We're Town Council Members!

Elections were held for the Jarratt Town Council in May and Michael and I were officially sworn in as councilman and councilwoman (is that a word?) on July 10, 2012.  Our roles as politicians for the next 2 years have begun!  I'm really excited about some of the big ideas and goals that our mayor, Ken Warf, has for this little town and that we are on the Council to help.


Can you tell that this building used to be the town's fire station?

I went with Mr. Warf last week to meet with the principal of the local elementary school to see what kind of support the Council can offer.  She was full of personality and great ideas on ways that we can be more involved.  I am confident that she will make sure that this is a great school year and I believe that the students are lucky to have her.  We were both extremely impressed with the many programs that the school has in place to promote good grades, positive behavior, and attendance.  As long as the Council approves it at our next meeting, I am hoping some of us will participate in their Read Across America Day, help provide prizes for their Effective School-wide Discipline program, and maybe be visible at a few other special days.  I think it is a wonderful idea for the Town Council to show our support to education because as cliche as it sounds, the children are definitely our future.  As a former teacher I know how much it means to receive even the smallest token of gratitude. 

This picture was taken by Don Koralewski with the Independent Messenger and was in the July 15th newspaper.

I can not wait to see what other new opportunities will present themselves to help make Jarratt a better place to live.

The Magic Shoe

Lately it is becoming more and more difficult to change Kellan's diaper, wipe his nose, clean his teeth, change his clothes and wipe his face after meals.  He does not like all of the above.  He REALLY does not like having his face cleaned or his nose wiped and you would think I was executing all sorts of torture to the child if you could hear him screaming and see his arms flying and body and head twisting around.  I wish I had a camera handy one day this week when I was changing his diaper.  He was trying to sit up on the changing table and all I could see was his bare bottom sticking up in the air.  Putting his pajamas on before bed feels like a wrestling match on some nights.  Of course Michael tries to reason with him..."Now buddy this is something that we're going to have to do everyday for a long time so you just might as well get used to it."  Unfortunately this does nothing to stop the whining and wriggling.  

This week Kellan has had a little bit of a runny nose and has been waking up with crusties in and around his nose.  So first thing in the morning we have been suffering through a few meltdowns as I try to clean his nose.  Bringing out the nasal aspirator to suck his nose out is a whole new battle.  

Anytime he is on the changing table I am constantly grabbing up objects to hand to him to play with while I'm trying to get him changed and cleaned up as quickly as possible. We've given him books, a clean diaper, a toy...you name it we've tried it.  Most of the time the object will buy us just enough time to get the job done but yesterday we seemed to have found "The Magic Shoe."  

Kellan is obsessed with shoes.  His shoes, our shoes, anybody's shoes.  If there is a shoe lying around anywhere accessible to him, he will find it, scoot over to it as quickly as possible, pick it up and wave it around like it is the greatest treasure...and of course it makes it to his mouth pretty soon after.  It is so sad to take the shoes away from him when he works so hard to get over to it and then acts so excited when he has it! 

Anyway, before church this Sunday we were getting him dressed and we tried to put a pair of his shoes on but they no longer fit so we just had to abandon shoes completely.  When I was wiping his poor little nose yesterday morning I grabbed one of the "too little" shoes that was still nearby and handed it to him.  It truly was "The Magic Shoe!"  I cleaned his nose with a wet cloth AND the nasal aspirator, changed his clothes, and changed his diaper and he just happily played with the shoe!  He didn't make the first little whimper or try to get away.  When Michael came home I told him about our magic shoe.  When he changed him later in the day he said Wow!  It really is a magic shoe!  We can do anything to him!  We are taking this with us wherever we go!

Unfortunately all good things must come to and end.  The magic shoe must have exhausted all of its powers in one day because when I handed him the shoe this morning he immediately tossed it to the side (and down behind the changing table) and tried to sit up and panic ensued as I cleaned his nose.  So now I am on the look out for the next "magic" item...the tube of Desitin? a wash cloth? a toothbrush?  Whatever it may be, we have to appreciate it while we have it because its effect doesn't last long!

A Pretty Relaxing Weekend :)

Even though we live 3 hours away from my family, we are lucky enough to live in the same town with both sides of Michael's.  They adore Kellan and it is very helpful to have them nearby.  We actually need to work on getting together with them more often since even though we live so close we often can go weeks without seeing each other.  That is one more reason that I love keeping up with this blog for family near and far.  We actually stayed around the house for a lot of the weekend and when we did venture out I was not good about taking pictures like I usually am!

