He Walks Now...
...and his mother didn't fathom how heartbroken she would be about the whole thing. He's trying to not be a baby anymore. I don't like it.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Gratitude Part II, or "How Do I Get That Goodness In Me?!?"(to quote my dear friend)...and a couple of studies actually listed, to give myself some semblance of credibility.
In my previous post, I was very good at listing the benefits one receives from being grateful, but a little cryptic on how to do it (some people already know, but if you don't, I'm about to help you out).
By the way, I'm posting this, not because I am good at any of the techniques, but to motivate myself. When I came home from Education Week, I was all fired up, and I did a family night lesson about it (and my kids all still write in their gratitude journals, so they are more "expert" than I am), but then I let life get in the way, and haven't been writing in mine. I have started again at the "count blessings in my head" level. Which is an excellent level, right?
While listing blessings in your head is a great way to start and will generate some immediate benefits, the studies have found that if you take things just a little bit further, the magnitude of benefits increases. A lot.
There are a myriad of ways to increase gratitude, and they are all good, but it appears that the two most effective gratitude exercises for lasting physical and psychological results (according to a study done by Martin E.P. Seligman, Tracy A. Steen, Nansook Park and Christoper Peterson), are the following:
1. Keep a gratitude journal. Every day (or 3-4 times a week to reap good benefits), list one to three things (or more, if you'd like) you are grateful for. The key is to be specific, and to not list the same thing every day.
So rather than putting "I am thankful for my dog," put, "I am thankful for my dog, Chewy, because he braves the arctic winds and snow to go out and hunt food for our family, keeping us away from death's door."
1a. When you pray, pray about the things you wrote down in your gratitude journal. Thank your Heavenly Father for them. This wasn't listed in the studies, but the lady who spoke at Education Week mentioned it as a good idea. It really is a great idea. It enhances a person's prayers and feelings of gratitude not only for the people/things he listed in the journal, but also for the One Who Gave it All to us.
2. Periodically do a "Gratitude Visit." Write a very specific thank you/gratitude note to someone. Take time in the construction of the note. Think about what you are writing. Make it about a page long. Then, hand deliver it to the person, and read it to them face to face. Apparently, this is a life changing exercise. Positive effects generated by a single visit last a month or more.
A further note about the Gratitude Journal. One of the main studies on journaling was done by Edmonds and McCullough. In this study, subjects were divided into three groups. Those who journaled blessings, those who journaled hassles (negative things that happened in their day), and those who journaled neutral events (ie. "I got up and ate breakfast.").
When I heard about this study, after hearing about the positive effects of gratitude journaling, I thought, "those poor people who had to record their daily hassles! How funny! Here are these people in the blessings group, reaping these great benefits from recording blessings, and the hassles people are probably sitting around, all depressed, and hounded with illnesses...heh, heh, heh."
Then it dawned on me...there are days when all I do are "record" hassles in my brain! I go over them and over them. And let me just say, these days don't usually end up getting labeled as "good." To put it mildly.
So sometimes I participate in the "hassles group" part of the study, but I am hoping that by consciously focusing on increasing my gratitude, I will find myself in the "blessings group" more often!
Will using other methods of increasing feelings of gratitude generate positive mental and physical benefits?
YEP!
Here, I am going to refer to you the Wall Street Journal's article again. Specifically, the little colored insert in the article. You will find it about half way down (if my link doesn't work). Click on it to see it large. This will give you more ideas of ways to increase your gratitude.
You can also find all sorts of ways online and in your head.
One I found in my head a couple weeks ago, that I am going to attempt to implement this year, is the "Gratitude Christmas Tree." I am going to set the tree up, with lights, but leave the ornaments in a box next to the tree. Each day, at some point when everyone is home at the same time (wish me luck with this--it may be at midnight), we will meet by the tree and discuss things we are grateful for from the day. For each "gratitude," we will put one ornament on our tree. (We are also doing small alpine trees-one for each kid- for little acts of service we do throughout the day...yes, I have a bunch of alpine trees, just sitting around...).
Some of you know the blogger at this address. If you click on the link, you will see something they have implemented in their family--a great idea that she found here. So fun!
An idea that the "Gratitude Lady" at Ed. Week had, that she has implemented, is to take a bunch of 3x5 cards and put something like "Thanks, you made my day" on them. Then, as you are out and about, and you see someone being kind to someone else, or someone who helps you in some way, or just needs a "pick me up," you can walk up to them, hand them a card, and tell them what it is for (or I guess you could quickly write down what it is for on the back of the card).
For example, you could hand someone a card and say "I really appreciated the way you didn't yell at your toddler when he was having a meltdown. You are a good mom," and hand them the card.
As I thought about how the "non-yelling mom" would feel to get a card, and know that someone noticed her patience, I got a the best feeling in my gut--an excited feeling. The feeling you get when you know you have the best present to give someone at Christmastime and can hardly wait to give it to them. What a great idea!
