The Mommy Mindset: Just Keep Swimming

Growing up near Lake Erie, my parents were very vigilant at instilling a fear and respect in this great big lake.  We camped, we fished and we swam in and around this wonderful body of water and it never ceases to amaze me when I hear stories of someone who underestimated just how dangerous Lake Erie can be even for the most skilled swimmers.

Such was the case this past Monday, when a young girl was wadding in Lake Erie, got caught in a rip current and dragged her teacher under who was trying to get her out of the water. A nineteen year old life guard was able to pull the little girl out and then went back for the teacher but it took a half dozen other lifeguards plus a navy vet to get them out. The teacher had been under the water for 15 to 20 minutes and her heart had stopped but the 46 year old seemed to be fighting. Sadly, she died on Wednesday.

They were at the beach a half hour before it opened and there may or may have not been warning flags posted at the time about the adverse conditions.  The life guards that were there, were getting ready for work.  The beach was not officially open, yet.

Since this is the beach we happen to spend our weekends at I have been following this story very closely.  I have also made the six year old watch the coverage with me so he can grasp why I won't let them in the water when the waves are to high or why I won't let them go out past a certain point even though the water barely reaches his chest.  He is so skinny it would take no time for him to be swept out and under.

After Monday's event, will I still let the kids swim there?  Hell yes!  It is freakin' hot out and we love the water.  That is why they are called accidents, tragic yes, and you better believe I will be reminding him of this when he goes out to far.

Coincidentally, this week's Mommy Mindset discussion was about kids and swimming lessons.  I would love to hear your thoughts on this as well.

Now that warmer weather is here and we'll all be enjoying more time at the beach or the pool, let's talk about teaching our kiddos to swim! How old were your children when they first started swimming? Did you teach them yourself or enroll them in lessons?

Leila: My kids have been swimming since they were babies. They are now 4 and 6 and swim with floaties on. We are hoping to sign them up for swimming lessons eventually, but it's so darn expensive down here!

Emily: My son started swimming lessons when he was 6 months old. It was important to me that he learn to swim right at an early age because we live so close to the water. He is a bit reluctant when it comes to "big waves" but loves the water! He'll be turning three in a few weeks and I'm happy with is comfort level around the water.

Sarah: My daughter loves the water but she has not had formal swimming lessons. Our hope was to start her this summer (she'll be 3 in August). I am not the best swimmer in the world so I want her to learn from someone who actually knows what they are doing.

LaVonne: My daughter learned to swim when she was 3. My husband taught her. She is a little fish - loves the water so much. This summer, she is 4, and we are thinking of putting her into swimming lessons. We want her to learn her strokes and be able to swim better above the water. We just aren't sure if we want to put her in a private lesson or a group lesson.

Mary: My six year old started lessons when he was three (going on four) but the instructors were college kids who thought he was funny. They struggled to really teach him because they were distracted by him! He did learn the basics though and absolutely loves the water now as well as the lessons. Baby girl (two years old) will be taking lessons with her brother staring in July. Her day care provider has a pool and she feels very comfortable around water (including holding her breath and going under) but since we go so often now (between the public pool, beach and day care) I think lessons are necessary. I tried to teach my son but even though his instructors were more his buddy he still learned more from them.

Emily: In my opinion, lessons are necessary because trained professionals are going to teach lifesaving skills that little ones need when they're around the water. I just found a group toddler class that is beginning at the end of July and I'm thinking of enrolling The Boy. I'll be excited to watch him swim while receiving instruction, his prior lessons were water babies with me. Although he has lessons at school during the summer months, I can't help but feel that more is better.

Ghada: I was in swimming lessons with my 4 .5 year old when he was a baby, about 6 months and we did 2 rounds and then we stopped. We were living 2 minutes from the beach at the time so he was always in the water. He got spooked after falling off a boogie board with his Dad and was a bit weary for awhile but he's back into the water again. I am not having as much luck finding lessons with my 8 month old. But I definitely think professional lessons are key - if nothing else, it teaches us the parents tricks we would have never known.

New Post!The Mommy Mindset: Just Keep #Swimming goo.gl/fb/56F7N #goofy #kids #mommymindset #summer
— MryJhnsn (@mryjhnsn) June 29, 2012

Thank you for your valuable input Leila of Life as Leels, Emily, Nap Time is My Time, Sarah, East 9th Street, LaVonne, Long Wait For Isabella, Mary, iNeed a Playdate, Emily, Nap Time is My Time, and Ghada of Mama goes BAM.

