Family Time: Quality vs. Quantity

Quality and quantity are two words that a lot of people want to interchange, but these two words mean very different things.

According to the online Merriam-Webster dictionary, QUALITY means "a high level of value or excellence." QUANTITY means "a number or amount of something." As families, it is wonderful when we can incorporate both, but often times we find ourselves thinking that the quantity is more important than the quality.

We often think that if we have our children and/or ourselves involved in multiple activities, groups, and organizations, then we are living life at its optimum level. Eventually we crash and we realize we missed out on a lot of important things with our children. Things that only we could appreciate if we were to spend some true parent-child time together.

Think about how you are treating time with your children. We can be present without actually present. It is essential, no matter how much or how little time we can allot with our children, that we are truly into what is going on with them. Make sure your children know they are being heard. I know when we are multitasking we often throw out the general "yeah" and "oh really?" and "uh-huh" with the occasional nod in an attempt to seem interested. Our children are not dumb. They can detect sincerity. I've seen this with my own children and even with my students. A couple minutes of  one-on-one, devoted conversation can change the course of a child's day. Let them be heard.

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This world would have us believe we need to constantly look out for number one. I'm reminded regularly that this is not so. This type of mentality continues to lead to problems the world over and we can begin breaking the cycle in our own homes. We can begin by listening to our children. We can begin showing them that they really do matter.

My husband has been super short staffed at work for the last few months. He works multiple 72 hour shifts, often with only a day or two in between at home. His work keeps him away from home and our three year old misses him dearly. On the days he is off, he tries to take advantage of that time. He may take her out for a Daddy-Daughter date for ice cream. He may take her to the park to play. He may rent a movie that she wants to see, make some popcorn, and watch it with her. Sure he could leave her to her own devices while he sits and relaxes in his reclining chair, but instead, he involves her. We are far from perfect parents but we try to make a valiant attempt to make memories with our children. We don't want them to remember us as just being there. We want them to remember us as involved, in tune, and completely in love with who they are.

If we strive to imitate Christ, we will find these attempt more like second nature. Our Savior does not cast aside because He has one thousand other, more important, things going on. He ensures that He devotes intentional time for each of His children. I'm not saying we should compare ourselves to God, because we would never even come close. The point is to strive to follow His example. If He deems time with His children so important, then I believe so should we. I encourage you to take a moment or two and step back. Look at what time with your children looks like. Be intentional. Be involved. Be imitators of Christ.

Linking up with Mommy Moments

Kids Behind the Blog: August 2016

So...it has officially happened. My little gal has become a preschooler. I'm still kind of in shock. She has loved her first week and cannot wait to go back on Monday. She is soaking up everything!

I loved Amanda's post that included questions posed to the littles in our lives and I just had to join up for Kids Behind the Blog.

I asked G this month's questions and clarified as needed in parentheses. She makes my heart so happy.

1. What was your favorite thing you did over the summer?

Swimming in the big pool (on vacation).

2. What’s your favorite thing to learn about at school?

Singing "God our Father" for our food and snack

3. Who is your best friend from school?

Tessa and Callie

4. What do you want be when you grow up?

"Do fire" (be a firefighter)

5. What is your least favorite thing about school?

I like everything!

Her first week at school was nothing short of amazing. Her lead teacher is phenomenal both in the classroom and with communication. I get a report of how G's day was everyday and I love the little notes about things that she is learning and what seemed to really interest her. She is making new friends while rediscovering some of her old buddies from her previous sitter. We have truly been blessed by this placement.

Baby N's [2nd] Trip to the Emergency Room

At one month we took our sweet boy to the Emergency Department per our pediatrician. You can read about that experience here. Fortunately, by the Lord’s goodness, he was quickly healed and all was well. It was my hope to never have another venture such as that again. As life would have it, we can hope, but sometimes things still may not go as we’d like.

Saturday began wonderfully. Both kids woke up happy and G was eager to attend her friend’s birthday party that morning. I noticed N had two little red dots close to his eye and another couple on his knee. I assumed they were bug bites from having been outside the evening before. No big deal.

Tooth #5 broke through that morning...

We went to the party, which began around 10am and I noticed another little spot had developed on his face and a couple more on his leg, as well as his arm. He had been in the grass playing near the playground and it was warm. I once again assumed either he had gotten bitten by something or the heat was causing his eczema to flair a little. No worries.

Around 11am there were more noticeable spots and when I changed his diaper, I saw several had developed on his stomach and diaper area. Still thinking it was probably the heat, I was not too worried. I just kept him cool and hydrated. He seemed un-phased and happy. I left it alone.

By 12:30pm when we left, my friend’s mother-in-law pointed out that he appeared to have several more spots or “bites”. She was right…a little bit of worry began to creep in. By the time we got home, the spots were multiplying at an alarming rate and they were getting larger. I contacted a nurse friend and she recommended we take him to the Emergency Department.

