For The Luv Of Boys

Making some changes

2012-01-06T09:07:00.001-06:00

I love blogging! I love sharing ideas, crafts, and activities with everyone. What I love even more, though is actually having time to do those activities with my boys!

As any busy mom knows, time is a hot commodity. As any blogging mom knows, there is guilt that comes along with using any extra time to blog instead of doing something with or for your kids. I have really neglected For The Luv Of Boys lately - because I just couldn't find the time to sit at my computer. My boys and household responsibilities keep me really busy, plus I try to find time to sew and crochet for the Etsy Shop.

Part of my time management problem was trying to keep up with two blogs - that were each important to me, and each had their own purpose. After much thought and prayer, I feel like it's time to consolidate the blogs. I mean, really - I don't have so much to say that one blog won't do the job. ha ha For the time being, For The Luv Of Boys will remain fully accessible here. I'll slowly be merging it with Fabulously Domestic and the content will be moved over there.

No, it won't just be about the crafts and fun stuff I do with my boys, but it will be more of me. I'm not just a mom to four boys - I'm a crafty, not-very-organized, way-too-stressed, fun-loving woman who wants to share more than I've been able to lately. Expect new tutorials, fun guest bloggers and even a couple of giveaways in the next couple of months. Just be patient - this new little guy is kind of kicking my butt and running the show right now!

A Little Perspective in the Bread Isle

2011-09-24T23:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a long day.
I didn't have much sleep and I had one heck of a To-Do List!

At the end of the list - and the thing I dreaded the most was grocery shopping.
Right before dinner. With three tired boys.

It went about as well as you can expect.
Fighting, begging, whining, touching things, touching each other, more fighting.
Towards the end of the shopping list, all three of my guys were sentenced to different corners of the cart -
with one hand on the cart, and one hand in a pocket.
I'm mean, right?

I was struggling to waddle through the isles, only buy off of my list, keep control of the boys and fight some strong braxton hicks contractions.

I saw a kind face in a stranger coming towards me.
She asked if they were all mine.
"Yep," I said. "And a 4th boy coming soon," patting my belly.
She got a little tear in her eye and smiled big.
She told me, "You are so incredibly blessed. You have some amazing, cute boys there. So blessed. What a big heart you must have. God bless you."

I thanked her and as she walked away I cried.
Right there in the bread isle at the grocery store.

I'm trying my very best every day to be the mom I need to be.
I feel like I fail. A lot.
Especially yesterday.
But then a sweet stranger put it all in perspective for me and turned my day around.
Yes, I am blessed. I am blessed beyond measure.
I love my boys and they are more of a gift to me than I could ever deserve.

Ahhh - I think this was written for my family!

2011-09-20T20:28:00.002-05:00

Fall, Football, and... Fractures?? Oh My!

2011-09-14T09:57:00.002-05:00

My favorite things about fall:

Cooler temperatures (especially since we moved to Texas!)

Recipes with apples and pumpkins

Fun decor

Football!

We are a football family, for sure. We watch college (Boomer Sooner!) and NFL (Go Texans!).

But most of all, we love to watch our kids play!

This is The Chief's 3rd season to play and he's really pretty good! He's quarterback, kicker and defensive end. Basically, he's in every play - which is how he likes it. Cause, you know - he's The Chief - and he likes to be in control. he he

(I asked for a game face. He refused.)

Con-Man has been looking forward to playing football for a couple of years now. He *just* missed the birthday cutoff for tackle - thank God! He's too little to be tackled! So he's playing flagger and loves being their quarterback!

Con-Man's cute little game face.

Actually, he thought it was dumb that Mom wanted a picture of him before his 1st game!

I know a big worry with parents of football players, especially is injuries!

We've had our share - especially this year, even though we are only three games in.

The Chief injured both heals. The ortho dr said that he came as close as you can come to fracturing both heel bones as possible without and actual crack. OUCH.

Then he pulled his hamstring. Another ouch!

But in three seasons, that's it for football injuries!

Know what's more dangerous than football?

Brothers.

Seriously - I have LOTS of medical bills to prove it!

Con-Man and Monkey-Man were wrestling around on the trampoline a couple of days ago.

