Things that have been happening here lately

We've been pretty busy lately, or at least it feels like it. 

Eric's been working later shifts, which means I can't pick him up at work so he takes the bus home. Some nights I'm already watching tv in bed when he gets home. It kind of sucks. 

I've been wedding planning a little more. We've changed venue location (again) and our whole idea of the meal. I've looked into officiants/commissioners, whatever the proper term is. This week I'm going to look at some dresses. I'm not really planning on buying anything but I'm hoping to get a better idea of what's in my price range and what I'd like to do with my bridesmaids. 

We had our work Christmas party on January 24th. It was a really great night with a bunch of really great people. Eric showed up after work. We ate, we drank, we talked, we danced and after the party we went to the bar. All in all, a really great night. I can't wait until the next staff party. 

The next day was Madi's birthday party with Eric's family. She's three now. Hard to believe she was a day shy of being a year old when I first met her. The party was nice. Being there a little hungover and a lot tired wasn't as nice. We visited with his mom after the party and I kept falling asleep on the chair. It was pretty sad. 

On Sunday we had a relaxing family day, then Eric went out with a friend for the evening and I got to eat junk and watch girly tv. Win. 

This past weekend my mother and nephew surprised us with a visit. It was pretty fun. We found a babysitter for the two of them and went shopping for a little while. We got some party supplies and surprised the nephew with a small party since we didn't see him on his birthday. 

Friday when they arrived we went shopping in Target for awhile. Found some amazing deals (cowboy boots and a purse for Chloe, sneakers for the summer for Madi), but Chloe didn't have such a good time. She was having a blast with my nephew until she tripped and landed lip-first on the floor. There was blood and tears but afterwards she held the ice on it like a champ. Luckily, her fat lip didn't stick around very long. 

Saturday night Mom made me go out to a bar with her. I really wasn't feeling it but went anyway since Sunday (today) was her birthday. 

And today everyone left and I came into work at 3pm. Weekend over, just like that. Although it was just a one-day weekend for me. 

Other things worth mentioning? We've been working on potty training Chloe and getting no where. She'll sit on the potty a million times a day but won't do anything. Then she'll pee on the floor or in her diaper. She just won't do the pushing right on the potty, but she pretends really well. A lot of fake grunting. 

Chloe and I went to the mall to look at wedding rings. I'm glad to see some are pretty cheap, cause we sure are cheap people. Eric and I might go look ourselves in a few days. 

Anything else? I can't think of anything. We're generally pretty boring. 

What more could possibly happen?

I still exist. Barely. 

My job ended and last week I worked a total of 2 days. I was busy running around getting my car fixed, going to a concert, hanging out with the girls, and finding out we were losing custody of Madi. 

Just like that, the mediator thinks she should be with her biological parents as much as possible so she now lives with her mom and will see us on her father's days off. But when Madi's mother didn't want her, she fought for me to keep her 7 days a week, and almost got her way then too. Funny how things work out for some people no matter what they do. We are not those kinds of people. 

I'm hoping to start a new job in the next week or two. I was supposed to hear back about when I start training Friday that just passed, but they didn't call. Hopefully I'll get a call tomorrow. I need this job. We cannot survive with just Eric working, especially after losing Madi. We'll soon be paying child support again. Joy. 

I've started selling some stuff we don't need and putting it away for a damage deposit for a new apartment. We need a cheaper place as soon as possible now that we don't need the 3rd bedroom for Madi. I can't explain how much I do not want to live in a smaller place. We've gotten really used to having our 'hang out' area in the basement when the kids go to bed. We have a tv, bed and all our crafts down here. I don't know where we'll fit any of it when we move. I think we'll also have to sell Madi's dresser and a lot of her clothes to fit her stuff in the room she will have to share with Chloe when we move. 

Things are just too crazy to wrap my head around. 

Yesterday was my birthday. It doesn't feel like it. I'm 26 now. I spent the day with cranky Chloe, and had dinner with her and Eric when he was off work. Luckily Chloe was pretty easy to deal with during dinner. The most surprising part of my day is that my father's family was all having dinner behind us at the restaurant. I didn't notice at first. I haven't seen or spoken to my father in about 11 years. My step-mother came to my babyshower and met Chloe afterwards. She stopped and said hi to us on her way to pay for her meal. Then my father did the same. First time in 11 years. It was kind of nice. 

