And away we go!

Dave and I are finally getting a chance to go away for the weekend (thank you Mom & Dad!) and oh my goodness how we need it. There's a great state park about an hour south of here with beautiful rock formations and caves. Dave used to do a lot of caving in his "pre Thea" days so I think that he's looking forward to going to this particular area. We are definitely looking forward to a weekend of sleeping in, hiking, reading, nature, and at least 6 (yes SIX) whole meals of not cutting anyone else's food. The camera is packed so hopefully I'll have some great shots that I can share with you all when I get home (this one's from the web).

While I'm gone, here are some other posts for you to peruse...

My friend Christine has a great post about attitudes towards a challenging stubborn spirited child.

Got the organizing bug? Laura will be hosting a spring organizing challenge starting on Monday.

Shannon writes a BEAUTIFUL inspiring post about coming out of the darkness.

Need an extra dose of patience to deal with co-workers? Zany Mama does, too.

And if all you need is a good laugh, please go visit Beth. She hates Sanjaya, and you should, too.

Have a great weekend, everyone!!

Wordless Wednesday (Fancy Schmancy Edition)

Check out other WW!

The next Ansel Adams

Jake has always loved the digital camera, both having his picture taken and then looking at the picture that was just taken of him. It makes it nearly impossible to take candid shots of him because he's always hamming it up as soon as he sees the camera around. And then it takes 4 hours just to take 5 pictures because as soon as you take one, he has to come around to see it on the screen. If you take another one, then he has to see the first one and the second one and so forth.


So we decided to give him a digital camera. It's our old camera that we haven't used for about a year so we figured if he broke it, it wouldn't matter much. Within 5 minutes, he dropped it right on the zoom button, but thankfully the camera itself still worked. He learned pretty quickly that if he wants to take pictures, he better have the strap around his neck.



Anyway, he loves the thing. He takes pictures of EVERYTHING and can usually fill up the memory card in about 5 minutes. Some of the shots have been funny, and some have even been pretty good, but most have been, um, interesting. I never realized exactly how my nose looked from the perspective of a 4 year old, but it ain't pretty. There have been lots of pictures of kneecaps, walls, floors (evidently, my floors aren't as clean as I thought), and the TV. Yes, he takes pictures of the TV while he watches it. Fun stuff. We had to draw the line at taking it into the bathtub with him, although (evidently) it has made it's way to the toilet with him...


So far, we have deleted all the pictures he has taken, mostly because it's faster than coming all the way downstairs and downloading them, and man he does not want to wait for that camera. But I think I'll start trying to save some of them so that he can have his own little album of his pictures.

Who knows, it just might be the start of a stunning portfolio.

Mother's helpers

So, I've got 2 new mother's helpers. They started coming around and helping out a couple of months ago and I now find them nearly indispensable when it comes to trying to get Jake to do something he doesn't want to do. For some reason, he always listens to them instead of me, and it's gotten to the point now where he'll actually ASK for them instead of me. In the last couple of days, even Emma has started listening to them (which is a feat since her latest hobby is to yell "NO" and then run screaming from the room whenever you ask her to do something).

I'm really lucky because they work for free and never talk back to me. They don't ask for days off and are always willing to help. Heck, I even enjoy having them around. At first, I was jealous of them, but now I don't see how I ever lived without them.

Jake has named the girl "Right Hand Puppet" and the boy "Left Hand Puppet" and while they don't have eyeballs like Oobi, he loves them like he would any person. When they clap themselves together after he's done a good job, he kisses them on the palms because he thinks the clapping hurts them. He gets frustrated when they don't talk to him while I'm getting Emma dressed and he has recently started talking back to them with his own hand puppets.

Hopefully, he'll always be charmed by the simple things. Life would be so much cheaper that way!

Real Moms Rock

O.K. So Zany Mama tagged me several days ago for this meme and I just plain forgot. I have read several others posts to get the gist of it, but mine won't be very poetic. Soooo, here we go...

