My sister shares her horror stories

These are from my sister, they are so funny I had to share....thanks Jo!

"my kids are perfect...

That is if you exclude the time Rafe hammered dents in R&R's basement door...
and the time the boys cut their own hair...
and also the time they emptied an entire bottle, family size of course, of chocolate syrup on themselves, olivia's bed and floor.
oh yeah, and the time rafe got mad at me for putting him in time out so he pulled down his pants and peed on his bed.
and just last night when ira took the tubes of kiddie toothpaste into the bathtub, filled them with water and shot streams of toothpaste water all the way to the ceiling. I rather enjoy the aqua blue splotches as decor and the bathroom smells minty fresh.
i guess my only advantage is having so many i can't take them all into public unless my wonderful "iron hand" husband is along. so all our moments happen at home or relatives houses.
but that means my house is a disaster area. the boys are constantly taking clothes out of their dresser and throwing them around their room. the dishes are never done, i can't keep up with laundry and if i should happen to step on the floor under the dining room table, I have to slip my foot out of my sock so I can move again.
ahhhh, there's no place like home."

Horror stories of a SAHM

#1
The other day the whole family went to Sam's. My children were fighting in the "cool" cart, you know those huge unturnable things they make for kids....anyway somehow my son fell out and since I assumed my husband was right behind me I just left him screaming on the floor of the warehouse and as I kept walking I tried to discipline my daughter. After a few minutes, I turned around and my son was screaming in the middle of the floor and several adults were looking at me like I was the worst mother ever. My husband had stopped to look at the meat and was nowhere to be seen. I quickly ran to get my son and hoped that no one had Social Services on speeddial.....
#2
My children and I went to Target to kill time before visiting Grandma. My 4 year old daughter and I were looking at the clearance racks when I looked down the aisle to see my 2 year old son bent over, biting at his crotch....yes, when he stood up he had little wet teeth marks on his pants. Anyway while several "perfect" mothers were watching, I proceeded to go over to him when he promptly pulled his diaper out of his pants....in the middle of Target. Even my nephew eating out of the garbage can't top that one.

Substitute Teacher

Had an AMAZING experience yesterday. Subbed at the Orland Colony for the first time. It was really something. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The children were all curious and had lots of questions about my hair, makeup, nylons and why I drove a Chevy. They were very touchy-feely and asked frequently to play with my hair and rub my back. They had lots of energy and it was quite difficult to get them to sit in their desks for any length of time. I had the younger classroom the K-3rd graders. Their wide-eyes and freckled faces were hard not to fall in love with. The older group, the 4th-8th graders, visited me at lunch. They wanted to sing for me. Anyone who knows me knows I love to sing. So I told them I would visit their classroom at the end of the day when the students in my class were in music. I was completely unprepared for the wonderful treat of their voices. After a moment of deciding what to sing, the room slowly filled with two or three harmonies of a church hymn. The words floated into the air like a thick satin ribbon. It took all of my power not to have tears running down my cheeks. The children sat at their desks, some with their eyes closed and out of their mouths came pure heaven. I have NEVER experienced such a wonderful sound. I was moved. I was astonished at the talent of these young children. I had goose bumps all over my body.

The Scale

Weighed myself. Three pounds more than yesterday. Diet is working in completely opposite direction of planned. Maybe if I eat all bad foods I will lose weight. Is this opposite day?

New Years Resolution (s)

Change to a healthier lifestyle.

1) drink more water
2) watch what I eat
3) start taking a vitamin and a calcium supplement
4) exercise
5) force a friend to do it with me so that I can stay motivated

Good Luck Cindy!

Wanna join the band?

Last night was my husband's work Christmas Party. I have gone to a few of these over the years. We have been to a comedy club and a brewery. My dh is in shift work at a hospital, so about every other year he works the night of the party. Anyway, this year the entertainment was a local band "DNR". The band consists of about 12 members, doctors, a lawyer, nurses and LPN's, and even a newsman from a local television station. They play oldies and rock and roll music. It was nice to see the "other side" of some of these people. They really enjoy themselves. At one point the percussionist was riding on top of the crowd, banging his cowbell while several co-workers put dollar bills in his belt. It was a PARTY. I wonder how some of these people will be able to face each other back at the hospital. But really, it got me thinking. I love to sing. The lead woman singer is a nurse who belted out the Shania Twain song "Feel like a Woman" in her alto bravado. The backup singers sang harmony as did the guitar and base and the keyboarders. I should get a bunch of my mommy friends together and start a band. We could call ourselves the M&M's "Mommy's making Music". We could get together once a month and jam in one of our garages while our hubbies watched the kids. We would book local gigs and work only when we wanted to. I can sing and play the clarinet, anybody else know how to play an instrument? Yeah, I think I'll just keep dreaming.

