Showing posts with label relationships. Show all posts
Showing posts with label relationships. Show all posts
Friday, September 28, 2012
Fun Bean Ramp Game for Little Brothers
On my daughter's first day of school the kids were sitting at the breakfast table. Usually they pester each other and it can be my most hectic and stressful time of the day, but that day Little Buddy (2.5 years old) reached out his hand to his sister (4 years old) and said, "Don't leave. I'm going to miss you today while you're at school."
He almost had tears in his eyes and was visibly upset. His sweet sister reached across the table, grabbed his hand and said, "Don't worry, Little Buddy. I don't have to leave right away. I can still play with you for a few minutes." They sat there holding hands for a few minutes and I thought my heart would break.
Then I realized the full reality of this situation. Poor little Buddy really was going to miss his sister. A lot. He'd gotten used to have her around for the summer months. They do fight a lot, but they play together too. I decided to try to come up with a few games that he alone would really enjoy. True boy stuff since he so often gets stuck playing dress-up with princess costumes. I came up with a bean ramp.
It was very simple, very cheap, and very easy. My kind of project! I just got out our sensory bin, which has beans and old pasta. Then I taped an old wrapping paper tube to a chair and underneath this, I put a cookie pan. I originally tried this with multiple paper towel holders taped together, but the beans kept getting stuck in there and frustrating Little Buddy, so I was happy to find this wrapping paper holder, which worked much better.
The cookie pan at the bottom was key. He simply took out beans, pasta, etc., and put it in the tube. It flew down and made a loud, "PING" noise when it landed in the cookie pan. The noise was definitely his favorite part and it also contained the mess. He really enjoyed this and even got out his cars and tried to run them down the ramp. Of course, he was still sad about his sister being gone, but at least he got try something new.
If you enjoyed this post, you will love our book! This summer The Happy Mommy Handbook: The Ultimate How-to Guide on Keeping Your Toddlers and Preschoolers Busy, Out of Trouble, and Motivated to Learn was released. If you have ever tried to cook dinner while your kid clings to your leg and cries, this is the book for you! We give you hundreds of ideas on keeping your kids busy but also helping them learn. What makes this book unique is that we give you a Mom's point of view and a teacher's point of view, so that you can do activities that not only keep the kids busy, but also keep them motivated to learn and develop their natural curiosity. Kids behave better when they are given challenging projects to work on, which will in turn give you more free time to do the things you really need to do, like washing dishes, paying bills, and relaxing so that you can be a better Mom!
Monday, September 24, 2012
6 Ways to Teach Your Kids to be an Optimist
I used to be an eternal optimist, nothing could get me down. Then I became an adult. I started to experience real adult problems, like pregnancy hormones, sleep deprivation, financial worries, and worst of all, watching episodes of Mickey Mouse day after day. Over the course of the last four years, my sunny nature has slightly decreased. Don't get me wrong. I'm still an optimist and I have a great life, but once I get in a bad mood, it's harder to shake than it used to be.
So, after a recent vacation, I came home in a funk. I got used to not having to cook, clean, or be anywhere at a certain time so when I got home and started preparing my grocery list for the week and thinking about everything I needed to do, I burst into tears. I truly felt like I couldn't face my life and drastic measures needed to be taken. How could I turn my life more into vacation? My poor husband stood by, ringing his hands. This was very unusual behavior for me and he was at a loss. The poor guy finally said, "I didn't realize your life was so bad. What can I do to help you?"
I realized what I really needed was a trip to my parents' house. My Mom always knows how to cheer me up. She hugged me, laughed at my tears, and reminded me of what a great life I truly have. Three hours later, I started to drive home feeling much better. My daughter, however, was still in a funk. As always, the kids came home feeling a little tired and also out of sorts from our vacation, and I found my good mood starting to vanish as she whined for me to get her something to drink. Then she dropped her book and couldn't reach it. Then she realized she left something at my parents' house. I started to get impatient with her and I thought about lecturing her on how she needed to learn to do some these things by herself, but then it hit me: I needed to teach my daughter how to look on the bright side. This is a learned skill. My Mom had to teach me to be an optimist so why would I expect my daughter to just know it already?
I began brainstorming about how my Mom taught me to be an optimist. It took me several weeks to think of everything and make sure my list was complete (I did ask my Mom but she couldn't remember. Then she said, "I may be losing my long-term memory but on the bright side I'm still funny." Case in point, don't you think?.)
