No fun pictures today! Just randomness.
JB has been puny most of this week. Missed 2 days of school thus far. You know your 3 year old is not feeling well when you ask him if he wants to ride the bus to school or take a nap and he chooses a nap.
JB has gotten into cheering these days. He gets excited and says "wahoo, wahoo". He still has not been evaluated for OT yet - guess lots of people are requesting evaluations these days at the facility we go to.
The older two are counting down until they get to hit the slopes again!
B asked yesterday 'why is it called a pair of underwear when it is only one'? Anyone have an answer for that. Leave it up to that kid to come up with that one.
Jbird continues to do well with reading, gaining more and more confidence!
I asked one of the older boys recently what word they thought of when they thought of me. That was a tough question I was told, so I told them they could come up with 5 words. They came up with 4....merciful - although they told me it was optional, argumentative, caring and loving. I had to think about the argumentative one...maybe I need to quit trying to reason/explain myself and just say no.
I have sold 3 items on Craiglist and made $90 this week. I could get into more of this....Even sold/traded a few things on Amazon and hoping to add to my account gift card balance so I can get another camera lens. Always more fun to purchase something when you have been saving up for it.
JR continues to work a lot. So thankful for a good, steady, secure job! I put in 35 hours this month - which is just perfect for me. Looks like March will be somewhat busy with spring breaks happening. I have already talked with them about summer and sounds like things will ramp up quite a bit for me with the rental cars. I guess it makes more sense, since people feel more comfortable driving in the summer instead of taking taxis and buses everywhere like they do in the winter.
Off to get dinner and then to Cub Scouts. The boys officially advance tonight. Which means B is now a Webelo. He can start going on some overnight camping trips and can now attend their 3 day summer camp! They are slowly introduced to Boy Scouts too, when all the fun and work really begins.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Sunday, February 24, 2013
The boys had a blast on the ski hill today.....Jbird is signed up for 5 weeks of Saturdays. B decided he wanted to try it too. So, I signed him up for a group lesson and as I had hoped, he was the only one his age and skiing ability, so he got a private lesson for an hour and half.
I tried to get them to wait to put on their skis....was not gonna happen.
B and his instructor Tom
Look at the snow....
He likes the ski lift.
J had so much fun doing one legged - still not sure how that came about.
He was frustrated with his fogging goggles.
A big thumbs up
J's first time getting on the lift.
Hopefully the first of many pictures of them on the hill.
The two of them road the lift by themselves several times!
Poor little JB, he was not feeling well. He slept for 3 hours in the lodge. JR and I would swap off sitting with him. He would briefly wake up, look around and then snuggle with whoever was sitting down with him next.
It was a blustery day at times.
The overall concensus of the day...they had a blast and cannot wait until next Saturday. I know now why I have not attempted it earlier...it is a ton of work getting everyone geared up and in their right place. Hopefully next week will be much smoother.
I tried to get them to wait to put on their skis....was not gonna happen.
B and his instructor Tom
Look at the snow....
He likes the ski lift.
J had so much fun doing one legged - still not sure how that came about.
He was frustrated with his fogging goggles.
A big thumbs up
J's first time getting on the lift.
Hopefully the first of many pictures of them on the hill.
The two of them road the lift by themselves several times!
Poor little JB, he was not feeling well. He slept for 3 hours in the lodge. JR and I would swap off sitting with him. He would briefly wake up, look around and then snuggle with whoever was sitting down with him next.
It was a blustery day at times.
The overall concensus of the day...they had a blast and cannot wait until next Saturday. I know now why I have not attempted it earlier...it is a ton of work getting everyone geared up and in their right place. Hopefully next week will be much smoother.
Friday, February 22, 2013
We headed out recently to feed the ducks at the college duck pond.
I don't think any of us expected to be stormed by the ducks. I don't know if they were just really, really hungry (it was President's Day so there were no college kids around) or if they just need a lot more calories during the winter.) Surprisingly, the kids were not too freaked out about them being so close.
I love this picture because you can see the ducks following the boys around the pond.
JB spent about 15 minutes with an occupational therapist yesterday. She definitely sees some issues. She is hoping to do a more detailed evaluation soon to see if he qualifies for more therapy. She cannot quite pin point it yet but having to do with hand eye coordination, bilateral movement, visual tracking,etc. I told her I have always considered him coordinated. She said it is not necessarily coordination, so to speak. She compared it to how kids will often walk on the parking 'blocks' (the concrete blocks that you find at the top of a parking space) with no problems. But when she gets them in her office and asks them to walk on a balance beam, they can't. If it requires a thought process, they struggle with it. Since apraxia is a neurological issue, affecting motor planning, we are assuming that the motor planning issues are starting to show up in the gross and fine motor areas. This OT saw him at 22 months, so she has a baseline to compare it to once she re-evaluates.
