Mamalympics

I've had a running post in my head for a few months now about crazy olympic feats that moms attempt and should get a medal for on a daily basis.  Every event I would organize would be timed, like the obvious fastest time to change a messy diaper with the fewest wipes, or fastest time to buckle screaming children into their car seats.  Or maybe, fastest time to get all the items on the grocery list with at least two children in the buggy.  I thought I was being creative, but I've clearly not put as much thought into it as the writers of these posts.  Only, I like the name "mamalympics" better.  Check 'em out for a good chuckle:
At the Mom Olympics
Welcome to the 2010 Mom Olympics
The Mom Olympics

It Had To Be Done

I debated, got other opinions, tried to avoid it, but it had to be done.  Please forgive me.

Now that it's done, I almost regret it.  But I have to remind myself of the snot-matted mess that was stuck to her nose every time she woke up.  It was really nasty.  It worked for awhile to put it up in the top knot, but she discovered it recently and hadn't stopped pulling out the pony tail holders.  I pulled three of them out of her mouth this morning and that was what sealed the deal for me.  Major choke hazard and all.  I'm surprised it took her this long to find them on top of her head.  Lest she pull one out on the way to the salon, I used barrettes for the car ride.

Hmm...pointy metal triangles...that's safer than cotton elastics.  This is also a good perspective shot to remind me that it really did need to be done.  She was great during the cut, didn't fuss at all and actually stayed pretty still.  It gives me hope for maintaining it myself.  

I don't know if there was a language barrier with the stylist or not, but it ended up a LOT shorter than I had hoped.  I know it will grow out fast, so I'm trying to be relaxed about it.  I originally combed through C's hair in the back as I described how I wanted to keep the length in the back and sides and just take care of the mass at the front.  She asked if I wanted to make bangs and I said yes.  Somehow she ended up working her way all the way around.  I kept saying, "That looks good.  I think that will be nice."  or "There we go, now we can see you."  I guess I wasn't explicit enough.  And once she took a whack at the back, we kind of had to even it out.  Not many one-year-olds running around with the wedge 'do these days.  Just don't be too shocked the next time you see our sweet "hair-do," which has been one of her nicknames.

Big sis got in on the action, too.  She was actually a little more of a squirt in the chair than C.  

We just trimmed up her bangs and evened out the back.  Nothing drastic.  But she would love if you noticed the next time you see her.  

Enough trauma for today.  Gotta save some sentiment for tomorrow.

Don't Freak Out!

I'm saying this for myself and for the grandmas in the room.  Well, my children's grandmas anyway.  We recently learned that A has to have minor outpatient surgery on her thumbs.  Don't freak out!

She came to us several months ago crying that her thumb was "stuck."  I can't remember which one it was, but we realized that both her thumbs seemed double-jointed and would stick in a bent position and then she would have to push really hard to pop them straight again.  J had to help her straighten them a few times and she would complain that it hurt a little, but eventually she stopped complaining of any pain.  We didn't think it warranted its own doctor's visit, so I waited until we had to go for an ear infection to ask her pediatrician to look at her thumbs.  He referred us to a plastic surgeon who specializes in hands and we finally had our appointment last week.

The diagnosis is congenital trigger thumb.  Be careful if you try to google it, because most of the links have photos or videos of the surgery.  It's supposed to be a very simple surgery to correct and the doc felt like it was a good time to find it and correct it.  Left untreated, the joints could freeze up sort of like a rusty hinge.  She would lose range of motion and it could become more painful.  It will be a small incision at the base of each thumb to release the tendon that is catching inside.  My head swims just typing that.  Most of what I read online from parents is that it is harder for the grown-ups to watch their kids go through than it is on the kids.  I can relate to that.  Anyway, outpatient surgery, general anesthesia so she will be immobile since the site is so tiny and precise.  We scheduled it for March 22nd.  He said there was very little risk with the surgery, but the main thing to watch out for was infection of the incision site.  Recovery is very simple; dissolvable stitches and a gauze bandage at the base of her thumbs.

The doctor said that we didn't need to worry about her sucking her thumb since the incision would be well below what she puts in her mouth.  He also said it was in no way caused by her thumb-sucking. This was obvious to me when he pointed out that both thumbs are affected and her right thumb is actually more severe (she sucks her left).  I thought it might be a good opportunity to pull the plug on thumb-sucking, but J vetoed that in favor of minimizing the ordeal of surgery.  We'll keep our original goal of birthday #4 for thumb-quitting.

So, there you have it.  Don't freak out!  I keep telling myself that, but it's still surgery on my baby.  Uncharted waters.  A bit nerve-wracking.  I know she'll be fine, but I'll definitely feel better about it this time next month.

Snow Day

It's snowed three times since we've lived here...what kind of craziness is that?!  This time there was actually some accumulation so I made sure we all went out to play in it.  

Mommy lesson that I didn't know I needed, but now I know -- if you take half an hour to put two pairs of pants and two pairs of socks, shoes, jackets, hats and mittens on your children, you will reap an emergency trip to the bathroom for one and a stinky diaper from the other within minutes of walking out the door, no matter how emphatically you beg for a bathroom trip before bundling up.   Once we were all comfortable again, I'm afraid this is all we could muster:

To give you a little perspective, I had A strike a pose with her first snowman.  So pathetic it's almost cute.  

