Happy Birthday Mason

F.O.U.R can you believe my baby is already 4. I can't!!  The past four years have really flown by.  Mason is really in to Spiderman these days so it wasn't too hard to figure out what the theme of his birthday party would be this year.  He loves him some Spiderman that's for sure.  Happy Birthday my little Spiderman.

Happy Birthday Mason! 

Until next time......

Happy Mother's Day

Today was a great day. We spent the day at the Museum of Life and Science and it was so much fun. Mason really enjoys being there and I love watching him explore and learn new things. Spending the day with my son and my lovely partner is the best Mother's Day gift any mother could want. Below are a few pictures of our fun together.

Until next time......

National Train Day, May 12

Yesterday was National Train Day so we went to the train station to watch the train come in, play some games and enjoy pizza and cake. One of my co-workers and her son, Joseph met us there and we had fun.

Until next time......

Big Boy Bed

After several weeks of Mason climbing in and out of his crib, we decided it was time to move him to his big boy bed. He was probably ready to move several months ago, but I wasn't ready for that to happen for several reasons.  One reason was my fear of him getting out and not wanting to get back in which would lead to bed time battles. Another was him getting out and coming downstairs by himself while we were sleeping. The biggest of them all was my wanting to hold on to the one last physical thing that belonged to my little baby! Giving up the crib only confirms my baby is no longer a baby but a little boy who is growing and thriving every day.  As with every other milestone that I fretted over, he transitioned like a champ.  There have been virtually no issues what.so.ever! He gets out once or twice a week but that is usually just to call to me and tell me he loves me or to ask for one more sip of milk or to say sweet dreams which I don't mind at all. Makes my heart melt! When he wakes up in the morning, he will get out and stand at the top of the stairs and call for me. If I don't answer quick enough, he will come downstairs but for the most part, stays put until we come to get him. 
Below is a picture of him in his big boy bed. Look how big he is. I can hardly believe he will be three in August. WOW - where has the time gone.

Until next time......

Fun in the Mud

Mason had a blast playing in the mud today with our neighbors.  Those children played in that muddy ditch for over 45 minutes. The water was cold and pretty gross but they had SO much fun. While I was not thrilled at first about Mason being in that yucky stuff, the smile on his face and the joy that radiated from his laughter was absolutely priceless.  Below are some pictures of his fun in the mud....

Until next time......

My Future Chef

Mason loves to "cook". He has always been very interested in what goes on in the kitchen. Ever since he was big enough to stand on the stool, he has watched Dawn while she cooks. He wants to help stir, he wants to pour the ingredients in the pot, he knows how to work the microwave and generally knows his way around the kitchen.  Maybe, just maybe he will grow up to be a famous chef.  Below are some pictures of him at work! Enjoy....

Until next time......

Potty Training

We started actively potty training Mason two weeks ago and he has done great. He has been interested in going on the potty for months but we were not in any hurry to push the issue so have been taking things really slow.  We would ask him if he wanted to go on the potty and if he said yes, then we would take him. If he said no, we would say to him in a couple of weeks, you will have to start using the potty all of the time.  The past couple of weeks, Mason has been wearing pull-ups during the day and has done awesome especially at preschool. Some days he only potties in his pull-up once a day - all other times he goes on the big boy potty at school. He has even started doing most of his poops in the potty too. The other day, I received a text message from Mason's preschool teacher letting me know that he had success pooping in the potty at school. He sent the picture below as well!!

I laughed out load when I got that picture! Just look at how proud he is that he went poopy in the potty.  We have used a little bribery to get him to poop in the potty but as I always say...whatever works. Thomas trains have been our bribery method and they have worked very well. He gets a train each time he goes poopy in the potty. This upcoming week, we will start encouraging him to wear big boy underwear. I would like to for him to be completely potty trained before we go on vacation in April but we shall see!

Until next time......

