Potty Training Mason

Still months away from his 3rd birthday Mason is daytime potty trained! After already going through this potty training thing twice, I was kind of dreading it. I thought Mason would be my hardest child to train, but my big boy proved me wrong and has become my easiest so far!  I started training him the summer after his 2nd birthday. I didn't want the distraction of school in our way and I figured that summer was an acceptable time to allow your 2 year old to run around the house and backyard pantless. Just like my other 2, I simply put him in big kid undies and sat him on the toilet every 30 minutes, and declared "ut oh" when he peed on the floor. We started out using a toddler toilet, but now he uses the regular toilet just let the rest of us. The only set back we had was the short relapse he experienced during our move, but he is back on track now.  In recent weeks he has even gone potty without me! Mason wears his big boy underwear proud and we are proud of him. Our next step will be to get him night time potty trained, and then it won't be long before Jojo is ready for the potty too!

I Cut My Son's Hair!

Ove the past year, I have found a few Pinterest articles on cutting your son's hair. Maddox has asked me to do this before, but since I'm no professional I brushed it off. This is the same child who also asked me to homeschool him for 2 years before I took the leap of faith, and prayed this to be best. Maybe, just maybe this boy has a way with my heart, and knows how to push me past my fear. It's funny, I was suppose to ask my homeschool mama friends where they take their sons for a trim, and instead I was encouraged to just do it myself. The only advice given was, just do it, and learn from your mistakes. Scary right? I came home that day from our homeschool group to find that my husband had already cut his hair for the month, and he took the initiative to cut our 2 year old son, Mason's hair as well. I laughed and told him its funny that today must be haircutting day, and then revealed my plans. I watched a few youtube videos before I got started, and then just jumped in with my husband's clippers and hair scissors. I knew I would make a few mistakes, and I forgave myself when I did. I cut his bangs too short, and I know what I want to do next time to avoid this. I was happy with the fading, and I know that the youtube videos were a huge help. Overall, I was pleased. It wasn't too bad or too painful, and Maddox was happy with the results. 

The next day, I admired my good work and handsome boy and kept telling him how nice he and and hair looked. He eventually became annoyed with me and told me, "Mama, I know that I look good, stop telling me!" lol

The Tooth Fairy's Last Tooth?

Probably not, but we're getting close. This past week Skylar lost what I think might be her 8th tooth. I've lost count and I didn't even take a picture...shameful! For this last tooth she left a note for the fairy, along with a bottle of fairy dust as a gift and asked the fairy to write her back. So not only did I have to retrieve a small tooth in the middle of the night from underneath her head, but a bottle and a note as well, and then I had to return the note back under her pillow...this tooth fairy job is getting complicated. I think she wanted the note to prove to her knowing friends that she does actually exist, and I'm feeding this fantasy even further while other parents are spilling the beans. I think I was her age when I found out, maybe younger, I'm pretty sure I was 7 when I decided to test the fairy by leaving my tooth under the pillow without telling my mom that I had even lost my tooth. It was the ultimate test, which the fairy failed. I remember feeling so grown up knowing the truth, knowing a secret that the little kids didn't know, not at all traumatized, and yet I'm worried about telling Skylar and at the same time I'm so ready for her to figure it out already lol.

I love her fantasy and imagination though. She has become such a good writer, she loves writing short stories. I'm so proud of her and I hope that her love of reading and writing stays with her.

My Little Peacemakers

We keep a pretty loose schedule during the summer, but either over breakfast or lunch I'll read to the children a few bible stories that we'll then discuss and I'll either ask them a few questions or they'll ask me. Yesterday over lunch I read to them out of Matthew from their children's story bible and one verse in particular got their attention, "blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God" ~Matthew 5:9. So we talked about what it means to be a peacemaker, to forgive and to treat each others kindly, even when others aren't so kind to you. I could tell that they got it,  I was proud of my sweet children and my prayer for them is that this verse will really take hold of their hearts.

Later that night as the kids were getting ready for bed brushing their teeth I could hear fighting and arguing, then my son yells out, "Mommy! Tell sissy to be a peacemaker!" LOL, well, at least they're trying :)

Long John Silver

The kids and I just finished reading Treasure Island, so for a treat yesterday I took them to the fast food chain, Long John Silver's. I let it be a surprise until we pulled up, and Skylar slowly read the sign, "long...John...silver...hey!!! Long John Silver!" the kids were tickled! :) inside we ate popcorn shrimp and the kids got pirate hats.

