Christian's field trip

Today Christian's kindergaten class went on a field trip to a farm. I was lucky enough to be chosen as a chaperone! When we got to the farm we took a covered wagon ride on trails and the kids were able to feed different animals out of buckets of food. It was such a neat experience for the kids! It was fun to watch the different expressions on their faces as the animals came up to the wagon and ate from their buckets! Quite a different experience than seeing the animals at the zoo! After our wagon ride we ate lunch at the picnic tables but not before all the kids washed their hands and purelled them just to be safe. After lunch we went to a petting zoo for about 20 minutes and then we loaded back up onto the buses and came back to school. Actually Christian and I just woke up from a nap so the trip must have worn us out! I took alot of pictures so I will post more tommorow.

Afternoon Tea and Bachelorette Party!

This past Saturday my sister had an afternoon tea bridal shower hosted by Brian's aunts. I had never been to an afternoon tea shower and it was beautiful! I don't think they missed one detail! Sterling silver teapots, crystals on the table, tiny sugar cubes with little flowers on top, and amazing food! Served was a three course meal. The first course was a white chocolate cherry scone served with three different dipping sauces and tea. The second course were tea sandwiches that included ham salad, egg salad, cucumber, and turkey sandwiches. Next was dessert which included different kinds of pastries and cookies! It was a beautiful and elegant shower!

Saturday night was her bachelorette party. The first part of the night everyone met at a hotel(about 30 guests attended) where each guest brought a "sexy" gift for Danielle. She got a good mix of lingerie and comfy pjs which is good because comfy pjs really become the staple after the first couple years of marriage(if not sooner, sorry Brian)! All of us married couples can attest to that! After she opened her MANY gifts we headed to a local club. My mom, me, Brian's mom, and aunts stayed for a little bit and then went back to Danielle's house and spent the night. The younger crowd stayed out later and spent the night at the hotel. I am not very comfortable in the club scene so one stop for my sister and I was done.

It was a great but exhausting weekend and makes me even more excited for Danielle and Brian! Just two more months until they say their "I dos."

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! I know I am a day late but I was out of town all weekend for my sister's bridal shower and bachelorette party. It was a fun but exhausting weekend and I will leave the festivities and pictures for another post.

I am forever blessed and thankful for my mom. Her love, patience, understanding, sacrifice, & friendship have been a tremendous gift to me. She was and has been one of the most influential people in my life. She encompasses everything that a mother should be. I love you Mom!

Ethan, Logan, & Christian~ Through being your mom I am convinced there is no better job in the world then the job of "mom." The reward of being your mother is one of my life's greatest blessings. Everyday you make me want to strive to be the best mom that I can possibly be. You teach me to embrace every smile, every sound of laughter, and every hug and kiss. I am so proud to be your mother! I love you!

Mia~ Though I have yet to see your face and hold you, our journey to you has taught me some very important lessons in motherhood. I hope to always be an example to you and your brothers about never giving up, keeping the faith, and patience on the path that God has planned for you. I pray that this is the last Mother's Day that we are apart. I cannot wait to be your mother! I pray that as we wait you experience the love of a mother. I pray that someone is "mothering" you until it is time for us to meet.

In search of the perfect tan....

With the warm weather approaching I have been searching for a good self tanner. I have in summers past just gone to the tanning booth but since I am getting older and more aware of the damaging effects of the sun I am looking for alternate options. Plus I am too lazy and uninterested in laying in a tanning bed for 20 minutes. I have tried all different kinds of self tanners. I tried the spray mist, the lotion, the gel, and the mousse. Currently I am trying Lancome's Flash Bronzer Glow n Wear in the gel form. So far I have been please with it but I find that just like any of the previous self tanners I have tried you have to be very careful when you apply it or you will get a streaky effect. I really have only noticed it when I have been in a hurry and quickly applied it. I don't care what anyone says there is no streak free tanner! If it isn't applied properly it streaks! For now my search has ended but I am still considering baking myself in a tanning bed one month before the wedding to ensure an even tan.