No More Blah's

Yes that is right. Our house is "blah" free. So what is a blah you ask? Well, ever since Mason was old enough to "talk" he has called his pacifier his "blah". Not sure where he got that from or why that was the name he chose to give his paci but that is what it was. He, well if I am being truthful, "we" have been hooked on the blah since he was about 6 months old. He had several(6 to be exact) in his crib at one time in case one fell out. That's how bad it was. Well, after several weeks of agonizing over it (me, not Mason)we decided it was time for the blah to go. On Friday, January 13 we took the blahs to his old day care and gave them to the babies! He was so proud of himself walking in to Kiddie Kare to give his blahs to the babies. Everything was great until it was time to actually give them to the babies. I took them out of my pocket and handed them to him and he said, "NO" those are my blahs. He started to cry and I had to pry them from his hands. We gave the blahs to Mrs. Margie and told her to give them to babies and we left. Mason cried for about 10 minutes on the way to preschool and that was it. His day went pretty well at preschool since he was used to not having them at school anyway so no big deal. The true test would come when it was time to go to bed. Everything was good until we sat in the rocking chair to read books and sing songs before bed. He cried for them, asking over and over for his blah's. After our normal routine of reading several books, singing several songs and drinking a milk cup, we put him down for the night. He cried, he screamed, he begged, I want my blah. I need my blah. Please mommy. It broke my heart. After 30 minutes or so he finally cried himself to sleep and slept all night. While the crying and begging part was difficult, I was very impressed with his night. I was certain that he would wake up every hour and cry for it but thankfully he did not. The next night he didn't cry at all. He was so tired from being at my sister's all day and did not have a nap so he was out within 5 minutes of going to bed. The third night he asked for it a few times and cried for about 10 minutes but then went to sleep with not problem. Wow, that was much easier than I thought. I was quite impressed at how well he did with it.
Now fast forward a few more nights and things changed....he wasn't crying any longer for his blah but he needed and wanted everything else. He procrastinated every way he could come up with. He needed one more hug, one more song, one more kiss, one more stuffed animal, one more blanket, no blankets, more milk, pillow, on and on and on. I played along with this one more of this and that and then said enough was enough. He screamed and screamed trying his best to get out of his crib (yes he is still in his crib and I am ok with that)! These little episodes lasted 45 minutes for several nights. Our night time, go to bed routine has always been my special one on one time with Mason but these gut wrenching screaming routines were grating on my nerves and I found myself dreading night time with him. Thank GOD that little stage only lasted 2 weeks and my little snuggly sweet little bedtime buddy returned and our night times are back to being easy breezy bed times once again. In the next couple of weeks, we will tackle the next stage of growing up to be a big boy and will be making the move to the big boy bed.

Until then......

Weight Loss Goal Accomplished!!

My personal weight loss goal was to lose 25 pounds by the 25th of December. I weighed in on Thursday, December 22 as my last weigh in before Christmas and I am more than thrilled to say that I lost 26.4 pounds in 22 weeks. GOAL ACCOMPLISHED! 

I feel 110% better than I did 5 months ago. I have more energy than I have had in a long time. I am sleeping better than I have in years and am 6 pants sizer smaller! WOW :-)

I don't have many pictures of me as I am the one always taking the pictures but below are two of the best before and I after pictures that I have. 

August 2011

November 2011

Now that I have accomplished my personal goal, I still have to meet my Weight Watchers goal. Fortunately, I only have to lose another 2.6 to get to that one. THEN...my next goal is to do some serious strength training and be toned up by June. I want to be stronger and in better physical shape than I have been in 20 years. Stay tuned....

Until next time......

Our Elf on a Shelf - Zippy Christmas 2001

While I know this is a couple of weeks late, I wanted to post about the amazing Christmas we had. It was Mason's third Christmas but the first one he really understood what was going on. Let me back up to a couple of days after Thanksgiving when we had a surprise visit from Zippy the Elf. We woke up the Monday morning after Thanksgiving and found Zippy hanging out in our wreath over our fireplace. We had been reading the Elf on the Shelf book for a couple of days hoping Santa would send Mason an elf since Mason has been a great little boy all year (well most of it!).

Each day Zippy moved around the house finding a new location to hang out and watch Mason to be sure he was a good little boy. It was awesome in the mornings when Mason would get up and go downstairs to look for Zippy. He really got in to it and if I am being honest, so did I. Zippy was a little laid back at first and just hung out but after about a week or so he decided to show off a bit. He played a little golf and toilet papered our Christmas tree!