Con-Man told lil bro to run towards him, then he ducked down like a ball. Monkey-Man's knee went right into the back of his neck. He cried just a little, but said he was ok.

For the next few days, he'd complain of pain here and there, but we assumed it was just bruised.

Until the school nurse called yesterday to tell me that he was in the office crying.

I immediately picked him up and took him to urgent care.

The dr assured me that it was probably just bruised, that can be a tender area. She wanted one x-ray just to rule out something more serious.

The tech took one x-ray, then decided on 5 more. I knew then they found something.

This is the x-ray I saw. And freaked out over.

I hope you can see it - I added the arrow to point at the bone that's BROKEN.

In my 6 year old's neck!!!

Yes, I tried to hold it together in the office, and waited until I called my hubby to cry.

But seriously!

The doctor assured me that it's not a serious injury, that he'll heal just fine.

He's out of PE and football for 6 weeks. Which just happens to be the rest of his season.

He's very upset about that.

She did say that if he heals quicker, which is common in kids, then he could possibly play.

Maybe he'll only miss a few games.

But he has to be completely pain free - which we are praying for constantly!

I hate that my boy is in pain right now.

I hate that we can't just put them in bubbles to keep them safe.

I do love, though, that my boys are active, healthy kids who love to play - even if it is a little too rough!

Mama & Me Journal

2011-09-09T05:38:00.000-05:00

In case you don't know, over at Fabulously Domestic, I'm working on my Pinterest Project. I complete something - anything - that I've pinned on Pinterest every day for the month of September. It's been fun so far.

I wanted to share this little idea with you because it's been pretty great for me this week.

I made the "Mama & Me" Journal I originally pinned from Mama Jenn!

You can find it in my Stuff To Make board.

I love this journal because it will give me some special time to focus on communicating with my older boys in a fun way. I think The Chief, especially will be more open with me on paper than he is face-to-face. We will write little notes back and forth to each other - about anything at all! For Con-Man, who is only 6, I told him that he can write letters to me or even draw pictures sometimes. Little does he know this will help him focus on reading and writing skills.

I hope to fill these journals up and make many, many more. Imagine the memories we'll have to look back on!

How to do it:

Jenn has created great labels you can use for the front of your journals.

Head over there and print them off - you can even use sticker/label paper to make the process more simple!

I used tiny (4.5 x 3.25 in) Composition Notebook

I printed off her labels in the size I wanted, glued to scrapbook paper and then glued it to the notebooks!

Easy, right?

Then on the first page of the notebook, I just wrote a little note to get us started.

Actually, I just used the same letter that Jenn posted!

UPDATE: This little journal has been REALLY great so far. The Chief and I have been going head to head lately. 8 year olds are really just starting to get those bad attitudes where they roll their eyes and think their parents are idiots. So it's been a struggle. He was very excited to see the finished journal and wrote back to me right away. When he's finished writing to me or drawing me a picture, he gets this super cute look on his face - grins ear to ear and runs to put it on my bed. I {love} this.

The King of All Mondays

2011-09-06T08:37:00.001-05:00

I know it's Tuesday - at least on the calendar.
But it sure feels like a Monday.
Like the king of all Mondays!

Here's a little run down so far - keep in mind it's only 8:30am.
Wake up every hour at least once to pee or recover from a bad dream.
Get up at 2:20 with such horrible heartburn and leg cramps that I can't go back to sleep.
Catch up with DVRed shows, early news, and laundry.
Kids up at 6:15 for showers - and fighting.
Wrangle kids to get ready for school and do basic morning chores.
Get kids out the door, pick up friend's kids for carpool.
While fighting the horrible drop off line at school, I turn around to notice Con-Man was wearing flip flops.
FLIP FLOPS. Are you freaking kidding me?!
Honestly, I sorta flipped out on him.
Drop 3 kids off and head home to get Con-Man's shoes.
Lecture him the whole way home.
Break down crying from guilt.
Help him find his lost socks.
Remind him that he's putting his shoes on the wrong feet.
And he didn't tie his shoes.
And he forgot his back pack.
And lunch box.
More angry-mom-voice lecturing.
Back to the van to head up to the school.
Seatbelt reminder. Again.
Walk in to sign Con-Man in 20 minutes late for school.
Cry the whole way home from guilt of starting his day off bad.
Come here to confess to you guys that while most days are good, some days just kinda suck.
Like today.
The rest of the day is super busy, mostly with things I DON'T want to do - like 10 billion phone calls, paying bills, running errands I've been putting off forever.

