My frustration

I try not to show favoritism to one child over another, but I get so fed up with one of the boys more than the other. It makes me feel so guilty!!! I know I yell more and get angry more with one over the other and worry I need angry management. I just don't know how to deal with him...he frustrates me to no end! This is almost a daily thing. I don't want to ruin any future relationship that we will have, but fear that we will always have the issues that are developing....how bad is this to say about my 5 year old?

Even though I have these fears and I know what I should do, I still have a hard time controlling myself, stepping away, counting down....I know I am wrong, but still struggle.

I know what I should do and will continue to work on this, for this is the best for my child and myself...

I spy...

The boys have started playing "I spy". I was really surprised when it came up in the car one day and wondered who had taught them this game. It started something like this:

"I spy ummmm, aaaaa, ummm, aaaa truck! Your turn" "That one?"

"I spy ummmm, aaaa, ummmm the road. Next"

This continued for awhile as the boys would either try and spy things at the same time or share turns, passing it back and forth. But, what was so funny was that when they "spied" things they would tell what it was they spied. This was funny and cute at the same time.

Of course, I had to set them straight on how to actually play so now in the car we spy objects by color and try to guess. Every now and then they will spy an object and still accidentally tell what it is...kind of like how they play hide and seek...we will work on that some other time though!

Tie Breaker with Thomas

The temperatures are getting HOT and I wanted to take the kids swimming. I talked to Melissa about going with us and she suggested we go to Tie Breaker at 4 in the afternoon for half off time. After much deliberation I agreed and thought that Thomas could join us! He had never been to Tie Breaker and the kids would love it if he came along.

The kids and I got there about 10 minutes early and hung out in the car before heading in. When we got up to the gates I noticed the water was off and it seems someone had an unfortunate event happen and the water was closed for 30 minutes...no worries we waited it out and then enjoyed our time in the waters, leaving just before closing time.

The boys loved having Thomas around to rough house and play around with...even Eric got into the playing!

What fun as a family...this was probably our last visit for this year and next year we will enjoy again!

How many...?

How many children can we put on/in one car at Chuck E Cheese?

You know I have been trying to save money...this is us getting our monies worth!Stretching one coin really takes on new meaning here!

Things going on around here.

Daddy reading Tapanga one of her princess books, of course shes dressed up! We did a toy swap, put away the kitchen stuff and took out the trains. The kids are loving the trains!

Thomas has been talking about putting a tire swing up, but on a recent trip to Target, I had found another type of swing. Thomas put this one up and the kids had to try it out!

Identity Crisis?

I just had to get a picture when I came around the corner and spotted Tanner! Not quite sure who he wants to be...cowboy? Captain America? The Hulk? Batman? Sword Fighter?

Or Vampire?I am not sure what other piece of dress up he could have put on with all that he was already wearing, but how cute!

How observant are you?

I had thought I was a pretty observant person, until Thomas made a certain observation! We have been living in the house for almost a year and have put Tapanga to bed nearly every night of that year with the following routine: Go to the bathroom, brush her teeth, then use the potty. Do you see what we have been missing for a year?

For almost a year, we did not notice that one of the main handles of her bathroom cabinet was different! Yes, there is stuff in the cabinet! We have used that cabinet, so unless someone snuck in and changed on me...its been different this whole time!

It made me go around and look at all the other handles!

Garden Update

Our garden has been doing a lot better than I expected. The fruits and vegetables are starting to come in and some of the plants are thriving! This post actually shows the garden at two different times. The first few pictures are from the end of June. You can see the pepper plants, the strawberry plants and the cantaloupe plants.When you get down and look close you can see the harvest coming in: tomato's... corn...

zucchini...

cucumber...

and peppers!

The bounty from this visit: 5 cucumbers (1 bad), 2 zucchinis, 2 green beans and a pepper.

13 days later, the cantaloupe have spread!

And when you get deep down in there...we have cantaloupe growing!

The tomatoes are getting red.

More cucumbers.

and more zucchinis

More peppers.Zucchinis are an interesting vegetable...the grow out from the flowers and sometimes the flowers don't always drop or die off.

Pretty peppers.

Thomas has really been enjoying the garden and I think we have learned a lot about planting and gardening. Next year we hope to have a bigger one and we are looking forward to it.

Enough of the Princess!

I have had enough! The grandparents have been told and the "princess" has been told...I am tired of Tapanga thinking she is a princess. It has gotten way out of control and so has she! I don't know maybe its just a girl thing, but she has become bossy, argumentative, and just a pain in the rear.

Ever since she was little she has been the princess. She is the only girl, she has always acted like a princess in certain matters, but it is gotten to far!

Today we were doing something and she says, "Is that for the princess?" (referring to herself!)

Its not uncommon for her to look at certain types of buildings and call them castles. Again, today we were walking downtown and she looks at one of the buildings, where the corner is a little rounded and says, "that's my castle".

Come on child you are only 2! She will always be our princess, but if I don't do something now I think this will only get worse, opening her up for greater hurt in the long run!

Santa in July???

Today as we were driving home, Tanner started an interesting line of conversation:

Tanner - "I bet Santa brings presents to the kids that live in the North Pole every night."
Me - "I don't think so, Santa needs to help the elves to make the toys for next Christmas, plus he needs to rest before Christmas comes again."

Anyways this led to 10 minutes of conversation about Santa and Christmas all in July! Some of the highlights I can remember:

One of the boys asked how far away Christmas was, I said about 6 months, "Wow that's a long time!"

Tyler started asking about gifts and remembered presents he got from 2 Christmas' ago! He also asked me what I got from Christmas, "I don't remember" was my reply.

Then they were asking whether Santa brings adults presents and I said sometimes, yes. Which prompted the question, "Does Santa make the adults gifts in his workshop also?"

"Why doesn't Santa like the sun?"
"Santa likes the sun."-me
"Why doesn't he bring presents during the day."
"Because he does his work at night. That one night a year, he goes around to all the houses and delivers presents and sleeps during the day."-me

"Santa has a sleigh?"
"Yes, that's like his car."-my reply
"Why doesn't he have a car?"
"He has a sleigh, its easier to get around on snow."-me again
"Is there still snow at the North Pole?"
"Yes."-me

Thomas once told me, you can have some good conversations with the kids if you don't let them watch tv in the car. At that point they had been watching more and more tv in the car. So, I have been trying to do better and we have gotten to a point where they don't ask everytime, what an accomplishment!

When this conversation had started we had all been quiet for a minute and it came out of nowhere. Its interesting where the mind of a 5 year old is sometimes!

Pole Party

Laura, one of my good friends, was trying to help her sister in law, Jen, out with her business. She does private dance lessons, but not the dance you would thinking of! She does pole dancing lessons!

Anyways, Joy wanted me to go and so I agreed to go to the pole dancing class, but I wasn't feeling it. I am not very graceful, I don't really feel comfortable in front of a group and all this was required for this class!

I couldn't believe how sexual this class was meant to be and for Laura of all to be hosting this! I am not a very sexual person. When Jen introduced the pole she did so as, "this is Peter." I couldn't believe she did that! I was having a hard time getting into this and Joy was making me laugh so I am sure I looked goofy during most of my routines!

Some of the girls got really into the dancing and some even said they were going to get themselves a pole! Thomas knows that will not be happening around here!

It is usually great hanging out with all of my friends and this time wasn't so bad, but its weird to show and see this side of some of them. The next class is a lap dance/strip tease and I will not be taking part in it!