6 Peaceful Ways to Deal with Angry Kids Who Hit

I have one of the sweetest boys in the entire world. He told me today that he loves me more than ice cream. And while my little boy is adorable, he can also be very angry and somewhat violent. I found a post on SimpleKids.net on peaceful ways to deal with hitting and anger. So if you've got a Sour Patch Kid like me here are some tips to help!

Originally written by Megan Tietz

I have noticed that with my oldest daughter, the “half-age” mark generally brings with it some negative behaviors that we have not yet encountered. For example, she was delightful at two, but two-and-a-half brought new meaning to the term “terrible toddlerhood” – there were many meltdowns and days of frustration for both of us. Three was exciting and fun, but three-and-a-half introduced transition troubles and sibling rivalry angst.

Dacey is exactly four-and-a-half today, and true to form, we have had a new issue come up that we have not had to deal with yet – hitting. She never went through a hitting stage as a toddler, so this is all uncharted parenting territory for me. Because I believe in the power of parenting as a community, I’ve been asking around and taking notes on what others are doing in response to the problem of preschoolers who hit.

Here are six of the most helpful suggestions I have found for hitting and other negative angry behaviors:

1. Hand Claps

My friend Corey is educated and trained in early childhood development, and she offered me this suggestion: Sometimes kids don’t know what to do with their hands when they want to hit, so teaching them to clap their hands when they are angry gives them an outlet for the need to act out with their hands. This serves the double purpose of alerting me to the fact that intervention might be needed in an upsetting situation. The angry hand clap has actually been one of our most effective solutions.

2. Angry Art

When possible, I try to direct Dacey away from the situation that is causing her to be angry enough to want to hit and over to the art table. Releasing her frustration onto a blank piece of paper often means lots of broad strokes and harsh dots. With a little gentle guidance, she becomes distracted with her art and is able to bring her anger under control. She has created some really interesting art out of her anger!

3. Self-Regulation Games

Preschoolers have not yet perfected the self-regulation required to stop themselves from acting out physically when they are angry. One suggestion I have come across is to play self-regulation games to help develop and mature the ability to “flip the switch” on their emotions when anger causes them to lose control.

Some fun self-regulation games include:

• Red Light, Green Light
• Simon Says
• Dance Fast, Dance Slow
• Sing Loud, Sing Soft

4. Safe Place

A parenting message board member shared this solution: establish a “safe place for big emotions” in your home. Dacey has started doing this on her own – when she gets angry, sad, or frustrated, she runs and hides under her sister’s crib. While she is under there, she engages in a lot of self-talk, talking to herself about why the situation made her “so, so angry!!!” A safe place could be a corner with lots of pillows or favorite stuffed animals. It could be a cozy chair or a window seat or even a little pop-up tent where your child could go to work through angry emotions privately.

5. Time-In

We have begun implementing “time-in” times in our home, and it has been extremely effective. A time-in is different than a time-out in that rather than a child sitting alone as a negative consequence to a behavior choice, the child sits with a grown-up for some cool down, snuggle, and talk time. This works best for us when Dacey is frustrated with Aliza Joy for not sharing toys or for messing up her artwork. It removes her from what instigated the anger and allows me to speak quietly and comfortably about how she can respond to her sister in ways that don’t involve hitting.

Time-ins can also work when you are outside of the house and the “safe place” option isn’t available. A time-in can happen anywhere – at the home of a friend or relative, at the park, in the grocery store – anywhere you can gather your child up and hold and talk them through their anger.

6. Modeling

This is the most challenging and yet perhaps the most important solution to helping little ones know what healthy responses to anger look like. I’ve been making a conscious effort to “use my words” when I feel frustrated or angry. Instead of silently fuming, I will say, “Oh my goodness! This is just making me so frustrated right now!” Or I might say out loud, “I can feel myself getting really angry over this. I am going to take some deep breaths while I cool down.” When we are around the house, I might even say, “Girls, Mama needs to have some time-in time while I cool off. I am going to go sit on my bed. You can come to talk to me about how angry I am feeling if you want to.” Almost every time I have a “mama time-in,” Dacey will come sit beside me and say, “Okay, Mama, now take a deep breath . . . okay, now take another one . . .”

Children learn so much of what responding to anger means by watching the grown-ups in their lives. This has challenged me to further develop and mature my own responses to upsetting situations – knowing that oftentimes I’ll see my own response in my girls the next time they get upset.

Good luck!

