Happy Halloween!!

Yesterday was Paige's party at school. The cups I made were a huge success. All the kids loved them and the parents kept asking where I find the time. I don't know. Really, I don't. Everyone loved her little costume. Tonight we are going trick or treating with Nikki and her family. I think she said there will be about 30 of us total. Should definitely be a good time!

About 2 weeks ago now we took Paige to the pumpkin patch.


She had to test sit the pumpkins to try them! We came home with 2, one for her and one for Daddy. We used the Playskool Mr. Potato Head pumpkin kits to do our pumpkins. That way Mommy didn't have to clean out all the junk inside. These are supposed to push into the pumpkin, but they are safe for ages 2 and up, so they are blunt points. How do you get them into the pumpkin you ask? Find the wine corkscrew you haven't used in years. It makes the perfect size hole!

Daddy has a pirate, Paige got a monster. I had to do a pumpkin for work. We had a pumpkin decorating contest. I got the idea from a magazine, and took it a bit further. So, presenting my Burger & Fries:

I used felt to make a burger patty (2 brown pieces glued together) & to make lettuce, tomato, pickles, cheese & onions. I cut the pumpkin in half and glued halves of pistachio shells to the top to make sesame seeds. Ronnie used yellow construction paper to make giant fries, and alternated red foam & felt to make the pile of ketchup. They'll announce the winner of the competition today, but I took the day off from work.

Our weened will be spent at the Peter Anderson Festival in Ocean Springs. It's a great 2 day arts & crafts show. My parents set up a booth to sell Moms jewelry & the children's clothes she makes. This year she's debuting her ribbon skirts. Super adorable. I'll have to post a picture of Paige wearing hers. I may not post Halloween pictures until next week, so forgive me, please! I'm spending the weekend away from home.

Big Girl Bike

At his 2nd birthday party my cousin Andrew got his first big boy bike. Paige saw it and her eyes lit up. By the time she managed to sit on it she was in love. As I pulled her from the bike she was telling me how much she wanted a big girl bike. Being a good Mommy, my first thought turned to bribery. See, I wanted Paige to potty train, she wanted a big girl bike, I saw where we could work something out.

On the way home I explained to Paige that to get a big girl bike she needed to be a big girl. I then went on to say that big girls use the potty, only babies use a diaper. So, to get a big girl bike she had to use the potty. Ronnie & I discussed the rules: fully trained during the day time. Night time is more control & more of a physical development of the bladder. So, fully trained, no accidents during the day, and she gets a big girl bike.

Saturday we went to the USS Alabama again. She went all day with no accidents. Sunday morning Aunt Wii took her to church & once again, no accidents. That put her at a solid 3 weeks with no accidents during the day. After she woke up from her nap off we went shopping.

We didn't tell her what we were shopping for, only that we needed to go to the store. We went to Toys R Us and hit the bike section. We pulled down every 12 inch bike they had for girls. Paige had to make the final decision. She had a hard time deciding between a Barbie and the one she got. See, Barbie had a bell & cool streamers. I pulled some off the shelf to show her we could buy some for the other bike. She was sold. We came home with this one.

She loves riding her bike. You can tell by the chessy grin.



We were out riding well into the darkness. We finally pried her off the bike & into the house with promises of chips & salsa. And with promises of being able to ride after school on Monday. And of Tuesday. And well, everyday.



Mommy gets lots of exercise with this too. Paige doesn't get the full idea of peddling. She pushes down with one foot and can't do it with the other. I have to run behind her helping to push & steer at the same time. Next goal: learn to ride the bike.

This n That

First, in an effort of full disclosure, Paige has 14 pair of shoes, not 13. I thought I was missing a pair, and it turns out that I was. A pair of cute little flats, white with varying shades of pink hearts on them. My Imelda Marcos has grown her collection a bit. But, it will be shrinking soon. We're getting down to 38 tonight. For the Deep South, that's colder than cold. I don't like it. It means I have to pack away the flip flops and sandals, both mine and Paige's.

Second, Paige got her first big girl bike on Sunday. I'll post pictures tomorrow. We had told Paige that when she could use the potty like a big girl, she could have a big girl bike. We've been about 3 weeks without an accident. Paige got a trip to Toys R Us where she picked out the bike she wanted. She's been having a blast riding her big girl bike up and down the driveway.

