Yesterday we went out to breakfast at the diner. Then we came home and the girls took naps while Pete and I got some stuff done around the house. Then he took the girls to his parents house and I got a break for a few hours :)
Today the girls went to school while I went to work. When I picked them up I had planned on taking them grocery shopping but they outvoted me by saying they wanted to come home and sleep 1st. So we came home, ate lunch, took naps and then went grocery shopping! When we came home we went next door for a quick playdate (Emily had an accident 5 minutes after we got there so that ended our playdate lol). We made breakfast burritos for dinner and then I went back to work and Pete put the girls to bed.
Hannah is still a bit sore from surgery. She sneezed this morning and said it hurt. I talked to her teacher today and asked that she not participate at gym time. Lord I'm already asking for them to sit out of classes!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Busy day
Yesterday I was home with the girls. I didn't send any of them to school and we just hung out at home all day long. Hannah is definitely still sore from her surgery so she needed the day just to relax anyway.
Today though - we made up for lost time. We got up and headed to Mystic Aquarium. SO MUCH FUN! I love that place and the girls seem to enjoy it too.
After the aquarium we came home and I filled the pool and put the sprinkler on. Hailey was all about playing outside but Hannah & Emily wanted to stay in and watch TV. Until Pete came outside with the tent that he wanted to set up.......
They loved it. They helped set up the tent and then we roasted marshmallows over the fire pit and made S'Mores. Our awesome neighbors came over to hang out for a bit too!
Then it was time to go to sleeeeeeeep in the tent. Somehow I expected more anxiety over sleeping in there but there was NONE. Right now Emily & Hailey are sleeping out there (as well as Pete) and Hannah is in her bed (and I'll be in bed as well!). Hannah got in trouble and was made to come inside (she hit Hailey - you can't really hit the people you're gonna share a tent with so she had to come in and sleep in her own bed). They might just last the whole night out there! We shall see.....
Today though - we made up for lost time. We got up and headed to Mystic Aquarium. SO MUCH FUN! I love that place and the girls seem to enjoy it too.
After the aquarium we came home and I filled the pool and put the sprinkler on. Hailey was all about playing outside but Hannah & Emily wanted to stay in and watch TV. Until Pete came outside with the tent that he wanted to set up.......
They loved it. They helped set up the tent and then we roasted marshmallows over the fire pit and made S'Mores. Our awesome neighbors came over to hang out for a bit too!
Then it was time to go to sleeeeeeeep in the tent. Somehow I expected more anxiety over sleeping in there but there was NONE. Right now Emily & Hailey are sleeping out there (as well as Pete) and Hannah is in her bed (and I'll be in bed as well!). Hannah got in trouble and was made to come inside (she hit Hailey - you can't really hit the people you're gonna share a tent with so she had to come in and sleep in her own bed). They might just last the whole night out there! We shall see.....
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Surgery
Days come and go so quickly that I think it's only been a day since I've last blooged but really it's been like 3 or 4. Hannah had surgery on her hernia yesterday. She did amazing and is home recovering. She was a bit worked up when we got to the hospital so the nurse suggested we give her some meds to calm her down and it seemed to do the trick. We were able to take her home after the surgery so she didn't need to spend the night which was really great. Now she's home and not going back to school until Monday.
This morning I went to work and Pete stayed home with Hannah while the other 2 went to school. Pete had an appt this afternoon so he's off doing that now while I'm home and the girls are taking naps. When they wake up I'm going to take Emily and Hailey to the store to get something for the grill for dinner and then we have a stop to make so we can take care of someone's puppy while they're on a long day trip. Then it'll be home to cook out on the grill (if the rain lets up!) and have nice dinner.
This morning I went to work and Pete stayed home with Hannah while the other 2 went to school. Pete had an appt this afternoon so he's off doing that now while I'm home and the girls are taking naps. When they wake up I'm going to take Emily and Hailey to the store to get something for the grill for dinner and then we have a stop to make so we can take care of someone's puppy while they're on a long day trip. Then it'll be home to cook out on the grill (if the rain lets up!) and have nice dinner.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Dentist
Luckily for me - I have 3 girls who don't mind going to the doctor or the dentist. Not only do they not mind going - but we usually go all together and sometimes (like today) that can require a lot of patience on their part.