We were a little sad when Zippy had to return back to the North Pole to live with Santa. He will be missed. We are all looking forward to his return!

Until next time......

Christmas 2011

Christmas was a blast this year with Mason. He was very much aware of what was going on and knew that Santa was going to be bringing him a John Deere Gator. Whenever anyone asked him what he was getting for Christmas he always said without hesitation, a John Deere Gator. And as you can see above, Santa held true to his word and he brought the John Deere Gator.  He also brought a special kitchen set made just for little boys, some books, puzzles and a couple of Thomas trains.  We had so much fun this year at Christmas. It was incredible.

Until next time......



We Must Speak Up And Be Willing to Talk About Child Sexual Abuse

Many of us have been shocked to learn of the horrific child sexual abuse allegations recently brought to light at Penn State University. These reports leave us all wondering how such atrocities could happen. Sadly, the necessary steps to end the abuse were not taken, the offender was continually given access to children, and parents are left wondering how they can protect their own children.

The accused is a talented man who was revered by the public as a coach and trusted mentor for many years. Unfortunately, he allegedly breached that trust to gain access to children for his own gratification. Tragically, this scenario plays out all around us every day. Hundreds of thousands of children are sexually violated by adults every year and unbelievably, more than 90% of the time, the child is abused by someone the family knows and trusts. Shock, disbelief and outrage are the first reactions when we learn of child sexual abuse in the news . However appalling this particular incident is, it can serve as a stark reminder that adults must be able to recognize the signs, have the courage to react responsibly, and ultimately, prevent child sexual abuse before it happens in the first place.

As there are more than 42 million adults in America who were sexually abused as children, it is very likely that we all know someone who has abuse of this nature in his or her past. The immediate impact to a child is devastating, and the long term impact costs society more than $35 billion annually. Child sexual abuse is linked to mental health issues, teen pregnancy, violent crime, substance abuse and sex trafficking, among other harmful societal issues. The health and future of our society depend on a stronger resolve to protect kids from the scourge of sexual abuse.

Penn State’s culture of protecting colleagues and image seems to have eclipsed the instinct to protect children. Avoid embarrassment, handle things internally and hope it goes away is the classic, old-school response to child sexual abuse. Abusers depend on this cultural climate, as child sexual abuse thrives in an environment of denial and fear.

We should expect our youth-serving organizations to have policies that govern how adults may interact with youth. Further, these organizations should offer regular trainings to that no one is left wondering what their legal or moral obligation is when there is suspicion of abuse. The youth serving organizations should hold staff and volunteers accountable while our communities, parents and students in turn should hold these organizations accountable. Penn State could have benefitted from educating its staff and administrators so that witnesses would not have worried about losing their jobs by speaking up. Having protocols and procedures in place; and having their employees empowered to hold others accountable to those policies would have made all the difference in the lives of the children and families involved and the reputation of the institution.

At the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA, we are committed to child protection and prevention of child sexual abuse. We have collaborated with Darkness to Light to spearhead the Stewards of Children initiative in our area, starting by training our in staff in the program, Stewards of Children is the only evidence-based training available nationally that is proven to increase knowledge and change child protective behavior. When adults actively seek to make a difference, a cultural change can occur. We’re working to shift from a norm where child sexual abuse is taboo and children are easy targets; to a community where every child is protected through a community of trained and aware adults. Knowledge is empowerment!

We encourage the public to continue the dialogue and find hope in the fact that there are things we all can do to reduce the risks in your homes, neighborhoods, and organizations. Get involved in your local school, church, youth service organization, youth camp or sports league to ensure that prevention is being addressed and comprehensive policies and training are in place to identify areas where the safety of children is not the first priority. This week’s news should emphasize the necessity to talk openly about this painful, uneasy subject. Now is the time to shine a bright spotlight on the much avoided subject of child sexual abuse. We must talk to our kids and each other about prevention. Public dialogue about child sexual abuse helps shape better societal beliefs and empowers individuals to take action. The more we talk openly about child sexual abuse signs or perpetrator patterns, the better we are able to recognize behavioral red flags and speak up for our kids.

