Friday, October 21, 2011

Ok, last one: You Know You are a Mother When...

Last one, this again, isn't my writing.  Enjoy!!



1.  You use your own saliva to clean your child's face.
2. Someone else's kid throws up at a party -- You keep eating.
3. You hear your mother's voice coming out of your mouth when you say, "NOT in your good clothes!"
4.  As you cling to the high moral ground on toy weapons; your child chews his toast into the shape of a gun.
5.  You count the sprinkles on each kid's cupcake to make sure they're equal.
6.  You have time to shave only one leg at a time.
7.  You hope ketchup is a vegetable, since it's the only one your child eats.
8.  Your kid throws-up and you catch it.
9.  You say at least once a day, "I'm not cut out for this job", but you know you wouldn't trade it for anything".
10.  You find yourself cutting your husband's sandwiches into cute shapes.

You know you are Psych Fan when...

I found this on that same website.  I didn't write it.  I would hope mine would be funnier, but I am not in a clever mode, so here goes someone elses attempt.



1.  You find yourself working the word 'Jujumagumbo' into conversation.
2.  When your with your friends you start doing the fist bump.
3. USA Networks bans you from sending them a new script for Psych episode every week
4.  You actually think Shawn & Gus are real people.
5. You find yourself arguing with your friends about how Psych is the best show on television.
6.  You try to divine the amount of hats in any given room. (beanies don't count).

You know you're a Big family when...


I found a cute list about big families.  Some are not that cute, but number 4 was so true for us.  We brought Jonah home from the hospital 5 days earlier than Josh.  This kids were fighting over him.  I was so looking forward to bring Josh home to stop the arguing about who gets to hold a baby.  ha ha 


I think I am going to have to write my own list.  This is fun.  I bet mine would be funnier.  ha ha 


Top 10 Reasons You know you're a Big Family





1. life around your family never seems boring or dull.
2. it takes a wonderfully long time to hug and kiss everybody.
3. people ask, "Are they all yours?"
4.  one of your children looks wistfully at the newborn and asks you, "Can't you have another baby           really soon? I hardly get to hold this one because everybody else is taking turns."
5. your children never run out of playmates among their siblings
6. people say, "Wow! How do you manage?"
7. people ask you if you've ever accidentally left any of your children behind
8. supposed "family size" food portions seem awfully small
9. you are vastly amused at much modern parenting advice, realizing that it is unnecessary, impossible, impractical, or simply silly to try to apply it in a large family setting
10.  you and your husband laugh, "And to think that when we got married, we wanted only four children!"
11.  you start counting your children when you're out in public
12.  you realize that few houses are designed with your family in mind
13. everything you buy is in bulk
14.  you outgrow your mini-van
15.  you've forgotten what it's like to be alone anywhere else but in the bathroom  (and not always there)
16.  you have at least three bunk beds set up in your home
17.  people ask, "Don't you get overwhelmed?"
18.  whenever you set your dining table, it looks like it used to look when you were expecting lots of company
19.  you've heard "Don't you know what causes that?" more times than you'd care to remember
20.  almost everyone you know has less children than you do
21.  it seems as if you pack more stuff going on a short trip than some people pack when moving their entire household
22.you sometimes wonder what on earth mothers with only two children do with all their spare time
23.  people count the number of your children out loud when you're in public

Monday, October 3, 2011

Bullying

Here is an article I came across online. Before I write what it said, we have been facing some hazing and bullying.  Nothing horribly bad, but still happening.  And it is frustrating when school officials and parent won't make children take responsibility for what they have done.  I am not going to give very many details because we are still going though it.  But here is that article.



The lessons I have learned will stay with me for a lifetime:

1. Believe your child. Listen let them vent as many times as they need to. Make sure they know you are in their corner.
2. Never tell a child to say, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me". The name-calling does hurt. There are many scars that come from the words used and a child remembers.
3. At the first signs of bullying, get involved and stay involved until you get a resolution. I even joined the parent council so I would have a reason to be around the school more. Expect resolution. State the issues clearly, and your expectations.

4. When you are met with resistance, go higher; go to the trustee, the board, the police, the paper, and the blogosphere if needed. Actions have to be taken to keep our kids safe especially if you get the wall of, “Oh, it is just kids being kids,’ or ‘We should expect a little roughhousing.’
5. Bullying does not build character; it destroys it. Children who are bullied on a regular basis develop low self-esteem. Bullying changes a child's concept about themselves and the world around them. They become less trusting.
6. Bullying is a learned behavior. That is one of the most important things I found out. My daughter learned it was okay to bully and there would be few consequences. Did you know 93% of videogames reward violence? We as a community need to teach kids how to keep the violence in context. So far we are doing a lousy job of it.
7. There is no longer room in our vocabulary to say, "There have always been bullies, and there always will be bullies."  A leading expert in the field of bullying, Shelley Hymel, says, "It takes a whole nation to change a culture". We need the community working together to change the attitudes around bullying.

I have learned it is time for all of us to step up to the plate if we truly want to stop the bullying that plagued my daughter and so many other children. We all are needed on the field as a community working together for a common goal.

 http://www.ivillage.ca/parenting/toddler-and-preschool/lessons-the-parent-of-bullied-child