Age 3

To all my friends that told me that age 3 is harder than age 2... 
I owe you an apology. 
Because I thought you were all liars. 
You aren't. 

Last year there was no way I could have believed you. Afterall, age 2... age 2 is insane. You have this little person that can't quite effectively communicate yet. It's super frustrating for all involved. 
And there's potty training. 
Ugh. 

I kept thinking that age 3 just had to be an improvement. I mean.. at least my little girl would be able to tell me what she needs, instead of just staring at me with those big blue eyes and crying.... Right? 
And at age 3 she would be able to use the restroom by herself (hopefully)... and I don't know... make her own lunch or something? 

But, I was wrong. 

Age 3 is a train wreck. 

She CAN communicate with me now. 
Effectively. 
That's what I wanted. But, what's the saying? Be careful what you wish for. 
Because now... now she talks ALL. THE. TIME. 
And she asks me for things ALL. THE. TIME. 
And there's a million questions EVERY. DAY. 
Oh.. and let's not forget that she can not only communicate with me, she can communicate with everyone. And she tattles on me. 
She told the cashier at the grocery store that I burped really loudly on the way there. 
She told my grandpa the color of my bra. 
She told my mom to "suck it". 

She does go potty by herself now. But, it's still a big production. And now there's a lot of "did you remember to wipe?" "Did you flush?" "Did you wash your hands?" 
It's just as time consuming as changing a diaper. 
Oh, and let's not forget the public announcements in the restroom. "Hey look! I'm pooping, Mom!!" 
And the public restroom questions, when I'm using the restroom... "Mom, are you pooping or just peeing? Is it pee? Good job, Mom!! Don't forget to wipe!" 

I thought at age 3 the tantrums would be over. 
They aren't. 
They're just more articulate. 
At age 2 there was a lot of sobbing and occasionally a total fit of rage on the floor. 
Now, at age 3... there's still sobbing... but, it's followed with: "But, I really, really, Really, REALLY want it, Mom!", "But why?? Why not? WHY NOT!?" and my personal favorite, "But, I'm your little girl and you love me more than the whole world!!" 
Telling her "No" has taken on a whole new dimension. 

I hear girls are more dramatic than boys.. and I don't know if that's really true. But, what I do know is that my daughter is super dramatic. She has a flair for it. She makes it an art form. It's truly amazing... in a highly annoying makes-me-want-to-bang-my-head-against-a-wall-kind-of-way. 

So my dear friends... all of you that warned me that age 3 is harder than age 2... you were correct. 

But, so was I. 
Because sometimes... most of the time... age 3 is kind of awesome too. 
Because she can communicate with me more effectively. She tells me that she loves me. She tells me stories about brave little girls that are also knights, that slay dragons and giants on beanstalks. 
She colors me pictures AND (bonus) I can tell what they are. 

She goes potty by herself. And that is pretty freaking sweet. 

She no longer throws food on the floor when she's done eating (now she sneaks it to the dog). 
She can put on her own clothes and shoes. 
She tells me when she needs something or when something hurts. 
She tattles on other people to me. 
She does chores. 
She learns things so quickly and everything is an adventure. 
So overall, age 3 is actually pretty cool. 

I still have friends with older kids that tell me: "Wait til she's 6, or 8, or 12, or 16" etc. etc. etc. 

And I imagine that those friends are correct. 

It probably never gets easier. For every thing our child learns and as they become more independent... there is another thing that we have to worry about. Each new year will bring new challenges. 
But, we're parents... we signed on for worry when we had our kids. It's never going to change... whether they're 3 or 53. 
It's never going to get easier... so... I guess all I can do is hang on, enjoy the ride, and do my best. 

That's all any of us can do.


-Carly

7 Guys That Are Hotter Than "The Hot Convict" (And you've probably never heard of them)

Jesse Williams

He's all over the news and social media.
Jeremy Meeks, dubbed "The Hot Convict".
But just how sexy is he, really?

Sure... he may have that "smoulder" in a very Jesse Williams (Dr. Jackson Avery from Grey's Anatomy) kind of way....

But are looks REALLY enough for our society to dub someone "Hot"?
Let's talk about WHY the "hot convict" is a convict to begin with:
This mugshot that is circling around is his third. He's already done time in prison.
This time he's charged with gang related crimes, and five weapons charges. His mother maintains that he is just misunderstood and even set up a fund to help with his defense. It's currently made $3,500, but team Meeks is hoping to raise at least $25,000.
The Stockton Police Department maintain that the "hot felon" is actually one of their most dangerous criminals. His bail has been set at $1 MILLION dollars.
And if that isn't enough to turn you off... I have no hope for you.
Oh... and here is one of this other mugshots:

But, seriously people..... There are people in America that are sending this guy money! Wake up!
And just in case you aren't convinced... let's talk about 7 other guys that are WAY hotter than this idiot. 



(In no particular order...) 

Larry DePrimo 

While on duty one cold night, NYPD Officer Larry DePrimo passed by a homeless man sitting in Times Square and noticed that the homeless man had blisters on his feet "the size of his palm".

DePrimo was overcome with concern for the homeless man, and went to a nearby Sketchers store to purchase thermal socks and winter insulated boots for the man. 

