Reading Play Date

One of the activities I have scheduled for my daughter is a reading play date. It is offered through the Royal Palm Beach library. Parents meet up weekly and are able to do various reading activities with their children. As a teacher you know this is right up my alley. I signed Paige up.  I had no idea what to expect. When the time came,  I put on a sundress (big mistake), sunglasses, grabbed Paige and left. Once we arrived to the library there was a 2 minute wait. I instantly noticed that I was over dressed but I attributed it to the fact that I was THAT mama! 

So we enter a room and I find out that in fact I am overdressed ... and not because I'm that mama .... but because I have no sense. There is a reason that all of the mommies are in shorts, jeans, jogging pants, etc. All of the mommies are sitting on the floor!  I am forced to stand and feel all AWKWARD. The teacher hands me a chair. Yep ..... 20 mommies sitting on the floor and 1 mommy sitting in the chair. But moving on.....

I enjoyed the class. We sung songs. Paige really enjoyed the songs. Once she got into it she was full of smiles. There were 5 pages worth of songs and if my daughter had her way we would've sung every page. Thankfully we did not. Most of the songs were activity songs...meanwhile we were throwing our children, rocking our children, swinging our children. I thought I was going to a READING class! Chile my arms got the workout of their life! Paige is a good 25 lbs on her lightest day ... imagine swinging, rocking, and throwing that.

 We also read books.Paige really enjoyed the books. So much so that she did not want to give them back. She also did not want me or the teacher to read to her ... yall know she's so independent.  We read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom first which is my favorite. Then we read Peek A Boo. PAB was really good because it came with silk scarves and the kids were allowed to play Peek a boo while reading.

Afterwards the children played. The teacher dumped out a basket of toys, hooked up the bubble machine and allowed the children to go buck wild. The kids enjoyed this and it gave the parents the opportunity to socialize. Since Paige was the only black child there ... well not only but the other black child belongs to a parent who has no idea that she's black. But that's none of my business tho my socializing included me taking pictures of her and watching over her.  She had a blast! Especially with the bubble machines.

Then it was clean up time. And then it was time to go home.

My only complaint was that Paige was very antisocial. Paige was not feeling any of those children. This was a one year old class and well my baby is an age-snob. She really does not interact well with kids her age and younger. They love her to death but Paige is always like

I really need for her to work on this.Between reading play date, mommy and me, and park days we should see some type of improvement before the end of the summer. I hope so.

1 LUV

Mommy K

Bowling days

So I was sitting at my desk one day when I ran across an ad stating that kids could bowl free everyday during the summer. You know me. I said "why not" . It will give me and my kids an opportunity to leave the house and do something fun. Plus we love to bowl and are super competitive. Lets go!

Today was the first time that we used our coupons. Jalen and I had an awesome time. Yes we beat me ... bad! But we walked out of the place full of smiles and in good spirits. We did. Paige.... not so much. Paige was so excited to bowl ... but was just a weeeee bit too young.

When Paige found out she couldnt bowl

That didnt stop Paige from trying tho.

When she finally realized that she could not bowl, she proceeded to crawl all over the floor. She knows this irks my nerves .... but me not allowing her to bowl irked hers. In her mind we were even. 

I highly recommend this program for all parents. The kids are allowed to bowl free Monday-Friday from 8 to 6 pm. They are allowed to bowl 2 free games and receive weekly coupons on Sunday night. They have a family pass which will allow 4 adults to bowl for $20. I bought the plan during Father's Day and received a discount. So that means me, my husband, my dad and my brother can bowl the entire summer with Jalen and I only had to pay $20. Not a bad deal if you ask me. 

1 Luv

Mommy K

Beach Days

One of the privileges of living in sunny, south Florida is being able to go to the beach. I love a good beach.....hot sun, beach chair, umbrella, towel, snacks and a good book equals a happy mommy. I have taken Paige to the beach before and all she wanted to do was play in the sand. She was afraid of the water and would not go out even when I was holding her.  I thought she would do the same thing this time but we all know Paige ....

So I pack up all of the things mentioned above. I make sandwiches, put grapes in a baggie, load up smoothies/water/tea .... and hit the road. Normally we would go to Lantana Beach or Boynton Beach but today we tried a new beach .... Lake Worth Beach. Hunty I loved this place. 