I of course came home and emailed JB's teacher, since the therapist said she wanted to talk with them. The teacher said they have seen some of the same things and have some of the same concerns (she was just waiting to address them at our next IEP meeting). So I am glad everyone is seeing the same issues. Now to get the official eval and then deal with insurance.
Tomorrow is the big day...Jbird is finally going to hit the ski slopes. He has ski lessons for the next 5 Saturdays. B has been given the option, he just is not sure yet if he wants to commit to all 5 weeks or just take a sporadic one or two lessons while Jbird is taking his. Will be fun to see how he does with a new sport.
I don't think any of us expected to be stormed by the ducks. I don't know if they were just really, really hungry (it was President's Day so there were no college kids around) or if they just need a lot more calories during the winter.) Surprisingly, the kids were not too freaked out about them being so close.
I love this picture because you can see the ducks following the boys around the pond.
JB spent about 15 minutes with an occupational therapist yesterday. She definitely sees some issues. She is hoping to do a more detailed evaluation soon to see if he qualifies for more therapy. She cannot quite pin point it yet but having to do with hand eye coordination, bilateral movement, visual tracking,etc. I told her I have always considered him coordinated. She said it is not necessarily coordination, so to speak. She compared it to how kids will often walk on the parking 'blocks' (the concrete blocks that you find at the top of a parking space) with no problems. But when she gets them in her office and asks them to walk on a balance beam, they can't. If it requires a thought process, they struggle with it. Since apraxia is a neurological issue, affecting motor planning, we are assuming that the motor planning issues are starting to show up in the gross and fine motor areas. This OT saw him at 22 months, so she has a baseline to compare it to once she re-evaluates.
I of course came home and emailed JB's teacher, since the therapist said she wanted to talk with them. The teacher said they have seen some of the same things and have some of the same concerns (she was just waiting to address them at our next IEP meeting). So I am glad everyone is seeing the same issues. Now to get the official eval and then deal with insurance.
Tomorrow is the big day...Jbird is finally going to hit the ski slopes. He has ski lessons for the next 5 Saturdays. B has been given the option, he just is not sure yet if he wants to commit to all 5 weeks or just take a sporadic one or two lessons while Jbird is taking his. Will be fun to see how he does with a new sport.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
A recent outing to a children's museum....
Here is JB playing on a homemade pinbell machine.
The boys building with some sticks and connectors - sure glad we don't have all these in our house !
They had a really fun farmers market with lots of play fruit and veggies
This is a bubble wall. You did the long rod into the trough of soap. Not sure if you can see it, but everything in front of JB is a wall of bubbles. The kids love blowing on it and watching it move and wave and eventually pop.
We were treated to a puppet show.
JB in a row boat, trying to figure out the life jacket.
Jbird was also with us, but he was elusive when the camera was out.
I pulled out the 4 year old and 6 year old clothes. I have learned with Jbird to not assume he will wear something. He went through everything size 6 and he either put it in the 'yes' pile or the 'no' pile. The 'no' pile gets put right back in the crawl space for when JB turns 6. (Most of Jbird's clothes are not worth passing on when he finishes with them.) I also pulled out all the other in between sizes and ended up giving away probably 250 items of clothing. Two huge, waist high garbage bags!
Talking with JB's speech therapist today. She is going to have a occupational therapist observe him on Thursday. The speech therapist is starting to see some differences/delay with his bi-lateral movement (I think that is the movement across the body). The speech therapist just wants to catch anything early, especially since what she is currently seeing could affect things when he starts to read or write. He obviously is not to the reading or writing, but I have learned - early intervention. Apraxia is all about finding things early and retraining the brain before bad habits are developed. So, will be interesting to see what the OT thinks on Thursday.
Here is JB playing on a homemade pinbell machine.
The boys building with some sticks and connectors - sure glad we don't have all these in our house !
They had a really fun farmers market with lots of play fruit and veggies
This is a bubble wall. You did the long rod into the trough of soap. Not sure if you can see it, but everything in front of JB is a wall of bubbles. The kids love blowing on it and watching it move and wave and eventually pop.
We were treated to a puppet show.
