The last few days have been an adventure.
Wednesday was frustrating, everything went "wrong"
Thursday was spend in the moment, except for the late evening when cranky boys who hadn't napped wouldn't stay in bed.
Today I thought I had a plan that would work. A. isn't cooperating. She has foregone her usual sleep in an hour later tan everyone else routine and wants to nurse instead. I did get the bathroom cleaned up, and hopefully we will have some breakfast soon.
I am still working on living in the moment. WE had some wonderful success in that yesterday. I read a book about bugs to the boys, then we went outside and found some. I didn't bring a book or my phone, we just wandered around the common area and played in the dirt. A. slept in the sling. Later in the afternoon I was scrubbing down the dining chairs and the kitchen floor and the boys wanted to help. I gave them some plain water and rags, and were they ever helpful!! we even dried the floor together. They also wanted to help with the dishes, which just turned into splashing around in the water while I nursed the baby...again.
we also had some massive failures. We went outside and both the boys melted down initially, J. had an accident. I dragged everybody upstairs in spite of tantrums, feeling quite angry myself, and then realized in our enthusiasm to get outside before the heat, that we forgot to eat breakfast, and use the bathroom! I felt bad then, but we made up a picnic breakfast and went back out for some wonderful play time. Bedtime was a nightmare, I am out of ideas. They just won't stay in bed, and they are totally exhausted. J. has been keeping himself up late and awake during nap time as well, the result is an extremely grumpy and somewhat aggressive toddler. I guess we will just try again today and see what happens.
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Friday, August 27, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Morning snuggle time
In the spirit of learning to savor the moment, I thought I would post a few moments from the day that I really enjoy.
Morning snuggle time! Pregnancy makes me extra tired, so the boys and I got in the habit of snuggling in the morning...mainly so I could doze off for a few more miunites. They wake up pretty early, between 6:30 and 7:00. they would both climb into my bed and snuggle. Now that we have our little princess, I have been continuing the tradition. S. snuggles uner my left arm, A. is under my right and J. snuggles next to "his baby" and reaches over to play with my hair. All in all, a wonderful way to spend the morning, untill of course they start getting squirmy and silly.
I don't know if I am going to continue returning to bed in the morning after Garrett leaves when I am off my "Restricted duty" then again, I am loving the lazy mornings! I am excited about re-vamping my days. This break has really helped me to learn to relax and re-focus!
Morning snuggle time! Pregnancy makes me extra tired, so the boys and I got in the habit of snuggling in the morning...mainly so I could doze off for a few more miunites. They wake up pretty early, between 6:30 and 7:00. they would both climb into my bed and snuggle. Now that we have our little princess, I have been continuing the tradition. S. snuggles uner my left arm, A. is under my right and J. snuggles next to "his baby" and reaches over to play with my hair. All in all, a wonderful way to spend the morning, untill of course they start getting squirmy and silly.
I don't know if I am going to continue returning to bed in the morning after Garrett leaves when I am off my "Restricted duty" then again, I am loving the lazy mornings! I am excited about re-vamping my days. This break has really helped me to learn to relax and re-focus!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Impression without expression...
...leads to depression.
and was I "depressed" yesterday! I was having an off-day and decided to putter about online a bit. I found some radio and video programs by the author of "from boom to bust and beyond" Jerry Tuma. The man is an economist and he uses demographics to predict/explain the current economic and social crisis. It is AMAZING stuff! There was just so much in it, and I had nobody really to share it with, my darling hubby was just too exhausted from the daily grind to listen to the complex details. Poor guy, but I guess that is my privilege in being able to stay at home and manage my own days. I do get to spend quite alot of time learning new things. I really really enjoy listening to lectures and sermons online while I putter about the house doing chores and playing with the boys.
Back to Jerry Tuma. He predicted the housing market bubble, quite easily and used demographics (the study of populations) to explain what may happen next. Here goes..