It was really nice, really clean, nice parking ... and it was crowded. No problem. I set up my towel and chair and prepared to read. But Paige had other plans. Hunty this child saw water and went crazy. I really needed her leash on this day because homegirl kept running towards the water. Even when the water was knocking her down and splashing in her face, she was laughing ... .and trying to go further out. Nevertheless I never read my book ... I never ate ..... I spent my time running back and forth and chasing Paige all around the beach. She enjoyed herself so I guess that's all that matters. 

Paige's bathing suit. $9 from Gymboree

1 Luv

Mommy K

SAHM: The REAL MVPs

This post is for the real stay at home moms ...... not the one who are on Facebook all day long and their kids stay looking a hot mess .... but the ones who are handling their business day in and day out. Moms ... I salute you!

I will admit, my level of respect for SAHM has not always been high. It has not even been medium. My mother raised her girls to work and be independent. As a working woman with three college degrees, I've never understood one's desire to simply stay at home. What aided in fueling my belief that SAHMs did nothing all day were the SAHMs that I had the pleasure of knowing .... they really did nothing! I would see them on social media all day long and they really seemed to be unhappy and bored! Their kids hair was always a mess and I just never understood why dinner was never done and their kids hair and needs were never attended to if they were home all day.

This notion changed for me when I was presented the opportunity to work this summer and turned it down. I told my husband that I wanted to relax .... I was going to be a SAHM. I mean they seemed to do nothing and that is exactly what I wanted to do. Chilllleeeeee I had NO idea what I was asking for.

I have seen no parts of Facebook! lol Yesterday was the first day that I actually had free time to even think about chatting on there. I dont understand how some mothers do it everyday, all day.  My days are full with this little one. Here's my typical day so far:

I wake up and cook breakfast for my family.  Then our potty training session begins. While potty training I clean up the house so that it looks presentable if anyone decides to stop by. Since my family of four ALWAYS has laundry(Seriously what's up with that????) I do a load or two of that. I also go to the gym and workout with my trainer. By the time I'm done its time to cook lunch for my family.  After lunch it's time for the kids activities. Yeah next summer I probably wont be as ambitious as I was this summer. I really thought this SAHM thing was going to be easy and fun so I signed my daughter up for swimming lessons, gymnastics, and a tots-read-playgroup. I signed my son up for swimming lessons, tennis, basketball and a teen reading group. So yeah my afternoons are pretty much FULL! Then there is free play with Paige ... which consists of working on her skills with blocks and legos. There is also park play with Paige where she goes to the park and plays with other toddlers while I run around making sure that she is safe .... and happy. There are also doctor appointments, shopping and errands that have to be taken care of. And then it's time for dinner.  By the time dinner is done and I've taken my bath, I literally have NO energy for anything else. My bed feels like a paradise once I have made sure that the little one is down. My husband looks at me and I always sigh like .....

And then I wake up and do it all over again.

I cant even lie....returning to work sounds SOOOOOO good right about now. *sighs* They say you never understand anyone until you walk a mile in their shoes .... well I am walking and let me tell you this .... my level of respect for the true stay at home mom is at an all time high. Cooking, cleaning, and taking care of a child is hard work! My husband has taken care of our daughter all day while I work and then he works the night shift.....I now understand why he's so tired all of the time. 

So if you see me out (or on social media) and I'm like this 

 just know that I have been staying home with a husband and two kids and I finally got some time to MYSELF!

1 LUV

Mommy K

Potty Training Day 1: Paige Goes Potty

So for the longest I've been saying that once summer arrived and I was officially on summer break that I would potty train Paige. It was just something that I said. It went from being a mere thought to a plan after Memorial Day. We were sitting at my dad's house and Paige was doing what she did best ..... playing on her daddy's iPhone. Guests stared in amazement as she opened apps, closed apps, played music and played games. Not being able to take it anymore.....my nephew said "Auntie, if Paige can operate an Iphone like that, she really should not be in diapers"  That line struck a nerve so I decided to give it a try. Since Paige is a Minnie Mouse junkie, I figured the training would go a little better if we involved Minnie. So I went and purchased a Minnie Mouse potty.

Paige's new potty!

I wanted to go all out and get the Minnie panties and every potty training accessory that Target had. I even wanted to redecorate our main bathroom to Minnie just so she'd be comfortable using the bathroom. But my calm mommy voice(and my wallet) took hold of my emotions and shook them.

