Ok, I don't have any links to ads...HOWEVER I found the coolest application for Iphones!
TGI Black Friday
You can also use the web site if you can't use the app for an Iphone or Ipad... using your email address for updates!
You can search for specific items, compare listed prices, add items to your wishlist, manage your wishlist, and they will uppdate as each and every ad comes out!
Love it...so much easier!
So, in conclusion...TGI Black Friday.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Monday Madness
So on this wonderful Monday morning I woke up easily, (why? I have no idea.) got out of bed, and did my normal rounds of opening doors and turning on lights. My oldest, who has her bedroom in the basement did not want to get up, so I yelled down the stairs until she did (I can't imagine how my voice echos down there, ha ha).
They all got up, got dressed, had the normal arguments over bathrooms, brushes, make-up, and breakfast. And it wasn't until Macy said, "um, Mom? I thought since daylight savings time it is supposed to be light when we get up?"
"Sorry, I don't control the daylight, test your blood sugar." was my response, I am not much of a morning person. The rolling of the eyes and the I am... as normal.
So as she is testing, I look out the window. It is kinda dark outside. Hmmm. I went to the fridge, fumbled around, lifting up many pieces of 7 year old art clipped to other pieces of paper, and then I found it. The bus schedule I had made at the beginning of the year...Macy-6:50am, Twins-7:00am, Haley-7:57am (yeah the youngest leaves a whole hour later than the rest, it drives me batty too). I casually glance over at the clock... 5:45am. Woops!
Yeah, I woke 3 of the 4 girls up an hour earlier than needed. I admitted my error. Apologized repeatedly and I pretty much just got a bunch of "Jeez, Mom!" and "Thanks a lot!" We had some time to relax and no one forgot anything this morning! I wonder if I try it again tomorrow if it will work again? I bet they go to sleep on time tonight! Ha ha! Monday Morning Madness!!!!
So I love blog hops...its the best way to find other blogs I enjoy reading. I follow a lot of blogs, I go thru my blog updates every day, and I read quite a lot of them.
I love getting new followers (especially when my husband says things like, "there are 91 people out there who actually read what you write? Why?"), I love comments, and I love the opportunity to meet and get to know new people!
So here is to another blog hop...with a twist!
Welcome if you are a new follower to me...will you be so kind as to leave your blog link so I can follow you back? And maybe answer some random and kinda fun questions? (Java at Never Growing Old had a great Idea, I am borrowing her Idea and changing it to suit me...But I always, always give credit where credit is due, hence the link)!
Questions....
1. Do you have children? (How many?)
2. Do you have a favorite holiday? (which one?)
3. Are you a Type A or Type B personality?
4. List something that always makes you laugh out loud...
So answer these questions in your comment to me and I promise to follow you back!
Here are my answers...
1. YES, 5 (plus 1 technically removed) ages, 15, 13, 13 (well the twins will be 13 on Wednesday), 7, 2, and the one who is technically my ex-step daughter (though I still consider her my daughter) is 21!
2. Yes, Christmas of course!!!
3. I am a Type A with a side of Lazy
4. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
Questions....
1. Do you have children? (How many?)
2. Do you have a favorite holiday? (which one?)
3. Are you a Type A or Type B personality?
4. List something that always makes you laugh out loud...
So answer these questions in your comment to me and I promise to follow you back!
Here are my answers...
1. YES, 5 (plus 1 technically removed) ages, 15, 13, 13 (well the twins will be 13 on Wednesday), 7, 2, and the one who is technically my ex-step daughter (though I still consider her my daughter) is 21!
2. Yes, Christmas of course!!!
3. I am a Type A with a side of Lazy
4. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
Here are my answers for Java's questions....
1. How many pillows do you sleep with?
I sleep with 1 but use 3 to read with.
2. Where will you eat on Thanksgiving?
We will be having it here at our house, the 7 of us and one lucky guest.
3. Would you rather go to a party or host a party?
I would rather host, I am a control freak!
4. How many purses (for the guys..wallets) do you own?
If siaper bags count, then I am in the 30's!
5. What is your favorite kind of seafood?
I don't like seafood...I can't stand anything fishysmelling!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Versatile Blogger Award!!! Holy Full Diaper Batman!!!
Karen at Not Just Baby Talk bestowed upon me the
Versatile Blogger Award...
*To accept this award, there are 4 rules*
1. Thank the person who gave you the award.
Thank You Karen at Not Just Baby Talk for first of all taking the time to read my rants and raving, commenting when you can and of course for awarding me such a huge honor to me. (Since I just started this year and never expected it to be so much fun, it truly is an honor).
2. Share seven things about yourself
1. I spend all day in my PJ's if I can and make the mad dash to change right before my husband gets home. For some reason I have it in my head that he might think if I am still in my PJs then I couldn't have done a damn thing all day. Which he never does, but I still do it anyway. Crazy me.
2. Wonder Woman was my childhood hero, ok maybe she still is! I am talking Lynda Carter Wonder Woman, she had a huge toothy smile, broad shoulders, lots of cleavage and was curvy, could run downhill in high heeled boots, and never did as she was told.
3. I love all 4 seasons! I grew up where there were only 2 seasons (winter and spring) and 2 kinds of weather (rain and fog). I stand on the porch for Summer thunderstorms (light shows as my husband calls them) and when it snows I secretly hope it will be at least 4 feet deep, even though its not good for driving, school, and my husband shoveling.
4.I bring logic into everything. Logically people takes things way too seriously and personally. This drives my husband crazy at least 50 percent of the time.