When the Freak Did That Happen…? Baby Girl Talks?

I am not sure the exact moment it started or even the first phrase (I have an idea) but my Baby Girl is using words! Phrases! Sentences even!

Noooooooooooooooo!

Communication on her part has never been an issue. She is so very expressive, her face gives her away thoughts every time. You know when she is mad, happy, playful and even hungry.  But, now! Now, she uses words! Sort of makes me saying, “Use your words” seem less weird now that she can use her words.

And, what were her first phrases you ask?

“I’m mad” and “Switch sides”

When she is mad, she pouts with hands on hips (or sometimes arms crossed depending on the severity) and turns her back to you. Now, she does all of that as she tells you, “I’m mad!”

The first time she did this I peed myself laughing.

As for “switch sides,” well some back story is needed first:

We co-sleep. We had to co-sleep because I would never get a wink of sleep because she preferred nursing at night. Technically, I don't know if she preferred it so much as hated using a bottle at the babysitters during the day and was just plain hungry at night. Regardless, we still co-sleep, in a king size bed. Because of the height of the bed, I had taken to sleeping on the edge of the bed to prevent her from rolling out of bed.

When it was time to, uh, switch boobs, I would say, “switch sides” and I would move to the opposite end, staying on the edge and she would follow. She now refers to nursing as “switch sides!” She will often say this with a grin that would melt the icecaps and usually followed with a “pahleeaassseee” (that would be please if you don’t speak toddlerease).

Lately, she has been adding “too” to her responses. So not only does she talk but she uses grammar!

Where is time going?!?!? Where????

Me: “I’ve missed you!”
Her: “Missed you, too, mommy!”

Me: “love you”
Her: “wuv you, too, mommy”

Can’t you just hear the sweetness dripping from those lines?

I wish I could bottle this sweetness up and make her drink it the first time she tells me she hates me.

And, an Elephant Goes...

To say that baby girl is somewhat a tom boy is a bit of an understatement.  She probably has more scrapes, bumps and bruises, to date, then her brother ever had and he is five years older.

That said, she is also so very, very girly.

To illustrate just how girly she is - a friend of mine gave me a box of shoes her daughter had out grown.  As baby girl was going through the box, she stopped, stared into the box and stated, "I love shoes."  That is a direct quote my friends.  Direct.  Quote.

That is not my daughter.  This is my Husband's daughter.

My daughter is the baby girl who is using my oven mitt and a golf ball to play catch.

When the Husband caught on to this he declared that he was going to buy her first mitt (which he did) and it would be pink (which it is).

I said, "Why pink?  She may like blue."

"But she is my baby girl and it will be pink."

I did not press the issue.
What I started to do is every time he calls her pretty, I chime in "and SMART!"

He rolls his eyes.  She beams.  At which, I am not sure.  More then likely the attention she is getting.

The Husband took her to the zoo for the first time as part of her brother's first grade field trip.

As we were going through the animals she would see and the sounds that they made I could not resist adding a new one...

Me:  What's a lion say?

Baby: Grrr

Me:  What's an elephant say?

Baby: Blrrr  (very wetly by the way)

Me: What's a bird say?

Baby: Tweet, tweet

Me:  What's a Rowan* say?

Baby: I'm smart!

* her real name

Hey! I'm Pulling a Plane for Special Olympics (again) and I Need you!

  Pretty please.  Thanks!

The Mommy Mindset on the Terrible Twos

I thought it was a myth.  A fairy tale of sorts to scare new parents.  Terrible twos?  You must be kidding me.

My baby boy was not prone to the all out fits that I have witnessed from other toddlers.  In fact, at his worse he would just lay there as we walked away.

One time he did this in his room and the Husband left him there to go watch TV in the living room to which baby boy got a large pillow, dragged it into the living room, laid it in view of the Husband and then threw himself on the pillow. I can only describe it as a protest because it was certainly not a true temper tantrum.

Baby girl on the other hand has true tantrums.  I am talking the kind of tantrums that I would see other toddlers have before I had kids and wondered why those parents did not beat their kids into submission.

I know now how ridiculous my thoughts were.

I am not against spanking per say, I just don't.  Until that one day she pushed me and nothing was working so I swatted her on her diaper, lightly.  She looked at me with that sly look that said, "And when they ask me if I like being spanked because I associate it with love I will say yes" look. 

Her new tactic is to tell me she is mad first, while crossing her arms and turning her back to me.  I only wish I had this on video.  If what ever it is she is mad about is not that serious it usually ends there.  If, however, it is something she just can't tell me or something that she wants that she can't have it is all over and she collapses to the floor.  I usually let her cry it out till she is done, but then there are the other times that she needs to be comforted before she chokes on her tears.

