Excuse me?

Where did the attitude come from?? My three (soon-to-be-four) year old has been posessed by a teenager. What. The. Hell?



See? Cute three year old. However, I fear that this is in my future.



Sure, you can say I started the ball rolling by teaching her to use black eyeliner so early....but no. I don't think that's it. Cute kitty whiskers do not equal surly, over-makeuped, under-dressed teenagers. I just can't figure out where this attitude is coming from. Just the other day she asked me for some juice. Innocent enough, right? Well, I'll let you be the judge of that.

Sami: Mama, can I please have some more juice?
Me: Sure. Just give me a minute to finish unloading the groceries and I'll get you some.
S: (waits roughly 15 seconds) Hellooo-oooh. I said I wanted more juice.

Uhhh, excuse me?!? If I'd even entertained the notion of talking to my mother like that at ANY age, I'd still be picking my teeth out of the back of her hand. But the thing that kills me is that the girl is respectful to other adults. But to me? All bets are off. And it's making my blood pressure top out. Whoever said that "3 is the new 13" had no idea just how right they were! I have no clue what to do with her now, let alone when she's a hormonal, irrational, snotty, self-important teenager. Gah. Someone hold me please. Or send booze. And chocolate.

and the Award goes to...

Me! Wow! Awesomeness. My mommy friend

Paige has awarded me with the Beautiful Blogger Award! Yay! Paige has a wonderfully informative blog, one of the cutest baybees ever, and has been a great resource in the short time I've known her. She's the one behind our ADM Blog Hop, too! Much love for her!

Ok, so here are the rules for this award meme:
1. Thank the person who gave it to you.
2. Pass this award on to 15 bloggers you've recently discovered and think are fantastic.
3. Contact the bloggers to let them know they've won.
4. State 7 things about yourself.


So I have to list 7 things about myself...here goes.

1. I am the youngest of 5. (And yet, I'm technically an only child. Go figure)
2. My husband and I both had cats named Simon before we met. We named our family cat Simon in honor of this fact, and found out that some things are better left alone. Most notably the cat. lol.
3. I have had 6 cats, 2 puppies, 2 iguanas, 3 ferrets, and numerous fish/frogs/crabs/underwater creatures as pets. Thankfully, not all at the same time.
4. I have 1 tattoo, and plans on at least 2 more.
5. I have a degree in Art. Haven't done crap with it, except cultivate some pretty kickass hobbies.
6. I love the ocean, but hate the sand. And I mean HATE. But not enough to keep me away from the water.
7. I get horribly carsick.

Now that I've done that, I have to give the award to 15 other bloggers. Unfortunately, just about everyone I know who blogs was covered by Paige...

Makeover!

Well, at least my blog gets a lil makeover. Thanks to leelou blogs for this cute new layout!

Maybe I'll use this inspiration and get myself a bit of a new look too!

What *exactly* is in that sippy cup, anyway?!

So the other day it hit me while trying to get my daughter ready for bed. All of a sudden I completely understand why it's so freaking annoying to try and deal with an overtired/wound up toddler. I am going to share this revelation with you, dear friends.

Those of you with toddler age (or older) kids will laugh because you know it's true, and because it makes so much sense once you hear it! Those without kids, or with smaller babies, will laugh because it's funny, but you have yet to really grasp what I'm about to say. ::evil maniacal laugh::

Trying to handle a toddler in Active Sleep-avoidance Mode is not unlike dealing with a severely drunk person while you are still sober.

::waits for realization to take hold::

THINK ABOUT IT...

Seriously! I'm right! Go ahead, admit it! It makes complete sense now, doesn't it?

1. They cannot be reasoned with, and evidently lose their sense of hearing.
2. They think they're funny when they are soooo not.
3. They laugh hysterically and fall all over the place, and invade your personal space in the process.
4. They babble incoherent phrases and words that make no sense whatsoever, usually at very high volume.
5. They have no attention span at all (not like toddlers really do anyway, but whatever.)
6. They say inappropriate things and believe that it's cute.
...

I could go on, but you guys know what it's like, right?

To further prove my theory, tonight we went out to dinner (Sami and I) with some friends from my work. Sami started acting all crazy and all I could do is laugh. It was totally like she was drunk.