This is the little face that greets me every morning now...he is usually sitting up watching the door waiting on me to come get him out :)

Friday night my friend Kimberlee came to visit us again on her way to Washington, D.C. for the weekend.  We grilled out steaks and invited Michael's mom and her boyfriend David over to have dinner with us too.  David brought us some of the best corn on the cob we had all had in a while!  Everybody played with Kellan for a little while until he got sleepy and fussy.  Grandma Gigi gave him a bottle and put him to bed so that I could finish eating.  Michael helped Gigi get her new phone set up and look out world because Grandma Gigi now has Facebook, internet, and texting!!    I should have taken a picture of those two with their heads together!  Kimberlee and I stayed up late talking and watching the Olympics...just like we used to do when we lived together :)  I miss having her around to talk to and spend time with more often. 

Saturday morning Kimberlee headed off on the rest of her trip and Kellan and I stayed around the house until Michael got home that night from working on his newest house project.  We went to Fresh Market to pick up a few things that I needed for Kellan's meals and we ate at a Japanese Steakhouse where Kellan was the center of attention.  One of the cooks even came over to pick up his toys that he had dropped on the floor, talk to him, and make attempts to play with him, although Kellan just gave him a blank stare.  Some people from the table beside ours came over to see him and the waitresses all had to come over and talk to him.  He was quite the center of attention although he wanted no part of it and was happy to chew on the end of a chopstick and wave a spoon around.

Sunday we finally made it to church...and were early!  It has been a few weeks since we had been and I was afraid Kellan was not going to be happy about staying still and quiet for that long...especially since the service is during his usual nap time.  We of course did not get lucky enough for him to go to sleep but he was happy and quiet, played with toys, drank a bottle, and was perfectly content.  We sat with Michael's Aunt Karen and Aunt Kim and they were excited to get to see Kellan since it had been a little while since we have all gotten together.

After church we met Grandma Gigi at Applebees for lunch.

For dinner we went to Michael's Aunt Karen's house to get together with Grandma Gigi's side of the family to celebrate Aunt Kim's birthday.  Kellan was so excited to see "the big boys," Michael's cousin Dylan and his friend Wyatt.  When the boys were playing on the floor, Kellan just scooted his little self over to them and joined in!  Did I take a picture of all of this cuteness?  No!  Major FAIL!

Daddy and Kellan in their stripes

Dylan helping Aunt Kim open her birthday presents

Michael's Grandma Rodgester with Daddy and Kellan

He loves to stand and "walk"

He loved playing in all of the wrapping paper

Kellan with Grandma Gigi

The best way to read a book is to rub it on your head first!

We had an excellent dinner and of course ate too much as always.  Thank you Aunt Karen for having us over and Happy Birthday to Aunt Kim!  I'm glad we all were able to get together finally and hopefully it won't be so long in between visits next time!

Under Construction!

I have said many times how thankful I am that I am able to stay at home with Kellan and how much I want to make the most of my time with him.  There is only one man to thank for that and that is my husband Michael.  Not long after I found out I was pregnant we were talking about what kind of changes we were going to have to make to our schedule and what our possible child care options were going to be.  I remember telling him that I wished there was a way that I could stay home with the baby for at least the first year but I knew there was just no way we could make that work.  He told me if that was really what I wanted to do then he would make it happen.  He said he would just have to take on some side jobs on the weekends to make extra money. 

When he said "side jobs," I was thinking a deck here or there, tiling a bathroom shower for someone, painting, or some other small projects.  When he said "side jobs," he meant building entire houses and selling them.  Not only does he work a full time, very physical job everyday in construction building houses, doing remodels and additions...now he builds houses "on the side" after work and on the weekends.  There is no way we could have financially made the decision for me to stay home with Kellan if it wasn't for how extremely hard he works. 

This was his first project. He started this house at the beginning of August 2010 and it was completed in November 2010. It started out being a rental house for a little less than a year and then sold shortly after. I should also mention that in his spare time he studied a book on electrical work and taught himself how to wire and do all of the electrical work on this entire house. He also does all of the tile work on the floors and shower. There were many nights and weekends that he spent working on this house all by himself (and of course plenty of days that he had his regular work crew over there helping him with big jobs).

