My wonderful, crazy life as a SAHM of 2

A valuable life lesson from a 3 year old

2007-04-19T06:48:00.000-05:00

As a parent, you always want to encourage your kids to eat their veggies. We know they are good for them and even though they may not taste as good as a cookie or cake, they will help them grow big and strong. So, how do you tell a devout, 3 year old veggie hater this?

Well, you put a cookie in front of them!

My husband and I have always struggled to get our 3 year old daughter to eat her veggies, from a very young age, she has avoided anything GREEN, and if it looked like a bean, it wasn't going near her mouth!

Recently, I have begun encouraging better eating habits with a little dessert after dinner which is usually a cookie or a little ice cream. So, the other day, my 2 year old son cleaned his plate like a big boy and all of us, except my daughter, were done with dinner, so I decided to go ahead and give everyone a cookie because we had all cleaned our plates and it looked like it could be morning before my daughter ate her veggies, so after giving everyone a cookie, I decided to put a cookie just out of my daughter's reach, but right in front of her, and told her when she finished her dinner she could have the cookie.

Well, what do you think happened to the veggies?

She kept her eye on the cookie as she ate ALL of her veggies!

Her goal was to finish her dinner so she could get the cookie and her reward was a compelling vision of a beautiful, almost-perfectly round, chocolate chip cookie!

After going thru this with her, it hit me that this is all it takes to achieve your goals and dreams!

Instead of putting a cookie in front of you, put a picture representation of your goal or dream in front of you and as you work and progress thru your day, everything you do brings you closer to your dream!

This is called Vision Crafting. Creating a compelling vision that will motivate and inspire you to keep moving thru the difficult and unrewarding times in life and business.

I wanted to share a story with you that happened to illustrate the point perfectly of what we can achieve when we put what we want most in front of us and let THAT inspire us to keep pushing ahead!

Has it been a year?

2007-03-08T10:30:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it has been a year since I blogged about my kiddo's!
Where does the time go?

In a year, they have grown and matured so much! My daughter is 3 1/2 and
my son is a little over 2.

Right now, the cutest thing they are doing is talking to each other. My
daughter was a late talker, but my son started talking right before he
was 2 and he has made huge improvements as time as gone by. I know that
having an older sister who is talking really helps him, but I am amazed at
the language growth he makes almost daily! My daughter didn't start talking
until she could talk in sentences! So, I missed alot of the growth that
happens, she was a good talker when she started.

But anyway, back to my story about how they act. At the kitchen table, they
will talk among themselves, my son will say something, and even if my daughter
doesn't totally understand what he is talking about, she will respond with
a yes or a correction or she will keep talking about something else, the whole
time, his attention is fixed on her and he will respond back to her, it is
the cutest thing! In the car, their car seats are right next to each other
and the conversations they have back there remind me of an old married couple!
No lie! They are the cutest!!! :-)

They also fight and squabble like siblings do, but their interactions are
priceless!

My son also LOVES pictures of animals, he likes animals in person too, but I
think he prefers them as pictures. The kids have tons of fun at the zoo looking
at all of the animals from a distance, but they have these big, almost life-like
statues at the zoo, and my daughter is no longer afraid of them, but she used
to be, but now my son is and won't go near the statues, it is really funny if you
ever saw him with pictures of animals!

We have 3 dogs, but only 1 of them is in the house with us and she is little
and pretty non-threatening, but if they see dogs outside they are not too keen.

However, yesterday, we took my little dog to the groomers and when we got there
it is pretty packed with lots of other dogs, there was a little 3 lb chihuhua in
there that a girl was holding, well, both of the kids wanted to take that little
dog home with them, I think! It was cute, but it was especially funny because
we have a neighbor down the street that just got a chihuhua about the same size.
The little boy was walking him on a leash, which was another funny site, but the
kids weren't too crazy about him, even though he was being really sweet and calm.
But they warmed a little and by the time the dog (Rex) went home, they were missing
him.

The next day, the kids and I went for a walk and we passed Rex's house, my son
was very interested as to where is Rex. On the way back to our house, passing
Rex's house, my son was still looking for him and as we passed his house, all of a
sudden my son starts running, "come on Mama, Rex is gonna eat T.T., come on Mama, Rex
is gonna eat T.T." The whole time he is running and looking behind him, I thought
it was hilarious! My son's name is Tristan and he calls himself T.T. :-)

Kids are great aren't they? :-)

Leigh

They are enjoying a quiet moment together! (Tristan no longer
has pacifier, this was taken back in early Dec.)

