"Wear Your Helmet!"

I can't tell you how many times those words have come out of my mouth.  Instead of sounding like I am barking orders, sometimes they are spoken in the form of a question such as "Shouldn't you be wearing your helmet?"  Or "Should you be riding your bike without your helmet?"  Or "What is our rule about wearing helmets?"  But no matter how many times we as parents, try, sometimes our kids still make bad choices.

As an OR nurse, I see the results of 'accidents' that people never think will happen to them, whether it is from a conscious choice making a bad decision, or truly an accident.  For that reason, I have a no tolerance policy when it comes to not wearing your helmet.  Bad things happen all the time.  And they can happen to you.

When I came home from running an errand last Saturday, my 9 year old son was riding his bike without his helmet.  So I told him he couldn't ride his bike for the rest of the day because he wasn't following our rules.  Within about 15 minutes, I heard agonizing screams coming from the driveway.  The kind of screams that can only mean someone is badly hurt.

Can you tell where this is going?

I ran out to find my helmet less and hysterical son sitting on the driveway with his pogo stick and a plastic milk crate close by.  Apparently it is great fun to pogo on the driveway, up to the milk crate, then back down to the driveway.  Boys!!!

Nothing appeared to be broken, but he couldn't answer my questions appropriately.  Things just didn't seem right with him, so off to the hospital we went.  Long story short...he suffered a skull fracture with bleeding on his brain and a severe concussion.  We spent two long and worrisome days in the hospital before they thought it was safe to let him go home.

Since he has come home, we have been dealing with headaches, and today, headaches and vomiting.  I know it is going to be a roller coaster ride of recovery, and it is too early to know if there will be any lasting effects from his concussion, but I bet it wouldn't have been so bad, or even happened at all, had he been wearing his helmet.

And that is my reason for this post.  I hope our story will make a difference to someone.  To you.  To your kids.  To your grandkids.  Please, make them wear their helmets.

Just a few weeks ago, my son's friends asked me why I had to be so over protective with the whole helmet thing.  Now they know.

K

Berry Pickin'

I surprised our kids today with a little adventure.  My daughter tried as hard as she could to get it out of me where I was taking them, but I wouldn't give in.  I told them they had to wear their 'rough around' clothes, shoes...not flip flops, a hat, sunscreen, bug spray, and take long sleeve shirts and pants.  They finally guessed it when we turned down the road that had nothing but farms on both sides.

We went to Berry Patch Farms in Brighton, CO.

The first thing M wanted to know was if there would be animals there.  This picture was taken about 30 seconds after we got out of the car...

She didn't care what kind of animal it was, just so she could pet it!

We took a short wagon ride out to the raspberry fields.  I was hoping their strawberries were in season, but they won't be ready for about two more weeks.  Since the kids will be in school, we may have to brave the crowds on a weekend to pick our strawberries.

We decided to pick black raspberries first, and took off  down a row.

Yummy sweet deliciousness!

The mosquitoes were ruthless, and we were swarmed as soon as we started down the row, even with bug spray on.  M was over the picking about half-way through the black raspberries and just wanted to sit there.

So she helped by carrying the berries.

Picking went a lot faster once we got to the red raspberries.  They were much plumper and the bushes weren't as prickly.

But M was still done.  R did a great job picking berries between trying to catch all the grasshoppers he could find.  And they were everywhere!

I didn't think of it until now, but the ratio of berries in our hands is about the same as the ratio of berries we each picked.  (Except I should have about 10 berries in mine!)  Can you tell who licked her fingers the most?

Here is our flat of yummy berries.  I'm not sure if I will make jam out of them or just eat them, but they sure are tasty!  M is smiling because she gets to pet the animals now.

There were beds and rows of flowers you could pick, too.  These were so colorful, and the sky was overcast - perfect for taking pictures without harsh shadows.

We hung out for a while looking for animals to pet.  The baby pig was in the house because she had just had surgery, so we had to settle for the chickens and roosters.  I didn't get any pictures of the ducks because they took off as soon as they were spotted and aproached.  Check out this guy's posture and see if you can't hear him...

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We had a great time and look forward to our next farm adventure.  I must call ahead to make sure the pig is out, though!

