@ randoms week of 2/12

[estrellita]

So we have 2 parties this weekend for E. We're having a small get together at our house with just our parents and siblings (I just don't want to have a million people here right now) then a kids party on Sun at the gymnastics place. I haven't decided on food yet. I'm not much of a cook so nothing too fancy. What would you serve?

Family party is a total of 9 people. My mom mentioned pizza and I've considered that, just getting a few pizzas and breadsticks. There's also a Chinese place in town and I'm pretty sure everyone would eat that. Otherwise I was thinking pulled pork in the crockpot and a couple simple sides. Any other suggestions? This will be around lunch time if that matters.

For the kids party, there should be about 10 total kids, ranging in age from 10.5 months (who isn't participating really but will be there) to 6 years. I'm also planning on the parents eating so probably 10 adults not including us. The party is from 10:30-12 and we have the room 11:30-12 so I'm thinking a light lunch. I thought about getting a platter of roll up sandwiches or something from Sam's as well as fruit and/or veggies and maybe like chips or crackers or something. Then cupcakes for dessert. Any other ideas that would be easy?

[estrellita]

Actually I just looked at the Sam's app and the tray of pinwheels is like $35 and includes flavors I don't think kids will like. Maybe we can make some cheaper? I'll have to look at recipes unless anyone has suggestions? I can do some with just ham or turkey and cheese but what's something more interesting kids might like?

[amaranth]

Oh crap, I forgot S's birthday is in a few weeks. Rofl, sorry poor 2nd kid...

Uh, so, she won't care if there is no party, right?


Unrelated, today I am trying SO hard to say yes to the games the kids want to play, be overly patient, give extra cuddles, and just be that mom 80 year olds wish they could go back and be. It's freaking hard work. There is a reason this isn't the daily norm.

[estrellita]

amaranth lol, I'm afraid that's going to happen with A since her birthday falls between Thanksgiving and Christmas! She's young and probably won't notice if you don't do anything big! E's 2nd birthday was smaller than his first and we never did a kids party before this year. He didn't know the difference!

[luv2rn4fun]

amaranth- S won’t care either way! We don’t plan to do any more parties til they are 5. Maybe just a little cake get together with grandparents and very close/local friends.

estrellita- C loves the pinwheels but L would not. Kids love PB&J...hat paired with some fruit, crackers, pouches. Then you could do something separate for the adults. Costco Pizza is pretty easy and affordable.

We have accomplished quite a bit today! Did our usual bagels/coffee/groceries, came home and put everything away (along with cleaning up all the dishes), walked to Goodwill and Michaels, made C’s valentine cards for preschool, both boys napping now, playroom got cleaned/made a card for DH/ate lunch. I want to make a card from the boys for DH so might do that after nap. Oh, and dinner is made!

[estrellita]

luv2rn4fun I thought about doing sandwiches like that. I saw an idea on Pinterest to cut them into a bone shape for his Paw Patrol party and liked that! Or another idea was hot dogs in the crockpot. I would think putting them in there for about an hour would work? I really like the sandwich idea though so I'm hoping to find a bone cookie cutter somewhere! I could make other kinds for the adults, otherwise I probably wouldn't turn down PB&J, lol. Or I wonder if I could just cut them into the bone shape. More work but less waste!

[luv2rn4fun]

Feb 12, 2018 16:46:30 GMT -5 estrellita said:

luv2rn4fun I thought about doing sandwiches like that. I saw an idea on Pinterest to cut them into a bone shape for his Paw Patrol party and liked that! Or another idea was hot dogs in the crockpot. I would think putting them in there for about an hour would work? I really like the sandwich idea though so I'm hoping to find a bone cookie cutter somewhere! I could make other kinds for the adults, otherwise I probably wouldn't turn down PB&J, lol. Or I wonder if I could just cut them into the bone shape. More work but less waste!

