When I grow up...

...I want to be my friend Reiko. She's a few years older than me and has "been there, done that" with so many of my current struggles and experiences. She has been a huge mentor for me over the last 2 years and we have so much in common: we're both only children who grew up without our fathers around, we both love to scrapbook, our husbands even seem to have similar struggles and personality styles, the list goes on and on. She also homeschools her 8 and 11 year old boys, who are the most amazing kids ever. We don't talk as often as I'd like, because we're both very busy, but when we get a chance to talk, I always leave the conversation feeling refreshed and blessed.

I signed up for a nighttime Bible study that Reiko is teaching on Tuesdays. Unfortunately, yesterday, I overexerted myself at our first 2 Hour Time Out meeting of the year (the moms group that I run) and I was back in bed, sick again. I called to let her know that I wouldn't be at our first study and she dug a little deeper about my illness. By the end of the conversation, she had decided that in the morning, she would pick up my kids and my piles and piles of laundry and give me a whole day to rest and recover. I was practically in tears, I was so grateful.

I tried to spend all day resting, but I am SO BEHIND on my life and all I have to do, I kept finding myself at the computer answering emails and taking care of business. But I have to say, it was really nice to be able to go and lie down when I felt light headed or take a quick nap at the drop of a hat. It (literally) took all day, until 4:00, before I started genuinely feeling better again. A whole day off at the tail end of my sickness was exactly what I needed.

So at 5:30, Reiko showed up with my kids, bags and baskets full of clean, folded laundry, and grocery bags full of dinner, hot and ready to eat. Have I mentioned that I love this girl??? She is so caring, giving and selfless, humble and wise beyond her years, I seriously want to be just like her when I grow up.

She's walking!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally, Kaylin is officially walking all over the house. At 17 1/2 months, she's walking. HALLELUJAH! I was too sick to blog about it the last few days, but she's just increasingly gotten more confidence and is now all over the place. She still crawls sometimes because it's faster, but she loves all of the praise and attention she gets when she walks. WALKING...she's finally walking!!!

I'm so SICK of being sick!!!

May I vent? I'm finishing day 5 of a cold that has had me down and out, flat on my back. Thursday and Friday were really tough, parenting all day by myself...sick. Poor Ryan and Kaylin were bored and confused about why I was so useless. While Ryan was at school Thursday, I put Kaylin down for a nap 2 hours early so I could sleep. She didn't even complain. (or come to think of it, if she did fuss, I slept right through it) Then Friday, I went to bed as soon as Mike came home for lunch at 11:30, had him put the kids to bed for me and stayed in bed until they woke up at 3:00. I was so grateful to have Mike home this weekend. I got out of bed only a handful of times yesterday, spending the majority of the day falling in and out of consciousness. My amazing mom brought us dinner last night, all prepared and ready to pop in the oven. That was a huge relief for us all. Today, I was a little better; I got my voice back, I was able to swallow more than applesauce and fruit smoothies, I felt good enough to shower (though I almost passed out while blow drying my hair) and I was able to sit and play with the kids a little tonight.

I'm sick of being sick. My sides hurt from coughing so hard, my lips are dry and cracking from breathing solely through my mouth, I'm exhausted yet I wake up every hour on the hour all night long, I'm starving yet I can't finish even 1/2 of a sandwich or a few bites of anything and I can't remember what it feels like to stand for more than 3 minutes without seeing stars.

All the while, Mike is being Mr. Mom and exhausting himself along the way. I've thanked him repeatedly because I've done virtually nothing to help him for the last 2 days. He's trying to have a positive attitude, tickling and tackling the kids every chance he gets, but it's obvious that he's wiped out. What's ironic is that the other day when we went to the park to feed the ducks, he said, "Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be a stay at home mom." He had no idea what he wished for. After he collapsed into a chair tonight, begging for a break, I reminded him that being a stay at home mom isn't all about feeding the ducks. Not to rub it in, of course. Little ones are just demanding by nature. They do little, if anything, to "help" and stay at home moms are expected to give and give and give relentlessly with little reprieve. Exhausting? Oh yes. To say the least. But the little, sporadic rewards make it all worth it.

Being a step or two removed all weekend has actually helped me see my kids for the sweet little things that they are. Ryan was so stir crazy tonight after being indoors all day. It rained cats and dogs, which is fun when you're cuddled up in bed, but Ryan needed to get his wiggles out. He played in the backyard in the puddles for a while, until the wind threw his umbrella several yards away and he decided he wanted to come inside. You'd think we injected him with sugar...he was body slamming the couch, racing through the house, bouncing around with gritted teeth (a sure fire sign that he's too hyper)...he was a whirlwind with no way to get his energy out. Thankfully, Mike was able to give him some one on one attention before bedtime.

