Ha ha ha, I guess that's kind of an odd title, oh well. It's what's going on here at the moment.
With an 18 month old and 2 two year olds I don't get as much time during the day to get projects done, like I used to. All the little things in the corners have been piling up. And I hit my done point today with clutter. Oh there's still plenty of it, but I tackled at least a few areas tonight after the kids (except for David...who seems not to know that Mommy needs a little time to herself with no kids) went to bed. I cleaned out the girl's dresser because I refused to do any more of their laundry until I had somewhere I could put it. (small house syndrome!) The girls each have three drawers and one combined jammie drawer. They had shoved coats and snowpants into an already crammed space. So I dejunked and tossed old and outgrown clothes into a bag made a pile of things to hang up and folded and put back the rest. (Unfortunately my closet is the size of a coat closet so my clothes are hung up in the girls closet in a futile effort to give Winslow some closet room.)
Prayer....well we are on a roll with family scripture study, so we decided to take the next big step. Morning personal prayer. It's always the hardest for me. It always has been. silly, but sadly true. So we made a commitment in FHE this week to all say our morning prayers. I got about an hour and one destroyed science project into my morning and realized with angry thoughts in my head and out of my mouth that I had forgotten. I scooped up the torn pieces of the science project (due that day!) and put them into my bedroom for safe keeping which I should have done before. Kneeled down and asked forgiveness for my not so nice thoughts and words and restarted my day the way I should have in the first place. Much better.
Winslow was kind enough to watch kids while I went out for a half hour with my Relief Society Presidency (that I was previously in) girlie friends. Ohh. Sooo Sooo needed. I love those ladies. I got the mail and Mary had thoughtfully sent me a surprise in the mail .Thankyou Mary. You so made my day!!!! The Lord knew we women would need other women! And I am so blessed to have so many wonderful friends!!!!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
What I love
February is LOVER'S month.
So let me tell you what I love.
Happy Children
Snuggling With my Hubby
My really really soft fleece body pillow. Soo warm on cold winter nights
A Clean house (okay let's be totally honest....a clean house is always top of my list....but I am trying to put it lower on the list so work with me here)
Romantic movies that make me cry
Michael Buble (is that how you spell it?) anyway I feel so relaxed when I listen to his music.
Singing. Especially when it's just perfect for my range and I sound good. I love to belt it out with only my kids listening. (Winslow makes me nervous, I always want to be the best for him...my kids think I'm the bomb!)
Playing the piano
Talking with Friends
My Mom...she is my best friend next to my husband. I totally love her and when people tell me I am like her I feel it's the best compliment that I could ever get. She's an amazing lady!!!
And Crocheting...hilarious I know, but it's one thing that helps me to relax and is a project that when I'm done doesn't get torn apart or messed up within minutes, unlike most others things in my house with having kids :)
So let me tell you what I love.
Happy Children
Snuggling With my Hubby
My really really soft fleece body pillow. Soo warm on cold winter nights
A Clean house (okay let's be totally honest....a clean house is always top of my list....but I am trying to put it lower on the list so work with me here)
Romantic movies that make me cry
Michael Buble (is that how you spell it?) anyway I feel so relaxed when I listen to his music.
Singing. Especially when it's just perfect for my range and I sound good. I love to belt it out with only my kids listening. (Winslow makes me nervous, I always want to be the best for him...my kids think I'm the bomb!)
Playing the piano
Talking with Friends
My Mom...she is my best friend next to my husband. I totally love her and when people tell me I am like her I feel it's the best compliment that I could ever get. She's an amazing lady!!!
And Crocheting...hilarious I know, but it's one thing that helps me to relax and is a project that when I'm done doesn't get torn apart or messed up within minutes, unlike most others things in my house with having kids :)
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Trudging thru the terrible twos
For Sale
By Shel Silverstein
(italics are added words)One 2 year old for sale!
One 2 year old for sale!
One crying and yelling 2 year old for sale!
I'm really not kidding,
So who will start the bidding?
Do I hear a dollar?
A nickle?
Oh, isn't there, isn't there,
isn't there any
This crying and yelling 2 year old for sale?
He looks so innocent. But this week I swear I'm gonna "sell him to the indains,"as my dad used to say!He is such a momma's boy and can so melt my heart. But this week he is on one. He's fighting and screaming and saying "stupid" Which is a bad word at our house. And he's totally trying to test me. And it's working!!!! Thankfully we've been thru this a time or two before and I know if I can keep him alive(ha ha ha) he'll get past it and we will both survive!