Here are some pictures from my 26th birthday. 

Our new kitten, Jasmine

Some Things...

Chloe's been 'off' lately. I thought she was teething but I don't think it's that anymore. She pretty happy and fine all day, but she's been sleeping horribly and seems a little bothered at night. Maybe a doctor trip in our near future but I hope not. 

On the plus side, while Chloe's been sleeping badly the past two nights, Madi has slept through the night and that's rare. 

Speaking of Madi, when the kids are done with daycare October 11th, Madi is going to start going to her mother's more due to a new 50/50 trial custody arrangement. Her mother wants full custody back. We're not on board with that. I'm definitely on board with the 50/50 though. Hopefully it'll be less stress on everyone. 

I'm paying our photography deposit this weekend. It's time to lock in this wedding date. 

I'm also getting my hair cut for the first time in about a year, and with my favorite hairdresser who I haven't seen in over a year. Excited! 

I don't want to jinx things, but I've been feeling better lately. My appetite is back for the most part, and I'm even eating slightly healthier. I still can't stomach most fruit and veggies, but I've been having yogurt, almonds and cheese instead of chocolate and chips. 

I actually kind of succeeded at a photo challenge on Instagram. I even took my photo for October 1st yesterday but still haven't posted it yet. I'm not very 'insta'. 

Introducing Madi

I think it's about time that I give you a formal introduction to the new little one in our family. You know so many little details about little Chloe, that I think it's Madi's turn.

For those who don't know, she's my boyfriend's daughter that recently moved in with us full-time. 

She turned 2 near the end of January. 

She has an older (half) brother who's 3.5 that lives with her mother. 

I would describe her lately as happy. She has very few tantrums and meltdowns, finally. She's usually content playing by herself or with Chloe, or just watching tv. She wakes up cranky for the first couple of minutes, but is pretty happy for the rest of the day, and usually goes to bed pretty easily. She's easy to get along with through meal time and bath time. She listens a lot better to me when I say no now. She doesn't seem to listen as well to her father, but she spends more time with me. 

In the past couple of months she's started speaking a ton. All kinds of things: Dora, Pikachu, outside, tv are just some of the random things. She can also put a few words together now like "Chloe outside". It's awesome seeing her learn so much. 

She used to be a super picky eater, but we've finally managed to get her eating everything on her plate, as long as it's something she likes. She used to just eat meat and ignore the veggies but now she'll eat all of it. She hates pasta and won't even try cheese though. 

She fits into mostly size 3 clothes. Some size 2 and some size 4. She's in size 6 or 7 shoes. 

She's changed so much in the past couple of months, and all for the better, it seems. She's happier and easier to get along with. I know all days won't be like this, but for now I'm enjoying it. 

Plus, it's kind of fun having two little girls to dress up.

Parenting in Blended Families is HARD

Let's get honest here for awhile. 

Sometimes this really isn't what I want. Two kids. 

I want 2-3 kids, I think I always have. But upon having Chloe, I wanted my first child to be my only kid for awhile. I wanted to spoil her, and teach her, and let her have all of my attention. 

I never would've imagine that at 18 months my only daughter would get an older sister. That I would get an older child. A child already shaped and molded by somebody else. A child with someone else's eyes and hair. Another child so different from me and my child. 

A child I would have to raise, with no previous mother to child bond. 

It's not what I wanted, or ever expected. 

I never expected to watch someone else parent my child. Someone so different from me. I never thought of how different it is to parent someone else's child, along with your own. Sometimes you find yourself wanting to be more strict with your own child, or maybe you find it easier to be strict with the other child. It's hard to find balance, especially with two kids so close in age, but also so far apart. 

You can't expect the same things from a 20 month old that you do of a 28 month old, but it's hard to know where to draw the line. 

There have been many, many days that I've wanted to give up. Some days I want to give up on the child, other times the relationship with her father. Never both. Something always makes me want to keep going, and I hope it always does. 