Anyone else with me today in wanting to just go back to bed and hide under the covers?

Getting Boys to Help - Chore Chart!

2011-08-23T14:35:00.001-05:00

Lately my hubby has been commenting that the boys are not doing their share around the house.

I am so thankful that he understands that keeping house isn't just MY job.

This morning we decided it was time for a chore chart.

Then I got overwhelmed.

Here's what I've tried in the past that didn't work for us:

Printed weekly charts to put stickers on

Printed, laminated daily charts to use dry erase marker on

A printed list of chores that each boy can choose from each day

No list or chart - just yelling when the house got nasty

So here's what I knew I needed:

A perpetual list/chart that can change daily

Something reusable - not printing over and over

Color Coded (of course)

Customizable for my kids

Easy to understand

Visually attractive so it can be displayed

The chore chart below is what I've come up with!

I'm not doing a tutorial, because it's really just too simple.

But, here is what you'll need:

Cork-board

Colored Pens

Push Pins

How NOT to Pull a Tooth - a Bad Tutorial

2011-07-13T10:39:00.000-05:00

This is another tutorial for men. (See Teaching what my Mother In Law didn't)

I say this is for men, because I really doubt any women - especially mothers would try this on a little kid.

Step 1: Start with an impatient 6 yr old and a tooth that Mom says isn't ready:

Step 2: Tie floss to said tooth:

Lots of floss:

Step 3: Tie other end of floss to very fast, powerful (& beat up) remote control truck:

Step 4: Set 6 yr old and truck up with plenty of space to run. Pull trigger on remote:

Step 5: Examine 6 yr old to find he looked down at moment of pull, causing floss to lodge up under gum line, above the not-loose-enough-tooth.

Step 6: Listen to your wife say, "I told you so," repeatedly while your 6 yr old looks a little like Nanny McPhee for the next 5 + days:

*Note - poor Con-Man's tooth is more than ready to come out now, but he's terrified to let anyone near it!

4th of July T-shirts!

2011-06-28T13:25:00.001-05:00

Anybody else getting excited about the 4th of July?!

Normally, our family will bbq, eat TONS of watermelon and red, white and blue desserts, light off fireworks at home and go watch a big display, too!

We weren't in Texas yet for The 4th last year, so we aren't completely sure where to go.

I'm sure the better part of the day will be spent just having fun around the house, though -

and now we'll be wearing our Red, White & Blue pride!

Our version of 4th of July T-shirts:

My boys like tie-dye shirts. I don't like the mess.

Or the time they take.

So when we found the spray fabric dye, I knew it'd be perfect for us!

These shirts are soooo easy and fast to make - we even did a birthday party once where everyone got to make their own shirt to take home.

There is no wrong way to do this - just let the kids (and yourself!) have fun!

You'll need:

white shirts

spray fabric dye (available at Hobby Lobby)

rubber bands

Decide on the technique you want to use. I used rubber bands to bunch up my tank - I wanted to focus on my growing baby bump.

You can also just gently twist the shirt, spray, untwist, retwist different direction and spray with another color. That's what The Chief did:

Con-Man just sprayed in a random design until he was happy with the way it looked:

Here are the finished shirts - nothing fancy, absolutely not perfect.

But we sure had LOTS of fun making them and will wear them with pride on the 4th of July!

Mine

The Chief's

Con-Man's

Monkey Man's

Helpful tips:

Cover work surfaces - there will be over-spray.

Wear old clothes in case spray gets on them - it will not wash out.

Follow all directions on bottle - each brand is different.

Stencils are fun to use to make specific shapes.

Let go of your perfectionism - just have FUN!

Will be MIA

2011-06-20T07:55:00.000-05:00

We've got some sad family issues to deal with this week, so my boys and I are leaving town. That means no posting from me, and probably not much reading from my favorite bloggers, either. I'll get back into the swing of things as soon as we get back - I've got some great summer fun posts in the works.

