Better Late Than Never......

So I'd been meaning to write this in my blog so I wouldn't forget it. Here it is almost Valentine's Day and this happened on Christmas day! hahaha! Oh well!


So it was Christmas morning. Isaiah was playing on the new scooter he got. I wish we could remember what Theo said to him. Neither of us could remember directly after Isaiah's response. But anyways, Theo told Isaiah something to do. Isaiah turned right around, looked Theo straight and the eye and said "First of all! Don't speak to me like that!" OH.MY.GOODNESS.....WHAT?!?!?! I spent my time trying to hold in the huge fit of laughter. Theo on the other hand jumped right up and disciplined Isaiah. The thing that makes it so funny is that quite frequently I say to Isaiah "First of all! You don't speak to me like that!" and then I'll continue with the second of all. So he was directly quoting me! Which made it SOOOOO funny! My Mom joked saying "He didn't even get to make it to the second of all!" hahaha! Oh man....it was SUCH a good laugh, and I'd been meaning to blog it so I can remember it forever. So now I finally have. Good times! Kids are parrots man! Watch what you say! :)

Welcoming a New Family Member

So last night we welcomed a new family member into our household! His name is P.J and he is a 5 year old yellow Labrador! We are re-naming him Pajamas! :) He is THE sweetest thing I've ever met! Last night was a bit rough. We didn't get him until 8pm and so when we came home and wanted to go to bed, he was not okay with that. He whined quite a bit and paced ALLLLL night! Eventually around 2a.m. I closed our bedroom door and I think he got the hint. It was fairly quiet until around 6a.m. when we woke up to get him ready to go to the vet. We wanted to get his shots up to date asap and get him spayed. So he'll probably hate me when I pick him up this afternoon. But we gotta make sure he's healthy and up to date on shots just in case something happens! The only issue thus far? My allergies. I have lived with Labs and Golden Retrievers....so I can't figure out why my eyes are itching so badly and I'm sneezing like crazy. OH! And the itchy throat. NOT cool! However, I was having some allergies BEFORE he came here. Also, his previous owner said she bathed him the night before...so maybe it's the shampoo she used. Plus she was a smoker...so maybe all of that is just on him and I'm having issues with that. I'm PRAYING that's it! Because I'd hate to have to give him up. :( Hopefully I'm not really allergic to him and we'll get to keep him. The boys are pretty excited. Well, Isaiah. Collin really doesn't have a clue. They've met him already but they have yet to see him in their own home. They were asleep when we came home with him, and I had to leave before they were up this morning to take him to the vet. So we'll see how things go tonight! But so far....so good! :) Also, I want to make note that I was SOOOOO impressed at his behavior at the vet. There were a TON of cats and other dogs and he sat when I told him too and didn't bark and really was the best behaved dog there! Hooray for that! :)

Spare the rod....spoil the child....

So something happened today. Recently I moved the boys bedroom to the guest room. Basically switching the rooms around. And by recently I mean, yesterday. Anyways, the boys now have a WAY bigger bedroom that's attached to the sunroom (which is their playroom). Besides their beds I basically only added a toy organizing shelf structure. Well both boys have happily played today either in the sunroom or the bedroom. Which-as a side note....I have enjoyed immensely! LOL Anyways, at one point I heard the bucket of cars being poured onto the carpet! Eh, whatever. They were giggling and happy...no worries. Eventually things seemed a bit TOO quiet...so I ventured to the "Great UnKnown!" hahahahahaha! Anyways, I open their door and find the buckets to the organizing structure all over the place, every content dumped onto the floor and the structure itself? On the floor with BOTH boys on top of it! Seriously?! So the very first thing out of my mouth? "What do you think you're doing?!" Of course Collin scampers off like he was never a part of the situation (Theo and I frequently die of laughter at the fact that Collin is forever stirring things up/initiating things and then just scurrying away like he was never a part of it....it's funny now cause he's barely 1yr....but eventually that's gonna get old! LOL) and Isaiah immediately looks guilty. Here's how the conversation goes.


Hannah: You knew you were doing something you weren't supposed to, didn't you?
Isaiah:*extremely guilty look and slight nod of the head*
Hannah:Isaiah Brent. I am not happy with your decisions. I'm very dissapointed in you.
Isaiah: *lowers his head in sadness*

*We then start to clean up and organize the toys (which I am VERY proud to say, Isaiah at a little over 2.5 can organize toys and sort them and put them in the right buckets-as long as I leave 1 example in each one)*

Isaiah:I'm sorry Momma! I didn't want to make bad decisions. I'm sorry Momma! I don't wanna disappoint you anymore!"


