Chloe’s 5th Birthday Montage
Here’s Chlo’s 5th birthday slide show. Again, it’s long, 8 minutes, and I may be biased, but I think it’s worth it! 
I Heart Chloe.
For real. She’s a handful most of the time, I admit. She takes a lot of energy. And if I’m being honest, I don’t know that I could her AND another kid. But I wouldn’t change a single thing about her.
Sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of the little things as you get caught up in the day to day grind of living. But then a random sight will bring it all back.
My nights are long. I lay down with Chloe until she falls asleep each night. Sometimes, like tonight, it takes extra long. Then I’m stressed out because I’m tired, but laundry needs done, kitchens need cleaned, etc, and there are never enough hours in the day. And I’m definitely a stressor.
So here I am, frustrated, going from room to room to try and at least make them look presentable. And I walk into the spare bedroom and come face to face with a stack of empty boxes, haphazardly stacked up taller than I am! They were banker boxes that Chloe had gotten into and filled with toys. Right before bed time, I had told her that while I folded some laundry, she needed to empty them out and put them back where she found them.
And I just burst out laughing. I just had this random image of Chlo stacking these boxes up above her head because that’s how she found them. I’m really quite impressed, as she had to have gotten a step ladder or something to get it as tall as she did…
So here I am just laughing, thinking, I heart that girl. Smile.
Welcome Back. Again.
I kI know, I know. Bad Blogger. I’d make an excuse, but really I have none.
I’ve been gone so long that WordPress went and changed up its interface and it’s making posting a *itch. Just saying. It’s like it’s facebook or something…
Anyway. Today Chlo got her hair cut, and curled in the the process. Which she l.o.v.e.d. For real. She’s been been talking about it non stop all day. See above.
So I’m trying to get Chlo and Isabella interested in the awesome Christmas movies that are on TV. You know, like Rudolph and the Misfit Toys? I keep telling them how great it is, and they’re all, “Hmm…nice. Can we watch Power Rangers??? Jadon is SO cute!!!” Kids these days. What are you gonna do?
Lets see. What else did we do today??
I flexed my culinary muscles and made a spaghetti squash casserole. Isabella declared it, “The best dinner I have had!!!” And Chloe even like it. Which says a ton, because that girl doesn’t like a thing.
That’s all for tonight. More later, promise!
You’re Going to Beat Me!!!
So I have this thing I do when I hear weird sounds.
If I can’t recognize where it’s coming from, I just ignore it and hope it goes away. Sometimes it works, sometimes, it’s a recipe for disaster.
Today, I stopped by home before going to pick Chlo up. I heard a sound from the kitchen that sounded like something was leaking. I couldn’t quite place where it was coming from. The sink wasn’t on. The reverse osmosis system wasn’t leaking. The ice maker seemed fine. On the other side of the wall, the washer and dryer/water softener seemed fine. Hmm.
So I just left.
About an hour later, I get a message from my brother:
Water Bill Spoiler Alert: the hose spigot on the side of the house on a little bit…I don’t know how long it had been left on, but the yard on that side is pretty drenched.
Seriously!?! Just what I needed. Maybe I should have investigated further.
So I’m questioning Chlo about it later. I’m all, “Were you watering the yard today?” She says, “Yeah…” So I’m all, “Did you leave the water on???” She says, “No…” So I tell her that the water was on when Jason got home so she must have. And she starts bawling. I ask her what’s wrong, and she’s all, “You’re going to beat me!!!!”
The hell?
So I’m all, “Chlo. When have I ever beat you??”
“All the time…” she says.
Hmmm.
For the record, the answer is never. In fact, I’d venture to guess that I’VE never laid a hand on the child. To each their own, but I’m a sucker. And I know it. So it’s cool. I can’t even swat at my dogs without feeling terrible about it.
I don’t know what that’s all about. But if she tells you that’s the case, she’s crazy. Just saying.
More Conversations From the Back Seat. And Other Stuff.
So my brother and I were discussing chicken the other day. More specifically, my attempt at the beer can chicken. And how I said it was alright, but when factoring in the prep time, cook time, and clean up time, that I would prefer to just buy a store bought rotisserie chicken and do what I want with it. It’s just as good and WAY, way less labor intensive. And how I often buy them, shred them, and then use them throughout the week.
This prompted him to respond, “You’re one of THOSE moms…” After inquiring, he further specified, “One of those working moms that are all about convenience.” I had to concede his point.
