What kind of husband will he be?

Do you ever think about these types of questions?  Those think a little too hard, over-analyze every little detail, over-board mom kind of questions?  Well, I do.

My latest brain quandary includes my little kindergartner and what type of man he will be when he is older.  Will he be a loving, helpful, and caring husband who will humor his wife when she is trying on 100 pairs of jeans on a Saturday afternoon, not purchasing a single one of them? (This may or may not be an indication of my weekend activities.)  Will he be a good employee someday with a strong work ethic?  Or maybe even a good boss?  Will he be a good friend and help others in need?  What am I doing today as his mother to equip him to succeed in all of these different areas of his life?  Am I doing everything I can to promote a good citizen of this world I brought him into?

My latest evaluation on his preparation we have provided him for the "real world" comes in his report each day on how his day went.  I love getting him off the bus.  First the bus slows, stops, and a minute later, (as I stand there waiting as he attempts to shove something in his backpack) he bumbles down the stairs.  I say bumbles for a reason.  Today, he was dragging his coat and his backpack - to which he buckled his metal Star Wars lunch box to the exterior...as it clunked down the aisle hitting each stair. one. by. one.  He had the biggest smile on his face.  With a big hug, I asked him how his day was.  "GGGRRREEEATT!!" he replied.  And - there it is.  I can see it on his face already.  He made it to blue again today.  The biggest pride of his school day - making it to blue.

I'm sure you are wondering what the heck is blue.  Well, each day when the kiddos enter the classroom, their names are on green, "ready to learn."  As the day progresses, they can move down to yellow, "caution" or even red, "stop."  Above green is blue.  It stands for "outstanding."  Every day when my child leaves for school, his goal is to make it to blue.  We have talked about the fact that I am proud of him whether he stays on green or moves to blue, but he always has his sights set on his favorite color...blue.

Each time he makes it to blue, I ask him what he did to earn it (according to him about three kids make it there each day).  Typically, it is not because he painted the best picture, knew the most letters, or even knew the right answers to the questions.  It is because he helped the teacher clean up a mess, or he pushed in all of the chairs, or just was simply being helpful.  Is this desire to please his teacher rooted in the fact that school is just started and he is very eager to do as good as he can?  Is it a reflection on his personality and how he may grow up to be someday?  Or, is it just the novelty of the sticker that decorates his backpack for the rest of the day?  I don't know.   Shoot, it could be a crush on his teacher.  He told me that he told her that he loved her today.  Adorable.  I wonder if that desire to please is an innate personality characteristic that he was born with or if it is something he has witnessed...learned.  I'm sure there is research out there somewhere on this...but during my mental squishyness on this topic, I haven't been researching.  I've just been swirling it around in my brain.

I often think about the husband that I am raising.  I want to raise a self sufficient young man who will someday meet a sweet girl he wants to love forever.  I hope I have prepared him enough to love and care for her the way he should.  I think about Ben and I and the four little eyes that are on us constantly.  They are learning about what a marriage looks, sounds, and feels like through the relationship that their parents have.

Around here, Myles helps with laundry, brings his dishes to the sink, keeps his room clean, and hopefully has a general sense to what goes on in maintaining a house.  If he somehow manages to hang on to his helpful nature, maybe someday his wife will thank me for teaching him these skills.

Not exactly sure what all this means, but I just needed a brain dump of all of these things that have been swirling in my head lately.  Thus, I'm typing like a mad-woman, still in workout clothes after a run...  I think I've come to the conclusion that I don't know yet.  It is part of his story that is still being written and I need to be patient.  I need to continue to witness and guide him as he changes and becomes the man that he will.  AND- in the meantime...I need to cheer, congratulate, and praise every single blue rating that comes home.  Actually, the green ones too.  What kind of man are you raising?