JB in a row boat, trying to figure out the life jacket.
Jbird was also with us, but he was elusive when the camera was out.
I pulled out the 4 year old and 6 year old clothes. I have learned with Jbird to not assume he will wear something. He went through everything size 6 and he either put it in the 'yes' pile or the 'no' pile. The 'no' pile gets put right back in the crawl space for when JB turns 6. (Most of Jbird's clothes are not worth passing on when he finishes with them.) I also pulled out all the other in between sizes and ended up giving away probably 250 items of clothing. Two huge, waist high garbage bags!
Talking with JB's speech therapist today. She is going to have a occupational therapist observe him on Thursday. The speech therapist is starting to see some differences/delay with his bi-lateral movement (I think that is the movement across the body). The speech therapist just wants to catch anything early, especially since what she is currently seeing could affect things when he starts to read or write. He obviously is not to the reading or writing, but I have learned - early intervention. Apraxia is all about finding things early and retraining the brain before bad habits are developed. So, will be interesting to see what the OT thinks on Thursday.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Yesterday was Feb 16th and absolutely gorgeous. It was probably close to 50 degrees out and sunny. Amazing how warm 50 feels when you are use to 20 or 30. We got out and washed the car.
The boys for some reason love climbing on the van. Jbird had been to a party that morning and one of the party favors was a cool mask that the mom had made - striking the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pose.
JB was out without a shirt on! He tears it up on the bike. A few weeks ago I went walking with a friend and their street was very long with little traffic. I took all three of the boys' bikes in hopes that they would ride and ride. JB was the only one that rode and rode and rode. He went for a bike ride yesterday and he rode and rode and rode. Jbird wanted to roller blade - that did not work too well. JB got so far ahead of us, that I had to send B on his bike to ride with him. JB gets in the middle of the road and those training wheels make so much noise, he can't hear anything. It was precious though watching B come along side him and ride with him.
The older two got in some soccer action. At one point B was encouraging Jbird with his amazing moves. Jbird was quite proud of himself for sticking it to his older brother. They both have good moves, but Jbird is just amazing. I was so thankful that B could be excited for his brother and recognize his talent.
This was one tired little boy after all that fun in the sun. All three of them were sitting in the desk chairs that swivels. I am very thankful that the older two boys had the insight not to spin in the chair - otherwise JB would have been hurting.
The boys for some reason love climbing on the van. Jbird had been to a party that morning and one of the party favors was a cool mask that the mom had made - striking the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pose.
JB was out without a shirt on! He tears it up on the bike. A few weeks ago I went walking with a friend and their street was very long with little traffic. I took all three of the boys' bikes in hopes that they would ride and ride. JB was the only one that rode and rode and rode. He went for a bike ride yesterday and he rode and rode and rode. Jbird wanted to roller blade - that did not work too well. JB got so far ahead of us, that I had to send B on his bike to ride with him. JB gets in the middle of the road and those training wheels make so much noise, he can't hear anything. It was precious though watching B come along side him and ride with him.
The older two got in some soccer action. At one point B was encouraging Jbird with his amazing moves. Jbird was quite proud of himself for sticking it to his older brother. They both have good moves, but Jbird is just amazing. I was so thankful that B could be excited for his brother and recognize his talent.
This was one tired little boy after all that fun in the sun. All three of them were sitting in the desk chairs that swivels. I am very thankful that the older two boys had the insight not to spin in the chair - otherwise JB would have been hurting.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! Holding on to the greatest love there is today, that from our God and Father!
The cheesecake is finishing up in the oven and have plans for mac n cheese, chicken nuggets and buffalo wings for dinner. Sounds exciting, doesn't it? I like to save all the laboring for when the kids are older and will appreciate a finer selection of food:-)
The boys made their own valentines this year...(These are for you Kenna - I am trying to dust the camera off and take more pictures for you)
They actually had a lot more fun doing it than I anticipated. The best part, they finished them. I thought for sure I would end up doing the last half!
