Tommy's Mommy

Things to Do When It's 17 Degrees Outside...

2010-01-06T09:17:00.008-05:00

Well, you can always use the stay-at-home-mom's tried and true entertainment spot, the mall. For about $7 you can get two pretzels from Auntie Ann's, a small lemonade, and about an hour of fun. Plus you can let your little one throw your change in the fountain!

And if you'd like to use a little more imagination, you can do what we did this morning. Tommy created Disney World in his room. Maybe it was just his excuse not to pick up his toys, but I thought it was pretty clever. He took out his stuffed bears and created the Country Bear Jamboree and we sat and watched a show (they didn't actually do anything but we imagined... apparently the girl bear even came down from the ceiling).

He also had his new zoo set up as the Jungle Cruise.

And then all the animals lined up to be in the parade. No, nothing was lacking from this imaginary Disney trip. We even had a snack at McDonald's.

114...

2010-01-04T13:49:00.002-05:00

That's the number of times Tommy has said "Why" since he got up about six and a half hours ago. I forgot to count a few of them so it was actually more, but that's the number of "why's" that I was able to count. And when he used a sentence that had it twice, such as "Why do lions live in caves, Mommy, why?", I only counted it once.

So if your child has a third birthday coming up, do this little experiment yourself. Tommy started with the why's on his third birthday. Have you found this to be true with your kids?

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T08:54:00.004-05:00

For the record, I have officially made zero new year's resolutions. In fact, my resolution last year was to stop making resolutions. It's the first one I've ever kept! Instead, I figure I should just try to be the best mom and wife I can be every day. And when I screw up on that today, I'll just get back on the wagon tomorrow instead of having to wait until next December 31 to try it again.

Oh, and I've also decided (not resolved!) to take more pictures. So here's a few from Christmas and the anniversary trip that Dean and I took to Mississippi this week.

This is Club Ebony, in Indianola, Mississippi. It hosted the likes of Be Be King, Ray Charles, James Brown, Ike Turner, and a slew of others. It's in the middle of a run-down neighborhood (the entire town is run-down) and it would be easy to miss if not for the blue sign marking it on the Blues Trail.

Our first stop on our trip was Vicksburg, Mississippi, the site of a huge Civil War battle, and one of the last. This was the massive battlefield and we were able to drive the 13-mile loop around it. Very worth it.

MuhMuh's first time meeting her second great grandson, Mac. She's very proud to be a great-grandma to two wonderful little boys. And one more on the way!

I so wanted this to be our Christmas card picture (we didn't wind up having one). Notice the knight's outfit on Tommy. And the baby isn't Todd's, it's Sally and Bennett's.

These cows were taking pictures with kids at Chick-Fil-A on Christmas Eve. Tommy wouldn't go near them, so I did it instead.

All I Want For Christmas...

2009-12-24T15:14:00.003-05:00

It's amazing how you kind of go full circle from when you're a kid to when you're an adult. Tommy really really really wants "The zoo I don't have". That's exactly what he'll tell you. And when you ask him what else, he says nothing. That's not so hard (except that this zoo was impossible to find, and only thanks to Uncle Todd, he'll be getting the zoo he doesn't have). I'm sure in the next few years consumerism will take over and he'll have a list a mile long. Now, that didn't stop us from getting him more gifts, but I just thought it was interesting that he'd most certainly be happy just getting one present.

I was that way when I was little (I think). Then when I got a little older, I had a million things I wanted. Now that I'm a responsible adult, I realize there's not much I can think of that I want. Maybe a pedicure. And a good Bible (I'm notorious for losing them). But really, that's it. Yet here it is on Christmas Eve and I'm fretting and running around trying to make sure things are perfect (they're not). I've discovered a great cinnamon raisin bread so I'm trying to make lots of that (each loaf takes about 4 hours) and I'm trying to keep the house clean while Tommy runs behind me and throws everything on the floor that I've just put in place. I found myself thinking this morning that all I want for Christmas is a day off.

