One of the reasons I was none too thrilled about having a daughter of my own was "girl drama". Any girl who has ever been through high school or anyone who has ever raised a daughter of their own will know exactly what I am talking about.
Now my daughter, well, she's the "I want what I want and I want it now" and the "If i ain't happy ain't nobody happy" sort of a girl. Maybe that's a bit harsh, she's not really that bad. But she definitely has her ideas about what she wants and isn't afraid to let you know it at deafening decibels.
My mind has certainly been changed about raising a daughter. I love my daughter and couldn't imagine life without her. I have gotten into way more of the girly stuff than I ever thought I would. Now I'm all about the cute shoes, headbands, dresses. I love to watch her play with her baby doll. Even so, there is always this dark cloud looming overhead. The cloud that you try to forget about. The girl drama cloud. I scarcely think of it anymore because I thought it was so many years down the road.
This past weekend, my sister-in-law and I were at a bridal shower. The bride-to-be commented on her niece's choice of shoes, saying that she obviously picked out her own shoes. And it was obvious. She was wearing a Dora t-shirt, jean Capris, and black dress shoes that click-clacked as she walked. My SIL and I were talking about the dilemma. You don't want to stifle your child's creativity, but at the same time you don't want everyone to think you can't dress your own kid. Then again, why do you care what other people think? See the dilemma? But, I thought, I had a couple of years before my daughter insisted on this outfit or that, these shoes or those.
Then the other day we were getting ready to go out and help my husband and son wash our cars. I grabbed her pink Jumping Beans sandals. These are her play sandals. They are a nice shade of pink but other than that not much to look at. Just your everyday Velcro-on sandal.
But as soon as I reached for her play sandals, she immediately starts screeching, yes, screeching, and pointing at something else. I look in the direction she is pointing. She's pointing at a different pair of sandals. These are cute flip-flops with cherries printed on the flip-flop and pink sparkly straps. I asked her if she wants those ones. She nods. I sigh. Then I try to reason with her (why, I don't know. You can't reason with a toddler). I tell her that these ones don't stay on as well and so they aren't as good to play in.
As you might imagine, she wanted what she wanted and wasn't going to be happy otherwise. Then I asked her, "Why do you like those? Because they are pretty?". She gives a big, over exaggerated nod, of which she is famous for. And so it begins, I thought to myself. I put the "pretty" sandals on her feet. As soon as she stood up she got the biggest grin on her face and began to giggle and stomp her feet. She was beyond excited.
When I told Anthony about the "girl drama", I believe his exact words were, "O geez". My sentiments exactly.
I will note that while playing outside her shoes did come off several times, her feet got dirty, and she was very unhappy, just like I tried to tell her. But sometimes they have to learn for themselves. And learn she did. Two days later, she hasn't asked to play in them since.
While I'm not too thrilled about the ensuing "drama", at the same time, it's fun to see her blossoming personality, her ever-changing likes and dislikes, and her budding independent, adventurous spirit. My, oh my, will she be a handful.
Sincerely,
The-No-More-Drama-Mama
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Garage Sale 101
Recently I posted on Facebook that I thought there should be an official garage sale handbook that all people should have to follow, because in my experience, most people's garage sales are deeply flawed and well, quite frankly, a waste of my time to stop at. So here I present to you some tips on throwing your next garage sale.
1. Do not advertise your sale as being huge because I will be expecting something truly huge and will most certainly be disappointed. Two tables of stuff Goodwill would throw away if you donated it does not a huge garage sale make.
2. Consider advertising your sale if you are selling kids clothing/items. Though this isn't necessary, consider the following. The people you want to come to your garage sale are people with kids as they would be most likely to purchase your items. Now, if most people are like me, they can't call up a babysitter every time they want to go to a garage sale, so they end up schlepping their kids with them. Do you think most people are going to drive around aimlessly looking for garage sales with kids items with kids in tow? Probably not, so by advertising, you would make such people aware of your sale and they can then stop (or not).
3. If you do advertise, be specific. I can't count the number of times I have seen the words "kids clothing" in an advertisement for a garage sale. Do you have boys clothes? Girls? Both? What sizes do you have? Again, for someone going to drag her kids with her, this is helpful information, as I likely won't go to a sale unless I know it at least has the sizes I need for my son and daughter.
4. Try to be organized. My time is precious and there is nothing more annoying to me than sifting through tables of clothes where boys and girls stuff is mixed together and all sizes are mixed together. Some people get annoyed by this. Therefore, you might sell more if it were more organized. Also, take the time to price your items. Having to ask about prices is annoying and being told, "ummm, I don't know, like, $.50 a piece" is even more annoying. You don't know? It's your garage sale.
5. Though it is hard, try to look at things as an objective third party that might be shopping your garage sale. Consider what you would be willing to pay if you were them and what condition you expect items to be in.
For example, though I know you are deeply attached to your children's clothing and it is hard to part with all the memories and you want to get the most money you can out of them to make it worth parting with them, let's be reasonable. I was recently at a garage sale that was charging $2.50 per item of clothing. Depending on the item, such as a nice dress for church, that would be ok. But keep in mind, this is a garage sale. You are selling used stuff. So for everyday t-shirts and pants, this is not ok, at least not with me. People can go to Kohl's and get new stuff on clearance for their kids for about $3.50. And when something is faded, stained, or torn, it's not worth anything even if it is name brand.
On that same note, I was also at two garage sales recently that were selling clothes that looked like they were from the late 1990's for about $2.00 a piece. I'm sure that these clothes were very nice back in the day, but I think it's time to move on.
6. Be clean and odor free. Would you want to go to a garage sale that looked so unsanitary that you felt as if you needed a shower afterwards? I went to one recently that looked like everything had been stored in their dirt floor basement for years. It was so filthy that I didn't want to touch anything. Again, look at things objectively, is that how you want to make people feel? Take the time to clean up your items or just consider saving everyone the gross factor and not having a sale at all.
On that same note, I was at a different sale recently in which everything looked clean, but had a funny odor to it like it had been sitting in boxes in the garage getting wet for that past couple of months. Again, not the kind of thing people want when they go to a sale.
So to recap, here are the basic guidelines for a successful garage sale:
1. Do not refer to your garage sale as huge.
2. Advertise your sale.
3. Be descriptive in you advertisement.
4. Have everything sorted and priced.
5. Price your items reasonably.
6. Don't sell dirty or odorous items.
It all seems like commonsense ideas, but trust me, you would be surprised.
Sincerely,
The-Annoyed-Garage-Sale-Going-Mom
1. Do not advertise your sale as being huge because I will be expecting something truly huge and will most certainly be disappointed. Two tables of stuff Goodwill would throw away if you donated it does not a huge garage sale make.
2. Consider advertising your sale if you are selling kids clothing/items. Though this isn't necessary, consider the following. The people you want to come to your garage sale are people with kids as they would be most likely to purchase your items. Now, if most people are like me, they can't call up a babysitter every time they want to go to a garage sale, so they end up schlepping their kids with them. Do you think most people are going to drive around aimlessly looking for garage sales with kids items with kids in tow? Probably not, so by advertising, you would make such people aware of your sale and they can then stop (or not).
3. If you do advertise, be specific. I can't count the number of times I have seen the words "kids clothing" in an advertisement for a garage sale. Do you have boys clothes? Girls? Both? What sizes do you have? Again, for someone going to drag her kids with her, this is helpful information, as I likely won't go to a sale unless I know it at least has the sizes I need for my son and daughter.
4. Try to be organized. My time is precious and there is nothing more annoying to me than sifting through tables of clothes where boys and girls stuff is mixed together and all sizes are mixed together. Some people get annoyed by this. Therefore, you might sell more if it were more organized. Also, take the time to price your items. Having to ask about prices is annoying and being told, "ummm, I don't know, like, $.50 a piece" is even more annoying. You don't know? It's your garage sale.
5. Though it is hard, try to look at things as an objective third party that might be shopping your garage sale. Consider what you would be willing to pay if you were them and what condition you expect items to be in.
For example, though I know you are deeply attached to your children's clothing and it is hard to part with all the memories and you want to get the most money you can out of them to make it worth parting with them, let's be reasonable. I was recently at a garage sale that was charging $2.50 per item of clothing. Depending on the item, such as a nice dress for church, that would be ok. But keep in mind, this is a garage sale. You are selling used stuff. So for everyday t-shirts and pants, this is not ok, at least not with me. People can go to Kohl's and get new stuff on clearance for their kids for about $3.50. And when something is faded, stained, or torn, it's not worth anything even if it is name brand.
On that same note, I was also at two garage sales recently that were selling clothes that looked like they were from the late 1990's for about $2.00 a piece. I'm sure that these clothes were very nice back in the day, but I think it's time to move on.
6. Be clean and odor free. Would you want to go to a garage sale that looked so unsanitary that you felt as if you needed a shower afterwards? I went to one recently that looked like everything had been stored in their dirt floor basement for years. It was so filthy that I didn't want to touch anything. Again, look at things objectively, is that how you want to make people feel? Take the time to clean up your items or just consider saving everyone the gross factor and not having a sale at all.
On that same note, I was at a different sale recently in which everything looked clean, but had a funny odor to it like it had been sitting in boxes in the garage getting wet for that past couple of months. Again, not the kind of thing people want when they go to a sale.
So to recap, here are the basic guidelines for a successful garage sale:
1. Do not refer to your garage sale as huge.
2. Advertise your sale.
3. Be descriptive in you advertisement.
4. Have everything sorted and priced.
5. Price your items reasonably.
6. Don't sell dirty or odorous items.
It all seems like commonsense ideas, but trust me, you would be surprised.
Sincerely,
The-Annoyed-Garage-Sale-Going-Mom
Thursday, July 26, 2012
The Recent Happenings
Here are some things that have happened with my kids lately that I wanted to share with all of you, because well...I just think my kids are so stinking cute! (It's sickening, I know...)
1. My son is making up his own words. When talking about the couches, or his bed, or pillows and blankets, one of the words we all use to describe these things is comfortable (an adjective). So somewhere in his mind, if these things are comfortable, or comfy as we would usually say in our house, and we wanted to refer to them as a noun, they must be collectively called "comf". So now when he is piling all his stuffed animals on the floor and wants to make the pile bigger with pillows and blankets he says, "I need to get some more comf".
2. Being in the process of raising to kids of my own, it's clear that kids most easily learn words they here repeated over and over. When my son was little and we still had our dog, he heard me refer to our dog as "dumb dog" on several occasions. That was probably not the best thing to say to the dog or say in front of my son, but our dog was pretty bad and at times I wanted to send some profanity his way. To refrain from doing so, since I don't think you should swear, I ended up just calling him a dumb dog. Looking back I realize that did little to teach my son about how to treat others with respect. This was made painfully clear when he blurted out one day at a young age "dumb dog".
So, this year we have had a bit of an ant problem in the house and my daughter really hates bugs. Every time she would see one she would yell out "ant, ant". My MIL who is here with the kids during the day, started asking her, "Should I get him?", meaning should I kill the ant and dispose of it. So now every time my daughter sees an ant she yells out "Ant, ant!", followed by "Get him!".
3. Both of my children love books but it can be a struggle at times to find ones that are appealing to both. My son doesn't mind reading some of the books aimed at younger kids, especially because so many of them he loved at one time and hasn't heard in a while, but that only lasts so long. So I was sifting through the books looking for one that both my son and daughter would enjoy. I decided on a book called "Mine-o-saur". It's a bit long for my daughter, so I wasn't sure if she would sit through it but if has great rhyming sequences in it and some repetition of the word "Mine".
