Things Change

A weekend full of changes has left me tired. We worked all weekend on the tree. Then we decided to take the apple down as well. Thanks to Derek, the job was made easier. He came over and took it down in seconds. We hauled all the wood to the side yard to clear the backyard. It really opened the yard up. The kids will enjoy this.

We now have room to expand the garden.

*

Then I had a conversation with Mimi that shocked me:

Mimi: Can Babaw (Grandma) babysit us while you go get your license renewed?
Me: Why? It doesn't expire for a couple more months.
Mimi: You'll need it to drive me to Kindergarten at public school.
Me: You wanna go?
Mimi: Yes.

Well, okay. I guess another change of plans!

Have a great week!
~Karen

A New Day : Recovering From Bad Ones

It's amazing how a good night's sleep can make things all better. Today has been great .... fewer tantrums....more patience on my part ...and a great library group and activity today. We have actually enjoyed one another today. I guess we all have our bad days, and we just happened to all have it on the same day!
***
The kids are napping now, and I have finished the bathroom rug. SEE:
I am already planning on making more in different shapes and colors. This is an easy and quick results project. I have a collection of felted sweaters that would make a great rug...hmmmm :)

Hope everyone is having a great week!
~Karen

Parenting & Coping

It's been one of those days. Parents of toddlers know what I am talking about. Days when everything goes wrong, and everything makes your kid cry. It can be the tag on her shirt or her favorite toy has dead batteries, and all of it is simply too much for her. UGH! I am trying to handle each crying episode as they come...Offering distractions, trying to resolve whatever is so upsetting, and finally resorting to time outs. Oh! It is exhausting. I can't imagine having such internal chaos all the time. It must be exhausting to be a toddler. I am ready for Friday. Is it tomorrow? :(

Now the kids are napping.

I have distracted myself this afternoon with a new project: Rugs!
I have tried crocheting these before with no luck. It always curled up into a bowl. Then I came across the BEST tutorials. In less than ten minutes I understood how to do it. The instructor is great. Let me know if you try it, and how it goes for you...

Also, any advice or words of wisdom on parenting...if you have none, please offer a "hang in there!" I need it! :)
~Karen

Bad Days

Yesterday was one of those days. You know...the days when everything is hard. Mimi and Moe were irritable, and made terrible hosts to their friends who were over. And, in turn, I was annoyed with their behavior and lacked the necessary patience to help deescalate their behavior.

Maybe I can blame yesterday on the weather...Or on us being couped up for so long. I am more inclined to accept that all families everywhere have bad days and that we are no different.

Thankfully, the day is over and we are working towards a better one today.
Hope your day is a good one! ~Karen

Bratz dolls look like hookers to me.....

Someone recently bought Mimi a Bratz doll. Kevin and I were disgusted, and confiscated the doll. Since Mimi is 3 1/2 yrs old, it was difficult to explain our reasoning. What do you think? Will you let your kids play with these or will you buy them as gifts for other children? Or do you think they are far too sexual and inappropriate?

Toy Jail

I always thought my two kiddos would be the best of friends. I thought they would magically be instilled with love and friendship. Oh, was I ever naive. To be honest, they do get along better than most siblings, but they have their fair share of fights. The fights are usually over toys. Sometimes they fight over ownership of almost anything...even a scrap piece of paper. So instead of trying to figure out who is to blame, or how to resolve the issue, we simply say something like:

This toy is causing a lot of problems...maybe it needs to go to toy jail....

Usually they beg for another chance, and depending on the intensity of the arguing I may or may not give them another chance.

Toy jail used to be on top of our refrigerator, but I got tired of seeing a random assortment of annoying toys and odds and ends up there. So, now toy jail is in our garage.

We haven't figured out how long a sentence a toy should serve because usually once the toy is taken away it is forgotten. Sometimes the toy's sentence is transferred to Goodwill or the Salvation Army! :)

In all fairness, I should say I heard about this idea somewhere else...not sure where...
That is it for today...I am off to sentence a truck!

Update....I stole this concept from Parent Hack's Melissa! Here is the link..
http://www.parenthacks.com/2008/06/toy-jail-emphas.html