Hot chocolate playdate in the park!
Which is really just mommy code for wanting BOGO coffee and conversations with someone over the age of 7... but why get technical? :-)
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Friday, September 7, 2012
Letter To My Teenage Daughters
My beautiful niece Shaina started high school this week. That doesn't even seem possible. She should still be that dark-eyed, adorable little girl in pigtails who called me Aunt Missa. This new milestone has made me reflect a lot about my own little girls. Granted I still have a few years before I have to embark on that scary-for-mom-and-dad journey, but I started thinking about the kind of relationship I hope to have with them then. The kind of mother I hope to be. The things I'd like to say to them. And so I wrote, and wrote. I don't know, maybe it's good for me to get this all down now. Maybe I have more clarity while they're still 5 and 7. And now that I've got it all out, I fully intend on squeezing every last second out of the next 6 years, you know, while hanging out with Mom is still kinda cool.
1. There will be times when you don't like me very much. Let's just get that out in the open. I hope with all my heart that we will always be close. I hope we spend weekends shopping and baking cookies and staying up late talking about boys and broken hearts. I hope I'm your best friend, even if you'd never admit it out loud. I'm sure you'll be my best friend too. But I will always, always be your mother first. Sometimes, you'll think I'm unfair. You'll probably tell me I ruined your life. At some point, I will undoubtedly embarrass you... probably more than once. I can't promise to always get it right, but I will always have the best of intentions. And believe me, you're much better off having a mom who tells you no out of love, than a mom who says yes because she doesn't care.
2. Be respectful. Including but not limited to: your parents, your teachers, your elders, your siblings, your friends. Respect will take you a long way in life. If you give it, you will get it back in return. But most importantly, respect YOU. You will make better decisions for yourself and your body if you do.
3. You are beautiful. You are enough. Never let anyone convince you otherwise. If someone puts you down, it is a problem with them, not you. And remember, beauty starts within. The prettiest girl in the world won't be appealing to anyone if she has an ugly heart. Be real. Be you. Too much makeup and skimpy clothes just takes away from your awesomeness. Oh, and those women on the magazines? They don't look like that in real life.
4 . Pick your friends wisely. Surround yourself with people who lift you higher. People who support you, care about your feelings, who make you feel good about you. If they say bad things behind your back, cancel plans when something better comes up, or fill your friendship with drama... just move on. It might be hard, but your life will be so much better without them.
5. Don't spend your life comparing your "behind-the-scenes" to everyone else's highlight reel. Okay, I didn't come up with that quote, but it's pretty awesome. There will always be people who seems like they have it better - girls you think are prettier, or thinner, or tanner, friends with more money and trendier clothes, and parents with fancier jobs. But everyone has struggles. Everyone has things they would change. And the crazy part is... all the while you are wishing for someone else's life, someone in the world is wishing they were you.
6. Anytime a guy starts a sentence with "but if you love me you'll..." - RUN. He doesn't love you. And doing something you're not ready for won't change that. When the day comes when you have to make that decision, I pray with all my heart that you will come to me first. It can wait long enough for us to have a conversation. I can't promise to tell you what you want to hear, but I do promise to listen. And if you trust me enough to confide in me, I will trust you enough to make the right decision. Just remember that there are some things in life that you can't get back once it's given away. And regardless of what your peers might say, that makes it a very big deal.
7. Whatever your passion, follow it with all your heart. Whether it's sports, or gymnastics, or music or art. Invest the time to get better and grow. I will support you. Having a talent is too great a gift to waste.
8. Nothing good comes from drugs. Ever. They are illegal for a reason. Not only do they mess with your brain, they are highly addictive, and far from glamorous. So just don't do it... not even once. I'm not naive enough to think you'll never have a sip of alcohol, but I hope you'll make good choices when you do. And I will always, always be less angry from a 2am phone call to come get you from a party you snuck out to than a police officer at my front door.