One more idea: use your blog (or start one) to motivate you to post your blessings. Here are a few examples: one, two, three. You will notice, these guys actually blog about what they are grateful for, rather than spewing forth evidence on how to be, and why to be grateful. :) There are probably other sites on my blog roll to the right that post blessings on the blog...those three just came to mind quickly.
Now, lest you get overwhelmed with ideas (I hate that feeling), remember that just taking time out during the day to go over blessings in your head will give you noticeable benefits. Start there. I know I am.
I am grateful to you, who managed to read this whole, long post. Hugs!
In my previous post, I was very good at listing the benefits one receives from being grateful, but a little cryptic on how to do it (some people already know, but if you don't, I'm about to help you out).
By the way, I'm posting this, not because I am good at any of the techniques, but to motivate myself. When I came home from Education Week, I was all fired up, and I did a family night lesson about it (and my kids all still write in their gratitude journals, so they are more "expert" than I am), but then I let life get in the way, and haven't been writing in mine. I have started again at the "count blessings in my head" level. Which is an excellent level, right?
While listing blessings in your head is a great way to start and will generate some immediate benefits, the studies have found that if you take things just a little bit further, the magnitude of benefits increases. A lot.
There are a myriad of ways to increase gratitude, and they are all good, but it appears that the two most effective gratitude exercises for lasting physical and psychological results (according to a study done by Martin E.P. Seligman, Tracy A. Steen, Nansook Park and Christoper Peterson), are the following:
1. Keep a gratitude journal. Every day (or 3-4 times a week to reap good benefits), list one to three things (or more, if you'd like) you are grateful for. The key is to be specific, and to not list the same thing every day.
So rather than putting "I am thankful for my dog," put, "I am thankful for my dog, Chewy, because he braves the arctic winds and snow to go out and hunt food for our family, keeping us away from death's door."
1a. When you pray, pray about the things you wrote down in your gratitude journal. Thank your Heavenly Father for them. This wasn't listed in the studies, but the lady who spoke at Education Week mentioned it as a good idea. It really is a great idea. It enhances a person's prayers and feelings of gratitude not only for the people/things he listed in the journal, but also for the One Who Gave it All to us.
2. Periodically do a "Gratitude Visit." Write a very specific thank you/gratitude note to someone. Take time in the construction of the note. Think about what you are writing. Make it about a page long. Then, hand deliver it to the person, and read it to them face to face. Apparently, this is a life changing exercise. Positive effects generated by a single visit last a month or more.
A further note about the Gratitude Journal. One of the main studies on journaling was done by Edmonds and McCullough. In this study, subjects were divided into three groups. Those who journaled blessings, those who journaled hassles (negative things that happened in their day), and those who journaled neutral events (ie. "I got up and ate breakfast.").
When I heard about this study, after hearing about the positive effects of gratitude journaling, I thought, "those poor people who had to record their daily hassles! How funny! Here are these people in the blessings group, reaping these great benefits from recording blessings, and the hassles people are probably sitting around, all depressed, and hounded with illnesses...heh, heh, heh."
Then it dawned on me...there are days when all I do are "record" hassles in my brain! I go over them and over them. And let me just say, these days don't usually end up getting labeled as "good." To put it mildly.
So sometimes I participate in the "hassles group" part of the study, but I am hoping that by consciously focusing on increasing my gratitude, I will find myself in the "blessings group" more often!
Will using other methods of increasing feelings of gratitude generate positive mental and physical benefits?
YEP!
Here, I am going to refer to you the Wall Street Journal's article again. Specifically, the little colored insert in the article. You will find it about half way down (if my link doesn't work). Click on it to see it large. This will give you more ideas of ways to increase your gratitude.
You can also find all sorts of ways online and in your head.
One I found in my head a couple weeks ago, that I am going to attempt to implement this year, is the "Gratitude Christmas Tree." I am going to set the tree up, with lights, but leave the ornaments in a box next to the tree. Each day, at some point when everyone is home at the same time (wish me luck with this--it may be at midnight), we will meet by the tree and discuss things we are grateful for from the day. For each "gratitude," we will put one ornament on our tree. (We are also doing small alpine trees-one for each kid- for little acts of service we do throughout the day...yes, I have a bunch of alpine trees, just sitting around...).
Some of you know the blogger at this address. If you click on the link, you will see something they have implemented in their family--a great idea that she found here. So fun!
An idea that the "Gratitude Lady" at Ed. Week had, that she has implemented, is to take a bunch of 3x5 cards and put something like "Thanks, you made my day" on them. Then, as you are out and about, and you see someone being kind to someone else, or someone who helps you in some way, or just needs a "pick me up," you can walk up to them, hand them a card, and tell them what it is for (or I guess you could quickly write down what it is for on the back of the card).
For example, you could hand someone a card and say "I really appreciated the way you didn't yell at your toddler when he was having a meltdown. You are a good mom," and hand them the card.
