The Magic Kitchen Cookbook

Alyssa is such a great helper in the kitchen that I had to buy “The Magic Kitchen Cookbook” when I saw it.  It’s a Disney themed cookbook with all kinds of foods and desserts that are easy for kids to make.  They are fun themed foods that keep kids interested while also teaching them how to make healthy meals and snacks.  Today, we made Market Fresh Fruit Cups from Aladdin.  It was a parfait made with instant pudding, fresh fruit, and granola (except we used crushed vanilla wafers instead).  They were delicious and Alyssa was so proud to make them.  She did everything except cut the fruit.  We’re looking forward to trying more of these fabulous creations.

Smiley Faces

I never thought I’d be setting up a responsibility chart for a 3-year-old.  I’m glad I did though because it’s WORKING!  There’s no better reward for good behavior than a nice, colorful smiley face.  :-)

We picked up a “My Magnetic Responsibility Chart” at Barnes & Noble for Alyssa for Christmas.  It’s for ages 3+ and contains age-appropriate responsibilities for children of all ages.  You should see the excitement as we go through each responsibility:  Get Dressed, Brush Teeth, Show Respect (listening to mommy and daddy), Put Away Toys, Get Ready for Bed (in a timely manner), Stop Whining, and Say Please and Thank You.  Every evening, we discuss each one and reward smiley faces for those that were done well.  For those that weren’t, we discuss why she’s not getting a smiley face and talk about how we can do things differently to get a smiley face the next day.

So far, so good!  One night, she didn’t get smiley face for picking up her toys because her playroom was a mess.  She looked at me and said, “Hold on a minute!”  Then, she picked up all of her toys and said, “See, I get a smiley face.”

She really seems to understand when she’s not listening or had a meltdown.  We talk about those things and she’s even said sorry a few times all on her own.  I really like this chart and recommend it to other parents with 3-year-olds.  It comes with lots of responsibilities so that you can change them out for what they need to work on at the time.  You can even customize your own for those bad habits you’re trying to break.

I placed our chart up high above her toy box where she can’t reach it.  One day, she decided to climb up and fill in all the smiley faces on the entire chart.  She even made sure each day had a different color!  She called me in to take a look and said, “See, I got all my happy faces!”  It caught me so off guard that I busted laughing.

Since we’ve started using the chart, I’m amazed how she voluntarily dresses herself and brushes her teeth.  She’s exerting her independence and building self-confidence.  Additionally, we’re successfully working on the behaviors that we’re trying to improve.  I love it!

Screaming & Running

You would think that we'd start the New Year off with a good blog, but today I've reached a peak level of frustration.  Alyssa has started screaming.  If she can't button a shirt or get her pants snapped, she screams.  If something gets stuck somewhere, she screams.  If she can't figure out something, she screams.  I understand that she's screaming out of frustration.  I'm sure there's many times where we'd all just like to scream.  However, I remember before she could talk when she'd move from one thing to another if she couldn't figure something out.   I know she's trying to be independent and do things by herself without mommy and daddy helping.   I just don't understand why she doesn't ask for help when she gets in a bind.  I know this too will pass and I'm trying hard to be patient, but it's been a struggle.

On top of that, she now thinks it's funny to run away and be chased.  She laughs and giggles as she's running off shouting, "No, Mommy!"  This is not acceptable, especially in a shopping mall, parking lot, or anywhere else she could get lost or injured.  The other day, she took off running towards the escalator.  I feel like a crazy woman chasing her out-of-control kid.  I'm so embarrassed.  I don't know where in the world this came from, why it started, or if it's even normal for children this age.  The only thing I can be certain of is that it's coming to an end very quickly.

I can look back and remember times before I was a parent when I'd see children kicking and screaming as their parents were pulling them by the arm.  I remember thinking to myself, "Can't they control their kids?"  I now look at this situations from a new perspective.  If you have children, you're probably laughing and thankful that you're beyond these years.  If you don't have children, try to be considerate of what the parents are going through rather than critical.  As for me, I'd just like to take off screaming and running.

Riding the Light Rail

The Phoenix Light Rail began service on December 27th and is free to use through the end of the year, so we went today to check it out.  We took the Light Rail downtown to go to the Children’s Museum of Phoenix.  It was nice to go downtown without worrying about parking.  The Light Rail stopped in front of Chase Field, so it was just a short walk to the museum.

The Children’s Museum of Phoenix opened in June 2008.  We went to the Chicago Children’s Museum in the summer, so we were excited to find out that Phoenix finally had a children’s museum.  While many of the exhibits will not open until the end of 2009, there are several interactive exhibits for young children to enjoy. Alyssa’s favorite was the Noodle Forest.  She would take off running in there and disappear.  When it was time for us to go, she screamed “No!” and ran into the noodles.

We had a nice picnic lunch at the museum and then we walked to the Arizona Center.

 We enjoyed a Starbucks coffee before returning to the Light Rail for our trip back.  Alyssa loves going to Starbucks to get vanilla milk.  Her favorite!  We only waited about 5 minutes for the train, but when the doors opened it was packed.  I guess that’s what happens when you ride free.  So, we stood all the way back.

