Category Archives: parenting

Bambino Babysitters to the Rescue!

September 27, 2018

Babysitters – Where are they when you need em?! Seriously, babysitters are like the world’s greatest thing on Earth, can’t live without them (goodbye kids, Mama needs a BREAK!), but they are SO HARD TO GET. I have three girls in my neighborhood whom I LOVE so dearly (Chloe, Clare, and Shannon!!!! xoxo), but we all remember those days of school, and sports, and friends, and boys, (and more boys), and family… they always have something going on. Then that leaves me with my other five girls, who I rarely use, but I have their numbers, and they’re fabulous, but it’s a little weird when I have to ask them and they haven’t heard from me in months and then of course they’re also unavailable. Then there are those numbers you have from other friends or referrals, but you’ve never met or even used them, but you’re just so desperate that you ask them too but then they aren’t even open. Been there? It’s those moments where you will TAKE ANYONE. ANYONE! Such desperation! Lol! Ugh, yeah, I feel like that often! It’s a never ending struggle! NOW – there is an App for that! Haha – Enter BAMBINO!!!!!! The glory bells in heaven are ringing so loud right now!! :) Can’t wait to tell you about this!

A little back story – the above situation was me last week. John and I had a long day planned on Saturday at the Sanford International and I had literally asked EVERY babysitter I have in my phone, probably about 12 girls. Insert every excuse – homecoming, football game, work, out of town, no response … literally not one was available.

That’s when I heard about Bambino! A friendly, safe, efficient, and trustworthy babysitting app connecting parents with local babysitters that have been recommended by neighbors and friends. SO FANTASTIC! I used it last Saturday for the first time (MacKenzie you were a star!!) and I LOVED it so much I’m partnering with them to tell you more and also how you can earn FREE babysitting money including one give away to a lucky follower for a $50 credit! But first, let’s talk about this life-changing app!

Continue reading →

My Favorite Job is You

May 11, 2018

Today I’m featuring a fellow Sioux Falls Mama whom I love very much, the gorgeous Ashley Flynn, whose talents have taken her to writing and publishing her very own children’s book! COOLEST GIG EVER! As much as we read around here, how fun would it be to read your very own book to your children! So special!

Ashley Flynn is an incredible woman and special friend, super wife to Colby, and dedicated Mama to precious little Nina. She has a sought-after ability to create witty and loving rhymes and now she has taken that talent into children’s books, publishing her FIRST BOOK, titled My Favorite Job is You. Her blog is also SO much fun to read! She has such wit and charm and is constantly making me laugh with her hilarious parenting stories!

Continue reading →

2 Replies

Potty Trained!

March 11, 2018

Never thought this day would come!!! I literally didn’t think I would even try to potty train Leo till he was three (he’s 2 years 9 months), but HERE WE ARE! WHOOP!

I happened to take out the potty chair a few months ago, just to see… and he wanted NOTHING to do with it. So I was like, okay, not gonna push it. But every once in a while, I would mention the potty to Leo, and he’d say, “No Mom! I want you to change my diaper!” UMB. But, what about MY wants LEO! He didn’t care. Anyways, so, we didn’t bring it up again for a while, until another month about a month ago, and finally he was like, “Yah!! I got on da potty!” So he pulled his pants down, took off his diaper, and WENT! WHAAAAAAAT. I was like, LEO!!! All while rejoicing thinking this is gonna be easy to train him!!! But also thinking, you little shit, you could have been potty trained months ago!!!

We dove straight into the 3-day potty training method. Naked and hunkered into the house. He picked it up pretty easy, which was SO DIFFERENT of an experience than with Ivy (read here). Ugh. Can’t even go back there. Leo only had 1 accident the whole three days, but pooped in his pants the second day, haha. So we were pretty good to go! So proud of him!!! I hate that first time out in public where you are full of anxiety and are asking your kid every other ten minutes, “Need to go potty? Need to go potty? Need to go potty?” How annoying are us Moms!!!! But the good boy told us when he needed to go and he went! WHOOP! Go LEO!

Now, this was about 3 weeks ago and since then he’s only pooped in his pants once and has only had one more accident! Such a big boy!! So nice being back to only one kid in diapers! Another milestone completed! Holla! Proud Mom!

1 Reply

Three.

February 11, 2018

Three kids was our magic number. Three wonderful kids. We’re so thankful for our children and it’s hard to admit we are done, but three is our biggest adventure.

John and I wavered between two and three for a long while. On one hand, we were very content with the two we had. We had fears of adding another – outnumbered, more money, harder to go anywhere, table of five, how do we even begin to fit in a car, more money, do I need to get a minivan, how the heck do we travel, did I mention more money??? ugh … so many fears pulling us backwards to stay at two. The older Leo got the easier it was to just keep the cruise control going from there.

On the other hand, we didn’t go into our pregnancy with our second child thinking this was our last. I didn’t savor the last little baby kicks I’d ever feel, or those baby hiccups rocking your belly, or the miraculous birthing experience to see what the body is fully capable of, seeing your baby – the baby you and your husband created – for the first time, or the first sweet latch to make mama cry, or even the first gummy smile or adorable giggle that completely melts your heart. I needed to experience it all again knowing these were the last firsts.