So sweet right? The point of me recording this is because I wanted to record my parenting style. As most of you who read this (as few of you as there is)know I try my HARDEST to parent according to how God says we should. I use the Bible as my guideline. Which brings me to the verse in Proverbs 13:24 (KJV) "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes." The Bible is VERY clear that you are to spank your child. VERY clear! However, people have different interpretations of how that should be done. My parents philosophy? Spank for every offence....period. Okay, maybe I exaggerate...but my parents were definitely heavy on the spanking. VERY heavy. Being the oldest, I received the full on brunt of "how do we go about disciplining and raising our children?" All oldest children know EXACTLY what I'm talking about! I was spanked WELL into my teens...my youngest siblings last spanking was probably when he was 9! LOL Anyways, my point is....I'm not my parents. I believe that God tells us in the Bible TOOLS to teach and raise our children. I do believe things like the above quoted verse are very clear that you should spank and that it's good for your child. Anyone ever notice that he didn't say "But" afterwards? Or "Certain children shouldn't be spanked because of disabilities etc"? I find it interesting! He gave a blanket rule to raise a child. Period end of story. But I've found through reading the whole Bible over and over that sometimes we as Children of God need a "spanking" so to speak. We have hard trails that feel like we'll never survive. That's what I call the spankings. But have you ever been through life and gone over a slight pump and the whole time you just feel God speaking to your heart: teaching you, loving you, encouraging you. I believe that should be mirrored in raising my children. I was very happy today when I made the conscious decision to not yell at my child, not spank him, not assume things upon him (something that happened to me FREQUENTLY in my childhood....being the oldest of 4 my parents were quick to jump on me and discipline me and not ask me/listen to me etc as to what really happened...but that's another story in itself) and simply speak to my child. And guess what? I feel he learned his lesson FAR more than he would've had I spanked him etc. So it made me happy that a conscious decision I made in my mind right then and there was really the right thing to do! Some may see this as criticizing my parents or being disrespectful to them or someone else's beliefs. That's not why I'm blogging about this. I am blogging about MY experiences and what God has convicted of MY heart. What you choose to do with your children is your own thing. My parents chose to raise my siblings and I a certain way...that was their choice. And as their child, I saw things I didn't agree with and wanted to change when raising my children. So that's my whole point in this blog. Simply to record my dealings/raising/beliefs of my children! :)

To Continue Cribbing or Toddler Bed It!

So I've decided to upgrade the boys room a bit. I've always had it as their sleeping quarters and that's about it. I kept things simple and breakables out of their room because Isaiah has been in the toddler bed since we moved here. He was about 15mo when we moved here. He was so past ready for his toddler bed. Ever since he slept in it he's loved it to death! Well now Collin is expressing interest of Isaiah's toddler bed. Which is awesome. So now the question is whether to keep him in his crib or move to the toddler bed? Honestly, he might be ready for the toddler bed if I "baby proof" their room a bit more. But I'm not so sure my heart can take it. Besides the move here....it'll be the first time the crib will be taken down. :( Until goodness knows when. At least when I took it down for the move I knew it was going back up for another baby. Now? It'll just be taken down for goodness knows how long and I'm not so sure my heart can take it. Plus do I honestly want a wild child free to roam around his room any time of night? haha! I don't think so. So for my hearts sake...and probably more sanity's sake.....cribbing it will stay! :)

Doctor Doctor Gimmie the News!

So I meant to blog about this the other day and forgot! Silly me! I need to remember that funny/happy things past quickly with two children! I need to write it down right away! This happened just a few days ago (less than 1 week) so I consider myself still fairly on top of things. haha!


So the other day I was laying on the living room floor playing with the boys. I'm not quite sure how, but some how this playing on the floor session turned into "I'm The Doctor". Isaiah took it upon himself to be the Doctor. He had a walkie talking thing that actually is a baby monitor. haha! He continually stuck the antenna in my mouth to check my temperature. He also had some odd toy. I can't remember what it was (this is why I should blog right away). He would constantly check me. He used the tip of his antenna to check my fingers/toes/legs/hands/arms/face/ears etc. Here are a few things that he said throughout us playing. And by playing I mean, me lying there and him poking and prodding me. LOL!



After examining my hand he points to the lines in the palm of my hand and informs me "They're just breathing." Mmkay then!

