The Importance of Compassion

This one is going to be short and to the point. There's a lot of things we want to teach our children: manners, math, how to read, etc. All of these are extremely important, but we're missing a key factor...compassion.

This one isn't the kind of thing where we look at our kids and say, "Now kids, remember to be compassionate" and have it really sink in. What they need is a good example of what compassion looks like. My grandparents were constantly helping people where they could. He owned a shoe store and worked with the Salvation Army to provide people with what they needed. They took in a couple who had just come to America and helped them get on their feet. To them, there was no inconvenience, because they knew how important it was.

I'm hoping that my children see that quality in me, and I hope it passes along. I also hope people realize how important it is to consider your fellow man, and try to teach the next generation to do so as well.

One-On-One

Yesterday, I had to go pick up a few things from the grocery store. My husband just happened to be home, so I asked him if he was going to be around if he could keep one of the kids while I went. Well Caleb ended up wanting to go to the store. We finished getting ready and got in the car. On the way there, he was telling me what shapes all the clouds looked like. He told me one looked like ice cream, one was a stinky shoe, and one looked like a gun. Also on the way to the store, he heard me singing along with my music and said he wanted to sing. So I turned the music down and let him go, and all I got was, "Batman!!!" It made me laugh so hard I almost had to pull over, and of course since he saw me laughing, he kept doing it.

Once in the store, it was the usual: walk around getting my things while he talks to anyone and everyone about anything and everything. A lady who had previously been at the deli counter and had a free sample of cheese, decided to share it with him because he was so cute. The lady at the register gave him two extra stickers because he was so polite and told me he was the nicest little boy to ever come through her line.

Sounds a little different than our normal excursions, doesn't it? The beauty of one-on-one time is it is less stressful on the parent to only worry about one child. It's also beneficial to the child since they have the parents full attention. It's a win-win situation.

The Power of Daddy

There have been multiple times in my career as a mother that I haven't been able to get the kids to do what I want them to do. I've yelled, I've cried, I've asked a million times, I've even said please. Some days they just don't want to budge. That's when I pull out my secret weapon.

This past weekend, we were at a friend's house for a barbecue. We were planning on staying late, so we decided to put the kids to sleep there. We've done it before, so we figured it wouldn't be a big deal. As bed time approached, I could see Aj was doing the "I'm going to fall asleep if I don't keep moving" thing. I figured I'd just put him to bed a few minutes early, then I'd get Caleb. Upon putting Aj in the port-a-crib, I discovered this wasn't going to work the way I thought it would. He immediately started screaming, didn't want to take his precious blankey or a cup of milk. He just wanted out. I stood outside the door, and every time he got out, I'd put him back in and tell him to stay in bed and go to sleep...to no avail. For 15 minutes I stood there, doing the dance over and over again and becoming severely frustrated. At that point, my husband brought Caleb in so I could get him ready and we switched places. I got Caleb in his jammies, he said good night and we headed to bed. He wasn't happy, but he didn't put up too much of a fight. Caleb says his prayers, and I say good night and walk out of the room. My husband says good night to both of them, and tells Aj to stay in bed and go to sleep, then shuts the door. Nothing but silence came out of the room. No crying, no whining, no getting out of bed. They listened.

At the time I had to act like I was offended that they listen to him and not me. But in all honesty, I'm so lucky to have a husband that will step in a take care of things, and children who will listen to him. Not everyone is so lucky, but I'm thankful that I am.

My Kids: The Cat Whisperers

All too common today is people dropping off unwanted pets on any random road and figuring they'll do just fine. Unfortunately, that happened to my mother-in-law, who now has a large grey and white, green-eyed tom cat that won't leave her yard. Most people would feel bad for the cat, take it in, feed it, and give it a home. Well first of all, she's not exactly a cat person. Second of all, it wouldn't let one of my nieces in the house. It hissed and growled and backed her off the front porch. Twice. None of my nieces can or will go any where near this thing. He's....grumpy.

Yesterday we were over for our weekly family dinner. I took the kids outside to play in the kiddy pool, and noticed the cat was under the glider on the porch. I didn't pet it or anything, but I pointed it out to Caleb and he pointed it out to Aj, and together they walked over to the cat. This cat, which I think I'll name "Monster" (for a few reasons), gets up from his place of rest, greets my two children, and starts soaking up all the attention he can get. Aj grabbed his tail and stepped on his tail, and this cat did nothing but rub up against their legs.

