Why it is important to watch your language around kids

Scene: The Woman is changing Kayleigh’s diaper. The tube of Balmex just exploded out the bottom.
The Woman: Oh my god! That’s why the Balmex wasn’t coming out.

Scene: 5 minutes later. Kayleigh is watching Thomas & Friends.
Kayleigh: Oh my god! It’s Thomas! Oh my god! It’s Diesel! Oh my god! It’s Thomas again!

I’d give her some credit for using it properly, but it really wasn’t that surprising or exciting that Thomas or Diesel were on TV when we had clearly started an episode of Thomas & Friends for her. And let’s be honest, 3 times in less than 20 seconds is beyond excessive. I guess it still makes more sense than her constant declarations of “that’s possible” as though possible was an adjective you’d use to describe objects around the house.

We may run out of band-aids soon

I’ve told this story too many times in the last couple of days, but since it involves my little Kayleigh, a large mirror, and a huge welt on her head I guess it bears repeating. Actually, I can’t even tell the whole story because I wasn’t there for the incident and The Woman didn’t really see what happened for sure either. It’s a bit of a mystery – one that isn’t all that mysterious.

The  long and short of it is that our bedroom is not truly child or baby-proofed. In some cases it appears as though we are actively discouraging our toddler from harboring any feelings of safety in certain areas of our house. Hey, if we can’t be very comfortable in our own room, why should she? Anyway, there’s this dresser with a big mirror on it. They are not attached. That is, apparently, a safety hazard. Who knew?

So Monday afternoon I got a frantic message from The Woman. She had moved the dresser a couple inches to reach something. The mirror fell. Kayleigh was under it. Panic ensues. By the time I got home, Kayleigh was somewhat comforted but rather sullen while curled up next to Mama. Oh, and there was a huge welt with a cut on her forehead. Head injuries are fun for the whole family! Fortunately she didn’t black out, throw up, or become overly irritable – which meant that she most likely didn’t get a concussion or attend a kegger. Sighs of relief ensue.

While the doctor said there was no need to take her anywhere since all signs pointed to A-OK, we still needed to treat the wound. All attempts to put ice on the new appendage growing out of her skull were rebuffed. That idea was abandoned as it only seemed to fire up the irritability factor. But there was concern for the cut (although it wasn’t bleeding) and we had to push forward with bandages.

She fought the good fight against any kind of healing potions being applied to her head, but I eventually whipped out my notes from Parenting 101 and realized that this was the perfect time to apply some TV knowledge. That’s right, I played the ol’ “Daddy needs a bandaid, too” card and got her to accept one after both of us put them on our own foreheads. I feel like I earned some serious daddy cred by using that method successfully.

Even with her new lumpy head she’s adorable. And that’s how she was able to milk this for all she wanted. Which is why we headed over to Whole Foods for a bunch of blueberries and to see her favorite cashier (seriously). It’s also why we head out to Panera in the morning for breakfast – where she gets to enjoy all of the butter she can cram into her mouth in the 10 seconds we give up trying to stop her.

Are you going to say no to that face?

After 3 days I feel pretty confident in saying that we dodged a bullet. Kayleigh seems happy and healthy – black and blue mark and all.

That’s a spicy meat… chicken sandwich

What a lovely holiday weekend – filled with beautiful weather, some much needed yard work, and a whole lot of quality time with the wee little one and the rest of my family. But there’s plenty of time to talk about that, instead I need to address a more pressing mattter: Chick-fil-A’s new spicy chicken sandwich.

Certainly I have spoken of my love for all things Chick-fil-A in the past, but there’s always good reason to emphasize the point. And the latest reason is their method for promoting a new product. In case you hadn’t seen the link passed around last month, they have a website to reserve one of the new sandwiches. So for starters, they’re giving out a ton of these things for free at every location (sorry to my fellow North Jersey readers, but all 3 nearby locations are booked); but rather than simply giving you a coupon to go get one whenever, you are asked to literally book a reservation for a select time period – 3 each day from Memorial Day to the 5th. A little odd but…

Since there was little chance of making one of the “local” Chick-fil-As during the limited time preview, I jumped on the chance to stop by one before heading over to a BBQ yesterday. As I said, you “make a reservation” and when you get there they give you the “VIP treatment.” We’re talking fast food here, but they had one register set aside just for those with reservations, designated a section of the eating area as “VIP Reserved” complete with red table clothes and vases with flowers and even brought our food out to us.

Seriously. Alright, I know it’s dorky. I’m excited by a pretend fancy dining experience at a fast food joint, but it struck me as clever. And clever easily trumps dorky for me. As for the new sandwich… I still prefer the regular one. But it’s got some real heat on it, and if I’m in the mood for spicy it would more than fit the bill. And as hot as it was, The Woman (a fairly timid creature when it comes to hot and spicy) was able to eat most of hers.

Now that I have somewhat endorsed a product received for free is my integrity as a blogger shot? I sure hope so…