The Poopsie Collective

Selective Memory: A Mother’s Gift to Herself

Written by GWEN

After I had Izzy, everyone told me I would forget the pain of giving birth and eventually I would feel ready to have another one.  I think that advice really holds true for most things with kids, not just birth. Somehow I can imagine having another baby now, even though in addition to the actual birth, the sleepless nights and year of lop-sided boobs definitely made me feel like once was ENOUGH! Likewise, every time I travel with Izzy, I think to myself, “That’s IT! We’re never leaving our flat again!” And yet, once the trip is over, I get home and start planning the next one.

Just last week I flew with Izzy, sans Adam, to New York for a friend’s wedding and to see my parents. It’s not that Izzy was bad on the flight. He didn’t cry or throw tantrums. He was simply a one and a half year old. He wanted to run around, explore and play games. So for two hours, I chased Izzy up and down the aisles, while avoiding eye contact with anyone in our path. At one point, he grabbed a mini whiskey bottle from the catering cart and before I could snatch it out of his hands, he was tearing through Economy, Economy Plus and Business. My reaction? Well, it was three-fold really: This sucks. This is kinda funny. What would happen if he drank a little??

Once we were in New York, things only sort of improved. It was great to see Izzy with my parents and to spend time with my friends, but his jet-lagged 4am wake-up times were less than ideal. We were only there for four days, so he never properly adjusted. At the end of the trip, a family friend looked at the bags under my eyes and asked, “Was it worth it?” If she had asked me this question on the plane, I would have said no immediately, but in retrospect, I would say of course! Just like giving birth, the plane was ridiculously painful, but obviously Izzy was worth every contraction (well, maybe not those last few. JK!!) and seeing him with his grandparents and watching them discover his amazing little personality and all his funny habits that I know so well, is worth the whisky bottle drama every time!

Izzy passing out in the car from the airport!!

Giveaway: Kidville Brentwood Grand Opening

Poopsie is pleased to be offering a giveaway, courtesy of Kidville Brentwood:
One lucky winner will be awarded one FREE semester at Kidville! 

To enter, simply leave a comment below telling us which Kidville class you are most excited to check-out. Please include your email address. Entries will be accepted through the end of day Wednesday, May 30th. Winner will be drawn at random and notified on Thursday, May 31th.

**If you aren’t comfortable publicly posting your email address, you can leave your comment below AND send us at email at poopsiecollective@gmail.com
*For a winner beyond the LA Area, a gift card good at any Kidville nationwide will be awarded
**Valued at approximately $500 

written by STEPHANIE

The second child often gets the shorter end of the stick when it comes to their parents’ attention. Being a second child myself, I can attest that while there are far fewer photos of me as a baby than my older brother, I turned out just fine. At least, I think I did… Feeling a bit guilty that her son wasn’t getting the same exposure to kiddie classes as her first-born, the owner of the brand-spanking-new-still-smells-of-fresh-paint Kidville Brentwood, Christy Desai, sought out classes that she and her 2 year old son could enjoy together. She saw that her new hometown of Los Angeles was missing a Kidville and hoped someone might open one up so she could reap the benefits. Then she realized that “someone” was going to have to be her.

An Angeleno by way of New York City, by way of Kansas City, Christy happened upon Kidville when living on New York’s Upper West Side. Her daughter first attended Kidville U (KVU), Kidville’s preschool alternative, followed by birthday parties, and other classes. Christy loved the warm atmosphere and admits, “Kidville really set the bar” for her expectations from a children’s educational center. Even though she had a great job at the time, working as a Talent Coordinator for The View, she fantasized about spending her day in the Kidville environment. 

With Kidville Brentwood owner, Christy Desai

Upon moving to LA and falling in love with the easy, warm lifestyle, she recognized that Los Angeles moms were savvy and appreciated quality children’s activities. Kidville and LA would make a perfect pair. With Christy’s family behind her 1,000%, her long hours have been well worth it. Even Christy’s 8 year old daughter pitched in handmaking posters to help spread the word! 