So here I am, kids in bed, Mike's watching the history channel and nodding off (he fell asleep at 8pm last night) and I'm on the laptop blogging because I need to get this off my chest. Have I mentioned that I'm SICK of being SICK!??!?! I'm so over this cold.

DeBeer's Diamond Class Action Suit

I read on a friend's blog this week that if you purchased a diamond between 1994-2006, you could be entitle to a part of a class action suit payout. (I love that I have friends who read the paper!!!)

Here's a quote from the article: "De Beers, world's largest supplier, agrees to pay $295 million for controlling market for 14 years. Customers who bought a De Beers gem between Jan. 1, 1994, and March 31, 2006, have until May 19 to submit a claim to the settlement's administrator to get money back. Customers will need a receipt but won't have to give up any gems. How much anyone receives in the settlement will depend on the value of diamonds purchased and the number of claims filed. Go to https://diamondsclassaction.com/ for more info!"

Click here to file a claim. For some odd reason, I actually still have my receipt and appraisal info for my wedding ring, but it had a different diamond dealer's name on it. As I read through the terms of the suit, apparently, it doesn't matter if you actually purchased a DeBeer's diamond or not. They're paying out to anyone who purchased a diamond because they monopolized the industry during that time. (I think!) Anyway, check it out and if you have info about your diamond purchase, you may as well file a claim. What's the harm? If you don't get any money back, you're right back to where you are now...with nothing. Filing online took me less than 10 minutes. Payouts could be in the hundreds, so give it a shot. I realize by telling everyone about this, my claim amount will be reduced, but we have to help each other out, right???

Feeding the Ducks

Mike took today off and after naps we went to a nearby park. The grass was yellow, rough and dead and covered with...um, droppings...but we were still able to enjoy feeding the ducks and birds. They must have been starving because several of them were so bold as to eat right out of Mike's hand. The kids loved it...they came up SO close to us, which they never do at this park. When we ran out of bread and crackers, we let the kids swing for a while before heading home for dinner.

Unfortunately, I've caught whatever cold Ryan had and gave to Kaylin, so I wasn't feeling 100%, but I'm really glad we went and got out of the house. I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box because I'm never careful about sharing spoons or passing germs when the kids are sick...I just figure it's inevitable that we pass it around.

In other news, while I was making dinner, Kaylin got sassy and walked around the kitchen a bit. She's so proud of herself, and it's becoming obvious she has the balance and strength to walk now, she just chooses not to. Little stinker.

QUELF

For those of you who like games, I have a great one to suggest. It's called Quelf. Quelf means "anything random or silly that makes you bust out laughing." I know, it sounds weird, but don't knock it till you try it. A friend has been telling me about it for weeks and I had the chance to play it last night. I was laughing so hard I was crying...several times. I haven't laughed that hard in years. We played with 10 people, which was a lot, but it's intended to be played with 3-8 players. Singles, couples, family, just the girls, the dynamic of the players doesn't matter and everyone will have a blast.

If you like board games, this one's very easy and very fun. Check it out!

Ryan's first ear infection

Ryan has had a cough all week. It was super windy on Monday, so I thought his runny nose had to do with allergens being blown all over the place. I finally gave in to the fact that it's a cold. His entire pre-school is coughing like crazy, (not only his class...the whole school) so it's inevitable that he's going to get sick because he's around germy kids all the time!

After his nap yesterday, Ryan woke up announcing that his ear hurt. He continued to repeat it, eventually in tears, moaning and begging for me to fix it. I took him to the doctor within the hour and sure enough, he has his first ear infection. He cried many times throughout the evening, asking for more medicine. I'm really glad we went to the doctor immediately or I would have found myself in the E.R. all night.

At 3am, he wandered into our room ON FIRE with fever, groaning about his ear and asking to watch tv. We gave him some pain reliever, snuggled with him in bed for a while, then tucked him in on his own. I have to throw in here that I am exhausted. The 2 nights prior, Kaylin woke up crying at 2am then 3am one night and 10pm then 11pm the next night. Both nights, it took me over an hour to fall back to sleep, and it took me forever last night after getting Ryan settled. I've craved a nap, but my schedule hasn't allowed for it, so every night, I just collapse into bed.

