No It Can't Be!

Tonight we enjoyed an evening at the park. Grant played with the neighbor kids and we actually got to talk to other adults! Grant has progressed on the playground equipment. This summer he has conquered the twisty slide and is now working on the big slide and the climbing wall.

When we arrived at the park it was empty. We sat down and ate our ice cream cones. When we were finished I went to the garbage can to throw away our napkins and then I saw IT! I called Mark over to confirm what I just saw in the garbage can. What was it? "It" was um lets just say an adult purple toy shaped like a male body part. Is this some sort of joke? I really don't think it was someone cleaning out their closet and thought the park garbage can would be a great place to dispose of this! What if this is some sicko putting stuff like this in public places?

Did I tell the neighbors of my discovery? Um...NO! How would you even start a conversation like that? "Hey guess what I found in the garbage over there".

Frickin' Threes!

Whomever said that three year olds are easier than two year olds obviously never had a three year old! I guess it's no surprise that Grant is stubborn. Mark and I are very stubborn. I am more than he his. My motto is "it's my way". It probably has to do in my case with being the youngest, never having to share & having a huge age gap between me and another sibling. Oh and I am terribly bossy! Mark is an only child so we both went through similar experiences.

I just don't "get" children. Somedays, well most days I feel like I totally suck at this mom thing. I don't have the patience that a lot of mothers seem to have. Do all moms feel this way or am I the only? We both never had much experience with children until we had Grant so it has been a crash course in parenting these past three years. We have read some books on the subject. But have decided to not be "book" parents and go with our instincts. He's still alive, happy & a well adjusted so we must be doing something right.

Somedays this "strong willed child" (as described by Dr. M) gets the best of me and during nap time I am going through the classifieds looking for a job, thinking that going back to work would be easier than dealing with Grant all day. Of course the next day he's a complete angel and the job hunt goes on the back burner.

The few things that I do know about him and his stubbornness is that if he stays away from sugar he is a little better. I have to hold my ground with him and not give in. If I give in just a little he totally takes advantage of the situation. Dr. M also specializes in behavior disorders and sees nothing wrong with Grant (no autism, ADHD or ADD), just a typical pre-schooler.

The situation in the grocery store parking lot prompted me to write about this topic in the blog today. Grant runs ahead of me out the automatic door. With a spine tingling shrill I yelled "Grant stop!". He was almost off the sidewalk and into the busy parking lot. I'm sure the whole store heard me! I grabbed his hand and of course dragged him to the car because he screamed "I won't hold hand". We get into the car I proceed to lecture him about not running off. He responds with "OK, OK" and a "I love you mommy".

So if you see me out in public or in the neighborhood and you think I am a little hard on him, I have to be! My child may not be perfect but he is not the one running around the store and knocking stuff off shelves, slapping others or screaming his head off. Bottom line I am bound and determined to raise a respectful, smart and polite human being and I will not be bossed around by a child!

RIDIN DIRTY

Ok I have gone a little overboard today with the Westie driving videos but they are so cute! The music cracks me up because Westies are so noble looking. How did they know this was Quincy's favoite song?!

Hmmmmmmm

Maybe Quincy should take driving lessons so he can take over the driving for once LOL!

Postal Worker Rocks!

I just want to give some mad props to the "Counter Guy" at our local post office. I had to stop in today to mail off a package and was dreading it the entire morning. The lines are usually long and pose quite a challenge for me when Grant is along. As usual there was a wait and only ONE person working the counter. Well there could have been two, expect one worker couldn't figure out how to log into a computer and there was some sort of drama going on in the back. Some drama queen in the back room was yelling at someone or something...classy. Have no fear my favorite "Counter Guy" was working and zipped through the customers fast while giving them great customer service. He never acted like he was in a hurry and had a smile on his face the entire time. Better yet I think we spent maybe 10 minutes in there! It's a little strange that the lines go faster when one person is working versus 2 or 3 people.

Back From Maddens!

Last week Mark and I were invited up to Maddens for the corporate retreat. He had a presentation before the board of directors and I could tag along and do whatever I wanted.

I met the board of directors, managers and spouses. They are such a fun group and easy to relate and talk to.

One day all the wives piled into two vans and went to Nisswa to do a little shopping. Nisswa is a small resort town with fun little shops. I purchased a beautiful candle holder for our living room. It looks like a honeycomb with olive, brown and gold accents swirled into the paint. The next day we took a pontoon ride around Gull Lake. The homes on this lake are around a "measly" 1 million dollars. The sad part of these homes is that they are only lived in a few weeks out of the year. We did see the homes of Kristi Yamaguchi and the owner of Cub Foods. Kristi's wasn't that impressive but the owner of Cubs was fantastic, I wish I had a picture. That same day I also had a massage at the Panache Spa at Maddens. It was wonderful. The therapist kept saying how stiff I was. You try potty training a child for a few moths and see how stress free and flexible you are!

We also had wonderful meals there. Every meal was fantastic, no complaints. It was nice to eat without Grant for a change.

I did however miss my little guys Grant and Quincy. I missed Grant's endless chatter and the sound of Quincy's paws everywhere we went. It was good to get away for a few days but it is always nice to come back.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yesterday was my birthday. I share a birthday with the following celebrities: Arthur Ashe, Fred Gwynne, David Brinkley, Adolphus Busch (brewer) and of course the "genius" herself Jessica Simpson.I also share it with my Aunt Thersea. Who do you share your birthday with?