Sami: (making crazy babbling sounds like the Tazmanian Devil and jumping around in the booth)
Me: What are you doing?
S: (leans right into my face) MAMA! I have to poop! (kisses me smack on the lips)
Me: (raises eyebrows) Really? We just left the bathroom.
S: (crazy babbling noises) I'm gonna color now. Color!! Color!! Colorcolorcolorcolor.

I, naturally, had to check her chocolate milk to see if they hadn't spiked it with something. She was acting so...um...not normal, even by her standards. All I could do was shake my head. I tried my best not to laugh, but I just couldn't help it. And, true to form, that just served to egg her on even more. Ridiculous.

So, I think the answer to this problem is quite obvious.

Drink heavily. That way, you can act as crazy as they are and it'll be funny!
I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Sort of.

Let it snow!

Welcome to the Weekly ADM Blog Hop. Anyone can join in! Just blog on topic between now and next Monday, include the MckLinky code (below) in your post, and hop on over to your fellow bloggers!

This week's topic:

Here in Cleveland we are snowed in but everywhere has days where cabin fever can creep in. What are your favorite indoor activities to do with your kids?

Ok. So first of all, we're not in Cleveland anymore, we're residing in balmy Erie, PA now. But, for the first time in recorded history (I think), CLEVELAND has more snow than ERIE. It's some sort of alternate universe. Or maybe the beginning of the apocalypse. Not sure. But anywow, there are things that we do to bide our time indoors while the flakes are a-flyin' outside.

I work out of the house, so at preschool they do a lot of art projects and such. This carries over to our home time. She LOOOOOOVES to draw/color/paint/whatever. An art project?? Sign her up. Heh. Just the other day, she asked if she could go outside and color on the sidewalk with her chalk. Nevermind the foot and a half of snow out there. It's time to color!!! She gets that naturally, by the way. When I was her age, I used to say that I was going to be an "ArtistTeacherMother" when I grew up... 2 out of 3 ain't bad ...

Oh yeah, right. Back to the topic at hand. :)

So, art. That's a biggie. She also loves pretend play. She's extremely independent, and veeeerrrry creative. We got her a kitchen 2 Christmases ago (well, actually Santa got it for her, but who's counting?) She plays with it every day. Still. She'll "cook" us food and snacks. I hear her playing in her kitchen, feeding her babies and stuffed animals. Sometimes scolding them and putting them in Time Out. Playing Mommy. She told me the other day that she wanted to me ME when she grows up. ::melts::

Right. I keep getting side tracked. Hehehe.

One thing we used to do to keep her occupied when she was a baby is not unlike playing "fetch", but it was heeelarious. When she started walking and talking, Steve and I would have her "deliver" things from one room to the other. For instance, I'd be in the kitchen (presumably making dinner) and he'd be in the living room. I'd hear him say, "go take this to Mama" and she'd come toddling into the kitchen, giggling the whole way, carrying whatever treasure (i.e. Random Object) he wanted me to have. She'd come in carrying a remote control. I'd send her back out to him, carrying a plastic cup. He'd send her back with a couch pillow. I'd have her take him a bag of rice. So on and so forth. Then, after a few trips, we'd have her deliver the items back to the rooms from which they originated, thus ending the game. Seriously, this would keep her busy for a looong time. And, it also wore her out really well. ::evil grin::

We're pretty laid back. We find fun stuff to do when we can't get outside to play. But the bottom line is, we spend time together. And that's what matters. So let it snow. We can handle it!

Too Bad So Sad

It was Sunday morning. Steve had made a wonderful breakfast of french toast and sausage. We cleaned up and did what most other people do on the weekend...I was reading and he was putzing around on the laptop. Sami was contentedly playing in her room. And then IT happened.

I heard a noise that I *thought* came from the kitchen. It sounded like a muffled "clink" kind of noise. But, I didn't hear anything else, so thought nothing of it. About a minute later, Sami starts crying hysterically. Steve and I look at each other...and head upstairs to see what happened. Sami was in the bathroom, crying. "I need a towel!" Steve was trying to calm her down and figure out what the hell happened while I went to her room to see if something was wrong in there.