Most People reach the peak of their "spending" power in their late 40's, this is when they buy the house and all the fancy stuff inside. The baby-boomers have been buying up homes for quite some time now. The last--and biggest wave of boomers hit that critical time in 2005. The market was peaked (also super inflated due to the large demand for homes) builders kept on building, the next generational wave is MUCH smaller than the boomers (thank you birth control and the changing attitudes towards children in society) and therefore we wound up with too many houses and not enough people to buy them. If you pair that with the fact that people took out unsustainable loans and were foreclosed on housing values plummeted. We have NOT bottomed out yet. The ARM loans (the ones where your rate is fixed super low for 5 years then go up) as well as the "liars loans" (those that required absolutely NO income verification and had adjustable rates) are about to come due. Nearly 7 million more homes will be foreclosed on in the coming two years. It looks dire.
BUT there is good news! It will be prime time to invest in real estate in the next 2-3 years! Start saving every penny you can now, and perhaps you may find a real bargain coming up!
History repeats itself, during the great depression when so many lost everything, those who were prepared for the coming crash made MILLIONS. Properties were picked up for pennies on the dollar, good stocks and investments were purchased at all time low prices and when everything recovered, their net worth did too. The same can happen for us if we look at this as an opportunity and not a time to panic.
We are also, living in a time of a generational and a demographic change. Neil Howe has written a book "The fourth turning" using History to describe what is/may happen in the coming years. His book was written in the mid-90's when we were in the middle of the greatest economic upswing in our history and nobody paid attention. He accurately predicted the economic crash...as an event that would change us all starting in about 2005. HMMMM....did you know this has all happened before? Holland and the tulips anyone? His point of view is a generational one. Basically that every 'fourth' generation there is a rebirth or death of society. Every generation in history has connected with and acted like a previous one, and economics and politics have reflected that as well. We (those of us born in 1982 and after) are now emerging onto the political scene, and things are going to be shook up. Basically we all follow the same pattern: Generation 1 experiences a conservative high after a major war, the 2nd gen hits the spiritual revival mode, 3rd Gen has the wild unraveling of all the values that have come before, and the 4th generation experiences the Crisis that will reset or change everything. Generation 1 raised gen 3, Gen 2 raised Gen 4. Gen 4 has little contact with Gen 1 and therefore does not learn from their experiences so society must re-invent the wheel. This could be very very good, or very very bad. During this time of Crisis a political party will set itself up and try their darnedest to patch things up, but it most likely will not work...its the ones that come immediately after that will establish what America will look like for the next FOUR generations.
Once again, there is hope. WE can change things, as long as enough of us wake up and start voting our values and shaking up the political and social systems. Don't be afraid to express your beliefs and values, live the life you want to live and change your corner of the universe!
The third thing is mentioned a bit by both authors (please note, I haven't been able to read the books yet, I am discussing based on their interviews and radio broadcasts) Is the demographic switch. Europe is in the middle of a demographic crisis. The birth rate in many countries are FAR below replacement levels (in fact, the world birthrates are just about there as well) Meaning there are less young workers to support the elderly retired. (china, anyone?) this is BAD for our current economy, and our social programs--all of which are based on an ever-growing economy. America is about 10-15 years behind Europe (I still find it odd that half of Europe is going bankrupt due to unsustainable government funded health care, retirements ect. and yet our politicians keep saying we NEED to be like them, it will save our society!) Basically Europe is dying off, and we are quickly following. Now, there are three things that can be done about this. 1.people can have more babies--many countries now offer tax breaks and outright payments to native-born citizens who are willing to have more children. This has not worked so far. 2. Active immigration. Allow those from developing countries (who have growing populations) to become citizens and start paying taxes. or 3. Change the system. (Yeah right, who wants to give up all their "free" government benefits and start doing things on their own.)
SO, in reflection of all these ramblings here are my thoughts: This has all happened before and it will all happen again, there is nothing new under the sun. History has shown that. We will not repeat it exactly but it will echo the past. WE are in the midst of a great change, and if we stand strong and trust in God there is a chance for a great rebirth of society and even personal economic prosperity.
What will I do? Save every penny I can squeeze out of my budget and get ready for the second wave of real estate foreclosures. I will continue to support politicians who want to radically change government BACK to the values of the constitution and who practice sound fiscal policy, who have strong moral character and a sense of absolute truth. I will keep having babies and not let this crisis mode destroy our dreams.
whew. that was a tiring post, I hope it made sense! I am off to find some more stuff to study!
and was I "depressed" yesterday! I was having an off-day and decided to putter about online a bit. I found some radio and video programs by the author of "from boom to bust and beyond" Jerry Tuma. The man is an economist and he uses demographics to predict/explain the current economic and social crisis. It is AMAZING stuff! There was just so much in it, and I had nobody really to share it with, my darling hubby was just too exhausted from the daily grind to listen to the complex details. Poor guy, but I guess that is my privilege in being able to stay at home and manage my own days. I do get to spend quite alot of time learning new things. I really really enjoy listening to lectures and sermons online while I putter about the house doing chores and playing with the boys.