Finally, I've finished the Dark Tower series. It's taken longer than I expected. In part because I cheated one week and read 2 James Patterson novels. I couldn't help it. The call of that stack of books from Aunt Glennis was just too strong. I've also had studying to do, work, this whole parenting gig gets in the way of books sometimes. But, I've finished. The story reads amazingly well start to finish. I enjoyed my return to Roland's world. Stephen King has written other novels that tie into these. I plan on reading more of them to round out the story.

Changes

I'm getting a bit tired of the old layout & am searching for a new one. I'm not sure this is it. I do have a few ideas in mind. Please bear with me as I start making a few changes. Let's call them tweaks. Geeks like to tweak. If you see one you particularly like, let me know. One thing I have updated is my blog list. I've added a couple that I read and have been lazy about adding on here for some reason.

Paige the Shoe Queen

We would like to think we're raising the perfect adult. Everyone thinks their child will be perfect, and we're no exceptions. Paige will be tall (approximate adult height is 5'10), will probably have big boobs, is cute (everyone says so) & is smart beyond belief. So far she's a reader (good thing being named Paige), likes to watch SciFi, likes Marvel comics movies & most forms of music. She also has a love of Mickey Mouse, dolls, cars & trains. She'll learn to be a good cook from Daddy & how to balance the checkbook from Mommy. Overall, we think she's pretty rounded. We think some guy is going to be pretty damn lucky in about 25 years.

Then, there's her weakness: shoes. Paige was less than a year old when she realized what shoes were. She got dressed & I put new shoes on her. Daddy & Aunt Wii told her how pretty they were. That did it. Ever since then she's had a shoe fetish. She gets a new pair of shoes and has to show them off for days. She will put her foot out, pointing her toe and command you to look at her new shoes. You are required to ooohhhh and aaaahhhh at these new shoes. If you do not, she will continue to show you her new shoes until you do. And just because you've seen the new shoes today doesn't mean you won't be shown again tomorrow. New shoes are worn daily for at least a week. And they are considered new shoes as long as Paige says they are. She will also tell you who bought her new shoes.

In preparation for writing this post I gathered up all of her shoes to count & take a picture. I just got up to count my shoes for comparison. Paige has 13 pair of shoes. That's 13 pair of shoes that currently fit her & that she wears. Granted, it's almost winter and the summer shoes will go away. But still, 13 pair of shoes. I only own 21 pair, and my feet haven't grown since 7th grade! Here's the proof:


If you look closely at the pink glittery on the bottom right here you can see how loved these have been. In every size she wears we have to have 2 shoes: sparklies & pink Converse. Please ignore my craft basket mess in the upper corner. Just pretend you don't see it. :) There are 2 pairs in here that Paige doesn't even know about yet. The brown boots on the bottom left are for her Halloween costume. We'll give them to her then. Then in the top portion there's a pair of brown Mary Jane's. I got those to go with skirts & dresses this winter. I try to space out giving new shoes so that she gets maximum "new shoeness" out of each pair.

I know this can't be normal for a 2 year old to have 13 pairs of shoes. How many pairs do your kids have?

Paige the Kitty Cat

Lately Paige has been pretending to be various animals. She's been a horse, dog & cat mostly. Her favorite to pretend is a cat. And she makes a really good cat. When she's a cat she can only meow. She crawls around on all fours. The best part is she likes to snuggle. Paige Kitty will crawl up in your lap and wait for you to "pet" her hair and back. She'll rub up against you and meow if you don't pet fast enough.

This game can go on for literally hours. Just don't make the mistake of meowing back at her. She stops, looks at you and says "No, Mommy. You're not a kitty cat. You're a Mommy." At least I still know my place in this household.

Christmas Goody Bags

I've been working on my Christmas goody bags off and on since August. I'm close to being finished with the contents. I don't want to do the actual bags until closer to Christmas. I'm putting each child's name on the bag, and someone could leave. It's rare to see someone leave our daycare, but it could happen. I did 2 bags to show, 1 boy & 1 girl. I used names that I'm sure will still be there at Christmas: Paige & Jude, her "boyfriend".

Each bag includes a Christmas koosh ball necklace (thanks, Grammy), a candy cane ornament, & a zipper pull made with Christmas beads. Girls are also getting a gingerbread man lip gloss holder. Boys will be getting a Frosty in sleigh ornament instead. Each bag is decorated with their name and stickers. After putting everything in I close the bag with ribbon with jingle bells. There's a "From Paige" tag on each bag as well. Except for the bags themselves, everything else has been made just for this. I even made the tags with my scrapbooking supplies!

