When grace loses face

Sometimes I have a hard time dealing with frustration gracefully. Frustration has become a pretty constant factor in my life with three rambunctious boys who operate at a different speed than my own. I'm still learning how to get a better handle on handling disappointment. Today, for instance, was one of those days that my frustration cup overfloweth.

It's spring break. Winter's icy chill is finally thawing around here. The snow is gone, but the early hours are still cold enough to see your breath. My three sons wanted to take a walk this morning. It took 20 minutes to get socks, shoes and winter gear on. It took another five minutes to get my oldest into his protective bike armor and fish the push cart out of the depths of the garage for my 4-year-old. By the time I had my toddler in the stroller and the other two ready to shove off, everyone was tired of waiting on everyone else. Cabin fever had us all jittery. With high spirits and too much energy, we started off. 

One minute later and five steps past the neighbor's house two things happened simultaneously: The pedal on my son's bike broke, and my middle son ran his cart into the back of my foot. As his cart lurched to a halt, he went skidding across the pavement on his knees. All pandemonium broke loose. My oldest wanted me to fix the broken pedal while my 4-year-old woke the neighborhood up with his screams. 

At this point I could have told my biker child to wait while I comforted my middle son with hugs and kisses until the tears stopped. Then I could have gone back to the garage and spent 10 minutes hunting through the mess to find the right tool to fix the bike before attempting the walk again.

I didn't do that. Instead, I ordered everyone to turn around and go home, in a not-so-nice voice.

My oldest wheeled his bike back to the garage while I tried to turn the stroller around and gather up my screaming 4-year-old and the offending cart. On our 1-minute-and-five-step-walk back, I was wishing I could duplicate myself. Sometimes the parent-to-child ratio feels overwhelmingly unbalanced in our family. That's when my grace loses face, and I start muttering to myself. It's on those days that I wish parents got do-overs.

Third time's a potty-training charm

Just thinking about potty training makes me shudder. I just finished training my 4-year-old. Is he truly potty trained if he still has the occasional accident? Granted, the doctor says the accidents aren't his fault. His colon doesn't work properly. It's all about getting, and keeping, him regular in order to have properly functioning potty breaks. If his digestive system gets the least bit out of whack, we have come to expect a mess. It was a 2-year process just to get him this far.

The problems in training my middle son have delayed the onset of potty training my youngest, who is now 2. Today I finally decided we would begin the tedious process. He's all about becoming a "big boy" like his older brothers. Since he isn't quite big enough to use the grown-up toilet yet, we picked out a green frog potty together at the store. He sat on it for the first time tonight, right before his bath. Only a few minutes later he was chirping, "I go potty! Look!" He promptly stood up, bent at the waist and flashed his bare tush at me. With his clean bum a contradiction to his proclamation, I took a peek into the potty bowl. Lo and behold - there was pee in the potty! My smart little boy is getting off to a great start! I only hope it takes a lot less than 2 years to get my final child potty trained.

Craft time

It's been craft time at our house for the last few days. Usually I have the motivation to do, on average, one craft a week with my boys. Creative activities take time to organize, make a lot of mess and generally cause a lot of chaos in the creation process. Many days I'm not up to it. 

A new Web site I found, www.simplemessyfun.com, has ramped up my motivation to one project a day for the last four days. The site takes the hassle out of organizing craft time for me. It is written by Amy Friedel, another stay-at-home mom who has children of similar ages to my own. She has an early education degree, several years of teaching under her belt and an extensive knowledge of other online sites and blogs that adds to her inspiration. She has a keen eye for a good deal - anything that needs to be bought is usually inexpensive and easy to find in stores, and a lot of her ideas just require items that can be found around the house. All-in-all, a winning combination for me.


This week, we turned old crayons into new, studied the alphabet and used our new crayons with alphabet coloring pages, and practiced some motor skills making fluffy little bunnies. The kids have been having a great time.

Crayons:

 

First we had to peel the crayons.

Then we broke them in bits, separated the colors and put them in metal cans. We melted them in the oven at 250 F for 15-20 minutes.

 

We poured one color at a time into the molds. We let each layer set up a bit before adding the next. I only pulled one can out of the oven at a time, so every color stayed fluid until ready to use.

 

After letting them cool and harden at room temperature, this was the result. 

Little Bunny Foo Foo:

I printed the bunny pattern I got off the link from www.simplemessyfun.com.

  

The boys practiced their motor skills by trying to cut out the bunny. I had to help a little to make sure all bunny appendages stayed in tact!

They colored the bunnies using their new crayons, then used glue to affix the cotton balls.

 

End result: Little Bunny Foo Foo (upside-down)!

If Earth went up and Heaven came down

Sometimes I wonder how much of what I teach my children is actually sinking in. My two oldest sons have a fascination with Heaven, God and Santa Claus. I've had many conversations with them explaining the difference between God and Santa Claus and where Heaven is. 

I'm not quite ready to disillusion them with the truth about Santa Claus. As far as they know, Santa Claus is at the North Pole. Thanks to "The Polar Express," they know the North Pole is at the top of Earth. They think they can take a train to get there. 