Back to Jerry Tuma. He predicted the housing market bubble, quite easily and used demographics (the study of populations) to explain what may happen next. Here goes..
Most People reach the peak of their "spending" power in their late 40's, this is when they buy the house and all the fancy stuff inside. The baby-boomers have been buying up homes for quite some time now. The last--and biggest wave of boomers hit that critical time in 2005. The market was peaked (also super inflated due to the large demand for homes) builders kept on building, the next generational wave is MUCH smaller than the boomers (thank you birth control and the changing attitudes towards children in society) and therefore we wound up with too many houses and not enough people to buy them. If you pair that with the fact that people took out unsustainable loans and were foreclosed on housing values plummeted. We have NOT bottomed out yet. The ARM loans (the ones where your rate is fixed super low for 5 years then go up) as well as the "liars loans" (those that required absolutely NO income verification and had adjustable rates) are about to come due. Nearly 7 million more homes will be foreclosed on in the coming two years. It looks dire.
BUT there is good news! It will be prime time to invest in real estate in the next 2-3 years! Start saving every penny you can now, and perhaps you may find a real bargain coming up!
History repeats itself, during the great depression when so many lost everything, those who were prepared for the coming crash made MILLIONS. Properties were picked up for pennies on the dollar, good stocks and investments were purchased at all time low prices and when everything recovered, their net worth did too. The same can happen for us if we look at this as an opportunity and not a time to panic.
We are also, living in a time of a generational and a demographic change. Neil Howe has written a book "The fourth turning" using History to describe what is/may happen in the coming years. His book was written in the mid-90's when we were in the middle of the greatest economic upswing in our history and nobody paid attention. He accurately predicted the economic crash...as an event that would change us all starting in about 2005. HMMMM....did you know this has all happened before? Holland and the tulips anyone? His point of view is a generational one. Basically that every 'fourth' generation there is a rebirth or death of society. Every generation in history has connected with and acted like a previous one, and economics and politics have reflected that as well. We (those of us born in 1982 and after) are now emerging onto the political scene, and things are going to be shook up. Basically we all follow the same pattern: Generation 1 experiences a conservative high after a major war, the 2nd gen hits the spiritual revival mode, 3rd Gen has the wild unraveling of all the values that have come before, and the 4th generation experiences the Crisis that will reset or change everything. Generation 1 raised gen 3, Gen 2 raised Gen 4. Gen 4 has little contact with Gen 1 and therefore does not learn from their experiences so society must re-invent the wheel. This could be very very good, or very very bad. During this time of Crisis a political party will set itself up and try their darnedest to patch things up, but it most likely will not work...its the ones that come immediately after that will establish what America will look like for the next FOUR generations.
Once again, there is hope. WE can change things, as long as enough of us wake up and start voting our values and shaking up the political and social systems. Don't be afraid to express your beliefs and values, live the life you want to live and change your corner of the universe!
The third thing is mentioned a bit by both authors (please note, I haven't been able to read the books yet, I am discussing based on their interviews and radio broadcasts) Is the demographic switch. Europe is in the middle of a demographic crisis. The birth rate in many countries are FAR below replacement levels (in fact, the world birthrates are just about there as well) Meaning there are less young workers to support the elderly retired. (china, anyone?) this is BAD for our current economy, and our social programs--all of which are based on an ever-growing economy. America is about 10-15 years behind Europe (I still find it odd that half of Europe is going bankrupt due to unsustainable government funded health care, retirements ect. and yet our politicians keep saying we NEED to be like them, it will save our society!) Basically Europe is dying off, and we are quickly following. Now, there are three things that can be done about this. 1.people can have more babies--many countries now offer tax breaks and outright payments to native-born citizens who are willing to have more children. This has not worked so far. 2. Active immigration. Allow those from developing countries (who have growing populations) to become citizens and start paying taxes. or 3. Change the system. (Yeah right, who wants to give up all their "free" government benefits and start doing things on their own.)
