I generally have a lot of patience. Today and yesterday it has worn down to nothing. First I'm in a lot of pain with my mouth, that doesn't help. Secondly, the kids have forgotten in the last week how to pick up their things. I think they think that because they are on summer break they don't have to pick up. Well they are wrong. Tyler is rocketing into his preteen years with attitude. It's now extremely important to listen and take into consideration his feelings. It however is also important he understands our point of view. This sounds simple, it's not. As a preteen their emotions are all that there is. So we are entering a new stage with him. Julie now changes her clothes two or three times when she gets dressed and struggles to settle on something she likes. She gets frustrated and cries. So both of the older two are entering different phases of their development and they are beginning to clash in the worst way. The fights between them are no longer about Julie not wanting to play xbox or Tyler not wanting to go outside. It's you be quiet, make me, I will.... really? you've got to be kidding me. So now instead of simple problem solving compromising resolutions, we've resorted to encouraging them to spend time apart until they cool off. This is difficult for them as they get bored easily and always seem to want someone to play with.
I'm scared to think that this might be what our whole summer is like. Let alone the next 4 or 5 years as they adjust into adolescents I guess it is time for me to change my parenting skills a little to accommodate their changes. It is happening a lot sooner then I anticipated, they are rapidly growing from young kids, to young adults. It feels too soon. I guess you just have to do what feels right and hope that it's what is right. Hang on here we go, feels like we've started a new roller coaster ride.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Summer is here.
Summer time is officially here. The kids had their last half day of school on Thursday and it feels like it's been chaos every since. Tyler has been over to his friends and had his friend over here for the last couple of days. Julie, Kaylee and I went for a walk, and Julie and I made a pudding dessert. Say anything you'd like about our home, but it has been everything but quiet.
Kaylee is getting more teeth, so she's been messing with her schedule a little bit again. She's getting one right after another right now. Her second bottom tooth broke threw a few days ago, and you can see where the top two are going to be next.
Monday Tyler starts soccer camp 9am-12pm for the week. Julie will begin taking Tae Kwon Do classes as of Monday as well. She wanted to do that instead of summer camp this year. She is still undecided about wanting to take ballet next year, but she danced around the kitchen making her lunch today. So if I'd have to guess she will probably do it next year, as much as she says she doesn't know. I guess it will all depend on if she likes Tae Kwon Do or not. Time will tell I guess.
Tyler will be attending 3 weeks of summer camp spread out over the whole summer starting July 11th. He is going to have a good summer I think, especially since he has a good friend that lives so close. I bet we won't be seeing much of him or if we do we'll have a house full.
So here we go, on the summer roller coaster. Kids in and out tracking in dirt and grass, and me trying to clean it up before the crawling baby eats it.
Kaylee is getting more teeth, so she's been messing with her schedule a little bit again. She's getting one right after another right now. Her second bottom tooth broke threw a few days ago, and you can see where the top two are going to be next.
Monday Tyler starts soccer camp 9am-12pm for the week. Julie will begin taking Tae Kwon Do classes as of Monday as well. She wanted to do that instead of summer camp this year. She is still undecided about wanting to take ballet next year, but she danced around the kitchen making her lunch today. So if I'd have to guess she will probably do it next year, as much as she says she doesn't know. I guess it will all depend on if she likes Tae Kwon Do or not. Time will tell I guess.
Tyler will be attending 3 weeks of summer camp spread out over the whole summer starting July 11th. He is going to have a good summer I think, especially since he has a good friend that lives so close. I bet we won't be seeing much of him or if we do we'll have a house full.
So here we go, on the summer roller coaster. Kids in and out tracking in dirt and grass, and me trying to clean it up before the crawling baby eats it.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Time Flies
One day they are babies that rely on you for everything. The things that could make them smile were simple, and a clean diaper and full belly made them happy. As they grow they become complicated to amuse, and difficult to understand, then they become adults. I remember when each of my kids were born, very vividly. The details of some of the things they used to do have faded some. As time passes and they have grown, their individuality and differences only enhance their beauty.
