A Letter To My Children:

Dear Little One's

I know you see the way I look at myself in the mirror when I am tying on new clothes. I know you listen to Mommy when she gets frustrated cause her pants shrank in the wash. I know that you hear me mumble under my breath about how unhealthy I am being by eating ANOTHER cupcake or how I swear this is the last Dt. Dr Pepper till the next day about 5 minutes before I grab a new one.

I want you to be proud of your own bodies and how God made each and everyone of you beautiful in your own way. My wish for you is to always look in the mirror and see what I see. To see those beautiful blue eyes that are each a different shade. To see that your personality and crazy quirks make you the most interesting people I know. I hope you look at yourself and see that your missing teeth and freckles are just memories from when you were having fun. 

It is because I want you all to be happy with who you are I will do the same. I am not happy with how I am feeling so I know it is time to change that. I will be working out and eating clean. I will get up early to workout because it doesn't take time away from you all. I will do this because it will be hard and I want to teach everyone that it is worth it. For you to always know that you are worth me doing 2 minutes worth of burpees nonstop. 

My promise to you is that I will not give up and keep going even when I don't want to do it. I will teach you about fitness and nutrition instead of telling you that it isn't healthy. I will lead by example and eat my vegetables even when I want chips or cupcakes. 

I will do this because it is time for me to love myself as much as I love you! 

Love,

Momma

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Kids Say The Darnedest Things

My kids say some pretty funny things some times. Okay let’s be honest they say them all the time. I not sure where they come up with some of these things....well some days it is either my fault or my husbands. Yes yes I do ask silly questions when they make small mistakes with their words. Well why wouldn't I? I wouldn't have a funny story if I didn't! 

Here is a list of my favorite ones said recently.

"It's not ice cream it's FROZEN milk soup!"

       This one was for sure said by an adult. I will not take the blame for it because it was not me who did it! I swear I didn't say it. It was my husband who was trying to hide the fact that he was eating vanilla ice cream in the middle of the day when the kids were still awake without giving them a bowl bite. I did repeat it though. Bad Mommy...

"I have a pretty knock life....I mean a silly knock life"

      This was your one and only SJ! She is in love with the movie Annie both the new one and the old one. She had just finished watching the new one for the twelve thousandth time IN A ROW! She might have actually been in the middle of this song when she said it. I don't remember. I gave her that look that said..."REALLY? You think your life is that hard?" That is why she changed it to have silly knock life. Oh child what am I going to do with you?

"That looks like a lizard in your hair"

        SJ strikes again. She was getting ready for school while I am curing my hair for work. She looks at me and says "Momma your hair looks pretty!" Then proceeds to tell me "That looks like a lizard in your hair!" What?!? I am not sure what curling iron she is looking at but I do not see any lizards in my hair. She is one weird child. 

 "Today Soccer Balls practice?" 

          D3 whose speech has doubled in the last few weeks said this clear as day. He looks at me all serious and asks if it is soccer balls practice. You mean as in your ball goes to practice? No? Oh you want to go to SOCCER practice with your team? Yes?!? Oh well no that's not today because today is Tuesday not Thursday. Good job on your words though! He did not get why I said his ball would go to practice...sometimes Mommy thinks she is funny when she isn't. Oh well. 

What is the funniest thing you have heard from your little one recently? Did you provoke it in any way? Let me know in the comments below!

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A Journey in Speech Therapy

D3 has had a rough time with his speech for a while. He started speech therapy last year around this time which I have seen a great improvement in his vocabulary. If you want to read more about where his journey started read What Did He Say?!?!

I have been so focused on his speech that I haven't noticed how smart he is and the things he has learned. I was able to see all of that this week. D3 had a screening for his preschool. I was a little confused as to why he would have to do that because he already has an IEP.



When we got there they were running a tad bit behind so D3 and I had to sit for a little while. He was a good little trooper while we were there. I had a notebook with some pens and highlighters in my bag so he just sat there and colored until it was his turn

Fortunately for us we did not have too wait long!

He went inside this small room that is used for Sunday school since his preschool is in a church. He sat in this little blue chair while I sat behind him in a green arm chair.

His teacher proceeded to go through 4 test. She asked him to count as high as he could. He clear as day said ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, FIVE! Okay okay we need to work on some of his numbers but hey he got 8 out of 10 right! For a lil guy who couldn't even say nine last year we have made some significant progress.

The next three test he had were all timed. His teacher explained that she did not think he would get all the answers 100% right or any of them for that matter.

The first test he did was that he had to identify the number which he saw in the book that she had. She flipped over the first page and demonstrated for him what she wanted him to do. He quickly got the hang of it. The first number he saw was a one which he could identify quickly as well as the next three numbers. He then saw the number 18.....EEEKKK that's a big number. He just looks at her and shrugs his shoulders and says "Me No Know!" She told him that was fine because it was a BIG number. When he got a few more numbers in the teens he told her that it was a ONE and a TWO when it was 12. He is so stinking cute!

The third test he had to complete was to point which bunch of dots had more in it than the others. My little man only got two wrong! How stinking smart is that kid!!! Some of those were so hard for a 3 year old.

The final test D3 completed was counting all the dots which were on the page. Oh boy where there a lot! He looked at the page and said WHOA! It was actually quite cute and made me as well as his teacher giggle! She demonstrated for him what he needed to do then allowed him to get started. He only had 30 seconds to do this test. I am not sure how long he had for the others but it seemed like a lot longer. He started counting the dots in the top row then went down the border then across the bottom row and then followed in a creative pattern. His teacher let him know that he was the first one to count the dots in that way. She also told him she was proud of him because she heard him say some numbers in the teens.

