The Texas State Fair is one of my favorite events in the world. It’s absolutely ridiculous I know, but the atmosphere, energy and excitement of it all is what makes it great. (Plus Fletchers Corny Dogs 😉)
We took our 4 year old and our 5 month old. We had to leave the 2 year old home with grandma because he wouldn’t have lasted more than 15 minutes. He would have just wanted to run. Those crowds would have been terrible with him.
I wasn’t sure how our 4 year old would do but I was pleasantly surprised. He was a little ornery at first but it was because he was hungry. Once we got food in him we were good to go! We spent almost 4 1/2 hours walking around playing games, riding rides, eating, etc. I’ve honestly never gone to the fair and played a game or ridden a ride! I’ve always just watched shows and eaten food. So this was a new experience for me too and I loved it. Yes “carny” games are a bit of a waste of money but I can’t say it wasn’t a bit fun!
When it came to the games, it was a little difficult for my 4 year old to understand that you don’t win something every time. Some games despite not “winning” you still got a small prize. While others you got nothing. So it was hard for him to understand why sometimes he got a prize and others he didnt. That’s honestly hard to explain to a 4 year old. But honestly he took it better than I expected!
Overall it was a great day. The fair never disappoints. We definitely had a few things we didn’t get to do that we wanted to but we ran short on time. But this was our first year to take a child who could walk. Thanks to covid, we missed last year and the year before, Ryder sat in a stroller the whole time. So it was a learning experience for us all. Next year we will probably make a full day of it and plan better than we did. That way we can visit the attractions we want to and still allow for rest times and more food tastings!
Warmer temperatures mean more families are getting outside. If your family lives in an area prone to ticks and mosquitoes, however, you could be more worried about getting bitten. Mosquitoes and tick bites can carry serious consequences, so you’re right to be concerned. Instead of letting those concerns keep your family from enjoying the great outdoors and getting some exercise, though, why not focus your energy on preventing those bites? To make sure your outdoor fun isn’t ruined by these pests, here are some vital facts you need to know, brought to you by Fit Dallas Mom Blog.
Poorly Maintained Yards Can Hide Pests
Is your yard looking a little overgrown? If so, to keep pests in check, and keep your yard looking its best as well, consider hiring a gardener to help with landscaping tasks. Ticks can hide in tall grass, and mosquitoes love to hang out in unkempt lawns as well. In addition to sprucing up your yard, your gardener can also be on the lookout for any standing water or improperly draining planters around your property, all of which can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Garlic Laced Foods Can Repel Mosquitoes
If you live in an area that’s prone to mosquitoes, you may already have some mosquito knowledge. Still, it never hurts to brush up on mosquito repellant tips. For instance, eating garlic on a regular basis may make you less appealing to these insects. As an added bonus, adding more garlic to your diet may also precent tick bites, which can reduce your family’s risk for Lyme disease, which can have lasting and painful impacts on health.
Tick Prevention for Pets Can Also Help Humans
Dogs and cats can bring joy to your life, but they can also bring ticks into your home. The best solution to keep pets from infesting your yard with ticks and other pests is to focus on prevention. Treat your yard with pet-safe pesticides, find a flea and tick preventative for any pets that venture outside, and be sure to check those pets for ticks frequently. If you find a tick on your pet, have a vet or vet tech remove it, to prevent additional issues. Also, stay vigilante for potential Lyme disease symptoms, such as pain or fever, in any pets that have been bitten.
Mosquito Prevention Can Be Fairly Simple As Well
If you don’t want to deal with the discomfort of mosquito bites, the best remedy is to take steps to prevent mosquitoes in the first place. By now, you already know the importance of dumping standing water and keeping your lawn trimmed. What you wear outside, however, can hurt or help mosquito populations as well. So if you notice mosquitoes around your home, be sure to cover your arms and legs before spending time outside in the evenings, and think about using a repellant on your skin. If you are bitten, you can use natural remedies, such as tea tree and apple cider vinegar, to help reduce itching and discomfort.
