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Big Boy Room Defeats Mom

February 20, 2012 in Day In The Life... with 0 Comments

What a weekend! I’ve been busy trying to get Finn’s big boy room ready (final pictures to come). Today is the day! His first nap in his big boy bed. EEK! So bittersweet. How can he be this old already?!?!

The process didn’t come without some growing pains this weekend. Can you believe THIS happened… not ONCE…

but TWICE…

… in one weekend?!?! And to the SAME print?

I cried. Seriously. It wasn’t pretty. How does this happen? (I could explain, but you would laugh at me and I’m just not ready for that.)

Wish us luck during nap time.  We might need it to calm all the excitement in this house!!

In This House…

January 30, 2012 in Day In The Life... with 0 Comments

Several months ago, via Pinterest, I found the greatest plank board for our living room.  As I’ve shared before, I’m just not a decorator.  I want to be.  I wish I were.  I pretend to be.  But it simply doesn’t work.  So when I saw this sign, my heart skipped a full five beats and then thumped again to the sound of, “I-LOVE… I-WANT… I-NEED…”  Truly, I just fell in love with this board and each phrase set.

When it came time for Christmas idea giving, I shared the idea with my mother-in-law.  The woman loooooooves gift-giving and always works overtime to find and buy the exact thing family members want.  I knew it was a long shot as I really didn’t even know how she would get something like this made, but if anyone could do it, my mother-in-law could!  And she would find such joy in doing it!

She called one night as I was on my way out to do some returning and shopping after putting Finn to bed.  ”Hypothetically, if you could have this board, but had to change 5 phrases, what are the phrases you would like?”  We discussed.  ”And hypothetically, what colors would you like for said board to be?”  We discussed.  Still, this is a long-shot and I hung up the phone thinking ‘there’s no way.’

Come Christmas I’d almost forgot about this plank board.  We all happily opened gifts (one-by-one at the Wise family Christmas – it’s tradition, you know!) and then for my last gift.  As tears welled up in my eyes, I knew what it was.  The BOARD!  Perfect for our family with all my sayings and the colors I wanted, even better than I could have imagined!  Hot damn, it was a CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!

We now proudly display our house rules in our living room.  It’s probably one of my favorite Christmas gifts ever, certainly my favorite from this year.  And our entire family gets to enjoy it everyday!

Do you have family rules or a code you live by with your kids?  What are they?

“Peeing in their Pantsuits…”

January 16, 2012 in Day In The Life... with 4 Comments

Being the mom of a son who has food allergies, I can’t express how deeply troubled I am by our food supply.  The more I’ve learned in the last year about what lurks on our grocery store shelves and in our home cupboards and freezers, the more I want to scream. It’s almost too much to handle somedays.  My husband can attest to the sheer anger that has welled up in me in the last 12 months as I’ve learned the reasons why my son’s body rejects what should be healthy and safe proteins.

And we’re not alone.  Finn is one boy.  There is an epidemic stirring in the next generation with the 4A’s – ADHD, allergies, asthma, and autism.  In her book, The Unhealthy Truth, Robyn OBrien shares that approximately 30 million children deal with at least one of these epidemics.  Think back to your school days.  You didn’t see these issues among your friends and classmates, did you? But our kids do and they will continue to.  Why?  The immune systems of these innocent children are screaming at us to listen.  I’m no expert.  I’m just a mom learning how to best take care of her family.  As a result, I’ll sprinkle in a little of what I’m learning, the reasons why more than one-third of our kids are dealing with at least one “A.”  It’s overwhelming; it’s frustrating; it’s political; it’s wrong.

One of the biggest issues in our food supply is the vast use of GMOs or GEOs, genetically modified organisms or genetically engineered organisms.  Our food, and I use that word skeptically, has been drastically altered for years without our knowledge.  Shockingly (complete sarcasm here), the FDA does not require foods that have been modified to be labeled.  However, consumers in Europe, England, Australia and Japan, just to name a few, are fortunate enough to have these products labeled.  Why does their government care more about what’s in their food supply than ours?  I’ll give you one guess.