Here's a girl bag:


And a boy bag:


I haven't trimmed down the edges of the zipper pulls yet. The plastic cording is still curved. I'm going to hang them so they can straighten out. Once they've been tied extra tight, I'll trim down the excess.

Once again, this was all pretty thrifty. These are more than my Halloween bags. The girl bags cost $1.37 a bag, and the boys were $1.62. I was able to buy most of these things back in March on a great clearance sale. The boys ornaments were more of an afterthought & I had to pay full price, that's why there's a difference. Overall, I think I did pretty well though. And there's definitely still time for everyone else to get working on their goody bags!

Use credit cards to save money

What did that say? That can't be right! No way to use a credit card to save money. Is there? That's what I used to think. Then, I discovered Chase credit cards. I currently have 2 cards, one BP and one Toys R Us.

First, the BP Visa card. I use this card frequently. But, I think of it more as a debit card than a credit card. The interest rate is high, so you never want to pay interest on any Chase card. They offer cash back awards based on your purchases. The first 60 days of the card are double points. You get 10% back on all BP purchases, 5% back on travel & entertainment (including meals at restaurants) & 2% back on everything else. After the first 60 days are over you go to the normal cash back amounts: 5% on BP purchases, 2% on travel & 1% on everything else. The best part of this cash back is it's really cash back. Once you get to $25 in rewards, you can cash in for an actual check to be mailed to you. After using this card I immediately write the purchase amount out of my checkbook. Then, about every 2 weeks, I log onto chase.com to check to see what's posted, and pay it off. This way, there's no interest, but I'm accruing cash back rewards. We've had this card for less than a year, probably about 6-8 months. We've cashed in $200 in cash back. When I say we use it frequently, I really mean it! But, it's never used for anything other than what I can pay immediatly out of my checking account.

Next is the Toys R Us (TRU) card. It's also from Chase. Again, a high interest rate that you never want to pay. This one was opened about a month ago & will be closed soon. I only opened this card for the discount. When you apply & use your TRU that same day, you get 10% off everything you purchase. I went about a month ago and did all of Paige's Christmas shopping. (Yep, only stocking stuffers are left.) I applied for the TRU card & got my 10% off my total purchase. Then, because I spent just over $200 ($201.65) I got 90 days interest free. I had enough money in checking to cover my purchases that day. But, why use my money when I can use someone elses? The card will be payed off in another month and closed after that. All interest free, and with 10% off on top of that.

Finally, JC Penney. They offer special discounts to cardmembers during the year, plus coupons based on your purchases. Like a lot of retailers, Penney's is hurting lately, and they've been having some amazing sales. Like most cards these days, the interest rate is high. When I use this one, it's used like a debit card. I write the purchase out of the checking account, and pay the card online as soon as the charge hits.

I know that there are other cards out there that offer cash back & discounts for using them. Most people don't pay them off at the end of the month, and are paying high interest. If you can control that, you can get some great deals out there. The BP card has been continually rated very high for it's reward program. We all have to buy gas, we may as well get something back for it.

Mommy the Pack Mule

This is what I feel like. As I pulled out of the driveway today I was thinking back to the good old days. You know, the days where I decide to leave, grab my purse & keys & walk out the door. Sometimes I miss those days. When you become a Mommy you also become a pack mule. Nobody warns you about this, but it does happen.

The newborn days. Paige was born in late January, and even here in the Deep South it gets cold. So, to leave the house there's blankets & a diaper bag crammed full. There's the extra clothes, diapers, wipes, Mylicon drops & who knows what else. Good thing about breastfeeding? No bottles or formula to deal with. A couple less things for me to pack.

Paige gets a bit older & the season changes. Extra blankets are replaced with just a lightweight nursing blanket. Blowout diapers become less, so there's less clothes to carry. But, you have to add solid foods, bibs & spoons. You still have extra clothes, but now it's just shirts that will match the pants or skirt already being worn.

We become a full fledged toddler eating regular table food. Now we only have to carry diapers, bibs, spoons & 1 extra shirt. The big newborn diaper bag is replaced with a smaller more compact bag. Now, breastfeeding is behind us, so cups must go everywhere with us.