Mosquito Bites Can Be More Than Just Annoying
You may be aware of the dangers of lyme disease and tick bites, but you may not be aware that mosquito bites can be just as dangerous. In fact, world health reports indicate that mosquitoes may be the most dangerous animal on our planet, in terms of human health and safety. Mosquitoes are responsible for the spread of deadly diseases, such as malaria, which makes it crucial to know potential symptoms of mosquito-borne illnesses. Chills and unexplained pain after a bite should be addressed immediately, so if you or a loved one experiences them, you should seek medical attention immediately.
Bites from ticks and mosquitoes can not only ruin your family fun, they can also harm your health. So take the necessary steps to prevent mosquitoes and ticks from breeding in your yard. Also, make sure you know how to protect yourself from insect bites while you’re outside, and know how to reduce the potential for serious health impacts if a member of your family is bitten.
It’s hard to believe this was just 3 years ago! My little guy has gotten so big so fast. In a few short months we will be a family of 5! Fingers crossed Ryder handles baby #3 a little better than he did with Camden.😳
When I first brought Camden home from the hospital, if you were holding him, Ryder would just sit there and give you dirty looks. He would refuse to come near anyone that was holding Camden. He would actually tell me to put Camden down. He was not a fan. That first month was definitely one of the hardest I’d ever experienced. It broke my heart that Ryder had such a hard time.
Hopefully now that he’s been around Camden so long he understands that a new baby isn’t a “threat.” He’s so good with Camden now and even tries to share with him (sometimes).
I did screw up with Ryder in the beginning when I had Camden. I thought after Camden was born I needed to give Ryder a ton of attention to make up for the shared attention that was about to happen. People kept telling me Ryder was going to get jealous and would need a lot of individual attention. I shouldn’t have listened to them.
I had my mom spend a lot of time with Ryder as well thinking that individual attention was needed because of everyone’s comments. That actually made Ryders jealousy worse. When he actually did spend time around Camden and I, it was really bad. He just couldn’t handle it and would have melt downs and be extremely upset. What I should have done is let Ryder spend time around just me and Camden the minute I brought him home. I should have gotten him used to being around Camden right away so he could see he and baby will both get my attention. I think if I’d done that, it may have not taken so long for Ryder to adjust to Camden. By giving him too much individual attention, it’s what he expected all the time and wasn’t getting used to having to share.
Obviously now things are ok. We have our days where one kid needs more attention than the other. But for the most part they both understand they have to share moms attention and that they will both get the attention they need. I definitely learned a lot that first time around. I think I have the hang of it this second time. Fingers crossed!
One weekend my husband asked me what we had planned for the day. I told him nothing. We actually didn’t have anything scheduled. His exact response was “you mean we have nothing to do and are going to sit in the house ALL day?” I literally thought to myself “yes Chris we are, welcome to my life every day as a stay at home mom.”
Being a stay at home parent is NOT easy. Especially after having spent 8 years in a corporate job then a few years as a teacher. I was used to being around people. So it’s a very different world when you’re around one or two little ones all day, every day. We have our good days and bad at home. Obviously the bad days make it a lot harder on you mentally.
Don’t get me wrong, I love spending every minute of every day with my kids. I love that I don’t miss a second of anything they do. But it is very difficult not seeing adults regularly or having any adults to converse with daily like you would at an office job. For a good two years my oldest didn’t really talk. I would actually leave the tv on all day to Friends just so I had the sound of adults to listen to.
Anyone who says being a stay at home mom is easy has clearly not done it or has stay at home amnesia and forgotten how difficult it is. It takes a toll on you physically and mentally. I’ll be honest, I think being a stay at home mom has been harder on me psychologically and emotionally than either of my previous jobs were.
If you are a stay at home mom(or dad), you deserve the biggest gift in the world. If you know a stay at home mom, remember to have empathy for them. They’re doing a thankless job that they love but also really wears on them.
