Girl friends, face punches, and drugs. Oh, my!

Jordan has been so funny this week.  Here are a few of our conversations, to the best of my memory.

Jordan:  Mom.  What would you say if I had a girl friend?

Me:  You mean when you're older?

Jordan:  No.  Now.

Me:  You're too young to have a girl friend.

Jordan:  But if I did.  What would you say?

Me:  I'd say there's really no point in you having a girl friend since you don't have a job or a car.  Flash backs of Judah Smith sermons filled my mind.  Anybody remember that one?  J-O-B?  

Jordan:  Well I want one.  And just to let you know, I'm on the lookout.  

Here's one more, from later the same day.

Jordan: When Violet gets a boyfriend, I will tell him to leave my sister alone or I'll punch him in the mouth.

Me:  Wow, that's really harsh.  What if I said that to your girlfriend one day?

Jordan:  Mom, you could never say that.  Unless she was on drugs.  Then you could say it.  He then got up and ran out of the room.  

Me:  Wait.  What?!?!

I love this funny, feisty son of mine!   

Crazy Time

5:00 pm until 8:00 pm has been renamed "Crazy Time" at our house.  I know I should think up something wittier and cute but I'm just too tired.  

It starts around 5:00 or 5:30.  Violet gets tired and takes like a five minute snooze.  She is grouchy when she goes down for her nap and even grouchier when she wakes up.  She wants to be held.  She doesn't want to sleep... no, no.  She doesn't take kindly to napping.  She just wants me to sit and hold her until 8:00, which is when she finally gives in to the exhaustion.  

Only I can't just sit and hold her.  This is dinner time.  I need to cook.  And usually finish up the last odds and ends of the boys' school work.  And do some laundry.  And feed the boys.  And clean up the kitchen.  And eat myself.  When Chris is home, it's more tolerable but still pretty stressful.  

Crazy is what it is!

Violet is getting more dramatic as she grows older.  For example, today she wanted to be held but I was in the middle of cooking dinner.  I had raw chicken all over my hands and just couldn't pick her up.  Before I started I set her up in the living room with her favorite toys and a couple of her little puffy snack things.  I started a movie for her and gave her a her sippy cup.  She looooves her sippy cup.  Except at 5:30, when she doesn't like anything.  

All of that wasn't enough and pretty soon she'd crawled into the kitchen where she followed me around wailing with big crocodile tears streaming from her eyes.  And let me tell you, she is LOUD!  At one point I did wash my hands and pick her up for a minute.  Of course she stopped crying immediately.  I had to put her back down to finish the chicken.  When I did, she threw herself facedown on the kitchen floor and kicked, screamed, and cried.  

I've gotten pretty good at blocking things out over the years, but this is getting to me, my friends.  Nothing will settle her except sitting in my arms.  I admit that I love the fact that she loves me.  That makes it a little  better. 

Finally, when everything is done I give her a bath and she starts being happy again.  After the bath she takes about half of a bottle and then falls into a deep sleep and she's out for the night. 

It seems as if this little routine has been going on for weeks, but it's only been a few days.  

The weird thing is that if we're out and about she will take a nap. 

Maybe she's teething, and I know her allergies are bothering her.  She's just so pitiful when she does this.  

I know it will pass.  Looking forward to the day when we'll laugh about it.  

Back to School

School "officially" began for us again today. Or technically it began yesterday.  It's almost 1:00 a.m. as I type this.  

Co-op was back in session.  Lots of changes, all of them for the better.  Shaun really enjoyed his classes.  He's taking a dissection class and a class on the Titanic.  He seems excited about both.  We will all go on a field trip to the Titanic exhibit at Atlantic Station this spring.  I'm really excited about that!  I think Shaun had a good day.  He even read aloud in front of the class.    

Violet and I spent the afternoon in the baby class.  Every parent now has to stay with her own baby, so we had plenty of help in there!  