Honey Lime Enchiladas

I'm always on the look out for a good recipe and I've recently found one. Sisters in the Kitchen posted these Honey Lime Enchiladas and I knew I had to try them. I don't normally like enchiladas, but Tad loves them so I was excited to try an enchilada recipe I thought I'd like. It was a big success, not only because it tastes great! It is so super easy to make AND it's great the next day. So if you're looking for a new recipe to throw into the dinner rotation here it is!

Marinade -
6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I just used 2 cans chicken)
8-10 flour tortillas (I bought these jumbo tortillas, so ended up only using 4)
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream (I used half and half because I used the last of my whipping cream making ice cream)

Mix the first four ingredients together and marinate the chicken for at least a 1/2 hour, but preferably a half day or so.

Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan.

Fill the tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas.

Put tortillas in 9x13 pan as you go.

Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and pour sauce on top of the enchiladas.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

Enjoy!

Like I said, this is great! Give it a try.

11 Awesome New Fall TV Shows

In every fall comes cooler weather, school starting up again, and of course, new shows to fill your evening with. Lately I have been so frustrated with finding great shows only to find out they were canceled before their time. I'm assuming most of this is because of low ratings so this season I research up and coming shows. I'm sure I missed some great ones but here is a list of 11 new shows that look interesting to me (in no particular order).

Up All NightClick here for trailer
on NBC

Why would I watch it? I think anyone who has kids would find a show about new parents intriguing. Plus I love Christina Applegate. I think it'll be fun and lighthearted.

Christina Applegate ("Samantha Who?") stars as Reagan Brinkley: loving wife, successful career woman, life of the party and, most recently, mom. Determined not to compromise her career or cool reputation to the cliches of motherhood, Reagan adjusts to life with a baby and returns to work with the support of her stay-at-home husband, Chris (Will Arnett, "Arrested Development"). As Reagan and Chris figure out their new life, self-doubt, sleep deprivation and the pressure of today's parenting protocols rattle their confidence. What's more, the endless needs of Reagan's boss, ambitious but vulnerable talk-show host Ava (Maya Rudolph, "Saturday Night Live," "Bridesmaids"), threaten to throw Reagan off balance.

GrimmClick here for trailer
on NBC

Why would I watch it? I love the stories about supernatural characters, plus Grimm has the minds of Buffy and Angel behind it. It looks super interesting, yet pretty dark.

A new drama series inspired by the classic Grimm's Fairy Tales.Portland homicide Detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli, "Turn The Beat Around") discovers he is descended from an elite line of criminal profilers known as "Grimms," charged with keeping balance between humanity and the mythological creatures of the world.

As he tries to hide the dangers of his new found calling from his fiancé, Juliette Silverton, (Bitsie Tulloch, "quarterlife"), and his partner, Hank Griffin (Russell Hornsby, "Lincoln Heights"), he becomes ever more entrenched in the ancient rivalries and alliances of the Grimm world.

With help from his confidant, Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell, "Prison Break"), a reformed Grimm creature himself, Nick must navigate through the forces of a larger-than-life mythology, facing off with Hexenbiests, Blutbads and all manner of ancient evils, including royal lines dating back to the original profilers themselves, The Grimm Brothers. Reggie Lee ("Persons Unknown") and Sasha Roiz ("Caprica") also star.

Awake
Click here for trailer & show site
on NBC

Why would I watch it? Oh this looks like an incredibly interesting show. Watch the trailer it's way cool. Although it does have major potential to be horribly depressing.

Lots of people find themselves leading some kind of double life... but none quite like this.

After Detective Michael Britten wakes up from a car accident with his wife and teenage son, he learns the devastating news that his wife died in the crash. Trying to put the pieces of his life back together, he wakes up a few days later to realize that his wife is very much alive and his son died in the accident! Did he lose his wife or his son? Or neither of them??

What if your life split in two in the face of a situation like this, and you could actually have everything you wanted, just not all at the same time? Michael goes back to work solving crimes while trying to put things back on a "normal" track, but alternating between realities provides some challenges - one moment he and his wife are grappling with having another child to replace their loss, and the next moment he's finding himself attracted to his son's tennis coach to fill the void from the loss of his wife. At the same time, he is solving crimes in each world which sometimes overlap in fascinating and inexplicable ways. Is he dreaming or going mad? Michael begins seeing two different therapists to help him sort things out, but then again why would he want either "reality" to go away when the totality of both means having his family complete?