Aren't they cute! :)

Wipeout

My shower was interrupted by Maddox screaming "Mommy, Mommy!" over and over again at the top of his lungs just outside of my door. The way he was screaming I could tell that it was urgent to him, but assumed it was probably just a fight between him and his sister that I would have to referee. So with a robe secured and a towel on my head I opened the door to see what was the matter. Tears in his eyes he told me the hole in his mouth was hurting. I had him say ahhh and could see that his back molar was coming in. Poor baby. Fortunately I had some orajel and with just a dab he was pacified. He curled up on my bed with his blanket and I couldn't help but let him get away with sucking his thumb. He's still so little, and yet is getting so big. How much longer will I still be his best friend and comforter?

I wanted to do something special for the kids, so I called Mitch at work to see if it were alright if I bought the wii game WipeOut from Target, the price of $30 seemed fair, but he told me to check out GameStop, who had it for $18! We've had our wii for a few years now, played it like crazy the first year, but let it gather dust until recently. The kids have really enjoyed playing Mario, but I thought it would be nice to let them have something new. I also picked Mitch up a game that he requested, 007 GoldenEye. This Wipeout game is so fun and so funny, and it's a great game for a family to play together.

Maddox also reached a milestone today, he counted to 100! I always knew that he could, but he just wouldn't. He was annoyed by me blow drying my hair, so I told him if he counted to 100 that I would stop ;)

P.S.

We went to Shipwreck cove water park the night before and Skylar brought a friend. We had so much fun! :)

Days Like Today Make My Heart Smile : )

Not that it was a perfect day, the kids still fought, I had to remind them at least a dozen times to clean their rooms, I yelled a few times, and not every room ended up spotless by evening, and yet my heart is still smiling.

Our morning started out slow, like it usually does on summer mornings. For breakfast we all had something different while dad was away at work, a pop tart for sissy, oatmeal for my stinker, and cereal for me. Lunch is usually the same, always a pb&j for my sweet boy, soup for my princess, and a tomato from my garden sandwich for me. For dinners I have a different additude:

As the kids ran wild today as they usually do, I tidied up, tended to my garden, planned for dinner, and sanded an old bed that was recently passed down to me by my grandma. This bed use to belong to my uncle when he was young, but now I am sanding it down to paint it white, to make it new for my daughter. Sanding a bed in 90+ degree weather is something that I would have never of taken the initiative to do before my work in Haiti. I would have considered it "mans work", kind of like mowing the lawn, but now since I want it done and I know how, I am actually proud of my work! I'm hoping to have it complete before her birthday, just a week and a half away.

After dinner the kids played a game of checkers and then we all enjoyed a another chapter from Treasure Island.

Days like today make me want to freeze time, freeze these moments when Maddox still sucks his thumb and snuggles his mommy, freeze the moments when Skylar still wants to help in the kitchen and the kids fight over who is going to say the blessing first, and who I am going to tuck in first, but I kiss them goodnight, and laugh at the days to come.

My wonderful day ends with my loving husband and a glass of wine and I look forward to tomorrow's blessings.

20 questions

This is such a cute and fun game to play with your kids. I got this idea from a momma who got this idea from a facebook note that was being passed around. You should play this with your kids too!

20 Questions

1. What is something Mommy always says to you?

Maddox:"I love you"

Skylar: "I love you."

2. What makes Mommy happy?

Maddox: "Getting flowers and jewelry."

Skylar: "snuggling"

3. What makes Mommy sad?

Maddox: "When I say stupid"

Skylar: "us being apart"

4. How does Mommy make you laugh?

Maddox: "telling jokes"

Skylar: "telling stories"

5. What was Mommy like as a child?

Maddox: "a child"

Skylar: "lovable with your bear"

6. How old is Mommy?

Maddox: "17"

Skylar: "26"

7. How tall is Mommy?

Maddox: "18"

Skylar: "probably 3 ft or 5 ft"

8. What is Mommy's favorite thing to do?

Maddox: "yell"

Skylar: "playing with me"

9. What does Mommy do when you're not around?

Maddox: "goes to kid church"

Skylar: "be busy"

10. If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?

Maddox: "I don't know"

Skylar: "be famous for having a HUGE house, bigger than this one"

11. What is Mommy really good at?

Maddox: "Making letters"

Skylar: "cleaning"

12. What is Mommy not very good at?

Maddox: "Making clothes"

Skylar: "Games on your phone"

13. What is Mommy's favorite food?

Maddox: "Chinese"

Skylar: "Pie"

14. What makes you proud of Mommy?

Maddox: "saying I love you, hugs and kisses"

Skylar: "Giving me stuff"

15. If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?

Maddox: "a kid"

Skylar: "a chef"

16. What do you and Mommy do together?

Maddox: "we play."