5.My twins weighed 7lbs 8oz and 7lbs 12oz when they were born. I begged to be induced at 38 weeks. I had to cry to get my doctor to induce because he said they wanted the babies to be as big as possible. I couldn't lie down, sit down, or stand comfortably. There was laughter in the delievery room after Victoria was born and weighed. How much bigger could he have wanted them to be!!??
6. Christmas is my favorite holiday. But not for the gifts. I love giving gifts, but I have gift opening phobia. (when I was a young girl at my own birthday party Erica Lescue gave me a can of MarziPan with a book on how to make figures out of it. Well I don't like MarziPan so I said ewww. I got in huge trouble and everyone went home. Since then I always worry I might not like a gift and the person giving it will be able to tell. So I am the one with a stack of presents at my seat on Christmas, waiting for everyone else.)
7. I have a huge potty mouth. I try to keep it under control, but all my years working in the car business left its mark on me.
3. Pass the award on to 12 bloggers you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic.
Here's my list of 12...(in random order)
BatCrap Crazy
The Superhero and the Princess
Only Parent Chronicles
Raising Marshmellows
Sounthern MoMentum
Three in the Bed
The Meditative Mom
The Superhero and the Princess
Only Parent Chronicles
Raising Marshmellows
Sounthern MoMentum
Three in the Bed
The Meditative Mom
4. Contact the bloggers you picked and let them know about the award.
Thanks for Reading, Commenting, and Sharing Your Opinions Ladies! And remember,
Well behaved women rarely make history!
Well behaved women rarely make history!
Be Right Back!
Friday, November 12, 2010
Waiting for it to become funny...
When I was a baby (back in the 70's), my mother had an incident she has recalled at times when I feel like I am the worst mother in the world or am stressing out over a parenting issue. I have to say she tells the story exactly the same every time and every time I can picture the entire event unfolding in my mind.
My mom is in her nightie (you know the 70's kind-short, kinda see thru, and clingy) making pancakes with her baby in her highchair and music playing in the background. In the distance she hears the garbage truck and realizes neither her husband or herself has put the garbage out. So to avoid being seen in her nightie, she quickly goes out and puts the garbage on the curb before the garbage truck gets to our house. Phew, that was a close one...she walks quickly back to the door, turns the knob...and it is locked! Oh, no! Baby inside, mommy outside, and the door is locked!
So she goes around back to try the sliding glass door. She can now see her baby playing in her highchair awaiting a pancake. THE PANCAKES...eyes dart to the stove where the pancake is cooking!
I'm fine, my mom is fine. She freaked, the neighbors called the fire department, and all turned out fine. However, not only did the garbage men see my mom in her nightie, but so did the neighbors and the fire department! LOL...
Ok, cute, funny, and true story which usually makes me feel better. Not this time. I keep waiting for what happened on Wednesday to be funny, if it ever will.
We drove 1.5 hours to my oldest daughters Endocrinologist doctor appointment for her Type 1 Diabetes. A routine appointment that lasts about 45 minutes to an hour. Ethan was great, he started getting fussy towards the end. So when we were done I asked Macy to take Ethan out and walk him around in his stroller, entertain him while I checked out, made the next appointment, and paid our co-pay.
I am almost done, sign here...here's this card and that card...put next appointment in my calender...and I overhear in the front office a woman talking to the check-in nurse. "The doors opened, and there he was all by himself. I don't know who would leave a baby in the elevator all by himself"...I casually glance up and around the corner to see MY BABY! Holy you know what! I dropped my phone, wallet, and purse on the counter ran around the corner and scooped up Ethan. In the corner of my eye I see Macy out in the hallway, running to the other elevator frantically.
I was so thankful, but also concerned Macy would be freaking out thinking she lost her brother. So I said, "thank you, I will be right back" and took Ethan with me to the elevators. We got in and went down. When the doors opened there was my 15 year old daughter breathing hard and freaking out...gasping when she saw her brother in my arms.
It's important to know that Macy is very responsible with her siblings (aside from the occasional fight between her and the twins), nothing like this has ever happened before. She is so protective of her brother there are times I find myself reminding her that he is my son.
So I asked her, "How the hell did Ethan end up in his stroller in an elevator all by himself?" Well it turns out she was playing a game of peekaboo with him. it escalated from the stroller cover to the elevator. She thought that the doors would partially close and she would push the button and they would open back up. Well that didn't happen.
When we got back up to the doctors office (in this 3 story very large medical building) the woman who had brought my son into the office was gone. I never got a chance to really thank her and talk to her. How did she know to bring him to that office? Its a big building and she wasn't seeing the doctor in that office? What I do know is that I could have lost my baby and I am truly thankful that the woman who was standing at the elevator when it opened was an honest and caring person. So whoever and where ever you are, Thank you for saving both of my children...my son from being lost and my daughter from a life of horror (from self-blame) for losing her baby brother.
Now you may be asking how can this ever be funny? Well, we watch a TV show called Modern Family. There is an episode where everyone goes to Hawaii and Cam and Mitchell leave their daughter Lily in the elevator while having a argument...Gloria is waiting for the elevator and it opens...she sees Lily in her stroller, and says, "Lily, where are you going?" Then she brings the baby with her and runs into the frantic crazy parents yelling "seal off the island". It was very funny, on TV.
So when I told my husband what happened on the phone while driving home, he said "I hope you are able to laugh at it now". Um, nope not yet! Maybe never!
My mom is in her nightie (you know the 70's kind-short, kinda see thru, and clingy) making pancakes with her baby in her highchair and music playing in the background. In the distance she hears the garbage truck and realizes neither her husband or herself has put the garbage out. So to avoid being seen in her nightie, she quickly goes out and puts the garbage on the curb before the garbage truck gets to our house. Phew, that was a close one...she walks quickly back to the door, turns the knob...and it is locked! Oh, no! Baby inside, mommy outside, and the door is locked!
