4 year old! FOUR. YEARS. OLD.
Today is the 4th anniversary of my little piece on the internet. I seriously cannot believe that I've been writing on this very site (http://graceful.blog-city.com) for this many years. But I have. And it's been great. It's been so nice to "meet" others out in cyberspace who visit my site regularly. I've followed YOUR lives and you've followed mine.
A lot has changed in four years. When I started, we were in a small detached townhouse with a year-long lease. It was a temporary place because we wanted to have a house built. We'd just moved to this new city due to the Hubs job. It was just the four of us venturing into this new place. No family. No friends. The Hubs worked all day. I had two kids at home all day. But at least the townhouse was nice. It was a 1-story, 3 bedroom, 2 bath 1100 square feet structure with a small enclosed backyard. YES! A backyard! No. There was no grass. It was a gravel backyard. But at least the kids could run around and be safe. We were in the back end corner of the complex. Behind our fence was a church. So it was a quiet location. The only time there was any noise was when they had a couple holiday bazaars.
Like I said, I started this blog because I was alone. I didn't have anyone to talk to. But now? Things are different. I've got two part-time jobs. Both kids will be starting school in just over a week. We live in our "big" house. We live in a great neighborhood with lots of kids and parents who care about the other kids in the neighborhood. I have to say that I'm comfortable with any of my neighbors correcting my kids when they are out of line. If I see one of the neighborhood boys walking slowly home from the bus stop in the 100+ heat, I'll have him hop into my car for that short drive to his house. Not a problem. It's that feeling of "it takes a community" to raise our kids. Yes. THAT is the kind of neighborhood I live in. We're there for each other and it's a wonderful feeling.
My life has changed. It has. But I continue to write about whatever is in my gut. What makes me happy. What makes me sad. When I'm frustrated. When I'm in need of support. Just knowing there are people out there that read and care. It's a comfort.
So if you're out there....give me a shout out on my blog's anniversary!
Happy Birthday to my blog...Happy birthday to my blog...Happy birthday bloggy-blog...Happy birthday to you!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
I uttered my vows with conviction...
I was watching Oprah today and there was a comment that there should be a line in wedding vows regarding "Respect". It was a part of a really horrible episode about violence. Violence on women. Violence upon women from people that they love. It was very disturbing.
But that episode got me to think.
When the Hubs and I met with the pastor, I made sure to put my foot down on the vows. The fact that I did not want to say "...to love, honor, and obey..." I have always thought and wanted to say "...to love, honor, and respect..."
It was funny how the Hubs initially reacted to my wish (my need) to include the word "respect" into that line. He was kind of surprised. He'd always heard the traditional vows that had "obey" in it. So it's only normal (I guess) that he'd be surprised by my wish.
Once he saw that I was serious, he let it go. He didn't think too much about it. He was just allowed the adjustment to be made by the pastor. No big deal. To him. But to me? It meant so much more. That he and I would respect each other. We'd be here for each other. That there would be give and take between us. And this episode of Oprah really solidified a more sinister reason for my wish to include "respect" into my vows.
Now what did you say in your vows? Do you remember? Did you make any changes or were you creative enough to make up your own vows?
But that episode got me to think.
When the Hubs and I met with the pastor, I made sure to put my foot down on the vows. The fact that I did not want to say "...to love, honor, and obey..." I have always thought and wanted to say "...to love, honor, and respect..."
It was funny how the Hubs initially reacted to my wish (my need) to include the word "respect" into that line. He was kind of surprised. He'd always heard the traditional vows that had "obey" in it. So it's only normal (I guess) that he'd be surprised by my wish.
Hubs: Respect? You'd rather say that?
Me: Yes. That's what I want to say.
Once he saw that I was serious, he let it go. He didn't think too much about it. He was just allowed the adjustment to be made by the pastor. No big deal. To him. But to me? It meant so much more. That he and I would respect each other. We'd be here for each other. That there would be give and take between us. And this episode of Oprah really solidified a more sinister reason for my wish to include "respect" into my vows.
