I have been reading this post all day, and it rings so true in my heart.  It's by Sara Besche .

I may lose some friends over this post but here it goes: watching Kaden fall asleep earlier tonight I reflected on the disappointment I sometimes feel that I may never be the mom that makes cake pops for every holiday or hand crafts his Halloween costumes. . .. I can build a mean fort out of twine, sheets and 3m hooks and make an impressive Smurf city out of Legos but when he was a baby I did not feed him homemade organic baby food and sometimes wonder if he will be as healthy as the kids who's mothers did.
I have a friend who feels like a "bad mom" because she didn't send out Christmas Cards this year and another who is opening a new profit center for her business venture and feels "guilty"that she had to buy cookies at the store instead of hand making them for her son's school Christmas party.

Here is my point:
I'm Afraid that the pinterest era is turning us into wanna be Stepford freaks....I have friends who are pregnant with their first child and they are more overwhelmed with decisions like what kind of diapers the "best moms" buy than the things that will actually matter.
As mothers, the measures I believe we should judge ourselves on are actually simple: its not the size or "pinterest-worthiness" of their first birthday cake. It's the amount of unconditional love and affection we give to our children, the values and confidence we instill in them, the quality of the time we spend with them, the examples we set for them in our actions as their role models.....this to me includes how we treat others, the way we treat ourselves, the appreciation we show for family AND our demonstrated work ethic (whether its cleaning the kitchen, volunteering, or working on your next business plan) and lastly AND MOST IMPORTANTLY the effort we put into developing their faith in GOD. If this post makes even one fb mom think twice about beating herself up because she bought the cheaper brand of diapers tonight at Walmart; then it was completely worth posting what has officially been the longest fb status I have ever written.

I've been beating myself up about not sewing things for the kids.  I know I can do things, there are so many things I can do, but I don't do them.  I get so paralyzed that I don't know what to do with my own children. 

My husband's new love

My husband has a new love and I don't mind a bit. Since he has stopped juicing he has discovered the amazing capabilities of the crock pot. I don't know where he's been for the last 50 years but he thinks it's the greatest invention yet. He's been trying out recipes for every meal and is absolutely in love with the simplicity of putting all your food in and just walking away.
He is a bit impatient, so a recipe that requires you to leave it alone for 12 hours will be checked at least half a dozen times. I think it's cute and encourage his endeavors.

Halloween Decor

Well, it's Halloween tomorrow and our house is decorated... well, as decorated as it's going to get.  Its odd to me, considering how we used to decorate. 
We have a fog machine, a bunch of lights, spiderwebs, pumpkins, etc.  We are maxed out, and yet... this is what our front looks like:

If you look real close you can see the decorations we put up.

I put up the lovely wreath Erin and I made, and surrounded our "Welcome Fall" pumpkin with the pumpkins Paul got at playschool last Thursday.  Also you can barely see them, there are some window clings in the playroom.

But that's it.  I think that's as decorated as my house is going to get for a while.  But when the kids are older we'll be ready!

10 Things Not To Do To An Upset Child & A Couple of Things You Can Do

I had to look this up because I needed to.  I do those things that I'm not supposed to.  But I'm glad I have other options now.  I feel more in control with this new dose of Geodon, but these words help.
This was originally posted on:  http://www.authenticparenting.info/2011/12/10-things-not-to-do-to-upset-child-and.html

10 Things Not To Do To An Upset Child and A Couple of Things You Can Do

Posted bymamapoekie

When children become upset - no matter the reason - it seems as if all polite adult behavior goes out the door. Suddenly, because it is a child, it's normal and accepted to be rude, rough and plain intolerant. Our children's emotional outbursts bring out our inner child and unhinge a lot of discomfort, they remind us of our powerlessness and the reactions of the adults in our lives and often create atrocious response. children are humans too, and if we want to break this vicious cycle, these are a few of the reactions we should try to repress:

Image: Creative Donkey on Flickr

1. Threaten - "Santa won't come if you don't stop crying!" Not only do we devalorize our children's emotions by threatening them (see below), we also put ourselves high and mighty and make them feel little (see below) and powerless.
2. Devalue their emotions - "Stop crying! Don't be like that! You're overacting!" Children's emotions are real, just as real as adult emotions, only they haven't learned to repress them yet (and let's hope they don't, for their emotional and physical benefit). Just because these raw emotions make you uncomfortable doesn't mean they are displaced. And even if you think their outburst doesn't fit the situation, try to look at it from their part, they're just tiny, so everything is huge to them.
3. Punish - There are millions of reasons not to punish a child, too many to go into for the sake of this post. But when they are upset, it is as displaced as it can get.
4. Mimick - How often have I seen an adult start fake crying when a child is upset. That's about as pathetic and impolite as you can get. You wouldn't do it to your best friend, would you? So why do it to a child.
5. Belittle - "Stop being a baby! How old are you?"
6. Walk Away - Walking away tells your child their emotions don't matter, that they annoy you, that they don't deserve your love and attention and that you are not there for them. Are these the lessons you want them to learn? A little side not, sometimes you can get so upset by the events that walking away probably is the best option. Then do so, and take the moment to analyze your feelings and why you react this way. It's better to disconnect then to physically or emotionally harm your child.
7. Phase out - Acting like nothing is wrong and you don't hear or see them has the same effect as walking away. Again, however, if this is the only way you can keep from becoming abusive, it's a better option. Take a moment to evaluate this reaction later on and find a way to deal with the situation in a healthier way.
8. Act irritated - Seeing our child upset is uncomfortable for the most of us, but we shouldn't make our children feel like they are a nuisance just because they have emotions. That will only teach them to push their emotions down, not to deal with them.
9. Sigh - Sighing makes your child feel like a burden, like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. However, your child's emotions are not yours to fix, there is no reason to feel burdened. If you feel like sighing, take a deep breath instead, maybe invite your child to do this too. This will make both of you feel better.
10. Yell - People yell when they are powerless and out of resources, if your child is emotional, chances are this will only make matter worse. Read this article about yelling to find out the many reasons why this isn't the best response to any situation and how you can counteract this. If you have to yell, don't yell at your child, but vocalize, turn it into opera if that's what helps.

Now imagine anyone doing any of these to you when you are crying because you're really hurt. Wouldn't feel good, would it?

Obviously, I wouldn't just tell you what not to do without offering you a set of alternative reactions. However, there is no quick fix (you don't even need to fix anything, emotions are human and expressing them is healthy), every child and every situation is different. You know your child best and you probably already know what not to do in certain situation.