Friday, February 11, 2011
The Penny
In December we had tithing settlement and our Bishop encouraged all of our kids to pay tithing.Jacob earned some money from wood and from Birthday so Sunday morning he was counting up his tithing. Well Rachel and Abby decided they desperately wanted to pay tithing too. So they gathered up their change. I was helping Abby fill our her tithing slip and realized she hadn't put her tithing amount in the correct spot.
"No Mom, my tithing is in the other envelope." I realized she was donating $0.35 to the temple construction fund. She was so excited to be giving her money to the building of temples. And I was so proud.
Rachel on the other hand was upset. "What's wrong Rachel?" "I can't find my Best penny." Rachel only has a few pennies (less than 5 total) and she had wanted to give her very best penny for tithing. WOW! We found it later and she was so excited to give her Best penny to the Lord.
There are many people who scoff that we give 10% of our income to the Lord. Certainly it would seem like I would have more money to pay off debt or have a larger savings or nicer things for my family if we kept that money. However, it's just not true. I receive tremendous blessing from paying tithing and fast offerings. We tend to make more money when we pay the Lord first. I know this to be true. I am so grateful my children are gaining a testimony for themselves of the blessings of Tithing!
"No Mom, my tithing is in the other envelope." I realized she was donating $0.35 to the temple construction fund. She was so excited to be giving her money to the building of temples. And I was so proud.
Rachel on the other hand was upset. "What's wrong Rachel?" "I can't find my Best penny." Rachel only has a few pennies (less than 5 total) and she had wanted to give her very best penny for tithing. WOW! We found it later and she was so excited to give her Best penny to the Lord.
There are many people who scoff that we give 10% of our income to the Lord. Certainly it would seem like I would have more money to pay off debt or have a larger savings or nicer things for my family if we kept that money. However, it's just not true. I receive tremendous blessing from paying tithing and fast offerings. We tend to make more money when we pay the Lord first. I know this to be true. I am so grateful my children are gaining a testimony for themselves of the blessings of Tithing!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Preschool and a Piano
Sooo,
I am desperately hoping to buy a used piano at the end of this month. So I am saving my pesos and crossing my fingers that we can make it happen. I have been without a piano IN my house for 4 years now, and I so miss it. Jacob and Abby want to learn how to play and I'd like to teach again. But in order to do that I need a smaller less heavy piano that isn't missing 3 of the 4 wheels! (My piano is old an untunable, and in my garage. not exactly handy.) So cross your fingers with me.
Preschool....well Mary you inspire me and make me want to do better. I have had a bad case of cabin fever, and somehow, it squelches my creative side and I forget how many fabulous things I can do, even in the winter.
So Rachel has been staying home instead of going to preschool and one of my part time babysitting kids just went full time, and I have an after-schooler now too. But all of this has been a huge blessing. Because, somehow with 3 kids to do preschool stuff, I have motivation again. So K takes a nap in the morning and David, Rachel, and KD, do preschool with me. They love it. Today we read THE MITTEN, one of our favorites, and colored and cut, and laced mittens. Then we filled them with animals we colored. We sang songs, did the Hokey Pokey and London Bridges. They had such a great time and the morning went by so fast. And the tv didn't even get turned on all morning. Hallelujah!
Rachel has already decided that tomorrow we will be making valentine's cards.
I am desperately hoping to buy a used piano at the end of this month. So I am saving my pesos and crossing my fingers that we can make it happen. I have been without a piano IN my house for 4 years now, and I so miss it. Jacob and Abby want to learn how to play and I'd like to teach again. But in order to do that I need a smaller less heavy piano that isn't missing 3 of the 4 wheels! (My piano is old an untunable, and in my garage. not exactly handy.) So cross your fingers with me.
Preschool....well Mary you inspire me and make me want to do better. I have had a bad case of cabin fever, and somehow, it squelches my creative side and I forget how many fabulous things I can do, even in the winter.
So Rachel has been staying home instead of going to preschool and one of my part time babysitting kids just went full time, and I have an after-schooler now too. But all of this has been a huge blessing. Because, somehow with 3 kids to do preschool stuff, I have motivation again. So K takes a nap in the morning and David, Rachel, and KD, do preschool with me. They love it. Today we read THE MITTEN, one of our favorites, and colored and cut, and laced mittens. Then we filled them with animals we colored. We sang songs, did the Hokey Pokey and London Bridges. They had such a great time and the morning went by so fast. And the tv didn't even get turned on all morning. Hallelujah!
