Crafts and such

If your children are like my children they require a lot of attention. This means that they need to be doing something every minute of their wake time. This can be very exhausting and fun at the same time. I haven't really ever been a "crafty" person. In fact, my husband, lovely man, has diagnosed me with Arts and Crafts A.D.D. This of course is not a REAL illness, per say, but ironically it fits with me and my focus when it comes to things like arts and crafts. Though, for my children's sake and their development I have become pretty good (I think) at creating fun crafts for them to do.

Seeing that March is filled with all sorts of things, i.e. St. Patrick's Day, Spring Equinox, Dr. Suess' Birthday, National Reading Month, oh the list goes on, I thought we would make some St. Patrick's Day cards for family members. These little cards are fun to make. The thing with Arts and Crafts with your kids is the developmental aspect that is super important. They learn that perfection isn't key to success with imagination. They learn eye-hand coordination with scissors, coloring, glue, etc. They will grow with their creativity. And when you step back and just let their little minds go, you will be surprised at what they can create.

That last part is a bit of a task for me since I'm a tad OCD. However, I do try to let them do the crafts how they want with some guidance from me. :) These are the cards we (me and Kara) made. Mason was napping during both craft sessions.

Have a fun time with your kids and let them be the artists that they want to be. :)

10 Rules of Motherhood

Rules of Motherhood:

1) ALWAYS have an arsenal of snacks in your slightly-smaller-than-carry-on-size purse.
2) A diaper and small package of wipes fits in most purses and will come in handy when at the grocery or department store. This will also alleviate the carry of the gigantic diaper bag.
3) NEVER allow an almost 2 y/o that has a throwing arm to hold any sort of item in the back seat. Especially when he has impeccable aim. (Side note: shoes are also backseat weapons)
4) Always tell your children you love them when you are about to scream at the top of your lungs in insanity. This will remind you to calm down because you really do love them. =) And also may prevent any sort of unnecessary discipline.
5) Try not to take offense from your 5 y/o when she tells you you are not a straight woman. To her this doesn't have anything to do with orientation, it has to do with being thin or fat. HAHAHAHAHA
6) Make every effort in your last bone to get up before your children do in the morning to get that oh so brief time alone to mentally prepare for the day. Of course this might be an issue if you have unpredictable risers.
7) Listen to appropriate music.
8) Teach your children the "Clean Up" song. This will be an awesome tool in a public place where all the shelves have been emptied of their contents.
9) Dance. When you dance and make things fun like cleaning up (I'm all about the cleaning up) it makes it fun for the kids. Especially when you need/want their help in picking up the massive amount of collateral in their bedrooms.
10) Smile. My daughter is one of the most honest people I know. And when I am not happy, I don't smile and she notices and asks what's wrong. I'm not talking that you fake it. I'm talking that just in looking at my kids it makes me smile, even when they've made me so mad. They are a beautiful and perfect creation. I love them unconditionally. So, why not smile?

The Desirable Yet Undesirable Welcome Home

Every mom needs a getaway for a few days to rejuvenate and refresh for life as a mom. But what is it about moms that secretly hope that when they get away there's a desperate desire for her return? Or is this just me? It could be. I guess it could be the need to feel needed 24/7, absent or present. LOL

I'm a silly person I suppose, but in reality, I was a bit taken aback when I arrived home from my BFF Getaway to Seattle to see my family functioning just fine without me. Yes ... WITHOUT ME!!! How could this happen? How did they not burn the house down? Not drive Aaron crazy? How is it that my home wasn't a complete chaotic mess? That my kids were actually being fed a healthy dinner? That my husband wasn't distraught? That my children had been bathed?!?! What in the world is wrong with this picture??? Ummmm .. just absolutely EVERYTHING!!!

My family is my source of energy, life, happiness, and craziness. I do believe that in time I'll come to realize this was a blessing. I mean the exact opposite of what happened would inspire a completely different blog. :) But the reality is that I have a complete functioning system in our house that works, with or without me. For a moment this is heartbreaking. LOL! I know I know that sounds absolutely absurd and completely silly. But the fact of the matter is, I thrive on desperate acts of needing mom! From Aaron to the kids, I want them to need me 100%. What is wrong with me?!?!?

ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING! LOL! I am a nut case. I don't understand why I couldn't be happy that they were happy and healthy when I arrived. Perhaps I was hoping for that tackle hug when I walked through the door. Or the "I'm SOOOOO glad you are home" from Aaron. They were happy to see me, but in a different way. They weren't crying. There wasn't chaos. There wasn't a dire need for mom's ability to fix things. Or that Aaron was ready to start pounding a bottle of Jack the minute I walked in. I guess that this was an Okay home to walk into.

But guess what I did to entice the excitement I was craving .. oh yeah .. I broke out the souvenirs and prizes for everyone. I drew the excitement out with bribery! Oh I'm not above bribery! I'll take what I can get.

My Dear Evan.

There are many times in my life that I can recall that Evan was there for me. I can also remember the times we had fun together. Some of the best memories I have of him are when he was a DJ on Power 91, a Cedar City radio station that was ran and operated by SUU students on the campus. I use to go hang out with him while he did his show. I got to know the deep personal side of Evan. He desires, his fears, his love.

He was one person I could count on knowing he'd be there for me through anything. Even if he disagreed with what I was doing, he was there for me. He was a to the core genuine loving person. It didn't matter who you were he loved you. From the moment you met him, he left a mark on your heart. He showed everyone what unconditional love and respect was. He made sure that everyone he knew, knew he loved and cared for them. He introduced me to some of the most awesome people I still call friends.

Evan was a person of deep emotion, who had a hard time processing loss. He loved everyone to a flaw. He trusted everyone, and put stock in every relationship he had. He was even so forgiving of the most emotionally damaging situations.

If there is one thing that I can say that Evan has taught me, it is to love. His love for people was astonishing. I will miss him. He was my sweettart! A big brother to me. A calm concerned smile in time of turmoil. Peace is all he wanted. All he needed was peace of heart. I hope he has peace now. I am sad that taking his own life was the only option he felt he had.


I love you Evan! You will always have a piece of my heart!

To-Do List Addiction

I have had a bit of a hard time lately writing a blog and I'll tell ya why. My life is busy. From feeding and bathing kids, to taking one to school, socializing another, wiping noses, changing diapers, doing laundry, dishes, vacuuming, wiping a nose again, disinfecting the house, administering medicines at the proper times, feeding the dog, prepping dinner, reloading the dishwasher, back to laundry, making beds, picking up the 900 crayons for the 10th time. Oh my gosh I could go on. So my brain isn't necessarily in a state of rest to sit down and write. And that's not necessarily a bad thing either.

It seems to me when I am sitting here blogging I just let my fingers do the typing and everything in my brain just kind of spills out. I'm not sure where this specific post is going, or if I'll even be lucky enough for it to have a point, but know this, I have had some coffee. Item #1 checked off my to-do list for today.

Now that we're talking about to-do lists, let's think about these things that we create to encourage ourselves to be more productive during the day. I think that when I've started my day off with a to-do list I've already failed. Because I'll never achieve this list. Why? Because I have children, Kara, 5, and Mason, 1. These two alone have the power to hinder any progress I foresee in my day. This isn't a bad thing. HAHAHA. But it is reality. To-do lists are great when you are at an office and have a list of items to be achieved before a certain deadline. These lists are also good when mapping out an errand run, or even planning an event.

Yesterday I was talking to a friend and she informed me that she is a list maker. I realized at that moment I, too, am a list maker. I have piles of notebooks, hoards of pens, paper clips, sticky notes, and a method that would stump even the brightest secretarial student in filing. :) I just made another FREAKING LIST! HELP!

Anyway, I am a list maker. I make a list of our bills, household to-dos (a.k.a. Honey Do List), and errands. I also have fallen victim to the Daily Goal To-Do list. This is the ultimate failure of to-dos. I'm starting to hear Ta Dah in my head. hmmm

Anyways, when I set up a daily list and I don't even get one thing marked off that list I sit and think about what I didn't do that day, instead of planning for tomorrow. And then that dumb quote pops into my head "Why put off until tomorrow what you can accomplish today." I'd like to meet this person. I can almost guarantee this person never had kids.

I mean I even started this post off with a list! There is something wrong with me. :) Lists are a good thing. But how obsessive can one be about making lists? Subconsciously I make lists. I even tend to bog my mind down at night making a list for the next day. WHERE DOES IT END!!!?!?!