See, I was all set to do Mickey Mouse sandwiches (with a cookie cutter) but never got around to it, too much waste etc. so what I did was found these cute little mini lunch boxes at party city that were Mickey Mouse themed. Made the lunches for the kids and put them all in their individual lunch box (which served as the party favor). The lunch boxes were cheap too, like $2-2.50 each. C loves his and uses it to carry magnetic letters, which works as a great toy to keep him busy at appointments etc! We did PB&J sandwiches with sliced apples. You could even add stickers and call it a day 😀

[amaranth]

luv2rn4fun Growing up our first ever party was at age 5 then we didn't get another until age 10. Lots of reasons (low income, 5 kids, etc) but really, I never felt sad about it. It was different though because we didn't have any family nearby. Here we have both sets of grandparents accessible, plus cousins. Maybe I'll just tell people a time for pizza and cake if they're free, but no pressure and no decorations.

[christy082]

estrellita
I'm doing pizza ("pup"peroni) and "paw"sta and meatballs in a crockpot for C's paw patrol party on Sunday. Veggie tray- Farmer Yumi's Crops. "Pup"corn and Fetch Sticks (pretzel sticks). "Pup"cakes (cupcakes). Ours is 11-1p so I'm doing a full lunch.

I was going to suggest PB&J, ham and turkey sandwiches for yours. Definitely a fan of cupcakes 😊

[estrellita]

Feb 12, 2018 19:05:27 GMT -5 christy082 said:

estrellita
I'm doing pizza ("pup"peroni) and "paw"sta and meatballs in a crockpot for C's paw patrol party on Sunday. Veggie tray- Farmer Yumi's Crops. "Pup"corn and Fetch Sticks (pretzel sticks). "Pup"cakes (cupcakes). Ours is 11-1p so I'm doing a full lunch.

I was going to suggest PB&J, ham and turkey sandwiches for yours. Definitely a fan of cupcakes 😊

I'm also planning on "pup"corn and puppy chow as snacks, maybe the farmer thing can work for fruit because I figured kids will more likely eat fruit than veggies, lol. But I might reconsider and get a couple different veggie options to offset the unhealthy stuff

[krystee]

DS's birthday is in six weeks and I have no idea what to do. I don't want it at home because we have two insane labs who would try to eat all the food. But our friends' kids are such a wide range of ages that it's hard to find something everyone would like. I had settled on bowling, but the alley was booked the day I wanted it. Do you think just having grandparents(two sets and a great grandpa) and two sets of aunts and uncles at a train restaurant (train brings the food) would be sufficient? He had fun kid parties the last two years, so I feel bad not doing one this year.

[krystee]

Also, the baby has a cold and it is so sad hearing all that sniffling and not be able to do a thing about it, except saline spray and snuggles. I haven't taken him anywhere so it's so frustrating that he got sick.

I feel like H is not bonding with E the same way he did with J, and it makes me sad. He worked from home back then, so he went to every appointment, was able to see J throughout the day, etc. He also had paternity leave at that job. Now he works in the city, gets home at 6:30, only went to one of my doctor appointments, had no paternity leave, and he has to work from home for an hour every night. I'm pretty sure he had no interaction with the baby at all the last two days, except for the one middle of the night feed he did because E was asleep when he got home and asleep again when he was done with his work. With J, he was making up silly songs every day and was ridiculously in love with him. I know he would be the same way with this one if he had any time with him, but he doesn't. It sucks.

[estrellita]

Feb 12, 2018 23:40:44 GMT -5 krystee said:

DS's birthday is in six weeks and I have no idea what to do. I don't want it at home because we have two insane labs who would try to eat all the food. But our friends' kids are such a wide range of ages that it's hard to find something everyone would like. I had settled on bowling, but the alley was booked the day I wanted it. Do you think just having grandparents(two sets and a great grandpa) and two sets of aunts and uncles at a train restaurant (train brings the food) would be sufficient? He had fun kid parties the last two years, so I feel bad not doing one this year.