We get closer to 2. Now to leave the house all we need is a cup & diapers. The diapee wipee fits nicely in my slightly larger than usual purse, so no extra diaper bag is needed. For a slightly longer trip, the small diaper bag may still be needed. You'll need diapers, wipes, snacks & juice. I'm sure at this point some parents have given over to candy & soda as snacks & don't feel the need to carry the bag. Not me. I'm still giving Juicy Juice or organic juice & snacks are animal crackers or granola bars.

We've reached the potty training stage. If you've read my earlier posts you know I don't believe in pull ups. I think they're Pampers way of getting you to buy their product longer. We only wear big girl panties. Now to leave the house I have my slightly larger than usual purse. Then there's the smaller toddler size diaper bag complete with juice, snack, emergency diapers & a folding potty seat. Then there's the extra bag of clothes. I'm walking out the door with 3 bags, a sippy cup, my drink, keys & phone. I don't have enough hands!

Of course none of this takes into account that Paige just has to take toys with her. It seems we can't leave the house without her holding onto a toy. It doesn't last long. Mommy ends up carrying it. Oh yes, and don't forget the 30 pound, 3 foot tall 2 1/2 year old who still likes to be carried. One day I'm hoping to get back to my normal size purse & no extra bags. I'm just not certain that it will happen any time soon. We'll see. It has to happen one day, right?

Sixth Photo

I've been tagged by Beth to participate in a little blogger game. You find the 6th photo in the 6th folder of your online picture storage. I had to cheat a bit. I don't have an online photo storage. I've got accounts with a couple, but I've never really used them. So, I went to the 6th photo in the 6th folder of my external hard drive. You share the picture and the memory. Here's mine.

This picture was taken at Cheaha State Park in Central, Alabama. It's a beautiful, quiet resort park. Ronnie & I went there this past June to celebrate our 4th anniversary. It was also Father's Day. This was the view from our back patio. We rented a small cabin made just for 2. We spent the weekend hiking, swimming, relaxing & reading books. It was an amazing time that we still talk about. It was also our first time away from Paige for an entire weekend. Here's a link to my original post about the vacation.

Part of this game is to tag 6 other bloggers. The problem is that I don't know 6 other bloggers who read on a continual basis. So, Caroline and Monica, you've been tagged. Please participate, if you would. It's a fun game.

Potty training update

We have been in big girl panties for quite a while now, probably 3 weeks or so. Our accidents are getting less and less. There were no accidents over the weekend. Monday there was 1 accident at school, and none yesterday or today.

Paige has gotten better about telling us she needs to potty. We still ask, but if she says no, she means it. She will tell us and run to the potty. By the time you get there she has her panties half way down. This girl is serious!

We even wear big girl panties during nap time! That's right, Ms. Tricee at daycare told us she doesn't put Paige in a diaper for nap, so neither do we. Maybe by this coming weekend we'll feel more confident about trying panties overnight. We know it means a lack of sleep, and changing sheets quite a bit. But, I think we're up for it.

Paige has been promised a big girl bike when she doesn't need diapers anymore. Looks like Mommy & Daddy will be bike shopping soon. :) Hey, I figure the cost of the bike is about 2 boxes of diapers. Not too bad a deal.

We are gonna play Blues Clues

Paige has recently discovered Blues Clues. I must say it's a nice departure from Bob the Builder, Backyardigans & Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I like these 3 shows, but On Demand only has a few at any given time. Watching the same thing over and over does get old after a while.

What she likes most about this show is helping Steve find the clues. So, what's a Crafty Mommy to do? Make a Blues Clues game of her own, of course! This was a cute, easy & cheap game to make. A little felt, some Elmer's glue, construction paper & computer paper and it's done. Ronnie "hid" the clues for us before we got home. When we walked in the door Paige got her Handy Dandy Notebook.


With our trusty green crayon and Handy Dandy Notebook in hand, we were off to search for clues. And here it is, our first clue! We found it! It was on our jammies. Wow!

There's 3 clues, so we must keep looking. Clue #2! We found it! It's next to our soap.



Time to keep looking. Blue always has 3 clues. Where could that last one be? Maybe on a washcloth? Yes! There it is!


Now that we have all 3 clues, what's next? We sit down in our thinking chair. (Well, our thinking couch, but it is red.)


Now we have to figure out Blues Clues. What could it be? We have jammies, soap & a washcloth. Hmmmm..... Blue wants to take a shower! That's it!