Now the Mine-o-saur, of course, wanted everything to be "MINE!" as he says in the book. He was mean to the other kids at school and snatched all their snacks and toys away from them while shouting "Mine, Mine, Mine!" Then none of the other dinosaurs wanted to play with him because he wouldn't share, which made the mine-o-saur sad. So the mine-o-saur decides to apologize and give all their stuff back because what he really wants is to play and make friends. Do you see the moral of the story here?
Well, my daughter loved the book. And she even learned a new word from it. Can you guess? Yep. She learned to say "mine". So now when my son tries to take her things from her I hear her yelling "Mine. Mine. Mine!", which totally wasn't the point of the book. So while it's a great book loved by all, including myself, the moral of the story is a bit above the comprehension level of an 18 month old.
4. My daughter figured out at a young age that skipping the middle man and just doing things yourself is quicker and more efficient. Usually when she gets hurt we just kiss it and say "All better" and she runs along like nothing ever happened. She got to the point where she would point at her "ouchie" and grunt, indicating that she wanted us to kiss it. Then she learned to say "Ow" and make a kiss sound, indicating to us that she wanted us to kiss it. Now...she just kisses it herself. Really funny to see, but also really cute.
Sincerely,
The-M-O-M
1. My son is making up his own words. When talking about the couches, or his bed, or pillows and blankets, one of the words we all use to describe these things is comfortable (an adjective). So somewhere in his mind, if these things are comfortable, or comfy as we would usually say in our house, and we wanted to refer to them as a noun, they must be collectively called "comf". So now when he is piling all his stuffed animals on the floor and wants to make the pile bigger with pillows and blankets he says, "I need to get some more comf".
2. Being in the process of raising to kids of my own, it's clear that kids most easily learn words they here repeated over and over. When my son was little and we still had our dog, he heard me refer to our dog as "dumb dog" on several occasions. That was probably not the best thing to say to the dog or say in front of my son, but our dog was pretty bad and at times I wanted to send some profanity his way. To refrain from doing so, since I don't think you should swear, I ended up just calling him a dumb dog. Looking back I realize that did little to teach my son about how to treat others with respect. This was made painfully clear when he blurted out one day at a young age "dumb dog".
So, this year we have had a bit of an ant problem in the house and my daughter really hates bugs. Every time she would see one she would yell out "ant, ant". My MIL who is here with the kids during the day, started asking her, "Should I get him?", meaning should I kill the ant and dispose of it. So now every time my daughter sees an ant she yells out "Ant, ant!", followed by "Get him!".
3. Both of my children love books but it can be a struggle at times to find ones that are appealing to both. My son doesn't mind reading some of the books aimed at younger kids, especially because so many of them he loved at one time and hasn't heard in a while, but that only lasts so long. So I was sifting through the books looking for one that both my son and daughter would enjoy. I decided on a book called "Mine-o-saur". It's a bit long for my daughter, so I wasn't sure if she would sit through it but if has great rhyming sequences in it and some repetition of the word "Mine".
Now the Mine-o-saur, of course, wanted everything to be "MINE!" as he says in the book. He was mean to the other kids at school and snatched all their snacks and toys away from them while shouting "Mine, Mine, Mine!" Then none of the other dinosaurs wanted to play with him because he wouldn't share, which made the mine-o-saur sad. So the mine-o-saur decides to apologize and give all their stuff back because what he really wants is to play and make friends. Do you see the moral of the story here?
Well, my daughter loved the book. And she even learned a new word from it. Can you guess? Yep. She learned to say "mine". So now when my son tries to take her things from her I hear her yelling "Mine. Mine. Mine!", which totally wasn't the point of the book. So while it's a great book loved by all, including myself, the moral of the story is a bit above the comprehension level of an 18 month old.
4. My daughter figured out at a young age that skipping the middle man and just doing things yourself is quicker and more efficient. Usually when she gets hurt we just kiss it and say "All better" and she runs along like nothing ever happened. She got to the point where she would point at her "ouchie" and grunt, indicating that she wanted us to kiss it. Then she learned to say "Ow" and make a kiss sound, indicating to us that she wanted us to kiss it. Now...she just kisses it herself. Really funny to see, but also really cute.
Sincerely,
The-M-O-M
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
All Aboard the S.S. Imagination
Over the last couple of years, I have wacthed my son's imagination develop. The first signs of an emerging imagination (try saying that 3 times fast) came when he pretended to talk to someone on the phone.
Once he was a little older, he started making up these stories in his head while he played. He would get out all of his trucks or race cars, for example, and then come up with some scenario in his head that he would play out.
Then yesterday, there was yet another development. He involved other people in this imaginitive play. Anthony and my son were up in our bedroom sweeping it. My daughter and I came up a bit later. I had decided it was a good time to change the sheets/blankets on the bed. The kids we quite interested in the whole process (I'm glad they find it interesting!).
When I was finished, they jumped up on the bed to test out the clean sheets. They were jumping around for a bit and having a good time. Then my son asked me to get up on the bed. Then he said to Anthony, "Are you coming daddy? You have to get on. We are going to sail away." Anthony climbed on the bed with all of us. Then my son picked up a pillow, pretnding it was the ships steering wheel, and sailed off into the deep blue see.
"Where are we going Captain?", I asked him.
"We are going to the movie place (read movie theatre)," he said.
"And what movie are we going to watch."
"A Veggietales movie." And with that we continued to sail away. At last we were done sailing, and figuring it wouldn't be very much fun to pretend to sit and watch a movie, he said, "Ok. We watched the Veggietales movie and now we are playing."
I don't know why, but the whole thing just made me smile. Even at age 3, when all the seemingly big milestones (smiling, crawling, walking, talking) have past you by, each day brings something new, something to be excited about, something to cherish.
Sincerely,
The-M-O-M
Once he was a little older, he started making up these stories in his head while he played. He would get out all of his trucks or race cars, for example, and then come up with some scenario in his head that he would play out.
Then yesterday, there was yet another development. He involved other people in this imaginitive play. Anthony and my son were up in our bedroom sweeping it. My daughter and I came up a bit later. I had decided it was a good time to change the sheets/blankets on the bed. The kids we quite interested in the whole process (I'm glad they find it interesting!).
When I was finished, they jumped up on the bed to test out the clean sheets. They were jumping around for a bit and having a good time. Then my son asked me to get up on the bed. Then he said to Anthony, "Are you coming daddy? You have to get on. We are going to sail away." Anthony climbed on the bed with all of us. Then my son picked up a pillow, pretnding it was the ships steering wheel, and sailed off into the deep blue see.
"Where are we going Captain?", I asked him.
"We are going to the movie place (read movie theatre)," he said.
"And what movie are we going to watch."
"A Veggietales movie." And with that we continued to sail away. At last we were done sailing, and figuring it wouldn't be very much fun to pretend to sit and watch a movie, he said, "Ok. We watched the Veggietales movie and now we are playing."
I don't know why, but the whole thing just made me smile. Even at age 3, when all the seemingly big milestones (smiling, crawling, walking, talking) have past you by, each day brings something new, something to be excited about, something to cherish.
Sincerely,
The-M-O-M
Friday, June 22, 2012
American Calzone
So, first of all, I would like to say that after doing some research (since I needed to name this recipe I came up with) the recipe on my blog that I call Stromboli is actually a calzone. Who knew?
Any who...Anthony and I (and the kids) always go out to eat with his family after church on Sundays. We typically migrate towards places with buffets since it's easy to please a wide variety of tastes that way and get your fill. A pizza place we go to used to put subs out on their buffet. One of which was called an American sub. It was so good. But then one day the said they weren't going to put them out anymore. So since then, my run in with the American sub has been few and far between.
Now a couple of weeks back, I was doing my monthly grocery shopping. At the one store I was in, they had an insanely good price on Hormel Pepperoni and Hormel Salami. Like a 9oz. package for a dollar or something like that. So, I being the frugal shopper that I am, decided to spend money I hadn't intended on spending to take them up on their good deal. :) Funny how that works. I didn't really know what I was going to do with it other than maybe make some sandwiches for Anthony for work and feed it to the kids for lunch. (The kids love pepperoni, and though I didn't know it when I bought it, they also love salami.)
Then one day for whatever reason, I thought an American sub sounded good. Then I thought of all that meat in the refrigerator that would be great for an American sub or something of the kind. That's when I thought of an American sub crossed with a Stromboli. And thus my idea was born. (Not like I'm the only one to ever think of this.) I tested out my recipe and it was DELICIOUS! Tastes just like the sub I was making it after. Here is the recipe for your tasting pleasure!
Here's what you need:
2 1/2 C. flour
1 C. warm water
1 packet (1/4 oz.) yeast
1 T. sugar
1 T. oil
1 tsp. salt
Cooking Spray
Pepperoni and Salami (ham would also be nice, but I didn't have any)
Honey Mustard Dressing (I used Kraft)
Lettuce
Tomato
Onion
Oregano (optional)
Garlic Powder (optional)
Parmesan Cheese (optional)
Here's how you make it: (most of this is from my Stromboli post)
1. Combine the first six ingredients until you get something that looks like this.
2. At this point, use your hands to form the dough into a ball. Then knead the dough for a few minutes. I knead the dough right in the bowl, because I'm lazy and don't want to have to flour my counter top and then clean it up afterwards.
3. After a few minutes, form the dough into a ball.
4. I spray the dough ball with olive oil cooking spray and then cover with a wet paper towel to keep the dough moist while it rises. (I sometimes make my dough the night before and allow it to rise over night in the refrigerator. If I do this, then I cover the bowl with plastic wrap.) Allow to rise for at least 30 minutes.
5. Spray a pan with cooking spray. Then roll the dough into a rectangle.
Any who...Anthony and I (and the kids) always go out to eat with his family after church on Sundays. We typically migrate towards places with buffets since it's easy to please a wide variety of tastes that way and get your fill. A pizza place we go to used to put subs out on their buffet. One of which was called an American sub. It was so good. But then one day the said they weren't going to put them out anymore. So since then, my run in with the American sub has been few and far between.
Now a couple of weeks back, I was doing my monthly grocery shopping. At the one store I was in, they had an insanely good price on Hormel Pepperoni and Hormel Salami. Like a 9oz. package for a dollar or something like that. So, I being the frugal shopper that I am, decided to spend money I hadn't intended on spending to take them up on their good deal. :) Funny how that works. I didn't really know what I was going to do with it other than maybe make some sandwiches for Anthony for work and feed it to the kids for lunch. (The kids love pepperoni, and though I didn't know it when I bought it, they also love salami.)
Then one day for whatever reason, I thought an American sub sounded good. Then I thought of all that meat in the refrigerator that would be great for an American sub or something of the kind. That's when I thought of an American sub crossed with a Stromboli. And thus my idea was born. (Not like I'm the only one to ever think of this.) I tested out my recipe and it was DELICIOUS! Tastes just like the sub I was making it after. Here is the recipe for your tasting pleasure!
Here's what you need:
2 1/2 C. flour
1 C. warm water
1 packet (1/4 oz.) yeast
1 T. sugar
1 T. oil
1 tsp. salt
Cooking Spray
Pepperoni and Salami (ham would also be nice, but I didn't have any)
Honey Mustard Dressing (I used Kraft)
Lettuce
Tomato
Onion
Oregano (optional)
Garlic Powder (optional)
Parmesan Cheese (optional)
Here's how you make it: (most of this is from my Stromboli post)
1. Combine the first six ingredients until you get something that looks like this.
2. At this point, use your hands to form the dough into a ball. Then knead the dough for a few minutes. I knead the dough right in the bowl, because I'm lazy and don't want to have to flour my counter top and then clean it up afterwards.
3. After a few minutes, form the dough into a ball.
4. I spray the dough ball with olive oil cooking spray and then cover with a wet paper towel to keep the dough moist while it rises. (I sometimes make my dough the night before and allow it to rise over night in the refrigerator. If I do this, then I cover the bowl with plastic wrap.) Allow to rise for at least 30 minutes.
