Who Am I and Who Are You? Yes, You!

I have another post in the works but since I was tagged by the wonderful and funny momma, Martha Stewart Doesn't Live Here, with this light and lively Who am I? Who are You? I thought I'd play along first. This is a little game recently brought back to life by some pretty awesome bloggers like My Daily Jenn-ism and Menopausal Mother and more if you check them out and then simply follow the yellow brick road. It seems some smart lady blogger condensed the old version a bit, or I probably would have passed  on this. Let's face it, answering 45 questions about myself for free and not in relation to health care is CRAAAZY talk in my busy world. Heck, even in relation to health care it's crazy talk.

So anyway, if I ever write a book like every other mom blogger in the world is doing, here's my personal bio for the last page where you read all that stuff about the author!

1. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Pittsburgh, PA. About 10 minutes south of the city. And yes, like every other person from the Burgh I was born and bred a Steeler fan, which is a birthright passed down maternally. My Philly bred, Eagles fan husband has no say. See ...

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER SOMEONE?
I was. Or so the story goes....After my dad got kicked out of the delivery room for threatening the doctor because my mom had been in labor FOREVER, he left and was watching Charlie's Angels. My mom was convinced I was a boy. Even after finally having a c-section and coming around she said I wasn't her baby because she had a boy! I was supposed to be Justin Mathew. Anyway, my dad came up with Jaclyn after Jaclyn Smith. Marie is after my mom's late Aunt Marilyn. (It's a Jewish  tradition to name your children after those who have died...like in many other cultures)

And so it was... Justin Mathew turned out to be Jaclyn Marie!

3. IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN, HOW MANY DO YOU HAVE?
I have 2 beautiful PITA's. PITA #1 is my 3 year old daughter and #2, my son, will be 2 in a few days! I'm not ready for my baby to not be a baby anymore! I also had two for sure miscarriages and another very early one, though the doctor thought it was a false pregnancy, I know my body well enough, I was pregnant, even if just for a couple weeks.

4. HOW MANY PETS DO YOU HAVE?
One dog who is king PITA of the house! Well, aside from the husband of course. I have a boxer who will be 9 in May. He's had issues since I got him as an adorable pup. He's on Prozac. Yes, Prozac. It helps. He's nuts, but he's my nut

And, since starting this post I received word that we were approved to adopt this sweet girl, Nellie!

Should have her in about 10 days. I'm very nervous to make the leap to two doggy's but I figure it's a better move than a 3rd baby!






5. YOUR WORST INJURY?
I don't get hurt. Really. No broken bones or stitches...ever. (knock on wood, right ?!) I would get sprains as a kid and act like I broke my ankle! If I skinned my knee I wouldn't bend it to walk for weeks! Seriously. Having a baby puts pain in a whole new perspective. But injury, nothing to note.

6. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Nope, not really. Nothing like this anyway!

 

I am good at things like yoga. Sometimes I can surprise myself with my creativity or thinking outside the box, like making a homemade kite out of paper and pom poms because we were out of string and the kids up and decided they wanted to go fly kites... and it was raining. Things like that. But I am in NO WAY talented in the artsy arena. So again, nothing special to note in the talent department. I feel boring.

 

7. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE THING TO BAKE?

Probably muffins. I like muffins. Homemade of course. That's not sarcasm. I have issues with premade cake and muffin mixes. Mainly because I use whole wheat flour, honey and applesauce instead of sugar and oils when I bake. 

 

8. FAVORITE FAST FOOD?
I loathe fast food. I work extra hard to eat healthy. As healthy as I can anyway. I'm not perfect by any means. I eat fast food if it's the most convenient, like when on the road, but I don't like it and feel crappy after. I also grew up on fast food so I have some fast food issues!

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
I used to want to. Not so much anymore. I have more of a fear of heights than I thought I did.

10. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Their aura. It's the yogi in me, what can I say? I have this feeling when I meet fake people. I get an uneasy feeling and well, I just don't enjoy being in their energy space. I notice if people make eye contact too. Mainly because I've been doing a rather crappy job at the whole eye contact thing since having kids. I tend to keep my eyes on them at all times and forget I'm talking to someone and should probably look at them from time to time. Reasonable enough. But since I got so used to that, I realized I do it even when my kids aren't with me!

11. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
I cut an onion today and the tears were pouring out!
Seriously, I have a hard time crying. College peeps would LOL if they read that but for many years now, it's true. An honest to God good cry, it's been a long time. Can't recall even. I cried at my Pap's bedside and after he passed and a couple times after thinking of him. I tear up about once a month but no real tears. TO be honest, it sort of sucks. A good cry is good for the soul.

12. ANY CURRENT WORRIES?
Um, I'm a mom. Nuff said.

13. NAME 3 DRINKS THAT YOU DRINK REGULARLY?
Water, Coffee, Wine. In that order.
Though I don't drink nearly enough water and it's always a goal of mine. Yes, I stress over my lack of water consumption. And when I say coffee, I tend to go for for the latte sort, so I guess technically I drink more milk than wine.

14. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE BOOK?

Team Edward!

When I find a good book, or I should say a book I like, I can't put it down. I tend to procrastinate starting a book for many reasons and excuses. I've been in a book rut lately, with MANY on my to-read list. That said, I like easy reads. I LOVE the Harry Potter series and Twilight, Hunger Games and Girl trilogies. I mean LOVE in that I get completely obsessed with them. I ignore my kids, housework, everything... even have the book in front of me while I cook, eat and use the potty. I would put them down to shower and drive, though considered getting them on CD for those purposes.

Recently I loved reading How Yoga Works during my teacher training. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Enjoyed a number of the classics like The Catcher in the Rye and also have yet to read many of them too, like Withering Heights. No, I've never read it. Nope, not lying.

15. WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE A PIRATE?
Not really. I'm not into stealing. Though Izzy and Jake are pretty cool. They are the good pirates. And seriously, what girl wouldn't love to be stuck on a ship with Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. Certainly not this one! But other than that, nope, a pirate's life is not for me. (Yes, I sang that in my head)

16. FAVORITE SMELLS?

Buy from me!

Young Living Peace and Calming oil.

Yes, the picture is a shameless plug for you to buy some oils from me! Message me if interested :)




Love lilac! Would love a lilac bush around the house somewhere.
Old school cologne, like Dakar and Polo. Reminds me of high school crushes and my husband in college. I'm sure people still wear these, I'm sure we have Polo around the house somewhere, but it's more the nostalgia.

17. WHY DO YOU BLOG?
To keep my self talk from driving me completely insane and to connect with others who are going through similar experiences. I do this for both support and to hopefully help others through being honest about how I am dealing with this thing called life. Before being a mommy I was a therapist (mental health), so it's in my blood to want to help if I can. I also love how we are all connected in some way and blogging often reminds me of that!

18. WHAT SONG DO YOU WANT PLAYED AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Hmmm. I'll have to come back to this one.

Okay, I thought about it last night and the first thing that came to me was Bob Marley. Anyone who really knows me knows he is my all time fave, though I rarely listen to Bob anymore...or anything other than a top 40ish radio station and kid toons. Recently while working on a playlist for a tot yoga class I was subbing for I realized how much I miss Bob and music in general. I need to put this new iPod to good use and start soothing my soul with some good tunes! So, I think I like this one for my funeral... that's if you do music at a Jewish funeral. I don't think you do for some reason. (click "this one" in case you didn't realize that, to hear my funeral song)

19. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
Just one? Not possible.
My anger
My difficulty with letting things go
Right now it's all the pains my body is experiencing for an unidentifiable reason.
I really dislike my acne.Does anyone like acne? It makes me self conscious when it's bad. I prefer to feel confident. I feel silly since I'm 35, not 15. It just sucks.
Battling waves of depression. (the post I was working on before I was tagged to do this)

20. FAVORITE HOBBY?
I don't really have a hobby like stamp collecting or scrap booking. I have made one scrapbook though and it turned out pretty awesome for a first timer, but they are WORK! I'd have to say yoga was my hobby but now it's my career, hopefully. So, I'm not sure it can still be classified as my hobby.
Ooooh, I do have an all girl fantasy football league. I think that can be considered a hobby. If so, that's my favorite.

21. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A FRIEND?
Loyalty. You don't have to agree with me but even if we agree to disagree, you'd have my back if someone else had something bad to say! Period.

22. NAME SOMETHING YOU'VE DONE THAT YOU NEVER THOUGHT YOU'D DO?
Everything I do is with purpose, intent or I believe I was meant to do it... BUT I guess I could say paragliding in Switzerland. It was over a decade ago and I always knew I would travel, though I can't say I imagined it or planned on that at the time.
That's part of why I no longer have a desire to bungee jump, skydive or anything else that involves flying high in the sky. I thought I was going to puke the whole time. Though, it was a pretty view.