{New} Blog Buddies Page

2011-06-16T13:40:00.000-05:00

I just added a new page to the blog - go check it out!

It's the Blog Buddies page - this will be a running list of my blogging buddies.
Anybody and everybody are encouraged to link up your blog, though please make sure that your blog/site is family friendly.
I'm doing this with the hope of increasing traffic to some of my very favorite blogs!
I'll make a habit of promoting random Blog Buddies each month.
So link up, spread the word and have fun visiting each other!

Fun at the Children's Museum

2011-06-15T10:30:00.000-05:00

You guys remember our Summer Bucket List, right?

We drew a trip to a museum last week - the kids were super excited!

Actually, so was I!

Houston has one of the top rated children's museums in the country
and we'd never been.

If you are in the area, I HIGHLY recommend a visit -

the cost is low, there are TONS of activities and it's FUN!

Here are just a few highlights from our trip:

There is a little city within the building. Kids are given a debit card with pretend money - they can buy things until money runs out, then they must get a job in the city to earn more money! Love this! Here are Con-Man and Monkey Man grocery shopping - dinner will be good tonight!

Outside there is a water play area. Kids can build boats and race them, learn about dams and water flow and use sprayers to fill a big bucket that later dumps. They can also learn how waves are formed! This was perfect in the 100 degree heat the day we went - they didn't get soaked, but a little water cooled them off.

Inside, there are TONS of physical challenges for the kids to try.

They loved the rock climbing wall, the dance games, and could even check their heart rates between activities!

This was another physical challenge - the boys had to pull their own body weight up using pulleys. I really just included this pic because Con Man looks so silly!

There was a little Mexican village where the kids learned a little about the culture. They loved this cool little car - and even posed for a picture for me!

Next we went to the face painting station. Clearly, Monkey Man is NOT impressed with my artistic abilities.

So I let him do his own thing, along with Con-Man and The Chief.

This is what Con-Man came up with. ??

Monkey Man - he looks soooo much better, right?

The Chief. Wow. He was soooo embarrassed after he did this that he went STRAIGHT to the restroom to wash it off. No way was he going to walk around with his face looking like that.

The other two, oh yes - they LOVED the way they look and I let them keep it till we got home.

Probably our favorite part of the museum was in a little building outside. We got to see two baby chicks that had just hatched try to hobble around and dry off. Two more eggs started to hatch while we watched. Simply amazing. The boys were just glued to this little table. Another table had about 10 chicks that were already all fluffy and cute. They'd come to your finger if you tapped on the glass. CUTE!!!

Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness

2011-06-10T22:00:00.002-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Summer break is finally here, which means more time outside. And it especially means more time at the pool, the beach and at water parks for this family! Our first outing to the waterpark left most of us a bit burned - mama didn't reapply sunscreen enough! YIKES!

My first stop on the way home was to Walgreens to pick up some Walgreens Brand Aloe Vera Body Mist Gel. I love that you just spray it on and it helps to cool the burn. My boys HATE for me to rub anything onto their already sensitive burned skin, so this product was great.

What I love about Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products is that most contain the same active ingredients as the national brands, so they work just as well (or better!), yet they cost much less! I know we are all watching our pennies!

Something I didn't know, though was that for every purchase of Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products, Walgreens will contribute to the Walgreens Way to Well Fund™. Up to $3 million annually goes into this program to help provide free preventive health tests as well as other health and wellness services and education to local communities. For details, visit walgreens.com/waytowell

There are several fellow bloggers right now that are giving away Walgreens gift cards! Get more info on these here: giveaways

1st Day Of Summer Break

2011-06-03T08:58:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the last day of school - a half day at that.

I felt like I did my part - baked brownies, attended wild class parties.
And they did theirs - signed year books, hugged teachers and said goodbye to friends.

But NOW what?

That's where I get a little anxious. I worry about if I'll make it out of summer break alive!
I'm only half kidding.
How much fighting will there be?
Can I really get them to do their chores by a decent time?
Will they be at all impressed with the activities I want to do?
Can I honestly take all three of them to the beach by myself?
Will The Chief actually get to play on the select baseball team through the summer?
And how much of our time will THAT take up?
How do I get my kids to want to read more than watch tv???

