Friday Fun: Technology

I confess that it makes me feel a little bit old when I see all the cool gadgets and electronics that our kids have now that simply did not exist when I was Anna's age. I could barely operate my mini-arcade version of Frogger, much less anything more complicated.

Circa 1983...and still kicking!

Anna, however, is a tech whiz. The other night she decided to take some pictures of the bed and of me and whatever else she saw, using my iPhone.  Some of them actually looked like they captured what was intended!

Planes, Buses and Automobiles

As you read this (thankfully written in advance) post, I'll probably be struggling to come out of a travel-induced coma of epic proportions.  Yes, brilliant as I am, I decided it would be a good idea to travel - by myself - with Anna to visit my family after the holidays.

The only crazier decision would have been to do this before the holidays, when airport crowds were even worse.

Photo from vincegolangco.com

At press time, I'm just getting ready to set off on this journey.  Anna's day care is closed, so I am off for the week with her and decided to take advantage of the opportunity to visit my parents for a few days. We haven't been since last year.

But last year, there were two big differences:  Heidi was with us, and Anna wasn't 3.

The Power of the Pen: A Follow-Up on Maggie

Yesterday, I wrote about how awesome it is that parent bloggers are starting to have the kind of voices that may influence the world around them, from what happens in the marketplace to what happens in the lives of random individuals.

Here's another example of the "power of the pen." You may remember my post about Paul Kramer's book geared to children, entitled Maggie Goes on a Diet.  If you read that post, you'll remember my wrath about the possible effects books like this, and resulting societal attitudes, can have on kids' self-esteem at increasingly earlier ages.

I learned about the book from a column written on NJ.com by Jamie Tripp Utitus. As it turns out, Jamie eventually found my post and let me know that Kramer contacted her about it and has created a revised version of the book, entitled, Maggie Eats Healthier.

Photo by Paul M. Kramer

That's pretty darn amazing.

A Mom + A Keyboard + The Internet = Power??

No, I'm not talking about myself. I just find it interesting that there are so many great parenting blogs today and am also surprised at the ways in which they can be influential.

My favorite blog, Single Dad Laughing, seems to make its mark more in the domain of advice and encouragement than anything else. The blogger shares stories, mostly about his son and family, that are funny, or thought-provoking, or really meaningful. Readers can really relate to his posts and take something from them.

Of course, there are a lot of "mommy blogs" too. Many of them also generate advice or relate anecdotes that I enjoy reading. One of my new favorite blogs is The Woven Moments, which you should really check out.

I also find that a number of mom blogs provide really creative ideas for entertaining your kid with fun projects or activities (see, for example, the melted snowmen) - very useful for those of us with toddlers who, with time on their hands, will quickly detour into mischief. Which is pretty much everyone with a toddler.

Fighting The Christmas Hangover

Hello, everyone! I hope all of you who celebrated Christmas yesterday had a wonderful day with family and friends.  For me, the best part is, of course, seeing the pure joy on Anna's face.

Christmas represents many things - for some, a religious celebration, for others a special reason for quality time with family and friends, and for others an occasion for spoiling those we love with awesome gifts.  For many of us, it may be all of the above. Whatever one's reason for celebrating, there's no doubt that Christmas is wonderful, fun, joyful, and.......totally exhausting.

Zzzzzz.......

I know what you're thinking - maybe I had a little too much Bailey's last night. I didn't, although I do enjoy the stuff.  I'm not talking about that kind of hangover. I'm talking about the tired, over-full, headachy, run over by a train feeling that often follows Christmas.

Merry Christmas to All!

I just wanted to take a moment to wish all of our readers who are celebrating Christmas the merriest and happiest of days! Despite some serious sniffles and fever, Anna managed to have a nice time - I think unwrapping presents was her favorite part! We also spent a nice day with our family and consider ourselves very blessed.

The package was almost as tall as Anna!

To all my friends and family and other loved ones with whom I couldn't celebrate today, I'm thinking of you and hoping you had a wonderful day as well. Merry Christmas!

