Milestone Monday ~ 10.31.11

Tyler had is first note home.  Yeah I know, shouldn't milestones be good?!  Well...such is life.  So everyday when I pick up T from daycare, I check out the contents of his backpack and folder that he takes with him to public preschool everyday.  Yes folks, we pay for daycare AND preschool.  What were we thinking?  I was very excited when he got selected for a spot at the public preschool in our town, as it's a lottery.  Problem was..it only goes from 9:15 - 11:45am M-R...ummmm...for two full-time working parents, that wasn't gonna work for us.  So, we found a daycare that buses him over to "school" M-R, and the rest of the time he is there.  I digress. 

So back to the backpack checking...on this day I open the contents of his folder, eager to see what random crafts he has brought home or what fliers asking for money the school has snuck in.  Lo and behold...a very bright green post-it note.  Now we're not talking the everyday variety post-it, you know, the small square where not a lot of writing could take place.  Not that kind.  This was a post-it with lines, yes folks, this note required lines, and lots of them.  Let me paraphrase its contents, Tyler isn't listening to directions and he is rough housing with his friends, so he is frequently being removed from activities and asked to "sit out".  The behaviors stop, when he is punished, but the punishment isn't working to prevent him from said negative actions in future times.  So...this is the reason for said post-it.  I was DEVASTATED!  I cried!  I just kept thinking, my boy?!  really?!  My sweet boy?!  What have we done wrong.  Overdramatic...probably...avoidable...probably.  I was so disappointed in him, a 4 year old, I was disappointed...shame on me.   I was also a bit irked (as a teacher myself) that I was getting a post-it (I feel like Carrie Bradshaw here) telling me my kid is being bad.  Ummmm...how about a phone call...an email perhaps?!  So, we talked to Ty, and we're working on it.  Problem is, we don't really see that behavior at home.  I know he's capable of being that way, so I'm not calling the teacher a liar, I always support my teachers.  What does she have to gain from writing to me about his behavior.  But, how can I correct it if I'm not there to see it, nor am I able to correct it at home, because he's normally such a good boy?!  So begins our journey into schooling.  Hurray (sarcasm).

Update as of 11.01 ~ More bad news!  My hubs was informed this morning when dropping off Tyler that he is a real "problem" during nap time at daycare.  He sings and talks loudly and disrupts other kids from their own rest time ::slaps head:: ugh!  My little man is such a sweet boy, but he's a spirited, energetic, leaning towards ADD child.  I'm in for a ride I think.  Thanks little brother and Dad for those "fiery" genes.  ::rolls eyes::.  Why can't he be more like his follow-the-rules mommy??

Brynleigh is now able to sit with help and for a few minutes on her own.  She is also doing raspberries (as of today) even though it's more like spitting in mommy's face :)  We also got out the walker for her.  Although she prefers to take a ride from her big brother around the kitchen or push herself backwards, she's enjoying the addition to her toy stash.  And before you all start lecturing me on how walkers are so bad for a baby's development...blah blah blah...I don't really want to hear it.  T used it and he doesn't just walk, he runs, fast..so it didn't mess up nor delay his development or mobility.  And as far as them being "so unsafe"  I would rather have my baby girl in a walker than one of those johnny jump ups that can come off the door frame and crash down with abandon.  As long as you watch your child and don't use the walker as a babysitter (and I think we're pretty good parents...if I do say so myself) it's no more dangerous than any other baby toy or large item in our house she can get into.  I rest my case.  To each his/her own.

Halloween Isn't Just for Kids

We have incredible neighbors.  A little backstory on how we ended up on our great cul-de-sac.  Our first home was a great place to live.  It had a great walk-out basement, 2 closets in the master and a great big bathroom, an amazing deck and a huge backyard.  It was a great first home.  The only major problem was our neighborhood.  We had 1, yes 1, set of neighbors we socialized with.  The rest of the families around us were either neighbors we waved at regularly, or were a complete mystery to us.  After having Ty, we realized how much we craved a location where Tyler could go out and play with friends, we could meet and get to know our neighbors and it would be a place we wanted to stay long-term.  This location just wasn't working for us.  So, in a somewhat depressed market, we took a chance.  We put our house on the market and went looking for the neighborhood we could call home permanently. 

