Y Loves ... Living in a Sandy House

I'd love to share something that Y is loving. I know as a mom I'm always looking for new ideas for him. This summer has been a little rough with the weather we've been having. We've had an unprecedented amount of rainy days! Or maybe being cooped up with a 3-year-old just makes it seem like we've had more than usual? Either way, we've been inside a lot and with my work schedule we don't get a lot of time to go "do" a lot of things. That is one of my main frustrations about my schedule, but alas, that is a post for another day.

So, since we've been inside quite a bit, Y has been playing with his Sands Alive sandbox pretty much every day. My parents got this for him for Christmas and he has loved it from day one. One thing I will say is that although this sand is kinetic and tends to stick together, it does get a little messy. I vacuum the area about 2-3 times per week, depending on the level of play he has done that week. He still has enough sand in there to play with though and I know additional sand can be purchased for refilling.

If you aren't familiar with Sands Alive, it is a compound primarily made of sand and a food grade binding agent. It never dries out, is non-toxic, 100% safe if a kiddo tastes it, and the coolest part is that it molds into any shape. As in you can made a sand "snowball"! Or maybe the coolest part is that it is germ and bacteria resistant? As per the Sands Alive website, it is the only compound that has laboratory proof of no bacteria growing on the sand. That is pretty exciting for anyone with toddlers/preschoolers since we all know what little germ buckets they can be!

I am hopeful for more sun on my days off so that we can venture out to the zoo, playground, or splash park soon. I'd also love to take Y to the pool! I have so many fun summer ideas pinned to my pinterest board (go here to follow me!) that I hope I get to do at least 2 or 3 of them before Summer ends! Any great indoor ideas of 3-year-olds you'd like to share? Let me know in the comments below!

UPDATE: I know this post was drafted in Summer but I wanted to update to say how much we have enjoyed playing with this all year. This is something that Y goes back to again and again! I love that this inspires some creativity in him and we play all sorts of games he makes up - from making me "breakfast pancakes" to being a construction site! Overall one of the best toys we've bought so far! I know they sell a glow-in-the-dark version now. Perhaps Santa will bring him some?

How Social Media is Ruining Me

As if raising a child these days wasn't difficult enough, we get to do in the age of social media! Where everyone is waiting with baited breath to see what you have excelled or failed at with your kid(s) today. Did you take them to the world's best indoor park? Better post 100 pics on Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat! Did they all make hand crocheted hats for their new baby sister? Don't forget to pin that! Maybe you decided to show off their dancing skills by making  a YouTube video of them all singing the latest Bruno Mars hit! Maybe Ellen will bring you on her show. Wow. We are all looking for our 15 minutes and the competition is fierce!

Some days I get exhausted just reading the posts from my mommy friends. And then the guilt sets in. I didn't take my son to the zoo to see the new baby tiger/buy that new cool toy that he needs/take him to see the latest Disney-Pixar film. He'll surely remember this and be scarred for life! These are the moments where I curse the internet and all the negative feelings it sometimes brings.

Not only that, but think of all the time we spend on social media and how much that takes away from the interaction with our children. I know my son has asked me to leave my office to come play on more than one occasion. And you know what I was doing? Looking at Facebook! Que more guilt.

I realized while writing this that I accuse other people in my life of not paying enough attention to me because they are too wrapped up in their phones or tablets to hold a real conversation. This makes me feel like I don't matter to them, like what I have to tell them about what is going on in my life is miniscule in their world of playing the latest Bejewled game or keeping tabs on what so-and-so their virtual friend is doing right now. "But so-and-so always has the funniest updates!" I get it! I understand the need to escape reality for a little while and talk to people who you don't really know. So how about today we strive to find some balance? Let's make an effort give people actual face-to-face conversations, real quality time, every day.

Let's also remember that while it may be a reality for some to keep up with the latest and greatest (for themselves or their kids), we need to make the choices of what is important to us. You know what is best for you long term. You got this!

I'd love to know how you think social media is changing the way you live! Do you think it is better or worse than when you grew up? Do you think it is changing people as a whole? And if so, do you think we will ever be able to hold real conversations over dinner without pulling out our phones?

Is THIS a Mid-Life Crisis?

I've been thinking a lot lately. Perhaps too much. About everything. More specifically about who I am and what defines me. At 33 I feel like things should be lining up much better than they have so far. Like where I am on the mysterious and invisible Life Success Scale is pretty low. Much lower than where I expected myself to be if you asked me at 18 or even 25. So what is going on?

It's me. I've been feeling so much discontent lately about things. And I know the root of the problem lies with how I decide to process and deal with these "things". For example, I know I need to make healthier choices so that I can live a long life with my family and also so that I can potentially add to my family. I have been recently diagnosed with Poly-cystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and I've been informed that this is the root of my infertility, slow weight loss, and potential for type 2 diabetes in my future. I'm sure future posts will include more information on PCOS, but at the moment I haven't wanted to ask Dr. Google too much. Why? Because sometimes Dr. Google makes things worse! I'm taking one day at a time to lose some weight, make plans for a possible second baby, and get myself on a healthy track. Trying to stay positive. Trying not to dwell on the fact that if someone would have diagnosed me years ago, maybe I would have taken better care of myself. Or at least known what to expect.

This is not the only aspect of my life that I am not content with. And don't get me wrong, my life is pretty great. I have a lot to be thankful for and I am thankful every single day. But I've been coasting for far too long and I think that is where the feelings of discontent are stemming from. So interwebs, I'm turning off auto-pilot (since it has gotten me nowhere).

Is this how you define a mid-life crisis? I have no idea - I've decided I'm not in the middle of my life, yet!