Challenges
Welp Frannie, you are now 3 1/2 years old and even though you are my darling sweetheart, it seems lately we've had a few challenges that I'm not sure yet how to handle.
1. You won't eat your breakfast. This drives me really crazy because 30 minutes after breakfast is over you are begging for pretzels. Ok. Actually this has started to make me mad! Because it takes time to prepare meals and when you don't eat them and are all slumped in your chair like a slime glob and complaining and telling me "I'm not starving!" and then shortly after tell me you're hungry, I'm pretty irritated. Yesterday I got mad and told you that you couldn't leave the table until your breakfast was finished. You continued to be a slime blob and fiddling with your food until I threatened a spanking and then you started to take it more seriously. Ugh.
2. Whenever I ask you to come upstairs and help to clean up your bedroom you, again, turn into a slime blob and collapse on the floor like you have no bones. Then you're lying on your back on the floor or slumped half-way on the couch and fiddling around because you won't just come upstairs and help pick up! Ugh. If I carry you upstairs and watch and direct you item by item, you put everything away SO SLOWLY. I've tried making clean up a game, but it just doesn't seem to work. Or else I haven't found the right way to make it a game. (The housefairy isn't really working anymore.)
3. Sometimes I feel that you can be quite demanding. I spend a lot of time reading to you stories and such, but if you decide you want to be read to, you demand "Read to me!!" and I don't always have the time. But you won't let it go. You proclaim "That's not fair!" and keep demanding that I read. I feel that you are now at an age where you need to understand that I cannot do all things right as you request them. And that it becomes rude to keep demanding and demanding after I've explained that I don't want to or can't right then.
I feel that recently you have matured and are doing things that you probably always did before, but now because you are older I see it as a problem that I need to work on w/ you. You've never been a great eater but now that you are 3 1/2 I see the after breakfast snacking as a problem especially considering how little you actually eat for breakfast. And I've tried to get you to help me pick up your toys and such before, but you've always done the stubborn thing about it and I probably just let it go because you were younger and I wanted it to get done faster. But now's the time to learn darnit!! My reasoning is that if you are a "big girl" who can go to ballet class and can ride a bicycle, then you can pick up toys and eat your breakfast properly!
Ok now on to Adam.
Yes you little guy have presented me with challenges to. You are 14 months and primarily the challenge is that when I say "Come here Adam!" you promptly run away. Ugh. Or when I say "JJ No!" you laugh and run away. You know I will chase you down, so in your mind it is a game. At the moment the big one is you not touching the TV button to turn it on/off on/off on/off. I'm trying to teach you that No is a big word that needs to be listened to. I've slapped the top of your hand to teach you No as you are trying to touch the TV button, and now everytime you touch it I put you on the couch for a 1 minute time out. Believe it or not you will stay there for the 1 minute and because I do it everytime and try to catch you the millisecond that you touch the tv, you are learning. But this is something I've been working on with you everyday all week. It's Thursday now, and I'm tired!
Victories
One of my biggest victories w/ you kiddos is that you both have become great sleepers. You go down for an afternoon nap at the exact same time so I get two quiet hours during the day, and you are both very easy to put down for bed. You both love to share a room together and Adam you love to have your Woofie dog w/ you in bed.
I think my other victory is that you both are very sweet children. I hope you stay that way forever. Frannie, you are very polite! I'm not sure if it is because you mimic me or what but you have a way of just saying Please and Thank You and "I Apologize" and "May I, Can I be excused?" "Mother, can I have some juice?" It is kind of silly the way you call me "Mother" all of the time.
Adam you are very cuddly and a sweet baby. As long as I keep snacks and a ball nearby, you are pretty easy going. You now say "Nose!" and snuff your nose at me and I ask you to "Show me your Teeth" and you do this silly thing where you pull your lips up and show me the top teeth. It's cute. You love back rubs. You laugh throughout the whole house.
Both you kids are tickle monsters.
So anyways, my days are filled with lots of good stuff, but I have lots of teaching teaching teaching to do throughout the day. Sometimes I get tired. Sometimes I get frustrated. Challenges are good though because it is part of your growing up. And it's good for me, lest I ever rest on my laurels thinking I have everything figured out.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Stress Management
A nice reminder:
A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, “How heavy is this glass of water?”
Answers called out ranged from 8oz. To 20oz.
The lecturer replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.”
“If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance.”
“In each case it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”
He continued, “And that’s the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on.”
“As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. “
“So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work/life down. Don’t carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.”
“Whatever burdens you’re carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you’ve rested.
Life is short. Enjoy!”
A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, “How heavy is this glass of water?”
Answers called out ranged from 8oz. To 20oz.
The lecturer replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.”
“If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance.”
“In each case it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”
He continued, “And that’s the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on.”
“As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. “
“So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work/life down. Don’t carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.”
“Whatever burdens you’re carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you’ve rested.
Life is short. Enjoy!”
Friday, July 18, 2008
Baby Adam
I guess when your first child is a girl, boys have princess sheets and pink blankets.