When you choose a house, you're really rolling the dice with the neighbors on your street, but every time we visited our street now, there were lots of kids playing, the cul-de-sac seemed safe, friendly and hoping with activity.  So, we took a chance.  That was 3.5 years ago...and, thankfully, we hit the neighbor lottery!  Our street holds end-of-school parties, fall donut/coffee mornings, halloween parties, progressive dinners, book club (for the gals), end of the summer parties, snow day celebrations, and more.  Plus, there are lots of kids around Tyler's age, and also little ones for Bryn to play with one day. 

So...anyway...last night was our annual Halloween party.  We always have a theme.  When we first moved in it was pirates, last year it was Grease and this year it was a "Scary" theme.  Since most of the pictures aren't "facebook appropriate", especially being a teacher, I thought I'd share them here.  Enjoy all the adults acting like kids.

Some of the neighborhood ladies trying to look "scary"...If you can't tell...I'm a dead Amy Winehouse (not Snooki)

 My neighbor (and hostess) and a volleyball that has been in another yard on our street for 6 weeks.  We decided to give it a face and a name.  Introducing our version of Wilson, here's Bob!

 A little flip cup action...which turned into a pretty competitive round-robin tournament

 Amy Winehouse can hold her own at flip cup

 gals post way too much flip cup

...and the guys.

Fun was had by all...but I could definitely do without this headache!  ugh!

Fill-in-the-Blank Friday

Got this idea from a blog I follow "When True Love Really Does Walk in".  She got it from a blog she follows "The Little Things we do".  This is why I love blogging and following other mommies and their journeys.  So fun!  Thanks for the idea ladies!  Go check out their blogs if they're not on your list. 


1. When I was a kid I wanted to be an orthodontist during the day, and a ballerina at night, when I grew up.

2. As an adult, my dream job would be (oh there are so many!) author, scientist at the CDC, full-time mother/paid-blogger, party planner .

3. W hen I was younger I wanted to be just like Clarissa in "Clarissa Explains it All" .

4. The childhood Halloween costume that I remember most was when I was a Clown (once fat and once skinny...same costume) .

5. My favorite childhood toy was definitely Barbies and babies (I was born to be a mommy!) .

6. The time I got into the biggest amount of trouble when I was a kid was when I okay, I seriously never got in really huge trouble (goodie goodie here).  I guess I'd need my mom's help on this one to jog my memory.  I did get in HUGE trouble when I sent my 4 year old brother on his bike to McDonalds to get me some breakfast.  He ended up getting the food, the bag broke on the way home, some stranger in a truck pulled over to help him (thank God he truly helped and didn't steal him) by wrapping his food in a map to take home, and when he got home my parents yelled at him so much that he got so upset he had an asthma attack which landed him in the emergency room. They still hold this one over my head. 

7. I get daily inspiration from my mom!  She's the coolest!  She's motivated, intelligent, funny, well-liked, and easy to talk to.  I love my mom and I'm so lucky I hit the mom lottery!  Although my Dad pretty much rocks too, just in different ways.

Thankful Thursday

I'm so thankful that I have a little boy like this in my life!  I mean, who doesn't want the Green Lantern to show up at the dinner table (although, Ryan Reynolds is a close second...lol).  Although, Ty doesn't like us to pretend he's "actually" the Green Lantern.  When we do, he says "I'm not the Green Lantern, I'm your boy". He's so literal!   Such a guy.  Little man, you crack me up on a daily basis.  You are the light of my life. And yes ::blushes:: it was an easy mac night.  Don't judge.  

Wordless Wednesday ~ Dr. Brynleigh

This is prior to her traumatic 3 shots.  Little does she know... :(

Note:  B was only 13lbs 11oz at her 6 month appointment.  I was shocked she was only in the 7th percentile!  My boy was HUGE, and now I have this little petite peanut.  What's with that?!  How big was your baby at 6 months?  Should I worry?