Skylar: "Go shopping"

17. How are you and Mommy the same?

Maddox: "we do same things"

Skylar: "we're both girls"

18. How are you and Mommy different?

Maddox: "we do different stuff"

Skylar: "You're big and I'm small"

19. How do you know Mommy loves you?

Maddox: "because you be good and you love me"

Skylar: "Because you tell me"

20. Where is Mommy's favorite place to go?

Maddox: "Restaurant"

Skylar: "Church. Because you like to learn about God a lot."

Play At Home Mom

My children need more than just a stay at home, they need a PLAY at home mom. Making them a priority in my day, to put them first could truly build up their self worth! Sitting down with them to play dolls or legos will let them know just how much I value them and could only increase the bond that we share. It's the little things like involving them in cooking and cleaning that could help promote their independence, confidence, and make them feel special and important.

Everyday when making my to do list there will be a time of play. Here is what will be popping up on my to do list:

*Teach the kids how to ride a bike without training wheels. (We've tried this just about every summer, this is harder than I thought it would be)

*Play soccer in the backyard

*Cook together and take pictures

*Make bead necklaces

*Go on a bug hunt

*Make homemade chalk paint

*Teach Skylar how to crochet.

What is on your to do list?




I am linked up with:

Can I Carry You?

By: Brad Anderson

I guess that I can hold you
one more time before you grow.
And tell you that I love you
so that you will always know.
Please let me tie your shoe again.
One day you'll tie your own.
And when you think back to this time
I hope it's love I've shown.
Can I help you put your coat on?
Can I please cut up your meat?
Can I pull you in the wagon?
Can I pick you out a treat?
One day you might just care for me,
so let me care for you.
I want to be a part
of every little thing you do.
Tonight could I please wash your hair?
Can I put toys in the bath?
Can I help you count your small ten toes
before I teach you math?
Before you join a baseball team
can I pitch you one more ball?
And one more time can I stand near
to make sure you don't fall?
Let's take another space-ship ride
Up to the Planet Zoor.
Before our Cardboard Rocket
doesn't fit us anymore.
Please let me help you up the hill.
while you're still too small to climb.
And let me read you stories
while you're young and have the time.
I know the day will come
when you will do these things alone.
Will you recall the shoulder rides
and all the balls we've thrown?
I want you to grow stronger
than your Dad could ever be.
And when you find success
there will be no soul more proud than me.
So will you let me carry you?
One day you'll walk alone.
I cannot bear to miss one day
from now until you've grown.

**************************************************

Source: One Last Time

Not Now, I'm Busy

Today I am honored and blessed to have the great opportunity to be a guest poster over at Homemaker  By Choice! I hope that you will hop on over to visit, where Amber has dedicated her blog to encourage women in the home. Today I get to talk about praying for the fruit of the spirit to strengthen our parenting skills in "Not Now, I'm Busy".

Thanks for reading ladies, and be sure to let Amber know that I sent you!

My Little Shadow

By: Dianne R. Newsom

My little shadow my little shadow my little shadow and me
My little shadow was always one step behind you see
My little shadow with her long blonde flowing hair
No matter how many times I looked my little shadow was there

She would roam outside to play but not for long
Little shadows moms quite time was gone
My little shadow would creep into my bed at night
My little shadow would kiss and hold me so tight

I turned around one day to find my little shadow was gone
But I still have the memories of my little shadow to hold on
Mom enjoy your little shadows before they to are gone
It is truly sad when there’s no more little shadow to tag along

My little shadow as I have watched you grow
My dear little shadow where did you goMy precious little shadow you are now grown

My little shadow now has two shadows of her own

Above is me with my little shadow, Skylar

Source: My Little Shadow 

Children Summer Reading

Summer is flying by and in just 6 short weeks school will be starting back up, for us it is August 17th. I hope that you and your family have been having just as much fun as we are! We have been play play play all June, but this July I started getting worried about the kiddos taking a complete break from learning, and maybe you have been too. Some ways that can we help them prevent summer learning loss is of course brushing up on their reading and spelling. Our school assigned our kids a summer reading list, and maybe yours did too, but in case you lost your list, or if you just didn't get one, I will share with you our list. You can of course add your kids' favorite to it as well. The list below includes grades first through high school, just click on the appropriate grade level. You can find any of these books at a local library or local book store.