Living room overlooking kitchen with ceramic tile floor and granite countertops

Guest bathroom

Ceramic tile shower in master bathroom

His next "side job" ending up being a total remodel on a house that he bought at a good price.  He started this job in January 2012 and finished it in March 2012.  Here is what it looked like before and after.

It is an adorable house and has been on the market for a little while.  We are giving it one more month and if it doesn't sell then it will be for rent.  Here are a few pictures of the inside.

Kitchen with ceramic tile floor

View from the kitchen bar overlooking the living room with hard wood floors throughout the rest of the house

I cannot believe that we do not have a finished picture of the outside of his third "side job" that was another completely new house from the ground up.  He started this house at the end of January 2012 and finished it at the beginning of April 2012.  Right now it is currently being rented.  The renters have the option to buy until January 2013.  Here is the outside during construction...

And here are some pictures of the inside...

Kitchen before it was completed

Master bathroom's ceramic tile shower

And that brings us to his current "side job" that is under construction as we speak!  It isn't finished yet but it looks like we already have a buyer!

This is the house site after he cleared a few trees on July 18th...he dug big holes around the trees with that piece of equipment until the tree fell over...sometimes I wish he didn't tell me what he's doing at work...

This was on July 20...footing dug and poured with fill sand on site



Kellan and I stopped to check on progress after I finished a run...this is Kelly who is planning on buying the house...Kellan LOVED the dog that came over to visit :)

Foundation on July 23

 Foundation July 24

Walls going up July 27

And here it is as of August 4th!

So Kellan's daddy works a lot...a whole lot.  Lots of weekends and nights are devoted to his ongoing projects but he also pops in to see us during the day every now and then for lunch or a snack or just to see what we're up to.  He always makes it home in time for dinner and many times feeds Kellan his dinner and almost always gives him his bath.  He rarely misses a trip to the grocery store and of course you have seen our many "outings" to restaurants, shopping trips, vacations, and day trips.  I think its pretty obvious we're very lucky to have him for a husband and a daddy and also why its so important to me to make the most of my time at home with little Kellan.  Michael is working really hard to make it all possible and we love him very much for it!

Food Friday: Roasted Cauliflower

The most difficult part about making dinner for Michael and I is coming up with new sides.  I feel like we exhaust our typical meals to the point that I get so tired of eating the same things over and over.  We have been in a really big squash, zucchini, and asparagus rut lately.  Michael would eat asparagus at every meal if I would make it.  I didn't used to like it but now that we've eaten it so much it has grown on me.  However I still don't want to eat it with every meal. 

On top of that, when you try to make healthy sides, it becomes even more difficult.  Michael doesn't really like macaroni and cheese or white potatoes (I didn't even know those people existed in life!) and I could eat a white potato 3 meals a day, everyday!  We compromise and eat white potatoes sometimes and sweet potatoes quite a bit.  I didn't used to really like sweet potato but since we've eaten those so much they have kind of grown on me too.  They are so much better for you than white potatoes but they just aren't the same  for me (even though I do pile on the butter and brown sugar...how's that for healthy?!).

We eat the bags of steamable frozen vegetable medleys, brown rice, and we have salads a lot too.  Now that I'm typing this it sounds like a variety but when you're the one making dinner it just seems like we're eating the same things over and over again.  We recently started buying heads of cauliflower to make for Kellan and we decided to buy one for us.  I love cauliflower raw but I'm just not a big fan of steamed vegetables.  I know they are so good for you and I will eat them but again...I would so much rather have a good baked potato, or mashed potatoes, or cheesy potatoes, or french fries...I could go on and on...

So anyway we had this head of cauliflower and although I really wasn't thrilled about it, I looked for a recipe online to make it for dinner one night.  I found the MOST SIMPLE recipe ever by Rachel Ray and we gave it a try.  It is seriously simple.  All you need is Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt, pepper, and a head of cauliflower.  That's it!

Our head of cauliflower...we have really been trying to buy organic when possible and would you believe the Food Lion in Emporia has started stocking organic cauliflower?!  I was so excited when I saw it!

Cut the head into bite sized pieces and arrange in one layer either in a shallow baking dish or a baking pan.

The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil but we used a little more just to make sure the cauliflower was well coated and then we sprinkled salt, pepper, and Michael added some seasoning salt that we have but its definitely not necessary.

Stir the cauliflower around to make sure the pieces are all coated with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.  After evenly coated spread the florets in the pan or dish so that they are in a single layer.

