Little Man asked me to help him write a sign and then slapped it up on his door! {Only 7 and under.} For the most part my boys are good friends and love spending time together. I guess last week things weren’t going as well. My youngest had reached his limit with his brother and a sign was going to take care of it.
It got me to thinking. If a sign on the door actually works, maybe I should give it a try. What signs might I hang on the door?
Or possibly just keep it general and use one that works for any situation in my home.
What would your sign say? {Happy Monday. Mother on!}
Lately, I feel like something’s come between us. I’m cool with that.
My husband gave me this card a few years ago on Mother’s Day. It still makes me giggle and I am sure many of you can relate. This time of year, when we set our clocks back an hour, was always miserable with babies and toddlers. My boys never got the memo that we were given an extra hour of sleep. It always took days for their own clocks to adjust. Which, in turn, was just exhausting.
Since my oldest was an infant we have shared our bed intermittently with a child. In the beginning I was simply too tired and lazy to get up at an ungodly hour, so I would grab him from his crib and bring him to bed with us. Lucky me, he would always go back to sleep-giving me a couple more hours of precious sleep. I used to worry because there was always chatter among the mommies regarding the “right” way to do things. Was I harming my young child for life? Would he be sleeping with us forever? I quietly doubted my decisions. Well, you know what? That big kid sleeps through the night by himself. All that worry was for nothing!
Little Man rarely slept with us when he was tiny {mostly because there wasn’t any room}. A couple of years ago he began crawling into bed around 4am most mornings. It isn’t every day anymore, but we have something between us at least once a week. Guess what? I love it! I know this window of time will close- in the not too distant future- and I am going to cuddle for as long as I can. My husband just smiles and shakes his head. He knows not to fight it, plus the kid sleeps so close to me he doesn’t even know he is there. This time there is no mommy chatter. And if there was, I wouldn’t give it any thought. How wonderful is that? Mothering isn’t for the weak, but somethings DO get easier.
Early this month I shared that our pumpkin patch tradition was ending. Our most loved farm was closed for business. I left it up to the boys if they wanted to visit a new farm this year. I am pleased as punch that they decided it was a must-do for our family. The day was crisp, the pumpkins were plentiful, and Jubilee Farm was charming. The hay maze and warm apple cider were great, but the high point was launching a pumpkin from a {home-built} medieval trebuchet! What boy doesn’t love being part of smashing a pumpkin to smithereens?
New memories created. Life doesn’t get much better.
Pictures like this one make a trip to the pumpkin patch essential – in this mom’s honest opinion!
Oh, my crazy cats. They have made me a mother. However, in today’s modern world, there is a mania surrounding motherhood. It may be self-induced, but either way it does exist. Some days [or weeks] I feel it more than others. Recently, I have asked myself, “What do these boys really need?” They are fortunate to have food, shelter, safety, and love as part of their every day lives. Beyond that, what do they REALLY need? And maybe more crucial, “What do I do as a mother that truly means the most to them?”
I don’t have my final answers yet. What do you think? [Do you have older kids? What would they answer?]
Today is all about creating a command center for your kids. We do not have a large desk or an office, so we need a mobile command center. I decided this year to house all the essential items for homework and projects in one container. Previously I had them on a shelf in a hallway closet. A sturdy cloth bin with handles sat unused in our playroom and was perfect for the job. I collected all the tools we need during the school year. I scrounged up a few random containers that were already in my house. Small tin buckets from the dollar bin, mason jars, and a paper ice cream bowl left over from Little Man’s birthday party.
Our command center now houses pencils, sharpies, highlighters, crayons, markers, white boards, dry erase markers, scissors, hole punches, paint brushes, glue, construction paper [white and colored], and note cards.
I am certain that our new command center will make homework a pleasurable and enjoyable experience for all. [Come on. A girl can hope! Anything is possible with a new school year. I am determined to remain positive.]
I am sharing a series this week to help ready your kids {and yourself} for school while maintaining your sanity.
Let’s do lunch. I have a couple of ideas to help get ready for eating lunch at school. I won’t talk about what to pack for lunch because, in my opinion, that is an entirely different topic . Today is about the art of eating lunch in a cafeteria. To eat in a lunch room can be overwhelming. The noise, the action, and major distractions are all obstacles to actually eating. I truly believe that a little lunchtime practice sets kids up for success once they head to school.
First, how you pack is almost as important as what you pack. There are usually very few adults in the cafeteria to help kids open items in their lunch. It is essential they can do it on their own. For young children, especially for Kindergarteners, I suggest packing a normal lunch-in their new lunch box- and having them practice opening all the containers and bags.
If you find your child has a hard time opening an item, consider packing it in a reusable plastic container, a reusable bag, or a ziplock bag. They are much easier to open. This will eliminate frustration, allow them to be independent at lunch, and getting them eating right away.
