First, my mom, brother, almost SIL and two perfect nieces are coming for a weekend visit at the end of the month! I am very excited! I always LOVE to see my brother and crew and I haven't seen my other niece in about 9 months! This will be a good preview of Thanksgiving with only half the people:)
Next, tonight started my full-press attempt at getting back into a school routine. We had dinner, then showers, quiet playtime, teeth brushed and off to bed. No, it did not go very well, but that is why I started tonight and not next Sunday:) I have also set the alarm for 7:45 tomorrow morning so we can get up and moving! I wonder if that end will work better:)
I got a bunch of dinners made today in hopes of keeping our dining-out to a minimum and hopefully eating healthier meals. I made baked ziti, chili, and rice to use in fried rice. That should help this week!
Football scrimmage on Tuesday and Thursday is Open House for the kids at school. Ben is headed back to work after being out most of the month so he will have lots to do! I guess the best way to get back into the groove is to just jump in!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
CHRISTMAS!
Yes, I am aware that September is not here yet, but Christmas is both my favorite and least favorite time of the year. This year I am making a change and this change is going to make Christmas my favorite time of the year with no exceptions!
My opposition to Christmas for many years has been the complete commercialization of the holiday. Despite my best efforts, the monsters see Christmas as a time to "get stuff". This is not what I want Christmas to be about in our home. I want it to be about family and fun and LOTS of decorations! For months now, I have been cutting-back on what I buy the monsters and Ben and I have been making them "earn" things. I have also been preparing them for the fact that Christmas will be VERY small as gifts are not what it is about! I hope they start understanding that.
Honestly, it is not just about Christmas, but life in general at our house. We are a very fortunate family. Are basic needs are met with many, many extras thrown in. I am feeling that it is time that we realize how good we have it and what is really important. To me, spending time together is important! Because soon enough the monsters will be out in the world and our time together will lessen. I want to enjoy NOW!
I hope my Christmas plans go well and I can get the family to enjoy the family side of the holiday!
My opposition to Christmas for many years has been the complete commercialization of the holiday. Despite my best efforts, the monsters see Christmas as a time to "get stuff". This is not what I want Christmas to be about in our home. I want it to be about family and fun and LOTS of decorations! For months now, I have been cutting-back on what I buy the monsters and Ben and I have been making them "earn" things. I have also been preparing them for the fact that Christmas will be VERY small as gifts are not what it is about! I hope they start understanding that.
Honestly, it is not just about Christmas, but life in general at our house. We are a very fortunate family. Are basic needs are met with many, many extras thrown in. I am feeling that it is time that we realize how good we have it and what is really important. To me, spending time together is important! Because soon enough the monsters will be out in the world and our time together will lessen. I want to enjoy NOW!
I hope my Christmas plans go well and I can get the family to enjoy the family side of the holiday!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Order in the Court!
The monster's sleep schedule has been so off all summer. With our trip to NJ so early this year, we never got into a good rhythm and the bad one is getting worse! The kids are up until between 10:30pm-midnight every night! Around here, that is a BIG deal seeing as Maggie was in bed by 7pm all school year, Killi by 8pm and Declan in bed about the same time, just not asleep. They don't get up in the morning until well after 9am and getting them(and me) motivate is near impossible!
As we speak, it is 7pm and Maggie is asleep! I am not sure how long she has been asleep, but I am pretty sure that it will not last through the night! There is craziness and chaos all the time! I don't like it. I like for the monsters to go to bed and then for me to have some quiet time before I go to bed! That has not been working! We need some order and I have decided that it will come in the form of melatonin! I have used it before(on recommendation of their doctor)and I think that is the only way to move them back to our normal schedule. Lucky for my I have found a place in town that carries the liquid, so when I ever leave the house and Harbour again, I will grab it! Maybe then some order can be restored around here!
Wish me luck!
As we speak, it is 7pm and Maggie is asleep! I am not sure how long she has been asleep, but I am pretty sure that it will not last through the night! There is craziness and chaos all the time! I don't like it. I like for the monsters to go to bed and then for me to have some quiet time before I go to bed! That has not been working! We need some order and I have decided that it will come in the form of melatonin! I have used it before(on recommendation of their doctor)and I think that is the only way to move them back to our normal schedule. Lucky for my I have found a place in town that carries the liquid, so when I ever leave the house and Harbour again, I will grab it! Maybe then some order can be restored around here!
Wish me luck!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Truth...
I know it is rare, but I feel I must share so truth here. First, I am truly looking forward to school starting, but only so that we have a schedule again. Second, I am truly hoping that this school year will be better for me than last year was. Third, I am a very disorganized person. Fourth, sometimes I wonder how I got the life I live. And fifth, I love my kids with all my heart!
