Two

I think a lot when I'm driving two and from work. A lot of times, this is the only time that I give myself permission to do so. When I'm at home, I'm thinking about the dishwasher, dinner, the next morning's smoothie, B's laundry situation, my laundry situation, the fact that I haven't read a real book in months, what shows I need yes NEED to watch, why I'm a crappy homemaker...etc. But in the car, listening to the radio...by myself, I can think. Yes, I'm guilty of thinking about all of those other things that are going on in my life, but other times I think about my life in general and I find that that time is a great chance to reflect and process my thoughts and feelings.

Most of the time, these thoughts and feelings stay in my head, contained to my car and never come out. They stay in my head until the next morning or afternoon. On the rare occasion that they come out - they tend to come out in the form of a blog, which gives my hubby a rare look into my more rational/emotional brain. The part of my brain that doesn't really care when the dishwasher was last emptied or if the Google calendar is updated...this is the part of my brain that actually matters.

So, back to the title of this post. Is really is a thought that has been rattling around for some time...since last October to be exact.

On my first child's 2nd Birthday, I found out that I was going to be a mother of two. This revelation was not unplanned, it was actually in the works for quite some time, but the fact that the little peanut made him/herself known on that day was extra special. Two on the 2nd. How cool is that? Just to be sure, I took two pregnancy tests (both turned out positive) and then began the realization that I would have kidS. Notice the S at the end? Yes, I still think it needs capitalized. I'm still in disbelief that I get to do this again, but oh so-happy and looking forward to adding another one to our party...emphasis on party of three.

One of those moments

I originally started this blog to document life as a DINK with a mutt, and then quickly it evolved into a place for me to capture those memories that I didn't want to forget as we went from DINKS to DIOKS (Double Income, One Kid). Sometimes, I find myself reading back through some posts, remembering what I was thinking and feeling at the time...sometimes laughing at the triviality of it all.

One of my favorite posts was one I wrote about B, as a letter, more than a year ago. It was one of those moments that inexplicably brought tears to my eyes as my heart completely overflowed. This weekend, I had another one of those moments, and it was one that I never want to forget. So, here it goes, in another letter to B.

Dear B,

Saturday morning, we decided to head to the Worthington Farmer's Market. We had gone as a family before, but this was our first outing without a stroller and with you as a very active 2 1/2 year old explorer, adventure and selective listener. The day started out just as we expected, with some talks about listening, staying with mommy and daddy and a search for some fruits and veggies (you kept saying TOMATOES TOMATOES TOMATOES over and over again). We made our way down one side of the street and back up the other, when suddenly you heard some music. We rounded the corner and saw a man and a woman playing music on the patio at Dewey's pizza. You have suddenly entered into a phase where you can't get enough music and dancing, so this live duet literally stopped you in your tracks. Daddy and I sat down at a picnic table, but you stood there and asked us over and over to dance with you. I'll admit, my first reaction was to say no and to tell you to just go ahead and dance, but something made me say yes. I put my bags down and grabbed your little hands and we "danced" to the music that they were playing. Your version of dancing is just a modified version of ring around the rosie, but you were so so happy. Once we were dancing, you demanded that your daddy join the fun, so there we were, the three of us, holding hands and swaying to the music. I can't remember what song they were playing, but I can remember your little face looking up at us, so so happy and then so mad when they paused between songs. All you wanted to do was dance and it literally filled me up to the brim until tears spilled over. I never want to forget that moment or how I felt it was just the three of us, living in the moment and enjoying our time together.

When the musicians stopped to take a break, your daddy gave you $1 and you proceeded to take that AND one of your lucky coins (a nickel that I had given you) and gave it to the musicians. After that, we went back to our morning at the market, buying a few things and grabbing some treats before heading home.

I don't have photos or videos of our dance, it was a moment that was so spontaneous and beautiful that trying to document it wouldn't have been right. The best thing was to live in the moment with you and your daddy, twirling and spinning to the music, living in the now.

Thank you for being the kind of kid that makes me stop and live in the moment. The kind of personality that is impossible to ignore and the kind of person that makes me want to be a better mommy.

Love,
Momma

Things that make me happy

I have no explanation or recollection as to when I became obsessed with pineapples (and flamingos), but at some point it happened and it stuck. My parents reminded me that when I was little, they used to call me the Pineapple Princess...and B is pretty excited to remind me that when I was a little "gwurl" I used to be a Pineapple "Pwincess." Hearing him say that, gets me every time.

So, I present, without further ado, my latest accessory, featuring my obsession: Pineapple Flip Flops.

To get your own, run, don't walk to Kohl's. They are on sale for $12.99, and you can get an added discount with your trusty Kohl's coupon. I had 30% off - booya! Unfortunately, it looks like they are almost out of stock online...unless you wear a size 6? Perhaps others share my obsession?