I guess all the counting has done some good!

When it was time to go D3 ran up to his teacher and gave her a huge hug!!!

This brought tears to my eyes. He has made me so proud with how much he has learned in the short amount of time. His speech has doubled in that short time. I still have to pinch myself to remind myself how far he has come.

He is really an amazing little boy.

He makes me smile at how well he has done.

Have you had a moment when your child made you smile and cry at the same time? Have they surprised you at how much they knew? Leave me a comment and tell me all about it!

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Interview with a PreSchooler

Last week I had sat down SJ while D3 was taking a nap or supposed to be taking a nap and asked her 15 questions before kindergarten. I thought why not do the same for him since he is going to preschool again this year.  

Let me tell you coming up with some questions for D3 was hard! I even had to ask for help from friends. 

Quote of the Week #4

I remember being 22 and not having a care in the world! All I had to do was finish my degree and work so I could pay my rent. I didn't have any little humans pulling at my pants to give them some milk or kiss a boo boo. Those days were super easy! But was all the partying and not caring worth it? Probably not....

Being a parent is the hardest work I have ever done. You don't get rewards or prizes for the work you have done. If you do it probably comes in the form of a dirty diaper. You aren't recognized for the late nights and early mornings because you are expected to "work" those hours. 

There are so many days when I would like to throw in the towel because the baby has been up since 3 am or the 7 year old continues to give me attitude.

The worrying about whether I am making new the most epic mistake of the year, scared that something is going to happen to my babies, or even the times when I want to pull my hair out because I have listened to the same gosh darn movie for the thousandth time is totally worth the hugs I get at bed time. It makes the kisses seem sweeter. It is something I wouldn't change for all the money in the world. 

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Miracle 360 Cup

Bug is HORRIBLE about biting, poking, and tearing holes in his cup. I have so many stains on my furniture and carpet due to his darn cup leaking!

I don't know why I keep buying the same gosh darn lid and cup. I probably do it because I know he will use the cup. Sometimes it is just not worth fighting the 16 mo old child. You all know exactly what I am talking about. Plus I have the cup which these type of lids go to in like every single color of the stinking rainbow because of this vampire child. 

Well the hubby went and bought Bug a new type of cup. I thought he was crazy when he came home with this thing.

Extracurricular Activities Yes? No?

There is always a debate about whether or not you should put your kids in extracurricular activities. I have been thinking a lot about this recently. I am all for putting them in those activities and I have done so with my children. SJ is starting her second year of dance which she adores! Both D3 and SJ will be starting fall soccer soon. This will be the first year for both of them and they are super excited! I believe that they will benefit from these activities. I also know that I have benefited from being in extracurricular activities. I was lucky enough to have part of my college education paid for because I could shoot a basketball and kick a soccer ball. I will be forever grateful to my parents for putting me in those activities growing up.

A Tragedy That No Parent Wants to Deal With

I write this post with a heavy heart. Not because I am any way related or know this family but because it hurts my Mommy heart.

Sunday, August 2nd the world lost a little boy due to an accident at a baseball game in Wichita Kansas during the National Baseball Congress World Series. He was struck accidentally on the head on Saturday during a game by a practice swing while he was retrieving a bat. He was rushed to the hospital where he fought for his life. 

Getting Ready for Kindergarten

Last week we received SJ's paperwork for Kindergarten. I almost cried! I am not kidding! I seriously had tears well up in my eyes because I realized how big she is getting.

This was SJ's 1st day of preschool last year and I cried leaving her.

Painting with Toddlers

I struggle at times to tap into my childrens creative side. Why? I'm not sure. Part of me doesn't want to deal with the mess. The other part of me thinks it is really hard to allow them to do it own their own.

Quote of the Week #2

My Dad's 59th birthday was yesterday July 25th. He spent the day working, attending Saturday night mass with me and my kids, and supporting the Ulster Project by attending the Blarney Sampler. He really spend his day helping me wrangle my kids and telling them to be quiet.

Dad has dealt with so much in his life. Probably more than I know about and that is ok. It may not be fair but unfortunately that is life.

My mom got breast cancer when I was in Kindergarten and passed away when I was in second grade. He raised three little girls on his own for a very long time until he remarried. My dad had to sit by while he watched us hurt because we were without our mother. There was nothing he could do but hold us and cry. He is the strongest man I know! Dad had to go back to school at night so he could give us a life he thought we deserved. My dad made sure our lives remained the same. He made sure we still did the things we loved. Not many men could of stepped up like he did.

This quote is perfect for him! 

I use the things he taught me everyday. 

He taught me how to love even when they don't deserve it. 

He taught me how to work hard. 

He taught me that honesty is the best policy.

He taught me to pray when you aren't sure what to do.

He taught me that dance parties are the best when getting ready for school.

He taught me how to reach the stars.

He taught me that popcorn makes everything better. Don't ask...

I may not remember spending his birthday together but I will remember him teaching me how to be a good person. I will remember him telling me he is proud of me for finishing college in 4 years instead of messing around. I will remember the hugs he gives me every time we leave each other. There is no way I can forget the look on his face when he held my children for the first time. His heart is one of the things that makes him such an amazing man. I am forever proud to be his daughter. 

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5 Things I Learned Nursing

Not everybody can nurse their child and not everybody wants to. That is totally fine! It is your choice and I support you!

There were some days I wished my husband was the one who did the nursing so I could get a good nights sleep! I wasn't that lucky though.