Peace and Quiet

For a couple weeks now, I have had my alarm set for 6am. I have been hoping to get up before Oscar so I could grab some quiet time at the beginning of the day. In the past I have found that if I start my day this way, it usually turns out better. Not everyone has this result. But it's true for me.

And for the past couple weeks, Oscar has either been awake minutes after the alarm, or I just turned it off and rolled over. Follow through is not exactly my strong point. Until this morning, albeit with a little help.

Jerry has also been wanting to get up early to take Krusty for morning walks. Today. he managed to throw himself out of bed and get going! It doesn't hurt that Oscar is sleeping later due to the time change, but we're going with it. I figured, if Jerry can do it so can I! I pre-loaded the coffee last night so that was already going. Oscar was quiet as a mouse and Jerry was out with the dog.

I got up, poured my coffee and sat in the sweet stillness of an empty living room. Now, usually when I try to read the Bible I find myself getting bored and wondering just how long this chapter is anyway! I mean, let's be honest. But today was different. I read a few verses, and then a few more. Then moved to Proverbs. Then I read the sidebar which led me to several more verses. It felt good and I was comforted by my lack of boredom.

All of this to say that I am still having a bit of a rough morning.

No, 20 minutes of Bible reading didn't solve the world's problems. But I think it helped me today. Significantly. And if I can keep it up, maybe tomorrow will be even better and my reactions to everyday frustrations will be a little less shrill. I'll keep you posted.

Read more...

Children's Books: New Favorites

Oscar is really getting to the stage where books are more than just something to look at. He will sometimes even make it through a whole story! Mostly, we point out things in the pictures that he would recognize such as trees, bananas, dogs, etc. and that seems to work really well. Recently, I picked up the book Mommy Hugs because I thought it was a sweet idea and I liked the artwork. We go through all the animals and then we get to hug at the end! What could be better?

Well yesterday, I discovered Daddy Kisses! I am not sure who likes it more (Oscar or Jerry) but it is a big hit already. And the funny thing is When I gave it to Oscar he said Dada! Now when I show him the male and female versions of animals, I don't say boy or girl. I usually say Mama or Dada. The cover of the book has a male lion so maybe he knew? Either way, he loves it and we have a new favorite book! My only question is how come the Daddy gets to be a Lion while the Mommy is an Elephant? Hmmm...

Read more...

Reading time!

Now that Oscar is entering toddlerhood, my local library is getting regular visits from me again. After a comment from my friend Claire suggesting an idea book for toddler activities, it dawned on me that once Oscar and I got into a lil groove I completely stopped reading. I can see that he is really transitioning and starting new behaviors. Some are cute and exciting (walking), some are annoying, (learning to throw - anything, anywhere), and some are not good at all (getting frustrated and hitting me). SO it's time to start learning about mothering a toddler! Here is a list of the books I either own or checked out from the library:

The Happiest Toddler on the Bock - Karp













The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems - Hogg

Secrets of the Baby Whisperer for Toddlers - Hogg

Toddler 411 - Fields

The Baby Book - Sears






So far, I am getting the most useful information from the Karp and Sears' books. I really liked the Baby Whisperer books for when Oscar was younger, but I am having a harder time connecting now that he is getting a bit older. Toddler 411 is probably good for ideas but the behavioral stuff seems pretty surfacey and not quite what I need. I am on the wait list for a couple more at the library and have been enjoying getting back into 'research mode'. No, I don't think you have to, but I am the type of person that is comforted by knowledge. I like it when he starts to do something that might normally make me freak out but instead I can say oooh yeah, I read about this. How cool, he's normal! Trust me, it's the little things :-).

What are your favorite books for raising a toddler?

Read more...

What is Your Favorite Reading Memory?

