Proud Parents

 

This post is for the grandparents, we know Nana & Poppi and Oma & Opa will be very proud. Tonight the 3rd graders at Madeline's school had a performance in the gym. Each year the coaching staff at our school does an awesome job putting together a program for each grade level to show off all the fun ways the students learn to exercise in P.E. Both Madeline and James enjoy going to P.E. and learning from Coach Kim. In the video above you will see Madeline come in as the 2nd girl wearing a maroon class t-shirt. Stephen and I got a kick out of this performance! Made us smile. 

Madeline was really excited to perform with her friends and show us what she's learned. Below I pointed her out with a red arrow. They started the program off doing stretches with their colored towels to the song "At the car wash". It was super cute!

Another proud moment we had to share for the grandparents is a video of James reading this evening before bed.

   

James has made vast improvements! His teacher called me last week to let me know how James has taken big steps to improve his speech and reading. He's had some minor speech delays pronouncing his "L" and "Th" sounds which in turn has affected his reading and put him a little behind. But he's been working hard at school and home, we couldn't be prouder! Listen to him read this short story, the best is his surprise ending. Wait for it at the end! :)

Slumber Party!

Kayla, Ashleigh, Madeline & Mia

Do you remember how exciting and fun slumber parties were when you were a girl? I need to dig up some of my childhood slumber party photos. I remember having all my girl friends and cousins over, lining up our sleeping bags along my parents living room floor, all snuggling up with our cabbage patch dolls. Well tonight Madeline hosted her first slumber party. She's had Mia sleepover, and she's gone to sleepover at Mia's - but she's never had several girls over for a slumber party. 2 of our old neighbor friends girls couldn't make it because they are off at camp this weekend, but these 3 girls came so we still had a party!

Before heading to the pool I had some leftover crafts to make foam visors from a past birthday party. So they all enjoyed making their own visors. James wanted to be included in this slumber party pic.

We had chili dogs and strawberries for dinner. Afterwards they all got into their pajamas and ate their ice cream cone desserts out on the trampoline.

Silly faces!

Ashleigh and Madeline do cheerleading together and at practice this week the local high school cheerleaders did a fun song and dance to get the girls spirits up. It's such a cute song. So I Googled it and the girls (and James :) enjoyed performing it tonight.

Lyrics: Form Banana, form-form banana, then you peel banana, peel-peel banana - then you go bananas, go-go bananas! :) 

So the girls all got cozy in the loft to watch a girly movie. James wanted to join them, so Ashleigh graciously gave up her spot on the floor so James could snuggle under the big blanket. What does he do to assure he remains accepted by the girls - a Dutch oven. Eeeeeewwww gross! 

It's been a fun evening so far. 

Gotta go, they are performing a fashion show for me now!

Computer Time

Update: Madeline's dental appointment is scheduled for the 9th. Okay so earlier this week I received an email from Mia, Madeline's friend. Her parents had set up an email account for her. She asked if Madeline could email back and fourth with her. I hadn't really thought to set up an email for Madeline, but it's a good way for her to practice her typing and write friends and family. I loved writing pen pals when I was a kid, but I did it the old fashion way. :) So Bill (Mia's dad) gave me a tip to set up a personal login for Madeline. This way I can set parental control, make sure she can't download anything and I can get a report of anything she does online. I gave Madeline a Hannah Montana desktop background and then some shortcut icons to take her straight to her email or to the interactive games I allow her and James to play.

She's been having fun checking her email each day.

I let the kids play games on PBS kids, McWorld, Barbie and Truck Town. Almost all the games on there seem to have some sort of learning objective attached. The kids enjoy it, and I'm glad they are using their brains. :)

So school starts for Madeline in 3 weeks. To be honest, I'm ready for summer to be done and Fall to arrive. It's been a really hot summer, I think we've had the worst drought in over 100 years. I know many other parts of the country are experiencing the same or some sort of weird weather. I captured this shot of Penny after she came inside from the 100 degree heat. She laid down on the nice, cool kitchen floor. 

