August 2009

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A Written Schedule

August 3, 2009 in Parenting | 5 comments

A couple of weeks ago I bought a whiteboard and wrote up Samantha’s Daily Schedule on it.  It goes something like this:

  • 8-8:30  Wake up, try potty, wear underwear
  • 8:30-9:15  Breakfast
  • 9:15-10:30  Free play, mommy shower, get dressed, brush hair
  • 10:30-11  Structured play
  • 11-noon  Free play, errands, chores
  • noon-1pm  Lunch, clean up
  • 1-2:30  Nap
  • 2:30-3  Free play
  • 3-3:30  Snack
  • 3:30-5  Free play, errands, chores, bath
  • 5-5:30  Structured play, try potty
  • 5:30-6:30  Mommy time, make dinner
  • 6:30-7:30 Dinner
  • 7:30-8:30  Play, brush teeth, PJs, clean up
  • 8:30  Bedtime

We don’t stick to the schedule too closely.  It’s not about the schedule, really – it’s about the schedule telling Samantha what to do instead of mommy telling Samantha what to do.  When I first wrote it up, and whenever I change it, I get Sam to agree to it.  Then, when something needs to be done and she’s resisting me, I can always say, “Let’s go check the schedule and, see if we have time/see what we need to do/make sure we’re on track.”

I added the “try potty” entries after she decided she liked to wear underwear, but didn’t mind peeing on the floor enough to bother trying the potty.  The day after I wrote it down, she started trying again without a struggle.  Now I just need to slowly add more “tries” to the schedule.  The same thing happened with brushing her hair.  I can’t believe such a simple trick works, but it does.  Hurray for the schedule!

Blood and Chocolate

August 3, 2009 in Parenting | 5 comments

Sam had her first real bloody injury on Saturday.  Neither Adam nor I actually saw it happen, but we surmise that she tripped and fell into the door frame, forehead first.  I knew it was bad from the horrifying thunk that I heard all the way at the other end of the house.  Adam was at the scene a few seconds before me and looked at her head but didn’t see anything, so he was hugging her when I got there.  But by the time I looked there was blood running down her face, pooling in her eyes, getting sniffed up her nose, and running into her mouth.  There was so much  blood.  Even though I knew that cuts on the scalp can bleed a lot, it was so frightening.  It took a few minutes before we could even figure out where the wound was because the blood was just everywhere.  I’m not even going to try to get the stains out of the towel we used to stop the bleeding.  That thing is going in the trash.

She’s fine.  It was a cut that bled like crazy, but really, nothing much worse than she’s had before.  Her skull did its job and protected her brain.  Adam and I both did a pretty good job at not panicking, and doing all the right things.  Not perfect, but not too shabby.  I had an initial moment of fear and panic but I was glad that I quite easily stomped that out and started using my mind.

We had been just about to leave for a party when it happened, and it took a full hour to calm Sam down, assess the damage and clean her up.  We did end up going to the party even though we were very late.  By that time, Sam was fine and we all had a great time.  I had made brownies to bring along, and to help Sam get out of her funk right after the injury, we let her lick the bowl.  A spoonful of chocolate is better than medicine!  Why is this image of her covered in blood, happily eating brownie batter so precious?  I’m not sure, but I love it.

Blood and Chocolate

Mysteries

August 2, 2009 in Mysteries | No comments

How come women pay $60, $70, $80 for a hair cut?  I’m not talking color or highlights or any other treatment.  A salon hair cut in the DC area costs at least $60 and I’ve been told that it can run over $100.  Why does it cost so much?  It makes no sense to me.  Is this one of those services where raising the price actually increases sales because customers then perceive that they are getting better quality?  It’s a hair cut, for god’s sake!  For $100, Iexpect you to cut my hair into the shape of the Venus de Milo.

I’ve been paying the high prices for the past year because I couldn’t find a better option, but it was making me so sick to spend that much money that I finally went to Hair Cuttery and got an excellent cut for $21.  It’s definitely better than my last $65 cut, which I had to fix with my own scissors the next day.  Also, it took less time and I didn’t need an appointment.  Granted, I probably got lucky and got someone with skills, but I was prepared to try every person in that shop until I found someone who could do a good job.  I’m sure there are a couple of good people at all of these low end chains.  And even if a salon cut was better, could it really be THAT much better?  I really think we women are suckers for anything beautifying.  It’s the female equivalent of the mysterious success of the “male-enhancement” products.

So I’m free of the need to spend outrageous amounts on a hair cut.  Highlights, however, are another matter.

A Little Thing

August 1, 2009 in Little Things | No comments

Samantha made her first rhyme.  A fly had gotten in the house and we were saying, “A fly went by” and quoting lines from that excellent book.  Sam said A FLY WENT BY. A FLY WENT IN MY EYE.

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