As I thought about how the "non-yelling mom" would feel to get a card, and know that someone noticed her patience, I got a the best feeling in my gut--an excited feeling. The feeling you get when you know you have the best present to give someone at Christmastime and can hardly wait to give it to them. What a great idea!
One more idea: use your blog (or start one) to motivate you to post your blessings. Here are a few examples: one, two, three. You will notice, these guys actually blog about what they are grateful for, rather than spewing forth evidence on how to be, and why to be grateful. :) There are probably other sites on my blog roll to the right that post blessings on the blog...those three just came to mind quickly.
Now, lest you get overwhelmed with ideas (I hate that feeling), remember that just taking time out during the day to go over blessings in your head will give you noticeable benefits. Start there. I know I am.
I am grateful to you, who managed to read this whole, long post. Hugs!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
To all of you "list-ers of Gratitude:" I give you more fuel for your fire...
At Education Week this year, I went to a class that was completely about gratitude. The cute lady had had a personal experience where she noticed that she was able to lift her mood by trying to count her blessings (the whole story is a little long, but the gist is that her husband moved her to NYC after a lifetime of living in Georgia, and she was depressed about it. She was walking through the cold, dreary streets of NY, thinking of how Georgia was sunny and warm at that time of year, and was having a pity party with herself. She noticed a woman who could barely walk, and thought to herself, "well, at least I can walk." And she noticed her mood lifted a bit. She decided to list other blessings, and noticed she felt much better.).
This experience was the catalyst for her obsession with studying gratitude for almost a whole year after that. She read book after book, study after study on the effects of being grateful, keeping a gratitude journal, gratitude visits (where you write a grateful note, and then take it to the person you wrote it to and read it to him or her in person), etc.
My experience in that class got me all fired up about helping myself and my family be more grateful. I came home and looked up all the positive benefits I could find (I tried to write them all down in the class, but she moved too fast), so that I could share them with my family and others. I am not going to list all of the books and sites and references and studies, because BORING; but let's just say there are MANY of each. If you want to start to research it yourself, and good place to start is by googling "Martin Seligman gratitude." Martin Seligman is one of the main gratitude/positive mood guys. You can also google "effects of gratitude," or "studies on gratitude."
Also, the WSJ had a GREAT article on gratitude yesterday, summing up a lot of what you will find in my list, and specifically emphasizing helping kids be more grateful. You can find the article HERE.
Here is the list of the benefits of gratitude I put together (these are in no particular order, and you will notice some refer directly to people in various studies. Also, I didn't edit much for grammar or spelling. I was going to make this a nice, well-written article, but I wasn't getting around to it, so I decided just to post it):
BENEFITS OF GRATITUDE
People studied were happier and less depressed 3 months and 6 months later (even if they had stopped their gratitude journaling)
At Education Week this year, I went to a class that was completely about gratitude. The cute lady had had a personal experience where she noticed that she was able to lift her mood by trying to count her blessings (the whole story is a little long, but the gist is that her husband moved her to NYC after a lifetime of living in Georgia, and she was depressed about it. She was walking through the cold, dreary streets of NY, thinking of how Georgia was sunny and warm at that time of year, and was having a pity party with herself. She noticed a woman who could barely walk, and thought to herself, "well, at least I can walk." And she noticed her mood lifted a bit. She decided to list other blessings, and noticed she felt much better.).
This experience was the catalyst for her obsession with studying gratitude for almost a whole year after that. She read book after book, study after study on the effects of being grateful, keeping a gratitude journal, gratitude visits (where you write a grateful note, and then take it to the person you wrote it to and read it to him or her in person), etc.
My experience in that class got me all fired up about helping myself and my family be more grateful. I came home and looked up all the positive benefits I could find (I tried to write them all down in the class, but she moved too fast), so that I could share them with my family and others. I am not going to list all of the books and sites and references and studies, because BORING; but let's just say there are MANY of each. If you want to start to research it yourself, and good place to start is by googling "Martin Seligman gratitude." Martin Seligman is one of the main gratitude/positive mood guys. You can also google "effects of gratitude," or "studies on gratitude."
Also, the WSJ had a GREAT article on gratitude yesterday, summing up a lot of what you will find in my list, and specifically emphasizing helping kids be more grateful. You can find the article HERE.
Here is the list of the benefits of gratitude I put together (these are in no particular order, and you will notice some refer directly to people in various studies. Also, I didn't edit much for grammar or spelling. I was going to make this a nice, well-written article, but I wasn't getting around to it, so I decided just to post it):
BENEFITS OF GRATITUDE
People studied were happier and less depressed 3 months and 6 months later (even if they had stopped their gratitude journaling)
Balances heart rhythms
Lowers heart attack risk
Decreases physical symptoms of pain and illness
Increases our sense of well-being
Exponential growth in joy—the more often you tap into joy, the more joyous you feel, and the deeper you feel it.