Mommy's Little Helpers!

2006-03-12T20:27:00.000-05:00

Being a work at home mom,
I appreciate any help I can get around the house!

Tonight while I was doing laundry, I put all the wet clothes into
a basket to go into the dryer and my daughter comes running up "Help
Mama, Help"--meaning she wants to help Mama. She put ALL of the laundry
into the dryer and the entire time she was putting the laundry into the
dryer she is calling out who's laundry it is, whether it was hers or
her brothers ;-) I couldn't help smiling :-)

My son decided he would just stare into the empty washer :-)

I couldn't have hired better help than that--Mommy's Little
Helpers!

Spring Fever Part I

2006-03-09T15:06:00.000-05:00

It has been so warm here the past few weeks, off and on, that getting the kids outside has been a lot of fun.

Taking babies for a walk, picking up rocks and looking for airplanes are just a few of the fun things to do with toddlers.

I am ready for spring and summer and all of the fun outdoor things to do that come with warm weather!

Taking baby for a piggy back ride!

Making sure the babies are safe in the stroller!

Another First Haircut!

2006-01-27T13:50:00.000-05:00

My 13 month old little boy got his first haircut a few days ago. He was such a big boy! The girl that cut his hair gave him a hair clip and a styrofoam cup to entertain him with and it worked. He sat still (which is an accomplishment for him) and he looks like a true little man.

They grow up so fast! I was beginning to get a little teary when I saw him sitting in that big chair looking so little.
I can't get over how his haircut makes him look so much more like a little man. I can't keep my hands off his head, it is just so adorable.
No more babies. My little girl got her second haircut also and she just looks so grown up I can't get over it!

Won't be long they will be driving! ;-(

Spongy Brains

2006-01-18T22:30:00.000-05:00

I am amazed at how much my kids' can learn and remember at such young ages.
Being able to stay home all day with my kids and watch them and help them to learn, is a source of continuous joy for me. I am so grateful to be able to be home.

My daughter was a late talker and I was starting to wonder if she would ever talk. :-) She is 2 1/2 yo now and the words and phrases are just flying out of her mouth. She has become quite the imitater too. If I am not careful, during conversations with my husband or while I am on the phone, I might actually think I was looking in a mirror at my own reflection! :-) It makes me smile and giggle every time I see her. Her arms and hands are moving at the same rate as mine and her words are coming out almost as good as mine.

She is starting to count now, which is the cutest. At first she counted one, one, one, one... and then it was one, one, one, two... and now it is one, two, tha (three), ty (five), nine, ten. She also knows she has 2 feet and 2 hands, well she also has 2 toes and 2 fingers. She asks for cookies and crackers now with quantity demands. 2 cookies, 2 "cackas" she says.

My little man is starting crawl up into my lap if I am on the floor and give me such sweet hugs and kisses that it melts my heart! If he is in his high chair and I walk by and give him a little hug, he gives me the biggest squeezes around the neck. I don't want these moments to end!

Because my kids are so close in age, I think they will be the best of friends and the worst of friends at the same time. They have such sweet tender moments and then I hear crying. :-)

What's up with the clothes coming off? My daughter's baby doll's are all naked, if I am not careful and keep a close eye on her, her brother ends up naked, she is watching TV and is naked. My nephew was over not too long ago and she laid him on the floor and I swear he was going to be naked too!

Never a dull moment!!!

What a night!

2005-12-29T12:48:00.000-05:00

My little man was sick last night. :-( You always hate to have a sick child,
but for some reason, when they can't breathe, it makes it that much scarier!

Daddy has had a cold and thought it would be nice to share with the family ;-)

So far, my little boy is the only one that has caught it. He suffers from an asthma
type reaction to colds. I have asthma, so I guess that is where he probably got it from.

Last night he developed croup after going to bed. It was scary because it didn't sound like any kind of wheezing I had ever heard before. I called the doctor and that is what she said it sounded like.