SO, in reflection of all these ramblings here are my thoughts: This has all happened before and it will all happen again, there is nothing new under the sun. History has shown that. We will not repeat it exactly but it will echo the past. WE are in the midst of a great change, and if we stand strong and trust in God there is a chance for a great rebirth of society and even personal economic prosperity.
What will I do? Save every penny I can squeeze out of my budget and get ready for the second wave of real estate foreclosures. I will continue to support politicians who want to radically change government BACK to the values of the constitution and who practice sound fiscal policy, who have strong moral character and a sense of absolute truth. I will keep having babies and not let this crisis mode destroy our dreams.
whew. that was a tiring post, I hope it made sense! I am off to find some more stuff to study!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Potty training, camping
well, that was a wash. I had a long, detailed post for you, but then my PC froze up and I lost it all. Here is what I said, in a nutshell
J. is near fully potty trained, after two days of accidents, he has now had two days in the clear! we are going to practice with all his clothing on today (he has just been in undies and a t shirt the last few days) as we are going camping last-minute. we will be in a Cabin (woo hoo) with its own bathroom (even better!) Our church goes up every year this time, and we have missed the last 3 years due to babies/pregnancy. But having access to a cabin is a "game changer" for me! Just have to pack food and clothing and bedding of course! I can't wait!! I will try and take pictures and figure out how to work our new-to-us camera on this PC.
Well, I have a lot to do today, as I fell behind on housework during the potty training. Gotta clean the whole house, catch up on laundry and pack!
J. is near fully potty trained, after two days of accidents, he has now had two days in the clear! we are going to practice with all his clothing on today (he has just been in undies and a t shirt the last few days) as we are going camping last-minute. we will be in a Cabin (woo hoo) with its own bathroom (even better!) Our church goes up every year this time, and we have missed the last 3 years due to babies/pregnancy. But having access to a cabin is a "game changer" for me! Just have to pack food and clothing and bedding of course! I can't wait!! I will try and take pictures and figure out how to work our new-to-us camera on this PC.
Well, I have a lot to do today, as I fell behind on housework during the potty training. Gotta clean the whole house, catch up on laundry and pack!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Doing things as grandma would have...
Or should I say Great- or even Great-Great grandma, providing of course that she had an electric washing machine, and that, indeed, she allowed it to do its thing without first manually filling it with buckets of water collected the previous day and hand-agitating it every time the cycle changes--like two grandmas i happen to know.
sigh
I want to cultivate in myself the skills attitudes and do-it-yourself tenacity and work ethic our fore mothers had, with, of course just a few modern modifications. I love my washer. I will not give it up. I will however, hang my clothing out to dry and mix up my own laundry detergent.
I feel like I have had a crash course in some of the harder aspects of the past. Garrett's been gone these two weeks and I can now appreciate first-hand the emotional roller-coaster a lone woman went through while her husband went off to war, or elsewhere following the work. Of course, my hunny is only a 20 minute drive away, and me and the boys do get to see him several times a week, but those times without his humor and help just seem so much duller, and more difficult.
Currently we are sleep deprived, and I will be putting the kids down EARLY. I was hoping for 7, but they're pretty wound up due to the time change. Maybe 8. Then I'm crashing. To heck with the housework. I need sleep.
sigh
I want to cultivate in myself the skills attitudes and do-it-yourself tenacity and work ethic our fore mothers had, with, of course just a few modern modifications. I love my washer. I will not give it up. I will however, hang my clothing out to dry and mix up my own laundry detergent.
I feel like I have had a crash course in some of the harder aspects of the past. Garrett's been gone these two weeks and I can now appreciate first-hand the emotional roller-coaster a lone woman went through while her husband went off to war, or elsewhere following the work. Of course, my hunny is only a 20 minute drive away, and me and the boys do get to see him several times a week, but those times without his humor and help just seem so much duller, and more difficult.