One of the many times he stuck the antenna in my mouth I coughed while it was in my mouth and responded with a very emphatic "Don't get your dead on my tools" This to me was hilarious and I laid there laughing on the floor so hard. He just stared at me like "This is not a game lady! I'm dead serious! No dead on my tools or we're done!" LOL

At some point he said "I have to pour milk in your nose just like Dr Severance!" May I mention here that Dr Severance is our family doctor and has NEVER EVER mentioned anything remotely like pouring milk in your nose. LOL


So this concludes my story of Doctor! :)

Lying

Why do I feel it's okay to lie? Why is it that every time I feel a certain way to spare someone's feelings I lie? Yes, that may sound noble to some. Some might say "Oh! A little white lie doesn't hurt." The truth is....it DOES! The Bible speaks very much against lying. Did you ever come across an example of Christ lying? So why do we (as Christians) think it's okay to lie for whatever reason? You don't wanna hurt someone's feelings, you don't want to ruin a surprise for someone, you don't wanna crush someone's dream. All those things come off and appear to be noble causes. Let's start with some scripture

1) "Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right." Proverbs 16:13 (KJV)
2)"The desire of a man is his kindness: and a poor man is better than a liar." Proverbs 19:22 (KJV)
3) "Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight." Proverbs 12:22
4) "The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment." Proverbs 12:19

So there is a small handful of verses that say that lying is NOT good. It didn't say "lying isn't good BUT" No....lying isn't good. Period. The reason I decided to write this blog is because I'm angry with myself. I'm upset that I've lost sight of what God says is right. Yes, I know we all stumble sometimes. And I DO know God forgives. But I'm angry at myself for getting something so simple wrong. Just something to humble me. So, as of today I'm going to work harder on making sure everything that comes out of my mouth or anything I write is honest. Even if it is wrong, I need to make sure that I am being truthful with myself and with others. There's a reason why people say "The truth hurts" Because sometimes telling the truth can really hurt. Not just the person you're saying it to, but to yourself. It's not easy to be honest. So let's set a few things straight for the record. Just to get myself started right.

1) I have my own personal beliefs. I will not judge you for yours. I might not agree but that doesn't mean I'm judging you.
2) Posting something publicly on Facebook/Twitter/MySpace(if anyone still uses that lol) allows for other people to say their opinions. I am VERY careful about what I post on Facebook now. I didn't use to be as good at it. But now I am very careful. I understand that if I post something containing my opinion/thoughts that it's OKAY if someone posts theirs in return. That's how the social network works! Just because I respond back with maybe a little fight/oomph doesn't mean I'm judging you/yelling at you etc. It simply means I'm defending how I feel. Period.
3)What I post in my blog I A)Expect very few people to read and B)Feel I can vent/talk whatever I want without receiving any backlash for it. That's what blogs are for. To post your own feelings/thoughts (whether good or bad) and it's your right to do. I do not expect that you agree with everything I write, but since my blog is more private (kind of like a diary) I expect that people treat my opinions/feelings with respect and basically keep your thoughts to yourself if you don't agree. Social networks are where people can comment back. Blogs have comments to encourage/agree. Not start disputes. lol At least that's what I feel a blog is.

So I guess that's it for this blog. I just needed to get that out. I've got some apologizing and things to make right after this. -sigh-

The Essential Tools to Caring For and Raising a Child!

So earlier this morning as I was showering off Collin, it occurred to me that A)I haven't blogged in awhile and B)I should specifically blog about "tools" I feel necessary for the survival of caring for and raising a child. So, here I am blogging later in the day about such things! :)

