March 27, 2001
I love my children...I REALLY, REALLY love them. But yesterday I would've sold Thomas to the gypsies if they would have knocked on my door and offered me a dollar.
I'm not going to go into details (again!) about his attitude, but he must've broke some kind of record yesterday...
He and Gabe were playing after a whole day without incident, when all of a sudden it was like a prison riot in here. I still don't know what sparked it, but within minutes they were both crying, screaming, and insisting they wanted their daddy. Gabe quickly calmed down once he'd argued his point and was reassured that he wasn't in any trouble and that daddy would be home soon. Not Thomas...
Just when I thought that he was going to be ok and quit crying, he would go on yet another rampage. Poor Gabe took the brunt of all of it, Thomas was acting out and Gabe was his target. When Mark finally did get home, Thomas was in time out and Gabe ran right to the door filling him in on all the details of the events prior to his arrival. So of course Thomas was on the defense right from the get-go.
Mark couldn't even get him to calm down. He was mad and had no intention of calming down. He accused us of everything from not letting him do ANYTHING to not loving him. He informed us that we were the worst parents he ever had and that he should just go live with Grandma and Grandpa. After a couple hours of arguing, a phone call with Grandma (that still didn't calm him), and about a gizzilion time outs Mark decided to take him "for a little ride". I took this as the perfect opportunity...I packed his bags, kissed him good-bye and wished him luck at his new home. Then the begging began...
I didn't mean it, I don't want to live with Grandma and Grandpa for ever, I'm sorry, unpack my bag, and on and on. So he went on the ride, without his bag, knowing that he would return to his home. He returned a different child. I don't know exactly what was said, and I don't want to know...but whatever it was it worked. He was regretful and sorry and promised to not do it again. He told me we ARE, in fact, the BEST parents he's ever had and he does love us and wants to live here forever and ever.
What a relief...only 13 or 14 more years of this.
He couldn't get enough lovin' before bed last night and told us over and over how sorry he was and that he didn't mean it. He said he was just having a bad day which made him angry and that he doesn't like to have a bad day.
He's been a little angel today...but it's still early!

The tip of the day comes from Michele Borba at Moms Online. "The good news is violence is learned, but so is calmness! Model calmnes...show them through your example. Exit and calm down...anger is contagious. Develop a 'feeling' vocabulary...ask a child 'tell me how you feel'. Teach anger control strategies."
...okay, so I printed this out. Check back with me in a week and see how we're doing with it!

March 26, 2001
This is for all of those who think that I should have pictures in (or should it be on?) my weblog. After great consideration, I've decided to share my family with you. Visit my photo gallery to see a current shot of my family...I'm so proud of them!!
Now, on to some serious weblogging...Winter IS back. It returned on Saturday, as predicted, and with a vengeance! I've come to the conclusion that we all have spring fever. Especially the kids. That would explain their moods lately. I'm hoping it's spring fever anyway. I'd hate to think they're going to stay this way.
It's all about attitude...and they've all had one lately. Jackson's attitude hasn't been too bad, his is normal for his age. He's learning to become independent, but still wants help and when you give him help he wants to do it himself...all normal behavior.
Gabe's been a little whiney, which leads me to believe that I need to figure out something to do with him one on one. He needs some attention, normally he's not one to whine and cry.
Thomas has been (pick an adjective, any adjective) mouthy, argumentative, bossy, sassy, and a tad bit rude! Here's an example: Saturday night he was told to go in the other room because he wouln't quit picking on Gabe and making him cry (the whining again), so instead of just leaving the room, he insisted on calling his dad (excuse my language) a 'horses ass'. Not just once...he said it three times! Heaven knows who he's heardcall Mark a horses ass before ;)...
I don't know what to do with him...short of washing his mouth out with soap. I'd hate to do that. I remember distinctly getting my own mouth washed out with soap ( the reason?...being sassy), and it was awful! Once I stopped blowing bubbles everytime I spoke, I apologized and vowed to quit being so mouthy. But I didn't stop...I got in trouble more for my mouth/attitude then anything else while I was growing up. I'm still considered by some to be a bit mouthy...
My only consolation is that, somewhere...my parents are looking down at me, and they are smiling. Laughing actually. Laughing really hard!! They always hoped that I would be cursed blessed with a child that is JUST LIKE ME.

