Summer Slave Driver

School is out!!

Summer is starting for our family,

much to my dismay.

I kind of feel guilty for not enjoying

this time with my kids...

but what can I say.

It's a hard.

And completely wears on my patience.

So to keep some control on my 5 rowdy kids

I give you...

(drum roll please)

SUMMER JOBS!!

Each child, no matter their age which ranges from

10-2 in our house,

they have a job.

If they want to leave the house and do something

fun this summer, then this is the bare minimum

that has to be done.

(but don't you fret, there is a scheduled school time after lunch

to keep up on those math skills)

But there are also times when the kids get a little

out of hand.

And at that point they have to pick a "naughty stick".

These are BIG chores that take some time.

Hopefully it takes enough time and energy to behave.

This year is the first year I am instituting the journal writing.

A few of my kids have had a tough time with spelling

and being creative.

So hopefully this will inspire them.

And after hunting through a few websites these are the

journal prompts I am using.

What benefits do you receive when you help someone else?

If you could set a world record, what would it be for?  Why?

What is the best way to make new friends?

What is your favorite sport?  Are you good at it?

Create your own holiday.  What would you celebrate?  How could you get others to join in the fun?

Would you rather hang out by yourself after school or with friends?

If you could end any one problem in the world, what would it be?  Why?

What does it feel like to be wrong?

Imagine taking a trip on a hot air balloon.  Where would you go?

Who was the first friend you ever made?  Why do you two get along?

What would be the worst job to have?  Why?

What is your greatest wish?  Do you think it will ever come true?

Write about a person whom you’d like to be like someday.  What is special about this person?

If you were in the circus, what role would you have?

If you were a toy, what kind would you be?  Why?

How is your life different today than when your parents were kids?

What is the most valuable thing you own?  Why is it so special?

What is the most important quality for the President of the United States to have?

What is the coolest family trip you ever went on?  What was the most memorable part?

Are you good at remembering to do your chores and your homework?  How do you remember things?

Write about a time when you were afraid of something.  How did you conquer your fear?

Write about your grandparents.

Do you believe time travel is possible?

What is the coolest type of technological device available today?  What do you like about it?

Write about your bedroom.  What’s in it?  

What is it that makes you happy?

Would you rather dance or sing?  What type of performances do you like to give?

Write about a time when you were trusted to do something important.  How did you handle it?

What is the best party you ever went to?  What made it so special?

What is the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do?  How did you accomplish it?

Do you have a hobby?

What do you like about school? What don't you like about school?

If you could live on any planet, what would you pick?

What nicknames does your family have for you? Where did they come from?

Have you ever been blamed for something you didn't do?

List 5 things that make you happy.

Do you have a favorite place? Tell me about it.

If you could live any where in the world, where would you pick?

Who is your best friend? What do you like about them?

If you could meet any character from a book, who would it be?

What do you like to day dream about?

What is your favorite season of the year?

What was your first day of school like this past year?

What is the silliest thing you've ever done?

Did you have a special toy when you were a baby? Tell about it.

Would you like to play a musical instrument? Which one?

What would be your favorite meal of all time?

What kind of job would you like when you grow up?

What is the bravest thing you have ever done?

If someone gave you a million dollars, what would you do with it?

Who has been your favorite teacher and why?

What is your favorite game to play and why?

What is your favorite song?

Write about something that makes you crazy?

What are the rules in your family? What happens when you break one?

What has been the happiest day in your life so far?

What has been the sadest day in your life so far?

Write down your testimony of the gospel.

Tell about your dads job.

What does your mom do for you?

Tell about your brothers and sisters.

Would you like to be an only child?

If you could have a pet, what would it be?

List 5 things you would like to do this year.

List 5 things you would like to do as an adult.

If you could make the best dessert in the world, what would it be?

Where is your favorite place to eat out?

What is your favorite and least favorite veggietable?

Have you ever dones service for someone else?

Tell about a family tradition.

What is your favorite holiday? Why?

What is your favoirte sport to play?

Who is your hero?

Have you ever been sick or in the hospital? What happened?

What is your favoirte book? Who wrote it? What is it about?

What state do you live in? What is cool about it?

Name 3 special things about yourself.