First, let's start with a "tool" you wouldn't typically think of! A pull down shower head. Some of you may be thinking "Huh?!" Let me explain. When I first had Isaiah we would either put him in the kitchen sink or use the baby bath in the bathtub (but just put water in the baby bath. Since I gave birth to Isaiah via c-section I wasn't supposed to do much bending. So bathing him in the kitchen sink worked well because it was at a GREAT level to wear bending was not needed at all! I would just lay a towel on the counter next to the sink and that's what he'd go on when I was done washing him off. Unfortunately the kitchen sink didn't work long for Isaiah Brent. Since he weighed in at a whopping 9lbs 7oz AT BIRTH...he quickly outgrew the kitchen sink. The baby bath in the bathtub was worked okay for awhile. But while my knees were grinding into the cold tiles on the floor (No towel can cushion enough...trust me.) I noticed an ache in my lower back developing. Not to mention it felt like my incision was tight and probably stretching more than necessary. This was VERY annoying to me, but I thought it was the only way to get my child clean. Eventually I healed from my incision and Isaiah grew bigger and was able to sit up in the bathtub. I then though "The end to my suffering at bath time is over!!!!" My celebration was a BIT premature. Guess who still ended up on their knees bathing the child? Oh! Right! This silly Mother who dared think bath time would be easy because the baby could sit up! Silly, silly Mother I am! Due to the lower back pain that would make bath time near unbearable, I tried many things to relieve this pain. Sitting on the small side of the bathtub. As most of you know, I am NO small woman. So sitting on the side of the bathtub was more like an elephant trying to sit on a 4X4 plank. Not gonna happen! EVER! Then I would try sitting on the toilet and reaching over to the tub. That only served to make it more agonizing. Then I discovered "showering with you child"! OH! Hey! I can take a shower and hold him on my hip and bathe him off easier than I can do this whole bath time thing. Cool beans! Well, that's only good if you have an extra person there ready to take the clean baby from you, so you can continue your showering. I will note though, my children have LOVED showering with me. It's something about the naked bonding with your baby that seems natural. Having warm water soothe you. This may sound perverted...but I sure you...both of my children have LOVED shower time with Momma and Daddy. Of course I will also note that my children were all under 1 year of age when doing this. My oldest is now 2.5 and occasionally he will shower with me, but he stands on his own. LOL Anyways, to continue. After trying and trying and TRYING to make bath time easier, I finally submitted to my agony and gave up! Nothing I could do would really improve the situation. So like lots of things in motherhood...I would have to SUCK IT UP! Then I became pregnant with my second child. Dun-Dun-Dunnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!! Bath time became SO impossible that my oldest simply didn't get bathed unless Daddy was there to do it. Not only was the back pain worse with pregnancy, but I then had a HUGE belly in my way. Around the time it got really difficult and I just gave up bathing him at all, we moved to Michigan. The house we moved into had magic. GREAT magic! A pull down shower head! Whaaaaaaaattt?!?!?! The thought had NEVER occurred to me! A shower head you can pull down?!?! We also found a little tiny wooden step stool that someone had left in the house. Viola! Perfection and Magic!!!!!! Bath time became a BREEEEEEEZE. I became a more confident mother. Finally realizing that "Yes! I can care for my child! I can keep him clean! I can shower him EVERY SINGLE DAY if need be!!!! I am Super Mom! Hear my Roar!" And the angels sang! Being that my husband is gone far more often than he was gone at our last duty station, I definitely had to be able to bath my children. I cannot explain in words how much this useful simple feature has changed my world. Had we not moved into a house that had one, I never would have thought to buy one! Now, I sit on that handy dandy tiny step stool and pull the shower head down. Showering them off these days is a mega breeze! I simply sit on the my stool and "hose them down". And because you can pull the shower head down, they don't feel overwhelmed or scared of the massive amounts of water spraying towards their face. It's more easily controlled. So...to conclude this short story. A MUST-HAVE tool for every mother? Unless you're short to the ground and bending down into a tub doesn't hurt you all that much........A Pull Down Shower Head. Something so simple...yet something I will NEVER live without again!

Another "tool" I find handy are scheduled nap/quiet time and bedtime. Have you heard from other parents things like "My child refused to nap once he turned 2!" or "My kids were up until 10p.m. They just wouldn't go to sleep!" I've heard that over and over and over again. Here is my philosophy. First of all a parent NEEDS quiet time away from her children. Especially if she homeschools her children. (I know this because even though my children aren't of age to school yet, I've nannied 2 different families and homeschooled their children) Even more so especially if her husband is frequently gone and doesn't come home every night. A scheduled bedtime and nap/quiet time is KEY to not loosing your sanity! When your the only adult at the home front in charge of tending to the children there should be a small part of the day where you can sit down, catch your breath and put some food in your mouth. Because as all mother's know...eating is not a common occurrence in motherhood. You'll be so busy tending to the little one's, when your stomach finally DOES growl and you look up at the clock it's well on 1p.m. Even though you've been up since 6a.m. Anyways, here's the deal. If as a mother you don't want to loose your mind? You WILL in-cooperate scheduled bedtime/naptimes. For nap time, you don't have to nap BUT you will sit and be quiet in your room for at LEAST 1hour! Period. As for bedtime. Around here, for Collin it's 6:30p.m. (during the winter 7:30p.m. during the summer) and Isaiah it's (8p.m. during the winter and 9p.m. during the summer) Occasionally I will admit that when Daddy's home, Isaiah will be allowed to sit up a bit longer with Momma and Daddy. But he knows the rules. He HAS to be quiet. And when it's bedtime...it's bedtime. No exceptions. We will NOT have crying meltdowns or you will find yourself not only in your bed....but in your bed with a sore behind. Isaiah has tried only ONCE to throw a fit because he didn't want to go to bed. One time is all it took for him to realize the end result is worse than just getting into bed. LOL Yes, you might be thinking "You spank your children to go to bed!" Yes! I do! Because when I say it's time to do something...there are no questions asked. You obey! And when you don't....there are consequences...period. Plus I understand the importance of having MY own free time and space. I HAVE to have at least SOME of it or I will get angry and take it out unnecessarily on the children. Creating a bad situation.

So for now, this would conclude the 2 tools I feel are necessary and you can't live without when raising children. I have been interrupted while blogging, so now I must take off. BUT if I think of anything else, I'll post back here. Hope you have enjoyed! :)