We went for it, throwing our fears and wallets out the window and went for it. Three. We’d have three.

And I am so happy we did. Experiencing the pregnancy to really savor each and every moment was such a gift. I yearned for each ache and pain and kick and hiccup, knowing it was the last I’d ever feel. I yearned to have another birth story to share and compare. Mostly, I yearned for just one more baby, to smell the sweet newborn smell, to snuggle and cuddle and immerse my love in her fully and completely.

Knowing it was our last baby has even changed me as a mother. Really enjoying each cry or meltdown or hug or kiss has made me patient and 10x more loving (if that’s even possible) than with my other two. So much of taking care of babies for me was going through the motions, I never really liked the baby phase. I couldn’t wait till they were walking, more independent, talking, more personality… but here in this day, in each moment with Faye, I’m wishing she’d stay little, wishing for one more gummy grin, wishing for her to stop growing up so fast, cuddling her so sweet when she cries. It’s made me so aware of how fast time flies right by us. How did we even get to THREE? And now here I am, snuggling our last baby with every ounce of me given up to her.

So if you’re at all on the fence… do it (literally and figuratively). Going into a pregnancy (or adopting or whatever means to have a baby!!!) and having a baby KNOWING IT WILL BE YOUR LAST, was the best thing for my heart and soul (Chicken Soup for the Soul sh** right there). Like a gift from GOD each and every moment.

Three was our magic number.

2 Replies

Accepting Change

January 23, 2018

Finally. At 7 months and 10 days. Finally. Finally got Faye into Ivy’s room. Only took me what felt like a million years, I just couldn’t do it! Mustered up the courage after battling Ivy over her nap and just did it. Whew.

I am the kind of Mom that gets the baby out of our room as soon as possible, def not a co-sleeper. Ivy at 3 months, Leo at 2 months – they were shipped off across the hall faster than I could say goodnight into their own bedroom and into their crib. I was never good at having them next to me, it caused me to have restless sleep and I couldn’t tell my husband to ‘shhhhhhh’ anymore.

Faye, has totally gotten spoiled. I more so “followed the rules” with her (can you believe the new recommendation is to have your baby in your room for the first 12 months!?), sort of, I made it much farther than the other two! But that’s ~~solely~~ because Ivy and her were going to share a room. Something Ivy and I were totally excited about (all the future girl talk!!!), but also led me to be terrified as well. I consider myself pretty good at change, but when it comes to routines, I am a stickler! And getting Faye into Ivy’s room was going to disrupt everything.

Ivy has transitioned out of naps for the past few months, maybe takes one every once in a while, if I lay with her and make her close her eyes and sit still (I think I’ve said “close your eyes” like 5 thousand times). Even though she’s done with naps, I still make her take quiet time in her bed. So, my problem was, if Ivy takes quiet time and Faye is trying to sleep, that doesn’t work. Yeah, she could take quiet time in my bedroom, or downstairs, or wherever, ugh, at this point, I was just not accepting change. We were in a good routine.

Plus, Faye goes to bed for the night at 630, Ivy 7/730 if she doesn’t nap. Sneaking her in and not waking Faye up seemed impossible. Plus, Leo, Ivy, and I always read books in Ivy’s bed before naps and nighttime, so what then? I know there’s always other places in the house, but… total routine Mom!!!

Ivy was just begging to get Faye into her room since day one. I was totally stripping her of that fun time between her and her sister, sleepovers!!! But it all gave me so much anxiety… not reading a book in her bed, gave me anxiety, Leo getting ready for bed being loud with “smashing my trucks!!!” in his bedroom next door possibly waking up Faye, gave me anxiety. Faye waking up in the middle of the night or morning and waking Ivy up, gave me anxiety. Ivy waking up in the morning and waking Faye up, gave me anxiety. Ugh, basically it was everything I didn’t want to tackle and mess up. Not accepting change.

But ya know, what finally tripped my trigger, was Ivy not falling asleep for her nap yesterday when I knew she was totally exhausted and if I would have laid with her she would’ve fallen asleep in two seconds, but I didn’t want to lay with her… I wanted to work out on the treadmill, I needed to clean the kitchen after lunch, I wanted to pick up from the morning… things to do. I finally just gave up and realized not everything goes my way, or ever will.

I try to control situations, all for (what I think is) the well-being of my family and protecting the kids. Call it “hyper parenting” (google that, eeek). Always wanting them to eat (“eat, eat eat, take a bit, eat, start eating, one more bite, one BIG bite, eat, eat” – literally a million times, ugh, def need to stop that), always wanting them to have good manners (“say please, say thank you, be nice, share, don’t do that, don’t hit”), always wanting them to get good sleep (“go to sleep, stay in your room, lay down, close your eyes, go to bed”) — thinking I know best about every situation (such a Mom thing!!!) and being totally nagging!

Well, good to just say “the heck with it” sometimes and march forward to a new beat. Change is scary, change is good, change is needed. Hoping over that barrier of anxiety and getting Faye into Ivy’s room will definitely rock our world for a while, but seeing Ivy sneak into the room last night with her flashlight, and hearing Ivy sing to Faye this morning through the monitor as they both woke up, were probably the two cutest things I’ve ever seen. And in those moments, I knew we would all be okay. Kids are so resilient, us parents need to remember to be too.