End of the World

 

Between Covid and all the fires in California - it seems like the world is ending. The kids are both doing online school as well as little pods with a few of their friends. So far they have been troopers although I'm sure it isn't easy for them.  It feels impossible sometimes for me so I can't even imagine being a kid during this crazy time. 

Cahn Friday Nights

Every friday the kids and I do the same thing.

First - I pick the kids up from school. Sometimes I get Buster first and then we pick up Olive and have ice cream. But sometimes I pick up Olive first and race to get to Buster before his school is out.

The second we get home we take a bath and get into our pajamas. We all like to be as cozy as possible.

Then we usually do something fun. In the case of a few fridays ago - we made shrinkie dinks. The kids had so much fun making them.

Next we order pizza. 

And finally - movie time. I usually let one of the kids pick. And by one of the kids....I mean Buster. He tends to freak out if he doesn't want to watch what Olive wants. 

Bye Bye Tonsils

Last Monday Olive had her tonsils and adenoids removed. Thankfully she had one of the best pediatric ENT's in Los Angeles so everything went smoothly. The scariest part was her waking up from the anesthesia. For the last couple of days she's been a trooper. Her throat really hurts, but that is to be expected. I'm hoping in the next couple of days she'll be back to eating all of her favorite things. Surprisingly - she's over ice cream!!!

Food on Foot

A few weekends ago Olive and I volunteered at Food on Foot with Harpers family. I had been wanting to give back somehow and this seemed the perfect chance. This non profit, non government funded organization helps the poor and homeless by providing meals, clothing, work opportunities, and ultimately full time work that helps get people off the street. If you are looking for a charity to donate to - this is the one. The best part was that we actually got to talk to people and hear their stories. It was truly inspiring. 

Good-Bye Tonsils

It's been a crazy 2 years with Olive consistently getting sick. She's had strep throat over 8 times and when she's under the weather - her throat hurts, she pukes, and has a high fever. It's pretty miserable for everyone. We recently saw an ENT to discuss having her tonsils removed. Of course she was for it as they are extremely large and she gets sick every few weeks. Unfortunately, we couldn't get an appointment before school started so it looks like we will be having a lot of ice cream and milkshakes over the Thanksgiving break!

Paci Fairy

Last week my mom took the kids for a few days and took them to the Zoo and Legoland. While the kids were with her - Buster stopped taking his pacifier. I'm not sure it was because I forgot to pack them - or that my mom withheld them from him.t Either way - he never asked for them and was fine! Last night we had a ceremony for all of his pacifiers. We kissed each one goodbye and put them in a box that he and Olive made. While they slept - the paci fairy came and left lots of balloons and presents! 

Potty Training 101

Buster was potty trained awhile ago. However - he refused to go poop in the toilet. He would let me know when he had to go and request a diaper.  I didn't want to put any pressure on him and figured with a little encouragement - it wouldn't take long. Cut to over a year later and he was still going in a diaper. I'm happy to report that for over a week he's been going on the toilet! Granted - I had to get him a toy for every day that he went. Whatever works, right!?!?!!?

Oh No....Here we Go.

The entire family has, or maybe I should say HAD, lice. All except Andrew, of course. A few days ago I was going through Olive's hair....and there were a few pieces of skin that I couldn't get off her hair. To be safe - I took her to a lice expert, fully expecting to be cleared. Nope. No such luck. She had it. Buster had it. I had it. Thankfully Buster and I were very very mild. The last 36 hours has been spent washing and drying sheets, comforters, pillows, stuffed animals, etc. Tomorrow our lice nanny is coming back out to the house to do another check and hopefully give us the good news that we are all 100% clear. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to us, huh? 

Uh-Oh

The Cahn household has been hit with the flu! Olive came home from school on Wednesday and was sick all night and most of the day today. I'm hoping she's back to her normal self tomorrow and that little Buster doesn't get it. Cross your fingers for us!

School Helper

Every Thursday I volunteer in the classroom at Olive's new school. Last week was my first day and I have to say it was amazing and tiring - all at the same time! I feel so fortunate to be able to spend time in class with Olive and all of her friends. And the best part - I feel like I'm actually helping!  

Olive's Tooth UPDATE

Last night at 2am the tooth fairy helped us and pulled Olive's tooth out. Thank goodness for those fairies......

I'll post a picture soon.

Olive's Tooth

So here's the deal. Things have been a little crazy in the Cahn household for the last few days. Olive has a VERY loose tooth. You would think that with it being her second one - she wouldn't be scared of it falling out. Wrong. WRONG. The poor thing is absolutely terrified that she will swallow it. Her solution was to go on a hunger strike and not eat or drink anything for 48 hours. Yup. Forty-Eight long, awful, terribly stressful hours. Finally last night around 9pm after watching everyone eat and smelling all the food - she broke down and had turkey, cheese, and 2 glasses of chocolate milk. Granted - the turkey and cheese were cut up into the teeniest pieces. But still - she ate it.  And I went to bed a little less worried. Also to note - Andrew and I have tried every night to pull that thing out. Neither of us have had any luck. Her first day of school is tomorrow and I'm hoping the tooth fairy will help us out. I'll keep you posted………

Our Life Lately...

