Lessons to be learned..

Soccer starts in August.. Cole is going to be playing soccer. Well I signed him up to play soccer anyhow. DH says I should give up on him playing that Cole is a poor sport just when we are playing family games and he won’t play.  I completely disagree with this logic.

How is this child supposed to learn to play a sport and be a part of a team if we never put him in that position? Yes there is a chance he’ll hate playing and won’t want to continue but he had the option of signing up and playing or not. I didnt make that decision with out him. He decided he wanted to play a sport and we decided on soccer this year. If he hates it in the end then he wont have to play next year but i’m going to make him give it a try. Afterall.. Sign up was NOT free.. I think this is a chance for him to learn alot and make some more friends.

I think it will teach him sportsmanship, responsibility, teamwork, self respect, that winning isnt everything, etc. There are many lessons to be learned from him playing and I think the benefits will outweigh the cons as long as we can keep his asthma in check. His asthma has been under control this year so far and he has been doing wonderfully so I see that not being a problem.

A little laundry then some..

Jewel posing for the camera

We haven’t been up to alot lately. Mainly just laundry and trying to keep the house clean. Anyone with children knows this is a job in itself because they mess up as you go. The fight around here lately has been about chores.

Some of my friends make their kids help out very little. Because “they want them to be kids”. My argument is that kids need responsibility and I stand by that. I also think its too much for one person to handle alone and the kids should help out. After all.. MOST of it is their messes!

My kids have to help put up the laundry when I fold it. Sometimes they even help fold it but not often because they just aren’t very good at it. I also make them take out the garbage and help with the dishes. They are also responsible for their rooms and to help out with anything else I find for them to do. Between the older 3 it doesn’t take them too long to get it done if they’ll do it and not complain about it. They must do these things before they get to play outside. It was part of the rules when I was growing up and I see nothing wrong with it now.  Right now as I type this Taylor is vacuuming the floor and Jewel just finished putting up her clothes I just got finished folding. Its just part of learning responsibility in my opinion.

Did you make your kids do chores? Did they earn an allowance for it? My kids when they’ve done what they were told to do with out making a huge deal of it get an allowance or we get them something special at the end of the week. But only if they didn’t give us too much hell about what we’ve asked them to do for the week. I do think its a big learning process there.

Can’t win..

I complained to dh all week about being stuck home with no car and demanded that he leave me the car today so I could do something with the kids. His claim was he is off on friday and we can go do something friday. I said NO! not good enough and demanded he leave the car today. It caused a bit of a rift but I got my way.

So today we went and picked up dh’s check from work, went to the bank, then went to the grocery store for things to make sandwhiches.. We came back home and made sandwhiches to take the to the park. We stayed about an hour and half at the park. We ate lunch and fed the ducks and they got to play for a very short time. I realize it was really a short time but it was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO very hot outside.

I thought we had a nice time. I loaded the kids back up and as we are pulling out of our parking spot at the park the complaining began. I can’t make them happy. I can not win. I try to do something special with them and instead of enjoying it all they did was complain about what they didnt get to do. So I give up. Next time i’ll let dh take the car. Its not worth the fight with him to only listen to them complain about what they didnt get to do. What is it with my kids lately? They are never happy? Nothing I do is good enough even though I went out of my way to make them feel special.. Did I mention it was 95 and felt like over 100 outside? Did I mention it was humid? Did I mention I could have sat on my arse in my living room in the a/c with a fan blowing on me instead???????

Out of control…

Cole's Haircut

The fighting that is. I don’t know how much I can take.. How do other people do it? I dont know.. I really dont. Summer vacation was fine for the first month.. This month the kids are bored and out of control and we are stuck home with out a car because Will is driving my car back and forth to work. I’m at my wits end. They fight and hit and fight and hit and its just not acceptable and I know what hte problem is.. They are spending too much time with each other.

I’ve separated them which is hard becuase here they only have each other to play with and not having a car puts a damper on the issue of separating them.. I don’t know how other parents do it but I feel like i’m losing my mind.. I’m the one who needs a time out and time away!

Calgon take me away!

Hair cuts for the kids..

Jewel's Hair cut

I took Jewel to get her hair cut today. I don’t like the way the lady cut her bangs because she layered them and I told her not to but her curls bounced right back and curled up better than before. She looks really cute and she loves it because its much cooler with the temps hitting 95 and it feeling like 105 outside.

We got Cole’s hair cut as well because he desperately needed his cut but he wouldnt be still and let me get a picture.. BOYS!! He is too busy for the camera..  I know they’ll have to have it cut again before school starts but atleast thats another month away. Taylor didnt want hers cut today. Odd since she used to beg me to take her to get it cut..

Diabetes Education Class..

I went and attended the diabetes education/evaluation that I had to go to with the dietitian on friday. It went well. She said I was more knowledgeable than most people she sees when it comes to food. I honestly think thats from doing weight watchers. She told me the Doctor was wrong and kept telling me she didnt mean to discredit the doctor but what the doctor told me was incorrect. She said The correct diet for me is one that works for me and weight watchers works for me. She said i’d just have to modify it and watch my carbs which I can do. Then she told me how to watch myc arbs.. I really think I can do this.

