Managing the MotherLoad by Jennifer Applin

I have a 7 year old!!!

She's 7 already?!? How can that be?? 

 

She loves to read, write and draw. She is the class nurturer and a friend to everyone she meets. She takes her big sister role seriously (even if her brothers protest) and she has a great sense of humor. Happy Birthday to my sweet, sweet girl!! 

New LargerFamilies.com post

I have a new post up at Larger Families.com. This week we were discussing the following question: "If you could instill in your children just one quality/characteristic (i.e. compassion, honesty, integrity, etc.)what would it be, and why?"

What's your answer? (feel free to reply in the comments section of the Larger Families blog)

Happy Birthday to my big 5-year-old

Five years ago today I had a big shock when I delivered my son. This is because I was expecting a girl. Actually I wasn't just expecting a girl, I was TOLD I was having a girl. Not once, but twice...at TWO ultrasounds. And it wasn't like the tech said "Ummm, I *think* it's a girl." At the last ultrasound I asked, "Still a girl?" To which she gave a very conclusive, "Yes!" So what happened between the 24th week of pregnancy and 38th week when I delivered him? Did something spontaneously grow? Did he decide to let his true self come out of hiding? Who knows! What I do know is that it was one of the biggest shocks in my life, as well as one of the best surprises. Oh, and trust me...he is ALL boy! So Happy Birthday to my big 5-year-old! Thanks for helping me experience the world through the eyes of a little boy :-)

Good for her!

A lesson parents learn early on is the importance of following through with the threat of consequences. Don't tell your son "If you jump on that couch one more time then you won't go to the birthday party" and then still let him go even after he jumped again. This can be a little tricky, put it's important to make sure the potential punishment fits the crime and you're willing and able to follow through (i.e. don't threaten to leave your daughter at home because she's being pokey getting her coat on when you know there is no way you'd do that).

Well, kuddos to the "meanest mom on the planet!" She set two rules, her son broke one and now he's paying the consequences-big time. I'm sure her son is very upset, but my guess is that he's probably learned his lesson (and he's safer for it!).

What's worse...

...than watching your favorite college football team lose the national championship? Using your evening working hours to watch the game then staying up really late and getting up really early to make up for that time. ****sigh****  Oh well, 2nd in the nation for the second year in the row is still a great accomplishment. Hopefully next year they can be top dog!

According to my almost 5-year-old who is a HUGE Ohio State fan, this year didn't really count and the loss wasn't a big deal. When I informed him that OSU lost last night he said, "That's okay, mom, because I won't be playing for them for a few years yet until I'm older."  So it looks like they have a few years to get their act together so he can lead them to the championship :-)

My one word for 2008

I've come across a number of blogs where the authors are posting about their one word for 2008. I thought it'd be fun to do the same. Although I was trying to come up with something really unique and creative to describe my goals for 2008, the same word kept popping up in my head. That word is GROW!

Some of my 2008 plans to grow include:

-my writing career. This will only be my second full year of freelance writing, but I've been blessed with many opportunities. This year I plan to really focus and make the most of these opportunities.

-religiously/spiritually. My husband and I have been trying to find our way in a religious sense for a few years. Although it has been a difficult journey we are thrilled with the results. We have joined a church that really promotes spiritual growth and we look forward to all of the positive changes that come with that.

-my health. Inevitably I will grow older each day. My plan is to make that growth as healthy as possible. I don't have specific goals for dieting or fitness, but I do want to adapt an all-around healthier lifestyle for growing older.

-my family life. A few years back my husband and I realized that we needed a whole-life makeover. This has been a gradual process, but we've now reached the point where we can reflect on how far we've come. A driving force behind that makeover was the desire to have a greater family life. Thanks to changes in careers, schedules and priorities we will now be able to enjoy more family time together. I look forward to the ways we will grow closer as a family.

-our family size. Although I will address this in a separate post down the road, I am happy to annouce that we are looking into starting the adoption process this year. If not by the end of 2008, then sometime soon after we anticipate that our family will grow in size.

So, these are some of the reasons that I kept coming back to the word "grow" as my one word to describe my plans for 2008. What's your word?

Happy 2008!!

I love starting a new year! To me it's all about taking stock in where you're at and considering where you want to be. It's the opportunity to make a fresh start and do things better. Of course you can do this any time of year (and I actually start making my plans in the fall), but something about the first day of a new year seems to be a great time to put all of your plans into action.

Instead of listing my action plan here in it's entirety I'll be posting about them throughout the next few weeks. First up: a new schedule!

This has been in the works for quite some time. Now that my husband's work schedule has changed we will have a new family schedule as well. The thing that I'm most excited about is that we'll actually have a day of rest! For now on Sundays will be spent going to church, engaging in family activities, taking a nap/having quiet time (even I will be getting a little shut eye during the day), and enjoying some personal time!

In order to make this work I need to adjust my work schedule a bit. I don't plan on working more during the week, but instead working harder and making the most of my time. My goal is to get all of my work done Mon-Fri. Saturday will be spent getting caught up on errands, cleaning, cooking and if absolutely necessary I can work a little to meet an urgent deadline.

My new schedule starts today (and I'll probably be up many hours tonight to complete a few articles-but I'm really excited). Did I mention I'll actually get a day of rest?!?  I haven't had one of those in years!

Coming Soon....

I have a lot of new plans for this blog all set and ready to go for 2008. The new content includes:

-book reviews

-organization tips

-parenting advice

-suggestions for making time for yourself and others

-ideas for being charitable

-ways to live a faith-filled life

-Featured Resource Friday

Stay tuned....the new blogging format starts today :-)

WFMW-Backwards Day-Getting Kids to Pick Up the Pace

Today Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer added a little twist to Works-For-Me Wednesday. She's making it Backwards Day! Instead of posting a tidbit of advice we are blogging about an issue where WE need the advice.

So here's my questions: How do I get my 6 1/2-year-old and close to 5-year-old pick up the pace with their duties? We came up with a chart/list that details everything they are responsible for during the day (getting dressed, brushing their teeth, etc.) and a few chores (emptying the wastebaskets, unloading the dishwasher, etc). The list is working well and they are enthusiatic about checking the items off as the get them done. The problem is that they have a tendency to take FOREVER at times, especially the items that fall just before bed. The purpose of the list was to get them to be more responsible on their own and allow me to back off with the constant reminders ("now put your clothes in the basket", "take your dishes to the counter", etc.). But if they are being pokey I'm still on them to keep moving and get the job done. Any advice for getting my kids to pick up the pace??????

We're off to see the wizard....

Halloween fun!

And, no, my husband and I didn't dress up :-( I was willing to dress up like the witch, but he wouldn't dress up like a flying monkey!