making me feel better

babyluv's had a little cough for a few days and because of the weather (the ice more than the snow, we live in a very hilly area and icy patches SUCK) we've been couped up in here together for days. so last night an itchy cough made itself known in my throat and this morning I woke up with no voice. eh, no problem, I can manage a cough and I can even manage the kid since he has a rapidly growing ASL (American Sign Language) vocabulary.

I told babyluv that my throat hurt and I couldn't talk so I was going to use a lot of signs today and we went over a handful of basics. he did great and seemed perfectly content but in my guilt ridden head I could hear his deep, little voice 'geez mama, I already don't feel good and now you spring a sign language pop quiz on me!! can I get a break!?!'

don't look at me like that, I know he's only 2 but he says a lot with his eyes. really!! and he's almost 3. oh whaddyouknow! *rolling my eyes and pouting*

well, just now he came over to me, handed me a fistful of the remains of his mostly devoured jelly sandwich, smiled up at me with his proud, jelly-smeared face and said 'here, that'll make you feel better!' then immediately erupted in body shaking coughs.

have I mentioned today how much I love this kid?

my little radiant child

this past wednesday night which was, I believe, day 3 of 'snowed in 2011', daddyluv and I took advantage of our Netflix membership and watched 'Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child.'

this rather intimate look into the life and sadly premature death of a passionate and artistic soul helped me to see a very important lesson that I want my child to know: the only limitation on his ability to create something great is his own failure to try.

so in that spirit we spent days 4 and 5 of 'snowed in 2011' making his first collage!!



I ripped open a cardboard box and he used crayons and markers to draw all over it. under the pictures there's a drawing of daddy, a few houses, some rainbows and LOTS of the color green.

then we went thru a bunch of old magazines (mostly parenting mags since the content tends to be toddler safe) and he got to choose whatever picture or image he liked. he got to use his safety scissors for the first time and (with me holding and guiding his hand) cut out the picture.

finally he picked the spot, smeared it with a glue stick and slapped it on! not too shabby for a kid who'll be 3 in a few months, eh!

by the way, here's the awesome drawing of daddyluv:




and joy of joys, this drawing came with a patented babyluv narrative!

‘hmm… I know! I make daddy! ok, I make a circle… eyebrows…. two eyes… a nose…. aaaand a smile! oh, I forgot…. aaaaand a mustache! there, all done!’

my little radiant child.

10 Ways to Combat Winter Hair Shedding Naturally

how very ironic that as i sit here pondering the dry-as-hay fro that's sitting atop my head i find this fabulous article from Savvy Brown on 10 Ways to Combat Winter Hair Shedding Naturally!

it's a necessary reminder that every part of your body, from the inside out, needs nourishment and when it is properly nourished it shows. now excuse me while i take this snow day to do some self-maintenance!

ps. your kid's hair and body need the same inside out care! don't take those beautiful, junior fros for granted ;-)

relatively happy new year

taken about 12:05 am. new year's 2011, five minutes after babyluv realized the combination of staying up til midnight then having a room full of adults countdown to an ear-splitting scream and trumpet of noise-makers can wreak havoc on a two year old's fragile nerves.

Unruly!

For all those who don't know, I gave birth to that wild child that you rolled your eyes at because he was running away from his parents in the supermarket then falling out on the floor screaming NOOOOOOO right after grabbing some random breakable item off the shelf. Yea, that adorable li'l tyrant in all those photos. And yet he's still alive and just barely spanking free.

That doesn't mean I haven't sat and contemplated how I could make him wear one of those doggy shock collars without going to jail.

Don't judge me.

Thanks to Aja Dorsey Jackson of Black and Married With Kids for sharing your unruly child story!

Unruly! How To Tame a Wild Child by Aja Dorsey Jackson of Black and Married With Kids