Jordan had a little  bit of trouble.  In PE of all things.  Apparently Ms. Jessica is a slave driver and Jordan does not know how to do sit-ups. :)

  Chris found him in the bathroom crying about it.  Sigh.  He does this every time he has to learn something new.  The first time he went roller skating, he threw his skates down and informed everyone at the rink that skating was stupid.  All this because he couldn't skate with the wind without practicing first. The same thing happened with the sit-ups today.  I'm not sure what to do about it.  At least  he didn't scream that sit-ups were stupid!

We practiced them when we got home tonight and now he knows what he's doing.  I just pray that he shows his teacher what he can do next week.  

"Opera"

Today was one of those days for Jordan.  He had such a hard time concentrating and was pretty wild.  He needed to get a lot of energy out, so he played outside a lot.  It was also a school day, and he just wasn't feeling it.  Neither was I, honestly.  I'm sick today.  I picked a few battles in the name of math and writing, but I just didn't have it in me to fight with my youngest strong-willed boy over what he read today.  

Instead of using our reading curriculum I told him to go get a book from the library box.  He came back with a "Little Bill" book, which he chose from the library himself when he found out the Bill Cosby had written it.  We're HUGE Cosby fans in this house.  But.  Jordan still wouldn't read.  He could read it.  It wasn't too difficult.  He just didn't want to.  So, he sang it instead.  

Yup.

He sang the entirety of The Meanest Thing to Say, complete with flourishes and crescendos.  He also sang the answers to the questions I asked him. It was one of the funniest things I've heard in quite a while.  

Bickering

My boys.  They've been fighting like cats and dogs.  I was getting so, SO tired of the constant picking, whining, tattling, and crying from both of them.  I really didn't think I could handle it much longer.  We'd tried all sorts of punishments:  giving time outs, taking away TV time and video games, spankings, separating them.  Nothing was working, so I tried something else.  

Lately when they start arguing for any reason, I make them complete a chore.  Together.  Without saying an unkind thing to each other. Or whining about having to work.  If this happens, they have to complete another chore. And another, if need be, until they can get along.  So far they've only had to do two chores at one time.  And usually they do get along better afterwards.  There's so much more peace in our house now!

Now, I know boys will be boys.  It's  normal for them to wrestle and punch and pick on each other.  To an extent.  It was just getting to a point where every 5 minutes World War III was breaking out.  Seriously.  They've gotten in knock-down drag outs over who has the most milk.  Or because one brother "lovingly" thumped the other one on the head for no reason.  We live in a small house, and things can happen when boys fight.  Windows can get broken.  Holes get punched in walls.  This can't be happening.  

So I implemented the chore rule.  I didn't invent said rule.  I think my friend Elissa told me about it a few years ago.  It's a win-win situation.  My sons are getting along better.  They're learning to control themselves.  And if they don't, my house is getting cleaned by people other than myself.  A few minutes ago, for example, both boys had to empty the dishwasher together because they were yelling at each other over who was supposed to be the "first player" on an XBox game.  Now, the dishwasher is empty and both boys are playing video games together like the BFFs brothers are meant to be.  

The next time an argument breaks out, I think they'll be scrubbing toilets.  

who am i?

Anyone who's been around me at all lately knows that I've been a nervous wreck since the second week in August. That's when the school year began. We had enrolled Jordan in the K12 program. For those who don't know, it's basically public school that's taught at home. I thought this program was best for several reasons:

1. It's free. 'Nough said.

2. It's structured. I thought we needed this for Jordan, my little wild man.

3. It's all prepared for you. No coming up with lesson plans... just follow the lesson guides.

4. I was (am) terrified of making colossal mistakes when teaching Jordan to read. I didn't have to worry about this with Shaun. We didn't begin homeschooling until Shaun was in 3rd grade... most of the core stuff was already covered. Jordan, however, is a "fresh slate". There's sooo many ways I can mess him up.