DePrimo never meant for his deed to be noticed, but a tourist from Arizona happened to see him bend down and place the socks and boots on the homeless man's feet. She took a photo and posted it on Facebook, where it quickly got 400,000 likes. 

Even more valuable than the thousands of “likes” and the attention he's received, DePrimo said, is how his small act could galvanize more people to help.

“It’s a lot about the people,” DePrimo told the Today Show. “You see just great comments. People are saying their faith in humanity is restored and that’s the biggest thing I can take away from all of this.”

Cory Kalanick 

Firefighter Cory Kalanick responded to a call in Fresno, California. When he arrived on scene, he noticed a small unconscious kitten lying amid a burned, smoke filled room.
Kalanick carefully picked up the kitten, dubbed "Lucky", and rushed him outside. 

There Kalanick placed an oxygen mask designed for a child over the face of the kitten. He also used cool water to help resuscitate the kitten. 

Kalanick said he hoped that when people heard his story, they would learn about fire safety and exit plans for your family and pets. 

"Make a disaster plan for both you and your pets in the case of an emergency. Simple steps include IDing your pet, creating a disaster kit with both human and animal inclusions, and of course, taking your pet with you should you evacuate."

Kyle Carpenter

In July 2010, Corporal Carpenter deployed to Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. On November 21, 2010, while joining his team to fight off a Taliban attack in a small village the Marines had nicknamed Shadier between two villages nicknamed Shady and Shadiest, Carpenter suffered severe injuries to his face and right arm from the blast of an enemy hand grenade; after-action reports state that he threw himself in front of the grenade to protect a fellow Marine.

In March 2011, the South Carolina legislature passed a resolution recognizing Carpenter's service, noting that he "suffered catastrophic wounds in the cause of freedom" and "has shown himself worthy of the name Marine." He sustained a depressed skull, a collapsed right lung, multiple facial fractures, the loss of a third of his lower jaw and fragment injuries to his arms and legs. His injuries required brain surgery and he lost his right eye due to his injuries.

Carpenter appeared in a video, "Still in the Fight," to raise money for the Fisher House Foundation, which provides free and low-cost housing to veterans and families receiving treatment at military hospitals. 

Chad Pregracke

For Pregracke, removing debris from the Mississippi River (and other water ways) has become his life's work. Sometimes called "The Rivers' Garbageman," he lives on a barge about nine months out of the year with members of his 12-person crew. Together, they organize community cleanups along rivers across the country.

It's a dirty job, but Pregracke, took it on because he realized that no one was doing it. It began as a solo effort, and over the years his energy, enthusiasm and dedication have helped it grow. To date, about 70,000 volunteers have joined his crusade, helping him collect more than 7 million pounds of debris through his nonprofit, Living Lands & Waters.

On average, Pregracke says he organizes 70 cleanups a year in 50 communities. The cleanups are posted on the nonprofit's website, Facebook and other outlets so people know where and when they can volunteer.

Jimmie Briggs 

Over the past two decades, Jimmie Briggs has earned a reputation as a respected human rights advocate in the field of journalism. He has produced seminal reporting on the lives of war-affected youth and children soldiers, as well as survivors of sexual violence.He wrote a book titled: Innocence Lost: When Child Soldiers Go To War. 

Most recently, Briggs founded the Man Up Campaign, a global initiative for mobilizing young people to stop violence against women and girls through the arts, sports and technology. It formally launched during a Young Leaders Summit at the University of Johannesburg during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, bringing youth of both genders together from 25 countries throughout the world, many from Sub-Saharan Africa. For his work with Man Up Campaign and the issue of violence against women, Briggs was selected as the winner of the 2010 GQ Magazine “Better Men Better World” Search, as well as one of Women’s eNews’ 21 Leaders for the 21st Century.

Jake Harriman
Jake Harriman graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served over 7 years in the USMC as a platoon commander in both the Infantry and a Special Operations unit. He led Marines in four operational deployments, including two combat tours in Iraq, and was awarded the Bronze Star for actions in combat during his second tour in Iraq.

His personal experiences fighting the war on terror around the world convinced him that extreme poverty is a contributing factor to the causes of 21st century terrorism and insurgency, and that a reduction in extreme poverty will impede their proliferation. To fight terrorism and insurgency from another angle, Jake left his career in the Marine Corps pursued his masters at Stanford where he conducted independent research on what worked and what didn’t for non-profits operating in impoverished regions, specifically Africa.  Taking what he learned, he founded Nuru International with the goal of helping communities pull themselves out of the clutches of extreme poverty through a sustainable business model that included education and micro loans for better crop inputs. 

Gaetano Acerra

Officer Gaetano Acerra received a call from a distraught 13-year-old named Cameron Simmons.  Simmons phoned the police department after getting into an argument with his mother and told Acerra he no longer wanted to live with his family. 
After the call, the officer visited Simmons at home to check in and found the teen was living in a bare room with no real bed.

"My heart went out for him. I thought the little things that he needed I could give him, to make him a happier kid." 
And give he did. Several weeks after the call, the officer returned to Simmons' home in a car loaded with gifts for the 13-year-old. Acerra's presents included a bed, TV, desk and Nintendo Wii game system. "I didn't do this for publicity or to get people to notice me," Acerra said. "I did it because I could. It was the right thing to do and I think people should do things like this."