This nomadic lifestyle has not been easy. We go back and forth from Andrew's parents house in Camarillo during the week to my mom and stepdad's place in Newport on the weekends. We can't move into our new home for another 4 weeks - so this will be our life for the entire month of May. I know that it could be a lot worse - and I'm so thankfully for the generosity of my in laws and my family. But……. it's hard with 2 kids. I want them to have the same routine and some sense of normalcy - even if it means driving 2+ hours to get Olive to school everyday! 

Wicked

Instead of watching the Superbowl this year - Olive and I had a mommy/daughter date night on Sunday. First I took her to a delicious Italian dinner. Then we went to Pantages theater to see WICKED. 

It's one of my all time favorite Broadway shows. Even though it was my third time seeing it - I still loved it as much as the first time!

The best part was sitting with Olive and watching her excitement when they sang the songs that she knew. She really does love musical theater……thank goodness!

A Few of our Favorite Books

Olive and Buster have a pretty impressive library of books. Here are a few of our favorites right now!

1. Lulu and Pip - by Nina Gruener, photographed by Stephanie Rausser, doll by Jess Brown. This book is amazing. The photographs are absolutely beautiful and the story about a little girl and her doll is pretty adorable. If your child falls in love with this book like mine has, you can also buy the doll for $200. Or….if you have a crafty grandma like us - she can make you one!

2. Dragons Love Tacos - by Adam Rubin. This book is silly and cute. All dragons love tacos….unless there is salsa involved! 

3. Press Here - by Herve Tullet. This book is so cool and interactive. Each page asks the reader to press dots, shake the page, or tilt the book. You never know what is going to happen next! This is one of our favorites right now.

4. The Pout Pout Fish - by Deborah Diesen. It's about a grumpy little fish and his interactions with all his sea friends. Olive pretty much knows every word.

5. Children Make Terrible Pets - by Peter Brown. I love this book. The illustrations and story are so cute! A little bear finds a boy in the woods and asks his mom if he can keep him!

6. My Mommy Hung the Moon - by Jamie Lee Curtis & Laura Cornell. I'll admit - this is one of my favorites. This is about a mom who can do everything and her baby who loves her to the moon and back!

Bathtub Lament

A very, very, very, very long time ago - baths were pretty much my favorite thing. I could lounge in the scalding hot water for hours. Ok…maybe not HOURS, but pretty close. There was always some new product I couldn't wait to use or hair mask to try. Now - I'm lucky if I get 5 minutes of alone time in the tub. And if I do, there are seven thousand small little toys littered everywhere. Not exactly the relaxing awesomeness of before. Most of the time I've got Olive in with me and she begs to play My Little Ponies. Or even better - both kids want to get in and I've got 2 little ones to entertain, wash, shampoo, and get out. I know that in a few years - I will look back on this time with fondness. But man…sometimes I just wish I could have 15 minutes of pampering.

New Addition to the Cahn Family

So…..you remember how Olive gave up her pacifiers months ago and we promised her a dog?? Well…..after months of searching and going back and forth on getting a Golden Doodle puppy OR finding a dog at the pound……WE FINALLY FOUND THE PERFECT ONE! 

This is Eric. Olive quickly changed his name to Spartacus, but we call him Sparky. He really is the sweetest little dog. He is so gentle with the kids and never barks. I cannot wait to see what this little guy is going to be like in the next few weeks.  Cross your fingers for us.

The Trials and Tribulations of Being a Mom

Yesterday was a rough day. Not because of anything in particular….it was just a culmination of everything. It was sweltering outside so we stayed in for most of the day and watched tv. Which of course made me feel guilty. I'm not sure why since I LOVED tv as a kid and don't remember it being regulated. In any case I didn't feel like a very good mom.  Especially after a long day of doing laundry, Buster refusing his nap, cleaning up the always messy playroom, and trying to keep the kids from fighting all afternoon. Sometimes it's hard to be a mom 24/7 and not snap!

Rapunzel Gets a Trim

For the last week Olive has been begging us to get her hair cut. At first she wanted to cut it all off. I was able to convince her to keep it a little longer.  Cut to today - we had an appointment with my friend Djuna. Olive was all smiles and then……the tears and in a quiet voice she said, "Mommy - I want my old hair back." Thankfully a little ice cream and a trip to Firefly kids next door did the trick. We'll see how the next couple of days go…….

The Pacifier Fairy

For months we've been telling Olive the story of the "Pacifier Fairy".  At first she didn't really understand - and then I think it started to sink in. Pretty soon she was asking us if the fairy would bring her a dog in exchange for her pacis. Of course we said yes! A few weeks ago we made a box to put the pacifiers in when Olive was ready to give them up. Every morning she would declare that tonight would be the night. And every night she would say, "Not tonight mommy. Tomorrow night."

Well…..tonight she finally put them in the box and said goodbye. I told her I was so proud of her and we put them outside her door for the fairy to take.  Looks like I have to get her a dog now…..