Much Better :)
As my quiet depression slowly began to morph into not-so-quiet anger I knew what had to be done. Noah and I left the house. For some reason there are times when I can only cry as I'm driving... maybe it's the escape and music and solitude driving gives. So I had me a nice cry over some sappy songs and all of a sudden I saw it. The most ginormous Bass Pro Shop ever built.
I had my camera but I didn't take any pictures. Noah and I looked at every single boat and I planned a bit in my head on how to financially afford a little boat and a little camper for Monterey. Focusing on the future is grand. We spent about an hour in the store just looking at all the fountains and waterfalls, fish, stuffed wildlife. It was like a zoo, but every animal was frozen and filled with sand haha. There were 2 floors of recreated wilderness ambiance to explore. This place was insane!! We ate some late lunch at the restaurant they had inside (even more ambiance and a big saltwater fish tank behind the bar)... had catfish again mmmm :d Noah of course ate nothing but a few of my fries. What a great find, I thought. I love free entertainment!! Surprisingly in all that space they didn't have any pop-up campers. We're going to buy it all used anyway. We were going to head to one of the parks we've already been to after that. I had Noah's wagon in the trunk and therefore HAD to get it out at some point.
As we were driving to the park I saw signs for 2 NEW parks. I picked the "Friedrich Wilderness Park" as our next stop. It was a very pretty little park. Hardly anyone was there and the trails and bathrooms were really well kept. I saw quite a few interesting creatures, but wasn't able to score any pictures. I watched a hawk catch a lizard about 20ft in front of me, but didn't get my camera out in time. AHHH! I also saw 2 types of lizards, which I learned are impossible to photograph with a toddler in tow due to their extremely cautious nature.
We hiked the level 1 and 2 trails with the wagon and then Noah decided to get out and pull. I decided soon after that I would rather not have the wagon at all so we put it back in the car. Somehow following the level 3 trail markers we ended up on level 4 trails (or so I assumed). The inclines were ruthless, but Noah climbed every single one. At the top he would shout "I did it Mommy!". After all the inclines were through, so was Noah. I carried him on my back and shoulders for a little over a mile. The problem with nature trails is that once you get about halfway done and you're pooped out, you have to decide to either go back and deal with what you just accomplished or trust the future will hold easier paths. I chose to go ahead and it did get a lot easier. All I felt was thirsty and hot. I was taking it nice and slow and never felt as if I was over-exerting myself. I was focusing on my breathing and I thoroughly enjoyed our hike, even with Noah on my back. I really was glad to have the release of endorphins from all that exercise. I desperately needed them!
Almost immediately after Noah got some cold fluids into his tiny drained body he passed out in his car seat. Thanks to poor timing on my part we hit the highway at rush hour so it took us twice as long to get home. Noah didn't mind, it gave him more time to nap. I was trying to get him down earlier today by eliminating naptime, but I'm pretty sure the little 45 minute snooze he got after the hike won't interfere with bedtime. Poor kid is beat. He's was so tired he fell asleep on him time-out chair inside when we got home. It was adorable :) AND! He used so much energy he actually ate dinner... not just any dinner, but what I cooked for dinner. This is truly a milestone. I'm so glad he's getting older.
What few slaps on the hand and smacks on the butt he did get are now a thing of the past. He's old enough to negotiate with and more creative punishments and threats actually work. We now have "the whining chair" where Noah is banished for 3 or more minutes when he talks back or hits or is a general poop-head hahaha. No, I don't call him that. We call it the whining chair because that's his most common offense. I cannot stand his whining. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up... something about the pitch I think. He's only sat in it a few times and already I can just say "do you want to sit in your whining chair?" and he stops. Joy :) He is such a good boy. Our roadtrip is going to be a blast!