And I realized how sinful that was.

Of all times, the Christmas season should be the least stressful. After all, don't we say "Jesus is the Reason for the Season?" (well, I don't because I think it sounds corny but the meaning is still true) And here I am, fuming while cleaning the kitchen floor for the second time in three minutes because Tommy opened one of those huge tins of popcorn and proceeded to dump it out, step in it, and eat what he had stepped in. Gross! And minutes later all I could think of was the verse that says "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Granted, that's not talking about being tired from cleaning and cooking, but the principle applied. I say I'm trying to make Jesus the center of everything, but really I was (and have been) relying on my own strength for everything I do.

I have to be the perfect mom. The perfect wife. Not only the perfect wife, but the perfect pastor's wife. The perfect friend.

And I'm not.

And now I can finally rest in that and realize it's ok. And that's what I want for Christmas.

Seasons Eatings

2009-12-21T16:03:00.002-05:00

Tis the season for food. I have sugar-laden goodies coming out of my ears, and I'm not even halfway done baking. But I do have a couple really yummy treats that I've made this Christmas, so if you need some edible (easy) gift ideas, here you go!

Oreo Bon-Bons
1 20 oz. pkg Oreos
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 12 oz. bag chocolate chips (any variety will do)

Bring cream cheese to room temperature. Finely crush oreos and mix with the cream cheese. Works best if you use your hands (but gross). Roll into balls and put on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips in microwave. Remove oreo balls from fridge and roll in chocolate. Refrigerate again to harden the chocolate. Sprinkle with desired toppings (crushed peppermint, almonds, peanuts, etc.)

Reindeer Kisses
Pretzel mini twists (I used Snyder's)
Hershey Kisses
M&M's (holiday colors are always fun)

Line a baking sheet with foil and preheat oven to 200. Place as many pretzels as desired on the baking sheet and put a kiss in the middle of each one. Bake just until chocolate begins to sweat. Remove from the oven and put an M&M in the middle of each kiss. Refrigerate and enjoy!

Success?

2009-12-18T16:21:00.002-05:00

I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch, but I think Tommy is daytime (as in, still diaper during nap and bedtime) and home potty trained (as in he hasn't gone on a public toilet yet). We've worked really hard and Dean has totally immsersed himself... literally. My favorite text in a while was from Dean on Saturday afternoon when I was finishing my piano recital. It simply said "We have gone through 4 pair of underwear and peed on every square inch of floor but we've had 3 successes!" And that's what it's all about, folks. Successes.

After that day, we headed south to see Sally, Bennett, and Mac and then to Ft. Lauderdale to see my family, so we didn't know if that would kill the potty mood or not. He went 2 days without even trying to go because we were travelling and then on day 3, he wore the same pair of underwear all day and did not have a single accident! Next day, only one accident. Yesterday we didn't try because of travelling again. Today, no accidents. And now we stand at the toilet. Yes, this is a bit weird to use words like "we" but for any parent who's participated in potty training, it's a group effort. I suddenly have the urge to get Twitter and tweet every time he goes to the bathroom by himself. Don't worry, I won't.

Christmas Park

2009-12-12T15:21:00.003-05:00

Last night we went with some Well friends out to dinner and then to Dorothy B. Oven park, officially known in our family as the Christmas Park. As you can see, we had a blast.

Time to Play Catch-Up

2009-12-09T15:10:00.002-05:00

Oh boy. A lot has happened since Friday. Christmas on the Moon for one. Over 1,100 people crowding, no, pouring into The Moon until there was standing room only in the third balcony. Dean and Matthew have the scoop.

Recovery day Monday. I baked like a fool, burned more cookies than I'd care to count, and attempted some more potty training with Tommy. The kid held it for about 5 hours and then let it all out just as I was getting ready to put his diaper on him to get him ready for his nap. Go figure.