Thankfully this has not happened in public, yet.  And when it does, I will be that parent who stands over her screaming kid, in the parking lot, juggling a bag of groceries, yelling at her brother to stop playing in the traffic, while trying to open the car door as other people look on wondering why I don't beat her into submission.

How do you or did you handle the terrible twos?  

Here are the thoughts of some great (and patient) mommy bloggers in...

Terrible TWOs - heard, lived it, gotta share it.

Leila: My kids didn't go through the Terrible Two's. Mine had Terrible Three's! Their behavior and tantrums increased at three and have since decreased now that they are 4 and over 4! Whoever coined "terrible two's" mistook it for the "terrible three's"!

Lena: My son was 4 weeks old and my daughter was 2 yo when I took them to the mall on my own (brave, ah?) My daughter ran off to the carousel. I had no other option but to follow since she was already sitting on the horse. After 2 rides I said that we needed to get going. She threw such tantrum. I tried carrying her, but she was loud and wiggly. I let her lay on the floor and stood next to her (Yes, I am that Mom) waiting for her to come down. After that - pick her up, walk 10 steps before she throws another tantrum. OMG - I hated how long this mall was

Emily: I have come to realize that the Terrible Twos are an urban legend designed to prepare parents for the Troublesome Threes. The Boy turns three in July, and we've enjoyed smooth sailing with regards to his behavior until a few days ago. I saw signs of it a little bit last month, but chalked it up to being tired. It seems that everything he doesn't want to do is now the end of the world! He lays on the floor and cries about whatever it is he doesn't want to do, he attempts to negotiate "two minutes" for everything! He tried to throw a tantrum in the store a few days ago, but I told him we'd go home & not be able to do fun things if he didn't act like a big boy, he quickly calmed down.
We read the book "Elf on the Shelf" a few days ago, and now he is quite concerned about being on the "Naughty List". Each time I start to reprimand him for poor behavior, he says {between tears} "I don't want to be on the Naughty List. I want to be nice. I want to listen." I think children DO want to be nice, follow rules, have good manners, etc. But they do so much growing socially & emotionally between ages 2 - 4, that it is such a challenge for them. They may not have the words to express what they want, so a tantrum is all they know. I do try to let The Boy know that we'll be changing activities soon, that works well most of the time to prevent tantrums. I just wonder how long I'll have that in my favor!

Lena: ‎Emily, I guess all kids are different. My daughter's tantrums started before she turned 2, but when she turned 3 I realized: after terrible twos come horrible threes

Emily: Every time my son acts "bratty", I try to figure out what I'm doing wrong. Am I not spending enough time with him? Not teaching him enough? Not socializing with his peer group often enough? I know that all of these behaviors are age appropriate, but it can make one day feel as long as two!

Lena: ‎Emily, Oh, I so hear you - going through this for the second time now

Leila: ‎Emily, both of mine were the same way! Angels until a few days before 3 and then went down hill. And then a few days before their 4th birthday, they return to my sweet angels (Buddy is 4 tomorrow and his behavior has calmed immensely in the past week!) So strange!With regards to their tantrums, my daughter only really tried it once. We ignored her and kept on our conversation. She realized her tantrum wasn't doing any good and never did it again. My son on the other hand was out of control. There wasn't a whole lot we found that worked besides sending him to his room to calm down or taking things away from him for bad behavior (ie: no playing the ds or wii if he misbehaved). Nothing else worked with him. :(

Cyndy: Mine was the same. No terrible two behaviors at all. And then she turned 3.

Emily: How am I going to survive the year ahead?!

Ghada: Mr 4.5 was an angel at 2 as well. I'm finding 4 to be the most challenging. He has more developed speech and knows how to argue and speak his mind - it's a good thing I suppose that he knows his mind, but the back chat is unbelievable.

Mary: My baby girl has a classic case of the terrible twos. I only have one story but it happens several times a day, s-e-v-e-r-a-l times a day. She starts off sweet, then she wants something that she should not have or does something she knows is wrong, which is followed by crossed arms, pouty lip and a declaration of "I'm mad." Once that does not work she melts, literally, to the floor in tears. She usually ends it with either an "I'm sorry, mommy." or hyperventilating and I have to soothe her till she stops. Both ways I get an "I'm sorry mommy" so that is something - sigh. I seriously would not have had another if she was first.