Currently we are sleep deprived, and I will be putting the kids down EARLY. I was hoping for 7, but they're pretty wound up due to the time change. Maybe 8. Then I'm crashing. To heck with the housework. I need sleep.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Filling up the Love tank
I'm pretty sure my toddler J. is running on empty. He has been more grumpy and aggressive than normal. He starts sobbing whenever the baby cries, and has even tried to push the baby over from time to time. We have had a couple of really stressful weeks and I am afraid they have taken their toll on his emotions. Yesterday I started giving J. focused attention, without the baby. I made a point of putting S. down when J. needed something. I spent quite a bit of time sitting on the couch and snuggling, and we had a great rough-housing session with him jumping off of the couch and into my arms. I did notice a bit of difference in his attitudes by evening. He nursed for a shorter time, and went to bed without any problems.
This morning he only snuggled for about 5 mins, as opposed to his usual 15 and then he went off to play by himself. He is now happily coloring with daddy and has left me alone to finish this blog entry (which usually never happens, I quite often type to the sound of crying)
Several years ago i read a book titled "The 5 love languages" which has a theory that we all give and receive love in 5 basic ways. J. is most definitely a "quality time" child. He doesn't really snuggle much--he prefers to play with you or read together. When he is given enough attention he becomes a much more peaceful happy child. when his tank runs low he begins to act out in order to get attention. The more I work with this theory the more convinced I am that it is a good one. It also puts a lot of behaviours into perspective. I don't feel right in punishing him for a behaviour that I, ultimately, helped to happen.
If you haven't read the book yet, give it a try, I believe there is a version for children now. let me see if i can figure out how to put a link in:
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Love-Languages-Children/dp/1881273652/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248880271&sr=8-3
This is the book for kids, which I have not read yet, but am assuming it has the same stuff as the original, only with a different focus.
Here is the original: I highly recommend it for married couples, however you can use the principals for any relationship, really, if you change things up (certian recommended activities just don't translate, but you can substitute others in.)
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Love-Languages-Heartfelt-Commitment/dp/1881273156/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248880271&sr=8-1
This morning he only snuggled for about 5 mins, as opposed to his usual 15 and then he went off to play by himself. He is now happily coloring with daddy and has left me alone to finish this blog entry (which usually never happens, I quite often type to the sound of crying)
Several years ago i read a book titled "The 5 love languages" which has a theory that we all give and receive love in 5 basic ways. J. is most definitely a "quality time" child. He doesn't really snuggle much--he prefers to play with you or read together. When he is given enough attention he becomes a much more peaceful happy child. when his tank runs low he begins to act out in order to get attention. The more I work with this theory the more convinced I am that it is a good one. It also puts a lot of behaviours into perspective. I don't feel right in punishing him for a behaviour that I, ultimately, helped to happen.
If you haven't read the book yet, give it a try, I believe there is a version for children now. let me see if i can figure out how to put a link in:
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Love-Languages-Children/dp/1881273652/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248880271&sr=8-3
This is the book for kids, which I have not read yet, but am assuming it has the same stuff as the original, only with a different focus.
Here is the original: I highly recommend it for married couples, however you can use the principals for any relationship, really, if you change things up (certian recommended activities just don't translate, but you can substitute others in.)
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Love-Languages-Heartfelt-Commitment/dp/1881273156/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248880271&sr=8-1
Friday, June 19, 2009
When illness gets in the way...
Life can get quite busy. At times I feel as if I am drowning in a mountian of laundry and that my dishes will always, always sit in the draining rack. And then, something happens to refocus my attention. This week it was illness. Seriously. Both my boys got sick, you know, the runny nose/congestion/cough/fever. Now, when germies strike young children (8 mos and 2 yrs) there is not much you can do, other than constantly wiping noses and snuggling. Now, i suppose in my sleep deprived and touched-out state it could have been too easy to throw my hands up and surrender. but Motherhood takes no prisoners and therefore I had to soldier on. And you know what? I found some joy in it. I realized how thankful I was to be the one soothing them to sleep, giving them nice aromatherapy baths and yes, wiping noses and changing lots and lots of poopy diapers. It was me, not someone else like a nanny or childcare worker. My babies will have the memory of mommy taking care of their needs and "fixing" everything. And I will always treasure the memory of two little fevered heads nestling down on my chest and drifting off to sleep. And also having a much needed break as I couldn't really move them without somebody waking up. It all depends on our attitude. I will be grateful for the time I do have with them, because time passes so quickly and soon they will be grown with families of their own, and I will have treasures stored up in my heart.
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