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 heard call 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 alternatives. 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!!.

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