I had already tried giving him a breathing treatment that didn't seem to make a difference which scared me even more! But the doctor told us to get the bathroom all steamy and let him sit in there for 10-20 min. I have to tell you that it worked like a charm! For a few hours anyway, but it really helped, surprised me. Since I have asthma, humidity bothers me, so I wasn't sure it would work, but it did. Ok, so I couldn't sleep for wanting to go run and check on him. So, around 4am, we were up again after I checked on him and he sounded bad again, so back to the breathing treatments and the bathroom. It worked again, so we got a few more hours of sleep before we got up so I could call the doc and take him in this morning. Croup is really only a night time thing, and would you believe it, when he got up this morning he really did sound better, I gave him another breathing treatment and when we got to the doctor's office about 1 1/2 hours later, the doc said his lungs sounded fine! Whew, hopefully we won't be up all night again, poor little man, he didn't sleep real well either. The doc gave him some steroids for the next few days and then it is just a matter of waiting out the cold.

Now, for my daughter ;-) Hopefully she won't catch too much of the nasty stuff.

I took her to the pharmacy with me while my husband took my little boy home. As we were waiting for his prescription to get filled, she started messing with stuff on the shelves, of course... but the really neat thing was, she started to read the price tags! :-) I couldn't believe it. She has been recognizing numbers in books up to ten and will tell you what they are. But, she has never done it outside of familiar books, I was blown away. She said "nine" but I thought she was pointing to another number so I told her no, but she pointed to the nine again, a little more clearly and said it louder "nine!" I had to laugh because she was right and she knew it and I was wrong! ;-) Kids are so incredible!

So, that was the last 12 hours of my life so far. Wish me luck tonight.

Definition of croup: My definition from experience, not technically a medical definition.

Croup is the tigtening of the airways and the throat that results from a viral cold. It has a distinct bark like wheeze and cough, not unlike what a seal sounds like. Treatment is generally a hot, steamy bathroom for 10-20 min and then outside for a few min in the cold air. This should relax the airways. In some cases, a breathing treatment might be necessary, but in most cases, one or two trips to the bathroom will work until morning so you can get them to the doctor. Going to the doctor is probably not necessary if the bathroom trick works, and just let the cold take it's course, the croup part will only last a few days. If you are like me and a worry wart, then take them to the doctor and the doctor may prescribe some steroids to give for a few days which will also help to relax the airways and prevent the croupy sound. This may not be done with babies that don't have asthma type symptoms with colds like my little boy does.

Hope this helps!

All the best ~

My Little Boy's 1st Birthday!!

2005-12-23T18:27:00.000-05:00

Wow, where has the year gone? I can remember being
pregnant with my little boy last year, hoping and
praying that he would get here before Christmas so
that we wouldn't have to spend Christmas in the
hospital. He was born on Dec 20 (his due date) and
we were home today last year!

It has been a terrific year and now that he is a year,
I wish I could turn back the clock. We just recently
started getting rid of all his baby clothes and
baby bottles and all that kinda stuff since we won't
be having any more babies and it made me kinda sad
to know that I won't be holding a new baby anymore or
getting up in the middle of the night and no more 1st
birthdays!! I am looking foward to Grandma-hood!!

We celebrated his birthday last Sunday so that we could
try to have everyone together for his big day. But, alas,
nothing ever goes as planned and only half of the family
could show up. It really made me sad because the half that
couldn't make it were his baby cousins. So, needless to say,
it was a pretty boring Birthday Party with a bunch of "old
foagies"! But, it was still priceless~

YUM!!

OOOOH What a mess! :-)

The funniest thing to my husband and I was the way he just dug right into the cake. When my daughter turned one, my friend had to show her how to get her hands in it and get all dirty. But she eventually got into it and got all dirty too! The difference between girls and boys!

Happy Birthday Little Man!

My New Intention

2005-12-23T18:21:00.000-05:00

Before the New Year gets here, I would like to ask
everyone's help in keeping me on target with my new
intention of blogging at least every week. If you
haven't seen a post from me in a while, remind me
to get blogging! I have been so
busy lately that it really does slip my mind to blog.
I really love it, but sometimes life just gets too hectic
with my 2 kids.

Thanks in advance for helping to keep me on track!

Words are Finally Flying!

2005-11-02T21:14:00.000-05:00

My daughter is almost 2 1/2 yrs old and the words are finally flying!

It is so neat to hear the words that she comes up with for her feelings
and objects.

Some of her newest words are cookie, wall, lemonade, (which comes out
sounding really cute!) tow truck, read, TV and Elmo (which she pronounces
Emmy) soooo cute~

No interest in potty training whatsoever!!

Something that has really surprised me lately is the sibling rivalry that
is already showing up.