K12 seemed like a good idea in theory. And so I signed him up. Even though my close friend had quit the program cold-turkey during the middle of last year because it was so stressful and required so much busy-work. And even though this is indeed a public school program... and I had basically sworn off public school after Shaun's experience. And even though I adore the year-round school schedule we adopted with Shaun. And even though I hate answering to "the man". My self-doubt got the best of me.

On our first day of school, we were still doing schoolwork at 9:00 pm. Yuck. But I stuck with it. I figured we just hadn't found our groove yet. But really, the more I tried, the more Jordan resented it. He, like his big brother, needs short and to-the-point lessons. He doesn't need to go over the same skill 4 times in one math lesson. He becomes bored extremely easily. Phonics was the worst. It was painful.

With K12, each child is required to do most of the assignments. Some assignments are optional, but for the most part everything is required. And the fact is that my child simply cannot sit though all of that busy-work. After he's had his fill, his brain shuts off and trying to keep going is pointless. I can't tell you how many times I've pulled up his lessons on the computer only to hear him whine "Oh, not (shapes, m's, AABB patterns, etc) again!"

I began to get so frustrated with him. I can't tell you how many times I asked him, "Why can't you just sit still and finish this?" This is complete Deja vu from Shaun's kindergarten homework. Then one day, Jordan walked into the school room where I was straightening up the bookshelf. He looked at all of his materials and said, "I like doing school, I'm just not good at it." Oh, ouch. That hurt my heart. Wasn't this the kind of self-esteem crushing thing we were trying to avoiding by homeschooling in the first place?

The thing is, he is good at it. It's just that he doesn't need to do so much of it. And I'll tell a little secret. Some of that work that he was required to do? I lied and said he did it even when he didn't. And he still aced all of his tests. So there. :)

Anyway, after he said those pitiful words, I immediately gathered him up in my arms and told him exactly how good he was at doing his school work. And then I sent both kids outside to play so that I could meditate about what to do. As I watched them zoom around the yard on their bikes and scooters, I heard from God. "I made them this way. Who are you to try to change who they're meant to be?" I love it when He's direct and to the point, don't you? It reminded me of another time He spoke to me clearly. I blogged about it here.

That was 2 weeks ago. We went on vacation last week and Chris and I took that time to pray about what to do. And tonight, I withdrew him from the K12 program. I feel as free as a bird. I had ordered a new phonics program from Amazon a few weeks ago, and we'll start it tomorrow. I had also purchased Math U See for kindergarten last spring. Between that and the classes he takes at co op, he should be covered. And I won't have to worry about logging hours or forgetting to enter in his attendance every night.

As for my self-doubt... it's still there. Not as prevalent as before, but it's still hanging around. God has brought some "seasoned" homeschooling moms into my life lately and they've been such a source of encouragement. It's nice to hear some needed advice about curriculum and what not. I was talking to a friend at church today and she said, "One good thing about homeschooling... it keeps you praying!" How true. God has led us down this journey, and I know He'll give me the knowledge and ability to teach my children everything they need to know. His promises to us are Yes and Amen. I only wish I wouldn't forget that all of the time.

Snowbound

That's been us this week. It snowed Sunday night. A lot. And it all stuck. And then it all froze over. Which made driving difficult.

So, the Hubs had to spend a few days at the hospital, where he works. He was on-call and had to be within 30 minutes of the hospital at all times. Which left me home alone. With my sweet, lovely, hyperactive children. Stir crazy doesn't begin to describe it.

Okay. It wasn't all that bad. We played a lot of video games. Shaun "skated" on the frozen snow in the yard. Jordan became addicted to "The Wonder Pets" on NetFlix. Shaun beat several levels in "Lego Star Wars". We all engaged in countless light saber battles. Jordan learned to write his name. Shaun finished a up a unit in math. We ate a lot of peanuts and vegetables. We squabbled. We played with Legos, Moon Sand, and Play Doh. Jordan performed a few puppet shows. My dad braved the elements to drive over for a visit. We screamed like school girls when the Propane man drove up in his big huge truck to make his delivery before we ran out of Propane. (I think we were really just excited to see a human who wasn't related to us)

By this afternoon...after Day 3 of being stuck inside with nowhere to go, we were more than just a little sick of each other. So my sister and her family came to visit. Then, in a desperate attempt to get out of my house, I convinced the Hubs that we needed some groceries. We piled in the car and slid to Kroger. I planned to spend $20 and would up spending $60. Ouch.

