Setting Goals

I know it may not seem like much, but I started setting goals for myself each week beyond the normal cleaning and laundry and other regular household duties.  My goals are mainly for when the kids are at preschool.  Week one was to clean out the bathroom drawers/cupboards and organize everything in there.  Week 2 was to clean out all cabinets and drawers in the kitchen.  This took some time but mission accomplished.  Now I am on to cleaning out the pantry, laundry room, and utility cabinet.  These are things I just can't get done while the kids are here.  I could do it after they go to bed but I am usually so drained by then that I just want to lay down and watch an adult TV show.  So maybe by Christmas, my house will be what my mom would call "spring cleaning ready".  So I better get off here and get to work!

To Sleep or Not to Sleep......

Okay so do my kids sleep too much?  That is the burning question lately.  My kids have always been great sleepers.  For most of their lives, they have gone to bed at 8:00 pm and got up at 7:00.  They nap from noon-2:30 or 3:00.  Now that Ashlyn is in preschool five days a week, she gets home at 1:30.  I have been putting her straight to bed for a nap.  It does take her a little while to get to sleep.  She usually plays in her room or calls me upstairs to ask me a random question or hand me a boogie.  :).  She is asleep by 2:00 every day.  So then I wake her up at 4:00 because I don't want her to sleep longer than that.  I usually get grumpiness from 4:00-4:30.  It's not pretty.  Chloe just goes with the flow.  She naps the same time and adjusts to it very well.  They still go to sleep between 8:00-8:30.  Two nights ago, we were at Wild Wing Cafe which is a pretty loud place.  It was 7:00 and she was laying on me putting her head down and saying she was tired.  Other nights, she doesn't fall asleep until 9:00.  She doesn't get out of her bed or cry.  She usually sings or talks to her animals.  It has only been a week and a half since school started.  I guess I'll figure out the happy medium.  I know a lot of kids Ashlyn's age don't nap at all.  So a few questions.....

1.  How much sleep should a 3 year old get?
2.  When do toddlers quit napping?
3.  Is there a definite answer or does it depend on the child?

Ashlyn is a very active child and I feel like she does need the sleep.  There have been days when she didn't nap and then she goes to bed earlier than 8:00.    ???????Moms Help Please?????????

She said what???

My kids have come up with some funny things.  My mom told me once I should write them down.  So I bought a journal.  I have tried to keep up with it:).  These are mostly from Ashlyn.  She says whatever pops in her mind---like her dad.  Chloe thinks things through before saying anything.  


Are you having a bad day?  This will make you laugh.  Here are some postings from my journal:


*"I got pee pee on my knee knee."  Ashlyn said this after going to the potty by herself.


*We had chili for dinner.  Brandon told Ashlyn that beans give you gas.  So a week goes by and I am at the grocery store.  Ashlyn starts screaming, "Beans give you gas," over and over again.  That was a tad embarassing.


*Ashlyn was trying to get my attention, "Mom, Mommy, Mommy, Ms. Julie!!"


*Ashlyn was taking a bath.  Brandon went into the bathroom to tell her bye because he was leaving for work.  Her response, "I'm busy."


*Ashlyn's teacher said she cried at school that day.  That was unusual so I asked her why she was crying.  Her response, "Teacher no give me no sippy cup."


*While playing, Ashlyn took her shirt off.  I told her to put it back on.  She replied, "No me wanna play in my belly."


*Ashlyn grabbed a wipe and started singing, "This little wipe of mine....I'm going to let it shine..."


*I told Ashlyn to smile because I was going to take her picture.  She said, "Don't cheese me."


*When Ashlyn hit Chloe, "My hand did it."  When Ashlyn kicked Chloe, "My foot did it."  When Ashlyn passed gas, "My butt did it."


*At church, they had animals from the zoo.  There was a camel outside.  We said, "Look Ashlyn, a camel!!!!"  She said, "God made it."


*It snowed/iced for a week.  We were stuck in the house.  When we finally decided to venture out for a little bit, we decided to go to McDonalds for lunch.  I told Ashlyn and she ran downstairs screaming, "We are going to McDonald Duck's house."  I guess she was watching too much Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.


*I was so excited to watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  I sat Ashlyn down and it came on.  She had this weird look on her face.  Then she looked at me and said, "Mommy, reindeer can talk?"


*While babysitting Carter, we went to Chick Fil A for lunch.  After eating, the kids were playing in the play room.  Ashlyn came out and got a drink.  Before she went back in, she stopped at a table where a 10 year old girl was eating with her mom.  She put up her finger and said. "You no touch my boyfriend."


*We were at the grandparent's house.  Chloe asked for something and my mom asked her what the magic word was.  She said, "Bibbity bobbity boo."


*Chloe was singing in the car  A-B-C-D-E-F-G-10


*We got a babysitter and went out to dinner for our anniversary.  The next day while driving, Ashlyn pointed to a house and said, "You and daddy got married there last night."  I tried to explain what anniversary means but she kept saying, "Mommy married Daddy and at dinner."