I spoke to someone just last night who knows a lot about our situation, and a lot about children of this age. 

She explained to me that though a lot of it might be hard, just think of how hard it was before. We're getting there. Things are getting easier. We've already laid the foundation for building 'security' with Madi. Stability. It might get harder, but it will also get easier. 

That's comforting. 

The hardest part is me. 

I can't stop comparing the girls. I can't make myself feel for Madi what I do for Chloe. I'm sure with time it will come. 

And our parenting styles. We are so different when it comes to parenting and that affects both our relationship and our relationships with both girls. I like control and consistency, while he likes to go with the flow and doesn't think about the consequences with most things he does. 

I am firm. If I threaten a time out, you'll get the time-out if you don't change the behavior. He threatens time out a lot more, and doesn't always follow through. When he disciplines his daughter, she laughs at him. This could be because when he should be disciplining her, he instead distracts her by playing with her. So now when he says no, she just remembers all the other times he says 'no', then throws her up in the air and makes her laugh. She associates doing something wrong with playing. When he tells her to go to him, she either throws a fit or runs away from him laughing. She doesn't do that with me. If she doesn't do what I want, like stay at the table until I wash her hands, I make her and she knows it's not a laughing matter. When I say no to something, there is minimal whining and crying between me and Madilynn. It is the opposite between her and her father. 

And he's the opposite with Chloe. He has no problem being firm with her. 

I know he knows there's a difference between what Madi is like with me, and what she's like with him around, but it's impossible for him to actually witness it. 

It makes things difficult all around for everyone. 

We had a quick, slight argument over it this morning. It's a hard thing to discuss and work out. 

It's not always right and wrong when it comes to parenting, so it makes it harder. 

(But if I had to choose I'd say he's wrong and I'm right!)

Advice to My Daughters

Wednesday, May 8
Advice to my Girls

Be Yourself. Someone is always going to hate you anyway, so let them hate you for the right reasons. 

Know when to stand up for yourself, and when to let things go. 

Be a good friend. Make phone calls 'just because'. Be the friend who knows when to show up on the  doorstep with a bottle of wine. Be someone people can talk to. Make the kind of friends that you can always talk to. 

Hoes before bros, or something like that. 

Don't ever be afraid to fall in love. Love can knock you down and kick your ass, but love isn't the enemy. Loving the wrong people is how you come to know when you're loving the perfect person. 

What am I saying.. no one is perfect, but someone is perfect for you. 

Know when to love, and when to move on. Sometimes the right thing doesn't feel like the right thing. Trust your heart. 

Money doesn't grow on trees, but you shouldn't feel guilty for splurging on ice cream every now and then. 

Make sacrifices, but know when you're making too many. Don't let people walk all over you. 

Having children is amazing. But finish your childhood before giving someone else one. 

Always love your mother. Because no matter what anyone else ever tells you, no one loves you more than I do. 

My Kids Photograph Nicely & Other Happy Things

Over the weekend I took the girls by myself to visit my mom. It was a tad bit spontaneous, since she didn't have a phone for me to call, so I just showed up. 

It was a gorgeous day. Sunny with just a bit of wind. 

For the first time in forever, I had my DSLR camera with me, instead of just my good friend iPhone. Since I'm not very familiar with the camera (my new goal for this summer!) it was hard at first to get any good pictures in the sun, and very little shade to work with. 

In the back corner of mom's yard is a tree with a tree stump next to it. It was the perfect spot to grab a couple of pictures of the girls. 

I can't get over how adorable they turned out. 

So my new goal for the summer is to learn to use my camera to the best of my abilities. I paid enough for the camera, it's time to keep it out and use it daily, instead of just during holidays. 

On an unrelated note, boyfriend had his appointment this morning with Madi's mother and a mediator. They signed a document. She'll be spending every night at our place, but she will be with her mother on Saturdays and Sundays. I feel so much better already just knowing I'll get a bit of time to myself this weekend, and that I'll be able to spend a little more alone time with Chloe again. 

I would've been more than willing to keep Madi some weekends, but not every weekend and every weeknight while her father works. Less than three months ago she didn't live with us at all. I'd rather take my major life changes one slow step at a time, if possible. 