Happy Birthday Brian!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! No we do not typically "celebrate" Cinco de Mayo but I will come up with any reason to have Mexican food and so will the boys! Tacos, burritos, tostados, rice, and beans is one meal that will guarantee everyone is happy! After last week of hearing complaints all week about what was for dinner and with me threatening to make PB&J every night for dinner this was long overdue! Yesterday I told Logan "We are going to celebrate Cinco de Mayo tommorow." Of course he asked "What is Cinco de Mayo?" I replied "For us it means we are having tacos tommorow night for dinner." This answer satisfied him and he was happy to hear it was taco night! Now if we just would of had some sombreros we could have really celebrated!

Homestudy update complete

On Sunday we had our homestudy update. Basically our social worker met with us to go over any changes in our original homestudy (there weren't that many except we have aged!). She also did a quick tour of the house and then it was over. It lasted about an hour and with that our 2nd and hopefully last paperchase came to an end. I told her the next time I see her I hope to have someone new to introduce her to. She said "I hope so to."

The Bridal Shower

Saturday my mom and I hosted my sister's first bridal shower! We had a wonderful time celebrating this very special event with family and friends. The shower was held at a local Italian restaurant and the food was awesome! We played a couple games and Danielle opened her presents. They received some great gifts and let's just say that their kitchen will be well stocked with lots of pink! My sister wanted to register for a pink Kitchenaid mixer but first she had to strike a deal with the groom. Brian said she could register for it as long as it stayed in the cabinets. So did the bride to be get her pink mixer? Yes! My mom bought her the mixer along with several pink kitchen utensils that will also have to stay "hidden" per Brian.

There was one particular emotional moment at the end of the shower. My sister had bought gifts for my mom, me, and my sister in law Dana for hosting the shower. She let my mom and Dana open their gifts and said I had to go last because my gift required further explanation. A little background information. Last week when I was talking to her on the phone I was telling her how this shower was the last shower we would be hosting and planning and that it was "the end of the line" for us because she is the last to get married. As she handed me the box I asked her, "Am I going to cry when I open this?" She replied "No." As I begin to unwrap the box she asked me "Do you remember this past week when you told me that this was the last shower and wedding we would be planning?" I replied "Yes." As I unwrap the tissue paper revealing the gift she says "Well you were wrong it won't be the last shower or wedding we ever plan. We will plan Mia's wedding one day." With that I started crying and gave her a hug. It was a very emotional moment to be celebrating my sister preparing to get married and thinking of one day planning for my own daughter's wedding. What was the gift? It was a cute flower pot with ladybugs on it. I think it is almost too cute to plant and grow anything it! I really appreciate the thought and sentiment that went into the choosing of my gift and I love it! This shower "officially" started the wedding countdown for me because it was the first big event leading up to the wedding. July will be here before we know it and the excitement is in the air!

Easter pictures

Family picture

Ethan

Logan

Christian

Dani, Brain , & Palmer

My sister in her comfy clothes.

Happy Easter!

He knows....

The conversation that I have been dreading for the past couple of years happened today. I had hoped that it would wait until after Easter but that didn't happen. I knew that this question has been coming for a while now because he would start to question me about it but would end the conversation when he was close to an answer as if he wasn't ready to know for sure. Today he must have been ready to hear the answer because he asked me in a serious voice with a "I really want to know the truth" tone.

Ethan:"Mom, is the Easter Bunny real?"

Me: "Are you ready to hear the answer no matter what it may be?"

Ethan: "Yes"

Me: "No. He is not real but since you are old enough to know the truth you are also old enough to keep it to yourself and allow others to believe."

Ethan: "I know it is you and Dad."

Ethan: "Does this mean the Tooth Fairy isn't real either?"

Me: "No."

I felt good about the conversation even though I am somewhat sad that he knows the truth. It was time and he handled it well. We have always taught our children that the Easter Bunny and Santa are not what we are to focus on but instead on the birth and resurrection of Jesus. Still we allow them to believe in this bit of magic that is part of childhood. Hopefully I have a few more years before I need to have this conversation again.

