Win for Reading

In college I took several Sociology classes. I found the subject very interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed the required reading and studying. Though most of my reading now consists only of blog posts, notes from school, Sunday School lessons, Facebook statuses, and answering the daily request of "read me a book", I still find myself reflecting on some of the general theories I studied.

I went to college in the days before the internet became a daily part of our lives. In fact, my very last quarter at the University of Utah, my professor strongly encouraged us to set up an email account. An email account?!? It was foreign and new and caused me undue stress. Back then, I used a computer to type a paper and that was about it.

All this rambling brings me to the point of this post.

BLOG STALKING.

Who of us, doesn't do it? We all do. Yet it seems to be some shameful secret we hide; that we read so and so's blog. Most bloggers that I know, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE comments. Myself included. I love reading them. Yet, even I am guilty of not leaving them on several of the blogs that I read (stalk).

All this brings me back to my sociology days in college. I think Blog Stalking would make for a very interesting subject in a sociology class. There has to be some sociological/psychological phenomenon behind it...

So I am CALLING ON ALL BLOG STALKERS to come forward.
ALL BLOG READERS THAT COMMENT and
ALL BLOG READERS THAT DON'T COMMENT.
(My SiteMeter tells me there are several of you out there....)

Because you see, my husband came home from work Monday night with a late Christmas gift from someone he works with.

Fifty Dollars to be spent at Best Buy.

We both looked at each other with similar slightly-confused looks. Neither of us have ever stepped foot in a Best Buy store. In fact, neither of us knows where one is. Give us some restaurant gift cards, even Walmart (we have two kids in diapers you know?), and we'd know much better how to use them (it was still a very nice gesture).

Lucky for you, we've decided that we're willing to part with them.

So I am CALLING ON ALL BLOG STALKERS to come forward.
ALL BLOG READERS THAT COMMENT and
ALL BLOG READERS THAT DON'T COMMENT.

Leave me a comment telling me:
1. How did you find my blog/or how do you know me.
2. What you enjoy most about my blog.
3. How wonderful I am (ok, that part is optional).

And I will:
Enter everyone's name in a random drawing.
The winner will be the lucky recipient of $50.00 to spend at Best Buy!

The winner will be picked and announced
Sunday, February 14th.
(How romantic is that?!)
Good luck and
DON'T BE SHY!!

Three Mothers?

Sometimes I get confused who is the mother around here;

"Make sure when you cook the macaroni you stay by it so the water doesn't get high."

"You need to put underwear on Joshua when I'm at school."

"Please tell the kids that they should not leave toys where they'll get stepped on."

"Next time you make it, you should do..."

"So when Drew is one, you're not going to give him a bottle anymore, right?"


Sometimes I respond politely,
"Thanks, but I'm the mom."

Sometimes I respond not so politely
(and with a slightly elevated voice),
"I am the mom. Don't tell me what to do."

Good Enough

The other day I read a post from my cousin's blog, and just as we all have sometimes, she was having "one of those days." I on the other hand, (thankfully) had not been feeling those same thoughts for a while, and was able to leave her an encouraging comment.

I'll quote a part of her post.

"I try not to compare myself to other women but at times it is so hard! I am not a perfect person, wife, mother or even friend."

I didn't really give her post a second thought until this morning...

Let me give you a little background...
Joshua will be three in April. He still wears diapers. Though he has a sticker chart on the fridge (to mark when he uses the big potty) and a promise of 'a new truck and a WHOLE bag of suckers' he has yet to fill up the chart.

Part of it is him, "I don't want wear unnerwear"

and

most of it is me...

I am honestly not ready to deal with it yet, And, I have mixed feelings about whether to do it when I want it to be done, or the child.
(Potty training Megan and Luke was hell. With Ellie, I waited until she wanted to; one morning just days after her third birthday, she took off her diaper, put on some underwear and has never had an accident since!)

So all that brings me back to-
'I didn't really give her post a second thought until this morning...'

As I sat in church I noticed the little boy sitting in front of me, and his little underwear sticking out of his pants. I immediately felt discouraged. He is five months younger than Joshua. I turned to Mike and said, "That boy is five months younger than Joshua and he wears underwear. I am a loser mom."

And it got me thinking...

WHY? WHY? WHY?
Why do we women do that? Why do we compare ourselves to others?

Maybe that mom has more patience than me. Perhaps her child is more obedient than mine. Perhaps this... Maybe that...
Like my cousin said, "I am not a perfect person, wife, mother or even friend."

She's right. None of us are PERFECT, BUT:

I'm a good person/wife/mother/friend.
The mom in front of me today is a good person/wife/mother/friend.
And my cousin is a good person/wife/mother/friend.

And one of these days, we women need to accept that good is good enough-we don't have to be perfect!

(I can recall a couple of previous posts in which I have written my
feelings regarding this very subject. Here and here.)

Sunglasses

vacuuming...
stirring pancake mix...
eating chips and salsa...

Does Ellie have a light sensitivity issue I am unaware of?
or
An odd sense of style?

Free

A few years ago we went to a Bees Baseball game with my brother, Casey. As we were leaving the stadium, free loaves of bread were being given out. Casey kept making sure that each of us had one, or two, three or more loaves each. We had more than enough. As we were getting into our different cars to leave, the dialogue went something like this,

Me: "Casey, you don't have any of the bread."
Casey: "Oh I don't really like it."
Me: "Then why did you get so much?"
Casey: "It was FREE"

Last night, Luke and Mike had a late night at a John Deere Vendor Night. I was asleep when they got home, but as Mike kissed me goodbye this morning he whispered,

"Don't get mad at Luke. It's funny."

I, in my just woken up state didn't have any idea what he was talking about. But a little while later I came downstairs and there spread around the perimeter of my kitchen table were...

Hats, and some more hats, and some mint dispensers, and some more mint dispensers, and some ice melt samples, and some more ice melt samples, and some pamphlets (with horses and tractors on them), and some more pamphlets, and some key chains. And, a pretty nice tool set, (That he eyed long enough that the Sprint Reps eventually asked if he would like it.) Of course he replied, yes.

So, I've come to two conclusions today:

# 1 I'm not sure if there is a specific gene that causes "It's-free-so-let's-get-it-whether-we-need-it-or- not." But my guess would be there is. Because somehow in the vast gene pool, Luke also got the trait.

#2 I must not be so predictable and uptight, that my husband has to warn me not to come unglued when my son has filled my kitchen table with... 'stuff.'

Even if it was free...

MIA

Drew was missing. Everyone was immediately put on alert to look.
We found him.

Life. As We Know It

Pinewood Derby

(With a homemade Cabela's truck)

Statue of Liberty

(Compliments of an empty toilet paper roll and a Kindergarten class.)

Science fair project
(5th grade requirement)

A pleasant two year old.

(Have I ever told you I disagree with the 'terrible twos' cliche?...)

And a 10 month old climbing a baby gate...

(And thus collapsing the gate.)

**Sidenotes: When Luke was 10 months old, he climbed up a toy slide and onto the wide window ledge. He fell and cut his lip. While visiting the doctor for the stitches diagnosis, both the nurse and doctor looked at us questioningly as we told them what happened. I don't think 10 month olds are supposed to climb like that... By 13 months old, Luke could climb to the top shelf of the pantry...
(I'm trying to protect myself (and Drew) from a similar fate.)**