From groundbreaking writer Kyle Killen (Lone Star) and starring Jason Isaacs (Brotherhood, Harry Potter) comes a drama about the power of the mind, where the inception of life is a mystery and reality might just be overrated.

Person of InterestClick here for trailer
on CBS

Why would I watch it? This is for your Bourne Identity/Mission Impossible/Taken fans. It looks high tech, somewhat complicated, and really fast paced. I'll tell you one thing though, I'll give anything with Jim Caviezel a try!

PERSON OF INTEREST stars Jim Caviezel, Emmy Award winner Michael Emerson and Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson in a crime thriller about a presumed dead former-CIA agent, Reese, who teams up with a mysterious billionaire, Finch, to prevent violent crimes by using their own brand of vigilante justice. Reese's special training in covert operations appeals to Finch, a software genius who invented a program that uses pattern recognition to identify people about to be involved in violent crimes. Using state-of-the-art surveillance technology, the two work outside of the law, using Reese's adept skills and Finch's unlimited wealth to unravel the mystery of the "person of interest" and stop the crime before it happens. Reese's actions draw the attention of the NYPD, including homicide detective Carter, and Fusco, a cop whom Reese uses to his advantage. With infinite crimes to investigate, Reese and Finch find that the right person, with the right information, at the right time, can change everything.

RevengeClick here to watch trailer
on ABC

Why would I watch it? The trailer made me say "ooohhhhhh". I think it's got great potential to be awesome.

Wealth, beauty and status define the people in this town, but one woman is willing to destroy everyone for the sake of revenge.

Emily Thorne (Emily Van Camp) is new to the Hamptons. She's met some of her wealthy neighbors, has made a few new friends and seemingly blends into the town. But something is a little odd about a young girl living in a wealthy town all on her own, and the truth is that Emily isn't exactly new to the neighborhood. In fact, this was once her old neighborhood, until something bad happened that ruined her family and their reputation. Now Emily is back, and she's returned to right some of those wrongs in the best way she knows how – with a vengeance.

Once Upon a TimeClick here for show site and trailer
on ABC

Why would I watch it? This is another supernatural type show. Although I think this one will have more meat to it. The plot seems a little deeper to me.

From the inventive minds of Lost executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis comes a bold new imagining of the world, where fairy tales and the modern-day are about to collide.

And they all lived happily ever after – or so everyone was led to believe. Emma Swan knows how to take care of herself. She's a 28-year-old bail bonds collector who's been on her own ever since she was abandoned as a baby. But when the son she gave up years ago finds her, everything starts to change. Henry is now 10 years old and in desperate need of Emma's help. He believes that Emma actually comes from an alternate world and is Snow White and Prince Charming's missing daughter. According to his book of fairytales, they sent her away to protect her from the Evil Queen's curse, which trapped the fairytale world forever, frozen in time, and brought them into our modern world. Of course Emma doesn't believe a word, but when she brings Henry back to Storybrooke, she finds herself drawn to this unusual boy and his strange New England town. Concerned for Henry, she decides to stay for a while, but she soon suspects that Storybrooke is more than it seems. It's a place where magic has been forgotten, but is still powerfully close… where fairytale characters are alive, even though they don't remember who they once were. The epic battle for the future of all worlds is beginning, but for good to win, Emma will have to accept her destiny and fight like hell.

New GirlClick here to watch trailer
on FOX

Why would I watch it? This looks hilarious. I busted up laughing when I watch the trailer. My only worry is that it will be a little crude.

NEW GIRL (working title) is a new single-camera comedy from Liz Meriwether ("No Strings Attached") that features a young ensemble cast and takes a fresh and outrageous look at modern male/female relationships.

JESS DAY (Zooey Deschanel, "(500) Days of Summer") is an offbeat and adorable girl in her late 20s who, after a bad breakup, moves in with three single guys. Goofy, positive, vulnerable and honest to a fault, Jess has faith in people, even when she shouldn't. Although she's dorky and awkward, she's comfortable in her own skin. More prone to friendships with women, she's not used to hanging with the boys - especially at home.

