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8K views 292 replies 8 participants last post by  MarineWife 
#1 ·
Welcome to the Rockstar Mamas thread! Our wonderful group of mamas started following each other in the Charting to Avoid thread over in fertility. Eventually we created "The Whatever Ladies!", a safe place for those of us who were not trying to prevent pregnancy, though not actively trying to conceive either. Spread out over a year, we all got pregnant and had our current babes- several whom are over a year old now!

We made the decision to switch to Rockstar Mamas, after a conversation about how each and every one of us was a Rockstar in some way, for living and thriving through the parenting challenges thrown our way every day. Feel free to join us in our thread, but be warned, the conversation moves fast!

Not really rules but something to consider if you join:

1. Need to be chatty

2. Know that we are all vastly different from one another but we've become friends so we respect those differences. We are vaxers and nonvaxers; homeschoolers, unschoolers, public schoolers; run the gamut from vegan to paleo; some of us want more kids, some don't, and some aren't sure...but we all manage to really get along and come together on things we DO agree on.

3. Aren't afraid to ask each other the hard questions or point out the obvious when/if we want advice!

Member List:

lyeterae ~ Baby boy born February 2011
annie ~ Baby girl born April 7, 2011
Barefootscientist ~ Baby boy born May 30, 2011
AnnieA (due 7/18) ~ Baby girl born July 17, 2011
MarineWife (due 7/30) ~ Baby boy born July 25, 2011
Baby_Cakes (due 8/16) ~ Baby boy born August 16, 2011
MovingMomma (due 8/9) ~ Baby girl born August 18, 2011
akind1 (due 9/28) ~ Baby girl born October 11, 2011
mom2one (due 10/23) ~ Baby boy born October 21, 2011
jeninejessica (due 12/01) ~ Baby girl born November 29, 2011
Kindermama (due 1/6) ~ Baby boy born January 1, 2012

June: http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1355087/june-rockstar-formerly-whatevering-mamas-2012
 
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#227 ·
Can you put it in a PM?

and boo on solo parenting. I don't like doing it even for a few hours (when stuck in the house) - for some reason going out and doing stuff with the kids solo is so much easier.

Norah kind of tried to walk, she was going from one cruising object (the reclliner) to the couch and it was too far away to just keep going, so she let go, arms flailing a bit, turned and grabbed hold of the couch. No steps really necessary, but it was so cute! She will stand unassisted for a few seconds before she chickens out and sits down.

I don't know if this will work, but this is what I've gathered for Norah's party on Etsy. Think I might buy one thing at a time until it's here, so it doesn't seem like so much at once.

https://www.etsy.com/people/akind1/favorites?ref=si_fav

Hooray for getting him on your back! for me putting Norah on my back in a SSC is so much trickier than wrapping. I can do it, but I need a little help still sometimes.
 
#228 ·
Kat ~ The owls are cute!

D's birthday celebration doesn't have a theme. I looked at stuff but nothing really struck me. I didn't get him any presents, either. Again, I looked in TRU, Target and Ross but found nothing that looked good. It occurred to me that a toy drum would be fun. He loves music and banging on things but couldn't find one by the time I thought of it. I still have time, though, because we'll probably have a second celebration while my mom is here this weekend.

I got cake mix and a bunch of balloons. The cake lady was all booked up so I couldn't order a fancy one from her. She gave me the names of two other people to try but I don't want to try them. I really like her cakes. Hm...maybe I should call them.

I looked at Ryan's iPhone but didn't really try to use it. I think I'd need a few uninterrupted hours to really learn about it and you know that's not going to happen. He's been showing me apps here and there that he's gotten. He was really excited about his weather report app, of all things. He gets hourly updates.
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Would it be hard to type/post with the separate keyboard? That one deal comes with the keyboard attachment (or whatever you call it). Maybe I should just wait until October when my Verizon contract runs out. I plan on switching back to AT&T so maybe I'll get a smartphone.
 
#229 ·
LOL, I think we plan to switch back to Verizon from AT&T

typing and posting from a touch screen isn't bad, once you are used to it. as for the xternal keyboard, with that it would be alot like using a small laptop or netbook.

I don't know that Gabe's party will really have a theme :( I like themes.
 