So, here is how my Mom taught me to be an optimist:
So, here is how my Mom taught me to be an optimist:
- She Helped me Develop a Sense of humor: We always found something to laugh about, and as quickly as possible. This helped me realize not to take myself too seriously, which came in very handy during my early parenting years with severe sleep deprivation.
- She Taught Me to Play the Happy Game: Sometimes people just find themselves in a crummy mood. That's why they say someone "woke up on the wrong side of the bed." You have to consciously think about things that make you feel happy so you can stop feeling so down. Make a list of everything you appreciate in life, or simply things that make you happy. The good will quickly outweigh the bad. Keep it simple with things like, "Finding a good book to read, Waking up to see sunshine, getting to sleep in 30 minutes later than usual, when a stranger smiles at you, etc."
- She Taught Me the Importance of Getting Plenty of sleep. Help your kids understand that they really should go to bed because they will happier and healthier for it. It may take 15 years for this to sink in, but I was one of the few college students in bed by 10:00 every night and that was the peak of my optimistic years. It's hard to be upbeat if you don't get enough sleep.
- What's the worst-case scenario? I remember when I would get a B when I thought I deserved an A. For some reason, I thought it was literally the end of the world and I remember being so angry. But then my Mom made me realize that it wasn't going to prevent me from getting into a good college or getting a good job one day. The worst-case scenario is a slightly lower overall GPA so when you look at it like that, it's easier to stomach disappointment and move on.
- This too shall pass. This was my grandpa's favorite saying and it's very true. No matter how many friends are mad at you or how upset you are that you missed the last shot to win the game, within a few weeks, all will be forgotten and there will be a new drama. This too shall pass. I said it constantly to myself when my kids were waking up every 15 minutes. At age 9 months. And it did pass, Thank God!
- Appreciate good moments when you find them. When you do find yourself sitting outside on a beautiful day, take a moment to breathe deeply and appreciate the moment. If someone does something nice for you, take the time to realize how lucky you are to have someone in your life who cares about you. These are the moments that will carry you through when you're sad.
Me: "Let's play the happy game! I'll go first. It makes me happy when I wake up and see the sun shining. Your turn!"
Munchkin Girl: "Nothing makes me happy. I just want Lily!" (This is the doll she left at her grandparents)
Me: "I'm sure you'll think of something. I'll go again. It makes me happy when I get to see my kiddos laughing about something. Your turn!"
Munchkin Girl: "I still want Lily!"
Me: "Okay, I'll go again. It makes me happy when I get to hang out with my brothers. Your turn!"
It went on like this for awhile until she finally caved and started playing. By the end of the drive we were laughing and she had forgotten to whine. Of course, this one game didn't cure her for life, and I fully realize that this will be a life-long process, but she already she has started asking to play the Happy Game when we get in the car or when she's sad. And that alone makes me a very happy Mommy.
I hope you enjoyed this post! Thanks for visiting! I hope you will consider buying my newly-released book. The reviews have been very positive and you can even download the first chapter on your Kindle for free! Please visit Amazon to read all the reviews and find out more. Thanks so much to everyone who has already bought the book. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!!
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Friday, September 7, 2012
A Glimpse Into My Grown-Up Daughter
Sometimes I'm so worried about whether my kids got enough breakfast and whether I put on sunscreen, that I forget that life isn't always going to be like this. My kids will be grown-ups someday. I got a special glimpse into that this week.
My best friend Dani has been one of the few constants in my life. Neither of us has sisters, and I truly feel that she is the special sister that life has given me. However, she is a moron and decided to move away from her friends and family. Okay, now before you yell at me, I'm just kidding. I guess this doesn't make her a moron, but it sure makes me sad because she is very funny. Here we are at my own rehearsal dinner and she was the Maid of Honor:
Dani has been visiting her parents for the last few weeks and we have gotten to see each other several times. The kids have played together since her little girl is three and is right in the middle of my kids' ages. The three of them are like three little peas in a pod....until Little Buddy decides to start growling at the girls and acting like a "Monster" and then they run away screaming, but that is a different story.
So, the last time we saw each other, I said, "Okay, what should we plan for next week?"
She replied, "I can't! We leave on Sunday!"
"B-b-b-but, I thought we had another week! I'm going to miss you guys so much!" I sputtered. We hugged and said our good-byes and I got the kids strapped into their seats and we went on our separate ways.