Our Thursday activities have been canceled for tomorrow due to the "inclement weather". So we'll be here again. Hopefully we'll get out and do something on Friday. When the temperature will actually be in the 40s.

40 degrees. That seems downright balmy right now.

Have I mentioned that I don't particularly like the snow?

Firsts

There's only one word to describe my family's life lately. Busy. We've been so busy. We're finally back in the swing of things with school. The kids have started attending a co-op. Chris has been working tons and tons of overtime. Etc, etc, etc. Its been awhile since I've posted anything, and a lot of "firsts" have happened since last time:

1. Jordan's first bike ride. While at my mom's for a visit, my babe taught himself how to ride a bike sans training wheels. I was pretty amazed. He's now a pro.

2. Shaun's first sleep-over. Shaun spent the night with a friend. This is the first time he's ever been away overnight, aside from spending the night with family. I was a bit of a nervous wreck, but things went just fine. When I left him, he had tears in his eyes, so I fully expected a phone call from my friend Rebecca at 2:00 am. But things went just fine. Shaun and his friends actually were sound asleep by 8:00- they had played hard outside all day long. When I picked him up the next day, Shaun asked why I was there- apparently he wanted to stay longer. He's growing up.

3. My first meal at Red Robin. While Shaun was "spending the night", I was having a mom's night. At Red Robin. Oh my. Delicious isn't the word. I'm hooked. I want to go back. I had this monster burger topped with avocado dip and feta cheese. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

4. Chris' first Dad's Night Out. I've been having a lot of "me time" lately, and I guess Chris was jealous. At any rate, he informed me that he was going out to a movie with a friend from work. Since I'm such a good wife, I had no problem with this. And I didn't laugh at all when Chris' friend would up having to work late, forcing my Hubs to see a movie by himself. Hee hee!

5. Jordan's first self-inflicted hair cut. Jordan's co-op teacher came up to me in the hallway at church and exclaimed, "That baby of yours! I looked at him and he was leaned over the table chopping his hair off..and hiding it in his pencil box". I went into Jordan's classroom to survey the damage and found a huge chunk cut into his bangs and the hair on the back of his head. When I asked why in the world he would do such a thing, Jordan informed me that he needed a haircut. Sigh.

And I Had a Bad Day

I know I'm probably jinxing myself, but its been a really long time since I've had a really bad day. Until today. It was just awful.

It began when I accidentally dropped my iPhone into a glass of water. I still can't believe this happened. I loved my phone. When I realized what I'd done, I did some internet research, removed the SIM card, dried it with a hair dryer and stuck it in a bowl full of rice. And there its gonna stay for a few days. I know its silly, but I feel LOST without it. Cut off from the world. No Words with Friends. No texting. No listening to music while I wash dishes. It stinks not having a phone.

As if that wasn't enough, my children have...lets say...kept me on my toes today. Especially my youngest little darling. Some of his shenanigans today have included, but are not limited to : spraying the living room with water from the garden hose, spilling multiple bowls of water on the living room floor while trying to water the dog, dirtying at least 4 different outfits from playing in the mud, and taking a bath with the dog, trying to "make a break for it" by sneaking outside. Sigh. I get exhausted just thinking about everything he's done.

He has also picked on his brother. Non-stop. Shaun took it for awhile, but finally let go tackled Jordan...which led to tears...and drama...and whining. I was SO looking forward to Chris coming home, thinking that we'd take the kids swimming or to the park. Anything to get a little energy out!