The tip of the day is from babycenter. It has to do with aggressiveness in toddlers, but I think the same advice can be applied to mouthy 5 year olds. "Follow up with logical consequences. Set clear limits. Discipline consistently. Teach altenatives. Reward good behavior. Limit t.v. time."
...Mom? Dad? You just keep on smiling.

The Weekend-March 24&25, 2001
As I've said in my about me page, I'm hooked on reality television. I'm putting a proposal together to send to Mark Burnett (the brain child of Survivor) so he can create a new show that will make me rich, rich, rich! (And I'm not talking Hatch) The ultimate reality show could be filmed in my house. I could put 16 single, childless people in here with my kids, my husband, my life in general and say "survive this"...I wonder how many could.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed creating it...I liked it so much that after this weekend, "Survive This" will become a permanent fixture on this page.
It's a tribute to my obsession with reality television for your amusement as well as mine. My proposal will read something like this.

March 23, 2001
I'm feeling much better today. Probably because its FRIDAY! The weekend is finally here! Friday's my big cleaning day. I like to get all the 'non-daily' cleaning done. I don't know why, because with all the traffic through here on the weekend, the house gets trashed.
It will be a sad weekend :(. We've had a visitor all week and he'll be leaving us on Sunday. Mark's cousin's son has been staying with us while they went to Florida. He is such a good boy, the same age as Jackson so it's been like having twins. I'm so glad I never had twins.
When I told his mother how good he's being she didn't believe me. She was worried that he was being a terror. And so I wondered...is he being really good or is he being bad and I don't know it because mine are worse. Yikes...
Whatever the case may be, she said that I couldn't keep him, she wants him back. So we'll have to say good-bye on Sunday. He'll really miss Gabe. Since his first day here, he's thought Gabe is his sister Paige. They both have long blond hair and are about the same height. They do look a lot alike, but Gabe is not a girl. We've let Zack call Gabe 'sissy' anyway...if it makes him feel better. In fact, we've all been calling Gabe 'sissy'. It's kind of contagious.
You wouldn't think that one extra little body around here would make much of a difference, but it has. If we ever (which we won't) had any more we'd have to buy a bigger house, a bigger kitchen table, an industrial size washer/dryer, and start buying food/diapers in one of those bulk stores.
No big plans for our weekend...we were hoping to cook out, since the weather has been so beautiful all week. But of course the weatherman says to expect snow on Saturday. Typical Michigan weather. You know what they say about Michigan...If you don't like the weather stick around because it's bound to change tomorrow.

The tip of the day once again, comes from me...I haven't had much time to 'surf the net' lately so my tip will be this: Make sure you come back tomorrow, I've got something BIG brewing for the weekend entry!

March 22, 2001
Did your mother ever tell you "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all"?
...ok then.

March 21, 2001
I guess I'm a "mouthy, baby brat..." Or so I've been told. (By a 5 year old!) He's in quite the mood today. He woke up grouchy (at 6:20am) and has been grouchy ever since. He was picking on Gabe this morning and was put in "time out" (how dare I). So to get even with me he told me to "not ever talk to him again"...so I didn't. For two hours I ignored him. I didn't answer his questions, I didn't reply to his many (butt kissing) thank-you's, and I didn't react at all when he asked if I needed to learn sign language because "I guess you can't talk". Apparently he didn't notice that I was talking to everyone else, just not HIM!
Ugh...If I EVER say that I want just one more baby, someone slap me and slap me hard. Remind me that children can make you reduce yourself to their level and make you feel like you belong in kindergarten again!!! ("I know you are, but what am I?") I can't believe I was actually arguing with a 5 year old...and anyone who knows me knows that I don't like to lose an argument!! (Just ask Mark...I'm terrible to argue with!)
But we made up...he apologized (which in a grown-up argument is the same as admitting that you're wrong!) and I forgave him. He's been unusually nice (to everyone) ever since. I don't think he likes the silent treatment. (Note to self: Thomas DOES NOT like the silent treatment!)
So there it is...every day is NOT a "fun" day at our house. We have our bad days too. (But to make our home seem more like "Mike and Carol Brady's", I just don't talk about the bad days!)...Mom always said, don't throw balls in the house!
On a lighter note...Gabe said one of the funniest things I've ever heard come out of his mouth last night. The "ice cream man" (Schwans) was leaving and Gabe said "Catch 'ya later Dan". What the... How does a three year old know how to use the phrase "catch 'ya later"? He said it like he says it every day...I couldn't believe it.