5. Spray a pan with cooking spray. Then roll the dough into a rectangle.
6. Spread the dressing over half of the dough. I didn't measure. Just use what you think is enough. Just don't put too much or it will be really runny on the inside.
7. Place a layer or pepperoni and a layer of salami on top of the dressing.
8. Then place a layer of lettuce, a layer of tomato, and a layer of onion on top of the meat.
9. Fold the other half of the dough over top of the toppings and crimp edges.
10. If you would like, you can sprinkle some oregano, garlic salt, and Parmesan cheese on top of the dough at this point. I do, and my family likes it, but you wouldn't have to.
11. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Voila! And so yummy! This one is definitely a keeper!
Sincerely,
The Mommy Chef
The Mommy Chef
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Fan-tas-TICK
Let me set the scene for you. I driving down the street I live on, looking forward to coming home after being at work. I notice as I pull up to the stop sign in front of our house that my mother-in-law was looking intently out the front window. Weird!, I thought to myself. They aren't normally sitting and staring out the front window. Her and the kids are always doing something fun together.
Then as I walk up to the side door, it opens for me. Weird!, I thought to myself. They don't usually open the door for me. Probably because most of the time they don't know I'm home, but still...
Then I walk in to find my MIL and son standing at the door. My son didn't have his shirt on. Weird!, I thought to myself. He's not normally topless when I get home.
Then I notice my MIL pointing at my son, with this interesting look on her face and trying to mouth something to me. Obviously confused, she asked, "Did you get my message?". Well, that can't be good!, I thought to myself.
"No," I said.
"He got bit by a tick," she told me.
I have to admit that in that moment I thought I must have walked into someone else's house. My son, bit by a tick? Not possible., I thought to myself. Not that he is immune from such things happening, I just never thought it would be something I would be confronted with in my lifetime. I mean, I know we have ticks in this area, but I naively thought they were mainly in wooded areas and you only got bit if you spent time in those areas. Well, I'm here to tell you that is not the case. They were only outside for a little bit in the morning and all they did was walk around the yard and look at flowers. Not the kind of activity I thought would lead to a tick bite.
My MIL said she woke Anthony up to ask him what to do. He didn't know and apparently, figuring he wasn't going to be any help to anybody, promptly went back to bed. I was pretty sure I knew what to do, but wanted to make sure I did everything exactly right, so I opted to call the nurse at my pediatricians office so she could walk me though the removal process. (Which, by the way, is silly because I have a nifty little first aid print out hanging on my fridge that covers things like this and I never seem to use it.)
Let me just say, removing a tick is not as easy as it sounds. Either that, or I'm just an idiot, but either way, I couldn't get the stinking thing out. My biggest fear was to pull on it too hard and rip off the body without getting the head out. So before I made the situation worse, I opted to schedule him a doctors appointment and let the professionals remove it.
Now, not a lot of things gross me out. At least I like to think I have a higher tolerance for gross things. But I don't do bugs. I just don't handle them well. And trying to yank this thing out was just almost more than I could handle to be honest. And, the doctors appointment was a couple of hours away, so I was forced to look at this thing on his shoulder for awhile.
I wanted to keep my son occupied and still so he didn't mess with the tick, so I put on a Thomas movie for him to watch. We were sitting there watching it, waiting for the minutes to go by so we could get this thing removed, when my son gets my attention.
"Mommy," he says, "there was a bug in my ear. It was tickling me."
I look over at his outstretched finger to see this bug crawling quickly up his hand onto his arm. What is that?, I wonder. I get up to take a look at it.
"That no bug!", I said. "That's a tick!" At this point I'm freaking out a bit and a little annoyed. Oh, and a little confused. This can't be a different one...but how can this be the same one? I quickly grab a Kleenex and pick up the tick. Then I look at the spot on my son's shoulder where the tick was. It was gone. Sure enough, it was the same tick.
Why this one let go I'm not so sure. I thought they stayed attached to you for awhile to get their fill. Whatever the reason, I'm grateful. That was certainly easier than taking him to the doctor. And I'm also grateful my son brought it to my attention before the tick decided to attach elsewhere or on someone else. I'm grateful that the tick was intact. Apparently, in terms of tick removal, this is a big deal. So hooray for that!
During this whole ordeal, my son was the picture of calmness. He didn't even bat an eye. So lastly, I'm grateful that the tick bit my son and not my daughter. That sounds like a weird thing to be grateful for, I know, but if you know much about my daughter, you know why. Bugs freak her out. Trust me, if there is an ant or a spider in the house, she will let you know it. If an ant crawls by her high chair, she yells out, "Ant, ant!" and is too terrified to eat until you remove it from her presence. If there is one on the floor, she yells out "Ant, ant" and, as upset as she is by it, it too scared to move. So I can only imagine what it would have been like had it been her and not my son. I think that trying to remove the tick from her would have been a lot more traumatic. My MIL actually said my daughter was freaked out when she realized it was on my son and she kept looking down her shirt to make sure there was nothing on her!
Now we sit and wait to make sure that he didn't catch anything from the tick. He was bitten by a Lone Star Tick. Fortunately, this tick doesn't transmit Lyme Disease. Unfortunately, it can transmit Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and a few other diseases, though rare. Let's pray for the best!
Sincerely,
The Mother Who Has Felt Like She's Had Bugs Crawling On Her All Day!
Then as I walk up to the side door, it opens for me. Weird!, I thought to myself. They don't usually open the door for me. Probably because most of the time they don't know I'm home, but still...
Then I walk in to find my MIL and son standing at the door. My son didn't have his shirt on. Weird!, I thought to myself. He's not normally topless when I get home.
Then I notice my MIL pointing at my son, with this interesting look on her face and trying to mouth something to me. Obviously confused, she asked, "Did you get my message?". Well, that can't be good!, I thought to myself.
"No," I said.
"He got bit by a tick," she told me.
I have to admit that in that moment I thought I must have walked into someone else's house. My son, bit by a tick? Not possible., I thought to myself. Not that he is immune from such things happening, I just never thought it would be something I would be confronted with in my lifetime. I mean, I know we have ticks in this area, but I naively thought they were mainly in wooded areas and you only got bit if you spent time in those areas. Well, I'm here to tell you that is not the case. They were only outside for a little bit in the morning and all they did was walk around the yard and look at flowers. Not the kind of activity I thought would lead to a tick bite.
My MIL said she woke Anthony up to ask him what to do. He didn't know and apparently, figuring he wasn't going to be any help to anybody, promptly went back to bed. I was pretty sure I knew what to do, but wanted to make sure I did everything exactly right, so I opted to call the nurse at my pediatricians office so she could walk me though the removal process. (Which, by the way, is silly because I have a nifty little first aid print out hanging on my fridge that covers things like this and I never seem to use it.)
Let me just say, removing a tick is not as easy as it sounds. Either that, or I'm just an idiot, but either way, I couldn't get the stinking thing out. My biggest fear was to pull on it too hard and rip off the body without getting the head out. So before I made the situation worse, I opted to schedule him a doctors appointment and let the professionals remove it.
Now, not a lot of things gross me out. At least I like to think I have a higher tolerance for gross things. But I don't do bugs. I just don't handle them well. And trying to yank this thing out was just almost more than I could handle to be honest. And, the doctors appointment was a couple of hours away, so I was forced to look at this thing on his shoulder for awhile.
I wanted to keep my son occupied and still so he didn't mess with the tick, so I put on a Thomas movie for him to watch. We were sitting there watching it, waiting for the minutes to go by so we could get this thing removed, when my son gets my attention.
"Mommy," he says, "there was a bug in my ear. It was tickling me."
I look over at his outstretched finger to see this bug crawling quickly up his hand onto his arm. What is that?, I wonder. I get up to take a look at it.
"That no bug!", I said. "That's a tick!" At this point I'm freaking out a bit and a little annoyed. Oh, and a little confused. This can't be a different one...but how can this be the same one? I quickly grab a Kleenex and pick up the tick. Then I look at the spot on my son's shoulder where the tick was. It was gone. Sure enough, it was the same tick.
Why this one let go I'm not so sure. I thought they stayed attached to you for awhile to get their fill. Whatever the reason, I'm grateful. That was certainly easier than taking him to the doctor. And I'm also grateful my son brought it to my attention before the tick decided to attach elsewhere or on someone else. I'm grateful that the tick was intact. Apparently, in terms of tick removal, this is a big deal. So hooray for that!
During this whole ordeal, my son was the picture of calmness. He didn't even bat an eye. So lastly, I'm grateful that the tick bit my son and not my daughter. That sounds like a weird thing to be grateful for, I know, but if you know much about my daughter, you know why. Bugs freak her out. Trust me, if there is an ant or a spider in the house, she will let you know it. If an ant crawls by her high chair, she yells out, "Ant, ant!" and is too terrified to eat until you remove it from her presence. If there is one on the floor, she yells out "Ant, ant" and, as upset as she is by it, it too scared to move. So I can only imagine what it would have been like had it been her and not my son. I think that trying to remove the tick from her would have been a lot more traumatic. My MIL actually said my daughter was freaked out when she realized it was on my son and she kept looking down her shirt to make sure there was nothing on her!
Now we sit and wait to make sure that he didn't catch anything from the tick. He was bitten by a Lone Star Tick. Fortunately, this tick doesn't transmit Lyme Disease. Unfortunately, it can transmit Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and a few other diseases, though rare. Let's pray for the best!
 |
| Isn't that just enough to gross you out? |
Sincerely,
The Mother Who Has Felt Like She's Had Bugs Crawling On Her All Day!
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Preschool Schme-school
When my son turned 3, I took him into his pediatrician for his yearly well visit. During the visit, his pediatrician asked me about my plans for preschool. I usually go into these visits very well prepared. But that question caught me off guard. Is it really time for preschool already? Man, these years have flown by! I thought to myself. I suppose its true that most parents would be sending a child the same age as my son off to preschool in the fall.
I hadn't really given it much thought, partially because it snuck up on me and partially because I wasn't sure I ever had serious intentions of sending him. I explained that I hadn't given it a whole lot of thought and that I didn't really intend on sending him in the fall. I went on to say that neither Anthony nor I attended preschool and that I like to think we turned out OK.
She explained to me that in her opinion, while two years aren't really necessary, she could see where one year would be beneficial. She explained that it would give him contact with kids his age and let him develop his social skills, get him prepared for a classroom setting (i.e. following rules), and that it would give him the opportunity to engage in "art things" (that's not the term she used), such as making crafts, painting, etc., which aren't always possible for busy parents to engage their kids in on a regular basis.
I could see her point. But, while he doesn't have daily contact with kids his age, he attends Story Time at the library, is in Sunday School at church, and I schedule play dates for him as much as our schedule allows. ST and SS do help prepare him for a classroom setting, and they also give him some opportunities to engage in "art things".
Art is the one area that I felt like I could improve upon at home however. As much stuff as my son and I do together, as much time as we spend together, for whatever reason we don't color much, don't paint, don't do crafts, don't really do any of that. I really felt bad once I realized that and felt like he was missing out on an opportunity to nurture his artistic and creative side while spending time with me.
So I set out to do at least on craft a week with him as well as spend more time coloring/painting/drawing with him. I must say that he is beyond excited about all the new things we are doing together. Crafts are now one of his favorite things to do, and when he gets bored he often comes to me and says, "I want to do a craft!".
So I thought I would start sharing some of them with you, in case you have little ones and would like to try them out.
One week in Sunday School, he learned about David and David's love of music. They learned that David played the harp to his flock and to the king. And then they made a harp in SS. On the little take home paper, as an extension of what they learned, it asked you to find other things around the house you could use to make music. The idea of a guitar sounded cool and from there, I rounded up what I thought we would need to make it and we got started.