Now what did you say in your vows? Do you remember? Did you make any changes or were you creative enough to make up your own vows?
Monday, July 21, 2008
Out and gone...and maybe a glimmer of hope?
This Friday, my SIL is going to stop by our house and pick up the kids. It'll be last weekend visit up with my ILs for Summer 2008.
You see, the kids start school on August 4. Yes. That's in two weeks. TWO. I'm excited for them. I've got to get some backpacks and lunchbags for them this week. It'll be hot here until October, so no need to rush out and get new school clothes. They'll just wear their summer gear while it's still hot. Seriously. This week it's in the 90's. Temps will fluctuate these next couple of months from the 100s down to the 80s. It'll stabilize and get cooler by the end of October. That's when it'll be in the 60's and 70's.
The kids will spend their time swimming in my ILs pool. When the kids were up there at the end of May, my ILs pool was too cold. Apparently, the kids went in for maybe 30 minutes and were shaking like leaves. Since the pool has warmed up over the 100+ temps, the kids will probably remain poolside all weekend.
Anyway, this coming weekend will be another weekend without kids. But the Hubs and I will not be taking advantage of it this time around. No movie night. No adult dinner. Why? Because I'm heading out again for an on-site interview on Friday. ARGH! It's actually a part-time gig at full-time per hour pay. So I have to consider it. Anything that'll get my foot into the workforce out there. Geez....I'm still amazed how difficult it is to get a job out there. I know the economy is kind of slow, but employers don't seem to want to give me a chance at all. It makes me feel unwanted. I've got the work ethic. I've got experience. Just TALK to my references! They'll give you the 411 on me. [sigh]
But this interview is a glimmer of hope. The possibility. The chance.
You see, the kids start school on August 4. Yes. That's in two weeks. TWO. I'm excited for them. I've got to get some backpacks and lunchbags for them this week. It'll be hot here until October, so no need to rush out and get new school clothes. They'll just wear their summer gear while it's still hot. Seriously. This week it's in the 90's. Temps will fluctuate these next couple of months from the 100s down to the 80s. It'll stabilize and get cooler by the end of October. That's when it'll be in the 60's and 70's.
The kids will spend their time swimming in my ILs pool. When the kids were up there at the end of May, my ILs pool was too cold. Apparently, the kids went in for maybe 30 minutes and were shaking like leaves. Since the pool has warmed up over the 100+ temps, the kids will probably remain poolside all weekend.
Anyway, this coming weekend will be another weekend without kids. But the Hubs and I will not be taking advantage of it this time around. No movie night. No adult dinner. Why? Because I'm heading out again for an on-site interview on Friday. ARGH! It's actually a part-time gig at full-time per hour pay. So I have to consider it. Anything that'll get my foot into the workforce out there. Geez....I'm still amazed how difficult it is to get a job out there. I know the economy is kind of slow, but employers don't seem to want to give me a chance at all. It makes me feel unwanted. I've got the work ethic. I've got experience. Just TALK to my references! They'll give you the 411 on me. [sigh]
But this interview is a glimmer of hope. The possibility. The chance.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Whizzing like a pro
My son has been potty trained for a long time. We started working with him at home, but he perfected going #1 when he was in preschool. The only thing? He's been sitting to urinate.
A couple months ago when I took him to the movies, I had him try urinating standing up. But it was a mess. I didn't realize how much force went through his little penis. Seriously! Since then I had the Hubs work with him at bedtime. The Hubs showed the Bear how to hold himself. How to position his legs. All those little subtle things that a Mom wouldn't know about. Because DANG I didn't realize how much pressure would flow through his penis!
But now? The kid is now standing up each and every time. YEAH! It's so great. His sitting down while urinating was one of the last semblances of him being a little guy. [sigh] He is such a BIG boy! Now I feel like he's totally ready for kindergarten.
