Oh what to do for a Christmas card this year? I can't stomach doing the same boring old card with the standardized pose again. The girls are too old for the same dress thing too. My mom didn't pick out their Christmas dresses this year so I took the girls shopping to pick their own out. I did say no to a few they were thinking about (too ugly and not appropriate), but overall they chose different dresses that I liked. My mom might not be so happy, but I do believe it is important to allow them to express their individual style. Let's face it I have three completely different personalities on my hands (and sometimes a few extra personalities come out to play. Just kidding). They get to choose whatever they want to wear everyday (as long as it is age and weather appropriate) even if it doesn't match. Yes, I'm the mom that allows her child to wear a plaid skirt with pink snowman tights and a striped top in all different colors because this is what makes her happy. And when my children are happy, I am happy:) So please don't stare unless you have something nice to say.
Anyway back to the Christmas card thing. I have an idea, but I better get my but in gear before the snow starts to fly. To be continued...
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Are You There Patience? It's me Mom in need of a...
I had a great morning. I jogged seven miles. Now I do realize that most people are probably going to groan after they've read seven miles( I am going to try a half marathon in the Spring). I can hear it already. Yes I jogged seven miles, but I do enjoy it on a different level. To put it simply, it's therapy. This is a time where I can reflect (or possibly over analyze my behavior, my life in general and other people's behavior in my mind and not be interrupted by nonstop chattering, the phone ringing or a blinking cursor staring at me). It's just me and the road. Well and my music. Hey, it's a lot cheaper than paying lots a money to a stranger that has no idea what it's like to be me. Right?
Well I digress. So after the seven miles, I felt great and refreshed ready for the rest of my afternoon. Then my three children come home from school and the battle of homework begins. Our routine for the Fall season after school every evening is homework, dinner, soccer, showers, and bed (in that order). And this basically takes up the whole evening (I can't wait for the Fall soccer season to be done, only two more weeks).
Now that you have the background, this Tuesday afternoon wasn't as routine as I wanted it to be.
I informed Child #1 that she needed to start memorizing the "Apostle Creed" prayer (hard one if you don't know it) from her CCD class for Sunday. This is when everything went down hill. The crying, the whining, the irrational yelling and rolling on the floor came into play (don't forget she is eight years old now). Did I mention she doesn't like change or CCD class? Well the questions started, "Why do I have to go Sunday school? I hate Sunday School. Dad said I didn't have to go anymore. Why mom? Why mom? I hate Sunday school." Now she was repeating this over and over again. Nothing I said was consoling her or calming her down. After about twenty minutes of this I had enough and I got mad. I started throwing out the standard answers "because I said so" and "I'm the parent and you will do what I will tell you to do." Of course this didn't help any because when I informed Child #2 she had to memorized the "Our Father" prayer, I had two irrational children on my hands only because Child #2 loves to copy Child #1's behavior (Child #2 actually likes CCD, but she always puts on a show for her older sister). You have to love sibling dynamics.
Anyway, I pull out the big card, "I'm calling Daddy and you will have to talk to him." Then the crying and whining gets louder. Unfortunately, this didn't work so well for me since Daddy was traveling and we kept losing him on his cell phone (figures). My last possible threat came out as "If you don't do this, you won't be going to the Halloween dance on Friday." More crying and whining, but they calmed down enough to at least start the first sentence of the prayer. Then I offered to use the memorizing time towards their required reading time for school. This seemed to work except now, I hadn't made dinner and soccer practice was getting closer and all I wanted to do was take a nap. I was ready to cry myself. I was exhausted.
After running seven miles, I feel refreshed. After arguing with an eight year old and a six year old, I was completely exhausted.
How could this be? Impossible. Right?
On the bright side of things, during all this chaos Child #3 quietly colored and stayed out of the way. On the dark side of things, in the near future it will be three against one. I'm in trouble. God help me (Ooh another reason we have to go to church. I will have to write that down).
So Child #1 was late to practice and I still had to make dinner and finish out the evening. Then do it all over again the next day.