A funny… and true… “rap” video about how our food supply is being overtaken by literal garbage was recently released.  Take 5 minutes to watch it, and if you’re so inclined, I encourage you to view a few of the mentioned documentaries.  Even if you’re a skeptic, go crazy and trust a mere 20% of what is shared in these documentaries.  You just might be peeing in your pantsuit, too.

Agree or disagree, I’d love to hear your thoughts. All are welcome here!

Home for the Holidays

January 9, 2012 in Day In The Life... with 0 Comments

The holidays went fast this year, but they truly were fun.  As many of you know, life with a 2-year-old is simply magical, so it’s hard not to enjoy your time when you have a constant toddler giggle as your day-to-day soundtrack. We spent 2 days in Omaha with my family where Finn thoroughly enjoyed getting in “uncle time” with my brother.  Finn always warms up quickly to Chris.  For days after we were back home Finn wanted to know where Uncle Chris went. Precious.


A CARS racetrack – one of the biggest Christmas hits!

On the afternoon of Christmas Eve we headed to my aunt and uncle’s house to catch up with the rest of the family.  The weather was unseasonably warm, so the cousins enjoyed some outside bubble time.

After food, presents, running around and more presents, they also enjoyed playing with their new toys and giggling amongst themselves about secret little kiddo stuff!

Finn would never verbally say it, but dude-o was exhausted.  All that playing wears a boy out!  Hours after the festivities began, the arm cover went from being a “super hero cape” to a “blanket.”
But there wouldn’t be sleep before a precious cousin hug.  Thankfully, Finn conked out in the car as we headed back home Christmas Eve night.  We want to start a tradition of waking up in our house, when possible, to have Santa/family time Christmas morning. Santa toys, pancakes, Christmas gifts, books and loads of hugs and giggles filled our morning.  It was well worth the extra effort to make it home!
After family time, we got dressed and headed to Justin’s family Christmas where more PRESENTS awaited our little Finn.

 

Despite Finn’s allergies, months ago Aunt Kristin saved the day with a delicious (and nutritious) ice cream alternative… Frozen Banana Custard.  No joke, this tastes EXACTLY like ice cream.  Trust me, you want to try this!  I love that Finn gets to take part in the process of making his “special treat” with his Grammie.

“Finny’s turn!”

 

“Here is comes!!”
“Stand back, people!  This ice cream is all mine…”

“…down the the last bite!”

 

Here’s to hoping your holiday season was merry, berry and bright!  

Poppy Gets Dressed

November 29, 2011 in Day In The Life... with 1 Comment

It’s official! Poppy will be spoiled! Shopping for little boys is one thing, but shopping for little girls is OUT.OF.CONTROL! I seriously hold my breath when I look at girls clothes.  We’re talking borderline hyperventilation here, people!

In true best friend style, Poppy received her first glammed-up outfit today from her Aunt Erin.  I squealed when I opened the box.  Justin gasped as his shaking head fell into his hands.  Finn exclaimed, “sister!”

Let the madness of cute, pink, fluffy, ruffly, adorableness begin!  And while we’re at it, if you have a really high-paying part-time job available, I think I might need one.  YIKES!

Curious George + Finn = AWE

November 22, 2011 in Day In The Life... with 1 Comment

Saturday’s Family Day Out was made easy by Iowa Public Television hosting a free screening of Curious George.  I think Finn has officially added George to his “friend” allegiance.  And oh boy, was he THRILLED to see George on the big screen and meet Dan, the IPTV Super Man!

Public television (and radio) are wonderful additions to our community.  Any chance you have, support them!

Team Wise Expands

November 21, 2011 in Day In The Life... with 5 Comments

Well, let’s be honest, I’ve already expanded!  We are happy to share that we are 21 weeks along as we eagerly await the arrival of “Baby Poppy” in March.  Finn was known as “Beanie” until he became Finnegan in September 2009.  Poppy gained his/her namesake for being the size of the poppyseed when we learned of his/her impending arrival.

