Tag Archives: parenting

some things worth sharing

Posted in let me let me update ya by

for viewing:
egg nog fingerswhat do you like to dip your chips in? egg nog??

conference with dadconference with dad

winter solstice

celebrating winter solstice

ear muffs

this is how she covers her ears while making shakes with dad

art project?art project?

these are her latest “art projects.” somewhere along the line she’s gotten it into her head that markers + tape = art project. maybe it qualifies as found object art.

for reading:

flash mob breast feeding

drunk history christmas

teaching about gender

columbus historical society to invade COSI

dadisthenewmom 12 reviews of christmas: start here

and just a couple more wonderful things that i love:

looooook at the woooonderful co-sleeping bed booook via peaceful parenting. designed by photographer Yusuke Suzuki for her own co-sleeping family.

and if any of you are printing out your gift tags, especially if you’re gifting to me, here ya go:

by rebecca’s misc

busted…almost

Posted in parenting apparently? by

a few days ago darla had a nice little streak of being a very good girl so i got some red, white, and green gummi bears, filled our glass christmas tree, and left a note for her from santa. he told her he was proud of her and had one of his elves come leave her a treat and she should continue to be good so he could bring her more toys and treats on christmas day.

she was over the moon. and since then she talks about all the presents she’s going to get at least once an hour. i think my plan worked though and the old jolly man has carried a little more clout with her when i say things like “santa’s watching and he wants you to eat your delicious curry.” we had to pretend it was radish curry, by the way, because she’s been insisting she’s boober fraggle.

well today she found my grocery list scribbled on the same stationary as her note left from “santa.” she called me out on it. she really gave me the third degree and kept asking “are you sure this isn’t another note from santa because it looks just like my other one?”

away to my excuses i flew like a flash. i can’t tell if she bought it or not but i’m still in disbelief that my not-yet-three year old almost broke the santa code right open. she’s sleuthy.

Attached Adventures: Keeping Calm & Connected During Holiday Travel – Word of Mom – What To Expect Blogs

Posted in parenting apparently? by

my friend, mary catherine, was invited to guest post on whattoexpect.com and her post was revealed yesterday.

the funny thing is the whattoexpect people linked her pro co-sleeping advice to an anti co-sleeping article they had previously written instead of using the links and information she provided for them. hmmm. wish i could say this surprises me but i should start a book called What to Expect from the What to Expect Franchise.

her writing and advice are both noteworthy. please read if you’re expecting, new parents or seasoned parents that wish you could get back into your go-get ’em lifestyle. we practiced babywearing, co-sleeping and on demand feeding with darla. the end result = a child who knows her way around an airport and is familiar with road trip protocol. 10 roundtrip flights before age 3 ain’t to shabby.

if i can say anything about us wruckers, it’s that we’re flexible. even down to our littlest wrucker. all these practices helped us maintain a flexible household. here’s mary catherine’s article:

Attached Adventures: Keeping Calm & Connected During Holiday Travel – Word of Mom – What To Expect Blogs.

also, here’s a link to safe tips for co-sleeping.

B day celebration

Posted in it's cool to school, kiddie-do, parenting apparently? by

no annual milestone over here, just our letter of the day. and what a B-eautiful day it was, too.

we started of course with breakfast of bread and butter and berry yogurt

it was at this point in the meal that my daughter jumped up and ran out of the room yelling “oh i forgot something.” she returned 20 seconds later wearing her ruby slippers. only her ruby slippers. she stripped out of her sleeper and put on a pair of buckle shoes in a speed that is going to make me very frustrated then next time it takes me 18 minutes to get her in or out of an outfit.

i think she took B day literally and so wearing her birthday suit was entirely appropriate. 

after getting dressed with a lot of attention paid to the letter B – braid with a blue hairband, boots and a birdie shirt we hopped on cordelia and biked to the audubon center for bird learnin’. hence the appropriateness of the bird shirt.

i know i post about the audubon park a lot but it’s by our house and is really a beautiful, magical place. this town does a great job with it’s parks. here’s our little bird watcher.

using the binoculars (the wrong way) to spot what she says is a “jerry bird.” huh?

and there he is. just imagine my sugar sweetness congratulating her for being able to spot an 8 FT PAPER MACHE GULL. ohhh, i laugh at life.

in the center we: read books about birds, bats, bugs, butterflies blah blah blah. visited the salvaged art butterflies which are still holding up with original coolness factor and did some of the center activities testing different bird beak designs.

we discovered a new room with lots of grand activities including bird and butterfly costumes seen here as well as a simulated climbing tree biosphere complete with root system too.

but the greatest resource discovered at the audubon park today….