K

A Family Tradition

One of the traditions my family had when I was growing up was to eat popcorn for dinner (supper) on Sunday night.  I'm not even sure how it originated (Mom?), but in my quest to simplify our lives, I decided to continue it with my own family.

Seeing that we don't eat a lot of popcorn anyway, I was hoping the kids would embrace it.  And embrace it they did.  I was not so gently reminded last Sunday after I had already fixed pork chops for dinner that it was popcorn night, so the chops went in the fridge for another meal, and we had popcorn instead.  That's how much they love the new tradition.  Hubby wasn't so eager to embrace the new meal plan as his response was "What about the protein?"  But since he doesn't cook, and knows better than to complain about what Momma cooks, he eats his popcorn without saying a word.  :)

When I was growing up, we watched the Disney movie and/or Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, and tried our best not to watch Lawrence Welk.  We also drank pop with our popcorn.  Well, we have traded the soda (I refuse to buy it and rarely let the kids drink it) for water or milk, and keep the tube turned off in favor of playing games.  That is the most fun part.

Even though it is a very simple change, and may not appear to make a difference in our hectic lives, it is obvious that our kids look forward to knowing what we are eating and doing at least one night out of the week.

And that makes me happy.

What family traditions have you passed on from your childhood to your own family?

K

By the way, our popcorn is popped in butter and bacon grease (yes, you read that right!) just like when I was growing up.  Sounds kinda gross, but don't knock it until you try it.  It's way better than that microwave crud!

Ten Years!

My husband and I just celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary.  He surprised me (kind of) with a weekend getaway sans kids to San Francisco.  We had talked about going, but it didn't come through until the day before we were to leave.  Talk about frantic packing!!

We had a wonderful time and really enjoyed the cooler weather.  (It was in the 60's)  I will post some pictures as soon as I get them downloaded from my hubby's camera.  I decided to leave my (heavy) Nikon at home, and I'll share a funny story about the lesson I learned from doing that.

For now, here is the card I made for him.

Do you recognize this layout?  I have been using it a lot.  I think it's time for me to break its mold and come up with something else.

Supplies used:
Stamps - love it, small script
Paper - GKD PL white
Ink - riding hood red
Accessories - dimensionals, ribbon, half pearls, SAMJ

You won't believe the first thing that came out of his mouth when he opened the card.  He said, "Hmm, clean and simple."

I think I'll keep him for at least 10 more years!

K

Our Family Just Got Bigger

We have been pet free for almost a year now after losing both our doggies in the past two years.  My son is allergic to dogs (as am I), so we have been thinking about getting a kitten for a few months.  I have never owned a cat, and everyone I talk to says cats are so easy...much easier than dogs.  Well, if you've never owned a cat, it doesn't seem so easy.  Especially after owning dogs.  You can't even compare the two.

I checked out some books from the library, and have been reading up on becoming a cat owner.  Even then, I had a ton of questions.  For instance, what kind of litter do I buy?  Remember my rant about toothpaste?  Cat litter is worse!  You can buy for single or multiple cats, clumping or not, immediate odor eliminator or continuous odor eliminator (why wouldn't you want both?), with baking soda or without, 100% recycled paper with or without odor eliminator...and the list goes on!  So I did what I had to do and bought the cheapest one I could find.  I hope they use it.  (oops!  Did I just say "they"?)

Then you need to get a litter box to put the litter in.  Have you ever shopped for a litter box?  Once again you (or at least I)  have too many choices.  There is everything from a plain Rubbermaid box for $9.99, to the Taj Mahal...a covered box with a built in replaceable odor eliminating filter.  I didn't even look at the price on that one.  I didn't even want to know.  So just how bad does this cat poo smell?  Do I need the odor eliminating litter and the odor eliminating filter?  I guess I'll find out.  I didn't buy a litter box; I am using a plastic basin I get for free from the operating room until I can decide on the perfect kitty throne.

I'm not even going to go there with the food.  I just grabbed a bag of name brand kitten food.  They'll eat if they're hungry, right?

So, are you ready to meet the kritters?

This is Moonshine.  I think.  We haven't decided on names yet.  Moonbeam?  What do you think we should call her?

Here she is on her new kitty bed.  The bed wasn't such a hard choice.  The kids picked it out!