As we were driving home, Munchkin Girl started kicking my seat and yelling "Mommy!"
"Yes?" I said.
"Mommy I'm sad for you," my daughter said. "I don't want your special friend to leave. That will make you too sad."
And that's how I got a glimpse into my grown-up daughter. I suddenly saw vividly how my daughter could support me. She wasn't worried about her own friend leaving (although she is obsessed with Ella and talks about her constantly). She was worried for me and her concern for me truly touched me. Plus, I'm so thrilled that she has learned the importance of having a good friend. She has seen how much Dani means to me. I really don't want these early days to end because I love picking out her outfits and hearing her say funny things, but it's nice to know that I have a lot to look forward to as well.
I also want to say thank you so much to all of you out there! I love writing my blog and I love having so many visitors! I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the support on my book too! I have been so honored by all the wonderful comments we have gotten! One of my favorites was from Dawn@Prickly Mom:
Love your book! Seriously, I rate it up there with my heroes Elizabeth Pantley and John Rosemond in terms of day-to-day usefulness. Bravo!
You can download the first chapter for free on Kindle to make sure you like it!
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Saturday, July 28, 2012
Mommy Needs a Break! From Guilt, from Diapers, From Everything!
After my daughter's birthday party last week, I was completely exhausted and then we had to go to a wedding and two more birthday parties that weekend. By Sunday night, I looked like death warmed over and I was seriously on edge. Every time I heard crying of any kind, I had to resist pulling out my hair and screaming, "STOP IT!!!"
Monday morning came too quickly and it was time to go back to work and I looked at my schedule and realized that I had an overnight trip planned for Tuesday. I don't have to travel for work often, but every time I do, I am racked with guilt. I worry that the kids won't sleep well, that they'll fight for the baby-sitter or my parents, or that Hubby will be awake all night before he has to go operate on humans the next day. The irony is that they always do fine, but the list of why I worry goes on and on and it's all I can think about. But then something funny happens...I get to my hotel and it hits me that I'm alone and can do whatever the heck I want and I am suddenly thrilled beyond belief. Then I feel guilty again for being so happy to be alone so I punish myself by working all evening on my computer and going to bed early.
Monday morning came too quickly and it was time to go back to work and I looked at my schedule and realized that I had an overnight trip planned for Tuesday. I don't have to travel for work often, but every time I do, I am racked with guilt. I worry that the kids won't sleep well, that they'll fight for the baby-sitter or my parents, or that Hubby will be awake all night before he has to go operate on humans the next day. The irony is that they always do fine, but the list of why I worry goes on and on and it's all I can think about. But then something funny happens...I get to my hotel and it hits me that I'm alone and can do whatever the heck I want and I am suddenly thrilled beyond belief. Then I feel guilty again for being so happy to be alone so I punish myself by working all evening on my computer and going to bed early.
Intellectually I know that feeling guilty is a stupid waste of time. I can't change the fact that I have to go out of town. My worry doesn't help anyone and I know deep down that sometimes I lash out when I'm feeling guilty and it's no wonder. There is well-documented evidence that guilt and depression are a bad idea:
- A Study in the Journal of American Obstetrics and Gynecology finds that maternal depression can result in premature babies
- A Study finds that Mothers Who are More Patient Have Children with Larger Brains
- The book Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman documents how French Women resist the feeling of maternal guilt because they feel that is it a damaging emotion for the entire family
The next day when it was time to go home, I noticed something very interesting. I was absolutely thrilled to see my kids. My irritation and exhaustion were gone. We had a wonderful evening together and I realized that I had just learned a very important lesson in how to be a better Mom: take a break. Not just from kids but from guilt. Of course, my situation of being out of town is unique and rare, but we can all find a way to get a pedicure, read a book, get a massage, whatever makes us happy, because we work hard and our kids deserve a happy mommy.
I want to say thank you so much to all of you readers!!! Because of you, my book keeps climbing in the ranks on Amazon and it feels so wonderful to know that we are helping some Moms out there!! If you haven't checked into it yet, I would love it if you would. It has a unique perspective because I co-wrote it with former Kindergarten teacher, Susan Case, and we bring you hundreds of ways to keep your kids busy and we even tackle this subject of Mommy Guilt! I would love it if you would check it out!
