winter clothes.  I would rather shop for clothes for my kids than myself.  Actually, I thought:  "Not bad, almost two years without really having to buy much." 

We had company visit us over the long weekend, and before they came my friend called to ask if Helen was in need to 24 month, 2T, and 3T clothes.  Yes!  My friend didn't need these clothes anymore but instead needed more storage space.  And can you believe she brought me 2 huge tubs full of clothes for all seasons.  I am not kidding when I say Helen is set with clothes and shoes until she is 4 years old.  (Thanks again, Mandy!)

I don't think it's charity or embarrassing to accept other people's kindness.  They want to see their kid's favorite clothes put into good use.  I know I would.  When we feel our family is complete, I can't wait to give someone else tubs and tubs of clothes for their kids.  This kindness has saved me money and there is no better feeling for me than to save someone else some money. 

I Just Couldn't Do It

"You're so lucky to be home with your kids."

"I wish I were rich, so I could stay home with my kids."

This is the kind of stuff I hear all. of. the. time.  Please, let me reassure you:  being lucky and having money have nothing to do with staying home and raising your family.  It's quite the opposite, really.  Everyday isn't filled with lunch with the girls, trips to the zoo, hanging out poolside, or going shopping.  There are days when things like that do happen, but it's a rarity (because those things cost money).  My days are filled with cleaning, laundry, vacuuming, grocery shopping, meal planning, homework, poopy diapers, scouts, cooking, baths, reading the same books over and over and over......  And many days I wonder:  Is it really worth the sacrifice?

People try to plan out every aspect of their lives.  I had no desire to get married or have kids.  But here I am, and I love my family very much.  Brian & I weren't expecting to have a baby right after we brought Martin home.  But we did, and we can't imagine life without her and someday we hope to add more brothers and sisters for Martin & Helen.  We weren't expecting to sell our house at a loss (and I don't mean a loss on paper, I mean a big loss out of our, at one time, glorious savings account).  But we did, and thankfully we had the money and now my husband only commutes five minutes to work rather than one hour.  And my son gets to attend, in my opinion, one of the best Catholic Schools in the state of Ohio.  Every time I hit a bump in my Master Plan, I get uptight and uneasy, and  I starting looking for a quick fix.  

So when I'm home, in the house, days on end, my mind starts wondering.  I start focusing on things like our checkbook, our very small savings account, our crappy health insurance, how it's hard to make friends when you move someplace new, how I feel like I've lost my Sense of Self because everything I do revolves around someone else, or how maybe I should just go back to work.  Because if I go back to work, all of our "problems" would magically disappear. 

So I did it.  I started looking for a job.  Within a matter of hours, I had a couple of great job opportunities.  One of which, I would love to have.  The job was great with a huge change of major advancement, and it was with a great company, and I would have made a nice salary.  I could gain back my Sense of Self, something I am always reminding myself that I do have - especially when I change a particularly disgusting diaper and I'm washing poop out from underneath my fingernails (come on, you know what I'm talking about).  "For God's Sake, Andrea.  You have a bachelors degree.  Your college internship was on Wall Street.  What are you doing?"

Plenty of families have double income parents, and they make it look so easy.  Especially when they are driving their nice cars, living in their big houses, and watching their flat screen televisions.  These material things aren't important to me, but I like the idea of living a comfortable lifestyle.  By comfortable, I mean not having to make every dollar stretch, constantly living within a tight budget, only going some place if I have a coupon, having a low deductible health insurance plan, or worrying about how we're going to pay for next year's tuition.  So I was sold.  I was going back to work.

Martin is in school until 3pm, and his school offers a great After School Program until 6pm.  He has been begging to go to there since his second day of school.  A lot of his friends are there and he is a very independent first grader.  As a matter of fact, he just informed me he has whiskers and he needs to start shaving.  He doesn't really, but you get the idea.  Helen, on the other hand, would need care all day.  So I started looking around and found a great day care center.  I called to get more information......

While the woman on the other line was very nice, I just couldn't do it.  I could not justify spending more in two months for day care than one full year of private school.  Basically, I would be working to pay someone else to raise my kids.  We wouldn't be getting ahead at all.  It would cost our family more money for me to go back to work.  And it wasn't just the money that freaked me out.  It was the thought of someone I don't know feeding Helen her lunch and laying her down in a strange place for a nap that killed me.  I literally had a panic attack.  Then the 'What Ifs' started in....