Tonight while my son was eating dinner, my daughter grabbed a big fist full
of his hair and pulled. If someone has a juice cup, the other one has to
have one too and if my son has a book, my daughter will inevitably grab
the book away from him and any other's that she can get her hands on so
that he can't have any. It is cute in a way, only because they are so
young and I really didn't think anything like that would happen so early,
but in another way, it gets on my nerves! I get on to my daughter to share,
but so far, nothing yet.

They keep me busy!! As if I didn't have
enough to do!

ABC's

2005-09-30T23:31:00.000-05:00

My beautiful 2 year old daughter can say her ABC's to F. :-)

I was sooo tickled the other night when I was getting her ready
for bed and I started saying the ABC's to her and encouraging her
to say them with me, when she really just continued on her own.

Of course we called Grandma so she could hear, it was the sweetest
sound, her just saying "AH" "BAY" "CEE" "DEE" "E" "FTHU" :-)
She can't say F without sticking her tongue out and sorta spitting.
So, FTHU was the closest I could come.

We had been working on ABC's for a few weeks and she can say most
all of them when repeating after me, but she continually tries to
say them on her own.

These are the moments I look forward to every night. When a culmination
of the day's events end in such sweet memories.

My kids are very busy and don't give me a whole lot of time to rest, they
fuss and the end of the day rituals keep me looking forward instead of
throwing in the towel!

My baby is walking!

2005-09-27T14:29:00.000-05:00

Wow, it has been very busy around here! I have been
working really
hard these days. Time seems just to fly by and before you
know it, it has been a month since I blogged! I have missed
it~

Most recently my just turned 9 month old started walking!

The day before his 9 month birthday he took his first steps.

He has been zooming up the stairs for a while now, so he has
been getting around pretty good, but now that he is upright and
active with my 2 year old, I am packing it in!

Both of my babies fell down our stairs this past weekend.
My heart stopped when my 9 month old fell down our wooden stairs
but he only had a few scratches on his arm and nothing to show
for it on his head or face Then my 2 year old daughter
decided to put on her high heeled play shoes and attempt coming
down our carpeted stairs, she got a shiner, but nothing more...
You tell them no, and they just don't listen!

My daughter has become very good with the word "no". She tells
my little boy no all the time, when she sees him do something
she knows he isn't supposed to. It really is cute and I have
a hard time keeping my face straight. My little boy doesn't really
acknowledge either one of us when we tell him "no", I wonder why....

No potty training yet either, I believe starting next week,
I will get tough. I just really don't think she is ready, but
I am, so we will so.... Keep you posted on that.

Well, I guess I better get the kids up from their naps.

Another Milestone for my Baby!

2005-08-30T21:25:00.000-05:00

She got her first hair cut today! She was such a big girl!!

I was sooo proud. I was also a little teary, my little girl, sitting
in the BIG chair, she looked so tiny, but yet such a BIG girl!

Of course I kept a few of her curls...

She loved being in the chair, with all of us ooohing and aaahing, she
got a big thrill. Grandma came along for the ride, so I think she enjoyed
that too!

Is there any way to slow the clock?

A WAHM's Life Story

2005-08-29T19:38:00.000-05:00

Wow, how the time flies!

I have been wanting to find the time to sit and relate
my days, but when you turn around, your eyes are shut!!

My days have become a blur since becoming a
WAHM!

The kids are non-stop, a two year old and an 8 month old
never stop!

I am still going nowhere with the potty training!

Any help in this area would be greatly appreciated!

My daughter just doesn't want to have anything to do with the
potty.

My little boy is just crawling all over the place, pulling up
on everything. Going up our stairs....

Very different from my daughter, she was a very content baby, she
was fine to just sit on the floor and play. She didn't really crawl
at all, but she started walking by 9 1/2 mos.

Another thing, I have to keep up with, my son is infatuated with
cords and plugs. :-(

The computer area is definitely on his agenda every day! My
daughter didn't care about cords either.

I don't know if it is the difference between boys and girls, or
just two different kids, but they couldn't be more different!

Very neat to watch as a mom!

I have to say, lately my daughter has begun to say her ABC's (with
help, of course) but it is the cutest thing to hear a 2 year old say
the ABC's.

She loves for me to read to her, lately that is all she wants, for
us to sit on the floor or on the couch or in the recliner and just read.

She has started saying "mama" and patting the floor, the couch or the
chair where she wants me to sit so we can read. It is very endearing,
it warms my heart.

It is these moments that make me very glad that I can be home to nurture
my kids.

On the other hand, I am also here to witness the terror of a two year old!