You Know You're An Adoptive Parent When....

You Know You're An Adoptive Parent When . . .

1. The fact that there are 143 million children without a parent to kiss them goodnight has made you lose sleep.
2. You realize DNA has nothing to do with love and family.
3. You can't watch Adoption Stories on TLC without sobbing.
4. The fact that, if 7% of Christians adopted 1 child there would be no orphans in the world, is convicting to you.
5. You spend free time surfing blogs about families who have experienced the blessing of adoption.
6. It drives you crazy when people ask you about adopted child's 'real' parents.
7. You have ever been 'pregnant' with your adoptive child longer than it takes an elephant to give birth. (2 years!)
8. You had no idea how you would afford to adopt but stepped out in faith anyway, knowing where God calls you He will provide.
9. You have ever taken an airplane ride half-way around the world with a child you just met.
10. You believe God's heart is for adoption.
11. You realize that welcoming a child into your heart and family is one of the most important legacies you could ever leave on this earth.
12. You know what the word 'Dossier' means, and you can actually pronounce it!
13. You have welcomed a social worker into the most private parts of your life.
14. You shudder when people say your child is so lucky that you adopted them, knowing full well you are the blessed one to have him or her in your life.

-Author unknown

Tidbits from the past week or so

The blog police(you know who you are!) pointed out to me yesterday that it has been a couple weeks since I updated my blog. So here is a quick recap of what we have been up to the past couple of weeks.

~Two Saturdays ago we had one of the worst snowstorms I can remember! I think we ended up with 15inches of snow! We usually do not shovel the driveway unless it is difficult to get up and down (hey I am a patient person in that respect!) but the snow definitely required shoveling. Dan had to work over the weekend so yours truly ended up shoveling. I also ended up on the couch most of Sunday suffering from a backache. I heard on the news the average weight of a shovel full of snow is 10lbs and I can't tell you how many 10lbs I shoveled! I pray this is the last major snowstorm of the winter. After all spring starts tommorow! Of course that means absolutely zip, zero, nada here!

~The boys are all signed up for spring soccer! Just the word "spring" gets me excited! Who cares if for the first few games I will probably be huddled underneath a blanket! I can't wait to see the boys play again!

~Dan has a staph infection in his foot, I had to pick Ethan up from school today because of a bad headache, and oh yeah the dog has thrown up three times today!

~Last night we went to mother and son bingo night at the school. We had dinner and the boys played bingo. They had a drawing for 5 nice gift baskets for the moms. No I didn't win but the boys won bingo a couple times a piece. It was fun night!

~My sister and Brain are coming in this weekend for Easter! They are bringing their new little puppy Palmer with them. We are going to go to Powerflex on Saturday morning. Then we will color eggs with the boys on Saturday night.

~In one month we will be having my sister's bridal shower at a local Italian restaurant. This is our first big event leading up to the big day! Some of our out of town family is coming in for the shower so I am really looking forward to it!

There you have it in a nutshell. Nothing too exciting but I needed to post. Now I need to go stir my chicken tortilla soup for dinner!

Powerflex class

I tried a new class today at the gym called Powerflex. I am the type of girl who has never really been interested in the classes that the gym offers. I prefer to workout on my own schedule and do my own thing. My friend Bev recently tried this class and really liked it so I thought I would give it a try. I am use to weight training so I hoped I would be up to the challenge! Powerflex is a weight training class that you use a different variety of weights. We used dumbbells, the barbell(I have never used this before so it was somewhat awkward), and a ball. Most of the work required the barbell and I felt a little unsteady today being new to it. I only used 10 lbs weights on it today until I can get a good feel for it. However I am always up for a good challenge when it comes to working out! I feel I got a decent workout in but next time I need to adjust the weights a little more. We did lunges, squats, ab work, triceps, biceps, shoulder presses, push ups, you name it we did it! This class is taught on different days of the week by three different instrustors and I think we got the easiest one. I might try to go on Saturday where rumor has it that this particular instrustor kicks your butt!

Kalahari weekend!