Friday Fun: The Frog and the Princess

As most of you probably know, it can be challenging entertaining your toddler for a few straight hours on your own. So, as one might expect, the challenge doubles when you are entertaining two toddlers for a few straight hours on your own.

This was my task last Saturday. I watched Anna and Izzy B while their moms went out Christmas shopping. All was well at first, as the girls played with Play Doh and then watched Dora the Explorer.

How to Do Nothing

[No, this post isn't about procrastination, although I do consider myself to be sort of an authority in that field.]

On Monday, Uncle Keith wrote about and shared a link to an interesting article describing the science behind temper tantrums. The idea is that understanding why tantrums really happen will help us figure out a more effective way to handle them.

The consensus reached is that not responding as we instinctively might is the best way to go. In other words, we shouldn't engage, but instead ride it out. We just shouldn't do anything.

But when your child is screaming, stomping his or her feet, and crying....how, exactly, does one do nothing?

Photo from thetoddlertamer.com

A Christmas Reminder

I just came across this and instantly decided it was worth sharing.  Those of you who are parents have probably already thought of this stuff, but in case you have loved ones who have trouble picking out gifts for your kids, please feel free to point them to this handy list.

It was written by Michelle Zipp and appeared today on The Stir on cafemom.com.  Please check out "8 Gifts You Should Never Get Another Person's Child."

Deep Thoughts

No, not "Deep Thoughts" by Jack Handey. ;)  I'm talking about the most fascinating of all deep thoughts:  toddler deep thoughts. Some of them are completely random. They may make no sense. They may make eerily perfect sense. They may come from a place so deep and profound inside your child that perhaps you didn't know it existed.

Wherever they come from, they sure are intriguing.

I think my deepest thoughts while I have some "uckles"

Article: The Science of Tantrums

Way back in July, yes the warm month of July... oh, sorry.  Let's try that again.  Back in July I posted a link to an article I read in Scientific American Mind about a study conducted that produced the Top 10 Most Important Parental Competencies that lead to happy, and healthy children.  If you didn't catch that post, make sure you read the post because not only is it interesting, but the discussions here spawned a series of posts by Mama T exploring each one.

Anyway, I am always on the look-out for scientific explainations or solutions/suggestions of things.. and as the perpetual "Uncle" to many, and with only the partial raising of a step-son under my belt, this type of stuff arms me with suggestions to offer others that I haven't personally tried myself.

And just in case you are thinking that I'm one of those nosy people that butt in and make suggestions to others about techniques they should use instead of what they are doing when raising their children... I am.  A little bit.  But I'm digressing again.

Friday Fun: Our Little Picasso!

One of my favorite things to do with Anna is art projects. I love watching her draw, attempt to write letters, color, paint, make collages, etc.

Recently she discovered watercolor painting for the first time. We had a blast with it!  Check out the flip book below:

Melted snowmen!

Whenever I think of snowmen, I tend to think of the demented snowmen crafted by Calvin of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, which is probably my all-time favorite cartoon. It's pretty obvious why I love the snowmen....

Copyrighted, by Bill Watterson

If you want to see more, check them out here.

So when I found instructions for making melted snowmen Christmas ornaments, I thought they were right up my alley and wanted to share them with you. This is one of those things I can't wait to try with Anna because I know we'll both love it and it brings out the kid in me.

Check them out here!  And if you try them with your kids, please send us pics!

Copyright by Deborah J. Stewart, photo from www.teachpreschool.org

And The Beat Goes On

Stress.  We all deal with it in one way, shape or form. Sometimes it's little annoyances, like slow drivers when we're already late for work, and sometimes it's big ones, like wondering how you'll pay a bill that month.

But if there's one thing being a parent teaches you, it's that no matter how much stress or sadness you're dealing with, life goes on. It must, no matter what.

And sometimes, that really sucks.

Heart Attack Moments

I've written before on the blog about how having a child is like having your heart walking around outside your body.  While it's the greatest love you can experience, it also produces the greatest vulnerability.

