Savvy Toddler Mom

Does anyone know how to get permanent marker out of a freakin’ expensive Pottery Barn quilt?

Okay, I did buy it on sale, but it doesn’t make me any less upset about it.  The toot decided to color with some forgotten-about markers instead of nap the other day.  To his credit, he was coloring on his wipe-off alphabet cards, but happened to hit the bed SEVERAL times (about a 2-foot area) with the red one.  UGH!

I tried OxyClean, Spray & Wash Stain Stick, hairspray, Thoro, and… lots of muttering under my breath.  Nothing has worked.  I haven’t dried it in the dryer yet.  I took it to the dry cleaners yesterday to see what they could do.

He also got it on his favorite fire truck shirt.  So sad!

On a happy note, I took my car to Bischoff’s — a car wash and detail place in Bountiful, Utah — this morning.  They not only cleaned my car inside and out (not that it needed it!!!), but were also able to buff out the hideous scratches I obtained a while back when I had a close encounter with a concrete pole.  Yay!!  The scratches are still there, of course, but they aren’t white anymore, and if you aren’t looking for them, you would never notice. 

It cost $20 for a “spot buff & wax.”  That is a serious amount of happiness (not to mention release of guilt) for $20. 

I also ran into my old friend Michelle Schmidt there.  Not that she’s old — just that I’ve known her for a long time.  She is absolutely amazing.  It was SO good to see her.  Her husband is pianist Jon Schmidt.  They lived in my parents’ neighborhood during my teenage-through-early-twenties years.  Michelle and Jon both are tremendous examples to me.  I’m so glad I got the opportunity to tell Michelle today how much I appreciate her influence on my younger self.

On a totally other random note, I think I’m going to get the toot a subscription to “Ladybug,” the 3-6 year old magazine from Cricket.  He is SO on the verge of reading!  He loves to identify letters and he’s even started guessing what words are, based on their first (or last) letter.  It’s adorable.

The Children’s Place is having a Spring Sale on Amazon.com.  Check it out!

The first of my spring bulbs peeked through the soil today!  I am so excited!  Spring is finally here and it looks like we’ll even have warm weather this weekend (in the 70s!).

I took the toot to the dentist yesterday — he was great!  They gave him a Lightning McQueen toothbrush… oh my gosh.  I don’t think I’ve seen such a big smile in a while.  A big, clean smile.

I know I think every age is cuter than the one before, but 3 1/2 is definitely it!  The toot has been SO affectionate the last month or so… more than his usual sweetness.  Demanding hugs and kisses - multiple times!  Giving hugs and kisses unprompted.  Saying, “I love you” ALL the time.  In fact, he has a song he sings: “I love you; You’re my best friend.”  It’s adorable.

He is such a sweetheart!  Now, if I could only get him to nap everyday… he missed his nap yesterday and was an absolute MONSTER by the time SavvyDad got home.  He even lost his Wii privileges for the rest of the day.  Poor kid.  That was a knife in the heart for him.  He did go to bed early, but then was up early.  *sigh*

Today he took a short (but late) nap, so I don’t even think I can get away with putting him to bed early.  He’s a cutie, though.

A couple of weeks ago we had our “jammie day” together — and now he wants every day to be jammie day. LOL  Today he was sporting his two-piece Lightning McQueen jammies and was just freakin’ adorable.  Yeah, he wore them until we left for Costco at 11am.

Where on EARTH does the time go?  It’s April 1st today!  When did that happen?  I think I’m stuck back at the beginning of January - still trying to recover from Christmas and deciding what to do this year.  Before I know it, tax returns are due in two weeks!

By the way, I got my first issue of Wondertime today and it did not disappoint!  I was reading it while the toot was eating lunch… only ten pages in, and I was laughing so hard I was crying.  If you haven’t already, I recommend checking it out.

I decided yesterday (as I was procrastinating getting my last few hours of the month in) that I REALLY need to find time for my hobbies.  It’s so funny… I don’t consider blogging a hobby!  Although, I do need more time to blog as well.  I especially want to find the time to go through all our photos, print the ones I want, and SCRAPBOOK!  I also have my little niece Vivian’s quilt to finish before she goes to grade school (haha) and I’d like to put together a scrapbook of my father’s ancestors.  Not to mention, scan the box of photos I found in my parents’ basement last summer.  It’s been sitting on the end of my desk since September taking up TONS of room!