#230 ·
Oh, I hate Verizon! I miss my rollover minutes. I'm actually going to switch back to AT&T even though DH is stuck with Verizon for another year since he had his number suspended while he's deployed. It actually won't cost us any more to have two different individual accounts than to keep the Verizon family plan, especially now that Ryan has his own. We can cancel his line in October.

I let the boys pick their own themes once they are old enough. When they are too young to ask for what they want I don't really worry about it.

Ryan has informed that if I get a smartphone there's no reason for me to get a tablet. They do the same thing so I'd only need a tablet if I didn't have another computer.
 
#231 ·
Hi everyone!

Can I join this thread? (not sure if I need to meet certain criteria).

DS is 5 and a half (born January 2007), and we are a rocking family! (see my post in the Childhood Years Thread about whether to bring a 5 year old to a outdoor rock festival).

DH and I are 29 and 28, respectively, and have been trying to make baby #2 for 4 months now. Hoping to share a thread with some like-minded mamas!
 
#232 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by StudyingStones View Post

Hi everyone!

Can I join this thread? (not sure if I need to meet certain criteria).

DS is 5 and a half (born January 2007), and we are a rocking family! (see my post in the Childhood Years Thread about whether to bring a 5 year old to a outdoor rock festival).

DH and I are 29 and 28, respectively, and have been trying to make baby #2 for 4 months now. Hoping to share a thread with some like-minded mamas!
You're welcome to join. There isn't any criteria, really.

Our group name doesn't actually have anything to do with music. We have been a group for at least 3 years now, since we met in the CTA thread. We made our thread and called it The Whatever Ladies when we went from CTA to not preventing but not necessarily TTC. We all got pregnant and have since had our babies so we moved here to Parenting. Then someone said something about us all being rockstars for the various trials and tribulations we go through as mamas so I changed the name.

So, you may not want to join if you are specifically looking for rocking families (not that none of us rock but that's not what this group is about). You are still welcome, though. Totally up to you. I hope all of that made sense.

To all of you who have been a part of this group for a while, should we come up with a little description of our group so people won't have to ask?
 
#233 ·
I certainly don't mind a new face around here but yeah, hmm, what should we say our group is about? Since we've all had our whatever babies, it's not as though we can't allow ppl who aren't whatevering anymore, right? Maybe in the first post we can put something catchy, or a phrase describing how we got to where we are. Like the way The One thread in TTC has info in the first post about what The One thread is and how to join/participate. Hmm, we should come up with something. I'll think! I barely have two hands to type right now but maybe I will later!

I think the only criteria to meet to really be part of our group would be you:

1. Need to be chatty

2. Know that we are all vastly different from one another but we've become friends so we respect those differences. We are vaxers and nonvaxers; homeschoolers, unschoolers, public schoolers; run the gamut from vegan to paleo; some of us want more kids, some don't, and some aren't sure...but we all manage to really get along and come together on things we DO agree on.

3. Aren't afraid to ask each other the hard questions or point out the obvious when/if we want advice!

Kat - LOVE the tutu!!! Owls are super cute. Love the theme!!!

Ok, I'm going to see if I can PM the file. I really just freaking love the invite.

re: walking. Finn is able to walk along with me if I'm holding one hand. Sniff sniff. I'm just not READY! He hasn't taken any more unassisted steps, and the one he did was just like you said Norah's was, Katrina, where it was from the bed to my leg and I'm not even sure it was a full step or just a reach and lean and shuffle, you know? He didn't realize he did it. But man, when I hold his hand and he walks along next to me he just seems so OLD and GROWN UP!!
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Went for a good run this afternoon! I needed it! Jogged with Finn in the stroller for 3.5 miles! I did it in record time too for being outside, just over 35 min!

I really need to sign up for the 5k. I feel odd doing it w/o having a committed babysitter yet, but I want my free t-shirt and I only get that if I sign up before august.
 
#234 ·
Thanks for the responses babycakes and marinewife! I certainly won't be offended if you're happy with your group as is...I certainly don't want to intrude!!

I'll tell you a little bit about myself, and if you're happy to have me I'll stick around, and if not that's ok!

DH and I are 29 and 28 respectively, and have been together for 11 going on 12 years (we will be married 6 years in September). We became pregnant quite accidentally (I now realize what a blessing that was as we are in our fourth month TTC), and DS is now 5.5 years old and beginning Senior Kindergarten in the fall.

