Wisdom from Oprah

Today I watched the final episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show.   You can say what you will about Oprah – this post is not about whether she is a national treasure or a mountain of hype!  This post is my opportunity to share with you some things I’ve taken from her show that pertain to my parenting. 
 
Today, while watching Oprah, these thoughts and questions came to me regarding my children:
 
*I have the great privilege of being Mom to Gregory, Ruthie and Mary, AND
 
*The greatest gift I can give them is my love, SO
 
*Do I make them feel loved, and worthy, and smart, and pretty?
*Do my eyes light up when they enter the room?
*Do I bring positive energy to my family? AND
 
*Do I constantly communicate these important encouragements to my 3 precious kids:
  “I SEE you!  I HEAR you! Who you are, and what you say, MATTER to me!”

Friday's Gratitude

Gary was gone this week from Sunday morning to Wednesday night.  The last time he was gone for that long, I realized when he got back that I hadn't had a meaningful, face-to-face conversation with another adult the entire time he was gone!!  Those of you who know me, know that not having real conversations with people regularly is just not ok.

This week was different, though.  I enjoyed meaningful conversations with friends over coffee or lunch every day this week!  What a blessing, especially for this interaction-starved stay-at-home mom!  Today I am thankful for friends, and for precious time spent with them!

It's Friday, and I'm Thankful

I'm trying to keep up with blogging about gratitude on Fridays.  I haven't had time until now to sit and write, so I'll make it brief.

1) Mary: I'm thankful that in the midst of all her feisty stubbornness, she still makes me laugh on a regular basis.  This week she looked at me and said, "Mama, Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"  The thing is, Mary can't say the "th" sound, so it actually sounded like this, "Mama, Are you finkin' what I'm finkin'?"  It took me a minute to figure out what she was saying, but when I did, I laughed!  Who knows where she gets this stuff??

2) Gary:  This is going to be an expression of gratitude that comes in through the back door, so just bear with me.  Gary was gone Thursday night until pretty late.  I got the kids from school, quickly made dinner and got them out the door for soccer practice.  Came home from practice, got them all showered and pj'ed and tucked in bed.  I was exhausted!  That's when I thought about how very thankful I am for Gary!!  There are many reasons, but this week I was reminded of how great it is that he comes home almost every night, eats with us, plays with the kids, and then gets them all to bed.  Sometimes it takes having to do all that myself to remind me how blessed I am to have Gary helping me along on this journey called parenthood!

3) Caren:  My dear friend, Caren, and I went to the movies this week.  It was such a nice, unusual thing to be out at night with her, going to the movies!!  Words cannot express all the ways in which I am thankful for Caren!!  I also probably can't express (in words that would make sense to you) how much I love the movies!!  Thanks, Caren!  (And thanks, Water for Elephants!)

4) The Cupid Shuffle:  One of my favorite moments this week (maybe this month) was watching Gregory and Ruthie teach Mary the Cupid Shuffle.  They learned it at school.  After they taught Mary, the three of them sang and danced together until I made them go to bed.  I loved every precious minute of it!  "To the right, to the right..... to the left, to the left.... now kick, now kick..... now walk it by yourself, now walk it by yourself...."

What are you thankful for this week???

Thankful for Gregory

3 months

In case you missed it, last week I blogged that I was dedicating Fridays to being thankful.  Today is Gregory's 10th birthday, so today I'm expressing my gratitude for him! (I know what you're thinking... I can hardly believe I'm old enough to have a 10 year old, too!!)

Gregory is the child who made me a mother!  Although there are days when I don't exactly embrace that title, there is nothing else I would rather be called!  Gregory and I are so much alike!  Everything from our slightly irrational (at times) anxiety to our love of all things chocolate.

2 years

6 months

Gregory challenges me all the time. From about 4 months old, he had me feeling like maybe I was in over my head.  That has not changed!  I still feel like I have to stay one step ahead of him!  He wants to know more.  He wants to do more.  He sings more.  He talks more.  He needs more attention.  Yes, he challenges me.  He also makes me laugh -- a lot, and he teaches me things.  He remembers everything!  I love to cheer him up and cheer him on.  I'm proud to be the one he talks to, snuggles with, and comes to when he's upset.

