interesting conversation

So, I was out the other day.

Had all 3 kids with me.

Sometimes it goes really well.

This was a time when it was not.

Little Miss M was doing her best to escape.

L and B were fighting.

Not a common thing for them.

But a family rule is a rule, timeout. 

No matter where we are, I will put them in timeout.

It works fantastically for me.

I am not personally a fan of spanking.

There was a young man there, about 15 years old.

He said to me, 

"Ma'am, you have no clue how much I wish I had a brother to fight with.

I have way older step siblings I do not know, so I was basically the only child at home.

It was lonely."

Then he went on to tell me about when he grew up.

He has a pretty privileged life, according to him. 

Both parents work and make very good money.

Had whatever he asked for and things he didn't want, just so his parents would not feel guilty.

Guilty about them being away all the time.

Why was he working you may ask?

Working because he wanted to, not because he had to.

Working because he wanted to learn work ethic.

I admire him. 

It is SO easy for kids to get away with doing no work if they want to.

He said he could be easily at home playing his xbox or wii, but chose to get a job.

He said he was so lonely as a child. 

He always wanted to have his parents say, 

"Quit bugging your brother" 

or

"Quit pulling your sister's hair"

He wanted a brother to go running around outside in the mud with and traipse it inside. 

He wanted a sister to have a tea party with. 

Wanted to have a sibling to play in his tree fort with.

Wanted to have a sibling to go to the store with and buy bubble gum with.

Here is this young man baring his soul to me in the middle of a store.

Suddenly, I felt guilty for having put my boys in timeout.

Guilty that I was blessed with 3 wonderful children that I GET to run after.

3 children that could single handedly drive me insane on any day.

3 children that have each other and are VERY happy to have each other.

3 children that know they are a blessing to each other but also drive each other insane.

2 boys and 1 girl who love and respect each other.

3 children I am so grateful to have.

Yes, I may very well look insane by 9 am, but I am happy.

I love my children and feel so blessed to have them.

Some days I need a reminder.

I am grateful this 15 year old was a gentle reminder to me.

I am grateful for his kind words.

  

  

One thing I won't abbreviate

I like computer lingo

Sometimes it drives me crazy as I try to figure it out

Some things drive me nuts that people abbreviate

I think they are words too important to abbreviate

Love is one of them

Sometimes it's cute to add a heart

But sometimes I think it's just important to just say it

I say it to my kids as many times in a day as I possibly can

I want them to KNOW I love them

Not wonder if I do

I tell it to Mr. Miller as many times as I can

It's important to me

My husband is my husband

I don't want him to wonder

My kids are my kids

I don't want them to wonder

My extended family is my family

I don't want them to wonder

to my husband

to my kids

to my family

I LOVE YOU

(not abbreviated, never)

Love J, Mom, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin whatever I am to you

cute little dress and a few other things.

So, last night I learned to make a dress, Thanks Mary.

It is SO cute.

It's called a pillowcase dress.

I think the only way M would like it is if I made it out of spiderman or pokemon.

What a tomboy.

Here are a few pics.

See, grumpy as all heck.

Then she gets out of the dress, puts on her brothers clothes and she is just fine.

Don't get it.

Here is my fave time of the day with just her.

Do you see what she is holding?

She is talking to the baby Jesus we have on our dresser.

We got given a manger scene at Christmas by a lady in our ward.

L set it up and didn't want it taken down.

Now M HAS to hold it, every day as I do her hair.

She sits there and tells him how much she loves him.

That she misses him.

Gives him kisses.

I love it, it is such a tender time.

About the only time she really sits still.

So, we keep the manger scene up.

I think it is wonderful to be reminded year round of our Saviour's birth.

Here is my kids first thing in the morning.

I know, their hair is horrible.

The deal with them is as long as they do not complain as I do their hair they can grow it.

The day they complain is the day it gets shaved.

Can you tell we have no complaining.

I prefer short hair but they can keep it long as long as their is no complaining.

I know the pic does not seem like much but it brings me fun memories of when I was a kid.

The kids are sitting over a heat register.

I remember sitting on a heat register and pulling my nightgown over my legs to trap the heat.

I think it's so fun that they are now sitting on the register.

I just love these 3 little peeps! SO much fun.