We live in Ontario, Canada and enjoy music, camping, reading and swimming. DH and I enjoy going to concerts and try to always manage a few eah year. We really love music...there is no better balm or medication. Music can cure a shitty day and turn a four hour car ride into an awesome time. Music can do almost anything!

We have a 5 day camping trip planned for next weekend and I am very excited!!! I keep joking to DH that we're only 9 days out from our trip and I STILL haven't made any lists!! And I am an obsessive list maker...extremely detailed. It's kinda ridiculous, really. If you ever need a list for something, ask me; I probably already have one. We've also decided to bring our 6 month old puppy with us, so it's going to be interesting! Does anybody have any tips for camping with a dog?

I work in a hospital as an administrative assistant, so I'm busy 24/7 whether at work or at home, but I'm truly a hippy at heart! I constantly maintain that I was born in the wrong decade and should have been around to experience the 60s and 70s!

I'm really enjoying the companionship on these boards. A community of strong women is such an important thing to have, and I am grateful to be a part of one.
joy.gif
 
#235 ·
I don't think I've ever looked at The One Thread so I don't know what it says. How long is the description? I'm thinking it should be as short as possible but I'm having a hard time summing us up in just a few sentences. We've known each other so long and been through so much together. Maybe we could just say something about where we are now and how we want the group to be as far as being accepting and able to handle strong differing opinions.

StudyingStones (SS) ~ We aren't exclusive. I think as long as you can get along and feel comfortable with us and good about the group you are welcome. Just understand that we've known each other a long time so we may discuss things that you weren't a part of. Don't feel left out. Some of us are even planning a vacation together in September.
 
#236 ·
Studying-- Haha! I totally could have written that bio, adjusting that we conceived our daughter after 9 months of whatevering, and though I am -obsessed- with music, mine is more in the form of youtube and obscure tv show songs, not so great about getting out to concerts.

DH and I are 27 and 26, and have been together for 9 years, so since we were 17. And have been married for 4 years. LOL So we're just two years behind you on everything!

Camping with a dog-- greatly dependent on how he does with other dogs- will be bark a lot when he sees them? That was a big adjustment for our puppy.
 
#237 ·
Welcome to the Rockstar Mamas thread! Our wonderful group of mamas started following each other in the Charting to Avoid thread over in fertility. Eventually we created "The Whatever Ladies!", a safe place for those of us who were not trying to prevent pregnancy, though not actively trying to conceive either. Spread out over a year, we all got pregnant and had our current babes- several whom are over a year old now!

We made the decision to switch to Rockstar Mamas, after a conversation about how each and every one of us was a Rockstar in some way, for living and thriving through the parenting challenges thrown our way every day. Feel free to join us in our thread, but be warned, the conversation moves fast!

(And then add this in...)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Baby_Cakes View Post

I think the only criteria to meet to really be part of our group would be you:

1. Need to be chatty

2. Know that we are all vastly different from one another but we've become friends so we respect those differences. We are vaxers and nonvaxers; homeschoolers, unschoolers, public schoolers; run the gamut from vegan to paleo; some of us want more kids, some don't, and some aren't sure...but we all manage to really get along and come together on things we DO agree on.

3. Aren't afraid to ask each other the hard questions or point out the obvious when/if we want advice!
We can reword it, but that's the gist, really, I think?
 
#238 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarineWife View Post

I don't think I've ever looked at The One Thread so I don't know what it says. How long is the description? I'm thinking it should be as short as possible but I'm having a hard time summing us up in just a few sentences. We've known each other so long and been through so much together. Maybe we could just say something about where we are now and how we want the group to be as far as being accepting and able to handle strong differing opinions.
StudyingStones (SS) ~ We aren't exclusive. I think as long as you can get along and feel comfortable with us and good about the group you are welcome. Just understand that we've known each other a long time so we may discuss things that you weren't a part of. Don't feel left out. Some of us are even planning a vacation together in September.
It's long! A whole thing. I think it's a couple posts long. LOL!!

And SS -
yeahthat.gif


Welcome to our group!

Quote:
Originally Posted by onetwoten View Post

Welcome to the Rockstar Mamas thread! Our wonderful group of mamas started following each other in the Charting to Avoid thread over in fertility. Eventually we created "The Whatever Ladies!", a safe place for those of us who were not trying to prevent pregnancy, though not actively trying to conceive either. Spread out over a year, we all got pregnant and had our current babes- several whom are over a year old now!