This past week I ended up in District Court. A friend of mine, who is a single parent, had to go to a hearing. Her boys were assaulted last year and I was along for moral support. When we got there, we entered through a back door and then headed to the victim services office. A lady told us what she knew about today's proceedings and then the three of us walked down to the courtroom. As soon as we sat down, my friend noticed a man standing outside the door looking at her through a window. It was a very intentional, intimidating stare. The victim services lady left for a bit and when she came back in, my friend mentioned the man. She assured my friend, as did I, that he was just trying to intimidate. We were not sure who he was but confident he was with the perpetrator and his mom. My friend, after about 15 minutes, became very uncomfortable and the man was still standing there. So the victim services lady went and asked him to move away from the door. He in so many words, was very rude and said absolutely not. The three of us then decided to leave the courtroom. My friend and I were not in the courtroom for the hearing but the perpetrator pled guilty, which we expected. I would have liked to have seen the process. But as they escorted us back out of the building and to our car, it occurred to me that we had not walked through any metal detectors. Given the day and age we live in, I was really surprised. We were in district court, where some are given lenghty sentences and emotions can run high. My friend started putting two and two together and realized the man was the perpetrators father, who had recently been released from a federal penn in Texas for armed bank robbery. I don't know about other courthouses, but our security seems pretty lax. I am thankful for God's protection yesterday and that someone was not packing a pistol. Needless to say, I don't know that my friend wants to go back for the sentencing phase.
Not much else going on around here, which I am coming to appreciate the mundane days!
The cheesecake is finishing up in the oven and have plans for mac n cheese, chicken nuggets and buffalo wings for dinner. Sounds exciting, doesn't it? I like to save all the laboring for when the kids are older and will appreciate a finer selection of food:-)
The boys made their own valentines this year...(These are for you Kenna - I am trying to dust the camera off and take more pictures for you)
They actually had a lot more fun doing it than I anticipated. The best part, they finished them. I thought for sure I would end up doing the last half!
This past week I ended up in District Court. A friend of mine, who is a single parent, had to go to a hearing. Her boys were assaulted last year and I was along for moral support. When we got there, we entered through a back door and then headed to the victim services office. A lady told us what she knew about today's proceedings and then the three of us walked down to the courtroom. As soon as we sat down, my friend noticed a man standing outside the door looking at her through a window. It was a very intentional, intimidating stare. The victim services lady left for a bit and when she came back in, my friend mentioned the man. She assured my friend, as did I, that he was just trying to intimidate. We were not sure who he was but confident he was with the perpetrator and his mom. My friend, after about 15 minutes, became very uncomfortable and the man was still standing there. So the victim services lady went and asked him to move away from the door. He in so many words, was very rude and said absolutely not. The three of us then decided to leave the courtroom. My friend and I were not in the courtroom for the hearing but the perpetrator pled guilty, which we expected. I would have liked to have seen the process. But as they escorted us back out of the building and to our car, it occurred to me that we had not walked through any metal detectors. Given the day and age we live in, I was really surprised. We were in district court, where some are given lenghty sentences and emotions can run high. My friend started putting two and two together and realized the man was the perpetrators father, who had recently been released from a federal penn in Texas for armed bank robbery. I don't know about other courthouses, but our security seems pretty lax. I am thankful for God's protection yesterday and that someone was not packing a pistol. Needless to say, I don't know that my friend wants to go back for the sentencing phase.
Not much else going on around here, which I am coming to appreciate the mundane days!
Thursday, February 7, 2013
JB and I headed back to the ENT this week. Seems that one ear is doing great. The other ear, not so good (this is the ear that JB 'failed' in his hearing test). Seems the tube was laying on the outside of the ear drum but the original hole where the ear tube was is about 4mm, instead of 1mm. To have an ear drum not close up after ear tubes is not unheard of. We knew it was a potential complication. The doctor is giving it 6 more weeks to see what it will do. He is thinking it won't close up. If that is the case, he will go back in for a very short procedure where they will cover up the hole. I did not fully get the details but he talked about taking a small bit of fatty tissue from the ear lobe and using that!? I did tell him that beginning early June we plan on lots of swimming, so I want to make sure we have time for surgery and healing. If surgery was done early April, he would be cleared to swim towards end of May.
Last week were parent teacher conferences. Both teachers told me how much my boys love to write. It seems that Jbird gets upset when writing time is over. The teacher thinks he would write for an hour, if given the opportunity. B's teacher said that he has so much creativity and how much he adds to the class. They are both doing very well. Jbird can sound out most 6-7 letter words. B is still reading close to 45-60 minutes most nights. I think he would stay up until 10 every night reading if I let him.
There are several mantras that are becoming common around our house. One of them, that I read about in the book Unglued is "Remember Who You Are". Just wanting to instill in the boys who they represent - our family - and how they act out in public is a direct reflection on what people think our family stands for. The same for being a Christian. We represent Christ. The same when B has on his cub scout uniform - the scouts are expected to behave in a manner of respect.
