Happy Friday!

Which does not really mean much to me since I was home all week. I am going a little stir crazy and need to find some things to do (and adults to talk to). I will be brainstorming this weekend.

How was your week? I have been enjoying all of the events of the Pope's visit. Thank God for the interewebs with its magical live streaming. Although it is a goal of mine to actually see him in person. One day...

I have some killer bug bites on my feet that make me want to rip them off. Must.not.scratch. That's what we get for moving closer to nature (also known as, not the city surrounded by its sterile concrete). And by nature, I mean several more trees and visible flying and crawling creatures. This woman right here got used to the lack of crawling things. Y to the uck.

My insomnia is also making an ugly appearance again. I go through phases here and there but my restless leg syndrome is really severe right now and even though I'm exhausted, precious sleep just doesn't come. Grrrrreat. If you are also a sufferer of insomnia, let's chat (you know at 3 am when everyone else is asleep).

This has thus reduced me to a pile of eye bags, an IV coffee drip, and gratuitous usage of kids Netflix on the iPad. Happy watching little couch potato. Mom's gotta mom. (Parenting revelation number 2,093: never throw that side eye shade at kids with iPads. You never know what those parents are going through.)

Also, I am at a loss regarding Emma's current developmental stage - testing boundaries and asserting independence. Currently she is pushing her elephant bouncing ride-on thing around the apartment and ramming it into the walls and furniture as hard as humanly possible. A few moments ago, she was stacking her toys and books to stand on even though she's fallen thrice already.

In other words, she cray.

While the exploration is a good things (and completely fascinating) I always thought that I was strong-willed and would be able to put my foot down more when the tantrums abound. But alas, no. I am as soft as a jelly filled doughnut. And now I want a doughnut.

Emma: screaming at Trader Joe's because she wants to hold the new soap dispenser
Me: No thank you Emma.
Emma: screaming louder
Emma: throwing herself on the floor
Me: looking up to the sky and getting sympathetic looks from passing parents
Me: FINE. Here hold the soap.
Emma: immediately stops screaming, looks me in the face, and throws it on the floor
Emma: smiles
Me:

Tell me all the secrets to parenting. Mmkaythanks. (I know there are no secrets and that every child is different and every corrective/discipline/direction style is different, but a girl can dream.)