I dropped my daughter off with my in-laws and my mother came along with me to the hospital (my husband was on a day trip). We arrived about 4:30pm at the hospital and got him registered. By this time, the spots on his face had begun to merge. He was quickly developing more spots and the ones he had were getting larger. I was anxious to find out what was wrong with my boy. I kept going through everything since the night before…had he eaten something new? Did I notice any actual insect bites? Had he touched something? What was I missing?!

The rash progression (it was all over his body by the afternoon)

Eventually we were taken back to a room and met with several doctors. The lead doctor determined that N has roseola. He had a fever a couple of days ago that I attributed to his runny nose. However, the doctor said that was his body fighting off this virus. I have no idea where he picked it up. We left a little after 8pm and headed home. We basically have to let it run its course and the doctor did warn me that the rash would look worse before it got better.

As of this morning, that has proven true.

-Sunday morning-

Bless his heart

I’m grateful that his condition is nothing more serious and will pass. I swear this little guy just likes to make his mommy worry. We’ve had several health related scares with him. He doesn’t tend to get the typical “whatever is going around” kind of stuff…it’s always something bigger and more dramatic. ::sigh:: Regardless, I am so thankful for a healthy boy. Despite the rash, they deemed him in perfect health and when this passes, he will be as good as new.

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Linking up for Mommy Moments

A Minnie Mouse Birthday Party

Even now I get a little misty eyed when I think about the fact that my first born is now 3. Time is flying and I can't seem to hold tightly enough. Our beautiful little girl turned 3 a couple weeks ago and I'm proud to say her party seemed to go over pretty well.

When I asked her what kind of birthday party she replied,

"A Minnie Happy Day [Birthday]. The pink Minnie. Not the red one."

I did my best to make her wish come true. I LOVE celebrating birthdays but I refuse to break the bank to do so. With a little preplanning, do-it-yourself projects, and a fairly frugal mindset, we were able to turn out a sweet little get together to celebrate our baby girl turning 3.

The Attire

My mom is an amazing seamstress. A few months ago I had run across a dress that I just knew would be perfect for G on her special day. I sent a picture to my mom and she nailed it yet again!

The Food

G had requested strawberry cake. Easy enough. I added some fresh strawberries to my standard vanilla pound cake and yum! I made a strawberry buttercream to go on top. I also made some confetti style vanilla pound cake cupcakes for those who may not like strawberry the way we do.

I did a simple hotdog bar. We had various toppings, including cheese and chili. They were a big hit.

My mother-in-law graciously made a delicious fruit salad and my mom brought a veggie tray. We also had Mickey Mouse shaped veggie chips that were like by children and adults alike.

The Décor

I went simple yet again. I simple found some plain black pails and filled them with pink and white raffia. We went to a local party store and found some great black and pink balloons that had white polka dots. These tied in with the theme perfectly.

As everyone finished eating, we eventually had the kids make their way outside where we played on the playground and blew bubbles. We opted out of opening presents at the party this year. The last few parties (for little ones) that we've attended have done this in regards to gifts. I must say, it is quite nice. Watching toddlers open gifts can become quite dull for adults and children alike and this allowed for everyone to simply enjoy themselves. We did have her grandparents over later that day to watch her open her gifts. Personally, we found this to be a win-win for everyone.

Overall, it was a wonderful day filled with fun, food, family and friends.

Check out her other birthday parties!

Red Riding Hood

Hello One-derland

Tips on Raising a Well Mannered Toddler

I have to preface this. We are far from perfect parents as is our toddler. However, we've found a few things that actually seem to be working in our parenting, and one of them is raising a child with manners. It goes without saying that she still has her moments. We've had a few fits and the typical testing of boundaries, but her manners continue to increase. In fact, she's at the point that we rarely have to prompt the appropriate response.

Here are a few tips that we feel have helped us get to this point.

1. Set the example. If you want your child to naturally begin to pick up on the please and thank you cues, you need to be using them yourself. As a teacher, this is one of my biggest pet peeves. I'm always astonished at how many children don't even think to use these when asking or receiving. In fact, with each passing year, the sense of entitlement that comes with each new group seems to be more and more. I won't even go into the lack of respect for adults...I digress. As I said, it has to start at home with you.

2. Encourage. Encourage your child to say please and thank you in everyday activities. Before our daughter gets anything she requests, she has to say please. There have been times that she refuses and quickly finds out that we do not respond to that type of behavior. Side note: She has also learned that just because she says please does not mean she'll always get what she wants. This opens up a new area of learning for our little ones, but she seems to handle it pretty well. We've worked hard with her on learning to say thank you when she is given something. Sometimes we have to prompt her with "what do you say?" and she responds appropriately.  It's even seeped into compliments. She now says thank you when someone compliments her on something. I was surprised when she first did this. It just goes to show that you should never underestimate the abilities of out little ones.