What are your favoirte things to do during the summer?

What are your favoirte things to do during the winter?

Who do you look most like in your family?

Could you live without a tv in your house?

What kinds of games do you play with your friends?

Good Intentions

I love having my kids participate in chores.  

I love giving them a sense of responsibility.  

I love knowing that I am teaching them life 

long skills to make them into functioning adults.  

I love seeing them sludge through self-doubt 

of their own capabilities to perform a specific 

chore to slowly realizing through their own efforts

 that they can accomplish the task. 

 I also love not having to keep the

 house clean on my own. 

 Except when it turns out like this.................

I think somebody put the wrong soap in the dishwasher!

Free Maid Service

As a parent of more then 2 kids,

we can expect dinner to go as follows...

Load up 5 plates of veggies, main course,

and a dip.

( because yes DIP makes everything better)

Then if you are lucky you might be able to scoop

a thing or two on your own plate before someone

needs something cut up or an onion picked out

of the middle of their food.

(because HEAVEN FORBID there is an onion in it)

Then just as you lift your first bite of food to your mouth

someone needs a drink because their mouth is on FIRE.

And after you pass out 5 cups, clean up a spill,

hand out napkins.... and then go for a bite of your

now COLD food.

They all shout for seconds.

So while the kids are scampering off to cause 

more trouble, as the experienced parent that you've

become you know if you don't keep the kids

within eye sight you never know what trouble they find.

And you come up with the next best thing...

make them clean to keep themselves busy.

Dan loves this little red vacuum.

It's light weight and can clean carpet and tile.

Keira insists on following him around

and pointing out all of the crumbs

on the ground.

Keira is a stickler for doing things

exactly as Mommy has taught her.

Thus inflicting the same rules on her

younger brother.

Clean Dan, Clean!!

Can't forget under the table

to clean up Daddy's mess!

Inspiring Children's Books

With school in full force around here, I spend many moments reading or helping a child to read books.  It seems that books have a special power to calm an energetic child when they snuggle onto my lap and listen to a story.  As a child, we had a hallway right in front of our bedrooms that had a long bookcase filled with books.  My mother was an elementary school teacher before us kids came along and she always had a passion for books.  Especially inspiring ones that taught an invaluable lesson to the reader.  As I have become a parent, I too, try to find books that instill qualities in my child that will mold them into the best person they can be.  Here are some of those books:

These few books tell stories that remind a child the most important things in life are family and home.  They also speak of truths like obeying your parents, being your brother's keeper and to be thankful for the home you have been given.  All important lessons we want our children to embed deep in their hearts.

Dan Can Play The Wii... kind of

There are many ways to keeping harmony in the home.

One way is to give young kids something they want,

without really giving it them.

For example...

Dan wants to play the Wii.

He is too young to play the Wii.

Try explaining that to a 1 year old.

Impossible.

So we let him old a numchuck

and tell him to play.

While someone else in the family

is actually playing.

He loves it.

It makes him happy.

And it makes the rest of us laugh.

Here is a video of Keira playing

sword fighting on Wii Resorts,

which she loves and is really good at.

All she does is shake the remote like

a hyper 3yr old and she wins.

A lot!

All Night Long

pee pee problems cont'.....

So the next natural question most parents have when

it comes time to potty train their child is...

how do you teach them to hold

it through the night?

Especially if they have attitudes like

this little firecracker of ours!!

"Usually"  most children will learn on their own.

Stop laughing!

I promise, they do!!

Some may do it right away after they decide

to start "holding" their pee during the day.

It becomes this natural progression to do the

same during the night.

And other children will take a few weeks,

 as their muscles become stronger

they will conquer the last challenge of 

becoming a Big Kid.

But I highly suggest as you begin the night

time training to do a few things, 

like move them to a toddler bed

so they can leave the room and

go the bathroom during the night if

necessary.

Also this would be a great time to 

wean them from the night time 

sippy cup if you haven't yet.

For my toddlers who are potty 

training through the night we have

 a strict "NO DRINK AFTER DINNER"

policy to help keep their

bladder as empty as possible.

But for those parents that can't get

the bed wetting to stop,

don't give up!

This is the last hill to climb.