As little boys do, they started to get a little rough with poor Monster. I went over to break it up, and told them to be on their way. I pet him for a minute or two, then when back to supervising the children. He followed me and the boys around the rest of the time we were outside. When we went inside, he jumped on the railing and scaled the window sills along the porch to see what we were doing inside, the whole time whining with a low pitched meow. I'm not sure, but I think it likes us.

So either this cat is bi-polar, or my children just have a way with crazy animals.

This Is Why I Hate Dinner Time

Most nights, my children put up a fight about eating dinner. I could ask them what they want to eat and make it for them, but when I put it in front of them, they won't want it. Caleb isn't quite as bad as Aj. They both have things they like and dislike, and of course, they're the complete opposite. Caleb loves pasta, but doesn't care for meat. Aj will eat a deer steak before he'll eat macaroni and cheese. The only things they really agree on are hot dogs and chicken nuggets. Which means that every time I don't make one of those two things for dinner it goes something like this...

Daddy leaves for work around five, dinner is served shortly thereafter. We sit down to eat, and I hear, "Mommy, I can't like it." To which my reply is, "Too bad. That's what we're having. If you want dessert, you better eat what I gave you."

Most nights after a little persuasion, I can get them to eat their dinner, but last night went more like this...

Dinner was served early with hopes of going outside before we had to get baths. The kids are sitting nicely at the table, and I serve strawberry shortcake. It's a summer staple around here that can be both dinner and dessert, but we like it more as dinner. It's sweet. It's fruity. It's delicious. What child wouldn't be in their glory to have to eat that for dinner? Well, apparently mine. I tell them it's strawberry shortcake. Caleb is excited because it's cake, but can't figure out where the icing is. Aj eats all the strawberries but won't touch the shortcake. After about 15 minutes of me saying, "Guys, eat you dinner. If you want dessert you better eat your dinner." I got a little frustrated. Some people like a little milk on their shortcake, so I walked over and poured a little milk in their bowls hoping it would help. Daddy is now getting ready to leave for work, so I walk him to the door to tell him goodbye. Upon my return, I find Caleb no longer in his seat at the table, and Aj has dumped the contents of his bowl on the table, threw the bowl on the floor and was finger painting with the mess. Needless to say we did not go outside.

Here's hoping tonight goes better.

Never A Dull Moment

It's Friday, and you know what that means: grocery shopping day. I took things one and two with me today, which always makes for interesting occurrences. At least once while we're out and old lady will tell me how cute they are. More than once every time we're out Caleb will tell a stranger that he lost his Batman car. Today, he decided to do more than that.

As we walked from isle to isle, Caleb carried his precious Curious George fruit snacks. He asked to have them and I let him, partially because he asked so nicely, but mostly because they were on sale. Of course in Caleb's mind, that means everyone we pass in the store wants to know about his George snacks. Young, old, friendly, unfriendly, Caleb didn't care. They were going to know he got his snacks. There was a man who works at the store stacking some products. Caleb walks right up to him and says, "Whatcha dooooin?" (We watch too much "Phineas and Ferb") The man tells him he's working and is very nice and polite, which to Caleb means we can stand there and talk to this man for 5 minutes asking him what his favorite color is and if he likes fruit snacks.

When I finally tell Caleb it's time to keep moving, the man looks at me and says, "Having a boy ask a lot of questions is a good thing." Well I've had time to think about that more, and I have to agree. Curiosity is something that should never be looked-down upon. Children crave learning and they will do so any way they can. They should be allowed to learn through whatever means, as long as they're learning. And besides, it pretty much guarantees that trips to the grocery store will be an adventure.

It Takes Forever To Do Nothing

So for the past few hours I have been attempting to do two things: make myself look presentable, and write this blog. Making myself look presentable usually doesn't too long, maybe about 10-15 minutes. The blog doesn't usually take long either, but today my kids will not stop interrupting me long enough to get anything done. I didn't even get a cup of coffee until about 10:30. If it's not Caleb needing a drink, it's Aj's diaper change or the phone ringing. So here's what I've accomplished all day: I look presentable enough, and if you're reading this, I assume my blog is finished. I have not made the iced tea that's been sitting since last night. I have not gotten to go outside today. I haven't unloaded the dishwasher, I haven't gotten Aj out of his pajamas. So, today it's a short blog, because it's all I can get done today. In conclusion, when you have kids, it takes forever to do nothing.