So she goes around back to try the sliding glass door. She can now see her baby playing in her highchair awaiting a pancake. THE PANCAKES...eyes dart to the stove where the pancake is cooking!
I'm fine, my mom is fine. She freaked, the neighbors called the fire department, and all turned out fine. However, not only did the garbage men see my mom in her nightie, but so did the neighbors and the fire department! LOL...
Ok, cute, funny, and true story which usually makes me feel better. Not this time. I keep waiting for what happened on Wednesday to be funny, if it ever will.
We drove 1.5 hours to my oldest daughters Endocrinologist doctor appointment for her Type 1 Diabetes. A routine appointment that lasts about 45 minutes to an hour. Ethan was great, he started getting fussy towards the end. So when we were done I asked Macy to take Ethan out and walk him around in his stroller, entertain him while I checked out, made the next appointment, and paid our co-pay.
I am almost done, sign here...here's this card and that card...put next appointment in my calender...and I overhear in the front office a woman talking to the check-in nurse. "The doors opened, and there he was all by himself. I don't know who would leave a baby in the elevator all by himself"...I casually glance up and around the corner to see MY BABY! Holy you know what! I dropped my phone, wallet, and purse on the counter ran around the corner and scooped up Ethan. In the corner of my eye I see Macy out in the hallway, running to the other elevator frantically.
I was so thankful, but also concerned Macy would be freaking out thinking she lost her brother. So I said, "thank you, I will be right back" and took Ethan with me to the elevators. We got in and went down. When the doors opened there was my 15 year old daughter breathing hard and freaking out...gasping when she saw her brother in my arms.
It's important to know that Macy is very responsible with her siblings (aside from the occasional fight between her and the twins), nothing like this has ever happened before. She is so protective of her brother there are times I find myself reminding her that he is my son.
So I asked her, "How the hell did Ethan end up in his stroller in an elevator all by himself?" Well it turns out she was playing a game of peekaboo with him. it escalated from the stroller cover to the elevator. She thought that the doors would partially close and she would push the button and they would open back up. Well that didn't happen.
When we got back up to the doctors office (in this 3 story very large medical building) the woman who had brought my son into the office was gone. I never got a chance to really thank her and talk to her. How did she know to bring him to that office? Its a big building and she wasn't seeing the doctor in that office? What I do know is that I could have lost my baby and I am truly thankful that the woman who was standing at the elevator when it opened was an honest and caring person. So whoever and where ever you are, Thank you for saving both of my children...my son from being lost and my daughter from a life of horror (from self-blame) for losing her baby brother.
Now you may be asking how can this ever be funny? Well, we watch a TV show called Modern Family. There is an episode where everyone goes to Hawaii and Cam and Mitchell leave their daughter Lily in the elevator while having a argument...Gloria is waiting for the elevator and it opens...she sees Lily in her stroller, and says, "Lily, where are you going?" Then she brings the baby with her and runs into the frantic crazy parents yelling "seal off the island". It was very funny, on TV.
So when I told my husband what happened on the phone while driving home, he said "I hope you are able to laugh at it now". Um, nope not yet! Maybe never!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Giving Thanks
I have been thinking about it on and off all day, and I realized I would be a complete boob if I didn't take a few moments to write out a THANK YOU to all our Veterans, Active Military members, and their FAMILIES! The reason I would be a "boob" is my husband is a Disabled Veteran, he served 10 short years in the Air Force and I have many family members who are Veterans and Active Military.
Thank you to everyone who has taken time out of their own lives to help protect the rest of us. Not only have they missed holidays with family but also one time events like the birth of thier child(ren). And a thank you to the family members who have gone without their mother, father, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, son, and/or daughter so that the rest of us can enjoy the liberties that they are protecting.
THANK YOU!!!
Thank you to everyone who has taken time out of their own lives to help protect the rest of us. Not only have they missed holidays with family but also one time events like the birth of thier child(ren). And a thank you to the family members who have gone without their mother, father, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, son, and/or daughter so that the rest of us can enjoy the liberties that they are protecting.
Thank You!!!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
6 Things I Wish Everyone Understood About Type 1 Diabetes
This year’s topic is: 6 things you want people to know about diabetes.
So here are the 6 things I wish everyone knew about Type 1 Diabetes:
ONE- There is no heartbreak like the daily heartbreak of your child fighting to live the life so many others take for granted. My daughter was 7 years old when she was diagnosed and I will never forget that life changing moment when I knew everything would be different. From the soccer games she had to stop playing to recess time spent in the nurses office all because we had to learn how to manage and fight this disease.
The heartbreak continues everyday as I watch my beautiful baby grow. It is hard enough to be a teenager, but add in something else that singles you out and makes you different and that equals my daughter testing her blood sugar in the bathroom, doing insulin on the sly-hoping no one will see, and not wanting to call home when there is a high because someone will give her a hard time for using her phone, even though she has permission to do so.
TWO- The media does not distinguish Type 1 Diabetes from Type 2 Diabetes when they report the devastation Diabetes is bringing to our children, but their reports are about Type 2 Diabetes.
The misunderstanding and lack of knowledge about the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes could be lessened if only the media took the time to differentiate the two diseases. And while I do agree that the sweeping cases of Type 2 Diabetes affecting children across the world is devastating, when people do not understand that there is a difference between the two diseases they can cause pain and suffering to children with Type 1 Diabetes. Statements like "well you should get more exercise and eat better, then you could beat this" can be confusing and painful to a small child who is learning to fight their battle (and just plain pisses my now teenager off).