Yesterday afternoon was a little rough.
Today, though I'm determined to make it a good day!
Hopefully they won't fight the new routines too much.
1st stop today is our local library - we are signing up for their Summer Reading Program!
Even Monkey Man (3 yrs) gets to participate and they have some great prizes.
Then I'm thinking a picnic and splash pad fun.

Who knows what the rest of our summer break has in store?
I'm sure some days we'll rely on our Summer Bucket List to help us survive!

What fun things do you and your kids have planned?
Any awesome vacations coming up??

Mostly Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-11T09:18:00.000-05:00

These are some pics from the 1st Astros game we went to. The 1st professional baseball game for my hubby and boys! Very exciting!

Before the game, they got to walk around the field - these are my guys on the BIG screen.

The Chief:

Con-Man:

Con-Man getting an autograph:

Players doing stretches - one of them is pretty silly looking:

As far as favorite activities to do with boys, taking them to a professional sporting event ranks really high for our family! They've since been to one more game, with just Dad and had a blast. I can't wait to take them to hockey, basketball and football games!

Summer Bucket List - Tutorial

2011-05-09T09:58:00.004-05:00

Can you believe how quickly this school year has flown by?!
My boys have less than a month before their summer break begins.
That gives me heartburn. Just a little.
How on earth can I keep them occupied and not fighting?
Not tearing up the house?
Not driving me to the brink of insanity?

Part of the answer is routine - my kids thrive on routine.
They get it at school and they do awesome!
But summer comes & we let all routines fly out the window.
Not this year.
I learned the hard way last year.
The kiddos are going to wake up at a decent hour, get chores done and eat at normal times.
The rest, though, will be free time!

Do your kids get bored with too much free time?
Mine sure do!
I decided to revamp an idea I shared back in December.
I'm making a Summer Fun Idea bucket.
{Would have been a jar, but I'm fresh out.}
In case you want to make one, too, here are the instructions:

What you'll need:

Jar or bucket
List of activities
Summery scrapbook paper {for tag}
Twine or ribbon {for tag}
Scissors or paper cutter to cut list into strips

Instructions:

1 Cut list of activities to same width
2 Cut into strips {there are lines to make this super easy}
3 Fold up or roll each strip
4 Throw in bucket
5 {Not shown} Make cute tag for your bucket/jar
*I know this is so simple that you probably didn't need instructions, but I did them just in case, you know?*

Whenever my boys get bored this summer, they can take turns drawing a slip of paper out.
I plan to do all the activities as a family and hopefully beat the boredom blues.
Who knows, maybe you'll see some of our fun in action this summer!

Get your list of activities here - change, add and omit as you see fit for your family!

I'm linking up here:

Friday Funny - Monkey Man

2011-05-06T10:35:00.000-05:00

So I suppose I should start this post off with an announcement.
A really BIG announcement.
Turns out having three wonderful boys in our lives is just NOT enough.
We are expecting another baby in November!
The whole family is SUPER excited - it's all we talk about.
Though I'll try to spare you guys here. :)

Monkey Man has been sleeping in our room since we moved (late last summer.)
He has his own bed in there, but still!
He says he's going to be scared of the dark when he moves upstairs.
I explained yesterday that he'll have to move soon because when the baby comes, s/he will sleep in my room.
He said ok, and seemed fine with it.
Last night he fell asleep upstairs in his bed while he was playing.
I left him there, hopeful he'd stay all night.
And see that it's not so scary after all.
2:30am, he comes running into my room searching everywhere.
He said, "Mama, where is the baby?!"
I told him in my tummy and he got the biggest frown.
He asked, "Well, then why was I asleep upstairs?"

That poor little guy was so excited, thinking the baby had come!
He's going to make a great big brother this fall.

Always full of surprises!

2011-04-29T09:07:00.000-05:00

Boys, well kids in general, are always full of surprises.
Sometimes good, sometimes not.

This week has been a bit challenging for us - state testing at school meant no baseball.
No baseball means no after school activities.
No after school activities means time for fighting.
And whining.
And talking back.
And grounding.
The surprising part - the next morning usually starts off fresh, with good attitudes!