We threw a few snowballs, but eventually she declared that she didn't like that. I convinced her to make a snow angel:

After viewing the results, she said "Hmm, that's not what I thought it would be." I think we've been watching too much Caillou (he lives in Canada and does lots of cool things in the snow).  C wasn't really thrilled with the snow either.

We lasted about thirty minutes and then came in for hot chocolate.  Snow is beautiful, peaceful, wondrous.  I think it's great to watch from my kitchen window with a mug of hot chocolate in my hands.  But I'm really glad I live in Texas and that it will be in the 60's tomorrow.  Please remind me of this when I'm whining about the oppressive heat this summer.  (Offer good for one reminder per reader per summer.)

Encouraging Tomatoes

I have drawn much parenting encouragement from a website I stumbled upon recently, www.raisinggodlytomatoes.com. I think I was searching for an "if-then chart," which she doesn't have on her site and doesn't advocate. I have to admit that several of her positions are directly opposite of the parenting advice I have heard in the last three years. But I find it so practical and helpful. I was needing a few new tools in my parenting toolbox, and this site reminded me of some that I wasn't putting into full use. As with all parenting books/sites/forums, glean what is useful for your family and don't let anything replace the ultimate truth of God's word. If her tips work for you, great! If not, don't take it as a commentary on your parenting performance. For my children's personalities/temperaments, her counsel is very helpful. Be warned! You could be lured into hours of browsing, as I think most of her book must be published on the website.

Goin' Natural

Count me in! I'm joining the shampoo-free bandwagon! Well, I'm giving it a good try, anyway. I'm not saying that I'm a die-hard believer yet, so let's just call it an extended experiment. I started with simplemom's recipe for one tablespoon of baking soda in one cup of water for shampoo, and one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in one cup of water for conditioner. (J asked if I was going to go around smelling like feet because of the vinegar, but I made him do a sniff test after the first rinse and he said there was no smell at all.)

I use a lot of product in my hair because it is naturally curly, so I was skeptical that baking soda would wash out all the mousse, hairspray, anti-frizz goop, etc. But I actually got a clean squeak! That hasn't happened in a long time because of the super soft water here. I always felt like I couldn't get all the shampoo out of my hair, but it rinses quite clean now. Ditto with the cider vinegar conditioner. I didn't believe it would actually untangle my nest of frizz, but I can comb my fingers through my hair after using it. Who knew?!

I bought some 97-cent clear ketchup bottles out of the kitchen section at WalMart to use as my experiment beakers. They work great because they have a wide mouth for filling, but a narrow squeeze nozzle for applying. They also have a little attached lid, so I don't have to worry about spills or extra shower water going in. And since they're clear, I can tell how much I have left. FYI, for my mane, I think the one cup of solution will last about three washes.

So how does my hair look? I don't think anyone could visually tell a difference. I honestly think it feels a little dry, leaning towards the straw effect. I've always been heavy on the conditioner, though, using it in the shower and then a leave-in conditioner as part of the product regimen. Simplemom warns that there is a transition period, so I'm trying to be patient and see if my scalp starts to compensate. She also says to tweak the formula to your own hair type, so maybe I need to tinker with the amount of baking soda or try honey as a conditioner and see if that helps. I can't tell a difference at all in the way my hair styles. Of course, how hard can it be to style a ponytail?

By far my biggest complaint about the new system is that the mixtures are freezing cold when I go to use them. Since it's basically just water, it stays room temp. In the winter, that's about 68 degrees at our house. So, I'm in a nice hot shower, then have to douse my head with freezing cold water to wash it. Brrr! I have found that if I put the bottles on the floor of the shower and let the water run over them for a while, they warm up a smidge. Still takes some getting used to. The new routine also takes a little longer than regular shampoo, too. Come to think of it, if I used a trigger spray bottle, both of these problems might be alleviated. A finer mist wouldn't be so cold and it might go faster, too. Might also use less. So much to think about.

I would love to say that I'm intrinsically motivated by the green-ness of this idea, but to be honest I'm still putting plenty of chemicals on my head to produce reasonably tame curls. I can't imagine that the natural potions will allow me to do away with mousse and hairspray any time soon. I'm sure it's healthier for my hair to eliminate as many chemicals as possible, and I'm always a fan of the simplest solution for any problem. Bottom line is that I'm a cheapskate and far more motivated by the savings. I think I also find it quite empowering to know that I have options beyond what is being marketed to me, to know that I have investigated my options and made an informed decision. If only I felt the same way about politics.

Stay tuned for more adventures in going natural, as I'm also trying the clean-your-face-with-oil razzmatazz!

For Valentine's

My true love gave to me....a cold! He came home Wednesday with it and spent most of Thursday and Friday in bed. Then I admitted I was sick on Saturday and he perked up enough to tag team with me for parenting duties. He's got more energy now, but still all stuffed up. I'm running on fumes and hoping this will pass through the house without affecting the girls.

In his defense, he did let me sleep in on Sunday morning, then brought me breakfast in bed. That's a great Valentine's Day gift! Next year I'll take it without the cold, please.