They each had back to back appts. So we had the hygienist booked from 10:00 - 11:30. We arrived at 9:45 and after 2 trips to the bathroom *one trip included Emily seeing a little girl walk into the stall next to us and upon seeing this little girls flip flops she yelps "Mommy look at her shoes!!!!" as she ducks her head under the stall to get a closer look. We were called in to be seen. While one was getting her teeth cleaned - the other 2 patiently waited (sharing a chair) for their turns. We left around 11:20 and we didn't have a single problem. No cavities and the only thing the dentist harped on was their thumb sucking. It's not a battle we're going to fight right now.
After the dentist I dropped the girls off to Pete's parents and then headed to work. After work I went and picked them up (around 5:00) and then it was home to eat dinner and go to bed. They were knocked out by 6:00 tonight.
They each had back to back appts. So we had the hygienist booked from 10:00 - 11:30. We arrived at 9:45 and after 2 trips to the bathroom *one trip included Emily seeing a little girl walk into the stall next to us and upon seeing this little girls flip flops she yelps "Mommy look at her shoes!!!!" as she ducks her head under the stall to get a closer look. We were called in to be seen. While one was getting her teeth cleaned - the other 2 patiently waited (sharing a chair) for their turns. We left around 11:20 and we didn't have a single problem. No cavities and the only thing the dentist harped on was their thumb sucking. It's not a battle we're going to fight right now.
After the dentist I dropped the girls off to Pete's parents and then headed to work. After work I went and picked them up (around 5:00) and then it was home to eat dinner and go to bed. They were knocked out by 6:00 tonight.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Different Parenting Approach
I've been doing A LOT of reading lately on parenting. I wish kids came with instructions like baking a cake. But they don't. And Lord have mercy on the soul of a parent who doesn't do it the 'normal' way. And let's define 'normal'. Normal would be whatever THAT PARENT does. So basically if you have a different parenting style than the person you're talking to then don't bother talking shop. It will drive you both nuts.
I'm NOT perfect. But being a mom is something I take seriously. And I only get one chance at this mom thing. So I want to make it tolerable to all of those involved. I'm trying to parent in a positive way without yelling (this is HARD), no time outs (this was easy for me to ditch) and with giving the girls more authority and power. The balance is TOUGH. But what I'm finding most difficult is changing ME. You learn what you live right? So my parents believed in spankings, yelling, time out, do as I say and not as I do mentality, "I'm the mom that's why" rule and so on. It wasn't wrong - it's just not the way I want to do things. But I fall back on that upbringing so often and it takes me time and effort to remind myself that it's not me...calm down and make the change.
I rely HEAVILY on a timer. I was late to school with the girls for the 1st 3 months I think. One day I realized that we're not late because of them but we're late because of ME. The next day I said to the girls "I'm setting the timer, when it goes off you have 4 minutes to put your shoes on. If your shoes are on before the timer goes off, you may bring a toy of choice in the car to play with on your way to school today. If your shoes are not on, I will help you put them on and you won't be able to bring a toy in the car." We were on time that day. Sure they pushed their limits and there are still days when they don't put their shoes on before the 2nd timer goes off. But guess what? I don't have to yell at them to put their shoes on. It's simple - at 7:20 the alarm goes off and they know it's time for shoes. At 7:24 I usually have 3 kids saying "hey - I beat the timer and I want to bring _____ in the car!" No problem...your choice! Bath time was also becoming a problem. They want to play and whine and argue and play before taking off their clothes and getting in the tub. So they now have 2 minutes to take their clothes off and get in the bathroom. The other 'rule' I have is DON'T STOP MOVING! This only makes it fun. If they have to wiggle a leg or arm, or jump around while attempting to take off a shirt or sock - they're laughing instead of arguing with me.
I don't give time outs anymore. But they do get some 'chill out' time in their rooms. If they're out of control and not able to calm down - they go to their room for some relax time. No time limit on this - they can come out when they're calm.
I give them choices for EVERYTHING. "You want to put your shirt on 1st or your pants on 1st?" "Do you want your hot dog in a bun or plain?" "Do you want it cut or not cut?" "Do you want ketchup or BBQ sauce?" Choices are IMPORTANT. They give kids power and control without the struggle.
AND let me recap - I'M NOT PERFECT. So on a daily basis I falter and something goes wrong. I'll yell or snap or start barking orders. Those are the moments that I need to learn to control more. If I can't control my own attitude - how can I expect the girls to control theirs? And even though I falter - the girls are forgiving and they still call me Mommy and they still give me another chance at parenting.