I think this will be much better for my entire family. 

Happy mom = happy life, isn't that what they say? 

The truth: Some people don't deserve their own children

Life comes at you in the craziest ways. 

Really. 

Somehow I always figured I would end up a single mom at some point. I never ever would've guessed that it would only last about 4 months. I'm sure you know the story: I met a boy. Life was forever changed, blah blah blah. 

Except it's not so 'blah'. 

Being a mom myself, I never imagined he would have full custody of his daughter. "Why would a mother ever want to give up her daughter?" I thought. I always knew Madi would be a part of our lives. A big part. I had no idea how big. 

It turns out a mother can easily want to give up her daughter. Quite the opposite. A mother can fight not to have her daughter. I cannot wrap my head around this at all, since I would kill someone before I let them take my daughter away. But fight to get rid of her? 

First it was a weekend arrangement - she would spend the weekends with her mother. That was her mother's request. From the first weekend she's tried to fight it. 

I'm not sure the real reasons on this. I know the reasons she tells us, but since the stories and circumstances change from week to week, I don't know the real reason. All I know is this weekend her mother refused to open the door and let her own child into her home. "For the good of both her children", she says. 

I've already said more than I meant to, but I'm not taking it back. I don't respect this person in the slightest, but I will respect what privacy she has left, and leave it at that. 

Eric and I have argued more times than I can count. We've talked, we've discussed. But ultimately, we have no control. We can't make this mother want to see her child, and we can't keep her away from her. We get to go along with whatever she requests, at least until legal papers are signed. 

We want this little girl in a stable, loving environment. She is not an option to us. We're tired of changing our schedule from week to week to suit her mother's requests. We want a stable arrangement. We're tired of Madi being shoo-ed out the door at her mother's house because 'it's better for Madi'. 

We've been under so much stress and I'm tired of not talking about it. What is there to hide? 

She's our daughter now. We're going to fight for her. She doesn't deserve to be treated as an option. I hope her mother comes to regret this for the rest of her life. 

I never would've guessed that this is where we would be, after less than two years of dating. It's really crazy when you think about it. I'm not giving up. Ever. 

But it is still so hard sometimes. 

Weekend Fun and a Great Recipe

The weekend was a pretty good one. I pretty much finished my Easter/summer shopping for the girls when Toys R Us had an amazing sale - both things I was considering getting were 50% off, so I bought both. I don't think the wagon is the exact same one, but closest I could find online. 

I can't wait until summer to play with the new toys. 

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I also went to visit my mother and her new puppy. My brother and his girlfriend even stopped by. It was like a family reunion. We looked at a discount furniture store and I ended up ordering and paying off more than half of a bedroom set: headboard, footboard, boxspring and mattress, night table, dresser and mirror. I am beyond excited to get it paid off and delivered. 

Chloe and I spent the day alone together Sunday. We played, we shopped, I cooked, I cleaned, she napped. Overall a pretty great day. 

Here are just a few of the (bad quality cell) pictures I took between Friday and Sunday night. 

Photo 1 - Hair styled with potatoes
Photo 2 - This Little Piggy

Monkey-see monkey-do shaving her legs (without  a razor, of course)

I love weekends. 

Ps: I'm skipping meal plan Monday again because I'm lazy and don't feel like planning, but if you want a great supper (and leftover!) idea, taco stuffed shells are super yummy. To save money, I used salsa instead of taco sauce, and didn't use sour cream because boyfriend hates it. It's a pretty customizable recipe. He hates cheese too, but I snuck some into the beef mixture when it was cool, and put a lot less of it on top of his side of the shells. Mine could've used more cheese. I ate the leftovers today at work and they're even better then yesterday. Maybe because I threw more shredded cheese on top when I put it in the storage dish. 

Things That Make Me Happy

I am cranky today. Just ask my boyfriend. 

Why I'm cranky? Well because it's our second snow storm of the week, but I made it to work this time. It's supposed to snow all weekend, so my plans for the weekend are probably ruined. Oh, and money. I have money. So now, instead, it's time to list some happy things. 

