Monthly Archives: April 2012 Have all of you who live by TJ’s tried this Mango Mochi? Oh my gosh, it is so good. Actually, I am just now noticing that the brand isn’t TJ’s, so I am wondering if this brand is sold at other stores as well. Have you all tried the non refrigerated peanut sauce at TJ’s?... April 30, 2012 - 6:25 am
Ugh..the dreaded dinner. I really, really want to be a good cook but to be honest…I’m kinda terrible. I think I get frustrated with my lack of knowledge and resources (until now). So, this is one of my goals is to become better at making yummy dinners. We have bbq’d lately because the weather has been nice. Our go to, easy and quick, are the salmon burgers from Costco. I also just tried Costco’s black bean burgers and I thought it was great! I too like the idea of simple and light dinners. Stan and I both need to lose a few lbs. so I know this will help. Your salad sounds yummy…to bad no TJs around. May 4, 2012 - 8:58 am
I love hearing what other people get at Costco. The black bean burgers sound so good, and I want to see if I can make those from scratch. Do they fall apart on the grill? I have that problem with veggie burgers. Oh, and Chris and I could join your quest to lose a few pounds When I talk to my wonderful and down to earth mama friends, it is common for us to share our parenting struggles and triumphs. I’ve heard many stories about hard mama days and how naughty our kids can be (told right before the story about something sweet that the said naughty kid did). I think... 13 comments April 18, 2012 - 11:59 pm
If it makes you feel any better, my laundry may or may not have just been sitting in heaping (clean) piles in the baskets in the hallway (we have no laundry room) for the last 10 days… just saying Love that you keep it real. I’m sorry your kids are naughty and glad mine NEVER are. Oh wait, that was a heaping pile of sarcasm bigger than my laundry loads. All I know is, I was a REALLY good parent before I ever had kids… and I have to keep having them until every single one of my soapboxes is smashed into smitherines. I even have one child who I pretty much thought pooped roses for awhile… he was occasionally cranky, but pretty much the easiest going little guy… Heavenly Father must have seen me starting to play favorites (because he was SOOOO much easier than his siblings) and turned on the mean switch, because overnight he became what all the other four year olds are… whiny, angry, and self-absorbed. At least all my kids are back on even playing fields now April 19, 2012 - 2:00 am
If you ever need a mom to keep it real for you, you know where to find me. April 19, 2012 - 7:10 am
Thank you Kara- I love that you are honest! You know my trials and tribulations with my oldest- I most certainly do not have it all together as a parent. Sometimes I really only want to be around other parents with difficult children! It’s easier than hearing about all the perfect days with perfect children that the parents you described love to brag about. I agree that most of them are likely coming from a place of insecurity. April 19, 2012 - 8:44 am
there seems to be a certain amount of maturity that comes at some point (some sooner or much later than others) when you kind of have this “aha” moment and you finally stop comparing yourself to others. April 19, 2012 - 10:31 am
Karli nailed it: “I was a REALLY good parent before I ever had kids.” So true! It totally cracks me up, and I have to work so hard not to laugh, when I’ve asked Naomi not to do something/touch something/stay off of something and she makes eye contact, gets this look on her face, and then ever so slowly (while keeping eye contact) starts doing what I just asked her not to do. Agh! Total limits testing, and foreshadowing bigger challenges to come. Little stinker! Good thing she’s so cute! I hear you, Kara. I feel like I am totally learning as I go, and support and feedback from other parents (Dads, too!) has been the most helpful thing through this big adventure. April 19, 2012 - 10:03 pm
Lol Kara. One of my biggest parenting fears is having some sort of confrontation down the road with those parents who, in your words, think their kids poop roses. Am so thankful for fellow “keeping it real” kinda mamas like you! Would love to get Judah and Miriam together one of these days by the way April 20, 2012 - 9:45 am
Karli, April 20, 2012 - 10:16 am
What a good post! I have to say that I am so grateful that I am at a point where I am rarely hard on myself because of comparing myself to others. I do get a little annoyed by the people who only paint rosy pictures of their lives, parents or not. And I love to hear other people’s REAL moments. But for the most part, I try to focus on myself and my family and how I feel about it. That being said, I have found a little dose of “Mommy Guilt” to be useful. I want to be continually improving and just writing off my shortcomings as “the way I am” isn’t good enough. I am in no way a perfectionist (and again, I am thankful for that), but I think that a little guilt can help us improve. For example, I should feel a little guilty when I lose my temper and yell at the kids. That guilt helps me strive to do better. Does that make sense? April 21, 2012 - 5:46 am
Kara! I have missed your blog and you!! I’m trying to catch up on all the posts I missed. You are simply amazing my old friend and your kids are so blessed to have you! April 22, 2012 - 9:17 pm
Adrienne, April 25, 2012 - 7:54 pm
So nice to know my 3 year-old is TAG! And I thought she was just being naughty! April 25, 2012 - 9:44 pm
I love reading your blog! I am so thankful for honest mamas. Motherhood is hard enough!! Regarding your Simplicity Parenting post- I would love to hear more about you getting rid of your “stuff”. I really want to go this direction but am overwhelmed by the task and can’t figure out where to start! I think I need to meet Audra April 25, 2012 - 11:01 pm
I know Juliette, it’s a good excuse… right? Jesse,  Easter Sunday was great. Church was great and then we went with our friends the Bannisters to deliver flowers to the residents of Corvallis Manor followed by a great dinner. We set up a flower arranging station outside and the kids had tons of fun making flower arrangments. More updates to come soon! 2 comments April 15, 2012 - 10:19 pm
Miriam doesn’t look like a baby anymore, what happened?!?! Those pictures are adorable April 18, 2012 - 9:47 pm
It’s true. She doesn’t look like a baby, but she often still wants to be treated like one  These two have a special bond. They don’t always get along perfectly, but for the most part, they play well together and love being in the others’ company. I hope they are always close. If you have talked to me fairly recently, there is a good chance that I have brought up the book... 6 comments April 2, 2012 - 9:29 am
Oooooh, sounds good. I agree that it makes me feel good about some of the things I’m doing that I feel outside pressure about. Like scheduling things. My kids are not in any extra-curricular activities at this point. That is for financial reasons, but in the future, we plan to keep it to a minimum. Something like one physical activity/sport and one music lesson. Even that will make things hectic, I’m sure. I will have to check this book out! April 2, 2012 - 7:36 pm
Oh Adrienne, April 2, 2012 - 9:46 pm
I completely agree about this book. I took the class with Alice & Jessica last Fall and watched our family calm down in the process. I remember one afternoon of coming home and pulling apart Eddie’s room, removing half the toys and organizing what was left. The change in him was dramatic and instant. But we can’t seem to sustain it! It seems like a constant battle to stay simple! April 3, 2012 - 10:16 pm
I have a follow up question: How do you keep the kids occupied when they want to play computer or watch TV? I use technology time to get things done, but sometimes it’s too much. So what do you do to help engage the kids in something? That sounds bad, but obviously with 4 kids I’m often looking for ways to keep them occupied. Any suggestions? April 5, 2012 - 10:41 pm
I’m still here! Keep posting! I’ve been feeling pressure (that I put on myself) when I see friends who have their kids involved in lessons, classes, and activities. Seamus doesn’t do much. But, I need to remind myself that I didn’t do anything as a preschooler except be a preschooler. In fact, I didn’t even go to preschool. I turned out okay. I’m sure he will, too. I do have to disagree about books, though. I don’t think kids can ever have too many books. It’s the only thing that I buy without guilt. April 6, 2012 - 9:18 pm
Adrienne, |
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