9. High school ends. I know it can seem like there isn't a world outside those walls, but there is... a big one. One that doesn't care who gets voted Prom Queen, or which clique you hung out with, or who stole who's boyfriend. I'm not saying your problems aren't real or important, but some day they'll seem a lot smaller. Some day you'll have a mortgage and responsibilities and tiny humans who depend on you. Some day you'll call me after a late night rocking your fussy newborn or watching hell's fury spout out of your usually-sweet toddler in the middle of the grocery store. You'll look me at differently then, just like I did with my own mom. But please, let that day be far, far away. In the meantime, keep perspective and take advantage of being young. Oh, and don't be a mean girl. Mean girls suck.
10. Dream big, have fun, believe in yourself, believe in others, love hard, pray often, be kind, enjoy the journey. And no matter how many times you hear it, these are not the best days of your life. Not even close. The best is yet to come, and I can't wait to watch it happen.
Love, Mom
1. There will be times when you don't like me very much. Let's just get that out in the open. I hope with all my heart that we will always be close. I hope we spend weekends shopping and baking cookies and staying up late talking about boys and broken hearts. I hope I'm your best friend, even if you'd never admit it out loud. I'm sure you'll be my best friend too. But I will always, always be your mother first. Sometimes, you'll think I'm unfair. You'll probably tell me I ruined your life. At some point, I will undoubtedly embarrass you... probably more than once. I can't promise to always get it right, but I will always have the best of intentions. And believe me, you're much better off having a mom who tells you no out of love, than a mom who says yes because she doesn't care.
2. Be respectful. Including but not limited to: your parents, your teachers, your elders, your siblings, your friends. Respect will take you a long way in life. If you give it, you will get it back in return. But most importantly, respect YOU. You will make better decisions for yourself and your body if you do.
3. You are beautiful. You are enough. Never let anyone convince you otherwise. If someone puts you down, it is a problem with them, not you. And remember, beauty starts within. The prettiest girl in the world won't be appealing to anyone if she has an ugly heart. Be real. Be you. Too much makeup and skimpy clothes just takes away from your awesomeness. Oh, and those women on the magazines? They don't look like that in real life.
4 . Pick your friends wisely. Surround yourself with people who lift you higher. People who support you, care about your feelings, who make you feel good about you. If they say bad things behind your back, cancel plans when something better comes up, or fill your friendship with drama... just move on. It might be hard, but your life will be so much better without them.
5. Don't spend your life comparing your "behind-the-scenes" to everyone else's highlight reel. Okay, I didn't come up with that quote, but it's pretty awesome. There will always be people who seems like they have it better - girls you think are prettier, or thinner, or tanner, friends with more money and trendier clothes, and parents with fancier jobs. But everyone has struggles. Everyone has things they would change. And the crazy part is... all the while you are wishing for someone else's life, someone in the world is wishing they were you.
6. Anytime a guy starts a sentence with "but if you love me you'll..." - RUN. He doesn't love you. And doing something you're not ready for won't change that. When the day comes when you have to make that decision, I pray with all my heart that you will come to me first. It can wait long enough for us to have a conversation. I can't promise to tell you what you want to hear, but I do promise to listen. And if you trust me enough to confide in me, I will trust you enough to make the right decision. Just remember that there are some things in life that you can't get back once it's given away. And regardless of what your peers might say, that makes it a very big deal.
7. Whatever your passion, follow it with all your heart. Whether it's sports, or gymnastics, or music or art. Invest the time to get better and grow. I will support you. Having a talent is too great a gift to waste.
8. Nothing good comes from drugs. Ever. They are illegal for a reason. Not only do they mess with your brain, they are highly addictive, and far from glamorous. So just don't do it... not even once. I'm not naive enough to think you'll never have a sip of alcohol, but I hope you'll make good choices when you do. And I will always, always be less angry from a 2am phone call to come get you from a party you snuck out to than a police officer at my front door.
9. High school ends. I know it can seem like there isn't a world outside those walls, but there is... a big one. One that doesn't care who gets voted Prom Queen, or which clique you hung out with, or who stole who's boyfriend. I'm not saying your problems aren't real or important, but some day they'll seem a lot smaller. Some day you'll have a mortgage and responsibilities and tiny humans who depend on you. Some day you'll call me after a late night rocking your fussy newborn or watching hell's fury spout out of your usually-sweet toddler in the middle of the grocery store. You'll look me at differently then, just like I did with my own mom. But please, let that day be far, far away. In the meantime, keep perspective and take advantage of being young. Oh, and don't be a mean girl. Mean girls suck.