1. Get down to their level - Getting on an equal level eases the big adult small child discomfort and will make both parties feel more equal. It's also harder to be angry and punitive when you're on your knees.
2. Look them in the eyes - Making eye contact can be a good way to ground yourself and to get rid of your stress. The child can connect with you and know he is loved.
3. Hug them - For some children, physical contact during emotional outbursts can be hugely comforting. It is also a way to show your concern and presence. (Some children don't like to be touched, and may get even more upset by this)
4. Remain present - Just being there without judgement or frantic looking for solutions lets them know that their emotions are valid and gives them the momentum to soothe themselves.
5. Ask them what they would like - Maybe they are upset because of something and explaining it will help them out of this situation. Knowing they have a listening ear can often be enough.
6. Sit with them - Just doing nothing might be the best approach, this way you are telling the child that you are there, and that you are not worried, and he gets to take care of his emotions on his own.
7. Speak calmly - whisper even, if that's what calms you down, it will generally calm the child too.
8. Hum - singing or humming will ease out the stress in you and might refocus the child's attention.

No accidents!

It went by like nothing but when we were counting pompous I realized Erin hadn't had any accidents today! I am so proud of her! I am trying to think if she had one yesterday or not. I think she did but I can't remember just when. I am so proud of her! I have to remember to keep being positive and praising her. Chris' next day off we are taking her out to go shopping for a doll. I am super excited!

Cookies galore

Well it's well into the night and I am still revved up (in spite of my not large meal with the geodon). I just finished creating two and a half culinary masterpieces... Sort of. You see tomorrow, actually it would be after today now, the kids and I are going to a Halloween party playdate. It's at the home of one of the girls that does a ton of pinterest stuff. She is actually the one that got me turned on to the site. But she has been sick lately because she's pregnant (morning sickness does not just strike in the morning). So she hasn't had time to do one of her fabulous spreads. So I volunteered to do all the treat stuff she had pinned for Halloween to bring over. It was caramel apple bites, pumpkin rice Krispy treats, and witch hat cookies. I'm also going to bring the bags of Halloween pretzels which I originally signed up for.
But I just finished making the witch hat cookies. They were super simple and I was going to make them with Erin but I thought I'd go ahead and do them now.

I finished up before that the rice Krispy treats. The picture she had pinned was just that, so there was no specific recipe. So I googled just how to make rice Krispy treats (because it's been forever since I've done that) and I found on the official site a really cute idea of rice Krispy surprise pumpkin treats. Which is what I ended up making. Really fun with a chocolate surprise in the middle. I did have to modify it because I couldn't get green gum drops, so I used jelly beans instead. Also I used tubed frosting instead of canned. It went a lot quicker on the decorating but I had forgotten how long it took to do the marshmallows! For-ev-er!

Anyway. I had started the treats while I was waiting on the Carmel apple bites to cook. My night started after the kids went to bed with some help from my hubby. He helped me chop up the apple into very small bits as well as mix the cookie dough while I cooked the filling. Then he scooped out the dough into the proper amount while I had a repeating run of bathroom breaks. Then I released him to go watch some tv and unwind while I finished up. Well I filled the cookies and got them in the oven. But I knew I'd have to let them cool after they were done which is why I started on something else. Then I never went back to them because I'm a bit intimidated by the recipe. It is pretty simple but it seems like it should be harder so I'm a little scared. But I figure I will do it during quiet time while Erin is on her iPad and Paul is napping. We shall see. Pictures to come! Night night. If I can fall asleep. I am so pumped I even put in a load of dishes and laundry to run instead of the last step of the cookies. But I've got to get some sleep now. Night

The Danger of Yelling At Your Kids

from:
http://shine.yahoo.com/team-mom/calmer-mom-193400104.html


If you've found yourself shrieking at your child - and regretting it - this advice is for you.

My husband, our two kids, and I were enjoying an idyllic trip to Hawaii, driving up the winding (and dangerous) Road to Hana and taking in the beauty of the cliffs and coastline. And then it happened. For no apparent reason, my son, then age 5, threw a water bottle from the backseat toward my husband, and it hit the windshield with a ferocious bang. By some miracle, we didn't crash, but we did lose control...big-time. Both my husband and I were ranting, raving, screaming, threatening: "Why would you do that? Don't you know we could have been killed? Here we are taking you on the vacation of a lifetime, and you throw a water bottle for no reason?" And on and on we went, spewing way more venom than our preschooler could ever deserve or even comprehend, for that matter.
Related: Stop Fighting with Your Kid
Tears began rolling down our son's cheeks, and his lip quivered as he fought back sobs. After what I'm sure seemed like an eternity to him, we calmed down and continued on our way, and I tried to bury the incident in the back of my mind.
I had almost forgotten all about it when, a few weeks later, I replayed our Hawaii-trip video. There I was, recording a waterfall out the window of the car. I tucked the camera into its bag - accidentally leaving it still recording - and then the "water bottle incident" occurred. Though the screen was black, I heard my husband and myself screaming at our son, badgering him, shaming him.
Then it was my turn to fight back tears. How could I have freaked out like that in front of my kids, at my kid? The rant sounded so much more vicious and vile than I remembered its having been, but there it was on tape - proof that I was the worst mother in the world. I may have erased that incident from the vacation video, but I don't think I'll ever be able to erase it from my memory.
Like it or not, most of us parents flip out in front of our dear children from time to time. Sometimes the anger is aimed at them, other times not, but it's almost always a deeply unsettling experience. Fortunately, there are simple - sometimes surprising - steps you can take to repair the damage, not to mention avoid meltdowns in the future.

The High Price of Losing It
First, recognize that regularly lashing out at or in front of your kids isn't par for the parenting course. It can do some very real damage to their psyches, says psychologist Matthew McKay, Ph.D., a professor at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA, and coauthor of When Anger Hurts Your Kids. "Studies have shown that parents who express a lot of anger in front of their kids end up with less empathetic children. These kids are more aggressive and more depressed than peers from calmer families, and they perform worse in school. Anger has a way of undermining a kid's ability to adapt to the world," McKay says.
Related: Marriage Myths You Shouldn't Believe
Gulp. And the younger the kid, the bigger the impact, experts say. "When children are little, you're their universe," says psychologist Robert Puff, Ph.D., author of Anger Work: How to Express Your Anger and Still Be Kind. "When you get angry, their world is shaken. By the time they get older, they have friends and other people in their lives to turn to, and that minimizes the impact." Also worth noting: The occasional, nonabusive freak-out is generally much less damaging than regular fireworks, which send a child the message that he or she is not safe and that there's something wrong with him, says McKay.
That said, kids can actually learn an important lesson from seeing you lose your temper and then regain your cool. "This provides an opportunity to show kids that we all get angry, but what really counts is how we repair things afterward," says McKay. Here, the step-by-steps for doing just that.