Of the three male roommates, NICK (Jake Johnson, "No Strings Attached") is the most grounded. He had big plans for life, but somewhere along the way, he stopped caring and became a bartender. Usually the smartest guy in the room, he has an uncanny knack for reading people and uses humor to deflect everyone and everything. SCHMIDT (Max Greenfield, "Ugly Betty") is a hustling young professional who fancies himself a modern-day Casanova. Though his heart is usually in the right place, he's always scheming ways to climb the social ladder and is driven by an immature and almost obsessive urge to be on "the scene." Viewing Jess as a gateway into the elusive female mind, as well as a personal project, Schmidt encourages the guys to bring Jess into the apartment. The third roommate, COACH (Damon Wayans Jr., "The Underground"), is a former high school athlete who currently makes his living as a personal trainer. Set in his ways and with a take-it-or-leave-it attitude to dating, Coach is most comfortable when he's in the gym. Though he'll never admit it, Coach's macho athletic exterior is actually a cover for his shyness around women, and he struggles to translate his personal confidence into conversation, preferring to speak in sports metaphors - or not at all.

Rounding out this group is Jess' childhood best friend, CECE (Hannah Simone, "Beautiful People"), a deadpan, somewhat cynical model who blossomed after outgrowing her promiscuous adolescent years. She has the street smarts Jess lacks and spends a lot of time doling out no-nonsense relationship advice that only a professional model could give. She and Jess balance each other well and accept each other despite their faults, making Cece the perfect complement to Jess.

As their relationships progress, the five friends come to realize they need each other more than they ever thought they would and end up forming a charmingly dysfunctional family.

I Hate My Teenage DaughterClick here to see the trailer
on FOX

Why would I watch it? I think this is a show that might relate well to a lot of people. Whether you had a bad high school experience, or a teenager who's a little out of control. Again, my only worry is that it might be a little crude.

I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER (working title) is a new multi-camera comedy about two best friends who are single moms struggling to raise their difficult and over-privileged teenage daughters.

ANNIE (Emmy Award winner Jaime Pressly, "My Name Is Earl") and NIKKI (Tony Award winner Katie Finneran, "Wonderfalls") are former high school outcasts whose pasts inform their current parenting styles. Annie, who was raised in an ultra-strict, über-religious household where she had little-to-no freedom, pretty much allows her daughter, SOPHIE (Kristi Lauren, "You"), to do whatever she wants. Nikki, once an unpopular, overweight social pariah, has reinvented herself as a pretty Southern belle whose top priority is providing her daughter, MACKENZIE (Aisha Dee, "Dead Gorgeous"), with the childhood she never had.

Sophie and Mackenzie are best friends, which leads to a lot of co-parenting for Annie and Nikki. They have given the girls everything they asked for and everything they never had: clothes, money and self-esteem. The unintended consequence is they have created two mean girls just like the ones who tortured them years ago. Sophie finds her mother embarrassing and mocks her at every opportunity, but she secretly needs her mom and knows that her behavior is not always appropriate. Mackenzie, on the other hand, is the more manipulative of the daughters - she knows how to work her mother's insecurities to her benefit.

Annie's ex-husband, MATT (Eric Sheffer Stevens, "As The World Turns"), wants to be a good parent, but is too clueless to know what that even means. That leaves his brother, JACK (Kevin Rahm, "Desperate Housewives," "Judging Amy"), an attractive, high-powered attorney, to serve as more of a father figure for Sophie. Jack's meddling would annoy Annie more if she didn't have such a crush on him. GARY (Chad Coleman, "The Wire"), Nikki's ex, also tries to help raise his challenging daughter, but the couple's complicated relationship often makes his involvement more difficult.
As their daughters begin to experience their first high school dances and other life-changing teen events, Annie and Nikki are often reminded of their own tortured adolescent years. But when Sophie and Mackenzie's mean-girl antics cross the line, the moms quickly realize that they must, for the first time, dole out some real punishment and fix what is broken. They have no idea how to do that, but they do know one thing: They can't do it without each other.

Hart of DixieClick here
on CW

Why would I watch it? Two words, Rachel Bilson. I loved her as Summer in the OC so I knew I'd watch this from the first preview. Luckily the story looks good too. I'm a sucker for a medical drama, and I'm completely a small town girl.