Discipline Mistakes Most Parents Make

Today on Facebook one of my fellow Catholic Mom bloggers shared a link to this Parenting Article by Ginger Plowman on the Christian Broadcasting Network. So I read through the list of mistakes and I have to say I was guilty of nearly all of them! Aaaahhhhh! I really liked the effective parenting tips they gave at the end of the article. So I thought this was worth blogging about. I'll list the mistakes and give examples highlighted in red where I've made them.

Bribing.  To bribe a child into obeying is to motivate him wrongly.  Bribing encourages children in selfishness, as their motive for obeying is personal gain... Children should be taught to obey because it is right and because it pleases God, not to get a reward. The Bible says, “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord” (Colossians 3:20). We should simply state the standard and follow through with consequences when that standard is violated.
Okay so I don't know how many times I've said, "Madeline and James if you behave well while we shop then I'll let you get a candy when we check out." Or "Madeline and James if you keep misbehaving then we won't go to McDonald's later like we planned."

Counting to Three. As we train our children to obey us we are ultimately training them to obey Jesus. Do we want our children to obey God the first time, the second time, or the third time? When we count to three, we cause our children to get into the habit of delayed obedience. Delayed obedience is disobedience. Counting to three encourages them to put off obeying until absolutely necessary. We want our children to view obedience as their best option, not a choice that is put off until the last minute.
Guilty on a daily basis, both Stephen and I! Whether it's us asking the kids to stop doing something, to start doing something, or to do as they are told. I must say though, by the time we reach 3 whatever we are asking or telling gets done. But I understand what the author is saying here by teaching them delayed obedience. Although I witnessed Madeline's school teacher counting down as the kids picked up any messes in the classroom. Also when we count to 3 on the rare occasion it doesn't work, the kids have a consequence and we follow through on that.


Appealing to their emotions.  Parents often try to appeal to the emotions of the child by making them feel guilty. “After all I do for you, this is how you repay me,” moans the parent with a sad face.  It’s easy for us to feel sorry for ourselves and think that our children “owe us” obedience.  However, we want our children’s motives for obeying to come from a heart to please God not from a parent inflicted guilt trip.
Guilty again, at least with Madeline I recall saying something like this. And usually it's because it's at my wits end. The last time I recall I said something like "You know it makes mommy and God disappointed that you don't obey me, why do you behave well for your teachers but not me!?". So I guess I was half wrong there by trying to make her feel guilty for behaving well for her teachers and not me. I do try to explain to her that it pleases God when she honors and obeys us. Guess I need to explain that better.

Repeating or going back on instructions.  In studying some the most of admirable and successful generals of our country, I have found that they all had one thing in common:  they were certain of their commands before they issued them.  Soldiers do not respect or respond well to an uncertain and inconsistent leader.  Paul said it best in 1 Corinthians 14:8, “For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?” (NKJ)  Likewise, when Mom issues half-hearted commands to her children and doesn’t require her children to follow through immediately, she sends them mixed signals.  Not only will this sort of leadership earn Mom the “most wishy-washy in command” medal, but it will also cause her children to question their own positions in the family.  They will become uncertain of when and how to respond to Mom’s instructions.  This can lead to insecure children who are unsure of their own actions.  However, when we lead our “troops” with confidence, they find security and stability in their call to obedience. 

We should never issue a warning or command without following it through. This rule of thumb requires that we think before we speak. In Matthew we are told, “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37). We should try not to say “yes” or “no” to something until we are sure that it is our definite answer. According to Proverbs 15:28 it is biblical that we think before speaking: “The heart of the righteous weighs its answers.” Let us weigh our answers, give confident commands, and raise up a mighty army for the Lord!

I have to say I do try real hard to follow through with my "commands" and consequences. But there have been times where I am preoccupied, busy, or exhausted where I will just change my mind just to get Madeline or James to stop whinning. No wonder they whine sometimes, they know I can be wishy-washy in my commands sometimes.