The tip of the day comes from an unknown source. It is something that I recieved via email (thank you Missy) and thought I would share with all of you. If you have children or don't, this is worth the time to read...it's guarenteed to make you laugh! Read the things I've learned from my children.
...Not MY children of course, someone elses! Catch 'ya later!!.

March 20, 2001
It smells like spring...There is something in the air this time of year that takes me back...The things I remember about it are, wishing it would dry up enough to get out the jump ropes and marbles, being able to leave the snowpants and boots home from school, wearing a spring jacket, and of course getting a new shiny pair of shoes for Easter every year!!! (A pair that I was sure were for tap dancing since they made noise on the kitchen floor...and black scuff marks!)
When Santa was here at Christmas he promised to bring Thomas his scooter in the spring...I'm sure it was because Santa didn't want Thomas to ride it in the house all winter. (He was sure it would be okay to ride it in the house since it would be new and the wheels would be clean.) I'm sure that Santa had all but forgotten about the scooter until Thomas mentioned it the other day after he got his bike out. I'm thinking that Santa better get on the ball. (Maybe Santa could talk to the Easter Bunny and have him take care of it...hee hee.)
Speaking of the Easter Bunny, we saw him in the yard yesterday. Well a bunny anyway, and the boys asked if it could be the Easter Bunny. I told them I wasn't sure, but I thought that the Easter Bunny was much larger and usually carried a basket of eggs. (He does have a basket of eggs doesn't he?)
I'm excited about the spring ahead time change. Even if it means we lose an hour. It gets daylight way too early. As soon as the sun pops up the boys think that it's time to get up. "If the sun's up, we should be up". Whatever... and so it starts, at 6:30 in the morning. Can we watch cartoons? Can I have breakfast? Is this milk good? Can you TOAST our poptarts? Is there more juice? He's got my cup! He's showing me his poptart! Can we go outside? and finally... Can we play on the computer?Which, of course, leads to a "noyoumaynotIamgowatchcartoons!"
It's spring...let's rejoice!!! The snow is almost gone, the sun is shining, and the birds are chirping. No more freezing temperatures, no more talk of lake effect snow or wind chill, and no more snowsuits/hats/boots/scarves/mittens (which is always followed by an "I have to use the bathroom").
...it's 6:45am and the kids are up. No more "peaceful my time".

Unfortunately, spring also brings the need for 'spring cleaning', so
the tip of the day comes from Martha Stewart herself! "The queen of domesticity" has some great tips on cleaning and organizing"Do you know that your vacuum needs spring cleaning, too: Cut away threads from the rotating beater, replace the motor's belt if stretched, and install a new bag."

If Martha says, well then...

March 19, 2001
No time today...The kids had the flu and the whole house needs to be disinfected!!! Spring is in the air, so I'll open the windows and get to work.
Meanwhile...visit some "real weblogs" courtesy of my new and improved links page. Read other logs, get interested, put them in your favorites, start your own...I don't care, just return to mine. Same time...Same place tomorrow!!