Thank You for sharing your experience, Leila of The Go To Mommy, Lena of Way 2 Good Life, Emily of Nap Time is My Time, Cyndy of Mama Does It All, Ghada of Mama goes BAM, and Mary of iNeed a Playdate,

Wordless Wednesday: Planning for Baby Girl's 2nd Birthday

Can you guess the theme?

Word(less) Wednesday: Whispers

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Word(less) Wednesday: Bitter and so Sweet

Oh but you are in my blood
You're my holy wine
You're so bitter, bitter and so sweet

Oh, I could drink a case of you darling
Still I'd be on my feet
I would still be on my feet

Pictures from Lego KidsFest Cleveland 2011

We received tickets to facilitate this review. Opinions are my own.

This past weekend the Hubs took the kids to the Lego KidsFest and all I got were these pictures, and more Legos! 

Just kidding, sort of, because I had to work the Hubs did take the kids and they did return with more Legos to add to their growing collections but I'll never complain about more photos! My only complaint is that I could not go with them - they had so much fun. 

Jumping into a pile of Legos to a life-size version of Spongebob, Batman and Lightning McQueen, there was something for everyone and nothing they didn't like. I'll let the photos tell the rest.

For more information or to see when it is coming to your city go check out legokidsfest.com. 

Word(less) Wednesday: Let Me Have a Look Inside These Eyes

Let me have a look inside these eyes while I'm learning.
Please don't hide them just because of tears.
Let me send you off to sleep with a "There, there, now stop your turning and tossing."
Let me know where the hurt is and how to heal. 

Look What I Made, Baby! Make a Fiddle Blanket in Less then a Day.

Despite working at an arts & crafts store in high school, I am not a crafting kind of person.

Sure, I can and do a craft, but more out of boredom than necessity. It's a way to fill an afternoon and spend time with the kids. It's not a way for me to say... give gifts or make money.

When my first grader was a baby, he had so many cute bibs! I kept many of them, but they were not baby girl cute.

I went shopping and promptly hated every bib they had for little girls. She's not a "diva" or a "princess" and she most certainly will not be the "OMG give it all to me" kind of a baby.  She may be as a toddler but we are not there, yet.

I decided to make her bibs and drove straight to the fabric store and bought a bunch of cute prints and terry cloth.  I made dozens of bibs in the first go around using the cereal box pattern. It is by far the easiest and fastest way to make a bib and it is super cute.

Once there was enough, I put away my sewing machine. Along with a bunch of half started bibs.

Then my niece had her second baby. I wanted to make her baby a fiddle blanket. I made one for my baby girl and now I was determined to do it for her.

I dragged out my sewing supplies, Besides the scraps of fabric I had, I also trimmed the half finished bibs down for the blanket. Yes, I could have just finished the bibs but, I love the way the blanket turned out.

Once I had the pieces, I pinned them together and sewed each together one block at a time.  To the yellow and white gingham, I sewed a plastic grocery bag to it so it crinkles when you touch it. In retrospect,  I would not have chosen that particular block but, eh, live and learn.

After all the blocks were sewn together, I added looped ribbons to the right side of the fabric and sewed the single piece of pink and white stripped flannel to the blocks. Now baby has something more to play with.

Baby Girl and her blanket made with love by her dear, old Great Aunty

All materials I used, I already had in my possession.  Nothing was bought (unless you count postage).  

btw... Is that not the cutest baby picture!  

Word(less) Wednesday: No Pictures, Please!

I'm no beauty queen, I'm just beautiful me
You got every right to a beautiful life, come on

Who says, who says you're not perfect?
Who says you're not worth it?
Who says you're the only one that's hurting?
Trust me that's the price of beauty?
Who says you're not pretty?
Who says you're not beautiful, who says?

Welcome to the World of Lady Gaga, Baby Girl

Dear Sweet Baby Girl, 

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!

I wanted to write you a letter and share with you some things I've learned.  I searched for a popular song to help express these thoughts and maybe relate to you better.

Roma-roma-mamaa!
Ga-ga-ooh-la-la!

One day you will meet a boy (or girl) and you may (or may not) fall in love.  I want to warn you there are times when you may...

Want your bad romance

To which I have to say...

Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah-ah!
Roma-roma-mamaa!
Ga-ga-ooh-la-la!

You do NOT

Want your bad romance

Nor, should you ever settle for a bad romance and you should try as hard as you can to resist ever using one of the following statements...