Like most toddler moms, there aren’t enough hours in the day!  I have learned that I just can’t do it all… but I guess I refuse to be resigned to that. LOL

I’m going to try to set some time aside each week to spend on those projects.  I’m going to make a list of them… schedule the time on my calendar… and just DO it.  (There I go being a Nike ad again.)

The great thing about all these projects is that they are things the toot can do with me!  He loves to play in my craft room while I scrapbook or sew.  I have a table in there for him to color, glue, etc. and do what mom is doing.  He usually just brings his massive amounts of cars in there and plays.  I show him what I’m working on and we talk about it… he is at the stage where he has so many questions.  “But why?” is becoming more and more common.

Another new thing he’s started is, when we are driving down the road and he hears a horn honk, he says, “Who’s the idiot?”  Thanks, SavvyDad.

It’s been a busy week!  As my friend and fellow blogger Heather put it, “It’s a lot of work being the mommy!”

How was your Easter weekend?  Ours was fun and freakin’ crazy.  I’ve just been running and running since.  We had a great time with my brother and his family in town — enjoyed an afternoon at Hogle Zoo on Saturday, as well as an Easter egg hunt and dinner at my parents’.  You can’t beat a trip to the zoo for some toddler fun!  They loved the animals, of course, but I think the train took the cake.  SavvyDad got this great shot of us coming down the track:

The toot’s favorite item from the Easter Bunny was a new set of toy golf clubs.  Man, that kid loves to golf!  Funnily enough, the in-laws brought him a toy sword home from England that makes a “ching” sound when you hit it against stuff.  WOW.  In one day, he more than doubled his number of long skinny things designed to hit other things.  Just what we needed! :)  Actually, he’s pretty good about not hitting or breaking anything.  (Famous last words…)

SavvyDad and I celebrated our ninth anniversary on Tuesday.  Nine years.  That’s just crazy.  Couldn’t imagine a better way to spend nine years, though!  I love you, sweetie.

I frantically planted my lily bulbs yesterday after a grueling week of weeding my miserable garden.  It’s done!  Alas, I ran out of time to get the weed preventer stuff (Preen) on, and then, OF COURSE, it snowed this morning.  SNOWED?!?!  So, that will have to wait until another day.  But the bulbs are in the ground!!  The toot was an awesome helper — nothing like dirt and everything that comes with it to bring a smile to a toddler.

I have been working a ton this week and so am going to enjoy today as a day of relaxation and recovery.  Since there is almost three inches of snow outside, I can’t work in the garden — no guilt there!  I don’t have any appointments, so I can stay in my pjs all day if I want.  Probably won’t, but I CAN.  The toot slept great last night and is just a little sweetheart this morning.  It’s looking to be a great day.

Hope you are having a good one too!

A quick aside… Looking for a great gift for the nerdy blogger in your life?  Consider the WordPress Hoodie.  I’d love one in XL, thank you very much.

This week I’ve been busy in my garden!  I was worried about trying to weed and clean out debris from the winter with the toot in tow (front yard - no fence), but have managed to find the secret… BUGS!!!  If I can find a ladybug, worm, or other small, harmless creature for the toot to watch and move around the garden, he is so happy to stay right there and do it!  What a cutie.  Thank goodness for bugs.  (Did I actually just say that?) I might actually have a nice garden this year!

In other news… Easter is Sunday!  I am so not ready.  I need to run to the store without the toot for some bunny-related items (jellybeans, certain items by Cadbury, etc.) and a trip to Toys R Us for a new set of golf clubs for the toot.  He is SUCH a golfer!  He only has one club left from the last set we got — he has broken the other two through his sheer force of strength.  He can hit SO hard.  He is making his daddy so proud.

What are your Easter plans? Basket fillers? Decorating eggs? Egg hunt? Traditions?  I’d love to hear them.

I really am trying to be more focused on the TODDLER aspect of this blog… I know I get distracted a lot, and I must apologize!