Seeing a physical representation of Santa at the mall has given them a tangible reference for the commercialized symbol of Christmas. Their little minds are searching for the same kind of reference for God.

They understand God is in Heaven. Trying to explain where Heaven is and how to get there, is a lot more difficult. My best answer to date is that Heaven is above the stars in the sky, and people go there when they die. We've had brief, lighthearted discussions about how people get to Heaven and what they'll see when they get there. I'm trying to instill in them the idea that death isn't something to fear. It's just the journey that has to be made to get to the wonderful place where God resides. They seem to be satisfied with that. 

Recently, God came up in conversation with my middle son. This time, however, the context took me by surprise. My 4-year-old asked me if he could die that day. Trying to hide my surprise at such an odd question, I told him no, he has a lot of living to do yet. Then I asked him why did he want to die? He replied, "I want to give God a hug. I so love Him, Mom." 

After I reassured him that God loves him too, my little boy asked me if Santa was at home at the top of Earth right now, and if Earth went up and Heaven came down, would God and Santa meet? If that happened, could we meet God at the North Pole with Santa? He was trying his best to find another way to give God a hug.

Sweet compromise for Valentine's Day

I'm trying hard not to be a killjoy, but I can't help getting a little uptight when a sugar-filled holiday comes around. At Halloween, my boys get three buckets of candy just from trick-or-treating in our small neighborhood. They usually get to eat it at the rate of one piece a day, if that. It lasts them at least six months. 

I'm a little paranoid when it comes to healthy teeth and good eating habits. I inherited good genes when it comes to strong teeth. My husband, unfortunately, did not. Both of our families have histories of high cholesterol and heart disease. Since I do most of the cooking in my family, it falls to me to feed everyone healthy fare. Every sugar-laced holiday is in direct opposition to my goal. 

This Valentine's Day, to salve my mommy-guilt about feeding my kids junk, I'm giving them a new toothbrush to go with the candy. That's a good compromise, right?

Cabin fever makes it hard to enjoy winter wonderland

Winter's mighty strength is nowhere near waning in my neck of the woods. According to this morning's forecast, more snow and colder temperatures are right around the corner. Cabin fever has officially settled in.

Yesterday I was so stir crazy, I bundled up my three young children and decided to do errands, despite the fact that my oldest didn't have school because of snow. Said snow had drifted the driveway shut, so while the boys waited in the van, I dug it out. After stowing the dratted shovel back in the garage, I gripped the steering wheel, gave myself a pep talk and attempted to back out. It took three tries. My shoveling skills leave a lot to be desired. Once safely out of the driveway, I was immediately faced with the next challenge: our street. Driving down it must be what it feels like to go off-roading in Alaska. While I gritted my teeth and tried to avoid the cars parked on the street, my boys squealed in delight over every bump and skid. My oldest actually asked me to go faster. 

My poor boys braved the bitter cold like it was one big adventure, while I muttered to myself about moving to a warmer climate. I'm hoping their enthusiasm gets them through the rest of the winter, because mine withered with the first cold-snap. Maybe a cup of hot chocolate would restore a little of my wonder at living in this winter-land ...

A must-have housecleaning tool

Anything that keeps me motivated and on task when it comes to keeping my house clean is a good thing. With three boys of my own, one husband and two day-care boys underfoot, my house can go from clean to dirty in five minutes flat. Which is why, when a friend told me about motivatedmoms.com, I had to check it out.

My friend told me that for $8, I could download a year-long home-maintenance and cleaning chart that would help me get the house clean without feeling overwhelmed about it. I didn't really think that was possible. Just looking at the rooms in my house overwhelms me. She swore it was a miracle chart and that her house has never been so clean.

So I went to the Web site, looked it over and decided I would try it. It was definitely cheaper than hiring a maid, which I wish I had on a daily basis.

I paid my $8 and downloaded the weekly chart. It downloaded as a PDF file to my computer. The file contains 52 pages (one page per week), plus two blank menu-planning pages at the end. I can open the PDF document and print just the week I need. On the left side of each page is a list of simple chores I'm supposed to do daily. On the right side, it has each day of the week. Under each day, there is a small list of individualized chores to do for that day. Between the two lists, I'm hoping my house starts to sparkle in the next week.

This morning, I made three beds, cleaned the bathroom and kitchen sinks, cleaned the kitchen counters and table, dusted the living and dining rooms, and shook out the bathroom and kitchen rugs. All within 30 minutes. Tasks remaining on my list for today include cleaning the middle shelf in the refrigerator, sweeping and mopping the kitchen floor and wiping down the stove. The last task for today is scrapbooking or hobby time. I can't wait to get to that part.

So far, I'm liking the chart. I'm a list person by nature, but I'm not always the most organized. Sometimes it takes three drafts just to figure out a workable list for the day. I like to write my own lists of things to do and cross things off as I get them done. Sometimes I'll do a task, then add it to my list, just so I can cross it off. My lists serve as a visual reminder that I do more than wipe snotty noses, change dirty diapers and cater snacks and drinks to four hungry boys all day. This Motivated Moms chart seems like it will simplify and organize every chore and home-maintenance task for me, keeping me stress-free and the house ship-shape.

Now, off to clean that middle shelf in the fridge ...