Dear Quick Witted Parents of Toddlers, Some advice please.

Dear Quick Witted Parents of Toddlers,

I need some advice. This morning I asked Oddler to pick up her shoes and put them in the shoe rack. This is what happened:

Me: “Pick up your shoes and put them in the rack, please Oddler”

Oddler: “NO”

Me: “I’m going to count to five and if you don’t put them in the shoe rack then I will put them in the bin.”

Oddler: “NO, MY PUTEM IN DA BIN, MY DO IT, MY DO IT” (Cue tantrum as she wanted to put her shoes in bin, not me)

Me: “Arsebiscuits” Outwitted by the toddler again.

To those parents cleverer than me, how do you stop yourself parenting into a corner?

Lots of Love

LadyDidn’tSeeThatOneComingCurd

Dear Parents of Potty Training Toddlers

Dear Parents of Potty Training Toddlers,

This is a public service announcement. I am sharing this story with you so you don’t make the same mistake I made this afternoon.

My toddler is incredibly good at going on the loo for wees and usually poo, but today the inevitable happened. A giant shit of epic proportions filled her tiny pants. In removing said pants something rather catastrophic occurred, I lay her down as I would to remove a nappy and somehow, in trying to take the poo filled pants off I somehow created a knicker catapult with the stetchy pants around my toddlers legs. My toddler wriggled as I was holding onto the pants, jerking them out of my hand. I watched in horror as the poo was flung forward at force towards my toddlers face belly and landed with a splat. Of course she screamed and jerked about trying to get the huge round portion of poo off her belly which only caused it to roll further around leaving a smeary fecal trail. This was all going on in slow motion, as I tried desperately to grab at the poo with a wet wipe. There were tears as I was crying with laughter and it required extensive cleanup and a bath.

It was rather traumatic for all concerned and really could have all been solved if I had been clever enough to take the poo filled pants off her while she stood up, instead of lying her down. For the love of easy cleanup NEVER EVER LIE YOUR TODDLER DOWN TO TAKE OFF SHITTY PANTS UNLESS YOU INTEND TO CUT THEM OUT OF THEM.

You’re welcome
LadyMakingTheMistakesSoYouDon’tHaveTooCurd

Oddler proving the stretchy catapult capabilities with a clean pair. You have been warned!

Dear Ginger Haters

Dear Ginger Haters,

Bugger off from finding my blog with your stupid search terms. You are looking in the wrong place. I am a Ginger Lover and proud (Literally as LordCurd is the most handsome Ginger Man ever- he looks like a Ginger James McAvoy shall ignore the people who disagree, I love him a heck of a lot and if I was a Mills &Booner I would describe myself as his Lover (more interesting than Wife innit)).

I am also a Ginger Gene Carrier and very proud of my ability to produce Beautiful Ginger and Strawberry Blonde Babies so far…. So please don’t happen upon my blog by searching “I hate ginger babies”, because all that will invoke is my bile and vitriol towards you along with some telepathic painful incurable infectious itchy curdy discharge thoughts.

Effectively Gingerism is an “acceptable” form of racism- and it is just not on. Makes me furious, and if anyone dares be mean to my beautiful Ginger Baby– beware the Wrath of the Curd descending on your backside with incredible force.

Shall rant off with Tim Minchin singing about Prejudice.

Love LadyGingerLovingCurd

P.S Anyone else notice that apple autocorrect will capitalise White, Black and Ginger but no other colour. Interesting.

Dear Oddler Grown up Girl

Dear Oddler Grown Up Girl,

Yesterday I saw this tweet:

You sometimes moan about how it restricts you.When it’s gone you’d have it all back in a heartbeat. #motherhood

— Ruth Taylor (@audreyseptember) June 21, 2012

This morning, as I was watching you get ready today for nursery, I got a lump in my throat. You are growing up so fast and if I blink you have changed again. You have chucked the dummies (dada’s), you are nearly toilet (refused potties!)trained (good job too as you are growing out of size 6 nappies and they don’t do a size 7!). Your speech and understanding is fantastic for your age. Much as your tantrums can be trying, you are fast making sense of the world and your role in it. I am finding myself missing you as a smiley gurgling baby, or you as a wobbly hesitant first stepper.

I can’t believe how fast the last two and a half years have flown and how much has changed in that time. I love watching you grow up but each day I see you take a step further away from me, but that’s okay as I know you have a piece of my heart with you, loving you and protecting you.

I love you and your sister with everything I have, and no matter what, however old you are,  you will always be my beautiful baby girls.

So much love

MummyCurd

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Off to work I go

Dear International Spy Oddler

Dear International Spy Oddler,

I am so excited you appear to be taking after your Grandfather (International Spy Dad).

 

Good at attempting to escape solitary confinement

Handy with weapons.

Always on phone sorting assignments.

Master of Disguise

and finally…..

“I shall say dis onlee once”

I can’t wait to see you grow up to be the most amazing feminist Bond the world has ever seen.

Lots of Love

MummyPleaseRescueMe&TheRestOfTheCurdsIfWW3StartsCurd

P.S Currently you are staring in “OddlerCurd the Girl with The Golden Dummy” but hopefully tonight we have managed to get to to sleep without it. SpyGirls don’t have Dummies.

