Mean Girls Redux

This weekend I was transported back to high school. To mean girls. The girls who went out of their way to make you feel like you were less than, unimportant, unworthy, or just didn't belong.

I can only remember one real mean girl in high school. But, man, she was mean. Bent on discluding me at every turn and making me feel like I didn't belong. Sadly, she was part of my group of friends. Sadly, I never stood up to her or really said anything about her mean girl attitude. Even when she started a petition to get me kicked off the school president ballot (oh, yes she did). Even when she spread completely false rumours about me throughout the school. Even when she went out of her way to have parties and invite everyone but me. Yep, she was a mean girl but thankfully she has been my only real example of a mean girl to date.

But this weekend, I was taken back to that time. I discovered that someone I had considered a friend was going out of her way to make sure I wasn't included and felt like I didn't belong. Inviting friends over but not me. Whispering (yes, are we 12?) behind my back but just loud enough so I could deduce what was being said. And my first reaction was to do exactly what I did in high school- ignore. Pretend it wasn't happening and that I was completely ok. That I didn't even notice her barbs and exclusion.

My second reaction was to blog it. Heh.


When I was in high school, no matter how much my 'mean girl' hurt me, I always had the knowledge that this wasn't it for me. That I would be moving on to bigger and better things and be able to leave that mean girl behind. And I did.
This new mean girl, however, cannot be dropped quite so quickly and easily. I'm not moving any time soon. I'm not dropping my friend group. I'm not leaving behind the amazing life I have cultivated for the past 10 years. So this mean girl and I look to be intertwined for quite some time.

source

So now I am left at a crossroads- do I confront the mean girl and risk alienating and making the situation worse then it has to be or do I just leave it and hope it works itself out? How quickly 16 year old Sarah can return

But it does beg the question... do women ever really leave highschool? Do they ever get over that need to be catty and cruel and exclude others to make themselves feel more important? Do we ever really 'grow up'?

Why Your Child Is A Crappy Sleeper...

I am not a sleep expert. I am, however, a SLEEPLESS expert. I am a mom to two boys who hate sleep. Two boys who barely ever nap, who are restless as they sleep during the night, who wake bright eyed and bushy tailed, regardless of the time they went to bed or how many times they woke up. Kids that will fight you to the death if you dare attempt to 'trick' them into sleep.
According to my extensive research, here are a few reasons why your kids might be a craptastic sleeper:

• their room is too hot
• their room is too cold
• they need a humidifier
• they don't need a humidifier
• they need a lovie (blankie, stuffed animal, etc...)
• they need a paci
• they are hungry
• they are too full
• they are thirsty
• they are wet
• they like a pillow
• they don't like a pillow
• they are teething
• they are having bad dreams
• they aren't tired
• they are overtired
• their room is too light
• their room is too dark
• they are in their terrible twos
• they are in their torturous threes
• they need white noise
• they need complete silence
• they are learning to crawl
• they are learning to stand
• they are learning to walk
• they are potty training
• they enjoy making life miserable for their overindulgent mother who is always scared something is actually wrong when they cry out in the night
• they have a headache
• they have a sore throat
• they have an ear ache
• they have a sick stomach
• they are pretending to have a sick stomach (because sick stomach=action in our house)
• they have a cold
• they might have a tiny bit of a stuffy nose
• they don't like the pjs their daddy made them wear
• they can't find their _______________ (fill in the blank...there are a million things that may be lost at 2 am)
• they just need a little bit of love

So next time you are awoken in the middle of the night, multiple times, by multiple children, reach for my handy comprehensive list of 'reasons why your kids might be a craptastic sleeper' and find the answer that best suits your needs. And, if you have a remedy for any of these reasons, I'd sure love to hear them because sleeping...not a big deal in our house!

Friday Foto Fun

The Potty Training Diaries- Day 4

Well, I think the diaries may stop today.
Not because Z is perfectly potty trained. He's not. But the accidents are few and far between (although I am losing a bit of patience when he obviously has to tinkle and refuses because it wasn't "his idea" and ends up going on my floor. URG!). I'm really proud of my little guy. He's a tough nut to crack but if you can approach him from the right angle he catches on really quickly.
He seems to have grasped the concept that pull-ups are the same as underwear and we have worn them outside of the house with no "accidents".  My reminders nagging to listen to his body seem to work pretty well, as the only time he really has trouble remembering to go potty is when I am busy with Will (ahem, I wonder why?).

The only issue left?
My bathrooms are WRECKED. Seriously, FOUR days of potty training and two of my three bathrooms look like a tornado went through them. Stained toilet bowls, wet floors, pieces of toilet paper strewn about, towels askew. Oy. Is this what it's like to have boys? Because my housekeeping skills cannot keep up!

The Potty Training Diaries- Day 3

aka: How to humiliate your child by writing all about their poops and pees:)

aka: Operation: Use The Freaking Potty 

Day 3
Verdict: Well DONE!

The Method: Bribe. Today he was in love with the idea that I would give him an Oreo cookie when he pooped on the potty. He pooped 3 times...will have to rethink these bribes I'm using:)

The Good: He is using the potty ALONE. Only my butt-wiping skills are necessary as he pulls down his own pants, gets on the toilet, holds his own winky dinky and poops and pees as needed. The thing with Z is that he's all about independence and once he realized he didn't need me around to help him, well the toilet became even more awesome to him! He also wants to sit right on the toilet seat and not use the potty attachment because he can, "see my poops and pees better". Whatever works. 

Z is also really into the shape of poops (again, can't wait til he gets married or becomes a famous athlete. He's gonna DIE). Yesterday he had a poop shaped like a "dinosaur tooth", "a hexagon", "a big fluffy cloud in the sky" and "a small dog". Again, whatever works.

The Bad: He had 2 accidents (if you're following my diary, that's one less accident a day). One was a poop in his pants again that he tried to hide from me.  The pattern I am noticing is that he has his accidents in the morning, when he's still sleepy and the evening, when he's ready for bed. I think I'll endeavour to remind him a little more during those times. I also am not going to use a pull-up unless he is a) sleeping or b)on a long trip away from the house. He seems to treat pull-ups like diapers (and they are, so fair enough) and is more likely to just pee in them.

The Really Unexpected: DRY IN THE MORNING!!!!

The Potty Training Diaries- Day 2

aka: How to humiliate your child by writing all about their poops and pees:)

aka: Operation: Use The Freaking Potty 

Day 2
Verdict: Pretty Good

The Method: Bribe. Doritos were his poison of choice today. No doubt that he's my kid!

The Good: Z was really really receptive to the potty today. He was dry when he woke up (SHOCKING! this has literally never happened before) and did a great first-of-the-morning pee. Proud mommy and proud kid! In total, he used the potty more often than I expected and was only reminded three times (I can't help myself). I think the Diego underwear, reminding him of friends who poop and pee on the potty, and positive reinforcement are working really well. HAHAHAHAHAHA, just kidding. It's the treats.


The Bad: He had 3 accidents. One was a poop in his pants. BARF. He also was in a real snit today. You have no idea what a mood this kid can get into. Needless to say, this made him a real treat;) Despite the mood and the poopy pants, there is very little bad to report.

The Really Unexpected: He announced he is going to potty alone (i.e.: without me standing there holding his winky dinky) tomorrow. We shall see...

The Potty Training Diaries- Day 1

aka: How to humiliate your child by writing all about their poops and pees:)

Zach is going to be 3 in May. THREE. And, according to any list of "potty training signs" he is ready to potty train. And, according to his mother who is so tired of changing up to 15 diapers a day between the two boys, he is ready to potty train. And, according to his father who is revolted by the man sized poops in his diapers, he is ready to potty train. So, starting Monday, we decided that Operation: Use The Freaking Potty would commence...with a blogged diary to ensure that he is appropriately humiliated when he is older and reads all about his poops and pees:)

Day 1
Verdict: Successful and Hopeful

The Method: Bribe. Every time Z initiates and goes to the bathroom, he gets a treat of his choosing (a Diego cookie, a Dora fruit snack, or some mini marshmallows). Bribery works because he normally does not get treats like this. Sure, he's full of sugar but he's pooping and peeing and that, my friends, is the goal. I let Z tell me when his body is ready to go, rarely reminding him because I want him to get used to listening to his own body and not his mother's nagging voice. We wear underwear for the first 3-4 days, with pull-ups at night and (maybe) when we go out or he's at an activity where he may forget to go potty.