23. FAVORITE FUN THINGS TO DO?
Prekid or now?

Kid fun... watching the kids sing and dance. Anything that makes their little faces light up with excitement. Amusement and water parks. Cooking out with family, playing yard games. Prekid and now actually.

Prekid.... Penn State tailgating and games. NOTHING compares to the energy of Beaver Stadium. Nothing.









24. ANY PET PEEVES?
Many. Shall I list them all?
Ignorance is #1. There's no excuse for it. There are endless avenues to learn whatever your heart desires. Or at least whatever you feel a need to comment on. Know about it first!
Wasting food, wasting anything.
When counters are left wet... or sinks and I lean in it.
Tailgating, that's more a road rage thing than a pet peeve. It's so unsafe people, geesh!
When my husband makes a comment but I know he wants to say something else.
Oh, I could write a whole post of pet peeves. I'll stop here.

25. WHAT'S THE LAST THING THAT MADE YOU LAUGH?
My kids. Everyday. Many times each day. I could share a few videos but if you read this long, well, I'm impressed and I won't force you to watch my short home video clips!

Stupid Facebook posts tend to make me chuckle quite often too. Actually, since it took me 3 days to do this post, this is what made me giggle last night. Not sure why, but it did.

And that's all she wrote folks! Geesh, I should have stuck with my more serious one! This took FOREVER.

Most of the bloggers I thought of tagging were already tagged. The rest...I don't know well enough or have won all sorts of awards and really know what they are doing with this blogging thing so I feel silly.....
Here's a couple I like who I follow on Facebook but I don't know them all that well. I've been bad at keeping up with anyone's blogs lately. Time, time, time... there's never enough of it! So, maybe they'll play along, maybe not. You should check them out either way. I think you'll like them!

Modern Mama Dramas
Mommy Unmuted
SooperDad Blog of Awesomeness (I love dad blogs!)

My followers can feel free to comment by answering their favorite question too! If you so desire.

Namaste and Good Night!! I'm so happy to be done with this post!

The Elephant in the Room

I'm not a fan of talking about sex. My mom never talked to me about it and it makes me uncomfortable to discuss... with anyone. Thinking about what to say to my kids and how and when gives me anxiety and they are only 2 and 3! So when it comes to child sexual abuse I just cringe, like most parents do and most human beings for that matter. The idea of such a thing is so heinous, so unfathomable, so difficult to understand. Thinking about how to best protect my kids and how to best make sure they know that no matter what they can talk to me about anything sexual, even this horrific topic which I pray they never have to come to me about, left me at somewhat of a loss.

Thanks to Jim Clemente, a survivor of child sex abuse himself, an FBI profiler and expert in the field of child sex crimes, I feel more prepared and even a bit more comfortable with what I need to talk to my kids about. I don't want all things sex related to be some elephant in the room with them, especially when they start to understand what sexual behavior is. I feel I have the tools necessary to keep that elephant out.

I wish I didn't need these tools to begin with. These still aren't conversations I want to have or even want to think about! I also don't want to look at every teacher, coach, babysitter and even family members my children are in contact with as people who could be remotely capable of something like child sex abuse. But as a parent, I'd be remiss in my duty to protect them if I didn't at least consider it a possibility; if I didn't at the very least think twice should an action of anyone who is in contact with them put up a red or even a yellow flag.

As someone in the counseling field who has worked with kids who were survivors of sexual abuse, and other abuse, and as a Penn Stater, this is a topic that has been on my mind nearly every day for over a year now. As is the case with nearly every Penn Stater and even Pennsylvanian I've encountered. You see, I'm in this unique position because I "get it". I get how Sandusky fooled our entire little world in Happy Valley; how he fooled law enforcement and child service workers and thousands of people across the state; how he fooled an entire nation. My education taught me how people like him work. Yet, as a parent, and one of the people who fell for it, I had a knee jerk reaction that it's just not possible. It can't be! Someone must have known. His wife, kids, closest friends, the psychologists he worked for at the Second Mile, someone must have seen through his pillar of the community, nice guy, moral, church going, saviour of at risk kids persona that radiated from him. Even though I understood that this is exactly how these type of offenders work and that persona is precisely how they get away with it for so long, it's still difficult to accept sometimes.