As kids we don't see this, we don't appreciate the difference between ourselves and others. We rely on our peers and parents to build our self image and self esteem to some extent. A child needs something they are good at, can be proud of, and something that makes them feel special. That thing for Julie right now is ballet. She had her performances this weekend and did awesome. She was proud of herself, and we were proud of her too. I think Tyler might have even been proud of her, but he won't admit it. In her hands now rests the choice of continuing with it next year or not. Tyler's thing has been soccer for going on 3 years now, he loves it. Is getting good at it, and is proud of himself for his accomplishments. I think every child needs something they take pride in. A bonus to the things that they love? It keeps them active.
This summer Julie wants to try something different, we told her she absolutely could. Maybe she'll do both next year since she doesn't play a sport, but we'll have to see how it goes. Tyler has mentioned wanting to get into Hockey, which I think is cool. We've looked but have had little success in finding out when or if they offer Hockey around here.
Soon they will be more interested in their friends and activities then family. Right now, they love the attention that being in other activities gets them. Soon it will just be about their friends and the art or competition. As of now, as a parent I feel like I am helping them be well rounded. Dedication to an art or sport adds to their focus on their studies.
The baby has yet to find something she enjoys more then putting things in her mouth. This too will pass from crawling and babbling, to walking and talking. The years from infancy to adulthood pass by so quickly. Enjoy every moment of them, because time flies.
As kids we don't see this, we don't appreciate the difference between ourselves and others. We rely on our peers and parents to build our self image and self esteem to some extent. A child needs something they are good at, can be proud of, and something that makes them feel special. That thing for Julie right now is ballet. She had her performances this weekend and did awesome. She was proud of herself, and we were proud of her too. I think Tyler might have even been proud of her, but he won't admit it. In her hands now rests the choice of continuing with it next year or not. Tyler's thing has been soccer for going on 3 years now, he loves it. Is getting good at it, and is proud of himself for his accomplishments. I think every child needs something they take pride in. A bonus to the things that they love? It keeps them active.
This summer Julie wants to try something different, we told her she absolutely could. Maybe she'll do both next year since she doesn't play a sport, but we'll have to see how it goes. Tyler has mentioned wanting to get into Hockey, which I think is cool. We've looked but have had little success in finding out when or if they offer Hockey around here.
Soon they will be more interested in their friends and activities then family. Right now, they love the attention that being in other activities gets them. Soon it will just be about their friends and the art or competition. As of now, as a parent I feel like I am helping them be well rounded. Dedication to an art or sport adds to their focus on their studies.
The baby has yet to find something she enjoys more then putting things in her mouth. This too will pass from crawling and babbling, to walking and talking. The years from infancy to adulthood pass by so quickly. Enjoy every moment of them, because time flies.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Worn Out
This week has been a long rough one. Today feels to me like it should be Friday. Sadly though it is not :(. Jon has been driving Julie to Johnson for her rehearsals. I've been staying her and taking care of Kaylee. Since she has started to move forward on her belly, it means a bath every night. Some how she managed to be ready for bed at 5:30pm last night. This means I was up at 5:30am this morning. Hoping to be able to keep her up till 6pm tonight, that way I can at least sleep till the kids need to be up. Overall she's in good spirits as we wait for her to get tired and crash for her second nap. Her first nap was only a half hour so I'm hoping the next one will be close to two hours. I'm not going to hold my breath though.
When Kaylee goes to bed tonight the older kids and I are going to play xbox monopoly. I'm thankful for the summer no classes means less stress. I've been able to clean, do laundry and play with baby without having to worry about homework. I'm registered for the Fall semester and classes for me start September 12th. They will go till sometime in November and then I'll have a break from November to January and begin Spring semester in January. I will most likely be taking one class next summer though as it's becoming obvious to me that I need to get my Math out of the way to make any significant progress with my degree.
