List power

This is a list of:

A: The things we intend to do today

B.  The things I can take away from them for bad behavior.

Mua Hah Hah HAH!!!

My motto this week: "It's a privilege, not a right!"

Eldon's terrible horrible no good very bad day

Eldon really did have some legitimate reasons for throwing fits yesterday.. it does seem like the entire world was conspiring against him!

In the hours between nap time and bedtime:

Eldon was cheerfully helping me clean his room and suddenly started screaming.  I thought he just stubbed his toe, but when I stopped to look, I saw a thumb tack sticking out of his foot!  It went deep into the inside of his toe-knuckle (or whatever you call that body part!) (The boys have  solar system hanging from their ceiling with putty and tacks, but alas, they like to throw stuff at the planets and occasionally make them fall.  Hence, the tack.)

An hour later, Eldon was toddling alongside me while we walked at the park.  His feet were suddenly removed from underneath him, he flipped violently upside down, feet in the air, forehead smacking the concrete before the rest of his body followed.  (Copper had freed herself from her chain and bowled him over.  Hence, the flipping.)

A half hour later, Seth was taking a time-out by a tree, and Eldon was cheerfully harassing him.  He suddenly started screaming his head off and running towards me holding his arm.  Seth was smirking so I suspected he was to blame, though I never did get a confession.  (Later as I was getting him ready for the bath, I noticed the sting on his arm. Hence, the screaming.)

All that earned him some comfort food.




 

 

An extra cookie-

Please don't tell his siblings

on collecting data

It is of utmost importance that parents gain insight in to each child's temperament.  Observe the children, make note, and attempt to discern what kind of training each child needs.  Are they overly cautious? Overly adventurous?  How do they react to change?  to challenge? to authority?  to praise?  What is the immediate response to a person who catches them in blatant naughtiness?

After much pondering, I decided to perform an experiment on the children to gain answers to that last question.
(side note: The children had been bickering all morning long, I was low on sleep and on coffee, and two of the younger ones had chosen this day to practice their high-pitched screaming.)

Bickering.
They were bickering at the kitchen table over who sits where, who sits by who, who helps what baby, who gets what spoon, and who leads prayer, and who pushes what chair where.  Their howls and whines bounced around the inside of my already sore skull.  A shriek pulled my eyes wide and made me grit my teeth.  Then, a spill, and one more tattle, and one more indignant "Mommy!" screamed in my direction..

I calmly decided it was a perfect time to try my experiment.

"STOOOOOOOOOP FIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHTIIIIIIIINNNNNG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  The tone and the sound and the mommas-gonna-lose-it expression on my face had the desired result.

Silence.

Then, the opportunity for data collection regarding their psychological makeup.  Behold, the multicolored temperaments that graced my table that day, and the thoughts I read on their faces.

The Instant Repenter- Sinful wretch that I am!  I am not worthy to be a child of this house! If I let fall the tears from these eyes they will never stop flowing! Oh, woe is me!

The Smirker- Yep, momma's gonna lose it.  Oh what fun that will be!  The authority figure has been defeated!  Hm, what shall I do first when there is nobody to rule me any longer?

The Smarter Smirker- Don't laugh.  Look contrite.  Make your eyes big and look very serious.  Don'tlaughdon'tlaughdon'tlaugh.  Hold your breath if you have to.  Do not make eye contact with the smirker.

The terrified-  Oh I see.  This is how my life will end after all.  I didn't think it would happen quite so soon, but alas, so it shall be.

The Sibling Checker- Laugh or cry? Laugh or cry?  What are the others doing?  Oh no, mixed messages!  What do I do?!?! WhatdoIdoooo?


Yet these dear children, molded by the liturgy of sin and grace in our daily lives, spoke with one voice to their frazzled mother as she tucked them in for naps and whispered a sad, "I am sorry for yelling at you like that."

"I forgive you momma." said each one, adding grace upon grace with tiny hugs and kisses.

It's not a cage exactly...

When the kitchen floors are much too dirty for the sweet baby, try this:

Of course, this assumes a few things:

1.  You have a clean laundry basket

2.  You have some clean tupperware or whatnot for him to chew on

3.. He is strong enough to support his head when he suddenly zooms forward.  Why would he suddenly zoom, you ask?  Because, I say, what looks like a laundry basket/baby holder to a mommy, is OBVIOUSLY a race car to older siblings.

some of the best advice I have ever been given..

