I'm horrified. My child is a biter! She bit another kid FOUR times at daycare yesterday and left marks!!
What do I do?! She's 19 months old...so I don't know her motivation behind why she's doing what she's doing. Do I bite her back? Spank? Time out? Stern talking to?
Funny part is...after she bit this child, he didn't even cry--SHE did. I guess you have to be tough to be a friend of M. She bit him on the forehead and left a mark! WHO DOES THAT!?
We roughhouse, M and I, but NOTHING like that. She's a tough kid--but I don't want her to be a bully!!
I love my sitter. I don't want M to be kicked out of daycare. But at the same time, other parents shouldn't have to worry MY kid is going to chew on their kid.
I love my baby...I love that she loves to love others. I just wish she understood that "love" doesn't mean "bite."
(NOT MY KID--But funny!)
I don't want to have to outfit her for a muzzle, so I'm taking suggestions!!
~CSM
I forgot to pack a lunch today, and being that I'm dieting right now, I thought it best to go to the grocery store in town and purchase items to make a salad for lunch.
I must have somehow missed the memo that today was "leave your house wearing your pajama pants" day.
I kinda get why teenagers do it. Maybe it's a fashion statement. Teenagers are the ONLY ones, in my opinion, who CAN get away with wearing pajamas outside their houses.
I, however, saw two different grown women wearing fleece pajama pants at the grocery store.
I'm going to hazard a guess to say the first lady had an excuse, because she was likely clinically crazy. She had about 40 cans of cat food, a bag of dog food, and a snickers bar in her purchase. I'm not saying cat people are nuts, but based on her purchase, and her conversation with the cashier ("Miss Kitty likes this type of food, but I have to sneak in some other types too to make sure she has a well-balanced diet") I'd say she's the quintessential cat lady who lives alone in an apartment with 5 or 6 cats and makes them wear sweaters and treats them like her grandchildren. (Did I mention she was in her 60s?)
She also smelled like pot. She may not have been crazy, but just stoned. I can't say for sure, but the combination of these elements excused her, in my book, for wearing pajamas outside her house.
The second girl, I saw walking in as I was leaving. If you are over the age of 12, you should NOT be wearing "My Little Pony" pajamas. Especially OUT of your HOUSE. But, she wore them proudly, strutting into the grocery store with (presumably) her devoted boyfriend hanging on her arm. She looked to be in her 30s.
A) What self-respecting woman would wear My Little Pony PJs?
B) What self-respecting woman would wear them in public?
C) What self-respecting man would be seen with a woman who would wear that in public?
D) WHY!?
I do not claim to be a fashionista by any means. I'm lucky to remember to match my shoes to my outfit every day. But I do know better than to leave my house looking like I LITERALLY just rolled out of bed.
Which leads me to my next topic.
All criminals smell the same. (I am a civilian employee for a police department, in case you are wondering)
All of them have this same, ripe, "foot rubbed on a butt" smell. Close your eyes and repeat that phrase. It says it all.
That smell can permeate a small building in a matter of minutes. (Especially when they're required to remove their shoes while in the holding cell) It clings to your clothes, your hair, and the hairs in your nostrils. It's miserable.
So, out of curiousity, I asked a police officer WHY they all smell the same. I was told this:
"They don't go home and put on pajamas. They likely sleep in whatever they're wearing. You're smelling days of just going somewhere and laying down their head. Baths are not a regular thing, because they don't likely have a permanent place to stay."
The girl that walked by me going into the grocery store had that "foot on a butt" smell to her. Which made me come full circle to realize that a) she'd probably worn those same pajamas for days; and b) she could possibly be a criminal.
I left before I could get my confirmation. Hopefully she was going to buy soap, or deodorant or perfume or SOMETHING.
~CSM
Miss M has been so snuggly with me the last few days. I'm trying to relish it now, because I know in about 12 or 13 years she's going to want nothing to do with me. Her being a teenager scares the living daylights out of me, and I know time will fly through these next years, but I can't fathom her being a moody, belligerent teen, addicted to a cell phone (or whatever the technology is in 10 years), moping around the house, and refusing to clean her room.
It seems eons away, but I know it'll be here before I know it. As a result, I'm soaking up all her squishy goodness now. I request "smooches" from her all the time, to which she is always willing to oblige, even if she's in the middle of doing something else. The funny part is, I never know what I'm going to get...
A closed mouth, tight-lipped quick peck on the cheek is about 70% of the time.
If she's laughing, I get the open-mouthed, slobbery raspberry smooch on the cheek. That's the other 25% of the time.
I was graced with a new one the other night. One I'm calling the "overexcited puppy smooch."
She licked my mouth. She leaned in, and at the last minute stuck her tongue out and slimed me.
And then proceeded to laugh hysterically when I went "bleeechhh!!" and wiped my mouth off.
The hysterical laughter made me wonder if it was premeditated.
~CSM
Today I get to spread my wings and fly...
I've been helping with a community program at work for about a year now. It's an academy put on by the department to educate the community about how police work happens (save it, fire friends!). This will be our third class, and tonight, I'm running it solo.
EEEK.
I am so nervous I can't hardly sit still. I want to run around in circles, jump up and down and then power nap to prepare. But doing that would be counterproductive, and possibly make me seem even weirder to my coworkers...so a-blogging I will go.
Have you ever had so much built up tension that you feel like your skin is too small for your bones? I feel like I'm going to burst!
