Sometimes, you just need a break

I'm getting a five day break from being a mom starting Saturday. I'm already missing my family and am sure I'll have an identity crisis by day 3. I'm grateful for my friends and hubby for making this possible. I'm going to Mary Kay seminar in Dallas! Should be a fun learning experience.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself when I wake up and at mealtimes. I'm sure I'll feel like a little lost puppy with only my own food to cut.

I'm Sorry

It's important to say you're sorry. And even if your children forgive you without that apology, I think it's a good habit to get into.

Sam is getting to that age where she won't let things go until you acknowledge her pain and apologize for it. Only then can she move on.

I remember growing up how my parents or siblings used to just brush me off. They would try to make light of a situation or try to make me feel better with humor. I always resented it. I wanted that apology. And sometimes it never came. I don't want that for my kids. So, I'm trying to be a big girl and apologize when I do something wrong.

Hopefully that will help now and in the future.

Salvage Yard

I don't know if anyone else out there is like me, but sometimes I self-sabotage. I do. If I'm on a diet (I use the term loosely) and I slip-up, instead of getting right back on the horse, I use use the slip-up as an excuse to scratch the whole day, indulge, and decide to do better tomorrow.

This is the story of my life.

A few weeks ago I had a Bad Mom Day. I don't even remember what happened, but I'm sure it involved yelling, time-outs, spankings, and a general ignoring of my children.

Halfway through the day I decided to change the course of things, threw the kids in the car for McDonald's drive thru.

Then I slipped up again later that day.

As evening rolled around, I was bored and feeling guilty about how the day had gone. So we threw the kids in/on the biking equipment and off we went around the neighborhood. It was our first official family biking trip and it was great!

I guess what I'm trying to say is, any day can be salvaged. And I did it twice in one day! And I feel that's something to be proud of...

Change

They tell ya the only constant thing in life is change. And for that I am grateful. Personally, I like change. I thrive on it. I think it's a good thing.

My kids are doing a lot of changing lately:

Sam is four and has shown us more of her bag of tricks, good and bad, and will go to school in the fall. (She gives me reasons every day to be grateful for this upcoming change.) She also enjoys her new haircut.


Charly unexpectedly started potty training a few weeks ago. I decided I either needed to work on the potty or taking away the binky. She is doing great and stays dry most of the time! Charly is also enjoying coloring a lot more.



Felix is totally weened, drags his body across all surfaces, likes to screech LOUDLY, and has three bottom teeth, which makes him look like a pirate (or an Oklahoma native.)


Keep bringing the changes, Kids! I love you!

Happy Birthday, Sam!

Samantha Jo Fisher. Sam. Sammy. Samantha. Sammy Jo. Jo.

Sammy Jo! Sammy, Sammy Jo! Oi! Oi!

We love you so much! You caused your mother a lot of discomfort the last two months of pregnancy with a PUPPPS rash, but that is all forgotten now. We also try to forget that when you were born your dad thought you looked like a smushed, gray, gorilla baby. I'm just glad I warned him that you wouldn't be cute right out of the gate, or we may have had some serious problems. That seems like forever ago, probably 'cause I've had two more babies since then.

You're four years old, but I feel like you should be older. You seem to be aging and growing two years for every one year of life. In some ways you're so mature, and in others, you're so four years old. You are obviously tall for your age, but you are so incredibly beautiful, sometimes it takes my breath away. We're going to have to sharpen your elbows and teach you phrases like, "Don't even think about it, Mr.!" and "Eeewww, boys are gross!" Some karate lessons couldn't hurt, either.

You are such a joy, albeit a little dramatic and emotional sometimes. But that heart you wear on your sleeve is always available to anyone in need, especially babies. You have a special talent for making the shy kids feel comfortable in uncomfortable surroundings. You have a tendency for bossiness, but only because you want to be a mother so badly. Your nurturing spirit always takes me by surprise because it is so contrary to my own.

You inherited your father's aptitude for engineering and proficiency with electronics. You can navigate pbskids.org just fine by yourself and have been able to do this for almost a year now. We don't let you play this very often because you also inherited your father's aptitude for hours upon hours of electronic play.

You love everything and everyone. You will play anything with anyone. Your favorites probably include dress-ups, finding rolly-polies, super heroes, and pretending to be kitties. I just love that I have to tell you that you can't really lick me. (Umm...not really, I find it disgusting.) You love movies and spending time with Mom and Dad. But you can also entertain yourself for long periods of time. You are an incredible artist and have always been able to focus a long time on these efforts. Coloring soothes you.

But you're not an introverted artist. You are so friendly and aren't afraid to talk to anyone. When you sing, you sing at the top of your lungs. You learn songs quickly and can memorize very well.

So I guess what we have on our hands is an engineer-minded artist/scientist with a big heart and a flare for drama.

I'm sure that will prove to be a complicated woman of many talents! (Good luck to us all when you start trying to figure yourself out in about 10 years.)

We love you, Miss Beautiful Smarty-pants! Happy Birthday!
Samantha Jo Fisher: self-portrait.

Solitude and Sanity

In my Understanding Child Development book, I learned that each child needs 15 minutes of one-on-one time with you every day.

-AND-

Each person needs 30 minutes of solitude to recharge. Every day.

All you young mothers out there are probably laughing right out loud. Yeah right. How is that cosmically possible? Maybe it only happens every 76 years, like Halley's comet, or something.

This could be the reason I've been so haggard lately. Solitude? Only in my sleep. And technically, not even then.

So I'm thinkin'...

Kids need naptime, or quiet time if they don't nap.

Kids who attend school should be given quiet time too. (I need to remember this when Sam starts school in the fall.)

It is painfully obvious that this isn't going to happen for me by accident, nor during the day at all. Probably the only time I'm going to get this is if I make an effort to snatch it for myself in the early morning.

I only get up willingly in the early morning if I've gotten to bed by 10:30. After that, it doesn't matter how much sleep I've gotten, I'm toast.

New goals: 1. Get to bed by 10:30. 2. Actually get out of bed when I wake up.

There's a thought...

A Glimmer of Hope

I found it. A way to get Charly to be obedient.

It was easier for me to figure out how to motivate Sam to be obedient. I'd just "threaten" to do it myself and she was off like a shot. She'd much rather do it herself and get the praise.

Charly couldn't care less about that.

Hmmm...what to do. She doesn't really respond to threats or punishment, either.

I figured it out. She needs a reason to do something.

Aka.

"Charly, let's get dressed so we can have breakfast."
"Okay, mommy," she says to me in her squeaky, precious, 2 year old voice.

Not really a reward for doing something per se, but a reason.

Excellent...