When You Shriek at Your Kids

Real-mom meltdown: When Jennifer*, of Huntington Beach, CA, went to visit Disneyland with her three kids, she didn't realize the "happiest place on Earth" would be the setting for one of her ugliest parenting moments. "It was a big outing for us, and the park was very hot and crowded that day," she recalls. "Two of my kids have cystic fibrosis and could use a special pass to bypass the lines. But my 13-year-old went and lost his. Out of nowhere, I yelled, 'You've got to be bleeping kidding me. What the hell is wrong with you?' Immediately, my son started to cry. He had never heard me swear or be so mean to him, and he was devastated. Everyone standing around us was looking at me in disgust. I had to keep apologizing. Tears were streaming down my face because I had obviously hurt him so much."
A University of New Hampshire study found that 90 percent of parents admitted to having hollered at their children, ages 2 to 12, within the course of a year (the other 10 percent must have either been angels or had selective memories).

Related: 10 Etiquette Rules You Didn't Know You Were Breaking

To avoid a scream-fest, try this trick: In that white-hot moment of anger, visualize your child as a baby, says Sandra P. Thomas, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and coauthor of Use Your Anger: A Woman's Guide to Empowerment. "Older kids and teens are not adorable like babies, and sometimes they can be very obnoxious," she explains. "When you remember them as the babies they once were, that can do some good."
So can taking a break. "If you're able, take a time-out and walk into another room, even if it's just for a minute or two," says psychologist Laura J. Petracek, Ph.D., author of The Anger Workbook for Women. The key here is getting some literal distance from the situation and recovering your sense of calm.
If your anger has already boiled over, the most important thing now is to own up to what you've done wrong. Don't give in to the temptation to blame your child for triggering your outburst. "Say, 'I am very disappointed at your carelessness, but I shouldn't have yelled like that. It was wrong for me to lose it in that way, and I'm very sorry,' " advises Thomas. (Tip: Don't overdo the apology - if you dwell on it, it can make a kid feel as if he's truly been victimized.) Then promise that you will try your best not to do it again, comfort your child as needed, and move on.

When You Spar With Your Spouse

Real-mom meltdown: Angie*, of Seattle, says life has been particularly stressful since her husband lost his job - and their arguments sometimes play out in front of daughter Lexi, age 3. "Just last night, I was yelling at him for not cleaning the house," she confesses. "Lexi came over, tugged on my shirt, and said, 'Be nice to Daddy.' The look in her eyes was one of terror; it stopped me in my tracks. We eventually made up and tried to assure her that Mommy and Daddy still loved each other, but I don't know if she bought it."
It can be devastating for a child to see her parents get furious with each other, warns Charles Spielberger, Ph.D., a psychologist who specializes in the study of anger at the University of South Florida. It's important to circle back quickly and do damage control. Don't try to explain the situation away by reciting a laundry list of ways in which your spouse provoked you - this will only further embroil your children in the drama and stress. "Instead, you might say, 'I was really mad at your dad earlier. We've talked about it, and we're working it out. People who live together get angry sometimes. We're sorry for yelling. We still love each other,' " Thomas recommends. Even if you still want to throttle your spouse, telling your kids you are smoothing things over will help ease their fears and make them feel more secure.
Related: The Most In-Demand Halloween Costumes For Kids
If you can, emphasize what you'll do differently next time, says Jerry Deffenbacher, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Colorado State University, who studies anger issues; this will help a child learn from the experience. For instance: "I was mad that your dad burned the garlic bread, but I apologize; I shouldn't have shouted at him like that. I was frazzled from a really hard day. Next time, we'll remember to set the kitchen timer when we use the oven."
Keep further comments to a minimum. Overexplain yourself, and you could wind up turning your kid into a mediator or therapist, cautions Puff. There's no need to drag her even deeper into your drama.

When You Argue With a Stranger

Real-mom meltdown: While Fiona*, of Detroit, was buckling her youngest son into his car seat after a trip to a bakery, an older driver pulled up near her and began honking. "He was screaming, 'Close your f--door!' without having given me any warning that I was blocking his spot. I raged right back, 'Can't you see I'm putting my baby in his car seat, you $%*#@?!' My tween in the backseat was pretty rattled by my outburst, and I felt horrible about it."
Your first instinct might be to apologize to your kids for having gotten mad - but don't. Everyone gets angry, so you shouldn't be sorry for having experienced this emotion. (This is especially important if you have daughters - girls from a young age are told they shouldn't show anger, says Puff, encouraging them to bottle up their feelings.)
Instead, tell the kids what set you off. Explains McKay: "You might say, 'That man said something that really hurt my feelings, and I got very upset.' " Next, apologize for how you expressed your anger. "Make sure they know that swearing - or whatever you did - was not the appropriate reaction," says Thomas. "Emphasize that you would never want them to act that way." Also say you are sorry if your outburst scared or embarrassed them. (Let's face it - it probably did.) Explain that you let your emotions get the best of you, and that you'll handle it better next time. And then comes the real challenge: making sure that you do.


Short-Circuiting Your Anger
To keep your cool going forward, follow these ground rules:

• Ask the right question When a child is being difficult and your temper is about to flare, follow this advice from McKay: Instead of thinking, Why is he doing this to me?, focus on the child; he's probably acting out for a reason. Is he hungry, bored, tired, or in need of attention? Try to meet his need instead of letting your anger get the best of you.
• Keep an anger journal that documents when you lose your cool. "Look for patterns - what time of day do you get angriest? Under what circumstances?" advises Deffenbacher. "Once you identify those anger 'flash points' in your life, brainstorm ways to minimize them." You can even get your kids in on the act: Say, "It irritates me when you ignore your chores - how can we make this a better situation?" By giving your kids a voice, you're empowering them to be part of the solution.
• Minimize marriage spats "In a calm moment, you and your spouse should agree to handle your next argument differently," Deffenbacher says. "Give yourselves permission to walk away if you're getting too angry in front of the kids. Develop a code word for when you are getting really mad, and let that signal that you'll discuss the issue later, in private, when you're calmer."
• Talk through your emotions out loud when you're with your kids and a stranger annoys you. "Say, 'Wow, that person just cut me off - how rude! But maybe there's an emergency she had to deal with, or she just didn't see me. Whatever the case, I'm not going to let it ruin my day,' " recommends Deffenbacher. By doing this, you're modeling how to handle life's everyday frustrations - and how to control your anger before it controls you.