Yesterday more baking. And burning. I'm normally not a bad baker. my kitchen timer broke so I've been relying on my stellar sense of smell (it's supposed to be hightened in pregnancy) and the clock on my phone. Well, the phone clock doesn't do much good if you keep forgetting to check it.

Last night was Tuesday night adult small group Christmas dinner at the Merritts. Two fried turkeys, a ham, a ton of sides, and a plethora of desserts later, and I'm still stuffed. Plus they have more singing Christmas decorations than I can count and so Tommy had a blast putting them all in a clump on the floor and pressing all the buttons at once. Yes, they were all singing different songs. Ah, the heavenly choir.

Then we get word last night that Sally is finally in labor! We kept in close contact with Dean's parents, who left here at about 10:00 last night and arrived in her hospital room around 2 am. We finally got the text just around 11 this morning that Mac is here! Sally was a brave mama, but incredibly tired when I got to talk to her. But I'm an aunt! And Dean's an uncle! And Tommy's a cousin!! Very exciting!

Today we did more potty training. And had 4 successful pees in the potty. After the first one, we were so excited and he said he wanted to call Mickey Mouse. Thankfully my dad is great at voices, so I called my parents and told Tommy that Mickey was visiting them and could talk to him on the phone. I should've thought that one through a little more. As soon as he hung up, he wanted to know when Mickey was going to visit our house. Then he kept checking the front door to see if he was here yet. I'll plan better next time.

Oh yeah, and then there was this tornado that touched down about 2 miles from our house so when my first piano student got here around lunch time, we all crowded into the guest bathroom (yes, Dorsi too) and waited it out. Never a dull moment, folks.

Inserra Christmas Traditions

2009-12-04T15:20:00.004-05:00

Lindsay and I are swapping blog ideas. She posted her traditions and now here's a brief overview of ours (hers is only slihtly more entertaining)

1) We get a real tree from Home Depot. This year Publix was having a sale so we went with that, but the guys didn't cut enough branches off the bottom. So next year we're back at Home Depot.

2) We have some college kids over from the church to help us decorate. This year Dean told me we were having 8 over. While I dreamed of drinking hot chocolate while singing along to Christmas music and everyone taking turns hanging our random assortment of ornaments and then all making s'mores together, he somehow neglected to tell me that most of them were actually coming over to watch the FSU basketball game. I would need to play my Christmas music over the computer. So not festive! So I hung ornaments and strung lights with a couple of the girls (thanks Giana and Margo!) and everyone else sat in tension watching FSU. Oh well.

3) Our tree crashes to the ground. This is somewhat of a new tradition but I'm sure it's one we will stick with. Last year it was at least twice because Dorsi kept running by and knocking it over with her massive tail. In 2007 it started falling right after Christmas so we dragged it out back (it was near the back door), where it stayed for about 9 months and turned into a little Christmas tree corpse. Kinda creepy. This year, after everyone left, Dean came into the bathroom while I was taking a late night shower (it was about 11:30) and informed me that the tree was on the ground and we had lost some ornaments and he couldn't pick it up by himself. It is a pretty big tree. So I finished and got out and the two of us hoisted the tree back upright and I unscrewed and rescrewed the base. At least twice. It still leaned really bad so we had to turn it around backwards and lean it against the corner. Where it remains to this day.

More to come later!

Moon Week

2009-12-03T22:32:00.002-05:00

It's that time of year again.

Christmas on the Moon is less than 4 days away. It's something that we (and by we, I mean Dean and Matthew) have been preparing for for months. I had band practice number 2 tonight and I'm completey exhausted. I also had a lunch date, a 1:45 doctor's appointment, and 5 piano lessons beginning at 3. Then I rushed off to eat dinner and head to practice. Aaaaah. It's good to be getting ready for bed.

Last year our church decided to help out with the water crisis in Rwanda and raise money to build a clean water well. The goal was $7,000 for one well. We raised over $13,000. In one night. This year we're stepping it up a notch. We want to raise $100,000 to build lots of clean water wells in places where they can't just turn on the faucet, gargle, and spit. Every drop is precious. So we'll take our initial collection on Sunday night. And then there will be a benefit dinner in the spring. Watch for details.