March 15, 2001
Thomas spent the day with Grandma yesterday...I think she wanted to spoil him a little before his big day tomorrow. And spoil him she did. She picked him up at 10:00...to do a little shopping. 7 hours, 1 pair of shoes, 1 new outfit, 3 bags of candy, 1 new movie, a pair of sunglasses, a "cop kit" (complete with handcuffs AND two whistles-thank you very much!), 2 trucks, an 8 pack of juice, 6 hot wheels, 2 toys filled with gum balls, and a set of magnets later he came home. He'd been to the bakery for donuts, visited with Grandpa, out to lunch, saw Uncle Denny, to the dollar store, AND to Wal Mart!
He was missed...Gabe started asking for him about nap time and I told him that Thomas would be home for supper. This explanation seemed to work...for a little while. As soon as he got up he asked for Thomas again. Again I told him he'd be home by supper. Then at 3:00 Gabe said he was hungry and could we have supper now?! This was his way of saying he wanted Thomas home. Which is strange, any other day they pick at each other all day. Mom he's touching me, mom make him stop that, mom he's showing me his food, mom tell him to mind his own business! When he walked in the door, Gabe scooted Thomas' chair over as close to his as he could, and Jackson babbled "bubba, bubba, bubba" over and over!
Thomas was pooped! He didn't even stay awake long enough to see who got booted off the island. So I tormented him this morning. I told him since he fell asleep on the couch in the middle of Survivor, he missed Tribal Council and didn't see who got kicked off. He begged me to tell him who it was. I told him he would have to wait and see on the "Early Show". I thought he would cry so I ended up telling him that it was the girl with the muscles...He said the brown one?
That was his day. He slept like a log, in his own bed....all night.

The tip of the day is from Cyber Grandma. "...A smile is something we all own, but very few share it with others."
...Thank you grandma, he was definately smiling.

March 14, 2001
How do you raise your child to be a "leader"? When we're here at home Thomas seems to play the role of a leader and Gabe and Jackson are followers. Gabe does whatever he needs to to make Thomas happy and proud. (Jackson does whatever they're doing just because...) I guess that's to be expected since he's the oldest, but I've noticed that when they have their little friends or cousins over (who are all older) Thomas becomes a follower. I was a follower, never a leader. Is it because I was always one of the "little kids" and it just carried on through my life outside the home?
In this day and age, it seems like you have to raise your kids to be leaders. I don't want them to follow the pack, do whatever everyone else is doing just because they're doing it. I want to raise them to be the ones that people want to be like. I want them to be good examples in a world where there are so many bad examples being followed.
A person could drive themself crazy imagining what the world will be like in ten years, when they're teenagers...of course to my parents, I'm sure the world wasn't all that they had hoped for it to be for me either. I know that it's more then just raising your childdren to be one way or another...It involves instilling good morals, ethics, and manners. But it would be a heck of a lot easier if you could just say I'm raising him to be this way, or my child will be like that. Being a parent is hard...

The tip of the day is from Mona Schuster at Family Play . "...reward your child...show respect...discipline. Children are like a garden; if we tend to them they will grow and flourish."

March 13, 2001
Mr. Man learned a new trick yesterday...I left the room for a couple of minutes and came back to find him sitting in one of the kitchen chairs. I couldn't believe it!! He was just sitting there, playing with a couple of hot wheels that someone left on the table, like he's done it a hundred times. My initial reaction was to ask Thomas if he put him up there. Since he was on the phone with grandma, I didn't think it was likely that he had anything to do with it. When I asked him "Jackson...how did you get up there?" he just smiled as if to say "ha ha".
He's got such an attitude!!! He's also learning how to throw a pretty good fit. If things aren't done the way he want, when he wants, his little red headed temper flares up and he tries to have a tantrum. He needs practice at it...he doesn't seem as good at it as the older boys were at that age. Or maybe I'm just better at ignoring it. When Thomas was small and tried to throw a fit, I would sit him down and try to reassure him, talk him through it, or calm him down. With this one, I step over him and keep on walking...like I don't even notice.
You know where he gets it don't you? Not from me...I don't have a temper OR red hair...excuse me...strawberry blond hair. His daddy doesn't necessarily throw fits, but he likes to have his way...