Well I digress. So after the seven miles, I felt great and refreshed ready for the rest of my afternoon. Then my three children come home from school and the battle of homework begins. Our routine for the Fall season after school every evening is homework, dinner, soccer, showers, and bed (in that order). And this basically takes up the whole evening (I can't wait for the Fall soccer season to be done, only two more weeks).
Now that you have the background, this Tuesday afternoon wasn't as routine as I wanted it to be.
I informed Child #1 that she needed to start memorizing the "Apostle Creed" prayer (hard one if you don't know it) from her CCD class for Sunday. This is when everything went down hill. The crying, the whining, the irrational yelling and rolling on the floor came into play (don't forget she is eight years old now). Did I mention she doesn't like change or CCD class? Well the questions started, "Why do I have to go Sunday school? I hate Sunday School. Dad said I didn't have to go anymore. Why mom? Why mom? I hate Sunday school." Now she was repeating this over and over again. Nothing I said was consoling her or calming her down. After about twenty minutes of this I had enough and I got mad. I started throwing out the standard answers "because I said so" and "I'm the parent and you will do what I will tell you to do." Of course this didn't help any because when I informed Child #2 she had to memorized the "Our Father" prayer, I had two irrational children on my hands only because Child #2 loves to copy Child #1's behavior (Child #2 actually likes CCD, but she always puts on a show for her older sister). You have to love sibling dynamics.
Anyway, I pull out the big card, "I'm calling Daddy and you will have to talk to him." Then the crying and whining gets louder. Unfortunately, this didn't work so well for me since Daddy was traveling and we kept losing him on his cell phone (figures). My last possible threat came out as "If you don't do this, you won't be going to the Halloween dance on Friday." More crying and whining, but they calmed down enough to at least start the first sentence of the prayer. Then I offered to use the memorizing time towards their required reading time for school. This seemed to work except now, I hadn't made dinner and soccer practice was getting closer and all I wanted to do was take a nap. I was ready to cry myself. I was exhausted.
After running seven miles, I feel refreshed. After arguing with an eight year old and a six year old, I was completely exhausted.
How could this be? Impossible. Right?
On the bright side of things, during all this chaos Child #3 quietly colored and stayed out of the way. On the dark side of things, in the near future it will be three against one. I'm in trouble. God help me (Ooh another reason we have to go to church. I will have to write that down).
So Child #1 was late to practice and I still had to make dinner and finish out the evening. Then do it all over again the next day.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Woohoo! Schools In!
First day of school starts tomorrow. My children are ready and so am I. They will be all in one school, same schedule, same times. Yeah!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Dog Sitting or Dog Missing
My children have been begging for a dog for the last three years, but I've kept them at bay. The main reason I don't want to get a dog is because I don't want to have to board the dog when we go on vacation. This is a minor detail for some, but for me I've never boarded a dog before. And I always had a dog when I was growing up. Therefore, my children should have a dog too. Well maybe that isn't a great reason, but Child #1 would really benefit from having a dog. So her dream might be coming true, my dad is retiring in February and he will take the responsibility of watching the dog when we go on vacation. No more excuses after February.
Ironically an opportunity came up, we were given a chance to watch a small dog while her owner went to Ireland on vacation. Brandy, the dog, is a sweet, calm, laid back small dog. We've been watching her since Sunday and not once has she barked. She loves to be pet and go for walks. My husband has admitted if every dog was like Brandy, we would've had a dog a long time ago. She is such a good dog. Such a good dog that you forget she's even there.
Today, my parents stopped over to go over some yard changes I'm trying to make so we were hanging out in the backyard on the deck talking. Then Child #1 comes outside with the dog and hangs out with us for a few minutes. It's a nice day. Not too hot. Not too cold. What a great afternoon. Child #1 goes back inside the house and my parents have to go. Child #2, #3, and me walk my parents to their car. Then I yell for Child #1 to come out and say goodbye to her grandparents.
Then I noticed, she didn't have the dog with her. It all came back to me the dog was left on the deck. I freaked out. I yell for the girls to start looking for Brandy. We were all looking for the dog. And all I can think about is how we lost the most easiest dog to watch in the world. After several minutes of searching frantically, Child #3 finds her two houses over happy as can be. I released my breath and wiped my forehead. We missed that possible tragic ending by a few minutes.