Real Moms...
...forget things.
...always check the temperature of their kids food (even if it takes several bites to be sure).
...break promises sometimes.
...get angry and yell sometimes.
...run around the house as fast as they can to get away from monsters.
...sleep in.
...sing real loud and then urge their kids to use their "inside voice".
...take midday naps.
...maked boxed dinners.

I don't know many people that blog and I just tagged them all a couple of days ago, so if you read this and want to post your own Real Moms list, leave me a comment so I can come check you out. Well, not "check you out", but you know what I mean. Right?

Smart Habit Saturdays (or so)

I am amazed and impressed at those of you who can create new habits ever week. I come up with these great habits in my head (future posts, no doubt), but then I think "Well, shoot. You don't even have the 2nd habit down yet. Why try to move forward?"

But I will anyway! I've been doing great with spending 1 on 1 time with the kids (and loving every second of it) and my new habit kind of goes hand in hand with cutting down on my personal computer time. I did pretty well on the computer last week (I went over my time on 2 or 3 days) so this week with all my new found time, I am going to work in some personal reading time to my day. That way, I'm killing two blogging birds with one stone because I can cross books off my reading list for The Spring Reading Thing at the same time. Go me!

Check out The Lazy Organizer for other bloggers SHS

The hills are alive

So, I've had this iPod shuffle sitting on my desk for forever and a day. I don't remember where we got it, but Dave got 2 free at the same time. Within 48 hours his was formatted and loaded with music. Mine, however sat. And sat. And sat. So finally (after realizing that I was actually DUSTING it), I got it all set up and downloaded the few albums I already had digitized on my computer. And the stangest thing happened.

Have you ever had a friend that you lost touch with? Things happened, life went on, and one day you realized that it had been FOREVER since you even thought about the person. So you decide to get in touch with them and you make plans to meet. When you do, it's the excitement of getting to know them again but at the same time you are already completely comfortable because you have history? Well, that's what it was like listening to this music.

Lately, all I've been listening to is the current stuff on the radio or the kids' music. It's been awhile since I've gotten into my personal CD stash, but I'm so glad I did. It reminded me that once I was a person that existed outside of motherhood. That it's O.K. to sing at the top of my lungs to something other than The Little People. That Marvin Gaye, KC and the Sunshine Band, and Phil Collins can make or break a mood. I mean, the iPod is just a glorified Mixed Tape, right? And that there are some songs that just make me HAPPY. And I mean the kind of Happy that makes you giggle. And the kind of Happy that makes you cry. And the kind of Happy that makes you scream like a little girl when you remember you say him LIVE!

And the kind of Happy that gives you that feeling in the pit of your stomach that you've been missing out on something, but that's O.K. because all you need is right here.

Reading list

When I was growing up, I read A LOT! I could easily go through a book a day and I loved it. I don't know what happened, but I hardly read it all anymore, unless it's a magazine. I just haven't made reading books a priority anymore. So hopefully the Spring Reading Thing hosted by Katrina at Callapidder Days will help motivate me to read more. And since I'm only supposed to have 1 hour of personal computer time a day, I should have all this left over time, right? We'll see, but I'll keep the list short just in case...

Bitten - Kelley Armstrong (not my usual read, but I started it and I hate not finishing books)

The Five Love Languages of Children - Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell

At First Sight - Nicholas Sparks

Winesburg, Ohio - Sherwood Anderson

Cat's Eye - Margaret Atwood

Lake Wobegon Days - Garrison Keillor

I Will Bear Witness - Victor Klemperer

Name that tune

So, I love to sing. I'm not all that great, but I can hold my own I think. I'm always singing to Jake and Emma to get them to do something or just singing whatever song pops into my head at any given moment. Sometimes I don't even know I've been singing until I have a conversation like the one I had today.

Let me set the scene. I was looking over the grocery ad while Jake was coloring and using the hole punch on some paper. We're both very relaxed and lazy...

