The Road I am On

Maybe I am just that kind of person, but it seems that a lot of the big decisions in life I choose to go against the grain.

I have never been a very rebellious person.  As a child I was mostly a people pleaser. Don't get me wrong, I have always been stubborn.  My mom tells me a story about how when I was a toddler one I refused to pick up my toys.  She would be in tears and I wouldn't budge until . . . . Dad came home.   But, in general I would do what I was told to keep the peace.  I was an A student jumping through all the hoops well.  I was rarely spanked and learned a lot from watching my less timid sister get in trouble.  As a adult though I don't choose to do something because it is popular or because Mom and Dad did it.  I tend to question the way things are and when I find it to be against my better judgement I choose the other road, or at least start trying other roads to go down.

I decided to start blogging about my journey.  It has been a long one.  Learning takes time and I have a lot to learn.  Apart from God, my family has been the biggest catalyst in this journey.  They have challenged me to find a parenting style to fit our family, which lead us to the realm of attachment psychology.  They have lead me to homeschooling and our great homeschooling family.  Finally, this last year they have challenged our eating habits by forcing me to find foods that don't reek havoc on their little guts and help them stay healthy.

You're goona die soon

 We went on a trip to a look out point near out house the other day.  My husband and I were looking peacefully at the view while I was holding my baby, and the two boys were exploring a bit.  I noticed a friendly looking older man walking our way.  He was minding his own business, coming to enjoy the view.  Slowly, he came closer slightly hunched over with a cane in his hands to help him walk.  The top of his head was bald and he looked to me to be in his early 70's or so. 
The next thing I heard made my heart panic.  Gavyn, our 4 yr old, started yelling out in a sing song voice, "Old man, old man, soon your gonna die.  Old man, old man, soon your gonna die." 
I ran to Gavyn and told him to stop trying not to cause a scene and hoping that this poor man was as deaf as he was bald.  Travis must not have been paying attention because he did nothing. 
Gavyn just kept telling me in a voice way too loud for my comfort level, "But why mom?  Look, he is gonna die soon right?  Why?  Look mom, he's real old.  Isn't he gonna die?" 
I tried to explain that it isn't polite while ushering him away from the poor man.  It wasn't easy since I was holding our baby still and Travis was still clueless.  I finally got my husband's attention and we all got out of the area.  I am still wondering if this man actually heard us or not.  I pray that he didn't. 

Picking finger?

Our five year old put his hand down in an ant pile accidentally today and got bit on his finger. I got out some itch cream and put it on the bite and told him to make sure he doesn't put his finger in his mouth now because it has medicine on it. He told me, "Don't worry Mommy, it's not my picking finger." I said, "What?" He replied, "Don't worry Mommy, I don't pick my nose with this finger, I use my other hand. I won't put it in my nose either. Don't worry." I'm worried.

Don't touch

My poor little boy burned his finger today on the stove. I was reading this book that talked about how great it was to have your kids help out in the kitchen. The author made it sound so wonderful. The magic of the cooking process is so great for kids to see, and her kids seemed to have no problems dealing with knifes and fire. The idea sounded great, but the reality of my boys in the kitchen scared me. My previous attempts have been less than fun, mostly ending with a few hours of clean up and no food to eat as a result. But of course when lunch came around Gavyn asked if he could help. It inspired me to try it again.

So, we were making mac and cheese on the stove. I gave them instructions not to touch the stove. I am pretty paranoid about them getting hurt so they were extensive instructions; it's hot, it will burn you, that is owies, the red means it is getting hot. . . I even tried talking about the science of how the heat makes the water steam to try to get the point across. They were fascinated none the less and of course Gavyn had to touch the red part anyway. He was so fast I could not stop him in time. Even though I was standing there I could not protect his little finger from his curiosity.

The drama ensued. The rest of my day consisted of nursing a burned finger and pampering his wounded spirit. He has been carrying around a little cup with ice, sometimes with a limp, sometimes without.

Poor guy. I wish kids would learn from what we tell them, but too often they don't and have to experience it themselves. At least I was supervising the whole thing or it could have been much worse.

I wish . . .

I woke up the other day and was having breakfast with my two boys while breast feeding my 2 month old. My three year old told me, "Mommy, I wish I had big boobies like yours so I could feed Addy too." I replied, "Be careful what you wish for honey."

starting to blog

Hi all,

I have decided to start a blog to record some of the great things that happen everyday in this wild home of mine. They are not extra ordinary things but they are great, and should bring smiles here and there.
I also want to have a place to refelct on my day and life in general.