3. Don't give in. Those tantrums can be killer. However, it's better to bear the moment than to set yourself back. I was once told that the tantrums always seem worse to you than others. I learned this to be true the first time she showed her bad attitude at a local store. I felt so embarrassed, but as I looked around, no one was even paying attention to us. With any behavior, consistency and boundaries are key. Say what you mean and mean what you say. As a former behavior specialist and now mother, these things have proven true for any age I've worked with.

4. Start small. Learning common courtesies needs to begin from the time your child is super little. They need to hear these words, observe these actions and be included when possible. The scope of being well mannered and respectful goes far beyond just please and thank you. Beginning to teach your child these things while little can lead to even bigger and better things. It's hard for my first graders to get used to saying please and thank you when they have not been taught it at home. These itty bitty years are so vital in helping them become who they will be in the future.

Think of it this way, if we want kinder, more respectful adults, we need to be raising kinder, more respectful children...and that starts with us.

Linking up with Waiting on Wednesday

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Mommy Moments

Countdown to Halloween Link-up: Finale

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I blinked and October is gone! I'm glad, that despite the weeks of sickness we've had, that we finally got in some good fall fun before it was all over.

Here are the remaining highlights of our October...

Buckeye Brownies

I was wanting a yummy fall snack that didn't involve pumpkin. I am a fan but it was time for a little something different. Thanks to Kristyn at lil'luna, I now have a new favorite. These brownies are not meant to make your waistline smile, but they will make you happy. I do suggest that you have multiple people to share these with (or not). I bet you can't eat just one!



Trunk or Treat

The church down the road from our house holds a Trunk or Treat each year. It's wonderful to see our friends and watch G play with her buddies.

CBC's Fall Festival

Our church throws a fall festival every year. It is a wonderful way to outreach to our community. G decided she wanted to be Rapunzel, which was fine since N had outgrown his football outfit (she was originally going to be a cheerleader) that I bought him two months ago. It was way too short decide buying it much larger than what I thought I might need. We has a wonderful time with our church family and others in the community. G loaded up on candy...which we will all enjoy lol.

N's face cracks me up as he gets some snuggles from our pastor

Reminiscing

On October 20th, our friends adopted their son. He is perfect in every way and we are so excited to get some snuggle time with him soon!

October 24th marked 3 years since my grandpa's passing. It's always so bittersweet. I am so thankful that he is with Jesus and no longer suffering. However, I know he would adore his great-grandchildren and my heart wishes that he had been able to meet them.

October 25th marked 7 years of marriage.

On October 31st, 2014, we found out that we were expecting baby #2. It was truly a miracle that we will forever be grateful for.

Linking up for Countdown to Halloween Link-up

10 Weeks to Go!

We no longer need fingers AND toes to count down our due date. I can hardly believe that we're almost in the single digits! We have so much to do and that is not an exaggeration. We've got pieces of the nursery in various parts of the house and that does not include the current state of our home...chaos. As many of you know, we've been trying to pack things that we won't need in the near future in order to make progress towards putting our home on the market. Whew.

30 weeks

My husband has been sensing my urgency. I've gently reminded him that our daughter's nursery and the deep cleaning of our home were finished while we were in the hospital with our firstborn. She came a week and a half early...I'd like to be ready this time around. This remains a point of discussion regularly, at least until our appointment on the 15th. At that point we'll have a better idea of what my delivery will include based on the placement of my placenta. It has not been cooperative up to this point.

Back to this "sense of urgency"...We made a pit-stop at Lowes on Saturday and picked up paint for the nursery. My darling hubby has taped off the hallway and has plans to repaint it and install the new light fixture this week. The bathroom and nursery will hopefully be next...at this point the order isn't really important as long as it gets done. Eventually we'll finish up a few things in the kitchen and leave the rest for after when Baby Boy gets settled at home.

I've been trying to get little things done that make me feel accomplished. I completed my baby shower invite list for the sweet friend who will be throwing a shower for our sweet boy. I coaxed my hubby into installing new blinds in our bedroom. We dropped off several bags at Good Will and I'm steadily filling boxes and bags that will work their way out of our home for good.

I'm also making a conscious effort to savor these fleeting moments with my daughter. I love to stare at her face and brush back her hair as she drifts off to sleep in the evenings. I love watching what are still firsts for her...like blowing bubbles, counting, recognizing colors, etc. There is an ache in my heart that yearns for these moments to stay. I'm not ready to give them up. I am struggling to be okay with my two-year-old working her way into true childhood. Her infancy was fleeting. Her first year of life whipped by. Her second year of life was but a vapor. I keep grasping but yet end up with empty hands. This reality increases my desire to make the most of my time with just her while I can. It also makes me acutely aware of how quickly things will go when our little guy arrives.