"When you have had a rough day with the kids... remember to look at them while they are sleeping."

I don't remember who said that to me or if I read it somewhere, but I found it good advice this week. Funny how the child who is making my teeth grind and my fists clench one minute can melt my heart the next!

Marcus, sometimes a sweet kid...



Just like when he was a baby...

Chaos, chaos!

Eldon, and siblings: I wonder what would happen if I took stuff from this room and dragged it to that room, and took stuff from that room and dragged it to another room.... left my stuff on the floor, threw my stuff in the air, dumped my stuff out of boxes, danced with my stuff through the house...

This is my home! Chaos, chaos everywhere!

What to do with all this chaos? Is it containable? The way I see it, I have three options:

A. Fight it constantly, lose the battle, and lose my sanity
B. Give up the fight, and let the clutter consume my home, and also, my sanity
C. Fight it part-time, strategically, and imperfectly, and set aside time to ignore it for the sake of more important things.

I choose C.

I am ignoring it today. So please keep your shoes on, and pretend you do not notice the Rice Krispies on the floor.

wagon time

Oh, the aftermath of vacation! The aftermath of traveling, the wreckage that is my house after these two crazy weeks! There was a Christmas hurricane, and it blew my routines and systems away, filled my kids with junk food, and trashed my house!

I think these thoughts, sitting on the couch with coffee and no makeup, being climbed on by hyper children with no boundaries, and I sigh at the piles of Christmas stuff that needs to be incorporated into my system-less, routine-less house.

That's it. After all this stuff gets taken care of, we are ALL going back on the wagon!

There they are in my closet, those wonderful wagons that keep things running more smoothly. For the kids I get out the obey-your-mama wagon, the be-kind-to-your-siblings wagon, the remember-your-manners wagon, and the pick-up-your-stuff-or-else wagon.

For myself there is the flywagon, the exercise wagon, the be-consistent-with-the-kids wagon, the read-the-Bible-and-pray wagon, and the eat-healthy-foods wagon. But I can't seem to find that last one.. I know I used it last year... where IS that dumb thing?

Oh that's right, I covered it with cheese and I ate it.


Lord, have mercy on your weak children! As you have blessed us once again with another year, bless us also with wisdom in how we live it, and strength to do what we know we ought. Make us stronger in the most important things: love of You, love of our neighbor. And thank you that Your faithfulness to us is unchanging; Your resolve to show us your mercy, unwavering. May Your faithfulness and love that you show us in Jesus guard us throughout this year. Amen.

Good morning

Today is not my favorite kind of day. It is a day of vacation aftermath: tired kids, tired parents, utterly disorganized house and life, hundreds of little things demanding my attention...

I stayed in bed a little bit after the kids got up this morning, assuming they were happy with cartoons. They were quiet for a bit, but then I started hearing Eldon screaming about this and that, and knew I could not stay in my warm bed forever. Another scream, and I take a deep breath, pray for patience, and roll out of bed. I opened my bedroom door and almost tripped over a small box on the floor. It rattled as I kicked it. I sighed at the messiness of my house and continued with Peter towards the sound of kid conversation.

I walked out down the hall and found the children seated at the table instead of watching cartoons. Lorraine was in the kitchen, wearing her new apron and smiling, "Mommy, I am serving everyone breakfast!" Seth was on the kitchen counter looking for the bread and cheerfully taking orders from Lorraine. The others were happily drinking Lorraine's most excellent chocolate milk and telling me what a great job she was doing with breakfast.

The cocoa pebbles crunched under my feet as I approached the table to join them, but I really didn't mind this time. "Mommy, did you look in the box?" Lorraine asked. I had not, so I put Peter down and returned to the hallway where the box was waiting.

Inside the box were two small plates. On the plates, arranged just so, sat two granola bars, a pile of M&Ms, and a peppermint.

Breakfast in bed for mommy and daddy.

Oh Lord, when these kids drive me crazy today, help me remember this moment!

A new strategy for whining

This is making me crazy, and I really do mean crazy:

"AggiEEEEEE! Don't take my car from meEEEEEE!"
"MommEEEEE!!!! Seth hurt meEEEEEEEEEE!"