I can just imagine the Hubs and the Bear at football games. Whizzing like pro together at a urinal.
A couple months ago when I took him to the movies, I had him try urinating standing up. But it was a mess. I didn't realize how much force went through his little penis. Seriously! Since then I had the Hubs work with him at bedtime. The Hubs showed the Bear how to hold himself. How to position his legs. All those little subtle things that a Mom wouldn't know about. Because DANG I didn't realize how much pressure would flow through his penis!
But now? The kid is now standing up each and every time. YEAH! It's so great. His sitting down while urinating was one of the last semblances of him being a little guy. [sigh] He is such a BIG boy! Now I feel like he's totally ready for kindergarten.
I can just imagine the Hubs and the Bear at football games. Whizzing like pro together at a urinal.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
If you do it daily, wouldn't you notice?
Today, the final repair people came to fix our house issues.
The stucco outside was finished curing over the past week. The drywall guy came Monday and Tuesday and fixed some wall problems. Now it was the painters turn.
Two guys showed up. One guy stayed outside to paint the stucco. The other guy came inside to do the wall near the front door and the LONG seam in the family room. That long seam? It's about 18 feet up in the air. Yeah...it's a 2-story family room. Anyway, the drywall guy had a HUGE A-frame ladder that he used to reach the problem areas. There were only two actual areas where we had cracks showing between the drywall, but the drywall guy chose to do the entire seam so it was a seamless repair. KUDOs to him for doing that.
So the painters did their work. I left them alone. I noticed when it looked like they were cleaning and putting things away. When the guy who was inside when outside? I walked over to the family room to check things out. I looked at the ceiling from one angle. Then I went and looked at it from another.
I found problems. I saw where the guy painted and that where he painted did not cover the feathering job that the drywall guy did. It was blatantly clear to me. So when he came back inside to have me sign the paperwork? I had to point out to him about 3 sections that weren't painted properly. He only painted from below. He hadn't bothered looking at the seam at an angle. When he looked at the angle? He saw exactly what I noticed. But wouldn't you think he would have thought to do that? I mean, he paints every day. It's his profession.
Do you think I was being a dud for pointing out the lack of coverage to him? I seriously would have rather point out the lack of paint now versus having to call those guys out again. So this guy had to go outside and tell the other guy (who was already sitting in the truck) that more painting was needed. They got the paint and the roller out again. This time? The one guy (who was outside) stood on the side while the other guy (the inside guy) repainted the seam. This time they worked together to ensure that everything was painted properly.
[sigh]
Would you have checked a painter's work? Or would you have figured that they'd do a proper job and not checked?
The stucco outside was finished curing over the past week. The drywall guy came Monday and Tuesday and fixed some wall problems. Now it was the painters turn.
Two guys showed up. One guy stayed outside to paint the stucco. The other guy came inside to do the wall near the front door and the LONG seam in the family room. That long seam? It's about 18 feet up in the air. Yeah...it's a 2-story family room. Anyway, the drywall guy had a HUGE A-frame ladder that he used to reach the problem areas. There were only two actual areas where we had cracks showing between the drywall, but the drywall guy chose to do the entire seam so it was a seamless repair. KUDOs to him for doing that.
So the painters did their work. I left them alone. I noticed when it looked like they were cleaning and putting things away. When the guy who was inside when outside? I walked over to the family room to check things out. I looked at the ceiling from one angle. Then I went and looked at it from another.
I found problems. I saw where the guy painted and that where he painted did not cover the feathering job that the drywall guy did. It was blatantly clear to me. So when he came back inside to have me sign the paperwork? I had to point out to him about 3 sections that weren't painted properly. He only painted from below. He hadn't bothered looking at the seam at an angle. When he looked at the angle? He saw exactly what I noticed. But wouldn't you think he would have thought to do that? I mean, he paints every day. It's his profession.