Sibling Rivalry

Lately, it seems as though I am spending more time trying to get my children to stop fighting than doing anything else. I have been researching online resources trying to find help with this. My children are very young, 2 and 4. I naively thought as they get older they will grow out of this. But, according to this article from the Dr. Dobson website, and many others, my kids are just beginning their journey into brotherly love....

Brotherly Love

by Grace Krienke

Sibling rivalry is as old as Cain and Abel, as legendary as Cinderella and her stepsisters and can be as deadly as the daughters of King Lear. Parents should know the battles are likely and must prepare their kids to defuse potentially ugly situations.

Teach mutual respect. Do not allow your children to insult each other. Words are extremely powerful, and snide comments can damage deeply. Experts say every negative comment needs at least five positive remarks to even out. Teach your children to respect and appreciate each other.
Do not play favorites. In Genesis, we see the damage done by JacobÂ’s favoritism of Joseph. Remember that all children are created equal, but not all children are the same. Recognize and praise each childÂ’s individual skills, strengths and accomplishments without implying that one child is somehow better.
Teach conflict-management. Do not deny your child’s feelings, but help him learn to express emotions in an appropriate way. If you see your child acting jealously, encourage him identify the emotion by saying, “I understand that you feel bad because . . .” or “I know you hurt because . . .” Helping your children figure out the causes of their actions will help them learn how to deal with problems in the future.
Do not ignore good behavior. To attention-starved kids, negative attention is simply attention. Notice your children playing nicely together and reward them with praise. Be sure each child receives adequate parental interest and quality time.
Show appreciation for who your child is, not what he does. When a child feels valuable merely for his performance, he will feel the need to prove his worth. Instead, praise your child for his God-given traits such as compassion or a tender heart. By fostering their self-esteem, children can learn to respect themselves and others.
Most parents realize children imitate what they see, so examine the example you set. Do you compete with your siblings? By checking your actions, you can be better prepared to show your children how to emerge the best of friends following the inevitability of a little sibling rivalry.

Copyright © 2001 Focus on the Family. This article first appeared in the May 2001 Growing Years edition of Focus on the Family magazine.

This information was helpful to me. If you have more questions see the website at http://troubledwith.com

Choosing to stay home

I've been feeling sort of like I made the wrong decision to stay home with my children, seeing the holiday bills pile up and getting job offers from friends. Sioux Falls, SD, which is 35 miles from here was just reported as having the highest number of working mom's in the nation. I agree that we are a hard-working state. Our mores and ideals have taught us to value a hard days work. But, is this really something we should be proud of, something for the 6 o'clock news headlines? Just last night a friend told me her 31 year old acquaintance just died of cancer and she would have given anything to spend one more hour, minute, second with her child.

Nope, I am sure, now more than ever, that I made a good choice. I can do without cable TV, high speed internet, and a second cell phone. My kids know I am here and that I will take care of them. Each day we play together I am getting to know their personalities and their little behaviors. It is MY job to teach them how to share, my job to take care of them when they are sick, my job to show them the world and teach them how is works. God gave me these beautiful children and I will take care of them. I know there will be days that I wish I was at "the office". I know times will be tough. I'm ready for the challenge. Bring it on.

New Year Events (and it's only the 4th day)

Christmas and New Years came and went and here it is the 4th of January.

Happenings thus far in 2006;

Husband had stomach flu
Yet another job offer from friends mom
Learned my sister is moving even further away from me
Daughters preschool friend threw up in my van and on me
Son hit daughter in the eye with baseball bat, daughter got black eye
Brother-in-law ran into our garage door, only liability insurance
Substitute pay from December got sent to old job
Son has horrid ear infection
Haircut (ie. Therapy session) got cancelled:(

Happy @#$%^&* New Year!

? = Happy Kids

Things I need to have happy kids today;
2 soft blankets
2 full sippee cups of milk
Cheese popcorn
Dora the Explorer movie