And you've come soooo FAR

throwing your hands up

at this pivital opportunity

would be a failure on your part.

One of our children had a hard time

learning this process, but we found

that if we took them to the bathroom

between 10-11pm they could have a 

successful night time sleep with

no accidents.

And once a month we would try to let 

them go all night long on their own

to see if their body was physically

ready to hold it.

We even started pushing the nightly

toilet deposit later and later.

Eventually (almost 6 months)

this child became successful.

Now I'm not sure if it was their

body maturing enough,

if it was our nightly routine or

a combination of them both...

But it worked!

And that child never thought

they were different from other kids

or ever labeled themselves as

a "bed wetter".

Once again,

this is dedication on the parents

part to teach their child.

But I warn.

There will be accidents.

I suggest purchasing mattress and

pillow plastic covers for every child's bed.

And remember to take a deep breath

and don't sweat the little stuff.

Many times we have found that a child

will have an accident for a few nights in

a row, which usually corresponded with

a growth spurt.

Bodies are a funny thing!!

A Parents Nightmare

 I remember a sign I saw in a friends backyard when visiting for a summer swim.  It read "Please don't put P in our _ool"!!!  Still making me smile years later.

Potty Training....*sigh*....in my mind it's like a cuss word.  I loath it.  There isn't one single enjoyable part of it's process other then when it's completed.  It is a two steps forward, one step back.  Rarely is there a child that one day says I would like to pee & poop in the toilet (especially my children, whom rarely speak until 3) and from that day on they have no accidents and can hold it through the night.  Although secretly every parent wants it to be their child.

But after many discussions with friends and family about the ups and downs  (mainly the downs) I've come to realize something...when you start, you can absolutely NOT give up.  And when I say "you" I'm speaking to the parent.  The worst thing you can do for the future of that child (physically, socially and emotionally) would be to get them 1/2 way there and then throw up your hands and not finish.  Even though potty training could last 6 months or more, I firmly believe it is the parents duty to see that child through to the end.  (of course excluding those with physical or mental disabilities).

When to know to start is also a guessing game.  A child can show interest, can talk about it, can insist on watching the process but it won't matter unless the Parent is ready.  Because this training takes total and complete dedication.  The Parent has to be ready to deal with some dirty, dirty, DIRTY situations.  They have to be ready to run the 50 yard dash, leaving their whole cart of groceries in a store and know the "fire escape route" to the nearest potty.  They have to have supplies on hand no matter where they go...extra underwear, pants, even shoes and socks.  (oh yes, a pee puddle can collect there too!)  You must be willing to get to a park for a leisure afternoon and be willing to race home or knock on a neighbors door within minutes of arrival even if you did have the child "go" before they left.  You have to be ready to with cleaning supplies, carpet spot cleaner, anti-bacterial wipes and maybe even a fingernail scrub brush (my 4th child taught me that).  A parent must be ready to have an internal clock set for every 30 mins to take a child potty.

But most importantly we must be filled with the patience of Job.   Because getting upset with the child, no matter the extent of the stain they have left in their wake, only scares them.  Instead a parent needs to take a deep breath and quietly remind the child wear bodily fluids must be deposited.  Anger will only take you further back in the process.

So how to do it?
Load them up with fluids like CRAZY and find a way to make them relax.  Some read books to their kids, some let them sit on a portable potty in front of the tv, some teach the kids to clean up their own mess, some have a child practice running to the potty and sliding off their pants from the scene of the crime, some throw cheerios in the pot and tell their boys to try to hit them and some do a sticker chart with a reward at the end.  Some do ALL of that.  But really you do what works for your child.  Sometimes it takes a while to figure out what it is that will convince the child the potty really is better then their diaper.

Unless your like me and one day just stop buying diapers so not only can the child not have them, but also so that I won't have a crutch to fall back on.

Decisions

 When Larry and I first married,

I was naive.

I thought the decision of when to have

our first child would be the most

significant.

But then after Sydney was born,

the BIG decisions kept coming.

Like, when to have the next child?

How far apart in age should they be?

How many kids should we have?

It was like that 1st decision started

a domino affect.

Slapping me into reality,

parenting isn't for the birds.