Fast-talking New Yorker and brand new doctor Zoe Hart has it all figured out - after graduating top of her class from medical school, she'll follow in her father's footsteps and become a cardio-thoracic surgeon. But when her dreams fall apart, Zoe decides to accept an offer from a stranger, Dr. Harley Wilkes, to work with him at his small practice in Bluebell, Alabama. Zoe arrives in this small Gulf Coast town only to find that Harley has passed away and left his half of the medical practice to her in his will. She quickly finds that Southern hospitality isn't always so hospitable - the other doctor in town, Brick Breeland, is less than pleased to be sharing the practice with this young outsider, and his daughter, Lemon, is a Southern belle whose sweet disposition turns sour when she meets Zoe. Zoe's only allies are the mayor, former football star Lavon Hayes, her bad-boy neighbor Wade Kinsella, and handsome lawyer George Tucker - who just happens to be Lemon's fiance. Zoe is out of her element and ready to pack her bags, but a surprise visit by her snobby New York mother leads to Zoe's decision to stay in Bluebell for a while, discovering small-town life and a side of herself she hadn't known was there.

Ringer
Click here for trailer
on CW

Why would I watch it? On top of my love of Buffy the Vampire Slayer this story line looks addicting.

Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as a woman who, after witnessing a murder, goes on the run, hiding out by assuming the life of her wealthy identical twin sister – only to learn that her sister's seemingly idyllic life is just as complicated and dangerous as the one she's trying to leave behind. Bridget is six months sober and starting to turn her life around when she is the sole witness to a professional hit. Despite the assurances of her FBI protector, Agent Victor Machado, Bridget knows her life is on the line. She flees to New York, telling no one, not even her Narcotics Anonymous sponsor, Malcolm. In New York, Bridget reunites with her estranged twin, Siobhan. Wealthy, pampered and married to the strikingly handsome Andrew Martin, Siobhan lives what appears to be a fairy tale life – a life where no one knows that Bridget exists. The sisters seem to be mending their frayed relationship, until Siobhan disappears overboard during a boat trip, and Bridget makes the split decision to take on her sister's identity. She discovers shocking secrets, not only about her sister and her marriage, but also about Siobhan's best friend, Gemma, and Gemma's husband, Henry. And when someone tries to kill Bridget in her sister's penthouse, she realizes she is no safer as Siobhan than she is as herself.

Apartment 23Click here
on ABC

Why would I watch it? Ok so I stopped on this one because I saw 'Dawson' aka James Van Der Beek. What's hilarious in this show is that he plays himself. In fact this whole show looks hilarious.

After a naïve Midwestern girl's big city dreams are dashed her first week in New York, she finds herself living with her worst nightmare in this hilarious, contemporary comedy about a female odd couple who are surrounded by an outrageous cast of characters.

June (Dreama Walker) moves to Manhattan for a dream job and the perfect company apartment, only to have them disappear in a puff of reality, thanks to a CEO from the Bernie Madoff school of embezzlement. Deep in debt and out on the streets, June scrambles to land a job and place to live. It seems her luck has turned around when she gets hired at a coffee shop and finds Chloe (Krysten Ritter), a charming, vivacious roommate... with the morals of a pirate. She swindles June out of all her savings, but she and her snarky friend, James Van Der Beek (playing himself), soon learn that, just because June's naïve, she isn't stupid. June ingeniously turns the tables on Chloe, who is so shocked about being scammed herself that she decides to pull June into her colorful band of friends. Sure, it's all dysfunctional, bizarre and overwhelming, but so is New York City. And with the help of Chloe and the other oddballs around her, June might just learn the survival secrets she needs to make it there.

If you've got any comments on these shows, or know of another good one please share!

Gag Reels Combine to Be Awesome

My favorite feature on any bonus disc is the gag reel. Well here is one someone put together from a dozen different shows. Most of which I love. It's 9 minutes long so if you're only going to watch a couple minutes of it and skip to the end. The last one is from my favorite episode of Boy Meets World. AWESOME!

Vacation Wish List

So Wes has been in preschool for almost 2 weeks now, and Tad had his first day of his Master's program today. Naturally I have only one thing on my mind. Next summer's vacation. Here is what's on the wish list.

Traveling Overseas Oh how I would love to see places like England or...
Australia. One day.

Tropical Cruise
Although I've got a slight phobia of boats (thank you Titanic) Tad really want to go on a cruise. I've heard that Disney cruises are very family friendly (ok that's obvious) and more good CLEAN fun.

Disney World It's been my dream to go to Disney World for as long as I can remember. One day I'll make it happen.

Ok, so more realistically we'll go to California, but a girl can dream can't she?

Candice's Pet Peeves of the Day

So it's been one of those days where every little thing seems to be a big problem to me. Now, at the end of it I'm sitting here with a list of pet-peeves that I've just gotta share. So here it is.