Anyway, today Ryan was very mellow, ate close to nothing (a 1/2 sandwich all day and a few bites of taco salad at dinner) and whispered because he said it felt better on his ear. He was acting pretty normal and said he felt well, so against most people's better judgement, I gave him the choice to go to his little friend's birthday party this afternoon. Save your breath, I know most of you would disagree, but he felt better and wanted to go, plus I knew it would cheer him up. And it did. Kaylin had a blast, too. The last birthday we went to at Pump It Up, she was sick and couldn't join us, but she really enjoyed this one. Mike begged me not to let Ryan eat cake (because sugar weakens your immune system substantially and he needs all the help he can get this week) and I explained the situation to him the whole way there. I planned to leave early, but he was having so much fun with his friends that I figured it couldn't hurt to stay for presents. I promised we'd make cupcakes when he's feeling better and he seemed to be okay with it. Then after singing "Happy Birthday," the worker handed him a huge piece of cake. I gave his cake away and his bottom lip started quivering, so I broke down and gave him a 1/2 of a teeny piece, about 3 bites. That was just enough: all was well with the world. His teeth and lips turned blue with frosting and he got to make funny blue-mouthed faces with his friends. He's been 100% better ever since. Sometimes all you need is a birthday party to cheer you up when you're sick! Click on the picture to get a better look at my little boys huge grin. I'm so glad the day turned out this way.

Teaching Ryan and other "2008 Goals" updates

A homeschooling friend of mine told me about a great book called, "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons." (thanks, Jen!!!) After hearing all of the details, I went on eBay, found it, won the auction and it arrived today. Tonight, Ryan and I did Lesson 1 and I am completely hooked. I was so proud, I started tearing up!

He was really into it and as a mom, this is the most stupid-proof book I've ever seen. It literally TELLS YOU exactly what to say. What the parent says is in red, what you read silently to yourself (the additional instructions) are in black. For example, "Let's play say-it-fast. My turn: motor (pause) boat. (pause) Say it fast: motorboat. Your turn: Wait until I tell you to say it fast. motor (pause) boat. (pause) Say it fast. "motorboat." (repeat step 2 until firm)" This was after learning a few sounds and pulling your finger across the page from left to right. I'm assuming that is to get Ryan in the habit of reading from left to right. Ryan was totally into this lesson. He had fun repeating after me, he had fun dragging his finger across the sounds, he had fun repeating what I said really fast, he loved it all. You would have thought I was shoveling ice cream into his mouth, he was seriously that excited.

The last part of the lesson was writing sounds. I thought to myself, "Let's work on reading first, then writing later." But within a few seconds, I had talked myself into at least TRYING the writing lesson. We went to his dry erase easel and I drew the 2 horizontal lines 2 inches apart with a dotted line in between. Remember that from first grade? I followed the instructions, having him trace after me. His first attempt to trace the letter "m" was rough, and I expected that. I took his hand in mine and helped him trace the second one. The 3rd "m" looked nothing like an "m" at all, but the 4th time he traced my "m" it was identical. He had started gaining control of his marker and THAT is when I teared up and almost cried. I can't remember the last time I was that shocked and proud at the same time. I can't wait until tomorrow's lesson. THIS is my kind of homeschooling!

On to my other 2008 goals...

- SUGAR: bad news. I'm off the wagon. I was doing great, then I decided that I could "just have a few bites" of something and that was the beginning of the end for me. I haven't gone crazy, but what I noticed was that in the 10 days or so that I was off sugar, I was eating everything else in sight to try to get rid of my craving. The calories I must have consumed in those few days!!! And (of course) since I'm back to cheating, I've dropped 2 pounds. But I attribute that completely to "I had 2 chocolate chip cookies after lunch...I really need to watch it tonight." That kind of thinking.

- READING: I have finished 2 parenting books in the last 2 weeks. (Jess and Chandra, are you impressed or what? I humbly eat my words about reading.) Part of that was my motivation to make some changes with how we help Ryan be a good example and listen to his teacher at school, but still. You can't argue the fact that I finished 2 whole books. In 2 weeks. ME - I don't read.

- BIBLE READING: I've done pretty well here. Not in the Word daily just yet, but I'm getting awfully close!

- ORGANIZING: Great! We've sold some things on eBay and de-cluttered some closets. I'm currently in the process of rearranging our visually unappealing bookcases in our office. Very excited about that.

- JOGGING: the goal I didn't know I had. I am proud to announce that I have officially taken up jogging. I am committed to jogging at least 20 minutes 2-3 times a week. After the first few attempts, I finally stopped getting sore and today I ran for 30 minutes straight. I was starting to get tired, but the true reason I stopped was because the dumb treadmills at the gym are programmed to stop after 30 minutes. Time Nazis!!!

So there you have it. As you can imagine, I'm pretty proud of myself. Don't worry, my head's not inflating as I type this, I am just really excited that I set some attainable goals and that I'm actually DOING them. Even if it is only January 16th.

Kaylin update

How could this kid get any cuter? Her newest thing is, instead of nodding her head "yes" when she agrees or wants something, she cheerfully says, "Yeah!" Not "yea" (like a cheer) but "yeah" like "yah." She is such a happy little girl and this puts it over the top. It's hard to be tired, upset, or down when I ask (exhausted from the day), "Kaylin, would you like some milk?" and she cheerfully responds in her little high pitched voice, "YEAH!"