Our family is cutting back on Christmas gifts this year so that we can give more for the wells. I would encourage you to do the same. Check out the website here.

Spend less, give more.

Thanksgiving Eve

2009-11-25T22:20:00.002-05:00

We're T minus 10 1/2 hours from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade (aka, Dean's very favorite event... taste the sarcasm). My allergies are flaring and I'm completely exhausted from answering about a million questions that all started with the word "Why?" I guess that's what happens when you have a 3 year old. But before I head off to bed, I wanted to do the traditional Thanksgiving thing and list some things I'm thankful for:

- The fact that my adorable 3-year-old boy can drive me absolutely crazy by all his questions. He's asking me a new one before I even can answer the old one. But when he was born we were told he may never walk or talk. So I'll take the aggravation.

- The great date night I had with Dean tonight. Nothing too fancy, dinner at Macaroni Grill and then a stroll around a completely dead mall. No one's shopping the night before Thanksgiving. But date nights are one of my very favorite traditions that we have.

- My wonderful family that I'll be spending time with over the next few weeks. Between Dean's family here and my family down south, I've been very blessed.

- Pillsbury Cinnamon rolls. That's breakfast tomorrow. Need I say more?

- The fact that in about 6 months I'll have to change the name of this blog. That's right, we're continuing to populate the world with Inserras. Baby Inserra #2 is due on May 25! I'll keep you posted.

A Healthy Thanksgiving Recipe

2009-11-23T18:20:00.004-05:00

Yes, I realize those are rare. But here's a fruit salad recipe that I found and tweaked. It's not creamy or overly sweet. But it's got a great tang and is very light. So here's my recipe. I think it will feed about 15 people (I'm guessing)

4 or 5 clementine oranges, peeled and segmented
2 cups grapes (I halved mine)
1 pound strawberries, quartered
2 20 oz. cans pineapple chunks (drained, juice reserved)
3 Granny Smith apples, cut in 1/2 inch (or so) pieces
2 bananas, sliced
Zest from 2 limes
Juice from 2 limes
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp. poppy seeds

Combine all the fruit in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix 2/3 cup of the pineapple juice with the lime zest and juice, honey, and poppy seeds. Mix into fruit and serve.

I made this salad late this afternoon and I'm taking it to our small group Thanksgiving dinner in an hour or so, so I hope it doesn't get mushy. I did sample some and was very happy with it. Hopefully I made enough so that I'll get some at the dinner! If it's not as good as I think it is, I'll post tomorrow and let you know.

What healthy Thanksgiving recipes do you have to share?

First Trip to Disney: Check!

2009-11-21T20:35:00.003-05:00

Well we did it. We took the fam to Disney World yesterday for Dean's birthday. Actually it was more for Tommy and myself than Dean. I happen to think it's the most wonderful, most magical place on earth. And since Tommy's an excited three-year-old who watches Mickey Mouse every morning while he eats his waffles and bananas, we figured he'd love to go to Disney. We had an amazing ticket hook-up from an old classmate of Dean's who happened to be playing Eeyore yesterday and my parents covered the hotel room, so this trip was the cheapest Disney trip ever!

Tommy was nervous about everything. We knew it would be interesting when he cried because he didn't want to get on the tram that takes you from your car in the parking lot to the monorail. But of course we made him and he did just fine. And that's pretty much how we did the Magic Kingdom. He cried in almost every line we stood in and didn't want to do it but then afterward, was all excited and talked about how that was his favorite ride. Go figure.