Do you think I was being a dud for pointing out the lack of coverage to him? I seriously would have rather point out the lack of paint now versus having to call those guys out again. So this guy had to go outside and tell the other guy (who was already sitting in the truck) that more painting was needed. They got the paint and the roller out again. This time? The one guy (who was outside) stood on the side while the other guy (the inside guy) repainted the seam. This time they worked together to ensure that everything was painted properly.
[sigh]
Would you have checked a painter's work? Or would you have figured that they'd do a proper job and not checked?
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Did you catch the similarity?
For those of you who ready yesterday's post, you might have noted the parallel that was seen in a repeat episode of Jon&Kate. It was the one where the couples give their advice on how they survive bringing up their kids.
The two discuss how kids will try to splits parents. [check]
The two talk about how they keep their kids on a routine. [check]
How consistency is a major key to maintain everyone's sanity. [check]
Did you know that there are actual websites dedicated to people writing about how much they dislike this couple. Seriously. There are websites dedicated to this topic. It's so sad. I mean, if you don't like this couple and how they are raising their family then don't watch them. Turn the channel. Simple, right? But it's not simple for them. They continue to watch and then criticize this couple. [sigh] I have to say that the websites I found over the weekend just busting on Jon&Kate brought me back to my teenage years.
Starting in junior high people talk smack about others that they don't know. They make judgments on others by heresay versus actually witnessing events in person. "They told me THIS happened" or "I heard that she said this" kind of thing. I was on the bad end of the stick on this kind of thing in junior high/high school. It was horrible. People hated me all because this one person was spreading lies about me. A girl I didn't even know was talking trashing about me to the [gulp] popular girls in school. Why? Because I had a crush on a boy that she liked. Can you believe it? Thankfully, she moved away at the end of freshman year. The popular girls got to know me and we all were at peace. But guess what? That girl ended up moving back to our neighborhood for her senior year. By senior year, we were not separated by the popular versus not-popular lines. We were all friends by then. All the seniors had melded into a pretty relaxed group. But not ONE of those old friends of that girl would speak to her. Who did speak to her? ME. She was in my history class and I spoke with her. I was the only one. I took the high road and was cordial with her. It was about forgiveness. It was about growing up. It was about realizing that rumors are for children.
So I try hard to not make judgments about other parents. I see other parents with their kids and sometimes what they do makes my eyebrows raise a few millimeters. But I don't say anything. They are doing their job. Raising their child. The only time I'll step in is if someone else's child is interfering with MY kids. Then I'll step in for sure. I'm the Mama Bear protecting my kids, so don't cross the line. But I see stuff all the time and I don't write about every single weird thing that's happened. And I don't know these parents' names either so it's not like they know I'm talking about them. You know?
I know. I know! I'm talking about other people right now. But those websites have some harsh words on them. And when I say harsh....I mean there are some down and dirty things being written. Just rude. It's hard for me to believe that stuff like that is out there. And they make it clear exactly who they're talking about. That's what is bad about the entire thing. Now are there websites dedicated to other families on tv? How about the Duggars? Michelle is expecting her 18th child in January 2009. Anyone writing hateful words about that family? How about Kimora Lee Simmons and her two little girls? Jet setting and running around 'living the life'. Any hateful words there?
I just think that since Jon&Kate are a young couple that shows everyone their REAL selves that people feel comfortable 'talking back' about their behavior. But PLEASE! We all have our moments. They've got 8 kids in the family. What are the odds that someone will be upset each day? How about each hour? How often are your own kids upset? Multiply that as many times as you need to so that you get somewhere near 8 kids. I mean, I only have two of them and they try my patience when they're tired.
