Ice Cream

I don't know what it is about this creamy deliciousness that seems to make the world better.  A couple of months ago I was having a terrible day.  My kids were driving me crazy and I needed to get away.  I was not in the mood to talk to anyone so I had decided to go to the store and spend $1 on a treat.  I ended up at Safeway and it took me about 10 minutes before I settled on a treat.  I bought a small Ben & Jerry's and parked in front of my neighbor's house and ate it in beautiful silence.  I was amazed at how much better I felt as the ice cream trickle it's happiness into my veins.

Last year I did an experiment and gave up ice cream for five months.  I had been eating ice cream everyday for a month after my birthday and decided to cut myself off.  It was hard at first but I wanted to prove to myself that I have will power.  I must admit, there were days when I gave in and got a frozen yogurt but overall it was a good excercise in telling myself I didn't "need" it.

I still love ice cream and somehow it seems to make my day better.  I'm probably just "eating my feelings (whatever, Kristi :)) but now I know that I can say no to it as well.

F A M I L Y

There is a special bond that exists between family.  They are the ones who have known us longest and best.  There are all different kinds of families, but we all have one.  Twice a year we make the trek to visit family.  This year I was not feeling well when it came time for packing and was NOT looking forward to the long drive.  The day we were leaving, my hip was acting up and I had a hundred things to do and everything hurt.  After spending an hour trying to pack around my children I banished them from my bedroom and got that done.  Next, it was time to start into the cleaning. (My Mom always had us give the house a good cleaning before we left for the weekend, I thought she was crazy but now I'm sure she is a genius.)  When my husband got home I was in tears because my back hurt so bad and I was trying to sweep the floor.  He swooped in, took over the mopping and sent me off to get a pizza for dinner.

No matter how hectic the trip is or the preparation, the stress melts away when we finally reach our destination.  I marvel at how much my children love their grandparents, which they should because they're really great.  We get to enjoy them for a few days and we're off again.  Despite that limited amount of time they spend together, my children have always had an acute awareness that those grandparents belong to them.  They treasure the time we spend with our family and remember so much of the little things we enjoy together.

I marvel at what I learn when we are visiting family.  It was my father-in-law who first taught me not to let my child disrespect me and that they can contribute when they are very young.  He loves to play with the kids and has a great sense of humor.  My mother is constantly reminding me how wonderful my children are and that they are good kids.  I watched my grandmother do the fastest diaper change ever and I marvel at my other grandmother's calm manner and patience.  I love watching the way my husband's mother run her household and she has such a happy spirit about her.

I am so grateful for the family I was born into and the family I married into.  When I count my blessings they are always at the top of my list.

The Beauty of Innocence

The first year of my oldest child's life I took soooooo many pictures.  Some of them were really beautiful and I figured it was just my new handy, dandy camera we bought just before he was born.  I did spend quite a bit of time taking pictures and with that kind of volume your'e bound to get some good ones but still, I figured it was my mad skills that got the great pictures.

Four years later I'm a little older and hopefully much wiser and I realize that there is  a beauty to children that I attribute to their innocence.  It is amazing how they can just melt you with their eyes (not that it always gets them out of trouble).  With that innocence comes a pure love that is so enviable, maybe that is why I was so eager to capture those images in the first place.  It doesn't take long before they are exposed to the world and that joyful innocence fades and they become little children then morphing into the ackward 9-12 and then the teenage years.  Hold on to that innocence as long as you can little one.

Rules and Boundaries

I am constantly pondering about rules with my children...are they too strict, not strict enough, too much responsibility, not enough responsibility.  In my experience whether it is the appropriate amount of strict or not is not as important as being consistant.  Being consistant gets good results from your childrn.  I really try to think things through before setting a rule because chances are it is not going to change for a long time because I am going to be consistant. (Although when the time comes that you are making a change to a rule be very clear with your children tell them "this was the rule before and now this is the new rule and this is the new consequence.) 

There are, however, times when I've found myself aksing my children to break one of my rules.  For example I often tell my children not to climb up on the chairs to reach the cupboards in the kitchen or the car keys or the latch on the front door, anyway, I have caught myself on several occasions asking my children to go get something that is out of reach which requires the use of a chair.  Then I think to myself, "Poo, I just asked them to break the rule."  (Oh, and I'm not allowed to say "Poo" now because that's all my four year old wants to talk about at the dinner table so it has been forbidden.)  So be cautious about what you ask your children to do and don't ask them to break a rule unless you are doing it for a specific purpose and make that clear. For example we have a rule that we don't eat in the living room but on a rare occasion we have a special family movie night and get to eat popcorn in the living room so I let them know that it is a special occasion that comes with special priviledges.