It's a bit like my my challenges with living with an alcoholic. I "get it". I get the things he says and does and that the lying and manipulation have nothing to do with me or how he feels about me, but in the moment, it's nearly impossible to separate out those facts from my emotions. Just because someone feels a certain way, it doesn't mean it's correct in regards to years of research and facts collected by experts. Experts in the field of addiction taught me this through my studies, but living it day in and day out is totally different! But, to me, if we can't listen to and learn from experts in their respective fields then we really can't progress as a society.

Had we not listened to experts regarding child physical abuse and it's effects, we would still live in a society where blatant abuse was permitted not only in the home but in public as well. I think people forget that it was only a couple generations ago that what we call abuse now was fairly common place for disciplining our kids. I'm not talking about spankings, which despite common belief is still legal with specific stipulations, but outright abuse; whipping, punching, kicking, etc... If we didn't progress as a society things like date rape and spousal rape would not be considered a crime. We have a long way to go in the area of rape and sexuual assaults against women and their punishments, but look how far we've come because people were willing to talk about it and to become educated on the topic.

No one wants to talk about child sex abuse though. It's simply too painful for our brains to process. It's too difficult.

But it NEEDS to be discussed... in every home, in every school.... in the scouts, in places of worship, at local YMCA's, summer and sports camps, youth centers, daycares.... anywhere a child is, it MUST be a topic we are all knowledgeable and have open dialogue about. It just must.

We talk to ur children about stranger danger and monster predators often but we don't talk about the Sandusky's of the world. The experts say, there are FAR MORE of these type of offenders than the ones we warn our children about. Now that... that is scary as hell to me.

As a parent, as a trained counselor, as someone who has seen the effects of child abuse first hand from previous clients I've worked with, as someone who has spent my entire adult life working to protect the welfare of children in various ways, I'm writing this post because I have been in a state of dismay over the number of people unwilling to listen to two renowned experts in this field, former FBI profiler Jim Clemente and Dr. Fred S. Berlin of Johns Hopkins University. They have refused to hear them out simply because they don't like what they have to say.

Say what the what?!?! This is jaw dropping; truly unfathomable to me. The idea that people would turn a blind eye to the facts about how to protect our children from such heinous crimes is just, wow, WOW! The foremost expert in our country says your reaction does more harm than good. Those are some powerful words I take very seriously. I feel confident in saying that the people unwilling to educate themselves and their children on this topic are more dangerous than the actual offenders. That's not a slight to anyone who has refused the facts these men discuss but quite frankly, men like Sandusky are all around us and they will offend no matter how much we educate them that sexually abusing children is not okay. That's a fact. The only way to prevent these crimes is for those US to educate ourselves and to appropriately warn our children. So, anyone unwilling to do this does in fact put all of our children at risk.

I've heard that my plea for everyone to hear these experts out is self serving. Well, in that regard, I guess it is. I want to make sure anyone and everyone who ever comes in contact with my children and your children too, know how to protect them from acquaintance offenders; nice guy offenders. I do not give a rats ass what you think about Joe Paterno. I do not care for one minute what you think about my alma mater and our "culture" at Penn State. I know who I am, I know what Penn State stands for and what we've always stood for. I know the lessons I have learned from being a part of that community; lessons I will take with me throughout my life; lessons I will share with my kids. And I kow who was at the heart of instilling these values into the soul of that town. What others think regarding this is absolutely irrelevant to me and will not change these facts. I'm brutally honest, to a fault at times. So take it or leave it but that's the truth. Period.

What I am passionate about, what I am adamant about, is how we can learn from this whole situation... and how I can be a part of that education process; how I can help. If you read my blog, you know by now that I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is a reason for everything. EVERYTHING. Even the most horrific things life throws at us. Even Sandusky's crimes and the crimes of thousands of others just like him, many whom still roam our streets and work with our children right now! Yes, I said right now. Right now your child's teacher or coach, religious leader, babysitter, uncle or grandparent... whoever, may be putting up red flags you've missed because you don't know what to look for and you trust them!

I'm not saying don't trust these people or assume they are like Sandusky. I'm a trusting person. I believe in the good in everyone until they prove themselves unworthy of my trust. But I also know what to be weary of now too. It's just one more tool for my parenting toolbox. We all know we can never have enough to fill that box with when it comes to keeping our kids safe!

If I could go door to door to ensure every person I know watches this video, I would.

 

If I could send this report to every person who has anything to do with children, which is most people in this world, I would. (click to "this repot" to read the 97 page report in full) I would do it in a heartbeat! This one is incredibly informative as well, and only 45 pages.