Five o'clock came. Then six. And finally he called to let me know that there was an emergency case at the hospital, and that he'd be working late. Its now after 11, and he's finally on his way home. The kids are in bed. 1/2 of them are sleeping. I bet you can guess which one's still awake!


I'm about to give myself a dose of Benedryl so I can go to sleep at a decent hour myself. I'm ready to get this day behind me!

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.



I did NOT completely forget that I promised my sister I'd baby-sit for her so that she could take her other children into the doctor's office for a check-up. When she called me that morning to say that she was on the way to drop off said children, I did NOT fail to answer her phone call because I was helping Shaun with his reading, thinking she was just calling to chat. My forgetfulness did NOT cause her to end up in an exam room with three children, one of which who pitched a screaming fit. I would never do that to her! Not Me!



I did NOT drop a dinner plate on top of my husband's iPhone, causing it's screen to look like this:





I did NOT address all of my kids' valentines myself at midnight the night before their Valentine Party. I also did NOT look at the list of names for about five minutes and, after envisioning the utter chaos that could potentially emerge from both boys trying to find every single individual person to deliver their individual valentine, decide to simply address each Valentine like so:

To: My Friend
From Shaun (or Jordan)

Not Me! I would never take the easy way out!




And finally...If you know me, you know that I DETEST food dyes. They make my children go nuts. I try to avoid them at all costs. So, I did NOT give in and let Jordan eat something that made his mouth look like this:

on the way home from our Valentine Party, just so he'd stop all the whining/crying/screeching. Not Me! I have nerves of steel and realize that if I give in to such behavior, he'll do it all the time, just to get his way.

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

While shopping at Target for hair color last week, I did NOT become so engrossed in my task that I totally failed to notice Jordan as he knocked every single box of hair color off of the two bottom shelves. Not Me!

I did NOT feel the need to purchase a pregnancy test from Wal-Mart last night. Babies are blessings from God and I would love any blessing He chose to give me. So, I did NOT jump for joy in the bathroom when results of said pregnancy test came back negative. Not Me!

At the present moment, I do NOT have a ginormous mountain of laundry that needs to be folded and put away. I'm also NOT blogging and playing around on Facebook instead of tackling this chore. Not Me!

I did NOT stay up entirely too late one night last week watching reruns of "My So-Called Life" on Hulu.com. And I did NOT totally think it was worth it the next morning when I was so tired I could barely function.

Happy Monday, everyone!

He's gaining!

Weight, that is. Shaun's gaining weight. He's come a long way since last spring, when were were switching meds and having blood tests to see what was up with his weight loss. Since then, a lot has changed.

As most of you know, we've changed Shaun's (and our!) diet to accommodate his food sensitivities. This means that, for the most part, we are : wheat-free, milk-free, high fructose corn syrup-free, MSG free, food dye-free, white potato-free, grape-free, additive-free, preservative-free...and...medication-free! Since May. Yes, it has been tricky. And a pain. We've had screaming matches in the car over where we were NOT going to eat. And I'm sure I've hurt a few well-meaning people's feelings along the way. But it is so worth it.

He is a different child. He has self-control. He can control his anger. He no longer has seizures or mood swings. He isn't extremely hyperactive (most of the time! He's a boy...a little hyperactivity comes with the territory!) He's more out-going.

I wish Chris hadn't lost our camera cord so that I could post a picture of him. His skin tone is healthy. We can no longer count his ribs! He actually eats! His cheeks aren't sunken. He looks great! We've had to buy new pants because he couldn't button the old ones. What a wonderful problem to have, especially when I remember last spring, when he would literally not eat a bite all day long. He weighed 52 pounds back then. So skinny! I just weighed him and now he's up to...74 pounds!

He's healthy, too! Only one cold so far this winter. A huge improvement over winters past, when he'd have a runny nose and cough pretty much the whole winter. I'm so excited to take him in for his 10 year checkup in February. We haven't had the need to visit our doctor since May. I can't wait to see his reaction to all these improvements.