The best moment by far was getting to meet The Big Cheese himself. We didn't tell Tommy we were going to meet him, we just walked through the tent and innocently watched old Mickey Mouse cartoons that they were showing while you waited in line. It was a very clever set-up. After about 15 minutes, they ushered us into another small room and Dean picked up Tommy (to avoid an escape). When Tommy saw that Mickey and Minnie Mouse were about 10 feet away from us, he totally freaked. But Dean reminded him about his morning breakfasts watching them and that calmed him down. By the time we finished pictures, he was high fiving Mickey and Minnie and giving them "knuckles". A couple hours later, he even asked to go back and meet them again. We did and made him get in the picture all by himself. He's happier than he looks.

And this morning when he woke up at about 6 am, he immediately sat up and said "Mommy and Daddy do we get to go to Playhouse Disney World (his own little name for it) again today?" I sadly told him no and he cried. So I would say it was a very successful trip!

Tuesday Randoms

2009-11-17T21:51:00.003-05:00

- I think I just killed a brown recluse spider in my living room. I killed another one just like it a few days ago in the hallway. Maybe we're experiencing a small infestation of venomous arachnids.

- I got Tommy really excited about his first Christmas special of the year on TV tonight: "Merry Madagascar". It lasted for 30 minutes and 15 of those minutes were commercials. We feel gypped.

- In my never-ending quest to replace some dairy with a delicious non-dairy product with the same amount of calcium, I was introduced to So Delicious yogurt. And it is so delicious! It's made with coconut milk and it has a bit more fat, but I was told that you burn calories while you're eating it. Not sure if that's actually true, but it's so good, I'll believe anything! A bit pricey, but worth the splurge.

- "Biggest Loser" makes me cry in the end every week. I'm watching it now. And crying.

- Later this week we're taking Tommy to Disney World for the first time. He's totally pumped. We'll take lots of pictures and I'm sure there will be plenty of good stories.

10 Things I Don't Get

2009-11-13T22:35:00.003-05:00

1. Professional Wrestling

2. Fantasy Football

3. Long engagements

4. Why baseball season is so long

5. Obama obsession

6. Vampire obsession

7. St. Patrick's Day when you're not Irish

8. New Hampshire

9. Praise teams that wear color-coordinated, jewel-toned shirts

10. Black Friday (at least the 3 and 4 am part)

Midweek Update

2009-11-12T22:05:00.005-05:00

It's been a busy few days, folks. My parents came in town on Wednesday morning and left this afternoon. And as you know, if you have family from out of town, when they are in town you don't waste a minute. So between piano lessons and poopy shoes (both my parents and Tommy were victims of Dorsi's droppings in the backyard), we had a great time. Yesterday was more running around and going out to eat, but today we had more of an adventure. My parents have wanted to visit Wakulla Springs for a while now, so it was about 65 degrees and breezy with gorgeous blue skies and we figured it was a crime to be inside. We drove down there and even did a boat tour. Here are some highlights:

And I didn't use a zoom in this picture. The alligator is actually that close.

Then we had a delicious lunch at Piggy's (if you haven't been yet, you need to go. I could do the backstroke in their mac & cheese). We came home, rested for just a bit and then Dean had to take them to the airport so I could teach more piano lessons. It was a quick visit but a good one.

Just because my parents left, doesn't mean Tommy and Dean's fun was over yet. They had another boys' night out and Dean took him to Wendy's and then to the Leon vs. Rickards football game. While at Wendy's, Tommy learned a valuable lesson. There was a homeless man outside and Tommy asked Dean if he was going to eat chicken nuggets too and Dean reluctantly told him no. So Tommy offered to give the man his chicken nuggets. Yes, my 3-year-old split his chicken nuggets meal with a homeless man. I couldn't be more proud. Then they headed to the game. Dean was in his glory as Tommy chanted "Go Big Red!" and hung out with Dean's old coach, Coach Sauls. And apparently the Rickards band was awesome. As always. But Tommy's been taught to refer to them (and basically anyone else who's not the Leon Lions)as the bad guys. So here are some pics of tonight:

The Season for Giving

2009-11-09T14:18:00.002-05:00

Here was a conversation I had with Tommy on the way to the mall this morning.