There are many things we can't save our children from in this world. There's so much to fear for them, so much that can strip away their innocence far too early. There is so much that can harm them which is out of our control. I truly believe this doesn't have to be one of those things.

It really doesn't. All we need to do is learn. To have open discussions. To warn our children that even people they trust can harm them but that it's okay to tell you about it. If you're a teacher, educate your students that even parents can do things that are not okay, but it is okay to tell them about it. To stop an offense in the grooming stage stops the abuse! To me, learning about this topic and fully understanding what it all means is not asking all that much if it means a child never has to be called a survivor of sexual abuse again. It's really not asking much as all, don't you think?

I urge everyone to get over their preconceived notions that people must be covering and helping people like Sandusky in order for them to get away with it. I beg everyone to become educated and not be a part of the problem. Please help me be a part of the solution.

What kind of society are we if we can't at the very least do that?


UPDATE!! 2/13/13 6:22pm

Jim Clemente responded to my question about a non-Penn State/Paterno related analysis of his on this topic. He actually recommened the work of his mentor, Kenneth Lanning, should you fnd yourself unable to get past his analysis that exonerates Paterno of any wrong doing.

If you google, "Child Molesters: A Behavioral Analysis 77 (5th ed. 2010)", a PDF file is available for you to open. It's over 200 pages but I'd imagine very thorough if you're serious about educating yourself on this topic.

You can also check out http://missingkids.com

Our Daily Comedy Show

We are in that stage where our home has turned into a stand up comedy club. It's a new act daily, courtesy of our 3&1/2 year old daughter. I thought I'd share some of her latest routines with you all from this past week or so. So, without further adieu... in no particular order.... but we'll start with an all time favorite....


"Look at this big, nasty boogie!"



After breakfast Rylie came running over to get wiped off and stopped dead in her tracks as she excitedly pointed at the Keurig
"It's peeing, Mommy, it's peeing!"
When I finished laughing, because she obviously kept saying it once she saw it was entertaining me, I told her it wasn't peeing, it was brewing coffee.
Rylie: Look! It's brewing coffee!!
Mommy: I know honey, I hit the brew button.
Rylie: Oh, good idea, Mommy!
Yes, yes, it is. Coffee is always a good idea.



"Caleb, look at my butt, I hurt it, here look".
I called in to them as I got up to go check out the situation...
 "It's okay, Ry, he doesn't need to look at your butt".
I entered the room...
"Keep your panties on, you don't just pull your panties down and show people your butt".
Oh, the things you never think you'll say... and then you become a mom!

Rylie: But I hurt it on the trampoline, Mommy. He needs to look at my boo boo.
Fair enough. I asked if it was okay and she said yes so I gave her little tush a rub and they continued with their jumping on the trampoline.
Next thing I know they are in the play room and I hear...
"Caleb, check out my butt."
I go in and there she is on her back, legs in the air, panties down and the boy is looking at her girl parts with an expression on his face that says, what the heck?!
Mommy: Rylie! Pull your panties up, you don't show people down there.
Hey, maybe he'll deliver babies someday, but Oh. My. Gosh. Seriously?



Caleb throws all the puzzles.
Rylie: Oh, geez Louise, silly, crazy boy. That's not very good.
Daddy: Who taught her that? She sounds like a 70 year old grandma.

Mommy yells upstairs, "Ry, what are you doing up there?"
Rylie: Cleaning my floor.
I go up. "Why are you cleaning your floor? What happened?"
She has a new toothbrush out and the hand towel from their bathroom, she's scrubbing the carpet with the toothbrush...
Rylie: Why is (aka: "because") I need to clean it.
I feel the carpet...
"Why's your carpet wet?"
Rylie: Why is ("because"), I'm cleaning it.
Me thinking... umm ok. So, do I keep the toothbrush? I mean, it's brand new!
Mommy: ok, well, let's go downstairs for snack.

I put the toothbrush and towel away.
When I got downstairs she's has the fridge door open and has stopped getting her milk to take her panties off...
Mommy: What are you doing?!
Rylie: My panties are wet.
Mommy: Did you pee them?
Rylie: Yeah.
Mommy: Well hurry up and get in the bathroom to finish.
Rylie runs to the bathroom and as I follow a light bulb goes off.
Mommy: Um, Ry, is that why your carpet was wet? Did you pee on it?
Rylie: Um, Yeah. That's not very good. But it doesn't matter.
Me thinking... WHAT?!  It doesn't matter? Now I really need to figure out of I'm going to save that toothbrush! crap.



