Okay, so I’m reading this book called, Christ-like Parenting. I’ve really enjoyed it. The book focuses mostly on parenting teenagers, but the overall focus is very helpful and motivating. It talks a lot about parenting as Christ would (you probably caught that from the title). Kids need to know what is expected of them and they need consequences, but they don’t need those expectations and consequences screamed at them on a regular basis. This is where I struggle. I have felt prompted that I need to take these words to heart and try to overcome my tendency to yell and lose my patience so quickly. My problem…..it’s much easier to practice Christ-like parenting when you are in fact, Christ-like. Darn. I’m working on it.
I’m wishing there were more practical scenarios in the book that would help me know what to do in certain situations. For example, what should I do when I’ve told my 4 year old child to take the pile of toys upstairs to his bedroom and he, plain and simply, does not listen. As I’m typing this, I know what the problem is. I’ve trained said child to only pay attention and listen when I’ve gone through the motions of asking sweetly and have quickly transitioned into the “Do it or Die” mode. After I’ve screamed my instructions, he’s quick to say, “Okay!”. (He uses a tone that seems to say, “Wow, Mom. What’s the deal? It’s not like you’ve asked me twelve times already."). The kid then jumps on board the obedience train right away. I’ve got some work to do.
I’m hoping to fall off the wagon less and less. I’ll keep you posted on my progress.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Love Will Keep Us Together.....
Our Valentines Day was fabulous! We had a great time celebrating at the Ray house. The kids came downstairs that morning and were surprised to see the gifts we got for them.
My Mom and Dad always got us books for Valentines Day, so we started the same tradition a few years ago. My choices were a hit! Lucy got The Kiss That Missed and a book from the Magic Treehouse series. Graham got a Dinosaur Dictionary and That’s Good, That’s Bad (a book about a kid with crazy adventures in a zoo). The bigger excitement came when they realized they each got a whole box of their favorite sugar cereal (we usually only have Honey Nut Cheerios and Life).
Gotta show you a picture of the pom-poms I made. Beth and Jason made some for me to hang at Christmas and I decided it would be fun to do different ones for each holiday. Shades of green are next.
Being the incredibly creative mother that I am, I cut Lucy's PBJ into a heart. I know, I'm great. She's so lucky to have me.
As you can see, Lucy got Cookie Crisp and Graham got Trix. I forgot to get something for Ben, so Jason put a bow on one of his Gerber Yogurts.
Later that morning, the boys and I came out from the gym and found the inside of my van full of at least 200 cut out hearts. They were everywhere! Jason left a sweet note and a dozen roses, too. It was such a nice surprise.
That afternoon, Lucy spoiled me with handmade Valentines and she even shared her candy from school with me (she knows how much I love the sweet stuff).
Jason and I waited to have dinner after the kids were in bed. He grilled us some steaks and we ate and watched Runaway Bride (the movie we were watching when we first held hands). J bought a ton of different kinds of candy and put them in little bowls so I could make my own penny candy sack.
It was a fabulous day! I’m mad that I failed to go stock up on conversation hearts. Probably too late by now. Lucy’s in bed…..maybe I’ll go check out her stash from school.
My Mom and Dad always got us books for Valentines Day, so we started the same tradition a few years ago. My choices were a hit! Lucy got The Kiss That Missed and a book from the Magic Treehouse series. Graham got a Dinosaur Dictionary and That’s Good, That’s Bad (a book about a kid with crazy adventures in a zoo). The bigger excitement came when they realized they each got a whole box of their favorite sugar cereal (we usually only have Honey Nut Cheerios and Life).
Gotta show you a picture of the pom-poms I made. Beth and Jason made some for me to hang at Christmas and I decided it would be fun to do different ones for each holiday. Shades of green are next. 
Being the incredibly creative mother that I am, I cut Lucy's PBJ into a heart. I know, I'm great. She's so lucky to have me. As you can see, Lucy got Cookie Crisp and Graham got Trix. I forgot to get something for Ben, so Jason put a bow on one of his Gerber Yogurts. Later that morning, the boys and I came out from the gym and found the inside of my van full of at least 200 cut out hearts. They were everywhere! Jason left a sweet note and a dozen roses, too. It was such a nice surprise.
That afternoon, Lucy spoiled me with handmade Valentines and she even shared her candy from school with me (she knows how much I love the sweet stuff).
Jason and I waited to have dinner after the kids were in bed. He grilled us some steaks and we ate and watched Runaway Bride (the movie we were watching when we first held hands). J bought a ton of different kinds of candy and put them in little bowls so I could make my own penny candy sack.
It was a fabulous day! I’m mad that I failed to go stock up on conversation hearts. Probably too late by now. Lucy’s in bed…..maybe I’ll go check out her stash from school.
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