That's just par for the course, but then there are those (thankfully) rare moments, which I call "heart attack moments," where it really hits home how vulnerable you are, and how vulnerable your child is to the dangers of the world, and how much you love him or her.

In moments like these, something happens that scares you half to death and you are confronted in an immediate, very real way with your worst fears about losing your child.

Photo of the Week: Cuddle Time

As I mentioned yesterday, Anna and I had an awesome time visiting Uncle Keith last weekend. So this week's photo of the week is an adorable moment we captured, showing Anna enjoying a snuggle and a movie with Uncle Keith. :)

Are We There Yet?

Happy Monday!  Anna and I are coming off of a very fun weekend. We took a road trip to visit Uncle Keith and had a fabulous time! I just wanted to send him a big "thank you" for having us visit and for being patient with a certain super energetic three-year-old.

One interesting thing I've noticed is that with every trip we take, a theme for the weekend seems to emerge. Perhaps this is because Anna's growth and development is moving faster and becoming more pronounced....or maybe it's just random, who knows.

Look out, everyone! Here she comes!

Friday Fun: Unleash Your Inner Geek

Those of you who know me know that I'm pretty much a nerd. I enjoy putting together photo albums and scrapbooks. I like crafts and puppets and Play-Doh art...you get the picture.

Then I came across this article, which puts my geeky efforts to shame.

Photo of the Week: Toddlerology

This week's Photo of the Week comes to us courtesy of my awesome friend Brenda, who, as you may recall, wrote a wonderful post for us about family literacy which you should check out here if you haven't already.

When you carefully examine this diagram of the toddler brain, which is dead-on, many things will make sense to you, and you'll laugh too.

Enjoy!

The Season of Giving

Here we are again, that magical time every year when many of us spend extra time with our loved ones and buy each other gifts in the spirit of giving, of making each other happy however we can.

Sometimes, though, it's hard to keep a "giving" perspective when the holiday season also brings with it various stresses. So if you're having a hard time getting into the holiday spirit, as I am right now, please read this post from Single Dad Laughing, called "Paying It Forward This Christmas." 

It's all about giving back, helping others, and remembering that our dramas and stresses pale in comparison to those that others may be facing - others who would trade anything to have our dramas and stresses.  It's a healthy dose of perspective and a touching story.

Check it out. Consider giving - to these people, to other people, to people in your community. Remember what this wonderful season is supposed to be about.

Photo from www.qt.com.au

Follow-up: Brad and Angelina, Shrek and Fiona

One thing I want to start doing on the blog is following up on earlier pieces when the same or related issues come up later, as is often the case. For example, you may recall my piece on why marriage matters to kids, "If It's Good Enough for Brad and Angelina...".

In that post, I discussed the famous couple's initial commitment not to marry until marriage is legal for everyone, which they apparently (and understandably) considered revisiting when their kids expressed an interest in having married parents. I explained the intangibles, the feeling and the status conferred by the word "marriage," and how that impacts children, regardless of who their parents are.

Photo by Eric Ryan/ Getty Images

More Gems

I've been gradually compiling another list of Anna-isms to share with you. One thing I'm noticing is that her thought processes are getting much more elaborate.

The stories she comes up with, which you can tell she is inventing as she goes, are remarkable. ("...And one time, there was a cayman, and he swam all the way around the river until he got to the blocks and he couldn't go across but we saw him and we yelled, "Monster!" and we ran and ran until we got back to school and put away our telescopes and ate popcorn.")

Or something like that.

I've got LOTS to say....

Clutter? What Clutter?

Those of you who know me know that I'm a neat freak. Okay, these days maybe I'm more of a lapsed neat freak, but you get the point. I like cleanliness. I hate clutter.

So, this weekend, I went on a cleaning binge at home.  Imagine my delight when my little helper Anna decided to keep me company. She decided - spontaneously, with no coercion from me - to clean her room. What a proud moment!  Anna was pretty proud of herself too.

