Have you all heard about this? I know it's been pretty well-circulated on Facebook. Check it out here: Red Envelope Day
I like the whole idea of it. And I had the best intentions of participating... but hey... I'm busy. So I wasn't sure that I could pull it off, and then I worried about getting it there on time, etc. When I watched the video I was really excited to learn that I could pay them to send an envelope for me. The best part is that I could pay via my Paypal account which I happened to have a balance in from some stuff I sold on eBay. I really didn't feel like the mark-up was that much to have them send my envelope. It was $1.10. Figure... 42 cents is the stamp and then I saved because I didn't have to go to FedEx and buy a whole pack of red envelopes.
So check out the video!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
How great a father's love...
What a morning we had! I had the kids' oatmeal ready for them and we were sitting down to eat. Kaiya very sweetly gave Kaleb her Elmo chair to sit in. Quite happy, he plopped right down without even glancing her way. Before feeding him, I asked him to say "thank you" to her -- or rather... sign it. We know he can do this sign, he's just very moody about signing and only does it when he wants to. So he refused. And once you go down that road, you just have to finish it. So he wasn't able to have any oatmeal until he said thank you to his sister. And the temper tantrum began. About 15 minutes in, I was starting to wonder if Tony and I had too high of expectations on this one. Was it reasonable that he should tell Kaiya thank you? I told him one more time -- "Kaleb, say thank you." He violently shook his head no. Ummm... yep. He gets it. Just being stubborn.
About 30 minutes in, we realize that he seems obsessed with having me hold him while he has his fit. So, Tony took over and I removed myself hoping that he would give it up sooner without me around. As I was busy doing things around the house I thought about poor Tony who was doing nothing but sitting with Kaleb through this stubborn fit. Then I realized how thankful I am that Tony loves his son that much. I mean -- how easy would it have been on us just to give in to the tantrum, feed the kid his oatmeal and get on with our day. Instead, Tony sat by Kaleb, keeping him propped up on the couch (so Kaleb wouldn't fall asleep) and every now and then checking in to see if he was ready to say thank you. Tuesday is one of our mornings off. And trust me, the list of things Tony needed to do was quite long. But being a good dad comes first. He helped Kaleb learn an important lesson today and I was so glad for the reminder of what a great dad my kids have.
Here's Kaiya trying to coerce her brother to say thank you. She offered him her princess doll if he would say it. Needless to say, he wasn't interested...
And here we are -- after an hour and ten minutes he finally decided to say thank you. He's happily eating his now cold oatmeal.
And as if that weren't enough... shortly after this episode I took Kaiya to the grocery store. She laid it out right in the middle of the U-Scan line at Harris Teeter. I was allowing her to help me scan some items, but she was starting to get a little violent as she chucked them on top of the scanner, so I stopped her. And she wasn't too happy about it. So not only was my 3 year old yelling at me... but the U-Scan lady inside the machine was yelling at me too. "Please take the item out of the bag and scan it." "Please see the attendant for assistance." "Please scan your item." Meanwhile, Kaiya is in a heap on the floor. I finally told her that I would finish checking out and that we would have a conversation in a minute. I paid and we moved through and sat down at the magazine rack where she got a talking to. I asked her to apologize and told her that we were going to sit there until she did. She turned her little back to me and sat there with her arms crossed for a minute or so. Then, she turned around and said, "I'm sorry." We have been encouraging her lately to say what she is sorry for, so that we know she understands why she is apologizing. So I said, "You're sorry for what?" She wrinkles up her face and says, "I dunno!!" Well, I guess we'll sit here until you remember. We sat there for 10 minutes. Finally she "remembered."
Stubborn, I tell ya!
About 30 minutes in, we realize that he seems obsessed with having me hold him while he has his fit. So, Tony took over and I removed myself hoping that he would give it up sooner without me around. As I was busy doing things around the house I thought about poor Tony who was doing nothing but sitting with Kaleb through this stubborn fit. Then I realized how thankful I am that Tony loves his son that much. I mean -- how easy would it have been on us just to give in to the tantrum, feed the kid his oatmeal and get on with our day. Instead, Tony sat by Kaleb, keeping him propped up on the couch (so Kaleb wouldn't fall asleep) and every now and then checking in to see if he was ready to say thank you. Tuesday is one of our mornings off. And trust me, the list of things Tony needed to do was quite long. But being a good dad comes first. He helped Kaleb learn an important lesson today and I was so glad for the reminder of what a great dad my kids have.
Here's Kaiya trying to coerce her brother to say thank you. She offered him her princess doll if he would say it. Needless to say, he wasn't interested...
And here we are -- after an hour and ten minutes he finally decided to say thank you. He's happily eating his now cold oatmeal.