I had my camera but I didn't take any pictures. Noah and I looked at every single boat and I planned a bit in my head on how to financially afford a little boat and a little camper for Monterey. Focusing on the future is grand. We spent about an hour in the store just looking at all the fountains and waterfalls, fish, stuffed wildlife. It was like a zoo, but every animal was frozen and filled with sand haha. There were 2 floors of recreated wilderness ambiance to explore. This place was insane!! We ate some late lunch at the restaurant they had inside (even more ambiance and a big saltwater fish tank behind the bar)... had catfish again mmmm :d Noah of course ate nothing but a few of my fries. What a great find, I thought. I love free entertainment!! Surprisingly in all that space they didn't have any pop-up campers. We're going to buy it all used anyway. We were going to head to one of the parks we've already been to after that. I had Noah's wagon in the trunk and therefore HAD to get it out at some point.
As we were driving to the park I saw signs for 2 NEW parks. I picked the "Friedrich Wilderness Park" as our next stop. It was a very pretty little park. Hardly anyone was there and the trails and bathrooms were really well kept. I saw quite a few interesting creatures, but wasn't able to score any pictures. I watched a hawk catch a lizard about 20ft in front of me, but didn't get my camera out in time. AHHH! I also saw 2 types of lizards, which I learned are impossible to photograph with a toddler in tow due to their extremely cautious nature.
We hiked the level 1 and 2 trails with the wagon and then Noah decided to get out and pull. I decided soon after that I would rather not have the wagon at all so we put it back in the car. Somehow following the level 3 trail markers we ended up on level 4 trails (or so I assumed). The inclines were ruthless, but Noah climbed every single one. At the top he would shout "I did it Mommy!". After all the inclines were through, so was Noah. I carried him on my back and shoulders for a little over a mile. The problem with nature trails is that once you get about halfway done and you're pooped out, you have to decide to either go back and deal with what you just accomplished or trust the future will hold easier paths. I chose to go ahead and it did get a lot easier. All I felt was thirsty and hot. I was taking it nice and slow and never felt as if I was over-exerting myself. I was focusing on my breathing and I thoroughly enjoyed our hike, even with Noah on my back. I really was glad to have the release of endorphins from all that exercise. I desperately needed them!
Almost immediately after Noah got some cold fluids into his tiny drained body he passed out in his car seat. Thanks to poor timing on my part we hit the highway at rush hour so it took us twice as long to get home. Noah didn't mind, it gave him more time to nap. I was trying to get him down earlier today by eliminating naptime, but I'm pretty sure the little 45 minute snooze he got after the hike won't interfere with bedtime. Poor kid is beat. He's was so tired he fell asleep on him time-out chair inside when we got home. It was adorable :) AND! He used so much energy he actually ate dinner... not just any dinner, but what I cooked for dinner. This is truly a milestone. I'm so glad he's getting older.
What few slaps on the hand and smacks on the butt he did get are now a thing of the past. He's old enough to negotiate with and more creative punishments and threats actually work. We now have "the whining chair" where Noah is banished for 3 or more minutes when he talks back or hits or is a general poop-head hahaha. No, I don't call him that. We call it the whining chair because that's his most common offense. I cannot stand his whining. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up... something about the pitch I think. He's only sat in it a few times and already I can just say "do you want to sit in your whining chair?" and he stops. Joy :) He is such a good boy. Our roadtrip is going to be a blast!
Comments
Ava has just started the whining phase....I completely agree....It's the one thing that makes me cringe ,haha....I will have to get a whining chair too!She does not understand threats yet so I will have to do the super Nanny routine of continously sitting her in the chair over & over until she gets it...
Ava newest thing is spitting her milk or water ALL over the place when your least expecting it....in the car,during her meal....yesterday she spit almost her untire water sippy all over her toy box and I didn't realize it until it was too late....AHHH!......I still had to hold back a laugh though because she is so cute when she's being naughty.She does this hillarious side glance and her eyes get all big & she does a tiny sheepish grin :)
Love the whining chair idea! I used to say I didn't understand them when my kids spoke in Whinese and that they needed to go back to Whina. They would just sort of look at me so I think a whining chair would have been more effective.
Pam - HAHAHAHA Whina hehe Yeah I tell him I don't understand him either, but for some reason he just whines at a lower volume so I REALLY can't understand him.