Babyfood Adventures ~ An Update

When I last wrote on 09.26 in THIS POST, I had fallen in love with making homemade baby food for Bryn.  Well, here's our update...I still LOVE it!  I get such pleasure out of providing not just my breast milk for baby B, but now healthy, fresh food made with love.  I can't believe how easy it is, how much money we've already saved and I wonder daily why I didn't make the jump with T.  What was I thinking?????   

Now don't get me wrong, I am not preaching that my way is better...Gerber, Beechnut, Earths Best...I have love for them all.  As a working mommy who likes to be on-the-go, I understand the need for premade baby food.  I think there are really great alternatives out there, my personal fav is definitely Earths Best.  Gerber and Beechnut have made great strides in making their foods more organic.  I appreciate that, and I will probably use their products at some point.  I understand a need for convenience, sanity, and time-saving (I mean, I'm not exactly a cloth-diapering mommy...::blushes::) but for us...this is working...right now. 

Why do I love baby food making, let me count the ways (10 of 'em):
1. It's cheap - for example, I got 15 servings of peaches out of just 2 medium-sized peaches from my local grocery store!  genius!
2. Super easy - especially if you use steamfresh veggies or food you can mash with a fork.  I didn't buy an expensive food processor...just use my blender and push the "puree" button...viola!  Baby food magic!
3.  Bryn LOVES everything I have given her.  Now this may be a fluke, or just her laid-back personality, but she hasn't made one "yucky" face thus far. 
4. It's easy to "mix" first foods for variety
5. More use out of our deep freezer - bonus!
6. Easy to "share" food with my MIL or hubby when I'm not doing the feeding
7. I truly enjoy the "cooking" process and get super excited when I get to put the cubes in the baggies and label them.  I love to label!
8.  It's fun to be creative and try new things that might not be available at Kroger. 
9.  Hubby is very supportive and really gives me "props" for making the food (which makes me feel good).
10.  Ty loves helping mommy make his baby sister's food, so bonus quality time is fun!

So far here are our success stories;  bananas, avocado, apples, peaches, pumpkin, mango and peas.  I am pumped to make green beans, chick peas and pears this weekend.  I also finally pulled a few carrots from our garden...and they're GORGEOUS!  I am so excited to put fresh carrots from our own garden to good baby food use!  I know carrots are notoriously the "dirtiest" fresh food (pesticides)...so how awesome that we have our own "stash".  Can't get more organic than that!  I'm also gonna try a recipe I found for teething biscuits and try to make my own rice cereal too!  So fun!!! 

Apple try #1

 Not sure about peas...but turns out she LOVES them!

 Give me those peaches!

And just an fyi...you CAN freeze avocado, banana and mangoes...with a little extra water and some lemon juice...and you're set!  Plus, these 3 foods don't require a food processor or steaming...BONUS!   

Pumpkin Farm Fun

This weekend we took our annual trip to a local farm to pick out pumpkins, take a hay ride, pet some farm animals and eat/drink lots of great fall treats.  This is tradition that I brought to our family, as my parents always took us to pick our own pumpkins.  We took Tyler his first Fall in 2007 (he was 4 months) and now we have 4 year old Ty and a 6 month old little princess. My how times flies.  I remember joking with my hubby last year (as I was pg) that next year we'd have two, and here we are!  We also took my inlaws this year, last year it was my city-dwelling brother and his girlfriend, T.  We create such great memories there, and look forward to it every year. I just love fall!   

Why I've Been MIA

I've been busy with  my senior male cheerleaders prepping for homecoming the past 2 weeks!  It was frustrating, exhausting, hilarious, dramatic and rewarding.  I've been with this group for 4 years now.  What a bittersweet moment this was...our 4th win in a row!  I'm such a proud "mama"!  Now I'm finally back to my life!  What a crazy ride we've had!  My boys!!! 

