Motherhood Moment: Kid Speak

I love the way kids hear, interpret, and then say things! Here are some of my recent favorites from Andyroo...

1. Hook - He actually means "hood," as in the hood of his sweater. I don't know why, but he calls it his "hook."
2. B'mote - Actually means "remote." The kid can say his letters just fine, but for some reason started calling the Wii remote a "b'mote." It works for us.
3. Old McDonalds - Refers to McDonald's restaurant. If you ask him what Old McDonald's is, he'll tell you it's the place we go to get ice cream with Grandma (thanks, mom!) and then he'll ask to sing the Old MacDonald song.
4. Honkey Donkey - This one is my current favorite and actually means "Donkey Kong." Andyroo wanted to try out our Donkey Kong game and asked Daddy if they could play his "Honkey Donkey" game together.
5. Bakini - Is actually "Zucchini." Each summer we help my mom grow a garden and, of course, we planted Zucchini. The first time he said it, I heard, "Mommy, look at that huge bikini!" Hilarious!

What are some funny things that your kiddos say or have said?

Motherhood Moment: If you give a mom a break...

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook and I thought it was pretty on target with how I feel some days. I'm pretty sure it's made the rounds through email and Facebook, but things like this are always worth a read...

If you give a mom a break, she'll decide it would be nice to read a book.

As she sits down to read her book, she'll remember that she likes to drink hot chocolate while reading.

When she goes to make the hot chocolate, she'll decide to do a quick load of dishes while it heats up.

When the dishes are done, she'll decide that the counters need a quick wipe-down.

As she wipes down the counters, she'l...l find a stack of school papers to fill out.

She'll sit down to fill out the papers, and realize she can't find a pen.

She'll go to the office to get a pen and see the stack of bills to pay.

After she sits down and pays the bills and does the paperwork, she'll set it all on the kitchen counter, and see the dishrag still laying there.

So, she'll take it down to the laundry, where she will decide to throw a load of laundry in.

By the time she comes upstairs to get her book and hot chocolate, the hot chocolate will be cold.

She'll decide to skip the hot chocolate (better for the waistline) and read in a hot bath instead.

So, she'll go to draw the bath and find the tub full of toys. She'll empty it out, and notice it needs to be cleaned.

So, she'll clean up the tub quick, and also the toilet, since the cleaners are all out.

Finally, she'll start to fill the tub with water for her hot bath. Just as she does, her husband and kids will come home. The hot (now cold) chocolate will be consumed by one child, while the other gets in the tub. And, she'll realize that she really needs a break.

Is anyone else guilty of doing this? I know I am!

Also, I wanted to let you know that since it's General Conference weekend, things will probably be pretty quiet around here for a few days. In case you missed it, you can check out the collection of General Conference Activity Pages/Packets that was posted earlier this week.

Have a great weekend!!!

Motherhood Moments - From the Mouth of Babes

Andyroo's favorite thing to say is, "Why?" To everything I say. If you have a preschooler, you know what I mean. I humored him for a while and would come up with (mostly) intelligent answers to his constant whys. After a while, especially when he was asking why he couldn't run into the road or why he had to eat his dinner, I started answering with, "Because I said so!"

Any when he asked why to that answer, I said, "Because I'm the mom!"

But not even that appeased the kid. "Why are you the mom?"

My smart reply? "Because that's how Heavenly Father made it!"

Finally, an answer he couldn't (and didn't) argue with. My mom heard our back and forth one day and got quite the kick out of my reply.

Anyway, I told you all of that to tell you about another conversation I had with Andyroo the other day. He and I were getting ready to leave the house and I was taking longer than he would have liked. Of course when I'm ready to go, he wants to take his time but when I need a few extra minutes he's raring to go.

Andyroo was standing at the door leading up the stairs to go out of the house.

Me: "Andyroo, don't open the door yet. You need to wait for me."
A: "But I want to!"
Me: "I know, but Mommy needs a few extra minutes. Please wait for me."
A (getting louder): "But I said I want to go upstairs!"
Me: "I know. And I told you to wait."
A: "Whyyyyyyy?"
Me: "Because I need a minute. Please wait!" (I was getting a little aggravated at this point)
A: "Don't tell me no, mom! I said yes and I'm Andyroo." ("Don't tell me no" - also something else I tell him)
Me: "Excuse me? I'm the Mom, I said no. Now please wait!"
A: "But I'm the Andyroo and Heavenly Father made it that way too."

You can't argue with that, can ya?

Motherhood Moment - Baby Hungry

We spent the day playing with some neighbors. Andyroo loved it - the little kiddie pool, a sprinkler under the trampoline, lunch, and a dance party. I loved it too. Let's face it, I spend most of my days in my nice, cool basement. It was great to get out and talk with other moms. One of the moms just had a baby about 2 weeks ago and one is about 20 or so weeks pregnant. Which is great, really. I'm so incredibly happy for them!

But I'm not pregnant.

And I so desperately want another one of these...

Don't you love how I was still taking pictures even though he was crying?!

A crying, screaming, colicky, pooping, eating machine.

I was fine admiring the baby from afar. I can ooh and aah just fine from 5 feet away. I didn't need to get close enough to smell that sweet new baby smell. Or to feel those tiny little fingers wrap around mine.