Yep. She finally did it. She broke the Tinkerbell waterglobe that Santa (aka: ME) brought her. We've been telling her since Christmas not to carry them around (ironically, my mom got her one too, it has a flower fairy in it and they play the same song, lol), and that they can break. Well, I guess she had taken them off the shelf and was putting her baby dolls to sleep and bumped them together. The thinner one (go ahead, say it. CHEAPER one that I got) broke and there was water and plastic snow and glitter and glass shards all over.

Steve took Sami downstairs while I started cleaning it up. Yes, I was mad because she doesn't listen. If I said it once, I said it 3 dozen times. But, she finally learned the lesson. And no, she didn't cut herself, in case you were wondering. But she was seriously in hysterics. Running around the lower living room crying and carrying on something like this.

"I BROKE IT I BROKE IT SORRY SORRY SORRY MAMA SORRY SANTA SORRY DADA I'M SOOO SOOOO SORRY I BROKE IT I BROKE IT SORRY NANA SORRY PAPA SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY TOO BAD SO SAD WAAAAAAAH WAAAAAAAAH SOOO SOOOO SOOOO SORRY I BROKE IT SORRY SANTA SORRY MAMA SORRY SORRY SORRY WAAAAH TOO BAD SO SAD SORRY SORRY SORRY"

Even though I was slightly disturbed (she tried to clean it up so we wouldn't find it! She's a crafty little one, that girl of mine. Gotta keep an eye on her....), I had a hard time not laughing..."too bad so sad?" Where did that come from? Hahaha! I've decided that I have a pronounced evil streak. Who laughs at their child when they're so obviously overwrought with emotion? Me. That's who. If you don't like it, too bad so sad. ;)

Parenting our way...

Welcome to the weekly Blog Hop! Anyone is free to join in. Simply enter your information in the MckLinky at the bottom of this post, repost the MckLinky code in your own post on the topic, and enjoy your fellow bloggers' posts. Remember to leave some Comment Love!

So, I missed the First ADM Blog Hop because Somebody Who Shall Remain Nameless was hogging the computer every time I could feasibly sit down to blog. *grumbles* So anyhow, here goes.

This Week's Topic: What aspects of your parents' parenting do you want to continue in parenting your own kid(s)?

I love my parents. I am very close to them. My childhood was happy, and I grew up as a reasonably well adjusted child, even as a product of divorced/remarried parents. I got good grades (yes, they *could* have been better, but I was kind of lazy as far as that was concerned, lol), was in sports and activities, had a wonderful group of friends, a job, etc. But, they were also strict. I had a curfew of usually 10. I had chores. I had to keep my room clean. I got grounded for not following the rules (like calling if I was not coming straight home from school). We did things a certain way in our family that was routine to me, and apparently from an experience with a college boyfriend, alien to some others. ("What? You have to take out the trash AND LOAD THE DISHWASHER?!? Gad, you're treated like a slave!" And yes, he actually said that to me.) But, I was HAPPY. And I have so many wonderful memories and stories...I seriously wouldn't want it any other way. That being said, when I got to college and had fewer rules governing me, I kind of went bat-shit crazy. I was doing things that I never imagined I'd ever do at that point in my life. Drinking. Smoking. Sex. Skipping class. I was a crazy child.

The ONE thing I regret is that I didn't feel comfortable going to my parents with problems I had. This proved to be an issue in my college years. But, I'm working hard to not be so closed up. My mom says she knows if something's bothering me because I don't call for a few days. Good grief, I'm very transparent. lol. As far as my own kid(s) go, I want to be available for her to talk to me whenever. Whatever happens. I want her to be comfortable asking questions. All with the same loving atmosphere I grew up with. I refuse to be a helicopter parent. I want her to make her own decisions and mistakes, as long as they're not dangerous, obviously.

Right now, she is only 3 (soon-to-be-4) and we're pretty laid back. We take things as they come. We don't freak if she starts to sniffle. We've only been to the ER twice, and they were both for honest-to-goodness, blood gushing emergencies. However, the one problem I'm having is her attitude. She can be so defiant sometimes...and I'm just not sure if that's her personality (God help me), or if it's just a toddler stage. Oh, and she can be such a drama queen. I don't know what to do about that either. But, we're hands-on, and we're Parenting. Right or wrong, we're doing our best.