Month: January 2010

The Mommies of Friday Playgroup

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Just about 2-1/2 years ago I walked into a large room in the corner of an office building for the first time.  I put a blanket on the floor, took off my shoes, filled out a name tent, and sat quietly waiting for the meeting to start.  Oh yeah, I also took my 6-week old baby boy out of his carseat and placed him on the blanket in front of me…like all of the other new moms in the room. 

For a little more than 4 months we met in this room once a week and discussed the realities of having a new baby.  At 6-months old, our babies graduated and we were on our own.  Little did I know that I would meet 14 very special women and their children through this group.  We had been split up into smaller playgroups to meet on our own schedule.  Our group decided that Friday Playgroup would work for us.  There are 15 of us.  Some of us stay home full-time, some of us work full-time, some of us do a little of both, but we meet every Friday.  We have been meeting every Friday for over 2 years.  We started out with 15 babies…now there are 15 2-1/2 year olds, 8 additional babies, and 3 more on the way…including our 1st set of twins!

The Mommies of Friday Playgroup

We weren’t able to celebrate our first pregnancies together, but we have celebrated all of our babies 1st and 2nd birthdays together and have had baby showers for the new babies that keep expanding this playgroup!  I love our Friday Playgroups, but I cherish the times that we have Mom’s Night Out to laugh and talk and not be mommies (although most of our conversations still revolve around the kiddos)!

I am so thankful for the Mommies of Friday Playgroup!

“That mom”…yep, that’s me.

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Right now, the little guy goes to “school”. I say this in quotations because he actually goes to “daycare” 2 mornings a week. I call it school because it sounds silly for a stay at home mom to send their child to daycare 2 mornings a week. That’s why I stay at home, right? So we don’t have to put him into daycare?! I’m not going to go into why he goes to “school” now, but instead where he will go to school in September.

Preschool.

Yup, preschool. And, it is crazy how serious this is! I am reading status updates on Facebook about other kids who are already registered for preschool. I am reading blogs about how to I need to get cracking on getting my child registered for preschool or else he won’t be going to preschool next fall. Every local parenting periodical has an Open House Guide in it…and I have read them all. I have them highlighted, dogeared, and am putting the dates for Open Houses on my calendar! Last week, I attended the Lake Oswego Preschool Forum to find out more about the preschool options in our area. It was a madhouse! I am not kidding. There were mobs of people talking to the teachers and directors like this was the biggest decision of their life! I actually heard one father say, “Oh yes, I went to Montessori, ” like he is now a better person because he attended a Montessori preschool. Am I a bad person because I did not go to Montessori?!

Here’s my problem. I am stressing out about this! I know, I didn’t think I would be “that mom” stressed about getting their kid into the right preschool. My mom is a preschool teacher for heaven’s sake…I always thought my kids would go to her preschool…she just happens to live in the wrong state (she would say we live in the wrong state)!

It’s not that I am afraid that there is not a good school out there for him. There are plenty of preschools to choose from. I am just afraid that the preschool we want will not have space for him. What if I needed to get on the waitlist before he was born?! What if I forget to call on the registration day? What if the one I want him to go to right now (because it is close and convenient) does not meet my criteria when I go to the open house or to visit? What if the #2 choice doesn’t work out, either? #3? #4?

All I know is that this IS serious stuff. And, I’m going to be stressed about it until he is signed up and guaranteed a spot in the RIGHT preschool! Yes, I am “that mom”. Whatever that means.

Grown up looking storage solutions for kid friendly spaces

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If you are anything like me you long for a space in your home that can be designated as a “Playroom”.  I dream of a room like the ones I see in the Pottery Barn Kids catalogs that can be dedicated to my children and all the toys and activities that keep them occupied.  In reality, we share all of our space with them.  Our “Family Room” is exactly that, a FAMILY room.

Recently, we made some very big changes to our “Family Room” that have made it a comfortable space for all of us to “play” in.  Using Markor storage solutions from IKEA, I have created a “grown up” look to store all of our childrens toys.  In addition, we have storage for DVD’s, video games, books, accessories, and our new flat screen TV!

Reminder: I am an interior designer, not a photographer!

While I still long for a designated “Playroom”, I am happy with the solutions that we have put into place in our “Family Room”.  What storage solutions have you implemented in your “Family Room”?  What would be on your wish list for a dedicated “Playroom”?

{milestones} the little guy is two and a half and baby girl is four months

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This week the little guy turned 2-1/2 and baby girl is now 4 months old!

The Little Guy at 2-1/2:

  • Has all of his teeth and cannot use them as an excuse to get “medness” (medicine) and prolong the bedtime routine.
  • Fed ducks down at the park and the “mommy duck” ate bread out of his hand.
  • Loves to watch himself in videos made on the Flip…loves to sing, dance, and mimic his favorite TV character (of the moment), Caillou.
  • Has gone 2 days in a row this weekend without a wet diaper…we may be moving on to underpants!
  • Is an awesome big brother and very patient and kind to his little sister…except when she needs to eat.  He says. “Mommy no feed baby girl.”

Baby Girl at 4 months :

  • Eats all the time and gets mommy up multiple times a night…I hope she learns the benefits of sleep, too!
  • Rolled over from her tummy to her back 3 times in a row yesterday.
  • Smiles A LOT…she is such a happy baby!
  • Had mommy laughing tonight after her bath because she was giggling as I was putting lotion on her face!

2010 Goals

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I’m all about goal setting.  I have always set goals as an individual…my parents taught me to do that at a young age.  It is satisfying to set a goal and reach it…with a straight path, or many detours!  Each year I write goals for myself.  We also write goals as a couple and, now that I think of it, should write goals as a family.

On a smaller scale, I am a list maker.  I consider these micro-goals.  Each day there are micro-goals and they will probably help to achieve the larger goals that have been set.  That’s a whole other post in and of itself!

At any rate, one of the goals I have for myself is to post to this blog on a regular basis.  If not for you, the readers (made up of mainly family and friends), but for myself and my kids.  I don’t keep baby books, journal only occasionally, and want to make sure that I document as much of their young lives as I can.  Here, I can do that, and share it with you.

So, in addition to uploading photos to Shutterfly and sending out a link once a month, I also have a goal to post to this blog at least once a week.  I’m putting this in writing for all of you to see.  Hold me to it!  That is your goal!