And as if that weren't enough... shortly after this episode I took Kaiya to the grocery store. She laid it out right in the middle of the U-Scan line at Harris Teeter. I was allowing her to help me scan some items, but she was starting to get a little violent as she chucked them on top of the scanner, so I stopped her. And she wasn't too happy about it. So not only was my 3 year old yelling at me... but the U-Scan lady inside the machine was yelling at me too. "Please take the item out of the bag and scan it." "Please see the attendant for assistance." "Please scan your item." Meanwhile, Kaiya is in a heap on the floor. I finally told her that I would finish checking out and that we would have a conversation in a minute. I paid and we moved through and sat down at the magazine rack where she got a talking to. I asked her to apologize and told her that we were going to sit there until she did. She turned her little back to me and sat there with her arms crossed for a minute or so. Then, she turned around and said, "I'm sorry." We have been encouraging her lately to say what she is sorry for, so that we know she understands why she is apologizing. So I said, "You're sorry for what?" She wrinkles up her face and says, "I dunno!!" Well, I guess we'll sit here until you remember. We sat there for 10 minutes. Finally she "remembered."
Stubborn, I tell ya!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
A Pillowcase Dress!
So I saw a friend had started making these a-dorable dresses for her baby boutique. And it gave me a little sewing bug to try and make one for Kaiya. So I picked up a pack of pillowcases at Wal-Mart, some elastic, and ribbon and tackled this today, my day off.
They are really so easy to do. If you want instructions, check out this video on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtuGUB-jsH8 It's a pretty good tutorial! After making my first one, there are some sizing adjustments that I will make for my second one. This one is a bit big for Kaiya. The great thing is that it can become a shirt when she outgrows the length of it.
So I'm thinking that this will fit Sammie perfectly. Connie, this one is headed your way! :)
They are really so easy to do. If you want instructions, check out this video on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtuGUB-jsH8 It's a pretty good tutorial! After making my first one, there are some sizing adjustments that I will make for my second one. This one is a bit big for Kaiya. The great thing is that it can become a shirt when she outgrows the length of it.
So I'm thinking that this will fit Sammie perfectly. Connie, this one is headed your way! :)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Would you rather...
Cook or Clean?
For me, this one is not hard to decide on at. all. I would rather cook than clean any day. The only catch is that in order for me to enjoy cooking, my kitchen has to be in order before I can start cooking. But in terms of what makes me happiest, it's cooking for sure. I love cooking and baking all sorts of things... I've dropped incredibly subtle hints to Tony about enrolling me in a culinary class at Johnson & Wales (a well known culinary school) here in Charlotte the next time he needs a gift idea. Anybody in Charlotte reading this who wants to join me, just let me know. :) I'm game.
Cleaning on the other hand... maybe my lack of perfectionism makes me a better cook than cleaner. A few crumbs on the floor? A little dust on the tv? Don't worry about it!! I'd much rather inhale wonderful aromas than cleaning solution vapors. :) But Mom and B - you would be proud -- I've made my bed EVERY day for the past week. I'm working on forming a new habit.
What about you?
For me, this one is not hard to decide on at. all. I would rather cook than clean any day. The only catch is that in order for me to enjoy cooking, my kitchen has to be in order before I can start cooking. But in terms of what makes me happiest, it's cooking for sure. I love cooking and baking all sorts of things... I've dropped incredibly subtle hints to Tony about enrolling me in a culinary class at Johnson & Wales (a well known culinary school) here in Charlotte the next time he needs a gift idea. Anybody in Charlotte reading this who wants to join me, just let me know. :) I'm game.
Cleaning on the other hand... maybe my lack of perfectionism makes me a better cook than cleaner. A few crumbs on the floor? A little dust on the tv? Don't worry about it!! I'd much rather inhale wonderful aromas than cleaning solution vapors. :) But Mom and B - you would be proud -- I've made my bed EVERY day for the past week. I'm working on forming a new habit.
What about you?
Friday, March 13, 2009
Somebody's Three!
Pictures of Pure Joy
Birthday Dinner - per Kaiya's request:
Egg Scramble & Pancakes
And some little fairies came and made her pancakes little hearts!
I love this - total shy look when we were singing to her.
Flowers from Nannie
Lovin' the fruit!
One happy little girl! Thanks for all the presents!!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Calling all book worms!
Time for everybody out there to get talking again! :) I'm ready to get my nose back into a good book. I've requested the books in the Twilight series from the library, but literally... I'm number 87 in line to get the first book. I need some suggestions!
Monday, March 09, 2009
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Lion King Parenting
So... Kaiya had a timeout today for being disobedient. After every timeout, we talk about why she was placed in timeout, what she could have done differently, etc. Today after she recounted a play-by-play of what got her in the timeout, I said: "Yes, Kaiya. The bottom line is that you were disobedient."
She quickly begins nodding her head and says: "Here's da deal mama. On Lion King, Simba no not obey his fawdder. He no not obey and go to the hyenas. But Mufasa say no Simba and Simba no not obey Mufasa. And Simba get in trouble for dat."
At least she is making the connection. Clearly... she understands the concept of disobedience.
She quickly begins nodding her head and says: "Here's da deal mama. On Lion King, Simba no not obey his fawdder. He no not obey and go to the hyenas. But Mufasa say no Simba and Simba no not obey Mufasa. And Simba get in trouble for dat."
