Tag Archives: parenting

What Tomorrow Will Bring

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13

Stairs today.

Mt. Everest tomorrow!

 

 

When Liam was diagnosed with hip dysplasia, his orthopedic pediatrician assured us that he would reach his developmental milestones on time.  However, his sisters were early crawlers and so you can imagine my concern when Liam wasn’t showing any signs of crawling at 6 months old.  Even though I knew babies crawl anywhere from 6 months to a year, I still worried.

 

 

Within a week, Liam went from a wounded soldier crawl to crawling on all fours to pulling himself up to climbing the stairs all at the tender late young age of 8 months old.

 

 

Now, I have a whole new set of worries and none of them are whether he will be a late bloomer any more.

 

 

PhotoStory Friday

A Tangled Mess No More!

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16

When my girls are due for a trim, Allana always begs me to take her to Sweet & Sassy for her haircut.  I adore the whole Sweet & Sassy glittery pampering experience as much as my girls, but on a tight SAHMom-on-the-run race budget, princess haircuts at Sweet & Sassy simply are not financially feasible for two girls even with discounts or specials.

 

But when I got wind of Sweet & Sassy’s Tangled haircut promotion for the release of the Tangled DVD, I rushed the girls right into the salon.  Any girl who donated 10” of hair to Locks of Love would receive a free haircut and style.   BUT, would my girls be willing to donate 10” of their beautiful curls for a good cause and a free haircut?

 

Even if my girls weren’t willing to donate their hair, I decided to still bring them into the salon to take advantage of the “buy one haircut, get a second haircut 50% off” deal and all the Tangled fun Sweet & Sassy was offering.

 

So when I picked them up from school and informed the girls about Sweet & Sassy’s Tangled event, Allana agreed to do it.  Her exact words were, “Sure.  I’ll do it. Wait.  How short will my hair be?”  Emmalynn wasn’t quite so willing at first.

 

Using a tape measure, I showed the girls the length of 10”of hair and approximately how much hair would be left after the cut.  Allana still agreed to do it.  Once Emmalynn saw the length in the mirror, she was ready to do it.  Her exact words were, “Oh!  That will look so cute!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And boy did those girls ever look so cute with their new dos!  Later that evening, Allana told me she donated her hair in memory of Aunt June.  Her unexpected, unprompted gesture caught me off guard and really choked me up.

 

 

 

I am so proud of my beautiful girls and their generosity.

 

 

The Gallery: Every WednesdayPhotoStory Friday

 

Makes Me Smile

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22

You’re clever and fun
You discovered your tongue
And your silly toothless grin makes me smile.

 

You coo and you giggle
You squirm and you wiggle
And your silly squats make me smile.

 

You have no hair
You spit up everywhere
And your messy sweet face makes me smile.

 

You babble and squeal
No words can express how blessed I feel
Just having you in my life makes me smile.

 

 

*Inspired by and proudly submitted at*

Mama's Losin' It

 

Growing Green Girls

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3

When my kitchen counter became too cluttered with recyclables, I cleverly devised a plan to encourage my children to help me clean up.

 

Like many northern states, New York’s Returnable Container Act charges consumers five cents for bottled beverages.  Although Florida doesn’t currently charge its consumers for bottles, I thought I could institute a five cent deposit policy in our home by paying my girls five cents for every recyclable container they tossed into our recycling bin.

 

However, before implementing our recycling program, the girls needed a quick lesson in how to determine which items to recycle.   I began by showing them the #1 and #2 triangle   recycle symbols on the bottom of the plastic containers. Other number plastics were tossed into the trash or we found find other ways to reuse them, but all glass containers and aluminum cans could be recycled with the #1 and #2 plastics.

 

Each time they tossed an item in the recycling bin, the girls would mark a tally on our recycling chart.  Each tally would represent five cents and therefore, five tallies would equal a quarter.

