A Hard Day of Work For Mr. B

This post is by Mr. B.  You see, mom, has been a little busy lately so I figure that I should write and give her a break.  She would probably title this post a hard day's work for a SAHM, but it was really me who had to work so hard today.

First, I was unhappy that she locked the back door, so I had to find fun on the sun porch.  I found out after some effort that I can take apart the pepper grinder.  You should see how neat the sun porch looks now.  Mom still hasn't been able to clean it up since she needs a new bag for the vacuum.  I know that she could use the broom, but when she gets it out I shriek and I pretend I don't remember that I have my own broom.  Her look of exasperation is priceless.  It is worth all the work.

Later on when she was trying to put away laundry, I emptied out the basket for her to make up for the above work.  For some reason, she did not like that I unfolded them all.  That was fun!

Later when she was getting food ready for me, I had a little water fun.  At first she thought it was just the dog's water bowl, so she did not run in right away.   So, when she did run in, I decided to give her a fun surprise. I found a way to take the diaper sprayer and turn it into a bathroom fountain like the one at the park.  She looked unhappy, so I made sure to point out where I hit the top of the door and wall.  When I smiled proudly and giggled, she tried to hide her laughter, but I am smarter than her.  I saw it, but don't tell her, please.

Yes, I toddler, Mr. B, have to make sure that my mostly SAHM works hard.  I hear that SAHMs don't work and just eat bon bons.  I am confused about this and so have one question:  What exactly are bon bons and why don't I get them for snack?  Can anyone help me.

Welcome Home

A little cliff hanger...I now know how to get red felt tip pen (like a marker and not the washable kind) off of a wood floor.

We, just Mr. B and I, squeezed in a much needed trip to see grandma this weekend and returned home at my, not his, bedtime last night. He did sleep on the way home, but woke up and eagerly wanted to see dada and doggie before going back to sleep.

Arriving home late meant awakening to all our stuff and with Mr. B in tow...it is a lot of stuff...I am sure cloth diapering is part of the bigger load.  Mr. B did not like the let's have a normal at home routine this morning, so he had to liven it up.  I due adore a good list, so I decided to put this morning's fun events in chronological order using a list, so here goes (please fasten your seat belts as it will be a bumpy ride)

1. Squirm so much for first diaper change of day that mommy leaves pajama pants off.
2. Dump out doggies water and food bowl
3. Watch doggie get upset and have a seizure
4. While mommy makes toast, find a red felt tip pen and draw on suitcase, coffee table, rug, shirt, floor
5. Take mommy's rag to help clean up so that she has to go get another one
6. Spill mommy's coffee all over table and floor (which she was putting on table when she discovered #4)
7. Let mommy strip me down in tub to make sure I am not harmed (she doesn't realize that because of #4 and #5 the coffee cooled entirely)
8. Try to climb out of tub multiple times while mommy cleans up coffee spill
9. Let mommy wash sticky legs and belly
10. Finally get to eat breakfast with only a diaper on (I wonder if mommy realizes that this was my goal all along)

The Compromise:  Mr. B took over my morning and my blog (see above)
The Sweet Reward: I initially used my tried and true disinfectant cleaner which worked fine on the glass coffee table but not the wood floor.  Happily, I next discovered the pure castille soap did the trick.  A sigh of relief until I saw just how many rags were needed this morning and the realization I had no coffee....Help!!!  That was the real compromising mother problem.

One For the Record Books

Where to begin my sordid tale?

When husband, D, and I decided that staying home as much as possible was our parenting journey, we realized that I had to work some. This means that I toggle a few part-time positions with full-time mom.  Most days it works amazingly well and my son, Mr. B, really goes with the flow of constant change.  We have what we call Daddy days and Mama days.   Typically we have the latter. 

Well, today began as the former...a Daddy day...and it was the second one this week, which can be unpredictable at best.  I worked all day and followed it with an evening commitment that meant Mr. B came along.  This type of situation was so much easier when he was younger.  I recall taking him to a work training all day when he was 6 weeks old. He was so quiet and well behaved that people came up to me afterwards and said they didn't even realize a baby was present.  Mr. B has become a professional at handling work meetings and all types of more adult environments with ease and an infectious grin.  So, he came with me tonight. The event ended at bedtime, so I  naively assumed we would leave and he would fall asleep in the car with pajamajams already in place.  I did not work in to my plan "running over."  A 20 month old on second wind in pajamajams is adorable even when hard to handle.  Well, then came the true compromise (by the way engaging in a professional meeting with a 20 month old running around was not the true compromise...amazing!).  While doing a last diaper change and restuffing the cloth diaper shell/cover, Mr. B ran off in unzipped footie pajamajams.  Yep, that's the note we ended our evening on...well not exactly.  Mr. B then made sure to show off his favorite part of himself.  I think I will now change my career choice to professional toggler.  Is that a real thing?

The Compromise:  wearing one professional hat by day, driving one hour and then trying to wear my other professional hat while being mama

The Sweet Reward:  "the story" to hold in my back pocket if ever his head gets too big for himself.

Pandora for your Kiddo

aka...A day late and a dollar short...the runner up title for this post.

We have only rabbit ears for our television, for an obvious reason. If you don't have it, you can't overuse it. That's how we manage ourselves.  Same reason we limit bad food purchases and I limit trips to the store.

Mr. B is at the age where he loves music.  If he is happy, trying to put off bedtime, or you simply ask, he will sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Start.  Very cute, I know.

I want to encourage his love of music, so I periodically play Pandora for him so that I have more control over what plays. I started with my favorite music...Simon and Garfunkel, The Beatles (I'm an old soul!).  But, little to no response. This really shocked me since the sound of the coffee grinder or daddy's saw is enough to get him dancing with legs a pumpin'.  Then, I had an aha moment.  Although it took so long, it was less aha and more duh (see runner up post title for further details).  I typed in Sesame Street.  And off he went, dancing his little heart out and if he didn't then I could give the song a thumbs down to train Pandora to know what he likes.

The Compromise: A little freaky for me when the computer thinks for us and an open laptop is an invitation for a toddler to have fun.

The Sweet Reward:  Happiness Toddler Style.

Rocking away,
Tracy and Mr. B

PS...Sesame Street does a tribute to the Beatles...I know, I'm a day short and a dollar late...hmmmm.......

A lighter side today

After my recent deep post...it should have come with a caution to wear golashes...I felt a lighter one with a bit of fun would level out my world. I am not certain how to accomplish this in your world, but I would recommend standing in front of a mirror and smiling at yourself...try not to laugh and have a good time.

This is a fun BBC website called Spot the Fake Smile.  There are 20 short video clips and your task is simply to select fake or genuine.

Here is the link: Spot the Fake Smile

Please try it out and post your results in the comment section and for an extra bit of fun you could first make a prediction on how you will do and then post your predicted and actual results.

The Compromise: 5 minutes of your time

The Sweet Reward:  Supporting the BBC :) you gotta love 'em.