Kidville Brentwood opened its doors this week, offering free trial classes for the week of May 14th. The first of two Grand Opening Events was held this past weekend, and my family and I checked it out. One word: Adorable! It’s sort of the one-stop shopping of children’s centers, offering a gym, art studio, classes, shopping and a hair salon for the kiddos. 

If you missed last weekend’s festivities, not to worry…

Grand Opening events are this coming weekend. Enjoy a free concert, and use of the gym, art studio and salon. 

- Saturday, May 19 noon-3pm, Rockin’ Railroad Concert @ 1pm
- Sunday, May 20 noon-3pm, Rockin’ Railroad Concert @ 1pm

Kidville Brentwood
11740 San Vicente Blvd, Ste. 107
Los Angeles, CA 90049
for more information, visit: http://www.kidville.com/brentwoodla

And photos from my family’s day of play at Kidville Brentwood…

Toddler Solutions: Snack Trays for Mealtime

written by STEPHANIE

You might recall from last week’s post that I have a finicky eater in my household. After  Activities for Toddlers: Sorting my daughter became obsessed with having her snack from the mini-muffin tin. As I was getting her lunch ready yesterday, she held up the tin and pointed to the food I was prepping. I obliged, filling each of the twelve spots with something bite sized, colorful, healthy and tasty. And you know what? She ate and had fun.

Since, each of her meals have been from the tray. Not sure how this will translate when we go out for a meal, but I’ll cross that tantrum when we get to it. 

It’s challenging to keep meals fun and interesting, while also imparting good manners and expectations. I try my best to avoid the pitfalls of convenience when they aren’t in her best interests, but some days she only eats yogurt drops (and not the homemade version!) and I have to accept that. I’m not sure if the muffin tins are setting her me up for a nightmare in the future, but for the time being I will indulge her.

I’d love to know what you do to keep your kids engaged with their meals, while still serving up healthy food and habits. Post your comments below.  

Is Playtime an Early Lesson on Supply and Demand?

written by STEPHANIE

Meet Baby Doll, or Baby as we call her in our house. She came into our lives on Marlowe’s first birthday. It was love at first sight and since then they do pretty much everything together. Marlowe shares snacks with Baby, blows her nose, puts stickers on her chest, kisses her, props her in the window so they can squawk at passing cars together… and so on. The two are quite the pair! When we’re in the car, I love hearing Marlowe babble on and on to Baby in the backseat. And I’m happy to tote them both along on any of our adventures. Any adventures, that is, except for one BIG category: playtime. Playtime includes playdates, classes and activities that might involve other kids. Why? Because while Baby is an excellent one-on-one playmate for Marlowe, she has the power to bring out the worst in other kids.

In Marlowe’s Toddler Music & Dance class (really just 45 minutes of utter chaos, with Marlowe running to the door desperate to escape every 90 seconds), I saw the havoc created when two kids brought along their favorite buddies: one was a baby doll and the other a plastic horse. Every kid was interested in these two toys because, unlike everything else in the class, those toys were the only ones. There weren’t enough to go around. And so, as the laws of supply and demand dictate, once scarcity is introduced all hell breaks loose. 

Both the little girl with the baby doll, and the little boy with the plastic horse, sat stone faced while their parents defended them and their toys, telling all the children in class, one by one, “No. This is Madeline’s doll/Jack’s horse. You can’t play with it. Sorry.” Um, WHAT?! (insert sound of record scratching and all music comes to an astonishing halt) 

Marlowe’s confusion and heartbreak upon learning she couldn’t play with either of these toys was flawlessly communicated by her first ever pouty lipped, teary-eyed look of disbelief. She ran into my arms without even crying, looked up at me with that textbook “but w-w-w-why?” face. I was at an utter loss. I didn’t know what to tell her. What I wanted to tell her, though, was that these people were obviously huge jackholes.