What if someone gets sick?
What if someone gets hurt?

What if there's a snow day?

And I just couldn't do it.  I could not bring myself to do it. 

I am thankful for the working moms.  They are the nurses, doctors, teachers, day care employees, bankers, the food service providers.  They are the ones who make my life more convenient.  They are the strong ones.  I am a weak person.  I would rather have the stress of accounting for every dollar then shuffling kids from here to there constantly worrying if they are ok.  If one of them has a fever, I want to be the one taking care of them - not some stranger.  While I know good day care providers and babysitters generally care about the kids they take care of, they don't love them like a mom.  I realized this is my Sense of Self.  My job is to take care of my family, no matter how mundane some days seem.

I have no idea how to balance raising a family and having a career.  I really don't.  I see a lot of moms and dads doing it.  And sometimes I do get a little envious of the trips they get to take, their latest big purchase, or their padded bank accounts.  But, right now, that stuff isn't important to me. Besides, in the words of my dad:

"You have nothing better to do right now than raise you kids."

And (once again) he's right.

*Editorial Note:  For those who know us, your initial thought on Brian's reaction is probably correct.  Let's just say, things are much more calm around here.

Blog Give A Way!

Go check out Mozart's Music!

While you're there, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of 

Amadeus!

Monster Trucks!

If you know my family, or if you have read this blog long enough, then you know the Boy Scouts are a big deal around here.  Martin loves being involved and it also happens to be our livelihood.  

October ended the Boy Scouts big popcorn sale.  Martin did very well selling over $1450!  (Thanks again everyone!)  The Top Ten Sellers always get to do something cool.  Last year, they had box seats during a Columbus Blue Jackets hockey game.  This year, the boys had Pit Passes and great seats to a Monster Truck Show.  

Although Martin was not a Top Seller, his dad does work for the organization.  This sometimes means an extra perk or two when it comes to All Things Boy.  Since there happened to be two extra tickets, Brian & Martin were able to watch their first ever Monster Truck Show.

 (pictures by: Martin Logue)

I'm not sure of the entire story (because apparently what happens at a Monster Truck Show stays at a Monster Truck Show), but Brian's face ended up on the giant t.v. winning him $50 in Taco Bell gift certificates.  Thankfully, he gave them away to other Scouts.  I mean, really?  Is it possible to eat $50 in tacos from Taco Bell? 

Wordless Wednesday

2011 - A Year End Review

Here are my Top Ten Favorite Blog Posts from 2011.

#10.  I know I've said it a million times, but this year has been a noticeable year in how fast my kids grew up.  Just looking at this post proves it. 

#9.  Anyone knows selling a house is a huge ordeal.  After the dog-and-pony-show that was the sale of our house, the kids and I were able to spend three relaxing weeks at my parents house while we waited to move into our new place.  We had a great time. 

#8.  This was a big year for Martin.  His love of school was obvious after his first week.    

#7.  This one has two blog posts rolled into number seven.  I'm cheating a bit.  Looking back over this year, I didn't realize how much we actually traveled.  It's amazing how much we can pack into one year.  Whether it was heading to Kentucky for a long anticipated wedding, or driving north to welcome a new baby, or taking the train east to watch a dear friend ordained a priest, we had a wonderful time and we made some great family memories.  

#6.  Birthdays are always memorable.   So, of course, I must include Martin's fifth birthday and Helen's first birthday.  (I know.  I cheated again.  Its hard to choose only ten favorites!)

#5.  Leaving the kids behind with Brian, and reliving my youth was one of my favorite nights of 2011 (and quite possibly one of the most fun).  

#4.  Martin's first Boy Scout event was a proud moment for me.  

#3.  I love music, especially anything blues.  And I'm glad Helen used that as an outlet.

#2.  This post speaks volumes about our family.  If you know us, than I know you will agree.

#1.  Enough said.

With that, I will end this post with a crude shot of us on New Year's Eve:

Tobogganing in up North with some good friends who just moved to Cleveland.

Here's to looking forward to 2012!