She gave me a glucose monitoring system and I have to check my levels several times a week. Not daily thankfully because my fingers would get sore. Anyhow so far yesterday my levels were ALL good.. She suggested I test after a meal to see how my numbers would range and give me an idea of what happens after eating. My numbers have all been really good so far. Which tempted me to say I’m not pre-diabetes at all.. But I know that i’ve been eating okay so thats why my numbers are lower or considered normal right now.

I really think I can handle this and maybe turn this around with out medication. I also think there is a chance that my bipolar medication is to blame for my numbers being up. It is a small possibility. I’m going to lay back down now and see if I can catch another hour of sleep before the kiddos get up.

No news is bad news..

Molly the dog

I’ve been quiet lately. Trying to take some things in and deal with them. I went to the gyn on Monday for my test results and to have an ultrasound done of my female parts because I have extremely heavy bleeding and somethings arent right. Well my lab work showed that i’m pre diabetes and I have to start seeing a dietitian to get it under control so I don’t end up with full blown diabetes.. I’m still trying to deal with this and accept it. I really dont have a choice in the matter do I? I have to deal with it and I have to accept it. I go to the dietitian on Friday. The dr said they’d give me a monitor and i’d have to monitor my levels for awhile. I’m so not looking forward to it.  Anyhow the ultrasound showed my uterus is 3x the size it should be and that I have a fibriod. They want to do a hysterectomy but I can’t afford it. My deductible is 5000$ and I don’t have that kind of money right now.  Then ontop of all that.. My eye glasses broke when I took them off at the drs office. I had to go get my eyes checked so I could get new glasses.. I’m so stressed out. I feel emotionally maxed out completely. I don’t even know where to start right now.. I’ll just be glad when Friday is over with..

Happy July 4th!

  We had a good day today. Haven’t done a heck of alot. We went up to dh’s grandmother’s house for lunch and had brisket, chicken and dumplings, dressing, potato salad, rolls, and strawberry shortcake for dessert.. Upon coming home from his grandmothers we had to go to the store and once we came home from there the girls went outside to play while dh took Cole to the river to go fishing and Wyatt took a nice little nap. The pic above the girls stopped playing long enough to pose for me.

A few minutes ago dh called me to tell me that his friends little boy had to be rushed to the emergency room that he had cut his foot badly getting out of the boat. I hope he is okay! Anyhow thats been our day. Nothing special really nothing fancy. Just a calm day and I live for those days!

My body hates me

My body hates me. Thats all there is to it. This I am sure of. I’m sitting here trying to type this post in a wrist brace for carpal tunnel and i’m having to use the backspace key alot and retype what I’m trying to say over and over again because the brace makes typing difficult. It would be easier if i’d just stay off the computer but really.. I can’t do that.

I went to the dr today for my hand/wrist. I was brave and took all 4 kids with me. It was amusing to say the least. The dr kept saying,”i feel for you and your husband.” He repeated this several times and then kept talking about how my husband must have to work all the time non stop because of all the kids. Yeah he is the bread winner of the family. He took on that role..

Anyhow… My diagnosis was carpal tunnel. I already knew this becuase I had it while pregnant with each of the kids only it normally doesnt flare up for this long. Normally it will bug me a few days then its gone away. This time my hand/arm (from my fingertips up to my elbow) has been numb for 2 weeks now and its really really annoying me. Not to mention the pain that tends to shoot from my wrist up my hand and down my arm.. He asked me if I was interested in surgery and I assured him I am not, so he put me on an anti inflammatory to see if it eases up and told me to go buy a GOOD brace for my wrist.

So here I sit in this brace from hell trying to type out a post about my hand in which I should be resting it not using it but hey.. Thats life!

Watching them sleep….

Wyatt is something else. He is so busy. So many different parts to his little personality. So many different colors that make him up. He is so many many many many things! I realized last night and this morning that I spend more time watching him sleep than I do sleeping in the mornings after Dh leaves for work.

I’ve done this since he was a baby. I did it with all of them I believe. There is something about a sleeping child that is so calm and peaceful (that is unless they are kicking you and/or thrashing around). I don’t watch the others as much anymore. Atleast not like I do Wyatt.. Thats because when Wyatt wakes up and catches me looking at him he smiles this HUGE smile and whispers,”momma”. The others when they catch me watching them just get irritated and say,”What are you doing?” or “Leave me alone.” But then there is always the line,”I don’t want to get up yet.” . When All i’m doing is watching them sleep.

Is it weird that I watch them? They think so. Me it reminds me of the calm times and the reason i’m still around caring for them and loving them. It reminds me of the sweet kids they can be and it reminds me why I don’t just lose it totally and completely. It reminds me that I love them no matter how much they drive me nuts. And yes.. When the days are long and hard I do need a reminder sometimes. I love them always. Sometimes I just need a reminder that things wont always be hectic and chaotic.

So lately i’ve spend alot of time watching Wyatt sleep. Instead of sleeping in the mornings i’m watching him snooze and he makes the cutest faces in his sleep. He also grunts and groans and makes a purring sound. Its really odd but cute none the less. I think I spend more time watching him sleep lately because of how much he is wearing me out and stressing me out lately. He is into everything and throwing tantrums and and and and.. So many ands! So I think I watch him sleep to remember the calm, sweet, innocent child he is/can be.

Do you watch your kids sleep?