These parents had to know other children weren’t bringing their favorite toys along, because when the rest of us registered it wasn’t for a class called ‘Show-and-Tell’. If they were interested in raising a well-adjusted kid, bringing them into a class (the purpose of which is socializing) with their favorite toy isn’t a great idea. And who, aside from a jackhole, could tell a bunch of tiny, curious children that they couldn’t play with his/her kid’s toy, over and over and over again. In the off chance that these parents were NEW and unprepared for the frenzy they created, why didn’t they simply put the toy away until the end of the class…? 

Once the 8 or so toddlers got over it and began running around like little maniacs, I was upset by what had unfolded back with Madeline and Jack. Neither of them were dancing, singing, running or playing along with the other kids. They were both sitting with their parents, clinging to their toys, unable to participate in the class. Now, I suppose it’s possible that both kids have social anxiety, and perhaps their parents toted the toys into class hoping it would help to ease their child’s nerves. But I’m gonna go ahead and toss that possibility into a pile I’ve labeled ‘CHANCES: SLIM TO NONE’. 

I think these jackhole parents are creating the social anxiety, not alleviating it. So, the next time you’re heading off to Mommy-and-Me, try to leave that toy behind, because in my pompous opinion, you’re doing your kid a disservice. Plus, you’re breaking tiny hearts everywhere you go, your child’s included.  

Toddler Activity: Creative Crates

written by STEPHANIE

Boxes are piled on my desk: Aamzon, Zappos, 6pm.com, Wag… I’m a bit of an internet shopper. I find catharsis in loading up my “cart”, and from time to time, the goods actually make it through the checkout process, finding their way into my home.

The shipping boxes have a second life of their own. They become Creative Crates, offering endless entertainment for my daughter. She loves pulling items out of the boxes, or putting new objects inside. She stacks the boxes on top of one another, lines them up in neat rows, sits atop them, and loads them on top of the dog. Sometimes I preload the boxes with items I hope she will find interesting, like wooden blocks or measuring cups. And I try to change the contents every few days to keep things fresh. This type of play is important, as it allows your child to explore and use his/her imagination freely. Too often during the day we have to tell them “no”. So filling the boxes with safe items is a lovely way to give them an opportunity to play without limitations. This activity is one that grows with your child, as you can change the boxes’ contents to be age appropriate, filling it with art supplies and such as your child gets older. Plus, this can be FREE! There’s no need to buy anything. 

Here’s how you can make your own Creative Crates:

- a box (or more)

- household items like socks, books, empty toilet paper rolls, rubber ducks, spoons, plastic bowls, etc. It’s nice to fill a box thematically to help your child find similarities in the items. For instance, all red items, or plush items. 

Have fun!

Activities for Toddlers: Sorting

written by STEPHANIE

My 16 month old daughter is high energy. She is quick, she is busy and she wants to be stimulated all the time. I have felt at my wits end with her the last few weeks looking for activities to keep her occupied. Here is the latest that I have to say was a pretty big hit!

What you’ll need:

- Cheerios in a large bowl

- Muffin tin

- Measuring cups

- Tupperware containers (very small)

I set her up on the coffee table because it’s her height and allows her to move around. She doesn’t like being in a chair. She first sampled the goods, happily munching on her favorite snack. Then I showed her that the Cheerios could be scooped up with the measuring cups and dropped into the muffin tins. She got it from there and went to town meticulously moving Cheerios between containers and eating a few more along the way. Then she stuck her hands into the bowl of Cheerios and giggled while she gripped them in her fists. 

After about 20 minutes, she expanded the game from the table and onto the floor, dropping Cheerios first one by one, then by the handful. The dog sat nearby waiting for her turn to clean-up. When my daughter then picked up what was left in the bowl and started to take it away from the table, I steered her back, at which point she lost interest and wanted to play with the kitchen towels that she carts around the house in her doll stroller. 