So how do I fix these mistakes, the article gives these suggestions:

Obedience is complete, immediate, and evinced with joy.  You might teach this concept to younger children by explaining that obedience is all the way, right away, and with a joyful heart.
Madeline and James often moan and groan when we instruct them, probably because we're moaning and groaning when we're disciplining them. We definitely need to explain this concept so we ALL can have more joyful hearts when getting things done.

Don’t be wishy-washy or you’ll raise wishy-washy children who have a hard time determining when to and when not to submit to authority.  Determine the “family rules” and establish a strong family identity in Christ by expecting your children to obey authority.
I think Stephen and I already try not to be wishy-washy. But I like the idea of coming up with some "family rules" - maybe I will print them out and post them in our kitchen.

Faithfully administer consequences when children disobey. When disobedience is met with consequences children learn the law of the harvest. They learn that God has built the principle of sowing and reaping into their worlds. While administering consequences is not pleasant, it’s a prerequisite for peace: “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).
We are pretty faithful already with following through with administering consequences, but I'm thinking maybe our consequences need to be a little more severe than time outs on the naughty step or in their bedrooms, or cleaning an entire room up.

So what do you think about the topics this article brought up? It was very informative to me, I learned a lot and hope to apply the suggestions and tips to our family unit.

What if...

This weekend we experienced one of those scary parent "what if..." moments. You know the sort of stories you read about in the news such as "what if that happened to my child" or "what if my child was taken". Actually I'm dealing with it better than I thought, probably because I was not home when it occurred.

It was Sunday afternoon and Madeline and I were out at a birthday party and picking up some Halloween candy from the grocery store. Stephen and James were hanging out at home. Stephen decided to jump in the shower, so he put on a cartoon for James in our upstairs loft and then left the bathroom door open down the hall while he showered. When he got out of the shower he called out for James like he normally does to check in and make sure he was okay. When James did not answer back, Stephen thought he probably went downstairs for something. So he headed downstairs in his towel to check on James. As he came downstairs he found 2 strange men standing inside our home. James was standing next to them with our front door wide open. Stephen shocked with the situation yelled at these men asking what they were doing inside our house and to get out! They mumbled that they were looking for Daniel and must have the wrong house. They quickly left. Stephen had locked our front door before getting in the shower. But when James heard someone at the door, he unlocked and opened the door.

Why did these men step in our home though if they weren't sure it was Daniel's? Especially when a 4 year old boy just answers the door. How long were they inside? Were they really looking for Daniel or were they scoping things out?

What if they had taken James!?

Thankfully by God's grace nothing worse happened. Stephen got dressed and had a very serious and emotional talk with James about strangers and answering the door without mom or dad. I think James realized it was wrong to open the door for these men when his daddy started yelling at them. The kids get excited when they hear the doorbell ring or a knock at the door, but we're constantly telling them not to run up to the door, look out the front window or talk really loud because sometimes strangers might come to the door and we don't want to answer it or talk with them. James figured out how to unlock the door probably a couple of months ago but we've never really had a problem with him opening it until now.

After this occurred I definitely felt uneasy. Today I installed a surface bolt (pictured above) as an extra lock to keep intruders from coming in, but also as a safety measure to keep the kids inside and prevent them from opening the door while we're home but maybe preoccupied with something in a different area of the house. It's high and difficult enough that the kids can't unlock the bolt. I feel better now.

Oh and what did our beloved Penny Lane do when these strange men came inside our home, nothing...she actually ran outside the front door to play in the front yard. Some guard dog (she's always giving her deep bark and growls when she's inside and hears something outside which is usually just a loud car). But I guess we've never trained her to ward off strangers. Maybe that's next on our to-do list.

Good Answer Madeline

Tonight's conversation went like this...

Leaving Culver's after having a yummy family dinner:

Me: "You want me to drive?"

Stephen: "Uh ya..." (tired and with a full belly)

Me: "Vroom...vroom" (testing the horse power on the Super Sport Stephen brought home from work).

Stephen: "You better hurry." (noticing the yellow light I'm just about to run)

Me: "Vroom...vroom" (running the yellow light & testing the horse power on the Super Sport).

Madeline: "Mommy that light was yellow, that means you're supposed to slow down."