I quickly came back to reality because realistically speaking ... I had NO idea how potty training with Paige would go. I've read some articles that have said that potty training can begin at 18 months. I've read a lot that say you should wait until 2 .... and some that even say wait longer than that. I've tried not to pay attention to articles when it comes to Paige because Paige has consistently been ahead of her age group since birth! But there was the fact and memory that I had tried several times to potty train my first child .... and had failed miserably in my opinion. It took years and in the end he ended up potty training himself. Even though we later found out that he was autistic and that played a part with his potty training I was still a little worried about doing it again.  Basically I was back in rookie training camp!

I analyzed every mistake that I made the first time and decided to take things very slow. If she did it, great. If she did not, oh well. I was not going to stress myself or Paige out. I was going to cheer and sing. When things did not go well,  I was going to praise and use my soft voice to explain. But most of all I was going to be PATIENT! I was not going in with the thought or expectation that Paige would be potty trained in a week. We decided to try on Monday, June 9, 2014. I did the usuals .... I got her the

and we started the journey.  We took Paige's diaper off and explained that today she would begin her journey into becoming a BIG GIRL *throws confetti* Paige smiled and acted excited .... but it may have just been her reaction to my confetti lol. Who knows. I gave her a cup of tea and put her on her potty. Prior to this we decided that we would put Paige on her potty for 20 minutes every 2 hours. So Paige is sitting on her potty, sipping tea and looking unbothered. I'm peeking in every 2 seconds hoping for pee and receiving nada. I'm counting and singing and pretending to be Minnie Mouse and Paige is just like

Mama you're so extra!

She is so unbothered. Her daddy brings her Innotab so she can play with Minnie. She is having a ball! Finally her 20 minutes pass and there's no pee/poop in the potty.

 It takes me a second to get my emotions in check because initially I felt like crying but I had to quickly remind myself that it was day 1 ... try 1 ....and that it was good. We celebrated the fact that at least Paige sat on her potty for 20 minutes. I put her on her pull up and two minutes later she pees.

So after changing her pull-up and singing a song about going to potty IN the potty....we take a nap. After our nap Paige goes back on the potty for her second 20 minutes and this time she did not disappoint.

Taddddddddddaaaaayyyyyyy!!! Paige went potty! Lawd I was so happy. I screamed so loud I scared my poor child. I hit the handle twice so Minnie would say HOORAH with me. Her dad had the biggest smile on his face. We're dancing and singing and wanting the entire world to know that our child went potty! But Paige just sat there like

It was no big deal for her. She didnt know or see what the big hooplah was about.  She graciously accepted her reward ... cookies and milk ... put on her Doc McStuffins pull up and went on her merry way watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. While I emptied her pee bucket, I wiped away a tear. I'm not saying that Paige is going to be potty trained by 19 months .... I'm not even saying that she will be potty trained by 2 .... but I am happy that day 1 of potty training was successful. But the story does not stop there. We are all relaxing in the living room when Paige goes and sits on her potty .... ON HER OWN! Her dad asks if she wants to go potty and she points at the potty. He takes her pull-up off ... and she sits herself on the potty. She pulls her lever so that Minnie says HIP HIP HOORAH and smiles at me. I smile back. This girl is a

1 Luv

Mommy K

18 facts about 18 month old Paige

I can not believe that Paige is now 18 months old. It seems like yesterday we were celebrating her turning a year old and now half a year has flown by. Before we know it she will be turning 2. So I am celebrating this day with an 18 interesting facts about Paige post. Here we go.

1. Paige's favorite television show is Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse. We have to keep at least 5 episodes saved on our DVR just for her. MMC is to Paige as General Hospital is to a grandma....it's her stories and she lives for them. You do not talk to Paige during MMC, you do not attempt to interact with Paige during MMC, you do not even breathe in Paige's direction during MMC ... or you will risk getting cut.

2. Paige loves the swings but hates the slides. Paige will stay in a swing all day long but attempt to put her on the slide and she will hit you with a "fool what are you doing?" look.  She hates it with a deep passion.

Notice the difference

3. Paige's favorite fruit is bananas. She will eat them all day. 

4. Paige has NO rhythm. Mannnnnnn I feel bad for Paige. Her dad is not much of a dancer ... neither is her mom .... although in our heads, we stay getting it on the dance floor. Unfortunately the gene spread to both of our children. Paige loves to dance but unfortunately this is her

5. Paige's favorite color is green!

6. Paige is an age snob! She will not play with a baby younger than her. She likes the big kids. Unfortunately sometimes the big kids see her as a "baby".