BIG KIDS

i have previously noticed the magnetic pull that exists between pre-teen/teenage girls and toddler girls – probably toddler boys too but i don’t have as much experience with that. darla first adopted this group of homeschool kids and they were impressed that she knew words such as “audubon,” and  “insect.” i think they were most impressed by her cowgirl boots, though. they then adopted her and entertained her for 15 whole minutes. i ate and entire apple in peace!  all three were jumping, hand in hand, from atop this fire pit thingy, pretending to be birds and chanting “we fly so high in the skyyyyy!” it was very cute and gave me hope that one day darla, too, will grow into a lovely pre-teen and give a weary mother a break by bossing her toddler around for her. thanks again, universe.

dear salty sailor,

Posted in kiddie-do, parenting apparently? by

ohhh man we did some STUFF this week. check it.

we zoo-ed it.

she likes to wear you clothes just as much as i do.

new artings at the library. she said she was inspired to draw so she did.

discovered some gnarly, antique doors in our hood. i told her they were secret doors.

she noticed this root system at the schiller park playground grown in a circle. decided this is where gnomes and faeries have dinner together.

in which she discovers a spider’s web, touches it then freaks out b/c it’s on her hand

nom nom at the north market + our treats for being good. she had the little girl and i had the dog dressed as a pig. japan, you so crazy!

you just go ahead and run it out, you crazy lunatic

these last two are at highbanks metropark in the natural play area. this is the best sycamore tree i’ve ever seen, said sycamore featured on the right. i asked darla to pose in front of it and she laid down on the ground and rolled around like a dog. she’s special.

a word on highbanks metropark: they have these little shelter houses that have fireplaces in them. i don’t care how cold it gets, when you get home you will take me there and darla too. you will build me a fire in one and you will like it. you will woo me with your manly survival skills and we will sit in front of that fire whilst darla goes buck wild at the nearby playground. i will probably have some yarn and a darning needle in my hand but i won’t be using them. they are just props b/c that is what a lady is supposed to hold in front of a fire.

that is all.

i can’t even keep track of all the funny stuff she says anymore and i’m getting lazy b/c you’re almost here so i don’t wanna. i feel that way about chores around the house. it’s like i think you’re already here so i don’t want to do it on my own but ‘taint the case.

i do remember that she has figured out how to be three people at one time instead of just two: toddler approaches. tugs on my shirt to signal that my attention is needed. says “mom, i’m mai pretending to be gumby” and then bounds off. i am very frightened for the future at this point.

you missed a pretty magical first for darla’s life – her first viewing of the wizard of oz. i would give anything to have captured the look on her face when dorothy opened the front door to reveal oz and all its vivid splendor. darla’s eyes grew saucerlike and she gasped. she then sat enraptured. if i had known it was going to be that spectacular i would have waited for you to be home before we watched it. also, I FREAKING LOVE JUDY GARLAND.

well i better sign off so i can write you a honey-do email so you know what you’re going to do when you get home.

i love you more than cheese.

wife former fwife

mommy did a bad, bad thing

Posted in Momma Needs a minute..., parenting apparently? by

last week i did a bad thing.

like most kids, darla has a habit of leaving her toys strewn about everywhere. most of the time it doesn’t really bother me because i like seeing her little trail all over my life and it’s easier to track her down that way. but last week it got to me.

i was feeling the effects of 2 months of single parenting a toddler that may or may not embody the most multiple personalities ever recorded in human history. there also might be some kind of feral dog in there but i don’t know if that counts as an actual personality. anyway, the point is i let it get to me that day. i tripped over darla’s toy stroller and found myself kicking it across the room the next second. hard. actually it was impressive and i’m a tad upset no one else was there to witness the beautiful arc in which it traveled. on the flip side i’m glad darla wasn’t in the room to see me lose it. well, of course it broke.

and then guess what i did? i just pushed the pieces back together and set it back in it’s rightful place and then thought “maybe she won’t notice.”  what am i? six again? bad parent. BAD PARENT!

a coupla days went by and she didn’t touch the darn thing and i thought i might actually get away with replacing it before she checked in. no such luck. while i was cooking her breakfast i heard her tell her doll that they were “going to the grocery store” and then she started wheeling baby dearest around the living room. the leg gave out and then my daughter gave out.

darla came running to me with tears welling up in her eyes. “mommy, i broke my stroller. i’m sorry, mommy. i’m sorry.” i never could have predicted this reaction from her because ANY other time she would have paid no attention. but life was out to teach me a lesson. and for that i’m glad.

“i’m sorry, honey” i started to say and then she snapped back “no! i’m sorry!” and had an argument with me for a second about who was sorry because she’s started this thing where being sorry is some kind of competition. this is our house, after all, and things couldn’t go all leave-it-to-beaver without a little rumble.  so i picked her up and sat down on the couch with her and confessed that i had broken her stroller. that i didn’t mean to but i broke it and i didn’t tell her right away and that was wrong of me.

then she looked up at me with baby blues and humbled me. “it’s alright, mom. don’t worry about it.”

you see, i had to put this down here on the internet for some accountability. not for what i had done but because someday these roles are gonna switch. probably someday soon. it won’t be long before darla breaks my owl shaped coffee creamer pitcher (thanks dave and kelli!) and i HAVE to remember to handle it with the grace and compassion that my 2 1/2 year old displayed. i have to. hold me accountable internet.

also, grandparents – i know you. you’re probably already looking up a replacement doll stroller on amazon. well, clickers off that purchase button. this is my wrong to right.

