The Mean Mom

The Mean Mom.  I wear the title proudly.  Prouder than Superman wears his "S."  I think I may even have a T-shirt made with that on the front.  It didn't happen overnight, but there have been glimmers of it as long as I have been a mom.  My husband and I agreed early on that our daughters wouldn't wear things as toddlers that we would say no to when they were older.  No tops that show your belly, one-piece swimsuits only, no short shorts, and on and on.  So far it has worked.  We have been consistent with our expectations and the girls have made responsible choices.  Our daughters have chosen to wear shorts over their swimsuits because just a swimsuit wasn't enough for their taste.

The Mean Mom doesn't stop at clothing choices.  Television, movies, activities, how they spend their allowance, and now even friends are subject to scrutiny.  We don't usually just say no.  We ask questions and encourage our children to make choices.  Is that (show/movie/activity/friend) building your character?  Are the characters in that show demonstrating the values you want to have?  Is this really how you want to spend your money knowing that it will take you time to earn more?  Is that friend encouraging you to make good choices or influencing you to make bad choices?  Is this a place where people will be making choices that you want to make or a place that would be better to avoid.  I am happy to say that most of the time, our girls make choices that we are happy with.  Sometimes, we discuss their choices and guide them to a better choice.  This often happens with activities they share with friends.  Occasionally, we let them go down a wrong path and experience the consequences.  Once when we were driving, the girls didn't want to drink the water we had in the car.  Instead they bought sodas at the gas station.  Later, we stopped for ice cream and the girls didn't have money to buy any.  Cruel?  Not really.  Did they drink the free water next time?  Yes, and they had money for ice cream at the end of the trip.  Lesson learned.  You must live within a budget and that means making choices.  I didn't care if they used their money to buy the soda or the ice cream, I just don't want them blindly spending money as if there is no limit.

I recently overheard my oldest daughter telling the younger two that I'm not really a mean mommy.  I love them and I'm teaching them to make good choices.  She also said, "the neighbor's mom is nice, but those girls don't make very good choices because she lets them do things they shouldn't do."  Occasionally, my daughter even tells me that she is glad that I take the time to help her make good choices.  Once she asked me to help her find the perfect husband when she is ready to get married.  I think by then she won't need my help as much as she thinks she does now.

**For the record, we have amended the dress code.  Who knew that our 10-year-old would have legs so long that the only thing long enough to be modest would be bermuda shorts?

Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Today I heard about a man whose wife wanted a divorce after 42 years of marriage.  They still love each other and spend time together, they just live in seperate houses.  He didn't like the way she decorated the house and she didn't like his collection of stuff in the garage, so they ended the marriage.  Huh?  Really?

My husband and I have been married for 12 years and dated for 4 years before that.  In our marriage, we have been apart more than together.  Between his service in the army, working nights while I worked days, a contracting job in Iraq, and truck driving, I have hardly seen my best friend.  We have racked up countless hours on the phone and text message between calls.  We both cried along with the kids when his face appeared on the computer thanks to Yahoo Messenger.  We cherish the time we have together because we know the pain of being apart.  When my husband is home (or within driving distance), the world stops for me and nothing else matters.  We look forward to date nights, even when we end up going grocery shopping or watching a movie at home.  I am also looking forward to the time when kissing each other goodnight doesn't just happen once a week.

Two Weeks of Scrapbooking

The scrapbooking room isa happy place for the girls and I and this is a happy season! We have spent a lot of time in the scrapbooking room this week and the coming week will have us there even more. Last week we made 20 cards which we gave to a friend as wedding gift. Then on Friday we prepped materials for 120 cards for a church event. With the help of several ladies at church, we finished the cards on Saturday so a team could deliver them on Sunday to local firefighters and law enforcement as thanks for their service to our community. With that behind us, we are looking forward to our upcoming projects. This week we will be making 12 seed packets for our swap. Then we will be making sample projects for my Scrap Birthday Party and prepping materials for the attendees. Pictures will be coming soon...

Bargain shopping!

My youngest daughter needed a dresser.  Hers was sacrificed in our move and we promised we would get one for her when we got to our new home.  My mom and I took a trip to the local thrift store to see what they had and we were pleasantly surprised.  We found the usual treasures, a beautiful pair of red satin ballet slippers for me and some play clothes for the kids.  My mom came across a couple of sweaters and jeans that she just had to have.  In the furniture section, a headboard caught my attention.  It was solid oak and had cabinets on each side.  For $20 it was a good deal, but nothing I had to have.  Just past the headboard, I came across a platform for a bed, the kind with drawers in it.  Seeing no tag, I inquired as to the price.  The guy from the back came out and informed me that it was a complete king set with the headboard I already found.  Even better, it was for a king bed, the size I had at home on a metal frame.  With that in my mind, I continued to search for a dresser for my daughter.  They did not have a dresser, but what we found was much better.  We discoverred an old vanity table in excellent condition.  Although it wasn't what we had in mind, it has seven drawers, enough for her clothes, and she can play dress up at it.  What more could a young princess want?  I left the store with the bed frame, vanity table, miscellaneous items, and a bonus.  The clerk asked the manager if they could throw in the chair that was displayed with the table for free and she said yes!  Total price tag:  $60!

Site Recommendation for Homeschoolers

Happy Monday!  It is the last day of summer and I am ready to see the changing of the leaves in my new neighborhood.  I have to say that I have found a site that I truly love!  Often I come across a site that I visit once in a while, but http://www.learningtreasures.com/ is a site that I go to all the time because I just can't wait to see what they have next!  Their newest additions are dragon and candy corn themed papers!  They have lots of ideas and printables for you to use with your children.  Take a look and I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

Please don't forget to let them know that I sent you!

Priorities in Unpacking

My daughters and I recently moved halfway across the country in search of a simpler life. While my husband finishes his tour in Iraq, I am left to sort and unpack thousands (OK, maybe a few less than that) boxes of stuff. We started out very organized when unloading the truck, putting boxes in appropriate areas and stacking them so the list of contents could be seen. As I began unpacking however, boxes were moved and shuffled around to get to other boxes. My goal is to create a home or something close to it for my husband to come back to next week. So what are my priorities? The beds are assembled and welcome anyone to climb up for a nap. The TV, satellite box, and DVD player are hooked up. All of our clothes are unpacked and put away. Because our temporary home is my mom's basement, all of the kitchen boxes are set aside for now. My scrapbooking things are out so I can send lots of thank you cards to my friends who helped us accomplish this undertaking. Next up, school books and supplies so we can be ready for school to start in a couple of weeks. Yippee!

I Feel An Energy Drain Coming On

My children have learned that when someone has a bad attitude, fights, talks back, etc. then the "energy" is drained from the family. The children have a new way of putting that "energy" back: by doing chores. I placed a jar on the counter and filled it with slips of paper with chores written on them. The chores range from sweeping the floor to straightening the books on the bookshelf. When I feel an "energy drain" coming on, the "drainer" must pull a slip and complete that job to give back the "energy." My middle daughter was so excited about it, she volunteered to pull a slip (clean the kiddie pool). No more blackouts here!