Adam is just a little silly sweetheart of a baby. These days he is toddling all around the house. It is often noted that he is bowlegged and seems to walk just like dear ol' Dad and Grandpa Tom! He babbles constantly and gets very mad when he doesn't get his way. He says Ma Ma and Da Da very clearly, but I can't say for sure that he has any other words. He understands a lot though.
These days what I am enjoying most about his babyhood is seeing his face smile and show those 6 teeth, and I love to watch him walk down our hallway into the kid bedroom to wake up Frannie. I always enjoy the tickles and the legs that are only 15 inches (or so) long.
Things you are doing:
Play with balls. Go fetch. Rolling. Bouncing. Throwing.
Chasing box-elder bugs and picking them up.
Playing w/ your Little People race-car set.
Eating a constant stream of Cheerios and cheese pieces.
Holding your doggy or teddy bear to go to sleep.
Rocking side to side, side to side, excitedly when you wake from sleep and I'm coming to get you.
Getting up on Mom and Dad's bed and buring your face into the pillows and blankets. This is fun! Especially when I grab your ankles and drag you across the bed and flip you over to tickle your stomach.
Anything that involves pouring water and splashing is good. There is a lot of nakey wading pool time this summer.
You've learned the rule of "Anything Sister has I want."
You and Frannie play together more but you also get into each other's space more and have more crying episodes. (I prefer it this way though. I like that you play together more and more.)
I know I said this already, but you bury your face a lot and it is very cute. You like soft things so you bury your face into the cat's fur and lay on her. You also do this to the stuffed doggy. You bury your face into my chest or shoulder when you are sleepy. You bury your face and then lay on your tummy all smiley when you are very excited in general. It's kind of a "play with me" or "tickle me" posture.
There is so much fun to being your mom. You are full of cuddles and laughter and babbling. I like to make you laugh and smile so I'm always doing silly things for you like chasing you and playing "BOO!". Yesterday we played hide and seek. You laughed so hard everytime you found me. I know Frannie loves to play with you too. We all call you JJ all the time. It is confusing to relatives, but it makes sense to us.
You are a doll baby and so much fun to love-up everyday. My sweet wonderful baby boy!
Adam is just a little silly sweetheart of a baby. These days he is toddling all around the house. It is often noted that he is bowlegged and seems to walk just like dear ol' Dad and Grandpa Tom! He babbles constantly and gets very mad when he doesn't get his way. He says Ma Ma and Da Da very clearly, but I can't say for sure that he has any other words. He understands a lot though.
These days what I am enjoying most about his babyhood is seeing his face smile and show those 6 teeth, and I love to watch him walk down our hallway into the kid bedroom to wake up Frannie. I always enjoy the tickles and the legs that are only 15 inches (or so) long.
Things you are doing:
Play with balls. Go fetch. Rolling. Bouncing. Throwing.
Chasing box-elder bugs and picking them up.
Playing w/ your Little People race-car set.
Eating a constant stream of Cheerios and cheese pieces.
Holding your doggy or teddy bear to go to sleep.
Rocking side to side, side to side, excitedly when you wake from sleep and I'm coming to get you.
Getting up on Mom and Dad's bed and buring your face into the pillows and blankets. This is fun! Especially when I grab your ankles and drag you across the bed and flip you over to tickle your stomach.
Anything that involves pouring water and splashing is good. There is a lot of nakey wading pool time this summer.
You've learned the rule of "Anything Sister has I want."
You and Frannie play together more but you also get into each other's space more and have more crying episodes. (I prefer it this way though. I like that you play together more and more.)
I know I said this already, but you bury your face a lot and it is very cute. You like soft things so you bury your face into the cat's fur and lay on her. You also do this to the stuffed doggy. You bury your face into my chest or shoulder when you are sleepy. You bury your face and then lay on your tummy all smiley when you are very excited in general. It's kind of a "play with me" or "tickle me" posture.
There is so much fun to being your mom. You are full of cuddles and laughter and babbling. I like to make you laugh and smile so I'm always doing silly things for you like chasing you and playing "BOO!". Yesterday we played hide and seek. You laughed so hard everytime you found me. I know Frannie loves to play with you too. We all call you JJ all the time. It is confusing to relatives, but it makes sense to us.
You are a doll baby and so much fun to love-up everyday. My sweet wonderful baby boy!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Huh? Gymnastics?
Jason has been watching the Olympic trials non-stop when he gets home from work. This evening he was watching gymnastics with Adam and Frannie and she asked "Dad, what's that?" He told her "gymnastics". She says "Gymnastics!!" all excited and proceeds to somersault all over the living room floor (and bonks her head on the entertainment center). So now she wants to learn gymnastics. This isn't part of the plan!
State of the Union
Head- sinus pressure
Ears- feel funny
Nose- clogged
Throat- razor blades
Lungs- some hacking
Tummy- fine
Body- general fatigue
Mood- good
Productivity- good
Got some antibiox. Hoping it works.
Ears- feel funny
Nose- clogged
Throat- razor blades
Lungs- some hacking
Tummy- fine
Body- general fatigue
Mood- good
Productivity- good
Got some antibiox. Hoping it works.
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