Then there's the Honey Do List I mentioned a second ago. Not only do we, as moms and wives, make lists for ourselves, we've branched out. We've expanded our list-making horizons to our spouses. We've sucked them into our obsession of creating a tangible, evidential hand held list that is proof we have aspirations to accomplish something, anything really. Just to have that one or more items marked off the list. To say to ourselves, "Look what I did today!!" For that proud moment of doing something was needed and necessary. But why? Why do we need this proof of productivity? Why do I make these lists that disappoint time after time?

Can't I just be confident in my day spent with my children? I mean, after all, if we're all breathing and alive by bedtime I consider the day a success. :) Perhaps I'll try a new list. Maybe when I write my list for the day I'll include things like "playing with my kids," or "read to my kids," or "do a craft with my kids." These I think are things that are completely achievable. And then at the end of the day when I check my "to-do list" I'll see all the things marked off.

Peace.

Bullying and Strangers

I was watching "Dateline" last night and it was a repeat, but the point of the show was to observe children in a mostly natural environment to see how they would react to things such as bullies and strangers at the door. There was another part to it about teens getting into a car with someone they think has been drinking, but I didn't watch that part.

Some of what I saw made me think about how I'm teaching my kids to respond to bullying and/or strangers. Kara is to the point in her life where she wants to answer the door and phone. Most of the time it isn't a big deal. But there are moments when we are home and I'm not near the front door that she bolts to the door to open it for whomever is knocking. This is what scares me. Teaching children about "stranger danger" doesn't just apply to when they are at school, park, friends houses, or stores. This directly effects ,and most importantly, the safe haven of your home.

One would think that if someone is knocking at your door they would not have ill intentions, but in this day and age, that is just not true. Granted most in home burglaries or kidnappings are not random, but it's scary nonetheless.

So anyway, I was saying to my self "Self, you really should hone in on education about door knocks." In all seriousness, repetition about what is expected and hoped for is the key to success about opening the door to a knock. Aaron even wants to stage a practice for Kara, to encourage her to make the right choice, no matter who is at the door. It is hard to not open the door for people who claim to be police, firemen, etc., but teaching your children to call the 911 operator to verify the emergency worker would help in this situation. It's not wrong!!!

Bullying is a completely different circumstance. I believe that I have taught Kara, and I'm now in the process of teaching Mason, to be kind to everyone. To accept everyone for who and what they are and that in no circumstances is it Okay to be mean to anyone. I asked her this morning what she should do if she witnesses "Joe" being mean to "Bart" (imaginary people to only entice the moral behavior I'm seeking and not making it personal to her) She said she should tell a grown up .. good response. Then she asked me who Joe and Bart were. LOL

So then I "princessed" it up for her about Rapunzel and Cinderella. A second response enticed her to say that it's not okay for Rapunzel to be mean to Cinderella, and that she would never be mean to Cinderella cause she's a pretty princess! HAHAHA

So I took to a personal level with her at her school, since this is a place where most bullying takes place. According to the report on Dateline last night 85% of a student population are witness bystanders. These are the most powerful people in a circumstance of bullying. They have the power to step in and befriend, distract, or tell a teacher. But the sad part is, most don't. I asked her if "George" was being mean to "Dave" (names have been changed from the students' real names) what should she do? She said to tell George to stop being mean and if it didn't stop and/or got worse to tell Miss Jess. I asked her should she play with Dave? She said yes that would make him happy.

At 5 years old Kara is already, unknown to her, aware of acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. I am proud of her and hope that I can repeat the education with my boy. He's a storm to be calmed. =) I hope that parents learn that education about bullying and strangers needs to begin LONG before children are ever in a situation where they would need that knowledge. Kindergarten is the wrong time to teach about bullying. It needs to begin when your child starts playing and socializing with other children.

Peace.

What's that smell?

I often wonder what possesses us to have more than one child, but then I remember the desire for one more kid to love, one little boy was my desire. I got him. =) And while I love my kids to the deepest depths of my heart, they might be (and mostly are) the cause of what I call Mental Case Mommy!