It's hard.

 And now we have come to that

final question.

Deciding that Dan snuck into the family

just before the gates closed.

 We are happy with the 5 great kids

God has given us.

But I can't help to feel like

my heart is breaking

just a little tiny incy winsy bit.

 You see...

I'm a baby person.

I love them.

Wanna squeeze them,

smell them,

feel their soft skin.

So it's been a little difficult to

remind my heart what my body

and my brain have already discovered.

For now, I take a few extra rocks as I

put this little man to sleep.

I hug him just a little bit longer

than necessary.

And try to soak it all in.

*sigh*

It's time to move on.

Picasso Problems

Guess who got caught RED handed?

I guess I should say GREEN & BLUE handed!!

And when there is one mess,

you're guaranteed there are 10

more you have found yet.

Proof:  As seen here,

another "drawing" found later.

Besides the marker found on the

couch, tablecloth, floor, etc...

I was hoping the artistic tool

was a "washable" marker,

but alas this little stinker found

the dry erase markers.

*sigh*

At this point Keira is hoping Grandma

will swoop in and save her from

punishment!!

Instead Keira got to help me scrub with

cleaning wipes the table,

then bleach spray on the floor,

borax on the couch,

and strong soapy water on her skin.

Although the trouble of cleaning was

very annoying,

I did have a laugh when I found

her sketch board tummy.

Too bad I can't frame it!!

It's A Hit

 Why does Dan have "stuff" coming out

of his mouth?

 Well he's 4 1/2 months old,

time to try,

RICE CEREAL!!

 Dr's recommend starting solids during

4-6 months.

Usually the key to knowing when they are ready,

are signs like following your hand while

you eat your own food and

grabbing for your hand to put it into

their own mouth.

 Although most cereals recommend mixing the

cereal with formula, I chose to be lazy and

stick with good ol' water.

Much more convenient!!

 But after you put that first spoonful

into their mouth, believe me,

it will slowly drool right back out.

Usually you have to put it back in

3-4 times before they swallow it all down.

It will be like that for a few feedings

until they get used to using their tongue

to push the food back into their throat

instead of the sucking motion they have

already perfected for the first months

of their life.

Dan gives rice cereal 2 thumbs up!!

(In case you're wondering, we start with plain
rice cereal for a month.  Only dinner for 2 weeks, 
then adding lunch for 2 weeks. When breakfast is 
added to the mix, it's time to add a few spoonfuls of

veggies to dinner.  We save fruit for
6 months old, since it's sweet!!)

Fashion Statement

 Is this a blog about Dan eating solids?

Nope.

 Is it about how attractive and handsome

Dan can make a simple bib look?

Maybe.

Or is this blog about how much

this little Man loves his Mom?

Wrong, again.

(but it should be!)

 This is about, how if you don't 

put that bib on and pay attention to

the warning sounds,

your shirt will look like this...

...100 times a day.

(what you don't see in the picture

is the back splash of the regurgitated

milk that has slided down my back,

across the chair and on to

the desk behind me.)

NICE!!

Can't Do Without

As many mom's have learned...

...when your kids get a certain age it's hard to keep them entertained.  They are constantly calling your name to come help them, play with them or just staying under-foot and never giving you a moments peace.

Take it from me.  I get it.

So if it wasn't for the tv, videos, computers, coloring books, playdough, and a few toys that actually keep a 3 & 4yr olds attention longer then 10 seconds I'd be tearing my hair out.

What I'm most grateful for are the learning aspect of many of these necessities.  Like these puzzles.  My mother-in-law first turned me on to them by giving them to Sydney and Emma as christmas presents.  I've used them many times while teaching preschool and as a distraction tool for the unentertainable child.  And guess what?  Santa found these four to add to our collection for $5 at Ross!!

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1.02.28

Put The "P" In the Potty

For my potty training friends.
And since all of us eventually have to do it.
This is where I've found my inspiration and ideas to implement.
Click here!

Making Plans To Be Prepared

For months I've been dreaming about taking a family vacation. A place to get away, enjoy the kids, roll around in the dirt and commune with nature. I have loads of fond memories of camping with my family and I wanted to do the same for mine. And now is a perfect time.

