Mommiedom

I am off most of July now because the kids and I are taking an adventure to see the family up north. The hubby is staying around because he can't take a whole month off from work.  So I won't be posting much if at all (it depends if I do a craft at my parents).

So Happy 4th of July and enjoy the SU MDS card I made with the kids. This was the first thing I had printed up from SU and was really happy with them. The kids actually smiled and let me take a picture.

See you in August!!!

So I know that many people dread getting in the car for days at a time with kids and think we are crazy to take the toddler and six year old on these long trips. My inlaws joked that they didn't think we would ever make it to Arizona because of the car ride but we did and had an incredible time.

One of the mottos we love to live by is "Life is about the Journey and not the Destination", so as we go on these roads trip, we enjoy the journey that we are on. We saw some incredible things and well have decided that this road trip will be another one we will be taking and adding on lots of great pitstops as well.

We started our journey here in Houston and drove west on I-10 towards San Antonio where we made our fist pitstop at Buc-ee's. If you are from Texas or have driven through, you know Buc-ee's and yes it is a gas station but it has to be the biggest and nicest one we have ever seen. The bathrooms are amazing and well the selections of treats and foods are great. This is no ordinary place for gas station food. You know when you see Buc-ee's that you are close to San Antonio. We spent about 45 minutes at Buc-ee's looking around, buying large amounts of beef jerky and candy, and eating a nice dinner.

Soon we were off again towards what was going to be our final destination for the night, Sonora, Texas. We stopped at a nice motel which had a great free homemade breakfast. As we were talking to the waitress in the little restaurant, she told us to make sure we get gas and potty breaks because there is nothing to little as we travel to El Paso. She was right but we did find a bathroom( a very nice and clean one) in the middle of nowhere after we got off to take some pictures.

I can not believe there is like a month left of school and than summer starts for us. We are excited for the break but also will miss school. It seems like just as you get use to the routine, it is over and you can have a new one.

The first week, we are heading to Arizona to visit the inlays and than back to jut relax as much as possible. I would like to venture up to Wisconsin as well but the thought of two long car rides isn't my idea of fun. We will have to see on that.

The other thing is that I decided that we are going to at least do thirty minutes of school like stuff all summer so Miss O stays on tops of things and it isn't a horrible headache getting her back up and running when 1st Grade starts in August. I have plans for reading and math as well as integrating fun things in as well into the summer.


I am planning on just relaxing and having a fun summer with my kids. I missed her a great deal all year when she was on school but now I can enjoy her for the summer.

Yes I totally admit to getting out of control with doing my daughters 6th birthday party. We had family coming in and of course with this being her first year in school, we decided to have fun with it.

Yes it will because I bet your bottom dollar- okay did you figure it out- Miss O and I saw Annie the Music. It was so incredible to share with my daughter something from when I was growing up. I loved the 1982 movie which I have seen so many times and introduced it to Miss O a few years ago. Now of course we own it thanks to Grandma.

My daughter so enjoyed all of the music and lit up so bright when my favorite song "Tomorrow" was done in the show. I think it is great that she is enjoying this experience and that we can share it together.  For me learning about the arts is so important especially with how much they are part of my own life.

Here is our picture of us all dressed up and headed out to the show.

In this day and age kids have so much to stimulate them yet sometimes the basic needs like playing outside fall to the wayside. My daughter only gets about 15 minutes of recess at school each day which totally floored me and I understand why when we walk home she runs most of the way because she has all this pent up energy that needs to be let out.

All the ways the kids can be stimulated or even overbooked is overwhelming even for myself so I vowed that my kids need outside time daily as well as limiting certain types of stimulations that are out there like video games. I vowed to enjoy life with the kids in a much simpler way.

Over Spring break last week, every day was spent on an outside activity because the weather was so nice. We went to the zoo where we learned all about the animals and had the neatest experience with the Chimps. We went to the rodeo where their favorite part was the "Fun on the Farm" interactive exhibit.

Wednesday we went Strawberry picking and Thursday was spent at the park for over two hours. The kids  loved being outside and seeing nature around them. I knew that this was a good thing when my daughter sitting on the bench swing at the park, told me that she could swing all day. A five year who understands already to slow down and enjoy what is around her. I think I am doing my parenting job pretty good.

I have been working at simplifying our lives. When it was complicated, we were all super stressed and that included the kids. Even my husband is way more laid back though as the sole provider he does have stress from work but feels he can totally destress when he gets home. We work at finding things that enrich us rather than zap.

I have decided that life is all about enjoying it. Finding the simple things in life have been way more fun. My kids won't remember all those amazing and expensive toys that were bought but instead will remember that adventures we took together. The richness of life is something I am teaching them to embrace. It took me a long time to see learn that, so I want my kids to know it as soon as they can.

They slow down and see the wonders of the world around them.  I have slowed down and see the world around me and I am amazed what I have seen. Life is worth living to the fullest so try to do it as much as possible.