This past weekend we went to Kalahari with my parents. Kalahari is the largest indoor waterpark in the country! The waterpark is amazing with so much to do! There is a wave pool, a large water play area for kids, several smaller water play areas for toddlers (something to look forward to with Mia), and many different and fun water slides. There are also several restaurants, an ice cream station, and a candy station. There is a huge arcade with a play area for kids. The fun goes on and on all weekend!

I did experience one of the most frightening moments of my parenting ever this weekend. Dan and the boys were going down a slide that you go down on your stomach on a mat. Basically four people race each other down the slide so they all went together. My parents and I stood at the end of the slide waiting for them. First comes Christian, then Ethan, and then Dan. I asked Dan as he got off the slide "where is Logan?" He said, "he went down before me because I gave him a push down and then got on my mat and went." All of the sudden I see Logan's mat come down without him on it. I immediately went into a panic and ran to the lifeguard at the end of the ride and told her "my son was suppose to be on that mat that just came down and he isn't!" She got on her walkie talkie and was asking the person at the top of the ride "where is the little boy that was suppose to be on this slide? His mat just came down but he didn't." While all this is going on my mom and Dan are running up the stairs to the top of the ride to find out what happened. I cannot explain the shear panic I felt thinking that somehow he was stuck up in the tube and scared to death. I felt so helpless knowing that there was no way for me to get to him. Finally the lifeguard said "They are bringing him down. He never made it down the ride because he lost his mat." The entire incident probably lasted 2-3 minutes but it felt like more like 15! As soon as I saw him coming down the stairs I ran over to him and hugged him both of us crying. Dan said he must have pushed him and then got on his mat and went down and the lifeguard saw he lost his mat and pulled him off the ride. Logan said when he lost his mat the lifeguard grabbed him by his ankles so he wouldn't go down. There must be some reason they wouldn't let him go down without a mat. All I know is I am so thankful that the worse didn't happen and that he was okay. I don't recall another moment in my parenting when I was more panicked. I think it took 10 years off my life!

Despite that incident we had fun weekend and I look forward to Kalahari every year (even though we have only been twice!) It is the perfect winter getaway!

Shopping with the boys

This past weekend we went shopping for the boys Easter/wedding clothes for my sister's wedding. As any mom of boys would probably agree this can be a difficult and frustrating task. You can easily find beautiful dresses with matching bows and socks for little girls, but it seems much harder with boys (or maybe it is just my boys!). My boys prefer a more casual look. For example they would much rather wear a pair of khaki pants, a nice long sleeve button down shirt, and maybe a sweater vest over it. Now the button down shirt would have to be untucked and the sleeves rolled. The pants have to be slim fit because my boys have small waists which makes it harder to find pants. Needless to say they were less than thrilled when they found out that this year's dress attire would be a little more formal due to the wedding and me not wanting to buy multiple outfits. Ethan hates to go shopping and when he found out he would be wearing a tie he got upset and was totally uncooperative. Ethan defines the word "casual". Logan eventually warmed up to the idea of dressing up when he found a tie and pants that he liked. Christian is in the wedding so we did not need to worry about getting him an outfit. So what did we end up with? Two pairs of black dress pants, two belts, two ties, and a tie for Dan all for $71.00! We managed to get all our shopping done in one store which was great!