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Thursday, June 28, 2012
Making Jelly With Grandma
Sometimes I forget how fun the library is. It's been so hot lately (over 103 yesterday), so earlier this week we went to the library in the afternoon. While we were there, Munchkin Girl picked out several books, one of which was Berries to Jelly, which describes something this culinary-challenged Mom has never even considered doing: making home-made jelly.
Munchkin Girl was very intrigued by this book and we read it about 10 times that first day. That night, she was cuddled up in Daddy's lap reading it and she looked up at him and said, "I'm not super good at making jelly."
We had to try not to laugh because she looked so distraught and sad at her inability to make jelly. He replied, "Don't worry. I'm not super good at it either. But you know who is? Grandmother!"
I called Grandmother that night and invited ourselves over for a jelly-making party. My Mom went too, and once we got there, I couldn't believe how silly I was for not doing this kind of thing more often. I'm not usually the sentimental type, but there is something truly special about spending time with four generations of women, and doing something memorable, like making strawberry jelly.
Munchkin Girl helped us stir in all the ingredients and she was so thrilled to make jam after she had read about in her book so many times. We left Little Buddy at home so that we wouldn't risk him trying to tackle us while we cooked. (You laugh. It's happened before. He's a wild man.)
My Grandma's recipe is really easy and doesn't require any long cooking of strawberries, so if you want to make your own jelly, give this a shot:
Ingredients:
- One 20 ounce bag of frozen strawberries (My grandma says they stopped making 20 ounce bags, but you really need the 20 ounces so you might need to buy two bags)
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 package Sure Jell (you will find this by the canning section. Here is what it looks like)
- First, thaw the strawberries. You can try microwaving them on PL-5 for about 4-5 minutes
- Blend them in the blender until there are no chunks
- Mix with 4 cups of sugar, and then let sit for 10 minutes
- Now, in a small sauce pan, mix 3/4 cup water with the Sur Jell. Bring to a boil and then stir constantly for 1 minute
- Next, pour Sure Jell mixture into Strawberry mixture and stir for 3 minutes
- Pour into jars and let sit for 24 hours at room temperature to give time to set up
- Refrigerate or freeze as desired
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Friday, June 22, 2012
I'm Addicted to Sugar but With a Cleanse Diet, I Shall Overcome
Hello, my name is Katie and I'm a sugaraholic. This is pretty off topic for my what my blog is usually about, but I'm feeling so hungry by this point that it's all I can think about right now! My basic problem is that I have to have a dessert every single day. Every night I tell myself that I won't have any dessert tomorrow...no cookies, no cupcakes, no CHOCOLATE!!
Then I wake up, and I convince myself that it's not a problem if I want a dessert here or there. I'm good at eating in moderation so I don't really gain a lot of weight, but my eating habits are terrible. Yes, I'm lucky that I can eat cookies every day and still not be obese, but the truth is that my Mom had a heart attack at age 55 so I clearly have some genetics that I'm fighting. Good metabolism? Check. Heart disease in family? Also check.
Not only that, but I'm always feeling bloated and yucky. Probably TMI but I want you to have all the facts. So now that I'm in a vicious cycle, I've decided I need to do something drastic. I have elected to do a "cleanse" diet. I have heard of one where you only drink cayenne pepper and water for three days. I've heard of ones where you only drink lemon water. At first, I couldn't believe I was even considering this. I remember mocking Gwyneth Paltrow so badly when I read that she had done this. What a weirdo!!
But the problem is that all my good intentions aren't working, so I need to get totally out of my comfort zone. After much research, I have selected the Dr. Oz 48 hour weekend cleanse. It's only for 2 days and I figure...I can do anything for 2 days, right? Basically he says you shouldn't starve yourself, but should only eat things that naturally get rid of toxins, such as fennel bulbs, cabbage, quinoa, and flaxseed. If you are anything like me, your first question was, what the heck is a fennel bulb???
They give you very specific recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with an extensive shopping list. I took Munchkin Girl with me to Whole Foods. I felt as out of place there as Shrek would have felt if someone elected him to be the cook in The Little Mermaid. We wandered around the store looking for flaxseed and pomegrante juice. This might be normal for some of you, but not for me. Let me put it to you this way. When I pulled the radishes off the shelf, my hands were covered in mud. This is very confusing for me. What are you supposed to do at the store when your hands are covered in mud? There is no sink. I didn't bring any paper towels??
Moving on. We gathered up all my ingredients and we giggled through most of it. Then it came time to go home and prepare everything and again, I just very confused. After literally two minutes of washing the radishes, I was still getting mud on my hands. Seriously? I'm a grown woman, not a 2 year old boy. I don't really like eating mud.
