NaBloPoMp - Day 2

Today I am thankful to live in the United States of America, a free country.  Today is voting day - go vote!! 

Remember, 100 years ago women did not have the right to vote in this country.  It was not until 1920 when women won the right to vote.  And they did indeed "win" the right.  The battle was hard fought.  Women protested and were punished.  But thanks to these strong women, my grandmother could vote, my mother can vote, I can vote, and one day my daughter will be able to vote.

Whatever your political views, today is the day to express them. 

Do not complain tomorrow if you do not act today!

NaBloPoMo - Day 2

My next hero has to be my dad. He has taught me the rewards of working hard. He is an extremely hard worker who never takes a shortcut when getting things done. From him, I have learned to put forward my best effort in all that I do.

Back to Blog

In an effort to get back into bloggin after taking some time off for baby, I am going to participate NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month). This month's topic is "Heroes". My goal is to write every day for the month of June.


My mother was my very first hero. She is still my hero to this day. She has an uncanny ability to stay calm in a storm. I don't remember her ever yelling at my sister and me when we were growing up. As a mom, I can appreciate that little fact even more. She is a wonderful role model for me as a mother and as a friend! I am so excited to meet her in New York City at the end of July to help her celebrate her birthday!!!

Here's to the Future!

Congratulations Barack Obama!!

Vote!!

I have been a bit distracted over at my other blog lately.

In the spirit of NaBloPoMo, I am attempting to write a post for every day in November.

My post for today is this:

Don't forget to vote tomorrow!!

Voices - Day 2 - Kid Herding Voice

Someone once said that getting children to move somewhere as a group was like herding cats.

I have cats. They do not herd.

Neither do children!

This little fact can be both entertaining and annoying depending on the amount of time I have to get somewhere.

Since this is a MOPS morning, it brings to mind the times when I had three little ankle biters to get to MOPS by 9:00AM.

9:00AM is not that early, especially if you consider that I got up at 6:00 to begin the whole process. Three hours should be plenty of time to get everyone fed, dressed, groomed, and out the door.

But it wasn't. At least not all of the time.

Kids do not move like adults. They are easily distracted (so is DadOf3, but that is another story), they like to take their time, and hurrying them along actually has the opposite affect on them.

My oldest was 3 1/2 when my youngest was born. She was still in that toddler/pre-schooler age of independence. She had to do everything by herself and if I even attempted to help her, she had to put things back just as they were and repeat the process her way.

Forget about rushing her. The more I pushed, the more she would resist.

This is where Mommy Imagination comes into play.

Herding Mommy Voice: Come on, Princess! It is a MOPS Friday! Let me help you with your cereal so we can go!

Princess: No! I can do it by myself.

Herding Mommy Voice: I am going to eat it all because it looks YUMMY!

Princess: No no no! It's mine!

(And Princess proceeds to eat her breakfast.)

Herding Mommy Voice: Now let's go potty!

Princess: No! I don't have any potty in me!

Herding Mommy Voice: Well, let's have a race then and see who can go potty faster. You go in that potty and I will go in my potty. Ready. Set. GO!

(And Princess proceeds to go potty, happily beating mommy in the race.)

Herding Mommy Voice: Well, it is time to get in Otis the van!

Princess: NO! I don't WANT to go to MOPS!

Herding Mommy Voice: Well, I guess Prince and Knight are going to get buckled up first and win!

Princess: No!! I want to get in first.

(And Princess proceeds to the van, gets in and gets buckled before the boys.)

Child herding is not for the faint of heart! But if you have the right tone in your voice, it can be done!


Written for NaBloPoMo's Month of Voices!

Voices - Day 1

The folks over at NaBloPoMo have another theme for another month. I cannot believe that it is May but it is! This month's theme is "Voices". At first I thought this would be really, really hard, but as a mommy, I know that many different voices come out of my mouth. Here is my first attempt at this month's theme:

Science Voice Mommy!

Monday night was an absolutely beautiful night. Princess got her homework done in no time flat, and that is saying something for a Monday, the busiest homework night of the week. Because it was so nice outside, and because DadOf3 had had a crazy day at work, we decided to walk to Race Track Park. This is the park where we usually load the bikes up in the back of the truck and head on over to let the kids race around the parking lot, AKA The Racetrack.

They complained a little bit because it is over a mile and a half after we have walked there and back. It is so good for them though and for us too.

