Had to pull a Dr. Wharton

In a recent parenting conversation with Dr. Paul Wharton, he shared of a time his family was driving to Disney for a pre-paid vacation.  During the drive, his children had several warnings about their behavior.  Despite the warnings, the inappropriate behavior didn't stop.  Dr. Wharton made the statement to his children that if the behavior continued, they wouldn't be going to Disney.  Sadly, it continued.  He got off at an exit and turned the car north to head back to Jacksonville.  His kids couldn't believe it.  Was their dad really going to not take them to Disney?  Was he going to walk away and lose the money from his pre-paid vacation?  Could they earn the trip back?  They pleaded with their father to let them earn the trip back.  If he would just head back to Disney, then their behavior would be superb.  But it was too late.  He had given them his word -- they would not be going to Disney if the behavior in the car continued, and he was sticking to his word.  So no Disney trip for the Wharton family that weekend.  (He said his wife was in as much shock as his kids. I'd imagine so.  LOL!)

Parenting is tough.  I believe, there is no job out there that will work you harder and pay you (monetarily) less, than parenting...but the rewards are so wonderful.  As a mom, if I sit back and think about my responsibility, I may completely have a panic attack.  It is my prayer that Lou and I are able to raise two Godly, responsible men.

Punishments are difficult.  Today one of my children (who will go unnamed) had a punishment that resulted in losing a privilege of going to the movies.  Both of my children adore going to the movies, so this was a big deal.  But without punishments, where will they learn about consequences and responsibility?

On Friday night, our children were told that if a certain behavior happened, they would not be going to see the movie, Rango on Saturday. Well, one of our children, displayed that forbidden behavior and was not able to go to the movies.  Could he have earned it back this morning?  Yes...  But if we always let our children earn back a privilege and not really make them have the consequence, will they grow up to be the responsible men that we are praying they will become?  I felt he should "do the time" (so to speak) of his consequence.  Therefore, one of our children went to the movie and the other one didn't.  We hope the lesson was learned.  Only time will tell.

It is difficult to punish your child when you see the disappointment in their face on losing the movie.  (The saying, "This hurts me more than it hurts you" began to resonate in my head.) It was a trying day; so I was relieved when I got a text from a friend.  She knew nothing of my day but her text said, "Had to pull a Dr. Wharton".  Of course, we talked immediately and went over both of our parenting dilemmas of the day.  At least, I know I'm not in this disciplining thing alone.  While I hated it for her child and for mine, it was comforting to know that many of us are trying to do the right thing.

Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Maddox turns 3!

On Friday we celebrated as Maddox turned 3.  We only give our kids birthday parties on the years they turn even ages (2, 4, 6, etc).  Since Maddox was turning an odd numbered age (3), we just celebrated at home as a family.

Maddox picked out popcorn chicken from Publix for his meal and a Nemo birthday cake.  MeMaw, PawPaw, and Uncle DayDay came for dinner to celebrate.

We played outside for awhile.  It was a beautiful evening.

We ate dinner and then Maddox opened his presents.

Next we enjoyed cake and ice cream.

Maddox had a great day.  There were lots of special things for him -- a celebration at his school with cookies, our family dinner, gifts from friends that came throughout the day, and special spending money from Grammy and Auntie Phyl.

I feel so blessed to have Maddox.  He is an adventure for sure...keeps you on your toes.   Yet, he is tender, smart, silly, has an amazing sense of humor, and is a dear friend even at the age of 3.  What a blessing!

Valentine's AGAIN -- You were warned...

A few posts ago, I mentioned that I love Valentine's Day.  So you can't say you haven't been warned that I like to craft the holiday to death.  Here is a little something so the teacher's don't go forgotten.  While I am certain it would be fine to give our teacher a shovel with candy and/or a gumball machine, I thought we'd do something different than what the students are receiving.

Check out these water bottles.

I took the idea from Tatertots and Jello blog's; however, I made my own changes. First of all, I could not find the Hawaiian punch anywhere in red.  (And I thought the idea of the water turning red was a perfect thing for February 14th.)  So I had to go with the KoolAid brand.  A few things about this...make sure you buy the sugar free kind; otherwise, the packets will be too big for the label.  (Yes, I learned this lesson the hard way.)

Another thing is that the packet on the KoolAid says to mix half the packet with 16.9 ounces of water.  HOWEVER, I had already printed the labels based on Tatertots' site.  In hindsight, I should have the label read "Mix 1/2 of contents with bottle of water".  (BTW, Tatertots' has printables on her blog that you could use to create these.)  I'm not changing the labels I've already printed, so I guess our recipients will be enjoying an extra flavorful drink.  LOL!  While we're discussing the labels, I also changed the name from "Love Juice" to "'Will You Be Mine?' Potion".  Brewer would be very upset if anything he had to give to someone said the word "L-O-V-E" -- oh, to be a 5-year-old boy (wink).

To: Mrs. Yvette, From: Brewer

I enjoy using the Cricut. Instead of using the heart labels seen on the other blog, I cut three layers of hearts for the "TO: FROM:" label.

