Saturday was "Kids In Charge Day." I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but it was Bill's idea therefore it probably was crazy. There were only 2 rules; the kids all had to agree on what they decided to do and it had to be safe. They knew a couple of days in advance so they brainstormed some ideas of what we would be eating and what we would be doing. Interesting stuff, really.
Here's our day in a nutshell. Bill took the kids shopping with a limited budget and they returned with food for the day. Breakfast consisted of donuts and bagels with cream cheese (cream cheese is totally a protein, right?!). The girls chose to paint their nails while Carter decided to play video games. Now I really should explain what I mean by video games. We don't own any new or fancy video game system. When Bill and I got married 14 years ago one of our wedding presents was a Sony Playstation, I'm talking old school. What makes it even more old school is the fact that the games we have are the Namco SUPER retro Ms. Pacman, Dig Dug, Pole Position and the like. Carter thinks it's a special treat to play these video games since there is very little gaming in our house. Poor Carter.
Lunch was very classy with Chef Boyardee beef raviolis, fruit salad and root beer floats. I have to admit I did not partake with the canned raviolis although they are a favorite with my brood. That would all be thanks to my husband who loves himself some Chef Boyardee. Really? Not sure what that says about my cooking that he loves so much, but I digress. Nickel City was where we headed after our amazing carb filled lunch. We played some more video games. Mia amazingly hit the mother lode of tickets by dropping some ball in the Jackpot hole. They all decided to combine their tickets (the older ones can be so clever) and walked out of there with a water gun each. I think Mia's broke before we even made it to the car, but whatever. They gambled away their nickels for some tickets and left with an awesome prize, okay awesome may be on overstatement, but they didn't leave empty handed. I mean, it's great to spend some money and bring junk home instead, am I right?!
Once we returned home the girls went outside to play on the slip and slide and get in the spa. Carter continued to play his video games. He did venture out for awhile, but no sooner had he got wet than a bee landed on his finger and stung him. Needless to say, he decided he was done playing outside. The girls, on the other hand, continued to play while daddy proceeded to kill the bees hoovering around them.
Yakisoba noodles were what we ate for dinner followed up with some apple pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert. We ended the night by observing a family of raccoons (a mama and 5 babies) crawl out from under our deck and look for food. They were super cute!!! Although according to Bill they would take down Mia in a second. Apparently he's had a run in with some 'coons in the past.
Here's what I learned from Kids In Charge Day: my kids love carbs, sugar and more carbs (alright, I kind of already knew this one), Carter would be addicted to video games if we let him, although he really is pretty amazing at Ms. Pacman, my kids can actually agree on doing some things, they really enjoyed spending the entire day with us, we really enjoyed enjoyed spending the entire day with them as well.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
Lessons Learned
It's official, Summer of Work has begun! The kids eagerly awoke and started picking up and making beds. Teamwork, amazingly enough, even took place with Carter and Mia each helping the other make their beds. Ava was so into it she even went above and beyond and organized 2 of her desk drawers. While Carter decided to make everyone his delicious pancakes from scratch!
It was even Ava's laundry day (once a week the kids do their own laundry) and although she balked a bit she eventually tackled the job and did it well. She sorted, washed, dried, folded and put away her clothes.
I learned that my kids are really quite capable. Crossing fingers it lasts more than a week.
Alas, for every positive there is a negative, and the negative was quick to come. Today "hike" was chosen from our Summer of Fun jar. Most were excited although it was supposed to be a hot day, mid 90s hot. So we decided to take our hike in the late afternoon. The kids were playing Jenga and I was doing something really important, okay so maybe checking Facebook isn't that important, but still I was busy. The next thing I know there's crying and two kids are running to me, eager to be the first to tattle. Long story short, one of my kids lied to me. Not only lied to me once, but continued to lie clinging to their story. So once I found out the truth, which mom's have an amazing knack for, that child was sent to their room for the rest of the day. A babysitter was found and the hike was still on, minus one child who I hope learned their lesson.