People who act like nothing matters to them
I don't know at what point it becomes uncool to take an interest in something, but I do know that it comes way too soon. I feel like I spent most of my adolescence trying to fit in with everyone else. Now I spend a lot of my time trying to find something I can stand out with. People, it's ok to care about something. Find something that you love and hold onto it.

Restaurants without Chocolate cake on their dessert menuI think it should be required to have an awesome piece of chocolate cake on each menu! There are few things more disapointing than finishing a good meal, reaching for the dessert menu and being LET DOWN by only having cheesecake and ice cream to choose from.

Naps that last less than an hourThere's a sick feeling I get in my stomach when I think I hear a noise on the baby monitor shortly after I've wrestled my kids into bed. If you've got small kids you probably know what I'm talking about. It's almost like you're watching a horror film and there's a young girl walking down a dark alley alone. Your stomach clenches, you hold your breath and pray that what you think is about to happen doesn't happen. PLEASE CHILDREN, take a good nap!

Unsatisfying Endings
So I'm addicted to watching entire TV series from beginning to end. And addiction that has been enabled by my netflix account. They have so many awesome shows on their instant play that I just get sucked in one right after the other. What is so NOT COOL is that a lot of these shows were canceled without wrapping up their lose ends. Oh, how I hate that. It takes me days to get the dangling plot lines out of my mind. I think that any show that gets canceled in that manner should be required to publish the rest of the storyline for all the poor viewers out there who were waiting desperately to find out what happens next.

So what's bugging you lately?

Career Woman turns Stay-at-Home Mom

My cousin Rachel is a HUGE Dr. Laura fan. She's always sending me these articles from her website. I can't say I always agree with what the 'good Dr.' has to say, but I did like this last one. So here I am, sharing the wealth.

This is a letter to Dr. Laura from one of her fans:

Hi! My sister Molly and I are HUGE fans of yours. We both quit our careers to stay home and raise our kids and we have really appreciated your support along the way! I wanted to share with you a short article my sister wrote for a local Sacramento blog on the topic... Hope you enjoy! - Ashley

From the Capitol to the Rabbit Hole

By Molly DeFrank

A few months ago, I made a pretty radical career move.

I turned down an offer to nearly double my old salary. Instead, I opted for a job with no salary at all. A job with no benefits, no vacation days and terrible hours.

I am a stay-at-home mom.

The average itinerary of a stay-at-home mom looks something like this: wake up to chatty toddler and crying infant. Nurse infant. Cross fingers that toddler is entertained by Barney episode until nursing is complete. Unsuccessfully burp infant while preparing breakfast for toddler. Burn toast while cleaning spit-up off your shirt. Rummage for clean shirt for self and infant. Reassure whiny toddler that breakfast will be ready soon. Change mom shirt and infant onesie. Burn second piece of toast. Forget the toast. I hate toast. Pour cereal. Awkwardly guide infant's bow-legs through Exersaucer leg holes so you can secure toddler in high chair. Pour milk into cereal bowl. Turn around for .3 seconds to grab spoon. Fail to intercept cereal bowl before it hits the floor, courtesy of overeager toddler hands. Reassure crying toddler that accidents happen. Clean mess, pour new bowl of cereal. Hope kids can entertain themselves for 20 seconds so you can microwave your coffee for the 3rd time that morning - and wonder why they haven't invented an iv coffee kit yet.

And that's just the first 15 minutes of the day. Every. Single. Day.

I've actually always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. Ever since I can remember, I have pictured my adult self in head-to-toe June Cleaver garb, seamlessly balancing playgroup, cleaning and baking. My pearls would lay neatly above the neckline of my flowy summer dress as I hung laundry on the clothesline outside. The children would run around laughing and blowing bubbles and I'd be living in a 1950s Tide commercial. It would be awesome.

But here I am, a dozen years and two kids later, feeling like I deserve a medal if I've managed to have us all showered and dressed before 9am. Our clean laundry sits in baskets throughout the house, old, wrinkled, waiting desperately for June Cleaver.

I've never had a job that has kept me so continuously busy and yet provided such little evidence of having worked non-stop (see laundry piles).

In case you are currently working full-time and want to know how your life might be different if you decide to make this radical leap, here are some ways I have noticed that stay-at-home-mom-ing differs from working in an office full-time:

When people ask you what you do for a living, do they sound interested or impressed when you tell them? Yes? Ok, now imagine the opposite reaction of that, and then an awkward "Good for you!" that sounds exactly the same as when your 3rd grade PE teacher congratulated you for finishing the mile run 10 minutes later than everyone else in your class.