Wow, they sure know how to hit that perfect pitch, the one that makes the little hairs on my arms stand up and my neck twitch. They sound like squawking chickens, and it is making me a little nutty.

How nutty? Nutty enough to try this:
"Kids, if you are going to talk to me like squawking chickens, I am only going to reply like a chicken." They laugh and roll their eyes, not taking me seriously.

Then, five minutes later...
"MommEEE! I was tryEEEEng to make my bed but AggiEEEE-"
SQUAWK!!!! SQUAWK SQUAWK! says mommy.
Giggle, deep breath, then in a normal voice, "Mommy, I was trying to make my bed but Aggie wants the pillow on the top but I rEEAAly want it- (slipping into whining again)
SQUUUUAAAAAAWWK!!!! say I.
It took about five tries, but he finally got the whole story out without a single whine. I then stopped acting like a chicken myself and helped him solve the problem rationally.

Before long, it was Aggie screeching, "MommEEEEE!"
SQUUUAAAWK! I replied.
She suppressed her smile and tried hard to reign in the whining, but could only get to word number three before she was assualted by mommy squawks once again.
"Mommy." she said with a serious face. "I am trying to tell you something."
"Alright, then use a nice voice to tell me."
"Mommy. I was going down the slide with my car but Seth is trying to go up and I REEEEly don't-"
SQQQQQQUUUUAAAWWWKKK!! SQUAWK! SQUAWK!
(deep breath) "and I really don't want him to do that but he woooooooon't-"
SQUAWK!
Exasperated, she walked away from me.
Calmly, she said to her brother, "Seth, could you please stop going up the slide so I can go down?"
"Ok Aggie," he smiled.

I chuckled (or maybe I clucked?) as they ran off together.
Will I have the guts to keep this up in public?

Good idea and tough guys!

For anyone who has family living far away and needs ideas for keeping them in touch with your young kids- check out this idea that I read in Family Fun magazine! See above- my kids are snuggling on the couch reading books with their Nana- on the phone from Michigan! For Christmas I collected 2 copies of several books, gave one to grandparents and kept one for the kids. Now the grandparents can read bedtime stories for the kids whenever they want!

The boys finally got to try out their new tattoos! Wow, what manly men!

"Seth did it" and other news...

Aggie had her post-surgery checkup today and everything is looking good! She did have one weird "spell" this weekend- she got very dizzy and uncoordinated, complained of a tummy ache and just wanted to go to bed. We don't think it was a seizure- after she slept she was fine again. Though I admit I was a little panicky, now I am pretty sure it was nothing. She had been fighting the stomach flu so it probably had something to do with that. The doctor was very pleased with how she's doing (he even hugged her when he saw her!) and this she is ready to begin a very gradual medication wean- YAY!

AND another exciting thing (for her mama) She got her blood drawn today and did it WITHOUT screaming! Way to go, brave little Peter Pan! Funny though, she was not so tough this morning when I was brushing her hair. "MOMMY you are brushing on my owie!!!" she said as she cried and held her head with a pathetic look on her face. "Honey," I said, "Your owie is on the other side." "Oh." (suppressing a smile.)

In other news... Seth enjoys contradicting everything today. (No I don't! I can just hear him!) "Here's some chocolate milk for you honey!" I don't like chocolate milk! "Ok then let's go outside" Nooooo i want some chocolate milk! Meanwhile Marcus has a mild cold and so is a little clingy today, but he still has enough energy to say his new favorite phrase: "Seth did it." He says it over and over, even when he's just walking down the hall talking to himself.... "Seth did it. Seth did it." And Lorraine is my little princess, my helper, my big girl who can't wait for school. She helped me bring Eldon to the doctor today and then we went to Walmart so she could spend her tooth fairy money.

Eldon also had his 4 month well check today. He is doing great, the doctor said he's at a six month level for his development in fine motor skills, gross motor skills, AND verbal skills! He said he won't be at all surprised if he is CRAWLING by his six month check up! So of course when we left the doctor's I immediately went to the store to buy a baby restraint to put an end to this nonsense- I am not ready for ANOTHER mobile little person! I didn't know they made such things, but it's really kind of neat.. It's kind of like a tiny straight jacket with Mickey Mouse characters on it.. he doesn't like it yet but I think he will get used to it. Ok I am kidding- were you worried? :)

stressful blessings

Eldon is clingy today- teething and boogering all over everything. He is happy as long as I am holding him, so right now he is sitting on my lap trying to chew his fingers off as I type. This has worked well for us in the past, but I just learned that his abs are getting stronger. He spontaneously tries to sit forward and of course he bumps his head on the desk. I guess I can learn to type with my elbows together.



