Who Knew Playtime Would be So Challenging?

I always assumed that, once Sophie reached a certain age, she'd start playing by herself. I envisioned her sitting quietly on her own, playing happily with one of her gazillion toys, while I got to do my own thing. However, this has not been the case for us (so far at least). And after 16 months of being her main source of entertainment 24/7, this momma is ready for a break!

Instead of playing contently on her own, Sophie demands constant interaction from both me and Chase. She might play by herself for a few minutes, but then she's right back to being stuck to our sides. I love that she wants to interact with us, but it makes it nearly impossible to accomplish anything, like say cook dinner, when she's constantly pulling on my leg for me to pick her up, or throwing a fit because I'm not stopping what I'm doing to entertain her.

Don't get me wrong, I love playing with Sophie, but sometimes there are other things that I need to do, or I just want a few minutes to sit and watch a little TV or read a book. Those are the moments I wish she could play independently, even just for a little while.

This gets worse on rainy days, which we've been having a lot of lately. On rainy days I can't take her outside and let her run around, or do chalk with her in the driveway, or take her for a walk. No, on rainy days we are stuck in the house and she is looking to me to fill the long, boring hours of the day. I don't know why we even bothered to buy her so many toys for her birthday and Christmas; the kid has a playroom full of toys she hardly plays with. There are maybe a handful that she likes to play with for say five minutes, then she's done, and looking at me or Chase to entertain her.

Now, just so you don't think we're terrible parents, we have done lots of fun things with Sophie. Recently, we've went to the park, taken her on her first trip to the zoo, and attended her first spring carnival. We love to get her out of the house as much as possible, and do fun things with her, which is much easier to do when the weather cooperates.

However, for the days we can't get out of the house and mommy and daddy need to get a few things done, or just want to relax, I wish she could, you know-- just play! Can anyone else relate to this? Do you have any ideas for how to get her to play by herself for a little while? I should mention, Sophie does not watch TV. Not because we don't allow it, but because she just doesn't want to, which I think is a good thing, but that puts us at a disadvantage because we can never turn to the TV like so many other parents do when they need a break for a few minutes.

I don't know, maybe I'm asking too much of a 16 month old? All I know is I would like to have 10-15 minutes to do laundry, cook dinner, talk to my husband without being interrupted, zone out, etc., without a toddler pulling on my shirt or throwing a fit because I'm not giving her my undivided attention.

I recently read a really good blog post on this very subject, but it was referring to this problem in older children. Here's the link to it if you'd like to check it out: http://www.parenting.com/blogs/true-mom-confessions/sasha-emmons/play-alone Sometimes I worry if I don't start teaching Sophie how to entertain herself now, she won't be able to do it when she's older either. I really want to break the habit now, before it becomes a real problem.

Favorite Children's Books

There are so many great children's books out there. I am slowly, but steadily adding to Sophie's collection, and I'd like to share some of our favorites so far.

Reading before bed has become a nightly routine for us, one that I very much enjoy. When I first started trying to read to Sophie she wasn't all that interested. But, now that she's a little older, and has a longer attention span, she loves it! Every night at 8:00 p.m. sharp the TV goes off and Sophie and I sit on the living room floor and gather up all of our favorite books to read. She plops down in my lap, usually holding her ever-present blankey, and I read to her. She sits quietly, listening to me, and occasionally she'll point out what she sees on the pages-- "Ducky!!" It's so sweet. :-) Here are our favorites.

1. Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch (A classic, and still my personal favorite.)
2. A Potty For Me, by Karen Katz (I bought this one for her so we could introduce the potty subject and start to prepare her for when potty training begins. And she surprisingly loves it.)
3. Good Night, My Love, by Sandra Magsamen
4. I Love You Through and Through, by Bernadette Rossetti Shustak
5. Where is Baby's Belly Button?, by Karen Katz (She makes really good lift-the-flap books.)
6. Are You My Mommy?, by Kait Eaton
7. Ten, Nine, Eight, by Molly Bang

Do you and your little one have a favorite book? Please share. Sophie and I are always open to suggestions. :-)

A Few of My Favorite Things...

