"Mom, you're not listening...How raising a smart child can sometimes karate chop your pride!

I had had enough. Pocahontas, teething ferociously for the last 4 weeks (4 teeth in 4 weeks is torture for baby and mama!) was refusing to sleep well, cranky and super needy. My breasts we sore from her biting and incessant nursing and my mind was sore from lack of down-time. Enter Mowgli with his boisterous personality (to mention one of his wonderful characteristics that turned horribly annoying to me that day.) "Mom can I..." FILL IN THE BLANK- I can't even remember what he wanted to do or have at this point. "No, it's not time for that now. Now it's time to read or play quietly in your room- your sister is sleeping (finally, grrr) "But why can't I?" "Because we all need a rest now" "But what is I do it this way...." "No, Mowgli" "But how about like this?" "No, Mowgli" "Ok, so how about this idea?"

The boy was coming up with idea after idea, argument after argument- anything that might mean not doing what I had asked him to do. "Ok, that's it- no more arguing"

"Mom, I-"

"I said NO MORE ARGUING, no more NEGOTIATING!!"

So here's where my 5 year old turns into parenting counselor...

Being my mom would be so easy if you just followed my directionsKarate Chop to my Pride!"Mom, Mom, wait, you didn't even let me finish. I wasn't about to start 'gotiating again! You should have let me finish. If you would have let me finish I was gonna say "Mom, I won't argue any more. I'll have quiet time. But you didn't listen. You shouldn't interrupt. Do you want to know what you were supposed to do? (I don't remember whether he continued without waiting for my answer or if I simply nodded dejectedly)

"You were supposed to let me finish, and then, if what I said was 'gotiating, and since you just told me no more 'gotiating, then you could have just put me in time out or spanked my bottom- I rather time out" (Yes, we have chosen to spank bottoms occasionally in our house- I'm happy to talk with anyone about this decision.) "But since I wasn't going to 'gotiate, you wouldn't have to do those things, but if I did then, I would just be in trouble- that's it! You really should listen first though."

I think I must have staggered away in a daze...

Ok, so what response was I to give to THAT? "Uh, Sir yes sir, I'm sorry sir, It won't happen again SIR!"

I do try very diligently to raise a thinker, a problem solver and a good communicator. Sometimes, it comes back to bite me in the butt- like when my fiver year old is giving me parenting tips, and they are pretty much right on! Sheesh!

I need help weaning!

I have nursed two babies, so you'd think I know what I'm doing right now. But as it turns out- I'm clueless. With Mowgli, I had a raging infection and had to stop cold turkey at around 9 months, so there was no weaning at all. He was already taking the bottle well and the 2 day transition was easy as pie.

This time it's different. So, Pocahontas is 11 months old and starting to wean. She doesn't really take a bottle- she mostly plays with sippy cups (drinking bits here and there) and mainly loves water from a normal cup witha  straw. I am still her main source of fluids. But things are changing. Some days she nurses 4 times a day, sometimes twice a day, other days she wants to nurse 5-6 times a day. She's also getting tooth upon tooth right now and is biting, biting, BITING! Ouch! I am struggling with my milk supply being painfully in flux, soreness from her teeth, the heartache of knowing our special close time is almost over, and elation at knowing that a little more freedom is just around the corner. I would love some tips about how to do this well. Moms out there- help! What do you think? Send me your tips.

What the Diaper Family is reading...

I've gotten some requests from others moms as to what we read in our home. Mowgli is a very imaginative fellow, as you've no doubt learned by now, and it can be tricky to keep his interest sometimes. One day he's totally into reptiles; the next robots, you get the idea. So, books are a big, big part of life for us. We read the bible with him every night, he reads books on his own (though he can't actually read yet- but he enjoys the pictures and remembers the words on some pages almost perfectly) during quiet time, we read together at the library (we visit weekly on Fridays) and at home.

Another favorite of his (and mine) are audio books. This can be an excellent alternative to watching TV and also can help with the development of the imagination and increase the attention span. I will often sit down in my office to do some work, and set up a book on cd for Mowgli to listen and 'work' (this can be in the form of coloring, cutting paper, drawing, painting, working with clay- anything that requires sitting at a desk) along side me. The result? Mowgli is enjoying a great story and I ususally  buy myself at least 30 minutes to an hour of fairly peaceful time (that is if Pocahontas is asleep or otherwise entertained).