The tip of the day comes from The CyberMom Dot Com. "One of the best ways to 'address' a temper tantrum is to ignore it."
...of course you know if you try to do this with a grown-up, it may not work.

March 12, 2001
I don't have a lot of time today so I'll have to let you pick a subject to entertain yourself...not that I found this topic because I was looking for it, I just happened to stumble upon it. MY kids would NEVER do anything like this. (I'm kidding)

The tip of the day comes from ME...if your child insists on picking his/her own nose (as opposed to someone elses) tell them that if they don't stop, their finger may reach all the way up to their brain and cause brain damage.
...hee hee

March 10 , 2001
I like to clean!! There...I said it. I like to clean and it drives my husband CRAZY!! I would think that most husbands would like to have a wife that cleans instead of one that is a slob. He likes to tease me about there being two cups in the sink..."you should do the dishes, they're piling up"...whatever.
I read an article in Ann Landers once about a man who came home to a house that was a disaster and asked his wife what happened. She replied with "You know how you come home every day and ask what I did today, well today I didn't do it!" I have considered a hundred times of doing the same thing, but have never been able to actually do it. If I tried, I would probably panic at the last second and run around like a madman trying to get it all done before he got home.
I guess my thoughts are that our house is our childrens playground...I like to keep it clean and safe. ( Of course another thought is, if someone were to come over and the house was a disaster wouldn't they think "she's home all day and her house looks like this?".)
Whatever my motivation may be, I just like to have a clean house. I don't like to clean everything...Like toilets/bathrooms for instance. I am the only female living in a house filled with people who pee standing up...do I have to say more?

The tip of the day comes from the Queen of Clean. "Have a tough cleaning problem? The Queen has simple, effective solutions for cleaning up the very worst messes as well as regular, preventive cleaning ideas that will save you loads of time and effort."
...if a man is king of his castle, must a woman be queen of her broom closet?

March 9, 2001
Rock, paper, scissors--I spy--Simon says--Ring around the rosie--Frozen statues (The last of which is a game I'm sure we made up ourselves.) These are the things that we did as children to occupy our time..I know it's hard to believe in this day and age, but we had no computer, no nintendo, not even cable! (gasp) But we somehow seemed to find things to do. My own boys have recently started to play these games...with their own rules. I haven't taught them frozen statues yet, but their rendition of 'I spy' goes something like this: " I spy...with my little eye...something..." When we played, it was "I spy something green".
It's so cute to hear them play although I've noticed that if it's Gabe's turn, whatever Thomas guesses, Gabe yells "yes!!! That's what I spied", and when Gabe guesses, for some reason his answer is never right and Thomas eyes just keep shifting about the room (as if he may be looking for something else that is green). But they play, and if I'm invited, I play too. It takes me back. Try playing a favorite game from your childhood days and see if it doesn't do the same for you!!

The tip of the day comes from Janet B. McCracken at family play. She says"...seek out games that convey positive messages and keep children mentally and physically active"
...Play hard!

March 8, 2001
We may as well have the dreaded "pink medicine" flowing out of our faucet!! In the past month-month and a half, we have been to the doctor, clinic or emergency room ten times. We've had prescriptions 4 times for trimox, once for eardrops, once for motrin, and once for cough syrup. We've struggled through our first 'stich crisis' and are gearing up for our first minor surgery. Uggghhh, I hate winter. I know that cold weather, wind and rain don't cause sickness, but it sure seems worse in the winter!!
Jackson started this round with an ear infection... then a strawberry hemangioma (a teeny tiny blood-blisterish looking bump thingy) on his face broke and we couldn't stop the bleeding (hence the trip to the emergency room at 11:00pm). Three hours and one stich later he and daddy were home safe and sound on one of the coldest, windiest, snowiest nights we've had all winter...
Then Thomas' ears started acting up...we had suspected poor hearing and when we took him in to get tested they found fluid behind the eardrums, which means he needs tubes put in. He's actually looking forward to it a little, he'll be glad to hear better.
Then it was Gabe's turn with an ear infection. He woke me up in the night saying his ear hurt and would I kiss it. Five minutes later he said "it still hurts, kiss it again". In the morning I asked him if his ear still hurt he said "no, but my cheeks hurt when I burb". (?) After a trip to the clinic that afternoon it was confirmed that yes... he did have an ear infection.
This all makes me realize just how lucky we are when they're all healthy...I'm hopeful though, I know that spring is just around the corner...