Awestruck Autumn

Posted in Kiddie Hangouts by

cordelia has added a whole new dimension to my love for this fall season. biking around columbus has been fantastically enjoyable these past few weeks, when it’s not been raining. columbus, i think i like you a whole lot more from a two-wheel vantage point with blue skies and temps in the 60s. lets see if we can keep a good thing going.

A Day on Wheels

once all geared up and ready to go, we cycled to the library again. our next movie, Ponyo, was ready for pick up. Darla enjoys the grand entrance of the library b/c the words MY TREASURES are etched in the marble. She loves to run her fingers through the grooves as she says the letters. i felt very connected to this moment on several levels.

then it was on to Juergen’s bakery in our hood. this was our first time stopping in but it won’t be our last. the place was the essence of kitschy charm and they had an adorable little table out front which was just darla’s size. well the chairs at least. the table not so much. darla had chocolate plum pudding and i had a sugar pretzel. she ate both.

after riding around for a little bit longer we headed home. little miss decided that our pumpkin, clumpy pumpy, needed to go for a ride as well. ahhh these days are so sweet.

signing off,

the luckiest momma evah

which way to school is cool?

Posted in Kiddie Hangouts, parenting apparently? by

because i can’t decide which method of schooling we are going to jump into – oh my gosh i can’t handle the pressure of this decision! – i’m just sticking to an amalgamation of homeschooling and unschooling for now. i’ve come up with the letter activity project. i focus on one letter a day and integrate the letter into our days activities.

we started this project today with the letter L and we ventured to none other than….the library! as far as libraries go, columbus’ is topnotch. no, really, it was voted national library of the year. i’m not LYING – an L word. See how good of a teacher i am? here’s pics of the day.

first we found the lion on the felt board. then we read about little leo.

then momma loaded up on books

we found the letter L in the magnetic letters

then we headed upstairs to the gallery space to LOOK at the art exhibit. The Carnegie Gallery at the main library branch has an exhibit up called Strands and it was quite beautiful. the exhibit will be running through oct 21. little lovely lady enjoyed it. (all L words. wink.)

we stopped for a little cupcake snack b/c darla was pretty good and b/c she’s a treat nazi.

we finally returned home to bask in the spoils of our Learning (L word!) i might have gone overboard with the libros this time. meh.

we followed up the library outing with a Listening Lunch which really means that i just put on a record album to aid our digestion while we munched. the album was rumours and i cried during songbird. troof.

here’s to learning from life until i can finally stomach the thought of shelling out thousands to educate my preschooler.  i’ll post our progress but please don’t expect me to be able to do this in 26 days. Also, i don’t plan on going in order, obvio. I just don’t have the organizational skills and the energy to to do it that way.  annnd i hope i can come up with some activity for letter u that isn’t unicycling. maybe. on second thought i might keep that one in there.

‘Round this time every night

Posted in Momma Needs a minute... by

every day is an optimistic round of promises I make to myself about the mountains of accomplishments I will ascend when the bambino has finally spun herself into the sleeplike trance of the whirling dervish.

but do you know what happens to me? every damn night. that little she-devil sucks the energy out of me with her bedtime routine. i leave her room feeling as a civil war general stepping off the field, uncertain if this battle has been a victory or a defeat. i stumble into my bedroom and look at the opened email inbox and the list of phone calls to be made and i just give everyone the virtual finger by trolling shopping websites and deleting my babygap.com emails. sorry y’all but that’s why you haven’t heard back from me.

Um, i can still shop in the Juniors’ section, right? hmm……

before you get up on your judgment horse, cowboy, let me state that; YES, i do love my daughter and YES, i did just call her a she-devil but NO, i didn’t actually mean it. it’s wit i am using to boost my readership or something. i just want to remind everyone that I do 100% of the parenting while mike is gone for 3 months and i get a little frazzled. i mean, she’s been sleeping for like 2 1/2 years now so it’s not like it should still be a big SHOCK to her that she has to go to bed at the same time every night. Ugh.

here’s what I tell myself to get through it: 1 – The parts of her personality that make bedtime so difficult will be such good character traits when she is older. just get through it now without squashing those traits. 2 – some of our best connections have been at bedtime. It seems to be another one of those *magical* times of the day and I have to try to make the most out of them even when i’m basically brain dead.

well i have to go now and get back to ignoring all of yins. in summation i quoth myself & cousin in conversation last night: “There are only two forces in life that cannot be reckoned with – Time and J. Crews’ ridiculously discounted sales emails.”