10. Dream big, have fun, believe in yourself, believe in others, love hard, pray often, be kind, enjoy the journey. And no matter how many times you hear it, these are not the best days of your life. Not even close. The best is yet to come, and I can't wait to watch it happen.
Love, Mom
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
First Day of School
It was a big day in the McCulloch household. The girls woke up to waffles and strawberries for breakfast and couldn't wait to get ready for their first day of school!
Kaylee was up first. She looked like such a big girl with her straight hair and pretty dress! She only has a few of the same kids in her class from last year, but was excited to see her friend Abbie who lives down the street. (They put their desks right next to each other - so cute!)
After the littles and I walked Kaylee to her classroom, Jadyn seemed really sad. At first I thought it was just because she was missing her big sister, but once we got to the car, I realized she didn't want to have to wait until the afternoon to start Kindergarten!
She was literally counting the minutes once we got home. She and Tyler tried to keep themselves entertained in the meantime. (Lots and lots of swinging on the front porch swing and playing the "is it time to go yet?" game.... over and over and over.) That's Mommy's favorite.
I gave Jadyn the option of having the boys come with us or taking them to co-op. She decided she wanted me all to herself so we went just the two of us. With all my delaying, we still got there 20 minutes early so we went to the playground to kill some time. She was soo excited to see her big sister running around in the field with her friends! It didn't take long for her to notice the monkey bars though... I don't know where it came from but two minutes in she was flipping around that thing and doing split handstands (I'm sure there's a technical name but that's what she calls it haha) on the high bar. Why do I have a feeling I'll be getting a phone call from the school one day about my daughter with a broken arm?? Oi. That one.
As soon as it was time to line up against the wall by her classroom, Jadyn was introducing herself to her new classmates and quickly making friends. "Hi, I'm Jadyn. And this is my new friend ____. Do you like my pretty necklace??" Yes, I think our little social butterfly is going to be just fine in Kindergarten!
Since there's no more mid-afternoon busing, I didn't get a shot of her getting on the bus for the first time. I wanted to sneak back to school and make sure she got on okay to go home, but with all the construction by the school was worried that I wouldn't make it back in time to walk with Josh and the boys to the bus stop. And then I felt really bad when they told me that she was in tears because the Kindergarteners loaded before the big kids and she was scared about her big sissy not being there! The next day I made sure to be there, and go figure she was all smiles and shooing me away! :-)
One of my favorite parts of the day? When Grandma Lauri called to ask the girls about their favorite part of the first day. Kaylee's response? "Seeing my little sister at recess!" Cue heart melting into one slushy puddle.... love these sweet girls so much!
Kaylee was up first. She looked like such a big girl with her straight hair and pretty dress! She only has a few of the same kids in her class from last year, but was excited to see her friend Abbie who lives down the street. (They put their desks right next to each other - so cute!)
After the littles and I walked Kaylee to her classroom, Jadyn seemed really sad. At first I thought it was just because she was missing her big sister, but once we got to the car, I realized she didn't want to have to wait until the afternoon to start Kindergarten!
She was literally counting the minutes once we got home. She and Tyler tried to keep themselves entertained in the meantime. (Lots and lots of swinging on the front porch swing and playing the "is it time to go yet?" game.... over and over and over.) That's Mommy's favorite.
I gave Jadyn the option of having the boys come with us or taking them to co-op. She decided she wanted me all to herself so we went just the two of us. With all my delaying, we still got there 20 minutes early so we went to the playground to kill some time. She was soo excited to see her big sister running around in the field with her friends! It didn't take long for her to notice the monkey bars though... I don't know where it came from but two minutes in she was flipping around that thing and doing split handstands (I'm sure there's a technical name but that's what she calls it haha) on the high bar. Why do I have a feeling I'll be getting a phone call from the school one day about my daughter with a broken arm?? Oi. That one.