Then I got to the fennel bulb. Here were the instructions: 1 fennel bulb, fronds and stalks included, roughly chopped
What the heck is a frond? And which part is the stalk?
I did my best and everything simmered for an hour and didn't actually smell that bad. Then I opened up the pot. The instructions were to serve this soup with a side of apples and sauerkraut. Yikes.
I am proud to say that I forced this meal down after a full day of similar weirdness. I lost one full pound the first day, which wasn't exactly the point but is always a bonus.
Do I consider this experiment a success?
Absolutely. I really do love being stretched outside my comfort zone, even if I have to eat fennels and muddy radishes. Plus, just about anything sounds good now. Even a regular salad sounds like heaven. Whether I'll be able to kick my cookie habit is still to be determined, but one thing is for sure. Munchkin Girl is glad I'm done with this craziness. This morning she came downstairs and I had already made myself my quinoa with prunes and rice milk.
She looked all sleepy and said, "Mommy, what smells so bad?"
Amen, sister.
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Friday, June 15, 2012
10 Things I do for the Kids that I Should Do for Myself too
The other day, after I put the kids to sleep, I felt all tired and dehydrated, and I realized that I'd hardly had anything to drink all day, I'd skipped breakfast, and I wearing an old ratty sweatshirt. I had to laugh because I would NEVER allow my kids to pull that @!$@! We Moms do such a great job of caring for our kids and making sure that they are healthy, well-fed, and well-behaved. Yet sometimes we do such a poor job of taking care of ourselves. So, here are 10 things I do for my kids every day that I really need to start doing for myself too.
- Take vitamins every day. You would think this would be easy...but they make my stomach hurt if I don't have a full tummy so I always procrastinate until later in the day...and then of course I forget.
- Drink Plenty of Water. For me, this is a practical thing. If I drink lots of water, I have to pee a lot. Where am I going to pee when I'm out and about all day? And then by late in the afternoon I don't want to be up all night...so then I tell myself I'll do better tomorrow...but I do feel so much better when I'm hydrated so I really need to prioritize!
- Make time for socializing with friends. I've pretty dedicated to making sure my kids get quality time with other little kids their age...Why don't I do the same for myself? Because Mom is never the priority, but I'm going to work on it.
- Eat plenty of veggies. I'm just going to be honest. There are days that go by and I don't eat a single veggie. It's absurd really. I sit and watch the kids eat carrots. Why don't I just join them and have a few myself?
- Make sure the kids never leave the house without looking presentable. i.e. My daughter always has her hair done nicely and is wearing a dress. I think I own about 2 dresses currently.
- Say my prayers. Sometimes I'm so tired I just forget. Shame on me.
- Say Thank You. I really don't say this enough. To my husband, to my Mom, to my Baby-sitter, or to any of the wonderful people in my life that do so much for me.
- Read a Book. It's probably equally important for Mom to read books. It's good for the soul. Plus it really relieves my stress and on top of that, it shows the kids how much I love books too.
- Eat Breakfast. I find that by the time I get the kids their breakfast, their milk, the correct color of fork, napkins, etc., I forget to sit down and eat my own breakfast. Again, shame on me. This is terrible for my metabolism.
- Drink Milk. I really don't want to end up like one of those hunch-back old ladies. But I might if I don't get my act together!
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Saturday, June 2, 2012
Delicious Secrets of a Mom Blogger
Lately I've been hearing a lot about how Pinterest and bloggers are making Moms feel inadequate, like they aren't doing enough with their kids compared to other Moms. Luckily, I doubt anyone feels that way about my blog since I'm a bit of a moron.
However, one of my fellow bloggers, At Home With Ali did a fun post about things she doesn't usually share on her blog. Ali is one of those amazing bloggers with insanely beautiful photos and creative ideas but in this post she admits that sometimes her kids wear pajamas all day. And she yells. The horror!! :-) I really enjoyed reading her post about her delicious little secrets so much that I thought I would share some of my own delicious secrets with my readers. As you will see, I'm certainly not a perfect Mom.
1. My kids have gone a full week without a bath
2. Last week, I was home alone with the kids and little Buddy pooped, and I pretended I didn't smell it for awhile because I really hate changing poopy diapers. He squirms and kicks and tries to grab the diaper and sometimes I just can't face it.
