First, let me get one thing straight.  My kids are not perfect; in fact, they can be downright bratty.  I will tell you that, not afraid to say it, not afraid to admit it.  It’s just a fact of life.  However, I was NOT happy to hear that Jaden had been sitting in a sort of time out for most of that second classtime (still not sure how long, I just know it was a very long time) because he wouldn’t apologize???  We still have yet to find out the whole story.

Secondly, he is 3.  I am working with him consistently on saying he’s sorry when he does something, and he’s learning.  He still doesn’t quite understand all the way, though.  I just don’t get it….if he was being that bad, why did they not come to get us?  That’s what we are there for….that’s what we want them to do if he’s acting up….we are his parents, after all.  In fact, Dan was working with the littles close by this morning and could have easily been there in a flash.  Apparently, they’ve also been letting Jaden go potty (we aren’t potty training yet because he hasn’t been ready), and he, of course, takes his diaper off and runs out to let them know he went.  This was news to us this morning when Dan dropped him off.  His teacher wasn’t happy, but if he still wears a diaper….hmmm….LOL.

So, both before and after, we had news about our child….we felt like parents of the year, of course….and I’m writing this mostly to get it out.  It’s so hard being a parent, isn’t it?   I just kindly thanked his teacher, as I tried to get him together and deal with picking him up, so I never even had the chance to truly find out what exactly happened today.  However, I will find out, and maybe it’s not a big deal.  Maybe it’s another area we need to work with him on.  I can see this post is becoming just pure rambling, so maybe I should stop….it’s the lack of sleep talking.:)

I guess I’m just trying to say….if you’re feeling like things are spiraling out of control, they probably are.  You’re not alone, though.  If you feel like mother of the year right now….well, join my ranks.:):)  This week, my one goal as a parent is to try to be even more consistent with discipline, plus get to the bottom of exactly what happened in his class.  I am frustrated, mostly at myself, but also with my child and a teensy bit with his teacher.  Probably more so with myself, though, because I’ve noticed that Jaden’s becoming more and more unruly lately….it’s as if he skipped the terrible twos and went straight into the horrible threes.  He’s the type of child that when he does something he shouldn’t, he really needs an adult to get down on eye level and make him look you in the eye, so that he “gets it.”  He needs that extra one on one time, that attention.  He’s so different from Jacob; Jacob, all we ever had to do was give him the evil eye, and he was instantly apologetic and in tears. LOL  He’s still that way.

I will remember, though, that as moms, we are going through this together.  Not only that, but while in small group this morning, I was encouraged to truly pray for my children; it was a gentle reminder to do something I’ve really not been doing consistently.  My mom also reminded me tonight that even though it’s hard right now….it will pay off, and it will be rewarding later on.  I can’t see it yet, Mom, but I do believe you.  You raised four of us; I think I can safely trust your word.:)  I don’t know how you got through all those years with us….:)

Here’s to a great week, Mamas….persevere.

The thing is he wanted to leave the store….so this made him happy, as I picked him up, carried him out, and walked to my car (all the while fuming inside).  I felt so defeated, as if he had won.  Leaving the store was the best thing I could have done, though, because he needed to be removed from the situation.  Yes, he was glad to leave….but ultimately, he didn’t get what he wanted.  I fumed all the way back to Tae Kwon Do, and then as we sat, waiting for Jacob, the tears just started coming.  It had been a long week; crying when you have a head/chest cold is just not fun.  And of course I had no tissues whatsoever….so I sat there snorting and sniffing and crying and telling Jaden that he was going to sit there in his seat and not play with anything….I even took his shoes away when he tried to take them off and play with them.  LOL

Finally, my heart calmed….I was able to text a friend and vent it to her….another mommy, one who gets it.  Yes, I could have prayed about it, and I probably did…I can’t remember between all my blubbering.  However, I do know that having that one mommy friend I could reach out to was like a band-aid to the heart.  Plus, in the long run, the positive I carried away with me from this situation was that I didn’t give in.

Have you ever felt defeated?  I will tell you one thing about those times when you feel as if you’ve been defeated or trampled….having another mommy to reach out to is such a blessing.  You begin to see beyond yourself, beyond your circumstances.  Don’t be defeated….these times are only little arrows that Satan tries to throw in our path, so we’ll get sidetracked and miss the even bigger picture.  Don’t miss that bigger picture by living with a defeated mindset/heartset.