 

When my eight year old would have four sets of five tally marks, I would pay her a dollar, an idea she suggested.  My four year old loved the idea of getting a big shiny quarter for a set of five tally marks.  In turn, I would be teaching my oldest to skip count by twenty-five and my youngest would be learning to skip count by fives.  Plus, for all their efforts, the girls would receive a small lesson in earning and saving money.

 

 

I implemented this task and teaching tool about six months ago and our recycling program is still going strong.

 

In fact, we recently finished one side and had to start a new chart on the back.  After all, I had to demonstrate another type of recycling.

 

Write of Passage

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14

“Mommy, would you like to play restaurant with me?”

 

“I would love to,” I replied.

 

“O.K., I’ll go get it ready!” Emmalynn excitedly exclaimed as she ran off to prepare for my arrival. Clanging metal pans and dishes crashed to the playroom floor which was accompanied by the banging of hollow plastic play food as Emmalynn served a symphony of sweets for her patron.

 

While she prepared her restaurant, I quickly checked my e-mail, which in hindsight may not have been my brightest parenting moment.

 

As I read through my e-mails, I heard Emmalynn scamper down the hallway into the bathroom which was followed by a faucet at full blast.  Then, she ran back down the hall.

 

Secretly, I had hoped she didn’t fill her teapot with water.   I dreaded drinking water from a dirty, grubby tea set.  As I curiously peeked around the corner, I discovered Emmalynn washing the wall with a soaked washcloth.

 

“Emmalynn, what are you doing?”

 

“I wanted to make a sign for my restaurant, but I made a mistake.  I ran out of room for the letters in my name and I wanted to erase it and start over.”

 

Then, I noticed very large purple (her favorite color) letters written on the wall and wondered what the appropriate response to this creative situation would be.

 

 

“Yes, I see that you ran out of room, because you made your letters too big, but a wet washcloth will not wash crayon off the wall.  But more importantly, when you want to make a sign, you use paper.  You know that.  We write on paper, not walls. And the good thing about using paper for a sign is you can tape it anywhere you want, like above the table or by the door so everyone can see it when they enter your restaurant.”

 

“Oh yeah”, she replied as a light bulb went off in her head and then it quickly shined on a subject that mattered more to her.  “My restaurant is ready, Mommy.”

 

With her direction, I sat down and enjoyed a delicious plateful of plastic cookies, strawberries and a cupcake.

 

Although Emmalynn has a reputation for doodling on walls and leaving a path of destruction everywhere she goes, it was really difficult for me to get angry with her this time.  Writing on walls is a rite of passage and a phase many children go through.  Unfortunately, Emmalynn has not left this stage yet, but it’s all right.  We’ll simply store stockpiles of Magic Erasers in every room of the house until she’s finished with this phase. 

 

Hopefully, some time before she starts kindergarten.

 

 

 

 

 

PhotoStory Friday
Hosted by Cecily and Amy

 

Photobucket

Give Thanks

Posted on by Run DMT
19

For years, I have coveted over a platter that hangs in my friend’s kitchen.  Her young child’s precious handprint forms a turkey in the center with the words “Give Thanks” cascading over the top of the dish.

 

I have always loved that memento and vowed someday I would take my children to a “paint your own pottery” place to create the same platter with them.

 

Truth be told, I don’t have patience for paint your own pottery places.  Those places drain the life out of me.  There’s way too many color choices and way too many breakables lying about for my four year old to literally act like a bull in a china shop.  Therefore, my inability to make stupid decisions paired with my “You break it; you buy it” fear has kept me away.  I simply avoid the scene entirely and we find other ways to let our creative juices flow without shattering dishes along with our self-esteem.

 

Then, last week Allana, Emmalynn and I attended a birthday party at You Do the Dishes in New Tampa.  My girls were thrilled to paint a small figurine and begged me to paint more.  Finally, I felt the inspiration to paint a handprint turkey platter.  The timing was perfect.  The staff was so helpful and hands-on that my anxiety over perfectionism and colors was greatly reduced.