Speaking of scouts, we have a den meeting tonight and we are working on our whittling card. We are carving things out of soap tonight. I must say, I had fun today as I practiced. Was thinking it would be a fun activity for a birthday party!
No school tomorrow, not sure why but a kick off to a fairly quiet weekend!
Last week were parent teacher conferences. Both teachers told me how much my boys love to write. It seems that Jbird gets upset when writing time is over. The teacher thinks he would write for an hour, if given the opportunity. B's teacher said that he has so much creativity and how much he adds to the class. They are both doing very well. Jbird can sound out most 6-7 letter words. B is still reading close to 45-60 minutes most nights. I think he would stay up until 10 every night reading if I let him.
There are several mantras that are becoming common around our house. One of them, that I read about in the book Unglued is "Remember Who You Are". Just wanting to instill in the boys who they represent - our family - and how they act out in public is a direct reflection on what people think our family stands for. The same for being a Christian. We represent Christ. The same when B has on his cub scout uniform - the scouts are expected to behave in a manner of respect.
Speaking of scouts, we have a den meeting tonight and we are working on our whittling card. We are carving things out of soap tonight. I must say, I had fun today as I practiced. Was thinking it would be a fun activity for a birthday party!
No school tomorrow, not sure why but a kick off to a fairly quiet weekend!
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Here is a picture JB's preschool teacher sent me. They made muffins yesterday and she got a picture of the little chef. He was so proud of himself - although he did not share them with me.
Yesterday was the 100th day of school - 80 more days. They seem to really fly by in the spring though.
B got his mouth appliance put back in. We negotiated on a payment at the beginning and the rate we are going, we will come out ahead. When he went in to have his appliance replace, the Dr. realized it was not a good fit, so had to, once again, make another. This time he did it with B sitting in the chair. We are about 5 months in and he has yet to get it tightened.
I have been working on the piano. Not practicing as much as I would like, but still making progress. My 'teacher' told me she sees some natural ability. Since I am right handed, I am finding it hard to have my right hand hold a note while the left hand plays. All about practice, right?
Busy next couple of days with work. I am just amazed at the money that people can/are able to spend. Great job security for those of us that are in the 'customer service' jobs. I thought a plus to the job would be that I could take the boys with me, but I have found it twice as hard to clean when they are with me. No sooner do I get things vacuumed out then they walk back over it. Amazing how a kid will not touch a window until you clean it!
Yesterday was the 100th day of school - 80 more days. They seem to really fly by in the spring though.
B got his mouth appliance put back in. We negotiated on a payment at the beginning and the rate we are going, we will come out ahead. When he went in to have his appliance replace, the Dr. realized it was not a good fit, so had to, once again, make another. This time he did it with B sitting in the chair. We are about 5 months in and he has yet to get it tightened.
I have been working on the piano. Not practicing as much as I would like, but still making progress. My 'teacher' told me she sees some natural ability. Since I am right handed, I am finding it hard to have my right hand hold a note while the left hand plays. All about practice, right?
Busy next couple of days with work. I am just amazed at the money that people can/are able to spend. Great job security for those of us that are in the 'customer service' jobs. I thought a plus to the job would be that I could take the boys with me, but I have found it twice as hard to clean when they are with me. No sooner do I get things vacuumed out then they walk back over it. Amazing how a kid will not touch a window until you clean it!
Monday, January 28, 2013
This past weekend was the PWD. A great time was had by all. B ended up fifth in his division and 9th overall. I think there were close to 50 boys racing.
Here are two pictures of B's car (the black one with number 9)
I am always amazed at the creativity with all the cars. A few more pictures. The pink lego piece and the butterfly in the back
Here is a blackhawk helicopter, a herbie car and alligator in the front.
Check out this one with real snake skin and rattle
I like the lego guy and the great paint job.
We also had a visitor for the weekend...Bubbles
Bubbles is Jbird's class mascot. Every weekend he spends with a different child. I love the baseball hat J put on him. Him and JB are both very found of Bubbles. They had lots of fun, but Bubbles also loves to play hide and go seek. We spent about half the weekend looking for him because his hiding spots were so good!
I am finding much joy in my kitchen these days. Jbird just loves to eat, especially breakfast. His favorite - eggs with syrup. He can eat a couple of pieces of toast, bacon and 4 scrambled eggs, preferably with cheese on them. I just love to watch him eat and get such satisfaction out of what he is eating. Now serve him something he is not interested in, forget it - hardly a smile, but when it is a favorite of his, look out. He can eat.
