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Parenting, aka- The Perfect Puzzle

Recently I was talking to my friend who was struggling with her sons new habit. Screaming at the top of his lungs. What do I do, she asked me? So I suggested squirting him with a water bottle every time he did it. “You mean, like a dog?!?!” We both giggled, as if to concur, we both were completely perplexed. How many times does this happen? Our sweet and charming little children pick up mannerisms, attitudes and behaviors that leave us completely puzzled. On a daily basis I spend about 10-13 minutes wishing that children came with an owners manual. I really do not know how people parented before the Internet. In the past 3 days I have googled, “toddler sleep regression”, “child fearing monster in the toilet”, and my favorite, “How to explain a vagina to a 2 year old.” 


Because Samantha is my first child I am constantly being faced with the wretched realization that I have no idea what the hell I am doing. Every time she talks back, disobeys or challenges me, I have to assess the situation. “Quick, Cat! Whatchu gonna do? Don’t show fear, she smells it.” So I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and think about what Super Nanny would do. Too bad I don’t have a British accent. That woman could discipline a tadpole and it would listen. 

Nevertheless, I do read the parenting books. If you came to my house and glanced at my bookshelf you would think you were at a pediatric therapists office. The books that say consistency is key. The advice that says “let the natural consequence be the punishment.” Or then you get the opposing guidance, “When they rebel, they really just need your love. Grab them and hug them generously.” Is it really any wonder why we sit here on our couches totally confused with all the parenting wisdom we are being hurled? Do I need to ignore Samantha’s tantrum or chase her down the hall for cuddles? 

It is times like these where I am thankful that I have my mother. My mom is a teacher and spent time in child development classrooms learning about behavior, discipline and adolescence. I am often calling her saying, “I did A. B. and C. but its not working, what now?” or “Samantha keeps licking our arms. Is this normal?” After she laughs at all my questions she acknowledges my worries and then gives me some sort of encouragement that goes along the lines of, “You’ll be okay.” I secretly think she loves that I am now feeling all the despair and confusion that I gave her when I was younger. Touché, Grandma! 

Now, let me be clear. I am writing this because 1) I am beginning to realize (and appreciate) that we are ALL baffled on this parenthood puzzle. 2) It needs to be talked about more often. Why are we performing like we have all our ducks in a row? And 3) I need some humility and humor to get me through the day. I am on my 6th Oreo and it is barely 11am. 

Regardless of how hard children can be, I love being a Mom. I love that she jumps on the couch yelling, “Mom, lets cuddle!” Or when she mimics what I do in order to be just like me. I admire my daughters’ humor, her joy, and the way she can make a stranger smile. I love that she makes me want to be a better Mother, and I hope that I can be that, however, I know that she’ll forgive me if I don’t have it all figured out. She’ll love me regardless. This I know. 












Liberty Of The Seas Cruise- Honduras, Mexico, Belize

We decided after repatriating that we needed a good long relaxing vacation to unwind from all the stresses of an international move. We thought a cruise was the perfect way to make that happen, and we also wanted to see some more of North America. We left Samantha at Grandma and Grandpa Cards house and road tripped to Texas to catch our Royal Caribbean Cruise ship- The Liberty of the Seas. We both hadn't been on a cruise since about 2012 so we were pretty excited to reacquaint ourselves with the endless laziness and gluttonous food choices. Have you ever road tripped halfway across America? Texas. is. freaking. big. ya'll. We decided to take a day off of driving and visit the water park "Schlitterbahn." I grew up going to Raging Waters so I was a bit unimpressed but it was really interesting that they were using fresh river water. It was a cool (and cold) experience. 




The day we boarded in Galveston Texas! We were very excited to peruse the amenities and explore the ship. We checked in and got ready to spend a long time...doing nothing. Just us and the open sea...And about 3,000 other cruisers. 



The ship was huge and had a little mall/shopping/dining area right in the middle of the ship. There was even a Ben & Jerrys' and Johnny Rockets on board! 


This is where we did a majority of our dining. The dining hall was very impressive with huge chandeliers. We had some great food while on the cruise. Lobster, shrimp, steak, fish, and even sushi. I was glad I packed my fat pants, for sure. 



On "cruising days" we spent the hours sitting by the pool, taking naps, reading, swimming, going down water slides, and Peyton took a stab at the Flowrider. It was an exhausting vacation, for sure ;) They even had an ice skating rink on ship! That was a first. Skating on the sea. 






Our first embarkment was the location of Roatan, Hondouras. While there we decided to book a  zip-line activity. It was fun, and of course we got put with the other Mormons. We sure know how to spot one another! After that we were taken to a place to swim and relax and enjoy the beach. This was actually one of my least favorite beaches because the shore was just packed with tourists. 







Everyone who goes on a cruise talks about the endless food options. At every meal they bring you a menu and you can pick out a starter, main, and dessert. Sometimes (like lobster/crab night) you order multiple plates. We were so happy that our table mates had the same dedication to food that we did. There was no shame at that dining table. We thoroughly enjoyed discussing all the choices. 


The next day we disembarked in Belize. We missed (my minutes) our Lamani tour of the pyramids  but to make up for our disappointment they offered us a free tour of another historical site, the Altun-Ha pyramids. We were a bit bummed because we wanted to see the sites that is talked about in the Book of Mormon, but we'll just have to go back! They were still pretty impressive! 




Our last port of call was Cozumel, Mexico. This was actually my favorite stop, it did not disappoint. We went to a great resort and just decided to vege out on this last stop. The weather was perfect and the chicken nachos hit the spot. (Like we were hungry after all that cruise food). 




The last 2 days were spent on the open sea and Peyton braved the rock climbing wall (at an impressive speed). We also caught the ice skating show (phenomenal) and the show Saturday Night Fever. The entertainment on the ship was really fun, they always have something to do! We went to a few activities like "pub quiz" and "Name that Tune". If you are scared of being bored on a cruise, don't be. They jam pack those days with lots of fun things to do. 




Our dinner group/seat mates were awesome and we enjoyed getting to know all of them. They were from Texas, Arizona, and Kansas City. Our servers were very attentive and fun, also. They didn't get us too hard of a time at ordering multiple dinner plates and desert. 




Ali and Zac were our ship besties. We got along great and enjoyed every dinner with them. They are both EMTs and they amazed us with all their horror stories of scenes they have dealt with. We liked to pull pranks on each other and order each other room service and prank call one another. It was fun. We want them to come out and visit us! 
(excuse Peytons lazy eye. Poor guy must be tired from his long vacation.) 


After two long weeks we were ready to get back to our little toddler. We missed her so much, but we were rejuvenated and refreshed from our lazy time at sea. It was a fun vacation.