As a mother to a precious 2 year old, an authorized facilitator for Darkness to Light and an employee of the Chapel Hill - Carrboro YMCA, I am committed to making my community a safer place for children.  If you are interested in learning more about how you can get involved and how you can make your community a safer place, please contact me via email at kgrooms@chcymca.org.

Until next time......

25 Pounds before the 25th of December

Back in August, I set a goal for myself of losing 25lbs by the 25th of December. I was (am) determined to lose this extra weight that I have been carrying around for too many years. I looked back through my blog posts and found this one about losing 25 pounds. That was four months shy of two years ago and well I can say one thing for sure, those 25 pounds stayed put for a solid twenty months.  But, I am proud to say no more. I joined weight watchers once again and this time have stayed with it. I weighed in yesterday for week 13 and I have lost 20.8 pounds thus far! 4.2 more to go before I reach my goal of 25 before the 25th! I can do it. I know I can. The first 15 pounds were a breeze to lose. The last 5 have been hard and I have a feeling the next 5 will be even harder.  Once, I reach my goal, I would like to set another goal of 10 more for a nice total of 35 pounds.  Then I will work really hard to keep it off - forever!

It has been wonderful hearing all of the wonderful comments from friends and co-workers. They are noticing the pounds go away! I can see it too which is awesome. Most of my clothes are too big for me. The best thing was I had purchased some new dress pants for myself back in September and had not taken the tags off of them and I was able to take them back for 2 sizes smaller. Yeah me.  :-) I had to even exchange the shirts that I bought from a large to a medium. Because, I have been such a yo yo dieter, I still had several pairs of pants from a few years ago when I was smaller that I was able to pull out of the closet and begin wearing. I will continue to wear those until I lose all of the weight that I want to lose then I am going to treat myself to a new wardrobe. Look out Tanger Outlets here I come!!

I must tell you that it feels great. I feel so much better and know I am much healthier.  I plan to keep it off and plan to continue to focus on what I eat, how much I eat and will continue to exercise. I want to be a healthy "older" mommy.

Until next time......

Halloween Fun

Mason has so much fun this Halloween. It is really the first one that he understands what is going on. We talked with him the week leading up to Halloween explaining to him that he would get to "dress up" and go say Trick or Treat for candy. He doesn't get to eat much candy but does know what it is especially M&M's and Skittles. He was dressing up like a cowboy and once we got his costume he understood a little more.  He seemed excited to tell people he was dressing up like a cowboy. He'd say, my gonna be a cowboy! We went to a Trunk or Treat over the weekend so he was able to see other children dressed up and continued to get the whole idea.

His preschool did trick or treating with the residents of the retirement home campus that the preschool is located on and everyone seemed to enjoy that very much. In the afternoon, his class had a little party which was simple but fun. One of Mason's teacher's dressed up and well I'll let the picture speak for itself. This man is awesome and is a fabulous teacher that Mason loves dearly.

We went trick or treating with our neighbors and it was so much fun. Mason was a trooper and after several houses, he was saying trick or treat and thank you to everyone. He was super cute and so many people commented on his cowboy costume.  Enough with the writing, I'll show you just how cute he was as a cowboy.  Enjoy....

Below is a picture of Mason with our neighbors children. We are very fortunate to live next door to and across the street from wonderful neighbors.

Since Mason was the youngest of all of the trick or treaters, we took the wagon along in case he needed to ride instead of walk. Great idea, neighbor Dawn. It was very helpful for everyone.  Before we completed the one mile loop around our neighborhood, Trent and Quinn took turns riding with Mason. At one point, they were all three in there. 

Mason enjoyed looking at all of the Halloween decorations and was fascinated by the people as well.

He was too cute. We had a great night with him and have enjoyed watching him enjoy his candy a couple pieces each night. At this rate, the candy will last him until Christmas. Yes, we are those moms that limit the amount of sugar and candy our little guy eats!! No harm done. He is eating candy just in small increments!!

Hope all of you had a wonderful Halloween as well.

Until next time......