It was even Ava's laundry day (once a week the kids do their own laundry) and although she balked a bit she eventually tackled the job and did it well. She sorted, washed, dried, folded and put away her clothes.
I learned that my kids are really quite capable. Crossing fingers it lasts more than a week.
Alas, for every positive there is a negative, and the negative was quick to come. Today "hike" was chosen from our Summer of Fun jar. Most were excited although it was supposed to be a hot day, mid 90s hot. So we decided to take our hike in the late afternoon. The kids were playing Jenga and I was doing something really important, okay so maybe checking Facebook isn't that important, but still I was busy. The next thing I know there's crying and two kids are running to me, eager to be the first to tattle. Long story short, one of my kids lied to me. Not only lied to me once, but continued to lie clinging to their story. So once I found out the truth, which mom's have an amazing knack for, that child was sent to their room for the rest of the day. A babysitter was found and the hike was still on, minus one child who I hope learned their lesson.
Thursday, June 07, 2012
I'm Back
Well, it's been a long time since I've been here. Life got so busy I blinked and years have passed. After rereading all my old posts I'm sad I haven't done a better job of writing about my children's silly, complicated, endearing, exasperating, humorous, and exhausting lives. I'm making a point to write at least 3 times a week, hopefully more. If I write it here, then I must stick to it....right?! So here goes.
The last day of school is tomorrow, we have the summer in front of us, and I'm on a mission. A mission for fun and work. I know they don't seem to go together, but they both feel so important and valuable. Here's what's shaping my thoughts:
WORK
Right now I'm reading "Cleaning House A Mom's 12-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement," by Kay Wills Wyma. I can't tell you how much I'm LOVING this book. I totally agree with her, that work creates self worth and self esteem. My philosophy has always been to raise respectful, independent, and kind children. However sometimes I lose sight of the independent part and do too much for them. I still remember the first time each of my children cleaned their rooms by themselves. They were each about 2 and I stood and told them where the items went, but did not do anything to actually help in the process. I remember the fits, crying, yelling and how they said they weren't going to do anything. But once they finally finished (for some it took much longer than others) they had this look of pride on their faces that I will never forget. Although they don't have set chores, when asked, they help with the laundry (sorting, washing, and folding), emptying the dishwasher, loading the dishwasher, cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming, helping to cook, pulling weeds and more. However I feel that I don't ask very much and I'm not very consistent. So I'm making it one of my goals this summer to expect more from my children by making them work. Wish me luck!!!
FUN
One of my friends went to a workshop and the woman leading it asked this question; When was the last time you had fun with your kids? It's one of those questions I had to ponder. I mean I feel like I have fun memories, but really what pops into my head is the nagging to get them ready and out the door in the morning, the constant reminding to pick up after themselves, the never ending refereeing of sibling bickering and fighting and the list goes on and on. My children are only young once and I know how fleeting their youth is. While I feel it's my job to create the independence I talked about above I do still believe that I want them to have fond and playful memories as well. So we are calling this The Summer of Fun! We, the children and I, have brainstormed many fun ideas to do over the summer. We have a daily jar that we will pull from and a weekend jar as well. Every day we will do what the card tells us. Every Monday we will pull from the weekend jar too so that we can do the necessary planing that the weekend task might entail.
This is going to be one interesting summer. I'm looking forward to all the memories, hopefully more good than bad, this adventure has to bring. Wish me Luck!!!