"Oopsie, spaghettio"
I love the combo action she uses on this one!




Caleb is under my legs crying as I do the dishes.
Mommy: Rylie, what did you do to him?
Rylie: I pushed him.
Mommy: Is it okay to push our brother?
Rylie: No
Mommy: Then why do you keep doing it?
Rylie: Because it's fun.
Mommy: Go take a time out




Rylie sitting on the potty...
"Remember, poop stinks."
Yes, yes, thanks for the reminder, Ry.




Mommy: Rylie, did you pee yet?
Rylie: Not quite.

Mommy: Ready to eat lunch?
Rylie: Not quite. In a bit.

Daddy: Snuggle up. Are you all comfy?
Rylie: Not quite.

Mommy: Ready for bed?
Rylie: Not quite.

Mommy: Are you ready to get out of the shower?
Rylie: No, Not quite.

I think you are catching on to this act, yes? No idea where she picked up the "not quite" from.



Rylie enters a room....
"Hey, what's going on in here?!"



Mommy watching Rylie and Daddy have a "picnic" in the igloo I built them. Rylie just gave Daddy some food...
Daddy: What are you going to eat?
Rylie: I'm going to eat my boogies.
Daddy: Why are you going to eat boogies?
Rylie: Why is ("because") they are my favorite food.
Mommy hides face to laugh but can't stop!




Working on writing her name...
Mommy: Are you going to turn that P into an R?
Rylie: Yup...Ab-so-lutely.




Finishing up lunch....
"First I'll finish my smoothie, then we'll go look at the fishes. Sound like a plan, Daddy? Ok."




In bed...
"Mommy...Mommy!"
I go up. "Yes, Ry?"
She says something I can't understand.
"What did you say"
Rylie: Remember, (singing) Look a little closer and find out what you want to know.
Mommy: (laughing) But I asked you what I want to know.
Rylie: singing Daniel Tiger again... "Look a little closer and find out what you want to know"
Mommy: (still laughing) Ok, I will, go to sleep.

A few minutes later.... repeat above

A few minutes later.... repeat again.
Mommy isn't laughing anymore. I took Philosophy 101 over 15 years ago and I'm not in the mood.




Mommy: Good Morning Rylie
Rylie: Good morning birdie, birdie Mommy.




Rylie: I'm Pluto
Daddy: Oh, well what does Pluto eat for dinner?
Rylie: Pluto eats fruits and vegetables.
Daddy: Fruits and vegetables?! (I'm sure thinking, ooh, maybe we have a shot with this tonight)
Rylie: That's right Pluto Daddy.
This turns into Pluto Dad becoming Dr. Dad and then a game of fetch, with a stethoscope as her tail.




Puts on some dress up princess clothes.
"Look, Mom! I look beautiful!"




Rylie: Caleb, do you want to play with me?
Caleb: Yeah.
Rylie: Here, I'll make you hot cocoa.
Caleb: Yeah.
Rylie: Ok, I'm hungry. Go get me food, Caleb.
Caleb: Oh, Ok. (Runs to find her real food)
Rylie: Thank you, Caleb. Caleb, I need my milk.
Caleb: Oh, Ok. (Runs to get her milk from the fridge)
Rylie: Thank you, Caleb. Caleb, read me a book.
Rylie: Caleb, read me another book, no I want this one.
Caleb: Oh, Ok. Here you go.
And on and on an on.....

Rylie: Caleb, let's be butterflies. Here's your wings. I'll help you put them on.
Caleb: Yeah.


Her poor brother.

"Rylie, how about some peaches?"
Rylie: No way Jose!



"Rylie, are you ready for school?"
Rylie: After a while.



Mommy: It's not time to get up Ry. Go back to sleep.
Rylie: But it's a beautiful nice day out there. I want to play out outside in the snow.
(No, the out outside is not a typo)



Just 5 minutes ago...
Daddy asks me if the wings are hot.
Rylie: Wings?! For me? (she doesn't eat meat)
Daddy: Sure, you can try them.
Rylie: That's right. I can do anything!



Lessons I've learned from my 3 year old....

We watch too much PBS and Disney Go.
Her self esteem is not lacking.
We have a serious booger picking issue.
My 3 year old is in charge of, well, just about everything!

This may not be as funny written as it is in the moment. I figure if nothing else, it's a good way for me to remember all the nutty things she does!