Stained Glass

Yesterday, I had a day.
I was grumpy literally from the moment I rolled out of bed and pretty much stayed that way until late into the evening.  We were busy all day long and I felt like I never really had a chance to catch my breath. I was short with Dave, yelled at Jacob, [...]

Give and take (the tooth version)

For the first time in 3 years, we can see both of Jake’s front teeth again.  They are growing in fast and furious and he is counting the days until he can eat an apple without it being cut up first.
But we all know that things couldn’t be that easy.
A few weeks ago, Emma fell [...]

Turn that frown upside down

I’m not what you would call a “positive person”.
It’s been well documented that I complain a lot.  And I argue with my kids a lot.  And I yell a lot. And that, in general, I’m a glass-half-empty kind of girl.
For Pete’s sake, I even named one of my categories “Parenting Woes“.
And yet, I harp on [...]

Randomy Stuff

Did you know that Refried Beans are Pinto Beans.  I didn’t and a bit of a fool of myself at the mexican restaurant.
We went to a baseball game today and saw a Grand Slam, no less than 3 double plays, and 2 amazing catches.  It was a good game.
I’m in a blog slump.  Care to [...]

Marvel

Sometimes, I sit back and really watch Jake.
Today, I find myself in awe of the little boy he is becoming.
He is kind.  He is gentle.  He loves his friends.  He loves playing with his sister.
I love him.
I love how his body melts into me when he’s hurt.  I love how he’s learning how to help [...]

Insight

Every once in a while, at the oddest moments, I’ll be struck with an idea that I can’t let go of.  Sometimes it’s mundane and useless.  Other times, it reminds me of past behaviors that I should correct.
They sneak up on me.  The lastest came while I was cleaning up the kitchen after a fairly [...]

Our Toughest Decision Yet

Jake is advanced.
As a kindergartner, he consistently works far above grade level. He excels in math and reading. That’s just the way he is. Learning comes easy for him.
Our school system has a Magnet School program for advanced students.  We applied for him to be accepted into the program, but we knew that we probably [...]

Scream Free

I’ve been trying my hand at ScreamFree Parenting.
It started with the book (purchased after a particularly hard day with Emma).
It’s continuing with daily e-mails I receive to keep my head in the game.
Without those e-mails, I’d be sunk.  I need constant reminding that they look to me for direction on how to react to the [...]

An unexpected surprise

Jake has been reading for a few years now.  It’s just something he took to.  We didn’t do anything special.  We didn’t drill him on reading.  He just…did it.  He still loves to read and will sit for hours and do activity books, word searches, or crossword puzzles.
When we got a letter home from his [...]

Reliazation

Spring Break hit me like a ton of bricks.  I’ve been on edge with Emma lately…that’s putting it mildly.  Having Jake around full time, too, brought out Evil Mommy.
Evil Mommy is not nice to be around.  I don’t even like to be around Evil Mommy, but lately she’s hard to get away from.
After yelling at [...]