Here's what you need:
A shoe box
A paper towel tube
Tape (duct tape or packaging tape)
Wide Ribbon
Various sizes/widths of rubber bands
Crayons/Markers
Scissors
1. Cut a medium sized whole in the lid much like you would see in a guitar.
2. Let your child decorate the inside (or bottom) of the lid.
3. Once your child has finished, have him/her help you pick out various rubber bands and stretch
them across the lid.
4. Place the lid on top of the show box upside down (so that the bottom of the lid is showing) and
tape it to the shoe box.
5. Tape the paper towel tube to one end of the show box to make the handle of the guitar.
6. Tape one end of the ribbon to one of the top corners of the shoe box and tape the other end to the
other top corner of the shoe box to create the strap.
Voila!
This is by far his favorite one we have done together thus far. He was so excited about it that when it was time to wake Anthony up, he said he wanted to "drum it the whole way upstairs to get Daddy up". The lingo needs a bit of work, but we'll work on that later.
Sincerely,
The Crafty Mom
Monday, June 18, 2012
"Frock" the Combine
My son was playing in the basement on Saturday with some "new" Hot Wheels he had gotten from a garage sale earlier in the day. He was racing them all down his little loop-dee-loop race track to see who would win. I was upstairs in the kitchen enjoying my peace and quite and getting a few things done when I heard my son walking up the stairs.
Once in the kitchen he keeps mumbling something about "Frock the combine" and asking me to come get him from the basement and bring him upstairs.
"Frock the combine?", I ask him, a bit confused as to what he's talking about.
"Yea, frock the combine. He's scary!", my son tells me in a perfectly serious voice.
"Oh, you mean Frank the Combine...", I said.
"Yea, frock the combine.", he says again. Apparently he can't say Frank.
In case you are not familiar with Frank the Combine, he is the combine in the movie Cars that chases Lightning McQueen and Mater out of the farmer's field after Frank caught them "tractor tipping". My son has a miniature Frank the Combine as well as a Lightning McQueen and Mater. It was a set he received in his stocking for Christmas. He was so excited to get it and I thought had enjoyed playing with it thus far.
Once in the kitchen he keeps mumbling something about "Frock the combine" and asking me to come get him from the basement and bring him upstairs.
"Frock the combine?", I ask him, a bit confused as to what he's talking about.
"Yea, frock the combine. He's scary!", my son tells me in a perfectly serious voice.
"Oh, you mean Frank the Combine...", I said.
"Yea, frock the combine.", he says again. Apparently he can't say Frank.
In case you are not familiar with Frank the Combine, he is the combine in the movie Cars that chases Lightning McQueen and Mater out of the farmer's field after Frank caught them "tractor tipping". My son has a miniature Frank the Combine as well as a Lightning McQueen and Mater. It was a set he received in his stocking for Christmas. He was so excited to get it and I thought had enjoyed playing with it thus far.
I chuckled to myself. "You're scared of Frank the combine?", I ask, not really sure what's so scary about him.
"Yea, he's scary!", my son says again. "You need to come down and get him and bring him upstairs so I can't see him so then I won't be scared."
I follow him downstairs and then cleverly (or at least I thought it was) asked, "Well why don't you just hide him so you can't see him?"
To my surprise, he replied, "I did! But I can still see his tires!". I am often surprised by how clever and smart he is and his ability to try to reason things out or solve problems, but at this point I really shouldn't be. It was pretty clever of him to think of hiding Frank to start out with, or at least I think so.
I looked around. I couldn't see him anywhere. "Where is he?", I asked. My son pointed to the front of the treadmill. He had hidden him between the treadmill and the wall, but if you looked really hard you could still see one of his tires.
I picked up Frank and said, "Mommy will hide him so that you can't see him at all. Then you won't have to be scared anymore!" I then hid him under some blankets. "He's sleeping now."
My son smiled, intrigued by this idea and where I had hidden him. But then he said, "No. You have to take him upstairs. I know he's there. He's scary."
"Why do you think he's scary?", I asked him.
"Well because, he's mean!", he said.
"To Lightning McQueen and Mater?", I asked.
"Yea.", he said.
Then I thought I might be onto something. "Well, he was only mean to Lightning McQueen and Mater because they were bad. So as long as you behave and don't do anything you're not supposed to, Frank won't bother you.", I explained to him.
He seemed satisfied with this. So I left Frank tucked under the blankets and went back up to the kitchen to finish what I had started. But a few minutes later, my son came up the stairs again asking me to take Frank upstairs. "He's not sleeping.", he explained to me. "He's scary. I can't be left alone with him. You have to bring him upstairs."
I mean, I know that most fears are irrational, but seriously. I guess we have another one to add to his list: heights, woodpeckers (because apparently the sound they make is scary), and Frank the combine.
Sincerely,
The-M-O-M
The-M-O-M
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Spring Is In Full Swing
Now I realize that several (or all of you) may be thinking that spring has been over and done with for awhile. And while the warmer than usual temperatures we have been having all spring long might lead you to conclude that, it is in fact spring for exactly one more week. Just so we have that clear... :)
This year, my son has been super excited about all of the wonderful things that happen during spring. Last year he really could have cared less, but this year he is so interested in all that nature has to offer. First and foremost, he LOVES flowers. It has become a daily event (well, it probably happens several times a day knowing him) that we go around together and check out all of the plants. We see how they have grown, which ones have grown buds, and which ones have started blooming.
His brain is truly a sponge and he is just so naturally interested in the world around him and so thirsty for knowledge. It truly is amazing to see all that he has learned, and the best part is he doesn't even know he's learning things, he's just having fun. At age 3, he knows the names of more flowers than I probably knew at age 20, no joke. As we look at all of the flowers, he says things like , "Look, the Lillies have buds!" or "Look! That one is about to open up!". One day I even caught him talking to the one Hosta buds. He said, "Hello little buuuuuuuuuud. You need to open up so I can see you and smell you!".
Speaking of smelling flowers, it's not unusual for him to smell the yellow Lillies picture above (his favorite) and have yellow pollen all over his face. FYI - that stuff stains your skin, and it doesn't come off easily.
Something new that we are attempting this year is growing plants from seeds. So this is part of our daily checking, looking to see how our seedlings have grown.
The other thing that my son is excited about is all the wildlife we have this year. Since we got rid of our dog, who must have scared most of the animals away, we have gotten to see quite a few little creatures up close.
This year we put up a Hummingbird feeder. We have had several Hummingbirds this year (though I think they are more interested in the flowers by the feeder than the feeder itself) and as soon as I solve the ant problem we are having, hopefully we will have a lot more. I love coming home and having my son run up to me and tell me stories about the Hummingbirds the saw that day.
We also have many other birds. We have seen some Blue Jays and Cardinals, and a Robin has chosen to make our tiny red leaf Maple tree its home. My son was excited to discover that the nest has eggs, and he can't wait for them to hatch.
We also have a ton of rabbits this year. We have always had rabbits around where we live, but our dog kept them out of our yard for the most part. The kids love to look at them in the yard. And while they are cute and fluffy and neat to look at, they have become a bit of a pest for me. I had to put up a fence to protect my Morning Glories since they chewed several of them off to a nub and may soon have to put one up around the back flower bed unless I want all of my Sunflowers to disappear.
Where is my daughter at in all of this? (You might be asking yourself this since I didn't mention her.) Well, we normally do all of our exploring while she's napping right now. One time when we were looking at flowers, she picked up a shovel and dug up one of my Morning Glory seedlings and she will routinely pluck off flowers and buds if you don't keep an eye one her.
Sincerely,
The Nature Lover
This year, my son has been super excited about all of the wonderful things that happen during spring. Last year he really could have cared less, but this year he is so interested in all that nature has to offer. First and foremost, he LOVES flowers. It has become a daily event (well, it probably happens several times a day knowing him) that we go around together and check out all of the plants. We see how they have grown, which ones have grown buds, and which ones have started blooming.
 |
| He is posing with the Lilly that has grown taller than him. The yellow ones off to the side are his favorite flower. |
Speaking of smelling flowers, it's not unusual for him to smell the yellow Lillies picture above (his favorite) and have yellow pollen all over his face. FYI - that stuff stains your skin, and it doesn't come off easily.
Something new that we are attempting this year is growing plants from seeds. So this is part of our daily checking, looking to see how our seedlings have grown.
 |
| He is posing with all the seedlings in our new flower bed at the back of our property. He is most excited about the Sunflowers we planted back here. |
 |
| The fish pond is where his two outdoor loves, plants and animals meet. He loves to see the Lillies blooming as well as feed and watch the fish. |
We also have many other birds. We have seen some Blue Jays and Cardinals, and a Robin has chosen to make our tiny red leaf Maple tree its home. My son was excited to discover that the nest has eggs, and he can't wait for them to hatch.
 |
| The tree they are in is very small so the nest is low enough that we can lift my son up and he can see in. |
Where is my daughter at in all of this? (You might be asking yourself this since I didn't mention her.) Well, we normally do all of our exploring while she's napping right now. One time when we were looking at flowers, she picked up a shovel and dug up one of my Morning Glory seedlings and she will routinely pluck off flowers and buds if you don't keep an eye one her.
Sincerely,
The Nature Lover
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Traumatized For Life
One of my main goals as a parent, as I'm sure it is for all parents, is to try not to do anything that might traumatize my kids. It seems silly for that to be a goal really, because why would you do something to traumatize your own child. But I'm just saying, we hope that nothing we do inadvertently traumatizes them.
So I decided the other day was D-day. I was going to give that thing a bath if it was the last thing I did. My daughter and I were inside accomplishing various tasks around the house. Like her big brother, she loves to help. I thought that I would make the task of washing her lovie sound like a fun thing that she could participate in. (I'm stupidly optimistic like that, though I should know better.) I said, "Come! Let's go give Sheepy a bath! She'll go splish-splash in the bath just like you do and will be all nice and clean then." I said all of this in a high-pitched, excited voice to get her interested. She willingly followed me and seemed excited about it.
That is until we got to the washing machine. She put Sheepy in for a second, but once she realized what we were doing, she grabbed Sheepy out of the washer and took of into the other room and hid from me. When I found her and tried to remove Sheepy from her kung-fu grip, she screamed.
That's when I decided on Plan B, trickery. I waited for her to become busy playing and put Sheepy down. She kept a watchful eye on me for a while, but eventually became engrossed in something, put Sheepy down, and forgot all about her. That's when I swooped in, snatched Sheepy, and stealthily snuck her off to the washer.
All was going we well. She didn't even notice that Sheepy was gone from the spot she had dropped her. That is until she fell, bumped her head, and wanted Sheepy to comfort her. She stood up and went to the spot where Sheepy was, stood there for a moment, and then heard the sound of the washer running. She immediately ran to the laundry room door. BUSTED! There's no fooling this kid. She stood at the door and broke down crying and saying "BAA! BAAAAAAAA! BAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" (She calls her Sheepy "Baa" since that's what a sheep says and she can't yet say Sheepy.)
I felt horrible. But there was nothing I could do. Then I thought, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if she could just see Sheepy. I had laundry to get out of the dryer anyway. I thought, 'She can see that sheepy is alright and then she can help me with the laundry". (Again, stupidly optimistic.) STRIKE THREE! She just stood there, pressed her hands and face against the door on our front-load washer, watched Sheepy go round and round, and yelled out "BAA! BAA!". Needless to say, we didn't get much laundry done.
She was the most hysterical I had ever seen her. Even once we went upstairs she just walked around, pouting and saying "Baa!". I started to fear that I was traumatizing her for life. Poor thing. But alas, before bed, Sheepy was dry, the two were reunited, and the events of the evening seemed to have instantly been forgotten (I hope). Honestly, she was so happy to have her back, I don't think she cared what she smelled like.