THREE- Living with Type 1 Diabetes is a minute by minute, exhausting battle from which there is no rest. Every minute of every day my daughter is Diabetic. She never gets a timeout or a break. And while she can win this battle and live a long and wonderful life, she will have to do so by injecting Insulin into her body which is not a painless process and while every day is a battle, the war will last her entire life.
FOUR- While I will be there to hold my child's hand, she must ultimately learn and become independent with her Diabetes management so that she can live a full and wonderful life.
To the schools, teachers, principals, school nurses, teachers aides and everyone else who may interact with my daughter as a child: trying to control what she does, when she does it, where she does it, and why she does it...will not help her learn to take care of herself. And although we understand you have concerns about liabilities and do not want to be held accountable for a disease you do not understand, my daughter has more understanding of this disease than all of you put together. She has been doing this every day for 8 years, as her mother I have faith in her and trust her (even though she makes mistakes) so I expect you to do the same.
What this means in a practical way is: my daughter will test her blood sugar, giver herself insulin, and take care of what she needs to wherever she is and whenever it is most convenient for her, not you.
FIVE- Insulin is NOT a cure for Diabetes.
While Insulin will keep my daughter and other Diabetic children alive, it is not a cure for the disease. Although we can fight our battles with this weapon, it is not enough. There are so many things science and technology can do, and yet we do not have anymore understanding on why or how to stop the islet cells in the pancreas from dying which results in making no Insulin. My baby deserves a cure. As does every child who carries this war within them.
Six- Medical professionals miss early diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes everyday.
You, the parent, know your child better than anyone else. Whether they have Diabetes or another disease or illness, you must trust your instincts. A simple finger poke in the doctors office can help determine if your child has rising blood sugars. Consult your doctor if you're concerned about Diabetes or if you notice any Type 1 Diabetes signs and symptoms in yourself or your child. We took our daughter to the doctor 3 times over an 8 week period and each time I was told I was being a worrisome mom and I just needed to relax. The last visit my daughters pediatrician diagnosed my daughter with a migraine (because she had a terrible headache and was vomiting). I took her to my mother who is a ICU nurse and my mother recognised the symptoms and we were able to get my daughter the help she needed before she got much worse. Her blood sugar upon admission to the hospital was over 580.
Some of the warning signs of type 1 diabetes (these may occur suddenly) as listed at JDRF.com are:
Extreme thirst
Frequent urination
Sudden vision changes
Sugar in urine
Fruity, sweet, or wine-like odor on breath Increased appetite
Sudden weight loss
Drowsiness, lethargy
Heavy, labored breathing
Stupor, unconsciousne
Every person is different and each person's symptoms can be equally different. Like I said, you must trust your instincts about your child and communicate all of your concerns to your doctor. If you don't feel that they are taking you seriously or listening to your concerns (with any medical issue) find another doctor.
Go to DBlog Day Post Central to list your 6 things...
http://diabetestalkfest.com/blog/?page_id=299&ref=nf
Monday, November 8, 2010
"Your Yelling Again." "What? Sorry I Couldn't Hear You, I Was Yelling."
Have you ever been somewhere and there is a mom there with her kids, she is talking all hushed and sweet, saying things like "Honey, please don't hit your brother. Sweetie, we don't throw rocks". And all of a sudden you start to see the anger boiling behind her eyes? Her kids aren't listening to her at all, she is trying so hard to be polite, not draw attention to herself or children, but at the same time trying to get their attention to behave? She starts to squeeze her fists shut, she is a little flushed now, and she is taking slow deep breathes...you've seen her right? Yeah, that WAS NOT me! I don't pretend to be something I am not, it is just too much work and to be honest I am too damn tired to try and pretend.
I yell. I am a yelling Mom. I grew up with a mom who yelled, although she didn't yell as much as I do. Does that mean I am a newer, better version of her? Wait, no! I am not my mother. My mother only had 2 kids. So of course she yelled less. Yeah, that's it.(Sorry, had a moment there).
When I first started dating my husband, I knew that yelling bothered some people. So I think it was on our 3rd date I asked him very nicely, "Does it bother you when people yell at their kids?" He said, "No, put them in their place. There's nothing wrong with yelling at your kids". Well, whew! He's a keeper! (there are many, many more reasons he's a keeper but this certainly helped.)
Well, I only had 3 kids back then. Most of the yelling I did then was for shear volumes sake, 3 kids can be very loud. Hey, I am not saying its the best choice or the most responsible parenting style. But if you are a perfect parent...well then, you are reading the wrong blog! As a wonderful blogging mom put it "To you I say solemnly, we can't be friends. I have parenting esteem issues as it is". http://threeinthebed.typepad.com/my-blog/ (seriously she is funny).
So flash forward to us now, we have 5 kids. I no longer work outside the home and do not have a live-in for childcare and housework. I no longer get to relax in an adult environment 8-10 hours a day (you know where you can have complete conversations without being interrupted by a child- if you have never worked outside the home, it may be easier for you to not know what that's like). I am home with 5 kids all day, every day. And on top of all that those adorable little girls that were so loud back then, well they are teenagers now. Not as adorable and much louder to be quite honest. (I love them dearly and am proud that they can express their opinions- just do it to someone else please.)
So, 5 kids are obviously louder than 3 kids. I don't have any outlets to release the stress of 5 kids. So, I yell. (I don't yell all the time. I am not a screaming banshee or anything. And for the most part, I am not angry when I yell. It really is for the volume.) When the situation requires volume to control, I yell.
For example:
We have a 3 story house (basement, main, and upper). Sometimes I yell so they can hear me, where they are. I have 3 teenaged girls, sometimes I yell just to break up the fight. And of course there is that 'no one is listening to me and I have been talking for 10 minutes' yell. (That one usually has some anger involved.)