-By Julie Taylor

Fighting Me: Potty Training

I've been trying so hard to be a Proverbs 31 Woman that it's making me crazy.  Being a P31W is not what's driving me crazy, it's what satan has been throwing at me.  His latest is Erin's potty training.  It's been getting to me emotionally really hard.  I know it's not a reflection of how I'm doing as a parent, but there is a little whisper that says differently and compares me to others (or even myself with her earlier accomplishments) whenever I try to reassure myself.  The hardest part for me is that I've blown up at Erin so many times, I know she's lost confidence in me as a safe haven.  I am no longer a safe person for her, she feels.  I don't want her to feel that way, and I certainly don't want her to remember those things.  I'm just so tired of her peeing in her panties.  I don't know why I don't have the strength or willingness to do it, but I don't.  I've prayed about it, too.
But Erin gets sent home every day with a bag full of wet clothes and it really bothers me.  I know they don't want to keep changing her, and they shouldn't have to.  Their rules state that if she can't be dry to send her in a diaper.  So I know they must be getting annoyed. 
The thing is I'm ready to give up and just put her in a diaper for the rest of her days.  But whenever I think about it I know she loves being in big girl panties.  I know she can do this, I just know it.  It just seels like whenever she's out she has a problem.  And she's so strong willed!!!  She won't go when I ask her to even just sit. 
So today, there are two of us home (I was going to send Paul away with Nana and have Erin by myself at home all day, but Chris is home today so that works too).  And I figure we can get this figured.  So far she's been telling us when she needs to go.  I haven't been asking her like a hundred times today, which is nice.  I'm just worried about when we go out.  That seems to be the trouble spots.  I think we're gonna have to go out and get some groceries later today... maybe we will test it then.  If she just went to the bathroom and at least just sat when I asked her to, that would be helpful because then I could just do it whenever we arrive someplace or what not. 

Erin Prays

We encouraged Erin to do the final prayer for the night, and it was so sweet... I almost cried.  She prayed for everyone, some people toward the end took some prompting, but when she started with praying for paul and mama and dada... **sniff, sniff**  it was so sweet.

Whimsical Wednesday

Today was an interesting day.  My fb status was:

It's rainy outside, and I feel as bad as it looks. I know if I were alone I'd just get right back in bed and try to go back to sleep with the hopes of a better start when I wake again. But, since I've got two kids I'm gonna put on my super-mom big girl underwear and have fun. I vow that we will not spend all day in front of the TV... and goldfish and justice for all!

Well... that should explain it all, but... let me start over.

It was rainy this morning, it opened up for a few hours in the afternoon though.  I'm having left over sinus problems (not really congestion, but yuck) and don't really feel like doing much of anything.  But I was determined... the TV would be turned off... eventually.  It took a while, but the kids started playing on their own for a while.  I built them a little fort area with all the pop-up tents and tunnel.  They had fun in that for a while.  We made some popcorn, then sat down in front of the TV again (I'm really kicking myself over the TV thing today.  All that kept going through my mind was how TV causes ADD.). 

I finally got an idea, all on my own, for a project for us to do.  But it was somehow time for Paul to already go to naptime.  I was inspired by all those wreaths on Pinterest.  I wanted to do something like that.

I took Erin into the playroom and we did some cutting.  I went and got a paper plate for me and gave her some construction paper.  While she concentrated on her single snips, I cut out the center, so that all was left of the rim of the paper plate (FYI I used the thick, slightly more pricey paper plates that we buy to eat off of... I've said it before, Chris has expensive taste.  But I do buy them in bulk, so that helps.  But I suggest this type for this project so that it has a rounded rim). 

At first I was going to take some ribbon that I had laying around (a fun mini mouse pink ribbon) and wrap it around.  Then I thought about tying it on and letting the ribbon hang, but then I thought that would look better if it was tulle.  So I nixed the ribbon.  Then I thought about some flowers, so I grabbed some tissue paper and looked up on Pinterest how to create some tissue paper flowers.  But even the simple ones would have been too complicated for Erin to do.  So I decided to just cut the paper into rectangles (5"x7" apx) by following the folds.  I chose three different, yet coordinating, sheets and cut them up. 

Rather than making flowers, I had Erin wad up the paper, then we glued them to the bottom of the paper plate rim.  It was pretty fun.  We only got the wreath half way done, but I can already tell it's already one I'll be ready and willing to hang on our front door.  I'm excited to proudly show off the crafts my kids do. 

It got me thinking about making a fall one (the colors I chose originally were more wintery because I didn't have any fall or halloween type colored tissue paper), and thought about using a different type of flower thing I had seen on Pinterest.  So I got to work on that.  I had to cut them out without Erin around.  It's looking like I'll have to put them together by myself, too.  But I can probably have her help out on placement and maybe gathering up a few leaves to put on it, too... I don't know where the leaves are that we would pick up because there are no big trees around. 

But when she started getting restless and he woke up... and after I fed them the rice I had just made with a fruit cup on the side... it was back to TV.  Rapulzel started playing, and they really got engrossed into that.  But I started feeling guilty again.  I mean, no wonder my kids are so ADD already.  Gotta keep it off and keep them away.  It's just hard when there's two of them and just one of me. 

SO I started thinking of things we could do to get some extra energy out.  Zoo!  Perfect... but nobody wanted to go with us.  By the time I decided we should go ahead and just go, I knew Erin would fall asleep... so we just went for a drive.  She fell asleep before I made it to McD, so I was able to get some ice cream.  :)

When we got back home, though, She woke up, went back to sleep for maybe 30 minutes... and was a compleate B for a while. 

Paul needed to take his second nap, even though it was getting late.  So once Dada came home, and after a few fits, he took Erin to the grocery store while I put Paul down for a nap and tried to get some rest myself.  But I think that cup of tea in the morning was still rolling away.

But the day went better, minus the tons of fits.  Erin didn't get enough pom poms, but they did get some time playing outside when they rode their bikes and ran around in the open area with Nissi and Canaan.  It was a good ending for the day. 

POST POST:  We finished the wreath the next day and this is what it looks like:

I think I'll hang it on the door when the time comes, maybe add a few snowflakes hanging from it, but otherwise pretty cool for a kid craft I created. 

Sept 20

Sept 20, 2012

Well its dark now but today had been interesting.
All day I've been thinking about something that aught my mind this morning.  Every morning I go thru at least 2 Pediasures when I get the kids their morning drinks.  Sometimes three, rarely four.  But with all these Pediasures we go thru I fill up at Sams Club and get about four cases at a time.  But I was emptying the second one into Paul's sippie cup and kept thinking "what can I do with all these bottles?"  I remembered the Gerber's Puffs snowman, so automatically I thought of snowmen... then maybe trees, then... yeah, that's about as far as I got.  Vases, maybe?  I don't know.  I can't think of anything, but I've got a ton of them.  So far all I've been doing with them after they're empty is throwing them away.  There's got to be something I can do with them.