We got to the park and all was well. The kids played and DadOf3 and I chatted about our day. When it was time to head home, the kids came without too much complaint.

As we were walking down the sidewalk heading for home, my little Prince had to empty out his shoes. They had collected rocks from our time on the playscape. From his sitting vantage point, he saw a little big on the sidewalk, and it caught his eye.

Prince: "Mommy look! A bug!"

Science Mommy Voice: "What kind of bug do you think this is?"

Prince: "A Rolley Polley."

Science Mommy Voice: "Where do you think he is going?"

Prince: "Probably to go eat something."

Science Mommy Voice: "What do you think he will eat?"

Prince: "I don't know."

Science Voice Mommy: "Do you like this little bug?"

Prince: "Nope."

Science Voice Mommy: "Why?"

Prince: "Because he is icky and stinky and ooky and...."

Science Voice Mommy: "But he is also one of God's creatures. And this is his home. When bugs are inside our house, they are somewhere they are not supposed to be so it is OK to squash them, but when we are outside we are in his home. Look! I think he wants to crawl on you!"

(Rolley Polley makes the fateful decision to crawl toward the Prince.)

Prince: "Not today!"

(Prince stomps the bug....)

Science Voice Mommy: (Long lecture about respecting nature and God's creatures.)


So many things can be teaching moments with our kids. I am not always with it enough to seize these moments, but it makes me feel like a good mommy when I do.

Dear Readers,

Dear Readers,

Thank you for sticking with me through this month of letter writing! It has been fun!

The task seemed quite daunting at first. I was sure I would run out of letters to write as the month wore on, but now we are here on the last day of April, and I still have things to say!

NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) encourages people to write in their blogs daily. It all started with a Month Of Thanks for November where bloggers were encouraged to write daily of what they were thankful for. That was so much fun and it made me want to try it again!

One thing NaBloPoMo has done for me is to get me writing on the weekends! I typcally got lazy on weekend days and skipped.

The theme for next months NaBloPoMo is "Voices". My new goal is to not only write everyday for this but also do better about posting pictures and updates for the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

So thanks for reading! If it would not be too much to ask, please leave a comment today to let me know you have been here. Comments mean so much!

Sincerely,
MomOf3

Written for NaBloPoMo's Write A Letter A Day Challenge!

Dear Grandpa Great,

Dear Grandpa Great,

I cannot believe that it has been an entire year since you left us, an entire year since I have written you a letter, and an entire year since I have sent you pictures of my kids, your great grandkids.

There are so many things I want to tell you!

• Princess can read now. Education was always so important to you. I remember you would walk me over to your big console television set where you kept pictures of the family and ask, "Do you know how many years of education this family has?" Then you would just smile that knowing, proud, happy smile of yours that went all the way to your eyes.
• Prince is really into sports now. You were quite the athlete in your day so I know you would be proud of him! He has taken to sports like a fish takes to water.
• My little Knight is three now! He loves music and hums all day long. He likes to watch Little Einsteins so he mostly hums classical music. You were a musician. I remember when my sister played the saxaphone in high school. You would take a turn on her saxaphone and we were awed!
• I want to tell you all about the deck that DadOf3 built. You did a lot of home improvements in your house too. When we re-did our kitchen, you were very interested and wanted to see pictures. I think you would have liked the deck too.
• I want to tell you about my 5K because you didn't know I was going to do that. I think you would have been proud of me and patted me on the hand with a big smile on your face.

We miss you, Grandpa Great! I especially miss you during this month of writing letters. I used to write you at least every other week. The kids coloreded pictures, and we sent snapshots whenever we could. You liked pictures like I do. It occured to me as I was writing my Christmas letter last year and telling about my blog, that I started this thing because I missed writing letters to you.

I love you Grandpa Great!

Love, MomOf3

Written for NaBloPoMo's Write A Letter A Day Challenge

Dear GrandmaOf4 (my mom)

Dear GrandmaOf4,

The countdown is on!

In three days you will be with us and we could not be more excited!

Oh the things we have planned for you! Let's just say you will not be bored!

• I have a yummy supper planned for Thursday night when you arrive.
• You get to go to MOPS with me on Friday morning.
• Friday afternoon, we will take the boys to Princess's school. I am helping to throw a party for Princess's student teacher and Friday is her last day.
• Saturday morning, you not only get to experience Soccer Saturday, you get to experience Picture Day! Princess and Prince will be so proud that you are there!
• Sunday, we will go to church and you will have the choice of helping to teach Sunday school with me (and by "teach" I mean play with the 4 year olds) or going to church with DadOf3.
• Sunday afternoon will be naps and board games. Maybe we will go swimming that night?
• Monday is up for grabs! We could go shopping and out for lunch or whatever your heart desires!
• Tuesday you fly home. :( We will miss you but we are not thinking about that now! We are looking forward to your arrival with great anticipation!!