100 years ago today, Juliette Gordon Low a woman living in Georgia decided to embark on creating an organization for girls inspired by the Bo Scouts. 100 years later, Girls from across the world, actually about 3.2 million of them are proud to be called Girl Scouts. Low wanted her group to encompass all sorts of girls and to teach them lots of things that weren't popular back in 1912. 


Now 100 years later Girls from all walks of life participate in scouting and learn new things I personally was a Brownie way back in the early 80's. I loved my brown uniform and sash. I couldn't wait till my own daughter was old enough to become a scout herself. Each and every time she attends an event I see someone who blossoms more and more. 


This is a journey she is taking and I am so enjoying the ride. Please support Girl Scouts because the core of the organization and what we as leaders strive to do is teach girls to empower themselves. They learn valuable lessons from Daisy on up in being a respectful member of society and contributing. Our Daisy troop in their first year has done so many wonderful things from sending cards to the troops to collecting donations for the hungry in their community. 


I have found this journey for my daughter as well as the other Daisies in the troop one where they have grown so much. They want to participate and they want to contribute to society. They are sponges soaking up all the information that we give them. We our their mentors in showing them that they can do anything. 


I love this quote from Dr. Seuss  "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better. It's not." This to me sums up what Girl Scouts is all about!

There has been quite a bit of unrest this week in the Mommiedom. The Queen has been a travel widow while the Daddy is away on business. Usually it isn't that bad but the two year well has been difficult. I am glad Daddy returns tomorrow from the trip and well I am likely going to run away (okay maybe I will just get out sans the kids at some point).

This was the first time my husband has traveled in about 6 months. Last time, I didn't have a kindergartner so having to get us all ready and out the door instead of the kid and husband was a new experience. The hardest part of it all was that the two year old decided this was the week to go into full fledged terrible twos. He tested every boundary possible and than some I didn't even realized existed. Monday he saw more of the timeout area than I think any where else.

Tuesday he seemed to even out some and well was good most of the day though he is hitting a lot which I need to nip. He seems to do it mostly out of frustration and anger when it isn't going his way.  He is about 180 degrees different from Miss O the oldest. She tested but not to this degree. I have been told it is a boy thing and that this is just how they are and will outgrow it. The problem is I am not sure I am going to last it till than.

Just kidding, I will. I actually started doing some new things with him. He really likes stories, so I amped it up in reading more books to him.  We went from like one or two a day to tops of half a dozen and sometimes the same one over and over again. I have learned a lot about Chuggington now.

I did some reading up on how to deal with that difficult child- you know that child who is exactly like you! Yeah I know he is a version of me. I see way more of that stubborn streak like me than I ever did in Miss O. I think because he is so much like me that we butt heads so much. I am a lot like my mom and well that is why we had permanent bruise on our foreheads as I was growing up!

Mr. L is what you would call a spirited child- you know the one who says "no" louder than the rest and screams more often. That kid whose personality is the one that you get those looks at. You know the ones, it is both the handle your child but I sort of feel bad for you looks. That one we all give other mothers at times. I know I have given it and yes with Mr. L I have received it. Oh I remember the first time it happened to me- I was shell-shocked by it.

My son is who he is- incredibly smart, adorable, and currently wearing a shirt that states he drives me crazy. He is also stubborn, strong-willed and seemingly getting sneakier about his actions. He spilled milk on the floor the other day and I asked him what happen. He pointed to the dog and blamed her. It made me laugh.

Mr. L and I have to come to an understanding one where I understand him and he chooses to not! All kidding aside, it is important to me that we get to a point where he understands that he can't act this way and I just need to keep consistent on it. As hard as it is to keep doing the same thing, it will pay off one of these days , weeks, months, okay who I am I kidding- likely years!!

I am so happy that this week is about over. Friday so far has been good and tomorrow, the hubby is picked up and I have some relief in this thing we call parenting.

My youngest turned 2 today. I have mixed feelings about it. I am so excited that he is becoming a big boy but also sad because he isn't a baby anymore. Over the last month or so, he has gotten so much bigger and his speech has just exploded. He is also doing such amazing things that I didn't see at this age with my older child.

I do miss the baby some- you know that kid who would actually cuddle with me but seeing this nice little boy who loves Cars and Mickey Mouse is so darn cute. His present this year was a big boy bike which he just needs to figure out to pedal which is only a matter of time.

He has his own opinions and thoughts now and shares them with us on a regular basis. He interacts with us and finds things both funny and sad. He was so darn cute as he opened his gifts tonight and said wow at everyone of them.

I am so looking forward to the next year as he goes through his twos even when they may be terrible. He went from being a baby this past year to a toddler. He wasn't even walking at his first birthday and now pretty much runs every where he goes.

So Happy birthday to my little man who enriches our lives every day.

