This is why Mother's Have a Holiday..

I got Kurt a bean bag as a gag gift.. long story, but I always say no when he tries/wants to get one. Today the kids are playing nicely, I walk into the other room to put..finally sleeping Brennan in his swing.. in the matter of two minutes or so... I come back to this.....

Oh and this is after I shook Amelia (who had been rolling in it) over the garbage toter to get them off of her. Already removed only the half empty bean bag and thrown out two little garbage cans full of these static beans that stick and go everywhere. I'm sure I'll be finding these until the day I move out of this house - they were everywhere. Thanks to my sister Maggie who came before I strangled someone and helped clean up the damage.

PS. Birds, please do not eat the many that are in our yard and porch from the garbage can falling over .. I don't want to find dead birds all over my yard tomorrow. :(

How To Really Love A Child

A few months back I found something similar to this on a friend of mine's site - she really liked it and gave the link. I checked it out and loved it so much I printed it out and have it laminated sitting in front of me on the computer. Usually when I'm on the computer is when I tend to get the most irritated at my children so it helps me! I had no idea a few months ago when I printed it how often it would help me just not take the little things for granted and to really stop many of the things I have been doing. You can find many similar versions and even things to buy just by googling. Enjoy!

HOW TO REALLY LOVE A CHILD

Be there. say yes as often as possible. let them
bang on pots. if they're crabby, put them in
water. if they're unlovable, love yourself. realize
HOW important it is to be a child. Go to A
movie theatre in your PAJAMAS. read books
out loud with joy. invent pleasures together.
remember how small THEY are. GiGGle A lot.
surprise them. say no when necessary. teach
feelings. Heal your own inner child. learn about
parenting. Hug trees together. Make loving safe.
Bake A cake and eat it with your hands. Go
Find elephants and kiss them. plan to build a
rocket ship. imagine yourself magic. make lots
of forts with blankets. let your angel fly. reveal
your own dreams. search out the positive. Keep
the gleam in your eye. Mail letters to GOD.
encourage silly. plant licorice in your garden!
open up. stop yelling. express your love! a lot.
speak kindly. paint their tennis shoes. Handle
with caring.
CHILDREN ARE MIRACULOUS

A New Baby!

My sis finally had her baby - one week over due. Liam Joseph 7 lb 14 oz and so adorable! Looks nothing like my kids, which for some reason I thought he was going to look like them. =) Strawberry blonde hair... too cute. I'm so glad Brennan is going to have a cousin so close to him in age.

We've been busy preparing for Christmas here. I still don't have all my Christmas shopping done but we're getting there.

We weighed Brennan yesterday and he's a big 19 pounds and almost 4 months. Honker! He's so stinking cute. I also decided last night when Brennan screamed almost the entire drive home (an hour) that letting your child cry it out is like abuse. How can you hear you baby cry and not comfort them? Seriously!

Do babies get to a certain age and drool a lot even if they aren't' cutting teeth? Brennan chews on me, on his fingers and is a drooling machine.

Could we be going stir crazy already? I can't stand sitting around doing nothing and the kids are horrible when we just sit around. I think we need to be going out more.

Brennan is telling me it's time to get off of here and Landen & Amelia need to have "rest" time. Adios.

Examples

Yesterday we made our regular trip to story time at the library. I have to admit I do get sick of going every single week, but it's almost over and the kids love it. Amelia is already singing and loving the Tick Tock song, I think she looks forward to it more than Landen and she isn't even to the 18 month age that they start the kids at. It's just so cute!

Well I was surprised to have a local Children's Music place do the 45 minute story time. What they do is incorporate music into your child's life and it was geared towards children of that age. I absolutely loved it and so did Landen and Amelia. We sang, did all kinds of music with shakers, danced and I loved how the teacher kept instructing how parents are children's number 1 role models so if we're just standing there then they aren't going to want to participate. I know for myself at story time I get totally into it, we have so much fun and sing really loud. However, I never really pay attention to the other parents, until yesterday. The instructor kept saying it over and over - if you don't do it your kids won't and as I'm looking around people were just sitting there, intimidated to sing loudly and dance around. It just made me think about how people are so on that whole 'social' thing and I don't agree that your kids have to be around other kids to develop social skills and things. My kids are very social, but I think I'm pretty social. I'm not afraid to talk and jabber, or get down and do all the fun things even if I look like a fool. I know everyone is different, but have people ever thought maybe they aren't that social, that's why they're children are that way? Just like with manners - we always say please and thank you along with other things and we get asked, how come Landen is already on that, do you really get on him. No, not really - we use them and it's just natural. I know this could get into this big lengthy post, but we are the number one examples in everything, not just faith, but socialization too. =)

I loved the music for the kids and how she explained how music touches your whole body and then she was saying how you remember all these songs and you thing of that time when you listened to that. It's so true, there are tons of songs I listened to in college and they have no appeal to me now, I actually dislike them. That's for another time.. but I never thought of music that way. We listen to it all the time and it makes me want to try harder to find good stuff, not just my kids but for me too. =)

My flaws.. I got them!

A couple of weeks ago I found a disgusting flaw about myself.. well I always find things that I should work on and things but this one really struck my nerve. I've been teaching Landen to do little chores that he can actually do himself (we've always done this to a certain extent, but actual chores that he can participate in and I don't have to do anything) and making his bed is one. He does really well with it, but I found myself remaking his bed. Is this sick or what? I stopped myself in my tracks and was like - what is wrong with me? The good little guy makes his bed but it's not good enough, for pity sakes he's 3 and I remake it. I just stood there feeling like the worst mom, how would that make me feel... exactly a loser. Argh! So now I no longer remake is bed and it looks all messy but he did it himself so it looks great! I seriously need to work on not being a perfectionist, I certainly didn't think I was, but I guess I might have a little bit of that in me. Yuck!

Kurt and I have both been telling Landen how proud we are for the great things he does... and because of this we've been hearing a lot of "moommmm, dddaaadddd... you're soooo proud of me" in this loving little way. It's so sweet! He's getting to be such a big boy.

Along those lines, how do your teach your children when they say sorry to actually mean it? Landen is very good about saying sorry, excuse me, etc. but a lot of times I know he just says sorry because he thinks that's what you're supposed to say, but then goes right on doing what he was doing. I realize a lot of this might be his age, but how do you actually teach him what sorry means? Does it just come with time and just continue to teach him good manners? I also told him that certain things hurt God and that we need to be sorry to him... I think he understood that for the most part. Then the next thing I hear him doing is "sorry God" so I'm just wondering, thinking, and praying about how to go about this next step. There is always something new happening while raising kids. =)