Kinda sappy

Today I want to blog about my kids. 

I am going to turn comments off just because. 

Feel free to email me or message me if you know me.

Some days, I cannot get over how much I really truly LOVE my children.

They are these amazing little spirits that feed my soul.

This morning L was headed out the door and he realized that he forgot to kiss his little sister M goodbye.

He turned around so he could give her a hug and a kiss and said "I love you M!"

(this is a pre-teen boy)

She looks at him with a bit of mischievousness in her eyes and says "I love you too sweetheart"

At that moment, I knew I was the most blessed mom around.

I started to get a bit teary and said a prayer of gratitude that I have 3 children. 

Gratitude that they love each other.

Gratitude that they are willing to protect each other.

Gratitude that they are grateful for each other. 

People have asked me "How do you get your kids to love each other?"

To be honest, I am not sure what I have done.

I show them love, I give them love, I let them love, I let them show love.

When I had each of my kids, I let them be passed around so they could feel the love that people have for them and their soul.

When I had B, he was really close in age to L. 

So many people told me "Don't let your older one hold your baby"

I am so glad I ignored that advice!

I let him hold him, kiss him, hug him.

They are very close.

When I had M, the biggest problem was that I didn't have 2 kids, each of the boys was always wanting to be the one to hold her.

I let them help with everything, including diaper changes.

They bathed her, they changed her clothes, they burped her.

If I did it, they did it. 

Except nurse her.

Although B tried one time!

Poor little man didn't realize he didn't have the proper plumbing.

The past while I have been focusing on the kids having less time on the TV and computer.

What a blessing!

B has become the happiest little man around town!

He had become quite the grump, not any more!

He is happy, willing to help and be helped, kind and considerate.

I knew it was a good thing when I felt that prompting.

M has been walking around the house all day saying stuff like, "I love you mom" "I just love that you are my mom" "I love being here"

This is the kind of day that is filling my cup and making me feel like my cup runneth over.

I am so grateful for them blessing my life.

I love you my kids,

Mom

Loved it!

There is this little constant thing about mothering.

Changes.

I know in my family, we need to make changes.

NONE of us are perfect, but I would hope that at the end of the day, we each tried our best.

Over Christmas holidays, I felt very strongly like computer time and tv time needed to be limited.

It's hard because Mr. M does not really feel the same as me.

I realize that we grew up in different environments.

He grew up watching tv, we only had rabbit ears and rarely watched tv.

I knew that I had been given that prompting for a reason. 

We have 2 tv's in our house, one up, one down. 

Mr. M is the one who goes downstairs to watch tv.

The computer is upstairs so it's quite easy to limit time on the computer.

I made it a goal to be up before the kids so I could work hard to have the tv and computer off when they rolled out of bed.

They like to come out and flip on the tv, drives me insane! 

There are several changes I have noticed in our kids.

They are HAPPIER!

They play more with their siblings!

Their imagination's are absolutely fantastic!

They are more willing to help out around the house!!!

They have wanted to spend more time with me or Mr. M just doing things that don't require them to be "entertained" just plain old fun, like playing Risk!

I would love this year to work harder at each of us spending less time on the computer and parked in front of the tv, doing mindless things.

I want my children to learn to just "be"

By that, I want them to learn they don't have to be entertained, that they have these amazing little minds and they are so creative. 

That they don't need a computer or a tv to tell them what to do, that they can fly with their own imagination.

So many times when we are out I will give them my phone so they can look thru pictures (I don't have any games on my phone)

I want them to learn to enjoy the moment for what it is and that while the pictures on my phone are fun and mostly of them, I want them to be able to be comfortable with who they are and that they don't have to have a phone or something to entertain themselves. 

Sometimes when I get a prompting as a mom I feel clueless as to why or how it will fall into place.

But you know what, it always works out for the best.

Every time!

Theme for new year

I have been thinking about what I would like my theme to be for next year

As I look back at the past year, I was able to see how situations defined me

Some were good, some were bad

It made it very easy for me to decide on my theme for me for next year

"Let the good define you"

I looked back to this past year and saw how I let negative situations define me

I didn't really like that I did that

Sometimes, I focused on those way more than they deserved my focus

I want to be a better person, I want to be a better person, I want to see the good

The only way I can do that is to FOCUS on the GOOD

There is SO much GOOD out there but for me and who I am, I sometimes let the not so good get to me instead of learning from it and moving on

I know this year will be full of challenges that will come my way and I have a choice

I know that it is my responsibility to choose 

And my hope is that by the end of 2013, I will have let the good define me!

I made a choice...

I made a choice. 

For one week, I decided to not complain.

It was not the easiest thing I have ever done. 

I made very specific rules for me based on the kinds of complaining I do often.

If someone asked me to do something and I didn't want to, I could not say "UGH"

I would say "Thank-you" instead.

If I was upset with something, I could play it over and complain about it in my head.

I needed to try and find something positive about the situation.

I could not make negative assumptions about other people.

For instance, I was driving and parked too far out in an intersection. A lady was turning and I was in her way. She didn't look too pleased with me. I started thinking "Oh man, she is just not happy with me" As I was trying to think about how to change it around I said to myself "Maybe she just does not have a normally happy face" 

I didn't want to complain for the sake of having something to say.