More on that in the days to come.....

I promise to be back very soon!! :-)

Me and My Shadow

2005-08-03T11:40:00.000-05:00

I think most adults take their shadows for granted.

But a two year old views it as a playmate.

A few weeks ago my daughter and I were walking down
our street and she looked down and started babbling.
Not really understanding what she was trying to tell
me, I finally realized after some investigating, that
she was fascinated by and playing with her shadow. She
was trying to get away from it and one point. It really
had me laughing inside at how much fun you can have just
by playing with your shadow.

What is even cuter was when she realized that I had one too!

2nd Birthday

2005-07-26T18:57:00.000-05:00

Well, it is official, my little girl is a full-fledged 2 year old! :-)

She had her birthday party Sunday and even though she had been acting 2 for a while now, it still made me think and wonder where the last 2 years have gone.

She has changed so much, from a helpless little baby to a confused toddler. She has also confused me in the process!

The crying and screaming for no reason are hard to deal with especially when you don't really know what they are thinking. She seems very irrational at times and that is also hard to figure out.

I try to enjoy even the screaming fits and try to remember that these moments and days are fleeting.

It is important to remember they are only young once!

Approaching the Terrible Twos!!!

2005-07-08T14:06:00.000-05:00

Boy, I tell you.... the closer my daughter gets to turning two, the more I am thinking about a second home for me! :-) She has a birthday in a couple of weeks and she is on fire!

It doesn't matter what I do, nothing is good enough or fast enough or exactly what she wants.

She isn't talking yet, so I don't always know what she is trying to ask me/tell me or otherwise try to communicate something to me. So, when I don't understand that really sets her off. Just simply telling her "not right now" or "later" is bad enough. I don't even say "no" because I know that will not make her happy. Plus, I don't want to "teach" her to say no all the time, either. So far, that has worked, she doesn't say no, but she will shake her head and say "uh-huh" a lot. That is actually happening a lot more these days. :-)

I am sure I will have lots more to add to this in the coming days, weeks and months!! :-)

Happy 4th of July!!

2005-07-02T19:35:00.000-05:00

It is my hope that everyone has a wonderful and safe Independence Day.

It is such a great holiday. Time for family and friends to get together and share
a cookout and some fireworks.

A good time to reflect on the current situation overseas and know how grateful we are to be free!

I know there won't be any fireworks at my house. Right now my daughter is deathly afraid of any loud noises. She has always and continues to be afraid of the vacuum cleaner. Any loud yard-work machines. Thunder has been a big issue lately so I know fireworks would go over real well!!!

If your kids are old enough, try to spend a few minutes letting them know what this day means to us as a nation. What sacrifices our men and women are making overseas, all in the name of freedom. What a great thing.

Happy 4th!

Grandparents

2005-06-28T11:56:00.000-05:00

I know there is a recurrent theme here regarding how often I post. :-)

The issue I have had lately regards Grandparents and their role in the raising of grandkids.

This is truly a personal issue so I welcome thoughts and comments from anyone that has had experiences with this or who is currently dealing with it.

I am hesitant to use the word meddlesome, but that is almost exactly what I am talking about. Granted, my kids' have grandparents close and grandparents far away. But when either set is around I truly feel as if I should just disappear as long as they are around my kids.

I have had many discussions with my husband, my mom and recently an all out fight with my dad and strained relations with my husbands' parents.

All of these relationships were solid before we had kids, so that is why I feel it has to do with me and what I do or don't do in regards to raising my kids.

My dad was bold enough on Father's Day as to say "I have just started" when I said that I didn't need help raising my kids. It started because my mom and my daughter were playing around at the table in a restaurant we were at celebrating Father's Day; I am currently trying to teach her at home not to throw things on the floor. I.e., cups, food, napkins, etc. Well, from my vantage point, it looked like she had thrown something on the floor, so I "fussed" at my mom, (after I fussed at my daughter, of course!) for letting her get carried away and throw something on the floor. Well, in turns out I jumped the gun and she hadn't thrown anything on the ground. After I said something to my mom, my dad jumped in to the fray and didn't mince too many words.