 

Ready to gobble up more fun, the girls were so excited to paint a dish for Mommy.  I couldn’t believe what angels sat before me.  Allana picked the colors without hesitation and Emmalynn avoided knocking over shelves of pottery.  Plus, the supportive staff helped make our handprint project a success.

 

A few days later, our turkey handprint platter was ready.  I couldn’t wait to see how it came out!  I finally possessed my own precious timeless piece to hang in my kitchen!

 

And then, my heart sank.  A large crack appeared down the center of the platter.  My precious turkey dish was now trash.

 

I began to feel sorry myself and whined about not having a turkey platter for Thanksgiving.  I had waited years for this dish and now it seemed I was the real turkey.

 

The owner explained that occasionally the heat in the kiln will causes pieces to crack and she reassured me I could make another at no additional cost.

 

Even though I could easily make another, could I replicate the whole experience?  Would my children be as willing and well-behaved as before?

 

Then, I realized how ridiculously shallow I sounded.  It’s just a dish.

 

I should be thankful that my children have hands to make turkey handprints.

I should be thankful that I can even afford to make this dish when other families lack food for their dishes.

I should be thankful that I have a car to drive to pottery place and a home for us and all our belongings.

I should be thankful that I have two healthy children and be grateful for every moment we spend together even when they drive my crazy.

I should be thankful for my health and my husband’s health.

 

From this experience, I was grateful for my cracked dish and the lesson in humility it gave me.  Like the dish, my life is not perfect but it’s full of many blessings.  So, for my husband, my two beautiful girls, the occasional cracked dish, the handprints and marker murals on walls and the many other messy blessings in my life…

 

I give thanks.


Fishful Thinking and a Gift Card Giveaway

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I have plunged into the Fishful Thinking campaign.  The belief behind Fishful Thinking is an idea all parents should digest.   

 

From the Fishful Thinking Campaign:

 

All parents want their kids to be happy and successful. Kids should have the chance to achieve whatever they want in life. Unfortunately, only 42% of kids believe that they will be able to achieve their goals.  The Goldfish® brand cares about kids and wants to help inspire them to become the successes they were born to be. Through the Fishful ThinkingSM program, Goldfish provides parents with tools to help teach their kids how to navigate obstacles, overcome failure and achieve what they want.


The Fishful Thinking program provides the tools parents need to teach their kids how to think optimistically about themselves and how to use their Optimism to overcome life’s obstacles, persist in the face of adversity, and transform setbacks into manageable challenges. By teaching kids Optimism today, we are equipping them with the skills and strategies they can rely on to shine in the face of adversity for the rest of their lives.

 

As parents raising two young girls, my husband and I strive to teach our children to believe in themselves and anything is possible.  We lead by example by keeping a positive attitude on life and being highly driven while remaining optimistic.  As well as modeling an optimistic outlook, we also give our girls the tools to help them through life’s little challenges.  For myself, whether it’s training for races, dreaming to be a published writer or organizing a drama free mommy group, I believe I have modeled to my girls that no dream is too big or small and your life is blessed when you believe you are worthy of it.  

 

Fishful Thinking supports my parenting philosophy and my approach to life.  If your  parenting approach is full of Fishful Thinking or you need add more Fishful Thinking into your parenting style, then I encourage you to visit the site and join the campaign with me.

 

Fortunately, the Fishful Thinking representatives also felt I fit with their philosophy and I have been graced me with a $25 gift card to Macy’s to give to one of my Fishful Thinking Followers! :-)

 

So, if you like a chance to win this fabulous Fishful Thinking $25 Macy’s Gift Card…

 

  • Visit Fishful Thinking and post a reply to show me what you’ve learned from the site.  You will get 1 entry for each fact or information you share.  Please post a new comment for each new fact.

 

  • Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter and you will get 1 entry for each tweet.  Be sure to come back here and add a comment to your tweet link.

 

  • For 5 entries, sign up to be a Fishful Thinking Ambassador.  Send me a message via the portal to confirm your commitment to the campaign.       

 

One lucky Run DMT Fishful Thinking winner will be chosen at random on Saturday, April 11.  Good luck!