Sometimes on rainy, dreary days like today I like to sit and think of a few of my favorite things to brighten up my day. Here's my list:

• A warm cup of coffee
• Comfy pajamas
• Laying on the couch snuggled under a soft throw blanket
• The sweet quiet that comes along with having the house to myself (This rarely happens these days, which makes me cherish it even more.)
• A good book
• Hearing a favorite song on the radio
• The smell of Sophie's hair after she's just had a bath...heavenly :-)
• Holding hands with my husband
• Comfort food (lately its been spaghetti and meatballs)
• Yoga (It relaxes and rejuvenates me. Wish I could do it more often.)

Sometimes it's the little things. Happy Friday everyone! What's on your list?

P.S.- Hope you all have a great Easter! We're determined to have Sophie's first Easter egg hunt on Sunday, rain or shine! :-)

Things You Should Do Before Having Kids

Don't get me wrong, having a child is absolutely wonderful, and I wouldn't change being a mom for anything in the world. However, with that being said, there are a few things I wish I had done, or done more of, before I had Sophie. Because let's be honest, some things just aren't the same once you have a kid. So, if you are contemplating having a baby in the near future I recommend doing these things first, before you get preggers.

1. Sleep in and take naps often.
I'm sure you've heard this one, but it's true, once the baby is here sleep will become scarce, especially in the beginning. If you're lucky you'll sleep when the baby sleeps, but it won't be like it was before, when you could sleep late and take a nap whenever you wanted to.
(Full disclosure: I can't complain too much about this one. Sophie usually sleeps in until 9:00 am on the weekends. She's also a pretty good napper, and I sometimes still nap when she does, so it could be worse for me. I really feel for the mamas whose babies wake up at 6 am every day!)

2. Pamper yourself as much as possible.
Take a long bubble bath, get a massage, go for a mani pedi, do whatever it is that relaxes you, and do it as often as possible. There will be little time/money for those luxuries once the baby is here.

3. Read/watch movies.
If you enjoy reading books or watching movies, do it now. Once the baby is here fitting in the time to read gets harder, and finding sitters to go to the movies can be a chore. Even watching movies at home gets more difficult, because you'll have to wait until your child's bedtime, that is if you want to actually be able to pay attention to the movie.
(Sidenote: If you have TV shows you want to be able to keep up with once baby is here, I highly recommend you get DVR. That way you can record your favorite shows, and watch them when baby's asleep.)

4. Do a sexy photo shoot.
This is something I never had the desire to do before I had Sophie. However, now that I have had a child and my body is not the same as it was, and never will be, I wish I had. It would be nice to be able to look back and say, "Man, I used to look like that!" Plus, I'm sure your hubby would appreciate it. ;)

5. Travel
Not saying you can never travel once baby is here, but it will be harder with a baby in tow. And trips will definitely be less frequent. Is there somewhere you've always wanted to go? Go there now!

Sure, having a child can make your life more challenging at times, but it also makes it so much more rewarding. So please don't take this post as a negative comment on life after kids. I just wanted to let wanna-be parents know what they should take advantage of, while they still have the chance. :-)

Reads and Recommends

This post is dedicated to some of the great finds I have come across on the World Wide Web recently. I'm sharing with you all on the off chance you may find them interesting as well. Here you go.

I loved this article http://livingingraceland.com/2013/03/18/my-message-to-my-younger-momma-self/. It's such a sweet, insightful, poignant piece about a mother of older children reflecting back on when they were younger. Having a small child myself, I found it very interesting to see what advice she gave to her younger mom self.

I found this http://youaremywild.wordpress.com/. It's a collection of photographs taken by 14 photographers of their own children as they see them. They're absolutely beautiful.

Here is a story about a fun young couple living in New York City with their two year old son. The dad decided to take him on an adventure in the city where they acted out the scenes in one of his favorite storybooks. Such a cool idea. http://www.joannagoddard.blogspot.com/2013/03/motherhood-monday-bringing-your-childs.html

I love this idea of turning your kid's artwork into a keepsake book. How cool is that?! http://www.plumprint.com Sophie hasn't really started producing any artwork yet (she just scribbles), but when she does I would love to do this.

