Preschool is Here Folks!

Wednesday, September 9 marked a big day in our household. The "baby" of the household has decided to grow up on me and enter the big world of... oh give me a minute... pp... pre.... presc... preschool! There I said it and be proud of me, I'm not even bawling my eyes out! Yes, my little one is not really a baby anymore. And I am growing to accept that, day by day...

We have been talking about preschool for months since she was registered back in the spring. She was SOO excited about going until about 2 weeks before. Then all of a sudden she informed me that she was not going to go to preschool. I said oh, by golly, yes you are my little darling! Even up til the night before, she was determined she did not have to go to preschool on her big day. So after a good night's sleep, we all rose up with the sun to get going for the day. All of a sudden she was excited and nervous all at the same time. Now of course the first day of school is always a big deal around our house ~ the first day of school pic, the first day of school jitters, etc. And since this was really the FIRST day of any kind of school for my little one, it was a really special day. So after rolling out of bed, we fought like cats and dogs over what she would wear picked out her clothes for the day. She wanted to wear her Harley Davidson shirt and I wanted her to wear a really pretty stylish fashionable shirt that I got her for Christmas last year. She started screaming that the shirt made her itch and it wasn't comfortable, and she wasn't wearing that to school. So after some compromise, she agreed to wear the shirt to school and could change when she got home. Nothing against Harleys, but I wasn't about to have the first day ever school pic contain the Harley Davidson symbol in the snapshot!

So after we decided on the clothes, next came the hair. She has a thing lately about wanting to leave her hair down. all. the. time. That's just not quite up my alley since the hair that she wants down. all. the. time. is in her face. all. the. time. Get my drift? Uh not happening in my house! No hair in the eyes, nope no thank you. Especially on the first day of preschool! So she finally let me braid the top part of it after explaining to her a million times that a headband would not do the trick that day after discussing different hairdos we could try. So all was well with the clothes and the hair, we were ready to get some breakfast. Then after all that was done, it was time for the big moment... First Day Pics! Oh what a joy! My girls just absolutely hate the fact their mom is a big camera freak love the fact I make them stand and smile each year for that photo. It's their favorite time of year, really!

So out to the front yard we went to get that pretty pic. It was a chilly morning and trying to explain to my 4 year old to smile while standing there in her shorts and short sleeve shirt was a bit challenging, but I did manage to get a few grins out of her! All went well with the pics and I was actually pleased at how some of them turned out. Then it was time to put sissy on the bus and leave for the big old preschool trip. And that's exactly what we did. Off to the car, a last minute run to Wally World for one thing we missed on the list, and wallah, we arrived at school early and ready to take on the preschool world.

We were greeted by a parking lot full of cars and a 10 mile long people line at the door waiting to get in. She jumped out of the car, backpack on her back, walking all high and mighty and proud and ready to get into that preschool. Then about 20 steps later, she stops and informs me her backpack is too heavy and she cannot carry it. So like the good mom that I am, I hiked it up on my shoulder and off again we rolled towards the line. Then we went through the line, got our pic taken again, and went in for an orientation meeting. Imagine a huge room full of people and half of that population consists of 3 & 4 year old children. Kinda hard to keep an attention span and the noise level down when that is the case. But we mustered through it and kept our ears wide open. Then it was downstairs to meet the classroom she would be spending the year in. All went fine and dandy and you know the biggest surprise of all? I didn't even cry! The baby of the family went to preschool, and I didn't even tear up?!?! All I can say I was told that morning not to cry by a couple friends and maybe it stuck with me LOL. I don't know, but I did better than I thought I would!

So far she is off to a great year and I am so proud of her. She marches right in like a trooper and is glad to see me or Granny when she gets picked up. She has this little star that whoever picks her up must have. I believe Granny's words the other day was she was going to forget the star and poor little one wouldn't be allowed to be picked up. Funny, funny, NOT! I know Granny wouldn't let that happen to cute little JB. However, it makes me wonder what things they are really teaching at preschool. Hence, the events of yesterday...