We made the decision to switch to Rockstar Mamas, after a conversation about how each and every one of us was a Rockstar in some way, for living and thriving through the parenting challenges thrown our way every day. Feel free to join us in our thread, but be warned, the conversation moves fast!
thumbsup.gif


Love it. Signed sealed delivered! Whoever makes the August thread can simply put that in the first post! Right?

I'm such a moron. I created that event of FB thinking it was private -- it was public to my WHOLE friends list!
duh.gif
I was out picking up nora and got notifications that ppl saw it and I FREAKED! So, now one more person I wasn't planning to invite b/c she's kind of annoying I have to invite b/c she saw it. Geez. I think it's fixed now - I made it invite only!

JJ did you see the invite? I'll add you to the invited list so you can see it.
 
#240 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarineWife View Post

Oh no, Carrie! I loved the invitation.
OK, I added both of those to the first post. Anyone is welcome to reword or add to it. Just LMK.
Thanks!!
love.gif


Finn is starting to do very toddler like things. I just put his spaghetti on his tray, and there were a few cheerios on there from earlier. He sat there picking all the cheerios off one by one and dropping them on the floor! Now he's happily eating his noodles. O BOY! Here we go!

Also today he came to tell me his train was stuck. It's one of those motorized Thomas engines. I heard it clicking and running from the other room, but thought it was just pushed up against something or had fallen over. He crawled out to me, and fussed while waving his arms and got my attention. I said, "Where's your train?" and he went to crawl back to Nora's room. He goes all the way in, goes flat on his belly, and points under the dresser! The train was under there and he couldn't reach it, so he came to get me. Unreal.
 
#241 ·
Very cool, Carrie!

I meant to comment on the cruising to walking thing. Dylan very quickly went from taking those few accidental steps not holding onto furniture to walking for real, I mean just a few days. So get ready!

I need to change my signature since Dylan is now 1!
 
#242 ·
That's funny, I just remembered yesterday to change my siggie because Ava is now 1. Her skills have just exploded the past week. She has started cruising, she can climb on to her toy car my sister got her for her birthday, she can climb in and out of the baby pool my mom got her as a ball pit. She signs eat if I ask her if she's hungry, she goes to the bathroom if I sign "bath", she waves bye if she ready for someone to leave that's at our house or if we are doing an activity that she doesn't want to do anymore, she puts her head down on my shoulder and starts patting my back if she's tired and wants me to walk her to sleep because I pat her back while she's going to sleep. It's just amazing!They will all be walking before we know it!
 
#243 ·
Love the invite Carrie!!!

I'm so torn! Our family doesn't normally do big themed parties. But I want one. We never had a baby shower for Tenley, and so never really got a chance to do something big and exciting for her. I want to celebrate, and something more than just a bunch of her older cousins running around like crazy. But since it -would- be mostly cousins, and they're all older... I don't know how I would really do it any differently. I need to think on this some more. It's hard though, since so much of it depends on where we do the party-- which is dependent on whether we get our basement done in time. We -should-, but heck, it should have been done last year...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Baby_Cakes View Post

Finn is starting to do very toddler like things. I just put his spaghetti on his tray, and there were a few cheerios on there from earlier. He sat there picking all the cheerios off one by one and dropping them on the floor! Now he's happily eating his noodles. O BOY! Here we go!

Also today he came to tell me his train was stuck. It's one of those motorized Thomas engines. I heard it clicking and running from the other room, but thought it was just pushed up against something or had fallen over. He crawled out to me, and fussed while waving his arms and got my attention. I said, "Where's your train?" and he went to crawl back to Nora's room. He goes all the way in, goes flat on his belly, and points under the dresser! The train was under there and he couldn't reach it, so he came to get me. Unreal.
So adorable!!! It's amazing how quickly their brains and problem solving skills develop. Little people we haves!

Quote:
Originally Posted by AnnieA View Post

if we are doing an activity that she doesn't want to do anymore, she puts her head down on my shoulder and starts patting my back if she's tired and wants me to walk her to sleep because I pat her back while she's going to sleep.
<3 What a big girl!
 
#244 ·
oh, what big kids Finn and Ava are!

