Things I've Learned from a Big Girl Bed

So it's been a few weeks since Maiby started using her Big Girl Bed, and I have learned several things (I was thinking about this in the shower this morning, so I might not remember them all - that was a LONG time ago!).

-- It is possible for her to be happy all day without a nap.

-- Sometimes a nap in front of the door is better than no nap.

-- Maiby can take off her pj's herself and pick out her clothes before we come in her room.

-- She still needs help making the bed.

-- Her binky and bear are on the shelf before she picks out clothes - it's probably step 2 of her morning routine, after turning on the light.

-- Two weeks of not taking a nap takes it's toll on a little girl - she fell asleep in the car on the way home from church today and stayed asleep until we got in the house (she has not done that in well over a year!!)

-- There is hope that she will sleep in the car when we drive to Michigan WOOHOO!!

-- She just wasn't ready for a big girl bed when we tried before.

-- She loves the freedom.

-- We no longer need an alarm clock - she is up by 630 EVERY morning. And on days when we get up at 6, she's up & at 'em then, too.

--If I change my reading time to her quiet time, I can still read the scriptures every day; but remembering to do so is a problem again, since it's not first-thing.

How Do You Decide?

What makes you decide when you need to take your kid(s) in to see the doctor? Maiby wasn't feeling well at the end of last week, and I think she's a lot better, with just a small lingering cough now and then throughout the day - basically I don't think we need to worry about it. BUT other people are telling me that I should take her in. She never had a fever higher than 99, is still pretty happy all day even without naps, and snot is no longer running out of her nose constantly. Would you take her in? What is the criteria you use to decide?

Minor Disaster

Maiby and I went to visit my mom this weekend, since James had his Army stuff and I wasn't in charge of primary, even though she wasn't feeling too great since the middle of last week. She actually slept in the car on both drives, which hasn't happened in about a year, so things weren't too bad. Until she woke up on the way home, with about 30 minutes to go and decided that her new favorite phrase ("No, Mommy, no!") and screaming were the only acceptable options.

So we got home and went grocery shopping and then went to pick Daddy up from school, but he was staying late. And the second he told me that, I started crying. I'm blaming it on the hormones, but it wasn't very fun. I had been looking forward to seeing him and having some help with our recovering girl, but the two of us went home.

Before we went shopping, I had made some Crystal Light-type punch and it was sitting on the shelf in the fridge. When I was putting away the groceries, there wasn't enough room on the bottom shelf to put in the milk in the right spot after shopping, so I used the milk jug to push the butter over just an inch or two, and then...

red liquid EVERYWHERE!!

2 quarts (minus 1 1/2 glasses) makes quite the mess. It took 2 full-size towels and several paper towels to clean up the mess. I had been hoping that I wouldn't have to clean the fridge until just before we moved, but it's done! So I guess I can check that off the list, at least until May.

Luckily, as I looked at the red mess, I remembered a talk I heard year's ago at women's conference - there is a fine line between laughing and crying, and luckily I chose to laugh (but only in my head, because I still wasn't super happy). But it helped enough to put away the nagging thought of eating out that night.

Q & A's

So I have been trying to think of some things to blog about; there are always different ideas in my head that I think about putting down on here, but I am way too forgetful to get even half of them on here. So here's a series of questions if you are interested in knowing a little bit more about me...

1. What is my occupation right now? Mommy!

2. What color are your socks right now? A beautiful shade of Invisible

3. What are you listening to right now? Music coming from outside, The Net starring Sandra Bullock, and my dad's tv in the other room

4. What was the last thing you ate? A small slice of white cake

5. Can you drive a stick? Heck yes, thanks to my husband's teaching ability

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My husband

7. How old are you today? 27

8. What is your favorite sport to watch on tv? Figure skating

9. What is your favorite drink? Strawberry milk, Dr Pepper, raspberry-flavored Crystal Light

10. Have you ever dyed your hair? Once or twice - I have tried almost every shade of red and orange available at Walmart, as well as bleaching a few times

11. Favorite food? Cake dough; McDonald's; tacos

12. What is the last movie you watched? St Trinian's (very weird), unless you want to count The Net (but I am only half paying attention)

13. Favorite day of the year? April 25th - because it's not too hot, not too cold; all you need is a light jacket!

14. How do you vent anger? Clench my fists, cry, talk it out with someone - depends on the situation and the day

15. What was your favorite toy as a child? Barbie & GI Joe

16. Favorite season? Not winter

17. Cherries or blueberries? Cherries

18. Living arrangements? Townhouse

19. When was the last time you cried? Not long ago, and over something silly

20. What is on the floor of your closet? Boxes, boxes, and more boxes, and a large green tote

21. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Carl

22. What did you do last night? Stayed up too late doing nothing with my sister

23. What are you most afraid of? Disappointing James

24. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Cheese (BBQ sauce can't hurt, either!)

25. Favorite dog breed? The kind I don't have to own

26. Favorite day of the week? Depends on the week

27. How many states have you lived in? Five

28. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds

29. Favorite flower? Gerbera daisy

30. Favorite song of all time? unsure - that is really tough to answer; it's probably country, though

31. Favorite book? Pride & Prejudice

32. Favorite color? Orange!

33. Favorite TV show? CSI

34. Name one thing on your bucket list? Drive an original hummer

35. Goal for 2010? Have a smooth move and settle in quickly

36. Favorite store to shop? Kohl's, Target, Walmart, Aeropostale


How about you?

My New BFF (for now)

I'm told to lay on my side, something about 'it's good for the baby' - but what about the pain in my belly?! It is so uncomfortable to sleep on my side because it needs support as it grows and grows without an end in sight.

And then the genius inside my head spoke up and said "Take Maiby's pillow!" Good idea, genius, because it is EXACTLY what I need. A regular pillow is too much, but this dolly pillow is perfection, and I am now sleeping much better.

Don't worry; Maiby doesn't know I took it, and she has another one that's identical, so everyone wins!

Big Girl & Valentine Cookies

We made pink sugar cookies yesterday to take to some neighbors, and we let Maiby decorate three with a little pile of frosting. She did pretty well, and then enjoyed them.

And she is now using a big girl bed! This is night #2...so it's still inconclusive. But her naps have been non-existent since earlier this week, so hopefully she gets used to it soon.

We got the bed from my aunt when she had a yard sale, and it came with a sheet set and a blanket, which you can tell she absolutely loves:

Cereal

Don't forget - it's the cereal sale at Rosauer's! More than 14 different kinds, all for 1.69!!

Paper Snowmen

Three days a week I watch Maiby's friend while her parents are in class. The other day we decided to do a craft project:

I'm not sure if it was the same day or not, but I was sitting by James on the couch the other day and he said, "Oh, cool!" So I looked over to see what he was talking about, and he was happy that the backrest for one of Maiby's toys fit just right:

Never a dull moment around here, huh?

Nothing Much to Tell

Well we've had a lot of home time this past week; Maiby was a little sick starting on Friday, but is finally back to her usual happy self (hallelujah!).

I've just been packing boxes, sewing, and reading. I can't believe how slow-going Vanity Fair is - I've been reading it for a week and just hit the 100-page mark earlier today. Which leaves me about 600 more!! At least it's a good book, and Thackeray is a pretty entertaining author.

So that's the news on our home front.