First Pets

The kids have been working hard to earn their next reward on their reward chart, which was gold fish. We went to the pet store yesterday and it turns out you can't just buy cheap fish in a bowl anymore?! Any way we figured it we'd need expensive tanks for all three or cheap ones for individuals plus accessories. We ended up going with betas in hopes that they last longer than a week. I was an idiot and said something about not dropping the fish in the store or they'd die, so now Tate has been obsessing with the thought that any second his fish will just drop dead. Awesome. Luckily they bought the amended version of the story where the fish only die until you flush them and they they find the ocean and come back to life...

Here they are!
Tate and his fish "Grandpa Ron" after his great grandpa in California.

Benny and his girl fish "Tutu"

Gracie's fish Molly. She refused to be photographed and insisted Molly doesn't like it either.

Terrorist

We are being tortured and deprived of sleep by a ruthless 3 year old terrorist.

It's been a week of wakeful nights and each night has been worse than the last. Monday night we found him eating cookies at 2am, after he promised he would stay in bed if we would just leave his door open a crack.

We have been called every dirty name he knows when he is pounding on the door wanting us to give him otter pops or turn on his light. His favorites are "stupid daddy" and "naughty mommy" but he has also added "daddy has a stinky bum" and "mean mommy" to the list. Every item in his room is fair game for being thrown at the door and pounded into the floor.

We honestly don't know if he is scared or just using that as an excuse because he knows we'll feel bad. His other excuses are so random that I feel like it's all just a master class in toddler battle of wills. We would LOVE to make him sit in his room and CRY IT OUT (or actually scream it out) but his brother and sister are next door and have started crying too. They can't stand the sound of him anymore than we can. I called the doctor's office today after getting roughly 4 hours of sleep last night (not consecutive!) and we are bringing him in for a check up just incase he does have an ear infection or something. What will we do until Friday though??? I think we have done everything short of drugging him-bribary, rewards, consequences, tough love and a 2 hour back rub that got me nowhere. If you have any great ideas for us, I'll listen!

Book Review

I just finished reading Diary of a Submissive and writing a review is sort of a challenge without getting as graphic as the book. I read Fifty Shades earlier this year and despite how much my husband made fun of me, I actually really enjoyed it. Sure it was just as graphic as this one, but underneath the soft porn was a love story that I couldn't get enough of. I really cared about the characters and wanted to see if they could make a real relationship work out of all the 'kinkery'. I was hoping for something similar with Diary of a Submissive, but was pretty disappointed. This book is written more as a memior and a young woman's struggle to explore her sexuality with a few random guys and one possibly serious one. I never really cared about her or her issues. The guys were boring and I honestly couldn't get invested in any of it. I felt like the point was-she likes pain and isn't ashamed of it. Well...great. I suppose some discussions can be wrung out about power, and personal choices, but it would be a stretch. If I'd recommend one, at least Fifty Shades isn't pretending to be anything other than what it is. That's why it's a bit of a guilty pleasure read if you can stomach it. But Diary feels so fake and forced trying to take a more analytical spin on it. Check out the Blogher bookclub for more discussion! This is a paid review, but the opinions are my own.

Not till you're 21

"Hey, daddy want to do some shots?"-Tater He was talking about laundry hamper basketball, but still.

I'm 30

I don't really want to talk about it. I feel old. In good news I got to spend a fun and relaxing weekend in Vegas with my hubby and some friends! It was a much needed break! And of course I got my favorite thing for a gift again this year- a homemade movie of my kids. This year was a fairy tale of sorts. I love it. They make me cry Every. Year. Click Here and enjoy!

When toddlers steal my phone: school edition

Swiped off my desk by a sneaky boy. Again, those feet shots always give him away. ;) Some of these are actually pretty good!

Book Review: Daring Greatly

I am always excited when I get to review another book for Blogher! Hello, free books! This one I was particularly interested in because Daring Greatly by Brene Brown is more of a personal and reflective read. In a nutshell, she encourages us all individually and as a society to let ourselves be seen and heard in an authentic way. Based on her years of research she explains the how and why to make that possible, what she calls "wholehearted living." The beginning of the book was slow going and dry to me, felt a little rough sludging through her research, but I grew to appreciate her message. I think one of my favorite parts was when she talked about how we react to seeing other be real and vulnerable in life. We always commend their strength and the 'guts it took' to put themseleves out there in whatever the situation, but when it comes to ourselves we are shamed and embarassed at being vulnerable. It was a little bit of an Oprah "a ha moment" for me. I LOVE LOVE when people are authentic with me and every good relationship I have cultivated has been because of shared or witnessed vulnerability. Why should I beat myself up for showing areas of weakness or hurt then? It may be what others will truly see and appreciate about me. As a teacher I am always "on" and trying to appear like I have it all together. This book was a great reminder for me on the value of being vulnerable and even further, in how to cultivate that in my children. Check it out here on Blogher!