That little "discussion" my husband and I had on our 3rd date is brought up, by me, A LOT! Why? Because he complains about all the yelling. I tell him, "hey, I asked you years ago if yelling bothered you. You said no. This isn't something I hid from you for years and then all of a sudden just started doing". Which he usually rolls his eyes to and says something to the effect "I didn't know you meant that much yelling".
It's time we stop worrying what other people may think. SuperMom I am not. My house isn't always clean, dinner is not always on time, my kids don't always get to bed on time, there are clean and dirty piles of laundry in MY room, and I yell. If my kids need therapy someday because I yelled, well then I will probably yell at them and say "Oh come on! My mom yelled at me and I am just fine!" I love my children and am the best mom I can be for them.
So if you are one of those moms who is trying so hard not to yell in public and you find yourself making fists, let go...yell! You may even get some applause (if I'm there, you will)!
I yell. I am a yelling Mom. I grew up with a mom who yelled, although she didn't yell as much as I do. Does that mean I am a newer, better version of her? Wait, no! I am not my mother. My mother only had 2 kids. So of course she yelled less. Yeah, that's it.(Sorry, had a moment there).
When I first started dating my husband, I knew that yelling bothered some people. So I think it was on our 3rd date I asked him very nicely, "Does it bother you when people yell at their kids?" He said, "No, put them in their place. There's nothing wrong with yelling at your kids". Well, whew! He's a keeper! (there are many, many more reasons he's a keeper but this certainly helped.)
Well, I only had 3 kids back then. Most of the yelling I did then was for shear volumes sake, 3 kids can be very loud. Hey, I am not saying its the best choice or the most responsible parenting style. But if you are a perfect parent...well then, you are reading the wrong blog! As a wonderful blogging mom put it "To you I say solemnly, we can't be friends. I have parenting esteem issues as it is". http://threeinthebed.typepad.com/my-blog/ (seriously she is funny).
So flash forward to us now, we have 5 kids. I no longer work outside the home and do not have a live-in for childcare and housework. I no longer get to relax in an adult environment 8-10 hours a day (you know where you can have complete conversations without being interrupted by a child- if you have never worked outside the home, it may be easier for you to not know what that's like). I am home with 5 kids all day, every day. And on top of all that those adorable little girls that were so loud back then, well they are teenagers now. Not as adorable and much louder to be quite honest. (I love them dearly and am proud that they can express their opinions- just do it to someone else please.)
So, 5 kids are obviously louder than 3 kids. I don't have any outlets to release the stress of 5 kids. So, I yell. (I don't yell all the time. I am not a screaming banshee or anything. And for the most part, I am not angry when I yell. It really is for the volume.) When the situation requires volume to control, I yell.
For example:
We have a 3 story house (basement, main, and upper). Sometimes I yell so they can hear me, where they are. I have 3 teenaged girls, sometimes I yell just to break up the fight. And of course there is that 'no one is listening to me and I have been talking for 10 minutes' yell. (That one usually has some anger involved.)
That little "discussion" my husband and I had on our 3rd date is brought up, by me, A LOT! Why? Because he complains about all the yelling. I tell him, "hey, I asked you years ago if yelling bothered you. You said no. This isn't something I hid from you for years and then all of a sudden just started doing". Which he usually rolls his eyes to and says something to the effect "I didn't know you meant that much yelling".
It's time we stop worrying what other people may think. SuperMom I am not. My house isn't always clean, dinner is not always on time, my kids don't always get to bed on time, there are clean and dirty piles of laundry in MY room, and I yell. If my kids need therapy someday because I yelled, well then I will probably yell at them and say "Oh come on! My mom yelled at me and I am just fine!" I love my children and am the best mom I can be for them.
So if you are one of those moms who is trying so hard not to yell in public and you find yourself making fists, let go...yell! You may even get some applause (if I'm there, you will)!
Friday, November 5, 2010
Just fun Pics...
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| My Elmo |
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| This is how the Pros eat Popcorn! |
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| Crazy Haley (Littlest Pet SHop Bunny) |
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| Making themselves pretty- the Twins |
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| Theres candy in this pillowcase...even though he will just chew it once and spit it out. |
Thursday, November 4, 2010
The Jungle Gym of Snacks
So I can see it now as my 2 year old enters school in a few years... The class is released for recess. All of the children run to the playground with happiness and playful anticipation. My son jumps down the stairs and he looks around deciding on a swing. Theres a child who wants him to climb the bars (jungle gym) with him.
I can see my son quietly looking at the bars and then looking at the other child and saying "Why would I climb those bars? Where do they go? Whats my motivation?"
The other child stares at him in in confusion and silence. "Huh?"
My son, "Those bars don't go anywhere, whats the point of climbing bars to nowhere and nothing?" And then he runs for the swings.
Why you ask? Well the current set of bars my 2 year old has mastered, his jungle gym of choice...our pantry. He goes to the door, reaches up to turn on the light, opens the door, walks inside, and then closes the door behind him, and begins to climb. Now before you ask me "you let your son play in the pantry?" let me keep one step ahead and say no. I open the door and ask him "what are you doing?", and take him off the jungle gym and place him back on the floor.
He will reply with, "I am hungy" (yeah he isn't great with the R's yet).
"Well what do you want to eat?" I ask.
"I don know" as he shrugs his shoulders (which is absolutely adorable). Then he will close the door, while he is still inside.
This will happen every time he decides he needs a snack. The level he reaches on his jungle gym depends on how quickly I reach the pantry once he has gone inside. He is a quiet little guy when he wants to be.