Photo of the Week: Snowmen

As has been evident, I've had to take a sort of hiatus from blogging this week, but I did want to find an amusing Photo of the Week to share with you.

Given that winter is fast approaching, I thought this was appropriate:

"Snowmen protest global warming" (credit unknown)

The only thing that could improve this photo is if the snowmen were the kind of snowmen created by Calvin in my favorite cartoon strip of all time, Calvin and Hobbes.

Hope everyone is having a great week and we'll be back with more on MLWP as soon as we can!

A Halloween Thanksgiving?

Mama T's post about When Toys Are Possessed has been on my mind ever since I read it.  Particularly the part about "Creepy Baby".  I have been creeped out by dolls my whole life, and those horror movies about them didn't help.

I thought I would share with those also obsessed with "Creepy Baby" and the like, some photos that I took on my way to an appointment after Halloween.

Thanksgiving: The Family You Choose

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  In honor of a holiday that is about gratitude, I wanted to re-post one of my favorite posts from very early in the life of this blog. It's been one of the most widely read, but I know there are many people out there who are missing someone today and/or cannot be with their loved ones, blood or otherwise, for whatever reason. I hope this speaks to you.

So here's something for those of us who are very grateful for our families of choice - I know I am.

------

Tales of the City changed my life.

That sounds like a hyperbolic pronouncement, but it’s basically true. For those who haven’t heard of it, it’s a series of novels by Armistead Maupin that grew out of a newspaper serial he wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle. Before I even knew about these fabulous books, I saw the 6-part miniseries that tracks the first novel.  It’s rare that you remember the first time you saw a show, but I will never forget this.

Photo of the Week: Growing Up!

There was no contest when it came to choosing this week's Photo of the Week.  Anna's new school picture just arrived and it is absolutely beautiful. It captured her amazing spirit as well as any photo could. She looks exactly how she is - sweet, loving, and already too grown-up to only be 3. :)

The (Serious) Hits

Last week, I posted a list of my favorite pieces on the blog that were sweet or funny (aside from those already featured in the "popular posts" column). Many of them were written in the blog's infancy, so I wanted to remind people that they're there.

Now I'd like to call your attention to a few of my favorite posts of a more serious/ political/ thought-provoking nature. Please check them out and let us know what you think!

The Gender Divide - describes the sometimes ridiculous delineation between toys and interests that are supposed to be "just for girls" or "just for boys" and explores what some of the underlying concerns are when kids don't neatly fit the "ideal" gender stereotype.

My Achilles Heel

Most of my parenting commentary revolves around the happy side effects of parenting - the unparalleled joy it brings, the funny moments, the thrilling life changes.

But there is one thing about parenthood that isn't always happy. In fact, that one thing is more difficult than just about anything in the world.

And that is knowing that your heart is gone, that it is walking freely in this world in the form of a beautiful little person, that you have no control over it anymore.  This can be the source of your greatest joy and also of your greatest sorrow.

My little girl is my Achilles heel.

Sleeping beauty, Nov. 2011

'Tis the Season to Max Out Cards

Every year when Christmas rolls around, those who celebrate it go off on the hunt for just the “right” thing(s) for their loved ones.

Be honest – we all get caught up in it. Even those of us who aren’t remotely materialistic (and I admit I do not include myself in that number) probably still go crazy shopping and decorating and trying to get everything just right for the holidays.

Crazy Xmas shopping capital of the world - NYC, Dec. 2010

Friday Fun: Conquering the Donut

I love to eat as much as anyone, but I think few people enjoy food as much and eat with as much gusto as kids. So this week I decided to share some amusing pics of Anna attempting to devour a giant jelly donut covered in powdered sugar.

Happy Friday!

The (Amusing) Hits

Okay, I'm hard at work coming up with some good stuff for next week. Until then, I thought I'd direct your attention to some of my favorite posts, some of which occurred very early in this blog's existence. This list will consist only of the touching, sweet and/or amusing stuff; I'll make a separate list of the "top" more serious discussion posts.