As soon as it was time to line up against the wall by her classroom, Jadyn was introducing herself to her new classmates and quickly making friends. "Hi, I'm Jadyn. And this is my new friend ____. Do you like my pretty necklace??" Yes, I think our little social butterfly is going to be just fine in Kindergarten!
Since there's no more mid-afternoon busing, I didn't get a shot of her getting on the bus for the first time. I wanted to sneak back to school and make sure she got on okay to go home, but with all the construction by the school was worried that I wouldn't make it back in time to walk with Josh and the boys to the bus stop. And then I felt really bad when they told me that she was in tears because the Kindergarteners loaded before the big kids and she was scared about her big sissy not being there! The next day I made sure to be there, and go figure she was all smiles and shooing me away! :-)
One of my favorite parts of the day? When Grandma Lauri called to ask the girls about their favorite part of the first day. Kaylee's response? "Seeing my little sister at recess!" Cue heart melting into one slushy puddle.... love these sweet girls so much!
Monday, August 27, 2012
A Final Craft Day and Open House
Over the last month, our little group of friends has been getting together for a craft day every Monday. It has been a fun way to keep the kiddos occupied and get them geared up for a new school year.
First it was painting "hot rocks" to use with chalkboard tic tac toe boards at Jensa's:
Next up was watercolor jellyfish at my house:
"Find it" bottles at Jaimie's:
And we wrapped up our little craft sessions today with polymer clay animals at Shannon's:
Then it was off to the girls' school for Meet N Greet. Josh goes to Twin Falls for work on Mondays and there was no babysitting co-op, so I toted my whole little crew along for the festivities. (4 kids under the age of 8 + 1 mom + 1 cadillac sized sit n stand stroller + entire student body/parents swarming the hallways? Yes, it was just as fun as you are picturing it!) Oh, and Tyler may or may not have flipped the power switch on Kaylee's teacher's surge protector which turned off her computer and overhead projector (with instructions for the parents) while I was filling out her paperwork. Oh yes, I was that mom. Luckily the room had almost cleared out by that time and her teacher was super sweet about it!
Both girls couldn't wait to meet their teachers and see their cubbies. Kaylee was especially excited to have her own desk for the first time! (Post edit: when I came in for her 2nd grade parent meeting I was very impressed to see her desk so tidy... notebooks piled neatly by size, pencils lined up in her school box, and everything secured in their boxes. It's quite possible this little girl inherited a few of her Mama's OCD tendencies. Not quite sure how I feel about that! haha)
First it was painting "hot rocks" to use with chalkboard tic tac toe boards at Jensa's:
(Ty decided he would rather read books and play with cars. :-))
Next up was watercolor jellyfish at my house:
"Find it" bottles at Jaimie's:
And we wrapped up our little craft sessions today with polymer clay animals at Shannon's:
Then it was off to the girls' school for Meet N Greet. Josh goes to Twin Falls for work on Mondays and there was no babysitting co-op, so I toted my whole little crew along for the festivities. (4 kids under the age of 8 + 1 mom + 1 cadillac sized sit n stand stroller + entire student body/parents swarming the hallways? Yes, it was just as fun as you are picturing it!) Oh, and Tyler may or may not have flipped the power switch on Kaylee's teacher's surge protector which turned off her computer and overhead projector (with instructions for the parents) while I was filling out her paperwork. Oh yes, I was that mom. Luckily the room had almost cleared out by that time and her teacher was super sweet about it!
Both girls couldn't wait to meet their teachers and see their cubbies. Kaylee was especially excited to have her own desk for the first time! (Post edit: when I came in for her 2nd grade parent meeting I was very impressed to see her desk so tidy... notebooks piled neatly by size, pencils lined up in her school box, and everything secured in their boxes. It's quite possible this little girl inherited a few of her Mama's OCD tendencies. Not quite sure how I feel about that! haha)
We finished off the night with a special celebration dinner complete with sparkling cider (they got to each make a special toast about what they were most excited about) and then made some back-to-school no bake cookies. I've been using a microwave recipe lately which means the girls can practically make it themselves. We got them all tucked into their beds but they had the hardest time falling asleep... they were just too excited for tomorrow to come!