Jon is a regular, laid-back, go-with-the-flow kind of guy. Kate has her dirt, control, and OCD issues. I think that's why I watch the show. Because they are real and they let it show. They don't make it like they're all a-okay all the time. They argue. They make up. The kids cry. The kids hit each other. There are time-outs. I'm not saying that I love these people. I really like them as a family. We ALL have faults. We do. Even if we don't think something about us is a fault, another person can view it as one. Some people smoke. Some people think it's okay to spit. Some people wear too much cologne or perfume. Some people don't wear deodorant. [shrug]
I mean, my older sister loves The Baby Borrowers. I watched one episode and realize that I don't like it, so I no longer tune in. Simple. But as I said before...I enjoy the Jon&Kate and their kids. If you don't? Turn it off. Then you don't have to see these two people raise their eight kids the way they want to. K?
The two discuss how kids will try to splits parents. [check]
The two talk about how they keep their kids on a routine. [check]
How consistency is a major key to maintain everyone's sanity. [check]
Did you know that there are actual websites dedicated to people writing about how much they dislike this couple. Seriously. There are websites dedicated to this topic. It's so sad. I mean, if you don't like this couple and how they are raising their family then don't watch them. Turn the channel. Simple, right? But it's not simple for them. They continue to watch and then criticize this couple. [sigh] I have to say that the websites I found over the weekend just busting on Jon&Kate brought me back to my teenage years.
Starting in junior high people talk smack about others that they don't know. They make judgments on others by heresay versus actually witnessing events in person. "They told me THIS happened" or "I heard that she said this" kind of thing. I was on the bad end of the stick on this kind of thing in junior high/high school. It was horrible. People hated me all because this one person was spreading lies about me. A girl I didn't even know was talking trashing about me to the [gulp] popular girls in school. Why? Because I had a crush on a boy that she liked. Can you believe it? Thankfully, she moved away at the end of freshman year. The popular girls got to know me and we all were at peace. But guess what? That girl ended up moving back to our neighborhood for her senior year. By senior year, we were not separated by the popular versus not-popular lines. We were all friends by then. All the seniors had melded into a pretty relaxed group. But not ONE of those old friends of that girl would speak to her. Who did speak to her? ME. She was in my history class and I spoke with her. I was the only one. I took the high road and was cordial with her. It was about forgiveness. It was about growing up. It was about realizing that rumors are for children.
So I try hard to not make judgments about other parents. I see other parents with their kids and sometimes what they do makes my eyebrows raise a few millimeters. But I don't say anything. They are doing their job. Raising their child. The only time I'll step in is if someone else's child is interfering with MY kids. Then I'll step in for sure. I'm the Mama Bear protecting my kids, so don't cross the line. But I see stuff all the time and I don't write about every single weird thing that's happened. And I don't know these parents' names either so it's not like they know I'm talking about them. You know?
I know. I know! I'm talking about other people right now. But those websites have some harsh words on them. And when I say harsh....I mean there are some down and dirty things being written. Just rude. It's hard for me to believe that stuff like that is out there. And they make it clear exactly who they're talking about. That's what is bad about the entire thing. Now are there websites dedicated to other families on tv? How about the Duggars? Michelle is expecting her 18th child in January 2009. Anyone writing hateful words about that family? How about Kimora Lee Simmons and her two little girls? Jet setting and running around 'living the life'. Any hateful words there?
I just think that since Jon&Kate are a young couple that shows everyone their REAL selves that people feel comfortable 'talking back' about their behavior. But PLEASE! We all have our moments. They've got 8 kids in the family. What are the odds that someone will be upset each day? How about each hour? How often are your own kids upset? Multiply that as many times as you need to so that you get somewhere near 8 kids. I mean, I only have two of them and they try my patience when they're tired.
Jon is a regular, laid-back, go-with-the-flow kind of guy. Kate has her dirt, control, and OCD issues. I think that's why I watch the show. Because they are real and they let it show. They don't make it like they're all a-okay all the time. They argue. They make up. The kids cry. The kids hit each other. There are time-outs. I'm not saying that I love these people. I really like them as a family. We ALL have faults. We do. Even if we don't think something about us is a fault, another person can view it as one. Some people smoke. Some people think it's okay to spit. Some people wear too much cologne or perfume. Some people don't wear deodorant. [shrug]
I mean, my older sister loves The Baby Borrowers. I watched one episode and realize that I don't like it, so I no longer tune in. Simple. But as I said before...I enjoy the Jon&Kate and their kids. If you don't? Turn it off. Then you don't have to see these two people raise their eight kids the way they want to. K?