Tommy: "What will Santa bring me for Christmas this year?"

Me: "Well, you already have lots of toys, so I'm sure Santa will bring you a few more, but this year I think we're going to help him out by getting some toys for boys and girls who don't have any toys and won't get any from Santa. Can you imagine not having any toys? Those boys and girls would love to get something for Christmas too."

Tommy: "Are they elves?"

Teaching generosity. We're getting there.

Boys' Night Out

2009-11-06T08:05:00.004-05:00

Well if we didn't know it before, it became evident last night. Dean is officially the fun parent. I was teaching piano lessons yesterday and so Dean took Tommy for some daddy/son time. They were going to have a football-themed afternoon, attending the Godby practice and then going to the Chiles vs. Lincoln game. As they headed out the door, I asked Dean to please have Tommy eat somewhat healthy. Like grilled chicken and vegetables or something. He didn't exactly agree, but he somewhat acknowledged my request.

About an hour later I get a picture on my phone of Tommy eating at Red Elephant. The pizza place where he eats about 3 times a week. Oh well. I found out later they also got dessert. This kid was livin' it up!

Before they went for pizza, they headed to Godby's football practice, where our friend Joe is a coach. Tommy got the special treatment. Joe brought the kickers over to where Tommy was and he got to kick with them. He even got to kick off a tee while Joe held the football. He had a blast.

Then after their dinner run, they went to the Chiles vs. Lincoln game. They arrived about an hour early, which would make me go insane, but Dean loves watching warm-ups (why?!? why would you love watching warm-ups??) and so now Tommy does too. He threw the little football that they handed out back and forth with Dean and stood by the fence while the players got ready. At one point he started stretching with them.

When Lincoln had a pretty good lead, Tommy looked over from where they were in the stands and noticed that the North Florida Fair was in town (the stadium happens to be adjacent to the fairgrounds) and he talked Dean into going to the fair. This was a feat in and of itself. Dean promised they could go on one ride and Tommy chose a huge slide that you ride down on a mat. He's afraid of climbing things so that was interesting. But he and Dean made it up to the top and Dean managed to sit down with him on the mat (he relayed the entire harrowing experience to me and let's just say I'm glad I wasn't there). But Tommy had a blast going down. Then Dean bought him some green glow-in-the-dark sword thing, which of course Tommy needed. On the way home he fell asleep, sword in hand. This is what I saw when I met them at the car in the driveway.

Met His Match

2009-11-05T10:40:00.003-05:00

We Inserras love our friends the Knipples (the K is silent). Tommy and Riley have had an arranged marriage thing going since before Riley was born. And when Riley came out a redhead, we knew that she just might be as feisty as our little guy. We were about right. You see, Riley wound up getting her mommy's personality, and Tommy got his daddy's. On the other end of the spectrum, Shane and I are about as laid back as they come. Therefore, one might conclude there might be something in the water at Leon High School!

On Monday night, we were driving back from Tampa, so we called up Shane and Riley to see if they wanted to meet us for dinner (Lindsay was working night float at Shands so unfortunately couldn't be there). We decided on Cracker Barrel in Gainesville, and met them there. Apparently Riley was in a bit of a mood, because she attempted to throw a fit or two. This kind of amused me because since she's a year younger than Tommy, her fits aren't nearly as intense. They're still almost cute and funny at this stage. And she has mastered the pout. She sticks that lower lip out, and as her grandmother says, "She could walk all the way to Live Oak on that lip."

Tommy took advantage of this moment and decided to be the sweet one, rubbing her arm and telling her it would be ok (See?!? They were meant for each other!), sharing his crayons and that triangle peg game that I can never do.

What the Knipple family doesn't know is that just a few hours before that, after his naked romp in the fountain in Tampa, we had to drag him kicking, screaming, soaking wet, and in the nude over to the bench to dry him off and get him dressed so we could leave.

So maybe Riley's met her match.