P.S. While we were in Kaylee's classroom, we overheard her teacher and another mom from her class last year talking about how great a group of students they were and then her new teacher said, "And can you believe those parties? I would always sneak out and peek through the door window because I heard other teachers and parents talking about how awesome they were! That room mom was amazing." As soon as she heard that, Kaylee stood up from what she was doing and with the biggest, prideful grin shouted, "That's MY mom Mrs. Katsumoto!" Haha... oh yes, my daughter still thinks I'm cool.
For now anyway. :-)
Friday, July 13, 2012
It's a little before 7am. The summer sun is peeking in through our bedroom blinds and reflecting off the little blond strands on Baby Dallas' almost bald head. I'm still a little sleepy from my 1am bedtime and waking up every 2 hours for his nightly feedings, but this might just be my favorite time of day. As I watch my sweet boy lying next to me, freshly diapered and full-tummied, I can't help but be smitten by his content, dimply little smile. Those bright gray-brown eyes staring up at me like I'm the best thing in the world. 
I talk to him for a few minutes and he coos back, grinning every time he sees me smiling back at him. After a while, his little voice become softer and his coos longer, a sure sign that he is getting sleepy. With one arm, he reaches out until he can wrap his tiny hand around my finger, the other hand tugging at his ear. I pull him in close to me and laugh when I realize his toes now reach halfway down my thigh. (He sure didn't want to stay a newborn very long!)
Only a couple more minutes and my handsome little baby is fast asleep in my arms. And as I lay there watching his little tummy move up and down and the soft smiles that keep dancing across his face, I can't help to think back to a year ago. It was about this time when I found out I was pregnant. Just a week before that we were driving back from Jacksonhole with Josh's parents and we somehow got on the subject of having more babies. We both said that we were pretty sure that we were done - how we'd love to have more but that it was just to complicated (and expensive!) to have another. But I also told them I was worried that I would always wonder if we were supposed to have one more. If I would spend the rest of my life thinking about this other little person I was supposed to bring into the world. I didn't know it at the time, but I was already pregnant.
I can still remember the little feeling of panic that came over me when we learned the news. My mind tends to do more leading than my heart, and it took me a couple days to stop myself from analyzing the logistics. All of a sudden there was this sense of peace surrounding me. And today, as I snuggled up to our sweet little miracle, I felt that same peace. My heart is so, so full of love for this baby boy... and grateful for a plan that is so much bigger than I could ever dream.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Summer Chores Rewards
I love summer. I love the hot days and warm nights, sunkissed shoulders, playing in the water, park play dates, ice cream on the patio, eating fresh fruit and salad from the garden, pajama mornings, and most of all... having oodles of quality time with my sweet kiddos. But for some reason, summer also seems to bring out the messy... toys scattered from this room to the next, outfit changes sprawled out on the floor, empty fruit bowls on the table... you know the scene, right? I refer to it as the "kid tornado" and it was driving this OCD Mama a little crazy! Time for an intervention.
I feel like I should clarify here. I'm a firm believer that kids need to be kids. We have a rule in our house to play with one thing at a time and put it away before getting out something new. Honestly this rule tends to go slightly unenforced because I don't like hindering their little imaginations. Sometimes My Little Ponies just have to go on a picnic with Strawberry Shortcake atop the train table with dishes from the play kitchen... all while wearing Snow White dresses. And sometimes imagination means pulling off the couch cushions and unfolding their baby blankets to create special forts in the family room.
But, I also believe kids should have responsibilities. They need to learn the importance of taking care of their things and keeping a tidy home. At this age, kids actually seem to enjoy doing chores... and they're capable of much more than we think!
I've tried a few different reward systems in the past. Marble jars, sticker charts, chore sticks... all worked fairly well, but let's face it, kids get bored easily! A couple months ago I spied some chore punch cards on Pinterest and decided to make my own for the girls to decorate. They worked great and the girls really liked them, but I wanted to have their rewards more readily available (rather than having to make a dollar store run every time they filled up their cards) and also wanted to incorporate a consequence for negative behavior. I really liked the idea of a "rewards store" I found via Pinterest (original source here) because it makes rewards more tangible and offers a visual reminder of what they are working toward.