So this evening we took a trip to T@rget to do some grocery shopping. And like always, we get through the whole store without buying anything substantial. I’ve become a terrible meal preparer. I just have no desire to do so. Every time I think about it, I think about the work involved, how Chlo will just turn her nose up at whatever I make, and it all goes to waste. So we end up with very simple meals. Maybe a protein (like above referenced rotisserie chicken) and cut up fruits/veggies (raw). So I’m not just one of THOSE (working) moms. I just shirk all my mothering duties…
So as we’re walking out to the car with our grocery haul, Chloe’s all, “Sometimes families are nice.” I agree with her, then I start to say something, but she says something at the same time. Basically hearing what she’s about to say, I ask her to repeat it. She’s all, “No…you say your words first.” I’m all, “No, you say your words first.” She’s all, “No, thanks. You can go first. You’re the Mom.” So I’m all, “I just said that you were right. Now what did you say?” She’s all, “I just said that sometimes you are mean…” Me, “Oh, really?” She’s like, “Yeah, because you yell at me all the time…” I’m all, “I do?” She’s like, “Yeah, like yesterday when you threw my gold fish in the trash.” Ok. In my defense, I did do that. But she got them as a snack after soccer practice and I told her that she couldn’t have them until after dinner. And she opened them anyway. So I took them and threw them in the trash. I explained that I did not in fact “yell” at her, to which she replied, “you yelled at me quietly…” Smile. I know where she gets that one.
So it’s silent for a bit, and finally she’s all:
Chlo: Mommy? I need to have a sister.
Me: You do?
Chlo: Yeah…
Me: What for?
Chlo: Well, because at the park by Rachel’s there is a teeter totter and it has two seats. So I need a sister so that she can sit on the other side.
Me: Well, can’t a friend do that?
Chlo: No, it needs to be a sister.
Me: Oh. Huh.
Chlo: So when are you going to borned me one?
Me: Ummm…I don’t know. I don’t know about that.
Chlo: Well, someone else is going to borned the sister for you. Like me. I was borned in someone else.
Me: Yes, that’s right. You were…
Chlo: I don’t want you to have a fat belly. Because people might laugh at you…
Me: Hmm. You think?
Chloe: Yeah. But we’re not talking about you. We’re talking about borned-ing my sister. So she can grow up and get big and ride the teeter totter with me…
Huh.
Maybe we should have just stayed him this evening…
Conversations From The Back Seat…
So we’re driving home tonight. And I overhear this conversation between Izzy (5) and Chlo (4). And seriously, this is word for word. In fact, I didn’t want to forget, so I came right in to blog…
Chlo: Woody is your husband, right? (You know, Woody from Toy Story.)
Izzy: Yeah. And you know what he did?
Chlo: What?
Izzy: He kissed me.
Chlo: Ewww. Gross!
Izzy: And you know what he did after that???
Chlo: What???
Izzy: He hugged me.
Chlo: Eww…Yuck! Darth Vader doesn’t do that to me…
Izzy: Oh. What does he do?
Chlo: He just gets me beautiful princess jewelry. That’s what good husbands do…
Seriously. Word for word. I don’t know where they get this stuff…
Nobody Stole Your Ipod…
Chloe and Kiana spend most of the evening outside playing with their “friends”. Remember, the neighborhood preteen girls???
Anyway, so I’m keeping an eye on them, going back and forth from inside to outside.
One of those times, I come out and stand on the porch, but I don’t say anything.
Then Chlo sees me and is all, “Don’t worry Mama. Nobody stole the Ipod…”
“I know, I just had it. It’s inside…”, I say.
Chlo’s all, “You might want to think about what you just said…” with a huge smile on her face, as she pulls it from her pocket.
Sneaky little thing!
Oh, and I love how, gradually over time, it’s turned from “my” ipod to “the” ipod. It’s certainly not just a slip of the tongue on her part…
This Girl Can’t Cut Me A Break…
I already have to watch what I say, because she’s quick to turn things around on me.
Do you ever have those moments where your kid says something, and you don’t really know how to respond? You start to say something, then change your mind and sort of trail off…?
Take this morning, for instance. It’s raining outside. Not the warm kind of rain. But the cold sucky kind of rain.
Chloe’s all, “Mama, I want to go to Ma Ma’s house and play outside and wait for my friends to come over…”
Sidenote: There are these neighborhood girls, probably 11, 12, 13 years old? I’d say middle school. But everyday they come over to play with Chlo. It makes me laugh. I mean, they actually come over and knock on the door to see if they (Chlo and Kiana) can play.
Anyway, I’m all, “Umm…”
And she’s all, “Mommy! I really want to wait outside for them to come over…”
“Well, It’s raining outside…” At this point, I’m debating in my head whether it’s a big deal for her to play outside in the cold sucky rain. I can’t really decide, so I just let it go at that. Thinking she would forget or just drop it.
But not Chlo. “Mommy, finish your words!”
I’m all, “That’s all I said…”
“No…finish the words after ‘Well, it’s raining outside…’ I don’t know what your next words are going to be!”
Me: “Umm…”
Chlo: “Just tell me the words you’re going to say because I really want to wait outside for my friends! Your words didn’t tell me yes or no.”
Sigh. She never misses a beat.
My Girl’s Gone Green.