The children are happy to be back home, but must undergo intense re-education training. They seem to have forgotten every rule they have ever learned... even the most basic. I do not blame the grandmothers at all... I think it was simply the weeks being away from home, Aggie stress, and unpredictability. Now that we are back, the kids are hoping the boundaries at home have changed..... or disappeared altogether.

Here are some of the questions they have asked of me lately, directly or indirectly.

Is it ok for us to spit at each other?

If I scream loud enough, will you be convinced the broken toy or injured sibling is not my fault?

Can I eat paper? How about beads? Sand?

Will you notice if I throw my food on the floor instead of eating it?

Do you mind if I kick the baby?

What do you mean I need to use silverware?

Will I trick you if I pretend I no longer speak English?

You don't really think I am going to take a nap, do you?

If, instead of sleeping, I kick the walls as hard as I can, what will happen?

Will Marcus look good with a bucket full of sand on his head?

How many times can I ask you the same question before you go bonkers?

By “go to bed” you meant “hide in the closet and play,” right?

I can't chew on the couch? Since when?

After a few days of questions like these, big innocent eyes, patronizing nods, false humility and apologies, and a return to the very same behavior, when mommy has finally HAD IT- they have the audacity to be surprised!!! (Boy, what'sa matter with HER?)

Sorry guys... You don't call me queen mommie for nothin'!

I am blessed to have these kinds of things as my major stressors today.

Big boy Seth

Seth is officially a big boy! Potty training began Feb 2, and after a bit of a rough start (7 accidents and 15 successes before noon!) the lightbulb went on and there's no looking back! He LOVES his “underoos,” especially the Lightning McQueen ones. He is so very proud of himself, and gave all of his diapers to Marcus “who is still just a little baby, not a big boy like me.” In fact, he refused to wear a diaper ever again, even at night! At first I sighed about this, but after he made it all the way through the night DRY I was silenced into agreement with my big boy.

Lorraine went to school monday and told her class about Seth's big potty training day. She came home with several pictures she and her friends made for him that say BIG BOY SETH, etc. They are now posted all over his room. (Good thing he is too young to be embarrassed by all of this!)

He already is trustworthy in anticipating #1 but #2 is going to take more work. In fact, I am considering ditching the sticker chart and just drawing one big pile of poop next to a present to remind him that ONE success in that area will earn him the reward. Who knew my skills as an artist would be so important as a mommy?



In other adventures, it has been quite a week for the Cook family. Josh is really sick with some sort of strange stomach? lung? heart? issue. He has been going for tests and trying to continue to work, but is mostly on the couch in pain when he comes home. Our best guess is a hiatal hernia- but he is unable to get into a gastro specialist until early March. Today he is able to keep food down, so that is progress, but he is still in a good deal of pain. Please pray for him when you think of it.

Aggie had a rough beginning of the week with her seizures, and I also started out the week quite discouraged and overwhelmed. But as Josh said in his sermon today, God is faithful even when we are exhausted, and He has carried us through a hundred trials this week. We continue to rely on Him for our daily bread, and He cares for us through the love and help of others, through His Word, and sometimes through a good book and a long nap!

If it isn't fun it won't get done!

It is official... flylady is a genius!

She says "If it isn't fun, it won't get done!" Well to me, 7 months pregnant, anything at all related to cleaning the floors or anything below my knees has become the opposite of fun. My dear husband put up some new WONDERFUL shelves in the basement to help me get organized, and after I had a ball doing that I realized the floors and especially the gym mats could use a good cleaning. SO, I thought, I have a few little people who live much closer to these dirty floors than I do, and they do not have to choke on baby feet or last night's dinner when they bend over.... how can I get them to help me?