Increased immune function. Grateful people get sick less frequently.
People who keep gratitude journals exercise more.
Wards off depression and anxiety--25% happier overall—three weeks of keeping a gratitude journal, and people were still happier even 6 months after the study.
more optimistic about the week ahead
feel better about their lives
Goal Setting: When it came to setting goals, the gratitude group was making great progress toward important goals within a two months period. Goals such as health based, academic and inter personal were getting much closer with the gratitude group. On the other hand, those who didn’t practice daily gratitude failed to make progress.
More enthusiasm
Higher level of awareness
Increased problem solving skills. 60% better ability at tri-bond.
More determination
More positive energy
More helpful towards others
People with neuromuscular disease (21 day gratitude intervention) had greater amounts of high energy positive moods and greater sense of feeling connected with others.
More optimistic about the week ahead.
Sleep better and are able to stay asleep. Better duration and quality.
Fall asleep more quickly.
More alert
More attentive.
More likely to help someone with a problem—especially emotional problems
Felt more grateful
Greater vitality
Lower levels of depression
Lower levels of stress
The disposition toward gratitude enhances pleasant feeling states.
More empathetic
More generous
People who engage in prayer are more likely to be grateful.
Grateful people place less importance on material goods
Less likely to judge their own and others success in terms of possessions accumulated
Less envious of others
More likely to share their possessions with others relative to less grateful persons
4 times a week for as little as 3 weeks is enough to create a meaningful difference in one level of happiness.
Increase in connectedness to other people.
People who are grateful (and have a more positive outlook on life) are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
Increases brain function.
Feel better about their lives—more satisfaction
More optimistic about the future
Fewer health problems
Felt more refreshed in the morning
Improves cognitive functioning—some research shows it helps decrease risk of Alzheimer's
Counteracts negative effects of stress.
Reduces effects of Fibromyalgia
Higher levels of control of their environments, personal growth, purpose in life and self acceptance.
Have more positive ways of coping with difficulties in life, are more likely to seek support from other people, spend more time planning how to deal with the problem.
Less negative coping strategies, less likely to try to avoid the problem, deny the problem, blames themselves, or cope through substance abuse.
Has been said to have one of the strongest links with mental health of any character trait.
Cope better with life transitions.
ETC., ETC., ETC.!
The whole concept is just amazing. And yet it shouldn't be surprising at all. It is just another example of the world finding evidence to support something that the Gospel of Christ has been telling us to do for years.
Doctrine and Covenants 78:19 And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.
Keep up all of the Gratitude lists!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Listen closely to what he says right after Paul says "who's that?" and right before I say "goooood." Then he says it again very emphatically right after he runs his finger down the picture.
He has been saying "Jesus" for a few weeks now. It sounds a bit like "Dss-Uss." Sometimes he pokes his tongue out too far and you get spit on, but it is cute. We have a picture of Jesus on the wall in the hall across from his room. Whenever he wakes up in the morning or from a nap, he points to the picture and says "Jesus" over and over again. Then he wants to go over and touch the picture.
Yesterday, I went to a funeral and had to take George. As we were walking toward the building, he started pointing at the building and saying "Jesus." George knows.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Monday, November 08, 2010
Things I have learned over the past few months:
1-if your husband upgrades from an iphone 3 to a 3GS, you will get an iPhone too--an old 3, but you won't care.
2-if your husband upgrades from an iPhone 3GS to an iPhone 4, you will get an old 3GS, but you won't care!
3-if you get an iPhone 3GS, your kids will get an old, deactivated iPhone 3 that they can play on sometimes.
4-if you put an iPhone 3GS (that you just got a week prior) in a cooler that has ice in it, the 3GS will fall into the ice water--even if you set it on something not submerged in the ice water.
5-ice water in an iPhone 3GS will permanently ruin it.
6-ruining your iPhone 3GS in the ice-water-manner will not get you a new iPhone 4.
7-it will get to relegated back to an iphone 3.
8-if you get relegated back to a 3, your kids will no longer have an old deactivated iPhone 3 they can play on sometimes.
9-you won't care about either of these developments, because a) anyone dumb enough to set their phone INSIDE a cooler with ice in it, does not deserve a new iPhone 4...she probably doesn't deserve the iphone 3 back. And b) kids don't need expensive phones to play on.
10-if enough time goes by, and your birthday is coming up, and your son has been working his tail off, trying to earn an iPod (and finally does) your husband will devise a plan to kill two birds with one stone...
11-you will receive an iPhone 4 for your birthday, and your son will receive an old iPhone 3 to use as an iPod.
12-you will feel guilty because you probably still don't deserve it, but your husband won't care.
13-well, maybe he cares a little because he says as he gives it to you "you may have this if you don't set it right on the edge of the tub when you are taking a bath, like you did last night."