In that regard, I have to share what the toot did yesterday while he was supposed to be taking a nap.  This was a nice copy of Elmo’s Big Lift-and-Look Book before naptime yesterday.  Look at it now:

ARGH!  I asked him why he felt the need to rip all of the “lift” pieces off… he said, “I couldn’t see the pictures!”  Oh, my sweet three-year-old…

I’ve been so busy doing things I want to blog about, I haven’t had a chance to blog about them!  This week the toot and I — and the majority of the in-law clan – made it over to the Discovery Gateway.  Very cool, but expensive.  When I have more time, I will give a more complete review, but for now my overall opinion is that you have to go at least once.  The toot LOVED it and keeps asking to go again.

I also went to the new IKEA this morning — first time since it opened in Draper last summer.  Yes, I thought I was the last person to finally go, but then I realized CTM hasn’t been yet either!  I’ve been to IKEA before in Chicago and California, but not our very own here in Salt Lake.  It was nice to go and not have to think, “Will that fit in my luggage?” with everything I considered purchasing.

They have a great kids’ play area — free for an hour! — but… alas, the toot is not potty trained yet.  Only 100% potty trained children allowed!  He did have some awesome mac & cheese in the restaurant, although I prefer their meatballs.  Yum!

So, I think I’ve mentioned Suze Orman’s book Women & Money before, but I think it deserves another, longer mention.  Or, rather, directive: Get this book!  Even if you think (or know) you are very financially savvy, unless you are a financial planner yourself, you will learn something.  I read it last year after my SIL Anne mentioned it (thanks again!). 

One of my favorite things about it (there are several…) is the money market account offer they provide.  Suze Orman worked out a deal with TD Ameritrade… if you open a money market account there and deposit at least $50/month for one year, they will give you an additional $100!  This month I make my 12th deposit and after I get my extra $100, will have $700 in the account.  And honestly, it’s been painless.

On a totally different train of thought, I spent an hour in the doctor’s office last month cracking up over an issue of Wondertime I picked up in there.  I just sent in for a subscription, I liked it so much.  I found it much more down-to-earth than most parenting magazines, but also more sophisticated.  The article that I was laughing about so hard I was crying was from a woman that blogs for them and was relating her funniest/worst moments of parenting.  I was DYING.  Someone who has had four miscarriages (that would be me…) shouldn’t be laughing so hard in a OBGYN’s waiting room surrounded by extremely pregnant women.  Very sweet medicine for me.

Speaking of which… I am going to a second perinatalogist next week for another opinion.  Since all my tests, etc. have come up negative, I have got to keep trying to find an answer.  Along the lines of when you are at the bottom of the barrel, you find another barrel.  My new barrel is at the U of U Hospital and specializes in recurrent miscarriages, preterm births, and stillborns.  I’ll let you know what I find out (if anything).

The toot has been completely off his napping/eating schedule lately and has been SUCH a monster.  I think we will be laying low the next couple of days so that he (and I) can recover.  I actually found a bare spot on my desk today, so I am not as buried as I have been.  Yay!  Hopefully I will be able to blog about the Discovery Gateway, etc. very soon.

Hello again… sorry I’ve been AWOL for a bit.  Things have been a bit crazy.  Lots of work, doctors appointments (ugh - I waited TWO HOURS at my OB’s today… just shoot me…), and driving from one end of the valley to the other, I’ve hardly had any time at my computer in the last week.  I’m going into withdrawal!

So, just really quickly, since it’s getting late and I have to get up and going in the morning (to my internist’s… hopefully a shorter wait!), I did want to leave a quick post about Valentine’s Day.

Since I believe most of my readers are women (SavvyDad rarely even reads… and that’s okay!), we are all keenly aware that Valentine’s Day is Thursday.  Putting ourselves aside for a minute, though, I think Valentine’s Day is a great time to bring out the sweetest in our little toddlers.  I had such a good time with the toot tonight having him “write” (scribble with many colors of crayons) valentines to his grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles.  We just bought a box of Disney (read: “Cars”) valentines at the store and he went to town.  He really got into it, choosing for each person if they would like “Cars,” “Finding Nemo,” or “Toy Story” more.  Then we had to put stickers on!

He’s so excited about helping me take them to the post office tomorrow (early in the morning - straight to the post office, of course, since I procrastinated…) and dropping them in the box.  Oh, how he loves boxes!  He’s so enamoured with the one at the video store too — he has to drop the DVDs in himself now.  It’s so adorable!

Anyway, a really fun, inexpensive thing to do with your kids… not to mention score points with the grandparents!  They love that kind of stuff, you know.

Alright, time for me to be off.  G’night!