JJ: There were mostly older kids at Gabe's first birthday, so I mostly focused the activities on them; we had a mini hayride, a pinata, and a big pile of leaves - they loved it. I had kids from his age (1) to 10ish, and everyone had a good time.

Re: birthday parties this year . . . I am struggling with how to word Gabe's to let people know to only bring the kids listed on the invite. I don't really want to pay an extra 13 bucks a head for extra kids that might show up, so I need to think of a tactful way to express this. Something like "Due to the size limitations on our party, please only bring children listed on the invitation. Any and all adults that would like to accompany them are welcome" - Honestly it is only an issue for 2 families, and I brought it up with one of them, to see what she thinks, and she doesn't think that it's appropriate to do that, in the even the olders couldn't be left at home. In her case, I know they can, because her oldest is earning $$ this summer watching the youngest while the mom works. She said to put something on the invite like, for those above and beyond our party limits, parents please be prepared to pay admission . . . I don't really like that either.

Norah refused the paci last night. insisted on boob. *sigh*
 
#245 ·
What if you put something like "Please ask if you have older children you want to bring. They may not be able to attend due to size limitations." Blame it on the place. When they ask you, pretend to find out, and then say you're sorry but they can't come.

And you know if one family can't come b/c they can't bring Mikey and Janey, well, oh well. You know? But everyone else will be ok and you'll still have tons of fun!!!

Lauri - AWW! She IS getting so big. Sigh. Our babies are really turning into kids!!

So - new development. Sleep was CRAP last night, and now Finn is crawling different. He's on his feet and his hands (like a mowgli crawl). He really, really wants to walk. I wonder how long this in between cranky crap sleep frustrated stage will last. It was about 2 weeks when he was wanting to crawl!

JJ - I made up the guest list and I realized Nora is the oldest kid at this party. Mostly it's babies and 1 year olds. I almost wish we had some older cousin type kids to watch the babies who are going to be there, but there aren't any. So. I have the opposite problem!

We are going to Ikea today! Should be fun. Just going to walk around and let the kids play, and grab lunch, and hopefully I can pick up a few cute toy things for Finn's bday.

Oh - MW - I meant to ask you which drum you got/wanted to get? I have one on Finn's wish list...

http://www.amazon.com/B-Parum-Pum-Drum-Lime/dp/B003WE34HC/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1026C7MR7L26E&colid=101P7C3X1XVY4

It's filed with other little instruments. I thought it was really cute when I saw it in person.
 
#246 ·
Carrie ~ I didn't get anything because I didn't see one I liked. That one was at Target and I considered it for a long time. But we already have shakers and cymbals and sticks and a triangle and bells. The drum we had was torn apart so I wanted just a drum. Not a biggie. I'm hoping to get back to TRU and check the "natural" toy section that I forgot about when I was there before.

Ethan informed me that, of course I didn't find any good toys at Target. That's not a toy store. I need to go to TRU for toys.
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I find it very curious that you take the kids shopping so they can play. How do they play in a store?

Annie ~ She waves bye when she wants people to leave? Classic! I love it!

Kat ~ IDK. I'm a very upfront kind of person. I'd just tell the people that I can only afford to pay for so many kids. They would be welcome to bring their older kids if they are willing to pay the fee for them. I'm not sure how to word that on an invitation. I think if I were dealing with only 2 families, I might just call them up and tell them directly. The one family already knows now, right? So there's really only one family left that you'd need to inform. Could you put an upper age limit on the invitation, like 3 year olds and their parents only, or something like that? And then put the price for additional older kids after that?

I'm feeling overwhelming busy this week. I've had to go shopping Tuesday and yesterday (what did I do Monday?). Dylan's birthday celebration yesterday. Park day this morning if it doesn't rain. I want to walk there to get some exercise. The my mom is coming tomorrow but an old friend is back here after moving away and we are trying to get together. She suggested tomorrow evening at the pool but I guess I can't do that since I'll be waiting for my mom to arrive.