1-if your husband upgrades from an iphone 3 to a 3GS, you will get an iPhone too--an old 3, but you won't care.
2-if your husband upgrades from an iPhone 3GS to an iPhone 4, you will get an old 3GS, but you won't care!
3-if you get an iPhone 3GS, your kids will get an old, deactivated iPhone 3 that they can play on sometimes.
4-if you put an iPhone 3GS (that you just got a week prior) in a cooler that has ice in it, the 3GS will fall into the ice water--even if you set it on something not submerged in the ice water.
5-ice water in an iPhone 3GS will permanently ruin it.
6-ruining your iPhone 3GS in the ice-water-manner will not get you a new iPhone 4.
7-it will get to relegated back to an iphone 3.
8-if you get relegated back to a 3, your kids will no longer have an old deactivated iPhone 3 they can play on sometimes.
9-you won't care about either of these developments, because a) anyone dumb enough to set their phone INSIDE a cooler with ice in it, does not deserve a new iPhone 4...she probably doesn't deserve the iphone 3 back. And b) kids don't need expensive phones to play on.
10-if enough time goes by, and your birthday is coming up, and your son has been working his tail off, trying to earn an iPod (and finally does) your husband will devise a plan to kill two birds with one stone...
11-you will receive an iPhone 4 for your birthday, and your son will receive an old iPhone 3 to use as an iPod.
12-you will feel guilty because you probably still don't deserve it, but your husband won't care.
13-well, maybe he cares a little because he says as he gives it to you "you may have this if you don't set it right on the edge of the tub when you are taking a bath, like you did last night."
Monday, November 01, 2010
Drawing Smiles from Heaven
For the significance of the following, I refer you to THIS POST from last year.
For the significance of the following, I refer you to THIS POST from last year.
{smile}
Thursday, October 28, 2010
As of 12:35
Baby: 13 (he had a nap)
Mom: 3
Polish Pottery: -2
One more Polish Pottery down... boo.
Here was my Facebook status earlier (during the time the baby was accumulating such a commanding lead):
"Dear Pyrex Lawyers: You know how it says "not for lab or stovetop use" on your glass measuring cups? I think you may need to amend it to read "not for lab or stovetop use--even if the stovetop is on low and you are just trying to melt some butter." Thank you."
Apparently, it is a good thing I don't have a lab.
Note to self: In the heroic efforts to keep up with the baby and his ways, exploding pyrex and melted butter all over the stove is a hindrance. One cannot create messes bigger than the baby's, and expect to stay sane.
Baby: 13 (he had a nap)
Mom: 3
Polish Pottery: -2
One more Polish Pottery down... boo.
Here was my Facebook status earlier (during the time the baby was accumulating such a commanding lead):
"Dear Pyrex Lawyers: You know how it says "not for lab or stovetop use" on your glass measuring cups? I think you may need to amend it to read "not for lab or stovetop use--even if the stovetop is on low and you are just trying to melt some butter." Thank you."
Apparently, it is a good thing I don't have a lab.
Note to self: In the heroic efforts to keep up with the baby and his ways, exploding pyrex and melted butter all over the stove is a hindrance. One cannot create messes bigger than the baby's, and expect to stay sane.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The Score so far Today:
Baby: 7
Mom: 3
The explanation:
I have a baby who is very happy and self-entertaining. He doesn't have to be held all the time (nor does he WANT to be), he doesn't whine and follow me around, unless he is hungry or tired, and he doesn't expect me to sit on the floor and play with him all day (though he does like to play with me, so we do that quite a bit anyway).
On the surface, the situation looks like this: "oh, good! I don't have to hold or entertain the baby all day, so I can get some of the other necessities done, you know, like blogging." But upon closer inspection, I find that having a self-entertaining baby actually creates chaos (even as I type, I can hear some going on in the other room...just a minute...be right back. Good news--it's ok, he's just pulling the door with hangers on it back and forth, causing loud noises). While I am "getting things done," so is the baby. And what he finds entertaining, I find less so. So what actually happens around here, is a delicate balance of me doing my work, while at the same time running damage control on his.
For example, I will put in a load of laundry, while George pulls all the toilet paper off the roll, and the tissues out of the box. Did I mention that he usually gets two or three things done, to my getting one thing done? ...or my not getting one thing done...
Anyway, so then I have to stop my work to try to pick up his messes, while he goes into the other room to throw silverware and Polish pottery on the ground. Did I mention that Polish pottery, while strong, is not unbreakable if it is being hucked to the ground with full force?
I then have to leave the current clean-up job, to sweep up Polish pottery (because it is dangerous to have a baby crawling around in shards), and kick myself for forgetting to close the dishwasher AGAIN. Meanwhile he opens a drawer to empty it's contents onto the ground, and then moves into the hall to pull the night lights out of the sockets. Yes, we have put socket protectors in the sockets that didn't have night-lights in them. Apparently, we will no longer be able to have night lights in sockets that he can reach.