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- I made a half coffee/half hot chocolate at work with my own hot chocolate powder. It's not as good as Tim Horton's, but I almost drank it all so I'd say it's good enough. Maybe I'll start saving money that way. No coffee = pretty bad headache. 

- It's almost the month of April, and that means real spring is almost on its way. So far, I don't like the spring that we're getting. Two huge storms during the first week of spring? Unfair. 

- I love Instagram. I don't always upload daily, but I like seeing what other people upload. It seems so much more personal than just reading a blog sometimes. Sometimes I post things on there that I don't on the blog. Simply because if there's a way for me to save my Instagram photos from the website to my computer, I still haven't figured it out. 

- Madi let me try almost her entire summer wardrobe on her Wednesday night. It was to the point that she wanted to keep trying stuff on when we were done. Mostly just to rip the tags off, but whatever. I got a few cute pictures, but this one by far is the best. She is too stinkin' cute. All the clothes fit, except one pair of brand new shorts that I'm going to exchange for the next size up. They fit, but barely. Chloe isn't as interested in trying on her summer clothes, but we're getting there. 

- Summer. The idea of summer coming makes me so happy I could cry. Walking barefoot in grass. Beaches. Swing sets. The smell of sunscreen. Baby hats. Flip flops. BBQ. Sitting on a deck after dark listening to the crickets. It all sounds so amazing. 

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- Coffee is good for me. And I love coffee. 

- Boyfriend and I have somewhat of a hobby together now. Next project? Our daughters' names. 

- Chloe. She's cute and I love her. 

What are you happy about right now? 

I had a snow day with a couple of toddlers

Yesterday we woke up to a bit of a storm. Still, we got the girls ready and I tried to take them to daycare. We almost immediately went back home as soon as we hit the highway. It wasn't fit to drive. It cleared up around lunch, but by then I'd already let the daycare know the girls wouldn't be in so we just stayed home. 

So it was a snow day, and since I wasn't at work I missed out on doing I'm Wondering Wednesday. But I'm sure no one really cares about that. 

Boyfriend left for work shortly after lunch, and Chloe for a couple of hours, Madi for one hour, so the day wasn't too bad. 

We had some meals, some snacks. I baked some blueberry rice muffins for Madi. We built a fort, read a book and watched some tv. The girls played together really well for the majority of the day. Very few fights and violence. 

I hung out alone with Madi for awhile after her nap, before Chloe woke up from hers. She refused to nap when her father tried to put her to bed, but fell asleep on her couch shortly after he left for work. She barely moved when I carried her upstairs to her bed. 

Overall, I'm sad that I missed out on a day's pay, but it was a pretty decent day. Toddlers can be a lot of fun. 

That's just life

This is the sequel to the earlier post "We Lost a Little Sleep". Last night we lost more sleep. 

Madi was up on and off starting around 11 pm, and waking up for the last time around 5:30 am. We are tired. We think (hoping and praying!) that she's growing some molars. I'm going to try to take a peek into her mouth tonight to see what the deal is. Drug her up with some Tylenol if needed. At least she's in a good mood in the day, this morning included. 

Pretending to sleep and snore in the car

While I mentioned before that things have been easy with the kids lately, things have also been busy. The girls have a slightly later bedtime than before. That, combined with boyfriend's work schedule and the girls waking up through the night, leaves us not only tired, but with a lot less time to spend together. 

Things have been getting boring and routine by the lack of quality time. I know it's a rut all parents get into. It was getting the point where we were together a lot, but it still felt like I hadn't seen him in awhile. We're working on it, and hopefully this weekend we'll have some uninterrupted time together. We might even get out of the house. We might even sleep through the night. Here's to hoping and praying. 

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We lost a little sleep last night

Sunday afternoon I was putting away laundry. Chloe disappeared and I found her sitting in Madi's bed looking at a book. Then we played some peek-a-boo. So much cuteness. 

I'm exhausted. To the point where I can't think of anything to even say. 

Madi was up from the time we went to bed, 10pm, until about 1:30am, crying, whining and banging her sippy cup against her door. I didn't sleep. Boyfriend didn't sleep. Chloe got woken up twice, and by the time Madi went to sleep for the night, Chloe was wide awake. 

