Make Me Smile Monday

Children are very easily entertained. They are so full of life and quick to make a game out of everything. This morning as I was helping J (my 4 year old) make his bed I was reminded of that.

When S (my firstborn) was only a year or two I discovered something. Whenever I would be making a bed, she would think it was the greatest thing ever to crawl underneath the sheet or blanket as it's up in the air (everybody makes their beds that way, right?) and "hide" under sheet or blanket. It quickly turned into a game where I would smooth the blankets all around her and pretend I couldn't figure out what the big lump was. (I have a feeling this is a pretty common occurance among parents with young children.)  She would giggle and squirm until I would throw the blanket back and gasp, "That's not a lump! That's my S!!!".

And of course both R and J loved this game as well. This morning it occured to me that both my girls have outgrown this, and it won't be long before my son does as well. By now he knows he's not really fooling me. He's aware that I know he's the lump but he's still young enough to pretend that I don't. So for the time being I'm going to take those extra few minutes whenever I can and enjoy the golden sound of his laughter, the joy on his face over one of life's simple pleasures.

Make Me Smile Monday

My little man J turns 4 in just under a week, which is hard to believe. It's funny because he's 1 1/2 years older than S (our firstborn) was when we bought our first house 7 years ago. I remember how big Jason and I felt like she had grown. I can only imagine what it will be like to look back on this stage in another, say, ten years.

The other day when he was playing with his sisters I heard him call "Mother Gothel" (from the movie Tangled) "Mother Gobble", which for some reason I just think is the cutest thing ever. He has a very clear understanding that Mother Gothel is bad and likes to say that "she doesn't know best...she knows worst". (In response to the song Mother Gothel's character sings called "Mother Knows Best".)

He also likes to tell us that "Sidwey Wosby from the Pittsburgh Pengwens" is his favourite. And just recently I noticed that despite the fact he can say Nana and Ba, for some reason he can't seem to tie them together and say Banana. It always comes out Wana or Bawana. :)

I've always enjoyed the cute way my children say things as their learning to talk and marvel at the way their vocabularies clean up and those mispronounced words eventually disappear completely. But this time around there also seems to be this realization that he's my "baby" and once he loses all of his toddler vernacular I won't ever get to experience this with another child again. So I guess you could say I've been feeling a bit nostalgic lately. Feeling overwhelmingly blessed to have three healthy children with healthy speech development (something I never want to take for granted).

Right now the cute way J pronounces things is just that, it's cute. But one day the way he used to pronounce things will be a cherished memory. And if we're fortunate enough we may just just get the chance one day when he's a teenager to share those stories with his friends so he can pretend to be embarassed while secretly loving the attention. ;)

Make Me Smile Monday

Every once in a while I make breakfast for dinner. It's not the healthiest meal, but I make sure to sneak some fresh fruit in there and we don't do it too often. So last night the girls and I made breakfast for dinner together. Home fries, homemade waffles, bacon and fruit salad.

The amazing thing is they didn't just "help", they seriously were helping me cook! I'm sure you know what I mean. The "helping" stage. You do everything (read/measure/pour/stir) and then work at helping them help you. That too is a very fun stage and I really enjoyed it. But I'm also enjoying this new stage.

S made waffles. She mixed up the batter and even learned how to use the waffle iron (with an oven mitt and me standing just a few feet away giving step by step instructions). And R washed all the grapes, strawberries and even peeled and cut the bananas. And then of course gave everything a good stir.

I'm not exactly sure why cooking is so much more enjoyable when they're helping. But it really is. I don't mind cooking, and I enjoy the pay off of putting time into making a good meal, but I don't usually find it fun. But with my two little helpers I seriously love cooking! We talk and laugh all the while I'm gradually introducing them to cooking skills. I also find they have a bit of an air about them. An "I am so grown up and I am cooking with mommy" kind of air. It's really sweet.

I didn't think to take any pictures of the girl’s handy work but I'm sure that over the years cooking together will be an opportunity for many great conversations, much laughter and the building of many warm, fuzzy memories!

Catching Up

It has been a long time since I've posted anything. A long time since I've shared a MMSM post.

Most of you know I provide child care for friends of ours, a sister and brother who are 8 and 5 years old and have very much become a part of our family over the past 4 years. It will be really strange when J (my youngest) is in school full-time and it's time to move on.

You might also know I took on a second part-time job back in October. I wasn't looking for more work but I was offered a job where I could work primarily out of my home around my schedule doing something I'm passionate about. It's also a job that's very different than any other job I've ever had before.

At the end of February our family drove to Disney World. It involved a ton of planning, organizing and packing but it was an incredible trip (our first big family vacation) and so completely and totally worth the effort. Jason and I would really love to take the kids again!