Place in oven at 425 degrees (ignore the 300 degrees in the picture, we went ahead and stuck ours in the oven while it was pre-heating...totally NOT professionals).  Roast the cauliflower for 20-25 minutes until tender and browned on the edges.



Ribs, asparagus, and cauliflower...more proof that we do cook at home!! 

Oh. my. gosh. I hope I have conveyed how much I love white potatoes and how much I really do not care for steamed vegetables...because this cauliflower is amazing. So good, I can easily eat it in place of my beloved white potatoes. Please try it and let me know what you think! We have had this several times since we first tried it.  Its also pretty good warmed over the next day...delicious and SO good for you!



Growing Grateful Kids Part 3: Take Time to Play

Take Time to Play was one of my favorite chapters from the Growing Grateful Kids:  Teaching Them to Appreciate an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Places, and although I read this particular chapter many weeks ago, the things I learned have been popping up in my thoughts over the last few days.  Take Time to Play is Chapter 4.  If you are interested in my thoughts on Chapter 1, Being Thankful, you can find them here and my thoughts on Chapter 2, Refusing Worry, you can find them here.  I skipped Chapter 3 but it was great too so I may come back to it eventually...Chapter 4 just seems to fit into my life perfectly right now.

It mainly started the other day when I was washing dishes and Kellan was playing with his toys on the other side of the room.  In just a few moments I could hear him scooting across the floor and in no time he poked his little head around the corner, did his little army crawl over to me and sat down at my feet.  Then he proceeded to whine, cry, and fuss all while I'm trying to avoid stepping on him as he was literally under my feet.  The whole time I'm constantly talking to him, "OK buddy, mommy has 4 more dishes to wash...3 more dishes...2 more dishes...almost done!"  He was not comforted.  He fussed and whimpered the entire time.  By the time I was done he had started entertaining himself with a dish cloth that he had pulled off of a drawer handle so I thought hmm...maybe I can dust the living room while he is occupied.  As soon as I walked out of the room to grab a dust cloth he starts crying again and scooting after me as fast as his little arms and legs can go.  The whole time I'm thinking "Good grief!  What is wrong with him?  Why is he so fussy lately?"  I sat down beside him and he instantly smiled and scooted over to me.  There was nothing wrong with him other than he wanted a little attention and for his mommy to play with him.

Now, I know I am home with Kellan everyday but I can honestly say he is not spoiled.  When he wakes up during the night, he cries it out until he goes back to sleep.  When he wakes up from a nap I let him talk to himself and sometimes even fuss a little bit before I go in his room to get him up.  When I take a shower and he has to play with his toys in his Pack N' Play, sometimes he just has to cry.  Trust me this little boy gets plenty of hugs and kisses and snuggles from me, but I don't run to him every time he whimpers or fusses.  But lately I have to admit he has been doing too much playing independently, fussing and trying to follow me around while I try to get things done around the house. 

I know that I cannot sit and play with him all day but I need to work on creating a schedule that balances Kellan time, Household job time, and Mommy time.  Ever since Kellan has been able to play independently I feel like I have been pushing my luck a little more and a little more trying to get as much done as I can.  It feels like the day is a blur of washing dishes, making Kellan's breakfast, my breakfast, washing clothes, putting him down for a nap, picking up toys and anything else scattered around the house, folding clothes and putting them away, dusting, feeding Kellan lunch, making my lunch, vacuuming, afternoon nap, cleaning bathrooms, getting dinner started....not to mention all of the preparation that goes into making and freezing Kellan's baby food.  Now of course I'm not doing all of those things every single day but it seems like our daily routine has turned into hoping Kellan can entertain himself long enough for me to get household tasks done. I love to read but that never happens during the day.  If I get to do it at all, its right before I finally go to bed at night.  The same goes for blogging, that always happens after Kellan has gone to bed.  

I've lost sight of the whole reason that I wanted to have the opportunity to stay home with him.  I wanted to be the one that has the time to play with him during the day, read to him, and witness his milestones and "firsts."  Kellan is only 9 months old but I don't want to look back one day and wonder where all the time with my baby went.  I need to slow down and focus on what is important because his childhood is time I can't get back.  Years from now I won't remember how clean my house was but I will remember the first time Kellan clapped, how everytime I read Five Little Monkeys Jumping On the Bed he giggles when I get to "The doctor said, NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED!"  part, and how much he loves when I get down on the floor and play with him.  Right now Kellan doesn't understand that the dishes need to be washed, he just wants someone to sit down and throw his ball to him, stack his blocks for him to knock down, and read his books to him.  This is the reason that Susie Larson's quotes have been popping in to my head lately..."Engaging in fun times also lets our children know that they are super valuable to us.  As human beings, we put our time into the things we care about.  And so, when we make time for frivolous fun with our kids, it lets them know that we are honored and blessed to spend our gift of time with them...If we take ourselves too seriously, forget to laugh and play, and continually view life through the lens of cable news, we're missing out on some of the best parts of the Christian life." 