I feel wired, hyper-acutely aware of my surroundings. I can hear the secretary's pen scratching on the paper in the other room. A conversation in the next office. Bass from a passing car. I can smell the small amount of coffee left burning in the pot. The aroma of macaroni and cheese floats up from behind me, where my discarded lunch leftovers sit in my trash can. (Gotta remember to empty that.)
As I type, I can feel the tension draining out through my fingers. They fly across the keyboard, typing every errant thought that flies into my head. Somewhere in my brain, I know I'm prepared, as much as I ever could be, and that I have no reason to fret over tonight. But I continually run through my checklist of "to-do" to ensure that tonight will be a success. Excited and scared all at the same time: I have my continual worry that my neck will be a bright red blotchy tomato from all the nerves--as it does ANY time I do public speaking.
Deep breathing. Meditate. Calm. Type.
Wishing I was flexible enough for yoga. I heard that helps.
Whew. Even a short blog post has relieved a LOT of tension. I love blogtherapy.
~CSM
I am full-on completely obsessed with Pinterest.
Can I get an amen?
I was intrigued by the idea you have to be "invited" to join the website, which, I'm assuming is to keep people from just blatantly posting advertisements, porn, or just ridiculous stuff on there.
I'm pretty sure I've spent a high number of productive hours of my day browsing the beauty that is Pinterest.
If you're not on it, let me explain. It's a website with pictures of cool stuff that you "pin" to your own page for future reference. For example, they have a Do-It-Yourself Crafts section. It ranges from quilts to lamp making. Granted, you have to weed through a lot of crap too, but when you come upon that one picture that makes you go, "YES!" well, it's like an adrenaline high.
Did you know if you put a dryer sheet in your back pocket, it will help deter mosquitoes? Thanks, Pinterest.
How about using an old screen door as a substitute pantry door? Thanks, Pinterest!
Need a funny picture to brighten your day? How about a picture of three little old ladies wearing scarves that look like saggy boobs, complete with tattoos? THANKS PINTEREST!!
I have found diet tips, fun ways to paint my nails, new hairdos, places to travel, and fun ways to decorate my very tiny house that are both space-efficient, practical, and pretty.
So if you're not on Pinterest, I encourage you to check it out. If you are, and you're like me, you're not reading this blog, but looking at Pinterest already.
If you want to join, tell me! I'll send you an invite!
~CSM
Today I'm dedicating my post to my very good friend, S. It's her birthday.
I've known S since we were in kindergarten, and I'm going to age us both and say we've been friends for a quarter century. 25 years. Longer than some people are married.
S and I have had some really fun times together. No matter what has happened in our lives, we've always managed to stay in touch with each other.
She is also one of the most creative and caring mommies I know. She has three of the most beautiful girls ever, and they are so smart, well-adjusted and considerate people. I know they'll grow up to be brilliant, gorgeous women.
I admire S so very much in her mommy capability. Motherhood seemed to come very natural to her. She handles monsters under the bed with ease, can handle pukey stomachs with grace, and runs her household with military precision. If ever I'm concerned I'm not handling a situation with M in the right way, I think...WWSD?
From running around my backyard playing pretend, to babysitting younger siblings in runaway cars, to laughing on the phone about the craziest of things, I could not have prayed for a friend as amazing as S.
I can't wait to see what the next 25 brings. Love ya!
~CSM
No, I didn't sneeze while typing my title.
It stands for "Introvert, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging." It's four categories of a Myers Briggs test, and it represents me.
I found a free test online after reading the status of a friend of mine on Facebook. The site I found also had several other links, including one that went into depth about the INFJ status, called "Portrait of an Idealist Counselor." If you want to read it, this is it:
http://keirsey.com/4temps/counselor.aspx
It was one of those things I read, and I thought, "wow! they really nailed it with me!"
I admit I'm going through a somewhat transitory period in my short life. Not a midlife crisis, I'm not THAT old (although I did have one of the interns at work tell me I looked to be in my 40s last fall...) but I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.
I love to write. Love it. In fact, I would blog every single day if I thought I wouldn't burn out on it. Or if I had enough time. Or if I thought people would want to read it.
I love talking to, and meeting new people, but I am absolutely horrible at making small talk. If I am just meeting you, chances are, my heart is pounding, my neck is blushing, and I have a big lump in the pit of my stomach.
I also love my alone time, especially when I can spend it lost in a great book.
I love to give people unsolicited advice. Which I'm sure is extremely annoying, but I can't help myself. Can't get that stain out of your shirt? I can help.
I like menial, tedious tasks that require an element of creativity. Within a structure. How's that for contradictory?
I like to be busy in my work, but I also like to play Zuma Blitz on Facebook for at least 10 minutes a day. (If you have not tried this game...do so. You will be hooked, if you're anything like me!)
I don't like supervising people. At all. Period. I don't like correcting the behavior of others, I don't like being in charge, I don't like bossing people around (stop laughing, I DON'T!), I don't like anything about supervising.
I absolutely ADORE the job I have now. I get to do some extremely cool things. Sure, there's some things I'd improve (like giving the supervising part to someone else!), but overall, it's a great job! I've seen things most people will never see. I've met some really cool people, and work with some really cool people every day.
I just don't quite feel like I'm in my niche. After all, I never really intended to have this job; I wanted something full-time after college, and it sounded like fun to answer 911 calls. I never dreamed I'd be running the division among various other random responsibilities!
I am so far off on a tangent, and I feel like I've failed all of you, loyal readers. This entry isn't nearly as funny as it should be, nor was the last one! I promise to do better next time...but this time, I needed some catharsis.
~CSM
