It's For Me...Not You.

I read the best blogging advice a few days ago:

Writing a blog should be for yourself not for others.

You might have noticed, or maybe not, that I haven't written a post in several days, er...weeks. I love writing this blog because I love to write. But I got totally hung up on the idea that I need to provide information for my followers. Like I have some great wisdom that must be shared with the masses.

But I don't. I'm just me. A mom who is desperately trying to balance staying healthy, my marriage, and raising our child.

Is this a "mom blog?" Or a cancer blog? I don't know. Maybe a little of both. It's not exactly what I want it to be...yet. And that's because I'm not really sure what it's supposed to be.

So, for now, it's for me. It's my diary for all to read. Enjoy.

Toddler Intervention: Giving Mommy the Middle Finger

Wow. Where does she learn this stuff? I'm convinced toddlers share secrets on how to work their parents over. Lately, I've felt like Miss Thang is constantly flipping me off and I can't help but laugh - most days. But other days, I just don't know what to do.

For her birthday she got a really cool little car that has an ignition, shifter, and pedals. It makes noise like a real engine and she'll sit there for some time steering the driver's wheel but when she's done - she's done. And she leaves the engine running. The constant purr of the engine is well...annoying. After turning it off for the millionth time, I demanded she turn it off instead before she moved onto something else. One night it was running and I say, cheerfully, "turn your car off."

Miss Thang: "No. Mommy do it."

Me: "Please, turn your car off."

Miss Thang: "No. Mommy turn it off."

Hubby: "Mommy said 'turn your car off'."

Miss Thang: "No!"

Right after she says no, the automatic turn off cuts the engine noise.

Miss Thang (looking right at me and smugly says): "Car off."

My husband doubled over in laughter. Miss Thang, one. Mommy, zero.

"Get Your Motor Running"

I'm at a total loss on how to deal with these kinds of situations. We've just started implementing time-outs. Only a few times has she had a total meltdown at my demand for a time-out on the naughty-step. Yesterday, I threatened her with one and she said "okay."

Really?