This week I have set 3 "Mommy Goals" for myself and I am going to make it a priority to stick to them.

1.  Every morning that the weather allows, I am taking Kellan outside to swing.

Even if we have to go in our PJ's!

2.  No matter how much housework needs to be done, I am going to alternate taking time to play with Kellan and completing a household task.  Kellan does need time to play independently and I have to take time to get things done around the house...but we definitely need a balance of both.

3.  One thing I have been good about (and Michael too) is reading to Kellan...and it shows.  Books are his favorite "toys" at home and he pulls them out of his book basket one by one.  He will pull out a book, roll over onto his back and look at it while trying to turn the pages.  Lately he has been starting to sit up and turn the pages of his board books.  After he looks at one book for a while he will crawl over and pull out another.  He loves to be read to and I want to keep this up by reading to him AT LEAST 3 times a day (before his morning nap, before his afternoon nap, and before bedtime).

These goals seem kind of simple but I want them to be do-able so that I will stick to them.  In the future, and as Kellan gets older, I can add more specific "Kellan time" activities to our schedule.  I want to make the most of this wonderful time I have to spend with him everyday and I don't want to take one minute of it for granted.

Growing Grateful Kids Part 2: Refuse Worry

A few months ago I started telling you about the first chapter of a book I was reading for an online book club, Growing Grateful Kids: Teaching Them to Appreciate an Extraodinary God in Ordinary Places by Susie Larson...and then I stopped!  I meant to continue on to the other chapters a long time ago but I guess I got side tracked by all of our eating and traveling.  If you are interested and you missed it, you can read about the online book club and Chapter 1 here.  Anyway, here is what I learned from Chapter 2:  Refuse Worry.

At the very beginning of the chapter is a quote that pretty much sums up what I learned about worry.  "Worry is an indication that we think God cannot look after us." Oswald Chambers.  My first thought was...hmmmm...I'm not much of a worrier....this isn't really an issue that I have.  Of course I always start out thinking that issues do not apply to me...but this book has opened up a whole world of things about myself that I need to work on that I didn't even realize.

So back to the "non-worrier" me...My friend Jenni has even told me (during hectic end of the grading period report cards, paper work etc.) that she had decided to be more like me. She was not going to stress out about school paperwork, it would all get done, and she was going to work on being more laid back and relaxed like me.   After a classroom observation by a former principal, she told me I had the most patience she had ever seen and I never appeared to be out of control or flustered.  And they are both right...most of the time I am extremely "go with the flow" and it takes a lot to get me worked up or stressed out.    However I am discovering that there are other times that I worry about things that haven't even happened yet or that are out of my control.

For instance:  When I met Michael I was teaching in Wake County in Raleigh at a school where I was offered trainings and conferences on a regular basis and I was given most any resource I requested.  Wake County had often times been recognized in the news as being one of the top school systems in the nation.  My school prided itself on using the latest teaching strategies and keeping up to date with current trends in education and I regularly had teachers from other schools coming to observe me teach (as well as my other teammates) and view our classrooms.  My first few years of teaching were amazing and I was given so many opportunties to learn and advance my experience as a young teacher.  This county was where I had always planned on my future children attending school because it was an awesome school system.   

The county where Michael lives is a very rural area and is able to offer far less than my beloved Wake County.  Michael attended a private school in the area which was absolutely unheard of to me...I was a PUBLIC school teacher.  I couldn't fathom why anyone would go to a private school and I couldn't understood why you would live somewhere where the schools were not labeled one of THE BEST.  I know this sounds harsh on my part but you have to remember being at the top of the education field was my LIFE.  I made it a point to live somewhere that I could advance my career as much as possible.  Michael's experience is the complete opposite.  He had always envisioned his future children going to the school he attended.  This gave me heart palpitations.  For the first time in my life I have actually considered home schooling when I have always said it was something that I would never do.