The tip of the day on how to keep kids free of the common cold comes from american baby. "...Dont let them share cups, teach them to use tissues, enforce hand washing, make sure they get enough sleep,and discourage them from touching their eyes and nose..." Bless you

March 7, 2001
Wouldn't it be nice to have the imagination of a child? The things that they come up with make you wonder where it all comes from. Take this morning for instance...When Thomas came out of his room, he looked as though he had been awake for awhile so I asked him how long he'd been up. He said "three minutes". (Not to my surprise, when things are measured in time it's always three minutes!!) Anyway... when I asked what he had been doing he said he was looking out the window. I asked if he hadseen any rabbits, because I had noticed one in the yard earlier. He said that yes, he had seen a rabbit and that it was brown...then Gabe piped up. "I saw a one...it was pink!" We laughed..."a pink rabbit?" "No, a brown rabbit driving a pink car!"
It seems to be a constant sourse of entertainment around here...listening to them describe their dreams, tell stories, or even to hear them narrate a trip to the store. I could've been on the same trip to the store, but I never notice the things that they do. Imagination is a wonderful thing...I hope that they continue to use theirs andthat they never lose the desire to share it with us...

The tip of the day is not really a tip, but it's worth your time...it's atSanity Central. Read "The top 10 things you really did not want to know, but that your kids will love!!"
...imagine that!

March 5, 2001
Our oldest son has slept in his own bed, all night for 7 nights now. I'm an advocate of the 'family bed', but our family is growing...the kids are getting bigger and the bed seems to be getting smaller. I guess it all starts with breast feeding. At midnight, 2am, 4am, and 6am, it seems logical to bring a newborn into bed instead of having to get up and actually wake all the way up during a feeding. And so the cycle begins...
Now five years later, I still wake up with a man and two children in my bed! (Our youngest has NEVER slept in our bed...not enough room) So we've decided to break the cycle.
The way I see it, If they wake up and come to our bed and we take them back to their own, eventually they'll learn to stay in their own bed. (Won't they?) I don't get worked up by all of this,it's my fault that they're used to sleeping in our bed, but I can say that I'm looking forward to having no kids in bed for an entire night instead of just a couple of hours.
I explained to them that they're getting older and bigger, and need to get a better nights sleep...and that the way to get a better nights sleep is to sleep alone in their own bed with lots of room and no one to kick them or take their blankets. They both objected saying that there wouldn't be anyone to snuggle with, but ultimatelythey agreed. (...and the fact that I offered whoever stayed in their bed all night a dollar didn't hurt either.) So...Thomas got a dollar and Gabe thought since he slepthalf the night in his bed he deserved half a dollar (or "dodder" as he puts it). He got 12 cents...

The tip of the day comes from Henry L. Shapiro, M.D."...nighttime waking is a habit. Develop bed time rituals and pay attention to the sleep environment."
...sweet dreams!!!

Welcome to my weblog!! I'll admit it now...I'm a beginner, a newcomer to this whole weblog thing, a novice...dare I say "newbie"?! I started this new venture with the thought that I needed a hobby... something to do in my "spare" time...a diversion from every day life where I could use my cob-web covered brain. I'm hoping this is a place where you can come to escape and enjoy. Please excuse any errors you may find-this is a work in progress.

Becoming a mother is the accomplishment I am most proud of. This is the one topic I know enough about to write about. So this is what my weblog is about. Motherhood...the good, the bad, the uncertian...It is called Total Chaos for obvious reasons- if you have young children (or children in general), you understand.

I have to say a quick thanks to 'my friend' if it weren't for her, I wouldn't have started this weblog...if you want a great read, check out herjunklogyou'll be glad you did.