The Art of List Making

I love my little girl. Her laugh, her chubby thighs, the way she says, Mama, all literally brighten my day. However, Lucia is not for the faint-hearted. In fact, as she has entered her toddler years, I have often wondered if I unknowingly enlisted in Parenting Boot Camp for Dummies.

My little love has got needs and she lets you know about them…loudly. Most of her wants revolve around the basics: eating, sleeping, and playing. If any one of these three elements is removed from her daily routine, then look out. I have especially come to appreciate that sleep is fundamental to her daily happiness.

Putting Lucia down for a nap is fairly straightforward. She is usually very good about simply lying down and going to sleep. The trick lies in ensuring that I have remembered each and every element necessary to create her “sleep environment.”

This list of requirements is no laughing matter. Forget even one element, and you will undoubtedly find me running around my house like a crazed woman, counting things off on my fingers.


First off, it is of critical importance that all members of her posse be present and accounted for, including: Heffy, Bear, Baby, Puppy, and Elmo. After much debate with my husband last night, I finally realized around 10:00 p.m. that Lucia's new My Little Pony Unicorn had been added to the group. The pony is "priddy", so I probably should have seen that one coming.

Next are the multiple blankets. These accompany my daughter both to bed and most everywhere we go.

Other necessities include, but are not limited to a:

Pillow
Nightlight
White noise machine
Ensuring that the light in the aquarium is turned off
Closing all of the shades to ensure a night-time like sleeping experience
Warm milk
Her brother's nightlight

Like I said, she's not for the beginner parent or babysitter...

...but, my little girl can make it all worth it in an instant.

As for me, especially as I've gotten older, I require very little to fall asleep. Give me one or two minutes in front of the TV, and I am out like a light.

It's a gift.

-Francesca

Chick Chat

Some of my favorite people on the Internet are in their 20s. It is not really hard to understand why. They often make me laugh with their over-the-top, F-yeah! posts focused on love, friendship, and working for the man.

For this week's Chick Chat, we are taking a trip around the blogosphere to visit a few of these 20-something bloggers. What do they want to be when they grow up? How connected are they? What do they look forward to during the next several years and what scares the crap out of them? Ben from No Ordinary Rollercoaster, Cheryl from Confessions of a Twenty Something Year Old, Severina from The Lifestyles of Sevi, Jessica from The Everyday Adventues of Me in the City, and Lilu from Liv it, Luv It will tell us.

In preparation for this post, I sat down with Giancarlo and recorded a segment too. I figured he is going to experience life as a 20-something a lot sooner than I will again.


-Francesca

Boot Camp

At the start of each month at my son’s preschool, the staff sends home a short newsletter regarding events in his classroom. Usual highlights include upcoming events and reminders to label your children’s clothing. The honest truth is that I usually scan the updates on my way to the trash.

For the June newsletter, things were a bit different. There, on the front page of the communication from the school, was a summary of the potty-training status; a quick overview of the “super-stars” and those that are “almost there.” My son was in the latter group.

I must admit that I have been somewhat of a lackey when it comes to toilet training. Giancarlo’s “almost there” ranking is more my doing than his. However, is it worth pushing the training camp on a kid who is not really ready? Everyone I know has a bit of advice for me.

The staff at the preschool we attend usually likes to take advantage of the drop-off or pick-up time to discuss potty training with me. I receive insight on how toddlers should “listen to their bodies” and what clothes Giancarlo should be wearing. It is one of the highpoints of my day. There is really nothing like having to repeat the word urination with a straight face while trying to prevent two toddlers from running out the door.

As many of you know, Thuy is my oracle. Some people use Google to find answers; I just pick up the phone and call my friend. She points me in the right direction. For toilet training, Thuy of course had a strategy...something about filling your kid up with an obscene amount of liquid for 24 hours and having them sit on the toilet for most of the day. She swears it will work. Now if only she could find an open spot in her calendar to come over and make it happen.

My cousin is a die-hard believer in what I like to call “adventure potty training.” This is a complicated hybrid of techniques that involves many different elements. I am not quite sure if I am ready to step into her world yet. She prides herself on teaching her boys to "sink the battleship" using Cheerios in the toilet bowl. Another popular method is to have the boys stand above the bowl and make the "blue" toilet water turn green.

My grandmother has probably been the most fanatic. It undoubtedly has something to do with the fact that she thinks of her age as a badge of honor. When Giancarlo turned one, she gave us a check. We were supposed to buy a wooden toilet training seat, like the kind that she used when her kids were young. Shockingly, her local Wal-Mart did not carry this item, even after her repeated conversations with the store manager. My son is now three and a half and my grandmother still asks me about the seat. Have I found it yet? What is my plan?