Think about it, the newer pantries have those great white metal shelving in them. Each level is another level of snacks. Where do you keep the snacks that you don't want your toddler to grab? On the top of course! That's where daddy's hot chips are, the Halloween candy, the cereal boxes (just cause they are tall), the cookies, etc! So with every level of difficulty another level of snacks is revealed. Who wants to snack on those potatos and onions on the bottom?
So I flash back to the playground at school and realise that my son will see no challenge or reward to climbing bars to nowhere and nothing. Well until he learns to scare the hell out of mommy by climbing to the top and jumping off. But hopefully we are a ways from that.
I can see my son quietly looking at the bars and then looking at the other child and saying "Why would I climb those bars? Where do they go? Whats my motivation?"
The other child stares at him in in confusion and silence. "Huh?"
My son, "Those bars don't go anywhere, whats the point of climbing bars to nowhere and nothing?" And then he runs for the swings.
Why you ask? Well the current set of bars my 2 year old has mastered, his jungle gym of choice...our pantry. He goes to the door, reaches up to turn on the light, opens the door, walks inside, and then closes the door behind him, and begins to climb. Now before you ask me "you let your son play in the pantry?" let me keep one step ahead and say no. I open the door and ask him "what are you doing?", and take him off the jungle gym and place him back on the floor.
He will reply with, "I am hungy" (yeah he isn't great with the R's yet).
"Well what do you want to eat?" I ask.
"I don know" as he shrugs his shoulders (which is absolutely adorable). Then he will close the door, while he is still inside.
This will happen every time he decides he needs a snack. The level he reaches on his jungle gym depends on how quickly I reach the pantry once he has gone inside. He is a quiet little guy when he wants to be.
Think about it, the newer pantries have those great white metal shelving in them. Each level is another level of snacks. Where do you keep the snacks that you don't want your toddler to grab? On the top of course! That's where daddy's hot chips are, the Halloween candy, the cereal boxes (just cause they are tall), the cookies, etc! So with every level of difficulty another level of snacks is revealed. Who wants to snack on those potatos and onions on the bottom?
So I flash back to the playground at school and realise that my son will see no challenge or reward to climbing bars to nowhere and nothing. Well until he learns to scare the hell out of mommy by climbing to the top and jumping off. But hopefully we are a ways from that.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Too Much TV? Maybe Your Watching It Wrong...
I have read all the news articles about our children watching too much TV. I have discussed it with other moms (all the while keeping our TV habits to myself). As I was reading another moms blog recently, who is also a Pediatrician, I realized none of my kids watch TV the way discussed in these news articles and the way these other moms children do.
The key line that brought on my realization was "they sit in their favorite chairs to watch their favorite shows". Well that's where it seems to be all wrong to me.
I am going to give a full confession right here all about what my 5 kids do, what both my husband not only allow them to do, but what we enable them to do.
All of our girls have TV's in their rooms. Last Christmas 3 of them got updated with flat screens that are both their TV or their computer screens whichever they may be using. (Our oldest still has a large TV and a separate computer screen.) So they have DVD players and basic cable for their TVs. We have a huge library of DVDs for them to watch when they chose to.
We do monitor their computer use and we have very strict rules about the internet, which for fear of losing their internet they all follow.
I am one of those noise people. I don't like total silence. I think it has to do with growing up in a very old Victorian home that made a lot of noise and I was just sure the place was haunted (but that's a story for another day). Anyway, before our youngest was born I would have the TV on (mostly news) when I was in no way watching it. I am sure if you are not one of these noise people you know someone who is and you know what I mean.
Our TV in the living room is on almost all the time when we are home. The only time we have a rule it must be off is dinner time. We have dinner as a family at the table every night without interruptions. No cell phones (even for daddy), no home phone, no TV, nothing...just 5 very vocal children.
I rarely watch any TV for myself anymore. If I get a chance I really do prefer news or a few specific shows that we DVR for the occasion I may want to watch TV (and have an opportunity to do so). My husband has many Sci-Fi shows he loves and there are even a few we watch together. Other than that the DVD player is usually on and our 2 year old son has command. WHAT? That's just plain bat crap crazy you say?!
Well not if you understand how everyone (but my husband) watches TV in our house.
We turn it on. We pick out what will be played. Currently my son is fascinated with Toy Story 2. It plays more than a few times over and over again. I don't like the TV very loud ,(which is like torture to the older kids when they are watching something) so its usually only on 10.
My son plays, runs around, goes upstairs to his room, back downstairs to the living room, plays, climbs in the pantry to find what he wants to eat, eats, plays, climbs all over me, runs around some more, helps me clean something, then messes something up I just cleaned, we play together and thrown in there intermittently he looks up and glances at the TV. Sometimes he even makes a comment. Like "uh,oh" or "Oh, my gosh" (which is my favorite). If you were to change the TV to something else (cause sometimes the other kids do this and sometimes my husband) my son immediately comes in and says "hey". He notices when its not on, but doesn't notice it much when it is on.
We do have shows we have DVR'd like Jacks Big Music Show on Nick Jr, he like to dance to this show and very occasionally if we are paying attention to time he may watch Sesame Street. Which I will have to rewind for him to see the parts he cares about, like Elmo's World.
Our other children...since they have been watching TV longer and should be by all reported standards really messed up are the ones I am sure you are more interested in hearing about.
Well, they watch movies in their rooms at times. The DVR has shows they have requested to be recorded on there. Daddy is the only one aloud to delete anything so there is no miscommunication on who has watched what. Because our internet provider gave us free basic cable in every room we tried it and because there is no DVR they don't watch it. I guess you get used to being able to pause the TV when you have to pee (I know I have).
