Monthly Archives: March 2011

Samara is a colicky baby, there is no doubt. I’ve been at my wits end here trying to to soothe her. There have been days where she’s cried for over five hours. It’s rough. One of my Canadian readers, Sara, suggested I try BioGaia Probiotic drops for colic.

I am happy to report that they resulted in this:

And then this:

So thank you BioGaia and thank you Sara for the recommendation! My baby feels better and I have a sense of relief.

The other day, Ari was finishing up his french toast. He left the crusts, as usual, and said:

“I all done Mommy!”
“Okay,” I said ‘Throw the rest in the garbage.”
“No!” He shot back “I not doing that! I don’t think so!”
Taken aback, I said:
“Don’t you talk to me like that!”
“I don’t think so!” He repeated defiantly.
“If you say it again, you’re going to time out!” I knew what was coming next. Predictably, he said:
“I DON’T THINK SO!”
I immediately picked him up and sat him in time out for two minutes. I set the stove timer so I would know when those two minutes were up. When the timer beeped, I removed him and asked:
“Do you know why you went to time out?”
“I don’t know.” He replied innocently.
I knelt down on my knees and looked him in the eyes.
“You don’t talk to mommy like that. You have to respect mommy.”
“Your eyes are Ari.” I couldn’t quite understand what he said at the point so I asked:
“What? My eyes are angry?”
“No!” He shook his head “Your eyes are ARI!”
I paused, and then it occurred to me, he couldn’t focus on anything I was saying because he saw his own reflection in my eyes.

“Oh, you mean you see your reflection in my eyes?” I clarified.
“Yes!” He confirmed.
“That must be distracting.” I said.
“Yes!” He agreed.
“Okay, well…you need to respect mommy. Can you say it?”
“Respect mommy!” He repeated diligently.
Ari is in the eye of the beholder.

I was on a playdate the other day, and I did something that I try to avoid; I intervened in an argument between Ari and another kid. I always feel strange when I’m telling another person’s kid what to do. It doesn’t seem right, I didn’t give birth to this child, I don’t tell him/her what to do on a daily basis, what makes today any different? Why should I have the right to tell this kid to cut it out?

Back to the playdate. It was a situation in which both kids weren’t sharing a coveted item, and something needed to be done. Afterward, I asked the kid’s mom:

“I’m sorry, is it okay that I did that? I didn’t mean to tell your kid what to do.”
“No!” She said sincerely “I’m glad you intervened, I have a lot of friends that just sit there and don’t do anything, and it really bugs me. Thank you for doing that.”

I felt a little better about it after that. But I have to say, there is a fine line. Here is when I think it’s appropriate to step in and intervene in a conflict between your child and someone else’s:

1. When there is a physical fight.
2. When there is a verbal disagreement that doesn’t appear to be working itself out on it’s own.
3. If your kid does something that you don’t agree with/allow him to do at home.

Essentially, unless the kids are beating the crap out of one another or verbally abusing each other, let them work it out on their own.

It really bugs me when someone tells my kid what to do if it’s not necessary and doesn’t help the situation at hand.

I am now stepping down from my soapbox.

How do you feel about disciplining other people’s kids?

I’ve written a bunch about the exorbitant amount of money that Pre-School costs. Recently, I’ve been seeking out low cost classes as an alternative to Pre-School. A friend of mine, who also has two kids similar ages to Ari and Samara, recommended art classes at a place near us called Barking Cat Studio. She said the classes were affordable and it was an all around great time.
I decided to check it out.

I went to their site and gave the number a call.

Within an hour, Karen (the founder of Barking Cat Studio) called me back. Karen had a vibrant voice and a great energy. I immediately got a good vibe over the phone. She said they had a class on Friday where the kids were making “dinosaur art.”
“Perfect!” I said “Ari loves dinosaurs.”
I asked how much this class would be.
“Normally classes are $25, but since it’s your first class, we’ll give you $10 off.”
“Thanks so much!” I said getting excited already.
Friday arrived, my mom watched Samara and off we went to Barking Cat Studio.

What a great time it was!

One of the great things about Barking Cat Studio, is that you get to take all your art work home. They call it “Make it & Take it Arts & Crafts.” Here’s what Ari made today:

Karen Merbaum, Barking Cat’s Founder, has worked in graphic design for over 20 years. Barking Cat Studio used to be her graphic design office. One day, she had an epiphany. She no longer wanted to practice graphic design, she wanted to use her artistic background to work with children.

A year and half ago she transformed her space into what is now Barking Cat Studio. She is an incredibly talented artist. In fact, she made this desk:

We had a wonderful time at Barking Cat Studio, and I’m sure we’ll be back!

For more information on classes at Barking Cat Studio, click on the Make it and Take it Bag below!

Sometimes I amaze myself. I had an epiphany this morning. It takes me a zillion years to leave the house every morning. 50 % of the time is spent cajoling/forcing Ari into putting on his clothes. This morning, as we were eating breakfast, it dawned on me. I can put him in his clothes for the next day the night before. Here’s what he’s wearing today:

I put him in this outfit last night after he took a bath because I couldn’t be bothered to find pajamas in the rubble that is the clean laundry pile.

I’m all set! All I need to do is put his shoes and jacket on and we’re good to go.

He doesn’t wear jeans anyway, so all of his pants are pajama-like texture. Why didn’t I think of this before?

Random question(s) of the day: if you could go to work in pajamas, would you? What are your favorite PJs?