People ask Mama all the time — when do you find the time to work and write? Well…it’s not always easy but it’s something that Mama MUST make time for because well…it helps contribute to keeping Mama sane. Being a Mama is the most glorious thing in the world for those that choose that path (and Mama says that because there are many out there that don’t choose to be a Mama…) — it’s fulfilling and so rewarding knowing that you’re raising these tiny human beings to hopefully do great things in the future. Yes, they are OUR future whether we like it or not.


However, for Mama there was still something that is also rewarding about being extremely busy and reaching for the stars on the career path. Mama always knew that one day, Mama would have kids but Mama’s career was also really important. There’s nothing that Mama loves more than spending money — therefore, it must be earned. Which to make a long story short is why Mama continues to burn the midnight oil (although these days it seems to be more the nine o’clock hour) and feel that wonderful satisfaction from getting a paycheck, getting a client a big media hit or just knowing that people actually want to work with Mama!


Which brings Mama to today…where all is quiet. Can’t you hear the silence in the house? No kids asking for this or that, no hum of the washing machine, no-one playing the drums downstairs while Mama bangs her own head against the keyboard trying to think of tomorrow’s great topic. It’s just silence and it’s GREAT! Both Lily-girl and Baby Boy are back in school and today is a great morning to get some pending items done…if Mama was thinking logically but instead Mama is so much more inclined to pull off the FUN list….


So if you were all alone in your house for the morning and we peeked in the windows…what would we see you doing with all your free time?


Here’s the logical list of to-do items that Mama could accomplish:

• Work — therefore not having to do it tonight BUT then what fun would tight deadlines be?!
• Laundry – too noisy when the silence is golden.
• Make the beds — why, we’re just going to sleep in them again tonight and no-one is coming over today.
• Clean out the toy room — this is a never-ending job and just doesn’t seem like something Mama wants to do — ever!
• Work on those baby books that Mama has been talking about doing all summer for both the kids — one of these days, one of these days…before they go to college, Mama promises.

Oh how Mama wishes the title of this post was Toddlers and Tiaras…that would be so much better than tantrums at this point in time. There is absolutely nothing enjoyable about peeling a screaming 35 pound toddler off the floor of the grocery store because you told him he’s not going to get chocolate milk. Oh and don’t forget to insert the five-year old girl and very, large six month pregnant belly *HERE*…


Did Mama mention before about the sudden interest in biting, hitting, pinching and throwing very large die-cast metal cars at your head should you look at him the wrong way?


Or what about how Mama’s favorite two and half year old loves perfecting the word “NO” at the top of his lungs?


Yes, as Mama mentioned it’s good times around here these days with Baby Boy being exactly his age — two and half. He’s asserting his independence, testing his boundaries and overall testing our patience with him. He’s so cute and loving when he wants to be and then your eyes glaze over and there in front of you is a devil holding a pitchfork poking you in the stomach. It’s all very instantaneous how they manage to lose their halos…and then regain them back again in mere seconds.


Of course all of these challenges that Mama listed above are all new because as difficult as little girls are with the attitude and sassiness, little boys are just wired differently. All the problems that we had with Lily-girl, are nothing compared to that of Baby Boy. If Mama would have had a boy first…who knows if there would have been more!

So with these challenges Mama has been discovering some new methods to tame the madness — anyone see Modern Family lately? Remember the hot sauce episode…Mama tried that. Fail #1 — he seems to like the hot sauce. Also note that he loves the book, Yucky, Yummy, and laughs hysterically at the Yucky hot sauce page.

Semi-fail #2 — reading about it and then having the book thrown at your head. For some reason, the books have become a weapon but on the other hand he does like being read to and likes the books. So not a complete failure. We’ve been reading the Best Behavior Series, $7.95 each, with titles like Teeth Are Not for Biting, Hands Are Not for Hitting, and Feet Are Not for Kicking…we may be on to something with this method.


Okay, then Mama felt pretty bad about he whole hot sauce thing and started Googling (aka researching) what to do with a child that bites, hits, etc. AND what did Mama learn? Two different methods — one said not to punish the child but to remind them that biting/hitting is not okay and to hug them close. This sounded okay….but then the second one sounded even better…


Bite them back! EEK…not sure Mama could sink teeth into Baby Boy’s silky flesh…although, it is tempting…