Anyway, the day went on with minor things going on.  We got ready and went to McDonalds (how I got them in the car) then to school.  After I dropped them off, I went home and quickly picked up the trash, then went back out for a couple of back to back appointments.  One was in Owasso, the next was in Claremore, so I didn't quite make it to the second on time.  Then I went for a drive to Broken Arrow to pick up some drawer/bins for the kids room at their Lowes (ours were out and they're on clearance so they're not getting more).  I'm really excited to get them up and see what it all looks like.   But because I was out all day it meant that I kept the kids in aftercare for a little bit. 

When I picked them up they both went to sleep and I went to work on the first box of bins.  Went up pretty good and easy.  Tried to get a little rest myself, but no luck there.  I kept getting texts and calls every time my head hit the pillow. 

Anyway, so when they got up we went for a wagon ridethen ate some ramen and peaches for dinner.  Pretty uneventful... that was until Dada decided to call.  He decided to call and Erin was on the potty.  It was actually perfect timing cause she was sort of refusing to go because she wanted Dada.  We were glad to talk to him and he helped a little, but Paul was messing around with stuff.  He got in trouble for flushing the toilet numerous times.  I kept placing him outside the bathroom, then he'd come right back in.  He started messing with the empty trashbin (it has a heavy lid on it), and because I was paying attention to the Erin and Dada thing I didn't notice it when Paul dropped one of the items on his toe.  I heard the piercing cry followed by outright crying, he had definetly hurt himself.  I immediately grabbed him up and checked him over, pressing on him and prodding him.  Nothing brought up an additional squeal.  So I hung up and headed out.  He was still crying and wouldn't stop.  Then Erin started crying because she wanted to talk to dada some more.  He called back and everyone was in tears, so I didn't talk other than to tell him I'd talk later. 

The night went on and I only noticed his toe when I started get his PJs on.

This is where he had gotten hurt in the bathroom.  He must have dropped the heavy top on his big toe.  :(  I feel aweful about this.  It was swollen and tender to the touch. 
And so he went to bed, and Erin got to stay up.  But after her first show, before she got to watch her second for the night we counted the pom poms.  She hadn't gotten enough, so she would have to go to bed without a reward. 
Before I started the second show I reminded her and reiterated that she would be going to bed right afterwards.  Well, after the show she went to her bed very willingly... until she discovered that she could turn the lights back on.  Then hell broke loose again.  She refused to sleep in her bed and I told her I'd come get her when I was done.  That quieted her down for a little bit.  Long enough for me to get a couple of bins built (I couldn't hang them because the lights are burnt out in the playroom), but then she started getting loud again.  So I decided to pack it up and call it a night.  She joined me in the bedroom while I gave myself a shot (which didn't go all that well... the needle wasn't deep enough).  She then wanted to sleep in the living room... turns out she just wanted to play in the living room and read her book.  Now, I've got nothing against reading... I want her to read more.  But it was time for bed.  So I had her sleep in Chris' spot. 

First Pinky-Promise

Well, I was just about to write, very smugly, about how its 9 o'clock and both my children are in bed without fuss or fighting.  Erin had easily walked into her bed, no iPad needed, on her own free will, and laid down.  And just as I was thinking about this blog and about to eat a celibratory ice cream cone, Paul wails out... surely due to Erin having taken his binkey.  But I walked in and gave him another one... more screaming that didn't last long.
Anyway, about today:  A wonderful day on my own... sort of.  Chris left today for Vegas for Mary's funeral.  We had a good morning together, but then the afternoon came.  We had a lot of fun. 
I made some colored rice, with Erin's help, and when Paul woke up we all went outside and played with it.  Well, I thought they'd have fun with them in the ice trays, but Paul promptly poured them all out over him.  "Okay, we can do that, too".  It lasted for a little bit, and then an idea popped in my head.  Glue.
So I ran in the house and brought out glue and construction paper.  We had a good old time placing glue on the paper then spilling the rice over it.  Erin got the hang of what to do right away.  It was the same thing we've been doing with the torn papers on the paper bags.  But Paul was having none of our craft time today and waved his hand back and forth through the glue and rice.  He only stopped when he realized it was sticking to his hands.  His hands were covered in rice and it wasn't coming off.  It was a very cute look on his face while he was trying to figure it out. 
We did some play time, eating picnic style while watching Ice Age (I think they both liked it), stalking school buses, and then a nap for Erin.  We went to Nanas to put her down, and after some play time Paul went down, too.  When everyone woke up we ate then played some more outside.  Because we played in a muddy sandbox (and were still covered with glue, rice, and marker marks) I hosed them down rather than bath time (it would have been too hard to wrangle them for that).  We got them inside and mostly dressed then it was time to head home. 
We did prayers and Paul went down, whyning and crying a little, but was finally asleep by the time Erin went to bed.... and well, we went over what just happened then. 
But bedtime was reasonable for Erin.  We watched the Chocolate Tree episode of Dora, and I promised her we could watch a My Little Pony afterwards.  But between the shows we counted her pom poms.  She didn't have enough to get a reward.  So I made her promise me that she would go to bed without a fuss.  If she did that, then she could have a reward.  But if she threw a fit, then I would take her reward away.  She promised.  She even did her first pinky-swear (pinky-promise).  We were dead serious though.  And it worked, no fuss.  It was a great releif.  I was worried with Chris not being here, but it was all okay.
We had a bit of a hick-up (and it was partially my fault, I'm sure).  Right towards the begining of My Little Pony Erin got up and, I think because she didn't want to leave the room because she kept her eyes on the tv almost the whole time, proceeded to pee on the living room carpet!  Urgh.  I was frustrated, but it was okay.  I talked very sternly to her and just kept repeating things, and trying to make her repeat them "You have to tell Mommy when you need to go potty.  So when you need to go potty, what do you need to do?" etc.  Dora's rules of repitition.  It calmed us both down.  I do feel guilty for the light tap of a spanking (not a full on spanking) I gave her and for making her feel bad by me saying "I'm very sad" quite a bit.  But hopefully it'll sink in.  I know she's got the potty training thing down.  I just have to remind her sometimes.  It's just that it feels like that's all I do is ask her if she's got to go.  I know she tells her teachers when she needs to go.  She will get there.
See, I'm already in a better mood.  This medicine is working.
Allright, two and a half ours past the begining of this post... it's definetly time for bed.  Chris, if you're reading this: know that all went well and I love you.