And might I just say, Sheepy looks brand new. (And doesn't have a funny odor)
Sincerely,
The Terribly Traumatizing Mother
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
The Timeout Tango
At a play date today, I was talking about this with a friend and thought I would share it with all of you. It is both interesting and funny... and a bit of a conundrum I suppose.
It would be accurate to say that the number one reason my son ends up in time out is for being mean (usually hitting/pushing) his younger sister. Now, the whole point of time out, in my mind, is to separate the child from the situation, give him a chance to cool off, and to think about what he did wrong or might do better the next time. It's a teaching tool. Now, I realize that's asking a bit much for a 3 year old but that's the idea behind the whole thing.
Almost the instant my son resigns himself to his timeout spot, my daughter happily joins him. Now if my son is really angry about something, this only serves to anger him further. But most of the time, he thinks it's funny, and so she thinks it's funny, and then before you know it the two of them are laughing, playing, and having a good ol' time in timeout.
Now seriously, what am I supposed to so? I mean, he really should be sitting alone in time out. Timeout is pretty ineffective if he has playmates in timeout with him and is having a great time, right? But on the other hand, a timeout isn't meant to be punishment so much as it is to be used as a teaching tool. And if they are getting along, isn't that really what I wanted to begin with? So I mean really, what on earth is the "right" thing to do, if there is such a thing?
One thing that I learn over and over, is that parenting is a very humbling experience. As much as you feel like you know, as smart as you feel like you are, it is often difficult to discern the "right" answer.
Sincerely,
The Condundrum-ed Mother (Yup, I totally made up a word...)
It would be accurate to say that the number one reason my son ends up in time out is for being mean (usually hitting/pushing) his younger sister. Now, the whole point of time out, in my mind, is to separate the child from the situation, give him a chance to cool off, and to think about what he did wrong or might do better the next time. It's a teaching tool. Now, I realize that's asking a bit much for a 3 year old but that's the idea behind the whole thing.
Almost the instant my son resigns himself to his timeout spot, my daughter happily joins him. Now if my son is really angry about something, this only serves to anger him further. But most of the time, he thinks it's funny, and so she thinks it's funny, and then before you know it the two of them are laughing, playing, and having a good ol' time in timeout.
Now seriously, what am I supposed to so? I mean, he really should be sitting alone in time out. Timeout is pretty ineffective if he has playmates in timeout with him and is having a great time, right? But on the other hand, a timeout isn't meant to be punishment so much as it is to be used as a teaching tool. And if they are getting along, isn't that really what I wanted to begin with? So I mean really, what on earth is the "right" thing to do, if there is such a thing?
One thing that I learn over and over, is that parenting is a very humbling experience. As much as you feel like you know, as smart as you feel like you are, it is often difficult to discern the "right" answer.
Sincerely,
The Condundrum-ed Mother (Yup, I totally made up a word...)
Friday, May 25, 2012
Dimples, and Pimples, and Nipples, Oh My
So the other day, my son and I were sitting on the couch together, just hanging out. I told him to look at me and smile. I was trying to figure out if he had dimples. I know, you are probably thinking, 'how do you not know if he has dimples'? Well, I was looking back at pictures of him when he was younger and thought I could see some tiny dimples, but I didn't think he really had any. Weird, I know.
So anyway, I'm looking at his face. He asks me what I am looking at. I say to him, "I'm looking to see if you have dimples." And then just to be silly, because my son loves silliness, I said, "Or maybe I am looking to see if you have pimples."
My son gets this excited look about his face and says, "Look mommy, I DO have pimples!" Then he proceeds to lift up his shirt, and point to his nipples.
I couldn't help but laugh.
Sincerely,
The-Silly-M-O-M
So anyway, I'm looking at his face. He asks me what I am looking at. I say to him, "I'm looking to see if you have dimples." And then just to be silly, because my son loves silliness, I said, "Or maybe I am looking to see if you have pimples."
My son gets this excited look about his face and says, "Look mommy, I DO have pimples!" Then he proceeds to lift up his shirt, and point to his nipples.
I couldn't help but laugh.
Sincerely,
The-Silly-M-O-M
Commitment, Commitment, Commitment
So I have been away from my blog for about a month now. Honestly, it was both sad and freeing to take a step away. When I set out to start a blog, I didn't realize how time consuming it would be. Keeping up with my blog often meant that I didn't have the time to scrapbook, which is my true love. I have fallen quite behind in my scrapbooking and I really want to get it caught up. But I also miss blogging (and being able to write, which I also love) and sharing the craziness that is my life with all of you.
The goals I have set for myself for this summer are:
So get ready M-O-M fans. This blog is back. And it should be a good summer!
Sincerely,
The-M-O-M
The goals I have set for myself for this summer are:
- To get caught up on my scrapbooking
- To get all of our homevideos on DVDs and to write a short description for each (so we can find something when we are looking for it)
- To send my book out to all the literary agents I can find. If I can't find someone to publish it by the end of the summer, I'm going to let that dream die
- To blog 3 times a week
So get ready M-O-M fans. This blog is back. And it should be a good summer!
Sincerely,
The-M-O-M
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Little Miller-isms
It's no secret that I love the TV show House. If you have ever explored the website for the TV show, they have compiled a list of House-isms, that is, quotes/sayings that reflect the sarcastic, witty, in-your-face nature of Dr. House. My son said several sweet/funny things tonight so I thought for this blog post I would compile a list of Miller-isms courtesy of my 3 year old son.
1. I asked my son this afternoon, since he was still asleep when I left for work this morning, "What time did you get up today?". He said, "Ummm... 80 o'clock."
2. We have been going down to the park to watch the girls varsity softball team play when they have home games. My son has grown up around the softball girls and seems to feel pretty comfortable around them. He started talking about some girl today. I said, "Who is that?" (referring to the girl). He said, "One of the softball girls" (or girlers as he says). I asked, "Do you like her?". He said, "Yes". When I asked him why, he said, "Because she has pretty hair."
3. Tonight was bath night in the Miller household. My son was busy soaping/washing himself. He had just finishing soaping his behind when he farted. Then he asked, "Did I fart all the soap off my butt?".
Sincerely,
The-M-O-M
1. I asked my son this afternoon, since he was still asleep when I left for work this morning, "What time did you get up today?". He said, "Ummm... 80 o'clock."
2. We have been going down to the park to watch the girls varsity softball team play when they have home games. My son has grown up around the softball girls and seems to feel pretty comfortable around them. He started talking about some girl today. I said, "Who is that?" (referring to the girl). He said, "One of the softball girls" (or girlers as he says). I asked, "Do you like her?". He said, "Yes". When I asked him why, he said, "Because she has pretty hair."
3. Tonight was bath night in the Miller household. My son was busy soaping/washing himself. He had just finishing soaping his behind when he farted. Then he asked, "Did I fart all the soap off my butt?".
Sincerely,
The-M-O-M
Monday, April 23, 2012
Help Wanted: The Ignorant Need Not Apply
Help Wanted: Someone who can write reviews online for products they have purchased. The reviews must contain useful information and be generally helpful to those interested in buying the product. The Ignorant Need Not Apply. You might be ignorant if you have done any of the following while writing a review for a product:
1. Given the product a poor rating because it was damaged during shipping. I realize that one might be frustrated in this scenario because now they have to go through the hassle of returning the damaged one and getting a new one. But it's the risk you run when you buy online. Unless the company who made the product hand delivered the product to your door, and thus the damaged product is a direct reflection of that company, you should not be leaving a bad review for this reason. Complain to your hubby, your bestie, your mommy, or even take to your blog and complain to your bloggies (I totally just made that up, think groupie, without the sexual undertone, but for bloggers), but please don't complain about it in your review.
2. Given the product a poor rating because you received the wrong color of the item you ordered. Mistakes happen. So unless you send the first one back and the second is still the wrong color (which may signal an issue), I don't think it's worth mentioning. Refer to number 1 as to what you should do with your complaints.
3. Given the product a poor rating because you claim the description of the item differs in some way from the item you received. Before you claim that certain things were missing, perhaps you should go back and read the description to make sure that it is explicitly stated that you are going to receive what you think you should. Just because you think something should come with the hardware needed for installation, for instance, doesn't mean that it actually comes with it. And you know what happens when you assume things. So before you make yourself look silly and post something about how the product wasn't accurately described, go back and reread the item description. Nine times out of ten, people just don't read things carefully enough.
4. Given a product a good rating even though you haven't used it yet. A review is not the place to talk about how excited you are that you received the product you ordered. I am happy for you, really. I know the joy of opening the box of something you have been waiting for. But seriously, sharing your joy with others is just plain silly, and not the least bit helpful. Refer to number 1 to see who you should share your joy with.
If you have done any (or all) of these things, please refrain from ever writing a review again so that I no longer have to waste my time sifting through reviews. A little commonsense goes a long way...
Sincerely,
The Annoyed Online Shopper
1. Given the product a poor rating because it was damaged during shipping. I realize that one might be frustrated in this scenario because now they have to go through the hassle of returning the damaged one and getting a new one. But it's the risk you run when you buy online. Unless the company who made the product hand delivered the product to your door, and thus the damaged product is a direct reflection of that company, you should not be leaving a bad review for this reason. Complain to your hubby, your bestie, your mommy, or even take to your blog and complain to your bloggies (I totally just made that up, think groupie, without the sexual undertone, but for bloggers), but please don't complain about it in your review.
2. Given the product a poor rating because you received the wrong color of the item you ordered. Mistakes happen. So unless you send the first one back and the second is still the wrong color (which may signal an issue), I don't think it's worth mentioning. Refer to number 1 as to what you should do with your complaints.
3. Given the product a poor rating because you claim the description of the item differs in some way from the item you received. Before you claim that certain things were missing, perhaps you should go back and read the description to make sure that it is explicitly stated that you are going to receive what you think you should. Just because you think something should come with the hardware needed for installation, for instance, doesn't mean that it actually comes with it. And you know what happens when you assume things. So before you make yourself look silly and post something about how the product wasn't accurately described, go back and reread the item description. Nine times out of ten, people just don't read things carefully enough.
4. Given a product a good rating even though you haven't used it yet. A review is not the place to talk about how excited you are that you received the product you ordered. I am happy for you, really. I know the joy of opening the box of something you have been waiting for. But seriously, sharing your joy with others is just plain silly, and not the least bit helpful. Refer to number 1 to see who you should share your joy with.
If you have done any (or all) of these things, please refrain from ever writing a review again so that I no longer have to waste my time sifting through reviews. A little commonsense goes a long way...
Sincerely,
The Annoyed Online Shopper
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Greasy Cups
Anthony and I came to an understanding this year and we decided against his coaching softball again. But we still know a lot of the girls well and like to get out and see some of their home games. Our local grocery store sent over some Reese's Cups to hand out to the girls after the a home game this past week. There were a bunch left over so they gave one to Anthony and one to my son. Anthony ate his immediately. They are by far his favorite candy bar. My son, on the other hand, was busy helping his uncle Marcus rake the field, so we told him he could have his later.
Two days later after dinner, Anthony was raiding the kids remaining Easter candy trying to score some goodies. He didn't find anything that he liked, but noticed that we hadn't given our son his Reese's cups yet. So Anthony said to our son, "Do you want to split this with me?", holding the Reese's cup in the air for our son to see. Our son nodded his head and sat their with a big smile on his face in anticipation of the peanut-butter-chocolaty goodness coming his way.
I couldn't help but laugh at Anthony and his cleverness, remembering only a day earlier Anthony laughing at me for biting those Whopper Robin eggs in half and giving one half to our daughter while I ate the other. In my defense, she can't bite into a whole one without a reasonable risk of choking, but can handle half of one just fine. So if I'm going to bite them in half for her, I may as well eat one of the halves...just sayin'...