Little one woke up and the first thing out of her mouth was she was going to go to college when she grew up. Ok, that's great and I'm glad she is already thinking that at her age! Again, that was first thing in the morning. She must hear us talk about my brother going to college and that is sticking in her mind lately. Then as I am tucking her in bed last night, she asks me a question from out of the blue. It blew me out of the water tremendously. She looked at me in the most serious tone and asked me how babies were born. Then she asked if the tummy opened up and let the babies out. It took me a couple minutes to absorb the questions I was presented with. So I kind of agreed with it and then the next thing out of her mouth made me about pee my pants. She asked if I would hold her baby while she was in college. My only response was let's hope you don't have a baby by the time you're in college, but if you do, then yes, I will help you with it. So in less than a week of starting preschool, she is talking about college and having babies. Wow, I really have no words. Let's just hope her thoughts slow down as she ages. Seriously, what 4 year old thinks about college and having babies all in the same day?!?! Only my sweet little angel that says the most random things. My baby that is growing up before my eyes. The little gift from God that I was blessed with over 4 years ago...

Good luck to my little JB this year in preschool! I know you will do a great job. Mommy loves you baby girl!

Here Coyote, Coyote, Coyote...

Have you ever seen a real coyote? Do you ever hear them howling off in the distance? They love to gather in the country and call at night so that you can hear them for miles. I don't know much about coyotes, but they have been quite the talk at our little farm lately. And I'm not talking about the coyotes that you hear howling at night, I am talking about the coyotes that like to visit out house and say hello. The kind of coyotes that drive in a truck and follow you around no matter where you go ~ restaurants, Wal-Mart, for a drive, where ever. The kind of coyotes that my youngest daughter never, ever wants to meet!

This all started a few months ago, and I cannot even tell you how it got started, but it did. I was talking to someone about coyotes one day and my little one started screaming in the backseat "NO I don't want the coyotes to come to my house! NO! NO! NO!" So after assuring her that there were no coyotes that would visit our house, she calmed down. I didn't think much about it until the coyotes were brought up in conversation again and she literally flipped out about it! Hmm... I thought to myself.... this could work to my benefit. The child that is always into everything, the child that is constantly getting in trouble, the child that is the strongest minded little thing I have ever seen, the child that had NO fear was actually afraid of something.... coyotes!

Let me state I would never intentionally scare my daughter to be mean. I am not the type of parent who wants to terrify my child so much that they have nightmares, or that frightens them for life over a fear they have. I think that is mean for parents to do such a thing. But, I realized that I could work up this coyote theory to my benefit just an eensy weensy tad bit (really, just a little bit).

I cannot recall if it was me or big sister who proposed the idea one day. My little one was on her non-wanting-to-see-the-coyotes kick and it was suggested they could visit out house and pay her a visit if she didn't do what she was told. Then came a sight for sore eyes ~ the little one who is so stubborn did exactly what she was told without even a hint or argument. I, for one, was in shock and not sure what to think. So then a few days later, she was in trouble for something else and the coyote theory was mentioned again. She would get the privilege of meeting Mr. & Mrs. Coyote if she did not behave. Little Miss Independent straightened right up and did exactly as she should have when the coyotes were mentioned! So by this time, I have it all figured out. Let's use the theory if and ONLY IF we really need her to behave or to get her to instantly snap out of her terrible moments. But I made a very firm point to my oldest daughter and to myself, we are not to overuse this theory because that would be diving into territory that I do not want to enter. The territory that would give my little girl fears, nightmares, and terrors for life. I refuse to scare her to death so that she is scarred for life. But as time went on, I found myself using the coyote theory just a little bit more, but only when I really needed it...