Behold. The pineapple flips.

B was pretty impressed with them too. Modeling and running around.

Chino? Not so much.

I suck at blogging

I just logged on to my blog and realized that I haven't posted an update since January. I'm both appalled and mortified at the same time. I know that things are busy, but have they really gotten so busy that I haven't taken 5 minutes to type up a funny story or post a photo with a caption? Apparently so.

I think it's time to take my own advice and create an editorial calendar for myself. Not so that you can view my oh-so glamorous life of home organization and organic food (ha - that made me LOL). No. This is so I can capture some of the stories behind the zillions of photos that are taking up all of the memory on my phone. So I can scroll back and remember the background information that I promise I won't forget. So that I can shamelessly plug brands that I love and Influenster and BzzAgent campaigns that I'm a part of (and hopefully get more free stuff).

More to come - but at least now I have an update here from May 2015.

B's first trip to COSI

Last weekend, we took B to COSI for the first time. Neither of us had been there before, so we didn't know what to expect. I, however, knew that they were showing One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure in their planetarium, I knew that we had to check it out. Thanks to a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode, featuring a telescope, B has been chatting non-stop about the moon and the stars, so we figured that this would basically blow his mind. Boy, were we right (wait, did I just sound like a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode?).

We arrived at COSI, promptly at 10:15am, to catch the 10:30am show. After waiting in a small line and spending $52 (YES, SERIOUSLY) for admission for three, plus 3 tickets to the planetarium, we made our way to the theater. The crowd was what you'd expect for a Sunday morning at 10:30am - lots of tiny humans and their parents, desperate for something to do that didn't involve trashing the house or temper tantrums.

Before the show started, a member of the COSI staff came out to introduce everything and get the kids excited. She talked about how the planetarium would work, that it would be dark and asked some fun questions about stars and the moon. The kids were all super engaged while B sat quietly in his chair, wide eyed and looking around, wondering what was about to happen. So as not to freak the kids out, they gradually darkened the room and before we knew it, Big Bird and Elmo were front and center on screen, taking us on a journey to the moon and back.

Family selfie before the show! He couldn't stop looking around!

B sat through the entire 40 minute show, actively engaged and looking around. At the end, he applauded and then asked to watch the movie again. Luckily, we had the draw of COSI to distract him from a mini-meltdown, so we quickly headed out to do some more exploring.

Next stop: the Kidzone, where he ran himself crazy, experiencing all of the little play areas, especially loving the water table. He let us know it was lunchtime by promptly refusing to leave the room and trying to take off his shoes, so we gracefully forcefully exited the room and then went to the cafeteria.

B was fading fast, but since we spent $52 (YES, SERIOUSLY) to get in, we wanted to try to cram in a few more activities before he crashed. We decided to go explore the ocean. What did we find when we got in there? You guessed it...more water. B immediately ran into the room and started playing at the different activity stations, shooting water and trying out the wave machine.

Last stop? The gift shop. We picked up a cool flashlight that projects the planets, which he absolutely loved. After this purchase, we decided to put our $52 towards the cost of a COSI membership (currently on sale for $100), so we could come back and do this all over again!

Nick's statement to B - "We've enhanced your benefits package to include a membership to the YMCA, the Columbus Zoo and COSI." B's response: "Zzzzzzz."

All in all - a great family day! Here are some things that we learned and that could have saved us a few bucks too:

1. Take hand sanitizer. I'm not a germaphobe, but woah - there were a lot of kids in there.
2. You can pack a lunch and snacks! The Kidzone and the cafeteria are wide open and we saw a lot of parents taking a break there with some inexpensive sandwiches and snacks. 
3. If you can swing it, get a membership - then you aren't feeling the $52 (YES, SERIOUSLY) pressure to jam everything you can into the day.
4. Get there early. Since we arrived at 10:15 am, we zipped right through the line to collect our tickets. As we were leaving, around 2:00 pm, the lines were long and the natives were restless.
5. Pack an extra outfit for your tiny human(s). Remember the water? Yeah, they will love it and it will be dripping down their arms and into their armpits. Trust me on that.

Thankful

So, I've been a delinquent blogger for the past...ummm year? I've been taking a ton of photos and trying to commit as much to memory as possible, but I haven't been writing about it. What I've been finding though is that important things are escaping my brain. I'll look back through my phone and see B when he was 1 and think, "woah." Time really does fly and as much as I'm trying to live in the moment and enjoy the now, I also recognize that I need to remember the moments, especially some of the little ones that bring me such joy.

Last night was one of those moments. Each night before dinner, we take some time to hold hands as a family and say what we are thankful for that day. B will (almost) always participate, holding our hands and then enthusiastically proclaiming "HANDS!" when we ask what he is most thankful for. Last night however, when we asked what he was thankful for or what made him happy, he said "new cups."