 

 

God has made my life so full and I want to take complete advantage of all He has given. I am humbled by His choice to make us parents to these two little lives and will continue to strive to point them to our Savior.

Link Up

12 Books of Christmas: 2014 Selections

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It's hard to believe that Christmas is over and a new year has begun! This year holds so much promise but before we jump in, I'm still taking time to reflect on some of my favorite moments from Christmas and the things that have shaped and grown us over this past year. One of the things that I've been missing already are the traditions that happen in our home at Christmas.

The 12 Books of Christmas is one of my favorite traditions. Last year was fun, but this year was a blast. Everyday G asked for her book and could not wait to sit, open and read. These are such treasured moments. You can check out the list of books she received last year...The List.

Here are the books she opened this year...

1. If You Give a Dog a Donut
2. Little Owl's Night
3.The Little Christmas Elf
4. Giggle, Giggle, Quack
5. Charlie Goes to School
6. Bear Says Thanks
7. Busiest Firefighters Ever!
8. Just Me and My Dad
9. Someday*
10. Minerva Louise
11. You Will Be My Friend!
12. Room for a Little One

*My personal favorite from this year...

I'll soon be on the hunt for new titles as I purchase books for next Christmas throughout the year. What book titles would you suggest?

Linking Up with Annie from Home of Malones

Outdoor Romps and Recalls

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Last weekend we celebrated the 1st birthday of one of G's little buddies. There was cake, grilling and a playground...perfection. We enjoyed the beautiful fall weather and time with friends.

After such a fun weekend it was hard to manage through such a long and trying week. The full moon theory was in full swing at our elementary school. If any skeptics want proof, hang around in our hallways during the next full moon phase.

Fortunately we did survive and greeted the weekend with open arms. My hubby was finally home so we had made plans to visit the local pumpkin patch. We woke up to rain. With no end in sight, we made other plans...or should I say plans were made for us.

I opened up an email reporting a diaper wipe recall. I've been purchasing G's diaper wipes (Simply Right brand) from Sam's for a while now. They provide great quality for a very reasonable price. Both of those factors had to be put aside on Saturday. The email I received indicated that there was a potential contamination of the wipes and all unused wipes needed to be returned (for a full refund of course).

First thing that morning we headed to the store and returned the wipes...no questions asked. The recall is regarding a possible bacteria contamination. The bacteria in question is B. cepacia. It is a natural occurring bacteria that generally does not pose concerns to healthy individuals. However, people with lower immune systems or with Cystic Fibrosis are at a higher risk for complications. Of course the symptoms are fever, cough, congestion, and wheezing...much like cold symptoms, which appears to be having a lot of folks freaking out. G has been dealing with nasal drainage since the weather change a few weeks ago. I'm just keeping an eye on her and of course will talk to my doctor at her appointment next Tuesday.

We of course purchased another brand of wipes and will use them until we hear otherwise. After swapping the wipes we ran a few errands and came home to enjoy just being home. It seems like our time together is so much less these days. We've been aware of this over the last few weeks and are diligently trying to ensure that we spend as much family time as possible. Yes we have to work and yes we have obligations, but I want G's childhood memories to be filled with us, her family. These are days we'll never get back and we are intentionally trying to make the most of them. She is the best investment we'll ever make.



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Linking up with Leslyn

Thoughts for Thursday

There are a lot of things I could talk about today...and it's too easy to sit and focus on what could have been or what might be and miss what is going on right now. I want to focus on the present...this beautiful, precious, fleeting life of  blessings.

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In light of our current circumstances, there really is so much good. One of my favorite moments from the last few days comes from this past weekend.

My hubby has been dying to get our little one on the four wheeler. I refused to allow this until we had a helmet that would fit her tiny toddler head. On Saturday I went to a huge consignment sale, and among the much  needed pajamas and fall/winter clothing scores, I happened upon a helmet that was just her size.

The hubs was so excited!!! We could not go out on Saturday thanks to the evening weather...but Sunday, well that was a whole new day.

That evening we geared her up and set her on the four wheeler for the first time. She wasn't too sure of it at first, but then grew to really enjoy it.

We joined up with my in-laws and rode into the orchard. We stopped by some nectarine and peach trees for a little break where we stocked up on some fresh fruit.

G enjoyed some nectarine thanks to Papa.

She then took a stroll with Papa and Granny...

We eventually headed back where we all cleaned up and headed to bed soon thereafter. I can't get enough of our little miracle. Every moment is so precious and gone too quickly and for each one of those moments I am so thankful.

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Linking up with Annie for this week's TFT.