Mom Game

Right now, I feel like I have Mom Game.  I feel like I'm on top of my game...but I don't want to say that too loud.  Is there any wood around here to knock on??  It seems as if things have just been in a groove lately.  Why is it that I have more patience that I can ever remember having?  I have been on a streak of seemingly unlimited patience for a while.  AND - I have no. idea. why.  Is it because we took a trip without kids back in August?  Is is because my kids are growing up and leaving me during the day to go to school?  Is it because my good mood and patience actually perpetuates good behavior, which actually creates more patience?  (You know - I have always said this works in the opposite way as well.  Kiddos are mirrors of the reflection you give 'em.  If you are having a hellish day and it shows...they undoubtedly will make. it. worse.  Luckily, the positive side of the mirror reflects as well.)  Or, is someone trying to tell me that I can handle just one more tyke?  I don't know.  But, I don't want it to end.

Kids can definitely feel the effects of stress that parents go through.  I have seen it before in my children.  During stressful and hard times that we have had over the last few years, I can see my patience dwindle and our momma - kiddo relationship gets stressed.  In turn, all that does is stress me out more (and them too).  Of course I don't want them to feel my stress.  Another vicious cycle, right?  I can recall back during the worst time of our life last summer (2011) my kids just happened to color with crayons on the couch (something they had never done before and have never done since), cry more, act out, and Jillian even regressed in her potty training.  In fact, our dog even had accidents in our house, something that he had never done before.  Stress can be felt by the family, no matter how hard you try.  In fact, sometimes during the roughest of times, you don't even know how to try.  Emotional exhaustion is just that exhausting.

So...I'm going to enjoy this groove we are on.  Trust me, it is not all perfect rainbows and sunshine, but we are just all singing on key right now and I love it.

First Giveaway!!

I have raved about Etsy before...I love it.  Anytime I am looking for a special gift for a friend, new baby, or even cute things for my kiddos, Etsy is the first place I go.  How amazing is it to purchase handmade items, that frankly...I'm just not crafty enough to make myself!

So...I am extremely excited to be offering our first giveaway to an adorable Etsy store, Anchors Away Jewelry!  Shop owner, Amanda Leigh, has such fun jewelry to accessorize your favorite look all at amazingly affordable prices.  

"I offer my jewelry at very affordable prices because I believe accessorizing should be easy." ~ Amanda Leigh

Well, Amanda has made it even easier for my followers to accessorize if you win this cute set of pink rose stud earrings!

All you need to do to enter to win:

Follow my blog by clicking on "Join this site" in the sidebar (if you are already a follower - you get to skip this step!) and comment below with the item that you like the most in her shop!  You can find a link to her shop above in this post, or by clicking on the Anchors Away button in the side bar. 

 Details about the earrings:

A pair of classic pink rose silver tone stud earrings.

Details:
- Silver plated stud earrings with rubber backings 
- Rose cabochons are 15 mm wide

Item will be packaged as shown in the last photo.

 Good luck, friends!

Tuesday's Love and I'm Better Off Without Lists...

Love List...

• Today is my best friend's birthday!  Happy Birthday Benjamin!
• My new blog design is almost complete!  Be patient as I get things finished.  What do you think?
• I worked school lunch Wednesday and Thursday last week.  Let me tell you, little Kindergarten girls can be quite complimentary.  My dress…my necklace…my hair…all received compliments.  Wednesday night Myles asked me to wear my wedding dress to lunch the next day…so the girls would think I was pretty again.  He settled for a skirt.
• Jillian had some leftover macaroni and cheese for lunch one day last week.  She said it was her best lunch ever.
• I love seeing Myles and Jillian hugging and holding each other tight when we drop Myles off at school in the morning.  Adorable.
• Both of my kids have clean closets.  It is pure bliss when I open the doors.  Too bad the rest of my closets are not that clean…
• This weekend, Myles knocked down a huge tower of blocks that Jillian had built as he went running by.  I was prepared for a scream-fest.  Instead, he said, “I’m sorry!  I’m so sorry!  I will help you rebuild it, okay?”  She replied with a happy, “Okay, Myles!!”  Argument averted.  Success.
• By the third day of school, Ben asked Myles how his day was at school (as we had every day, of course).  His reply was priceless.  “Oh, yeah Dad.  But first, how was your day at work today?”  Love him.
• Today was Jillian's first day of preschool!  I stayed a few minutes at her request.  Then, with a flip of her hand, she said, "Okay Mom, you can go now.  Love you."  Miss independent.  My favorite comment from her teacher?  Jillian asked if she was sure she should play in the sand because she wasn't really wearing sand playing clothes.  She was wearing first day of school clothes.  :)  Here are some pics of her open house and her first day!