My older boys both have substitutes for the rest of the year.
One teacher is having major medical problems, the other had a baby.
The Chief is adjusting just fine.
Con-Man was hating school and never wanted to go back.
Surprisingly, my advice to him worked. (Surprising to HIM, maybe but mama is always right!)
So now I've got two happy kiddos at school.

Monkey-Man has started taunting. This only surprises me because he's so little! lol
He sings this to his big brother:
"Bubba and Bwooklin, sittin in a twee. K-M-P-L-M-N-O-P"
Love it!

My biggest surprises this week came from The Chief.
One morning I heard him in the laundry room & asked what he was doing.
"Just starting a load of laundry, mom!"
WHAT?!?!
And last night, he asked me if he could do the dishes for me.
Who is this kid?
I think I'll keep him!

30!

2011-04-25T10:42:00.000-05:00

Wow, no matter how I look at it, I can't deny I'm turning 30 today!

For the last few months, I've been trying to figure out how 30 would feel -

I've even cried a few times. Silly, right?

But it's hard admitting sometimes that I'm an adult.

I'd rather play and have fun all day like a kid.

So in honor of turning 30 years old today, here is a list of 30 fun things I plan to do to keep myself young!

30 run through the sprinklers with my boys

29 play hookie from household duties & go shopping

28 blow bubbles

27 swing with the kids

26 go feed the ducks

25 boogie board at the beach

24 go out for ice cream

23 have birthday cake for breakfast

22 play dress up

21 plan a fun game night

20 watch Disney classic movies with my kids

19 draw with chalk on the sidewalk

18 pack a sack lunch to eat at the park

17 color in a coloring book

16 dance

15 play hop scotch

14 visit with an old friend

13 wear ruffles

12 finger paint

11 stay up late

10 eat junk food

9 sleep in

8 go swimming without worrying how I look

7 do a cannon ball

6 eat pizza & brownies on the same night

5 play games at Chuck E Cheese

4 read my favorite childhood books

3 let me kids choose the menu one week

2 cook with my boys

1 PLAY

I'm posting this on both of my blogs today! Let's celebrate!

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly {3 year old boys}

2011-04-21T08:29:00.000-05:00

The Good:

He can dress himself

The Ugly:

It sometimes looks like this:

The Good:

He's figured out how to defend himself against big brothers

The Bad:

It usually involves biting, which this week turned into a doctor's visit and an ER trip

The Good:

He can tell me what hurts and how bad

The Bad:

I still can't always make it go away

The Good:

He's mama's shopping companion

The Ugly:

The receipt total - he helps me impulse buy

Picture from here

The Bad:

He still has occasional nighttime accidents

The Good:

After cleanup, he can climb in bed with me to cuddle

The Good:

This age doesn't last forever

The Bad:

This age doesn't last forever

Wordless Wednesday - Grandma

2011-04-13T10:16:00.000-05:00

1946

1960

2007

Love you, Grandma.

Saying Goodbye

2011-04-11T10:51:00.000-05:00

My close friends and family know that this week is going to be a hard one for me.

I received a phone call at 3am Saturday morning from my dad. Of course 3am phone calls are never good.

My grandma had just passed away. I'm heartbroken. I know that I'm very lucky to have had so much time with her, and I'm thankful for that. But it will never be enough time.

Reading her obituary, I think people can just get a glimpse into the kind of woman she was.

Born May 19, 1929 in Canton, OH. Loving wife, mother, and grandmother who loved her dogs and was an avid nature lover, spending much time planning and growing beautiful flower gardens. All who knew her will affectionately and lovingly remember her. Married for 49 years. Mother to three daughters and four sons, 18 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren.

What you can't see is how kind and loving she was. That she could always make me feel better with just a positive word or a hug. When I'd come to visit, she made sure that we were more than comfortable - that we felt special! Those 7 children she raised are all kind, good people with big hearts. I've honestly never seen such a close-knit family.

I strive every day to be the kind of mother she was - to raise my kids with the kind of love she must have. I would love nothing more than for people to someday say that I remind them of my grandma.

Goodbye, Grandma. I'll see you soon.

The Grass Ain't Greener

2011-04-08T08:54:00.000-05:00

This morning was rough. Very rough.