When we sit down to watch a new movie as a family it drives my husband bonkers. None of us can sit still. He is the only one who is kicked back relaxing watching TV. The rest of us are doing something. The baby is playing. The 7 year old is up and down playing with the baby, going to her room, coming back, talking, and playing with her toys. The twins are playing with the baby, arguing about something, going and getting something, coming back, playing with the baby again...the oldest usually tries to watch, plays with the baby, cuddles with daddy, argues with a sister, gets a text, goes downstairs and then she watches the movie later on her own, maybe (she had friends that were more important). I of course am cleaning up after the baby and everyone else, loading the dishwasher, trying to sit with a child to cuddle and watch but they can't sit still so I can't either. After all I will see the movie a few other pieced together times with a child here and there.
Now that's when we TRY to sit and watch a movie together. Can you imagine when one is watching a show and the others are around? Our living room is a revolving door...people in and out constantly.
Ok, well I am sure you are asking yourself well with all this TV available to them when do these kids do their homework and such...well they do it. And they do it on their own. It is very rare we have to ask them if they have done homework yet. All our girls excel in school and are on honor rolls.
Our children are NOT overweight. They eat well and get lots of activity. They have a hard time sitting still so I think that has something to do with the activity levels.
We have a Wii and a PS3 in the living room also. You know who plays these more than anyone in the house? My husband. Occasionally one of the older girls will play a Wii action game with the 7 year old. But for the most part its daddy. Our 2 year old loves to watch him play Maters Tall Tales.
Reading is actually the problem in our house. No seriously! The reason its a problem is how do you tell your teen to put the book down and go to bed? Well trust me I do, but come on it doesn't always work. If they are all caught up in a book they will figure out how to continue to read it. My mom gets emails of book wish lists and mysterious packages show up at random times with a book. There is a squeal of delight and then a disappearing child.
They do share their books with each other and our 7 year old is in a very advanced reading group. I think its because she wants to be like her sisters and read what they are reading that she has pushed herself to learn and absorb more. She can read a 90 page chapter book in one evening very happily!
There are also a lot of book discussions in this house. And a lot of fights about book discussions because of "I don't want to know I am going to read it when your done!" Its like a teen book club stuck on fast forward. Thankfully my husband reads a lot of what the girls are reading, he likes to know what they are reading and be in those discussions with them. He can be very judgemental though, don't ask about his opinions on the Twilight Series...not so good in his mind.
The older girls also enjoy writing. They are all involved in writing fan fiction on some of their favorite websites with their friends. They each have their own books on their computers in the works. And there are a lot of arguments about these too...stealing each others ideas and such. Its a crazy world with 3 teenaged girls in one house let me tell you!
I would also like to add that our 15 year old has not even plugged her TV in since we moved here in July (she is the one with a large TV and a separate computer screen). I have asked her if she is missing a cable or something, asked if she needs help. "Nah: she says. "There isn't anything I really want to watch." OK! Her TV is sitting in the storage area in the basement (near her room). And this girl spends a lot of time in her room. Reading, writing, talking and texting on her phone and doing her homework and such. But no interest in TV.
Anyway, after all my rambling and going on and on's my point and question is "What if you aren't sitting down and vege'n out in front of the TV? What if the TV is on and the toddler has his favorite movie on all day but he is playing and running around? How do you classify the TV viewing time? Is it possible that this "watching TV" the experts are talking about is just watching TV the wrong way? You know as your total focus point doing nothing else (except eating, that's a big no-no)? Maybe we are watching it wrong, which makes it ok. Hmmmm?
We have so much TV available, our kids really don't care about TV. When I was growing up there was a girl across the street who wasn't aloud to eat sugar (not for a medical issue). So everywhere she went without her mom, she gorged herself on sugar. Maybe its like that? By having so many limits and being so concerned about it, are parents making it into something their kids will "gorge themselves" on?
I have given this a lot of thought and worried back and forth I have messed my kids up. But how could they be messed up if they get good grades, prefer reading over TV, are in good physical shape, and even though they are hormonal and can be pains in the butt- they are good kids? I don't think they are! They all have great imaginations and can hold great conversations and arguments. So I guess we are watching TV the right way and all those "other kids and families" are doing it all wrong. That must be it.
The key line that brought on my realization was "they sit in their favorite chairs to watch their favorite shows". Well that's where it seems to be all wrong to me.
I am going to give a full confession right here all about what my 5 kids do, what both my husband not only allow them to do, but what we enable them to do.
All of our girls have TV's in their rooms. Last Christmas 3 of them got updated with flat screens that are both their TV or their computer screens whichever they may be using. (Our oldest still has a large TV and a separate computer screen.) So they have DVD players and basic cable for their TVs. We have a huge library of DVDs for them to watch when they chose to.
We do monitor their computer use and we have very strict rules about the internet, which for fear of losing their internet they all follow.
I am one of those noise people. I don't like total silence. I think it has to do with growing up in a very old Victorian home that made a lot of noise and I was just sure the place was haunted (but that's a story for another day). Anyway, before our youngest was born I would have the TV on (mostly news) when I was in no way watching it. I am sure if you are not one of these noise people you know someone who is and you know what I mean.
Our TV in the living room is on almost all the time when we are home. The only time we have a rule it must be off is dinner time. We have dinner as a family at the table every night without interruptions. No cell phones (even for daddy), no home phone, no TV, nothing...just 5 very vocal children.
I rarely watch any TV for myself anymore. If I get a chance I really do prefer news or a few specific shows that we DVR for the occasion I may want to watch TV (and have an opportunity to do so). My husband has many Sci-Fi shows he loves and there are even a few we watch together. Other than that the DVD player is usually on and our 2 year old son has command. WHAT? That's just plain bat crap crazy you say?!
Well not if you understand how everyone (but my husband) watches TV in our house.