We cannot wait for you to arrive! We love having visitors and the kids love having Grandma here!

May is going to be a great month for visitors as we open and close the month of May hosting family and friends at our house! Every visitor brings a little touch of home to Texas and we love it!

Love, MomOf3

Written for NaBloPoMo's Write A Letter A Day Challenge!

Dear Person from Craigslist who wants my exersaucer

Dear Person on Craigslist Who Wants My Exersaucer,

Wow! You have got some nerve!

I listed my only-used-by-one-baby exersaucer on Craigslist today for $20. I paid over $50 for it so it is a win-win situation for all. I get a big, clunky not-used-anymore toy out of my house and someone gets a good deal on a must-have baby item.

Then you called. You have an interest in my exersaucer, but you do not want to pick it up. You want me to drive it to you at your convenience. Because you do not want to drive in the rain. I guess it is OK for me to drive in the rain though? Interesting.

Have you seen gas prices lately? It would cost at least $10 in gas for me to drive this thing to you.

This is a neat toy, and $20 is a fair price. $10 is not.

So, Bargain Hunter, I don't think this deal is the right deal for either of us.

Shocked and amazed,
MomOf3

Written for NaBloPoMo's Write A Letter A Day Challenge!

Dear Prince's Pre-school Teachers,

Dear Prince's Pre-school Teachers,

My son absolutely loves pre-school! Every day when I drop him off, he runs to his classroom, with his little brother close behind him!

He has learned so many things since the beginning of the semester:

• He can now color between the lines
• He knows almost all of the alphabet by site
• He can write many letters
• He is doing a great job listening to his teachers and
• He is getting along well with his classmates.

I cannot believe that I hesitated to put him into pre-school. I now realize that I was being selfish because I wanted him with me all of the time.

He has grown up so much!

Now we are looking forward to Kindergarten, and because of the wonderful experience he has had in pre-school, I am sure that my decision to start him, even though he is a boy with a summer birthday, is the right thing to do.

So, thank you Pre-school Teachers! You have made my son's first taste of formal education fun and exciting! He is ready and raring to go to Kindergarten in the fall!

Sincerely, MomOf3

Written for NaBloPoMo's Write A Letter A Day Challenge!

Dear Prince,

Dear Prince,

You had a bad dream last night and you came down and jumped in with us around 1:00. I am glad you know that you can come to us when you are scared, but my goodness I am so tired today that I cannot see straight.

You are a wiggler.

And a kicker.

And a talker.

I think your kicking was to make sure I was there all. night. long.

And I was....

But that didn't make for a very good night sleep and now I am dragging. I would dearly love to stay home today but I know if I keep us home, it will be a horrible day filled with "I'm bored!" "He's looking at me." "I'm not going to play with you anymore forever again."

And I just don't think I can handle that.

So we are off to the gym for a little exercise and hopefully a peaceful morning.

Love,
Mommy

Written for NaBloPoMo's Write A Letter A Day Challenge!

Dear Summer,

Dear Summer,

You are early!

Seriously. You do not have to start working so hard so soon. You end up working overtime late in the year anyway, so why not take a break?

It is only April you know, and we have already been in the 90s! Ugh!

I am not ready for you yet!

I just need a couple more weeks to get all the summer stuff out, buy new sunscreen, find the swimming suits, and dust off the sandals.

Then I will be ready for you...I think! ;)

Sincerely,
MomOf3

Written for NaBloPoMo's Write A Letter A Day Challenge!

Dear Princess's (and soon to be Prince's) school!

Dear Princess's and (Soon To Be) Prince's School,

You rock! Seriously. The way that you welcome incoming students is simply amazing!

When Princess started Kindergarten almost two years ago, I was a basket case. The thought of her being away from me for 8 hours a day in a school where I knew no one was excruciatingly painful.

Your Welcome To School club helped me more than I could ever say!

• The incoming Kindergarteners had organized play dates at the school playground.
• The incoming Kindergarteners were invited to hear a story read by the librarian in the school library.
• The incoming Kindergarteners were invited to workout in the gym with the P.E. teacher.
• The incoming Kindergarteners were invited to have lunch in the cafeteria
• And of course, the incoming Kindergarteners were invited to Kindergarten roundup!