Anthony gave our son one of the Reese's cups out of the package and then set the other one in front of himself. Then he said, "One for you, and one for daddy."
Our son sat their for a moment, in deep thought, and then said, "No, they are both mine. They gave me that whole thing (pointing to the wrapper) and there are two in there so I should have two."
Anthony said, "But don't you want to share with daddy?"
Our son said no matter of factly and then waited for Anthony to fork over the other Reese's cup.
Anthony and I got to talking about how smart he is and about how good his memory is. We couldn't have been talking for more than 30-45 seconds when we looked back and saw that both Reese's cups were gone. He must have inhaled them.
Then Anthony said, "You didn't even save the last bite for Daddy?". Our son shook his head no as he sat there and licked every last bit of chocolate of his fingers.
When he was done he yelled, "More greasy cups, more greasy cups!".
We both laughed. This is not the first time he has referred to them as "greasy cups". We tried to get him to say it the right way, but to no avail.
You know, they would be a lot less tempting if they were called "Greasy Cups"!
Sincerely,
The-M-O-M
Two days later after dinner, Anthony was raiding the kids remaining Easter candy trying to score some goodies. He didn't find anything that he liked, but noticed that we hadn't given our son his Reese's cups yet. So Anthony said to our son, "Do you want to split this with me?", holding the Reese's cup in the air for our son to see. Our son nodded his head and sat their with a big smile on his face in anticipation of the peanut-butter-chocolaty goodness coming his way.
I couldn't help but laugh at Anthony and his cleverness, remembering only a day earlier Anthony laughing at me for biting those Whopper Robin eggs in half and giving one half to our daughter while I ate the other. In my defense, she can't bite into a whole one without a reasonable risk of choking, but can handle half of one just fine. So if I'm going to bite them in half for her, I may as well eat one of the halves...just sayin'...
Anthony gave our son one of the Reese's cups out of the package and then set the other one in front of himself. Then he said, "One for you, and one for daddy."
Our son sat their for a moment, in deep thought, and then said, "No, they are both mine. They gave me that whole thing (pointing to the wrapper) and there are two in there so I should have two."
Anthony said, "But don't you want to share with daddy?"
Our son said no matter of factly and then waited for Anthony to fork over the other Reese's cup.
Anthony and I got to talking about how smart he is and about how good his memory is. We couldn't have been talking for more than 30-45 seconds when we looked back and saw that both Reese's cups were gone. He must have inhaled them.
Then Anthony said, "You didn't even save the last bite for Daddy?". Our son shook his head no as he sat there and licked every last bit of chocolate of his fingers.
When he was done he yelled, "More greasy cups, more greasy cups!".
We both laughed. This is not the first time he has referred to them as "greasy cups". We tried to get him to say it the right way, but to no avail.
You know, they would be a lot less tempting if they were called "Greasy Cups"!
Sincerely,
The-M-O-M
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Minute To Win It
So about a month back, Anthony and I were keeping ourselves busy going through the ridiculously large amount of stuff that Anthony had saved from his childhood. It had been sitting in Anthony's parents attic and we thought we should finally go through all of it.
One thing you should know about Anthony and I is that we are both seriously goofy. Not many people would know that about us, since we tend to be more reserved in a group setting. But around each other, we are a couple of goofballs. So much so that both of us are convinced that had we not found each other, we would still be alone because no one else would understand our goofiness. We are made for each other. :) (But that's enough of this mushy talk.)
Anyway, we were looking at all this stuff trying to determine if it was something we wanted to let the kids play with or give away (or throw away). This little basketball net that I am modeling in the picture above, we had intended on keeping. Our son seemed interested in it so we just figured he could have it to play with. Then we were sitting there and thought, "Does this thing even stick to the wall anymore?". Well, the answer would be no. So it ended up in the trash pile.
After sitting there going through stuff for over an hour, I started to think that gouging my eye out with a fork sounded like more fun than doing what we were doing. A bit over dramatic, I know, but that's how bored I was. The only thing that kept me going was the desire to get all of the stuff out of the living room.
I was completely exhausted, and starting to get the case of the giggles, which is what happens to me when I get overtired. Then this hilarious (at least to me) idea popped into me head. I took the basketball hoop and stuck it to my forehead. I began laughing uncontrollably, even though it really wasn't that funny. I looked at Anthony and said, "Look! It works!".
He smiled and replied, "If you leave that thing stuck to your forehead it's going to look like you have a giant hickie on your face."
He had a point, though I don't think that thing had good enough suction to leave any sort of a mark. Regardless, I figured I had better remove the thing. Before I did though, I had him snap a picture for memory's sake.
Then I got to thinking, I should submit this to Minute to Win It for a game. Sometimes they do shows where a team or couple competes. One person could stand with his back turned to the person with the hoop stuck to their forehead. Then the person with their back turned can throw balls over their shoulder for the other person to catch in the hoop. How cool would that be? I know, I have way to much time on my hands if this is what I sit around thinking about.
Sincerely,
The Goofball
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
A Tale Of Two Bunnies
One Bunny, Two Bunny
Happy Bunny, Blue Bunny
This past Saturday we ventured out to the Bunny Trail. It's an event put on by local businesses. Think trick-or-treating with an Easter theme. We had initially planned on going to the bunny trail after the kids had lunch. But, we had a late breakfast and happened to be out and about at the time the bunny trail started, so we decided to go their first.
What used to be a small event has turned into something that nearly 1,000 people show up to. The line was long but the kids were patient and well behaved while we waited to start the "trail". Both of the kids were having a good time, but on the last part of the trail the traffic became "clogged" so to speak and it was very slow moving through this area. Making matters worse, my son could see up ahead that one of the area businesses was handing out balloons and he was determined to make it there in a hurry. The kids were becoming increasingly tired, hungry, and impatient. Not a great combination.
At the third to last table that was set up, my son who was looking at a bunny in a cage on the floor, pinched his finger in the cage (because he didn't listen to Anthony's repeated requests to stop messing with it). This started the meltdown of all meltdowns. Despite our attempts to get him to calm down, he was inconsolable. The tiredness and hunger building within him made what should have been a very small thing into a really big deal.Needless to say, we had to leave out of one of the back entrances as we didn't want to drag him screaming through a crowd of people to the main entrance.
I had planned on taking a picture of the two of them with their bunny faces they had painted at the bunny trail, but I figured I had better do it as soon as we got home before his tears washed anymore of it away. So that's why in this picture you have one very, very sad bunny, and one bunny totally excited about her bunny face.
Later in the day, I showed my son this picture. I pointed to him and said "sad bunny" and then pointed to my daughter and said "happy bunny". I said it a few times, and my son started cracking up. For whatever reason, this was hilarious.
I definitely don't care to experience meltdowns like the one we did and I don't particularly care to remember it, but at least it produced a totally cute photo!
Sincerely,
The-M-O-M
The-M-O-M
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
He Who Passes Gas Laughs Hardest
If you have been following my blog for very long, you know that nothing is off limits. That's right, not even gas. So, just as fair warning, if you are uncomfortable with the discussion of such things, then perhaps this is not the post for you. Just saying...
I once read an article in Parents magazine called something like "The Big Little Moments". It was all about little moments that seem inconsequential at the time, but end up being a memory you hold onto for a life time. Once of them was the last time you nurse your baby. Once was when your child gives up their cute little mispoken words. For instance, when my son was little, he used to call chocolate milk "mog-a-mil". It was so cute the way he said it incorrectly. Then one day he woke up, started saying chocolate milk, and "mog-a-mil" became nothing but a memory.
Another thing on the list was the first time your kid truly laughs at something. This doesn't mean the first time your baby laughs, ofcourse you remember that. It has more to do with kids developing a sense of humor and understanding what is funny. I remember this one time we watched America's Funniest Home Videos with my son. It is a Sunday night tradition in this house. I am not the laugh out loud kind of person but that show makes me crack up. We were sitting there watching the show, and something happened in one of the videos that was really funny and my son started cracking up uncontrollably. It is something I remember, just like the article said I would.
So the other morning, I was getting ready for work. My daughter was in the bathroom with me as usual. I do this because I still don't trust her out on her own in the living room with my son. This way I can keep an eye on her. She's playing on the floor and gets this looks on her face and then sits on my sons training potty. This is nothing unusual, she does this a lot. I think it makes her feel like a big girl. Then she let out this insanely loud, rumbly, juicy sounding (sorry for the graphic description, but it was the kind that made you wonder if it wasn't more than just gas) fart (yes, I said fart). Then she peeks around the vanity at me and with this big smiles on her face, she cracks up!
Now, usually I'm not one to sit around laughing at people passing gas. It's just not my kind of humor. I'm more interested in getting the kids to say "excuse me" after they do that so they don't embarass me. BUT, the way she laughed, truly laughed at that, like she just knew that was seriously funny, made me crack up. And then later on I thought, that was her first true laugh.
My little girl is developing a sense of humor. Albeit not the most refined sense of humor, but a sense of humor none the less. She is gettting so big!
Sincerely,
The No Holds Bar Mother
I once read an article in Parents magazine called something like "The Big Little Moments". It was all about little moments that seem inconsequential at the time, but end up being a memory you hold onto for a life time. Once of them was the last time you nurse your baby. Once was when your child gives up their cute little mispoken words. For instance, when my son was little, he used to call chocolate milk "mog-a-mil". It was so cute the way he said it incorrectly. Then one day he woke up, started saying chocolate milk, and "mog-a-mil" became nothing but a memory.
Another thing on the list was the first time your kid truly laughs at something. This doesn't mean the first time your baby laughs, ofcourse you remember that. It has more to do with kids developing a sense of humor and understanding what is funny. I remember this one time we watched America's Funniest Home Videos with my son. It is a Sunday night tradition in this house. I am not the laugh out loud kind of person but that show makes me crack up. We were sitting there watching the show, and something happened in one of the videos that was really funny and my son started cracking up uncontrollably. It is something I remember, just like the article said I would.
So the other morning, I was getting ready for work. My daughter was in the bathroom with me as usual. I do this because I still don't trust her out on her own in the living room with my son. This way I can keep an eye on her. She's playing on the floor and gets this looks on her face and then sits on my sons training potty. This is nothing unusual, she does this a lot. I think it makes her feel like a big girl. Then she let out this insanely loud, rumbly, juicy sounding (sorry for the graphic description, but it was the kind that made you wonder if it wasn't more than just gas) fart (yes, I said fart). Then she peeks around the vanity at me and with this big smiles on her face, she cracks up!
Now, usually I'm not one to sit around laughing at people passing gas. It's just not my kind of humor. I'm more interested in getting the kids to say "excuse me" after they do that so they don't embarass me. BUT, the way she laughed, truly laughed at that, like she just knew that was seriously funny, made me crack up. And then later on I thought, that was her first true laugh.
My little girl is developing a sense of humor. Albeit not the most refined sense of humor, but a sense of humor none the less. She is gettting so big!
Sincerely,
The No Holds Bar Mother
Solution To: Don't Forget To Tip Your Blogger
So, we are just going to pretend today is Sunday since I obviously forgot to post the answer like I said I would!
Here was the original problem:
How many different tips are possible if you plan to use exactly three coins, and you have a penny, nickel, dime, quarter, and half-dollar available?
Here is the solution:
There are 10 possible tips. Here is a list of all possibilities using P, N, D, Q, and H for penny, nickel, dime, quarter, and half dollar, respectively.
PND, PNQ, PNH, PDQ, PDH, PQH, NDQ, NDH, NQH, QDH
See you next week!
Sincerely,
The Math Freak
Here was the original problem:
How many different tips are possible if you plan to use exactly three coins, and you have a penny, nickel, dime, quarter, and half-dollar available?