Jake: Mommy, where is it?
Me: Where's what, babe?
Jake: Where IS it?
Me: Jake, I don't know what you mean. You have to use your words, please.
Jake: Mommy, where is Funky Town?
Me: (simultaneous laughing and coughing fit)
Jake: Mommy, please don't choke.
Me: I'm trying not to, babe.
Jake: Mommy, will you take me to Funky Town? Where is it?
Me: (continuing laughing and coughing fit)
Jake: (getting upset) Mommy, please don't laugh at me...
Me: Oh Jake, I'm sorry. You just said something very funny. Funky Town is not a place, it's a song.
Jake: Oh. Will you sing it?

And so that has been the song of the evening. Daddy even got into the action when he got home. Nothing like two parents trying to brush two kids' teeth with everyone singing Funky Town. Gotta love it!

Ugh

I just feel icky today. Dave has been fighting something for a little over a week now, and it seems it has found it's 2nd victim. One good thing is that I haven't been on the computer that much because my normal computer time was taken up by sleeping. I can't tell you the last time I took a nap in the afternoon, but I sure took one today. I asked Jake to read quietly in his room because Mommy didn't feel good. He kissed my head and said "Good night, mommy". I guess if your 4 year old is telling you that you need a nap, you better listen. I've got a meeting at church tonight, too, so I'm just raring to go...

Here's to short meetings, compassionate (and compliant) kids, and a good night's rest. Cheers.

Smart Habit Saturdays

Very late. Very tired. Therefore, very short post. I've been doing really well with spending time with the kids, so I think I can move on to something else. I created a daily routine for myself several weeks ago, but I still haven't been very good at actually following through with it. One of the reasons is because I'm on the computer alot. So, this week I am going limit my personal comupter time to 1 hour per day. I'm going to need all the encouragement I can get on this on!!

My first meme, woohoo!! (Be prepared, it's long)

Beth over at I Should Be Folding Laundry tagged me for this (my first ever) meme. Thanks, man!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:06am, 8:00am, 8:15am

2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Music and Lyrics

4. What is your favorite TV show? There are so many, really. Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, Brothers & Sisters, Amazing Race, Survivor.

5. What did you have for breakfast? A combo bowl of Cheerios and Grapenuts. And half an apple.

6. What is your middle name? Ann

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Mexican or Italian. Or breakfast food...is that considered a cuisine?

8. What foods do you dislike? All seafood, most fish, mushrooms, anything that smells funky.

9. What are your favorite chips? Baked doritos or Sunchips

10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? I just downloaded a bunch of music to the iPod so I'm all over the place on music. Norah Jones, Marvin Gaye, Weezer are some of the highlights.

11. What kind of car do you drive? Hyundai Santa Fe

12. Favorite sandwich? Peanut Butter, Butter, and Jelly

13. What are characteristics you can't stand? Egotistical and rude

14. What are your favorite clothes? Jeans long sleeve tees & tennis shoes.

15. If you could go anywhere on vacation where would you go? Anywhere with my husband.

16. There was no sixteen in this little questionnaire so I'll just give you a randow fact about myself: I used to collect Pez dispensers. It was very hard to throw most of them away.

17. Where would you want to retire? Someplace that is within driving distance to different climates and terrains (like North Carolina or something)

18. Favorite time of day? 7:42pm

19. Where were you born? Columbus, Ohio. Exciting, I know.

20. What is your favorite sport to watch? Tennis or live basketball

21. Coke or Pepsi? Diet Coke, I guess, but I prefer Diet Rite. Can't go wrong with fruity!

22. Beavers or ducks? Ducks. I played one in a play once. As an adult. It was fun. I'm actually wearing the shirt from that show right now. It has little ducks all the way up the sleeve.

23. Are you a morning person or a night owl? I prefer the night time because that's when I get to veg. But being a mom necessitates morning time functioning so I'm adapting. Slowly.

