Dancin' Fool

Nearly every day, and sometimes two or three times per day, Nick breaks out into dance. He'll dance to any kind of music, but in this video I believe he's dancing to Ween's "Roses are Free." (Greg is a fan.) He mostly just turns in circles to start with, but his repertoire becomes more interesting as his dance continues.

I am not exaggerating when I say that Nick can dance like this for an hour straight. I've been thinking of getting him one of those systems where the game reads your movements (a Wii or a Kinex, I think they're called). I bet he'd pick up on the moves relatively quickly.

A Visit from Auntie Mandy

I got a call from my sister last week, saying that she hadn't seen Nick since Christmas, and that this travesty must be corrected, and soon. So we invited her over for dinner Saturday. Nick was over the moon. Finally, there was someone new to play blocks with. . . someone worthy.

Indeed, my sister is the master of playing blocks.

Aunt Mandy kept Nick focused until they had used every single block in the whole house. The final product was taller than Nick! Check out their creation.

They also played with Nick's Little People animal collection, and Aunt Mandy was surprised that Nick knew the names of practically every animal--even the rhino and the penguin. That's because when Nick and I build houses with his Mega Blox, he chooses a different animal to make a house for every time. So he's had lots of practice.

There was also lots of coloring. . .

and the reading of stories. 

I think Nick had a great time. Such a great time, in fact, that he's been asking for his Auntie Mandy ever since she left.



Dancing with Daddy (and Grover, too)!

Good times, good times. Nick gets wound up sometimes and loves to dance around. For some reason, he spins a lot when he dances. It makes me dizzy just to watch him.

Oh, and yes, I do have permission from my husband to post this video.  :) 

My Resolutions for 2011 (Plus, Another Dancing Video, Just Because!)

First of all, if you're already sick of reading everyone's New Year's Resolutions, you can just skip down to the bottom of this post, where I've thoughtfully added another dancing video. In this one, Nick is dancing around shirtless, in jeans, with a bucket on his head. Just for fun.

I'm guessing that 2011 will be a pretty busy year for me, and I want to make my resolutions attainable. I made resolutions last year, and while I didn't do too badly, I want to have more success than last year. Here is my recap of last year's resolutions. Some of my resolutions this year will be similar, but I also have some changes. Here we go:

1. Devote plenty of time to playing/reading/singing/building with Nick. I think I do a pretty darned good job of this already, but if I don't make it a priority, I'm afraid it will fall by the wayside. Spending quality time with my son (plus the new baby, when he comes along) has to be my #1 resolution. I'm hoping that as Nick matures this year, he can have fun helping me with things that I like to do, such as cooking and gardening. Last year he mostly ate the dirt and threw the flour, but he understands much better lately. Plus, I'm not afraid of a little mess. (Or a big one!)

2. Do whatever it takes to keep my body healthy. As for eating healthy, I've been most successful with eating only when I'm hungry and indulging cravings in small amounts. Right now, I'm mostly concerned with the pregnancy and the physical therapy, but I'd also like to either walk or work out on the elliptical trainer at least a little bit, now that I'm past the first trimester. Greg is bringing it in from the garage right now, so I won't be able to ignore it.

3. Properly back up and organize my pictures and files.About a year and a half ago I bought a backup drive, and it suddenly stopped working a few months later.  No one from either the company or any experts could help me--they all said to just buy a new one. I'm thinking when our tax returns come in, I can get a new drive and have everything organized properly. We wouldn't want pictures like the one below lost.

4. Be easier on myself. I've often felt guilty for not being a good enough mother/wife/teacher/housekeeper. This year, my goal is to concentrate on what I enjoy. For example, I will stop blaming myself for not being able to keep things organized, and instead I'll spend that time doing things that earn me money. For example, last year I earned well over $800 by posting lesson plans and powerpoints on Teachers Pay Teachers.  I spent that money on a cleaning lady who can do in 5 hours what would take me an entire weekend (if I even finished it at all.) I need to find more ways to reallocate my time like this so that I'm not wasting time on things I hate. For me, this probably means spending more time writing or tutoring, and then using the money I earn to outsource the tasks that are time-suckers.

5. (Same goal as last year) I want to have more dates with my husband. Once we have two children, this will be harder, but we need to find a way. We have never once regretted going out by ourselves.

6. Get rid of crap. I have clothing in sizes 8-12, and at least 50 pairs of shoes (size 9, mostly) that have barely been worn. Now that my doctor is telling me I have to wear thick, heavy orthotics, most of my shoes are useless. I need to either have a garage sale, list some things on ebay, or donate some stuff as a last resort. Let me know if you're interested.  :)

7. Somehow keep up with my gardening and indoor plant tending, despite being in the last trimester of pregnancy during the spring. I'm a fair weather gardener, literally. This means that if it is the least bit cold, or wet, or humid, I get neglectful about my gardening. Greg has promised to help, but I really want to have a decent garden this year, even if it is small.