I am grateful to have the job that I do and then come home every night to my lovely children. But by the time bedtime rolls around, I'm usually ready for them to go to sleep and give me a few moments of quiet time. So just a few weeks ago I took a vacation week from work for our fair. I had the kids with me 24/7 that week with no break. So when I go from being with them at night to all the time with no breaks, my mind might be a little boggled. Don't get me wrong; I love my girls dearly, but after 8 days straight with my little angels, I was ready to get back into a routine! So back to the vacation week, most days I was there anywhere from 10 - 14 hours per day. And that is hard on little kids, heck it was hard on me! But it's like that every year and I know what to expect each year. I will admit my littlest one was a trooper this year and I was really proud of how she behaved all week. She could have been alot worse than she was! I don't know who was more tired at the end of the week ~ me or the kids! Now my little one did have her moments from time to time so that's when the coyote theory came into play...

Not only did the coyotes know where we live, but I also had a direct phone number for the coyotes that I could call anytime that I needed them to come and say hi to my Little Miss. Oh, and get this - the coyotes even have texting too! They have moved up in the world of technology, let me tell you. So once my little one figured out I had the coyote's phone number, I had the key then! All I would have to do is flip open my phone and "call" the coyotes and she would start on her "NO NO NO I don't want the coyotes to come" kick. So then she would be told to be a good girl and she would normally do just that. Later in the week, the coyote theory started to weaken since I called the coyotes a thousand times dialed up the coyotes phone number a time or two! Funny how the coyotes would be eating at the next food stand, or at the end of the barn where we were, or just a few feet away each time I needed them. They were always right there and ready to meet my youngest anytime!

Then one day my reverse psychology theory took a turn. She actually told me she wanted to meet the coyotes. Hmmm.... fast thinking! Ok, so I spotted a blue Ford truck that is always at the fair and told her that they were sitting in their truck and waiting to see her. So we started to take a walk and a few steps later, she planted her feet on the ground like concrete permanently stuck. She decided she no longer wanted to meet them, especially when she saw the cage in the back of the truck that they hauled humans in. Nope, she didn't want to test out that cage at all!

I hope you have a sense of humor if you are reading this. It's really not as bad as it sounds. It started out as an innocent theory, but the more people that knew about it, the more it grew. And the more big sis felt like she had the right to call the coyotes too because she was privileged enough to get the number too! Yep, direct from the coyotes themselves. She would even text them on occasion to find out their location. Ha ha! So anyway, we made it through the long week and never did have to encounter the coyotes. And I knew by the end of the long hellacious drawn out week, the coyote theory needed to be nipped in the bud and quickly.

So we didn't hear much from the coyotes until the next week. All of a sudden, my little one decided she would put herself in contact with the coyotes all on her very own! She informed her uncle that if he didn't do as she said, she would call the coyotes and have them come visit him! I wasn't there when she said it, but I rolled on the floor in laughter when I heard about it. Just think... the very thing she has been terrified of for months is now the exact thing she is going to call and scare someone else with. Kids are sometimes smarter than we realize, and we don't give them enough credit at times.

We are now back to rarely using this coyote theory. But if I need to get my daughter's attention immediately, it works! The coyotes are just a phonecall away and have informed me that if I ever need them to visit my daughter, just to let them know. They are always close to the vicinity where we are, whether that be home, school, Wally World, in the car, Grandma's house, where ever. They like to keep a watch on my daughter and make sure she is walking the straight and narrow! And if she steps off the path, they would love to greet her sometime.

Someone reading this by now probably thinks I am terrible, and that isn't the case, I promise! My little one does know that coyotes will not hurt her, they just want to say hello and tell her to be a good little girl. That's all. I have reassured her the coyotes that follow us around are not mean. So will this coyote theory last forever? No. Will it come back to bite me in the butt someday down the road? Probably. Will we always remember how the coyotes would visit follow us around and talk to us on the phone? Yes. Will my daughter hold this over my head someday? I'm sure she will. Does it give us something to laugh about in current day? Yes. Will it be something we remember for years and look back and laugh on it? Always. Even though it's not the nicest theory in the world, it makes for great conversation and funny memories that the kids will someday look back and laugh about. Surely my little one will realize before too long that I can always talk to the coyotes on the phone, or find out they are close by, but we have never actually met them. The only thing that worries me is someday when we go to the zoo, and there are real coyotes there. My daughter will probably beat me to the exit gate running 190 MPH to get out of there!