My Exhibitionist

2009-11-03T20:53:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we decided to take the day and drive Sally back to Tampa after visiting Tallahassee for a few days. She's 35 weeks pregnant and so we figured driving for 4 hour stretches at a time by herself might not be the best idea. So anyway, we took off on a road trip. Sally had told us about this great park that is about 2 blocks from her house and of course Tommy was psyched to go. In fact, he talked about it during the entire 4 hour drive. Every time we would stop to eat or get gas, he would ask if we were at "Sally's park" yet and when we told him no, he'd get upset and want to keep going.

We finally made it to Sally's park. Tommy ran around a bit near the swings and other standard park equipment. Then he saw the fountain. This is not just your run-of-the-mill fountain, folks. This is one of those ground level fountains with water that just continually shoots straight up through about 50 holes in the concrete. Oh yeah, and there are stone lions around, just for the effect. When he first spotted the fountain, we ran over there but he was very nervous around the lions. And he was wearing sweat pants, a t-shirt and sneakers (it started off cold that morning, but was 86 degrees by the time we got to Tampa).

So after psyching himself up a bit, he wanted to run in the fountain. We stripped the child down to his birthday suit and let him run wild. There were no other people around so it was all good. Except for the two little girls (they looked like they were in first or second grade) who were walking by with their little dog. Tommy ran out to the edge of the fountain and said "Come on girls, you can come in here too!" They didn't.

I asked Dean at what age it would be inappropriate for Tommy to run naked through a fountain and his response was "Anytime after today!" So that was his first and last time streaking. At least with his parents' consent and encouragement.

He Did It!

2009-11-01T07:08:00.003-05:00

No, I'm not talking about potty training. We got a long way to go for that one. But it's just after 7 am in the new fall back time and I've been up for the last 20 minutes because apparently Tommy didn't get the memo that you're supposed to sleep an extra hour. However, I don't care. I'm just basking in the glow of his first successful Halloween.

What?!? I think I hear a collective gasp from a few of my tens of readers. A pastor and his family celebrate Halloween?? If you're asking if we worship Satan, the answer is no. But we do dress up (as Superman this year) and go house to house begging for candy. Then we come home, fill up on sugar, and go to bed as we're crashing off the sugar high. If you've been a faithful reader for at least, well, a year, you may remember our Halloween experience last year. Well, my friends, this year was different.

Our Halloween started with MeMe's (Dean's mom) first grade class's Spider Fest at school. I brought Tommy to participate and he absolutely loved it. He rotated through the four classrooms with the rest of the kids (all twice his age... which I guess isn't a lot when you're only 3). He made a spider headband thing, then helped call out Spider Bingo numbers, made a popcorn hand, and also made a spider necklace and got a tick (it was supposed to be a spider, but it totally looked like a tick) painted on his hand. Between each rotation, the teachers read spider or Halloween themed books to the kids. Tommy sat right in the middle of them all (notice the only kid in costume- that's his Superman cape) and even asked questions about the story. I think the first graders didn't like him at the end because he proved that he was paying more attention than they were, thus making them look bad.

Last year at Spider Fest, he did ok until he saw all the spiders. That kinda freaked him out. This year he actually put on MeMe's spider mask!

Then came the real Halloween test: trick-or-treating. Remember, since he's been able to walk, we've been to a total of... um... no houses to beg for candy. He's completely choked two years in a row. But this year, he totally redeemed himself. He was a little nervous about going to the first house, but we went and knocked on the door. They were our friendly kidless neighbors, who apparently didn't realize that trick-or-treating is a real thing. The husband showed up at the door with an individual size of Mott's applesauce and apologized for not being prepared. Then as soon as we got to the next house, we noticed them jumping into their car and hightailing it out of there. That was probably for the best. Once we had gone to a couple houses and Tommy realized that they were handing out candy, he really liked this trick-or-treat thing. We did run into one or two kids with scary masks. And yes, I did ask one of them to remove it around Tommy. No, I didn't know him, but I guess I'm just one of those moms. I wasn't going to let this little snotty nosed kid ruin my son's first successful Halloween!