#1. I'm NOT pregnant.
#2. We have a van.

2 BIG excuse that have kept us from one of our favorite things. The past 2 times we've gone camping I was pregnant with Ben and then with Keira. And let's just say...it rarely works out.

Usually I'm extremely tired, very moody, on the edge with my friendliness with bugs and not very helpful. See when you camp you need tons of energy to set up camp, keep kids entertained, to cook with out conveniences and unusually LARGE amounts of patients for annoying bugs and for all the things that will go wrong. Because 9 times out of 10 something goes wrong, the weather doesn't cooperate, your neighboring tents are lunatics or you forget something vital, to which lead you to conversing with your lunatic neighbors to borrow what you've forgotten.

But this time it's bound to be better. The weather is looking promising, my camping neighbors will be close friends in whom I can tell them to their face their lunatics and they will gracious laugh and tell me I'm one too. Plus we're starting early and making a list. So hopefully nothing will be forgotten!!

With wonderful autumn weather joining us here in North Texas we enjoyed BBQing outside with the kids and then gathered on the grass for a wonderful lesson from Larry about preparing. He spoke of how God had a plan on how to create the earth. And how it took time, 7 days. And then showed us pictures of the earth and of the pioneers heading west. Then relating it to how the Pioneers needed a plan and had to pack all that they needed.

We then talked about our camping trip and asked the kids to suggest things we might need. They were brilliant with their ideas of sleeping bags, bug spray and bathing suits. Which lead us to start making piles in the garage to see what we have and what we need to be prepared and set a plan. Hopefully they learned something. But most of all now they are so excited to go camping, it's ALL they can talk about!!

SAHM Top 5 pick's

This "Stay-At-Home-Mom" is pumped with excitement
for school to start and for my life to fall back into place,
with a little touch of organization.
For the past few months I've been feeling
disjointed, sluggish and scatter-brained.
But now with things coming together
I can't help be gitty with happiness
to put my life back in order.

And to thank for making my life easy-peesy
I thank these top 5 things:
(in no particular order)

With a 2-story home and a baby that crawls,
this gate has become a lifesaver!
I love how it can stay up permanently,
acts like a door to the stairs,
is pressured against the wall and
doesn't need to be wall-mounted.

With Keira rapidly coming up to her 1 year old
birthday, I've begun to wean her with the
help of this fancy contraption.
This way we can skip the bottle addiction!

We are now 1 week away from starting
a preschool for Emma and 3 other friends,
with Mom's who are brave enough
to join me in taking turns teaching.
And I can't wait!

We all know how I feel about these
little gems.
My famous paper money,
my new best friends.

And we can't forget the drama that
was caused by finding our dream car
on a budget.
It was worth the wait!

For the past 20 years I've been
vehemently against vans.
I didn't want to be one of "those" moms.
But with easy access, so much space,
great gas mileage, and much more, I couldn't say no!

He Did It!!

Day 5 in an up hill battle to take away this little guys "paci's". I'm happy to say that each day he has talked about his plug less and less. And finally last night he never mentioned it once, nor did he wake up in the night looking for it!! Thank heavens!!

Larry mentioned that since Keira isn't attached to a "paci" we should try to avoid giving it to her. I think he doesn't want to go through this again. But...he's probably right. Technically none of our kids have been very found of it until after 1 years old. Looking back, most of our kids were given one to keep them entertained/quiet during a long road trip which we were grateful for at the time!!

We are very happy for Ben to pass over this challenge and welcome him to BIG BOY-HOOD.

-potty trained CHECK
-pacifier gone CHECK
-dress up in boy clothes instead of dresses (halfway there!)

*smile*

Time For A Change

It's settled. The decision has been made. Ben is over 2 1/2yrs old. MORE then ready to let go of his beloved "paci".

For a long time he was good at sticking to the rule of "only in your bed". Although he may try to sneak it out, he would listen and run it back after he was caught. But lately it has snuck it's way back into everyday life. Ben will hide them around the house or in his pocket, just to pull it out after I've left the room.

No body said he wasn't smart.

The straw that broke the camels back was his adamant desire to find one NO MATTER WHAT. He'll climb stacks of chairs and stools just to get at his favorite comfort mechanism I've purposefully placed out of reach. Which has become way too dangerous!!