24. Pedicure or manicure? Don't know. I've never had one.

25. What did you want to be when you were little? A teacher or a secretary.

26. What is your best childhood memory? Definitely being at the pool every waking hour.

27. Ever been to Africa? Nope, but I know people who have.

28. Ever been toilet papering? Oh yeah.

29. Been in a car accident? A few. Some were even my fault.

30. Favorite day of the week? Wednesday. I bowl in a league on Wednesday mornings.

31. Favorite restaurant? Without question, Bob Evans.

32. Favorite flower? I used to like daisies, but lately I've been pretty partial to tulips.

33. Favorite ice-cream? Mint chocolate chip. Or Butter Pecan

34. Favorite fast food restaurant? Wendy's.

35. How many times did you fail your driver's test? once

36. From whom did you get your last e-mail? someone from church

37. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Several, none of which I actively shop at. Pier 1 Imports might be number 1, though.

38. Last person you went to dinner with? My friends Ellen and Jessica.

39. What are you listening to right now? nothing, but the TV is on upstairs

40. What is your favorite color? I'm pretty partial to blues and greens.

41. How many tattoos do you have? none.

42. How many are you sending this Email to? Just blogging, not sending via e-mail.

43. What time did you finish this e-mail blog entry? 12:13pm.

44. Favorite magazine: Parents, Parenting, any scrabooking mag

45. Coffee or tea? Coffee

46. Do you tan easily or burn easily? I don't tan. At all. I have pictures.

47. Do you color your hair? If so, how often? nope

48. What was the first car you ever purchased without the help of your parents? Wow, I don't remember. Obviously it meant a lot.

49. What is your most dreaded household chore? Household chores. Hence the blogging!

O.K. I'm going to go ahead and tag Christine, Sue, Zany Mama, and Dave. Tag, you're it!

Happy Day in Blogland

So I was checking all my blogs today and there seems to be a recurring theme: cute/good/happy kid day. And here I was trying to be all cynical about my day and all this happiness enters in. I admit that is indeed contagious, so I will contribute with my cute/good/happy kid story...

Hold on, I'm thinking...

O.K. Got it. Jacob is really starting to be nice to Emma (is it coincidence that Emma recently learned to push BACK?) He helps her put her cup in the refrigerator and little things like that. But the other day when we were taking a walk, we stopped to watch the garbage truck come down the street. As the truck got closer, Emma really started freaking out. But Jake just started stroking her hair and said "It's O.K. Emma, don't be scary. It's just a garbage truck. See? Wave bye to the garbage truck".

It's little moments like these that make me think there's hope for them yet.

And here are other peoples posts about their cute/good/happy kids:

Christine over at Fruit in Season tells us what she's thankful for.
Shannon over at Rocks in My Dryer shares great things her daughter is saying.
DeeDee over at It Coulda Been Worse also shares adventures in kidspeak.
Dave over at Just Another Day in My Life talks about the great morning he had with Jake.

Yes, I'm a Blogging Chick

Check out the newest blogroll I've joined...Blogging Chicks

Wordless Wednesday

For more Wordless Wednesday, go here.

That's a mean bean

So, I did some website work for an organization I belong to, and as a thank you, one of the ladies got me a gift. And it was a gift of food. I about melted on the spot. I love food (which is one of the main reasons that I am a devoted member of Weight Watchers). But wait...

It's jelly beans. And not just any jelly beans. Jelly Belly jelly beans. And so I start to freak out a little. Not that I don't like jelly beans. I like jelly beans as much as the next guy, but there is one thing I like more than jelly beans. I'm obsessed with it actually. I REALLY like to know what I'm about to eat. I mean, what does it taste like? And while you can't usually go wrong with sugar products, jelly beans is a different story. Unless you have all the colors memorized, you don't always know what flavor you are going to get. And forget it if you start eating an unfamiliar brand because who knows what flavor you're going to get when you put that green one in your mouth. Lime? Watermelon? Sour apple? Aaaarrggghh!! The madness!!