3. I love putting my kids to bed, mainly because I'm so excited for some adult time. This is especially true if I'm home alone and I know I'll get to watch Real Housewives all by myself.
4. When we pick up my favorite sub sandwiches, I order a cookie for myself, but not for the kids and I wait to eat it until they've gone upstairs for naps.
5. Sometimes I hear my daughter jumping on her bed during nap time. I don't go yell at her. I just smile, glad that she's staying upstairs where she is supposed to be.
6. Not that long ago, I put aluminum foil on a bowl and popped it in the microwave. Hubby heard strange noises and came running over and explained to me that you can't put foil in the microwave. I'd like to say that I just forgot about that rule and that's why I almost blew up my house and my family, but I honestly swear I never learned that rule. I've probably been doing it for years.
7. Little Buddy's first trip to the ER was totally my fault. Note to self: Wild wrestling encouraged by Mom is not a good idea, especially if it takes place close to furniture. Bloody heads will be the result.
8. I haven't ironed in over two years
9. I wash my jeans about twice a year
10. Sometimes I wear the same clothes two days in a row.
Okay, I better stop or you will lose all respect for me. I would really love to hear your delicious secrets...
Oh, and PLEASE vote for me, will ya?? I would LOVE to get back into the top 5!!! I NEED SOME VOTES!!! I really appreciate your support!!
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Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The Problem With Poor Me Syndrome (For Mommies)
When I first started blogging, I thought I would be one of those sarcastic, funny bloggers that everyone loves. Hubby works ALL THE TIME so it would be easy to come up with about oodles of posts with the same central themes: Poor me, my husband works all the time. Poor me, I always have to be the one who takes out the trash because Hubby is working. Poor me, my kids are sick all the time and I have to be the one who gets up in the middle of the night.
Then something happened. My best friend wanted desperately to have a second child. She tried and tried but then she found out that her endometriosis and fibroid tumors had become life-threatening. Finally, her doctors told her she needed a hysterectomy immediately. She was 30 years old.
I watched all this happen and did my best to support her and the way my friend reacted took my breath away. She didn't feel sorry for herself. Sure, she cried. Sure, she was incredibly sad. But she picked herself by her bootstraps, hugged her little girl tight and thanked God for her one healthy child. At that point, I realized I had no business feeling sorry for myself. I was allowing myself to turn into one of those angry Moms. You know what I'm talking about. Yet here was my friend, robbed of her uterus at age 30, and she wasn't mad at the world. So what if I had to take out the trash? So what if I always had to be the one to put the kids to bed? I am lucky to have two healthy children to put to bed each night.
At that point, I really looked around me and was amazed at what I could learn about being a Mom, not just from my friend, from other Moms too. Take my own Mom. When I was growing up, no one was more fun than my Mom. She was the one giggling with us in church while my Dad gave us the evil eye. Sure, she wasn't always appropriate, but she ALWAYS had fun with us. To this day, I laugh more when I'm with my Mom than I do with anyone else and I want my daughter to feel that way about me too. I realized I needed to do a better job of having fun and not always worrying about how many fruits and vegetables they ate that day or how much TV they watched.
Take my friend Lisa. She is the one who inspired me to start blogging about crafts. She truly enjoys spending time with her kids and can come up with a craft idea of of anything. She doesn't live for nap time. She lives for playtime.
Take my own Grandmother. She used to wake up at 4:30 am to iron her husband's shirt and make him breakfast before he left for work. Now that's dedication. Hubby is lucky if I pour him cereal on the weekends. My grandmother always says that being a Mom is the most wonderful thing that can happen to a woman.
I learn every single day from the Moms around me and I can always find things I admire. This inspires me to be a better Mom. So I'm still sarcastic occasionally, but I'm not angry anymore. Thanks to my friend, I'm a truly happy Mommy.
Don't get me wrong, if you happen to be going through what my friend went through, you have every right to be angry and sad. Yet, my friend showed me the power of looking for the good in life and I hope she can show you too.
Happy Mother's Day!!
One quick note: Will you do me a favor? I am learning more about Google and apparently it helps them if you tell them what you like. That way, when people search for things like crafts for kids, etc., they are more likely to find my posts. Soooo...if you liked this post and think others might like it, click the button below that looks like this. You are basically "recommending" this for Google. It really helps me too!