8 years

Gregory is smart, funny, athletic and empathetic!  What makes him so challenging is also what makes him so enduring!  I love him so much! I'm so proud of the boy he is, and I'm looking forward to the man he will become!  Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy, I thank God for you everyday!!

10 years

Expressing Gratitude

Lately I've been struggling some -- for a variety reasons, about a variety of things.  I'm working on finding peace, and living there.  I know I am blessed, and I hesitate to complain about anything.  Still, though, sometimes I feel dispirited.  In response to this, I've decided to put more focus on the things for which I am thankful.  So... I hereby declare Fridays as the days when I express my gratitude.  I would love to hear from you, too, if you'd like to share your own gratitude list!

1. Sunday was Easter, so above all else this week, I have to say that I'm truly thankful that God sent his Son to earth to live among us and die for us!  That sacrifice is one for which I will never be deserving, but will always be grateful!

2. Also regarding Easter, I'm very thankful for a day spent with family and dear friends.  My brother and sister-in-law, Jim and Ann, are amazingly generous hosts, and continually show love to my family and me! Spending time with the Schmidts and the Valentins is a blessing all its own!

3. Monday, Gary took me to lunch!  Mary was at the sitter, so we enjoyed some time to talk in the middle of the day.  I sure like him a lot!! :)

3. This week I was so thankful to see the sun on Thursday, after so many days in a row of rain.  Thursday evening we saw a rainbow, and Gregory said, "That rainbow is a promise from God."

5. Mary and I had a tea party this morning and watched the Royal Wedding!  The significance was lost on her, but she enjoyed the scones I made and the water she drank from her Cinderella tea set.  I dressed her in a dress for the occasion, and when I put it on her, she said, "I think I'm a princess."  She's so smart! :)

And, of course, I'll always be grateful for these cutie-patooties (but please don't tell Gregory I called him that!!):

Ruthie, Mary and Gregory

Put down the candy!!

There's just too much Easter candy around here!

Here's the deal.  Mary is really revving up the tantrums!  She's throwing fits multiple times a day, and she is not very discriminatory as to the place (home, church, Whole Foods... all today!!).  My plantar fasciitis is flaring up big time!!  Running hurts, walking hurts, sitting here hurts!  Ugh! The laundry is piling up, the house is definitely not cleaning itself, my brain is turning to mush, and guess what I'm doing?  Yep! Eating Easter candy.  That's what I'm saying:

There's just too much Easter candy around here!

Potty Training *UGH*

Isn't the third child supposed to potty train herself? Or can't the big kids just do it?  I'm too old for this! Mary will be 3 in June.  She's not even close to losing those diapers!  In fact I don't think she's ever done anything remotely close to peeing or pooping in the potty.  She enjoys playing with the cute little potty I gave her for Christmas, she just doesn't like to use it for its intended purpose.  In fact, yesterday she wanted to watch Ruthie go, and afterwards I said, "Do you want to sit on the potty, Mary?" She responded with, "No thanks." Then after a short pause, she said, "Marys don't sit on potties." See what I'm dealing with?

About a month ago, I realized that Mary was not going to potty train herself and that no one else in the family was at all interested in the job.  So, I ordered a book from Amazon called, "Toilet Training in Less Than a Day" with the byline: "A Tested Method for Teaching Your Child Quickly and Happily".  That sounded perfect for me.  Quick and Easy.  Imagine my disappointment when the book came in the mail and I realized that it was 179 pages of very small print and very few pictures.  Shouldn't a book about toilet training in LESS THAN A DAY take no more than one hour to read?  I guess I envisioned reading the book and then potty training Mary all in the same day!

Needless to say, I haven't read a single chapter of the book, and Mary is no closer to being a regular potty user.  In fact, as of yesterday, she still thought anyone named Mary had no need to do anything except wait for a loving adult to change her diaper, because we all know (don't we?) that "Marys don't sit on potties"!

Any sage words of advice out there?  I know I've potty trained two kids, but for this one, I'd just like a quick fix!

Good thing she's so cute!!