This is just one example of the types of things that go on with me and both sets of grandparents. They feel as if they need to stick their two cents in whenever possible and I feel totally threatened by that. My daughter is 2 and I don't want her to see either sets of grandparents "overriding" me in any way. I feel very strong about that. I told my mom later that I want the grandparents to "complement" my husband and I. Notice the spelling. :-) I don't mean compliments.... :-)

I always feel like I am in the way when the grandparents are around. My husband will not talk to his mom. What to do???? I don't want things to continue to get worse because then my kids will see the tension and feel it. On the other hand, I can't just roll over and play dead when they are around. I feel that as a parent, I need to continue my role when I see things that aren't kosher with me or my husband and I think the grandparents should acknowledge that and abide by it. I know I would!

CRAZY!!

2005-06-16T20:36:00.000-05:00

Right now I am hearing Patsy Cline's "Crazy" playing in my head. That describes my life in the past 2 weeks since I have last posted.

Where to begin.... well, after our long road trip over Memorial Day weekend, what with trying to become a WAHM, finding time to play/teach my kids and taking care of other family matters, the days are all a blur.

Tomorrow I will have my nephew along with my almost 2 year old and my 6 month old; my nephew is almost 1 1/2 years old. So, I do believe my house will be utterly destroyed! But, my daughter really enjoys having him over, they are extremely cute together. He is babbling whereas my daughter is not, so when she hears him start "talking" she chimes in and it is just toooo funny!

Last weekend my mom totalled her car in a single car flip-over accident. That was the scariest thing ever! I have never actually envisioned my life without my mom (Grandma to my kids) and it definitely shook me! I am still trying not to think about it too much. Needless to say it shook her a little too! She is alright, but just a little nervous driving. A little bruised/banged up, but she will be fine, thank God!

I will end on a positive note.

My daughter is constantly inspiring me. Everytime we go anywhere and she sees a person, she never fails to give a huge smile, wave and say HI! It is so inspiring, sometimes we adults forget to smile, wave and say HI!

I am not lost

2005-06-01T12:58:00.000-05:00

I have been remiss in posting as of late. I am still here and I am not lost--at least not yet!

We took a really log 850 mi trip over the Memorial Day weekend with 2 kids in tow. We split the trip up into 2 days driving up and 2 days driving back. That split was a lifesaver but it did make it even longer, seemed like we would never get home. We had a nice weekend as I hope everyone did.

I have to say I was really proud of my kids, they behaved really well in the car. We made frequent stops to stretch our legs and let my 22 mo old daughter run around a bit, but I was
extremely surprised how easy the trip went. We sang some songs and slept, other than that we didn't do a whole lot in the car. Stopping overnight gave everyone a chance to get out of the car and stretch out to sleep which I think really helped my 5 mo old. He slept like a baby! :-)

There has been a lot going on since my last post but to recall any of it, I would be hard pressed.
We had some family situations going on with an aging grandmother (great - grandmother to my kids). But everything seems to be settling down now.

I did have one thing stick in my mind from over the weekend visiting with my in-laws.

My father-in-law said to my son "I hope you have a chance to go to highschool one day". I thought that was comical, he was referring to our homeschooling decision. I was taken aback, but only for a minute. My husband and I are steadfast in our decision, even though we have had very little support from our families. But to say to a 5 mo old, "I hope you have a chance to go to highschool one day", I was surprised. To me, highschool wasn't all that! But, after that, there should be college and that is what I hope for my kids! My hope for my kids is that they develop a love of learning that I think is really hard to develop in the school systems. I am not saying that it can't happen, but generally it doesn't. The teachers just don't have the time to devote to one child like a parent does. I just wish more people took the time to understand homeschooling instead of automatically acting like we want to keep our kids stupid or something. We are going to homeschool our kids but not necessarily school our kids at home, there are a lot of ways to learn in this wide, wide world we live in!

I believe I have mentioned before my questioning the social skills of my kids since I stay home with them and they are not in daycare, I have to say that I can finally put that to rest.

My daughter was among 5 or 6 other kids she had never met before and she fit right in! I was so proud, she isn't the least bit shy or afraid to approach and mingle with people/kids she doesn't know. :=-) She was also one of the better behaved as well, a true testament to all the hard work us SAHM's do.

My daughter is the one standing up. :-)

What time is it?

2005-05-14T03:44:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I am up this late/early? Which is it? Don't you hate when the events of the day won't let your mind quiet down long enough to catch some zz's?

My son had his 4 month check up this morning. He did really good with his shots, he got 4 and didn't start crying until the 4th shot and then he didn't cry long. Really surprised me! My daughter has always HATED shots.