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Saturday, April 28, 2012
Dingbat Mommy Strikes Again
I keep telling myself that I really am a smart person. I got great grades in college and I even taught statistics at one point in my life. But, for the life of me I cannot figure myself out sometimes. Let me back up.
I've been looking for fun things to do outside with my kids. So, my friend and co-author (we are almost finished with our book by the way. I promise.), Susan Case, suggested that I put peanut butter on a pine cone and have the kids help me watch for birds. I thought that sounded like a super idea so one day I got the kids all excited and they helped me find a pine cone from the backyard and then I smeared peanut butter all over it and we put it in the tree. We waited. And waited. And waited. No birds ever came. The kids finally wandered away to find something else to do.
Later that day, my Mom came to play with the kids. I told her about our little problem. She went over to inspect our work and started immediately laughing.
"Katie," she said. "You didn't put any birdseed on here. Did you really think the birds would just lick up this peanut butter?"
"Oh," I replied. "Well I know how much the dogs like peanut butter. Susan didn't say anything about birdseed, just peanut butter."
My Mom patted my back. "I think she assumed you would know about the birdseed."
So, yes. I am a dingbat Mommy. If you look closely, you will notice not a drop of a birdseed on the picture above. We went to the hardware store the next day and bought birdseed. Now in this next picture you see just a subtle difference. This time, birdseed is sprinkled on top. And yes, this time the birds liked this much better and the kids really enjoyed watching the birds come peck at our home-made bird feeder.
In fact, they loved it so much that Munchkin Girl is now an avid bird-watcher! We even made a trip to the book store to buy a "Bird Book" as she calls it, so we could know what we were looking at. This ended up being a really fun activity and every day we find new birds to look at in the book. I used to think that all birds looked alike, but when you look closely, you will see that each bird has different colors on its neck its back and different size beaks. Now now she watches our bird-feeder and yells out, "It's a sparrow!"
Here is a book you can buy so that your kids can become bird-watchers too! We have upgraded to a cool bird-feeder to maximize our fun too!
Here is a book you can buy so that your kids can become bird-watchers too! We have upgraded to a cool bird-feeder to maximize our fun too!
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Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Do Stressed Out Parents = Stressed Out Kids?
I am not afraid to kill bugs. Spiders? No problem. I squash them without a second thought. Hubby works so much that I really had to learn the art of killing bugs very early in our marriage. Here is a bug I found in Little Buddy's mouth one time. Did I freak out? Nope. I just fished it out of his mouth and went about my day.
However, wasps and anything that buzzes really scares the you know what out of me. For some reason I have the impression that I will avoid being stung if I squirm around while flapping my arms and squealing like a little girl. So far, it does actually seem to work fairly well.
Last weekend the weather was amazing. We had the back door open and we ate breakfast on the patio and the kids played outside while we sipped our morning coffee (and tea for me). It was pure bliss until I had to go inside for a refill. While I was inside, I heard a buzzing, followed by "Mommmmiiiiiee!!! Big buuuuuug!!!!"
I ran over and found the biggest bee/wasp you've ever seen. Little Buddy innocently wandered over there to see what was making all the noise. I must admit that I freaked out a little. Okay, a lot. I rushed over, grabbed him and told him to stay with me. I held him tight while screaming at the top of my lungs, "Get in here!! We have a huge wasp. Hurry!!!"
Hubby calmly came in, got the fly swatter, killed the wasp, and then went back outside. The chaos was over, but then Little Buddy didn't want to go back outside. He started saying, "Mommy scared." His eyes were wide with fear. I had thoroughly terrified the poor little guy. I tried to take him outside to show him everything was fine now. I let him sit on my lap and I patted his back and assured him that I wasn't scared anymore. I tried to distract him by reading him a book and then pointing out the birds and the trees. Unfortunately, every time I said something and asked for a response, his reply was always, "Mommy scared". He was literally almost shaking. Oops.
I guess I can see why it's hard for kids to see their Moms be scared about something. They certainly don't like to see us cry. This made me realize that I need to simmer down a bit, and an article I read recently really seems to confirm this. A study in the April release of Pediatrics found that premature babies whose parents were stressed or depressed were more likely to develop behavior problems by the age of three. Now, of course, my kids weren't premies, and they aren't even babies anymore, so this study probably doesn't strictly apply, but I do think that the overall premise makes sense and was demonstrated that day when my own personal bias toward wasps scared Little Buddy so much. When I think back, I was incredibly stressed with my first baby and she was also a very excitable child. She used to panic if her room wasn't exactly the same very single night. We worried that she would end up with OCD or high anxiety, but I have mellowed a lot as she's gotten older and I think she's mellowed with me. Coincidence? Could be, but I think not. To me, stress breeds stress and this just reinforces that I really to chill out. On that note, I think I'll go pour myself a bubble bath and a glass of wine.
