Las Vegas Mama

Wow, I have really been slacking on the blog posts. But I have a reason for that, truly I do. In fact, I even dropped a hint of it in my last post, but NO ONE noticed! I think I am going to wait a while and see if anyone can come up with a good guess. Not that I blame you for missing the hint, it was subtle. In the meantime, since the last post and now, I will update you on what else has been going on. I have actually potty trained Violet, and that went so remarkably well that I really could not say anything sarcastic about it. Which is a shame, because you know how much I enjoy my sarcasm. And how sad I get when I cannot take aim and shoot it at people or things like little stinging bullets... pew! pew! pew! So the very first day Violet was at the potty like a champ. Inside of a week she was completely potty trained. I would like to brag about how fantastic I am, and about how I am the. best. mom. ever.  But the truth is that Violet was totally ready. Case in point, I notice...

I feel accomplished. Specifically, shopping has been accomplished at the As They Grow event, going on this weekend through Sunday. Do you want to see what I found? Of course you do, don't even pretend you don't care. This is just a small sampling of all the amazing finds. Beatrix Potter dress, $10. Cuuute!!! Stride Rite shoes, $2! (Ivy already scuffed them as you can see) Moses basket, $10!!!! Adorable 40's-style drop-waist dress, $4. April Cornell night gown, $7. Gymboree smocked summer dress, $5. Cap-sleeve summer dress, $2. I also got a play oven for $3 and a Snow White, Prince Charming and woodland animal set for $3 that I am too lazy to take pictures of. I should also tell you that Sunday has a 50% markdown on many items. The things that were already dirt cheaper are now even dirt cheaper.  If you have missed the event so far, do NOT miss this last day!

Guess what? I am going shopping. So what? SO, I am going shopping at the As They Grow event!! Ah, yes, that takes on new meaning, doesn't it? Did you brave the insanity last year? And by insanity I mean the AWESOMENESS. Insane = awesome, because it is a known equation that any time you combine extremely low prices with incredibly unique finds (that normally cost way too much money) then you have mom cat fights, skirmishes, and all-out brawls. That is the insane part. But the awesome part is that at the end of it all, everyone still manages to come away with treasures for their child's bedroom or wardrobe. And I am one of the lucky few to get to shop the Pre-Sale on Wednesday evening. Why? Because I am volunteering my time, my delectable writing skills, and blog coverage. I wrote the inside scoop on shopping and consigning with As They Grow for AOL City's Best, so read it and if you are not shopping the Pre-Sale, then weep. I'm kidding, please don't c...

I am resisting the power nap today... resisting.... resisting.... arrrrggghhhh!!!! It hurts!!!

I took a power nap today. Just FYI, power nap is short for Powerful Nap. Because mine was seriously powerful. I started feeling very sleepy around noon and figured it was Violet's naptime anyway, so I could just lie down with her for a few. I mentioned to Ivy how tired I was. In all her 4 year old wisdom, she said, "You go ahead and lie down wif Violet. I'll just stay up and play vewy quietly." She sounded so reasonable. Even though I knew she was just trying to avoid a nap of her own, I decided to go for it. I would nap with Violet while my 4 year old played unsupervised. Sounded like a responsible idea, at least in my exhausted mind. Besides, I would only be about 5 or 10 minutes and then I could get up and make her some lunch. I gratefully laid down with Violet, and as I immediately started drifting into blissful rest, it occurred to me that this was probably not a good idea. What if Ivy wrapped something around her neck and suffocated? What if she tried to eat...

The follow up to my article on play dates for $5 or less is family activities for $10 or less, which you can read here at AOL City's Best. Did I forget anything? Leave me a comment and let me know if you have some good suggestions!

I have been asking myself this question because of her propensity for inflicting pain - you can get the details here . Truth be told, I have been getting some results lately in trying to get her to stop the madness. I was at my wits end. I applied time outs faithfully, but it didn't seem to be doing much for averting the behavior. I had a talk with my very wise mom, and she advised me not to react emotionally to Violet's violence. She told me, in her infinite wisdom, to be extremely calm. I had been reacting emotionally and getting angry. Not because I was angry, but because I thought it would make more of an impact if she saw my disapproval very clearly. Apparently not the way to go. So I started applying time outs as recommended: very even-toned, matter-of-fact, and other words that have dashes in them. And LO! it has been working brilliantly. This, however, is not how I found out the truth about whether Violet is a sociopath. Even sociopaths can change their behavior i...

My darling little daughter, Violet, has always been rather... well, violent, to be honest. Which is ironic, because when she was born, both of my parents objected to the name because it sounded way too close to the word violent (in English and in Spanish). Sure enough, from the time she had control over her arms, she was violent. She would do something I called a "face tear". From her cozy little spot in my Sleepy Wrap sling she would reach out an arm and making a claw hand she would use her tiny, sharp little baby nails to scratch my face when I least expected it. She would seem to be snoozing peacefully, begin to stir, and out came the Claw of Death. FACE TEAR! She would be done nursing, I would sit her up to burp her, and FACE TEAR! I would nuzzle her soft, fragrant little face in the mornings, pull back a little to gaze lovingly upon her, and BAM. FACE TEAR! I'm not going to lie, I bled. And it hurt - mostly in my tender little mommy heart, that my own chil...