That was apparent when I heard her crying, went to her room and changed her bum. When I was finished, she got up, walked around to the side of her crib, peeked through the rails at me, said "bye", then giggled happily. So we got up to play for a little while. 

I got to bed finally around 3am, and was rudely awakened by my alarm at 7:30am. Which was a luxury, because I'm supposed to be up at 7. 

Oh. So. Tired. 

And since I was late this morning, I didn't stop to get coffee, even though I have a 'free coffee' ticket sitting in my wallet. 

THAT was a mistake, because now I find myself randomly staring at the wall all cross-eyed and such. 

I'm tired. And emotionally drained. 

There is just too much lately that I can't control. Oh so much stress. 

Week One of Being a Mother of Two

Thanks for the well wishes. Luckily it was just a one-day thing, and now that I'm past the 'hangover' portion that was yesterday, I'm feeling fine again. Although there's nothing like a sick day to make a week feel like it just flew by. Stick around for the recap tomorrow.

Today marks the end of our first full week of having Madi in our care.

The results? 

It wasn't that hard.

Luckily, boyfriend has been working a lot of early shifts lately, so he's been around to help almost every evening. And he's always there in the morning to help with dressing and feeding and buckling in the car. And when I leave with the  girls in the morning, he always does the dishes.

Last night I managed to give them their bath by myself, plus their dinner and bedtime snack. There were no major tantrums. We read a book. We talked to my mother on Skype. The girls watched a little bit of tv.

So things have been relatively easy.

I hope I'm not jinxing anything.

On another note, I really need to start taking more pictures, because I have none at all to post.

Announcing the new addition to our family

I mentioned a life-changing decision that me and boyfriend were discussing on Saturday. 

Well here it is. 

We are not engaged. We're not pregnant. 

We are, however adopting a child. His child. 

Nothing is signed on paper yet, but this little one is going to be in our custody. We will be her primary guardians, and have her from Monday to Friday, while her mother has her on the weekends. 

While this is a good thing, it has a lot of scary aspects to it. Yes, I am going to talk money. 

One tough factor in our decision was boyfriend's work schedule. He does shift work - so any day of the week, and any hours between 10am and 10pm. The shifts all vary. I work Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm. She will need to be in daycare through the week, and I will be the one responsible for both her and Chloe after daycare when boyfriend is at work. That right there is a ton of responsibility. 

The biggest factor in our decision was money. I would say that we're somewhere in the lower middle-class. I joke that we're poor, but we get by. We have a lot of debt, and we have okay paying jobs. Just okay. We both need to work full weeks to get by. 

Madi is an expensive child - she is still in diapers, and she has a lot of dietary restrictions: gluten, soy, dairy are all things she can't have at this time. Paying for more diapers, and food to fit her needs will be a bit more than we're used to paying. 

And daycare. Since we're low income, some of our child care is covered through the government (Thank YOU Canada). Chloe's child care was fully covered, but now taking boyfriend's income into play, so we have to pay a lot more out of our pockets for child care. 

We are making money off of her though - we will no longer pay child support, and we will get a small amount of support from her mother. 

We will survive, but things will be tough. We've always kept our money separate, but we are now going to be working off a joint budget, and it will be a tight one. 

I am planning on becoming a big believer of menu planning, budgeting, and money saving tricks. I've already been researching a lot, and Blissful and Domestic blog has taught me quite a few pointers. I'll be sure to share what I'm learning along the way. 

So here's to taking on a new child, and becoming frugal. Wish us luck. Somedays me and Chloe go a little crazy on our own. This will certainly be a tough adventure to get used to. 

Two Important Dates in January

This weekend was a special one. It marked two the the most important dates in January for us.

The first one was Saturday. January 19. It means exactly nine months until my birthday, but that's not at all important. It was that date one year ago that I said "what the hell" and went to meet boyfriend for the first time. 

There was no love at first sight, no immediate attraction. It was more of a "He seems okay, a little weird. Maybe we could hang out again." Before I knew it, we were officially dating, and before he even said the words himself, I knew I was in love with him. 

It's been one full year, and we have not had one. single. fight. yet. 