Have you noticed that I have yet to get back to my work?
Basically, I have decided that my goal is to "break even" by the end of the day. I like to call it a "tie" or "draw." This means that I get all of his messes put away, as well as the messes I make as I start work (laundry, dishes, projects I've been roped into for the kids' classes), but then don't get back to. In other words to get the house to look the way it started the day. Nothing really accomplished, but nothing completely destroyed either.
If at the end of the day, I give up and go to bed with messes all around me, I "lose."
If at the end of the day, I get all the messes cleaned up, and as a bonus, accomplish a portion of other work, I "win."
Hmmm. As I just read back over what I wrote, it occurs to me that I don't like framing things this way. In fact, I feel ashamed that I was even thinking that way (in fact, I considered going back and changing what I wrote, so that people would not think negatively of me. But I'm going to leave it. Seeing it in black and white helped me learn something). I guess sometimes I get tired and frustrated at the lack of what I think should be accomplished, when really, no matter what happens, I WIN EVERY TIME! Seriously. This baby is the happiest, funniest, most curious, loving (if not slightly dangerous in his expression--see post below), laughing-est, most entertaining (though messiest) baby I've seen in awhile! I LOVE LOVE LOVE him, and am so grateful to have him here with me, and I really wouldn't have it any other way. He is, after all, a miracle in my life. For many reasons. (Ed. note: my obsession with my baby is not meant to imply that all of you out there with babies don't have the "happiest, funniest, etc." babies at your house... lol! )
So, I may post, from time to time, the "score" around here, but keep in mind that we are both WINNING!
I have multiple photos of his "work." Here are a couple. I'll have to post more later, because he is asleep, and I have to finish sewing together a quilt top for Ted's class. As long as he is asleep, he won't crawl through the fabric on the floor and throw my pattern all over...cute, darling, baby!
Why is it, that when a baby sees a drawer like this, he fights his way to the bottom...
to pull out solely the dangerous, dagger-like objects, and not anything else?
Baby: 7
Mom: 3
The explanation:
I have a baby who is very happy and self-entertaining. He doesn't have to be held all the time (nor does he WANT to be), he doesn't whine and follow me around, unless he is hungry or tired, and he doesn't expect me to sit on the floor and play with him all day (though he does like to play with me, so we do that quite a bit anyway).
On the surface, the situation looks like this: "oh, good! I don't have to hold or entertain the baby all day, so I can get some of the other necessities done, you know, like blogging." But upon closer inspection, I find that having a self-entertaining baby actually creates chaos (even as I type, I can hear some going on in the other room...just a minute...be right back. Good news--it's ok, he's just pulling the door with hangers on it back and forth, causing loud noises). While I am "getting things done," so is the baby. And what he finds entertaining, I find less so. So what actually happens around here, is a delicate balance of me doing my work, while at the same time running damage control on his.
For example, I will put in a load of laundry, while George pulls all the toilet paper off the roll, and the tissues out of the box. Did I mention that he usually gets two or three things done, to my getting one thing done? ...or my not getting one thing done...
Anyway, so then I have to stop my work to try to pick up his messes, while he goes into the other room to throw silverware and Polish pottery on the ground. Did I mention that Polish pottery, while strong, is not unbreakable if it is being hucked to the ground with full force?
I then have to leave the current clean-up job, to sweep up Polish pottery (because it is dangerous to have a baby crawling around in shards), and kick myself for forgetting to close the dishwasher AGAIN. Meanwhile he opens a drawer to empty it's contents onto the ground, and then moves into the hall to pull the night lights out of the sockets. Yes, we have put socket protectors in the sockets that didn't have night-lights in them. Apparently, we will no longer be able to have night lights in sockets that he can reach.
Have you noticed that I have yet to get back to my work?
Basically, I have decided that my goal is to "break even" by the end of the day. I like to call it a "tie" or "draw." This means that I get all of his messes put away, as well as the messes I make as I start work (laundry, dishes, projects I've been roped into for the kids' classes), but then don't get back to. In other words to get the house to look the way it started the day. Nothing really accomplished, but nothing completely destroyed either.
If at the end of the day, I give up and go to bed with messes all around me, I "lose."
If at the end of the day, I get all the messes cleaned up, and as a bonus, accomplish a portion of other work, I "win."
Hmmm. As I just read back over what I wrote, it occurs to me that I don't like framing things this way. In fact, I feel ashamed that I was even thinking that way (in fact, I considered going back and changing what I wrote, so that people would not think negatively of me. But I'm going to leave it. Seeing it in black and white helped me learn something). I guess sometimes I get tired and frustrated at the lack of what I think should be accomplished, when really, no matter what happens, I WIN EVERY TIME! Seriously. This baby is the happiest, funniest, most curious, loving (if not slightly dangerous in his expression--see post below), laughing-est, most entertaining (though messiest) baby I've seen in awhile! I LOVE LOVE LOVE him, and am so grateful to have him here with me, and I really wouldn't have it any other way. He is, after all, a miracle in my life. For many reasons. (Ed. note: my obsession with my baby is not meant to imply that all of you out there with babies don't have the "happiest, funniest, etc." babies at your house... lol! )
So, I may post, from time to time, the "score" around here, but keep in mind that we are both WINNING!
