Cinderella, time outs and more. . Part II

For the more dedicated readers of the blog, you may remember a previous post about my attempts at discipline written back when Zoe was just a wee one, when her only transgression was her migration toward the dog food. A refresher from a year ago:

"Yes, the word discipline is put in quotes to illustrate just how loosely I am meaning it. Frankly, it has become a game and I am the only one playing; so the question you need to ask yourself is if I am the only one playing, how can I be losing?"

It seems Zoe has joined the game but she has joined the varsity team while I have lingered back on the JV squad wondering when I will be good enough to leave the bench. Like any good mother of a toddler I have joined the wonderful world of timeouts. It seems like a right of passage for both myself and Zoe and at first I welcomed the challenge. I started dolling them out for only the most egregious of behaviors, hitting and the like. The first few timeouts she was upset but I did feel a strange motherly superpower of sorts when she actually stayed in the corner. I mean, I was an amateur and surely would have caved if she decided to look at me like I was crazy and simply got up and walked away. But she didn't, she stayed there and cried just enough to tell me that I was getting my point across, once again give me a false sense of confidence in my mothering skills (when will I learn).

The other day, this changed. She was opening the dishwasher for about the 467th time that day. My response, "if you do that again, you'll go into a timeout." An idol threat made by a frustrated mom to be sure. But Zoe didn't continue to play with dishwasher. She didn't throw a tantrum to illustrate her defiance. She stopped, looked at me matter-of-factly, and moved on to varsity. She walked away from the dishwasher straight to her time out corner (yes, there is a dedicated portion of the house and no we do not use this as a selling point) and just sat down. No tears, no getting up; she just sat there. I was admittedly a little dumbfounded. At first I was patting myself on the back. "Look how much respect I command!" I said to myself. "After my next blog post, the world needs my philosophy on discipline so I will begin a book and a subsequent tour!" And then slowly it dawned on me, the same way it had dawned on me that she was a biter; Zoe doesn't mind timeouts and if she doesn't mind the only discipline tool I have in my proverbial child-rearing toolbox, my life is about to get just a little more interesting.

You, as readers, are in the stands, Vegas odds are not in my favor, the whistle has blown, and the game has just begun. Wish me luck.

Cinderella, time outs and more. . Part I

Seems I am right back where I started with this blogging thing. What's that saying about good intentions? Let's see, when last we left Zoe was showing off some dance moves. Since then we have been pretty busy but before I get into Zoe's latest shenanigans let give a brief update on the sale of the house; no bites. Ok, now let's continue.

This will be a two-part post since I have been so remiss about updating. Part I. . . The Vacation. We spent a week in The Villages of Florida with Zoe's very brave grandparents, Zoe's aunt Karen and uncle Ryan and four-year-old Kaitlyn and two-year-old Owen (told you they were brave, or crazy). I think I'll keep the vacation top ten list trend going.

10. Zoe had her first experience with The Magic Kingdom complete with Small World (I still wake up at night in a cold sweat sometimes with that song bouncing around my head), lunch in Cinderella's castle, and the kind of heat only Florida in July with a million other people could provide. Zoe loved it taking special interest in the parade and the merry-go-round. If any Disney executives have stumbled across this blog, take note that in addition to the characters, food and general merriment, Zoe would also like to see a special nap area.

9. Ahh, the joys of watching a child learn. Of course that is until her cousins teach her the word "no" and "mine." Later, joy.

8. The Villages is a strange and wonderful place. You can relax on your patio while enjoying the cool morning breeze. You can take in a round of golf with new friends. Or you can head down to the only bar open past nine and get plastered while hitting on other retirees or become a twirler in your 80's. The world is your crazy oyster.

7. Dave cheats at contract rummy. It's time you came clean for the sake of the game.

6. When your parents offer to babysit while you go to a movie for the first time in two years, run, don't walk, don't past go and don't even care about what the movie is.

5. Go green, drive a golf cart.

4. Getting professional photos taken at Walmart is more difficult than it seems (but just as funny) with four adults and three children under the age of five. I think even the greeters were wondering what the hell was going on behind the curtain.

3. My pitching wedge used to be the bane of my golf existence. I think it used to actually laugh at me when I pulled it out of my bag. Not this time; chalk it up to Villages magic (it is Pleasantville) but I think I've tamed the beast.

2. Zoe became more generous with her kissing and began kissing everyone good night.

1. It was the perfect vacation complete with stolen relaxing moments, crazy childhood chaos, princesses, and most importantly, family. The Villages is Pleasantville.