We've had a few different moments where we were starting to get snappy at each other, and one of us said "I think we might have our first fight today." But nope, not yet. 

To 'celebrate' our one year of dating, we had supper, a few drinks, and had a night out. Just us. Except we ran into a couple of his friends at a bar. It was a good time. I enjoyed the next night more. 

Hangover day, January 20th, was Madi's second birthday, so we went to boyfriend's sister's house (an hour away) for a party. The  girls were so good. Slept on the way there and back, and were happy girls throughout the whole party. One of boyfriend's older cousins even commented on how happy they are and how we must be doing something right. 

Babies, on party day, January 20

Once we finally got the girls home and in bed, we had a quick supper of tacos then laid on the couch to watch some Raising Hope. As usual, he's so comfy that I started to fall asleep pretty quick, so I rolled over to get even more comfy and only woke up again when the episode was over. Best feeling in the world. Only to find out he slept through most of it too. 

So we were officially laying in bed by 9:30. We are so old. 

Blurbs: New phone, birthdays, and random.

It's time for some blurbs (random snippets of thoughts and such), Wrangling Chaos style. 

- I got a new phone. It's been a long time coming. I got my Samsung Wave back in September 2010. I wanted an iPhone, but those were expensive and oh-so-popular that they had none in stock. The Wave went through technical difficulties charging when my mother spilled an entire bottle of formula on it, so when boyfriend paid a small fortune to upgrade early to an iPhone, he gave me his crappy Blackberry. I turned the old Wave on the other day and it actually works like a charm, despite being in the toy box for the past 6+ months. 

I got an iPhone. I paid a fifth of what boyfriend paid for his, for the exact same phone less than a year later. Cause I'm awesome. He tells me I'll soon be as addicted to my phone as he is to his. So now I'm making it my life goal to prove him wrong. Goal or not, I can survive a bathroom break without my phone, thank you  very much. 

As you can see, I've got all my addictions in one place now. Apps are my best friend now. The only paid one is Bloons Tower Defense 5. My favorite game. 

Ps, I got (and felt like a moron, but finally figured out) Instagram. So follow me for boring updates whenever. 

- That one 'blurb' was not supposed to be that long. My bad. 

- Lil M, also known as Madi, also known as boyfriend's daughter, turns 2 on Sunday. When I met her, she wasn't even one yet, and couldn't walk. Chloe couldn't even sit. 

- I've never said boyfriend's name in here yet. It's just habit now. I don't care if you know, but it makes me feel mysterious. Gotta find excitement where you can, right? 

- A cinnamon roll and half coffee/half hot chocolate are the highlight of my every morning. I tried to go without it this morning, and I got a headache and couldn't stop yawning. My brain is addicted to caffeine. Somewhere on my list of goals is to give up caffeine for a week. I don't doubt that I can do it, but I will miss it. My finances will thank me. Luckily, I'm still living off a coffee gift card from Christmas :)

- My blurbs are kind of boring, but at least I feel like I'm documenting life. 

- Tune in tomorrow for an episode of 'What I've Been Watching'. 

- Signing off, leaving you with a little bit of cuteness, stolen from boyfriend's phone....

My little C, a bit before Christmas

Lil M taking a high chair nap, also a bit before Christmas

How do YOU deal with these kinds of tantrums?

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Wow, it's Christmas eve. It sure doesn't feel like it. 

We started celebrating a little bit yesterday. We took the girls to visit my mom for a little while. We met up with my friend, S., while we were there and exchanged gifts with her. We got a really nice touch and feel Christmas book, a noisy learning toy, bathtub crayons, and some pjs for miss Chloe. So much nice stuff already, and so much left to open. 

The reason we were in town was for supper at boyfriend's sister's house. We were meeting up with his ex-step-father (his father figure growing up) and siblings, as their Christmas 'get together'. Not only did boyfriend and Lil M get presents, they actually had a present for Chloe and I. It was a surprise but a really nice one, especially since we've never met his father before. 

Lil M had on major meltdown over a sippy cup, and we left on that note. She screamed for a half an hour while we got ready to leave, and screamed for another 15 or so minutes as we drove home. I need your advice, any moms of toddlers, so I'll explain the situation. 