I'm NOT perfect. But being a mom is something I take seriously. And I only get one chance at this mom thing. So I want to make it tolerable to all of those involved. I'm trying to parent in a positive way without yelling (this is HARD), no time outs (this was easy for me to ditch) and with giving the girls more authority and power. The balance is TOUGH. But what I'm finding most difficult is changing ME. You learn what you live right? So my parents believed in spankings, yelling, time out, do as I say and not as I do mentality, "I'm the mom that's why" rule and so on. It wasn't wrong - it's just not the way I want to do things. But I fall back on that upbringing so often and it takes me time and effort to remind myself that it's not me...calm down and make the change.
I rely HEAVILY on a timer. I was late to school with the girls for the 1st 3 months I think. One day I realized that we're not late because of them but we're late because of ME. The next day I said to the girls "I'm setting the timer, when it goes off you have 4 minutes to put your shoes on. If your shoes are on before the timer goes off, you may bring a toy of choice in the car to play with on your way to school today. If your shoes are not on, I will help you put them on and you won't be able to bring a toy in the car." We were on time that day. Sure they pushed their limits and there are still days when they don't put their shoes on before the 2nd timer goes off. But guess what? I don't have to yell at them to put their shoes on. It's simple - at 7:20 the alarm goes off and they know it's time for shoes. At 7:24 I usually have 3 kids saying "hey - I beat the timer and I want to bring _____ in the car!" No problem...your choice! Bath time was also becoming a problem. They want to play and whine and argue and play before taking off their clothes and getting in the tub. So they now have 2 minutes to take their clothes off and get in the bathroom. The other 'rule' I have is DON'T STOP MOVING! This only makes it fun. If they have to wiggle a leg or arm, or jump around while attempting to take off a shirt or sock - they're laughing instead of arguing with me.
I don't give time outs anymore. But they do get some 'chill out' time in their rooms. If they're out of control and not able to calm down - they go to their room for some relax time. No time limit on this - they can come out when they're calm.
I give them choices for EVERYTHING. "You want to put your shirt on 1st or your pants on 1st?" "Do you want your hot dog in a bun or plain?" "Do you want it cut or not cut?" "Do you want ketchup or BBQ sauce?" Choices are IMPORTANT. They give kids power and control without the struggle.
AND let me recap - I'M NOT PERFECT. So on a daily basis I falter and something goes wrong. I'll yell or snap or start barking orders. Those are the moments that I need to learn to control more. If I can't control my own attitude - how can I expect the girls to control theirs? And even though I falter - the girls are forgiving and they still call me Mommy and they still give me another chance at parenting.
Sunday Funday
Hmmm - just logged into Blogger for the 1st time in a while and it's all different. Hope this post doesn't get deleted. Been a while since I've blogged. Though so much happens - I just haven't had the umph to get back into blogging. I'll try harder. I feel guilty when I don't blog because it's a day I can't get back -so if I'm writing things daily it'll give the girls a look back at their life. An internet diary ;)
So since I can't go back. I'll move forward.
Today we took the girls to a day tripping and getaway expo type of event. It was full of people trying to advertise their vacation spots. We went because the 1st 50 people would receive free tickets to the CT Science Center (at $17 a piece...we wanted them). Long story short - we were within the 1st 20 there but the way the event wasorganized UNorganized...we ended up not getting tickets due to people getting them before us. It's ok though - we had a good time. The girls scored some neat stuff that will end up in the junk pile within a week I'm sure lol.
When we got home - I took the girls to the park to play while Pete mowed the lawn. Then Rosemary and Bobby came over and we all had dinner. The girls were in bed at 6:00 and asleep by 6:01. Lately if they don't take naps they go to bed way early. Last night they were asleep by 5:30 and didn't wake up until 6:30 this morning. They've pretty much been sleeping through the night without any problems. LOVE IT!
So since I can't go back. I'll move forward.
Today we took the girls to a day tripping and getaway expo type of event. It was full of people trying to advertise their vacation spots. We went because the 1st 50 people would receive free tickets to the CT Science Center (at $17 a piece...we wanted them). Long story short - we were within the 1st 20 there but the way the event was
When we got home - I took the girls to the park to play while Pete mowed the lawn. Then Rosemary and Bobby came over and we all had dinner. The girls were in bed at 6:00 and asleep by 6:01. Lately if they don't take naps they go to bed way early. Last night they were asleep by 5:30 and didn't wake up until 6:30 this morning. They've pretty much been sleeping through the night without any problems. LOVE IT!
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