We all have something that we do or say that helps to make our kids mind just a little better. All parents have used reverse psychology at one time or another. And if you haven't, how boring! You have to mix life up a little, and add a little fun from time to time. Otherwise your kids will grow up and be like bumps on a log. Kids are only little once, have fun with them while you can. Teach them to the best of your ability and don't feel bad if you have ever used a "coyote theory" on your kids. We are all humans and it happens! Now hopefully no coyotes will be paying a visit to our house tonight... HOWLLLLLLLL!!!!

Owner's Manual for Your Daughter

Do you have a daughter? Or better yet, do you have a teenage daughter or a daughter who will be a teen in a few years? Well, if that is the case, then you need to read the following owner's manual for teenage daughters. I received this and loved it so much I had to post it. 95% of these are SO true and I find I can relate to many of these with my pre-teen daughter. And even though this post refers to "daughters" many of these ideas can apply to boys too. So sit back, read and enjoy!


Teenager Owner's Manual
Congratulations! You are now the proud new owner of a teenage daughter.

Please read this manual carefully, as it describes the maintenance of your new daughter, and answers important questions about your warranty (which does NOT include the right to return the product to the factory for a full refund.)

IF YOU FEEL YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOUR TEENAGER IN ERROR:

To determine whether you were supposed to receive a teenage girl, please examine your new daughter carefully.

Does she:
(a) look very similar to your original daughter, only with more makeup and less clothing?
(b) refuse to acknowledge your existence on the planet Earth (except when requesting money)?
(c) Sleep in a burrow of dirty laundry?

If any of these are true, you have received the correct item. Nice try, though.

BREAK-IN PERIOD:

When you first receive your teenage daughter, you will initially experience a high level of discomfort. Gradually, this discomfort will subside, and you will merely feel traumatized.

This is the "Break-In Period," during which you are becoming accustomed to certain behaviors that will cause you concern, anxiety, and stress.

Once you have adapted to these behaviors your teenager will start acting even worse.

ACTIVATION:

To activate your teenage daughter, simply place her in the vicinity of a telephone or Instant Messenger.

No further programming is required.

SHUTDOWN:

Several hours after activation, you may desire to shut down your teenage daughter.

There is no way to do this.

CLEANING YOUR TEENAGE DAUGHTER:

Having a teenage daughter means learning the difference between the words "clean" and "neat." Teenage daughters are very clean, because they take frequent showers that last more than an hour. They will scrub themselves with expensive, fragrant soaps which you must purchase for them because there is no way they are going to use the same kind of soap mom and dad use. When they have completely drained the hot water tank, they will step out and wrap themselves in every towel in the bathroom, which they will subsequently strew throughout the house.

If you ask them to pick up the towels, you are confusing "clean" with "neat." Teenagers are very busy and do not have time to be neat. They expect others to pick up after them. These others are called "parents."

FEEDING YOUR TEENAGE DAUGHTER:

Your teenage daughter requires regular meals, which must be purchased for her at restaurants because she detests everything you eat because it is like so disgusting.

She does not want you to accompany her to these restaurants, because some people might see you and like I'm sure I want my friends to see me eating dinner with my parents. Either order take-out food or just give her the money, preferably both.

If you order pizza, never answer the doorbell because the delivery boy might see you and oh my gosh he is so hot.

Yes, your daughter's idea of an attractive man is the pizza boy.

CLOTHING YOUR TEENAGE DAUGHTER:

Retailers make millions of dollars a year selling stylish and frankly sensible clothing which will look adorable on your daughter.

If you enjoy shopping, you will love the vast selections which are available to you. Unfortunately, your teenage daughter wants to dress like a lap dancer.

You may be able to coerce her into putting on a cute outfit before leaving the house, but by the time she walks in the schoolhouse door, she will be wearing something entirely different.