8. Writing. I really enjoy writing, and blogging specifically. I'd like to keep up with my average of about 15 posts per month on this blog. I'd also like to investigate other ways I can earn money with my writing, even though the economy still isn't doing too well.


Okay, boring resolutions over. Now for the fun stuff. Here's Nick posing in his jeans and shaking his groove thing.

First Post of the Year. . .

but I will not be making resolutions tonight. I'll work on those tomorrow, perhaps. We just got back from the Shedd Aquarium, and I currently have heating pads on each of my legs. I am far, far too tired to write anything substantial. Therefore, I'm going to default to cute and silly.

This is Nick with one of his new toys. He received it for Christmas from his Grandpa Jay and Grandma Linda. It's Dance Star Mickey, and he is quite cheesy. Basically, you press his hand, and he talks and leads the kids through several dances. He even dances a bit himself. While he isn't as creepy as the Tickle-Me-Elmo, toys that talk make me a little wary. This is because, at least in my house, they seem to talk at odd times. Greg and I will be quietly sitting on the couch, when all of a sudden, we hear "Moo!" from one of his farm toys, or "Blue hand!" from Nick's talking puppy. I was skeptical about the Mickey at first. However, he makes Nick dance up a storm. He really loves it, and I'm so glad he got this toy for Christmas. It is helping him work off all of the Christmas cookies he ate.  ; )  The last two nights in a row, he's asked specifically for dance time. "Dance with Mickey?" he asked pleadingly.

Below you will see a video of Nick dancing with Mickey, and Nick's daddy helping. You can see where Nick got his dance moves.

To answer your questions:

1. Yes, Greg knew that I was specifically videotaping this to post on the Internet.

2. No, I have no idea why Nick is wearing only one sock.

3. Yes, Nick did go to sleep immediately after this dance. He was out like a light. He seems to need to burn off a lot of energy, and the dancing helps.

By the way, tonight is night #5 without the binky. So far, so good. Although I've noticed Nick chewing on his fingers more. Sigh. You can't win them all.

Running Errands With a Nearly Two-Year-Old

It's become more interesting lately to take Nick on errands. He's much more talkative, and also far more demanding about what he wants and what he does not want. We pick our battles, but Nick definitely knows the meaning of "No." Today Greg and I went to rent a video, and our little man enjoyed running up and down the aisles. He also loved sitting in the director's chair, pulling dvds from the shelves, and trying to swipe candy bars. It is exhausting but never boring teaching him boundaries.

We also had to pick up some groceries, and Nick adores the grocery store because of all the people and the colors and the things to grab. Near the end of our shopping adventure, my blood sugar started to drop, so I went to buy a few munchkins from the Dunkin' Donuts in our Walmart. Nick immediately started shouting, "Please! Me eat! Please mummin!" I told him that they were doughnuts, not muffins, and he adjusted his demands accordingly. "Please doughnut! Me eat!" Stuffing an entire munchkin in his mouth, Nick grabbed for the bag, snatching another one. You'd think we didn't feed the boy.

I adore the look on his face in the picture above. He looks like he just got caught doing something naughty. Lest you think that Nick subsists on doughnuts and mummins, please understand that today he also ate greek yogurt, whole wheat bread, chicken, rice, a whole apple, and pasta with plenty of shrimp, asparagus, and red pepper.

Today was a pretty good day. When Nick woke up this morning, he climbed next to me on the couch with one of his favorite books, "If You Give a Moose a Muffin," by Laura Numeroff. "Mummin story," he demanded. Then he started to climb into my lap, exclaiming, "Lap story!" I do believe I read that story three times this morning. "Again! Mummin Again!" Nick loves pointing to the moose and the muffin every time they appear and naming them. He has this thing about muffins. I actually don't mind rereading stories; Nick has pretty good taste in books, and reading together is our thing. I've been reading stories to him since he was only a few wees old. I think that reading with him is actually my favorite thing to do with him--I'll always remember sitting with him on my lap with a story.

I love Nick's velour track suit. It was a hand-me-down from one of my teacher friends, and I think it's adorable. Greg said that when he wears it, he looks like he was about to go for a run. it's a 2T, and it actually fits him, though I had to roll the waistband so it wouldn't be too long. I can't believe Nick is going to be two this Wednesday.

I haven't been posting as often as I'd like during the last few weeks. Fall always makes me tired, and the time change has really messed me up. Plus, I have had multiple days of parent conferences, doctor's appointments, and family visits. I'm really looking forward to having a five-day weekend for Thanksgiving in a few weeks.