Do you currently feel a tremendous sense of gratification when you complete a work assignment well? Do the people you work for give you a pat on the back when you do the right thing? In your new position, when you do the right thing, like refuse to allow your toddler to drink windex, your good deed will be met with lots and lots of yelling. Right in your face.

Imagine having a college roommate who was drunk all the time. She spills snacks and drinks all over the place. She leaves her stuff everywhere. She is emotionally unstable, laughing hysterically at things that aren't funny (like, I don't know, say, a giant purple dinosaur on television?) and then, 10 seconds later, crying over things that aren't sad (like when you run out of Cheerios). This is your life with a toddler.

In your current job, do you find that random passers-by critique your work methods and tell you how to do it better? Stay-at-home moms get lots of free advice from people everywhere: at the grocery store, in the mall, in the waiting room at the doctor's office. Sometimes strangers even stare at you with disapproving frowns instead of verbalizing their suggestions while your child throws a tantrum in the market because you won't open the giant bag of m&ms.

Does your existing job allow you to use the ladies room without bringing along your entourage? Do you currently realize at 11am you still haven't had a chance to empty your bladder since you woke up? This will happen. Every day.

The actual experience of parenting my children all day, every single day is exhausting and difficult. It is, hands down, the hardest, craziest, most unpredictable and thankless job I have ever had. But each day is interspersed with indescribably magical moments. Like when my 21-month old tries to count to ten. ("one, dooo, vree, four, eeet, seven, eeet, seven, eeet...") Or when my 6 month-old laughs uncontrollably at his sister's dance moves. Or when my daughter hears my stomach growl and says, "Airplane!"

This job makes me feel wonderful, awful, exasperated, fulfilled, heart-broken, panicked and thankful. Sometimes all in the same day. Sometimes all within an hour. Parenting full-time is better - and harder - than I ever could have imagined it would be. Despite the qualitative differences between pay-checks and poopy diapers, I can say with confidence I have one of the most difficult professions in the world.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Molly recently traded in her suits and heels for jeans and TOMS and moved to the 'burbs. She spends her days chasing after her 21 month-old daughter, Selah, and 6 month old son, Jack. A former press aide to Governor Schwarzenegger and Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, DeFrank now spends less time putting spin into the news cycle, and more time putting laundry into the spin cycle.

I've gotta say that she's pretty accurate on my daily schedule with Wes and Scarli :)

Christian Bale LOVE HIM

There is just something really irresistible about Christian Bale. Ever since I watch Newsies, back when I was like 5 or something, I've been hooked. He's tall, dark, handsome, and to top it off a great actor!

Newsies
Who doesn't love the Newsies?! No one I know. The musical story of Jack Kelly, a newsboy who eventually becomes the leader of the (real life) Newsboy Strike of 1899. Jack, or Cowboy as he's sometimes called, a newsie in New York City has a dream to earn enough money to move to Santa Fe. His chances of making the money to do that, which were already laughable, become impossible when Joseph Pulitzer raises the price of The New York World for Jack and his friends. Not willing to just lie down and take it Jack and his new friend David lead the Newsies in a strike.
I've heard it wasn't originally planned to be a musical, but I'm glad it is. It's one of my favorites. Although it was a large disappointment at the box office when it first debuted, it later gathered a large 'cult' following. I've also been told that Christian Bale does not look back on the Newsies with much fondness. But I say I love it enough for both of us!
Newsies Trailer
King of New York Song
I have to point out that Bill Pullman has a role in Newsies as well. He plays Bryan Denton, a newspaper report who takes an interest in the strike. I LOVE Bill Pullman, he's awesome. Independence Day, While You Were Sleeping, Sleepless in Seattle, A League of Their Own. Enough said. And who knew he could sing?!

Pocahontas
One of my favorite cartoons is Pocahontas. We all know that it's the story of how John Smith (English explorer) meets and falls in love with Pocahontas (daughter of the Indian Chief). Together they desperately seek a way to stop the seemingly inevitable war. John Smith's voice is done by Mel Gibson (awesome) and Thomas, poor Thomas, is done by none other than Christian Bale.
Colors of the Wind

Little Women
In the movie version of the classic Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Christian Bale plays Laurie, the grandson of the March sister's neighbor, Mr. Laurence. Laurie becomes fast friends with Jo (Winona Ryder) and soon after the rest of the family. The cast also holds Claire Danes, Kirstin Dunst, Trini Alvarado, and Susan Sarandon. Love it!
Little Women Trailer