7. Paige's favorite book other than Minnie Mouse is Molly Lou Melon

8. Paige's favorite dinner food is anything with noodles and chicken tenders. 

9. Paige loves riding around the neighborhood with all of the windows down. She loves to watch the scenery as we cruise.  It calms her down and puts her right to sleep. 

10.  Paige's favorite animal is the duck. 

11. Paige is a drama queen! She is so extra. Every day someone in our house gives her a side eye and a heavy dose of 

12.  Paige walks on her tippy toes like a ballerina. 

13. Paige likes to eat slices of bread plain. 

14. Paige loves being outdoors. Dirt is her friend and the wild calls her name. She could stay at the park or even in the yard for hours without complaining. 

At Granny's house, dirty and happy! 

15.  Paige is a tech baby. She can operate my Iphone, Ipad and Mac better than I can. Its amazing to watch her little fingers work. 

16.  Paige wears her emotions on her sleeves. <--- Someone told me this once about me and I was like yeahhh I know. The same applies for my daughter. If she is happy, you know it! If she is mad, you know it! If she does not want to be bothered .... YOU KNOW IT! There is no guessing with Paige. She lays all of her cards on the table. Her face is an open book ... of emotions.

17.  Paige is a charmer! We cannot go anywhere without someone coming up to us and talking to or about Paige. I am flattered but sometimes this is annoying. Her smile just draws people in.

18. Paige is the love of my life! Ok maybe that one is more about me than it is about Paige but cmon, can you blame me. Just look at that smile. She is my world.  Happy 18 months Paige!

1 LUV

Mommy K

Crybaby or Nah?

One day my husband and I were talking when all of a sudden we heard Paige crying. We stopped talking for a second and then went back to our conversation. Neither one of us jumped up to see what was wrong, neither one of us ran to comfort her, neither one of us gave her crying a second thought .... why? Because we're bad parents? Nah! Because Paige was seriously hurt? Nah. Because the world is coming to an end? I mean it is but nah! We didnt give her crying a thought because somehow .... someway....Paige has turned into a

She cries for everything under the sun and moon! If she runs out of milk, she cries! If she wants blue instead of green, she cries! If it's sunny outdoors, she cries! If it's a Friday, she cries! If it turns 8:00 pm, she cries! Seriously our life consists of wah wah wah and side eyes.

It's annoying but after reading Reasons My Son Is CRYING I now know that I am not the ONLY parent in the universe dealing with a child who is love with the concept of crying. Knowing that I was not alone did ease my mind but it did nothing to solve the problem. So as an educated mommy,  I went looking for answers. I discovered a list of reasons for a toddler to cry all day and night.

* They are sensitive -- Really though. I cant imagine this being applied to the connoisseur of shade. I mean she hurts people's feelings all day long.  The same child who will walk up to her brother and slap him for no reason is sensitive? Nah!  This couldn't be the reason because Paige cries without us saying a word to her. Next reason.

* They are seeking attention -- Hmmmm I dont know about this one either but it is a better explanation than she's sensitive. I can see Paige crying for attention. Not because she does not get any but because Paige has been fed a notion that she is a princess. Therefore ALL of the attention should be on her ALL of the time. If you even think of curving one eye ball to the left and she's standing to the right, prepare for a showdown!

* They do not want to do what they have been told to do --- BINGO! Yahtzee! I could totally get with this one. Whenever Paige is told no we automatically know that a loud cry is going to come. We are use to it. I wasnt worried about this reason ... what worries me is the fact that the child cries without ever hearing the word no. Like literally she could be walking down the hallway and start hollering ... out of nowhere.

Like take for instance yesterday. We all loaded up in the truck to go and see Xmen. Paige's dad put her in the truck and went in the house to get her bag. I counted to five and then

the hollering began. Maybe this is just a phase that she is going through. Maybe it is something that we need to discuss with her doctor. Maybe it is something that we should seek treatment for .... does anyone have the number for Cryer's Anonymous? Until we find a solution I guess we shall continue to wave bye bye to crying like Cube did to Felicia

1 LUV

Mommy K