That's a kind of interesting story. One of my new homeschool mom friends was at the family pool at the Air Station and started a conversation with the woman sitting next to her. In the course of the conversation my name came up! When this other person learned that I was still here she contacted me via FB. She moved to Russia 3 or 4 years ago and I hadn't heard from her since. I can't wait to hear her stories about living there. Oh, and her DD is Ethan's secret girlfriend. She's the one he cleaned his room for. Of course, the girl doesn't know that but that's ok. hehe

I think the main reason I feel so busy is because I've been cooking dinner every night this week. DH was getting too upset about the kids not eating his dinners. He was trying to force them by making rules about dessert and bedtime. It was creating a lot of discord. So, I decided I should take over dinner. That way the kids will have some say in what is made and dh won't do the whole, "I slaved in the kitchen," passive/aggressive act. It's a little tricky because I have to try to make it paleo but still palatable to the kids. On top of that, Ethan wants to do a different country/style of food every night so I'm searching for international paleo recipes.
 
#247 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarineWife View Post

I find it very curious that you take the kids shopping so they can play. How do they play in a store?

Kat ~ IDK. I'm a very upfront kind of person. I'd just tell the people that I can only afford to pay for so many kids. They would be welcome to bring their older kids if they are willing to pay the fee for them. I'm not sure how to word that on an invitation. I think if I were dealing with only 2 families, I might just call them up and tell them directly. The one family already knows now, right? So there's really only one family left that you'd need to inform. Could you put an upper age limit on the invitation, like 3 year olds and their parents only, or something like that? And then put the price for additional older kids after that?
I'm feeling overwhelming busy this week. I've had to go shopping Tuesday and yesterday (what did I do Monday?). Dylan's birthday celebration yesterday. Park day this morning if it doesn't rain. I want to walk there to get some exercise. The my mom is coming tomorrow but an old friend is back here after moving away and we are trying to get together. She suggested tomorrow evening at the pool but I guess I can't do that since I'll be waiting for my mom to arrive.
That's a kind of interesting story. One of my new homeschool mom friends was at the family pool at the Air Station and started a conversation with the woman sitting next to her. In the course of the conversation my name came up! When this other person learned that I was still here she contacted me via FB. She moved to Russia 3 or 4 years ago and I hadn't heard from her since. I can't wait to hear her stories about living there. Oh, and her DD is Ethan's secret girlfriend. She's the one he cleaned his room for. Of course, the girl doesn't know that but that's ok. hehe
I think the main reason I feel so busy is because I've been cooking dinner every night this week. DH was getting too upset about the kids not eating his dinners. He was trying to force them by making rules about dessert and bedtime. It was creating a lot of discord. So, I decided I should take over dinner. That way the kids will have some say in what is made and dh won't do the whole, "I slaved in the kitchen," passive/aggressive act. It's a little tricky because I have to try to make it paleo but still palatable to the kids. On top of that, Ethan wants to do a different country/style of food every night so I'm searching for international paleo recipes.
Well, working backwards you sure have your work cut out for you in the kitchen!

I still don't get it. When DH wanted to do all raw/whole foods, he didn't place that on the whole family. I would still cook dinner and he would do his own. I mean, what we had by comparison wasn't completely opposite - but he stopped eating pasta, processed food, etc. So. If I made a stir fry he wouldn't eat it b/c of the sauce, etc. Anyhow. I hear you. Dinner every night is all consuming!

Can you do any kind of take out? Is sushi paleo?

I really like your upfront approach to Kats age limit problem. I don't see how anyone could get their knickers in a twist if someone says that, and then lays out the prices for older kids if they need to come. I would be fine with that on an invitation.

Ikea is a like a showroom. You've been to one? I can't remember. Anyway, you just are walking through, and they give you little pencil and a paper and you're only writing things down you want to buy. You can walk thru the bedroom displays and kitchen displays, etc, and the kids can sit and play on the stuff. I mean, not jump on beds, but there's so much to look at and couches to try and all that. It's fun for them as long as you have an eye on them and they aren't being destructive, you know? Idk. It's just something that we do. Then they have toys and stuff you can purchase off the floor, so I"m hoping to find felt food or wooden things to pick up.
 
#248 ·
I think I may have been to Ikea years ago when I was a teenager but not since. Do you know how long ago that was? About 27 years!
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I can see how sitting on all the furniture would be fun for the kids. My boys did that the last time I was in a furniture store.