OTHER MAINTENANCE:

Teenage daughters require one of two levels of maintenance: "High," and "Ultra High."

Your daughter is "Ultra High." This means that whatever you do won't be enough and whatever you try won't work.

WARRANTY:
This product is not without defect because she has your genes, for heaven's sake. If you think this is not fair, talk to your parents, who think it is hilarious.

Your teenage daughter will remain a teenager for as long as it takes for her to become a woman, which in her opinion has already happened and as far as you are concerned never really will.

If you are dissatisfied with your teenage daughter, well, what did you expect?

In any event, your warranty does not give you your little girl back under any circumstances, except that deep down she's actually still there - you just have to look for her.

My Mini Comedian

Do you have kids that like to be funny or do things that you can't help but laugh about? Well I must say there is never a dull moment around our house. My little one has become the entertainment on several occasions. You just really never know quite what she will do or say next. So a few nights ago she informed me that her toothpaste was "taking a bath." I thought what in the world is she talking about?!?!


So then my brain had a flashback to this time last year. She accidentally dropped the cap of her toothpaste down into the sink and it fit just perfectly into the drain to where I could not get it out. The cap was such a perfect fit that no matter what I used to try and pry it out or what I did, the cap became wedged down farther into the drain the more I tried to retrieve it! So finally after multiple tries and using different objects to try and fish out the cap, I gave up and decided to call for back-up assistance. So I dialed up my mom's husband, otherwise known as my Mr. Fix-it who came up with the remedy to solve the problem. He jabbed a sharp knife way down into the plastic and carefully wiggled the stuck cap back up to the surface! So we had a tube of toothpaste that had this lovely knife hole in the cap until it was all used up.


So the other night when my little one informed me that her "toothpaste was taking a bath." I said NOOOOO and knew exactly what that meant! So I ran into the bathroom and sure enough ~ an exact repeat a year later! She once again had the toothpaste cap wedged down into the drain and the sink was half full of water. Only this time her toothpaste was floating in the water "taking a bath." So I dialed up Mr. Fix It and he came over to fix the problem once again. I had a talk with my little one about how the toothpaste doesn't need to take a bath, just people. So a few days later she came up to me again and told me her toothpaste was taking another bath... (But luckily Mr. Fix It was at my house this time so no need to make another phone call LOL)

Then a couple days later I said the words "diaper bag" in conversation with my little comedian. She then informed me that it was an "underwear bag." Well I was puzzled for a few seconds until I realized oh yes, she has been potty trained for awhile. So she corrected me that her "diaper bag" must now be called an "underwear bag" for future reference! So I'm trying to remember to use the correct term but I have been corrected a few times since. I will give her credit and say she does have a very valid point!

No matter what, all kids say the darndest things at some point in time. Sometimes they are embarrassing, sometimes their words can be cute, but what is most important is that we take the time to laugh about their funny sayings. Kids are only little once and might be funny or embarrass us a few times in our lives, but those memories will stick with us a lifetime and become some of the best moments to reflect back upon as they grow older. As I always say, life is short so laugh, love and live happy!

Reasons We Owe Our Mother

I received this in an e-mail and thought it was cute. Now that I'm a mom, I understand these concepts all too well.

25 REASONS I OWE MY MOTHER:

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
'If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.'
(Now my kids would never do that HAHAHAHAHA!)

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
'You better pray that will come out of the carpet.'
(So maybe I've used this phrase a time or two)

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
'If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!'
(Think I heard that while growing up)

4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
'Because I said so, that's why.'
(I find myself using this all the time). If you haven't already, check out http://www.becauseisaidso.com/ This is a blog from a stay at home mom of 6 kids who became world famous overnight because of an Ebay auction. She is a writer and her blog is my daily humor therapy. Check it out - Dawn Meehan's blog. It's great!

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
'If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me.'
(Good logic there)

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
'Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident.'
(You ever heard the joke that if you're in an accident, you'd crap your pants anyway?)