Dear Amazing Mummy

Dear Amazing Mummy,

Have another sticker.

Love LordCurd (“GuestPost”*)

P.S From LadyCurd- originally this letter didn’t take the sticker chart quite in the spirit which it was intended. I added a P.S to the original but I decided in the end to rewrite it how I should have taken it, coz it’s my blog and I can rewrite history like that if I want too. Also since I earned another sticker 😉 I can now continue gathering evidence of being an amazing mummy if social services ever pop by. *preens*

*P.P.S This is a lie, LadyCurd wrote it.

Dear Oddler and Omble Monkeys

Dear Oddler and Omble Monkeys,

Being twins it has been hard to tell you apart for a while now. You were bought as a present for each of your owners.  Omble Monkey you were a present to Omble Owner from Oddler Sister. Oddler Monkey you were a present to Oddler Owner from your brand new Omble Sister.  You had jumpers bought for you but in the mayhem of Oddler Owner being a classic two year old and Omble Owner being a classic newborn, your jumpers were not labelled until today.  It only cost £2 and I am very pleased we can now tell the both of you apart.

Oddler Owner has only just stopped calling you “Ooh Ooh Ah Ow” (make monkey noise you will see) and now calls you monkey. Omble Owner just looks at you confused and tries to chew your ear. You are pretty much as big as her after all.  There was a funny moment today when Oddler Monkey apparently “bit” Omble Monkey so Oddler Owner insisted Oddler Monkey went on the naughty step and then had to come back and say sorry.  Then they all had a cuddle. She’s quite the disciplinarian my Oddler!

I may get you a few more Oddler/Omble outfits because I have to say you look rather cute. What do you think?

Lot’s of Love

LadyGrandma?Curd

Dear Oddler The Ostrich

Dear Oddler The Ostrich,

Currently if we ask you to do something, or tell you off, you run away and try and bury your head in the sand. It’s a skill, but possibly one that won’t hold you in good stead throughout your life so you might need to grow out of it.

Love
MummyConfrontIssuesHeadOnCurd

Dear Pretty Dresses and Photographers

Dear Pretty Dresses and Photographers,

Okay so I had a silly bit of angst yesterday and it was caused by pondering this comment on Dear Makeup from my friend Etellerandet:

….Everyone praises her for being beautiful. Now, I’m not saying everyone should call her ugly to toughen her up but she’s not getting any other praise “that was kind, that was brave, that was clever, that was hard work, that was funny, that was friendly, that was good sharing” it’s all “pretty/beautiful”. So, her only feedback is “good work for putting on a dress today” I constantly tell her she’s “strong” and so she thinks that is a feminine and admirable quality. ….

…..For what happens the first day at school when someone calls her ugly, or fat, or spotty, or gangly, or something. Her entire self esteem is based on needing her appearance praised. It’s going to be extra horrible. More horrible than for a, say, a boy who’s only ever been praised for being good at active things. (with the occasional “handsome!” thrown in)

Yesterday was photo day at playgroup.  I put the girls into really pretty dresses and did Oddler’s hair in bunches (I am no hairdresser- had to redo it several times and it still looked shit).  I know I wanted my girls to look smart for the photos but there were a few issues I was pondering overthinking firstly my girls virtually never wear dresses, Omble is always in babygro’s and Oddler is in whatever is to hand but usually stretchy trousers and comfy tops, so I was sort of pondering why I was recording them for posterity in not their usual garb but then it is nice to have “dressed up smart” pics to look back on too.

The other issue I was pondering is Oddler already is saying lots of “pretty dresses, I like pretty dresses” and twirling about whenever in a dress.  Yesterday she went one step further and was admiring herself constantly in the mirror and saying “I look pretty today mummy”.  Now it’s true she did look completely adorable dressed up, and she got so much feedback from all the other mums (and me) at playgroup about how pretty she looked that I could see her swelling with pride (before doing her usual of trying to take all her clothes off and run around naked again!).

So yesterday I could really see how self esteem about appearance starts at such a  young age especially in the girls.  The boys at playgroup were told they looked cute or smart but not really and not coo-ed over in the same way the girls were.   Don’t get me wrong I am not about to stop telling my daughter she is beautiful to try and avoid angst around her appearance as that won’t work at all as all there are other influences also making her feel appearance is so heavily valued, and an absence of that validation from her own mum could really mess her up, but what I am saying is as a mum I do need to be aware of my balance of praise towards Oddler- so that it is much more about what she does than how she looks.

Or am I worrying too much again?

Love LadyMotherOfDaughtersCurd

Dear Pirate of the River

Dear Pirate of the River,

I hope you are not too annoyed every time we walk past your pirate ship and Oddler screams excitedly “Pirate, Pirate Pirate- there’s a Pirate, Mummy, A Pirate!”

I mean you are displaying your pirate flag so I assume you are working and not on pirate holiday.

Anyhow you really brighten up our walk into town so thankyou so much. and if Oddler is really naughty please can we please borrow your plank sometime?

Lot’s of OohAah me hearty love

LadyPegLeg&ParrotVoicesquawkCurd

X