I am afraid...

that I am raising two little brats. Does anyone else feel like that?

Of course, I try to teach them right from wrong. I try to teach them not to hit each other, not to be mean to each other, to have respect for other people, their things, and their feelings. But what if I'm not doing good enough?

Lately, and I'm not sure how much of it has to do with our moving, Abby has been acting out. Yesterday I told her to go and stand in the corner because she didn't do something I'd asked. She refused. I got up to give her a quick swat on the behind, at which point she dropped to the floor and started kicking me.

Ok, at this point I admit I completely lost my cool. I first removed her shoes. Brand new shoes that we'd bought the day before at Target and that she is absolutely in love with. I put them in the top of my closet because they became the object of her anger when I took them off. She was in the floor having an all out FIT, so I took her outside. (This is something I've done before, and it has immediately calmed her down. At our house in Del Rio, I would stand her outside the back door in our fenced yard, and close the door. When she was done screaming we would talk.) Well, I took her outside, but she screamed like someone was beating her, banged on the door, etc....until I was afraid that someone would call the cops. I brought her inside and put her on her bed.

It took quite a while for her to calm down, and she stayed in her bed most of the day and was not allowed to play with her toys. I didn't know what to do, and I still don't.

I did make up new chore and behavior charts that are on a point/demerit system. Starting tonight we will count up how many stars or stickers each child has earned and they will earn coins (I haven't decided what denomination to start with) for each. Then, we will count up the number of demerits (red x's) and take away one earned coin for each of those. I am hoping that by seeing how her negative behavior will affect her earnings that she'll work to earn more, and lose less.

I just finished reading "Have a New Kid by Friday" and I want to implement that in our house. However, I'm afraid that her behavior recently is too far past what I learned in that book for it to help right now. I want to have good children, and I believe they ARE good children. I just need to learn how to make THAT part of them the more dominant part. Also, how are we as parents supposed to know when something else is bothering a child? Like, what if she's really upset over the move and not having her friends? What do I do? How do I know what to do?

Man, I wish there was an instruction book.

Ok, I need more help...

This seems to be a continuing topic for me, huh?

Anyway, in the previous post I asked about a cookbook for a graduation or wedding gift. (Thanks Tara!) And in this one I need a little different help. You see we have this cousin. She will be 18 in about 2 weeks, graduating in May, and has recently announced to the world that she is getting married in June or July.

The latter has caused quite a bit of uproar from various family members since she is so young and has only been dating this guy since around May. For much of the time they've been dating he's been at Basic Training, and now is in Italy with the Air Force. Now, having been a teenager in love, I can see her point of view. Also, after having dated and been married to the same person for the last 12 years, I can also see her parents' point of view.

I have seen this coming for a while now, because we are very close thanks to text messaging and various other internet networking. She is a very level-headed girl and fully intends on going to college, online at first while in Italy, and physically attending classes to become an RN upon their return to the states. I've done my best to bring up various points that should be considered and discussed before a person gets married, and she's thoughtfully considered all of them and discussed them with her soon-to-be. I, personally, do not know him, but from the people who do he sounds like a nice young man. He is 20, I believe.

Now, here's where I need help. Can you all, since I know you're all older than 18, and have all been 18 at some point, think of more points that I can have her think about? I understand that she will legally be an adult and can basically do whatever she pleases, but I care and I want her to be as prepared as possible. Since it looks like she will not take a couple of years to get to know this guy better, I want to throw as much helpful knowledge her way as possible.

Also, get your recipes ready, because I'm sure that I'll be asking for that soon! Thanks!

Create-Your-Own-Cookbook

Does anyone know of a good blank cookbook that I can get for a graduation or wedding gift? Matthew's grandmother gave me one when I was in college and I LOVE it. Only thing I would change is I would want a spiral bound so that it will lay open while I'm trying to read it. Something simple with lots of room to add.....

"Cool Boops"

Well, we got Ethan's braces on Wednesday while in San Antonio. He seems to like them and keeps calling them "boops" (boots for those not fluent in Ethan). I told him they were cool so now they've become cool boops. He hasn't worn them much since we're still in a hotel but once we get settled we'll start putting them on him more and more. Hopefully he'll continue to be okay with them and get better at walking in them. They slow him down alot, which may not be a bad thing. :)

We start moving into our house tomorrow but will spend one more night in the lovely Best Western Oakdale Inn so we don't have to sleep on the floor or buy air mattresses and bedding for one night.

Help me, all you crafters out there!

