no drama today
It's sunny out for now. Last night I made 2 loaves of blueberry apricot oatmeal bread. Gotta make my Italian herb today. getting ready for Oxbow. Stacy makes soup for everyone I provide the bread.
Minimal packing to do since I never unpacked from the scout thing a few weeks ago. Never used anything since we fled the cold and snow and came back home.
Ill be spinning buffalo hair which will be cool. I'm going to bring my carder this time. Last year I did more carding than spinning for them. This will make it go faster. Mudpuppy is excited to be camping with Stacy, Jordon and Joe. Uncle Jamie will be there as well Cottonwood and his boys. Pretty special to be camping at a zoo when your a little boy. This year I plan on getting a video of the porcupines doing their begging dance.
I walked yesterday. Needed to go to the store so I did 24 blocks round trip. UUUUUUUUUUGH, wrist hurt from wrestling the stroller. Had to bring it since I knew I wasn’t going to carry the groceries home. To bad the walk home is all uphill. It fried me.
Did some carpet cleaning 2 days ago. So much better. need to get back to touch up painting outside, but it may have to wait until next week.
Yesterday Mudpuppy played Schwans guy. Was riding his fire truck and opening up the back and bringing me pretend ice cream. Must have played this for 20 mn before moving on to something else. I called up hubby and told him. He laughed. Nothing better for a little boy than having your dad as the ice cream man!
Lawn needs mowing badly!... I can not start the neighbors lawn mower. We have a communal mower since all our lawns are so tiny. YEOWCH! just the though of trying to start it right now with my hurting wrists from fighting the stroller pains me greatly. My right wrist actually aches like I have a fracture. I’ve broken this wrist 3 times in my life... Must be some kind of old age, weather change achy settling in there.
Hmm I’ve got some cat hair I have to get spun up before the move... maybe I should bring that as well.
Need to do laundry.
Must give dog heartworm and frontline him.
(Modern parenting rant below)
I've been reading some stuff about child rearing. Some of it LJ "noise". Silly the things the "experts" have come up with nowadays. Sometimes I just have to shake my head when these new young mothers think they know better than me because some book said......They have no clue.... Good old fashion child raising like mom and gramma did certainly turned out more stable children than we are getting now I feel. Way back when kids didn’t assault each other with firearms, not many cutters, drugs that where poison based where not around, my generation just didn’t go there. What’s the fun if even the 1st time you could fall over dead? You went to school no ifs ands or buts. You did your homework played outside spent time with your family on weekends, not out driving cars at 14, etc etc etc... The news was not full of young adults found in their dorm rooms or rivers dead because of alcohol overdoses. I still think today’s impression of child rearing is way to soft. I’m all for swatting bottoms letting kids cry to a point and allowing them failures along with success. Screw this "we want everyone to be equal and winners" No wonder these young adults are breaking down when they find the real world employers and college professors aren’t going to coddle them.
I am a mother of 8 with 6 of them as successful adults. 2 more to go. All 6 HS grads, 3 graduated with honors, some with collage, no druggies, no teen pregnancies, no criminal records, no mental/emotional difficulties and no faddish food allergies.
My kids for the most part never worried about being with the "in" crowd. My daughter did have a bit of a turn there where she wanted the clothing and to be popular. Once she had it though she dumped it quickly finding out being noticed by everyone also makes you a gossip target. So far all my kids have been able to stand on their own while not having to get into counter culture appearances to be different just like everyone else or define themselves. They try things sometimes knowing they will fail in front of classmates. But they do it anyway. My daughter is fab about finding her own clothing style! She started to dig the idea of being herself is being different from everyone else. Her outfits are very boho, fun and fay. My sons are just happy with a clean t-shirt/or hoodie and some silly saying on it and jeans with no holes. But they do know how to dress conservative/formal when needed. They also understand when and where it can be required without me harping on them about it. They know about salad forks and finger bowls!
I use please and thank you a lot for every little thing, so guess what, they do as well. I open doors for anyone of any age or gender. Guess what.. So do my kids.
Only one broken arm in the bunch, a few stitches in noggins, 3 chipped teeth, tons of skinned knees and stubbed toes. No allowance and yes they have chores.
I give them money for doing the odd chore or when they want to go out with friends until they are 16 then it's get your DL get a job! Until they are done with HS food clothing, haircuts, bath products are paid for by me.
I screen friends and get to know their pals parents. We communicate to so we all know what where and when the kids are supposed to be up to.
Yes I do spank my kids when purposefully disrespectful or involved in something dangerous. I've slapped a few filthy mouths, Oh there was one 11 year old that did have a brief habit of cussing me out. Oh yes.. Soap took care of that quickly. I've grounded for not following rules, I've yelled and screamed and I have hugged and loved and laughed with them. They are allowed to disagree with me and tell me so as long as they have a valid argument and debate not scream. They are allowed to stomp off in a fit and sulk in their room as long as they come back to the family world at some point and talk about those emotions.
On weekend and holidays they stay up as late as they want if I am assured I get no attitude the next day. If I get attitude next time you go to bed early while the rest of us stay up. We have root beer floats, candy and popcorn while watching R rated action or scary movies. Godzilla night is the best. We order Chinese. Computer or Xbox games are fine as long as what I need is taken care of homework is done. I actually joined an RPG computer game to play with my sons. I know what they are playing, I know how many hours they are spending on it and I know what they are typing and talking about on line. Very fun I might add. Reality check, they aren’t going to sit at the table with me and play yatzee. Sometimes we even have homemade unfrosted chocolate cake for breakfast with a glass of milk... (think about it... less sugar than fruit loops)
I give them the sex talk at 13 and provide the 1st pack of condoms. After that I tell them “if your adult enough to use them, your adult enough to go into a store and buy them yourself!” They get the old drug and alcohol talk then as well. I make it clear if they are stupid enough to get pulled over for a DWI they will sit in jail for 3 days I won’t bail them out. I give them the honest truth and my experiences. Special family parties they are allowed a glass of wine. My 24 year old apparently heard me loud and clear. Still has not tried any drugs and he has a cab pick him up at home on his club nights. His truck sits in his driveway on weekends. So far I've scared the crap out them with the drug thing. Yes I know he isn’t lying, unfortunately for my heart, my kids tell me everything. My daughter hit me with 'mom, guess what!” the morning after she lost her virginity" UUUUGH!
I think I am on the right track with child raising. I could consider myself as someone who does know what the hell is going on better than any author who is paid by a publisher to write a book to be a best seller. Only books I ever really got into on raising children where those that give the stages of development and how to support it. When I look at my children and talk to them about what is going on in their lives I can see I must being doing something right. The rest of the books I’ve bought or been given I’ve tossed and found asking mom, aunties and g-ma was MUCH better advice.
So you 20 something’s with your 10 week old babies and a 2 yr old who think I am whacked... well I am tried and true. What experience do you have?