Celia's "Must-Have" New Toy

As I've said before, Celia decided to give up taking an afternoon nap shortly after her 3rd birthday. One year later, I still haven't accepted the fact that I no longer get two hours every day of peace and quiet and a chance to get things done that I normally did while Celia was sleeping. Some moms would take this opportunity to have quality time with their toddler...perhaps create an adorable craft together, read books together, or practice learning letters and numbers. That mom would not be me...

If we're home at 1:00 in the afternoon, and I don't anticipate going anywhere the rest of the day, the t.v. gets turned on and Celia has her "quiet time". While I've tried to convince myself that this is Celia's time to rest, I know damn well that it's actually my own "quiet time". So there you have it...I am not super mom. I use the television to babysit my four-year-old as I count down the hours until Ella gets home to entertain her.

While I'm not opposed to my kids watching t.v., I obviously pick and choose which shows they are allowed to watch. More importantly, I like to choose which stations they watch. There are a few stations, such as Nickelodeon, that have tons of commercials trying to sell the coolest new toys and the most disgustingly unhealthy new snacks to my children. I don't want them constantly asking for these things, so it's better if they just don't see the ads. Unfortunately, at 1:00 in the afternoon, there are only a couple of choices so sometimes Celia gets her sweet little mind warped by the endless advertisements. Today, as I was about to get in the shower while Celia watched t.v. on our bed, she starts yelling, "Mommy! Mommy! You HAAAAAVE to come here and see this! Hurry, Mommy! Come see this!" I walked into the bedroom knowing that I was going to see the latest Barbie or an amazing new craft material. Nope...my 4-year-old daughter wants one of these...

That's right...my daughter "must have" a tomato slicer. Apparently, we "really need one of these". Interestingly enough, the child doesn't even like tomatoes!

As for me...my marathon training continues to be going very well. Today, while doing my much dreaded speedwork at the track, a bird pooped on my hand. Fortunately, it was just my hand and not my tongue that was hanging out with exhaustion!

~Jennifer