Bus Stalkers

So because Erin won't go peacefully to her nap in the afternoon I've taken to getting her in the van and driving around until she falls asleep. Some times we barely get out of the neighborhood while other times I'm driving around for what seems like hours!
Well today seemed like it was going to be one of the longer days. It took me a while to convince her that it was either nap time or time to go for a drive. I finally convinced her with a bribe of fries. She didn't seem all that tired, but she had started slowing down so I thought I'd try.
We got in the car, barefoot, and headed out. The school bus was in front of it. She loves school buses so we followed it for a while. But just a little while. I figured since we were going to be up for a while we might as well get some food.
We drove thru mcd and got them each a small order of fries. She was so happy and didn't seem like she was going to go down, so I called nana to see if she wanted to help me with them if we went through claires to get Erin some more earrings. We picked up nana but right after we left the neighborhood Erin was out. Oh well. We will go there some other time. Maybe just her and me while someone else watches Paul.
But anyway... I loved it when we were in the car chasing down school buses. I recommend it to anyone that needs to get out of the house. It was a perfect time. We both were smiling and having fun

Pin It Down

So, needless to say I am addicted to Pinterest. When I'm on my computer or my iPhone I am almost always looking at it or Facebook. Which would be fine if I maybe actually did the stuff I pinned. I started a revolution for myself, and for my children. Erin has to keep telling me to put my phone down and I've started realizing I don't want my kids to be that way. I don't want her to think I'm ignoring her to spend time with my phone instead of her. So I've really had to cut it down. I might just have to take a pinning or facebook fast and get it out of my system. I don't want my kids to think I don't love them or that I'm ignoring them. So I have put my phone down. I'm only on the computer now because Erin really wanted to watch Cinderella and our version is very scratched up. I remembered a pin that has all the Disney movies on it, so I'm just looking that up (and sharing these quick thoughts with you), then I'm off.

Puffs Snowman

So while I was cleaning up today, I got to thinking. I've been in a "let's just throw everything away" mode for a while... which is a good thing, a really good thing in my house. I've donated a lot of old clothes to the PRC, and even a few trips to Goodwill.
But these past couple of days I've been really thinking about what to do with the kids during the day. I want to set up a schedule so we have a reading time (and eventually go back to the Doman lessons for math and reading, and maybe even get some time to cook or clean or something! But anyway, I've been thinking about things we could do, craft-wise. I've been really inspired because all I do is pin things, when I should actually use the pins I do. So I thought I would actually try some out. Yesterday I was successful in the chicken and (somewhat successful in) the fudge. And I created something new all by myself! So I thought I'd try it with the kids.
I'm kicking myself for throwing away all the boxes we had lying around the house because I can think of a ton of things to do with them now. But Se le ve, can't go back; I can only go forward. I'll just have to remember to keep some of the more useful trash when I get on one of those moods.
But Anyway, I was picking up some trash today and while most of it definetly went to the trash, there was one item in particular that when I looked at it I got inspired.
It was the empty can of Gerber's baby puffs. At first, I'm always trying to look at things and think how I could use them as containers. But when I looked at this one I almost immediately thought how it looks kind of like a snowman! So that is exactly what I'm going to make out of it! I'm super excited. I'm going to have the kids pick out the color construction paper for the hat and have them help me glue on the buttons and face.
I'm super excited that I went to Hobby Lobby Saturday (when I was really starting to get the "let's be crafty, kids" bug), because I picked up some smaller pom poms (not to be confused with the award pom poms, googlie eyes, and pipe cleaners (among other things). So now we have a fun craft, and I'm ready for it and so excited to do it. I'm just waiting for both of them to be awake before attempting to do it.

** Sorry this was so choppy, I kept getting up to spend time with Erin. I only started it during the day instead of at night after bedtime because Paul was asleep and Erin wanted to watch a Dora. Well, that didn't last long, she had me getting up and participating along with it (I'm so glad she's started participating with it), then we had to go build a castle, play with play dough, and make some cookies. All things I'm glad I've done, but it made writing this a bit choppy.

***** ((LATER THAT DAY))*****

 

Here's what we did... all with stuff you can get at either your local hobby store or even everything-a-dollar store, except the puffs container.  They did a lot of the work themselves.  We used googlie eyes, glitter glue, and small pom poms.  It was a lot of fun.  I tried having us create the hat, too, but we got a little sidetracked and ended up just glitter gluing the construction paper. 
I figure if I find a few more, I'll do them on my own and we can see the adult-done version that's probably a bit more Pinterest-y, but less children fun friendly!