Halfway to One

I can't believe my sweet baby girl turns 6 months today (at 5:42pm, to be exact)!  It seems like just yesterday I was going into labor while teaching, driving myself home, quickly packing up, being sent the the waiting room while in active labor and barely pushing as she entered the world.  6 months goes by so incredibly fast.  Since this is, most likely, our last chance at the infant stages, I'm trying to soak it up as best I can. 

Brynleigh is SUCH A GOOD BABY!  We honestly say that exact statement multiple times in a day.  She is really just that good.  She has such a mellow personality.  This laid-back persona is evident in her lack of motivation to roll (even though she can, and has), lack of crying (unless hungry...and when she wants it, she wants it now!), the way she sleeps with both her hands behind her head, how she strokes her hair to self-soothe, that she has only had one "bad" day with her Mimi in 8 weeks, and she just "goes with the flow" most of the time.  She only laughs if it's REALLY funny, B prefers to give us a crooked smile with her tongue poking out at us.  It just melts my heart when she sees me (she's a big time mommy's girl) and grunts for me to come over or has a stoic face turn into a huge smile for me.  B is also starting to reach for me, usually only with one arm (maybe this is her laziness coming into play again...lol). 

Although her chill attitude is a wonderful thing, most of the time, sometimes I wish she would laugh more, coo more and be more animated and active.  She is the complete opposite of her big brother.  But she's just calm, cool and collected, silently taking in the world around her, sleeping whenever and wherever, and going down to bed ridiculously easily.  She's actually a breeze to raise.  Even baby food has been easy.  We have given her bananas, sweet potatoes, apples, prunes, mangoes, avocado and peas...and we barely get an "ick" or a "pucker" face.  She can't get enough of it.  My baby is such a gift.  I'm such a lucky mommy!

Here's our monthly check in with little B:

Age: 6 months old...OMG! 

Stats: as of 10.24.11 (6 months and 1 week) she was 13lbs 11oz (7%) & 26.5" (71%).  Our little peanut!  Ty was almost 17 lbs at this age! 
Size (diapers, onesies, etc.): Diapers are still size 2.  I'm hoping to get through this huge box I have, then move to 3's.  She still BARELY fits into her 3-6 months stuff, but I tried on a 6-9 outfit yesterday, and it fit pretty well.  I think we're transitioning into 6-9 soon.

Sleeping: Besides her cold, she usually sleeps from 8:30pm - at least 4am (which I'll take).  Sometimes she makes it to closer to 5am.  Most of the time, however, not much past that.  I get up, feed her, then decide if I want to get up for the day, workout on my treadmill or go back to bed.  It's a crap-shoot most days.

Eating:  Still BF.  Mimi gives her 2 bottles during the day that are 7-8oz each, I feed her in the morning and twice when I get home, so she is eating BM 5 times/day.  I give her 1 serving of baby food 2-3 T, probably 4-5 days a week.

Milestones: 1. eating first rice cereal, then first baby foods (all homemade by mommy) 2. eating mum mums (love these things!) 3. Using teething biscuits (I want to try a homemade version when I get my sanity back after homecoming is over) 4. jumping in the jumperoo and moving both the jumperoo and exersaucer around 360 degrees to pick what toy she wants to play with 5. putting her binky in and out of her mouth (sometimes throwing it on the ground, too!) 6. she just started reaching for me and grunting to be picked up (I loveeeeee it, because it's soley directed at Mommy). 7. Her first trip in the baby jogger (just walking...but I plan to try running soon).  8.  She can balance herself on her hands for a few seconds, before toppling over.  But sitting up is coming soon!
Memorable outings: Not much to report this past month.  I have been taking her with me everywhere though, cheer practices, meetings, etc.  She's a take-along child.  We plan to hit the pumpkin patch this weekend, and she did make a long trip up north to visit with her Great Grandma and Great Aunt (love me some Amish restaurants...mmmmmm!)
Favorite toys/activities: Binky is numero uno!, she loves her aquarium in her crib, jumperoo, exersaucer, taggies blanket, rings, stuffed animals (she likes to bite on them and rub her face in them), her feet are still up there in toy selections, hair (hers or anyone elses), paper, my blackberry (lol), baby keys, and anything that crinkles.  I got her a sensory ball, but she's not all that interested in it anymore.  We have also barely used her playmat lately (not sure why).  B also loves to be held, worn or be outside.  She is not all that freaked out by her carseat either, which is nice for trips.
Funny moments: Yesterday she both peed on hub's hand and spit up on my face.  Don't ask.  I also love when T and B "hug" (because she's starting to grab on now), and when he fed her it was priceless, messy...but priceless!
Looking forward to: More time with family coming up!  My parents haven't seen the kids in a while, and they're in town as I type, so I'm pretty pumped.  We have a trip "home" planned in a few weeks, and Thanksgiving is coming too.  I also have some fun events coming up...a half marathon, homecoming week at school, and lots of halloween parties and events.  I love fall!!!