She's also super excited about feeding herself now. I decided to give her a chance to eat penne with sauce with her fork last night, but the fork was taking her too long, so she started using her hands. WOW - I forgot how much spaghetti sauce stains. She soaked in the bath for quite a while before her skin wasn't orange, her shirt needed to be washed twice in Oxy Clean and the stains are still on her bib and high chair tray. Doesn't she look like the dog from The Little Rascals? I think she was tired and rubbed her eye.

A serious lack of common sense

It warmed up temporarily after Christmas and it didn't occur to me for about 2 weeks that Ryan's (new) winter jacket was MIA. Last week, they announced that today was a "snow day" at school. (that's what they do at pre-school here in Phoenix...they have companies who manufacture fake snow, haul it to your desired location and dump it on the grass for kids to enjoy) Anyway, I finally sat down last night and called all of the places I might have left Ryan's jacket. I located it at the gym by our old house and asked the girl to write Ryan's name on it because I might not make it over there for about a week. Lying in bed last night, I decided to get up early, go get the jacket, have a quick workout before bringing Ryan to school, and he'd have his warmest jacket to wear for his play day in the snow.

I got to the gym, they located the jacket, and this is what the girl on the phone last night did to it. There was no tag to write Ryan's name (because the jacket is reversible) so she wrote it in big, 2-inch letters, in Sharpie permanent marker, on the white stripe. Seriously!!??!? Whatever happened to writing on a piece of masking tape? Or attaching a note to the coat? I'm still dumbfounded by this poor girl's lack of intellect. I spoke to the manager and he said there's nothing he can do, except tell the girl who worked last night that she needs to think before using permanent marker. I guess on a positive note, I'm very glad that I found the jacket. It's a little big on Ryan, so he will likely be able to wear it next winter, too. But still...some people just leave me speechless. (Lord, please give me wisdom in teaching my children to use common sense!)

Ryan's first fort

We got Ryan and Kaylin sleeping bags for Christmas and Ryan loves sleeping in it (on his bed) during his naps. We missed the boat on the "Christmas camping" idea/tradition this year, but Mike decided to build a fort with him tonight and camp out in the play room. Ryan was so excited during dinner that he was beside himself.

Now ladies, this was no fort like I'd ever seen. I remember making forts with blankets and sheets draped over chairs and couches. We could move around in them, sit up and play board games, they were big enough for friends and siblings. Apparently, guys did things a little differently when they were young; you have to check out Mike's version of a fort. It's a sheet tucked under an air matress with a fan blowing to keep it "propped" up. He called it an "air tent." You can fit two sleeping bags and two sleeping bodies in there, that's it. They did manage to read a story and play Hi Ho Cherry-O by flashlight. Mike wants to take Ryan camping again when it warms up, so we figure he should get some practice. The first time they went camping didn't go quite as planned, so Mike's working on building up to the experience this time. I'm so glad they're bonding. Why is this the first time we've done this for him???

Kaylin feeding herself

Earlier this week, I was trying to get lunch ready and Kaylin was starving, so I gave her a bowl of applesauce and a spoon. She likes holding a spoon or fork during meals sometimes and tries to stab food on her tray and feed herself, so I thought, "Why not?" She did great! She got most of the applesauce into her mouth and I was able to finish making lunch while she ate. Genius!

The next night, I gave her mashed potatoes to try. I actually got to eat my meal while it was still hot. Loving this new idea. (notice that Kaylin eats with her left hand just like her brother!)
Then today, I decided to give her a chance to eat oatmeal. She struggled a little and made a huge mess, but she managed on her own pretty well. Click on the picture to get the full effect. Her hands were soaked, pieces of oatmeal were all over the place, it was a sight. The mashed potatoes were a much, much neater experience!

Procrastination

As a formerly chronic procrastinator, procrastination now drives me crazy. It really drives me crazy when I do it, but is still quite annoying when others do it, whether it affects me or not. When I stopped working and had Ryan, procrastination became a thing of the past for me. I mean, what was the point in procrastinating? I truly didn't have anything better to do. I had no where to be, most of my friends still worked, newborns sleep all day, I may as well cross everything off the to-do list, right?

Now I avoid procrastination because of fear. Fear that a new, big project will be passed on to me from my mom (for her business) or something will require my attention with volunteer and church responsibilities. It's happened before, leaving me wishing I didn't have so much piled up on my list. So now my motivation to stay caught up is so that I can tackle whatever is thrown at me, no matter how challenging, in a timely manner, of course.

I had a conversation with a friend today about this issue and realized that I had put off cleaning the bathrooms in my house for 2 weeks. Let me say that 2 weeks ago, they really needed to be cleaned. I've been reminded of this every time I go to brush my teeth and stare at dust and whiskers scattered all over my sink, inches from my face. Ew.