I think that would be enough! He's still young enough to not really think about having a friends party. If you do want to do one, what about a gymnastics place (what we're doing), an indoor playground, the Y, an indoor water park, or an aquarium? Though some of those get expensive and the water park might be too old for him still. These winter birthdays are hard because you can't just do something outside!

[luv2rn4fun]

((Hugs)) krystee. I would give it time with your DH. I know I bonded much differently with L vs C but it doesn’t mean that I love one more than the other, it’s just a different bond. It sucks that your DH doesn’t get a lot of time with E right now. If you think that would help then maybe you can take J for a little adventure while your DH stays with E one day over the weekend. I am sure it will get better with time and I know I have felt moments like that with both myself and DH with L.

[estrellita]

E went to bed tonight with only minimal whining and no screaming! Hallelujah! Haha. He also was pretty good this morning but only because he was asking for me so I went in there to get him ready. I wish he could do this every day. I'd say we're getting through to him but I'm sure tomorrow it'll be the same old.. lol.

[luv2rn4fun]

DH brought home flowers and a gift card to a kid friendly restaurant! The flowers are beautiful and smell so good (and I am not even a flower person...but it’s nice when he does it, which is usually 1-2x/year)! C loves them too which is funny because he wants to hold them and smell them (and probably tear them apart like he does with all the flowers I pick for him on our walks/runs) LOL

My dad came by this afternoon and brought cards for the boys and cookies for everyone! Great to see him!

I am planning to make everyone breakfast in the morning, bake some cupcakes, and then need to decide if I want to do a big dinner tomorrow or just hold off til the weekend.

[luv2rn4fun]

Oh, and L has been on his albuterol treatments for a week now. He has had intermittent wheezing (but not to the point where he is having retractions) since Friday PM. I thought today was going pretty well and then his wheeze picked up just before bedtime after having a treatment an hour before. It’s not bad but I want it to go away for good. He seems so happy and playful, definitely not acting sick outside his random cough, snotty nose, and wheeze.

[krystee]

J is usually impossible to get out of bed in the mornings (which is nice on weekends, but a giant pain on weekdays), but as soon as I reminded him of the Valentine's Day party at daycare today, he leapt out of bed. I need to convince daycare to have more parties!

We got each kid a love-themed book, I'm baking cupcakes, and we're having heart-shaped pizza for dinner. I love holidays like this--fun celebrations without much stress!

[luv2rn4fun]

Feb 14, 2018 8:29:22 GMT -5 krystee said:

J is usually impossible to get out of bed in the mornings (which is nice on weekends, but a giant pain on weekdays), but as soon as I reminded him of the Valentine's Day party at daycare today, he leapt out of bed. I need to convince daycare to have more parties!

We got each kid a love-themed book, I'm baking cupcakes, and we're having heart-shaped pizza for dinner. I love holidays like this--fun celebrations without much stress!

We are doing similar things! I got them each a love themed book, making heart shaped pancakes for breakfast (chicken Parmesan for dinner), and baking Valentines confetti cupcakes!

L’s gift to me apparently is being up since 3a. Not sure why. He didn’t have a wheeze when I fed him but has been crying on and off since then.

C is exited for his preschool party too! After school they will nap and then hand out cupcakes and Valentines to their special neighbor friends!

[bk1]

When I went out with my mom yesterday I picked up a new book and a set of temporary tattoos for the girls for Valentine's. G saw them in the bag and immediately started asking for the book so I gave the girls the stuff yesterday. We made a giant heart shaped chocolate chip cookie but that was the only themed thing today. It was beautiful so we got outside play time. Overall a fun day.

[amaranth]

Feb 14, 2018 8:29:22 GMT -5 krystee said:

J is usually impossible to get out of bed in the mornings (which is nice on weekends, but a giant pain on weekdays), but as soon as I reminded him of the Valentine's Day party at daycare today, he leapt out of bed. I need to convince daycare to have more parties!

We got each kid a love-themed book, I'm baking cupcakes, and we're having heart-shaped pizza for dinner. I love holidays like this--fun celebrations without much stress!