Monday, July 14, 2008
Family rules
Every couple knows that when raising kids there's a constant battle. The kids find a way to put themselves in between you. They pit one parent against the other. It's true. It's inevitable. It happens.
It's up to us to figure this out and make sure that we stand united. That the kids don't divide us. That we're a wall. Strong together. Right? I think being consistent is the key when kids are learning rules -- especially when they're little. Consequences are key as well.
Some of our rules?
But it's just as inevitable that each of us parents finds their own style. Our own way of dealing with things. It's this way in our house. I recognize this. The Hubs has one way of getting things done. I have another way of getting things done. By now there are some things that the Hubs does with the kids. There are some things I do with the kids. There is a definite split between us on certain thing now that the kids are older.
I let the kids get pretty loud when it's just the three of us in the house. I let the kids run around upstairs. I let the kids run around downstairs in the back part of the house -- when I'm working in the den in the front part of the house. I figure that they need to burn some energy and play, so why not? Of course, I do check up on them. Make sure they're not getting too aggressive with each other. When they hear the garage door open that signals the Hubs arriving home? They know they need to turn the decibels down a few notches.
When the kids inevitably fight, I seriously don't want to referee. I basically just get the one who is hurt to make sure it's a minor injury. I don't ask who started it. It really doesn't matter to me. I just want to find out if one of them has a boo-boo that needs attention. I quiet the situation and wipe away the tears. I remind them both about being rough with each other and it's all done. They normally get back to playing with each other within 5 minutes. Now the Hubs? When crying starts, he'll yell upstairs and do the "who did what?" and "why did you?" Then he'll send them to their rooms. Both kids end up crying in their rooms. Things don't get back to normal for a while. A LONG while. Because now he is angry that they fought. And they're upset that they got yelled at. [sigh]
I am not saying that what the Hubs does is wrong. I'm recognizing that he has his way of parenting and I have my own. But when the kids were smaller? When the kids couldn't really communicate with words and were still learning about behavior? We were a united front. And it worked in teaching our kids how we do things. Once we figured out what rules we wanted to enforce and how we would handle each situation, it was pretty easy.
This is how we do things in our family.
This is the answer I gave Princes when she asked about why we do things a certain way and other people did things another way. She sees other kids her age running around parking lots. She sees other kids being sassy to their parents. She sees other people eating certain things (candy / cookies / cakes) when we don't eat daily. I let her know that parents make the rules for their family. And when she gets to be a parent, she and her husband will figure out the rules their kids will need to follow.
Even though it is sometimes hard to follow our family rules, the kids know that we parents have a responsibility. One that I make sure they remember.
It's Mommy and Daddy's job to help them make good decisions.
But what's great? Is that we're a family. And we allow each other the flexibility to be how we are. Sometimes the way the Hubs behaves frustrates me to goodness knows what, but that's the way he is. And I have to accept it. I have my flaws a plenty and he's a good man to put up with some things. The kids know that we want the best for them. And they're kids. So discipline will be something that we're going to have to continue with as they grow. We can only build upon the rules we've already established. I feel that we've got some solid rules and hopefully we'll raise some kids that WILL make good decisions.
It's up to us to figure this out and make sure that we stand united. That the kids don't divide us. That we're a wall. Strong together. Right? I think being consistent is the key when kids are learning rules -- especially when they're little. Consequences are key as well.
Some of our rules?