The "popular posts" column on the right of the home page lists the most read posts, and they are certainly among my favorites.  But there are others that are very near to my heart, yet haven't gotten as much attention.  So, here they are.

Please take a moment to check them out and share your thoughts!

A Dialogue

Here's the deal. I'm having a bit of writer's block this week. Frankly, I'm amazed it hasn't happened before, given that I've been posting something almost every day since the beginning of June. It's a feeling I hate.

So, if you'll indulge me, I'll open myself up for a minute. I want this blog to be a success. I want to write something that matters, something that entertains, something that educates, something that resonates with you. When I get that feeling that I don't know what to write about, almost every time, it comes to me. Somehow, magically, it just works. Most of the time.

Photo from infobarrel.com

Photo of the Week: Iced Tea, Anyone?

Happy Monday, all!  I say that sarcastically, in case you can't feel it coming through my keyboard....I'm just not feeling it this Monday. Since I'm still in weekend mode, I thought I'd start the week off here on MLWP with our Photo of the Week, which has absolutely nothing to do with kids or parenting but still cracks me up. So if you need a laugh too, enjoy and I will try to shake off my case of the Mondays and get back to quality posting ASAP!

(Borrowed from Facebook, photo credit unknown)

Friday Fun: Little Louis Armstrong

Once upon a time, waaaay back when I was young, I used to play the trumpet. I grew up with a mother who's a church pianist and organist and a father who also used to play piano and organ, so it's no surprise I wanted to play a musical instrument too.

My first effort in that regard was to try to learn to play piano.  But, I quickly realized it was really difficult to make my little hands do different things at the same time, and it was also difficult to learn from my mom when I was a stubborn kid. That's a shame, because she's a brilliant pianist and a good teacher too.  But I was 4 or 5 and obstinate. Unfortunately, my piano career was very brief. 

In middle school, though, I found the trumpet. It only had 3 valves, so that was easier, and required a lot of hot air, which I had in abundance. I played classical and jazz competitively for 10 years and absolutely loved it. I still regret quitting, and have held onto my trumpet, which has been lonely in storage in my basement.....until now.

20 Children: Happy Family, or Just Plain Crazy?

As many of you have probably read by now, the Duggar family is expecting child number 20.  This is the couple whose lives are featured in the TLC program, "19 Kids and Counting."  Except now they are adding to their already large brood.  Please check out the article (which features interesting statistics like number of diapers changed) here.

I saw this article posted on Facebook yesterday and the lively comments that followed the post got me wondering what MLWP readers would think about this.  Is this amazingly expansive family a wonderful thing? Or is 20 kids too many?  Who is to say how many is too many? Ordinarily, I'd probably be of the view that it's nobody's business, but if you're going to chronicle your life on a TV show, some of that is just to be expected.

Photo from huffingtonpost.com

The views I read yesterday ranged from thinking it's wonderful because they seem to do a good job raising the kids and they're not expecting outside help, to thinking it's nuts because it would be nearly impossible to ensure that each of the kids receive enough quality time with mom and dad. I'm sure there's more to it than this, and I'd love to hear from YOU.  So please read about it and weigh in on the blog!

Playground Life Lessons

They spend a ton of time together.  They have a great time. They like to do many of the same things.  But sometimes, they squabble over the way those things should be done. Sometimes, they just don’t want to share. Sometimes, they want to be alone.  Always, they eventually make up and start getting along again.

Are they an old married couple, you may ask?  Actually, they are toddler buddies.  But we old married couples could learn a lot from them.

Mayhem at the park, Nov. 2011

Supersonic Child Detector

It's late in the evening.  Grown-up time has finally arrived.  You and your loved one have your snacks, the movie is on, the lights are dim, the surround is so good you feel like you're in a movie theater.

And then there's a tiny squeak. You drop your popcorn, spring off the couch, and in 2.2 seconds, you're in your child's room, just before he or she begins to cry.