I'm looking forward to this weekend. Hoping to sleep in at least one of the days since it feels like I've been hit by a bus. I also can't wait to go see Julie's performance that she's worked so hard for. Things have been so busy, I'm just ready for things to calm down again, maybe then I can get some sleep.
When Kaylee goes to bed tonight the older kids and I are going to play xbox monopoly. I'm thankful for the summer no classes means less stress. I've been able to clean, do laundry and play with baby without having to worry about homework. I'm registered for the Fall semester and classes for me start September 12th. They will go till sometime in November and then I'll have a break from November to January and begin Spring semester in January. I will most likely be taking one class next summer though as it's becoming obvious to me that I need to get my Math out of the way to make any significant progress with my degree.
I'm looking forward to this weekend. Hoping to sleep in at least one of the days since it feels like I've been hit by a bus. I also can't wait to go see Julie's performance that she's worked so hard for. Things have been so busy, I'm just ready for things to calm down again, maybe then I can get some sleep.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
What's Changed
Well it's been a bit since I've blogged. Lack of time has been a contributing factor. With Kaylee getting older, she's requires a bit more looking after. Let's see what's gone on since I last wrote? Well we got a newer larger vehicle. Not because we wanted to, but because we needed to, the kids were cramped in the Audi. We enjoyed testing it out with a trip to my Mom's, it worked out lots better there was a lot less fighting coming from the back seat.
We put the pool up today, now all we need to do is get a new filter and get the chemicals in it. With it supposed to hit 92 tomorrow, the pool should start to warm up nicely.
We are still trying to make sure we get all that we need for camping in July. We have the kids air beds, and we have one we can sleep on, though it has a slow leak it's a double decker so we shouldn't have any giant problems. Only a few more things left to buy and we'll be all set. I'm so excited. I love spending time with my family, to be able to do it for a whole week will be a real treat.
We've started planning Kaylee and Tyler's party. Figured we'd do them both in one weekend so everyone could come together for it. We checked with Tyler first of course, and he said that it would be fun.
Things are busy around our house this week. Julie has several rehearsals in Johnson in preparation for the performances this coming weekend. She's both nervous and excited. I'm so proud of her for sticking with it, even when it got hard. I'm hoping to see her continue with it next year, but ultimately the choice is hers. We are striving to not be too sleep deprived by the end of June when all their activities come to an end for the year. Track for them ended last week. Tyler received notice for the most sit ups in a minute.
As their birthdays creep closer I reflect on this year. I am amazed at how much they have grown. How mature they are becoming, and at the changes in their personalities. I am very proud of my kids, they are awesome.
We put the pool up today, now all we need to do is get a new filter and get the chemicals in it. With it supposed to hit 92 tomorrow, the pool should start to warm up nicely.
We are still trying to make sure we get all that we need for camping in July. We have the kids air beds, and we have one we can sleep on, though it has a slow leak it's a double decker so we shouldn't have any giant problems. Only a few more things left to buy and we'll be all set. I'm so excited. I love spending time with my family, to be able to do it for a whole week will be a real treat.
We've started planning Kaylee and Tyler's party. Figured we'd do them both in one weekend so everyone could come together for it. We checked with Tyler first of course, and he said that it would be fun.
Things are busy around our house this week. Julie has several rehearsals in Johnson in preparation for the performances this coming weekend. She's both nervous and excited. I'm so proud of her for sticking with it, even when it got hard. I'm hoping to see her continue with it next year, but ultimately the choice is hers. We are striving to not be too sleep deprived by the end of June when all their activities come to an end for the year. Track for them ended last week. Tyler received notice for the most sit ups in a minute.
As their birthdays creep closer I reflect on this year. I am amazed at how much they have grown. How mature they are becoming, and at the changes in their personalities. I am very proud of my kids, they are awesome.
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