At least she is making the connection. Clearly... she understands the concept of disobedience.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Out of the mouth of babes
An American Girl catalog came in the mail today and I gave it to Kaiya to look at. I have no idea how we made it on the mailing list and she has no idea what American Girl dolls are. However... the catalog is fun to look at. So she is browsing through it and comes to the page with this doll on it:
and says in a sing-songy voice: Oooooo.... Sexy Lady. I did a double take! Did she just say, Sexy Lady? She repeats the phrase several times. Yep. When she prances around in her pretend high heels or dances in her dress, that is what Tony and I say to her. Oops. We'll be changing that to something like: Hot Stuff. Sexy Lady has been eliminated from our vocabulary until Kaiya is old enough that I don't have to explain to her what "sexy" is.
The next question is -- why of all the dolls does she declare this one as sexy lady?
and says in a sing-songy voice: Oooooo.... Sexy Lady. I did a double take! Did she just say, Sexy Lady? She repeats the phrase several times. Yep. When she prances around in her pretend high heels or dances in her dress, that is what Tony and I say to her. Oops. We'll be changing that to something like: Hot Stuff. Sexy Lady has been eliminated from our vocabulary until Kaiya is old enough that I don't have to explain to her what "sexy" is.The next question is -- why of all the dolls does she declare this one as sexy lady?
Monday, March 02, 2009
2nd Trip up the Mountain
Pinnacle Peak take two. We did it again and it was just as hard the second time. We had the kids in packs on our backs and it was a more even sort of weight distribution, but geesh... still a climb. Here is the hike in pictures. 
Poor Kaiya had to christen the top of the mountain. Her first outdoor potty experience. Her description: "I go potty on the mountain! Dat was silly!"
Weekend Recap
It was a great weekend. On Thursday, my friend Connie came for a visit. For Valentine's Day this year, she got a ticket to come out and see me. I'm hereby nominating her husband Tyson for the Husband of the Year award. He watched all 5 kids this weekend, gave her spending money for the trip for some splurges and let her come see us!
I'll be posting some pictures... but the quick recap is that we climbed Pinnacle Peak again on a beautiful 65 degree day. Later that same day, I was introduced to Zumba class. I survived - and it was fun! We worked in the office on Friday, made some hairbows, watched Newsies (how's that for a throwback to our childhood?). Got pedicures at a day spa, went to IKEA (her first time), experienced Elevation Church. It was lots of fun.
She got out just in time. We got our third snow of the year! Very unusual for this area to get even one snow during winter. So this is a treat.
Now it's Monday - back to reality. We decided to do Lent this year. This is my first time and just a few days into it, I know it is going to be a great thing. For where I'm at spiritually, I knew I needed to both "put off" something, and "put on" something. I am putting off my laziness in the mornings. Normally I wait for my kids to wake me up and then we frantically get ready to go out the door. For the next 30-some days (and hopefully this habit will stick much longer) I am giving up my laziness. The alarm clock is getting set early, giving me enough time to work out and read by Bible before the kids get up. And that leads to what I am putting on. Daily Bible reading. I've been really sloppy about reading God's Word and it is long overdue for me to get back into it on a daily basis.
The best part is that Tony is joining me in this - and we're doing it together. Great for accountability and it's much easier to get up when he's getting up too. I was blessed by reading about some friends in India who are doing Lent, and the sweet boys who are finding things to give up when they have very little to begin with. Here are the links so you can see their stories - I know you will be blessed by them as well:
Amanda Lehman
The Reichanadters
I'll be posting some pictures... but the quick recap is that we climbed Pinnacle Peak again on a beautiful 65 degree day. Later that same day, I was introduced to Zumba class. I survived - and it was fun! We worked in the office on Friday, made some hairbows, watched Newsies (how's that for a throwback to our childhood?). Got pedicures at a day spa, went to IKEA (her first time), experienced Elevation Church. It was lots of fun.
She got out just in time. We got our third snow of the year! Very unusual for this area to get even one snow during winter. So this is a treat.
Now it's Monday - back to reality. We decided to do Lent this year. This is my first time and just a few days into it, I know it is going to be a great thing. For where I'm at spiritually, I knew I needed to both "put off" something, and "put on" something. I am putting off my laziness in the mornings. Normally I wait for my kids to wake me up and then we frantically get ready to go out the door. For the next 30-some days (and hopefully this habit will stick much longer) I am giving up my laziness. The alarm clock is getting set early, giving me enough time to work out and read by Bible before the kids get up. And that leads to what I am putting on. Daily Bible reading. I've been really sloppy about reading God's Word and it is long overdue for me to get back into it on a daily basis.
The best part is that Tony is joining me in this - and we're doing it together. Great for accountability and it's much easier to get up when he's getting up too. I was blessed by reading about some friends in India who are doing Lent, and the sweet boys who are finding things to give up when they have very little to begin with. Here are the links so you can see their stories - I know you will be blessed by them as well:
Amanda Lehman
The Reichanadters
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