Unlike with Finn, we do know the sex of this baby.  The allure in waiting was simply not there this go-around!  Justin and I found out a few weeks ago and cannot wait to share!  I have been chomping at the bit to spill the beans!  So, without further ado… oh crap,  you have to wait until after we share it with our family this weekend!  SORRY!  We’ve come up with a crafty way to reveal it to both sides and can’t wait for the reaction.

So, unless you can eek it out of us… or Finn (he’s somewhat convinced Elmo is in there)… or my best friend… you’ll have to wait until Monday!  We’re taking votes, though.  Here’s the low-down on our thoughts…

  • I think it’s a boy.
  • Justin thinks it’s a girl.  However, when we were with the lab tech in the ultrasound room, Justin changed to boy.
  • Finn thinks it’s a girl… or Elmo… or perhaps Cookie Monster.  (He also called his boy parts a “hot dog” the other day, so I’m not sure I believe much when it comes to Finn!)

To help with your guesses, here are the latest images:

Face Shot

Full Leg and Foot of Opposite Leg

Profile

Profile and Arm by Face

Happy Monday!

“Bye-bye Poopy”

November 7, 2011 in Day In The Life... with 2 Comments

We’ve been talking a lot about potty and poopy in our house.  We’re working to show Finn just where these necessary evils end up and how they get there.  Big boy Mickey Mouse pants have been purchased, a mini toilet sits front and center in the house, “Elmo Goes Potty” plays on repeat, battles to change stinky diapers are massive and the send-off to poopy pants is quite entertaining.

Anytime Finn does his diaper deed, he insists on seeing it, wincing and saying “ewwwww….” then sprinting to the toilet to see it flushed away while yelling, “bye-bye stinky, bye-bye poopy, BYE!”  Ha-larry!

He likes to sit on the potty but only with his diaper firmly in place.  We’re not forcing the issue, but he’s SO curious that we wanted to start the conversation before we missed our window.  I have a feeling this is going to be loooong conversation…

Would love to hear your toilet-training stories – the good, the bad, the smelly and the helpful.  Bring it all!

You Decide: Finnegan Fit or Chillaxin’

November 2, 2011 in Day In The Life... with 1 Comment

What do you think?  

Is Finn in meltdown mode (completely pouty and not speaking to authority) or simply chillaxin’ in the most accessible location for the moment?  You decide.

 

Happy Halloween!

October 31, 2011 in Day In The Life... with 9 Comments

We knew Finn wouldn’t partake in Halloween as most kids do.  He hates things on his head.  He doesn’t really like strangers.  He’s allergic to 95% of the candy distributed.  Awesome.  But we didn’t want to leave him out of the fun, so we thankfully accepted a borrowed dinosaur costume.  Legend tells it that this dinosaur was really suppose to be a dragon, but his wings were torn off in a fierce battle.  We’ll make do!

When Finn’s buddy and neighbor Ryder came over to “trick-or-treat” all tricked out in his chicken costume, I knew it was GO-TIME!  We threw that dinosaur into ROAR-mode as quickly as we could and made a run for the neighborhood lights.

Finn wasn’t too interested in candy or costumes or saying “trick-or-treat.”  He and Ryder made it their mission to run through the streets in search of the MOOOON!

We did manage to throw the dinosaur head on for a solid 5 minutes.  Long enough to snap exactly 7 pictures, this being the bomb-diggity of them all.  Photo failure.

Better luck next year, I suppose!

Justin heard one funny joke last night:
Trick-or-treater: “Knock knock!”
Justin: “Who’s there?”
T.O.T.: “Mr. Poop La-La-Face”
Justin: “Welp. That’s good enough for me.”

What about you?  Got a funny Halloween joke that must be shared with the world?

Happy Halloween!

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