Good Hard Day

I am so proud of myself, and I just have to brag about it. Today is Sunday, a naturally hecktic day. It was hard for me to wake up this morning, even though the kids slept in. We got them ready for church, and even though Erin was giving me problems we still made it out the door with enough time to stop by McD and get some breakfast. But when we were heading out the door, Erin became Super Stubborn Erin, and would only go through the front door, even though we always go through the garage when we are leaving so I can set the alarm. It took some arguing and threatening her with taking away a pom pom, but she still didn't budge. I could tell a fit was about to persue, so I walked away. I went out through the garage and put the bags in the car. When I came back in I had calmed down just a bit, but she was still being stubborn. A fight I don't really need to fight, I decided, so that's how we went out. Point: Erin. But she was great dropping her off, she held my hand crossing the street and ran to her classroom. It was encouraging to see her in a good mood. After church was a different deal. She was ready to go home, and I knew she could use a nap, and she proved it to me before we got to the door. She wouldn't wait, then she wouldn't hold my hand, then she refused to go out the door and threw herself on the ground. I acted like I was walking away and walked out the door, but she was too stubborn and didn't care. So I came back for her and got her to stand up. But she still wouldn't take my hand. I would normally let that pass, but with first service just getting out and second service people coming in it was too dangerous so I kept grabbing her hand. She started to throw a fit. I didn't care, I grabbed her wrist, because she could get her hand away from me but not her wrist, and it actually kept her upright and she couldn't throw herself on the ground. Paul was slipping out of my other arm because he refuses to grip with his legs and all the bags were falling. She yelled and cried the whole way to the car. I could have died from embarrassment as I heard a boy loudly ask his mother why she was crying. But I just kept walking because if I didn't reach the car soon everything would fall out of my arms, including Paul, and I'd loose my grip on Erin. We made it to the car, and she easily got in... thank God. I thought surely she would go to sleep; she had said she was tired and just wanted to sleep, she was throwing a huge fit, she was yawning, and when she got in her carseat she shut her eyes tightly. "Yes!" I thought, because I knew Paul was going to go down for his nap. We drove around... and drove around... and drove around. She did not fall asleep, so I decided to go home. We put Paul to bed and he slept close to an hour. Erin and I went over the pom poms and I showed her the reward basket. We sat and counted out 25 pom poms so she knew how many she'd need to get something. Then we counted out how many she had in her container already: 13 (10 starter and 3 more... there was a lot of putting in and taking away this morning, so even though she would have had more she didn't). She was doing good though, she cleaned up when I asked her to, and saying please (when promted). Then Paul woke up crying... and he wouldn't stop crying. It was 30 minutes before I called on my mom to help out. But by the time she came I had already given Paul medicine and put him back down to sleep. Erin was watching TV and I was working on getting some food ready. I hadn't realized it til I came home from church that we were supposed to bring the food for tonights community group meeting. So I had started working on some stuff to make. I had deccided I wanted to make some salsa bread, a recipe I actually made up a few days eariler when Chris was talking about making something with the pulp of some of his juice drink leftovers. I had based it on the zuchinni bread one, but modified it quite a bit. It is truely a whole brand new recipe. I just needed to see how much flour and eggs to put in. I was so excited to create something new... and it turned out pretty good. It's missing something, but I just don't know what. I would normally have Chris try it and tell me what it's missing, but since he's on the juice fast I can't have him try it. I'll have to make it again later. Paul liked it, Erin wanted to try it, until I cut her a slice. Anyway, when mom finally came over I had her watch Erin while I ran to the grocery store. I had a brilliant idea for what I wanted to make. I had pined a recipe for chicken that was supposed to taste just like KFC original recipe, but baked instead of fried. I really wanted to try it, but was missing chicken and a couple of the spices. So I went to the store and picked them up (along with some butter and other items). When I came back I realized I had forgotten the milk, so I had to go back out (I had originally asked Chris to get it, but he wasn't coming home any time soon, so I decided I'd do it). When I came back I started making what I now call "Derby Chicken" (Kentucky = Kentucky Derby). It didn't taste just like KFC, but it was still really good. I made a lot of it and it was all gone within minutes. I also made fudge, but didn't realize that it was supposed to chill for an hour, and I made it last, so it wasn't ready... but I took it anyway. I chilled it in the freezer the entire time we were there, and it still wasn't ready. So now I have a pan full of fudge (or a soup like mixture that is meant to be fudge)... and a huge pile of dirty dishes I'm not looking forward to doing. But that's besides the point. My food went over well, and it made me feel like a Proverbs 31 woman. I cooked it all while still in my dress from Church, and an apron (which I'm glad I wore because it bares the bulk of the stains and powder thrown across the kitchen). Erin was relatively tameable, I think she's starting to understand the pom pom plan. When we got back home from group things went relatively well. It was time to put Paul down, Erin was quiet for Bible reading and relatively calm during Prayers. So she got pom poms for it when we left the room. Before she sat and watched her last Dora for the day, we counted the pom poms. She had 32. So she got to choose something from the reward basket. She automatically went for the doll, but then she wanted a sucker too. I told her she could have only one. She actually ended up choosing the sucker. But when she was done with it, she hadn't forgotten about the dolly. It was hard getting her to understand that she couldn't have it just yet. But it worked. It was a great day, in spite of my moody feelings.

Pom Pom Power

Today, for the first time in a long time, I've felt like blogging... but I had a semi-original brilliant idea in regards to the kids.
I was reading about positive reinforcement on one of my pinterest pins. They were talking about using a chart, similar to the potty achievement chart, for things like behavioral issues. Below is the part that inspired me from http://www.theeducatorsspinonit.blogspot.com/2012/06/raising-strong-willed-child-we-get-it.html
Create Goals Together and Chart It
Whenever we observe an undesired behavior arising we try to resolve it by encouraging her to come up with a Weekly Behavior Chart. We sit down together on the computer and create a chart. She helps us to write the rule and theme. Then we print it out and she decorates it and hangs it up. We’ve created it together and she feels that she’s had a voice, a part of the control that she’s seeking. All it takes is a week or two with the chart and we’ve seen a big improvement with that specific behavior issue. It’s worked for staying in her bed at night, combing her hair, watching TV, cleaning up toys, eating her food, controlling temper tantrums. Truthfully it’s worked over the years in my classrooms and it very easily works at home. Pick a goal and work with your child for a few weeks and you will see such a difference.
Well, I thought this was brilliant, because it works well with the potty training. But I also wanted a way to reinforce negative consequences (you know, when she's bad... something other than me yelling at her or spanking, especially if I'm in a bad mood and don't feel I can control my anger). So I wanted to be able to take away the stickers as well. Then it hit me, why not make a jar? Like what you see the weight watching people do with jelly beans or whatnot (for every pound they loose they take a marble or jelly bean or something from the "I want/need to loose this much" jar and put it in the "I've lost this much" jar so they can see how far they've gone). So I decided to do this with Erin. It's relatively inexpensive since most the items can be bought at the Dollar Tree (everything $1 store), even the rewards. But instead of using jelly beans (too tempting to waste the reward bean by eating it instead), I wanted to use pom poms.
I bought two clear plastic containers; one to hold all the pom poms, and one to hold the "I deserve a reward" pom poms. That container would stay clear, so she could see how many she has earned... but I decorated it sparingly with a smiley face. The other container that would hold the rest of the pom poms (we will call this: the first container) looked exactly like the other one except I covered it (from the inside) with black construction paper so as to not get confused and so she couldn't get discouraged by seeing how many pom poms she didn't have.

I figured every morning I would start the "I deserve a reward" container with 10 pom poms. Every time she did something good I would take one from the first container and put it in the reward container. These would be things like sharing, calming down when frustrated, turning off the tv, going to bed without a fuss/fight, eating something I've been begging her to try, cleaning up, picking up toys, being quiet during prayers, etc. All the things the other website had suggested and more (except the potty training stuff would remain seperate, because that's already a system).
The difference would be that I can take away the reward pom poms if she warrented it. If she throws a fit, hits, screams, whynes, watches too much tv, refuses to clean up, is too loud during prayers, etc, she will get a pom pom taken away from the reward canister and put back into the first container. A simple enough concept, and it's going to work perfectly!

As a reward I stocked up at the Dollar Tree. I got a couple of dolls, a few balls, coloring books, disney cups, nail polish, candy bars, suckers, puzzles, slinkie, etc. It was a lot of fun picking them. I even picked up an extra small laundry basket to put them all in.

