52 Weeks of Toddler Experiences Week 12: Boston Museum of Science

    It's no secret how much Sam loves dinosaurs. Just before his birthday I was looking for places close by to take him to see some dinosaur bones. 

     Last year I took the kids and my sister into Boston to the Harvard Museum of Natural History because it was a part of the Blue Star Museum program and relatively close by. As is anything in Boston it was a pain in the ass to get to and there was on street parking only. Nightmare. Sam was satisfied with the bones and stuff they had but it was so stressful other wise (no parking, no AC, no elevator, no strollers allowed) that I wanted someplace different this time. 

     I found the MOS online and remembered going there as a kid in school but the prices are astronomical. I held on to all of Sam's birthday money and decided that instead of spending it all on one trip to do a lot of smaller ones. I was kind of bummed. 

     Fast forward a few weeks later and I get my cousin's wedding invitation in the mail. And lo and behold, its AT the Museum of Science, and included in the invitation is a free pass for each guest for that weekend! Obviously we had to go. 

     Jeff absolutely HATES going into the city so I took my sister (again) instead since she was staying at my house anyway. I had in my head the idea of how to get there and honestly should have just gone with that but for some reason turned on my GPS that suddenly decided to yell TURN LEFT NOW in the middle of our nice easy route, propelling us into the bowels of the city. I had no clue where we were, we were lost for a half an hour. At one point we were on some piece of highway that was seriously hundreds of feet in the air, over treetops and buildings. Awesome. 

    So finally somehow we get there. Obviously we went directly to the dinosaur room and stayed there for the majority of the time. Sam and Abby both loved it. There were a few fossils and skeletons and a huge model T. Rex. They also had little games and activities for kids. 

     We finally wrestled them out of the dinosaur room and they had so much other stuff; The Science of the Park, The Hall of Human Life, a movie theatre, live animals, taxidermy local animals in little fake habitats, and a Discovery Center play area for little kids to play in. 

     Of course we had to go in the Butterfly Garden (which was 22 freakin' dollars for 15 minutes). Abby seemed to like it and it was good for cute pictures but Sam was ready for nap and he didn't like anything at that point. 

  At the end of the very long tiring city day, I'm glad we went. I love doing new and interesting things with the kids especially if they can learn something. 

Potty Journal: Week 3

This is probably going to be the last potty journal. He really seems to get it. 

At the very beginning of the week he had two accidents. I don't know if we were too confident or just forgot or what, but he peed once on the floor and then once sitting on my lap!! Ugh! I'd be more grossed out of I didn't have the professional body fluids conditioning that I get 3-4 days a week at work. 

He acknowledged the accidents and seemed a little upset, so I just reminded him gently that pee only goes in the potty and not on the floor. He hasn't had an accident since. We've been out to stores, the lake, Grammie's house, no pull up on just-in-case. I just watch for him to start dancing, bring him to the bathroom with the Prince Lionheart Potty Ring I got ages ago and he goes. 

Today he even started telling me he needs to go to the potty which is another huge step I think. He's never been huge on sharing his thoughts and feelings with words. He even sat and tried so hard to poop on the potty. I'm not sure if he just didn't have to go or what because after sitting for a little while and a little talking about it he gave up. 

So the only to-do's left in Sam's potty training are:

• Saying he has to go with consistency
• Walking over to the potty himself without being prompted
• Pulling his pants up and down
• Nap and night time dryness which really only comes with age

I'm so proud of us. I feel like we're battle worn now; that I've actually done some real parenting and everyone has come out of it feeling positive and our goal was accomplished. I'm putting a damn sticker on his chart for myself. 

Next up is going to have to be Abby. She's so ready to learn. She pushes Sam off the potty and wants to sit on it a thousand times a day. She hates being wet and tells me when she wants to be changed or when she's going to poop. And now she has big brother to watch. According to the readiness checklist in the Elizabeth Pantley book I mentioned in the last potty post, she's more ready than Sam was, but I didn't know what self esteem issues I'd cause by training little sister before big brother. Like I said, this one was touchy and scary for me. I wouldn't want to screw up and make Sam a serial murderer. 

And lets be honest, even if I was the worst potty training parent ever and Sam grew up to become a mass bomber or mall up skirt video taker, I'd still love him as long as he came home and told me about his day. 

11 Great Things about MY Preschooler

A few days ago on Facebook, I saw a link to an article (I think posted by Daily Mom), about the great things about preschoolers. I read it and its so sweet. 

11 Great Things About Preschoolers

I definitely got what the writer was saying about wishing away the littleness of her first child and being excited to move on to the next stage. I did the same thing with Sam. I couldn't wait for him to roll over, walk, talk, sleep through the night or whatever. Looking back, I think this is why I felt like I needed to have another baby so soon (they're only 20 months apart). I missed the little baby stage that I had wished away, but I think this is natural for first kids. 

A brand new parent wants to see her baby's first steps and first words and experience all of those firsts that are so exciting and we put so much value on as a society. Parents LOVE to compare at what age their kid hit all of these important milestones vs. other kids. It's nice to be reminded to live in the moment and suck up all of these little things while they're around forever. 

So without further ado, here are 11 great things about MY preschooler. 

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1. He thinks I can fix anything. Even broken sidewalk chalk. Which is not, in fact, fixable. 

2. He states the obvious. "Mama! I'm eatin' cookies in the bathroom!" "Mama! You have claws! And       bears have claws!" "Mama! Abby stinks! She pooped!"I get squeaky voice news bulletins about every 10-15 minutes on average. 

3. Everything is brand new, even if its not. Every time we go outside is like going to Disney World for the first time. Same with car trips, the store, toys he's lost and re-found. He sees life through perfect un-jaded rose colored glasses. 

4. He negotiates. He has an idea of what he really really wants. But he's open to negotiation. Two cookies ("Two cookies mama! One two!") can easily become one granola bar, or even string cheese if you make him feel like it was his idea the whole time. 

5. He's a teacher. He loves learning new things but more than that, he really loves showing them to Abby. So far he's taught her how to sit on the potty, wash her hands, and take the leaves off of strawberries and throw them in the trash. It really makes my life easy. 

6. He still cuddles. I mean obv. He's my 'best boyfriend.' I relish his hundred million hugs and kisses a day because I know there will come a time when it'll be like pulling teeth. 

7. He's a bookworm. Every night before bed we read. And read. And read. At times there is a pile of books next to his bed, and I can' ever tell him no more. He can also recite the Very Busy Spider and Brown Bear, Brown Bear. I'm so grateful he has a love of books and not screens. 

8. He knows how to relax. A man needs his rest. Sam's main chill spot is right in the middle of the couch, with a drink, and usually with his legs crossed. The latest addition of the all white briefs makes it perfection. 

9. He loves animals. Having compassion for creatures that need caring for is such an amazing quality to have and I think it shows so much more depth of character than holding only human interests at heart. 

10. He finds joy in little things. Bubbles, a hot bath, a handful of M&Ms, a really cool bug on the window screen, all still hold wonderment and happiness. He's not yet moved into the realm of material possessions or needing knock out over the top activities to make his day. I'm hoping to hold onto this for as long as possible. 

11. He's compassionate. If anyone sheds a tear of makes a sound hinting at distress, he's there with as many hugs and kisses and "it's otay"s it takes to make you feel better. He has a huge heart, and wants everyone to be as happy as he is.