Finally, after really listening and rearranging it in my brain, I realized, “Oh!  Helicopter?”

Jaden: “Yeah!  One hockapoo!”  LOL

I love when little babes are learning to put their words together.

Yeah, that got me fired up too, even though I’m a homeschool mom.  I’m signed up for a local homeschool group’s Yahoo group here in Missouri, and I read that on one of the messages that came through.  The person actually had it on their signature that goes out with every message.  I was not impressed.  What are your thoughts when you read that phrase?

See, we are a homeschool family, and sure, we hold certain values and beliefs that influenced our decision definitely….but never that public school is even remotely close to child abuse.  For Dan and I, we believe that decisions regarding schooling your own children are just that….your decisions.  Every family has to make that personal decision for themselves, and they shouldn’t have to worry about being judged for whatever decision they end up with.  We chose homeschool because, for one thing, it gave us more time with our boys to give them more of a foundation here at home.  We are able to insert our values and beliefs into the curriculum that we use, so that they can hopefully form a strong foundation.  Another reason was that the school district that we lived in at that time was not the best; a lot of the kids that came out of that school ended up not being able to read (Jacob was already struggling with reading enough as it was), and there was just such a huge drug problem.  We were afraid that the quality of his education wouldn’t be what we could give him at home.  We didn’t want his already growing problems with reading to become a factor. (Now he reads anything in sight.)

Are our kids perfect, and are we perfect for homeschooling?  Absolutely NOT!  We made the personal choice as a family, and noone, NOONE, has the right to judge our decision.  Just as noone has the right to judge our decision if someday Jacob ends up wanting to attend public school, and we feel that it’s a good move.

I do not agree with the phrase above, and honestly, I get so tired of the negative flak that opinions like that give the homeschooling community.  We are not all judgmental, know it all people.  I’m not trying to be rude here, but as Jesus pointed out, when we see the speck in our brother’s eye, maybe we should also look to see the beam that is in our own (Matthew 7:3).

Am I proud to be a homeschool mom?  You betcha!  Do I judge you for sending your kids to school?  Absolutely not!

What are your thoughts on this topic?

I’ve come back from Blogher (post coming soon on MamaBuzz) to find that my toddler is repeating every single thing he hears.  Oh yes.  Whether it’s good or bad, his tongue has loosened, and he is talking!  He’s saying all kinds of words now, and we’ve discovered that he listens way more than we realized.  Oy!  I won’t talk for Dan (although he’s just as bad….shhhh….don’t tell him I said so), but I have been known to say things sometimes that I shouldn’t say….certain choice words.  I don’t know what happened to me, but in nursing school is when it started for me.  I don’t know if it was the constant stress of the courses and fast pace or if it was the fact that almost every other girl in my class had a cannonball of a tongue, but I seemed to pick it up then.  Maybe the stress of it all caused me to show my true colors.  Don’t get me wrong; I hate that I do this, and I try my hardest to keep from doing it, especially if the kids are anywhere around.  Usually, I only reach that point when things have been extremely stressful or spiraled out of control (such as when I went through security at LaGuardia on Sunday and had to have my bag searched and go through the metal detector over and over and over….I mean, seriously, do I look like a terrorist?  Don’t answer that, Dan….), or when someone has just really peeved me….Dan’s the same way, but he can control himself a bit more.

So, anyway, Jaden has picked up on a couple of words, not just from me, though, because I’ve been awfully good for a while now….so, I’m thinkin’ it could be from that lovely noisy box that sits in our living room too.  Oh, and now he loves to tell people to “Shut up.”  It’s really funny and so hard not to laugh when he tells Jacob, “Shut up, Bubba….(insert moan here), “Bubba!  No!  Shut Up!”  I found myself in the middle of the grocery store tonight trying to explain to him why he can’t say what he said right there in the middle of the store.  He’s starting to understand, but he’s just not quite there.

So, right now, I’m apologizing to his Sunday school teacher and anyone else who is around for the next little bit until we can teach him that this just doesn’t work.  We have to lead by example, I know….which is easier said than done sometimes.  We must, however, if we want to show him the difference between right and wrong.  It feels good to write this out even if the whole world does read all my faults.  It’s just one of those little quirks we all deal with in life, even if we don’t admit it.:)  Just keepin’ it real!  I never claimed to be perfect!:)

It’s got a cool trapdoor to come in and out from underneath….