This is a really funny, honest account of some of the down sides of being pregnant.  http://celebritybabies.people.com/2013/02/21/poppy-montgomery-blog-pregnancy-cravings-hormones/#more-180195 I could totally relate to her cravings for sushi and margaritas, crazy hormones, and feeling like a whale. For those of you who have been pregnant before, and know how it is, this is a fun read.

That's all I've got. Until next time. :-)

Mommy Mantra

A friend of mine wrote a blog post recently about how difficult it can sometimes be as a mom to balance everything in your life: kids, work, home, husband, etc. In her words, it can sometimes feel like you're barely treading water. (Shout out Jayme! :) I found this to be very relevant because I think this is something that every mom has struggled with at some point or another. (I know I have.) As moms, it is easy to get bogged down by our busy lives and feel overwhelmed, tired, and stressed.

I've been doing this whole mom thing for going on 15 months now, and during that time I have created what I call my Mom Mantra, to help me deal with moments like this. The mantra is, "I'll do my best". It's simple, but if I repeat it to myself it helps calm me when I get overwhelmed by everything going on in my life.

If I have a hectic work day or Sophie is being uncooperative, and I feel like I'm struggling to get through the day, I think to myself, I'll do my best to get through this day/hour/minute. And when I lay down at night and recap the day in my head, and say to myself, "I did my best", then that's all that matters. If I didn't get everything done on my to do list, or I lost my cool for a few minutes, it doesn't matter, because I tried my best, and that's really all we can do.

I also think this mantra helps me keep an even head, and not get wrapped up in comparing myself to other moms who seem to be effortlessly doing it all. Because we all know that isn't the case. There is no mom out there who is navigating everything perfectly; it just isn't possible. So give yourselves a break fellow mamas! And, know that if you're doing your best, you are doing enough. And more likely than not, you are doing a fantastic job. :)

On Having "Me Time" as a Working Mom

On Wednesday I took a vacation day. I knew going into this vacation day that it would not be a real vacation. Yes I was off work, but I took the day off because I had a dentist appointment and a million other things I needed to do. Thus, it was more of a Chore day than a Vacation day.

So I "slept in" until 8:00, showered and got ready, and dropped Sophie off at the sitter's by 9:15 so I could make it to my 9:30 dentist appointment. After my appointment was over, I let Sophie stay with the sitter so I could clean the house and run some much needed errands. As most parents know, it is nearly impossible to clean your house with a toddler underfoot, and it makes grocery shopping much more of a chore as well.

I really needed this day. I needed a day to get things done. But I have to say, I have trouble taking days like this for myself. It's hard as a working mom because you are away from your child so much during the week while you're at work. So most days I have off I try to spend with Sophie. I felt guilty because I could have technically had her with me that day, but it would have made things more difficult. Plus, I really wanted some "Me" time. Even though this wasn't what I would have used to have referred to as Me time. Back before I had a child if I had taken a day off from work I probably would have slept until 10:30, lounged around in my pajamas, watched a bunch of crap television, and maybe painted my toenails.

Instead I cleaned the house, did the dishes and two loads of laundry, dropped our comforter off at the cleaners, went to Sam's Club and Walmart, and went home and unloaded the groceries. I did all of this, and was done on time to pick Sophie up by 3:30. It's funny how my life has changed.

I am happy with this change though. I felt a sense of accomplishment getting all of that done. (Oh and I also had dinner cooked and ready to be eaten by the time Chase got off work.) As a busy working mom I have to weigh my priorities, and take advantage of what little free time I can get.

However, this doesn't mean I don't ever take any real Me time, or time to just relax. It just isn't as frequent. Last night Chase and I went to dinner sans baby, and it was really nice. And I also have a lovely massage gift certificate from Valentine's Day that my wonderful hubby got for me, which is burning a hole in my pocket. I plan to use it soon on a real Me day.

So tell me fellow working mommies, how do you spend your Me time? Do you relax and really enjoy it, or are you like me, and usually end up spending it doing chores?