I had a great day with Grant. He used the potty without any hassle. We did some shopping and than went to my favorite taco place for lunch. After lunch we came home and had a nap. Susan came over (Mark's mom) to watch Grant while we went to dinner. It was such a treat eating without children no gift was needed! We tried out a new restaurant in town. Not impressed! The food didn't have much flavor and definitely didn't look like the ad in the paper. Since it was my birthday my meal was free (no singing either!). After that we went to Granite City for dessert. We usually don't go to a different place for dessert but we love the chocolate cake here! Very decadent dessert that I only have it once a year, ok maybe twice!

I did get an awesome present from Mark, Grant & Quincy, a set of ladies golf clubs in Candy Apple Red! They are so pretty. These will replace my old starter set. I have a goal to play in a local charity golf scramble in a few years, hopefully these will help!

I may have done a lot of eating on my birthday but it was worth it! I only gained 4 ounces! The golf clubs will help me work it off.

Happy to Be Home!

We made a trek up to Zippel Bay Resort to spend a few days with Mark's family. It's a nice resort with all the amenities a person would need for a fishing trip. The accommodations were roomy, at least the log cabin we stayed in was.

The only complaints I had were the mosquitoes, the biting flies on the lake and the stuff laying on the countertops and the floor of the cabin which was a little much for a neat freak, type A personality like myself to take. When things are messy it makes me tired, crabby and uneasy.

Mark and I realised two things. One: We are not lake resort people, we are Sandals Resort people. Two: I desperately need a vacation without children ASAP!

Grant was a pill the entire time! Mark tried to take him swimming, but he didn't like to get wet (takes after his mother). Apparently the potty training is working too well. When his trunks were wet he thought he had to take them off. We then let him swim in his swim diapers. Those also got wet and he wanted those off. Tired of the struggle we went back to the log cabin. The second day we woke up the mosquitoes in the cabin were awful! Grant tried to go potty, but they swarmed around his penis and this freaked him out the entire trip and wouldn't use the potty the rest of the time we were there. This place really isn't for young children since it is by the water. Grant liked to run around the floating gazebo which was wet in an area with no fencing for two feet. That thing was a drowning accident waiting to happen!

Grant did like two things at the resort: Skipping rocks and his two little buddies he named Darell. The Darell's were two boys between the ages of 5-7 whom he met while playing in the floating gazebo. I don't know what there real names were but to Grant they were named Darrel.

We did enjoy the boat ride Paul took us on. It was Grant's first ride on grandpa's boat. We also enjoyed the two walleye feast dinners while we were there. We both caught up on some reading and sleep while we were there.

Going away make you appreciate what you have in your own home when you return!

Pet Peeves

Most of you know that we have a dog, a West Highland Whiter Terrier to be exact. Quincy is a wonderful dog even though he barks at everything outside (just trying to protect his turf), pees and poops inside when he gets excited or is mad at us & throws up in the middle of the night, we still love him. He is spoiled and treated like a second child and grandchild. Quincy is very protective of Grant. They play together and have an occasional fight. It was hard for Quincy at first to coexist with someone stealing his attention away from mom and dad, but they have worked it out.

Quincy loves to go to the park and go for walks. Unfortunately we can't get a good walk in because all the kids in the neighborhood want to pet and play with him. Quincy is shy & not a "people person". He will let people pet him and if you reach his sweet spot (his tummy) you are his friend for life. He behaves when people pet him and would never nip at a stranger but at the same time he is very annoyed of this procedure. I can't believe all the kids out there who run up to him and want to pet him. First of all you NEVER pet a strange animal without asking the owner and then BEFORE you pet the animal let them sniff the back of your hand. This tells them that you are OK and want to make friends. People that have gone up and petted Quincy are very lucky that he is a nice dog.

It doesn't surprise we when I hear about a child or adult in the news getting attacked by a dog. Please everyone follow the simple rules from above and know one gets hurt.

Apointment From Hell

On Friday Grant had his 3yr check up. Unfortunately he was ill and had a low grade temperature so it wasn't a complete check-up. Grant actually picked a perfect time to be ill. He developed a fever the afternoon before his visit so I wasn't to worried since we would be seeing his doctor the next day.

Grant knew where he was at the minute we hit the parking lot and didn't want to get out of the car. I persuaded him by telling him that Dr. M would give him a book at his check up (he always does). He was OK with that. We stood in line waiting to check in, Grant starts getting a little nervous. We go upstairs and he checks out the play area a bit before his name is called. Grant than proceeds to tell me that it is my check-up, not his!

We finally sit down in the examining room where he continues to freak out. I tell the nurse about his fever. She checks it, it's only 99 degrees! It probably came down because of the Advil. He doesn't want to step on the scale or be measured. He is usually very good at his check-ups so this is surprising. He has calmed down now and Dr. M comes in. He realises he forgot Grant's book and comes back (thank God!)He examines and talks to Grant, who warms up to Dr. M.

Results of his check-up: He is impressed with him! This guy never gives compliments unless they are deserving of them. Did I mention he was Mark's pediatrician? I think he is using Mark as a bench Mark for Grant. He asked Grant "if he was speaking complete sentences like his daddy at his age". Complete yes. Do I understand what he is talking about all the time? No. We didn't get his weight or his height but according to Dr. M he looks to be above average in height. Gee I wonder where he gets that from? So what has Grant accomplished in a year? Knows his upper and lowercase letters, knows the sounds of almost all the letters (thanks J for the Leap Frog video), recognises a few words, counts up to 30 and also can read 2 digit numbers. He also knows his full name and the street he lives on.

Dr. M also examined him for his fever. It's just a virus a lot of his patients have come in with in the past few days. Prescribed him a fever reducer, cool treats, lots of rest, liquids and luke warm baths.