Bottom line: I don't like cleaning. Some people don't mind it. There are plenty of useless chores that I don't mind doing, but cleaning bathrooms and vacuuming are a TRUE "chore" for me, in every sense of the word. So after discussing this with my friend today, I was motivated to finally get the bathrooms cleaned and off my to-do list. I was horrified to realize that it took less than 30 minutes. THAT is what I have been putting off for 2 weeks? Now I just feel silly.

I used to think that I procrastinated because I work better under pressure. I still think that's somewhat true, but it benefits me more to work under a deadline of getting everything possible done before naptime ends. I will start taking my own advice (that I gave my friend) and set a timer for 30 minutes and just do it. Work quickly and see how much I can get done in 30 minutes, then move on to something I enjoy doing. Like blogging! If there's something you've been putting off, take some time and just hurry and get it done. It will feel SO good not having it hanging over your head anymore. Why wait?

Kaylin's getting her balance

While Mike was home for lunch today, Kaylin finally took more than 2 steps before falling! She started standing on her own (without holding on) just last week, then today, Mike egged her on to walk to him and she took about 12 steps. That was the magic number, because she couldn't make it past 12 steps without losing her balance and falling. But she did it again and again on command. I know I should be thinking, "Finally, I mean seriously! She's almost 17 months!" but it's just as exciting for us, even though, well, I guess it IS about time. I'm so glad Mike was home to see it.

This is Kaylin standing alone on Sunday (left)

and walking stiff-legged, like Frankenstein today. (right) She looks a little like she's doing the "bend and snap" move from Legally Blonde...

Bunco, or is it Bunko?

This is my Bunco group. We meet on the first Monday of the month and rotate hosting. Tonight was at my house and it was a New Year's theme. Out of 16 people, I was the biggest loser, so I won $10. Isn't Bunco great? You win when you lose. Can't beat it!

This is my twin, Andrea. People confuse us all the time. Now that her hair is darker and shorter, it might not be as noticable, but do YOU think we look alike? I just had someone approach me at the gym on Saturday saying, "Are you friends with Kim? Didn't we meet at her house last year?" "Nope, I've only been to Kim's house once for Bunco and you weren't there. You must be thinking of Andrea." It happens all the time. People at our old mom's group were so glad when I got pregnant with Kaylin because they could finally tell us apart. I had no idea what they were talking about until I saw this picture about a year and a half ago. At first, I thought it was me.

And this is my sweet friend, Erin, who faithfully reads my blog. I think she's stalking me... She won LCR tonight and I caught her rolling in her cash. Check out that greedy little grin. (You didn't think I'd post it, did you?)

Child Wise

Even if you discovered that Baby Wise didn't work for your parenting style for your infant, you've gotta read these ideas. In our new effort to read more, last night before bed, I continued reading "Bringing Up Boys" and Mike continued reading "Child Wise." When we came upon something interesting we read it aloud to the other. (for me, it was kind of a fun parental bonding experience)

Since blogging about Ryan getting in trouble at school, we've heard some great advice. We had a neighbor over to play last night and realized that unfortunately, not much has changed. I figured out that most of the advice wasn't action-oriented. School starts back up tomorrow and I'm a little worried that Ryan hasn't made as much progress as I'd hoped during Christmas break. His newest thing is saying, "No," outright when we ask him to do something. We're trying desperately to figure out how to effectively change Ryan's recent behavior and have read some amazing ideas recently. Here are a few:

- Require a "Yes, Mom" or "Yes Dad" when you call your child's name or make a request. I grew up with this rule. It creates a verbal commitment from the child (to you and even to themselves) and respectfully lets you know that they actually heard what you said. That's all fine and good, but how do you get everyone in this new habit? The book suggested making it a game. This morning, we told Ryan that every time we say his name, he needs to respond with, "Yes Mom" or "Yes Dad" and come right to us. When he does, he gets a huge hug. We practiced a dozen times or so (each taking turns, including him calling us) and he thought it was the greatest thing ever. We told him that the game would continue throughout the day. Of course, he forgot after a while, but instead of, "Whu-ut?" or silence when we said his name, it's been, "Whu-ut? I mean...yes Mom!" and he'd come running for his hug. And when he forgets, we just remind him. The transition will come tonight when we explain that this new game will now be our new rule. Not only when we call his name, but also when we ask him to do something. One of his biggest problems lately has been listening and following directions, so this idea is going to be huge for us. It will actually take some re-training on our part, as parents, to remember the new rule, too. So we'll see how well this goes!

- Mike was hit hard by a section of the book dedicated to telling your child what TO DO and not what NOT to do. This is going to require a complete transformation in how Mike speaks and thinks. I hear him tell the kids what not to do a lot and we agreed that I could gently remind him by saying, "Is there another way that could be phrased?" I'm pretty excited about this one because I know the positive implications of guiding kids in the right direction instead of constantly pre-warning them not to do undesired behaviors.