The other day while out to eat with my husband and oldest child, I had to go to the bathroom. I got up to leave and of course our little guy wanted to go with me. I figured sure why not, maybe he’ll need to go too. When we got to the bathroom there was only one stall open. We took that stall and I heard people coming in after us. We chose a busy time for the bathroom apparently!
Right as I sat down to use the bathroom, my child yells out “poop mommy poop.” I just looked at him and laughed and said “no mommy doesn’t need to poop.” But it continued. He kept cheering me on telling me to poop! Then if that wasn’t embarrassing enough, he yells out “poop out your butt mommy.” Oh My God! Why child, why?!? But wait it gets better….he then yells out “you’re peeing! Good job mommy good job.” At this point I’m a bit embarrassed because I can only imagine what the women in the other stalls and in line are thinking, but I’m also laughing SO hard. We have been working on potty training with him, so we praise him when he uses the potty. So he was praising me for using the potty. It was hilarious, embarrassing and absolutely adorable.
As we walked out of the stall people either avoided eye contact with me or just gave me an awkward smile. That made me start to laugh again because I’m sure this is only the start of our embarrassing toddler moments. I can’t wait to see what else follows. (Note there is sarcasm in my voice when saying that last sentence!)
We wrote a few scripture verses in different parts of our house. The entry, living room, kitchen, stairs, playroom, master, etc. They each relate to those specific parts of the house and our lives.
My handwriting sadly looks absolutely terrible as I was writing. You don’t realize how hard it is to write on unfinished floors till you get started! There was so much material and stuff stuck to it, even after I tried cleaning it, that made it hard to write on. I’m surprised you can even read half of what I wrote in some places!
We even let our 3 year old color on the floor a little so he could leave his mark in his room. He doesn’t quite understand it now but he enjoyed it.
When the house is done, you won’t see the scripture. The hardwood floors will cover it, but we’ll know it’s there. It’s sort of like God himself. You can’t see him, but you know he’s always there. It’s a great memory for us to have that writing there but secretly hidden. 🙏🏻
I was super upset when I found out the Texas State Fair wasn’t happening this year because of Covid. It’s one of the few things I really look forward to every year. I love trying all the crazy food and walking around looking at all the interesting things being sold. I even love going to watch the pig races! If you ask our oldest, he would of course tell you the petting zoo is his favorite.
When the State Fair came out with a drive through option, I was super excited. My mother made fun of us for wanting to go. She said it was ridiculous to pay that kind of money just to drive through the fair and it was something she wouldn’t do. But we didn’t care. No it’s not the real fair but it’s a different experience and we weren’t going to let anyone ruin the fun for us. We may not get to walk around but we still get to go get our fair food and take a picture with Big Tex. My husband and I actually don’t have a picture with the both of us and the kids together in front of Big Tex. We have never had anyone take a picture of all of us together. It’s either me with the kids or him. So I was super excited to get a full family pic this year! And have it be a professional photo!
We went this weekend and had a really great time. Once you drive through the gates they have the entire drive through decorated like the fair. They had food stands lined along the way where you could pick up each of your food items. We got 8 Fletchers corny dogs, 6 fried Oreos, 4 corn on the cob, 2 turkey legs, 2 sausage on a stick, 2 fries, 2 cotton candy, and 2 kettle corn! We definitely got our fair food fix for the year!
While it wasn’t the “real” state fair, it was a lot of fun. It was a once in a lifetime experience to do a state fair drive through! Although next year I’ll be looking forward to going back to the real thing! But this was definitely a fun backup experience since we couldn’t do the real thing!
Terrible twos was definitely a bit brutal! People told me it was rough, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. The random melt downs, complete defiance, temper tantrums, etc. I knew he would push his limits but lord!!! Mix in the fact that he was still learning to talk and it made things so much more difficult for both of us. He would try to tell me something and got frustrated because I didn’t understand what he’s saying or wanting.
Every day I was exhausted! It’s an exhausted I’d never felt before. It’s a mix of mental and physical exhaustion. But weirdly enough, he wasn’t exhausted (ever)! It’s like the terrible twos upped his energy level. I was worn out well before he was. His bed time would come around and I was the one who needed to go to bed.