We've just figured out Blues Clues! We've just figured out Blues Clues! We've just figured out Blues Clues because we're really smart!

And here we are relaxing with our clues.


Paige didn't want to give up her clues at all. She held on to them for quite a while. It's a fun, cute game to play. It was great watching Paige come to the answer on her own, with minimal prodding from Mommy. We try to play the game about once or twice a week. Something to keep her interested, but not too much. The hardest part is coming up with the clues for the game.

I enjoyed making this game. I enjoyed it so much I've got 3 more to make. One for Hannah, Kennedy & Chickie. I may make a few more for a few more friends. We all have girls within a few months of each other. It's easy & fun. Now I just have to find the time to sit down and do it!

The election is coming

I know politics is a hot button right now, and I don't want to push anyone's buttons. I'm not here to tell you who to vote for. Heck, I still don't know who I'm voting for. There are lots of emails going around for and against each candidate. After speaking with some family & friends, I realized people are believing some of the lies being spread. This is a nasty campaign from both sides. I wanted to give you a few resources to help you in making an informed decision.

First, here's the official site for each candidate. (McCain is listed first since his name comes first alphabetically.)

John McCain

Barack Obama

At each site you can find out what each candidate says they stand for. Not what someone else says they stand for, but what they say they believe in. Of course, they're politicians, so take it however you want.

Finally, there are lots of emails slandering each politician. I like Snopes.com for their ease of use in finding out if an email is fact or fiction.

Snopes

This takes you to the political section. Scroll down to find the candidate you want to see, and click on them. One of my favorite is that Obama can't run because he's not a natural born citizen. Scroll down, that one is listed as false.

I don't care who you vote for. Really. It doesn't matter to me one little bit who you vote for. But I do want to encourage you to vote. Pick a candidate, hopefully I'll be able to soon, and vote for him or her. Remember, if you don't vote, you can't complain about anything the next president does.


Finally, I like comments. Please leave some. Kim & Beth thanks for the comments the 2 of you leave. Now, for everyone else, please leave a few. I found out most of my family reads only after them telling me that my post about Paw Paw made them cry. I found out Sean reads when we started discussing Spore. It's nice to see comments, so please take a second and leave one. You don't have to have a gmail account to do so.

Food Stuff

I have a new favorite seasoning. It's the McCormick Grill Mates Vegetable Seasoning. This stuff is wonderful! We just had some on corn on the cob. Paige ate 2 small ears. It's been good on everything we've tried it on. It's even good on grilled chicken. Yep, being the rebels we are we put vegetable seasoning on chicken. Loved it too. Paige enjoys the seasoning so much that she actually asks to eat it out of the jar. I pour a small bit in my hand and allow her to eat it. Like Mother, Like Daughter. I share it with her! :)

Getting in a dinner rut? Try Kraft. We use this website frequently now. It allows you to create an account & save the recipes you like or want to try. So far the taco bake is one of our favorites. We add crushed tortilla chips to the top before serving. I had 2 helpings & Paige had 3. Recipes can be altered to suit your taste (we left off the sour cream from the taco bake) & to make them a bit more healthy. Play a bit on the site. They have a weekly meal planner where everything you need to get fits into 1 bag. There's definitely some good ideas on here.

Girls night in

Ronnie has been home with us the past 3 nights. That's almost unheard of with his new job. It's been really, really nice. He would pick Paige up from daycare, fix dinner, then hang out with us the rest of the night. Paige has loved having Daddy home at night.

This was our first night with him back working nights. I was prepared for a harsh evening of temper tantrums. What did I get? A great, relaxing, fun evening! As I was cooking supper Paige announced she needed her toes painted. I told her after her shower I would paint toes. It was time for a bath, and she really wasn't dirty, so I let her skip her shower tonight. That's a rare treat! We went straight to toe painting. Paige picked out a very pink from OPI bought special for her. As I finished the toes she asked me to paint fingers.

By the time our evening was done she had pink fingers & toes, was wearing coconut lip gloss, had apple spray in our hair, and coconut-lime verbena body mist from Bath & Body Works. Paige smells very good right now. She finished off the evening with a cup of milk, while watching Bob the Builder before bed. All in all, a very good night.

Ronnie Hates People

Hello from Ronnie again.

I just want it said that driving makes you stupid. Living here in Mobile, AL, I have never seen such blatant disrespect for the laws of driving. I've been around the block a couple of times and it seems that Mobile takes the crust of the biscuit.

