Fun blows to the mom ego...

Having worked at a pumpkin patch for years, myself (9 years to be exact), I always thought I should avoid busy days, the busiest of which being the Saturday a week before Halloween.

But then again, that was coming from an employees perspective......

So you can imagine my sheer joy upon arriving and Tanaka Farms yesterday and seeing 40 school buses. Ah, yes. It RAINED last week postponing last weeks field trips until today...ALL of them.

I instantly go into panic mode and start proclaiming all of the things we won't be doing.

My mom is in a drug-like calm state. "Christy, it won't be bad! We have to do the train! What are you talking about"

Thank god Harlee fell asleep in the chest carrier immediately upon getting on the wagon ride. Even if wearing her rose, my body temperature at least 852 degrees and even though she weighs at least 60 pounds.

Brody really enjoyed the petting zoo. And petting all 82 animals. Every last one of them.

MOM blow #1: Apparently in OC it is some requirement to have a camera bigger than your head.

Potty training a 3-1/2 year old is another thing everyone should have on there bucket list. Especially one who is as smart as my kid. He plays a game and he wins. The first day of the 908th attempt to potty train, he pee'd on the living room floor. (The tile - not carpet - he does have some class...) so I force him to go to the bathroom, which apparently is his version of hell, and sit on his truck toilet. This just really pisses him off because apparently we both have better things to do. Him: Play-doh; Me: Clean up yet another accident on the floor.  I ignore this poor behavior and continue to laugh and sing while counting to 10 louder than his yelling, and when I release him from my death grip I have on him and the toilet, I praise him with excitement at being so good for sitting on the potty. (never mind what I am thinking in my head). He stands up, stares at me and smiles......................while peeing on the floor next to the toilet.

MOM Blow #2: Outsmarted by a 3 year old.

Update: He has now announced that he will use the toilet "Maybe later" but he will pee outside. Because we are full of class and I am over diapers........I have agreed. So, we are 3 for 3 in the peeing outside deal. Regardless, I *think* this is a step in the right direction?

Another one of my favorite things is when strangers stop to give you random advice on how to care for your child.

Example #1: Jesse was carrying Harlee in her infant carrier (A job we often passed on to him since he is in football and weigh training). You know, the one with 1 handle, to hold onto, where basically the only way to carry a baby wrong is to hold the carrier upside down? And some dear sweet lady took the time to stop her car in the middle of the road, roll down her window and say "That is NOT how you CARRY A BABY!!!!!!!!" to him. I was so sad she rolled her window up so quickly and drove off at the speed of light, as I would have loved to stay and "chat" with her. 

Example #2: Brody thinks shopping carts are jungle gyms and no amount of threatening, yelling, spanking, ect will keep him from hanging over the edge of one. Look, my kid is crazy, he is a dare devil, and it is what he does....I don't like his shopping cart antics, but I only have a 10 minute window in any given store before Harlee screams at the top of her lungs....so I need to get in and out. I don't have the extra 5 hours to spend ripping my son a new one....so I have chosen the parenting technique of "let him learn".  So, it makes me so happy when random strangers stop by my car while my son is hanging upside down from his knees to tell me "Be careful and watch your son! He is going to get hurt!!"

Example #3: See above example for a reminder on Harlee and her 10 minute max in any store. We go to the Carter's outlet where everything is ugly, but I need some sleepers. We pass above 10 minute window, and like clockwork, she starts up. I half try to make her happy, as does my mom, who is watching her while I shop. She just ate half a bean burrito, and some crackers. She napped at the pumpkin patch...But I know my daughter. 10 MINUTE MAX IN A STORE! I go over the the stroller to remove her and while I do this, unbeknownst to me, some kind lady is giving my mom tips. "She is hungry" the kind lady says. My mom instantly goes into bitch mode "No she is not" "Yes she is"

"No she is not, she is tired" my mom finishes with

But lady is not finished with my mom and then proceeds to call her out on "having her out while she should be at home napping"

Mom blow #3: Raising 5 kids between the 2 of us, we still don't know what is wrong with a crying almost 1 years old.