A Mom in Lodi

Grab a pen, your child and get to writing those wish lists!

In case you missed the official announcement in the newspaper, Santa letters are due Dec. 5.

I used to be part of this undertaking at the newspaper and it was sweet to see not only the lists, but the artistic drawings little hands like to add. (Sometimes the newspaper will even scan in the pictures and run them alongside the letters!)

But hurry, you’ve only got a few days left before Santa has to wrap up his early shopping.

So last week, on an unusually busy morning, my son locked himself in the bathroom. Mind you, he’s two.

Somehow he had sneaked past me, slammed the door in what appeared to be a game for him, and turned the little lock on the handle. I don’t have a key to that lock.

Suddenly my mind started racing: How do I pick the lock? Should I break down the door? Call the fire department?

After 15 panicky minutes of not being able to get the door open or talk Sam into turning the little lock on the other side (and he had become increasingly quiet, I might add), I resorted to the ultimate “I’ve failed” phone call. On the other end, after he stopped laughing, my father asked if I had tried a key. Any key.

Guess what? My front door key worked! Strange, but true.

I whooshed in, rescued by little boy and moved out of the way as he ran past, totally unscathed. I now saw why he had turned quiet: the toilet was filled with an entire roll of toilet paper that I had to dig out with my own hands since we are on a septic system and I didn’t want to risk stoppage. (You can stop laughing now.)

As if the morning wasn’t hurried enough, not 20 minutes later my son found a full glass of water at my bedside and proceeded to dump it all over the bed. It, of course, went through the sheets, the mattress pad and into the mattress (maybe I need to buy one of these?). I’ll admit, however, it was cute when he started to splash around in it and grin at me.

My parents said it’s all part of being a mom and I’m sure my little one will try my patience with many more incidences. Share some of your stories here (my husband, who conveniently wasn’t home at the time, suggested I share this one). I need a laugh now!

To all those my family may have offended in Habanero Hots earlier this week, I apologize now for my screaming son who is at that fun age of 2. When he throws silverware on the floor or food at his parents out of frustration because he can’t appropriately tell us what the deal is, he is still too young to reason with. So we leave.

(Of course this always happens after the food has been ordered, so we have to ask the obliging waitress to have it packed up to go.)

Come to think of it, we’ve left many restaurants in the last few weeks. Maybe we need to resign ourselves to McDonald’s for the next six months (hopefully) until he can tell us why he’s cranky or we can appropriate discipline him instead of just leaving.

Any ideas?

Just an update to an earlier post on a dangerous substance found in formula in China. Apparently, it’s been detected in formula here in the U.S. as well, although the FDA says it’s nothing to be alarmed about.

You be the judge on that one.

That question was never an issue pre-child. My husband and I basically went where everyone else was going, to my parents, to his, over the river to grandma’s house, wherever. But it’s different now (isn’t everything once you add a child to the mix?).

I had to put my foot down this year and instead of going out of town, even an hour’s drive south or north to be with family, I’m hosting the event. (The holiday happens to fall this year on my birthday, so I went one step further, broke family tradition and ordered the entire dinner from Raley’s!)

Trying to make everyone happy on the holiday when you’re the one with the toddler who especially likes to pick up breakable stuff in someone else’s house is difficult. Then throw in his possibly picky taste buds for that day only and a nap schedule set in stone that after two years you finally have down pat … well, you can understand.

How are you dealing with visiting family for Thanksgiving? I might need a recommendation since Christmas dinner is right around the corner.

If you answered yes, you might want to know that First Baptist Church in Lodi is hosting its annual adoption seminar Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Families who have adopted children will share their experiences and answer questions for those considering making the life-changing decision to adopt. Adoption agencies will also give presentations.

The seminar plans to provide families with practical information on topics such as open and closed domestic adoption, international adoption, the adoption tax credit and more.

To reserve your space, contact Leah at 366-1931. Childcare will be available by reservation.

If you have a little one in love with Thomas the train, you might want to know about an upcoming show at the Bob Hope Theater. Tickets are on sale now for the two January shows.

This blog is geared toward parents of young children, but I’m sure there are readers who have teenagers, as well.

So, in case you didn’t see it in the newspaper, students in grades nine through 12 are invited to enter a video contest on the topic of stormwater. Winners’ work will be used for public service announcements at local movie theaters, and the “Best of Show” winner will receive $1,000.

Submissions will be accepted by individuals or groups, and must be formatted in NTSC DVD 4:3 (which I’m sure video people understand). The theme is “Only rain down the drain.”

Check this site out for ideas and to view other students’ work so you can help your teen.

For more information about the competition, go here, and remember to submit the video, along with the signed Entry Form, License Agreement and, if necessary, the Actor Release Form, to WGR Southwest, Inc. in person or by mail, 315 W. Pine St., Suite 8, Lodi, 95240, by Dec. 1 at 5 p.m.

If you have additional questions, call Jackie Neal at 334-5363, ext. 207, or
Dan Trojanowski at 275-2212.

Happy taping!

As some of you may know, we recently moved. The new house has a tall free-standing pantry perfect for storing sugar, flour, pasta noodles, canned goods, spaghetti sauce, cereal, granola bars, fruit roll-ups (sometimes I like to buy in bulk!).

Anyway, it has a child locks on it, but they don’t really work. Or maybe Sam and his 28 pounds is just too strong now. Needless to say, he can open the cabinet and take out whatever he wants to snack on, which I understand is perfectly normal for his age. The snacking part, that is.

I was telling my friend Carol about it recently and she said she purposefully has a low cabinet for her children (did I mention three of the four are over the age of 5?). She stocks it with healthy snacks and whenever they utter those two little words, “I’m hungry,” an hour before dinner (as I’m sure happens in more houses than just my own), she directs them to the cabinet at their level.

So, I ask, is the snack pantry a curse (because I have a bunch of half-opened boxes of cereal thanks to Sam) or a cue that he’s hungry when he starts rummaging? What do you think? Do you have a snack cabinet?

Earlier this week, I decided to check out the going-out-of-business sale at Mervyn’s on Kettleman Lane. And while I didn’t find the cute Cars winter coat I was hoping to pick up for Sam, I did take note of the marked-down student uniforms.

You can pick up skirts, shirts, shorts and pants in all sorts of colors for just $4.99 per piece. I know there are several Lodi Unified schools that recommend uniforms, and at this price, you can nab several garments to use in future years.

Believe it or not, the racks at Mervyn’s are still pretty stocked and price are only expected to keep coming down. (I did pick up some shorts and a tank top for Sam for just $2 each in the size that will fit him next summer.)