Here is the solution:
There are 10 possible tips. Here is a list of all possibilities using P, N, D, Q, and H for penny, nickel, dime, quarter, and half dollar, respectively.
PND, PNQ, PNH, PDQ, PDH, PQH, NDQ, NDH, NQH, QDH
See you next week!
Sincerely,
The Math Freak
Friday, March 30, 2012
Don't Forget To Tip Your Blogger! :)
Here is your problem of the week:
How many different tips are possible if you plan to use exactly three coins, and you have a penny, nickel, dime, quarter, and half-dollar available?
Good luck! Answer will be posted Sunday!
Sincerely,
The Math Freak
How many different tips are possible if you plan to use exactly three coins, and you have a penny, nickel, dime, quarter, and half-dollar available?
Good luck! Answer will be posted Sunday!
Sincerely,
The Math Freak
Thursday, March 29, 2012
For My Dad
We all have memories from growing up that we cherish. One of mine involves my dad singing some silly songs to us. There were 3 specifically that I remember. I have made it a point to sing them to my children so they can enjoy them, and hopefully some day they will pass it along to their own kids. My son loves, loves, LOVES to sing. He has taken a liking to one of the songs my dad used to sing and it was so cute that I had to record it and share it with everyone, but especially with my dad.
Here it is:
:) He makes me smile!
Sincerely,
The-M-O-M
Here it is:
:) He makes me smile!
Sincerely,
The-M-O-M
Sunday, March 25, 2012
The Solution To: Patterns, Sequences, and Series, Oh My!
Here was the original problem:
Discover the pattern and find the next two numbers in this sequence:
Discover the pattern and find the next two numbers in this sequence:
0, 6, 20, 42, ...
Here is the solution:
0 x 1 = 0
2 x 3 = 6
4 x 5 = 20
6 x 7 = 42
So, the next two numbers would be:
8 x 9 = 72 and 10 x 11 = 110
See you all next week with another problem!
Sincerely,
The Math Freak
The Math Freak
Friday, March 23, 2012
Patterns, Sequences, and Series, Oh My!
The moment you have most certainly been waiting for all week has finally arrived! Here is your problem of the week!
Discover the pattern and find the next two numbers in this sequence:
Discover the pattern and find the next two numbers in this sequence:
0, 6, 20, 42, ...
Good Luck! Answer will be posted Sunday!
Sincerely,
The Math Freak
The Math Freak
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Nature vs. Nurture
Certainly we're all familiar with the nature vs. nurture argument. Some people believe that who we are is determined by our genetics (nature) and some believe that who we are is determined by the environment we grow up in (nurture). And then you have me, firmly planted somewhere in the middle.
We all have natural abilities. We all have natural tendencies to act this way or that, to like something or not, etc. These natural tendencies are determined by our genes. But the environment in which we live determines whether or not we reach the full potential of our god given abilities or what tendencies end up shaping our personality.
My son is one of the most thoughtful little kids I have ever met. When I think of kids, I tend to think of the brutally honest phase, which occurs before kids realize that certain questions/comments hurt other feelings. You know, the phase that leads a child to ask (quite loudly) out of curiosity "Why is that lady so fat?" or "Why is that kid in a wheel chair?". So I admit that I was (and still am) surprised at how thoughtful he is. Maybe the brutally honest phase is still to come.
I came down the steps from our bedroom after getting dressed for a wedding one day last fall. My son looked at me, smiled, and said "I like your necklace mommy! It has lots of pretty colors!". It doesn't surprise me the least bit that he noticed my necklace. If you have spent more than a couple minutes with this kid you would know that he is one of the most observant kids EVER! But it surprised me that he thought to comment on it and tell me that he liked it. He often tells me that he likes certain things that I am wearing.
Then the other day, something happened that utterly melted my heart. I know my kids love each other a lot. Sure, they get on each other's nerves like all siblings do, but the love is already very apparent. I got my daughter dressed for church and sent her out into the kitchen we her brother was still eating. As soon as he saw her, he said, "Oooh, she looks nice. She looks like a princess!". Seriously, so thoughtful and sweet.
There is that part of me that would like to think that his thoughtfulness is a direct reflection of my parenting and that nothing else has influenced it. But, alas, my better judgement wins out. I'm sure that his natural tendency is towards being more observant and thoughtful. My job as a parent is to ensure that he remains a thoughtful person.
And I will admit that I feel as though this is a tough job. Let's be honest for just a second. My son, obviously, is a boy (duh! right? just stick with me...). He will one day turn into a man. Men (and yes , I'm about to stereotype men) are not known to be the most observant or thoughtful creatures in the world. You got your haircut? I thought it was always that short... I know Anthony is shaking his head right now and thinking, "I'm not that bad". And he's right...for the most part...
All I'm saying is that I want my thoughtful little boy to grow up into a thoughtful man that I can be proud of and who will make some woman very happy with all of his thoughtfulness. And that brings us to the crux of the issue here. Sure, my son is naturally thoughtful, but if I want to nurture that part of him and have it be a continued trait, then I need to model that trait for him. I need to set an example for him.
It seems logical and easy enough, right? I mean, one of the foundational principles of parenting is to be a good role model. But it is sometimes all to easy to think of being a good role model as going to church, donating money to charity, not drinking/smoking/swearing, etc. You know, the big stuff. But something like thoughtfulness requires much more intentionality.
Anybody who thinks that a person is solely shaped by genetics must not have children, because they would know better. What I do matters. Not just the big things, but the little things as well. I have little (very observant) eyes watching me. What I do matters by far more than anything I say. And while that realization can be frightening, it is also very empowering.
The best thing about being given that much responsibility is that it has made me a much better person. I know that my kids are watching me; what I eat, what I do, what I say... And because of that I eat better, I watch what I do, I watch what I say (though you may not believe that if you have ever heard my son say "oh crap"...oops!). I am grateful for the blessing of being a parent for a lot of reasons but one of the things I am most grateful for is how it has changed me for the better.
Sincerely,
The-M-O-M
We all have natural abilities. We all have natural tendencies to act this way or that, to like something or not, etc. These natural tendencies are determined by our genes. But the environment in which we live determines whether or not we reach the full potential of our god given abilities or what tendencies end up shaping our personality.
My son is one of the most thoughtful little kids I have ever met. When I think of kids, I tend to think of the brutally honest phase, which occurs before kids realize that certain questions/comments hurt other feelings. You know, the phase that leads a child to ask (quite loudly) out of curiosity "Why is that lady so fat?" or "Why is that kid in a wheel chair?". So I admit that I was (and still am) surprised at how thoughtful he is. Maybe the brutally honest phase is still to come.
I came down the steps from our bedroom after getting dressed for a wedding one day last fall. My son looked at me, smiled, and said "I like your necklace mommy! It has lots of pretty colors!". It doesn't surprise me the least bit that he noticed my necklace. If you have spent more than a couple minutes with this kid you would know that he is one of the most observant kids EVER! But it surprised me that he thought to comment on it and tell me that he liked it. He often tells me that he likes certain things that I am wearing.
Then the other day, something happened that utterly melted my heart. I know my kids love each other a lot. Sure, they get on each other's nerves like all siblings do, but the love is already very apparent. I got my daughter dressed for church and sent her out into the kitchen we her brother was still eating. As soon as he saw her, he said, "Oooh, she looks nice. She looks like a princess!". Seriously, so thoughtful and sweet.
 |
| Her princess outfit |
And I will admit that I feel as though this is a tough job. Let's be honest for just a second. My son, obviously, is a boy (duh! right? just stick with me...). He will one day turn into a man. Men (and yes , I'm about to stereotype men) are not known to be the most observant or thoughtful creatures in the world. You got your haircut? I thought it was always that short... I know Anthony is shaking his head right now and thinking, "I'm not that bad". And he's right...for the most part...
All I'm saying is that I want my thoughtful little boy to grow up into a thoughtful man that I can be proud of and who will make some woman very happy with all of his thoughtfulness. And that brings us to the crux of the issue here. Sure, my son is naturally thoughtful, but if I want to nurture that part of him and have it be a continued trait, then I need to model that trait for him. I need to set an example for him.
It seems logical and easy enough, right? I mean, one of the foundational principles of parenting is to be a good role model. But it is sometimes all to easy to think of being a good role model as going to church, donating money to charity, not drinking/smoking/swearing, etc. You know, the big stuff. But something like thoughtfulness requires much more intentionality.
Anybody who thinks that a person is solely shaped by genetics must not have children, because they would know better. What I do matters. Not just the big things, but the little things as well. I have little (very observant) eyes watching me. What I do matters by far more than anything I say. And while that realization can be frightening, it is also very empowering.
The best thing about being given that much responsibility is that it has made me a much better person. I know that my kids are watching me; what I eat, what I do, what I say... And because of that I eat better, I watch what I do, I watch what I say (though you may not believe that if you have ever heard my son say "oh crap"...oops!). I am grateful for the blessing of being a parent for a lot of reasons but one of the things I am most grateful for is how it has changed me for the better.
Sincerely,
The-M-O-M
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Solution To: Are You Smarter Than A Third Grader?
Here was the original problem:
3, 4, 5
Given the following, find the pattern:
3, 4, 5
4, 7, 1
8, 4, 0
1, 2, 9
In the four examples given, the first two numbers
were used to determine what the third number in the sequence was.
Here is the solution:
Given that the clue was that this first appeared in a third grade text, think about what math skills a third grader possess. Basically, the two things they should have down at that point is addition and subtraction. Looking at all 4 sets of numbers, the sum of the three numbers in each of the four sets is 12. So, given the first two numbers, the third number was derived by figuring out what you would have to add to the first two in order for the three numbers to equal 12. Tada!
Gotta love that third grade math! :)
Sincerely,
The Math Freak
The Math Freak
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Family Guy Meets The Millers
Now, let me start off by saying, I don't watch the TV show Family Guy. I have never even seen an episode, but in my opinion, from the commercials, it looks, well...stupid (that's just my opinion though, please don't send me angry e-mails!). BUT, I do remember a commercial that aired quite often for awhile and thought it was actually comical. Here's the commercial I'm talking about:
Have you ever found yourself in that situation? Well, I have a lot recently. It is one of the few words my daughter knows how to say and for whatever reason, she finds great joy in repeating it over and over again sometimes. There are days when I am awaken in the morning to the sounds of her doing this (or she does this after waking from a nap). This makes perfect sense to me, she obviously wants me to come get her from her crib, so she calls for me. But other times, she does it just to do it, just to see if I will respond, just because she likes the attention. It's funny how the same behavior can be so unbelievably cute some of the time and so unbelievably annoying other times, depending on the situation at hand.
Just like Stewie, the little boy in the video, she also varies how she says mama exactly. Today at lunch, this went on for a good five minutes. Here is part of how the conversation went:
"MAma" (the capitals letters is where she is placing the emphasis when she says the word)
"What?"
"MAma"
"What?"
"MAma"
"What?"
"MAma"
"What?"
"maMA"
"What?"
"maMA"
"What?"
"maMA"
"What?"
"ma-MA-ma"
"ma-MA-ma"
"mamamamamama"
"ma-MA-mi"
"ma-MA-mi"
"maMI, maMI, maMI"
You get the point right? And she doesn't actually want anything. She just wants to say mama. Annoyingly cute, the epitome of an oxymoron. I'm sure, it's moments like these, the annoyingly cute ones, that I will miss the most once they are gone...
Sincerely,
The (slightly annoyed) Mom
Have you ever found yourself in that situation? Well, I have a lot recently. It is one of the few words my daughter knows how to say and for whatever reason, she finds great joy in repeating it over and over again sometimes. There are days when I am awaken in the morning to the sounds of her doing this (or she does this after waking from a nap). This makes perfect sense to me, she obviously wants me to come get her from her crib, so she calls for me. But other times, she does it just to do it, just to see if I will respond, just because she likes the attention. It's funny how the same behavior can be so unbelievably cute some of the time and so unbelievably annoying other times, depending on the situation at hand.