I decided to put the two ideas together and create our own Summer Rewards System:
Here's how it works. The girls each have 5 chores that they need to complete every day:
At the end of the day, we go over the list, and if each task has been completed, they earn one ticket - which goes into their "account." I made a different color of tickets for each of them and ran them through the laminator for durability.
I also created some "Superstar Rewards" Punch Cards for when they do extra chores (i.e. folding laundry, setting the table, sweeping floors, etc) and for when I notice "superstar" behavior such as playing nicely, using extra good manners, and listening without reminders. One full card = 1 ticket.
Friday is "pay day" when they get to spend their hard earned tickets that they earned throughout the week. My girls looooove pay day. I put stickers on each item in the store and attached a color coded key to the basket. (I think my favorite part was watching them count out their tickets to see what they could buy!) They also have the option to save up some of their tickets for bigger rewards such as a gift card to the store or a special play place but since this is our first week, they were more than ready to use them all up.
Jadyn chose the Minnie coloring book and a pack of princess rings/earrings. Kaylee chose a journal and chocolate pudding. They also went in together on a pack of pop tarts to share. :-)
We're only a week in, but so far, so good on our new system. The girls actually seem excited to get their chores done and having the house picked up at night without me having to hound them to do it! They also know they can lose tickets out of their account for negative behavior - which has worked wonders on their attitudes. Plus, they get an bonus math/currency lesson every Friday. Score! :-)
I feel like I should clarify here. I'm a firm believer that kids need to be kids. We have a rule in our house to play with one thing at a time and put it away before getting out something new. Honestly this rule tends to go slightly unenforced because I don't like hindering their little imaginations. Sometimes My Little Ponies just have to go on a picnic with Strawberry Shortcake atop the train table with dishes from the play kitchen... all while wearing Snow White dresses. And sometimes imagination means pulling off the couch cushions and unfolding their baby blankets to create special forts in the family room.
But, I also believe kids should have responsibilities. They need to learn the importance of taking care of their things and keeping a tidy home. At this age, kids actually seem to enjoy doing chores... and they're capable of much more than we think!
I've tried a few different reward systems in the past. Marble jars, sticker charts, chore sticks... all worked fairly well, but let's face it, kids get bored easily! A couple months ago I spied some chore punch cards on Pinterest and decided to make my own for the girls to decorate. They worked great and the girls really liked them, but I wanted to have their rewards more readily available (rather than having to make a dollar store run every time they filled up their cards) and also wanted to incorporate a consequence for negative behavior. I really liked the idea of a "rewards store" I found via Pinterest (original source here) because it makes rewards more tangible and offers a visual reminder of what they are working toward.
I decided to put the two ideas together and create our own Summer Rewards System:
Here's how it works. The girls each have 5 chores that they need to complete every day:
At the end of the day, we go over the list, and if each task has been completed, they earn one ticket - which goes into their "account." I made a different color of tickets for each of them and ran them through the laminator for durability.
I also created some "Superstar Rewards" Punch Cards for when they do extra chores (i.e. folding laundry, setting the table, sweeping floors, etc) and for when I notice "superstar" behavior such as playing nicely, using extra good manners, and listening without reminders. One full card = 1 ticket.
Friday is "pay day" when they get to spend their hard earned tickets that they earned throughout the week. My girls looooove pay day. I put stickers on each item in the store and attached a color coded key to the basket. (I think my favorite part was watching them count out their tickets to see what they could buy!) They also have the option to save up some of their tickets for bigger rewards such as a gift card to the store or a special play place but since this is our first week, they were more than ready to use them all up.
Jadyn chose the Minnie coloring book and a pack of princess rings/earrings. Kaylee chose a journal and chocolate pudding. They also went in together on a pack of pop tarts to share. :-)
We're only a week in, but so far, so good on our new system. The girls actually seem excited to get their chores done and having the house picked up at night without me having to hound them to do it! They also know they can lose tickets out of their account for negative behavior - which has worked wonders on their attitudes. Plus, they get an bonus math/currency lesson every Friday. Score! :-)
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
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