Mom vs. the Dot: Making it COUNT!

The neighbors are sending their kids to swim lessons, gymnastics, soccer and art classes.  They eat dinner in their mini-van.  I don't know how they find time to do their homework or laundry, or even talk to each other. But this is the story for many families in our community. We don't do any of these things.  Home.  Homeschool.  Library.  Church.  Walmart.  Grocery store and occasional doctor's appointments.  These are the places we go.  This is what we do.     This may be largely due to our lack of disposable income. But preceding that, my husband and I think this is so good for our kids. They have plenty of free time.  We went to the circus a few weeks ago, so this week they created a circus, complete with carnival games and 3-ring acts.  They get to sleep in as late as they want to every day except Sundays.  I think this is exceptionally good for them, as they are constantly growing and need ext...

We have spent time on firsts for everyone this summer: Pumping themselves on the swings Trying gymnastics Learning to swim Learning to ride a bike without training wheels Trying the fireman's pole at the park First time on a roller coaster First sleepout in a tent ...yesterday's first was going down the "big" fireman's pole at the park.  A big accomplishment for our child who is scared of heights.  She watched her 5-year-old sister slip down the pole, and then a 6-year-old boy sped down it a few times.  Enough was enough - she was much older than those two and should be able to do this, too!  So down she went. Today's first was riding her bike at the park.  We practiced all week, up and down the driveway until my back ached.  We had told her "No video games until you learn to ride your bike!"  It was time.  8 years old is plenty old enough to ride her bike.  But she was afraid, so it required action. And she was so plea...

Overheard conversation between my husband and our three-year-old son: "Why do we go to the dentist?"  Asked my reluctant-to-go-to-the-dentist child. "Because you have teeth," stated my husband. Without waiting for further "why's" (because he knew they were coming), he continued: "If you didn't have teeth, you wouldn't have to go to the dentist,   and if you don't go to the dentist, you won't have teeth." There were no questions after that.  Can you believe it?  If it had been me, I would've spent 10 minutes going back and forth with our boy child, getting nowhere. I love my husband.  I would've tried to sweeten the deal and nice-talk about the dentist,  but my logic-driven husband said the first and most logical thing that came to his mind.  End of story. There is a beauty in the difference between moms and dads, and the way we parent.   I am so thankful that difference exists,  and that ou...

This week, I have tried to include a lesson or story about Easter every day during breakfast with my kids.  I have read Bible stories, shared detailed devotions, and personal stories of what I thought Easter was when I was a child. The goal of this time together is to share the Great News about Jesus Christ with my kids. My almost 8-year-old, who asked Jesus into her life at age 2 1/2, was drawing Easter pictures today.  I was so proud of her recall and artistic ability as she diligently depicted the events leading up to Easter on construction paper eggs.  We were making decorations to hang in her Sunday School hallway, and she is always willing to draw pictures, especially if they will be displayed.  So she drew a picture of the tomb with the stone rolled away and the women who were walking there to take care of Jesus' body on Easter morning.  Oh how precious! And then I spotted the giant purple Easter bunny just down the hill from the tomb.  Here...

Do you remember when Walmart first installed the self-checkout lines?  They were so cool! Over a decade ago, I went with my future husband to pick up a few items at Walmart and had a funny surprise:  while I was waiting for him to check out his purchases, I leaned up against the checkout area.  When he placed his purchase there, the machine loudly declared, "UNEXPECTED ITEM!"  Josh looked at me with a funny grin on his face and said, "Yep - You're my unexpected item!"  He realized all the items had specific weights and my leaning on the scale (of which I was unaware) caused the alarm to go off. Neither one of us expected to find the perfect match, yet there we were! As married life has progressed, I've heard the mental shout of "UNEXPECTED ITEM" many times.  After two years of marriage, we decided it was time to try to have a baby.  When the baby came, it was an Unexpected Item.  I thought having a baby meant having a sweet little someone...

My baby boy - now 3 1/2 years old - was scared. Scared of the dark. Why? Because he watched a Batman cartoon where Superman is killed by Joker (he revives later in the episode when Batman rescues him) and had been scared of the dark for weeks after that fateful viewing.  He slept with his lamp on.  He feared the shadows on the ceiling were Joker coming to get him. I banned the dvd from kids' viewing choices, but I'm stuck with the after-effects.  Comic books and superheros are my husband's department.  They were from his collection of dvd's.  I don't like to sit and watch cartoons, so my little ones viewed this without my supervision.  Yep, I take the blame, but I have also had to deal with his fear of the dark and the guy on the ceiling. Oh yes - I've had my comeuppance. My little boy didn't want to go to sleep up until 10:30, when we'd rather to be watching a "grown up" (aka non-cartoon) show.  A little visitor would come at 2...

  1a.  Leave the kids at home with your spouse. If you can't leave the kids at home, 1b.  Feed Them!  Give your kids a snack and allow potty breaks before you leave the house.  I know it's a pain to stop and make a snack before you leave home, but it's worth it.  Fuller tummies means less whiny shoppers. 2.  Make a List!  Have the children make a list before they leave home.  Scribbles and pictures are fine.  Good spelling practice for older children.  Gives them something specific to look for during the trip. 3.  Make a List!  Before you leave your house, make a detailed list of what you need.  You are less likely to browse and buy items you don't need when you have a list, and you are more likely to find what you need as you pass through each aisle, instead of backtracking through aisles.  I keep my list simple: Breakfast            ...

"Guys With Kids" on NBC - not since "Full House" has a show tried to bolster the image of dads in our culture.  Too bad it's been canceled.  Maybe American moms don't believe dads can do the job. Maybe it wasn't sleazy enough for prime time t.v. I am going to the store this evening, so that means hubby will be watching the children by himself for an hour or two. When our kids were little, I would run around preparing sippy cups and snacks, laying out extra outfits and diapering supplies.  I'd give instructions to my hubby about what he was to do with them during the time I would be gone. I was worried what might happen with our children while I was gone.  Not that they were in any danger.  That wasn't it.  I was worried that my dear husband wouldn't do things the way I   do them. Several years have passed and we've come to an understanding:  Daddies parent differently than mommies and that's okay. Mommy plans stru...

Underpants in my toilet. "Why are there superhero underpants in the toilet?!!  I actually said this aloud this afternoon.  It's one of those things that surprises you when it exits your mouth because it's so crazy...who lives this way? We do. Millions of other parents do. We live with children.  They are not orderly or quiet, and they do not have good manners.  They have no sense of duty, nor responsibility.  They are born this way. My three-year-old son is in the middle of the potty training marathon.  When nature calls, he marches upstairs and removes his pants, then lowers his underoos and kicks a field goal with them before he plops himself on his little froggy potty.  Those little underpants land in the darndest places.   I've found them in the tub, the sink, and all over the bathroom - sometimes behind the toilet, and when he's especially lucky, in the toilet.  Goal!! I had none of those mythical children who...