Just like Stewie, the little boy in the video, she also varies how she says mama exactly. Today at lunch, this went on for a good five minutes. Here is part of how the conversation went:
"MAma" (the capitals letters is where she is placing the emphasis when she says the word)
"What?"
"MAma"
"What?"
"MAma"
"What?"
"MAma"
"What?"
"maMA"
"What?"
"maMA"
"What?"
"maMA"
"What?"
"ma-MA-ma"
"ma-MA-ma"
"mamamamamama"
"ma-MA-mi"
"ma-MA-mi"
"maMI, maMI, maMI"
You get the point right? And she doesn't actually want anything. She just wants to say mama. Annoyingly cute, the epitome of an oxymoron. I'm sure, it's moments like these, the annoyingly cute ones, that I will miss the most once they are gone...
Sincerely,
The (slightly annoyed) Mom
Friday, March 16, 2012
Are You Smarter Than A Third Grader?
Mirror, Mirror On The Wall
Whose The Smartest Of Them All
Will You Be Able To Crack The Code
And Prove You're Smarter Than An 8 Year Old?
Here is your problem of the week:
Given the following, find the pattern:
3, 4, 5
4, 7, 1
8, 4, 0
1, 2, 9
In the four examples given, the first two numbers were used to determine what the third number in the sequence was.
Figure out how the third number in each sequence was determined (i.e. find the pattern).
Here is a bit of interesting information. It may help, it may cause you to over think it, and it may drive you downright nuts, but here it is: the problem first appeared in a third-grade text! (What math skills do third graders possess?)
Good Luck! Answer will be posted Sunday!
Sincerely,
The Math Freak
The Math Freak
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Intelligence: Toddler vs. Canine
Last night my mom brought over a tricycle she had in her garage for my son to use. He was extremely excited about it, so much so that he wanted to ride it right away even though it was past his bedtime. Unfortunately, it needed some work. First and foremost, it was missing a bolt and this bolt needed to be replaced in order to make the tricycle functional.
This afternoon, my son and I went outside to clean the tricycle up a bit. We hosed it down, got all of the dirt off, and tried to remove some of the rust (which didn't go well). Then we went to the basement in the "work room" (the place where we keep all of the tools and the like since we don't have a garage) to dig through Anthony's coffee can full of spare screws/bolts. We didn't have much luck.
So I sent my son to get Anthony and told him to ask him about going to the store to get a bolt. Well, my son, who LOVES to help his daddy fix things, only asked about going to the store 6 times in 3 minutes.
A little while later, I wanted to see if Anthony was going to take my son to the store to get a new bolt, only I didn't want to actually say that because my son was right there. I knew if he heard me ask, he would ask about it nonstop again for a good while. So I did what you do with dogs when they figure out what a word means, I spelled it out, thinking he certainly couldn't crack my code.
"So, are you going to take him to the s-t-o-r-e?", I asked.
My son butts in immediately before my husband could respond. "Yea, we need to go to the s-t-o-r-d (he didn't quite catch the last letter apparently) to get a bolt for the tricycle. Come on daddy, let's go to the s-t-o-r-d, to the store."
Anthony, thinking that our son couldn't crack that code also, immediately shoots me this look of Whoa! Are you kidding me? This kid is freakishly smart!. I was obviously was thinking the same thing. Either he is that smart or we just way under estimate children's ability to understand things at this stage in life. I'm not sure if he knew that what I said spelled/meant store, or he used contextual clues to figure out what we were talking about...either way, I was impressed.
I guess, you could say, today was a big moment in my son's development, as he is now officially smarter than a dog (since I have never known a dog who understood words when they were spelled). :)
Sincerely,
The Mother of a Brainiac (Can you say "college scholarship"? HaHa)
This afternoon, my son and I went outside to clean the tricycle up a bit. We hosed it down, got all of the dirt off, and tried to remove some of the rust (which didn't go well). Then we went to the basement in the "work room" (the place where we keep all of the tools and the like since we don't have a garage) to dig through Anthony's coffee can full of spare screws/bolts. We didn't have much luck.
So I sent my son to get Anthony and told him to ask him about going to the store to get a bolt. Well, my son, who LOVES to help his daddy fix things, only asked about going to the store 6 times in 3 minutes.
A little while later, I wanted to see if Anthony was going to take my son to the store to get a new bolt, only I didn't want to actually say that because my son was right there. I knew if he heard me ask, he would ask about it nonstop again for a good while. So I did what you do with dogs when they figure out what a word means, I spelled it out, thinking he certainly couldn't crack my code.
"So, are you going to take him to the s-t-o-r-e?", I asked.
My son butts in immediately before my husband could respond. "Yea, we need to go to the s-t-o-r-d (he didn't quite catch the last letter apparently) to get a bolt for the tricycle. Come on daddy, let's go to the s-t-o-r-d, to the store."
Anthony, thinking that our son couldn't crack that code also, immediately shoots me this look of Whoa! Are you kidding me? This kid is freakishly smart!. I was obviously was thinking the same thing. Either he is that smart or we just way under estimate children's ability to understand things at this stage in life. I'm not sure if he knew that what I said spelled/meant store, or he used contextual clues to figure out what we were talking about...either way, I was impressed.
I guess, you could say, today was a big moment in my son's development, as he is now officially smarter than a dog (since I have never known a dog who understood words when they were spelled). :)
Sincerely,
The Mother of a Brainiac (Can you say "college scholarship"? HaHa)
Sunday, March 11, 2012
The Solution To: And Two Shall Become One
Here was the original problem:
I am going to show you a mathematical proof that proves 2 = 1.
Now we all know that 2 does not equal one. So tell me what mathematical "no no" I committed. I'm not trying to trick you. I actually did break a mathematical rule. You just have to figure out what it is!
Here is the solution:
When I divided both sides by (a - b), I was actually dividing by zero, which isn't allowed. Since a = b, a - b = 0. Dividing by 0 is undefined (at least in ordinary arithmetic, which is the kind we all use) and is a "no no" so to speak.
:)
Sincerely,
The Math Freak
I am going to show you a mathematical proof that proves 2 = 1.
Let a = b
Then a * a = a * b; that is a2 = ab a2 – b2 = ab – b2 (a – b)(a + b) = b(a – b) a + b = b b + b = b 2b = b 2 = 1 |
Multiply both sides by a
Subtract b2 from both sides Factor both sides (left side uses the difference of squares rule) Divide both sides by (a – b) Replace a with b since a = b Combine like terms Divide both sides by b Voila! 2 = 1 |
Now we all know that 2 does not equal one. So tell me what mathematical "no no" I committed. I'm not trying to trick you. I actually did break a mathematical rule. You just have to figure out what it is!
Here is the solution:
When I divided both sides by (a - b), I was actually dividing by zero, which isn't allowed. Since a = b, a - b = 0. Dividing by 0 is undefined (at least in ordinary arithmetic, which is the kind we all use) and is a "no no" so to speak.
:)
Sincerely,
The Math Freak
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Making Memories
I'm leaving the house for work one morning. As I'm backing out of the driveway, I look at our big front window to see if the kids are coming today to wave goodbye to me as I leave. I see my daughter standing on the couch at the front window alone (our couch is in front of the big window and the kids stand on it to look out). When she sees me, she frantically looks behind her to see if my son will make it to the window in time to wave. As she sees him coming (or I should say, as she see my mother-in-law, her grandma, carrying my son to the window), she becomes extremely excited and starts jumping up and down on the couch. I pull out on the street and stop in front of the window for a brief moment to wave to both of the kids. I wave, just as they do, with both hands. As I pull away, I think to myself, that was just the thing I needed to start the morning.
After my daughter was born and I went back to work, my mother-in-law started watching the kids at my house. It, in some ways, was easier for both of us this way. I'm not sure how exactly it got started (I'm sure my son just wanted to wave goodbye and that was the best place to do it), but soon, waving at the front window became a bit of a morning tradition.
One morning, for whatever reason (most likely pure toddler excitement), my son waved goodbye to me with both hands. I knew, knowing him, how excited he would be if I copied what he did. So I waved back at him with both hands. And from that moment on, the double handed wave has been here to stay.
Over time, my daughter has learned what this waving thing is all about and has become really excited about it. My MIL told me that she usually gets so excited that she jumps on the couch once they make it there. It's a rare occasion that I get to see that, however, since she usually does it before I back out far enough to see them in the window. It's a special treat when I get to see that, since it's just so cute.
It's easy to get caught up in the day to day. It's easy to start to doubt yourself, to wonder if you are doing enough, contributing enough to your child's life. As I drove to work the morning after witnessing that scene I described above, I realized the little moments mean just as much (if not more) than the big ones. Going to the window each morning seemed to me, for so long, like such an insignificant thing. But this special tradition is the kind of thing that will turn into a treasured memory that will last a life time. And to me, that's what raising kids is all about.
Sincerely,
The-M-O-M
p.s. If you see me waving excitedly at you with both hands like an idiot, please excuse me. I've simply forgotten to switch out of mommy mode. ;)
After my daughter was born and I went back to work, my mother-in-law started watching the kids at my house. It, in some ways, was easier for both of us this way. I'm not sure how exactly it got started (I'm sure my son just wanted to wave goodbye and that was the best place to do it), but soon, waving at the front window became a bit of a morning tradition.
One morning, for whatever reason (most likely pure toddler excitement), my son waved goodbye to me with both hands. I knew, knowing him, how excited he would be if I copied what he did. So I waved back at him with both hands. And from that moment on, the double handed wave has been here to stay.
Over time, my daughter has learned what this waving thing is all about and has become really excited about it. My MIL told me that she usually gets so excited that she jumps on the couch once they make it there. It's a rare occasion that I get to see that, however, since she usually does it before I back out far enough to see them in the window. It's a special treat when I get to see that, since it's just so cute.
It's easy to get caught up in the day to day. It's easy to start to doubt yourself, to wonder if you are doing enough, contributing enough to your child's life. As I drove to work the morning after witnessing that scene I described above, I realized the little moments mean just as much (if not more) than the big ones. Going to the window each morning seemed to me, for so long, like such an insignificant thing. But this special tradition is the kind of thing that will turn into a treasured memory that will last a life time. And to me, that's what raising kids is all about.
Sincerely,
The-M-O-M
p.s. If you see me waving excitedly at you with both hands like an idiot, please excuse me. I've simply forgotten to switch out of mommy mode. ;)
And Two Shall Become One
Here is the problem of the week:
I am going to show you a mathematical proof that proves 2 = 1.
Now we all know that 2 does not equal one. So tell me what mathematical "no no" I committed. I'm not trying to trick you. I actually did break a mathematical rule. You just have to figure out what it is!
Good luck. Answer will be posted Sunday!
Sincerely,
The Math Freak
I am going to show you a mathematical proof that proves 2 = 1.
Let
a = b
Then a * a = a * b; that is a2 = ab a2 – b2 = ab – b2 (a – b)(a + b) = b(a – b) a + b = b b + b = b 2b = b 2 = 1 |
Multiply both sides by a
Subtract b2 from both sides Factor both sides (left side uses the difference of squares rule) Divide both sides by (a – b) Replace a with b since a = b Combine like terms Divide both sides by b Voila! 2 = 1 |
Now we all know that 2 does not equal one. So tell me what mathematical "no no" I committed. I'm not trying to trick you. I actually did break a mathematical rule. You just have to figure out what it is!
Good luck. Answer will be posted Sunday!
Sincerely,
The Math Freak
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)