I wish I could have been more organized this summer and that we could have done more as a family. I feel like the time is moving so quickly and that the kids will be off to college the next time I blink. I hate that! I wish time moved more slowly. I wish I could keep them little forever! Being a mom is getting harder and harder as they get older. There is more to do. More activities, more school work and more active parenting. When the kids were younger the days seemed "hard" with 100's of diapers and feeding and changing and playing, but now I see that that was the easy part. Now with the activities and homework and friendships and questions, it is really tough! I hate to see my kids be mistreated by other kids, but I know they need to learn to work that out and I know that the only way for them to learn is to ask questions, but some questions I am not ready to answers!
It is hard, this parenting thing! I am glad I have many friends to do it with!
I wish I could have been more organized this summer and that we could have done more as a family. I feel like the time is moving so quickly and that the kids will be off to college the next time I blink. I hate that! I wish time moved more slowly. I wish I could keep them little forever! Being a mom is getting harder and harder as they get older. There is more to do. More activities, more school work and more active parenting. When the kids were younger the days seemed "hard" with 100's of diapers and feeding and changing and playing, but now I see that that was the easy part. Now with the activities and homework and friendships and questions, it is really tough! I hate to see my kids be mistreated by other kids, but I know they need to learn to work that out and I know that the only way for them to learn is to ask questions, but some questions I am not ready to answers!
It is hard, this parenting thing! I am glad I have many friends to do it with!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Some Good...
Today I had a meeting and it was good! This was the second meeting in as many weeks that I have had and both have had awesome outcomes! The first was last week with Father Bob, where I looked for answers on religious education for the monsters! and today with the school principle about the best options for my Killi for next year!
In neither meeting did I get all I wanted, but what I did get in both was the chance to talk with people that really wanted to hear what I was saying! And it was about my kids so it was good!
In neither meeting did I get all I wanted, but what I did get in both was the chance to talk with people that really wanted to hear what I was saying! And it was about my kids so it was good!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Parenting
Growing up, there were a few "lines" my mother used often that I swore I would NEVER use as a mother. Two of my least favorites she used were "Because I said so" and "I don't care what so-and-so does I am not their mother". Upon hearing either of these "lines" my skin would crawl! I wanted to scream every time she used them! I could never understand why she could not just explain WHY instead of I said so or WHY she was always the mean mom and we could not do what so-and-so did. Well, as my children continue to grow, so do I! And I know that "because I said so" is an answer given out of necessity sometimes and not always convince. "Because I said so" sometimes just needs to be used until there is a better time/place for further explanation and not always to ignore the child:) So, I use it, alot and I have made peace with the hypocrite that I am for swearing at 14, I would NEVER use that on my kids:)
Moving onto my second least favorite "line" my mother used,"I don't care what so-and-so does I am not their mother". With this one I just never understood why I was unable to do all the fun things that EVERYBODY else could! This "line" has become one of the most used in my home! Only now I hear it in an entirely different way. When I say this to my children it is often because that behavior in question that so-and-so is partaking in is not behavior that I think is good for my children. Sometimes it is for moral and ethical reasons and others just because. The reason I bring this up is not to show what an incredible hypocrite I am, but to point out that almost NO ONE else I know uses these "lines". And that would be great if the reasons were that these parents always take the time to explain to their children why, so "because I said so" was never needed or that all the kids and parents we know had the same rules, but that is not the case either. Instead I find that I sit at the park or pool all day and discipline my children while most of the other children run wild with little to no oversight! This is driving me mad! And I know it does not matter how others raise their kids only how I raise mine, but sometimes I think it would be nice if some of the rules were the same...No hitting, back-talking, lying, small things is all I am asking for! Who knew I was going to be the only psycho mom that thinks sassy mouths should be punished!
Parenting is not as easy as the getting pregnant thing was;-) And I love it but I would like to say to Sec. Clinton, I do not want the village to raise my children because they are not doing a hot job on their own!
Moving onto my second least favorite "line" my mother used,"I don't care what so-and-so does I am not their mother". With this one I just never understood why I was unable to do all the fun things that EVERYBODY else could! This "line" has become one of the most used in my home! Only now I hear it in an entirely different way. When I say this to my children it is often because that behavior in question that so-and-so is partaking in is not behavior that I think is good for my children. Sometimes it is for moral and ethical reasons and others just because. The reason I bring this up is not to show what an incredible hypocrite I am, but to point out that almost NO ONE else I know uses these "lines". And that would be great if the reasons were that these parents always take the time to explain to their children why, so "because I said so" was never needed or that all the kids and parents we know had the same rules, but that is not the case either. Instead I find that I sit at the park or pool all day and discipline my children while most of the other children run wild with little to no oversight! This is driving me mad! And I know it does not matter how others raise their kids only how I raise mine, but sometimes I think it would be nice if some of the rules were the same...No hitting, back-talking, lying, small things is all I am asking for! Who knew I was going to be the only psycho mom that thinks sassy mouths should be punished!
Parenting is not as easy as the getting pregnant thing was;-) And I love it but I would like to say to Sec. Clinton, I do not want the village to raise my children because they are not doing a hot job on their own!
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