The Good: Z successfully used the potty almost the entire day. He pooped twice, initiated on his own *WHOOT*, and peed at least 8 times. He is excited to flush the toilet (we have a potty seat that fits over top of the toilet bowl) and wash his hands and turn off the light afterward. And of course, he never forgets his treat. He loves pooping on the potty and practically puts his head in the toilet bowl in order to watch that poop plop (gee, I hope they read this at his wedding). By the end of the day he seemed to be pretty in tune with his body's needs and was initiating pee, even when he was watch tv, which is a big deal.

The Bad: He had 4 accidents. Three were little dribbles and one was a full-on pee...on the bathroom floor. I have to admit that I was annoyed at that one and gave him a bit of a talking to because he knew he had to pee and refused to go. He actually didn't have an accident after that talking to so perhaps it clued in for him...  I am also chief butt wiper and 'winky dinky' holder because he's not so great at that part yet. He enjoys seeing his pee spray everywhere, 'like a fire hose'. We'll work on that;)

The Really Unexpected: He WOKE UP DRY! He never does that. And he asked to potty first thing because he had held it. SO FREAKING PROUD.

Check out the rest of the week...

Day 2
Day 3
Day 4

Playing Tag

My lovely (red headed) cyber-friend over at Saige Wisdom asked me to join a fun game of tag...and I'm a sucker for school yard games. So, without further ado... (watch out, some weird things happen with the fonts, etc at the end and I don't know how to fix it...so live with it!)

1. Name two tv shows that you must watch every week or record to watch later.

This is the easiest question EVER. 1) REVENGE  2) PARENTHOOD

They are hands-down the best shows on tv and, considering I have a very limited amount of time in which to watch tv I am never disappointed when spending time with either of these shows. (an honourable mention goes to The Amazing Race, of which I have watched every season!)

2. What one food do you never get tired of?
Throwing softballs, Sara. Another easy one- pizza. I love pizza. Mostly Pizza Pizza (which I think is only in Ontario, but I'm not sure) but as a general rule I'll eat any pizza. My sister makes a pretty decent pizza- not too meaty (gag) or cheesy...

3. What is the oldest item you own?
I think it's 'Mr. Bear' who I slept with for a really really really long time (like, maybe until I was 19 or something...whatever, don't ask if you'll be horrified by the answer). He sleeps with Zach now.

4. If you had to pick one place in your town to bring a tourist, where would you take them?
Good question. Um, I think I'd bring them to a place called Heber Downs (where we had our first set of family pics taken, pre-William). It has great trails and little rivers- a fun place to walk with the kids and explore nature.


5. Are you the only, oldest, middle or youngest sibling in your family? 
I'm the oldest. I like to be in charge. I'm very bossy. I like everything my way. Typical.

6. Do you collect anything?
Nope. Nada. Um, maybe dust balls because I hate sweeping.

7. What's your middle name? Is there any special meaning behind it?
My middle name is Joanne, after my aunt. If I had a girl (which I won't now, because we're done)I would have named her Abigail Elizabeth, with Elizabeth being after my sister. 

8. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A doctor. Thank God I changed my mind because, um, science-minded I am not.


9. Celebrity look alike? Who are you compared to most?
I pretty much get compared to any blonde celebrity (for better or worse...sometimes it hasn't been a very nice compliment) but according to myheritage.com I look like:






10. What's one item on your "bucket list"? 
To visit a volcano. I am going to assume this will happen WAY in the future because a trip to Hawaii is not in the budget any time soon!

11. (a) What would your family and friends say is one of your best qualities? 
Gee...I have no clue... um, I'm nice sometimes. And I'm a good mom.
(b)What would they say is one of your worst?
I'm impatient. For sure. And always right (but that only sucks for them and not for me;)