Spring is around the corner and we're all getting giddy. The snow isn't even close to being completely melted in our yard, but my kids are already tromping around on the playscape and creating as much mess as possible with their sand table.
My family spent last week in the Princeton, New Jersey area for my husband's work and spring has already sprung there. Green grass, daffodils and crocuses breaking through the soil, birds cheeping.
It was nearly idyllic.
Except for all the potty issues!
In this five day trip alone I singlehandedly had to deal with toilet paper eating, toilet water spouting like a geyser all over my two year old's face, that same rascally two year old nearly exposing me on the potty to the patrons of a Philadelphia Dunkin' Donuts, and my daughter needing to pee and then changing her mind and then needing to pee and then changing her mind...oh, man. I know there's stuff I've banished to my subconscious.
But we all survived without any trips to the emergency room as my friend, Kate, kindly reminded me, and by the end I had my schtick figured out. The rules were basic. Only travel to places with: 1) dedicated parking lots; 2) easily accessible bathrooms; 3) that were less than twenty minutes from the hotel; 4) were small for easy child containment.
The winners in the "you get to enjoy my children" category were small town libraries, small restaurants and diners, and small shops. Pretty much anything resembling Durham or Middlefield.
Needless to say, we were all really really happy to come home and be able to make messes in our own space. My son has even taken to lounging in his crib for an extra half hour in the mornings. He wakes up every once in a while, makes a little noise, and then rolls back over for more snoozing. Looks like he takes after Mommy.
I hear that the Box Tops for Education program at Perk On Main is doing really well! Michael Hayes was just in there the other day and reported that the two boxes were full. Many thanks to everyone who has participated so far.
Don't forget that you can enjoy a nice reward for your Box Tops by bringing twenty of them over to the cash register and snagging a free pastry with the purchase of a coffee. I dropped mine off a couple weeks ago, and I already have another tidy pile to turn in.
Recently I started freelance writing for The Middletown Press in addition to Patch.com. My first article was about last month's National Pie Day and happily featured Lyman Orchards' pies as one of the highlights. The second article shared active date ideas for Valentine's Day and offered some great advice on nurturing that spark from local Licensed Clinical Psychologist Stacia Bjarnason of Brownstone Psychological Associates, LLC. Keep an eye out for a piece on juvenile diabetes to be published sometime in the next couple weeks.
I've also started my own blog, The Daily MOMiter, and will be sharing our usual family adventures as well as my new love for the Paleo lifestyle. Eating Paleo has helped me drop four sizes in two months, perform better athletically, and leaves me feeling great every day. Starting next week, my Patch.com articles will be shared through The Daily MOMiter but if you'd like a sneak peek, visit me at christinadreyfus.com and let me know what you think.