So the other night I was putting Chlo to bed. And for the record, she still wears diapers at night.
Anyway, so this night, I was talking to her and was all, “Chlo, you know, you’re going to have to start thinking about getting up at night and going pee pee in the potty. So you don’t have to wear diapers anymore…” And she starts crying, and is all, “Mommy, I’m too scared. It’s too dark in there!” So I tell her, “Well, we can leave the light in the bathroom on at night so you can see.” But she goes, crying even harder, “Mommy, that’s a terrible idea! We don’t want to waste electricity!!!”
Wow. Wasn’t expecting that response. What do you even say to that?!? I just sighed and changed the subject…
So then tonight, she asked me about something, and I can’t for the life of me remember what it was. But I told her no. I suppose it doesn’t matter what it was, the funny part was her response at the end. It might have been about watching a TV show. But anyway, the conversation kind of went like this:
Chlo: Mommy, can we watch another show?
Me: I don’t think so.
Chlo: I think yes.
Me: I think no.
Chlo: I think yes.
Me: I think no.
Chlo: (exasperated) I’m not going to argue with you about this!
Then she just walks away. I feel like that should have been my line.
Crazy child.
All Sorts of Difficult Today.
Chlo was, that is.
I will preface this by saying, I love her little personality. LOVE it.
But sometimes, it can be hard. She can be difficult. And sometimes my patience runs low. Like when I’ve been sick for a month straight.
Today was nothing but crying since I got home. It started out because I told her that we were going to have green beans with dinner. Then it was because she wanted to do an art project that we didn’t have the materials for.
So we substitute that project for another one. I grab a few art bins off the shelf so that we have the supplies that we need. One of the bins contains, among other things, black sharpies. So she grabs one and starts drawing all over cardboard with it. Other than the fact that she was dangerously close to cream colored carpet, I would typically have been ok with this, however, remember the hydochloric acid sniffing incident??? Well, since then, it hurts to smell strong odors. Seriously, no joke. It’s terrible. So I’m all, “Chloe, can you put that up, please?” She’s all, “I’m drawing a picture…” So, more firmly, I say, “Chlo, please put that up.” She’s like, Wait, I’m…” And I cut her off, and am all, “Chloe Alexandra!” And she’s all, “I know! I know!” And throws it in the bin and starts crying.
I start to walk away, and I hear, “Mommy doesn’t like me anymore!” So I turn around, and am all, “What did you say?” (Just to make sure I heard correctly.) She says, “You don’t like me anymore. All you ever do is yell at me.” Which is SO not true. So I’m all, “Chloe, that is absolutely not true. Actually, I love you very much. I just don’t like when you don’t listen.”
And she was all, whatever, you hate me. Blah, blah, blah. She didn’t actually say hate, but you catch my drift.
It was more of the same, all night long.
Now, I totally admit to being part of the problem. I don’t feel well, I have this cough that won’t stop, and while I consider myself extremely patient and easy-going, there is one thing that I do not handle well: Whining and Crying. Usually it’s not a problem, because the second she gets that tone, I’m all, “Chlo, I can’t listen to you when you talk like that. When you are able to talk normal, then let me know.” And that usually fixes it. But not today. Definitely not today.
More of the same at bed time. She was upset because I wouldn’t lay with her AND have her fan on high pointed directly at my head. In my defense, it wouldn’t have just been a few seconds, as I have to lay there with her until she falls asleep. So I tell her that I will lay with her, or she can have her fan on high pointed directly at her, but not both. I eventually compromise and put it so that it’s blowing at the very top of the bed, then I scoot down so it doesn’t blow on me. But she continues crying. So, out of sheer frustration, I’m all, “Chlo, I don’t understand what you want. Can you please tell me?” But all I hear is, this crazy annoying whiny like sound, “uuuhhhhh. uuuhhhh. uuuuhhhh.” Over and over again. So after about the 48th time in a row, I finally say, “Chlo, why are you making that sound!?!?” Her response, “Umm. Because I don’t know how to answer your question.” I tell her not to worry about it, that it didn’t need an answer, but she wasn’t hearing it. It was like a broken record. That played for 20 minutes until it fell asleep.
Anyway. Days like these suck. They are definitely few and far between, but they make me feel like the most terrible mom in the world.
Not sure if you all have heard of Frances England (singer/songwriter-kids music) but we listen to her songs quite frequently. So this one song in particular, I love–Sometimes. You can hear it here. Anyway, there’s this one verse in particular that kept popping into my head once she fell asleep:
Sometimes I get frustrated
I just want everyone to go away
Sometimes I roar like a lion cub
That’s when Mama knows I need a little extra love
So I’ve felt guilty all night. Because I feel like maybe she was just needing some extra attention. And instead, I just got frustrated with her. Sigh. Can’t always have good days, I suppose. Tomorrow is a new day.