I want your ugly
I want your disease
I want your everything
As long as it's free
I want your love

You are better then that and other women (myself included) have done all of that all ready, they have taken on those things and I am here to tell you - nothing is free.

I want your drama

Tell me all about all of those awful people who will try to break you, hurt you or use you.  I will listen.  Be warned that someone may even try and use you with

The touch of your hand

but hopefully you will be strong and stay away.  I hope that you will never settle for someone who will say,

I want your leather-studded kiss in the sand

because you should be you.  Don't try to be someone you are not - at least not for very long, everyone experiments and that is okay.  Stay true to you.  Besides, beaches are just bad places to make out.  Sand gets everywhere!

Always remember,

I want your love
Love-love-love
I want your love

and never forget that

You know that I want you
And you know that I need you

But if any one claims...

I want it bad, your bad romance

They probably don't really mean that they want you and what they mean is more like

I want your love and

someone else, too.  Which then leads to 

I want your revenge

and that is never the solution.  Slashing someone's tires never works out they way you thought it would.

When you meet someone special your conversations will never and should never include:

You and me could write a bad romance
(Oh-oh-oh--oh-oh!)
I want your love and
All your lovers' revenge
You and me could write a bad romance

I beg you...

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!

To try with all your heart to not to get

Caught in a bad romance

I don't want to hear you cry, Mama... 

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!
Caught in a bad romance

If it was possible...

I want your horror

all those awful, heartbreaking things that no one should have to go through but everyone does.  There are things that I would want to change to redesign in my life but won't because they are mine.  Even the worse things in my life I own, I made those choices and I stand by them.  It is for those reasons

I want your design

to be what you want.  You are an amazing, beautiful girl.  You deserve the best.

Should you ever fall in to the wrong crowd and meet Mr. Wrong I hope you find the courage to tell that person

‘Cause you're a criminal

for breaking your heart.  And if they say that they will not go anywhere

As long as you're mine

they could be a stalker or abusive.  Be careful of them.  They are not thinking,

I want your love

but trying to figure out another angle to keep you tethered to them.  Hopefully, a cop will never tell you that,

I want your psycho

and they have to tell that psycho it is it because of

Your vertigo stick

I hope your response to that psycho and his vertigo stick is

Want you in my rear window
Baby you're sick

and NOT

I want your love
Love-love-love
I want your love

I have said this before but I feel it warrants repeating

You know that I want you

I pray that you never tell someone

'Cause I'm a free bitch baby!
And you know that I need you
I want it bad, bad romance

My sweet, sweet baby girl I leave you with one final thought

Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah-ah!
Roma-roma-mamaa!
Ga-ga-ooh-la-la!

You do not

Want your bad romance

Or any one's for that matter

Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah-ah!
Roma-roma-mamaa!
Ga-ga-ooh-la-la!

Accept that you may

Want your bad romance

and be prepared to

Walk, walk fashion baby

walk away!  When you do be sure to 

Work it

when you do

Move that bitch crazy

out of your life.

Welcome to the world, baby girl, of bittersweet crushes, heartbreak and eventually - true love.

I wanted to warn you that everyone will have had that one person to make you see how much better your life will be with out them.  When you meet them remember, that it does not have to be that way and you are so much better without them no matter how much you think you love them.  No one can be everything to you if you are not everything to yourself first.

Besides, your dad may harm them if they do hurt you and I really don't want him to go to jail for murder.  Orange is just not his color!

With all my love,

mom

PS... If you could wait till you are married - that would be great!  Unless, of course, they are the douche I warned you about.

PPS...  Dad thinks you should meet a nice girl.

PPPS... I am participating in Mama Kat's  - Pretty Much World Famous - Writer's Workshop.

Ten Things I Should Be Learning From My Kids

All and all I am probably a pretty selfish person.  I want things the way I want them and when I want them.  I get easily frustrated and I am socially awkward... much like my children are now but I see them growing and changing; becoming better people.  I want to know how they do it!

Do we start off one way, learn to be another way only to slide backwards and revert to toddler stage?   I feel like that is an insult to my toddler.  I think she is a nicer person then I am.  I need to look to my kids more to help me become a better person.

For instance, I got a call from my son's school on Monday.  We moved out of his school's district.  The cut off is half way down our street.  If we found a house, ten or so houses North of our home, he would be in the same school he went to for kindergarten.  I missed open enrollment by two weeks.  I was heartbroken.  I threw a temper tantrum.  His birthday party was the day before and he just spent the day with those kids!  I am also angry at myself for not researching it more but I figured... they where expecting him all ready.  He will now be attending a new school.  I told him on his birthday.  I took the day off of work to hang out with him.  His response?  More friends!  I took him to the school to check it out and play on the playground.  His response?  A better playground!