For all kids, it is good to set a timer and practice eating in the time allotted for lunch. My boys have a 20 minute lunch {although by the time their class arrives in the cafeteria and finds a table it is most likely shorter}. I have found that even 15 minutes is plenty of time – if they are actually eating. Will your kids buy lunch at school? Ask if the school has a mentor program for younger kids. This will help them navigate the system and not feel overwhelmed.
P.S. Once school starts, consider slipping in a treat on Fridays and a little lunch box love.
In the Pacific Northwest we are sprinting toward the finish line of summer break. For me, the goal is to enjoy the last bits of unstructured time before my role switches from entertainer to enforcer. This week I am sharing a Back to School series, as I ready my kids {and myself} for school while maintaining my sanity!
First up, shopping. I have always loved {LOVED} back to school shopping. I have discovered, however, that my boys do not share this same passion. After fighting it for several years, I have devised a plan that seems somewhat fool proof. It’s simple, we don’t do it. I purchase only a few items to start the year and then we purchase items as we need them. My boys happen to always have growth spurts that don’t coincide with the beginning of school, so it seems silly to buy clothes they will out grow in just a few short months.
Our shopping list:
1. One pair of jeans, preferably gray. {They rarely choose to wear them on their own accord [they prefer warm-ups], but jeans are their dress pants.}
2. One new t-shirt. {It warms my heart to see them head to school on the first day in a shirt without grease spots and popsicle stains.}
3. New shoes.
4. New socks and underwear
That’s it and we are already DONE! Well, Big W has also added a Gatorade water bottle onto his wish list, so I have one more purchase to make.
For those of you with fashion crazed girls, I sense there will be some push back. How about this? Purchase ONE back-to-school outfit, including all essential accessories. Then, when the weather begins to cool, make a date and go shopping. This way you can enjoy a short day of shopping prior to school, you don’t have to say no to the all-important pair of sunglasses or earrings, and you get the rest done once the mania has subsided.
Our family was lucky enough to spend three days rafting the Snake River through Hells Canyon. It is North America’s deepest river gorge at 7,993 feet. Yes, that is deeper than the Grand Canyon. It’s beauty is undeniable. I found myself looking up with my mouth dropped open for much of our time on the river.
The 3 day trip through class 4 rapids and over 30 miles of river was a guided by experts from Mountain River Outfitters. MRO gets 5 stars in every category. Simply top notch. We were joined by two other families-for a total of 6 adults and 6 kids ranging in age from 6 to 10. [An extremely kind German couple booked the trip at the last minute and were a great addition to our group. Lucky them, right?] Just prior to our trip I was nervous about taking my young boys, especially my 46 pound little man. Once we were through our first set of rapids, I knew I had worried for nothing and purely enjoyed the rest of our time on the river.
We arrived in Riggins, ID [population 424] the day before our trip. After a sleepless night {for me} and an early wake up, we left the hotel at 6am. We had a four-hour drive [in a large passenger van] to the launch point just below Hells Canyon Dam. The weather was amazing-hot and sunny! Armed with sunscreen, a camera, our dry bags and courage…we pushed off.
We witnessed a ton of white water, paddling and adrenalin! Right away. (more…)
Where is June is outbound. I am stepping outside my comfort zone and climbing into a white water raft. A big time, {3 day} rafting trip on the Snake River lies ahead for me. This girl is not an adrenaline junky. My motto this week will be, “Great things begin at the end of your comfort zone.” I look forward to uninterrupted time with all of my boys, unplugging, and lazy afternoons on the river. I hope to capture the beauty, I am sure we will encounter, and share it upon my return. {I’ll be back a week from today.}
Yes, that is an orange that Big W is about to hit. The big guy had a playoff game this week. The boys were treated to some fun during batting practice prior to the game. Why not smash the skin off an orange to get you pumped up for a big game? This entertaining departure from regular warm ups made me [and the boys] very happy.
The boys were elated for the obvious reasons. I, on the other hand, loved that our coaches were keeping the kids focused on what is truly important when you are playing baseball [or any sport for that matter] at the age of 8 or 9. They were focused on fun. Our boys were talking about orange juice spraying in their face and wiping their bats with baby wipes when they entered the dugout. [Exactly what second and third graders should be doing!]
My hope is that my boys continue to play for coaches that keep a great perspective and teach them well. Coaches that teach them hard work pays off and consistent practice will lead to improvement. Coaches that teach them tenacity and resiliency, in sports and in life, make you a stronger human being. Coaches that teach that the greatest athletes are also great teammates. I want them to learn that winning is fantastic and losing pretty much sucks.
But in the end, I just want them to love playing and I want them to have coaches that keep the fun in it!