Basically ditto all of this. The kids were SO excited to read their "Valentines" which were really love themed books. We did heart shaped pasta for dinner. 

I love holidays with kids. It brings back all the fun, and cheesiness is acceptable again

[Blue Moon]

warning: BF brain dump ahead.

I think G and I are done nursing and I'm really emotional about it. It's been about 3 days since we last nursed. For the past month, since he got his first teeth, he's been biting me at every latch. At best, he'd nurse for a few minutes and then get distracted and bite, pinch, twist etc. It was so bad I was pumping bloody milk for a while Neither of us were happy with it. I noticed when I was home on the weekends (and nursed him all day vs. pumped bottles) he was always cranky and slept poorly. This past weekend, we bottle fed him all day and he was so different. He STTN and was so happy. So I figured out my milk supply has tanked, and the reason he is biting all the time is because he's hungry. G has always been a big eater and needs around 32oz of milk a day now, plus three solid meals as well. My body now is producing about 20 oz a day at best with 4 pumps. I never wanted to exclusively pump. I'm continuing with the 4 pumps for now, but am so torn on what I want to do. My main hesitation from going full EFF is that I nursed my daughter until 17 months and we had a great nursing experience. My guilt is G is likely done at only 9 months and in my mind it's not "fair" that he may get 8 less months of breast milk than B. I know this is all ridiculous but it's helpful to me to see it all written down.

[luv2rn4fun]

So many ((Hugs)) Blue Moon. I totally get all the emotions, especially with his much you have put into BFing just to get to this point. You truly are a rockstar and have done an amazing job!

[estrellita]

*hugs* Blue Moon! BFing is such an emotional thing. I was devastated when A lost weight after 1 week of only nursing and I've been a little sad that I've been EPing (still deciding if I want to try nursing again.. I want to but do I want to triple feed again? Not really) and even with EPing I feel guilty considering quitting at some point if it gets to be too much. Honestly, EPing kinda sucks in a lot of ways but I'm trying to look at the positives - pumping on my own schedule instead of hers, knowing how much she's eating, etc. I don't blame you for not wanting to EP, it's definitely not as easy as nursing. GL with whatever you decide to do. Just remember a happy mom is important too! And you can definitely have a great bond without nursing. A has barely nursed over the last month and I actually feel more bonded with her because I haven't been stressed about the time it takes to triple feed! Plus babies won't remember that as they get older, so I like to think of it that way

[MrsMB]

((Blue Moon)) You are a rock star to have gotten to this point, especially with the biting. I'm so sorry I can imagine this is tough.

[HoneySpider]

The Smashing Pumpkins announced tour dates for this summer and of course they are in Baltimore a week after my due date. I told DH if this kid isn't here we're going.

On a related note, DS loves music, he gets so excited and starts dancing (and sometimes fake sings). Seems so far that his favorite band is Nirvana.

[luv2rn4fun]

HoneySpider- L is the same way with music! It’s so cute how he dances and has this look like “I’m so chill” LOL

[luv2rn4fun]

L was up a lot last night (9, 2, 4, 4:45, and now up for the day at 6:30). He coughed a lot during his nap yesterday but not nearly as much last night. This was his 3rd night of bad sleep. I think it’s time to call the doctor again, although I don’t want to because he’s acting mostly ok (he gets a little wheeze here and there but nothing bad like he has before...and usually because he’s running around like a crazy little guy).

[christy082]

Today C turns 3! ❤

[amaranth]

So, I have no where else to tell this story. I just "grandparented" the grandparents (my husband's words).

There was a Brad's deal for one of those mini drum sets to be $21, including shipping. My parents are watching the kids for 10 days when we go to Spain so I have it being shipped to them anonymously with the note "Thought your grandkids would enjoy this!".

My dad played drums for years while we were growing up, and it drove us bonkers. Payback...

pooh8402 I thought you may enjoy this story. lol. Did you get rid of your unwanted set?