So you can imagine my aversion to Jelly Belly jelly beans. Seriously, how are you supposed to know what flavor you are going to get?? And what do you mean they aren't all fruit flavored? Buttered popcorn? Coffee? Some flavor that I still can't identify?? I can't take it anymore! This is five times worse than "assorted chocolates". Just tell me what I'm eating!!!

And so I feel compelled to eat every one of those jelly beans in the hope of finding some pattern, some method to the jelly bean madness. Only a few more to go...and yes, it most certainly was full.

A new day

This will be a quick post, but I just wanted to share how much of a behavior difference there has been in Jake today. He's like a totally different child, in a good way. I sat down with him for about 20 minutes today to read and do puzzles and Dave was able to give him his full attention when he got home - it's amazing the difference.

An adult sunday school class at my church is starting a class on a book called The Five Love Languages of Children. While the class is at 8:15am (I don't fully function before 10am or 11am), I might still buy the book. The author (Gary Chapman) talks about how each child expresses and receives love best through 5 different "languages": Quality Time, Words of Affirmation, Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. Even though I haven't read it yet, I have a feeling that Jake will fall into the Quality Time category. He just laps up attention and hates being alone. For someone who values "me time" like it was going out of style, this might be a challenge for me, but I challenge I'm going to have to accept for everyone's sanity.

Light at the end of the tunnel

So, as I've said before, my husband was in a play this weekend. The show was Beauty & the Beast and Dave played the candlestick, Lumiere. The auditions were WAY back in November and they've been rehearsing at least 3 days a week since the first week in January. It's been a very long process and Jake misses his daddy very much, which is why we think he's been acting out so much lately. Hopefully everything will start returning to our normal routine next week.

But let me tell you, the last 2 days have made the whole ordeal totally worth it.

I went on Saturday night by myself to see the show and let me tell you, my husband is one talented fellow. I know I'm a little biased, but he just lights up the stage. His energy and committment to the roll just brought the character to life. I love, Love, LOVE watching him on stage. It's always a treat.

And for today's matinee show, I surprised Dave by bringing Jake (who will be 4 next month) to see the show. This is Jake's first ever live theatre performance and he could not have been better behaved. He got a little antsy during scene changes when there wasn't anything going on onstage, but the majority of the 2+ hour performance, he sat totally still either on my lap or in the chair next to me. He was a little afraid of the beast so he hid his eyes whenver the beast sang (he had a very powerful voice) or growled. Other than that, he absolutely loved the show and kept saying "There's my father" whenever Dave was on stage (why he's calling him Father instead of Daddy is beyond me, he's been doing it a lot lately).

Anyway, all of the pictures we have of Dave in costume are on other people's cameras (yes, I forgot mine) so as soon as people send them to me I will post them. And believe you me when I say I am counting that show towards my 15 minutes with Jake for the day!

Not so good..

Well, I failed miserably at my first SMART Habits Saturday. I only spent time with Jake and Emma on one day. Lousy.

So I am recommitting myself this week to spending 15 minutes of TV-free time with each kid.

Things are settling down at the house this week. My husband's play will be over tomorrow so life can start to get back to a little bit of normal...whatever that means!

Jake's new habit

In Jake's room, we painted one of the walls with chalkboard paint. It's really cool, and he loves actually being ALLOWED to draw on the wall. It took him a few accidents in the other parts of the house for him to learn that his room is the only place he can do this, but he's definitely got the hang of it now.

Anyway, he has just recently started giving up his naps. Since I was neither mentally or emotionally prepared for this transition, we now have Quiet Time instead of naptime. Same length of time in his room, but just without the sleeping. And evidently from the noise he makes, the "quiet" part is also optional.

Several times now, he has come downstairs after quiet time with his face covered in chalk. I couldn't figure out what he could be doing or why he was writing on his face until I walked in on him one day LICKING the chalkboard. I about flipped. Surely, this can't be healthy, right? I mean, he draws on the wall in blue chalk, licks the chalkboard (evidently simply erasing just doesn't do it for him), and then comes downstairs with everything from his nose down caked in chalk.