I owe it all to Dr Chris, our homeopathic specialist. And prayer. Of course prayer. I remember praying with Chris last spring for an answer. An answer that didn't involve adding new meds. We were literally watching our child waste away. I didn't realize just how bad he looked until a few weeks ago when I came across some old pictures. Anyway, we prayed hard for God's guidance on what to do. A few days later a friend gave me Dr Chris's name. We went for an appointment, and the rest is history.

I still have trouble believing that Shaun is on no medications and his "symptoms" are still being controlled. At one point he was on seven medications. SEVEN. No wonder he had no appetite! He was being treated for ADHD, Epilepsy, Bipolar Disorder, anxiety, and a sleeping disorder. Turns out the issues he was having were just reactions to certain foods.

Now, I know this may sound bad. But I'm so happy that those lablels are not attached to him anymore. I praise God for it every day. I also get irritated at doctors. Psychiatrists, especially. I don't understand why medication is always the first step in finding solutions for behavior disorders. My child is proof that there are better ways. More complicated ways, perhaps, but better for children. And parents....just because a doctor tells you your child needs medications does NOT mean that you have to do it! Especially psychiatrists. I had to learn this the hard way. Now, I know that some conditions do require medications, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. But sometimes, you need to go with your gut. I was told by our psychiatrist that Shaun would never be able to function normally without medication. And look at him now.

At the beginning of last year, I had started to research alternative solutions for behavioral issues. When I brought it up to Shaun's doctor, she laughed at me. That's right. She laughed and said that homeopathy was ridiculous and didn't work. If I had time, I would love to take Shaun for a visit. I wonder what she would have to say. But, I don't have the time to drive to Buford and wait three hours for a ten-minute appointment. So I'm thinking of sending her a letter instead. Nothing mean, just informative. But I probably will never find the time to do that, either!

So there you have it. I'm off my soap box now. But give me a little time and I'm sure I'll be right up back on it again!

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I am NOT (healthily) obsessed with The Twilight Saga. Nope. And since I'm NOT obsessed, my 9 year old son has NOT seen the movie and knows nothing about it. Therefore, I did NOT catch my children playing Twilight last week. It also goes without saying that I did NOT overhear these words coming out of my oldest son's mouth while I was eavesdropping on their "play acting" : "Jordan. You can be James. Just give me your arm so that I can throw you down and break the floor". After hearing these words, I most certainly did NOT heave a sigh of relief when I realized that Shaun is totally "Team Edward". NOT ME!

I did NOT adopt my * "Thursday" attire today. Just because I was so, so tired.

I always possess complete control of my children. So NO WAY would I ever turn a blind eye while my 3 year old ran around the house completely nude...just so that I could finish up Shaun's math lesson. NOT ME!

Organization is my middle name. I am totally on top of everything, all the time. So I would NOT forget to check the gas level in our Propane tank...until I felt the hot water run out in the middle of my shower. That's right, I would NOT let us run out of Propane on the coldest weekend of the season. NOT ME!

*See previous post

Blessings to you all!

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I was NOT called the "Best Teacher in the World" by Shaun this week.

I did NOT walk outside to pick up a package from my mailman with my wet hair still wrapped up in a towel from my shower. And I most certainly did NOT rationalize this action my reasoning that at least I had clothes on.

We had a busy weekend. REALLY busy. We were out late and in bed way past our normal bedtimes and the children were so tired. But NOT tired enough that I would forgo the brushing of their teeth two nights in a row. No amount of sleepiness should take a toll on my children's dental health. So NO WAY would I choose to not pick this battle. Nope...NOT ME!

I am the wife of a worship leader. We take this calling seriously and are always reverent and respectful in our worship. So, there's no way that my sweet husband's band would get kicked out of the church they were invited to play at because their music was too loud. NO WAY! I would NOT marry that kind of man!