Well, not totally unexpectedly the doctor said she wanted to talk about a helmet for him to wear because his head is flat in the back. He has always slept flat on the back of his head, really strange because normally when you start to fall asleep your head will loll to the side and you will end up sleeping on the side of your face, well, not my kid--he pulls his head back straight and lays flat on the back of his head. Well, anyway, I was a little upset by this news, of course; any mother would be, but hopefully he won't need it and if he does it won't be for long.

So, tonight I put him on his side to sleep but I can't help but think he is laying on the back of his head again, so I think I have checked on him just about every hour. I can't imagine those helmets are all that comfy.

So, now you know why I am not sleeping, I need to check on him and then get about 1 hour of sleep before I get up to go garage saleing. :-)

Who doesn't love a good garage sale? Fun places to shop, esp. for kids things. Cheap too!!

Till next time.....
"keep your feet planted on the ground and keep reaching for the stars"!! --Casey Kasem?? :-)

Happy "belated" Mother's Day!

2005-05-10T11:46:00.000-05:00

I have been meaning to post but everytime I try something comes up! :-0 )

I was a little upset on Mother's Day because my husband didn't acknowledge Mother's Day for me. I know I am whining, but my kids are too young to say "happy mother's day" so I was hoping that my husband would "say" it for them. Just to acknowledge me.

It has really been a tough adjustment for me, being home; I am used to getting recognized for the "work" I do out in the "real world", but here at home, it is a whole other ball game!

I saw on "The Today Show" I believe that if a SAHM was paid and paid fairly she would get paid over $130,000 a year! That is astounding! Most Daddy's I don't think stop to think about all the WORK that goes into being home all day with the kids. Just a little "Happy Mother's Day" would have made my day!

By the way, I haven't checked it out yet, but if anyone has, let me know. There is a new book out called "The Mommy Brain". I also saw that on the aforementioned show and it looks interesting. Sometimes, my brain feels like it is getting mushy! I spend all day doing the "baby talk". :-) My daughter is the oldest, but she hasn't really started talking yet, so somedays in is quite interesting! But, I thought the book might be interesting to check out.

Thanks for listening to me "whine". :-)

Aren't they something!!??!!??

2005-05-06T20:44:00.000-05:00

My daughter has been so cute lately; ever since her little brother was born she has become quite the "little mommy". She always watches me when I change her brother's diaper. She has been "practicing" with her dolls or whatever stuffed animal might be around. Well, about a week ago she started going to get her box of wipes whenever she saw me wipe her brother. Really cute, she just opened the box and would kinda lay 4 or 5 wipes on the floor around the box. I would ask her to clean them up and put them back in the box, she would and then go about her business. Well, just the other day she took a wipe from her box and "wiped" a stuffed
bunnies tush. Sooo, cute!! I about died on the spot, she did it perfectly too!! :-) Then yesterday she started putting a diaper on her babydoll, which she has always tried to do, she would just kinda lay the diaper on top of her babydoll and that was about it. This time, she did it correctly! I couldn't believe it. She is constantly amazing me!

Her other latest trick is to go around to all the toys in the house that have latch belts to hold the baby in and she has been latching them, very impressive! We put her in a booster seat a couple of weeks ago and we buckle her in so that she learns to stay seated in her chair during dinner, well, today she buckled herself in. She is sooo proud when she does this because she will look at me and smile, laugh and clap! Love it!! :-) Aren't they something??

Where, oh where.....

2005-05-04T19:59:00.000-05:00

does the time go? I was looking at my little girl's hands the other day when I was cutting her fingernails and thought to myself "where have the last 21 months gone??",her hands are getting to look so grown up already!! :-(

I look at my little man and wonder where in the heck have the last 4 months gone???
He is already out of the cute, cute baby clothes, he is already wearing 12 month sizes!!

It is amazing how fast time fleets when you are a mom. I can remember sitting behind my desk at work (my life before kids) and thinking how long it was gonna be before the day would end. Now, I want to stop the clock. I get my daughter up in the morning and before I turn around good it is time for lunch. That used to be the longest part of my day (pre-kids)!!

Note to self: stop and smell the roses once in a while!! Take time to enjoy the scenery sometimes. Sometimes we can caught up in the daily life and forget to take time to look around and appreciate THE MOMENT...at least I do. :-0

Ponderings

2005-05-02T22:25:00.000-05:00

Over the past weekend my daughter spent some time with her little girlfriend, she's 2 1/2 and her cousin who is 1 1/2. Her friend is in daycare all day and her cousin stays home with his dad.