So today, I had him look at himself in the mirror thinking this would deter the habit. Wrong. He cracked up laughing. "Mommy, I have chalk all over my face!" Well of course you do honey, that's what happens when you LICK THE CHALKBOARD.

The Gift of Time

Childhood memories...just the term itself conjures up images of children snuggling into their parents laps for storytime. Or maybe little miniature marshmallows floating on top of steaming mugs of hot chocolate (as the Nestle or Swiss Miss jingle begins to play). Don't get me wrong, these are also the kind of things I want to share with my kids, but when I stop and think about it, are those the things that I really remember from my younger days?

I will be the first to admit that I had a great childhood. Aside from a few, shall we say, heated disagreements with my folks or brothers and sisters, everyone got along pretty well. That's not a small feat for a family as large as ours. I'm the youngest of 6 kids; please don't call me "The Baby"- I might just start to cry and go tell on you. While I remember there being financial struggles, I don't remember feeling like we were poor - except for the time when my mom and dad promised I could join the bowling league when I was 6 and I had to wait until I was 7 because my dad lost his job that year. As an adult, I realize that my reaction to this news was somewhat, well, childish. But I was crushed! I mean, it wasn't my fault that my dad lost his job. I wanted to bowl!! My parents and I have since moved on and new enjoy weekly bowling excursions - Dad watches as Mom and I bowl our hearts out in a women's league.

Anyway, most of my vivid childhood memories involve injury and humiliation - and I am grateful for that. When my brother threw a dart at my leg because I insisted on standing in front of the dartboard in the middle of a game, that taught me the importance of following directions. When I asked my sister for makeup help, she told me to close my eyes and that she would do it for me. When I opened my eyes and realized that she had covered my entire face in several layers of blush, that taught me to consider the consequences of my actions. When I got hit in the stomach with a softball, that taught me to always pay attention to what's going on around me. I could go on and on.

These are the things that I want for my kids. Stories and memories that they can look back on as adults and hopefully laugh at (and then share with anyone who is willing to listen). I want them to know that no matter how unfunny something seems at the time (seriously, who puts blush all over someone's face??), that all it takes is a little time and perspective to make them realize that childhood is FUN.

For more other bloggers' takes on childhood memories, check out Scribbit's March Write-Away Contest .

Wordless Wednesday

Unprompted helpfulness...now that REALLY leaves me speechless!

Check out more Wordless Wednesdays here

What Emma taught me today...

While both are used for cleaning, The vacuum cleaner is NOT a good place to store the feather duster...

Bongo Bottom and other unflattering descriptions

Funny Jake Comment #1
Jake: (begins hitting object with alternating hands) Hey, Mommy! It's like a drum!

The object, you ask? My hiney, of course!

Funny Jake Comment #2
Jake: Once upon a time, there was an old, prickly man named Daddy and an old, old woman named Mommy...

Gee. Thanks.

O.K. So this is my first Smart Habit Saturday. Head on over to Lara's site at The Lazy Organizer to find out more, but basically it's just like it sounds. Every Saturday (or so), I will pick a new habit and then blog about my progress.

This week, I will spend 15 minutes a day of uninterrupted, no TV, joyful time with each of my kids. So that's 15 minutes alone with Jake, and 15 minutes alone with Emma. The time with Emma might be a little harder because, well, Jake is always there. And he doesn't like to play by himself at all. He's very social. But I'll give it a whirl.

Dave and I were talking last night about why Jacob does the things he does and why he is so aggressive and can be quite disagreeable. And we think it all comes down to attention. And I am sad to admit that it hit me last night that I don't pay too much attention to Jake. I am always with him, but I am usually focused on other things (cleaning, laundry, Emma, etc.) and when I do pay attention to him, it's to point out flaws and punish him for them. And then I read Lara's post today and she includes the quote "We cannot teach principles that we do not know and that we do not live. Who we are and what is in our heart are discerned by children more quickly than we think." How can I teach Jake to hold his temper and to look for the good things if I don't do it myself?