Lastly, I could not find those precious red and white straws that Tatertots has on her blog.  Well, I found them on-line but not locally...so I used a different straw.  The straws I am using for the teachers were in a pack of pink, orange, yellow, and green that I picked up at Walmart.  

Look at all these unwrapped straws
being exposed in the outside air.  

But the big question here is: Does it bother anyone besides me that these straws are not individually wrapped??  

It REALLY bothers me...and I was obsessed with washing my hands while making these.  But still -- if anyone knows of a place I could get a great straw for this -- a straw that is WRAPPED -- let me know. :)

I did find these swirly, heart straws in the two dollar bins at Walmart.  But the kicker is that the straw is no where near long enough to fit in the water bottle.  So I am using the regular straws on the teacher bottles.  I thought I might make a few drink bottles for some of our friends.  I know kids love and APPRECIATE a good swirly straw.  So here is what we are going to do for the water bottles we make for "kid" friends.

And here you go!!!  A fun drink for teachers to enjoy on Valentine's Day!  I'd love for you to leave a comment her on the blog.  At least then I know that I'm not writing to myself. (wink)

"Will You Be Mine" Potion for Valentine's Day 2011

SURPRISE to Disney

A few hours have past since my last post.  I hope no one thinks I was too miserable.  I wasn't...but I needed to have my little party for myself.

This post should be a lot more cheerful.

Last week I called my mom and told her I wanted to surprise the boys with a trip to Disney -- just a day away.  We could go and have a fun day.  The Magic Kingdom is always magical.  Yet, in the middle of the week in February, it's even better.

So on Tuesday we whisked the boys off to the Magic Kingdom for the day.  We had a great time.  Maddox was big enough (finally) to ride the race cars.  He thought this was awesome!

This 2-year-old thought he was "big stuff" driving his race car. :)

Brewer tried out Thunder Mountain for the first time.  He can be timid about new things; yet, he was a trooper about this!

Waiting in line to ride Thunder Mountain -- less than a 10 minute wait.  Gotta love Disney in February!

I believe he liked the ride but didn't "love" it as he didn't ask to go a second time.  He was brave and tried this new ride with no complaining!

Both of our kids enjoy the parade that comes up and down Main Street.  

Having MeMaw with us was a great addition. There is no way I could do the Magic Kingdom by myself with two children.  I was very thankful she came with us. 

I love this photo of my mom with the kids.  But why does Brewer look so upset, and Maddox is looking like he is trying to escape? LOL!

Why do adults feel the need to "squat" when taking a photo with a character that is short?  Mom and I need to learn to not do this.  We look a little 'hunched over' with Donald.

 It was a perfect day!  And a very special surprise for the boys.

Today

Today I found out that I've fractured my right foot.  In many ways I'm thankful that it was discovered b/c I've been in pain for 12 days now.  But in many ways, I am feeling disappointed.  I have to wear a boot for 6 weeks, stop any activity that hurts my foot, and try to take it easy.  The last part of "try to take it easy" is the part that I find most humorous.  I'm a stay-at-home mom and can't recall a day where I got to take it easy all day long.  Even if I decide to have a pajama day with my kids, they have needs -- help with the potty, they'd like to eat a meal or two (not to mention snacks galore), they like to be entertained and played with.  Plus, I think they need to go to school which means they have to be driven to school -- which also requires use of the right foot, blah, blah, blah...many of you are moms, you know the drill.  I told the doctor he might has well admit me to the hospital if he really wanted me to take it easy.  So in the midst of my pity party (that I'm throwing for myself...and no one else is invited), I decided to make myself some spaghetti squash for an afternoon snack.  It's my newest food favorite.  So here's a photo of a bowl of it...and yes, I might eat the whole bowl by myself.  I bet at this point, many of you are thankful you weren't invited to this pity party, huh??

Well, enough about my pity party.  In fact, my mom taught me that when you are sad, you should do something nice for someone else; this will make you feel better.  So I've decided that when you're in the midst of a pity party, that you should think of five things you are thankful and/or happy about.  So here goes...my list of the good things this week:
1. I was able to go to Disney World with my mom and my two kids on Tuesday.  My foot pain was minimal this day.  We had a great time.
2. Maddox is potty trained. :)
3. Brewer no longer has two ear infections.
4. I love crafting and have been given a great craft room/work area in this house.  This will be a good place for me to be to "rest" my foot this weekend.
5. It was 70 and 80 degrees here for 5 days in a row.  The groundhog didn't see his shadow.  And spring should be here sooner than later.

Ah, and at last, who knows who I am writing to...could be just myself.  That's the funny thing about blogs, you really don't know -- unless someone leaves a comment.  So if you want to let me know you've read, feel free to leave me a comment.  It will give me something to read later today when I'm "resting" my foot.  (ha, ha!)

Now to Him who is the ULTIMATE Physician.  I'm placing my trust that He will heal my foot in a proper and timely manner.  Praise be to Him.