In March the girls had a PA Day, so we drove down to the Niagara Region to visit my sister.  It was wonderful to see her and my beautiful niece and nephew. (Unfortunately Jason wasn't there with his iPhone so I didn't manage to get any pictures. oops! It appears I've become spoiled!) The 5 cousins had a blast together and we enjoyed dinner together before we left. An old friend welcomed us into her lovely home and let us spend the night. The kids got to watch Ratatouille and drink hot chocolate before bed. (Apparently L knows the way to a child's heart!) And then she and I (along with her hubby for the first part) just spent the night chatting before heading off to bed. It was really nice catching up. The next day before heading home I got in another visit with another old friend and her 3 children. The kids all played so nicely together and A and I got to have some more wonderful conversation. It was so nice to get a visit with my sister, L and A all in one weekend!!! :)

The next weekend Jason and I drove to Ottawa to visit my brother-in-law and watch Pittsburgh play Ottawa at the Scotiabank Place. (Both Jason and his brother are both big Pittsburgh fans.) It was my first NHL game ever and it was an amazing experience. We were three rows back from the ice and it was so much fun seeing the Penguins (translate: Crosby!) for the pre-game skate. I wasn't so sure I thought we needed to go as early as the guys thought we needed to go, but once we were there I was glad we did! I may not be a huge hockey fan but I am a Crosby fan and I'll be honest it has a lot more to do with his great reputation and the heart warming commercials he's in. ha ha! :)

I also got in to see another old friend of mine before leaving for home. It was a quick visit but I did get to see her looking super professional in her police uniform. I'm so proud of A, she's worked really hard to get there and it's a job that really suits her.

Over two weekends I got quite the visiting old friends fix. I didn't even realize how badly I needed it!

In March I also got hit with pneumonia, that part wasn't nearly as much fun, but I'm fully recovered now and things seem to have settled down enough that I can take a few minutes to write - hurray!

And we may not be far into April yet but we've already enjoyed Easter weekend which is also a busy weekend for our family.

I always feel really torn when I miss a MMSM post. I feel as though I've made a commitment to posting once a week and I struggle with feeling guilty when I don't post anything. On the other hand my family (and my health) comes first, so there will be times when it's not going to happen. So I'm thinking the best thing to do is just let you know that's how I feel. My blog is something I really enjoy. I always have ideas swirling around in my head as far as bigger posts. There are always at least a few issues I'd love to be writing about at any given time. But if it's between my family or a post my family is going to win hands down. All of that to say, if you've been wondering where I disappeared to, life had just got extra busy for a while and I couldn't quite fit it in. I'm sure this won't be the last time and I hope you haven't (and that you won't) give up on me. Rest assured that if I go on hiatus again, it's simply that life has gotten in the way and in time I will be back!

I hope you keep an eye out for Mondays post!

My own personal shout out to Dr. Kevin Leman

Our three children are not picky eaters. I appreciate this so very much about them. They will eat almost anything I put in front of them and finish what's on their plate. They enjoy fruits and vegetables and are willing to try new things. They even love to compliment me on my cooking.

No seriously...I'm actually not being sarcastic!

It's only been fairly recently that I even began to contemplate the whole thing. We've had many people comment on what great eaters our kids are. On the other hand I've also had enough conversations with people to know that there are other families struggling. All of this got me thinking...

What's our secret? Simply this: I absolutely refuse to get into power struggles with them over food. I won't! I won't try and force them to eat anything and I won't give in to any demands. I expect them to eat a reasonable size serving at every meal. (Age appropriately not too big and not too small.) I expect them to eat what I put on the table. They're not allowed to complain about what I make, either. No one gets dessert (when we have it) unless they've finished what's on their plate. I won't make any exceptions!

I've used the same approach with both our girls and am now going through the process with our little 2 year old boy. From the time they're old enough to say "NO!", shake their head or cry and complain about what I offer them, my response is simply: "Ok. That's alright." and then I move their drink or food into the middle of the table. I say nothing else and go back to my own meal. You would be amazed how well this works! Usually the response is immediate: they actually do want it! Of course manners are neccesary to get whatever it is back. And no tears or pouting allowed. If it were to happen when they were a bit older I'd say, "That's alright! You don't have to eat it, it's up to you. We'll put it in the fridge in case you get hungry later." And (if it comes to that) their meal is put in the fridge and they can eat it whenever they like. If they choose not to they can join us for our next meal but there will be no snack before then. Kids are smart, if they know they can refuse their meal now for something they prefer later of course they'll skip their meal now. They learn how to work the system! Once the next meal comes around they can begin again with a fresh start.

One thing I love about this approach is that because it's a response I've thought about and planned in advance it's easier to not get frustrated about it. Also, it's the same response everytime. If it ever were to escalate to loud disruptive tears or fighting that's when they would get carried up to their room set on their bed and told, "When you're done you can come back down and join us." There's no big discussion, there's simply a choice - and the choice is their's!

The concept behind the "secret" to getting our kids to eat I discovered in Kevin Leman's book, "Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours". What a blessing that another mom with young children I knew recommended it to me back when Sarah was only 2! I've been so very happy to see how it's worked for our family. If you haven't read this book you should definitely check it out. I'm pretty convinced you'll be glad you did!