We had a fun day out and we’re looking forward to many more trips on the Light Rail.  It’s a convenient way to get downtown, go to the museums, or go to the ballpark.  We’re already planning another trip downtown to have some pizza at Pizzeria Uno.

Serenity Now!

I remember the episode of Seinfeld where George’s father said, “Serenity Now!” whenever his blood pressure was about to go up.  Well, “Serenity Now!”  I don’t know if it’s all the excitement of the holidays or if Alyssa is just happy to spend all this time with me.  She knows exactly how to push our buttons.  In the past week, we’ve had some major meltdowns.  She’s entered a phase of not listening, back talking, sneaking, and not telling the truth.  I know this is typical 3-year-old stuff, but it’s hard spending your vacation time dealing with it.  This is supposed to be family fun time, right?

Alyssa got some Wall-e candies in her stocking from Santa and they were all setting on the counter.  I found an empty plastic bag on the carpet in her playroom and asked if she ate the candy to which she replied, “No.”  Then, Daddy pointed out that her tongue was blue and green.  So, we went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror.  She gave me her typical embarrassed look.  I asked again if she ate the candy and she replied, “Well, maybe one.”

With the New Year just around the corner, I’m so thankful for the blessings in my life.  Even though we have our moments, there is no greater blessing than the love of a child.  I write to document these experiences, knowing that I am not alone.  The third year is the most difficult year and we’re not even midway through.  I am hopeful that I will make it to four with my sanity intact and I’m sure there will be many more “Serenity Now!” moments before then.

Christmas

I can’t believe that Christmas is already over. So much has happened in the last month that I wanted to write about. With all the holiday baking and preparing for Christmas, time just got the best of me.

Alyssa had her first dance recital this month. She was so excited to dance on the big stage. When I saw her up there, she looked so beautiful that it brought tears to my eyes. She had three dances during the program. It was a real mommy moment. I have never felt so proud before. Seeing her up on that stage dancing was amazing.

Grandma took all of us to see “A Christmas Carol” at the Herberger Theatre. It was Alyssa’s first play. She thought we seeing a movie. When the curtain opened and the actors were singing and dancing, her face lit up! To our surprise, she behaved very well and enjoyed the play. The Herberger is very family friendly and we’re looking forward to seeing more plays there in the future.

We introduced Alyssa to “A Christmas Story” this year. She absolutely loves the movie! She is still asking to watch it even though Christmas is over. It’s hilarious to listen to her tell you all about Ralphie and the bully (which she calls the “Scarecrow”). She also likes the part where the kids are standing in line waiting to see Santa and one of the kids says, “I like the Wizard of Oz.” That’s one of her Grandma’s favorite parts, so Alyssa keeps saying it because it makes everyone laugh. The other night she was in bed and I found her holding her tongue saying, “Stuck! Stuck! Stuck!” I never imagined she’d like the movie so much.

We had family over for Christmas Eve. We all spent the day making our traditional lasagna. We made a great video of the entire process and it was a lot of fun!   Getting ready for Santa was so much of fun this year. We sat out carrots for the reindeer and even sprinkled powdered sugar on the patio to get his boot prints. Since we don’t have a chimney, we left Santa’s magic key outside. Then, we made chocolate chip cookies and sat out the cookies and milk. Alyssa took a bite out of one of the cookies to make sure it was okay for Santa. With all the excitement, it took her a while to get to sleep this year.

Christmas morning was magical! We woke her up and she went right to the back door to see if he came. The look on her face when she saw the chewed up carrots and Santa’s boot prints was priceless! Then, we went to the tree and saw that Santa was here. She was so excited! Santa ate almost all his cookies, drank his milk, and left his magic key on the table. Santa left the baby doll she wanted and wrapped all her gifts in special Disney Princess paper. She knew exactly which ones were hers. After we looked through our stockings, she opened her Santa gifts one after the other. It didn’t take us very long this year to get through the gifts. I’m still amazed at how quickly a child’s mind switches from one toy to the next. It’s like they are so excited that they don’t know what to play with first. Of course, every toy is bound in the box and it takes scissors, wire cutters, and a screwdriver just to get them out.

The day after Christmas, we went to the movies to see “Marley & Me.” Alyssa and I watched the movie trailers for two movies and she wanted to see the one with the puppy. Little did I know that the puppy was only in a small part of the movie. The movie ended up being very sad and she ended up getting bored. So much for a fun day at the movies!

We had a wonderful Christmas! We have almost two weeks at home, so we are looking forward to spending time together.

Stocking Stuffers

I was having a conversation with Alyssa about stocking stuffers and asked her what she wanted in her stocking.  She listed several items including sparkly lipstick, candy, toys, and a Cubs ball with a string that she could hang on the tree.  She said, "Daddy would like that!  He would!"  So as we were talking, I asked her what she thought Santa would put in my stocking.  She had a puzzled look on her face and said, "Baby Jesus Lipstick."  I chuckled and said, "What?"  She said that's what I get from Santa in my stocking.  It's funny the things kids come up with.  She cracks me up!  I wonder if I should market that product next Christmas.  I can envision the packaging, "Baby Jesus Lipstick... the Ultimate Lip Savior!"