Awww - and you'll be glad to know that I've finished my squash and my party...I'm already feeling better. :)

Blessings,
Jennifer

Brewer's Valentine's - I'm STUCK on you

The label is covered by the ribbon but reads.."I'm STUCK on you!"

After my post about Maddox's Valentine's, some of you said to me that you wanted to see Brewer's -- well, here they are!  GUMBALL machines!!!  Both of my children are crazy over gumball machines.

Here is what I did -- I bought these gumball machines in the V'Day section at CVS.  They are $0.99/each.  Last week, CVS had a special where if you bought $25 in product, you got $10 in CVS bucks.  I needed the paper towels and toilet paper that you had to buy (the $25 amount); I got $10 in CVS bucks.  Brewer has 12 kids in his kindergarten class.  So these only cost me $2.  CVS does specials like this often -- keep your eye out!  The machines already came with the red ribbon (as shown) along with a heart shaped tag.  HOWEVER, I didn't want to use it like that...ha, ha!  I always have to do something different.  So I cut off the ribbon and tag.

I used my Cricut and cut out each child's first name initial on white vinyl using the 1-1/2" setting.  I was planning on doing capital letters.

However, once I cut it, the capital letter was really too chunky for the curve on the face of the machine.  So I decided to use lower case letters.

I placed the vinyl on the face of the gumball machine.  In this photo, you can see that I centered the letter over the middle of the machine.  You can also see where I've cut the ribbon that was pre-tied onto the machine.

I used a 2" circle punch to punch out these tags that came from Pink Elephants and Blue Rhinos.  Heather is so talented and can design you just about anything!

Using my Cricut, I cut out 12 red scalloped circles (at 2-1/4") using the Lacy Labels cartridge.  Then I used a glue pen (as shown) to attach the tags to the scalloped circle.

 Here is what the final tag looks like.  I added a hole punch to the tag for the ribbon to feed through.

Brewer's teacher sent a note home saying the kids were to address their own Valentine's.  This was to work on name recognition and fine motor skills.  So I had Brewer "address"  the Valentine by writing each child's name on the back of a tag.

 Next, I added a sheer polka ribbon and the tag to each of the machines.

And VIOLA -- Brewer's Valentine "cards" are ready (sorry for this blurry photo). All 12 complete and ready for Brewer to hand out on February 14th.  Feel free to borrow the idea...as long as you don't have a child in Brewer's class... (wink!)

Maddox's Valentines - I "dig" you

I love Valentine's day.  And what's ironic is that Lou doesn't celebrate.  He says it is a made up holiday from the card and flower industry.  In the 13 (this year 14) Valentine's I had with Lou, he has not celebrated once.  Yet, I always do.  It doesn't really bother me that he doesn't celebrate because he spoils me all year...which makes it a little more special that he isn't doing anything out of the obligation on the date, February 14th.

Anyway, I mentioned I love V'Day, and I do!  Tonight I made Maddox's Valentine "cards" he is going to give to his class.  It is a sand shovel that says "I DIG YOU" with a bag of candy attached to it.

Here are the directions...
First, gather the supplies:

1. plastic shovels -- I used variety of colors (red, white, and pink) - Click here to see the ebay seller I used.
2. assortment of candy
3. small plastic bags for the candy & twist ties to close the bag.  In my baggies, I fit a candy bracelet, jumbo Tootsie Rolls, an AirHead, and 3 Hershey kisses
4. Paint pens
5. Cute tag
6. Cricut and scrapbook paper for cutting the backing of the tag
7. Hole puncher
8. Ribbon
9. Adhesive
10. 2" circle punch
11. scissors
*I'm not promising this is a completed list as I worked on these in my craft room and something obvious could have been out that I used.

Next, cut the tags out using a 2" circle punch.

Aren't these tags adorable?  I had them designed at Pink Elephants and Blue Rhinos.  You can click their name here in the blog and be taken to their Facebook page.  (Tell Heather I sent you; she's a friend of mine.) I punched the tags out.  I wanted to back the tags (which Pink Elephants can do for you if you'd like).  So I got out my Cricut and used the Lacy Labels cartridge.  I selected the "Miss You Scallop Circle" and set it for 2-1/4".  

Once the scalloped circles were done cutting, I adhered the circle tag on top of the scalloped circle and punched a hole in the side for the ribbon.

I took my paint pens (I had white, red, and pink) and added "I DIG YOU" or "I DIG U!" to the bottom of all the shovels.

Not only was the twist tie used to close the candy baggie, I used part of the twist tie to attach the candy to the shovel.  The twist ties were long and worked great for this.

 I added ribbon and threaded the label through and VIOLA!  Our Valentine "cards" are finished for the Valentine exchange in Maddox's class.

Feel free to borrow the idea...as long as you don't have a child in Maddox's class...LOL!

Finished and ready to hand out to the class on February 14th

Oh, and Brewer's Valentine's are in the works...I still have a few details to hash out.  But I'll post when we figure it all out!