Baby Bedding

This past weekend the boys and I went to Cincinnati to visit my sister and Brian. On Saturday we were running some errands and I found this baby bedding at Burlington Coat Factory. I know that I want Mia's room to include the colors pink and brown and I have occasionally looked for bedding but have yet to find something that I really love. I have a vision in my head of what I picture her bedding to look like but have yet to find something to match my vision! I thought this bedding was really cute and only wish that the pink was a little deeper hue. I love the polka dots on the fitted sheet and curtains as the polka dots match my vision! I hestitate with the ladybugs as I wonder when the time comes if I will be tired of ladybugs. Still this bedding remains a strong possiblity!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! So what are you plans for Valentine's Day? Dan and I planned on go to lunch yesterday to a nice italian restaurant. Just the two of us while the kids were at school. Well you know what they say about the best laid plans! The boys were off Monday and Tuesday from school due to snow. As I was getting them ready yesterday (feeling certain they would have school) I almost didn't bother to check the TV to see if school had been cancelled. I decided to humor myself since the TV was on anyway and lo and behold NO SCHOOL! I have to admit I was really looking forward to them having school because we had lunch plans and they have been so bored for the past two days. Dan and I decided we had to get them out of the house for a while for our own sanity and theirs. We took them to lunch (not to the italian restaurant I was looking forward to) but at a kid friendly restaurant. They enjoyed their lunches but let's just say my lunch at the other restaurant would have been much better! Then to burn off some of their pent up energy we took them bowling. Not the way I imagined it but the kids had fun!

Tonight Dan works late and I have parent teacher conferences at the school. And in case you are wondering they did go back to school today much to Ethan's dismay. Did I mention they are off from school on Friday and Monday? Luckily we are going to my sister's house for the weekend so I am sure our little weekend getaway will do us all good!

Happy Chinese New Year!

The Year Of The Rat

1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996


People born in the Year of the Rat are noted for their charm and attraction for the opposite sex. They work hard to achieve their goals, acquire possessions, and are likely to be perfectionists. They are basically thrifty with money. Rat people are easily angered and love to gossip. Their ambitions are big, and they are usually very successful. They are most compatible with people born in the years of the Dragon, Monkey, and Ox.

Look what I bought!

As I was browsing my favorite adoption blogs this morning I went to Robin's blog to look at some of the beautiful items that she is sewing for others to help bring her daughter Mia home. She is so very talented and her items are adorable! I love all of the dresses and have been tempted many times to order a couple dresses for Mia but I have held off since we don't know what size she will be. When I came across the Carnival Bloom tote bag I just had to have it! I love the colors pink and brown together and the bright colored daisies were too cute!

The unpopular parent?

Ethan asked me to add a song to his Ipod today. Unfortunately for him it was a song that we would not allow. After I explained to him for about the millionth time that we will decide what he is allowed to listen to he got upset and said "I am just going to give you my Ipod then." After about 15 minutes I went into his room without saying anything and gave him a hug and left. He came downstairs a few minutes later and sat at the table. I began to explain to him(again) that we loved him and we always do what we feel is best for him. I also told him that though he doesn't understand now he will one day when he is a parent. He replied "well what if I don't have any kids?" I said "Right now my concern is you and we will do what we feel is right for you." I said "I know it is very hard and it makes you mad when your friends are allowed to do things that you are not allowed." How can a ten year old possibly understand this? I also said "We will probably be one of the most unpopular parents in your entire class and I am okay with that." His response surprised me as he said "Mom you are not the most unpopular parent in my class. Do you remember that paper I had to write about who my hero was? I picked you. No one else picked their parent but me. I know you always try to do what is best for me. You don't let me listen to bad music or cuss like other parents do." I looked at him and said "I am so glad that even though our decisions make you mad sometimes that you realize that we are only doing what we feel is right for you." As I turned to get something out of the refrigerator I looked at his paper that has been hanging there for the past few months and I couldn't help but smile.

My Hero

My mom is my hero.

Her name is Melinda.

She has told me right from wrong all my life.

She has always been good all her life.

Someday I want to be just like her.

She has told me what to do& what not to do & I listen to that.

She made me the good person I am today.

She always knows whats best for me.

And that is why my mom is my hero.

The hair dilemma~ To cut or not to cut?

Christian decided over the weekend that he was going to give himself a new hairstyle and here are the results.