Today, I took a bit of time to finally follow up. Here are a few options I’ll probably send her way…



I think I like option # 3 the best.

-Francesca

Trailer Trash

You all know how I love my weekly dose of trashy US Weekly, but after four weeks straight of reading about Jon and Kate of the show Jon and Kate Plus Eight, I'm ready for other salacious scandals of actual celebrities. Really, how many times can I read about Jon and Kate's fledgling marriage and that Kate is a tart-tongued abrasive controlling diva?!

In my thorough literature research of Kate via US Weekly and OK! Magazine, it seems the magazines always point out the fact that she grew up in a trailer park. I am a bit sensitive to the magazine's citation of Kate's trailer park upbringing as if it explains why she's such fame seeking money monger.

Truth is, I actually lived in a trailer park in Dodge City, Kansas, for a year while growing up. It is a fact that even my husband didn't know. My family and I arrived in the US when I was eight without anything and we moved around quite a bit as my guardians couldn't find employment easily without knowing much English. We lived in the trailer park for a year before we got "the hell out of Dodge" and moved back to Dallas, Texas, where I spent my pre-teen years.

Like, Kate, I too had a mullet; albeit mine was when I was ten and Kate still has hers, even if it is a reverse mullet. I was tempted to post a picture of my mullet haircut, but fear that I would lose all crediblity. Really, next time you see my name in a post, you'll be thinking, "Oh, it's the girl with the Neck Beard/The Tennessee Top Hat/ The Kentucky Waterfall/ and The Camaro Crash Helmet [insert any sort of nicknames you may have]."

Kate is no class-act, but no matter how much "success" we achieve, can Kate and I ever be free from the trailer trash stigma? You can take the girl out of trailer park, but can you really take the trailer park out of the girl?! I would like to think so, but maybe I'm naive?!

-Thuy

Just Another Pretty Face

As I sat without an iPhone, laptop, or TV to pass the time while my kids played quietly at the doctor’s office, I decided to pick up a copy the New York Times laying nearby. I passed upon the hard-hitting news about the economic downturn, the Obama administration, and the housing market, and much to my delight, found the Style section.

High fashion amazes me. It is a world unto itself that I have little to no exposure to beyond what I see on the magazine covers at the grocery store. My world is a far cry from haute couture, unless you count my rockin’ necklace made out of noodles from my son. That piece is hand painted and truly one of a kind.

The article that I read, entitled, “Smile and Say ‘No Photoshop’,“ highlighted how fashion magazines have gone too far in manipulating digital photography. In the quest to “make celebrities and models look thinner, taller, unblemished, with brighter eyes and whiter teeth,” something has been lost. Even stars that are widely considered to be “flawless” are subject to improvements when they appear in magazines…

Reese Witherspoon has long been a favorite celebrity of mine. In my opinion, she is lovely. I’m convinced that if we ever met in real life, we’d be the best of friends, gabbing about our kids, shopping, and places we’ve traveled to. I pride myself at being able to spot her picture from 50 paces at the end of any grocery aisle. That being said, I had no idea who the woman on the cover of a recent Elle magazine was when I saw it last month (pictured on the right). That couldn’t possibly be my girlfriend Reese.

Luckily, I am fairly certain that someone at French Vogue reads our blog. Due to the “keepin’ it real” approach to writing and photography regularly practiced on Three Bay B Chicks, a movement has begun to highlight women without makeup or retouching. French Vogue illustrated this point in a series of eight magazine covers which depicted European celebrities, un-retouched and wearing no makeup:


In light of our belief in unadulterated photography that we share with French Vogue, I have put together a series of pictures for our readers today. I call these, “A Day in Our Life.”

My son, a budding 3-year old photographer, captured these images. Enjoy their raw, natural beauty.






To check out other Wordful Wednesday posts, be sure to click over to Angie’s Seven Clown Circus. Her weekly carnival never disappoints.

Angie is also a member of the Out on a Limb Advertising Network. Three Bay B Chicks, Seven Clown Circus, Mama’s Losin’ It, and Better in Bulk have all joined forces to see if four blogs are really better than one when it comes to advertising. We hope so. If nothing else, we’ll all be together for one fun-filled weekend in October in Las Vegas for SITScation. You should be plan to be there too.

What could be better than meeting your bloggy friends amidst fabulous food, delicious drinks, and bright lights?

-Francesca

Love Letters

My Darling Husband,

Over the weekend, I read an article on HubPages.com. It said that I can show you how much I care by writing you a love letter. Not one to let a golden opportunity like this pass me by, I thought it best to follow the suggestion.

Step 1: Open the letter with love

Check. Note the use of the word “darling” above.

