P1: No word yet from Mount Sinai about our research proposal. I'm really hoping we hear from the ethics board soon. If the project is a no-go then it is far more likely that I will have time for a part-time job and my interview at the North JCC is September 7th. Even though I won't make any money doing it, the research takes priority over the job since it will contribute directly toward building my future career.
It is so nice having a bit of time off from school. Today is "get things on my to-do list done" day. I've been pretty productive but also had time to take a yoga class at the JCC.
P2: I realized recently how ironic it is that I spend half my time trying to keep my kids from killing themselves and the other half trying to keep from killing them myself. Even though I've cut back on sodium and my blood pressure is very low (like 90/60), I would be surprised if it wasn't a little elevated yesterday.
Yesterday was a nightmare. It was Little A's first orientation at daycare. It started off very badly. Right after we got there, the toddlers went out to the playground. Normally, when we pick up Big A every afternoon, Little A happily toddles off to play with the toys and go down the slide. Yesterday, as per usual, she fixated on the little push car and the wagon (she loves anything you can ride in or on) but she was appallingly aggressive with the other kids. If they tried to play with whichever one she was playing with, she would scream and push. This is not new, but she also tried to bite and scratch other kids a few times. Luckily she was unsuccessful but I was MORTIFIED. I was basically chasing her around and chastising her for her bad behaviour. Things got a bit better when "Coach Luigi" came to teach them to play soccer (he comes every Monday). Little A was more cooperative and even gave her soccer ball to another kid at one point.
Even though Big A can be extremely difficult for Adam and I, she is always on her best behaviour for other people. In fact, she often impresses people with her behaviour and always makes us extremely proud. Little A...not so much! I am so worried she is going to behave badly at daycare. It's so disappointing considering that she can be the most wonderful, affectionate little girl. She loves to cuddle and hug and her newist thing is to try and tickle your toes while making a "deedle deedle" sound. When she is in this mood it melts my heart into goo. I just hope she can show this side of herself at daycare and not alienate herself from the teachers and other children. Then again, she has always been great for my in-laws and Sherma says she has NEVER tried to bite or scratch kids when she's been with her. So maybe if I hadn't been there she would have behaved better.
At Big A's swimming lesson last night, we tried to get Little A to sit with us in the bleachers, but she wouldn't stop moving for one second. She ran up and down them and then became obsessed with climbing the cement stairs with an open railing at one end. I was sure she was going to fall and crack her head open. I got so stressed out, I finally took her into the hallway to run around and she had fun yelling "Hi" to everybody until Big A's class finished.
Of course, it's not hard to see why Little A has become so rough-and-tumble. After dinner the girls wrestled on the couch. I think I said, "Be careful please" and "Be gentle" at least a hundred times and how they didn't both break their necks I will never know. But they loved every minute of it, both of them were giggling hysterically. And while I love to see them enjoying themselves and each other, it became so stressful that I almost had to leave the room.
At 8pm after we put Little A down, Big A became defiant and said she would not go to bed, she wanted to play some more. Adam and I both lost our tempers. After a long battle that involved yelling, threats and door-slamming, Adam calmed her down and got her settled in bed. I came upstairs to see him instructing her to make a "happy face, sad face, happy face, sad face" and "breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out." Hysterical...but it worked!
This morning Big A starting shrieking for Adam (the usual pre-tantrum scenario) at 6:30am while I was finishing my workout. I instantly became angry so I didn't go upstairs and, instead, finished my workout and took my shower. When I got out, she was still yelling for him so I came upstairs and gave her a hug. She actually snapped out of it pretty fast! So I guess the key is getting myself to a place where I can stay calm enough to take that approach. Of course, that isn't always possible.
F1: We all know soda is very bad for us. Regular soda has tons of sugar and other crap and diet soda generally has aspartame. But I sometimes really crave a sweet bubbly drink and I am excited about a new product I just discovered: Zevia. It's an all-natural stevia-sweetened line of sodas and they are sugar, sodium and calorie free and come in a range of flavours. Check it out: http://www.zevia.com/
F2: Exercise of the Week: Curtsy Lunge
Great exercise for the lower body: Follow link for instructions: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/curtsy-lunge
It is so nice having a bit of time off from school. Today is "get things on my to-do list done" day. I've been pretty productive but also had time to take a yoga class at the JCC.