I have multiple photos of his "work." Here are a couple. I'll have to post more later, because he is asleep, and I have to finish sewing together a quilt top for Ted's class. As long as he is asleep, he won't crawl through the fabric on the floor and throw my pattern all over...cute, darling, baby!
Why is it, that when a baby sees a drawer like this, he fights his way to the bottom...
to pull out solely the dangerous, dagger-like objects, and not anything else?
The score now:
Baby: 10
Mom: 4 (I wrote a post)
I still WIN!
Baby: 10
Mom: 4 (I wrote a post)
I still WIN!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Me, trying to figure out what the awful stench was that lingered in certain rooms--specifically, rooms the 9 year old boy had been in--a stench that got worse in close proximity to him: "son, what is that smell--is it your socks?"
Boy, with a big smile on his face: "yep!"
Me: "Buddy, you need to go change your socks!"
And then, realization dawned, because there was no way that smell could come from one day of wear...
Me: "dude, are those the same socks you wore yesterday?!?!?"
Boy, with the same big smile: "yep! And the day before that!"
Yes, three days in the same socks seemed to match what I was smelling.
I told him to go wash his feet in soapy water, and then put on CLEAN socks. And I thought long and hard about whether I should have him just throw the nasty socks away...
I love boys. It's all about convenience with them.
Boy, with a big smile on his face: "yep!"
Me: "Buddy, you need to go change your socks!"
And then, realization dawned, because there was no way that smell could come from one day of wear...
Me: "dude, are those the same socks you wore yesterday?!?!?"
Boy, with the same big smile: "yep! And the day before that!"
Yes, three days in the same socks seemed to match what I was smelling.
I told him to go wash his feet in soapy water, and then put on CLEAN socks. And I thought long and hard about whether I should have him just throw the nasty socks away...
I love boys. It's all about convenience with them.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Yes. He Crawls. And has Rug Burn on his Face.
This is from the very first day George learned how to crawl forward. Scooting backward and sideways was his preferred--well, it was not so much "preferred" as it was his "only"--method of mobility before now. He got pretty cross trying to get to things while only moving away from them.
You will notice that as he gets within 2 feet of his desired object, he dive bombs his head into the carpet with his intended grabbing arm ready to get said object. He did this for a few days before he realized he could crawl a lot closer, and then pick the object up while still in crawling position.
This is from the very first day George learned how to crawl forward. Scooting backward and sideways was his preferred--well, it was not so much "preferred" as it was his "only"--method of mobility before now. He got pretty cross trying to get to things while only moving away from them.
You will notice that as he gets within 2 feet of his desired object, he dive bombs his head into the carpet with his intended grabbing arm ready to get said object. He did this for a few days before he realized he could crawl a lot closer, and then pick the object up while still in crawling position.
The Dog. The Baby.
Who is the dominant one in the relationship?
The baby. As it should be.
Whenever George is near Chewy, Chewy rolls onto his back to show he knows that in the "pack order" around here, he is "below" George. Chewy will even walk over (on his own) to where the baby is, lay down and roll over.
Now that George is mobile, he loves to crawl over and grab Chewy's soft fur. Chewy stays on his back and takes whatever George dishes out. I usually have compassion and save Chewy after a minute or two, by calling him over and commending him on his patience and lack of aggression toward the baby--he usually gets a treat.
As near as I can tell, Chewy thinks the pack order is as follows: Mom, Goose, Bean, Dad, Ted, George, Chewy.
The Dad firmly believes that Chewy thinks it is Mom, Goose, Bean, Ted, George, Chewy, Dad.
Who is the dominant one in the relationship?
The baby. As it should be.
Whenever George is near Chewy, Chewy rolls onto his back to show he knows that in the "pack order" around here, he is "below" George. Chewy will even walk over (on his own) to where the baby is, lay down and roll over.
Now that George is mobile, he loves to crawl over and grab Chewy's soft fur. Chewy stays on his back and takes whatever George dishes out. I usually have compassion and save Chewy after a minute or two, by calling him over and commending him on his patience and lack of aggression toward the baby--he usually gets a treat.
As near as I can tell, Chewy thinks the pack order is as follows: Mom, Goose, Bean, Dad, Ted, George, Chewy.
The Dad firmly believes that Chewy thinks it is Mom, Goose, Bean, Ted, George, Chewy, Dad.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
The Unknown Blogger...
I'm doing a post for my Mom, (considering it has been a while). This is her eldest daughter and I had an exciting event happen this morning. I got my braces off! YEA!