So, as of today, I've collected all of his and Keira's (because he'll even borrow one of hers if he is desperate enough) and placed them high in a closet out of sight. Every 15 mins I see him scouring the house for one and gently remind him that I've put them away for good. Hopefully this will nudge him out of his baby-like tendencies and launch him on to the peaceful, quiet actions of a toddler (yeah, right!).

Nap time should be interesting. Wish me luck, I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Parental Duties Should Come With A Warning Label

Seriously!

Or at least when the nurse hands your baby to you for the first time there should be a tag attached that lists all of the unsightly jobs that will now fall upon your shoulders.

I think if they told me about this one...I might have sent them back!

Today marked "8" days.

Not something fun like 8 days of lounging by a pool in Maui, or 8 days until I get an SUV...but 8 days that our 2 yr old Ben has NOT ...dare I say it?....pooped. (ugh!)

We were on the downward slop of our potty-training efforts. Everything "seemed" to be going smoothly. I should have known that potty-training a boy couldn't have been so easy.

For the last 4 days I have been offering him Flavored Milk (aka: Milk of Magnesia) and demanding him to take at least 15 mins of push time on the potty 3x's a day. With no avail! He would cry, scream, and kick his legs against the porcelain demanding that it "hurt". This was tearing my heart out. But I didn't know what else I could do. It's not like I can push it out for him.

All of my tactics were failing. Nice mom, sympathy mom, sad mom, happy mom, mean mom, cheerleader mom, angry mom, quiet mom...

So finally this morning I looked at Larry and said,
"I'm NOT taking him to church unless he poops."

We filled the bathtub with warm water and waited. Suddenly he notified us in a dignified, 2yr old manner (aka: grabbing his tush and his peepee, yelling "pooooop") and we scurried him over to the potty. As he slipped& slided all over it he again continued on his path of crying, screaming and kicking. This process of back and forth between the toilet and the bath lasted for about 45 mins.

And you wonder why anyone would want to sign up for this?

Thankfully after many long minutes in the bathroom, my hair frizzed to death from bath steam we had success. And I owe it ALL to...Mr. Q-tip!!

My dear little friend. With a little Vaseline and your long thin stick, was just what the Dr. ordered.

Gross?

I know.
But with the results of a B.M. it was worth it.

Light Bulb Moment

Last night I had an epiphany.

Life...is not fair.

Surprising? Not really.

It's something my parents regularly stated. Many times I think they went out of their way to give something to one of us just so they could remind the others...

We would complain of not getting the highly desired product. And my mom would say...

"_____ gets it because I love them best. Life isn't fair."

And eventually we all were the recipient of those brief moments while the other siblings looked on. Trying to swallow the spoonful of reality.

But recently, I plastered on my smiley face. And regularly repeated in my head this mantra.

LIFE ISN'T FAIR. LIFE ISN'T FAIR. LIFE ISN'T FAIR.

(and that's ok)

Although sometimes I wonder if God gives us these episodes in our lives just so we'll learn how to offer compassion. Because REALLY, I'd never want others to feel the same way I have.

Words of Comfort

This morning I stumbled upon this little article. No need to read between the lines. We aren't having anymore kids any time soon. But it does remind me that sometimes our job as parents is just plain hard.

WORDS OF WISDOM:

Honestly, going from one to two kids is hard, regardless of the age difference. But usually, everyone will eventually feel that their particular age spread is the hardest.

• Those with kids born very close together complain about not getting a good night’s sleep for over two years in a row.
• Those with a little more gap will protest that getting out of the baby routine just as another one arrives is the hardest adjustment.
• Those with a much bigger space between kids will confess forgetting everything they learned the first time around and having to start all over again from scratch.
• And those with twins will be able to trump them all, for obvious reasons.

It is honorable that you want to plan in order to do what’s best for your kids. The truth is that no age gap between kids is objectively more difficult than any other. It’s just that no one ever wants the problem they’ve got. And few of us want to believe that parenting is just hard, period. But it is. And I believe it’s supposed to be, ‘cause our kids are not the only ones who have some growing up to do.