♫ Toddler Trouble: Episode 987651

Sometimes, having toddlers make me want to act like one. Obtain a mental picture of me stomping around in a gigantic circle, pulling my hair, and huffing as loudly as possible when things don't go my way. It may look silly in your head, but me, I'm winning our little game.

Being a mom of two toddlers, I am blessed to be challenged with something new every single day. I face those challenges with the outlook that I can love them through all of it. There is nothing that a little love can't cure. Of course, sometimes love means punishment, but in our house, that's a rare necessity. I have good kids. The toddler I had you mentally picture above was more me actually, than them. I've never seen them throw a rager like some kids. I'm challenged though, like any other mom. And I've officially become stumped.

I've become stumped over something ridiculously simple, probably. All the more reason for there to be epic comments telling me how silly I'm being, and how to fix this little issue of mine. Call me hysterical if you want, but please help me before I get my huff-face on again.

My girls are five and four. And while I have a goal of us all sitting around the dinner table every night together as a family, our busy schedules rarely allow it. Perhaps the best solution. Regardless of the table, they get dinner every night (I get props for THAT, right?!). And it's rare that they argue about what I put in front of them. Willing to at least try what I've attempted, for fear I'll make them eat it at the next meal, and the next, and the next until they like it (ah hem, thank you Alicia, for THAT brilliance).

BUT...they take AN HOUR AND A HALF to finish anything put in front of them! They get to giggling and carrying on, or crying out of exhausting, that they refuse to eat at a decent pace.

I know I'm not alone in this, and I know it's normal...because I did it. And my parents solved it by putting a timer on the table. When the timer was up, we lost out on dinner. Period. Because I hated that rule SO MUCH when I was small, I'm being stubborn and refusing to try the method. But, times are desperate. I want my kids to have healthy meals, and finish them in a timely manner, and if I have to (*big gulp*), I'll try the timer plan.

First though, what would you do if you were me? If I sat you down with a pair of giggling turtles, and asked you to make them eat at a comfortable pace...how would you light the fire? How would you encourage them to get-a-move-on? Or perhaps I'm overreacting, and I should encourage them to eat at their own pace. It's only bedtime and playtime we're putting off, after all. Maybe, just maybe, this is the universe saying "Grow yourself some patience, mama bear."

Frustrated mama.

Yours Truly,
Nomz

♫ Help a Mom out!

Over the last few weeks, I've had all this inspiration to write mom-help blogs. And for fear of being judged or criticized, I've chosen to ignore that little prodding inside. It must be a rebellious day, because I've changed my mind. And instead of writing a few different plea-for-advice blogs, I'm putting them all in this one, in a shorter, easier to read form. Be gentle.

**Nightmares**

My oldest has gone from nightmaring, to slumbering so hard, I have to stick my finger under her nose every night to make sure she's still breathing (yes, I really do it every night). My youngest, only a year behind her, has hit that stage. Every night she wakes up with a nightmare.

We've gotten in to quite the routine. She wakes up, sits up, hollers for me, I go in, she tells me that her heart is broken again (cutest thing everrrrr, right?!), and that she wants to pray about her bad dream. We do, she goes back to sleep, usually peacefully.

Dilemma: It's cold in my house at night, I'm lazy, and after a really rough night last night, Brandon and I reflected on our childhoods and remembered both of our parents asking us to come to their room to report the offense, getting told to get a drink, and go back to bed. I wonder, dear moms, is it the cold house that spurs this decision? Am I doing it backwards or spoiling her by going to her? What did your parents do when you were little?

**Mammaaaaaa, don't leeeeeeeave!**

My oldest, once again for comparison, never went through the abandonment fear. EVER. She also never went through a terrible two, three, or four. So, when my youngest came along, I assumed I'd rock the toddler stages out again with ease. To my surprise, as of late, my youngest has a new fear of me leaving her. She cries, tells me that she is going to miss me, and according to reports...quits the second I walk out of the house.

I normally handle it by giving her extra loves and snuggles, telling her our entire agenda for the day (where she'll be, where I'll be, when we'll be home together, etc.), then I make sure she knows I love her, and I leave. It's gotten slightly better this week, fingers crossed it continues.

Dilemma: Is four the normal age for this, or is it the new routine/new school dance that we're doing? Am I handling it right?

**MY Nightmares**

Obviously, like any mom, my nightmares are that somebody will harm or steal my children in some way. I can't ask for advice, because there is only one way to extinguish that fear: stop loving.. I'll live with the nightmares, thank you very much.

Dilemma: What do you do to ensure the safety of your child? WHY do we tolerate things like this: Sick and Disturbing? (In case you're afraid to click on it, it goes to Amazon dot com, and the only thing that will make your gut churn or raise your brow, is a book title. There are no pictures or not-safe-for-work material.)

It's infuriating that we're enabling! This is only one sick example...there are creepy books, websites, and useful information at hand for scary, scary people to get ahold of...but what do we do as an act of prevention, rather than waiting until something occurs?

Would you consider yourself overprotective?

Yours Truly,
Nomz

♫ You know you're a mom when...

Originally, I was going to write this from a single mom's standpoint. And then I realized that I make the same sacrifices regardless of how much support I have in my life. So, cheers...to all you mama's!

You Know You're a Mom When:

*You'd rather read them Dr. Seuss or Mercer Mayer over and over before divulging in your Twilight saga.

*You're always full prepared to bust out the ninja pants and bust a cap in somebody if they look at your child wrong, speak to your child harshly, or talk poorly about them regardless of their behavior.

*You'll lose hours of sleep, go to bed late, get up early, wake to their cries, but by God if a grown adult disturbs you when you're finally getting rest you are prepared to pounce.

*You never stop being amazed at the little things. "Awww you've been potty trained for two years but you STILL do it right, yayyyyyyy!

*You miss when they woke you up every two hours, and now that they sleep peacefully, you check on them every time you wake anyway, just to make sure they're still breathing.

*You dream about them more than anything else.

*You can't wait to get a break from them, but miss them so fiercely you're almost miserable when they're gone.

*You notice other kid's behavior and constantly compare them to your own kids. Of course, yours are better, and you won't dare let anybody tell you otherwise.

*You've counted the bites on your kid's plate so much that you've started counting your own before you're done.

*You're tired at 9pm.

*You involuntarily turn any and all music down in the car, even when they're not with you.

*Macaroni, peanut butter, and jelly become a regular food group; a staple in your cabinet.

*If you're a single parent...your ex never does it as well as you do. You're the best parent. Duh. And their current choice of mate will always be evil.

*You plot out ways to help your child escape if the current structure you're in were to spontaneously combust in to flames.

*You not only avoid sharing water with pregnant women, but eye contact. Because if it's in the water, it's definitely in the contact of eyes.

*You discover that it's the one and only bulletproof love in your life, and you're willing to risk every other person and thing for them.



What have I missed?

Yours Truly,
Nomz