*Ashlyn asked where her cousin Tay Tay was.  I said he was playing football.  She said, "Let's go watch him play basketball."


*Chloe had just moved up to the 2 year old room at church which meant that she would see Ashlyn during group worship.  On the way home I asked Ashlyn what she learned at church.  Her response, "God loves me. God loves fishies.  CHloe doesn't like her teacher.  She wants to come to my room."


*Ashlyn was having a hard time going to sleep.  I told her that white bear was already asleep.  She said, "Silly mommy.  White bear doesn't close his eyes.  He's pretend."


*Ashlyn found a pink bear and asked what his name was.  I said Pinky.  She said, "Oh so she is white bear and Bluey's sister?"  Ok so need to get a little more creative with names.


*At Disney World, Ashlyn pulled up her dress and showed Cinderella her princess underwear.  Cinderella told Ashlyn that she wears princess underwear too.


*We stopped at a McDonalds on the way home from Disney.  I was letting Ashlyn walk off some bottled up energy.  A dirty truck driver was walking by and Ashlyn asked what his name was about 5 times.  I tried to tell her to be quiet and not talk to strangers.  Then she yells, "Me no like you!  You not nice."


*Ashlyn was upstairs in the bathroom.  I was downstairs.  She yelled, "Mommy I need wrapping paper."  I asked her why she needed wrapping paper.  She yelled, "For my butt."  Oh she's out of toilet paper.


*I was trying to get Ashlyn to do #2 before bed because she hadn't gone all day.  She says, "Shhhh mommy.  Poop is sleeping in my butt."


There are more but I think I will save them for another post when I am in need of another laugh.  Hope you enjoyed them!  These were from a couple of years ago.  I'll update when I need a few more laughs.

I was going to start a blog last January....

Okay so I see that I was going to start blogging on January 7, 2011.  That is where I introduced myself and then, well.....as you can see I never wrote again.  So here goes----

First let me update:

Ashlyn turned 3 in May and Chloe turned 2 in June.  We had a great summer of fun.  This summer I could take them places by myself and not cringe.  There were moments when I had to ask myself what I was doing.  However, I try to keep my kids active and take them to new places.  We rarely stay home.

Currently the kids have started preschool.  Ashlyn is going Monday through Friday and Chloe goes Tuesday and Thursday.  I was only going to send Ashlyn three days a week but all her little buddies were going five days and she wouldn't be in their class if she went three days.  So I ended up putting her in the five day class.  She LOVES it.  Her teacher from last year moved up also so it worked out perfectly.  I still feel guilty for sending her every day and me being a stay-at-home mom.  However, she is learning a lot.  It has been one week and we have heard songs, stories, and her spelling colors.  We have heard the B-I-B-L-E song so many times that I find myself singing it after she has gone to sleep.

She has been cracking us up with her stories from school.  This is new considering she didn't say too much last year.  This year we seem to hear everything about everybody.  She even tells on herself.  On Thursday she said she almost had to sit in time-out for talking to Parker.  She laughed when she told me.

I have been writing down all of the funny things she says, so I will make that a blog entry soon.  Well let's hope so.... As for now, I can take a shower without two kids yelling for me.  :)

I decided to start a blog.....

I've been told that I should write a book.  Well I don't have time for that.  I have two girls.  Ashlyn is 2 1/2 and full of energy.  She is wild.  Chloe is 18 months and a bit calm.  Okay---they are polar opposites. They keep me busy to say the least.  Lately they have been doing some really funny things and saying some even funnier things.  People kept telling me I should write it down so I started a journal.  I thought a blog would be great for those great days and the stressful ones.  So here goes....

ABOUT ME:

I grew up in Bedford, PA(very small town).  I graduated from Pitt-Johnstown in 2001 and took a job in Orange, VA teaching 5th grade.  There I met my husband.  After getting married, we moved to Winchester, VA and I taught middle school(interesting).  Then my husband took a job in Atlanta and we ventured south.  We moved to Lawrenceville, GA in 2005 and I don't think I could live up north again.  We enjoy the weather, parks, and amenities of living in a suburb of Atlanta.  

In May 2008 we were blessed with the birth of our first daughter--Ashlyn McKensie after a few years of trying to get pregnant, an ectopic pregnancy, and surgery.  We were elated.  We decided it best for me to become a stay-at-home mom.  Because it took so long to get pregnant the first time and because I have endometriosis, we decided not to use birth control after Ashlyn's birth and whatever happened would be up to God.  Well thirteen months later Chloe Makale was born and it has been an adventure ever since.  We are very blessed to have two healthy children.

Currently I babysit a two year old girl on Mondays and Fridays.  I work at my church(12Stone) on Wednesdays and Ashlyn and Chloe attend preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  There is never a dull moment!