Tired, Fed Up or Just Plain Cranky.

The Fourth of July is always a fun time for my family.  Super Handsome's birthday falls just after the holiday and my mother and father in law usually come for a visit.  Their visit is always always highly anticipated by my children!  They love to spend time with their grandparents!  This trip was no different.

During this trip I learned some great things and not all of them were easy.  As parents we are protective of our children and we are also very hard on our own children.  I realized that the same reason I have been so hard on my father in law about is something that I do to my own children.  It is not fair for me to be so hard on him for something that I do to my own kids.  So, it is probably time for me to let go a little more and let my children go and spend some quality individual time with their grandparents.  It is also time for me work harder to stop being so hard on my kids and give them the respect that they deserve even when I am tired, fed up or just plain cranky.

I am looking forward to reading the book How to Take the Grrrrr out of Anger with my children.  I am confident that there are lessons for us all in it.

Craziness

We all have craziness in our lives and what I have learned is that we as parents really need to take the time to manage it not only for ourselves but also for our kids.

It has taken time, lots of time for me to realize that I needed to be the one to remove the drama.  I did and I am finding that while things get crazy sometimes, it is now much easier to bring things to "normal".  And as a parent I have the responsibility to keep my children's life drama free as well.  I want them to understand that drama is not the norm.

Christmas Break, day 2

Today promises to be an easier day for the kids.   I am just planning on having them spend some time in their rooms.  Since their rooms are not in bad shape this will just entitle some time spent vacuuming, dusting with a little straightening.  I plan on spending some time in our room as well.

Our room is usually a disaster, so in my case the task will not get completely done.  Also in my case I need Super Handsome to be here to help deal with some of his things as well.  Unfortunately, I have things in there like pictures from my Grandparents, whose house that I have been cleaning out, that I am just not sure what to do with.  Probably time to break out a bin of some sort as they are currently in boxes on top of a dresser!

Last night Super Handsome and I went out to do some Christmas shopping.  I still do not think that we are done.  We end up shopping not only for us but for my mother as well.  It just gets harder and harder every year to buy our kids things that they want but do not need.  I would not have such a huge problem with it except for the fact that they do not take care of the things that they are given.  We have been changing how what and how are we are giving our kids gifts.... but this part of the holiday is just not satisfying for me. 

Have you ever read the history of Christmas?  I highly recommend it if you have not.... look it up sometime!

Christmas Break, the basement

I LOVE spending Christmas break with my kids.  It is one of my most favorite times to spend with them.  It probably is not one of their favorites, as I try to get them to spend some of the time cleaning.  This break is no exception, but one that I hope to get a lot of things done.

With 4 boys, we have A LOT of stuff.  So much that my kids have lost the appreciation for the things that they have.  We have spent the last year trying to get rid of things.  We donated over $500 worth of toys already this year and we have more to go.  Today we tackled the basement. 

We have lived in our house for 6 years now and during that 6 years the basement has undergone various stages.  My husband, Super Handsome and I tried to make it an adult area with a pool table and big TV.  That failed because the kids continually trashed it and the space that they were given to use.  So, we have given lots and lots and lots of things away... or at least tried to, some of it is still in the garage and needs to go yet this year.

The basement is again better condition, later this week when Super Handsome is home, we will spend some more time moving furniture around to try and make a possible work out room for our two pieces of exercise equipment. Most of the toys that the boys used to trash the basement are now history.  It is just the games and puzzles that now worry me. 

Now, to take the stuff that is in the garage and basement and take it to the Salvation Army of Goodwill to complete our tasks!

My Crazy Life

I am the only woman in my house....

I have four boys: ages 14, 12, 7, and 5.  I would like to say that things are normal, but they are not, things are crazy!