PS...Don't worry...we ended up going to the zoo later and when we came home, Little Buddy had forgotten the entire thing and ran outside with Big Sis. I didn't permanently damage him for life. Phew!
PPS...Please don't take this to mean that I am blaming every parent who has a child with OCD. I fully understand that there around dozens of other factors that contribute to behavior problems, and some are simply genetics or a fluke, but I do think kids learn by example and so for me personally, I am going to try to portray a nice, calm, Zen exterior even if I am squirming and squealing in my own head. We'll see how it goes.
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Saturday, March 17, 2012
The Joys of the Family Dog
I am finally feeling ready to post about my beloved Guinness. Guinness was our first baby...well, okay he was really a dog. But he was the sweetest dog you will ever meet. That being said, after we had Munchkin Girl, I was about to kill him.
Let me back up a bit. Our story goes something like this. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl move into small apartment that doesn't allow dogs. Boy and Girl get dog anyway and he becomes the most treasured creature ever to walk the earth. Boy and Girl decide they love animals so much they move into a house and then get Cat #1, Cat #2, and Dog #2. Fast forward a few years to Baby #1. All this adds up to...one VERY full house.
After Baby #1 was born, everything went downhill. My beloved dogs became my arch enemy. Here is why:
1. They barked and constantly woke up Munchkin Girl after it took me an hour to put her to sleep
2. They constantly knocked her down (on accident when she was learning to crawl and walk)
3. They were always getting up on the counter to eat food
4. They snored. This wasn't a problem until night time, at which point they would keep me awake and I resorted to throwing shoes at them.
5. Just as I was sitting down to have 10 minutes of time when no one was touching me or needing me, the dogs would come and pester me to pet them, feed them, take them for a walk, etc. I found that I suddenly only had so much love to give.
There was a period of time that I swear I would have paid a nice stranger to "kidnap" them. But then...fast forward a few years and suddenly Munchkin Girl is three and Little Buddy is 18 months...and...things are fun again. The kids and dogs play together peacefully. Everyone is sleeping well so they don't wake anyone up.
Then, one day Guinness couldn't walk anymore. He started falling down constantly....we tried lots of different things, but he was just old and had bad legs to begin with...I won't get into details...we had to put him down. I never thought I could cry so much. I was suddenly heartbroken to lose my first baby. Even as I'm typing this, I am finding tears in my eyes. He was the sweetest boy I ever knew and I will miss him forever.
This brings me to my point...as I said, there was a time that I couldn't believe that I had to live with dogs for years. Life would be so much easier without dogs. But now that time has passed and life is normal again, I realize how much dogs bring to our lives. Now we just have one dog left, and I vow to treasure her. Well, maybe not treasure every moment of every day, but at least I vow not to plan a kidnapping of any sort. And I can now truly appreciate her. Dogs really can keep kids busy and I have read that they can even improve self-esteem. I'm not sure about that, but I'm sure that they do love her. She lets the kids MANHANDLE her. Here is how a dog helps a family:
Dogs give someone for the kids to pester and "Mother". Here is Lola. obediently staying in her "bed". She was told it was time to sleep and was strictly told not to get out of her room. The covers were then tucked under her chin and she was even given a Teddy Bear to keep her company. This Teddy Bear's name is now "Lola's Bear".
Dogs give kids someone to talk to. When Munchkin Girl has friends over and Little Buddy gets lonely, he always has Lola. Plus, she encourages reading skills! See how she patiently listens as he "reads" his favorite book.
Dogs provide hours of entertainment. Lola has worn sunglasses, hats, scarves, dresses, you name, she's worn it! They both spend hours getting her decked out and then giggle at the final result.
That's the Tinkerbell skirt from Halloween...now on Lola's head
That's a beret...along with Tinkerbell wings being precariously perched on her back.
And those are snow boots...
Lastly, can you imagine the skill it took to get this book to balance on her head! It took at least 15 minutes of concentration and teamwork to make this happen!
PS...Lola also does a great job of picking up any food that drops to the floor. I adore not having to get out the broom every time we have a Goldfish explosion!
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