Maybe we aren't ready to have a dog yet. But the girls are very attentive most of the time to her. Decisions, decisions.
Ironically an opportunity came up, we were given a chance to watch a small dog while her owner went to Ireland on vacation. Brandy, the dog, is a sweet, calm, laid back small dog. We've been watching her since Sunday and not once has she barked. She loves to be pet and go for walks. My husband has admitted if every dog was like Brandy, we would've had a dog a long time ago. She is such a good dog. Such a good dog that you forget she's even there.
Today, my parents stopped over to go over some yard changes I'm trying to make so we were hanging out in the backyard on the deck talking. Then Child #1 comes outside with the dog and hangs out with us for a few minutes. It's a nice day. Not too hot. Not too cold. What a great afternoon. Child #1 goes back inside the house and my parents have to go. Child #2, #3, and me walk my parents to their car. Then I yell for Child #1 to come out and say goodbye to her grandparents.
Then I noticed, she didn't have the dog with her. It all came back to me the dog was left on the deck. I freaked out. I yell for the girls to start looking for Brandy. We were all looking for the dog. And all I can think about is how we lost the most easiest dog to watch in the world. After several minutes of searching frantically, Child #3 finds her two houses over happy as can be. I released my breath and wiped my forehead. We missed that possible tragic ending by a few minutes.
Maybe we aren't ready to have a dog yet. But the girls are very attentive most of the time to her. Decisions, decisions.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Relative Kindness
After our first trip to Michigan and then again on our trip to Yellowstone this summer, it appears there is a trend forming.
First, in Michigan Child #1 decides to make a little experiment out of the bathroom door. "What will happen if I lock the bathroom door and then close it behind me?"
Oh I don't know, "IT WON'T OPEN."
Well guess what, the door is locked and no one can get in. This is a bathroom door and there is no key for it. Okay, I take a deep breath and ask my Aunt for a screw driver so I can take the handle off, open the door and then put the handle back on. No problem right? Wrong!
The handles comes off, but the locking mechanism is still stuck in the door. It's too long to slip it out. I'm trying to use everything possible to unlock the mechanism. By this time, my Aunt has asked a few people to stop and help. Basically the whole campground is over trying to get this lock thing out. Finally, a knife and screw driver leverage the lock enough (without too much damage to the door frame) to slip it out. Needless to say I was getting a little nervous I wasn't going to be able to fix this.
Then coming back from our trip out West, we stayed at my brother's house one night. Child #3 decides to sit on the toilet seat while brushing her teeth. Except she sits down on just the right angle and then slips busting the toilet seat off the hinges and breaking it completely. Have to love them.
This is why there is no reason to fix things until the kids are close to moving out (we have about thirteen more years to go).You may want to think twice before allowing us to come over. I try to keep them at bay, but it doesn't always work.
First, in Michigan Child #1 decides to make a little experiment out of the bathroom door. "What will happen if I lock the bathroom door and then close it behind me?"
Oh I don't know, "IT WON'T OPEN."
Well guess what, the door is locked and no one can get in. This is a bathroom door and there is no key for it. Okay, I take a deep breath and ask my Aunt for a screw driver so I can take the handle off, open the door and then put the handle back on. No problem right? Wrong!
The handles comes off, but the locking mechanism is still stuck in the door. It's too long to slip it out. I'm trying to use everything possible to unlock the mechanism. By this time, my Aunt has asked a few people to stop and help. Basically the whole campground is over trying to get this lock thing out. Finally, a knife and screw driver leverage the lock enough (without too much damage to the door frame) to slip it out. Needless to say I was getting a little nervous I wasn't going to be able to fix this.
Then coming back from our trip out West, we stayed at my brother's house one night. Child #3 decides to sit on the toilet seat while brushing her teeth. Except she sits down on just the right angle and then slips busting the toilet seat off the hinges and breaking it completely. Have to love them.
This is why there is no reason to fix things until the kids are close to moving out (we have about thirteen more years to go).You may want to think twice before allowing us to come over. I try to keep them at bay, but it doesn't always work.
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