When I was a child I loved to read books. My mom has pictures of me having fallen asleep reading and in first grade, I was placed in the advanced readers circle which I was VERY proud of. I must have been if I still remember it! I really want Oscar to have the same love of books that I have so recently, I purchased a few board books with Sesame Street characters on them. One of the books features Grover. While flipping through it, I had a flashback to my favorite childhood book of all time! Somehow it had buried itself deep in my subconscious because I haven't thought of this book in years, if not decades. It was called The Monster at The End of This Book and I LOVED reading it over and over, and over again. I can physically recall the anticipation of the end, as if maybe THIS time it will be different. I can't believe I forgot about it and I have been smiling just thinking about reading it to Oscar.

With Where the Wild Things Are coming out in theatres, and various other children's books being made into movies, I think these kinds of memories are likely to pop up. So what was your favorite book? What made it so special to you?

Read more...

Time to take off the Training Wheels....

I'm a reader. However, I have never been one to read much fiction. I have one series I like (Stephanie Plum anyone?) but overall, I read to learn. This isn't to say I like boring text. It just has to be sort of real. For a while I was into Conspiracy Theory, then History, and once I became pregnant, everything shifted to Birth Books. I read more in my 9 months of pregnancy than ever before, or since. As I approached the big day, I switched gears to parenting books. I poured through different books and websites about those first months of parenting. What it would be like, how to ease into it and adjust to a new way of life. I flooded my brain with statistics and norms and strategies.

We decided on a path and made a plan (loosely) for when Oscar arrived. I am a big planner so even knowing that things are always different than you think they will be, I needed SOMETHING. I think it served us well and Oscar is certainly a very happy and balanced baby. As I mentioned here and here, I began to log everything from sleep patterns, to eating patterns, to pooping frequency! Yes, I am admitting that somewhere, on my computer, there is a list of days and whether or not my baby did a #2. He has never been frequent in that area, so I honestly had to write it down because days could turn into weeks! Now that he is eating solids, we (thankfully?) no longer have that problem.

I am really glad I did this for a season. But I think it's time for the training wheels to come off. As Oscar is approaching 6 months, I am feeling a little bit more like a mommy, and a little less like a babysitter. I KNOW my baby. I know what he likes, what he doesn't like and can usually figure out what he needs pretty quickly. He is so happy and interested in the world, that writing it all down was starting to become a needless chore that really didn't do us any good. So, I stopped. In a way I feel like I have graduated from boot camp. Time for the real deal. I practiced and studied and now I am on my own. No more pencils, no more books...

The past few days have been lovely. I feel like I have fostered an instinct that I can really trust and I am excited to spread my wings! I'm certainly not saying I am done learning. Things are not perfect. I haven't "arrived". Oscar still wakes up a couple times a night and we are currently going on week 2 of 45 minute naps. But, I don't feel the need to rip through the pages of my book of the week to find out WHY. I probably know why and I know that I can't change it, or control it. I feel like I can just deal with it. Because I did so much reading, I have an arsenal of tricks up my sleeve and we are just going to fly solo for a while. I think it's great to acquire knowledge, but trusting in God and being thankful for the gifts that He has given me is what gets me through each day. I'm enjoying the freedom and the excitement of living each day instead of analyzing it.

Of course, we'll always have Google.

Read more...

Time to start reading again...

I've been on a book hiatus for a few weeks and my friend Jen gave me just the boost I needed to get back on the wagon! She checked out a book from the library for me! What a true friend :-) I could gush about how thoughtful she is...so I will! She is really thoughtful! In fact, Jonathan and Jennifer both deserve a little horn tootin. Not only are we great friends and fellow community group members, we are also neighbors! And it should be noted that Frank (their beagle) is one of the only dogs in the world that Krusty will not only tolerate, but plays with!

Last night they came over to consult with me about the type of curtains to buy to go with the new rug since we'll be moving the red ones to the dining room. But of course they didn't just come over. They showed up with spaghetti, brownies and a whole bag of Larry's Beans coffee! And she told me all about this book which I can't wait to read! Um, above and beyond folks! Seriously :-) So needless to say, we love them. And not just cuz they give us stuff heehee.

The book is called Mojo Mom and I think it's just what the Dr. ordered! After yesterday's post she decided it was high time I had a mojo boost and I agree! I'll post a review when I am done, but for anyone interested, you can get it at Amazon.

Read more...