Step 2: Tell him the reasons he’s so wonderful

Let’s be honest. I probably do not give you enough credit for everything you do. One thing I’ve been working on lately is to remind myself how much I appreciate you and why you mean the world to me.

I also want to pass along a sincere thank you for the advice you give me on most matters in my life. You continually strive to steer me in the right direction. I love you for that.

However, might I return the favor, with love?

Self empowerment can be tremendously inspiring. I whole-heartedly encourage you to experience its greatness firsthand. If you are asking yourself, “how do I do this,” I might be able to help. One idea is to become a bit of a lighter sleeper, now that we have kids. This would enable you to hear them when they cry at night and get out of bed to see how you can help.

If you want to talk with me more about “empowerment” sometime, know that I have tons of other super-fun ideas.

Step 3: Close with passion

(I’m not sure how to do this, so I am going to skip this step.)

Your Adoring Wife


In coming up with this post, I thought it could be vastly improved if Geoff wrote a response. He declined. However, we agreed that I could write a letter for him…


Dear Adoring Wife,

Who are you and what have you done with the woman I live with? You have never used the word “darling” in reference to me in your entire life.

Three words for you: Suck it up. Your life is not that hard.

Love,

Your Darling Husband

PS: Ask yourself how much time you spend on the computer and then repeat my magical three words that I mentioned above. I love you.

Forget Wenda, Where's Heffy?

I think most of us had a "lovey" when we were kids. I certainly was no different. In my case, I fell in love with a number of different bears right from the start.

My own children also have a lovey. He is a character from Disney's Winnie the Pooh adventures, and, if I must admit, a fun guy. In our house, he goes by the name Heffy and comes in the form of a big, squishy, purple elephant.

Heffy was a newborn gift to Giancarlo, but since Lucia turned about one, "Hef" has taken on an entirely new identity and importance. He is everywhere I go, and when I can't find him, I am instructed to go looking.

Lucky for me, Heffy has a few consistent hang-outs...

I'll find him in my bed or Giancarlo's.

He could be hanging out with his posse, aka "Puppy" and "Baby."


He joins us for dinner,

or dines alone, when the feeling strikes.

He's even got himself some wheels.


The truth is, wherever we go, Heffy is never far behind.

-Francesca

Photography Genius

When Thuy, Kacey, and I all became pregnant around the same time, we were giddy over the fact that our kids would grow up together and that the three of us would be able to lean on one another for advice and support as Moms. We also talked of the day when we would line up our children side by side and accomplish nothing short of Anne Geddes-like photography genius.

Honestly, how hard could something like this be? The babies in Anne's photos are always so charming and peaceful:

When Lucia was about three months old, we gave this photo our first attempt.

Although Lucia was cooperative and slept through the entire event, we couldn't quite get M to sit up straight.

When we asked Giancarlo to join the mix, he was less than thrilled and it was Emi who couldn't find her center of gravity.

Yesterday, the three of us brought our kids together again to give this photo another try. Now that the kids are older, surely it must be our time.

Take a second look at how happy and utterly darling the children in Anne's photos are.

Now, check out our kids. Think of these as the best of the best from our photo session. Also, for your added enjoyment, I suggest you try to find the child in each picture who is inhibiting our photography greatness.

I think we may have caught M mid-blink.

I obviously do not feed my children enough as Lucia is attempting to eat her snack's wrapper.

While taking these photos, the three of us, along with our husbands, were standing in a line on the other side of the room, jumping up and down, clapping, smiling, anything we could to get our kids to smile. Sadly, I think we ended up scaring Giancarlo.

Emi's turn to blink.

Anne, if you are reading this, please help. What's your secret to perpetual cuteness on film?

-Francesca

All the Single Ladies

Although I am older than my sister, Gianna, by nine years, we are very close and incredibly similar. I like to think that it is because I am super cool and hip, but know in reality that this is probably not the case.

Our relationship has only grown stronger since I had kids. Gianna is always willing to lend a helping hand and babysit, listen to my rants, and point me in the right direction.

And, oh my, does she ever make me laugh.

Last week, my sister came over to watch the kids while I ran out to school for a short while. Upon my return home, I discovered that she had attempted to prepare my three-year old son for his Valentine’s Day party at his pre-school by teaching him the chorus lines to Beyonce’s, “Single Ladies” and Naughty By Nature's, "Hip Hop Hooray".

Tragically, Giancarlo was only able to remember parts of what he learned.

What started out as "Ho...Hey...Ho" and "All the single ladies" was ultimately translated to "Hey, single wady ho's."

Awesome! Thanks, Gianna.


Somehow I do not think this is going to further our quest for a playdate pal.

-Francesca