I have been experimenting with a few new recipes. One called for 3 T. of paprika. Did you know that Cayenne Pepper looks a lot like Paprika? It does and in my cabinet, they are in similar size bottles. Fortunately we have a member of our household that loves spicy! Another recipe called for 2 T of sugar..yep bet you can guess what I used instead....salt. Fortunately it was the homemade pizza, so we did not have a real hard time getting that one down.
J stayed home from school today - said he was not feeling well. Just the coughing and sneezing. He has not missed a day of school yet, so figured we would see how it goes. I know JB loved having him home but it sure was hard to keep him 'still'. I tried hard to emphasize 'you are sick, you need to lay low' but had a hard time with it. At least I know he is not too sick to go to school tomorrow.
Here are two pictures of B's car (the black one with number 9)
I am always amazed at the creativity with all the cars. A few more pictures. The pink lego piece and the butterfly in the back
Here is a blackhawk helicopter, a herbie car and alligator in the front.
Check out this one with real snake skin and rattle
We also had a visitor for the weekend...Bubbles
Bubbles is Jbird's class mascot. Every weekend he spends with a different child. I love the baseball hat J put on him. Him and JB are both very found of Bubbles. They had lots of fun, but Bubbles also loves to play hide and go seek. We spent about half the weekend looking for him because his hiding spots were so good!
I am finding much joy in my kitchen these days. Jbird just loves to eat, especially breakfast. His favorite - eggs with syrup. He can eat a couple of pieces of toast, bacon and 4 scrambled eggs, preferably with cheese on them. I just love to watch him eat and get such satisfaction out of what he is eating. Now serve him something he is not interested in, forget it - hardly a smile, but when it is a favorite of his, look out. He can eat.
I have been experimenting with a few new recipes. One called for 3 T. of paprika. Did you know that Cayenne Pepper looks a lot like Paprika? It does and in my cabinet, they are in similar size bottles. Fortunately we have a member of our household that loves spicy! Another recipe called for 2 T of sugar..yep bet you can guess what I used instead....salt. Fortunately it was the homemade pizza, so we did not have a real hard time getting that one down.
J stayed home from school today - said he was not feeling well. Just the coughing and sneezing. He has not missed a day of school yet, so figured we would see how it goes. I know JB loved having him home but it sure was hard to keep him 'still'. I tried hard to emphasize 'you are sick, you need to lay low' but had a hard time with it. At least I know he is not too sick to go to school tomorrow.
Friday, January 25, 2013
It is Pinewood Derby time. I meant to take a picture of B's car before we turned it in today! (After the race they will keep them for several weeks). Last year he won a big ol' trophy, but we have prepared him for less than that this year - although he might do really well. No one really knows-there seems to be no science behind the cars, other than how fast and straight the wheels turn.
B finally got his popcorn prizes (for selling Cub Scout popcorn)! One of the things he got was a really cool little toy cross bow. It shoots the arrows like 45 feet. They are very heavy duty and it makes me nervous when they accidentally swing it my way when it is loaded. They have yet to break something.
The last couple of weeks when I have been taking the boys out on their alone time (date) with me, have been trying to build into their lives. We have focused on doing for others - a random act of kindness thing. When I was with B it was really cold out. We saw a homeless man. I don't like giving money to the homeless but we decided to get him a hot chocolate. It was getting late in the day and the sun was quickly disappearing. So, we swung through a close coffee shop then drove over to give him the drink. B rolled down his window and handed it to the man. As he walked away, I was disappointed. I made the comment to B that the man did not seem very appreciative. Then I caught myself and said that it did not matter what his response was. We did something nice for him and we did not do it to receive anything back. As long as we did what we felt was right, that was all that mattered. I went on to explain to B that there will be people in his life that will not be able to appreciate when a kindness is done towards them and that is okay. Our kindness should not be dependent on what we think we should expect in return. We found a few other 'kind' things to do that evening and as we were heading home, B told me that I was right, it does feel good to do nice things for people. That is when you smile as a parent. They are catching it. How does the saying go - better to be caught than taught? Them seeing you live it out.
JB is progressing with the potty training. He wanted to wear underwear to preschool today for the first time. The teacher said he did great! We are working on several things with his language but one is trying to transition him for the 'me want' to the 'I want'. We are still working on colors - he does not seem to recognize them. The audiologist was recently in the school and tested his hearing. He flat out failed in his left ear. She was able to see the ear tube that appears to have worked its way out of the ear drum and is 'stuck' on the outside of the ear drum. She is assuming that the tube was bouncing everything back and that is what caused him to fail. It so happens that we have a follow up ENT appointment in a week, so will check with the Doctor then to see if he agrees.