We made it all the way around the block and only shied away from one or two houses that looked really scary. He filled up a plastic pumpkin and halfway filled a ghost bag that we brought as as backup. So his teeth will be good and rotten by the time we go for our first dentist visit. But the real measure of his success is that when he woke up this morning, he cried a little because he wanted to go trick-or-treating again tonight. Woo hoo!

Christmas Time's a Comin'

2009-10-29T14:23:00.002-04:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year! I've always loved Christmas music and I've been guilty of playing it as early as October (when no one's listening, anyway... Dean protests if Thanksgiving hasn't occurred yet). But I've discovered that being a piano teacher takes it to a whole new level. This year I'll put on my 2nd annual Holiday Recital (gotta be PC. I know, it irks me too) and so my students are already hard at work on their holiday songs. Which is lots of fun, but with 17 students, I'm hearing "Deck the Halls", "Joy to the World", "Jingle Bells", and a slew of others way too much.

I'd like to get them to branch out. So I'll make a suggestion. Watch this and let me know what you think. This goes out to all you Inserras out there.

Like Father Like Son

2009-10-27T14:43:00.003-04:00

During the last few days, Tommy's been really into forts. By forts, I mean draping a blanket over the couch and dragging in every stuffed animal that he owns. Today he referred to it as his "tent" for a while. Then, I think he remembered that he was Dean's son (background: Dean won't go camping. His motto is "Why sleep outside when you can sleep inside?"), and began referring to it as his "hotel". True story.

Potty Training... Take 3?

2009-10-24T13:35:00.002-04:00

I think this is my third attempt at potty training. But this time I'm really serious about it (if I said I was serious in my other two tries, please disregard). And the good thing is that today we've actually had success! I started with Tommy yesterday after his nap because our morning was busy. He had 4 accidents between then and bedtime, and only one of them was on the couch, so that's a good thing. He still wouldn't tell me when he was wet (except when he went on the couch and then politely said "Mommy, I pottied on the couch"). He slept in a diaper last night and then when he woke up, I fed him breakfast and put him back in his underwear. He proceeded to have 4 more accidents and denied their existence (while standing in a puddle the size of Lake Michigan). Then all of a sudden, on the 5th pair of underwear (about 10:00 this morning), he crossed his legs, grabbed himself, and looked very panicked. We ran to the bathroom and he sat on his potty. And filled it. I couldn't have been more proud! He got to pick out an M&M (my bribe of choice this time), and put a sticker on his potty chart.

Then about 20 minutes later, he slipped off to the bathroom again and went potty in his potty seat (well, mostly) for the second time! I thought "Well, surely this potty training thing will be a breeze now!" I gave him lots of high 5's and more M&M's and stickers.

But then it happened. He suddenly decided he was done using the potty and didn't want to go anymore. We took a 20 minute trip to Coosh's to pick up some lunch and bring it home. I tried to get him to use the potty but he wouldn't. You're thinking "Is she nuts? Bringing him out of the house in underwear after only 2 successful potty visits?" Well, yes I am, but he didn't have the accident there. Thankfully he waited til we got home, but as I was pouring our drinks, I heard another pouring sound and looked up to see Tommy looking down and saying "Uh oh." When I tried to get him to the potty, he screamed and kept going. All over his shoes and socks. Lovely. So now he's in a diaper and is down for a nap. We'll try again when he wakes up.

So do you think we were 2 and done? Has he given up? Will there be a round 4 or will this be it?

Nap Time

2009-10-22T14:58:00.005-04:00

I have 3 minutes before my first piano lesson for the day shows up. Tommy has been in bed since 1:45ish, but hasn't gone to sleep. I've gone in a few times and scolded him, telling him he needs to sleep. Right now. As I sit here typing this, he's singing the alphabet at the top of his lungs. He may not be sleeping.