How did you know just when to run? What causes this phenomenon?

It's your very own internal Supersonic Child Detector.

From canstockphoto.com

Rushing the Season(s)

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way...."

Oh wait, it isn't Christmas time yet?  It's almost two months away?  Well, you could've fooled me.

Halloween was just last week, and already plastic Santa figures and garlands adorn store windows. Many of them were even there before Halloween.  When I ordered a chai at Starbucks the other day, the cup was red with snowflakes.  Very holiday, if you ask me.

from www.uncrediblehallq.net

It's not like we don't go through this every year, but still, it always bugs me.  What I want to know is, why do retailers always feel it is necessary to get such a huge jump on the season?

Friday Fun: More Halloween Pics!

Happy Friday!  I wrote our Halloween Recap a few days ago, but at the time, I only had the so-so pics from my iPhone camera.  Fortunately, Jacobi's Grammie ("NeNe") took some photos with her awesome real camera, and they're too cute not to share. So here are some more photos from our fun trick-or-treating experience for today's Friday Fun.  Enjoy!

While Anna & Izzy are vying to be 1st, Jacobi swoops in!

When Toys Are Possessed

Many of you have probably experienced strange incidents with toys.  Sometimes, they make random noises. Sometimes, something moves.  I don't know about you, but it makes me feel a little weird when this happens.

The primary culprit in our house is a baby doll that I call "Creepy Baby," and now, Anna even calls her that too. Like many baby dolls, she has batteries that enable her to coo and laugh and move her head.  Except when she moves her head, it looks, and sounds, totally unnatural. Creepy Baby's head slowly turns and whirs like a robot.

Kinda scary, isn't she?

Quote of the Day

I don't know about you, but this Wednesday afternoon is seriously dragging for me. I don't have a daily quote feature on the blog yet - an idea for the future, perhaps. But I thought I'd share one today as we're all struggling to get through the end of the work day.

The other night, Anna was brushing her teeth in the bathroom and happened to turn around and look at the wall clock.  This is what she saw:

From etc.usf.edu/clipart

She then pointed to the clock and, as if she had unearthed a giant secret, exclaimed, "Look, mom - it's 8:00 AND 4:00!"  I love that kid.

The Excess Toy Fairy

Perhaps you have seen her.  She sneaks into the rooms of unsuspecting, sleeping children, tiptoeing and trying hard not to wake them.  She rustles around, searching in the glow of a night light for her target.  Then, quick as a flash, she is gone. It's as if she had never been there.

The tooth fairy, you ask?  Nope. I'm talking about the Excess Toy Fairy.  She doesn't take lost baby teeth and leave cash or coins. She takes some of the WAY too many toys most of our kids have and absconds with them so they subtly vanish.

Out of sight, out of mind, right?

Tower o' presents, 2nd birthday (see, this is why we need the ETF)

Photo of the Week: 3 Lil Pigs

It's that time again - here's the photo of the week!  This one made me laugh.

"Hellllpppp!"

Hope somebody rescues those three little pigs soon.....

Halloween Recap

Good morning!  Who's tired from a night full of canvassing neighborhoods with adorable costumed kids in tow?  I know I am.

But it's worth it for the glee on little faces as they yell "trick-or-treat!" and the joy in their steps as they carry plastic orange pumpkin buckets full of candy. Anna (aka Ord the dragon) had a blast trick-or-treating with her friends Jacobi (aka Curious George) and Izzy B (aka The Princess of Color and Everything).

"Hurry up so I can have my candy!"

Happy Halloween!

Just wanted to wish everyone a SAFE and FUN Halloween!  Enjoy trick-or-treating with your kiddos! (And perhaps enjoy some of their candy yourself....did I say that?!)

If you have great Halloween costume pics of your kids that you'd like to show off on the blog, please send them to us at mylifewithpie@gmail.com. We'll post our Annapie pics soon too. Have a great time!