Kellan's education is one thing that I feel very strongly about (I felt this way before there even was a Kellan!).  And remember when I said I wasn't much of a worrier and it just wasn't an issue that I have?  I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I was worrying about where our future children were going to to go to school before Michael and I were engaged!  I am also not exaggerating when I tell you that worrying about this subject has kept me up many, many nights.  It is also an ongoing disagreement between Michael and I and has led to lots of tears.  I always get emotional when we argue over something that I really care a lot about or something that really makes me mad.  I probably should not say that we argue because its not that we are both yelling at each other (actually if anything its more than likely me yelling and Michael just patiently listening...if I'm completely honest) but just that we both have total opposite feelings on the topic.  I could never be a lawyer. There is no way I could ever get my point across without sobbing, which I'm guessing is not a good tactic.  Right now its more of an ongoing frustration because its not something that we have the answer to quite yet.

So I'm sure you're thinking what in the world does this have to do with the book?!  Going back to the quote at the beginning of the chapter, me spending all of these countless hours WORRYING about something that we are not even going to have to deal with for another 4 years has gotten me nowhere.  On top of that its like saying that I do not trust God to take care of my children and provide them an opportunity for a good education. Instead of being grateful that we live somewhere that provides a stable family business where my husband works, in turn allowing me to stay at home with our son, a vehicle and finances to take my children to any museum, play, concert, shopping center that my heart desires.  This chapter opened my eyes to needing to turn this worry over to God and realize that he will provide the school whether it be me homeschooling or placing my children in great teachers' classrooms.

The more I read and thought, I realized that I am a "closet worrier." I rarely express my worries outloud...not even to myself really. They are just constant thoughts in my head. Am I doing everything "right" as far as raising Kellan? Am I feeding him the best foods? Am I spending enough time doing the "right" kinds of activities with him everyday? Is my house clean enough because I spend too much time playing with Kellan and making his food? Am I doing the right thing by staying home and being a full time mom?  But then if I went back to work I'm sure I would be worrying about NOT staying home with him.  Financially are we doing the right thing by becoming a single income family? 

The list is never ending! Worrying is such a habit that I didn't even realize that I'm always doing it!  Becoming a parent brings on constant worries and its hard to turn them off.  Knowing that I need to turn my worries over to God and actually letting go and doing it are two different things.  I have a feeling this will be an ongoing work in progress.  My goals are to focus more on the positives in my life and thank God for those because there are a lot more of them than negatives.  I also need to pray more about my worries instead of spinning my wheels with my unproductive thoughts.

One other topic this chapter covered was voicing our fears and worries in front of our children.  If our children are constantly hearing us talk about how stressed and worried we are, how can we at the same time expect them to have faith that God is ultimately in control?  The world we live in pushes children to grow up entirely too fast.  When I was a classroom teacher I would regularly have students share issues from their home life that, in my opinion, they should not have even known about.  As parents, we are the adults, it is our job to be strong and find solutions...that is just part of it.  Financial concerns, relationship conflicts with friends or spouses, among other things, are not our children's burdens to bear.  I know we can only shield our children from the "real" world for so long but I want to make it a point to give my children a real childhood and prevent my worries from becoming their worries.  And as we know, kids are smart!  They pick up on everything and its difficult to hide very much from them.  So the only way to keep my worries from becoming their worries is for me to get serious about turning mine over to God and having faith that he is in control.

I loved this quote, "We plant seeds with every word we say.  The thing is...are we planting weeds or something beautiful?"  Are we filling our children up with positive words and outlooks on life or negative, gloomy, doomsday words and views?  And of course we are not perfect.  We all have days where we have more than we can handle and our children will see us lose it!!  That is inevitable...we are human.  But Mrs. Larson says "When our kids see us blowing a gasket, they also need to see what the restoration process looks like."  Just like us, our children are going to mess up too and its up to us to teach them how to ask for forgiveness, pull ourselves together, and regain a positive perspective.

This book has given me a lot to think about, a lot to work on and has taught me a lot about myself.  I plan to post about some other chapters sooner rather than later.  And for those of you that actually made it to the bottom of this and suffered through my muddled thoughts...here is your reward. :)

This, of course, is what good parenting looks like.  Shoving a pair of sunglasses on your baby, holding his hands down, and laughing at him while you take pictures.  Oh well...at least he doesn't look worried :)

And this is how I found these two after I returned from the restroom.   There was actually a game of peek-a-boo and a lot of giggles going on but they were not captured in the picture. :D