Art Projects Are Deadly

My daughter colored today at her Parent's Day Out program... and I got a paper cut. I was carrying her, and she decided she was getting DOWN, and while I was juggling her, it swiped across my wrist, and now it looks like I tried to off myself.

This thing stings too. All freaking day, and probably tomorrow, too. It keeps rubbing against the new bracelet I got for Valentine's Day (THANK YOU, BABY!!!) but I don't want to take the thing off, so with my luck, it'll get infected and somehow I'll end us with a tetanus shot, I'm sure. Leprosy, if I'm really unlucky. And I don't even have any cool pink camouflage bandaids in the house.

If any of you question that line of thought with the leprosy, you might want to check the blog title again, because nowhere does it say, "Memoirs of Someone Who's Got Their S**t Together," or "Memoirs of a Girl With Her Head on Really Straight." Nope. Afraid not. Mostly I started my blog as a place to let my crazy out, without scaring the living bejeezus out of my neighbors. It's also a nice buffer zone for my friends who can't quite handle ALL the crazy.

I'm also really exhausted today, and I'm pretty sure blogging about how proud I am of doing the folding I should have done over two weeks ago could be construed as, well, SAD. But it's true. I did finally get it done. Three days short of three weeks to get it done, too.

However, I did throw out four or five months worth of old coupons and filed away all of our bills from last year, so I feel pretty productive today. Since Cutezilla was at her daycare program, I didn't want to waste it all at the gym, so... I had myself a little party. Just me and the laundry. I cranked up the music, and spent over two hours hopping around like an idiot in the living room, howling my heart out to Sir Mix-A-Lot, The Monkees, The Bangles, Santana, Chubby Checker, Godsmack, Harry Belafonte, and Gwen Stefani, among others. Yeah, it's an odd mix.

It was wonderful! I hate to say this, because I spent last week feeling like the worst mother ever, and this does nothing to help that out... but... if one day a week feels like a vacation, then kindergarten must be like EDEN. Seriously for the last few days, my beautiful little daughter and I have done nothing but scream and argue with each other. Some feat, considering her vocabulary is a handful of spoken words, and some sign language and hand gestures she's put together herself. I feel terrible, though, not enjoying every minute of this short time when she's small and adorable and learning so fast. But today, aside from letting me know exactly how much she hates being confined in the car seat, we had a pretty enjoyable day, for which I am immensely grateful.

But back to where we started: so if her art projects are dangerous now, with just paper and a crayon, what happens when she gets to use actual tools, like scissors, a hole puncher, or God forbid, a hot glue gun. I just hope the house survives.

Mediocre Mommydom

It's been eleven days since the new nighttime routine. I won't say every night has been perfect. Yeah, one night was a two-hour ordeal... but we've been able to get her to sleep at night, and she sleeps until 5:30 or 6am!

However, the parents have only won a battle, and definitely not the war. She Who Must Not Sleep has retaliated, and it was more than just a good solid effort: she has started refusing to nap. Keep in mind, this doesn't mean she doesn't need a nap. In fact, she desperately needs her nap. She's miserable and tired and cries from 1pm until she passes out from exhaustion -- at 6pm in the evening. This means she wakes up around 7pm, ready to go. So 9pm rolls around and she's not ready to go to sleep by any means.

This also means that she's been awake all day. With me, and needing me. Yesterday was the first day all week that I got to take a shower by myself. Actually it was probably my first shower in two, if not three days. We also got shots on Tuesday, so Wednesday, she was miserable and unhappy, no matter what we did, on top of refusing to take her nap. My husband actually came home early to help me with her, and I think by the end of the day, we were all exhausted, in every way imaginable.

Today, on our way home, she dozed off just as she normally does. And just like always, I drove us both home. But for the first time in over a week, she is quietly napping away, and has been since 1:30pm.

What happened? How did I do it? I'll tell you: I left her in the car.

Don't worry, she's fine. The garage door is closed, the car is turned off, the radio is playing Christmas music for her, and the sunroof is open so that when she wakes up, I can go get her. The door to the garage is also open, and there's nothing between her and where I sit currently except what barely qualifies as a hallway. I also go and check on her now and then.

I know, I know, it's awful. But she's napping, and it's what we all needed. So if this is the only way I can get it to happen? So be it! She's safe and getting the rest she was desperate to avoid, and I have what little sanity is available to me, so I think it's a win-win, even if it does qualify me as in Mediocre Mommydom. I'm okay with that.

More than okay, actually. I'm excited! I'm finishing up two projects, I got to post on my blog, and after this? Wrapping Christmas presents! It's been an excellent day. It's also warm outside, and I promised Cutezilla a trip to the park if she napped for me. So... WE'RE GOING TO THE PARK!!!

Sometimes Mediocre Mommydom is a wonderful place to be.