Now, I know that being thankful for new cups sounds very trivial and materialistic, but the BIG deal here was that he's starting to grasp the concept of our nightly ritual. I was so proud of him for sharing something that made him happy, and even prouder that I was there to experience it with him.

My view from our tea party

P.S. - his "new" cups were actually a set of espresso cups that were destined for Goodwill. Back when I was young and dumb, I thought that registering for espresso cups for a wedding gift was a good idea. It turns out, it was brilliant!

We took a toddler to Paris

I'm writing this post in January 2015, almost a year after Nick and I decided to take a toddler to Paris. You read that right. Paris. As in France. As in 7+ hours on a plane with a tiny person on your (my) lap. Yep. Paris.

This whole adventure started because Nick had a last minute business trip come up that would mean a  free flight to Paris. Per our marriage vows, any trips to Paris must include me or the marriage is immediately considered null and void and will require spousal support for the rest of my life. So, this meant that we were going to go together...obviously a no brainer.

Once that was determined, the next question was, "What are we going to do with B?" Our first reaction was to take him. The next thought was from my parents, who graciously (selfishly) offered to take him. We put some thought into it and promptly booked the flight, toddler in tow. In all honesty, leaving him at home was never really an option. I was not going to be flying across the pond without my little dude and I knew that my mommy-guilt ridden mind would be thinking of how much fun we'd be having with him while we were there. Plus, his under 2 status meant that he would fly to France for less than $200. So. It was decided. We were taking out toddler to Paris.

Booking the trip was super easy. We flew on Air France who was very, VERY family friendly. They graciously moved us to a bulkhead row, with an extra seat so we had plenty of room for B. I was able to schedule our flights to line up (loosely) with his bedtime, meaning that he snoozed for the majority of the flight over. Thankfully, this wasn't his first flight, so we were somewhat prepared for the trip. Per usual, I totally overpacked, in preparation for any kind of explosion, malfunction or episode that might occur, so in addition to a diaper bag, I had an auxiliary bag with games, toys, food, cups, blankets and changes of clothes. But, I couldn't have done this trip without my Ergo Baby or my Joovy Groove Ultralight Stroller. Both of those items were invaluable in our travels.

Selfie at CDG!

Before we embarked on the trip, I did a lot of research on our hotel and accommodations. I was worried that we would end up in a closet-sized room, and that we would be forced to tip-toe around B when he went to sleep. I also knew that we would be traveling with a lot of extra gear, that would require extra space. Somehow, in the midst of Googling Paris hotels, I thought to look for extended-stay accommodations and stumbled on the glorious Residhome Appart Hotel Paris-Opéra. What set this place apart from all of the other hotel options (besides price) was the amount of room that it offered. Since it was an extended stay property, it had two rooms, plus a generous entry way that was perfect for storing a stroller and all of the gear that comes with traveling with a tiny person. It also had a very small kitchen with a mini-fridge and stove and a generous size bathroom with a tub and shower, PLUS an extra 1/2 bathroom in the foyer. The living room and bedroom could be closed off, which meant that B had his own room and we didn't have to tiptoe around after he went to sleep. If you are traveling to Paris and are looking for a place to stay, especially with a family, or with another couple and want to save on hotel costs, I highly recommend this place.

Admittedly, we were very leery and nervous about taking a toddler to Paris, but after we thought about it, we decided that it was a chance that we would regret passing up. This was the only time that B would be able to fly to Paris for less than $200 (his flight was free, we just had to pay taxes). So, when we got to Paris and got settled in, we hit the ground running because Tiny Humans are Portable, after all. Here's a quick recap of some of the highlights:

Day 1: Flight to Paris from Detroit. B did amazing on the flight, sleeping for most of the way. We will always be eternally grateful to the Air France gate agent who moved us to a bulkhead row with an empty seat.
Day 2: Montmartre, Moulin Rouge, B's first (and second) merry-go-round ride, Arc de Triomphe, Champes Eleysee,
Day 3: Paris Opera, lots of playgrounds, Pompidou centre, Notre Dame, Pantheon, Luxembourg Gardens
Day 4: Train ride to Montpellier, Exploring Montpellier, Aqueducts, B's first chocolate mousse,
Day 5: Date with mommy, playground time and fancy dinner
Day 6: Taxi Rid to the zoo, crepes, exploring Montpellier, potato chips
Day 7: Valentine's Day, train ride back to Paris, Valentine's Day Lunch, Louvre, Eiffel Tower at night, weird Chinese food for dinner with delicious champagne
Day 8: Last day of sightseeing! Galleries de Lafayette, Lindt store, open air (freezing cold) bus tour
Day 9: Packing up our gear, catching our flight and heading home