The last day of school is tomorrow, we have the summer in front of us, and I'm on a mission. A mission for fun and work. I know they don't seem to go together, but they both feel so important and valuable. Here's what's shaping my thoughts:
WORK
Right now I'm reading "Cleaning House A Mom's 12-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement," by Kay Wills Wyma. I can't tell you how much I'm LOVING this book. I totally agree with her, that work creates self worth and self esteem. My philosophy has always been to raise respectful, independent, and kind children. However sometimes I lose sight of the independent part and do too much for them. I still remember the first time each of my children cleaned their rooms by themselves. They were each about 2 and I stood and told them where the items went, but did not do anything to actually help in the process. I remember the fits, crying, yelling and how they said they weren't going to do anything. But once they finally finished (for some it took much longer than others) they had this look of pride on their faces that I will never forget. Although they don't have set chores, when asked, they help with the laundry (sorting, washing, and folding), emptying the dishwasher, loading the dishwasher, cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming, helping to cook, pulling weeds and more. However I feel that I don't ask very much and I'm not very consistent. So I'm making it one of my goals this summer to expect more from my children by making them work. Wish me luck!!!
FUN
One of my friends went to a workshop and the woman leading it asked this question; When was the last time you had fun with your kids? It's one of those questions I had to ponder. I mean I feel like I have fun memories, but really what pops into my head is the nagging to get them ready and out the door in the morning, the constant reminding to pick up after themselves, the never ending refereeing of sibling bickering and fighting and the list goes on and on. My children are only young once and I know how fleeting their youth is. While I feel it's my job to create the independence I talked about above I do still believe that I want them to have fond and playful memories as well. So we are calling this The Summer of Fun! We, the children and I, have brainstormed many fun ideas to do over the summer. We have a daily jar that we will pull from and a weekend jar as well. Every day we will do what the card tells us. Every Monday we will pull from the weekend jar too so that we can do the necessary planing that the weekend task might entail.
This is going to be one interesting summer. I'm looking forward to all the memories, hopefully more good than bad, this adventure has to bring. Wish me Luck!!!
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Kiddy Camp
I signed my kids up for summer camp! Well, it's not exactly all summer, nor is it technically camping, heck it isn't even all day. What it is, however, is 4 wonderful mornings all to myself (with the baby of course). I'm going to get so much done in the 3 hours that they are off playing games, creating art, making friends, doing who knows what and really who cares as long as I have ME time. What bliss it will be.
I'm so excited about all the time I have on my hands and not wanting to waste it, I make a list of all that I will accomplish while they are gone:
Clean house,
Do laundry, ( not sure why this is on my "list" since it's all I ever do and never can complete)
Organize pictures,
Start Ava's baby book ( I know, I know, she's 3, but it's never too late)
Clean out closet
Organize Mia's room ( which I still refer to as "the office")
Take pictures of Mia ( I don't have enough, poor 3rd child)
Read a book ( or at least some of one)
On Monday when I drop the kids off at 9:30 they are eager to leave me and go play. It helps that Carter has a friend there from preschool. Even Ava who has never gone off on her own before is completely okay with me leaving her. She waves to me as she begins to color a picture. "That was easy," I think to myself.
I hurry back with Mia to the car. I am eager to get home, begin my list and have some quiet time. I pull in the garage, take Mia out of her car seat, and bring her in the house. I set her down and am about to put a load of laundry in when Mia begins to cry. "Oh, she must be hungry, no problem." I feed her. She continues to cry. I change her. Still she cries. I swaddle her and rock her. Finally she's asleep and it's quiet.
I put the load of laundry in. Then I look at the clock. Wow, it's already 11. I'm getting hungry. So I pop in a quick frozen Weight Watchers meal and sit down and begin the crossword puzzle from the days newspaper. Four minutes later my meal is ready. When I finish eating I clean the kitchen, dining room and begin the living room. The phone rings. It's my friend Amy. I chat with her while I begin folding the clean laundry that has been sitting in the baskets for about a week (Lovely, wrinkled clothes, because you know I don't iron). After about 10 minutes I glance at the clock.
"Shoot, I gotto go pick my kids up," I tell my friend as I hang up the phone. It's 12:00. I gather Mia, change her diaper, strap her in her car seat and head out. I arrive just in time for the 12:30 pick up. Perfect.