And this is...          .   We have no clue what to call her.  Crumb Cake? Is that an appropriate name for a cat, or is it better suited to cardstock?  Our neighbor suggested Whiskey, but I wasn't going for the alcohol theme with Moonshine.  I was thinking about the earth's moon that is grey and white.  Can you think of a good name for her?

She is a real sweetie, and probably the more mellow of the two.  I fell in love with her face when I saw her on the adoption web site, and knew that she would be mine.

After we brought them home, we put them in a safe room so they could adjust to their new environment.  We left and went to the pep rally for the swim team up at the pool, and when we got back, this is what they were doing...

What cats do best.  Sleeping.  I loved how they were both cuddled up with each other in the same bed even though we got two beds and had them both in the room.  They are going to be so much fun, and will get more love than they know what to do with.

If you can think of any names for them, we will consider any and all suggestions, and I'll let you know what our final decisions are.  Any tips about owning cats are welcomed, too.  (They will be strictly indoor cats since the foxes live too close for comfort.)

Thanks!

K

A Battle Not Worth Fighting

If you know me at all, or even if you don't, you may have guessed that I am a control freak.  There.  I said it.  I.  Am.  A.  Control.  Freak.  I will be the first to admit it, because I have to deal with myself every day.  I am working on it, and I'm trying to give things up that just don't matter to anyone else but me.

Take shoes, for instance.  I have given up my control of shoe shopping for the kids, and let my husband handle it.  The kids love shoe shopping with him because they get whatever they want.  They know there is no way I would let them come home with some of their selections.  They come home with shoes 3 sizes too big, or one size too small, but I have to remind myself that I gave up that control.

There have been several occasions where I would have persuaded my daughter to choose a different syle of shoe.  She is 99.99% tomboy, but when it comes to shoes, she picks the gaudiest girly shoes she can find.  I don't understand her thought process.  But it works for her.

These are the shoes she came home with yesterday...

Vinyl high tops?  For summer?  What was she thinking?  What was my husband thinking?  These shoes never would have made it out of their box if I had been there.

Don't they look like clown shoes?  Especially since they are about 3 sizes too big.  Her toes barely make it past the bottom of the tongue.

But she likes them and thinks they are the coolest shoes she has ever owned.

And that's all that matters.

K

First Grade Research Project

My son came home a couple weeks ago with a letter explaining the research project his first grade class would be doing.  I'm not sure about you, but I don't remember doing a research project until I was in high school.  It definitely wasn't in elementary school!  I was shocked at the assignment, but thought it would be a great teaching opportunity.  Learning how to do a research project would be a valuable experience.  I was ready, and I wasn't about to let him procrastinate so we would be up late the night before it was due trying to get it done!  (I speak from experience with my own past projects.)  Ha!

For the last several weeks, his class has been learning about all the different kinds of animals, and each child would be doing their project on a specific animal.  The family of animals Ross drew out of the jar was amphibians, and he chose to do his project on frogs.

So off to the library we went in search of amphibian and frog books.  We left armed with a bag full of books on amphibians and frogs.  There was a lot of information to be learned in all those books.

As part of their project, they were to do their own research.  Try explaining that to a first grader who doesn't like to read.  Then try every day for a week to get him to do it.  After all, he had about 100 books he could look at!  He finally completed the first part of the project, a word web, and turned it in on time.  Woohoo!

Another part of the project was to make something - a detailed poster, a mobile, a clay figure, a video presentation, a powerpoint presentation,  a WHAT?!  A powerpoint presentation?  In first grade?  I am not kidding you, that was listed as one of the options.  I am a college graduate, and I don't know the first thing about powerpoint, except that it looks pretty cool to watch.  How on earth would I be able to help him with that?  It's a good thing his dad knows about that kind of stuff.  But that is beside the point.  The point is, he had to make something, and I tried for a week to encourage him to come up with some ideas.  I shared a few of my own ideas, but I really wanted this to be his project, so I tried to keep them to a minimum.  In the end, I probably had more of the ideas than he did, but he picked the ones he liked, and he did (almost) all of the work.  I did the hot glueing and the typing on the computer.  (After watching him hen peck the first sentence, I realized we wouldn't get done for a month, so I took over.)