Obviously he took a chunk out of the side of his bangs. I guess I should be glad that this didn't happen before pictures and that he didn't cut into the middle of his bangs. I remember when we were little my brother decided to cut his bangs right before Christmas pictures and cut out the middle of his bangs. Of course we still had our pictures taken missing bangs and all. When I asked him why he cut his bangs he simply said "I wanted my hair to be short like my friend Nathan's hair." So the question remains, "will he get the short hair that he wants?" I don't know as that would require for his hair to be buzzed to accomodate the missing bangs and it is still too cold to be sporting that look. Maybe we should just cut it a bit shorter to try to even it out. The problem is he has great hair and "I" don't want to cut it! His hair has a nice texture and is shiny! Christian and Ethan can easily pull off the longer look. Logan's hair tends to be more wavy when he grows it out which makes it harder to keep it looking nice. So what do you think should I cut it or leave it?

WANTED Pink M&Ms only!

My sister and Brian are having a candy bar at their wedding reception that will include green, pink, and orange M&Ms. We found out that to specially order these colors would be $10.00 a pound! My mom found green M&Ms and we have determined that we will need to order the orange M&Ms. With Valentine's day right around the corner there is a special Valentine's day mix out so yesterday my mom and I spent time going through the red, white, and pink M&Ms and picking out all of the pink M&Ms. My mom did find a Valentine mix of M&MS that is all pink but they are different shades of pink but are still very close shades of pink. For example if you are at a wedding reception with low lighting there is no way you would be able to tell that they were different shades of pink. Of course my mom could tell and now she is not sure if she wants to use the shade that is in her words "duller" than the other shades which she finds to be much "prettier". Did I mention that she is very detail oriented? Did I also mention that if I have to sort through all those pink M&Ms to separate the "dull" M&MS from the "pretty colored" M&Ms I will need some extremely good lighting and a good sense of humor!

You can't tell from the picture(again because it is so very hard to tell) but the darker shade of pink is actually two different shades and these are the colors in question. The lighter shade is out!

In for a long night.....

Christian has had a cold for the past couple of days. At lunch time I gave him some Benadryl with the hopes that it would help with his runny nose and that he would take a nap (he usually will fall asleep when I give him Benadryl). Well it didn't help with his runny nose but he did take a nap~ 5 hours later at dinner time! He slept for an hour and a half so I am preparing for a long night with my night owl!

Procrastinating

PROCRASTINATOR. Yep thats me. Not in all areas of my life but when it comes to updating our homestudy and getting our immunizations I have been a big time procrastinator. We received our packet to start the homestudy update last week and it has been sitting on my dresser untouched ever since. I briefly looked through it but got discouraged. Do we really need another fire inspection? What has changed in two years? We haven't moved. Here's what we need.

1. Fill out another application
2. Submit another letter of employment
3. Update our financial sheet
4. Get child abuse clearance
5. Get refingerprinted at the local police station
6. Update everyone's medical forms
7. Get another fire inspection
8. We need another reference letter

Now granted this definitely is not as in depth as the first go around but I really did not think I would need to be doing two paperchases for one adoption. Anyway it is what it is and we will start the process of updating soon. Our social worker said that at the very latest to start in early April so I have a few months to go.

Onto the next task I have been putting off. We need to get started on our immunizations for our China trip. Angie's blog reminded me that we need to get going on this. I am terrified of shots! In fact I can't remember the last time I actually had a shot but I think I would rather have an IV than a shot! I need to look into this further but we are going to need Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and possibly a Typhoid shot. I need to look into the Typhoid shot as through my limited research I do not see this being given as one of the more routine shots but it is recommended on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. I also know I will need a Tetanus booster. Since these immunizations are given in a series I know we need to get started. So those of you who are not procrastinating and have begun your immunizations how bad is it? Honest responses appreciated!

Bullets

~Christian just left for school about 10 mins ago after a few struggles. First he was being very picky about what he wanted to wear to school today. He usually isn't this way with regards to what to wear so I am not sure what the deal was today. He finally found a shirt to wear but the pants he wanted to wear were dirty. Since I was starting laundry anyway I tried to wash the pants for him so he could wear them. Unfortuantely for him they were only half way dry when it was time for him to leave so he had to find another pair. Then he told me "I'm not going to school today!" I mean really will this ever end? We are half way through the school year and he is still not wanting to go to school! It has gotten better but c'mon!

