Ask a Bored Housewife: Peeing as a stalling tactic

All of you been-there-done-that moms may be able to help out with this one:

Dear Bored Housewives,

I have a 3 year old. She's been dry for over a year during the day, but still wets herself when she sleeps (both nap and nights). I know that when her body is ready this will end... it's not the real peeing that bothers me. It's the "I need to pee" as a stalling tactic before bed (night only - she's fine going down for naps).

Peeing is one of the last steps in our bedtime routine. But between then and sleep she usually gets up 1-4 more times (sometimes within 5-10 minutes). Often "the pee didn't want to come out." I'd appreciate suggestions for nipping this one in the bud, without ignoring any real body cues she's experiencing.

Thanks,
Special Person

I wish I had some helpful advice, but I think I'm guilty of using the same tactic. Have at 'er, BHNers.

Eureka!

i was baking a huge batch of carrot cakes yesterday in a very scattered and flustered state of mind and i forgot to add the sugar. needless to say, the cakes came out looking lumpy and decidedly unappetizing. they looked and tasted like unsweetened carrot scones. i was about to trash them when i realized they would probably be a good snack for nile. so, i gave him a little taste & he loved it (good thing too because i have about 10lbs). minus all that sugar i figured it's actually a pretty good snack for him. moral of the story: don't toss out botched baked goods, feed them to your baby!

heeeeellllllpppppp!

I was inspired by Cataclysm's recent post with some photoblogging of my own. Look, I even fed my children to a giant frog for you, internets!

Enjoy!

My big parenting insight!

House renovations is really a lot more stressful with a little one than without! Yep. That's it of my big parenting insight.

Ok, ok, I know it doesn't sound earth shattering but life with a baby is abrasive enough without adding lots of dirt, tools, sharp nails, bolts, random powertools, chaos and oh yes, a total hazard off the patio doors....

This is the hole my little Bro fell through. And when we said, "ya break it ya fix it", he started complaining about whiplash and mumbling, "litigate, don't mitigate"... so we made a deal that we would hire him to build us a new one.

While I knew it would be 2 weeks of hell, it's still irritatingly slow.

Here I am staining the new deck frame at 10 pm last night.

But, I don't normally bring Rian to the local park so as we've been there A LOT recently, I managed to get some really cute pics of him looking at the older kids.

Hello!

I have been shamefully neglecting you, BHN-ers! I do read faithfully and try to comment when I can, but it has been forever since I posted.

Just because I'm posting now doesn't mean I have anything earth-shattering to say, mind you. Just that my girl turned 14 months. Oh, and I finally weaned her. And I know I'm biased, but lately I have found her so freaking cute that I just want to take a bite out of her.

Ask a Bored Housewife: Diaper dilemma

Boy, you forget to check the mailbag for a couple of weeks, and the letters pile up!

Dear Bored Housewives,

My first baby is due in two months and my husband and I are fretting about diapers. (Well, actually, it’s my mom that’s doing the fretting, really, but that’s a story for another day.)

We’d like to use cloth diapers as much as possible, though we are open to the idea of using disposables on occasion. We’ve been checking around in Vancouver for different options but, as with all things baby-related in this town, we’re overwhelmed both by the degree of choice (which ranges from cheapo disposables from Wal-Mart to fancy west-side diaper services) and by the charged ideological nature of choosing among the options. (The general consensus out there seems to be that you either hate the earth and use disposables (say the cloth advocates), or you hate your baby and use cloth (say the disposable enthusiasts).)

So we turn to you: what do you all think about diapers? For those of you who used cloth, did you buy and wash your own (and if so, any favourite brands or tips)? Or did you use a diaper service? (Any you’d recommend?) For those of you who aspired to use cloth but changed your minds after trying them (I hear it happens a lot), what swung the vote?

Yours sincerely,
Colleen

First, congratulations, Colleen! That's so exciting! And second, my apologies for taking so long to post your letter. Hopefully the collected wisdom of the BHNers will compensate for my tardiness.

Da Boys of East Van

What summer is all about!

Rian & the Sams making the most of a lazy Sunday afternoon!

Love Love Love Da Sams!!

Not looking overly trusting in the swing, eh Sam?!

And then there's Sam's practical approach - if in doubt, check the 5-point harness!

Can't say you haven't now been warned, noisy motorcyclists... don't mess wid dis EastVan boy!!

Didn't get many pics of the boys together... the best of the bunch and I wonder if we're having fun yet?!

Guess who made the mistake of opening a box of raisons... got swarmed by da boys!

Awwww....

Dear motorcycle owners of the world...

No, not you people who drive ordinary motorcycles. I'm talking to the people who drive those bikes where they've done something to the exhaust to make it extra loud. You know, so loud that it makes your windows rattle and your teeth vibrate in your gums. And then they like to rev them for several minutes right outside your house before they take off.

Let me start again.

Dear (aforementioned) motorcycle owners of the world,

Please know that when you drive your earsplittingly loud bikes down my street and wake up my tired, sleeping baby, who then screams and cries like his poor little heart is going to break for twenty minutes... please know that there is an unassuming-looking, otherwise peace-loving woman sitting in her house hoping with all of her heart that you hit an oil slick, wipe out, and die a slow, painful death as what little brains you have ooze out onto the road.

Hmm. Maybe that sounds a little vicious. But I still mean it.

Love,
Doppelganger

I'm being replaced

Last night, the Bee went on her first sleepover. I actually managed not to call until about 8:30 this morning to see how it went. Like all sleepovers, it didn't feature much sleep. Also, in addition to making sundaes last night, her best friend's mom also made pancakes & bacon this morning. Regular readers of my blog know that I never cook--making blueberry muffins from a box is a big step for me.

After she came home, we had to go out to run a few errands, and the Bee began to tell me how she'd love to live with her best friend (we call her Peony in the blogiverse), and to ask why can't she just move in with them. I said, "because I love you too much and I would miss you. I missed you when you were just gone for one night!"

The reality is that the Potato and I had just rattled around the house all morning, once landisdad had gone to work. It's empty here with just a toddler. I know that those of you who have toddlers will find it hard to believe that a space that contains one can seem empty, but it's true. I never thought I'd turn into one of those people who wants their kid to live at home through college, but after last night, I might consider it.

Kicking ass and taking names, MA-style!

She's too modest (and perhaps too exhausted) to mention it here, but our fellow bored housewife White Trasherati has just completed her masters degree. Woooooo!

(I hope you don't mind me acting as your PR agent on this one, WT. I'm just thrilled to millions of bits for you.)

Man, some days I sure could go for some of Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup

"Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup was an indispensable aid to mothers and child-care workers. Containing one grain (65 mg) of morphine per fluid ounce, it effectively quieted restless infants and small children. It probably also helped mothers relax after a hard day's work."

(Link)

from the mouths of babes

I was driving my daughter and her best friend home from a birthday party yesterday, and got a taste of what it's like to be a taxi driver. Every time I would interject something into the conversation, the back seat got really quiet, with a kind of 'oh, I forgot she could hear us' kind of vibe.

At one point, they started talking about what they were going to play when they got back to our house, and decided that they would play wedding (ugh!). After several minutes of back-and-forth about who would get to be the bride first, and who would get to be the boy, finally, my daughter said to her friend, "Okay, well then why don't you just be the guy who says, 'awful wedded wife'?"

Yes, why don't you say that.