But my plan didn't go so well. About 5 minutes after we went out to play, she (our neighbor) needed to put the baby down and my arms were available. And it was all downhill from there. Anyone who's ever wanted a baby knows what I'm talking about. Add that to the fact that Andyroo was in the love with the baby and it was so sweet seeing him be so gentle with the baby and hold the baby in his lap.

It's not that I need to convince my husband we need another. He's been ready for more kiddos (he especially wants a little girl) for more than a year now. It's that we need more money. Sure, we could probably scrape by month to month. We could stay in this tiny little basement apartment and we could do without a lot of things. But I just can't bring myself to subject us to that. Maybe that sounds a little selfish? I hope not - that's not the way I mean it to sound. But soon after we leave the hospital, those doctor bills are going to start arriving - and the insurance we have is NOT that great. And I don't want add more bills that we can't afford.

But the good news is - we might not have to wait much longer. Hubby's almost done with the mentoring packet (by the end of this week, hopefully!)  at work and then he will be on the 0-6 month list for a promotion (he's waiting to be promoted to a restaurant manager). And THEN, we just have to wait for a position to open. I'm not holding my breath, though. We've been waiting for about 3 years now.

So there's a light at the end of the tunnel! But for now I just have to keep reminding myself of all the reasons we don't need one of those little poop machines. I just got Andyroo potty trained - which means no diapers! No 2am feedings. No extra bills. No car seat to lug around. Yeah, I'm really reaching for reasons here. Can you tell?

Anyone else out there have to wait to start/continue their family? What do you do to get through those longings?

Motherhood Moment - Bladder Control

As I said in my last Motherhood Moment, I've got a yucky cough/cold. And for those of you who have had children, you know what that means.

Yup. If I cough (or laugh, for that matter) too hard, I leak a little. And I LOVE to laugh. Just ask Heather. In that case - Flash Flood Warning!!

Just about every single mom friend that I have has admitted that the same thing happens to them, so don't pretend to deny it. No amount of kegels are going to fully resolve the situation.

I think I might need to invest in some of these...

The things we have to endure to bring our children into this world.

Motherhood Moment - Give up the Guilt

This morning, Andyroo and I both woke up with a pretty yucky cough. Luckily, Andyroo's hasn't been too bad, but mine has gotten progressively worse throughout the day. Every time I cough, my head starts to hurt a little bit more, my throat gets a little more raw, and I lose another ounce or two of energy. Sneezing also makes my head hurt and I have a slightly runny nose. You know how it is to have a cold.

Today was grocery shopping day. Most people could put it off for another day or two, but since I go with my mom every week, and since I'd already put groceries off one day to spend time with Hubby's family, I had to go today. That meant I had to shower and make myself look presentable. *Sigh* Finally, after spending the day lounging around, I managed to find a bit of energy to do just that.

After grocery shopping, I was exhausted. I made Andyroo dinner (leftover mac and cheese and some microwaved chicken nuggets), put groceries away, and threw together a quick tatertot casserole for my dinner. Then I had to coax Andyroo to eat his dinner - he's the SLOWEST eater ever (almost an hour to finish his dinner)!! Then it was finally bedtime - gotta wrangle the boy to get jammies on, go potty, read a couple of stories, sing some wiggle songs, convince him to try laying still, and then sing some quiet time songs. Phew.

Shutting Andyroo's door as I left his room was the most wonderful feeling. Hubby was still at work, I turned on some Friends, sat down with the computer, and enjoyed my alone time.

Yes, I should have picked up the days worth of toys strewn across the floor. I should have done the dishes that are sitting in the sink. After all, we've been in and out of town over the last week and some of them are from Saturday. Yuck. (Don't judge me, please?) I could have unpacked some of the bags from out trip to Idaho Falls. I could have read some of the newspapers that are piling up on the table. I could have started some laundry. You get the point. As a mother and wife, there are a million things I could have done instead of watching Friends and sitting down in front of my computer. But I feel like crap. I need the down time. I don't have the energy to do anything else.

And you know what? I don't feel guilty for letting some of the housework go for another night. I'll catch up on everything tomorrow when I (hopefully) have more energy.

Don't let yourself get caught up in all the things around the house that need to be done. Take some time to relax, unwind, and enjoy something that makes you happy. Let go of the guilt about the toys and the dishes and the laundry. They'll be there another time.

Motherhood Moment - Potty Training!

Andyroo and I went to Daddy's work today to eat lunch with him. They've got a new panini lunch combo that hubby's been raving about and begging me to try. No big deal. Andyroo went potty twice during lunch (curse you small bladders) but lunch was pretty uneventful.

As we were walking out, Andyroo and I were headed out the door as Hubs was headed back to work. Andyroo practically yells to Daddy (who was a mere eight feet away), "Daddy, you got peepees coming?"

The hostess, who knows who we are, looks up from her computer with this shocked look on her face. I quickly shushed Andyroo and said to the hostess, "Sorry, he's potty training. He's obsessed with asking people if they need to go potty too."

Yup, that's my little potty trainer!

What's your most embarrassing potty training moment?