All of this helped Princess (and me!) find familiar faces on the first day of school.

And now, it is my little Prince's turn! We have gone to a play date, we missed working out in the gym because he had pre-school, we heard a story in the library, and today we are heading off with the other incoming Kindergarteners and their families to have lunch in the cafeteria. Granted, lunch will be way early today (9:45) but this is really for the experience and not the food.

So, GREAT JOB, Princess and Prince's school! Keep up the good work!

Sincerely,
MomOf3

Written for NaBloPoMo's Write A Letter A Day Challenge!

Dear Princess's Music Teachers,

Dear Princess's Music Teachers,

We had an absolutely WONDERFUL time last night at First Grade Music Night! You all did an outstanding job.

Wow!

You allowed each class of 20+ students their very own time on the stage.

There were 6 classes, they each sang 3 songs with movement, and the entire program was done in 35 minutes!!

To say I was impressed would be an understatement.

The best part of the entire night was the look on my daughter's face when she was up on that stage. She was not afraid, and she had so much fun. To me, it looked like all of the kids had fun!

That is to your credit, Music Teachers! Great job!

Sincerely,
MomOf3

Written for NaBloPoMo's Write A Letter A Day Challenge!

Dear Digital Camera,

Dear Digital Camera,

You are one of my very favorite things!

With you....

• I can have instant gratification!
  
• I can share pictures with the grandparents each and every day (if I had my act together)!
• I can record our every day life so when the kids are grown up I can remember how crazy life was when they were little!
• I can entertain my children when we are waiting somewhere.
• I can delete unflattering pictures.

My mother is convinced that lots of character traits are "in the genes".

If that is true, then I inherited my Grandpa's shutterbug gene. I remember that he always brought his camera when he and Grandma came to our house, and he always brought it out when we were at their house. He took lots of pictures and it was always so much fun to look at them. He had a Polaroid camera that we, as grandkids, could not get enough of. It was magical!

That is just how I feel about you , my little digital camera! You are magic to me!

Love,
MomOf3

Written for NaBloPoMo's Write A Letter A Day Challenge!

Dear Sunday

Dear Sunday,

I absolutely adore you! Sunday is my favorite day of the week.

• I like sleeping in until 8:00.
  
• I like going to our church.
  
• I like that the kids enjoy going to Sunday School
• I like coffee in the morning with....
• ...the Sunday paper.
• I like the Sunday funnies
• I like Sunday naps - guilt free napping because Sunday is the day of rest.
  
• And now that the strike is over - I like that my favorite shows are back! (Guilty indulgence: Desperate Housewives.

So, thank you Sunday for being you!

Sincerely,
MomOf3

Written for NaBloPoMo's Write A Letter A Day Challenge!

Dear New Laptop

Dear New Laptop,

I am in total awe of your beauty and speed. I never knew my internet life was in the slow lane until I booted you up.

All I have to saw is "Wow!"

• You load pages faster!
• You install faster!
• You look really cool!

And the best thing of all? DadOf3 got the old laptop working again so I do not have to share you!

Yippee!!!!

Love, MomOf3

Written for NaBloPoMo's Write A Letter A Day Challenge!

Dear Old Laptop

Dear Old Laptop,

Thank you so much for waiting to die until we bought our new laptop! Just in the nick of time, DadOf3 was able to whisk away all of my emails, documents, pictures, music, and other fun stuff off of you before the blue screen of death took you away from us forever. (DadOf3 backs up our computers with an external hardrive - Go DadOf3! You ROCK!!)

My heart almost stopped this morning when I realized that I might have lost my Microsoft Publisher MOPS newsletter. I only have one more to write this year and did not want to recreate it from scratch!

You have been a good little laptop!

• You have played many DVDs to entertain the kids while we drove to Iowa!
• It was on you that I found out about blogging - somthing that has surely saved my sanity on several different occasions.
• You were my connection with family and friends during the day when they were working but I was not. Email rocks!
• You stored my pictures!
• You stored my music!
• You entertained my children once and a while (www.nickjr.com and www.pbs.org)
• Princess learned about Saturn, the moon, and received emails from her cousins on you!

We will always remember you, little laptop! You have served us well!

Love,

MomOf3

Written for NaBloPoMo's Write A Letter A Day Challenge!!