- Another thing Mike is going to have to practice is telling, not asking. Often, he'll say, "Are you ready for bed?" instead of "It's time to go to bed." That leaves room for a yes or no answer and how fair is it if Ryan answers, "No, I'm not ready," and we say, "Too bad, it's time for bed."

- We learned of a new twist on something we've done for a while. If we're talking and Ryan wants to say something, instead of saying, "Mommy?" over and over or interrupting, we have him put his hand on our arm to let us know that he wants to talk. The book suggested taking it a step further and then putting our hand on his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze to acknowledge that we know he wants to talk. It seems simple, but so often, Ryan puts his hand on my arm then blurts out what he wants to say. After all, he's still three. And we're working on self-control...it will take a while!

- When kids do or don't do something that may be embarrassing or disrespectful to others, the book suggested simply saying to the other person, "We're working on that." For instance, if someone pays your child a compliment and they stare at them silently or run away, instead of dismissing it with, "He's just shy," or trying to get him to say, "Thank you," (more than a quick reminder) just apologize and say, "We're working on that." This doesn't happen too terribly often with Ryan, but with his recent issue of not listening, it can sometimes be embarrassing for us that he acts up or blatently ignores requests when there's an audience. Instead of going into a long, drawn out explanation, now it will simply be, "We're working on that." It can be used for not sharing at play dates, cutting in front of someone on the slide at the park, so many different instances. You're not excusing the behavior, just saving the correction for later in the car or at home. Then use the opportunity to explain how the child is expected to act/respond/behave in the future in those certain social situations.

- This last one is something I do periodically and something I intend to do each day on the way to school: review the rules or expected behavior before the situation arises. The example the book gave was this: as you go into a store with breakable items, say, "Don't touch anything unless I give you permission." On the way to school, I plan to go over the rules and remind Ryan that he needs to listen and obey his teacher, even when his friends may not, and that he needs to be a good example to others. Last year, I used to get SO frustrated with Ryan at Trader Joe's. They have mini shopping carts that kids love, but Ryan would take off running with them, running into other shoppers' heels and getting out of my line of sight. Then he would throw a fit when it was time to return the cart and go home. I tried cutting him off from his cart, punishing him, taking away privileges, I felt like I tried everything. Then one day, we sat in the car before going inside and I turned around and laid down the law. "I will let you push the little cart only if you stay near Mommy. You need to stay where I can see you and walk, not run. If you want to put something in your cart, you have to ask me first and when I say, 'It's time to leave,' you will walk over and put your cart away without any tantrums, then come right back and stand next to me in line. Do you understand?" I remember that Ryan was two at the time (because I had just had Kaylin), but he understood every word I said. That changed everything and I haven't had a single problem at TJ's since.

I hope some of these ideas are helpful for you and your family. I'm really encouraged that being proactive about this process will help Ryan make good choices from now on. Not all the time, but more often at least!

2008 goals update

First of all, Kaylin has used the potty the last four nights in a row and twice this morning. What started as an after bath idea has turned into Mike wanting to see if her "potty interest" sticks. Last night, we skipped baths because we got home after bedtime and as Mike was changing Kaylin into her PJs, he stopped to take her to the potty. I thought to myself, "Poor guy, he's wasting his time. I think the only reason she's gone twice after bathtime is because she holds it in the tub. He'll figure it out soon enough." Kaylin didn't want to sit for more than a couple of seconds, but when Mike didn't see anything in the potty, he put her back on. Again, I just shook my head to myself. About 15 seconds later, she said, "all done." Mike lifted her off (remember, she still can't stand up by herself) and she had actually peed again! This is truly shocking to me. I definitely had not planned to start potty training yet and don't know if I'm up for it. I mean seriously...she can't walk yet!!! More on that later, whether you want updates or not. :)

Moving on to updates about ME (that you also may not care about)...I'm on day 5 of no sugar and have done great. I cheated one night and had pudding, which shouldn't count because it was sugar free, but the point is to get my taste buds completely away from sugar and sugary tastes. I don't feel badly because I was dying for sugar and found a loophole around it, so yea for me.

As for my other goals...today, we cleaned out the garage (MAN that feels good! I strongly urge you to declutter an area of your house this weekend. Seriously, so rewarding) and the last few nights, I've also picked up both the Bible and "Bringing Up Boys" to read. Yesterday, I also sat down with Ryan to go through his reading flash cards and plan on tackling a couple of closets to organize by the end of the weekend. So the goals are going well. The sugar is the hardest one for me, so every day I go without, I feel like I deserve a parade. Hence, my daily updates to pat myself on the back. So thanks for humoring me!

Amazing cash blessings

God is SO good. If you're down about your finances right now, please use your own judgement before reading this. I don't want any resentment coming my way! I just have to share a few amazing things that have happened this week. I just love little surprises that God throws at you every now and then.