They have so much to teach me...

The top 10 things I need to learn from my children

1. A hug and a kiss can really help take the hurt away.  No, it won't cure anything but small gestures mean the world to other people and we should do it more often and mean it.

2. Making the best of the situation.  His response to the change in his school was that he gets twice the friends!  My fear was that his current friends, teachers and the like all ready know him and like him how will he adapt?  I feel foolish typing that sentence.  Of course, he will be fine!  He will have twice the number of friends!

3. Follow through means more then you think.  Baby girl is starting to use the potty.  Some times it goes well and other times she doesn't make it.  That does not stop her from wanting to follow through with the task.  She still wants to sit on the toilet, wipe, flush, wash hands... take a bath.  Sure, she messed her diaper and that, to her, means a bath.  Not sure why but she does.  This is where I teach her about disappointment.

4. Sometimes you just have to do it yourself.  Baby girl has been trying to do things on her own as soon as she realized that she could do things on her own.  She will fight tooth and nail (literally, she is a biter and a pincher) for her right to do something on her own.  She insisted on stairs once she figured out she could walk and that those stairs may lead somewhere else and she has to find out.  It amazes me that she would rather do things for her self then let mommy help her and then other times she clings so fiercely to me that I feel like I may choke.  What will I do when she really does not need me?

5. Keep trying.  My son is learning to roller skate and use a scooter and they are both things that he just has to do.  And he is working on it.  Yes, he has scraped knees.  Yes, I cheer when he catches himself before he falls. And, yes, I am getting this all on my flip cam. 

6. Enthusiasm.  They are brimming with it.  They are so full of it the baby dances in circles and my soon-to-be-first-grader just dances.  Everything is so exciting and new that they can't help but be excited and it is contagious.

7. That's mine.  So this is one that I don't need to learn but it is one that I need to learn to be okay with saying. Yes, we want them to share but sometimes it is okay to let them put their foot down and say, "This is mine and I don't want to share - right now."  How often do we not do it and wish we did or went along with something knowing it was not right.  It is not necessary to share all the time and we all need to know when we should and should not.

8. Saying sorry will not make things okay but goes a long way to making things right.  I make my son say it.  I make him do something to make amends.  He does it.  He does not always understand but he does it.  It is something I have to remember to do as well.  Sometimes I may not feel it until it is said but I feel better once it is out.  I know he does it as an automatic response but I also know that at least he gets that it should be an automatic response to when you make a mistake.  And, I don't mean in a text or email.  If he can do to my face then I can, too.

9. Simple things are really wonderful.  Yes, a new car would be nice as would be more money and who would not want an exotic vacation, but those things are some times unrealistic or temporarily unattainable.  Let's play with Legos and play dough until then...  My son loves to bring me flowers (which are really leaves) and my baby girl will bend over backwards to help me sweep the floor or bring me a diaper.  They don't quite get why we might not have extra money this week but they get that they can do something just as fun.

10. Ask for help.  As I was writing this my soon-to-be-first-grader found me in the kitchen and said, "Mom, I think I need to see a psychologist."  Now, I know he is exaggerating and he is more upset because he was sent to bed the night before for "accidentally" pushing his sister on the stairs (she did not fall) but he thinks he needs to see someone because of his nightmares.  I told him I could be like a psychologist if you would like to talk to me.  "Okay, but first we need a couch."  We all need help at different times and sometimes it requires someone to listen and other times, well, a bit more then just listening.  There are other times when he needs help building his lego city and there are times when he has to do it on his own.  At least he will ask for help.  It is something I need to do more of in my own life.

Oh, from the mouths (and actions) of babes can we learn to be better adults but we where once children... why did we stop behaving like children and become - adults?

This is another prompt from Mama Kat's - pretty much world famous - Writer's Workshop to make up for my childish one that I also posted...

Word(less) Wednesday: Sprinkler!

Wordless Wednesday: Pop-Tarts and Coffee

You're the cream in my coffee
You're the salt in my stew
You'll always be my necessity
I'd be lost without you

Word(less) Wednesday: Happy Father's Day (belated)

The Husband and Jamba Mama walking around at Lodi Station Outlet Mall this past Saturday.

Isn't she pretty
Truly the angel's best
Boy, I'm so happy
We have been heaven blessed
I can't believe what God has done
through us he's given life to one
But isn't she lovely made from love 

 

and because I like Glee...