I picked up the containers on the table, asked the dog to take care of the floor droppings and we were done! Easy set-up, easy clean-up, and my daughter was delighted by the game. 

Next time? I will use multi-colored snacks to introduce an additional sorting element.

Do you have an activity your toddler enjoys? Please email us at poopsiecollective@gmail.com … We’d love to share it with all our readers. 

So Many Phases So Little Time

Written by GWEN

When I look back on the last 14 months, it’s a bit of a blur. On the one hand I can’t believe how fast it’s gone. But on the other hand, it seems like we’ve already packed a lifetime into just over a year. There have been so many phases, trials, tears and moments of joy packed into such a short time. I’m feeling reflective this week (can you tell), so here’s a short list of phases and triumphs over the very special life thus far of Mr. Izzy Mylo.

I remember….

1.) When the mister and I used to lie awake at night in wonder at the ridiculous noises coming from the Moses basket next to our bed.  Mainly the amazingly loud farts.

2.) How Izzy’s tongue used to ALWAYS be out. I think it’s kinda unusually long and when he was really little, it just didn’t fit.

There’s that tongue!

3.) At around 7 months, Izzy finally learned to sit up on his own. So every night he would wake up every few hours crying because he had sat up in his sleep, but  didn’t yet know how to get back to lying down. It was so sad and so cute. And so tiring.

4.) Around that same time, Izzy also decided to wake up at 5:30 every morning. This was ridiculously discouraging, but now he sleeps until 7:30 most mornings. The other day he made it until 8:15. I had NO idea what to do with myself.

5.) At three or four months, we really had a great boob feeding routine down. I would take Izzy up to my bedroom, latch him on and I could actually read a book for half an hour. It was so quiet and peaceful and special.

6.) Then at the very end of the year, as I was winding down his feeds, Izzy bit my nipple to the point of bleeding every time. That was not so peaceful or special. 

7.) At the moment Izzy is in what the Mister calls a Schadenfreude phase.  Basically he thinks it’s HYSTERICAL when anybody falls, hurts them-self, trips, drops something. He may have gotten this from me. Apparently I’ve been in a Schadenfreude phase for the better part of the last two decades. I try to discourage it with Izzy, but it’s SOO sweet when he giggles. 

8.) During the tricky period where Izzy was waking up super early, I admit to putting on Baby TV from time to time. He was OBSESSED with a show called Egg Bird, which consists of decorated eggs with legs, who every episode meet a new egg bird and find him a costume. It’s really very cute. And I SWEAR Izzy shouts, EGGBIR, EGGBIR, every time it comes on.

9.) The drum phase! On Friday mornings, we go to a sing along where at the end every baby gets to bang on a lollipop shaped drum while we sing goodbye to them. Izzy became SO obsessed with this drum, that the teacher had to save him for last every week, so he could play with the drum once the session was over. Then when I finally dragged him away, he burst into tears. We finally got him his own, which he still plays with, but isn’t quite as attached to anymore.

10.) The Leroy phase. Seems to be a lifer. He just LOVES that lion.

Another phase… Izzy used to fall asleep on our bed or on the floor all the time!

I could go on and on, but you get the point! Here’s to another year of god knows WHAT!

Family Vacation Album, Pranamar Villas in Santa Theresa

written by STEPHANIE

Just back from a family vacation in Costa Rica! Since I’ve still got sand in my brain I decided to cheat on this week’s post and put up some of my favorite photos of my muse, Marlowe, from our week away.

Wildcard Wednesday: What is my Toddler Thinking?

You’ve always wondered what the heck could be going through your crazy toddler’s head as he/she eats your shoe, runs into the wall, splashes around in the toilet or sticks something/anything into a diaper full of poop. Well, this certainly explains a lot. You. Are. Welcome.

credit: http://urlybits.com/2011/12/anatomy-of-a-toddlers-brain/