Summer Reading Lists

Some other things that we are working on is memorizing our phone number, address, city and state. Skylar is working on her spelling, and Maddox our soon to be kindergartner is practicing writing his letters, numbers and is reading along with Momma. 

Below is a spelling list for first graders, but click around for spelling lists from preschooler to 8th grade

Time4Learning 1st grade spelling list

Enjoy the rest of your summer, but try to squeeze in some educational fun too :) I know that we're trying! 

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My Love From Home is participating in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Family Blogs. I would greatly appreciate your vote! Just click here

A Goodnight Lullaby

Do you have a special Lullaby that you sing to your children at night? I can remember as a young child my mother singing to me, Carpenters' "Close to You". I treasured that special time with my mother right before I fell asleep at night. The lullaby was so special that it stuck with me as I grew up and when my daughter arrived I began signing the song to her as well. Every night she asks for the same song, rarely does she ask for another (my son likes "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star").

These are the lyrics that I sing to her:

Why do birds suddenly appear? Every time you are near? Just like me, they long to be, close to you Why do stars, fall down from the sky? Every time you walk by? Just like me, they long to be, close to you.

On the day that you were born, the angels got together and decided to create a dream come true! So they sprinkled moondust in your hair of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue
(doddle loop, doddle loop)

That is why all the boys in town, follow you all around. Just like me, they long to be, close to you....Close to you.

{ ((Hugs)) **Kisses** "Good Night" }

My daughter Skylar and I

"May the Lord cause you to flourish, both you and your children."

~Psalms 115:14

Stress Test...I failed

Proverbs 14:1 "The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down."

That was me yesterday, the foolish one. I don't understand why yesterday was so stressful for me, it just was. It started out cheerful getting ready for church, but there was a glitch...Skylar would not get out of bed and get ready. She even got up to lock her door so that she wouldn't be bothered. We got onto her for it and moved on. The church service was inspiring and I left there in a great mood. Things however went downhill when I decided I wanted to go to Wal-Mart to pick up some groceries and a new game to play with friends that I was expecting that night. That shopping trip was a nightmare. While shopping I spent my time repeating myself to the kids, don't touch that, get down, get up, let's go, slow down, hurry up, DON'T TOUCH THAT! I even threatened to spank them if they kept touching and climbing on things. Why wouldn't they listen to me? And then there was the whining. My words cannot capture how stressful and aggravating that trip was for me. I was drained by the time I got home. I unloaded and put away the groceries and then had the kids lay down for a nap so that I too could have a nap. It should come as no surprise that the kids did not want to lay down. I was however able to get enough rest in to feel recharged. The day continued on only getting worse. The kids started fighting and yelling at the each other, hitting each other, tattle tailing on each other, and then there was the whining! Maddox dumped a bottle of Maalox in his room and that stuff stinks! Skylar pulled down part of the blinds in Maddox's room as well. Why were they being so destructive? They had also trashed the playroom. Toys everywhere (though that is normal) but they had drinks and food up there as well, not allowed! I couldn't contain my frustration. I was yelling along with the kids, I was spanking them and giving them time outs. Nothing seemed to work. My patience was gone, and I was not being kind. By the time 7pm came around I decided to put them to bed early. Fortunately they were just as ready as I was for them to go down. Relief came over me that I wouldn't have to deal with their fighting and whining anymore. Soon after came regret. What happened today? Its not entirely their fault. I am the one who is raising them. I most likely didn't deal with behavior in the best way. I lost my temper and I yelled way too much. Did they behave at all yesterday? I don't know, I wasn't looking for good behavior yesterday, I was only focusing on what they were doing wrong. That needs to change. My focus and attention needs to be  on what I want to see more of in them. How else can they blossom and grow in those areas of good behavior. Whenever I criticize them with their bad behavior there must be 10 more compliments and praises when they do something right.