I had started to read a book a while back called Parenting the Strong-Willed Child, and this habit comes directly from the book. I started to put it into practice but as soon as I saw improvement in Jake, I stopped. And he has regressed, so it's time I start being more proactive instead of reactive. Hopefully we'll get along a little better! Wish me luck!

Mommy, You Be HAPPY!!

As my wonderful husband can attest to, these 4 words make me want to run screaming for the hills. Seriously, they drive me nuts. And that's all I've been hearing today. And now Jake says it so much that Emma is starting to say it. It's a little funnier when she says it, though, because, well, she's 2. Anyway, this is what happens...

Jake knows how to press my buttons. Whether that's a conscious thing remains to be seen. But boy does he push. It kind of reminds me of this show on Noggin called "The Upside Down Show" which is about kids using an imaginary remote control to control what happens on the TV ("...whoa, we're jumping! You must have hit the JUMP button..."). But it's a little more like this:

Mommy: Jacob, please don't ____________ (insert bad behavior here).
Jacob: (Committs bad behavior)
Mommy: (loses control)
Narrator: Whoa, look at Mommy! Jacob must have hit the bad behavior button! Look at her go!

Anyway. After I lose control, Jacob starts whining "Mommy, you be HAPPY!" At this point I try to explain to Jacob that when he ____________ (insert bad behavior here), it makes Mommy unhappy. So he commits the bad behavior again, I lose control again, and he says "Mommy, you be HAPPY!" I've tried ignoring him, I've tried explaining it to him, but he seems hell bent on wanting me to BE happy but not doing things that he knows will MAKE me happy.

And so I vent, and the day goes on...

Alright, already!

I think someone is trying to tell me something...

The kids were a little uncooperative this morning and I felt myself getting very frustrated very early. Jake just wasn't listening and Emma would not stop JABBERING. I mean, constant noise. So I pile them in the car to take Jake to school and run errands with Emma. I thought maybe a little music would calm them down so I turned on the radio and started to sing along (and, no, I didn't think my singing would help. I just like to pretend I'm a rock star), but they just yelled and jabbered over the music which caused me to sing louder which caused them to jabber louder and I'm surprised we didn't get pulled over or something. And so I drop off Jake and since I didn't have time to make coffee this morning, I stopped at Starbucks for some cappucino. Yeah, great idea. Let's add caffeine to the mix.

Anyway, I get to the (small) store and Emma would not be quiet. She wasn't crying or screaming, she just wouldn't stop making noise. I should have kept track of how many times she said "Mommy" but I was too busy wondering if anyone else in the store was getting a headache. When I went to check out, the cashier said "Well someone's in a good mood". And that made me stop and think that yes, at least she was in a good mood. At least she WASN'T crying or screaming. So I left the store a little happier.

At lunch with Dave, he says "Hey, I started a blog today". I instantly started teasing him and calling him a copycat (aren't I the loving wife), but I told him I would take a look when I got home. When I logged onto Just Another Day in My Life, two thing struck me. 1, I was happy he used a good picture of us. I love that picture. And 2, I realized he was going to blog about taking the time every day to be thankful for things in his life. I instantly IMed him and told him what a great idea for a blog that was. But I started to see a trend developing.

After checking Dave's blog, I went on over to my friend Christine's blog at Fruit in Season, and lo and behold, her post is a Thankful Thursday post. She, too, is having a not so great day at home, but yet she was still able to stop and take the time to realize things she is thankful for.

O.K. I get it. I need to stop more and realize the good things that are good in my life instead of just joking (or not) about the bad. But why is it so hard to do that? Why is it so much easier to joke and make light of the tantrum but not mention the unprompted "I love you, Mommy" I got today?

Who ever thought blogging would make me think...