And lastly...I did NOT get squirted in the face with my homemade vinegar and lemon juice cleaning solution by my three year old. This son of mine did NOT do this to his wonderful mommy because he was mad and grouchy and didn't like what I had to say. I would never be that unreasonable! NOT ME!

Randomness

Here are some random things I did today:

Killed a ginormous, hairy spider in the bathroom.

Gave Shaun his math test. (He made a 93!)

Listened to a VERY interesting "Focus on the Family".

Took a bubble bath.

Sent my sweet husband to the store for "femenine products".

Rescued Jordan from the top of our truck.

Got my laundry pile down to ZERO.

Started to make dinner, only to realize that the particular dish I wanted to make takes an unbelievable 4 hours to make.

Fed my family some leftovers instead.

Walked to get the mail.

Watched the boys play in a big, huge, mud puddle on the way to the mailbox.

Stayed up way too late.

Just call Erin...

I volunteer at church on Wednesday nights, in the children's ministry. Last night, right in the middle of the service, one of the other workers whispered into my ear "You need to go down to Jordan's class, just for a minute". I was full of chagrin because I had left my pager in my purse, which was in another room down the hall. So I quickly made my way to the preschool classrooms.

There sat Jordan, in the director's office, surrounded by women who were all giggling. I asked what was wrong and found out that my potty-trained 3 year old had had a "number 2 accident". In Jordan's words, he had "pooped in my underwear".

When one of the workers lovingly commented that if Jordan was big enough to tell them this, then he should be big enough to use the potty, my sweet 2nd-born looked at her and replied "Just call Erin. She'll change me!"

Needless to say, the staff got a kick out of that. It WAS funny, but it warmed my heart just a little. Its nice to know that my son knows that I love him unconditionally and will always take care of him...even when he poos in his brand new underwear!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.


I did NOT become a home schooling parent last week. I was not extremely nervous about is, and it did NOT go extremely well (for the most part).

I did NOT get the run-around from the school system again today when I took Shaun to his old elementary school to officially withdraw him. The wonderful office staff there did NOT disappoint me with the same rudeness and lack of knowledge I experienced last year. Once our withdrawal was complete, Shaun and I did NOT practically skip with joy as we made our way back to the car.

This past week it did NOT become apparent that I do NOT have a green thumb. I have NOT been waiting in anticipation for my first tomato harvest for the entire summer. And, since I love fresh, homegrown tomatoes, I was NOT completely disappointed when THIS is all my many plants have produced so far:


The larger tomato on the far left is NOT a store-bought Roma tomato.

I am NOT about to become an aunt again in 3 short weeks. And my sister/best friend is NOT naming her new baby boy after me.

Chris and I did NOT lose Jordan at church yesterday. After he was found, Jordan did NOT get his little hiney spanked really hard by his two frantic/terrified/relieved parents for running away and hiding from us in order to sneak back outside to the play ground. Nuh-uh. No way. That would NEVER happen!

Have a great week!

They're perfect for me!

I had a rough day today. Maybe it was the weather. Maybe the kids were tired or bored. Or maybe I just need to send them to reform school. For whatever reason, my children were definite challenges today.

Shaun wouldn't listen. Or concentrate. Or obey. Or do any schoolwork without whining and crying. Jordan was just as bad. He cried. He whined. He pestered his big brother. And yes-- he pee'd in the floor. The home schooling daily schedule that I had so tediously planned out was slashed to smithereens as my kids tested and tried me in every way they could.

All of this, plus a bout of apparent PMS had me questioning everything. At one point, I was actually tempted to look up the phone number of Shaun's old elementary school and tell them that he'd be there tomorrow! I really felt like throwing in the towel with this whole home schooling thing.

Okay, so I knew going in that this wouldn't be easy. I knew beforehand (from trying to accomplish homework last year) that getting Shaun to hunker down and do some boring old school work was going to be tough. I knew he has trouble paying attention and would take longer to complete some tasks. I knew I would have to practice patience- lots of it!