~I am sooo done with everything football in this house! Logan loves to watch football on the weekends and has no problem spending the entire day watching it. Of course it doesn't help that Dan can do the same thing! I can watch a game but refuse to spend an entire day watching football! Yesterday I wanted to run some errands and Logan was having a meltdown that he was going to miss the game! We managed to get him out the door but he continued to ask what time it was and if he would be back in time for the game. He talks football ALL THE TIME! He wants to wear his football jerseys ALL THE TIME! It will be over in a couple weeks but Christian has discovered a new passion~basketball. Could basketball replace football? I doubt it!

~Our adoption agency received a new list of waiting children last week that will probably cover families who turned in their medical checklists in March and April. What wonderful news for these families and children! I can't wait to hear about all the new referrals! We turned our medical checklist in in October so we still have a while to wait (our agency usually receives lists every two months) but I love living through others excitement and hearing about their referrals!

~My sister informed me on Saturday that it is exactly 6 months until her wedding! We are officially on the countdown! My mom and I have begun planning her bridal shower and will be having a luncheon at an Italian restaurant. We have picked the date and have chosen the invitations! Of course I can't go into too much detail here because she reads this blog but we are very excited! I will say that I think my mom and I are overthinking some of the details that may not be so important but my mom tends to be very detail oriented when it comes to this wedding so I just tend to go with the flow.

~My boys are so done with Tae Kwon Do especially Ethan and Logan. They go three nights a week and every time they go it is a struggle. I can understand because they have been doing it for 3 1/2 years. They have reached their black belt and are completely burnt out and have lost interest. I am okay with them quitting. Soccer season will be starting in April and we will be busy with that. Plus not having to pay the monthly fee will be a bonus!

"I'm not eating that......

I am having cereal for dinner tonight!" This is what we hear from Christian EVERY night at dinner time. He defines a picky eater! Unless it is pizza night which we usually do one time every week or two you can bet that dinner is going to be a battle. At this point he is winning and I am frustrated. He had his six year check up in December and I explained my concerns to the pediatrician and she recommended that we introduce a new food to him every day for 14 days and he could decide at the end of two weeks if he liked it or not. She said she was not too concerend with it because his growth is normal. He agreed that he would give it a try. So the next day I gave him a baby carrot. He would not even pick it up to try it. I will admit it was hard in December to enforce this with the holidays so I decided in January we would really try to put in effect this new rule. So far we have been unsuccessful. If it isn't peanut butter and jelly, pizza, or chicken fingers he is NOT interested. Breakfast is usually okay because he will have oatmeal or cereal. Lunch is always peanut butter and jelly and a piece of fruit. For snacks he will eat yogurt, pudding, or crackers.

Ethan and Logan were picky eaters when they were around 3 years old but they grew out of it. For the most part they are open to trying new foods. In a way this is new area for me as I expected him to grow out of it like his brothers. Maybe I need to be more forceful and make him sit there until he eats it but he will literally sit there for an hour and never touch his dinner. He might try it but he already has it in his head that he doesn't like it so he never gives it a fair chance. I of course will not let him go to bed hungry so he usually ends up with a bowl of cereal. Yes I know that he is in control of this situation but I am hoping it is just a looong phase and he will grow out of it. That or he is going to have a really hard time finding a date who only wants cereal for dinner!

Back to the gym

Now that the holidays are over I need to get back into my routine of going to the gym. I usually hit the gym 3-4 days a week but with the boys being on Christmas break it was hard to find time to go. When they were younger I would take them with me but the child care at the gym is geared more towards the toddler age and they would get so bored. I should have made them go anyway but instead I did The Firm at home. I really like The Firm workout as an alternative but I feel I get a better workout at the gym. Maybe it is the variety of equipment or the motivation of those around me working out. So today after Christian goes to school I will be hitting the gym!

The Ipod controversy

Every year at Christmas the boys get a gift from Dan and I in addition to their gifts from Santa. This year Ethan really wanted us to get him an Ipod. My feelings were mixed because I knew it would cause problems over the music he wanted to put on it and what we felt was appropriate for him. Before Christmas we told him many times that if he ended up getting an Ipod that he would have to follow the rules as to what songs he was allowed to listen to and that we didn't want an arguement every time we told him "no" about a song. He agreed. So....

