Nailed it!

I have taken a short hiatus from writing. Partly because I have endless work that I can't seem to catch up on, and partly because I have nothing to write about. Lately I feel like I have nailing this parenting thing!

Now, I am not naïve enough to believe that this will last. It is the calm before the storm. However I definitely have managing two down to a science.

Mornings have never been better. Both kids sleep until 7am. I am still sleeping in the baby's room so when 7am hits, I just open both kids doors and Miss K climbs in my bed. After she accidentally slides off the slippery comforter onto the floor, every morning, without fail, the children and I spend the first half hour of the day reading books and snuggling. Nailed it!

Tackling a rainy day. Weather is cold and rainy... or I just don't feel like putting on jeans... time to make a plan to burn off that toddler energy. Miss K is getting some good use out her tricycle going around, and around, and around the circle in our house. Kitchen, dining room, living, over and over and over.  She rarely screams when she gets stuck any more and can back up and straighten herself out. Nailed it!

Building a slide out of pvc pipe toys (omagles). Yes at first I built it about 2 feet too high, with no railing, and so steep you have to top rope it. A few hours and some calloused hands later, it was finished and in the processes Miss K learned the color red and color blue. Nailed it!

What could be dangerous about this?

Naps. Miss K just can't wind down to take a nap. There is just too much fun to be had. However, I can't afford to not have her take a nap. Literally. I need to work during that time. So one day Dan was home and decided to take an alternative approach, as Dad's sometimes do. He put the baby's car seat on her bed on the floor, she climbed in and slept for 90 minutes. She has been napping like this for the past week and hasn't skipped a day yet. Nailed it!

Monitoring the sibling interaction. We are just now at the cusp of Miss K noticing there is another member of the family. He gets toys too. Instead of taking ALL of the baby's toys, she has started giving him toys or swapping toys with him. Every now and again I remind her to be gentle, or to give back a toy she stole, or to not use his left over bottles to feed her stuffed sesame street characters, which end up sticky and smelling like spoiled milk.  Nailed it!

This ball is great, but I prefer the slide. Please and thank you.

Dinner time: what a shit show this can be. I try to make sure the baby is fed and possibly down for a nap while I simultaneously feed Miss K and (if I am feeling generous) make dinner for Dan and I. The key is to strip down the toddler to her diaper and let her self feed. There will be food everywhere, but at least the dogs get a nice treat while the kids take a bath.  Nailed it!

Baby - toddler baths. Singing toddler songs and getting the baby cleaned as fast as possible is imperative. There is only a matter of moments before the splashing and kicking starts. We usually make it through about 3 songs. Baby is out and dressed and then we tackle the toddler, fast enough so the baby doesn't start to get fussy. 10 minutes tops! Nailed it!

Date night. We finally had a date night and it was glorious. The best part was when I saw the winning smile from my husband that said:  Yup, she's still there. I haven't lost the girl the married. (that was right after I suggested going home and getting the yeti costume to scare people driving home.) Nailed it!

Grocery shopping just me and kids. Baby in the ergo carrier, toddler in the cart. Got out of the store without a single extra item that wasn't on the list. No tantrums, no crying. Nailed it!

Backing the huge truck into the tiny parking space next to the garage (because our truck won't actually fit in the garage). Backing up  as close to the fence as possible so our other car can fit into the apron of the driveway. Nailed it! - literally. Poor fence.