My Beautiful Disaster

Oh my goodness, my sometimes SO SWEET Leeza Grace Serra. She can be so utterly delightful, charming, sweet, and well mannered one minute...then...the next minute...the charming angelic blond haired blue eyed pixie turns manac. It's so exhausting. I am learning to be a tough mama and if she acts up, we leave immediately and she doesn't get the rewards I've promised for sweet girls (lunch at Chick Fil A, getting to watch a movie in the swagger wagon, etc). It does remind me of that show Jaws...."just when you think it's safe to go back in the water"

My last post was singing the praises of our latest milestone of 3 1/2. The "fits" were less, the tantrums few and far between. I relaxed a little bit, and thought , maybe, just maybe, I'm NOT such a horrible parent after all. That's where I failed.....I got a lil bit too confident and things had just been going Leeza's way. When she doesn't get her way somedays, YOU BETTER DUCK AND COVER CUZ IT'S NOT PRETTY. Just ask the people in Publix who had to listen to death defying screams because I told her she could no longer sit where the groceries go cuz I was running out of room, or when it was time to leave Sean's football practice and she didn't want to sit in her car seat....Eeee gads!

But, in her defense, she is also one tough cookie. As a last minute thing, Joe had a conference and was staying at the Dolphin hotel in Orlando. I took Sean and Leeza out of school for a day and we drove up, and spent the night at the hotel with Joe and then did Disney the next day. Poor Leeza-the first HOUR was spent outside the park in the bathrooms cuz my girl was constipated. I am not kidding-it took an HOUR. Finally...we are on the monorail and she says she has to go potty AGAIN. I am annoyed-why couldn't you go when you spent an hour in the bathroom? Only to discover my poor daughter ALSO had an UTI. Poor kid-I have never had one but it burns to go potty AND it feels like you have to go every 5 minutes and its super uncomfortable. Leeza braved it out and we actually ended up having a wonderful day at the Magic Kingdom, and she got to ride Splash Mountain for the first time and LOVED IT. She said it made her boo boo all better. Sean was scared to death of Splash Mountain at age 5...and Leeza at 3 1/2 loves it, as well as all the scary rides...Pirates of the Carribean, Snow White, Haunted Mansion, roller coasters, you name it, she loves it.

We were at Jungle Boogie yesterday (super cute program at a nature center) where we read a book, then do a craft, then do a nature walk. She was really good for the book and the craft, but on the nature walk she picked a flower. Jamie, the teacher, explained that we don't pick flowers, because what grows in nature, stays in nature. The butterflies and bees need the flowers. Leeza says "but I wanted to pick one and i want to pick another one for Angie". She huffed and crossed her arms and got an attitude. I told her if she can't be nice, we have to leave. Well, she got uglier, so we left. Then, it got REALLY UGLY. Oh my lord, she was thrashing like a child possessed when I tried to put her in the car seat. I was scared. After about 10 minutes of screaming at the top of her lungs, she calmed down so we could have a rational discussion. She really is smart and she does get it, and I gueess she just has to learn that decisions have consquences and Mommy is not a pushover, no matter how LOUD and OBNOXIOUS she is. It's EXHAUSTING THOUGH. Sean was never like this. He was so easy. :)

Today dawned and it's Freestyle Friday. It's a day we don't have ANY PLANS and it's Leeza's choice. It was chilly, so not beach weather so we went to the Children's Museum in Tampa. It was so much fun, as always. There were even 3 field trips there with wild hellions all over but Leeza held her own just fine. We had SO MUCH FUN. We stayed 2 and 1/2 hours and it was time to go get Sean. She did NOT WANT TO LEAVE. However, she threw no fit, and was just sweet. We are walking outside and she lets out a big sigh and tells me "Mommy, I don't want to leave. You're ruining my world" I said, "oH, L am so sorry I am ruining your world. We can come back another time, but we have to get Seanie from school" She said "it's ok mommy, i love you, you are not ruining my world. I'm just kidding"

I love her...and it's so much fun when she's so good. But I know I better not exhale or the devil will get me!!