It's coming to an end! My time working and living dual roles as a mother and a father is ending today! My husband's ship is coming home and we get to see his face. We get to hug him, touch him and to love him in person.more

I've had the Lifeproof Iphone case for about six months give or take. I didn't think about writing a review on this blog until today. I didn't think a phone case review belonged on my toddler/mommy blog until I had to deal with a toddler problem.

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Yesterday I shared with you my Child Care Woes.  The day care we use will be closed until August 13th for a suspected mold they found in one of the rooms.  On one hand I am happy they take any concerns like this seriously and promptly.  On the other hand I have been worried that I wouldn't be able to find child care for the days I work.  Right now we do not live close to family or friends.  I…

Tantrums.  Yes, that one would can in fact strike fear in a full grown adult.  When I was a new mom I would hear horror stories about toddler tantrums and the terrible twos.  I also saw many frazzled parents dealing with their own terrible two year old. more

Transitioning back into a working mom came with a few obstacles.  Child care was the biggest one I had to overcome.  We no longer live close to family so searching for the right person to watch my only child with the schedule I have took plenty of patience and persistence.  I thought I was good to go.  I had a full time day care center for the week and someone else for the weekends.  What I didn't think of was who to turn to during unexpected times when either of those two options were…

Today I headed out to Jetty Island with Isabel to meet up with a mommy play group.  Jetty Island is a long strip of land in the bay off the coast of Everett, WA.  I've heard from a few co-workers that it was a great place to bring your kids but I never made the journey before.  For one, it would have been just Izzy and I and it's not as fun without other kids to join in.  Since The North shore mommy play group planned to met there it was the perfect opportunity to check it out.…

I don't know what changed.  Whatever it was it started 2-3 weeks ago.  My two almost three year old has a consta-whine.  She can turn it on at the drop of a hat for no reason at all.  It's almost as if the more her vocabulary grows the less she uses it and just whines for what she wants.  There aren't even words mixed in, it's just a low level "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh........."  The more I ask her to use her words or try to guess what she wants the more she mumbles and whines.…

I tend to start hobbies that get neglected when life gets in the way.  Some of the hobbies I picked up last year were very beneficial to my family and our bank account.  Last year I started to coupon.  This "hobby" saved my family huge amounts of money that I meant to keep up.  As most of my hobbies I keep putting it off and off again until I wasn't sure where to pick up again.

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I picked my daughter up from day care yesterday and was my daughter crying.  One of the girls had just pushed her at the playground before I walk in.  A few days before I was called at work and told my daughter fell off a bridge onto the concrete face first.  Today I watched the same girl push her down.  I know they are toddlers and they can be prone to hitting and pushing from their raging emotions. (rolls eyes) …

My child knows that every night she has to go to sleep in her bed.  If she wakes up in the middle of the night from a nightmare she can climb into mommy's bed for some cuddling and to chase away the monsters.  Most nights when the bed routine starts she asks nonstop to sleep in mommy's bed.  Well, she doesn't say it in a full sentence she just repeats "mommy's bed?" over and over and over again.  On rare occasions when I just want her to fall asleep right away or I want some extra cuddling…

As a parent you question how you are raising your child and you hope at the end of this journey your child grows up to be a well adjusted, contributing member of society.  My child didn't arrive with an instruction booklet or a pair of glasses the see into the future.  So I don't know if what I'm doing now will result in a positive thing or negative thing.  My daughter is going to turn 2 in two months and she is a Toddler with a capital "T".   There are days that she makes me so frustrated…

Toddlers are climbers, jumpers, runners and miniature daredevils.  Fortunately, they approach each new adventure with a fearless attitude.  How else will our mini me's master all the things their bodies can do.  On the other hand that fearless attitude can put our hearts in our throats each and every time we see where their antics leads them.

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My daughter is going on three in two months.  Holy cow where did the time go!  Meal time up until this point has always but a struggle.  She was a very picky eater.  Yes, I just said WAS!  I don't know what changed but she eats almost everything I put down in front of her.  There are some things I still need to be creative with like vegetables.  It just hit me tonight how good her appetite has become.  Not only are her portion sizes getting larger but she's also asking for more snacks in…

There are times when nothing I do seems to work with my toddler.  It's as though as her confidence grows so does her willingness to talk back.  I'll be the first to admit that I'm no expert at discipline.  I just try my best to reinforce consequences for bad behavior.  Izzy can throw a tantrum like the best of them with the tears, the screaming and even flailing legs for an added affect.  That said I still think that generally Izzy is pretty well behaved. …

I can't decide when to purchase Izzy her first bike/trike.  Once in awhile we make a trip out to Toys R US to play.  It gives her the opportunity to play.  We make a two hours of it just to window shop and try things out.  The last time we were there was the first time she wanted to sit on a trike and was able to…

Potty training isn't easy.  You might be nodding your head or thinking "duh".  Now that my daughter's a semi pro at the potty training business I wanted to share with you what worked the best for us.  I tried two different portable potties and two different toilet seats.  I first tried using a gimmick. My daughter loves everything pink, Dora or princess themed and I thought it would help the process.  Initially, the gimmick worked whether it was from the color or the decorations she wanted…

Ever since we moved into our new neighborhood I've been keeping an eye out for another little girl my daughter's age.  I plan to live in this house for awhile and one of my mini dreams for Izzy to grow up with her own BFF.  I met a grandmother and granddaughter walking the neighborhood last week that I'm hoping she could become friends with Izzy.  It turns out that this little girl has the same name except for an added "A" at the end and has the same birth month.…

I'm all for my child eating a healthy meal.  I encourage lots of fruits and sneak in as many vegetables as possible.  Breakfast is another meal that can turn into a fight.  Think about typical breakfast items, eggs, toast, bacon, pancakes, cereal, milk, and orange juice.  The main part of the meal is a carbohydrate. 

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No, this isn't about finding some hot young thing to corrupt like the movie.  I finally feel like I'm getting the hang of juggling all the things that need my attention these days.  Last year when I started this blog I was a stay at home mother.  I cherished the entire time I was able to be there 24/7 for my first born.  I am blessed to have a supportive husband that enabled me to do so.…