I think a lot about my daughter being home all day with me and her little brother and my nephew home all day with his dad, I wonder if that is stifling their development in any way and then I spend some time with a little girl who is in daycare and I don't wonder so much anymore. My daughter and my nephew are both void of any bad attitudes and bullying mannerisms; I don't know if this is a product of being with SAH Parents or just the fact of not having reached the "terrible twos" yet, but it is refreshing to know that being home all day with them has some benefits.

However, I do still worry about the socialization issue. It crosses my mind too in the homeschool arena as well. Even though I would rather not have my kids in daycare or school learning all of the bad behavior, horrible attitudes and the disrespect from other children, I do have to ponder the effects of being around adults almost exclusively day in and day out. I do get my kids out a couple of times a week to be around other kids, but is that enough? Am I in some way jeopardizing some of their normal development. I have to hope that I am not....

My hope is that my kids will be well-rounded, respectful little people that enjoy learning. My decision to homeschool and be a SAHM will give them and me rewards many times over and that missing out on getting teased because you dress nice, that your hair is always "fixed", you don't curse and don't generally disrespect your elders and missing out on school functions or the prom will seem trivial to them.

I want to give my children the world and have them experience life outside of the box.

Reflections

2005-04-28T22:30:00.000-05:00

Everyone is in bed asleep, time for reflection.

Speaking of TIME, I found this really cool video clip that really sums everything up if you are a SAHM. If you would like to see it, click here.

All worth it!

2005-04-27T15:34:00.000-05:00

These are the moments that make it all worthwhile!! :-)

http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL777/3524390/7299759/95103482.jpg

A beautiful day

2005-04-27T12:18:00.000-05:00

The weather was so perfect today. My daughter and I went outside for fresh air, yesterday was a yucky, rainy day. We pushed her little shopping cart in front of our house and counted mailboxes. She really has taken to the whole counting thing. She likes to count things in her books and it is really neat to watch her realize all that there is to count out in the "real world". She also likes to "give five". She is starting to realize her fingers can be numbers too!

I washed my husbands truck, but she didn't want to help. Her newest thing is to shake her head whenever you ask her if she wants to do something. But it isn't so defiant as it could be because she gives it this cute little "twirl" to it. I don't use the word "no" around her too much, hoping to put off the inevitable "no" stage as long as I can the closer she gets to two, so she doesn't tell me no as much as she does her little twirly head shake. :-)

I am not feeling quite as energetic as I would like to, but since the kids are napping I better try and get something done.

Easy, breezy

2005-04-26T14:16:00.000-05:00

So far, I have been able to accomplish a whole lot today!! Took my daughter to her music class, getting out of the house is always a good thing! My daughter & I were both sick for 2 weeks, so we weren't able to go to class, so getting out of the house was a change.

I am also starting back to potty training, while she was sick and very grouchy, I decided to stop and wait until she felt better. My new tack will be to let her sit on the potty alone and see if that maybe gets her to relax a little bit, previously I stayed near her and we read books--maybe she just needs some alone time, like we all do when we go potty!! :-) This is what my daughter thinks potty time is! :-) http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL777/3524390/7299759/95104106.jpg
Until tomorrow......

Another Week

2005-04-25T10:11:00.000-05:00

Weekend was good, kids behaved well. Daddy was home so that really helped give me a break. So far, Monday is turning out pretty good. Slow start, kids aren't bouncing off the walls like usual, hopefully that will continue for the rest of the day. Today is pretty, maybe we can get outside; tomorrow is supposed to rain, so that will keep us in some. My daughter has her music class tomorrow, so that will get us out too.

Afternoon April 22, 2005

2005-04-22T13:41:00.000-05:00

This is the first time that I have decided to start keeping an account of my days with my kids
and the trials and tribulations that I go thru. My kids are currently 21 mos (girl) and 4 mos (boy). Right now they both keep me very busy, requiring a lot of attention.

For the past couple of months I have been trying to potty train my daughter, which is turning out to be a really slow process, she isn't very receptive to it, but even more recently, she has started to learn how to take her disposable diaper off. This has caused me a lot of angst just trying to find things to dress her in that she can't easily remove by herself and remove her diaper, but keeping access easy to get to the potty.

Today has been kinda up and down, both of them jerking me in different directions, but luckily it is Friday and my husband will be able to give me a little "break" for a while. Downtime on the weekends really help to keep the juices flowing for the upcoming week where I know there will too much to do with not enough time to do it in!