So much for my 3 hours of heaven. I think tomorrow I will skip my list and just relax for the few moments I have.
I'm so excited about all the time I have on my hands and not wanting to waste it, I make a list of all that I will accomplish while they are gone:
Clean house,
Do laundry, ( not sure why this is on my "list" since it's all I ever do and never can complete)
Organize pictures,
Start Ava's baby book ( I know, I know, she's 3, but it's never too late)
Clean out closet
Organize Mia's room ( which I still refer to as "the office")
Take pictures of Mia ( I don't have enough, poor 3rd child)
Read a book ( or at least some of one)
On Monday when I drop the kids off at 9:30 they are eager to leave me and go play. It helps that Carter has a friend there from preschool. Even Ava who has never gone off on her own before is completely okay with me leaving her. She waves to me as she begins to color a picture. "That was easy," I think to myself.
I hurry back with Mia to the car. I am eager to get home, begin my list and have some quiet time. I pull in the garage, take Mia out of her car seat, and bring her in the house. I set her down and am about to put a load of laundry in when Mia begins to cry. "Oh, she must be hungry, no problem." I feed her. She continues to cry. I change her. Still she cries. I swaddle her and rock her. Finally she's asleep and it's quiet.
I put the load of laundry in. Then I look at the clock. Wow, it's already 11. I'm getting hungry. So I pop in a quick frozen Weight Watchers meal and sit down and begin the crossword puzzle from the days newspaper. Four minutes later my meal is ready. When I finish eating I clean the kitchen, dining room and begin the living room. The phone rings. It's my friend Amy. I chat with her while I begin folding the clean laundry that has been sitting in the baskets for about a week (Lovely, wrinkled clothes, because you know I don't iron). After about 10 minutes I glance at the clock.
"Shoot, I gotto go pick my kids up," I tell my friend as I hang up the phone. It's 12:00. I gather Mia, change her diaper, strap her in her car seat and head out. I arrive just in time for the 12:30 pick up. Perfect.
So much for my 3 hours of heaven. I think tomorrow I will skip my list and just relax for the few moments I have.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Our Newest Addition
Mia Bella Thompson was born on April 18th at 3:06pm. She weighed in at 7lbs 11ozs and was 20 inches long. She is 8 weeks old and is a great baby. She sleeps so much that Carter gets excited when she opens her eyes and he tells us, "She's peeking out, she's peeking out." Both kids seem to be handling the adjustment of their new little sister very well. Although, just tonight Carter was thinking about what to rename her. Poor Mia.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
What do you want for your birthday?
All Carter's friends started getting 2 wheel bikes around their 3rd birthday, but Carter didn't seem that interested. I really wanted to wait until he asked for one. I wanted him to really want one so that it would feel that much more special. So last year when he turned 4 I asked if he wanted a bike for his birthday. No, was his response. Okay that's fine. This year for Christmas I asked if he wanted a bike. No, was his response again. Whatever, he's not ready, I thought. Well now he's turning 5, so he MUST want a bike, right? I asked him the other night over dinner if he wanted a bike for his birthday. His response, "Why do you keep asking me that? I DON'T want a bike for Christmas, I DON'T WANT a bike for my birthday. I DON'T want a bike." Jeez, fine, I was just asking. I then turned to Ava, who is turning 3, and asked "What do you want for your birthday?" "A bike," she said.
Hey, do think if I start asking now if he wants a car the same thing will happen?
Hey, do think if I start asking now if he wants a car the same thing will happen?
Monday, February 19, 2007
I Will Never
I was so sure of all the things that I would never do before I had children. I had my list of "I Nevers": I will never give my baby a pacifier, I never will put MY child in front of the TV, I will never give my child candy before they are 3 years old, maybe 5, I will never raise my voice or yell in anger at my children, I will never use the phrases my mother used on me such as "Because I said so, that's why." Then I actually had children and reality set in. My ideas, some of my convictions, my "nevers" all seemed to fly out the window. It was all I could do just to survive this thing called parenthood.