A goal for me this year is reading more books. Books that will challenge and encourage me, give me insight and wisdom and sometimes just bring a smile to my face. One such book that I just finished is Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions - by Lysa TerKeurst. (I have also decided when I read a book to take notes so that it is more likely things will stick and good reference points later on). One reason this book interested me is that I found I was at a place of suddenly exploding (or imploding - depending on how you look at it) with the boys and I did not like it. An early theme in the book is that "I have a choice of whether or not to give the other person power over my emotions. When I react by flying off the handle, I transfer my power to the other person." This really made me stop and think as to whether I wanted a 3 year old to be in control of my emotions. It's amazing how I escalate situations when I come unglued.
Another big point in her book is how you need to go from attitude to gratitude. "If _____ is the worst thing that happens to me today, then it is still a good day. Don't look at what is wrong but praise God for what is right. My circumstances don't change, but the way I look at circumstances changes." So, when I have to wash sheets for the third day in a row because of a night time accident, I can at least be thankful that I have a washer and dryer instead of grumbling about the task at hand. This perspective sure makes it easier to face all of the 'inconveniences' of life.
So many other good principles that have really helped to bring a calmer environment into our home. I also know that by my reading more, I am silently encouraging reading more in the boys (of which B will have logged over 20 hours for his school reading log this month).
B finally got his popcorn prizes (for selling Cub Scout popcorn)! One of the things he got was a really cool little toy cross bow. It shoots the arrows like 45 feet. They are very heavy duty and it makes me nervous when they accidentally swing it my way when it is loaded. They have yet to break something.
The last couple of weeks when I have been taking the boys out on their alone time (date) with me, have been trying to build into their lives. We have focused on doing for others - a random act of kindness thing. When I was with B it was really cold out. We saw a homeless man. I don't like giving money to the homeless but we decided to get him a hot chocolate. It was getting late in the day and the sun was quickly disappearing. So, we swung through a close coffee shop then drove over to give him the drink. B rolled down his window and handed it to the man. As he walked away, I was disappointed. I made the comment to B that the man did not seem very appreciative. Then I caught myself and said that it did not matter what his response was. We did something nice for him and we did not do it to receive anything back. As long as we did what we felt was right, that was all that mattered. I went on to explain to B that there will be people in his life that will not be able to appreciate when a kindness is done towards them and that is okay. Our kindness should not be dependent on what we think we should expect in return. We found a few other 'kind' things to do that evening and as we were heading home, B told me that I was right, it does feel good to do nice things for people. That is when you smile as a parent. They are catching it. How does the saying go - better to be caught than taught? Them seeing you live it out.
JB is progressing with the potty training. He wanted to wear underwear to preschool today for the first time. The teacher said he did great! We are working on several things with his language but one is trying to transition him for the 'me want' to the 'I want'. We are still working on colors - he does not seem to recognize them. The audiologist was recently in the school and tested his hearing. He flat out failed in his left ear. She was able to see the ear tube that appears to have worked its way out of the ear drum and is 'stuck' on the outside of the ear drum. She is assuming that the tube was bouncing everything back and that is what caused him to fail. It so happens that we have a follow up ENT appointment in a week, so will check with the Doctor then to see if he agrees.
A goal for me this year is reading more books. Books that will challenge and encourage me, give me insight and wisdom and sometimes just bring a smile to my face. One such book that I just finished is Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions - by Lysa TerKeurst. (I have also decided when I read a book to take notes so that it is more likely things will stick and good reference points later on). One reason this book interested me is that I found I was at a place of suddenly exploding (or imploding - depending on how you look at it) with the boys and I did not like it. An early theme in the book is that "I have a choice of whether or not to give the other person power over my emotions. When I react by flying off the handle, I transfer my power to the other person." This really made me stop and think as to whether I wanted a 3 year old to be in control of my emotions. It's amazing how I escalate situations when I come unglued.
Another big point in her book is how you need to go from attitude to gratitude. "If _____ is the worst thing that happens to me today, then it is still a good day. Don't look at what is wrong but praise God for what is right. My circumstances don't change, but the way I look at circumstances changes." So, when I have to wash sheets for the third day in a row because of a night time accident, I can at least be thankful that I have a washer and dryer instead of grumbling about the task at hand. This perspective sure makes it easier to face all of the 'inconveniences' of life.