DH isn't trying to get everyone else to eat paleo. He makes separate food for the boys. The problem is that he doesn't take into account what they like. It's hard to explain. Like if he's making something spicy, he'll make theirs separate but he leaves it plain rather than flavoring it at all. Or he makes that nasty kale that neither he or I could stand and then gets mad that the boys don't eat it. We choked it down because we chose to not waste it and because we understand that it's good for us (and I doused mine with balsamic vinegar). Kids aren't going to do that and I'm not going to try to make them. I was traumatized as a child from my dad doing that to me so I will never do that to my kids.

He also puts way too much on their plates and then gets mad if they don't eat it all. I had to look up how much protein a 5 year old needs to show him that Kellen wasn't going to die if he didn't eat his meat at dinner. It's the equivalent of 3 glasses of milk a day, which Kellen easily gets every day, so it's no big deal to me if he only eats his rice or potato or pasta at dinner. I look at it this way. He's growing exponentially. The body and brain need mostly quick and easy energy to grow. That means carbs and sugars. Protein is important, too, but he doesn't need nearly as much.

Tonight is Japanese night per Ethan so we are having sushi. I think sashimi is paleo so dh should be fine. He's going to pick some up from the commissary today. They have people who make it fresh every day and you can call in an order. Ethan likes plain octopus, of all things. That has to be ordered because they don't routinely make it.

Tomorrow is French Friday so I'm going to try French Chicken in a Pot, http://www.meat-n-veggies.com/2011/06/18/french-chicken-in-a-pot/#more-185. We have a butternut squash that needs to be used. (Don't get me started on trying to get dh to buy only seasonal.) The only French recipe that I found for that is a bisque. Not sure I want to try that. Plus, I'm not sure how to make it paleo other than to just leave out the cream. Then it's not really bisque anymore, is it?
 
#249 ·
As long as I don't have serious shopping to do, like grocery shopping, half the idea of going to the store is as an activity for my kids! They learned a long time ago to not ask/beg me to buy anything for them so it's just an opportunity to walk around, window shop, play with toys, etc. There's a small toy store that we go to on a regular basis for them to just hang out in a bit. They love to go to IKEA but the closest one to us is up by Quantico. They like to go through the living rooms, kitchens, the apartments that are set up and then we always eat in the restaurant.

Baby_Cakes, did you find their cloth/felt food? I've been eyeing that for Ava. I may go up to stay with my sister next weekend and she's about 20 mins from an IKEA so I may go get some then.
 
#250 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnnieA View Post

Baby_Cakes, did you find their cloth/felt food? I've been eyeing that for Ava. I may go up to stay with my sister next weekend and she's about 20 mins from an IKEA so I may go get some then.
I did! I got two - the fruit basket and the veggie basket. I also picked up some wooden cars and a set of stacking cups. They had so much it was hard not to buy it all!!

We all had a really great time. It was so fun to go. And it's only 25 min from me up the Turnpike. I don't know why I've never gone! And I packed food (just snacks - hummus, pretzels, some veggie sticks) and then got drinks and fries at the cafe. It was great! We were there almost 3.5 hours! The kids were so zonked after that, Finn slept in the car and then I just carried him and put him in bed and he slept 2 hours, and Nora just rested on the couch watching TV.

She has the sniffles and is acting a little tired. Either a summer cold or -- idk if this is even a symptom, I have to look it up -- one of the kids in her class had coxsackie so she could have been exposed. I told her please be careful not to share food/drinks with anyone and I've got to keep an extra close eye on her. Though, like I said, are sniffles a symptom? I don't think so...

Anyway, kids went to bed an hour ago and I've been up enjoying the peace! Chris is gone for one more whole day and we'll see him Saturday. Now that Finn is older, it's a lot harder doing this alone.

Here are the kids at Ikea:

700
 
#251 ·
My boys do like to look in TRU. Ethan doesn't ask for everything he sees but Kellen's at that age where he does no matter. He asks for everything he sees on TV, too. It's not a big deal, though. He doesn't have a fit when he doesn't get it and he finds something else he wants pretty quickly. When we were at TRU we were looking for a backpack with flames on it for him, which he had bee talking about for days, but then he saw a trash can one and HAD to have it. He said it was too funny! He's such a fun kid.
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Carrie ~ Ethan got it when he was 2.5 and we were driving from CA to here. It wasn't too horrible but it was a little freaky.

My mom is coming today. She wants to celebrate the time we spent together when Dylan was born. I still haven't finished giving Ethan his end of the year test. We're too busy living life to take a stupid test. Grrr!
 
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