Batman Begins
His first Batman movie was phenomenal. I've seen all of the Batman's of my childhood (i.e. Michael Keaton and Val Kilmer), and I loved them all. But I've gotta say this became my fast favorite. You get to see Bruce Wayne's journey from a young rich boy to the hero of Gotham.
Batman Begins Trailer

The Prestige
In the Prestige Christian plays Alfred Borden, a magician who's on trial for the murder of Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman). Borden and Angier started their careers together learning from Milton the Magician. When Angier's wife dies in a performance, possibly from a knot that Borden tied they go their separate ways. Both trying to out-do the other. It's a wonderfully complex and intricate movie, although you might have to watch it twice to really understand it.
The Prestige Trailer

3:10 to Yuma
Ok, I confess, I've never seen 3:10 to Yuma, but it was so popular that I decided to throw it in. Here's what IMDB says about it, "A small-time rancher agrees to hold a captured outlaw who's awaiting a train to go to court in Yuma. A battle of wills ensues as the outlaw tries to psych out the rancher."
3:10 to Yuma

The Dark Knight
Christian's 2nd Batman movie. Seriously cool, yet seriously dark. It lacks a lot of the laughter in the first movie, but like I said it's seriously cool.
The Dark Knight Trailer
I've got to mention Heath Ledger who plays the Joker. He was on my short list of favorite actors from the moment I say A Knight's Tale, and I was incredibly sad when I heard of his death. He does a ridiculously good job of playing the Joker.

The Dark Knight Rises
The 3rd Batman is due out next July and I'm hoping for a little more light in the dark with this one. I do know that Anne Hathaway will be playing Cat Woman in it which should be interesting. Either way I'm sure it will be incredible!
The Dark Knight Rises Trailer

Thanks to Christian Bale for being so awesome!

Turn a Men's Shirt into a Women's Tank Top Tutorial

So I've mentioned a few times how awesome my older sister is. And she totally is. Today, however, I want to talk about my amazing little sister! Roxanne is the kind of sister that is always doing those things that you always dreamed about doing but never did. Things like taking trips to Tahoe, marching in civil rights parades, getting an apartment downtown and living it up.... Not to mention she's gorgeous, talented and adventurous.
Yeah, she's pretty cool.AND she's a wiz on a sewing machine! She's agreed to share with us a tutorial on how to turn a men's t-shirt into a woman's tank top. :)

The before.

Things you'll need for this project-
Scissors
Sewing machine (or needle and thread if you're feeling ambitious)
Ruler or measuring tape
Pins
Craft pencil or something to mark on the shirt with (I used a crayon)
One of your old tank tops


Cut around the collar to remove it from the shirt.


Then decide how wide you want the straps of your tank top to be. Put the edge of the ruler or measuring tape next to the collar and mark on the shoulder where you want the tank top edge to stop.


Make a straight line from your mark on the shoulder to the armpit of the shirt and cut along it to remove the sleeve from the shirt. Do the same thing to the other side.


I marked it here with a pin.


Afterwards it should look like this.


Then turn the shirt inside out and put it on. Make a mark where you want the neckline to hit.


When you take the shirt off, pull the shoulders together and fold the front collar to the side.


Starting from your mark in the middle of the shirt start cutting up towards the shoulder in a curved shape.


If your shirt doesn't have a pattern on it then you can just skip this part.
If it does than go around the edges of it with some pins.


It should look like this when you're done, with the design outlined in pins.


Turn the shirt inside out and using the pins as a guide, outline where the edge of the design is.


This outline will help make sure that your shirt won't be uneven on the sides.


Take one of your tank tops and put it on top of the shirt. This will work as a basic pattern to make sure that the new shirt will fit you.


Using the tank top as a guide, mark on the shirt where you want the armpit on the new shirt to hit.

Then using the sides of the tank top mark the sides of the shirt. Remember to leave yourself extra room on the sides for your seam. 1 or 2 inches is usually good enough.
And remember to check your marks around the front design to make sure everything is centered.


Next pin along your line.


And then sew.


Turn the shirt right side out and check out your handiwork. Run a hand along the edges you just sewed to make sure there are no gaps or weak points.


Only thing that's left is the sleeves. Fold them against each other and cut off any extra excess.


Almost there.


And then you're done!

Ok, so I think you'll all agree with me that my sister is awesome. Cause there's no denying it. Thanks Rox for being so cool!