- Perform the same bedtime and naptime routine each day
- Keep the same naptime/snack/meal schedule
- Eat what is served -- no special meals
- No hitting or biting
- Pacifiers only for sleeping (in bed or in the car)
- Hold hands in parking lots / whenever we exit the car somewhere other than at home
- Stay on the sidewalk
- When we're out playing, make sure that you can see Mommy/Daddy and we can see you
- When we say "Too far" means to come closer to us
But it's just as inevitable that each of us parents finds their own style. Our own way of dealing with things. It's this way in our house. I recognize this. The Hubs has one way of getting things done. I have another way of getting things done. By now there are some things that the Hubs does with the kids. There are some things I do with the kids. There is a definite split between us on certain thing now that the kids are older.
I let the kids get pretty loud when it's just the three of us in the house. I let the kids run around upstairs. I let the kids run around downstairs in the back part of the house -- when I'm working in the den in the front part of the house. I figure that they need to burn some energy and play, so why not? Of course, I do check up on them. Make sure they're not getting too aggressive with each other. When they hear the garage door open that signals the Hubs arriving home? They know they need to turn the decibels down a few notches.
When the kids inevitably fight, I seriously don't want to referee. I basically just get the one who is hurt to make sure it's a minor injury. I don't ask who started it. It really doesn't matter to me. I just want to find out if one of them has a boo-boo that needs attention. I quiet the situation and wipe away the tears. I remind them both about being rough with each other and it's all done. They normally get back to playing with each other within 5 minutes. Now the Hubs? When crying starts, he'll yell upstairs and do the "who did what?" and "why did you?" Then he'll send them to their rooms. Both kids end up crying in their rooms. Things don't get back to normal for a while. A LONG while. Because now he is angry that they fought. And they're upset that they got yelled at. [sigh]
I am not saying that what the Hubs does is wrong. I'm recognizing that he has his way of parenting and I have my own. But when the kids were smaller? When the kids couldn't really communicate with words and were still learning about behavior? We were a united front. And it worked in teaching our kids how we do things. Once we figured out what rules we wanted to enforce and how we would handle each situation, it was pretty easy.
This is how we do things in our family.
This is the answer I gave Princes when she asked about why we do things a certain way and other people did things another way. She sees other kids her age running around parking lots. She sees other kids being sassy to their parents. She sees other people eating certain things (candy / cookies / cakes) when we don't eat daily. I let her know that parents make the rules for their family. And when she gets to be a parent, she and her husband will figure out the rules their kids will need to follow.
Even though it is sometimes hard to follow our family rules, the kids know that we parents have a responsibility. One that I make sure they remember.
It's Mommy and Daddy's job to help them make good decisions.
But what's great? Is that we're a family. And we allow each other the flexibility to be how we are. Sometimes the way the Hubs behaves frustrates me to goodness knows what, but that's the way he is. And I have to accept it. I have my flaws a plenty and he's a good man to put up with some things. The kids know that we want the best for them. And they're kids. So discipline will be something that we're going to have to continue with as they grow. We can only build upon the rules we've already established. I feel that we've got some solid rules and hopefully we'll raise some kids that WILL make good decisions.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Making Mommy Laugh
Here's something I overheard yesterday:
Barbie? What? There's no Barbie DVDs or videos that we have. What's he talking about? Oh....BARNEY! He's talking about the Barney DVD that we rented.
Barbie...Barney...he didn't care that he said the wrong thing. He was getting his point across to his sister. Bad behavior gets no tv time. I'd say he got that right.
Prin: You'd better stop it!
Bear: Why Sissy?
Prin: Because I said so.
Bear: You're NOT being NICE!
Prin: Well, you better stop.
Bear: You're not being nice. YOU dont' get to watch BARBIE!
Barbie? What? There's no Barbie DVDs or videos that we have. What's he talking about? Oh....BARNEY! He's talking about the Barney DVD that we rented.
Barbie...Barney...he didn't care that he said the wrong thing. He was getting his point across to his sister. Bad behavior gets no tv time. I'd say he got that right.
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