So many other good principles that have really helped to bring a calmer environment into our home. I also know that by my reading more, I am silently encouraging reading more in the boys (of which B will have logged over 20 hours for his school reading log this month).
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Been a quiet week and weekend. We continue to stay healthy as we watch other families around us fall to the flu!
I have been picking up rental cars for several weeks now. Fortunately they only have 3 that I am responsible for. They originally wanted 5. I don't know how in the world they keep track of everything. This company has a taxi service, rental service, limo service, along with all the property management. Vehicles coming and going all over the place. The only down side to it is trying to vacuum out a car when it is zero degrees. It does not matter how warm you have the inside of the car, that nozzle is just cold and trying to do it with bulky gloves does not work. It takes me only 45 minutes or so to run them through the automatic car wash and then get them cleaned out. It has turned out to be very flexible though, which is nice and only about 6-8 hours a week.
Off to get the boys in bed...just a quick hello.
I have been picking up rental cars for several weeks now. Fortunately they only have 3 that I am responsible for. They originally wanted 5. I don't know how in the world they keep track of everything. This company has a taxi service, rental service, limo service, along with all the property management. Vehicles coming and going all over the place. The only down side to it is trying to vacuum out a car when it is zero degrees. It does not matter how warm you have the inside of the car, that nozzle is just cold and trying to do it with bulky gloves does not work. It takes me only 45 minutes or so to run them through the automatic car wash and then get them cleaned out. It has turned out to be very flexible though, which is nice and only about 6-8 hours a week.
Off to get the boys in bed...just a quick hello.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Sunday was my birthday. We all headed to the local hot springs. The boys have not been in the water since this summer and wanted to make sure Jbird was still comfortable with his swimming. They had a lot of fun. It was very cold outside - probably 5-10 degrees. There are lots of pools inside but one outside. Every time the door would open to the outside, steam rushed in. It sure took your breath away when you walked outside, dripping wet into that cold air. But the nice hot pool was nice.
Then we had lunch. Tried out a new diner and the food was pretty good but the portions were huge. JR was not able to finish his! From there we dropped JR off at home and headed to some friends house - fun to catch up with them after a few years.
Later that evening, JR was working so the boys and I had cake.
The boys wanted me to have a lego cake, so they took the liberty of adding some decoration.
My boys and me!
Seems some of them were eager to blow out the candles, so Jbird was keeping them from doing so.
I still have some celebrating to do. Meeting a friend today for lunch and another friend tomorrow for lunch!
One of my goals this year is to learn to use the settings on my camera. I recently learned a new trick to soften the flash (until I figure out how to set things so I don't need the flash - which is the ultimate goal). If you place a white business card at a 45 degree angle in front of the flash (prop it up in the hinge) it will diffuse the light. The picture of the boys and I were taken using a business card and the picture of the boys was taken without a business card. Amazing the difference something so little can make.
Took B back to the orthodontist. Seems his mouth appliance was beyond repair, so another impression had to be made. The ortho did say though that it appears it was not his fault, but just not made real well (assuming that means I don't have to pay for another one). We have been working with this appliance now for about 3 months and it has yet to be tightened. I am ready to get things rolling!
Then we had lunch. Tried out a new diner and the food was pretty good but the portions were huge. JR was not able to finish his! From there we dropped JR off at home and headed to some friends house - fun to catch up with them after a few years.
Later that evening, JR was working so the boys and I had cake.
The boys wanted me to have a lego cake, so they took the liberty of adding some decoration.
My boys and me!
Seems some of them were eager to blow out the candles, so Jbird was keeping them from doing so.
I still have some celebrating to do. Meeting a friend today for lunch and another friend tomorrow for lunch!
One of my goals this year is to learn to use the settings on my camera. I recently learned a new trick to soften the flash (until I figure out how to set things so I don't need the flash - which is the ultimate goal). If you place a white business card at a 45 degree angle in front of the flash (prop it up in the hinge) it will diffuse the light. The picture of the boys and I were taken using a business card and the picture of the boys was taken without a business card. Amazing the difference something so little can make.
Took B back to the orthodontist. Seems his mouth appliance was beyond repair, so another impression had to be made. The ortho did say though that it appears it was not his fault, but just not made real well (assuming that means I don't have to pay for another one). We have been working with this appliance now for about 3 months and it has yet to be tightened. I am ready to get things rolling!
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