I didn't want to complain about life, family, whatever it be. 

I wanted to LEARN.

I wanted to challenge myself. 

I knew that the week would not be easy.

I knew I would be challenged.

I am so grateful I did this challenge!

I found out a few things about myself during that week.

When I complain, sometimes I make judgments.

When I complain, I become miserable.

When I complain, my family is grumpier.

I want to have a happier home.

I know I have influence on people.

I can be positive and happy.

I am can be happy in un-happy situations.

I am not going to complain for the rest of the year.

Feel free to join me!

Difficult people

( Let me preface this by saying that I realize that MY definition of a difficult person is probably totally different than your definition, and that I realize that I am considered a difficult person to some people)

I have never been a fan of people who are difficult

Some are difficult on purpose

Some are difficult so they can get their own way

Some are difficult just because that is who they are

I have never really known HOW to deal with someone who is difficult, no matter their "reason" for being difficult

For a long time, I would eat

I would bottle up my feelings inside and go out of my way to not deal with them

I have decided to do things a bit differently now

I have decided to look at people who are difficult as a blessing

WHAT???

Yep, a blessing

I have been trying VERY HARD to change the way I look at things and have a better outlook on life

For me, looking at someone who is difficult as a blessing has helped me change myself 

When I see someone who is being difficult (often bullying!), I say to myself 

"Thank-you. Thank-you for being a great example to me of who I don't want to be"

When I was telling someone about it they really didn't get my point of view

I didn't expect them to, it was just my point of view

But as I watched this situation unfold, saw how MAD, frustrated, hurt, upset the person who was being treated unfairly became, I knew that I had made a choice that was good for me

I had not wasted my time, energy, attention and focus was not lifted from my priorities because of this person acting the way they were

Instead I took the way they were treating me and others and made a pact with myself 

That I would never treat others as they had treated us

Normally I know what I will type as a heading before I start writing.

Not today.

This morning M, who is 4, woke up mostly happy.

She came out and was talking to her brothers before they left for school.

When they left she says to me "Mom, let's go to your bed and snuggle for a minute"

So we climbed under the 3 super warm blankets and talked for about 15 minutes.

I loved every second of it.

She wanted to talk about boys (surprize there!), school, cooking, her brothers, her dad, the colour purple, her cousins that she misses and patterns. 

I sat there and watched her eyes sparkle as she talked the whole time.

It was a moment where I knew that I would never get it back. 

I knew that no matter how busy my life was, I spent those 15 minutes doing the best thing I could be doing.

I spent the rest of the day just feeling so grateful.

Grateful for a little 4 year old who is headstrong but loveable.

Who has this wild curly hair that she will spend a good 20 minutes doing.

Who loves to try and sneak my makeup on.

Who has a mind like a sponge.

Who really, truly, honestly LOVES her brothers.

Who will colour anything she can get her hands on.

Who is fantastic at helping with the laundry!

Who loves to "help" me cook.

Who has these super cute little dimples when she smiles.

Who loves little kids. 

I am so grateful she came to our family. 

What a blessing she is.

I am not your typical mother

(This story ends well, don't worry)

I have some very specific rules in my house.

The first to follow the ten commandments.

The second, and no, I am not joking, is that I do NOT clean puke.

I have been a mother for 11+ years and I will do anything but clean puke.

My kids know this and Mr. Miller knows that if he wants to clean just one mess, he cleans up after the kids puke.

The other day B came home and said he didn't feel well. 

I personally thought he was trying to get out of going to karate. 

He SEEMED well enough to pester his brother and sister so I made him go and do his flyers. 

We walk in the door and 5 minutes later, he got sick.

I guess that's what I get for thinking that he was faking it.

Good thing Mr. Miller was around to clean it.

M faked sick all day yesterday. 

She often does this for attention.

B was sick and got it so she figured she would.

This morning she said she was not feeling great but honestly, had not shown one sign of being sick, so off to school she went.

I get a call at 9:45 that she puked in the classroom. 

Crap.

Mr. Miller was at work alllllllllll day long and that means that I would have to clean any messes.

My MIL went and got her since I was working (thank-you!) and when I showed up at the house she had not puked again.

I was thinking I was in the clear and that she would not puke again.

WRONG!!!

And then she learned something.

She learned how much I really do not handle puke.

(I drive for work so on days like this and she is sick, she can come with me)

After a few times of her getting sick, she realized that momma don't do well.

Then she became a terd.

She would wretch LIKE she was puking, I would FREAK out and she would laugh and say "Gotcha"

FROM A 4 YEAR OLD!!!

Seriously, I am in more trouble than I can imagine when she becomes a teenager.

She got a kick out of it.

That said, she learned how serious I am about her hitting the bucket.

I learned (again) and more importantly what amazing boys I have.

L is my 11 year old. 

He says to me "Mom, you know I have no school on Monday. If you and M are still sick, I will take care of you. You can lay down, tell me what to do and I will make you lunch"

I could not be more blessed with the 3 little miracles that have come to our home.

Even if they are terd's sometimes.