 I'm going to make a fun sign to put on it that says "Rewards=" and then a number of pom poms. I was originally thinking if she got 25 pom poms a night she could get a reward. But I'm not sure. Even though they're a dollar, some of the rewards are just so cool. I've just got to get over that and remind myself they are a dollar, easily replaced and easy to get more. This is supposed to encourage her, and this is the way to do it.
I'm excited to see how this plays out tomorrow!

Paul walk

Paul has been walkin really well on his own since we went on vacation. He was walking before then, but very sporaticly and usually only when prompted. Now he walks most of the time. But he still crawls. His walk is so cute! I'll try to get it on video.

A pat on the back

Paul does the cutest thing now when he gives hugs! He pats me on the back. It's so sweet! He catches on to what I do so quickly. I hadn't even realize it was something I was doing with him till I felt him do it to me. It's just another way for him to say "I love you"!

Paul and prayers

Last night when we were praying Paul got up and walked! It was the most steps I've ever seen him take, it wasn't just two then sit like what he normally does when we are trying to get him to walk. And he did it without prompt from us. We were just sitting there praying and he decided daddy wasnt who he wanted holding him. He didn't do it just the once, it was like 3 times! It was pretty awesome. But he would only do it during prayers. Once we finished and tried to get him to do it again he wouldn't. But it was pretty awesome! I can't wait for him to do it some more.

Erin Swims on her own!!!

Chris took Erin swimming today and let her swim in his wake! He didn't have any physical contact with her once he let go. She just swam in his wake. It was pretty cool!

Paul Walks!!!

Paul took his first two official steps today! I was so proud of him! I just had to share this little bit of news, pretty soon he'll be walking more and more! I'm looking forward to this new development in life!

God love toddlers

God love toddlers. I just had to keep my calm after stepping in some of Erin's pooh after she had decided to take her diaper off instead of napping.
I must admit, something must be working because I didn't raise my voice and the anger is not with me after cleaning it up. I even nicely but firmly told her she had to go to time out for two minutes because she poopooed on the floor.

Enrolled

The kids are enrolled in Noah's Ark. Well, sort of. I turned in everything, so now we wait for the official word. We recieved confirmation for Erin's summer enrollment (She'll be there). But they are full, so Paul is on a waiting list. That's not a problem though. I wasn't sure if I wanted to enroll Paul in the summer one or not (I'm so not ready for these kids to grow up!!!), so I didn't turn in any paperwork for him for the summer. But when I asked if there was room, after talking to Chris and him suggesting I go ahead with it, Sarah informed me that they were all full for the summer. But she did put him on the waiting list. He's actually the first in line for his age group. SO it is whatever God's will is for that. So, Erin's in for summer, definetly, and we are waiting for the official word for the fall on both of them.

Breastfeeding

(aug 1, 11)
I was talking to someone today about the option to pump and serve rather than nursing. The baby still gets all the nutritional benefits from the breastmilk and you don't have to be the only one feeding them all the time. I have to admit, with all the trouble I had getting Erin to latch I had sincerely thought about this. But I'm glad I stuck with what I did. And with Paul I plan to do the same.
Breastfeeding is not just about the nutrition for the baby and the weight loss for you. It's about the bonding and so much more.


But I know there are people out there that exclusively pumping would be beneficial for. So don't think I'm knocking it. I just wanted to know the benefits myself.

Jess FINISH POST

All I want for Christmas is my... Oh! Never mind

Dec 24, 2011
Paul's first tooth has officially broke skin! He won't let me do it often, but if I look closely at what my finger can feel, I can see the white ridge of his lower right front tooth.
Its the end of an era. I was loving his toothless grins, but those days have come to an end. It's exciting though

Generations

Doctor doctor, give me the news

( post for 4:20 am on 8-8-11)
So because of the breathing thing last night I called his doctor to bring him in to be checked out. I like my pediatrician office because they are open late and on weekends... Normally. For some reason they were not open this Sunday. So when I called I stayed on the line to have a nurse or dr paged. When they called back is when I found out they weren't open and that it was a nurse from in Tulsa.
She said to go to the urgent care center and that they'd call in over there for us... Which they did not do (and looking back when Erin was sick and we were told to go to the ER and they would call us in they didn't do it then either. Hmm. I'm gonna have to complain to someone). She wanted me to go primarily because at his age they need to make sure his oxygen levels are ok.
When I got there there weren't a lot of people, so despite not being called in ahead of time we were able to get in fairly fast (by their standards, 30 min).
They put what I thought was a heart-rate or blood pressure thing on his foot (looked like a smaller version of those things they put on your finger at the hospital). Turns out it was what they use to measure his O2 levels. They were good, perfect in fact. 100 percent. Which was very good and reasuring. They took his temp (no fever) and weight (12 lbs, 7 oz). All were good signs of him being healthy... Except the cough and stuffy nose.
So the tech took us to our next room where we waited a long time. There was plenty of time to feed and diaper him in addition to waiting.

Jess, FINISH POST PLEASE

I love my husband but...

Ive decided that a stay-at-home mom Is basically a single mom 75-80% of the time. At least that's been my experience and it remains my excuse for the perpetual state of destruction my house is in.
I love my husband but he is away all this week and I've basically decided to do his "honey do" list. I've waited too long on a lot of the stuff and have decided to take charge of it instead.
I guess my epiphany came about due to events from yesterday. Yesterday was chris' day off, but not mine. Stay-at-home Mothers don't really get those. Yesterday was such a last-minute day!
We spent most of the morning and part of the afternoon in stores looking for a garment bag for Chris big trip today. Then we still had To pack... Yes, "we" even though I was not going with him I still had to help. That's what a good wife does, right?
Well, in spite of me doing laundry almost constantly this week I still managed to have to do 3 more loads of "essential" clothes for the trip. Needless to say, he was still packing this morning.
Anyway, we had established a plan earlier that day, but needed to adjust it. Which is fine, it's been discussed and agreed by all that plans change and we are all fine with that... As long as it's not too much. We had said what all Chris needed ro get done before the trip the next day: get garment bag, do a little laundry, pack, and clean out his car. He had said he would take Erin with him to clean out the car after her nap. Well when we got home Erin took a long needed nap, so I thought he would take advantage of that time to pack. Nope. Instead He sat down and took a nap with Paul.

Dont get me wrong, I'm glad he was able to calm Paul down for a nap, and that he was able ro spend some time with him before leaving. And I also know that we all needed a nap after our busy morning, BUT he had stuff to get done.
So I did it for him.

Jess, FINISH POST PLEASE

Small things

Dec 30, 11
It really is the small things that make you happy: I just finished a celebratory dance because I changed a dirty diaper before it fully exploded.
Paul is doing the jaw talking thing. He started yesterday but it's in full force now