Rachel has already decided that tomorrow we will be making valentine's cards.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Potty Words
So this weekend I decided it was time to see if David was up for ditching the diapers.
I am a firm believer that potty training is best and EASIEST if you wait until they are almost past ready.
Why? Because I didn't want to "train" me. Going potty every 15 minutes takes too much time. And usually meets with lots of accidents. Remember I worked in the Toddler room at a Child Care Center. Lots of parents are ready and toddlers are not interested. It makes both parties frustrated and takes so much longer. I've tried it that way. I'm lazy. I want it to be child motivated, not mother motivated.
So, I wanted to see if David was interested, that's all.
We went to Walmart. Bought Thomas the Train Underwear (I had to pry them from his hands to purchase them...this was a good sign.), One package of Pull Ups (just in case for when we needed to leave home.), and chocolate chips (for bribing...uhh rewarding...yes I bribe/reward my kids with a small treat for going to the bathroom.)
So the next morning we busted out with the underwear. It took the morning for him to get the hang of it. We went thru all 8 pairs of underwear. But every time he peed we cleaned it up together. I praised him for peeing...yes TMI, and we would go try to "go" in the potty, and then reminded him if he peed in the potty he could have a chocolate chip. He finally got it by lunch time. Then of course I had to put a diaper on for nap time. I washed all his underwear while he was asleep and when he got up we went to the potty and put underwear back on. He did great the rest of the afternoon and evening and threw a ginormous 2 year old tantrum at bed time when I wanted to put a diaper on him.
He loves going to the potty. He takes himself. knows to wipe off the toilet seat, and slime his hands afterwards.
It took a lot of coaxing to get a pull up on for church today. He even told me he needed to go during church. 2 times and kept his pull up dry during nursery.
I don't usually ask him (unless we are headed out somewhere and I would like to do a little preventative maintenance...I don't like public bathrooms.) I prefer that they ask, like I said, child motivated. Makes for a lot less accidents.
He is really getting it, and going potty in the toilet is exciting for him.
I am so excited!!!! This could mean the end of diapers for us. Hallelujah!
But if he decides he wants to go back to diapers...we will.
Rachel decided she wanted to go back, so we did...no fights, no worries. And two weeks later she was ready. She asked for her panties and never went back. No accidents, no frustration.
This could be the beginning of the end of diapers for us. And I have to say I am almost giddy!
I am a firm believer that potty training is best and EASIEST if you wait until they are almost past ready.
Why? Because I didn't want to "train" me. Going potty every 15 minutes takes too much time. And usually meets with lots of accidents. Remember I worked in the Toddler room at a Child Care Center. Lots of parents are ready and toddlers are not interested. It makes both parties frustrated and takes so much longer. I've tried it that way. I'm lazy. I want it to be child motivated, not mother motivated.
So, I wanted to see if David was interested, that's all.
We went to Walmart. Bought Thomas the Train Underwear (I had to pry them from his hands to purchase them...this was a good sign.), One package of Pull Ups (just in case for when we needed to leave home.), and chocolate chips (for bribing...uhh rewarding...yes I bribe/reward my kids with a small treat for going to the bathroom.)
So the next morning we busted out with the underwear. It took the morning for him to get the hang of it. We went thru all 8 pairs of underwear. But every time he peed we cleaned it up together. I praised him for peeing...yes TMI, and we would go try to "go" in the potty, and then reminded him if he peed in the potty he could have a chocolate chip. He finally got it by lunch time. Then of course I had to put a diaper on for nap time. I washed all his underwear while he was asleep and when he got up we went to the potty and put underwear back on. He did great the rest of the afternoon and evening and threw a ginormous 2 year old tantrum at bed time when I wanted to put a diaper on him.
He loves going to the potty. He takes himself. knows to wipe off the toilet seat, and slime his hands afterwards.
It took a lot of coaxing to get a pull up on for church today. He even told me he needed to go during church. 2 times and kept his pull up dry during nursery.
I don't usually ask him (unless we are headed out somewhere and I would like to do a little preventative maintenance...I don't like public bathrooms.) I prefer that they ask, like I said, child motivated. Makes for a lot less accidents.
He is really getting it, and going potty in the toilet is exciting for him.
I am so excited!!!! This could mean the end of diapers for us. Hallelujah!
But if he decides he wants to go back to diapers...we will.
Rachel decided she wanted to go back, so we did...no fights, no worries. And two weeks later she was ready. She asked for her panties and never went back. No accidents, no frustration.
This could be the beginning of the end of diapers for us. And I have to say I am almost giddy!
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