1. Stop lights. Who needs em? From my youth I was taught that the yellow light is a warning that the red is coming, so slow down. The joke was to speed up and don't let the light turn orange. Here in Mobile, just keep going. If the light turns red, you still have time for at least three more cars. Who cares if the other person's light is green. I can't count on my fingers and toes how many times I have almost hit someone because they ran their red light. So when I honk my horn, they give me the finger. God I miss my Dodge Dart. I feel like just ramming them sometimes. I don't think my insurance company would like me to much if I just start hitting other cars with my new Honda.

2. Speed limits in neighborhoods. Save the taxpayers money and just stop making them. I mean they took them down in our neighborhood. Stop signs also.

3. People who are better than me. This is what prompted this rant. I was coming into my neighborhood by the usual method. getting in the turning lane about 10 - 15 yards before the turn, what ever is standard. I see this little grey car get in the turning lane about 50 yards down behind me and accelerates to pass people in the normal passing lane. I make my turn, and this is just an entrance street, about one "yard" long. Anyway, this in a dead end in to a "T" intersection, you can only turn left or right. I was turning left. I don't know what grey car was doing, no blinker. There was a school bus stopped on my left, on the connecting street. I stopped and waited till the kids were out and had crossed the street. Grey car decides to pass me on my left. What was she thinking? At that exact moment the bus turn toward us. Blocks her off she had to slam her brakes and back up. I made my turn with my head out to window Laughing my *** off. Yea, I made sure she saw me. She was turning right by the way. That means she was trying to go around me to make a right hand turn in front of me while a bus was letting kids off. How important are you?

That's about it. I just had to laugh. I wonder if she would have tried it if I was driving my old Dart? Guess we will never know.

Peace out!

Halloween goody bags

I've had these finished for a couple of weeks now. I just haven't remember to take a picture and post them! I really do like to go all out for daycare goody bags. I want the other moms to be wowed at what I've done. I can admit it. I want to have the best goody bags ever.

These were actually an afterthought. I have spent so much time planning costumes & Christmas goody bags that I didn't think about Halloween ones. Then, Walmart put out their Halloween stuff & I just had to do them.

Here's the final product.

I started with a bright green cup with pumpkin design (5 for $1). The bottom of the cup was filled with spider webbing ($2 for a giant bag). Then, I dropped in a spider ring ($1 for bag of 50), bubbles (20 for $2), and mini Play Doh (20 for $4). All of this came from Walmart. Then, to finish off, I made a quick trip to Dollar Tree. There I got the cello bags (25 for $1), 4 bags of candy (2 pieces per cup) & foam stickers (5 per cup).

I finished off the bag by tieing it with a Halloween print ribbon. (Michaels end of season clearance last year, 25 cents.) The tags were made one night pretty quick. They are scrapbook paper and Halloween stickers. (Stickers once again are an end of season clearance from Michaels for 25 cents.) I punched a hole through one corner & slid it onto the ribbon.

All in all, very cute goody bags at a relatively small cost. There are 16 kids in Paige's class. The left overs will either be saved for next year (ribbon, bags, stickers) or given out to our trick or treaters Halloween night. Now that Halloween bags are done, it's time to finish up the Christmas ones.

I'm one of THOSE Moms

I have a cabinet full of craft supplies & I'm not afraid to use it. I enjoy doing crafts & have started Paige on the road to craftiness. When we have friends over there's never any telling how the kids will leave. I have paints, popsicle sticks, pom poms, googly eyes, construction paper, markers, butcher paper, scissors and more.

As I type this Paige is finishing up her latest craft. We glued popsicle sticks together to form coasters of a sort. Now that the glue has dried she's painting them. There's paint all over the table & her. At least I take her clothes off first. Paige enjoys doing things like this. As long as she's happy, and it's at the table, I'm fine with it. Besides, grandparents just love this kind of stuff!

"All by myself"

I hear this around our house more than I would like. It's replaced "Why?" as Paige's phrase of choice. As she gets a bit older she's decided that she can do more things All by myself.

Time to take a shower? She can do it all by herself.
Time to go to school? She can do it all by herself.

Anything that can be done can be done all by herself. If you try to help her, she won't like it. You must let Paige try it first. If she can't do it, she'll let you know. Two seconds ago it was "All by myself." Now it's "Mommmmmmyyyyyyyy, heeeeelllllp."

At least the why stage was short lived.