On Christmas he got his Ipod plus an iTunes gift card. Until this weekend we have been able to come to a compromise about his music. Over the weekend he had a friend spend the night and he brought his Ipod over. He let Ethan listen to some of his songs(or at least partially due to our intervening) and now Ethan wants a song called Soulja Boy and Sexy Boy on his Ipod. Of course this is NOT going to happen! We do not allow our boys to listen to any type of music that is suggestive in nature. We do not feel it is appropriate for our 10 year old son to be listening to "Sexy Boy." What positive message can this song possibly have for a 10 year old?

I understand that Ethan wants to be like his friends and enjoy similar music but I hope to teach him that you need to make good choices and that you don't need to follow the crowd. I know this is hard for a 10 year old to understand but it needs to be instilled at a young age. I remember what it was like for me when all my friends were allowed to do something and I was not. It IS hard. In the end it is OUR responsibility to instill our values in our children.

The compromising will continue and I am sure we will still have some disagreements but I hope that one day Ethan will realize we made these rules because we love him and want the best for him.

Family goals in '08

With the begining of a new year I have been giving a lot of thought to what we can do as a family to make our lives happier, healthier, and more purposeful. I do not like thinking of it as a "New Years resolution" because I think it often sets you up for failure. How often do we hear of our "New Years resolutions" being forgotten by the first week of the new year? Instead I feel that we can make small changes in 2008 that can make a big difference in our lives! I will allow room for flexibilty because I think too often we tend to give up if we can't commit 100%. Here are some of our family goals for 2008.

~ We have decided as a family that Friday nights will now be "family game night." The TV will be off and we will spend time playing games as a family. I will try to make this a priority as much as possible because I feel it is important that we laugh and have fun as a family without the distraction of the TV. This will make a great memory for our children and for us!*Subject to flexibility.

~ We will sit down together as a family every night for dinner. This is another rule that will need to be flexible due to our schedules but it will be a priority. Too often I am busy getting the kids their dinner or have some other distraction going on and by the time I am ready to eat they are almost done.

~ Going GREEN! I watched the Oprah show yesterday and was very inspired to start to do something as a family to help our Earth. It was interesting to learn that even small changes can add up!

1. We are going to change our lightbulbs to GE smart energy bulbs. One audience member said that by doing this she is saving $50 a month on her electric bill!

2. I am going to switch our cleaning products to non toxic products. There are a couple brands they sell at Target such as Method so this would be very convenient (since I am at Target so much!) and better for our household.

3. We will also start to recycle our newspaper. We will stack them up in the garage and then take them to be recycled.

4. I will be taking a water bottle with me to the gym instead of bottled water. Those plastic bottles really add up!

It is interesting how some awareness can cause you to want to make changes in preserving the Earth. Even by doing small things we are helping to make a difference and I hope I am teaching my children that it is everyone's responsibility to care for our planet.

~Less yelling notice I didn't say "no yelling." I need to be realistic. Lately there has been far too much yelling in our household and the winter months are not helping! It is hard especially for the boys not to be able to go outside and burn off some energy. I also find that my patience with them is wearing. Lately it seems that they would much rather aggravate each other than play together (which to some extent is normal) but I get tired of breaking up fights, tattling, name calling, and just flat out unkindness. My wake up call came when Logan told me "Mom, I don't like it when you yell, it scares me." That was horrible to hear and it broke my heart. But it forced me to do a little self examination. As parents we set the tone in our households. How can we expect our kids not to yell when we are yelling at them? I have told Logan that I am sorry and that I need to work on it. Now I am accountable to my eight year old son. How can I fail? Simple~I can't and that little sentence was all the motivation I needed to make a change. So in 2008 I am hoping for a household with more peace and less yelling begining with me.

Happy New Year!

May your new year be filled with happiness, health, & peace! Here's hoping that 2008 is your best year yet!