This is what happened to my list of "I Nevers". Carter had a pacifier before we even left the hospital ( what did those books know anyway, some kids just need to suck, and please, he never had an issue nursing). I admit I did put my child in front of some Baby Einstein videos, not to make him smarter, just to give myself a break for half an hour to make dinner, take a shower, heck, to pee by myself. I am still a stickler about sweets, but let's face it, I'm not about to deprive my child or myself the photos of his/her 1st taste of birthday cake. And yes, although I'm not proud of it there are times when I yell at my children, sometimes in anger. I try to work on it but it's a reality, I am not perfect. The phrases my mom used to say to me that I hated so much make a lot of sense now that I am a mom and yes on occasion I use them.
The one "I Never" that I still truly believed in, that I thought I would never waver from, that I was certain I would never do, I finally did. No, I still have not beat my children, that one I'm sticking to, but the other biggie I caved in on. I swore I WOULD NEVER BUY A MINIVAN and yes you guessed it. I did. Now there are a million reasons why I swore that wouldn't happen, I mean it screams MOM ( I know I am, but I am so much more). My car was the last thing that was mine, something that didn't necessarily define me as a mother ( so what if there were 2 car seats in it). It was a car I picked when I was still childless and carefree. It was sort of the one thing that I had from that prior life. Mind you I love my life, I love being a mom, but truly it's not all that I am. However, with baby number 3 on the way our choices were limited and after doing the research it really was the best thing out there for me. So I bit the bullet and got the minivan.
The funny thing that I NEVER thought would happen is that I really LOVE my car. It drives so smooth, it has plenty of room, I can carpool now, and it's just so easy. I should have learned my lesson with my first "I never" list, you can't always predict life or how things work out or even what you will do in any given circumstance. But the truth is I still have my "I never" list of the future: my kids will never date until they are 16, they will never have tv's in their rooms, I will never just give them money they will have to earn it, and the list goes on and on. Oh well!
This is what happened to my list of "I Nevers". Carter had a pacifier before we even left the hospital ( what did those books know anyway, some kids just need to suck, and please, he never had an issue nursing). I admit I did put my child in front of some Baby Einstein videos, not to make him smarter, just to give myself a break for half an hour to make dinner, take a shower, heck, to pee by myself. I am still a stickler about sweets, but let's face it, I'm not about to deprive my child or myself the photos of his/her 1st taste of birthday cake. And yes, although I'm not proud of it there are times when I yell at my children, sometimes in anger. I try to work on it but it's a reality, I am not perfect. The phrases my mom used to say to me that I hated so much make a lot of sense now that I am a mom and yes on occasion I use them.
The one "I Never" that I still truly believed in, that I thought I would never waver from, that I was certain I would never do, I finally did. No, I still have not beat my children, that one I'm sticking to, but the other biggie I caved in on. I swore I WOULD NEVER BUY A MINIVAN and yes you guessed it. I did. Now there are a million reasons why I swore that wouldn't happen, I mean it screams MOM ( I know I am, but I am so much more). My car was the last thing that was mine, something that didn't necessarily define me as a mother ( so what if there were 2 car seats in it). It was a car I picked when I was still childless and carefree. It was sort of the one thing that I had from that prior life. Mind you I love my life, I love being a mom, but truly it's not all that I am. However, with baby number 3 on the way our choices were limited and after doing the research it really was the best thing out there for me. So I bit the bullet and got the minivan.
The funny thing that I NEVER thought would happen is that I really LOVE my car. It drives so smooth, it has plenty of room, I can carpool now, and it's just so easy. I should have learned my lesson with my first "I never" list, you can't always predict life or how things work out or even what you will do in any given circumstance. But the truth is I still have my "I never" list of the future: my kids will never date until they are 16, they will never have tv's in their rooms, I will never just give them money they will have to earn it, and the list goes on and on. Oh well!
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