I'll just have to start tomorrow!

We finally made it through the day and on to karate. During the drive my mind replayed our day. All the failures. All of my mistakes. Then the pity party began. I started again asking God all of the same old questions. Mainly, "Why can't my kids be like everyone else?"

Then came the answer. Right in my ear, clear as a bell, God whispered to me "They may not be perfect, but they're perfect for you."

Wow. How true. Now, I did NOT understand this to mean that my kids aren't perfect in God's eyes. Of course they are. My Heavenly Father just chose those words to communicate to me that He formed my two boys exactly the way He wanted my kids to be. And He thought we'd be a perfect match. My whole outlook on the day changed. What a humbling experience.

So, I'm heading into tomorrow with a new outlook. Of course Shaun's study habits and behaviors won't be perfect...but with God's grace we'll work around them and find what works perfectly for us.

On peeing on the floor.

Jordan just peed on the floor AGAIN. While I was cooking lunch. I caught him midstream and asked him what he was doing. His response? "No, no, I don't need a spanking". He got one anyway. And now he's taking a long time out. I need to shampoo the rug in our living room. Its starting to smell like we have a puppy in the house. Will this season EVER pass?

The Strong-willed Child

This is my Jordan. Age 3.5 years. Otherwise known as The Strong-willed Child. He is younger brother to Shaun, who, until recently, held the title of Most Strong-willed Child in North Georgia. I have now passed this title on to Jordan. Don't let the meek, innocent look fool you. Although the J-Man is sweet, loving, and precious, he is also the PICTURE of a Strong-willed Child.

This hasn't all come about overnight. No, we've always known Jordan has a strong will. It just seems that the older he gets, the stronger his will becomes. I know a lot of this is related to the fact that he's a boy. And, in a way, I'm GLAD he's hyper-active and action packed. What mom wants a sissy-fied boy? Not me. But I also know that Jordan needs boundaries. Discipline. Extra attention. He needs to know who's boss and he needs to follow the rules. This is where we're having problems. Not the rules part- he knows the rules. He knows right from wrong. He just doesn't seem to care if he follows the rules or not- even though he gets punished for breaking them.

For example:

Wearing clothes. Jordan hates to wear clothes. Because he's a boy, and because he doesn't sweat, I do not insist that he wear a shirt when we're around the house. Underwear and shorts is fine with me. I lost count of the times today that I made him put his shorts and undies back on. I also lost count of the number of times I saw his naked bottom streaking though our house. We've spanked (using hands, belts, and hickories). We've used time-outs. We've taken toys away. And he STILL tries to get away with not wearing clothes.

Urinating in the floor. Yes, I actually said that. My potty-trained 3 year old pees in the floor. He's done it twice today. He knows that pee and poo go in the potty. He knows not to pee in the floor. After he did this today, I took him to his room, spanked him, and gave him a time-out. Then I asked him if he knew why he was being punished. He looked at me and said "Because I pee pee'd on the floor". I asked him if he knew where pee was supossed to go. His reply was "In the potty". What do I do? As I said before, he DOES get punished for doing this. He has received 2 HARD spankings today for this. He understands that its wrong, and if he does it he'll get punished. And he chooses to do it anyway.

These are just a few of the struggles we're dealing with. Now, what do I do about it? For sure, I'm praying. For Jordan and for myself. As I said earlier, a part of me is glad Jordan has a strong will. He'll need it as he grows older, to survive. Especially once he becomes a Christian. But he also must learn to respect authority and to follow rules. I know God has given me strong-willed children for a reason. Its my job to train them up. Its so scary to think about how the parenting choices I make will effect what kinds people my boys grow up to be.

I need to find the balance between breaking Jordan's will and disciplining him. I'm praying for answers that I know will come. In the meantime, I'm keeping on keeping on. And thanking God for blessing me with a wonderful, loving, hyper, mischievious, action-filled little boy. Times two!