So- take a look at the ticker on the left side of the website for a lists of books that we are currently reading (I've included children's and adult books)

Enjoy this video of Mowgli reading to Pocahontas back when she was just a few months old.

Confessions of a 'naturalista'

Ok, so I'm all about cloth diapers (except when we travel- then we use g-diapers or disposables), I buy my beef from a local farm (we buy 1/4 to 1/2 cow at a time! But we still get cheese steaks from our local corner deli) We drink raw milk (sometimes- it's expensive) and I make my own baby food (except when someone gives me their leftover 50 jars of Gerber!) I use vinegar to clean my fridge and baking soda on  the drain (but Windex for the stainless appliances.) We drive a fuel efficient car (but I forget to turn the lights off all the time - much to Jake's dismay.)

You don't have to look very hard into my life to find inconsistencies all over the place. I'll admit it, I am neither perfect nor a purist about much. What works one day may not work another. Sometimes, what's on sale rules, other times, we sacrifice to make the wiser purchase. This 'flip-flopping' shows up in other areas of life too, not just what we buy or what we eat, but how we spend our time and how we run our home as well. In this highly politicized world where 'flip-floppers' are doomed to public ridicule, it feels Moms have to bend in all sorts of directions!good to confess! Granted, some of these flip flops are things I want to work on, places where I want to see growth and change in my life... others, are just a result of living a life so full that somethings spill over the edges and somethings can't always be the same.  Actually I prefer to think of myself as flexible (sounds more flattering doesn't it?) Life is dynamic and sometimes requires the flexibility of a Cirque du Soleil contortionist. We try to find what works, make the best choices that we can, and use what we have to the best of our ability. So, I'm ok with our inconsistencies... to me they just mean that 'my plan' doesn't rule my life.  Besides, the weather's getting really nice... definitely flip flop season!

Where do you flex, or flip flop?

About Us: The kind of kids you can't take to...

Fancy restaurants, the last minute workplace meeting scheduled on your "supposed" day off, uptight relatives' homes, etc.

Actually, I have brought my kids to 'those types of places' and endured the looks, sighs and 'polite' suggestions.

Loud, inquisitive, rambunctious, energetic, argumentative, strong-willed. Yes, I have those types of kids. And most days, I'm pretty glad about (albeit wiped out by) this reality.

3 feet in the air- as usualMy son, 5, (we'll call him 'Mowgli', since he has gorgeous shiny dark hair, and sometimes people think he was raised by wolves) struggles to not ask you about that weird mole on your face, jumps from the top step in our 10ft celing Colonial Revival, and uses words like Sarcophagus over dinner. Yes, I linked it; no need to be shown up by a 5 year old.  

 My daughter (we'll call her 'Pocahontas' since she's a free spirit), is decidedly a complete and utter people person; she wants no part of alone time or being put down for a nap (we do it anyway!). She never took a pacifier, blankie or any other type of outside comforter. She wants only to be with someone, in their arms, playing chase and jumping together. She will scream to high heaven if she isn't kindly invited to join you when you use the toilet.

So yes- I have those kind of kids, and probably, so do many of you. Good news! Those kind of kids, grow into those kind of adults- brilliant, daring, courageous, ambitious, caring and bold. But it takes lots of patience to see them as more than 'a handfull' sometimes. I have made it a goal to encourage moms and look for encouragement wherever it may be. So, in the grocery store, when a mom is struggling to parent well the child who is throwing a tantrum, I look at her. I'm sure you've been looked at before in the grocery store when your child is throwing a tantrum. You get the kind of looks meant to embarrass you. The kind of looks that make you want to give in to the tantrum just to make the scene stop. No, that's not the kind of look I give- I give the 'yep, mine did that yesterday' look; the 'hold firm mommy!' look.  I love when other moms look at me that way too!

What kind of kid do you have? How do  you struggle to parent well? How do other moms make it harder or easier for you? Let us know!