P2: I realized recently how ironic it is that I spend half my time trying to keep my kids from killing themselves and the other half trying to keep from killing them myself. Even though I've cut back on sodium and my blood pressure is very low (like 90/60), I would be surprised if it wasn't a little elevated yesterday.
Yesterday was a nightmare. It was Little A's first orientation at daycare. It started off very badly. Right after we got there, the toddlers went out to the playground. Normally, when we pick up Big A every afternoon, Little A happily toddles off to play with the toys and go down the slide. Yesterday, as per usual, she fixated on the little push car and the wagon (she loves anything you can ride in or on) but she was appallingly aggressive with the other kids. If they tried to play with whichever one she was playing with, she would scream and push. This is not new, but she also tried to bite and scratch other kids a few times. Luckily she was unsuccessful but I was MORTIFIED. I was basically chasing her around and chastising her for her bad behaviour. Things got a bit better when "Coach Luigi" came to teach them to play soccer (he comes every Monday). Little A was more cooperative and even gave her soccer ball to another kid at one point.
Even though Big A can be extremely difficult for Adam and I, she is always on her best behaviour for other people. In fact, she often impresses people with her behaviour and always makes us extremely proud. Little A...not so much! I am so worried she is going to behave badly at daycare. It's so disappointing considering that she can be the most wonderful, affectionate little girl. She loves to cuddle and hug and her newist thing is to try and tickle your toes while making a "deedle deedle" sound. When she is in this mood it melts my heart into goo. I just hope she can show this side of herself at daycare and not alienate herself from the teachers and other children. Then again, she has always been great for my in-laws and Sherma says she has NEVER tried to bite or scratch kids when she's been with her. So maybe if I hadn't been there she would have behaved better.
At Big A's swimming lesson last night, we tried to get Little A to sit with us in the bleachers, but she wouldn't stop moving for one second. She ran up and down them and then became obsessed with climbing the cement stairs with an open railing at one end. I was sure she was going to fall and crack her head open. I got so stressed out, I finally took her into the hallway to run around and she had fun yelling "Hi" to everybody until Big A's class finished.
Of course, it's not hard to see why Little A has become so rough-and-tumble. After dinner the girls wrestled on the couch. I think I said, "Be careful please" and "Be gentle" at least a hundred times and how they didn't both break their necks I will never know. But they loved every minute of it, both of them were giggling hysterically. And while I love to see them enjoying themselves and each other, it became so stressful that I almost had to leave the room.
At 8pm after we put Little A down, Big A became defiant and said she would not go to bed, she wanted to play some more. Adam and I both lost our tempers. After a long battle that involved yelling, threats and door-slamming, Adam calmed her down and got her settled in bed. I came upstairs to see him instructing her to make a "happy face, sad face, happy face, sad face" and "breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out." Hysterical...but it worked!
This morning Big A starting shrieking for Adam (the usual pre-tantrum scenario) at 6:30am while I was finishing my workout. I instantly became angry so I didn't go upstairs and, instead, finished my workout and took my shower. When I got out, she was still yelling for him so I came upstairs and gave her a hug. She actually snapped out of it pretty fast! So I guess the key is getting myself to a place where I can stay calm enough to take that approach. Of course, that isn't always possible.
F1: We all know soda is very bad for us. Regular soda has tons of sugar and other crap and diet soda generally has aspartame. But I sometimes really crave a sweet bubbly drink and I am excited about a new product I just discovered: Zevia. It's an all-natural stevia-sweetened line of sodas and they are sugar, sodium and calorie free and come in a range of flavours. Check it out: http://www.zevia.com/
F2: Exercise of the Week: Curtsy Lunge
Great exercise for the lower body: Follow link for instructions: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/curtsy-lunge
Good for you for keeping calm with big A in the morning:-) it can be SO hard at times! Re: bedtime, what about letting her play in her room by herself for some small amount of time before bed, or is she too miserable the next day if you do that? If you built that into her bedtime routine, do you think that it might go more easily? Another thing to try - get her to work on a solution to these issues with you - if she comes up with an idea she's maybe more likely to go along with it? I have found that to be very true when Ant and Timmy are fighting about something, if I ask Ant to come up with a compromise it goes over much better than when I tell them that they WILL do something.
ReplyDeleteNico - funny you should mention that. She actually came up with that solution on her own and the past few nights she has been playing quietly in her bed until she is tired enough to sleep. So you're absolutely right, giving them a say in finding a solution is probably the key.
ReplyDelete