Mitch finally came home and soon after around 8:30 friends came over for dinner and games. It was nice being with grown ups. 

This morning I woke up knowing that I wanted a better day. The house was already clean. I used a lot of my frustrated energy yesterday cleaning. I had my quiet time while the kids watched cartoons and Mitch was at the gym. I fixed breakfast for the kids, got ready for the day, lit candles and put on peaceful music. I apologized to the kids for yesterday and I told them that I was having a bad day. We also talked about how their behavior was not acceptable. I held them both, loved and kissed on them, we all needed it after yesterday.  I know of this one mother who when she gets upset, instead of yelling she brings her voice to a whisper. It couldn't hurt to try right? So this week instead of yelling I am going to practice whispering. I've actually have already had to use my whisper voice today, and you know what? This whisper thing just might work. I know that I am not perfect, but I love my kids and I am trying my best. Today I am dusting myself off and trying again.

‎"Yelling at a bud won't make it bloom. Your home will not blossom into a haven if you are not controlling your temper." ~Unknown

Proverbs 15:1 says "A gentle answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger."

A cherished week stuck at home

The kids have been out of school all week long from the snow. I've been doing my best trying to keep them entertained, but with also trying to keep the house cleaned, prepare 3 meals a day, and keep up with the job that pays me (I work from home). Things can get pretty frustrating and my patience can wear thin...real thin. Of course every parent worries and wonders how they are doing as a mother and I'm sure this week I blew it. However, last night at the dinner table Mitch asks the kids if they're ready to go back to school, because staying at home all day and all week must be pretty boring huh? Well Skylar warmed my heart by answering, no, I am not ready to go back to school, playing at home has been fun! She went on to describe all the fun stuff that we've been doing this week, such as playing with neighborhood friends, playing games at home, reading stories, making forts, and so on. Thinking back on the week myself I realized it has been pretty fun, especially if you put aside all the fights I had to break up between the kids this week, but other than that its actually been really enjoyable. We had many cherishing moments cooking and baking together, sledding in the snow, cuddling and watching movies, and just enjoying one another. My yard is still covered in snow, but the roads are clearing and next week they'll be back at school. Things will be normal again and maybe I can finally give the job that pays me my full attention. I will have peace and quiet at last (at least until 2pm), but I will also have confidence that I can do this again when school lets out for the summer.

 I thank God for the snow and for this cherished week stuck at home

Snow Day!!

The night before the "Big Snow" I let the kids build a fort to camp in together. They wanted to watch the snow fall at night. We heard them giggling until about 9:30, then they were fast asleep.

They looked so sweet sleeping

The next morning we woke up to Maddox singing "Its Christmas! Its Christmas!" Then quickly changes his song to "Its snowing! Its snowing!" LOL he is so precious.

The kids were so excited to see the snow. At least 7 inches had fallen. It continued to snow all day.
For breakfast I made snow cream and blueberry muffins. They were a yummy treat for everyone :)
After cleaning up and getting ready with layers upon layers we headed out into the snow. We walked up the street to our neighborhood pond and field to take the kids sledding. Before we got started however we found a nature trail. After only 5 months of living here in our new house, this is the first time we have discovered this small trail. The kids really enjoyed marching through the snow and shaking small tree to have a blizzard of snow fall down on them.

Watching them sled was the highlight of my day! And I think the highlight of their day too! This was their first sledding adventure :)

After a fun day in the snow it was time to come in and get some homemade hot cocoa. It was very rich, but good. Next time I'll use more whipped cream and less cocoa.

Then I made chicken vegetable soup. We kept our bellies warm today.

After lunch I caught up on my chores and we all rested for a bit before our neighbors stopped by to visit. The family that came by is the family of Skylar's best friend Cadence. They also have a 3 1/2 year old son for Maddox to play with too, along with a new born baby. The kids ran wild as usual while they play together :)

We ended our day with a bowl of chili. We laughed about our day and we all look forward to doing it again tomorrow.

Feeding the Ducks

We took a small part out of our day today right after school to feed the neighborhood ducks. It was a fun and precious moment watching and listen to the kids laugh as the ducks snatched up the bread they threw on the ground. I'm looking forward to warmer weather so that we can stay outside longer.