She saw the cup in the bag and wanted it. We told her she could have it later, meaning in the car, and put the bag away. Insert tons of crying and screaming. She had a sippy cup of water already, but didn't want that. She wanted juice. After the first 20 minutes of crying, I poured the juice into another cup. She wasn't in the room when I did it. I filled the one she was crying over with water and gave it to her. She continued screaming over it. 

I refused to give in to her tantrum and give her the sippy cup in the car, even though her father really wanted to. After almost 45 minutes of crying, she fell asleep in the car.

So I ask you, what do you do in these situations? Keep holding out to teach her you don't throw a tantrum to get what you want? Or do you give in after awhile? 

She's gotten to the point that she has little meltdowns over anything. If you give her food, even if she wants it, she will cry and scream if you don't give it to her the way she wants it. I don't know what her mother does about it at home, but I am not the type to give a child what they want just because they scream. Her father is. What do you do? 

Keep in mind, she's almost two and barely speaks so it's not like she can't ever tell us if there's an actual problem, she just screams over everything. 

I got a bit off my original topic... Christmas eve! So I hope it's happy. I'm not sure when I'll update next, so I hope you have a Merry Christmas and I can't wait to read all your Christmas updates later! 

Life is good.

My little family, not so photogenic.

I am in an amazing mood today, and I'm not sure I can pinpoint exactly why. It's more a collection of little things. 

This morning Chloe woke up super early. I was tired, but it allowed room for some cuddle and play time. Around the time our alarm should've gone off, I dragged her upstairs to bug boyfriend, who was also tired but entertained us and got up without a complaint. Things have been so great with him lately. 

Getting to spend a little time with my two favorite people in the morning sure set the tone for the day. 

My half coffee, half hot chocolate (new addiction) topped up the happiness, and from there, there is just so much to be excited about that I can't help but be in a great mood. 

Christmas is coming. The shopping is basically done, we have most of our Christmas plans made up, and I get 2.5 days off to spend with my family. Boyfriend only gets Christmas day off, but that's better than nothing. 

Christmas week will be crazy. We are adopting boyfriend's daughter for a week - the Friday before Christmas until the Friday after, because her mother is going away. We'd rather have her for a week than not see her at all on Christmas. 

She will mainly be my responsibility, since boyfriend will be working and I'll be in charge of the daycare drop offs and pickups, as well as supper and bedtime some nights. It'll be a challenge but I'm mostly looking forward to it . 

I will also be taking her alone to spend Boxing Day with my grandfather and family while boyfriend works. Wish me luck as I spend a week being a mother of two girls under two. 

Life is pretty sweet. 

The presents are wrapped under the tree

This is our tree.

Ain't she pretttttttty? 

No? I don't think so either. Although the picture gives it more credit than it deserves. It's got some huge gaps that no 'fluffing' could fix, ornaments that are plastic (toddler-friendly) and boring, and not much else. I want a better tree for next year. 

Boyfriend and I almost finished our Christmas shopping yesterday, and that is the results. There are even presents in the far corner behind the tree. We have a ton of presents. A lot for the girls, some for me and him, and some for my family. 

Last night we wrapped presents and listened to random music from the 90s and early 2000s. And Gangnam Style. And eventually went to a friend's place and played Monopoly. I won. It was a great time. 

A few nights ago he told me he couldn't believe we've been together for almost a year already. And how happy he was with me. It kind of made me melt. 

Saturday was his family's Christmas get-together. It was an evening thing, so even though we were definitely going, I was a little scared about how the girls would take it. The party started at 6, and bedtime is at 7. 

Well, around 9:30pm Chloe was holding onto a chair dancing and Lil M was still running wild. Boyfriend's niece and cousins all loved the girls and were great babysitters to let us eat and play a couple of games. Overall, a good time with some nice people. His mother even took a photo of her and her grandkids in front of the Christmas tree and got Chloe to get in the picture. 

We took a 'family' picture of our own, which of course has a million flaws, but the important part is, I look good. 

That's always the important part. 

But I can't share the photo today because I'm at work and the photo is not. 

So, tell me about your weekend.