In the mirror

When you look in the mirror what do you see? Do you see a real reflection? Is that the real you?
All you see in that mirror is the outside you. Unless you use a magnifying mirror, you may see more inside of your pores than you want to, but that's another story.

The true mirror is what you see reflected back at you from your children. Children are God's mirror for you to see whats out of place. Instead of that wild hair we worry about, God wants us to look at that attitude problem, or that little white lie problem, or that disrespect issue. We are not going to just listen to God, because we don't "see" those things in ourselves very easily.
So, God gave us children. When you are dealing with an issue with your child, you really have to stop and look at where they are getting it. Usually the trail stops at you. Sometimes they are just nuts, but usually, if you really look closely, you can see that they ARE, in fact, doing what you do.
And that is the ugliest mirror to look into. It is worse than the lighted magnifying mirror.
However, it is also the best mirror to look into because it tells the truth, it is not inverted, and it shows you things that CAN be changed, instead of crooked eyes that you can't fix.

If you sprinkle.....

When you tinkle.
Be a sweetie,
Wipe the seatie.



Kaytlin, Hope-Anne and I have been so tired of sitting on wet toilette seats. Someone can't lift the lid when they go, and doesn't bother wiping it off. So, we went to Donnie. "Make it stop or all humans sit while peeing in this house!"
So, Donnie, being the good man that he is, gathered his 3 potty-learned sons together and had a talk with them.
"Sons, if one more girl in this house sits in pee on the seat, I will personally watch each one of you every time you pee until I find out who it is, or it stops. Is that clear?"

We have been sitting on a dry seat ever since!

Well, until I started babysitting 3 boys. That talk might not go over as well with those boys, lol.

I'm a sap

Every time I read this book I bawl. I don't just shed a tear, I have to fight body wracking sobs. Crazy. So I bought it for all my moms one year for Mother's Day. (hmmm, just thought of a great gift for my sister in law!)

So, today, Trinity insisted I read this book. I always refuse the other kids because they want to see my cry so they can laugh at me. But Trinity just wanted to read a book. Besides, I know it all now, and I am not pregnant, so I will just NOT focus on the words and just mindlessly read it.
But I got into the book. It captivated me and drew me in despite my determination to not hear the words I was reading.
Soon, I was bawling. Tears running down my cheeks, and my chest heaving just a bit as I tried not to disturb Trinity's enjoyment of the story. But I couldn't hold back the sobs.
I have NEVER read this book or heard it read without crying. And I first heard it over 12 years ago while living in Germany.

Here is Robert Munsch's website about the book. You can hear him read the book even. If you do not cry, you are heartless.
This mom has a new baby, and she rocks that little baby and sings it a song, all the way through the terrible twos, the horrid teens, and even adulthood. Then she gets sick and calls for her son, but she can't finish the song because she is so sick. And then the rest of the book happens and I bawl.
(oh, and I just read why he made up that song, and I want to bawl some more! He made up the song in his head after his wife and he had two still born babies, he sang it for them, but couldn't sing it aloud without crying!)

I AM the Meanest Mom...

I am the meanest mom.
My kids pretty much hate me. You see, I am controlling. And mean. And frightening.
I demand to know where my kids are at all times. I expect to know that they are going out of the house at 5am to watch the sun come up at the river and commune with God, or off to swim practice at 6am. By golly, if you dare to decide to be later than you've said, you had better call me or you are in for it next time you think you are going somewhere.
Go somewhere? Well, the answer to that question is "Did you do your chores today?" No?? Well, there's your answer.
Date? What? Are you kidding? You are not ready to be looking for a spouse, and are certainly not ready to take care of yourself and a family and a home. There is no reason for you to date. You need to enjoy life, not get your heart broken every other month!
See? I am controlling.
Who is that on the phone? A girl? Is she your sister? Get off the phone! You don't need to sit and chat your life away with someone of the opposite sex! And I WILL get on the phone and tell the girl to stop calling if she does call back. There is one that does. (Eight times!!!)Until I told her I was going to talk to her parents.
See, I am mean.
There was a time that Kaytlin was so afraid of me that she was scared to come out of the bathroom. She would open the door and I would jump at her and scream. She would drop to the floor instantly. It tickled my funny bone, but scared her silly. She doesn't find it funny, so I have moved on. Now I have two terrifying Halloween masks right outside the bathroom door to terrify innocent children who have, thankfully, just emptied their bladders. (I'm scary and mean, but not dumb.)
See? I am frightening.


I have many other tortures, too. I do not allow fighting. I expect kids who can, to get A's, even if it means taking away privileges. They are never to sass me. New rule, thanks to Works for Me Wednesday, if they are nasty in their speech, they are to speak in an English accent for the rest of the day. If it continues, they have to sing everything. From there it goes to rhyming. If you can't rhyme it, you can't speak it. Oh, the wails when I announced that one. I made the kids sign a family contract to make sure they knew the rules of the family about fighting, leaving the house, chores, letting me know where they are, etc.

I am the Queen of Mean. Times Seven.

Go enter why you are the meanest mom over at Momsblogging.

Things I have learned about parenting~ part 1

There are many things you can do to prepare to be a parent. You can learn to change diapers, how to prepare a bottle, and even take CPR. You can even read tons of books on getting your child to sleep at night, how to potty train, and gentle discipline.
But there are things you just have to learn on your own. Things books can't teach you. And things you really can't teach others because each child is unique. Ok, so you may have a text book child, but keep going and you are bound to get one that doesn't fit anything you've read about.
I have learned the kids make up their own rules. Trinity let a big fart rip last night and after she got done with her huge guffaw I asked her what you say after you fart. She said "Essuu...ora." I wasn't sure what she was saying, but I knew it didn't end in "me" like it should. So I told her to say "Excuse me" and she said "No, I say 'Dora!'"
I learned that whatever you enjoy they will destroy. I used to collect glass vases, the more beautiful etching the better. One day I heard a horrid sound of breaking glass when Drew was about 1 1/2yo. I went running to find the sound and saw Drew standing there in only a diaper, bare feet, surrounded by glass. And he was gleefully smashing vase after vase. I couldn't yell to get him to stop because I didn't want him to take off running and get his feet cut up.
I learned never to fall asleep before your kids. (as a bonus lesson I learned not to talk in my sleep!) My friend Sheree was letting her little 2yo brush her hair while they watched some TV together. She was so relaxed that she fell asleep. Later she woke up and found her hair laying next to her. Not attached to her head. She was so devastated that he had cut her hair off! She started to yell at him through the tears and he started crying "But I asked! You said I could!" Mmmhmm. She gave him permission to cut her hair in her sleep! Sometimes God teaches us through other people, thankfully!
I have learned that kids are very sneaky and love getting their siblings in trouble very, very early. When sweet little Kaytlin was born Drew seemed to be a little jealous, because when we'd leave the room he was hurting her, making her cry. So when she'd cry we'd yell at him. Grandma came to visit us and she was watching them from just out of the room. Kaytlin was alone in the playpen and Drew came in the room, walked right by the playpen and Kaytlin started screaming like he'd stuck her with a pin! Donnie and I started yelling at Drew. Kaytlin started grinning from ear to ear. She was 5 months old. But she was not the exception. Lately Trinity has been on a baby kick, drinking Sam's bottles and such. Devon was getting mad at her and yelled at her for it. He turned away. I watched Sam dangle the bottle in front of Trinity and give it to her. Then he started screeching and Devon started to go after Trinity! And Sam stopped screeching and smiled.

What have you learned about parenting that books don't teach you? I have lots more that I'll eventually post, I don't want to get too windy here.