I think I might have talked some about this with tantrums. Miss O had two mega ones over the summer both which has each grandparent talking about it because they each happen either when they were here or we were visiting. Overall though she rarely has them. On the other hand, Mr. L is my tantrum kid.

His tantrums  range from minor to over the top. We had an over the top one the other night and well he went straight to bed. He refused to eat dinner and well refused to actually do anything, so I removed him from the equation and put him down.

I think that his tantrums happen more because he can't fully communicate with us. He is getting better and saying more and more every day. His new favorite phrase is "what you doing?" which he asks all the time and we answer.

I was a kid who had lots of tantrums, so I was waiting for one of my kids to be the same way. I know mine were do to lots of frustrations, so I try with Mr. L to understand him and work with him so that he doesn't go into a tantrum.

Last week, I saw an article on how to deal with tantrums and for the most part, that is how we are dealing with them. Usually when they happen, we ignore and don't acknowledge the behavior. The problem is sometimes he gets physical like last night when I picked him up to take him to bed, he boxed my ear. That action lands him in a time out. This usually gets him to calm down but sometimes not.

Going to bed is usually the final  straw and it gets him to calm down. I don't like doing it and it is rarely used but it does work. I just home that these tantrums and terrible twos aren't going to send me over the deep end!

Last night as I was putting Mr. L to bed last night, he grabbed as many of his stuffed animals he could wrap his arms around. I think he had Mickey, Lightening McQueen, a sock Dog, and a koala. These have become his standard sleeping buddies each and every night. He has to have them and will attempt to ask for them if they aren't in his bed.

It got me thinking about how it is nice to have something comforting to sleep with. I for years had a down pillow I like to sleep with until it had an unfortunate accident in the dryer. Needless to say it was raining feathers out the dryer vent. These comforts seem to help us sleep.

I was never the kid to have a blanket or a doll I just had to sleep with. I did have a baby doll that I did really like and usually did sleep with it but was okay if I didn't have it. Miss O was like that with the newborn cabbage patch doll she had for a long time. She dragged that doll around everywhere and than one day, just decided she didn't need it. She does on occasion sleep with Barbie and Ken.

I think something in us likes to have those comforts for sleep. I still tend to take my one pillow and cuddle with it as I sleep. Years ago Winnie the Pooh somehow made it into our bed (I think the cat might ha dragged it in) and when I woke up in the morning I was cuddling with him.

These tokens we have help to comfort and sooth us. I think it is so cute my toddler has his "babies" that he likes to play and sleep with. These buddies have rode the rode the rails, driven in the dump truck and yes there has been a tea party or two involved. This is such a great way for kids to begin to understand how to socialize with others because the first socialize with their beloved stuffed animals.

So I was wandering around the parenting.com website today and I found this calculator that calculates what it costs to have a kid. I typed in Miss O who was born in 2006 and her cost from birth to 18 was nearly $561,000. Alone it is estimated that her first year was nearly $26,000 which I can believe between formula, diapers and daycare though I think we were closer to about $15,000 at the time.

Here is the link to the calculator: http://www.parenting.com/cost-raising-child

The breakdown includes what it will cost for housing, health care, food transportation, clothing, childcare, education, higher education and general misc. stuff that they have like that train table that recently made it into my house.

When I did Mr. L who was born in 2010, his cost was about $640,000. This survey takes in account your income, family status as well as where you live in the country. I do think it is a rough estimate but I could see between clothes, education, etc. that rearing a child is expensive.

No one really warns you how muck a child will cost you. You can estimate out but they are expensive especially their first year with multiple doctor visits, formula, and child care if you aren’t working. We paid close to seven grand a year when Miss O was in childcare and that was at an excellent place that was reasonable.

I just found this breakdown interesting. I can see that kids are expensive but also know this is a sampling and not necessarily the true amount.

We are on vacation for the second time this month. Yeah it may sound like fun but it has become a pain. The kids are at each other and well I am having a hard time sleeping so is it really a vacation?

I really don't like comparing Miss O to Mr. L but it happens. I look at what Miss O did at almost 18 months and find it hard to believe that Mr. L seems to be doing way more. I know this is because he is watching Miss O like a hawk and mimicking lots of what he does but I look at him and the wheels seem to be turning overall much faster. He seems to be putting more thought into things and is a very big risk taker.

So here I am FINALLY on the mend from a major back flare up. The first day and half, I couldn't even stand up straight but finally am able to do that but still have a pretty bad back ache. I haven't had one of these since before Mr. L was born almost 18 months ago and that was related to pregnancy. I have NO idea what I did on Monday to hurt this bad.

I talked about the other day (http://parentingcommonsense.blogspot.com/2011/06/be-kind-and-pay-it-forward.html) about how I am thankful in this thankless world. I have been thinking about it more and than today something happen to me today that irked me because I did a good thing and well received just plain rudeness. Yes I am both complaining and lecturing today.