Headed to Preschool Open House on Friday.

Picture perfect.

Love my girl.

Her first locker.

Backpack!

Trying out the Excer Bug in the gym.

My Preschooler.

The "Think Tank" at school.

Today was the first day of preschool!  Myles was a proud alumni at drop-off for his sister today.

Strike a pose.  She is always ready with ten versions of a pose.

My favorite of the poses...the non-pose.

Loading her locker.

Playing with a few toys on the rug with Myles.

I'm Better Off Without List...

• Pea gravel deposits from the playground at school that somehow wedge their way into the tiny crevices of Myles’ shoes and make it all the way home to my living room carpet.
• Allergy season.  Enough said. (You don’t need to hear about my attempts to create a pinhole in my nostrils to be able to breathe, right?)

Autumn Rants

It's starting to get cooler here in West Michigan.  Something about fall and back to school always has me yearning for lazy days cuddling on the couch (read: dozing) during football games, warm sweaters, tea, bringing the boots back to the front of my closet, and new clothes, of course.  I live vicariously through my kids on this item now.  I love seeing their cute little faces in the adorable new clothes for back to school.  Too bad I don't outgrow my jeans every year...so I can constantly get new clothes like they do!  It's so easy to grab some 4T skinnys for Jillian and 7 slims for Myles without having to try them on.  For me...not so much.  When is it that jean shopping becomes such a pain in the butt?

Speaking of butts...I've been reading about Express's Rerock Jeans.  I'm thinking I'm gonna have to get over there and try some on.  Supposedly they do some amazing things for your butt??  I gotta check this out!  I know I don't want to wear mom jeans...but I'm not so sure I can pull off every pair of trend jeans out there.  Time for some exploration.

And since I'm on a rant...I remember back in my school days the excitement of September.  It meant a new planner.  A whole school year of empty pages that would soon be filled with fun plans, homework, sports schedules...just fun.  New pencils, empty notebooks that I would promise myself to write with perfect penmanship on every single page (until I get lazy sometime in the third week of school), and a backpack filled with new supplies.  The excitement of fresh and new.  I love seeing that very same excitement in my kids now.  They didn't need school supplies this year...but we still went and picked out their favorite markers, crayons, colored pencils, and folders.  It's amazing how a new set of colored pencils can make any project much more exciting.  Want to see our project for today?  It was for Grandparents Day. Please excuse the shadow.  Myles' hand prints were in dark green and Jillian's were in light green.

Fall also make me think of traditions.  Family time.  Our family has many fall traditions that we keep.  Soon, I'm sure we will be planning our trip to the apple orchard.  No autumn is complete without picking apples, hayrides, and of course...the main reason I go...doughnuts and cider.  Jumping in leaf piles, carving pumpkins, going to a high school football game, and a trip to Chicago this fall has all of us excited for the season.  Guess we need to create our new season list, huh?  What is on your list this autumn?

Enough ranting, I suppose.  Hope you have a great Monday!!  Let the new, fresh, week's beginning...begin!

My kitchen chalkboard sign right now.  Don't make fun of my writing (or my drawings).  I am not a teacher!

On Regular Things...