1. On Wednesday, we opened a late Christmas letter from my Dad's sister, who I've recently come back into contact with over the last few years, but we don't really communicate outside of Christmas updates. At the end of the letter is a handwritten note, "Buy something nice for the family." I was confused until I reached back into the envelope and pulled out a $75 check. Mike and I were so excited, we immediately started plotting what we would use the money for. (so it doesn't get sucked in the bank account abyss and accidentally go toward bills)

2. A few weeks ago, our TiVo died on us and we ended up getting a DVR through our satellite company with a new dual receiver. They gave us a deal and will credit our account $10 a month for the next 10 months to give us a chunk of the money back. So it cost us very little when all is said and done, plus we got rid of a $5/month charge for having a second receiver. That was a cool situation in and of itself. But there's more...

3. The Dish Network installation guy mentioned that he could take our old receivers and they would give us a $10 refund for each, but he recommended we try to sell them on eBay. He said if we're lucky, we might get $50 apiece for them. We ended up selling them on eBay for $61 and $63. That was money we were totally not expecting and definitely made the DVR upgrade a beneficial purchase.

4. While he was selling things, Mike decided to put the finicky TiVo unit on eBay. We advertised it with all of it's problems, but the good thing is that the lifetime subscription (that they don't even sell anymore) is still active on the box. So we can transfer it to the winning bidder. And if someone's technically inclined (which we're not) they can just replace the hard drive and the unit should be back to normal again. That sold for $119. A TiVo unit that needs to be fixed...we're still in shock.

5. The biggest surprise of all was when I went to transfer the money from our Pay Pal account to our checking account. There was a deposit for $50 that I didn't recognize. When I looked in the details of the transaction, it said, "Thank you for participating in the Pay Pal 20% cash back holiday promotion. We have deposited the funds into your account for your recent qualifying purchase." (!??!?!!?) I looked back over the last few months to see what I bought through Pay Pal and I forgot that (before Mike asked me to stop spending until I can start earning money working for my mom again) I used Pay Pal to buy our new down comforter set (my Christmas gift) and my mom's Christmas gift from Overstock.com. That purchase was $250 and sure enough, 20% of that is $50. Which was a huge unexpected surprise!!!

Words to live by: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, but in all things acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5

Mike's a worrier by nature. Most marriages have one and he's the worrier in our relationship. I have the amazing gift of faith. I trust with my whole heart that God is completely in control of every aspect of our lives, including our finances. And when crazy little non-coincidences like this happen, how can we NOT attribute these blessings to God???

Kaylin used the potty!

I have to post this because it's just hilarious. For those of you who read my December 25th blog on "Kaylin-isms," you know that I was going to attempt to put a potty seat on the bathroom rug that she likes to pee on. For the last week, she's enjoyed sitting on this tiny seat that fits her so well, but doesn't get the point that it's a toilet. I mean really, she's 16 months old, right?

Then tonight after bathtime, I sat her on there while I was drying Ryan off and when I went to pick her up, she had PEED in the potty!! I started shouting and clapping like crazy, Ryan joined in, Mike ran in to join the celebration, it was quite a party. But Kaylin didn't get it. MAN to have had a video camera on her!! She was looking around, surprised, like, "What? What just happened? What'd I miss? What? Seriously people, WHAT are you freaking out about? What?!?!? Come on! What's going on?" She was looking back and forth from me to Ryan to Mike trying to get some idea of why we were celebrating. Then she got a confused smile and with her eyebrows raised, she started clapping. It was hilarious. I picked her up and got my arm all wet (note to self...girls need to be WIPED) and put her diaper on. It's funnier now thinking back on it, but at the time I was so shocked and excited, I just cheered. This could be the last time she pees on a potty for all of 2008 for all I know, but it was such a pleasant surprise, I had to share.

Another thing...within the last couple of days, Kaylin has been "talking" in sentences. They don't make sense, but they're these long, really long, strings of her words. She's usually trying to tell on Ryan (pointing at him and whining at the same time) or explain what she wants in her high chair. And what's more, it appears she's even stuttering. I know it seems weird, but I'll catch her saying, "i-i-i-i-i-i-i-uh-da-bama-namana" or some other repeated sound. I noticed that today. Ryan went through a stuttering phase (trying to keep up with how fast Mommy talks, perhaps?) but it's hilarious that Kaylin's really not talking, yet appears to be stuttering. Ryan even gave her a "turn" to talk at dinner and she went on and on about something or another with a very serious tone and look on her face and was delighted when Mike said, "Really? That's so great, sweetie!"