What didnt help was other moms telling me “wait till he’s 3 that’s worse than 2.” Come on people!!! Give a new mom a glimmer of hope! I need to see the light at the end of the tunnel and comments like this don’t help!
We are now at 3 and it’s a whole other ball game. He’s now able to talk, very well actually. But he still doesn’t know how to verbalize his feelings or emotions. So when tiredness comes over him and he’s ready for a nap, a lot of the time he just goes crazy. He’s not that kid who tells me he wants to go nap. He has always hated napping. Instead he acts out or throws things. What’s funny is he will throw something, look at me and go “mommy I’m being bad” and sometimes he actually goes and puts himself in timeout! It takes every bit of strength in my body not to die laughing. Because let’s be honest….the wrath of a toddler who’s in a mood and you laugh at him….nope I’m not going there!
He is a good boy. A very good boy. He’s so loving and does try to help out and share with his brother. We are just in a stage. I try to remind myself of that. Obviously in the moment it’s not exactly the thought going through my head. Most thoughts are more like “dear god please make this stop.” 😂 But as bad as I say it is, it could be worse. He isn’t as bad as some horror stories I’ve heard. He really is a good little boy. He is just learning and trying to figure out his emotions and life in general! 💙
One of the most exhausting things in the world……having a conversation with a toddler. My child is obsessed with the trash man, trash truck and trash bin. The trash bins outside not the small trash cans in your house.😂
I have no idea why. That’s just his thing right now and he talks about them non stop. Every conversation, no matter what it’s about, you can expect him to bring up something about a trash can or the trash man. If he hears a truck outside, he yells out “trash truck!” It could be just a regular, non commercial truck and he still yells it.
If you take him on a walk he will point out every single trash bin in the neighborhood. EVERY SINGLE ONE! What could be a 10 minute walk turns into 30-40 minutes because he has to stop so many times to point each one out. And heaven forbid the lid be left open on one or the front side not be facing out. He will let out a gasp as if something terrible just happened, point to the trash can and tell you the lid is open or it’s not facing forward.
I’ll be honest, it was funny and adorable at first. But now it’s a little tiring. I keep hoping every day something new will peak his interest and he will start talking about that every day. I need a break from hearing about the trash men, truck and bins! 😳
Call me crazy but one of the hardest things I’ve done lately is say goodbye to our house. Yes we are building a beautiful new house and we will make so many more memories in that one. But that doesn’t make letting go of this one any easier.
I’ve never been more attached to somewhere I’ve lived except one house I had when I was younger. I lived there from age 2-13. That house was incredibly hard for me to leave. I still drive by it when I happen to be anywhere near the area. I just have so many amazing memories at that house. I’m sure the people who own it have seen my car and wonder why this weird woman randomly stops by once a year (sometimes twice) to stare at their house.
As for our current house……Was this our forever home? No. I always knew that. I didn’t love the inside layout. I knew we’d outgrow it fast. But it’s where we brought our babies home from the hospital. We watched them learn how to crawl, stand and walk in that house. We watched them grow so fast in the short time we lived in it. There’s just so many memories in this house.
Before we left I did a few small things. I’m a sentimental person so I had to leave our mark before we left. Ryder loved our pond so much. So I took out one of the pond stones, wrote the boys names on it and placed it back in the water. Yes the water will eventually wear away at the writing, but we’ll always know it was there. In one of the closets back in a corner hidden from the eye, I wrote the letter of all of our first names. I also put a heart for the pups. I didn’t have enough room to put their letters so they got a heart instead. Yes I’m aware if the new homeowner goes to paint the closet they will paint over the writing. But again, we will know it was always there.
Goodbye was not easy for this house. I honestly never realized how attached I’d gotten to it. Signing the papers over to the new sellers was literally like a knife in my heart. But the buyers have a child around Ryders age so I know he is going to love the house and yard as much as we did. The idea of another child loving it makes the let go a little easier. I hope they have as many wonderful, fun memories in that house as we did. 💙
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