My kids are like 3 years and 5ish months apart in age. A pretty good spacing in my opinion. One out of diapers, one in; one able to talk back, one able to scream; one willing to help clean up, one willing to make the mess; one to eat all his or her food while the other throws the plate in disgust. I mean honestly, who wouldn't want to experience this. ;)

Most days in my house go like this:
Wake up at the butt crack of dawn to Kara in the bathroom and Mason screaming for food from his bed. And for the most part, I enjoy their independence and ability to let me know what they need and when they need it, but honestly, the last thing I want to wake up to is the screeching of "FOOODDDDIIIEEE!!!!" from down the hall! But let's say I don't get to him fast enough, maybe I need to use the bathroom before I leave the safe confines of my own bedroom. Before I know it, I have Kara in my room telling me Mason is awake (thanks for the obvious point out sweetheart). Yep, I am the lucky potty performer with a constant audience. =) Where was I, oh yeah .. Mason .. if I don't get to him quick enough, I will soon be listening to the banging on his door coupled with the yell of "FOOOODDDIIEEE!!!" that is slightly muffled because he found his pacifier in his bed before ditching the bed.

When I finally get to him and open his door I'm typically greeted with a foul smell. Please don't ask what it is .. use your imagination. All the way down the stairs Kara is telling me that she is going to cook breakfast this morning and that she would like hard-boiled eggs for breakfast and that Mason stinks. Then she proceeds to tell me about all the things on her mind. Having a conversation with my 5 y/o is like having a conversation with a box of talking crayons. Speaking of crayons .. they do change poop colors if consumed in large quantities.

Where was I, oh yea .. Kara's conversation abilities. Surprisingly she makes a lot of sense to me. I find the waking up to colorful conversations with her are intriguing and inspiring at the same time. You wouldn't believe how much you can learn from your children's nonsense conversation if you listen carefully. They will tell you all sorts of things about themselves.

Oh back to my day, so before I can even have my first cup of coffee I've been demanded to make breakfast. So I quickly set my kids up with a piece of fruit .. as Mason has been demanding a "nana nana nana" the whole way down the stairs. But before I can even do that, I have to change that source of stench that greeted me when I opened Mason's bedroom door.

Where was I going with this post, hmm .. I forget, but I suppose that is a significant source of my Mental Case Mommy syndrome. I am a definite struggling survivor with severe mommy brain. You know that thing that you lose when you have kids. I only have 2 kids I can only imagine how severe it gets with more subsequent children.

I had a point today with my blog, but I can't remember where I was going with this. Having my two kids has been a great experience with a ton (and I mean I lost count) of interesting experiences. And by interesting I mean .. those times when you think .. "I'm throwing the towel!"

Going from one child to two is extremely different. It was literally a slap in the face eye-opening experience. With one, everything is mostly simple. You get a schedule going pretty early in their life, you're only managing one child at the store, restaurant, church, etc. You only have to worry about the care for one child. Finding a babysitter is the easiest task, going on vacation is easy cause you only have to buy one row of seats on a plane (instead of 4 seats not together). Ya know .. you'd think that airlines would do an even amount of seats together instead of an odd number. I mean seriously .. how many people travel in multiples of 3? My guess is not very many.

Anyway, back to my point, whatever that was. Juggling the two of them has made me realize that a schedule isn't completely necessary, the house doesn't have to be spotless (for now), though I'm 100% opposed to being late for anything, I'm late for everything now. Pre-feeding kids is Okay to do before you go to a restaurant, carrying an arsenal of treats in the car is a MUST! Predicting the outcome of a situation becomes an art. Knowing where BOTH of your kids are at the same time is a magic trick. But the most interesting part of having two kids is finding that you can operate best under an extreme amount of pressure and come out shining like a diamond.

My husband is amazed that our house is not an exact replica of a dump site when he comes home from work. Our kids are active all day and keep me on my toes. I'm constantly picking up after them, all while trying to teach them how to pick up after themselves. He is also amazed that I get anything else done that doesn't directly involve my kids. When life was just about Kara, things were so much easier. My house was spotless (I'm a closet neat freak), the beds were always made, toys picked up, dishes put away, no funny scents hanging about unable to be narrowed down to a location, her toys were OCD organized, my laundry was done, there wasn't clutter on my kitchen counter or dining table. Awe .. the life with one child is so blissful, right?!?!

Add in number 2, and make him a boy! All of that goes OUT the winder.. Yes I just said winder cause that's what I typed. HAHAHA! Anyway, my focus is now on keeping BOTH safe, happy, and entertained. My house is still MOSTLY cleaned, though I'm preparing for the day when I'm able to keep it at my preferred standards again. My laundry isn't usually done all in one day, my counter and table are littered with crap, toys are not OCD organized, and sometimes (okay a lot of times) I simply cannot locate the source of a smell. HAHAH

In all, life with two is better than one. I wouldn't trade them for the world. But man I'd love a vacation!

Peace.