The Anna-bee, at age 1

Dude Looks Like a Lady: Gendering Parenthood

I am the Dad.  Or, better yet, I am the 1950s Dad.  I work long hours, come home to dinner on the table most nights, and contribute very rarely to routine housework.  I am the major breadwinner and I handle all of the household jobs that require muscle or the use of tools. 

Yet these characteristics are not what make me the Dad.  Rather, it is the relationship that I share with Anna that makes me the Dad in our family.

Happy together, Oct. 2011

Here Comes Another Awesome Guest Post!

It seems that My Life With Pie is really becoming a family affair. I do the writing, Uncle Keith does the tech support, and now Mama Heidi is inching her way toward becoming a regular guest post writer.

Tomorrow we're featuring Heidi's 2nd guest post here on the blog. Here's a bit of a teaser.....have you ever thought about what makes a mom a mom?  Or what makes a dad a dad?  Is it just gender, or is it how we express our gender?  Let's face it, some of us moms aren't the gentle, warm and fuzzy type, and some dads aren't the strong, tough, provider type.  Some moms can be tougher than typical dads, and some dads can be sweeter and more nurturing than typical moms. Sometimes the stereotypes are just plain wrong.

Of course, gender issues become even more nuanced when there is a single parent who has to be both mom and dad, or when, like us, the parents are a same-sex couple.  Some people have wondered which one of us is the "mom" and which one is the "dad." Do we fit into those typical roles?  Should we?  Why is this what people expect?

Please tune in tomorrow as Heidi tackles this complicated and very interesting topic. See you then!

Friday Fun: Out of the Mouths of Babes

I know I've asked you before, but I'm asking again....please send us some of your kids' best one-liners, musings on life, and/or quotable quotes.  We all know our kids can be little comedians whether they mean to  be or not, and I also know we all need a laugh now and then. So please take the challenge and send us your best stuff. Then, MLWP will publish a post featuring all of these awesome "kidisms."

Here are a few of Anna's to get you started:

Even Supermoms Have Limits

So, out of concern that perhaps you won’t “listen” to me anymore if I keep talking about listening, I will make this my last post in this vein (for now, anyway).  And I’ll work on the bad jokes too.

Writing about listening to our limits yesterday, and realizing how little I listen to mine, made me realize that acknowledging our limits doesn’t always mean saying “no.”

Sometimes, it means saying YES.

From elleelleeye.blogspot.com

"Listening" to Your Limits

I usually don’t know what will strike me enough to write about it until the post starts coming out on paper. Apparently, the listening theme I started this week is still speaking to me – and I’m listening! (ha ha, I know, that was bad) – so I’ve decided to continue with it today.

The idea of “listening” to our limits is not a new one. In fact, this is something that busy parents (and others too) grapple with on a regular basis.

So, what does it mean to listen to our limits?

Anna goes & goes until her limits catch up with her!

Listen Up! A Preview of Coming Attractions.

This week, a listening theme is developing in my posts.  It just happened randomly, but I'm going to go with it!

Yesterday, we discussed the importance of listening to our words and tones so that we can send the right messages to our kids.  Today, we talked about how listening to our kids is so important too. Tomorrow, we'll delve into a different kind of listening.

Listening Goes Both Ways

Yesterday, I talked about the power of words and how important it is to be careful with our words in terms of relating to our children.

Today, however, I want to talk about the importance of our children’s words. Just as we need to be careful what we say – and how we say it – we also need to listen to their words, even if it means reading between the lines.

I'm listening!  May 2010

Photo of the Week: BIG FEET

Since this one seems to be such a hit on Facebook, I decided to crown it this week's "Photo of the Week."  We found these at a local consignment store for just $2.00 and now I (and some of my friends!) wish we could find them for adults! They're hilarious and cozy...without a doubt, the coolest slippers I've ever seen.

"Yoda feet" from Star Wars: Clone Wars. But they could pass for just about any monster or creature's feet!

If anyone happens to know where they may have something similar for us big kids, please let us know in the comments!