One last cute new thing: Mike taught her how to hold her sandwich like a big girl (instead of tearing each layer apart and eating it separately) and she's so proud of herself. That's something else she "told" me about today in a stringy sentence. She held up her lunch and was explaining that she had a sandwich and was eating like a big girl and said something to the affect of, "just like Ryan." (in her own words of course) And when I repeated, "You have a sandwich and are eating it like a big girl, just like Ryan!" she nodded and got a HUGE grin on her face. When did this kid start growing up on me?

Random things

Ryan came into our room this morning announcing that his chore chart is "too big." His old one had four chores on it and I've since added another four. I threw the other one away yesterday after I noticed that it had replaced the new one in his room and the new one was back out on our computer desk. (he must not have liked the new chart and wanted the old one back) Sneaky little guy! The thing that got him overwhelmed was his puzzles, I'm sure. If he wakes up too early, he usually plays with puzzles and rarely picks them up. He takes new ones out before putting others away, so they get messy real quick. And this morning, along with getting dressed, brushing his teeth and making his bed, the puzzles just pushed him over the edge. So Mike had to explain that he just needed to go through and do his chores one at a time and the task wouldn't seem so daunting. Ah, the lessons we find in the little things!

On another note, I got a wild hair on Monday and decided to go for a jog around the neighborhood. I've never jogged for more than a mile in my life, but this wasn't so bad. I guess I'm in better shape than I thought because after 25 minutes, I came home because I had to shower and get the house ready for friends to come over, not because I was out of breath, sore or tired. I felt great! That was Monday...yesterday was a different story. My legs must have used muscles that I didn't know existed because my inner thighs and quads were dying!!! Yesterday was tough...then I woke up this morning. Literally limping. In addition to the now dull pain in my quads, my inner thighs had gotten worse and my calves and hamstrings are now sore. I must be a glutton for punishment, because I decided to go to a step class at the gym this morning anyway. The stretching felt great, the cardio was tough, but I didn't know the definition of "pain" until the instructor announced at the end of the class that we were doing lungs. I gave it a good effort, then shamelessly left early and hobbled out to my car. I've had a stubborn streak lately that makes me want to take up jogging until it doesn't hurt anymore. I've had that attitude toward a Saturday morning kick boxing class I've gone to for a few months now. I want to go until I don't hate it anymore, but the instructor keeps changing it up each week. Curses! There are times when it hurts to laugh for a day or two after the class. He's a maniac.

And I'm very proud to announce that day 2 without sugar is going well so far. It's hard (don't laugh, I've very serious about the fact that I'm a sugar addict!!!) but I'm just eating apples and chomping on gum when I crave something sweet. A few minutes ago, I was going to eat another apple and had the idea to have some peanut butter and jelly on a rice cake. The peanut butter is actually almond butter and the jelly is really 100% fruit spread, but my taste buds think it's sugary jelly, so it's a healthy snack and it worked on my sweet tooth...this time.

Last random thought of the day: our house seems so clean now that the Christmas decorations are put away. I don't know if it feels clean or just uncluttered. Maybe my eyes are used to seeing things on surfaces and counters all over the place, but it's quite refreshing to see everything so simple again.

I still haven't recovered from only 5 hours of sleep on New Years Eve, so a nap is sounding really good right about now. Night-night!

2008 Resolutions

The Christmas decorations are put away, Mike's back to work tomorrow, it's officially time to get back into our routine. I'm normally not one to make resolutions, so let's call these...goals. That just happened to be documented on Jan 1st.

1. The first one is so obvious for me: detox my body from my sugar addiction. I've done it before, and must do it again. I'm going to grow right out of my favorite jeans if I keep eating this garbage! Today's the day.

2. Get organized: I've almost been in my house for 2 years and there is absolutely NO reason that the "spare tiles" are still in my bedroom closet. Other than laziness. I want to go through each room and each closet (thank goodness I've slowly started this over the last few weeks) and take out what doesn't belong so I can better organize what's staying there.

3. Read the Bible daily: I have a "quiet time corner" in my room that I absolutely love and a brand new Bible from Christmas, so I just need to dive right into this goal!

4. Read something else daily: I have completely gotten out of the habit of reading. Before kids, I read as a hobby. Once pregnant, I started reading for knowledge. After kids, I started reading for HELP and direction on how to raise them. But somewhere in the last year, my books have started collecting inches of dust. I'd like to get back to reading for 15-30 minutes before bed.

5. Set aside time each day to start "teaching" Ryan: for Christmas, I asked for some flashcards to help Ryan learn his sounds to begin to learn how to read. I was flipping through them and the English language isn't quite as arbitrary as I once thought. There are actual rules other than "i before e except after c." Did you know that the letter "C" before e, i or y says "s" but followed by any other letter says, "k" - ? I had no idea that there was a rule for that!

I think that's enough to get me started without feeling overwhelmed. Any of you have resolutions, oops, I mean GOALS you'd like to share???