Today marks the second day that I was home with Jillian while Myles was at school.  It seems quite quiet to have just one kiddo at home.  Honestly, we don't ever get this time alone together.  Guess we will from now on!  I have asked her both days what she would like to do.   I imagined she would ask to go to the Children's Museum, want to go shoe shopping for school next week, or a number of other grandiose girl time ideas.  Both days she just chose to do regular things.  Riding bikes, playing with sand dough, reading books, helping with the laundry, organizing her closet (sadly putting away all of the clothes she has grown out of), working school lunch, you know... regular things.

Many times the kids and I spend time running from the library, to the playground, to lunch with Ben, or any other combinations that make up a busy day, always ending at home shortly after lunch in time for naps (and teleconferences, of course).  We have a lot of fun, but it is always busy, busy, busy.  With a girl who judges her desire to do an activity based on how long it will take for us to get there, I guess it shouldn't surprise me that she wanted to stay home.  We had a blast!  We got a lot done too.  She loved being "in charge" of what we did.  She also missed Myles.  So did I.

Playing in the tree house.

Waiting for Myles to get off the bus!

Today was a special day getting him off the bus.  She got to ride her bike on the street to go to the bus stop!

Of course she parked her bike while we waited.

AND - decided to do ballet shows at the end of our neighbor's driveway.  I can't imagine the number of shows once she actually starts classes.

Ta-da!

I loved our regular days together.  I'm looking forward to a whole lot more of them (and of course busy days too).  Sometimes, it is nice to just stay home once in a while.  Sounds like a good idea for the weekend...  Especially since I have a little boy who said this week, "Mom, things are really changing around here.  I don't get to see you very often anymore."  I'm thinking he won't mind cuddling on the couch and hanging out at home for a bit this weekend.  Happy Friday Eve, Friends!

Tuesday's Love and I'm Better Off Without Lists...

Love List...

• While shoe shopping for new tennis shoes for Myles for school, the sales guy at FinishLine put a pair on Myles, stood up and put his hand on his hips, and looked down at Myles.  Myles just looked up at us in confusion.  The guy put the shoes on the WRONG FEET!!  How does this happen to a shoe salesman??  It made my day.  I tried so hard to restrain myself from laughing.  Ben said, "Are they on the wrong feet?!?"  We still bought them. 
• I was teasing Jillian this weekend, copying everything that she said.  Yes, I am sure I will regret this sometime when she is doing it to me.  Anyway, she said, "You love me, but I don't really love you."  I told her how much that hurt my feelings.  Her response?  "Mom, I was just playing the game that you started.  I didn't really mean it.  I knew you wouldn't copy that."  Smart girl.  She was absolutely right.
• Every night I climb up to tuck Myles into his loft bed.  Every night to tease him, I grab his feet to use as a handle as I lower myself back down the ladder.  Every single night he asks, "Mom, are you down safely?"  So sweet.
• The gush of excited emotions from Myles after arriving home from school.  He had an amazing day...  When I saw the bus coming around the corner my heart skipped a beat.  Okay...maybe three beats.  I'm so happy for him.
• Supportive Mommy friends.
• My "Congratulations, you made it through the first day of Kindergarten" hug from Ben tonight.
• These pictures.

Breakfast before school!

More excited than you can imagine.  "199% Mom!"

Waiting in the car for the doors to open.  It was pouring rain!

Hanging our family pictures in his locker! 

He was the first one on the rug.  On the M, of course.  "See you later alligator, Mom!"

I wouldn't budge on the ride to school, but I let him ride the bus home.  I was so excited to see it coming around the corner!!  (Twenty-five minutes late...I'm so glad a mommy friend warned me it would probably be late!!) 

My big boy.  So proud of him.

Love him more than words can express.

I'm Better Off Without List...

• School horror stories from other moms.  Guess what, my imagination can already get me to places I don't want to go.  Please don't help it along!
• Laying awake until 1am last night thinking about school today.  I know I'll sleep great tonight.  He loves school.  Thank goodness.