Sometimes I Just Need a Chill Pill

Last week, I got some news that sent me into a brief tail spin for about 36 hours (work related, not health related).  I had a vision of how I thought our family's lives were going to be for the next five years and suddenly with this new information, I felt like I had to completely readjust....immediately.

See that's the thing with me.  I HATE uncertainty.  I can deal with bad news, but I cannot deal with uncertainty.  Uncertainty makes me instantly plot out worst case scenarios.  I'm trying to find the emergency exit.  I'm really in a state of constant stress when uncertainty creeps in.  Why is that?

For me, I think it's because I am 100% goal oriented.  It's very hard for me to live in the here and now.  When you throw in uncertainty, I don't know how to achieve the goal...and whew, I go nuts.

This quality helps me achieve, but it doesn't necessarily make me the best parent, spouse or friend.  So I have to find my own chill pill (a legal one).  Not exactly sure what it is just yet - but I saw a quote this week that was a perfect reminder for me -- "Now and then it's good to pause in the pursuit of happiness and just be happy."

You should know that during the tail spin, I received some additional information which actually indicated things were better than before the tail spin!  If I had just remained calm until I had all of the information, I could have saved myself and my husband some unneeded stress.

Any suggestions for good chill pills?

Is Halloween Just for Kids?

I like Halloween just fine.  I love spooky things and ghosts.  I like going to pumpkin patches.  I love seeing little toddlers in cute animal costumes.  And from a mom's perspective, Halloween is pretty easy to prepare for.  Buy a couple of costumes and some candy, and you're done.

But this year our daughter threw us a curve ball - she wanted mommy and daddy to dress up for Halloween, too.  Actually, she started asking for this last year after Halloween.  I was pretty quick to say, "Mommy isn't really into that.  Don't you have fun dressing up with your brother?"  I didn't seriously entertain dressing up.

I shared this story with a friend, and the friend reminded me to think about this from my daughter's perspective - something that maybe wasn't "my thing" was going to be very special to my child.  I had never thought of it like that.  But it did make me remember a year when my parents dressed up for a Halloween party.   Even though I wasn't going to the party, I thought it was so cool they dressed up.

So I conceded.  Well, fast forward one year, and like every other four year old girl, my daughter is in love with Elsa.  And she decreed we must all be Frozen characters.  She would be Elsa, of course.  Mommy would be Anna.  Daddy would be Kristoff, and little brother (who thankfully still goes with the flow) would be Olaf.  She even tried (albeit unsuccessfully) to turn the cat into Sven.

Although it's not Halloween yet, we have already dressed up for the school festival and I must say we had fun!  Our daughter got a huge kick out of watching us get dressed up.  We got to trim daddy's blonde Kristoff wig, which made everyone laugh.  And my daughter felt very special that the other kids thought her mommy was Princess Anna.

So I learned two things from this experience - 1) The holidays can actually be more fun when mommy and daddy aren't afraid to be a little silly and 2) My husband looks terrible as a blonde.

Happy Halloween everyone!

5 Super Easy but Adorable Halloween & Fall Decorations

I love decorating!  In fact, it's part of what made me start a party business, because I like designing parties - not necessarily because I'm the hostess with the mostess.  BUT having two little kids (particularly the 22 month old) has taken some fun out of decorating.  It's really hard to find the time, and it's hard to find decorating ideas the little one won't sabotage.

So here are my top 5 (who has time for 10?)  simple but elegant (do not use inflatables) kid-friendly decorating ideas:

1.  Fill vases and bowls your already have with little pumpkins and gourds (buy these on your next trip to the grocery store).


2.  Spray paint pumpkins.  Personally, I love the look of white or ivory pumpkins with gold glitter tops, but you can choose whatever matches with your home.


3.  Fall Leaf Garlands.  Garlands add a big punch for little effort and low costs.  You can buy a set of 6 that are 6 feet long each at Amazon for $20.  Super easy.  Set them on your mantel.  Use one as a table runner.  Decorate your handrails with these.  You will have instant color in 5 minutes!


4.  Battery operated candles.  I love candle light, but let's face it, it isn't the most child-friendly thing in the world.  But if it's battery operated, it's safe.  And battery operated candles can be super cheap.  Get a bunch of tea lights or small candles and put them in windows or little nooks that you want to light up when it's dark or cloudy.  You can buy a dozen for $15 at Oriental Trading.


5.  Candy Corn!  Okay, this could be dangerous if you or your kids like to eat candy corn, but it makes for a great decoration.  It's cheap and at the grocery store.  Fill covered (you don't want ants) clear candy dishes, mason jars, whatever you have with candy corn.



Voila you're done!  Two online purchases.  Some extra items at your next trip to the grocery store.  And 20 minutes of setup at home.  You are officially ready for fall!

Second Child Tantrums are Funnier

So lots of things change with the second child.  They watch more TV than the first child did.  They don't get all of the homemade baby food the first child did.  They play with toys you never would have let the first child play with.  The list goes on and on.  You just don't have as much time to manage the details and perfections once there are two.  You are more focused on managing the team and the team's survival.

Well, one thing we've noticed in our house with the second child - which is quite a treat - tantrums don't bother us with the second child like they did with the first child.  Granted, so far our second child's tantrums pale in comparison to our first child's tantrums.  But nevertheless, we actually find the tantrums quite hysterical the second time around.

For example, the one that cracks me up every time.  Our 22 month old LOVES to get his ears cleaned with Q-tips.  I mean it's weird.  He just loves it.  And when I'm finished and the Q-tips are all gone, he bursts into tears every time and starts screaming "More.  More.  More."  With the first, I would have felt bad and tried to calm her but with the second, it is downright hysterical.  Seriously, it makes my day.  (What does this say about me?)

The other night after seeing the moon, as usual, he wanted "More. More. More."  I explained there was only one moon but it's beautiful, and we can enjoy it.  This did not sit well with him and again the tears started.  Seriously, how could you not laugh at that?  He's angry that mommy can't produce a second moon for the earth.

Last one, because I could go on... We were at the pumpkin patch this past weekend.  They have built a very elaborate climbing structure for the goats to climb on.  I must admit it does look awesome.  It's in a fenced-in area with the goats, of course.  Well, my son thought it looked like an awesome playground, too.  And I literally had to carry him out of the pumpkin patch kicking and screaming, because I wouldn't let him climb on the goats' playground.  Again, I would have been mortified with number one but man, that was adorable with number two!

So the lesson here (if there is one) is - having the second child can simplify things, because you don't take everything so seriously.  You can see the humor in things you might not have seen the first time around.

Anyone else have funny toddler tantrums?  Please share!