So here we were, the day before the project was due, and he hadn't even started it.  Didn't I say I wasn't going to let that happen?  Yeah, right.  At least he knew exactly what he was going to do.  We had been talking about it all week, and had come up with some pretty good ideas.  We set to work, and this is what he came up with.

They will be graded partly on their creativity and details on the final project.  I think he did a great job in that area.

Notice the smaller male frog "croaking" to attract the larger female frog.  The googly eyes were all Ross' doing.  I thought that was really creative.  All of the descriptions are in Ross' own words.  I helped a little with the fluency, but he came up with everything else.

Recognize any of those stamps?  Ross loves to stamp with me, so using them on his project was a no-brainer.

We pulled grass from the yard, and Ross gathered up some dried leaves and twigs to add a little dimension to his poster.

The baggie at the bottom is mud and leaves at the bottom of the pond.  Thank goodness for the cheapie plastic frogs from the treasure box at piano lessons.  They worked perfect for his project.

We ended up finishing about an hour past his bed time.  Not bad given that I said I wasn't going to do that.  I remember telling him at one point that I was NEVER going to help him with a project the night before it was due EVER AGAIN!  He needed to learn to make better use of his time!

After he was all tucked in bed, I thought I'd better check the letter to see if he had met all the requirements for the project.  He had, but I was shocked when I read that the project wasn't due for another week.  How did I not catch that before?  That meant that I was going to have to eat the mean words I had said to him about not helping him the night before it was due.

The next morning, my bad news/good news was responded to with cheers and high fives.  I don't think he was upset at all.  He was just happy that I wouldn't be nagging him every day for the next week.

K

Dear Mom,

Since the beginning of our P90X journey, the meals in our house have been a little...different; more healthy, less processed, not out of a box, and not ready in 5 minutes.  This has caused my children much stress.  They are for the most part good eaters.  Vegetables are usually the first to disappear from their plates, followed by the fruit, then the meat.  And I can't complain about that.  Except that the "meat" is mostly in the form of a hot dog, corn dog, chicken nugget, or macaroni and cheese.  (What am I doing to their poor young bodies?)  It's no wonder they eat their fruits and vegetables first!

Before P90X, whenever I fixed chicken I would hear every complaint as to why it couldn't be eaten.  "It's burned" (grill marks), "it's too spicy", "it just doesn't taste good", yadda, yadda, yadda!  With P90X, we have chicken 2-3 times a week for dinner, and fish 2-3 times each week as well.  My son is allergic to fish and my daughter conveniently doesn't like it, so on fish nights, the kids get to have their overly-processed "meat".  You can imagine the increase of complaints we have had to endure with the new and healthier meals I have been preparing.  I have always taught my children not to complain about the food that is put before them; they should be thankful that they have good food to eat and it isn't nice to make the cook feel bad.  But things were starting to get out of control.  It was time for a new rule.

The new rule was that if you complained about what was for dinner that night, the food that was left on your plate went away, and you didn't get anything else to eat until breakfast the next day.  That may seem harsh to some, but my kids aren't going to starve overnight, and hopefully they will be hungry enough that it will teach them a lesson.  Both kids were reminded several times of the new rule as soon as they started their protest.

Then there were no more warnings.

My son was first to break the rule.  We were having chicken, and the whining commenced.  His plate was taken away...he had only eaten a few vegetables if anything, and he had to go the rest of the night without anything else to eat.  He was very upset and crying, but he was reminded that he had made his own choice.  What made it especially difficult for him was that his piano lesson was that night, and they always get treats during their lesson.  He knew he wouldn't be allowed to eat any of them.

Before we left for his piano lesson, he handed me this note...

Poor thing!  He thinks I cook food he doesn't like on purpose!  Well, we had a little talk that night, and guess what?  I haven't heard a complaint about what the chef cooked for dinner for 2 weeks!

Gotta love those rules!

K

 

The Middle of January

The neighbor boys came up to play with our kids over the weekend. My husband called me in to the kitchen to take a peek at them, and this is what I saw. Yes, the boys have their shirts off, (I am really surprised my daughter didn't take hers off too), there is snow on the ground, and it is the middle of January! Granted, it was about 50 degrees outside.

Warm enough to go shirtless if you're a kid!