It’ll eventually have swings off to one side.  Makes me want to be a kid again….heck, you’re as young as you feel, I guess.:)  Happy summer!

1. You must, and I do mean must, have a sense of humor about all things that have to do with bodily fluids, especially poop.  If the word poop is mentioned, it’s just a given that laughter will ensue.  Poop is funny, poop is cool!  Poop is what’s on the brain….Poop, it’s what’s for dinner….well, not literally, but don’t be surprised if the word poop enters dinnertime conversation quite frequently.

2. Along with poop comes farting, belching, and so on.  Whether you’re in the kitchen or their bedroom, boys just can’t hold it in.  And if you tell them to leave the room, well, be prepared to hear it all the way down the hall.  Oh, and if you leave them in the car for any length of time, you will need to don your gas mask (which they should really provide at the birth of any boy; I mean, come on, hospital nurseries, get with the program).

3. As a warrior mom, be prepared to fight the battle of the urine.  Yep, that nice, warm puddle you just stepped in probably isn’t water.  Don’t worry, they managed to coat the entire toilet and surrounding area, as well.  Look on the bright side; they say that urine is sterile, so they’re just sterilizing the area for you.

4. Be prepared for all things ADHD, even if they’re not officially diagnosed.  (It seems this could be a cause for the war against urine above).  If you say something, you will need to repeat no less than 10 times, of course, getting louder each time, so you can make sure that they heard you.

5. Even if they did hear you, be prepared for boys to do the exact opposite of what you told them to do.

6. Now for the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets.  It might be necessary to get a chain lock, as boys will eat whatever is in sight.  Even if it’s on the floor, boys tend to have a day to day rule, meaning if it’s still edible, it’s goin’ in….into their stomachs, that is.  And if there are cookies, they should most definitely be on the menu for breakfast.

7. It is a given that if let outdoors, your boys will return, covered from head to toe, in whatever they were playing in, whether it be dirt, water, grease, etc.

8. You must be able to handle noise, whether loud or quiet.  This noise includes all fighting over said Transformers below.  One minute, they’ll be jumping around as if the house is a jungle, the next they’ll be clicking and clacking with their Transformers on the floor (truly the most annoying toy ever made; a mother could not have made this toy).

9. You must be prepared to wrestle, play ball, set up cardboard/blanket tents, pretend you’re Ironman, and get down on your hands and knees, when it comes to playtime.  Be prepared to make precious memories that’ll go by in the blink of an eye.

10. Never joke about dares with boys….for example, if your oldest son tells your youngest son to eat a worm, he most likely will try to do it….you just never know what they’re going to do next.:)

Bonus Tip: Finally, you must love your boys….love them into manhood, and grow them up with love, so that some day they can give the same kind of love to the boys they will raise.  Love is really the keyword in raising up boys. As my mom used to say, “Some day, you’re going to grow up and have kids that are just like you.” LOL

For more Friday Funnies, visit Kim at Homesteader’s Heart.

For more Motivate Me Monday, visit Sarah at The Fifth Street Palace.

For more Motivate Me Monday, visit Sarah at The Fifth Street Palace.

Real World Parents: Christian Parenting for Families Living in the Real World

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

and the book:

Real World Parents: Christian Parenting for Families Living in the Real World

Zondervan/Youth Specialties (February 23, 2010)

***Special thanks to Audra Jennings of The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.***

Mark Matlock has been working with youth pastors, students, and parents for two decades. He speaks to hundreds of thousands of students around the world each year, and presents biblical truths in ways that motivate people to change. Mark is the vice president of event content at Youth Specialties and the founder of WisdomWorks Ministries and PlanetWisdom. He’s the author of several books including The Wisdom On – series, Living a Life That Matters, Don’t Buy The Lie, Freshman, and Smart Faith. Mark lives in Texas with his wife Jade and their two children.

Visit the author’s website.

Product Details:

List Price: $12.99
Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Zondervan/Youth Specialties (February 23, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310669367
ISBN-13: 978-0310669364

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER: