Running shoes

It's always tough to figure out where to draw the line with toddlers, which I suppose is why people say to pick your battles.  I tend to prioritize my own sleep so if the battle will interfere with my sleep, score 1 for the toddler.  My 21 month old son has developed quite an interesting bedtime routine.  First of all, he screams bloody murder as soon as you try to take his running shoes off at night.  He continues to scream "run shoes" until you put them back on his feet.  At first, my husband thought we should fight this battle and refuse to let him sleep in his shoes.  About 30 minutes into the power struggle, I gave in and put his shoes back on.  That was about 3 weeks ago and he's been sleeping in his running shoes ever since.  Now, his new issue is wanting to sleep in a collared shirt.  I was on the fence on this one - on the one hand, I couldn't see any harm in it.  On the other hand though, I'd like him to have clean collared shirts to wear during the day.  I think I lasted about an hour on this power struggle at which point I decided my sleep was too important and put his polo on.  Can't wait to see what's next on the horizon.
Mom of the year ...

Target practice

Sometimes a split second decision to avoid immediate consequences comes back to bite you later on.  We were on our way back from the beach, about a 5 hour drive.  Who doesn't love road trips with a 3 year old and 21 month old?  I don't.  We stopped for a potty break at a gas station where my daughter proceeded to pick up everything and ask "Mommy, can I buy this?"  My daughter is fairly easily distracted at this point, and I bribed her away from the souvenir aisle with cookies.  However, not before she held up a glow-in-the-dark soccer ball and showed my son, whose obsession with balls has reached an all-time high.  I could feel the temper tantrum rising in him as I tried to pry the ball out of his monster grip.  I then imagined the next 50 miles with him screaming "sah-sir ball" at the top of his lungs.  "Buy the ball now," I barked at my husband.  And we were off without a tear.
Two hours down the road, we stopped for lunch.  My son still had his grip on the soccer ball as he sat at the table eating.  He decided to roll the ball across the table to my daughter, which seemed like an innocent enough game.  I got up to get some drinks when out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flashing ball fly across the restaurant, bouncing on someone's plate before whizzing about a millimeter from someone else's head. Needless to say, my son was not happy when we put the ball away for the rest of lunch.

Back at it again

There are very few things in life where recurrent failures do not discourage one from continuing to persevere.  Motherhood is one of those.  Just when I am most worried that I am completely sabotaging two very innocent lives, I find out we are adding a third life into the mix.  Yes, Mom of the Year is pressing on despite the challenges of motherhood into previously uncharted territory ... zone defense.  I know other moms have gone before me, and succeeded.  However, it is my amazing track record that has me most worried about this new adventure (see previous posts).  I am taking bets as to how many hours per day are "tear-free"... yes, including my tears.  The good news is I have started my new job and am no longer a PICU fellow working long hours.  The bad news is I have started my new job and am no longer a PICU fellow working long hours.  Less work equals more family time and while I love time with my family, I also love Monday morning.