Me: "You're right Madeline, Mommy should have slowed down."

Stephen: (chuckling) "Ya Madeline, Daddy is just the better driver." (snicker)

Me: "Madeline, who is the better driver...Mommy or Daddy?"

Madeline: (long pause) "You both are!" :)

Stephen: "What!?"

Me: "Good answer Madeline." (snicker)

Transitioning from 2 to 3

So having a puppy is really like having another child...more so like having a newborn. Penny has had numerous "accidents" in the house. But she's getting better. If we put her outside right after she wakes up, she'll do her business right away. And she's even going to the back door when she feels the urge to go outside. The first 2 nights she slept pretty well and only woke up once each night whimpering for attention. But last night she woke up 4-5 times! Reminded me of "The Lady and the Tramp" when little lady whimpered and howled that first night. LOL Right now we're trying to find and buy a doghouse for her. She'll eventually be sleeping outside on the back porch. Actually the farmhouse she came from, she was already sleeping outside - so we're hoping the transition will go smooth and she won't whimper or howl too much and wake the neighbors.


We've been getting many comments that the kids look taller and have grown a lot recently. So I thought I'd post these cute pics of them. Actually looking a James, he does look taller to me in this photo. They both recovered fine from their vaccinations. A tiny bruising where the shots were given and Madeline just felt sluggish that first 24 hours.

We got Penny Lane a new rope toy, she loves to play "tug-o-war" and will even growl as you are pulling it from her.

Madeline runs around the house dragging her jump rope and Penny chases after it. Then once she grabs hold of it, Madeline starts twirling the jump rope with her.

James' horse has become one of Penny's new friends. She growls at her, bites her tail and harness and runs in circles around her. It's pretty funny!

What Laughter Looks Like

*Blogger is having trouble uploading the slideshow, click here to take you to the direct link.

I love to hear the sound of my children's laughter, I think every parent does. How does that famous quote go..."A day without laughter is a day wasted". After an intense 2 days of training at my job I sure needed an evening like this with my kiddos! My training was fantastic, the Photoshop guru that trained me was awesome...I learned many new things but most important he helped me retain many things I already learned but just had forgotten since I've been out of the industry for awhile. I feel more confident now, that I can ease into my new Print Client/Artist position. I sure have missed my hubby though...in the past 48 hours I believe I've seen him (awake) for a total of 8 minutes. My training has been from 8am-5pm and he's been working the 5pm-2am shift. We are so thankful to our friend and next door neighbor, Jimmena, to have watched Madeline and James the past 2 afternoons while Stephen and I have gone to and from work. So tomorrow I look forward going back to my half day work schedule.

Picture People Portraits

I finally took the kids in for those Child ID Kits I posted about before. Just wanted to share some cute shots from their photo session.

Sugar Cookies

So our entire Ohana has caught a cold. We've all got sore throats, congested sinuses, it's the pits. I thought I'd bake some comfort food today. I looked online for a simple Sugar Cookie recipe and found this one. Heck what wouldn't taste good with 1 cup of butter in the ingredients!?

Madeline loves to help me when we bake stuff. She loves to do the mixer.

The kids favorite part, licking the mixer things
(was always my favorite thing to do as a kid too!).

My first batch out of the oven came all smooshed (I placed them too close together on the baking sheet). But my batches afterwards turned out round. I sprinkled them with colored sugar and some with chocolate mint sprinkles. They came out super yummy! I recommend the recipe!

Spring is here...

"Spring is here, Spring is here, It's the best time of the year!" I have this song stuck in my head from one of the kid's cartoons. LOL

So during the winter, my hibiscus tree that sits outside our front door became very bare. Stephen was sure I killed it. But I was confident it would bloom once again this Spring. I of course was right! (See photos below :-)


Such beauty!


The kids admiring the new blooms!


Stephen fertilizing the dead spots in our grass due to the sloped area. (Stephen's now back to mowing the grass every week.)


James checking things out!


"I can almost reach it!"

Aren't they beautiful?

Hearing their laughter makes my heart soar.