Rules create boundaries for children that keep them safe, not only in a physical sense but mental as well.  They need security which is provided by these boundaries.  Life is big and scary sometimes and the small challenges my children face feel so big to them.  By giving them boundaries you keep their world compact and by being consistant you give them consistancy which also equates to safety. (And this will also help them to learn to set boundaries in their own lives when they are old enough.)

I remember well the age of about 12-15 months both my children started toddling off, because they could now walk on their own.  So often I would watch them venture out only to come toddling back to make sure I was still there.  Their desire for independance was battling their need for security.  In the same way two and four year olds venture out by trying new things and testing the pre-determined boundaries of the rules.  They too can find that safety in your correction of them in breaking that rule.

Being consistant is work.  There are days when exhaustion or frustration make sticking to your guns seem nearly impossilbe.  Don't give in and take the easy way out.  Your children need you to be consistant.  They need to know that the promised consequences will come with the braking of a rule.  Parenting is NOT for wimps.  So all you parents out there, hang in there.  The work you do is so important.  Someday your kids will thank you.  THANKS MOM!

What Did We Learn?

With two small children I am constatly being asked strange questions and often find myself asking strange questions ("do we put our heads in the potty?" "Is it a good idea to stand in the refridgerator?").  One of my favorite questions is asking them what they learned from a certain situation that obviously went wrong. So here's a little thought for today, when you find yourself in a strange life circumstance or a mess of a day take the time to look back and say "what did I learn?"  Many times a situation would have been better if we had planned or executed something better and we make changed to avoid that happening again.

A very wise mom once said, "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you already have."  In other words it is insane to think by doing the same things over again the same way we will get different results.  A not so wise man once said, "If you wanna' make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change." :)

Flaming Geyser Park

I have always loved the beauty found in nature.  I love to take walks and explore and it is something I love to share with my children.  I love to see them discover the world around them.  My husband took us to a state park on a beautiful Spring day and I can't wait to go back again.

This park had a RC airplane field.  We watched for quite a while before moving on to our next adventure.  We spent most of the day hiking, picnicing, blazing trails through tall grass and watching the airplanes.

I'm looking forward to sharing more Summer adventures with my boys.

Too Big For My Britches

There are days when I'm really ambitious.  On these days I feel like I can conquer the world.  I get really ambitious and plan activities, game nights, dinners, park days and craft projects.  After about a week of living out this ambitious plan I'm completely exhausted and after finishing out the previously planned activities I spend a week taking it easy.  During one of those weeks I remember thinking, "what was I thinking when I planned all of this!?!"  I guess sometimes I just get a little big for my britches...and apparently it's a common problem at our house.

The other day I came out and found my four-year-old had put on a pair of my pants.  It was so cute I had to get a picture while the moment lasted.  He has many moments when he's too big for his britches so it was funny to have the britches far too big for him.  Hang on there little one, don't be in such a hurry to grow up.  You'll be all grown up soon enough.

Firetruck Party

It's true, we survived an entire year of pre-school.

We had five boys in our group and the moms took turns teaching.  Having a group of boys was challanging as they were very active and had a major excess of energy.

We had a party with our family and friends to celebrate completing our year.  One of our pre-school moms arranged a visit from the Kent Fire Department.  They spent an hour showing us around their engine and answering all our questions.  They even let the kids take turns driving the fire engine.

We had picnic lunch inside (the lawn was wet from the previous day's rain) and we had a great visit with our friends.  Here's Uncle Sandy getting in on the fire truck driving action.

A big thanks to everyone for making this pre-school year such a success!

New Additions

We are not in the habit of bringing home strays but the other day my husband stopped by a nursery and couldn't help himself.

The boys enjoyed helping dig a hole in the back yard and after a little work our little apple tree had a new home.  It's settled in quite nicely.  I'm amazed at how making this addition makes our house feel more like home.  Summer is the perfect time to make some new additions.  My neighbor gave me some lilac starts, I bought two blueberry bushes and another neighbor gave me dalia starts.

So, what will be our next addition...maybe a swingset, or a new driveway.  Time will tell.