So, we are moving. Our friends are having a going away party for us next weekend, and I am trying to think of something for my kids' friends to do for them so that we can have a tangible keepsake for us to remember and talk about their friends after we move.

I thought about getting colors and paper and having them draw a picture or something and then me actually snapping pics of them with the kids or actually drawing to put with their creations and put them all into a scrapbook.

Any suggestions, anybody done something similar? Most of the kids are 8 and under so it needs to be simple.

*******

New ideas.....

Ok, so I had another thought.....I remember when I was little all us girls would make t-shirts at sleepovers and we'd all sign them and what-not. Since the shirts seem a little girly to me, what if I did pillowcases? Then the kids could have them to help them remember their friends. Is that a little nuts?

So, I mentioned shirts and pillowcases, but I found this really cool book online called Moving with Kids: 25 ways to Ease Your Family's Transition to a New Home By Lori Collins Burgan, Virginia L. Mason.... (which I plan to get if our tiny Waldenbooks has it, which I'm sure they don't)
Google books has an awesome preview of a couple of chapters. I read through a few and she suggested:

picture book or scrapbook with either just pictures of the kids friends or artwork or letters from their friends

tablecloths that each friend could sign

quilt squares for each friend to decorate or write on

So, what do you think?

(I apologize for the dis-jointed post, but I originally blogged this on Myspace and then added to it before copying it here.)

My little stripper....

has been pretty good lately about not pulling his diaper off, so, of course, I forgot about the onesies for a few days. Yesterday I decided to go to the mall and work on Christmas shopping for the nieces, nephews, and cousins because if I don't then I will be BROKE at Christmas when I'm trying to buy it all. Anyway, I was having a lot of luck finding outfits for three of the little ones when I hear something go **PLOP** at my feet. Yep, it's a diaper. I immediately started to pray that there was no poop inside, and when I picked it up, I was relieved. Although then I was trying to re-dress my nude-from-the-waist-down son in the shopping cart. The whole time he was telling me, "Pants, Momma!" and pointing like they had mysteriously fallen off.

Seriously, it's a good thing they're so darn cute!

Diapers, and Onesies, and Poop oh my!

Well, it's been a LONG time since I blogged on here. I do blog on my Myspace page sometimes if anyone is that interested in my life....lol.

I am having issues with keeping Ethan's diapers on lately. He finally learned how to take his pants off so as soon as that happens, the diaper follows immediately, and he doesn't bother to tell anyone, just the next time I see him, I see his little rear end shining. It's always especially fun when he's pooped in his diaper before he takes it off. Sometimes it just gets all over him, but other times he will decide that he needs to climb on something....say Abby's bed with her pretty daisy comforter and Tinkerbell sheets.

Last Friday I decided we were going to have to invest in him some onesies, and I wasn't even sure if I could find them anymore for him. I thought I was done with them for him and he looks like such a big boy in his regular little t-shirts. So, off we went to Eagle Pass which is about 50 miles away to search at Khol's. I did find that Carter's makes 24 month onesies in both short and long sleeves and I happily bought a big package of them. So far, this seems to be working. Although yesterday when we were getting dressed to leave the house I put the onesie on him first, and he completely freaked out and had a tantrum. (This is something he's recently mastered as well.) He screamed and cried and finally I gave up on the idea of his regular clothes and since we were going to babysit I figured he'd be fine only in the onesie. We left the house, but Ethan was still screaming and hugging the front door trying to get back inside away from his evil mommy.

Today, Abby wanted them to each wear their Halloween shirts, and I totally forgot about the onesie. Well, pretty quick Ethan comes running by with his little white butt shining, no diaper or shorts anywhere in sight. So, I went to the car and found a grey creeper that I'd picked up at Wal Mart and on it went. He's still refusing his shorts, but hopefully he will keep the diaper on for a while.

Just after I got him re-dressed he saw his sippy cup on the table, which I had just rinsed and filled with water. My kids get milk or juice in the morning, I let them choose, then they are allowed water between meals. For lunch, I give them either milk or juice, whichever they didn't have earlier. Always water between meals, I figure it can't hurt them. They drink alot, so I attempt to keep their cups full of water. Well, he was so happy to see his cup, picked it up and took a big drink.........let the water run right out of his mouth onto the floor, threw his cup, and yelled, "NO!". He's now being called "Mr. Reaves" because he has such an attitude. His cup is still on the floor where he threw it, and it will remain there until he empties it.

This job is nothing if not entertaining.....