Introducing.... SUMMER PLAY TIME! Today was a snow day (no school), so I told the kids we were going to pretend it was summer in our basement. They even got to wear their swimsuits to the "lake" (the blue gym mats). Of course, the lake needed water (warm soapy water) which they cheerfully scrubbed all over the mats. Then they pretended it was a SLIP N SLIDE for a long time. When they got tired of that I got out the scrub brush (which they FOUGHT OVER) and let them play "car wash" Even Seth got into that game, and now my basement floors and all the toddler toys are shiny and clean!

Meanwhile, my big belly and I sat on the couch laughing and taking pictures and video. The video below is my favorite (sorry you have to might have to tilt your head a bit!)

The shortest potty training attempt ever

Today I woke up feeling unusually ambitious. I have unpacked all the boxes and found homes for almost everything, so I felt the need for a new challenge. The girls are up in Michigan spending time with family until Monday, so my life is relatively calm this week. As I snuggled my boys on my soft couch and drank my morning's coffee, I thought to myself, "Today might be a good day to potty train Seth! With the girls gone and no plans, I bet we could tackle this skill easily!" I excitedly got out the potty chair, the colored marshmallows, the chocolate milk, and told Seth of my plans during breakfast. I mentioned the food first, so of course he was agreeable.

Breakfast is over, time to start the fun! I got Marcus dressed, then stripped down to let Seth sit on the potty. Instant success! Praise for Seth, a victory dance, and one colored marshmallow- this is a piece of cake! (the chocolate milk was reserved for the BIG success, #2) Next I got him dressed, WITHOUT a diaper (I told you I was feeling ambitious) which absolutely freaked him out at first. Once I explained to him that Daddies and big boy's don't wear diapers, and neither does he now that he can use the potty, he was agreeable and did a little dance about it. Then I introduced him to his little blue potty- a portable one which I intended to bring downstairs with us. As I picked it up, Seth was flailing around the bathroom doing who knows what, and somehow the potty chair whacked him in the lip. HARD. Screams and blood and the whole works.

He did not stop bleeding right away, so rather than risk blood drops all over the house, I figured we should stay in the bathroom for a few minutes while I hung some pictures. Seth and Marcus play together with bath toys while I get one picture on the wall, when all of a sudden I sniff- "Marcus, are you stinky?" Seth laughs and says "Yeah Marcus stinky," when I notice the brown blob by Seth's foot. And on his leg, and his other leg, and the cupboard.... A stinky blob, that my big boy does not even NOTICE in the least- He really thought it was Marcus. It has been approximately 4 minutes since he has been on the potty.

So I stood there in my freshly-painted bathroom with the blood spots on the floor and the little big boy covered in poop he can't smell, and I decided we are just not ready for this.

The idea, the preparation, the excitement, and the attempt- the retreat- over just like that! After his bath Seth and I were both relieved to go back to diapers and forget any of this ever happened.

So what do you do all day long?

Every year or so I do a "day in the life" of the family. I take pictures of all the little things we do all day and then write a little recap for the file. It is so fun to look back at the old ones and remember all those little things I would have completely forgotten. If you have kiddos at home I encourage you to make this memory for yourself and for them! Don't wait for a "typical" day, just leave the camera out and do it tomorrow!

Here are some of the highlights. (A little excessive, I know, but realize that the picture file actually has 96 photos in it!)

Morning snuggles!

Let's all do our teeth and hair, do da, do da

My laundry buddies

Making our list!

Mommy can we pleeeeease do the job jar? (If you can't read it- they picked wash windows and take out the trash!) Somehow the excitement of picking a chore out of a jar makes housework FUN!

Hard at work!

Having too much fun gets you sent to the corner!

Painting beautiful pictures!

Painting doesn't keep Seth's attention for long so we're on to puzzles!
More time out- this is the "naughty chair."
So many helping hands! Lucky Marcus!
Who wants to smell a stinky diaper? (Who says moms need to grow up!?)
Come Lord Jesus be our guest and let these gifts to us be blessed.
Time for Seth's nap! This gives mom and the girls a more peaceful craft time! Sock puppets!

Lorraine helps mommy bring Marcus to the doctor.
He's getting big! 16lb 4oz and counting!
My dear sister comes for a visit and some cookies.
Aggie is bored so she dresses up in Seth's clothes.
Marcus is calm and snuggly for the first time in weeks!

Goodnight kiddes for daddy!
For everyone!
Goodnight dear children!