I woke up WAY too early from tons of bad dreams. My coffee tasted absolutely nasty. Microwave died. The Chief lost his baseball jersey that he needs for tonight - and was being a total turd about finding it.

Con-Man tried to just wear the same clothes from yesterday and threw a tantrum most 2 year olds couldn't match.

And two (I won't name names) of my boys peed the bed last night.

NOT a good morning.

I lectured them all - about disrespect, responsibility, cleaning their rooms, etc. I hate lecturing. What I hate the most is that it doesn't work and I sound like a broken record.

I see other kids behaving and taking care of their things - maybe the grass IS greener.

I always wonder what it will take to get things through to my boys.

Then I started thinking...

Lately we've been working hard around our yard. Apparently, the lawn was pretty well neglected when we bought our house. We have de-thatched twice, applied fertilizer and weed treatments, water often, and have reseeded heavily. All this work, and I still don't see a difference. Except bare spots! UGH

Ugly, right? And that's right in our front yard! But what can we do? Keep tending it, keep nurturing it, and keep hoping it'll all come out right.

And it does - see what I found when I looked a little more closely this morning:

Sweet, new, green baby grass. Doing exactly what it's supposed to be doing. Growing in strong.

So what will I do with my babies today? Keep tending, keep nurturing, and keep praying that it all turns out the way it's supposed to.

Love Our Children - Stop Bullying

2011-04-05T08:45:00.000-05:00

I’m in a local playgroup. It’s a great group where the women all know that they can come together for support, advice, to share in good news and bad - not to mention bring our kids together to play and interact. Recently a friend came to the group with a heartbreaking problem. Her daughter is being picked on - bullied - at school. Other children are making fun of her because she is different than them. This mom wanted advice - what can she do to help her daughter, what can she do to ensure that her daughter comes to HER for support? While we all tried to help with what advice and support we could, it’s hard to know exactly how to handle bullies.

One of my own children has been bullied at different times. In kindergarten, while riding the bus, he was taunted, hit, kicked, even bitten by a 4th grader. He didn’t even come to me and tell me until it got so bad that he was crying, bruised and had just had enough. He’s made fun of quite often by peers because he stutters, even by “friends.” He has an amazing personality and the biggest heart you could imagine. He always fights for the underdog and he sticks up for other kids that are being bullied - but he doesn’t know how to stick up for himself when it happens to him.

It was recently brought to my attention that April 2nd was National Love Our Children Day. While that day has passed, I think every day is a good one to focus on our children! Love Our Children USA is a national nonprofit group that focuses on the prevention of all forms of violence and neglect against children. They teach effective parenting solutions and create programs that empower positive changes in parenting and family attitudes. Love Our Children USA has an amazing website that gives information for parents as well as kids on how to deal with bullies and abuse.

It is so important to educate our kids while they are young! While it’s extremely heartbreaking to see our little ones be bullied, can you imagine how you’d feel if you found out YOUR child was the bully?! We have GOT to put an end to this. As parents, it is our job to foster a respect for others - no matter how different they may be. As a country, the US especially is such a melting pot, yet we thrive on pointing out someone else’s “weaknesses,” usually in an attempt to make ourselves feel better. How can we stop?

Here are a few sites that I think can help.

Love Our Children USA

Stomp Out Bullying

Parenting Education to Stop Bullying

Zoo Fun with Monkey Man

2011-03-31T11:15:00.000-05:00

This week we took a little trip I've been wanting to take forever! To the Houston Zoo! I love going to the zoo, seeing the animals, teaching my boys about them. But since we moved here, we hadn't been to the local zoo. I think I might have been more excited than Monkey Man!

The day was gorgeous for it - overcast, not too hot, not too windy. Just nice! The really great thing about that is it means the animals come out and are more active. Here are a few highlights for Monkey Man, one of his playgroup friends, and I!

Crawling through a tunnel inside an aquarium

Checkin out some birds as tall as they are

Fascinated by the meerkats

Mr Regal himself - right before he got frisky with his little woman

Loved this carousel

One of us together

The ADORABLE baby elephants!!! I could have watched these two play for hours. So cute!

Does this chimp remind you of anyone?

Yep, I thought so, too!