It didn't hurt, but when they took the glue off, it made my teeth cold. Which I hate and gives me the shivers. My teeth seem very slimy and much more sensitive now. Here is a picture:
I'm doing a post for my Mom, (considering it has been a while). This is her eldest daughter and I had an exciting event happen this morning. I got my braces off! YEA!
It didn't hurt, but when they took the glue off, it made my teeth cold. Which I hate and gives me the shivers. My teeth seem very slimy and much more sensitive now. Here is a picture:
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
BARK
My dog loves to BARK.
and BARK and BARK and BARK.
When he is not feeling compelled to BARK,
He lies in BARK outside,
getting BARK all over his furry little body.
Then he comes in, walks down the hall, and through the house.
Leaving a trail of BARK.
...Did I mention, however, that he is very loving and patient with children--especially babies? So I guess we will put up with the BARK.
Molls was the first baby he knew. He was very gentle with and protective of her.
One day, he was over at Molly's house, lying by the baby Molly. Suddenly, my sister-in-law turned on the vacuum. Chewy knows the vicious-ness of vacuums, so he ran to safety. He looked down through the banister and noticed that the baby had not run to safety and that the vacuum was getting closer and closer to the blanket she was lying on! He suppressed his own fears, ran back to where Molly was, positioned himself between her and the enemy and barked and barked (of course) at the vacuum. When the vacuum failed to retreat, he took matters into his own hands (or mouth, as the case may be), grabbed the corner of Molly's blanket, and tried to drag her to safety. Alas, he didn't get anywhere, because Molly was as big as he was, but you get the point. He is still a hero!
The rescue happened a few weeks after these photos were taken:
A demonstration of mutual love (and patience) between Molly and Chewy:
My dog loves to BARK.
and BARK and BARK and BARK.
When he is not feeling compelled to BARK,
He lies in BARK outside,
getting BARK all over his furry little body.
Then he comes in, walks down the hall, and through the house.
Leaving a trail of BARK.
...Did I mention, however, that he is very loving and patient with children--especially babies? So I guess we will put up with the BARK.
Molls was the first baby he knew. He was very gentle with and protective of her.
One day, he was over at Molly's house, lying by the baby Molly. Suddenly, my sister-in-law turned on the vacuum. Chewy knows the vicious-ness of vacuums, so he ran to safety. He looked down through the banister and noticed that the baby had not run to safety and that the vacuum was getting closer and closer to the blanket she was lying on! He suppressed his own fears, ran back to where Molly was, positioned himself between her and the enemy and barked and barked (of course) at the vacuum. When the vacuum failed to retreat, he took matters into his own hands (or mouth, as the case may be), grabbed the corner of Molly's blanket, and tried to drag her to safety. Alas, he didn't get anywhere, because Molly was as big as he was, but you get the point. He is still a hero!
The rescue happened a few weeks after these photos were taken:
A demonstration of mutual love (and patience) between Molly and Chewy:Another favorite story: We were having a BBQ in our backyard with all sorts of neighborhood friends. Chewy loves these events because, he has discovered, if he follows little kids around, he usually gets a lot of hot dogs, hamburgers, and all sorts of goodies. At one point during this BBQ, I found a little two year old boy playing with Chewy. By "playing" I mean holding Chewy's mouth open with both hands, and looking at Chewy's teeth (or something--I don't really know why he wanted Chewy's mouth open). Chewy simply looked over at me with an expression of "could you please get this child out of my mouth!?!" He didn't growl, pull, scratch, or bite (which I would assume, would be the natural reaction of a dog in this predicament). I rewarded his patience with some hot dog. After I extracted the child.
Chewy is willing to share his pillow:
Miss Belle loves Chewy more than she does anyone else in our family (it seems...). My sister in law has the CUTEST video of Bella and Chewy dancing (on her private blog, so you won't be able to access it--maybe she will email me the video and I can post it here) together.
Chewy has been wonderful with George, as well. When George was just a couple of months old, Chewy brought him a ball. Too bad George did not know how to control his hands yet and couldn't throw it. But, like I said, Chewy is patient. And will wait for George to get big enough to throw balls for him. Meanwhile, he will protect George from vacuums and such, and allow George to grab his fun, soft fur.
Did I mention he is patient with older children too?:
Chewy is willing to share his pillow:
Miss Belle loves Chewy more than she does anyone else in our family (it seems...). My sister in law has the CUTEST video of Bella and Chewy dancing (on her private blog, so you won't be able to access it--maybe she will email me the video and I can post it here) together.
Chewy has been wonderful with George, as well. When George was just a couple of months old, Chewy brought him a ball. Too bad George did not know how to control his hands yet and couldn't throw it. But, like I said, Chewy is patient. And will wait for George to get big enough to throw balls for him. Meanwhile, he will protect George from vacuums and such, and allow George to grab his fun, soft fur.
Did I mention he is patient with older children too?:
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