Bye Bye Pacifier?

With Mason's recent desire to not sleep, he has given up his pacifier. I am crossing my fingers I have not jinxed this and it's the silver lining in the epic battle I assumed we would have down the road.

His rash (ring worm) never really went away and is back in full force. Tomorrow he has an appointment with the pediatrician. It's actually good timing as I hope Ryan asks about these "night fits" and he started touching his ears today. I am hoping that he didn't develop a case of swimmers ear (ear infections suck!).

On a happier note, we signed Miller up for after care at his new school this weekend and then attended a fundraiser at the boys' current school. There was a bounce house, petting zoo, pony rides, and tour of the classrooms. We met Mason's new teachers and checked out his bigger classroom. It will have a bathroom and more big boy toys along with more room to roam.

Mason was in LOVE with the animals at the petting zoo. He enjoyed petting the bunnies, ducks, chickens (he even held one), goats, and sheep. He even had his first pony ride. My pictures are on my phone so I will try to grab those another time. Miller has never loved animals in the same way. He was content to look and pet a few. Both kids rode the pony like champs. It's so cute to see them respect the horse and ask questions about it.

The bounce house was great because it was one set up like an obstacle course and they had it to themselves both times they went in. The prize to always being at an event when it starts is there usually isn't a crowd.

Lastly, Ryan decided to let Miller watch some Ninja Warrior competition show. Now I can't keep Miller off of the walls / furniture. He's always looking for his next challenge. Wipeout got him excited too. If he weren't such a chicken, I might have just found my way to make a buck (entering him into competitions). :)

Mason's Free...

...for the taking. We are at the hour mark of nonstop screaming. We know he's hungry since he didn't eat dinner but he won't eat or drink anything. All he says is no in between sobs. Nothing will soothe him. He says he wants to be held then wants down. He wants water then throws it on the floor.

I am sure we had nights like this with Miller but I certainly don't remember them being this stressful. Mason is a force. All the Sladky and Froyd stubborn genes have been rolled into one 35lb 22 month old.

I am tired. Ryan is tired. Annie is tired. Jazzy is tired. Mason is tired...the only saving grace, Miller is sleeping through the drama. Ryan is now attempting the "drive around the neighborhood" with Mason. I see they just pulled back in. I don't hear screaming but they haven't gotten out of the car yet. Wish us luck. Tomorrow is going to be a rough one.

Weekend Wrap Up

Saturday was filled with chores and errands but topped off by a delightful date night with Jess and Jerry (Ryan too). We tried the Yard House at Gulfstream Park (per a co-workers recommendation). It was great. We had good food, drink, and conversation. Best of all, we didn't have to argue with anyone to sit down, eat their supper, hurry up and finish their supper, or did I mention sit down?

I say it every time we get a sitter but we really do need to do this more often. The kids did well with the sitter and even slept in a little for us on Sunday (and Sunday is my day to "sleep in" so double score on that one!).

Sunday was more errands and chores. We bought Miller's school supplies. It wasn't as fun as I had anticipated. The list is rather strict and the things I thought we could splurge on they didn't even have at Target (for example, pencils with designs!). Oh well, he still had fun and got a new thermos. Luckily he still likes his backpack so there was no battle or decision to be made on that one.

We followed up in the afternoon with a trip to Kohl's to get some uniform shirts. Luckily at this new school it's a polo in red, white or navy. Much easier to find and cheaper than his daycare uniform. I will bring him back for some new shorts and pants later. For now, he's good.

Lastly, we started watching Star Wars 1: The Phantom Menace on Friday with Uncle Jon. Man, that movie is terrible. I can recite the original 3 and recall a ton of details. The newer 3; let's just say I watched them once and don't recall much at all. Miller keeps asking us questions but we honestly don't know the answers since it was like watching it for the first time again.

Return to Running (and other randoms)

Ryan and I decided to kick up the ol' get back in shape, be healthier routine this week. I knew it was time to get back into running because as much as I dislike it; I did feel much better when doing it regularly.

So Monday I started out with a very brisk paced 2.25 mile walk. I assumed I would walk this week and run next week. Then the evil rain set in and ruined my Wednesday plan. When the sun was poking through the clouds this morning and it wasn't raining, I decided skip walking, let's see what this out of shape body can handle. I ran a mile and walked about another 1.5. Not too bad. I kept the run under 10 minutes which means I haven't slowed down too much. I just couldn't go any further. Reality-much easier to fall out of shape than into it. Oh well, you have to start somewhere, right?

The other random weighing on my mind has been seeing everyone enjoying summer up north. I have been wanting a real vacation (no kids, no work) for probably a year now. We keep pushing it back for various reasons. I need to seriously buckle down and plan something before I explode. In the meantime, we got a babysitter for Saturday night.

Although having a babysitter and a night out tomorrow won't cure my vacation desire, it should at least put a smile on my face to have some adult time without worrying about what the kids are doing. I just wish the babysitter was coming at 6am and staying through next week!

After reading this post (I keep getting interrupted) I realize it is far from stellar writing. Maybe I will make up for it later with some pics of the kids or a recap of our date night tomorrow. Until then, feel free to give me some good vacation ideas.

July-is it over yet?

The month of July isn't even half way over but I am ready for it to have come and gone.  It's been a weird month so far filled with drama that luckily has not been as bad as it could have been; even borderline humorous in hindsight now.

Most of the rain clouds have been followed with sunshine.

• My shoe disintegrated at work = new cute pair of flip flops
• My car battery died, a visit from the police, worry = car was fine and the repairs were covered by warranty
• The kids won't eat dinner, are acting up, ready to strangle them = a hug and a kiss, a smile, a thoughtful drawing, etc.
• Mason teething and butt rash = yeah, waiting on that one to turn around
• Work is back into crazy busy mode = new stuff mixed in with the old keeps me on my toes

I need a vacation; a real vacation. No kids. No work. Heck, I might even consider taking my hubby with. LOL! Anyone want to volunteer after reading my sob story?