We turn it on. We pick out what will be played. Currently my son is fascinated with Toy Story 2. It plays more than a few times over and over again. I don't like the TV very loud ,(which is like torture to the older kids when they are watching something) so its usually only on 10.
My son plays, runs around, goes upstairs to his room, back downstairs to the living room, plays, climbs in the pantry to find what he wants to eat, eats, plays, climbs all over me, runs around some more, helps me clean something, then messes something up I just cleaned, we play together and thrown in there intermittently he looks up and glances at the TV. Sometimes he even makes a comment. Like "uh,oh" or "Oh, my gosh" (which is my favorite). If you were to change the TV to something else (cause sometimes the other kids do this and sometimes my husband) my son immediately comes in and says "hey". He notices when its not on, but doesn't notice it much when it is on.
We do have shows we have DVR'd like Jacks Big Music Show on Nick Jr, he like to dance to this show and very occasionally if we are paying attention to time he may watch Sesame Street. Which I will have to rewind for him to see the parts he cares about, like Elmo's World.
Our other children...since they have been watching TV longer and should be by all reported standards really messed up are the ones I am sure you are more interested in hearing about.
Well, they watch movies in their rooms at times. The DVR has shows they have requested to be recorded on there. Daddy is the only one aloud to delete anything so there is no miscommunication on who has watched what. Because our internet provider gave us free basic cable in every room we tried it and because there is no DVR they don't watch it. I guess you get used to being able to pause the TV when you have to pee (I know I have).
When we sit down to watch a new movie as a family it drives my husband bonkers. None of us can sit still. He is the only one who is kicked back relaxing watching TV. The rest of us are doing something. The baby is playing. The 7 year old is up and down playing with the baby, going to her room, coming back, talking, and playing with her toys. The twins are playing with the baby, arguing about something, going and getting something, coming back, playing with the baby again...the oldest usually tries to watch, plays with the baby, cuddles with daddy, argues with a sister, gets a text, goes downstairs and then she watches the movie later on her own, maybe (she had friends that were more important). I of course am cleaning up after the baby and everyone else, loading the dishwasher, trying to sit with a child to cuddle and watch but they can't sit still so I can't either. After all I will see the movie a few other pieced together times with a child here and there.
Now that's when we TRY to sit and watch a movie together. Can you imagine when one is watching a show and the others are around? Our living room is a revolving door...people in and out constantly.
Ok, well I am sure you are asking yourself well with all this TV available to them when do these kids do their homework and such...well they do it. And they do it on their own. It is very rare we have to ask them if they have done homework yet. All our girls excel in school and are on honor rolls.
Our children are NOT overweight. They eat well and get lots of activity. They have a hard time sitting still so I think that has something to do with the activity levels.
We have a Wii and a PS3 in the living room also. You know who plays these more than anyone in the house? My husband. Occasionally one of the older girls will play a Wii action game with the 7 year old. But for the most part its daddy. Our 2 year old loves to watch him play Maters Tall Tales.
Reading is actually the problem in our house. No seriously! The reason its a problem is how do you tell your teen to put the book down and go to bed? Well trust me I do, but come on it doesn't always work. If they are all caught up in a book they will figure out how to continue to read it. My mom gets emails of book wish lists and mysterious packages show up at random times with a book. There is a squeal of delight and then a disappearing child.
They do share their books with each other and our 7 year old is in a very advanced reading group. I think its because she wants to be like her sisters and read what they are reading that she has pushed herself to learn and absorb more. She can read a 90 page chapter book in one evening very happily!
There are also a lot of book discussions in this house. And a lot of fights about book discussions because of "I don't want to know I am going to read it when your done!" Its like a teen book club stuck on fast forward. Thankfully my husband reads a lot of what the girls are reading, he likes to know what they are reading and be in those discussions with them. He can be very judgemental though, don't ask about his opinions on the Twilight Series...not so good in his mind.
The older girls also enjoy writing. They are all involved in writing fan fiction on some of their favorite websites with their friends. They each have their own books on their computers in the works. And there are a lot of arguments about these too...stealing each others ideas and such. Its a crazy world with 3 teenaged girls in one house let me tell you!
I would also like to add that our 15 year old has not even plugged her TV in since we moved here in July (she is the one with a large TV and a separate computer screen). I have asked her if she is missing a cable or something, asked if she needs help. "Nah: she says. "There isn't anything I really want to watch." OK! Her TV is sitting in the storage area in the basement (near her room). And this girl spends a lot of time in her room. Reading, writing, talking and texting on her phone and doing her homework and such. But no interest in TV.
Anyway, after all my rambling and going on and on's my point and question is "What if you aren't sitting down and vege'n out in front of the TV? What if the TV is on and the toddler has his favorite movie on all day but he is playing and running around? How do you classify the TV viewing time? Is it possible that this "watching TV" the experts are talking about is just watching TV the wrong way? You know as your total focus point doing nothing else (except eating, that's a big no-no)? Maybe we are watching it wrong, which makes it ok. Hmmmm?
We have so much TV available, our kids really don't care about TV. When I was growing up there was a girl across the street who wasn't aloud to eat sugar (not for a medical issue). So everywhere she went without her mom, she gorged herself on sugar. Maybe its like that? By having so many limits and being so concerned about it, are parents making it into something their kids will "gorge themselves" on?
I have given this a lot of thought and worried back and forth I have messed my kids up. But how could they be messed up if they get good grades, prefer reading over TV, are in good physical shape, and even though they are hormonal and can be pains in the butt- they are good kids? I don't think they are! They all have great imaginations and can hold great conversations and arguments. So I guess we are watching TV the right way and all those "other kids and families" are doing it all wrong. That must be it.
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