7. My mother taught me IRONY
'Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about.'
(I remember hearing this from my mom and my grandma while growing up and I would just cry harder LOL)

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
'Shut your mouth and eat your supper.'
(Hmm... I think I use this on a daily basis when I have to remind the kids to stop fighting, singing, yelling, or whatever they seem to come up with at the table)

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
'Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!'
(Don't quite have that problem yet - mine tend to stay pretty clean or at least I clean them up good!)

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
'You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone.'
(And if it takes 2 hours til it's gone, so be it)

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
'This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.'
(I believe this exact phrase has come out of my mouth more times than I can count)

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
'If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!'
(You ever heard the phrase "one, two, skip a few... a hundred?" Well a "million time" is along that same line)

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
'I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.'
(I think I've heard that one before too. Thanks Mom)

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.
'Stop acting like your father!'
(LMAO - no comment here)

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
'There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do.'
(I remind my kids daily they are very fortunate to have a house to live in, food to eat, clothes to wear, and toys to play with and a wonderful loving mommy as I)

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
'Just wait until we get home.'
(I can remember this as a teenager. My mom would call me and tell me I was in trouble when I got home for something)

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.
'You are going to get it when you get home!'
(Read the above comment to #16)

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
'If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way.'
(Don't have this problem LOL)

19. My mother taught me ESP.
'Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?'
(My daughter once told me she was the only one at school who wore a jacket. Well, it was cold in my opinion and Mommy knows best!)

20. My mother taught me HUMOR.
'When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me.'
(Or when my daughter gets her guitar out to play it knowing that her little sister will be trying to play with it too, then yells at her to leave it alone. Still can't quite get this one in her head)

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
'If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up.'
(And we wouldn't want that to happen now, would we? LOL)

22.My mother taught me GENETICS.
'You're just like your father.'
(Not my kids!)

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
'Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?'
(The problem is mine love the barn and would probably sleep in the barn with the animals if I would allow them)

24. My mother taught me WISDOM.
'When you get to be my age, you'll understand.'
(OMG these exact words have come out of my mouth to my oldest)

25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE
'One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you.'
(This could be taken a number of ways. All kids have their own individual personality. I just hope their kids are good. If they take after me, they will be!)

So there you have it. Things that you understand as an adult that your mother probably told you while growing up. It reminds me of the famous saying "If I only knew then what I know now." How true is that statement? The older I get, the truer it becomes!

Where is Heaven?

Last night I was asked a question that made me think before I answered. My daughter was sitting at the table and said "Mommy, where is heaven?" I thought for a minute. Then I answered that heaven was in the sky and that's where God lives.

Our family dog of 11 years passed away back in July. She has talked about Chewy numerous times since. I have tried to explain to her that Chewy died and we buried her so God could come and take her to heaven. Well, she continues to want to buy Chewy a toy at the store, or little things like that. She told her grandma they needed to dig Chewy up because she is all dirty and we need to clean her up. So trying to explain about heaven and that it is where people and animals go when they die is difficult when it comes to little ones.

Then she asked me about her sister that we lost before she was born. I said baby Mindy is in heaven and she asked why. She is on the "why" stage that little ones pass through at some point. I told her Mindy was in heaven because she was sick when she was born and God took her from this earth when she was 9 days old. She has seen pictures of Mindy and knows that is her sister. She will one day understand when she gets older.

It is a pondering question though: "Where is heaven?" We believe that it is above the clouds and that it is beautiful with golden streets and angels and perfect harmony. Even though my daughter is too young to understand at this point in her life, it does make me think more about where it is and what's it like in heaven.

As I was driving this morning, I took these picture of the sunrise. It was such a beautiful bright orange sun rise this morning. And yes I was driving and taking picture at the same time. I promise there were no cars coming or I wouldn't have been multi-tasking like that. But my point is look at these pictures. Look at the bottom picture. Do you see it? It almost resembles a cross with a light in the middle. Please note I didn't take this picture on purpose for that reason. But that's what I saw after I looked at the pics I had taken. Take a look and see if you agree with me.