My Boy

My boy is four,

my little man can really talk.

He's obsessed with bugs and would rather run, not walk.

Ty loves to play cars, he loves to be outside

there isn't a sport that he hasn't at least tried.

He's very sweet and tender,

he loves his sister so.

Although he isn't perfect,

it's hard to tell him "no".

He's now taking the bus to preschool,

I can't believe the time has come.

Soon when I ask for hugs & kisses, he will refuse to give me some.

Tyler will always be my first baby, my sweet little man,

so for now I'll get those kisses while I still can.

Love you, goober!

Wordless Wedensday ~ Honeymoon 2005 Throwback

7 day cruise in the Caribbean

::sigh:: I need a vacation!

Toddle Along Tuesdays IS BACK!

I'm so gald Mama G brought back her TAT blog hop.  I so very much enjoy finding new blogs to read and new families to follow.  So, be sure to click on the below icon and "link-up". 




If you're visiting from TAT, click on my tab above titled "About Us Four" for a run-down on the Scherman clan, in accordance with MamaG's intros (although mine isn't as creative as her rap...but I blame it on lack of sleep & no free time).  Hope you come back to visit us again soon!

Oh Happy Day

I love my life!  As cliche as it sounds, I'm very happy most of the time.  I love being a mommy & I definitely believe I found my other half in my hubby.  I'm a blessed woman!  My family is my everything.  We are virtually inseparable, and I wouldn't have it any other way, most of the time :) 

But sometimes...a Mommy needs to step back, recharge, and remember who she is. 

I was in dire need of such a moment, as the day-to-day grind of being a working mom of 2 and wife was wearing on me, emotionally & physically.  I could feel the restlessness and exhaustion creeping up, and I was getting a bit short with my family...thank God I caught it before I went over the deep-end.  So...I took a moment...or two...

I had one of the most wonderful few hours by myself the other day.  It truly only takes me a few hours to rediscover who I am, remove myself from my roles of mommy and wife, and just do things I love.  It does wonders.  It doesn't take much; a workout, shoe shopping, running errands ALONE, eating lunch ALONE taking my time with a bowl of soup, coffee, a cookie and a book, a quiet pedicure with a chair massage and a stroll around Target.  I was a new woman, renewed and ready to take on all the responsibilities that awaited me. 

I was also lucky enough to have my few hours THEN be able to complete two weekends of solid showings at back-to-back 5K's, minus the jogging stroller.  I love to run!  It is freeing, competitive, physically challenging and one of the only ways I can clear my head and manage my stress.  Being a runner is one of my "labels", it makes me who I am.  So when I kicked some pretty good post-baby butt in my first two races back (I even placed in the second run) I felt like yelling from the rooftops "I'm back baby!".

So readers (especially those of you first-time moms), I recommend taking these moments or hours to yourself.  Strip off the mommy & wife labels for just an hour or two, and get back to YOU.  I promise you'll be a better Mommy & wife for it! 

What do you do to recharge and rediscover you??  This is what I do...