Housekeeping

Today and tomorrow are school holidays. Which means both the boys are home with me.

All.Day.Long!

These boys are wearing me out!


The talking. The questions. The fighting. The playing. The questions. The talking. The arguing. The talking. The running. I seriously don't know where they get their energy!



But I did gather more evidence that boys are weird. I'm sure there will be more to come, but it seems like the only conversations that I heard in the house today had to do with burps, farts, bums, poop and willies. And when they weren't talking about bodily functions, they were talking about Pokemon... sometimes, both at once.

Several weeks back, my friend Sheila from My Memories gave me an award.

It's called, "The Daily Dose." It was created by Xandra from Heart of Service and has encouraged us to pass this award to blogs that we can't live without. Blogs that make us laugh, cry, think and feel connected every time we read a post. Blogs that we truly enjoy reading and give us a satisfying thrill when they have commented on our blogs.

I'm very honored that Sheila chose to pass this award on to me. Especially because I feel I've been letting by blogging go by the wayside since Christmas.

I know I haven't had time to read my "usual" blogs as often as I'd like. It came at a good time for me. It was a nice reminder that there are people out there reading my blog and are truly interested in what I put here (other than family of course)!

And in another very nice move, Elizabeth at Table for Five gave me the "Unconditional Friendship Award" today!

This award is for blog friends that are always there for you no matter what. I have to say, I feel the same way about Elizabeth. I'm already planning on visiting her in June when I'm back up in Michigan. She and her kids came to my parents house last year. This year, I hope to bring the boys to her neck of the woods.

And by the way, Elizabeth's been pretty sick with the flu or some other virus. If you have time, go give her a shout out and show her some love back!

So now I get to make some people happy and give out these two awards! Now what really is amazing is I'd like to give both awards to the same people!

Even though Sheila gave me the "Daily Dose Award", she is most definitely on my daily read! So I'm giving the award right back to her. Plus, she deserves the "Friendship" award. I can always count on Sheila's input and advice if I need it. I love her comments, both on the blog and over at Maya's Mom.

Charlene at CrazedParent is absolutely deserving of both awards too! I love her writing. Plus, I think she is my "separated-at-birth-and-a-few-years" twin. She has two boys similar in age and demeanor to Josh and Sam. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll get to meet her in person someday... hopefully soon!

B at Random Acts of Motherhood is funny and a great writer. Definately deserving of both awards too. I love reading about her playgroup experiences. They will make you laugh, and cry at the same time.

Of course, Elizabeth is on my daily dose. All three of her blogs are! She's got Table for Five, Mom Cooks and Mom Reviews. And actually, I think she has more blogs, or contributes to more... I don't know. She's one busy lady and she still takes time to help out friends!

Finally, Shannan at Mommy Bits. She's also got two boys, similar in ages to mine. I like reading her blog because I can relate to it. So I'm giving Shannan both awards too.

Thank you to all of you for reading my blog, being my friend, and letting me into your little corner of the world as well. It's nice to share the insanity joy!

Jumping on the Good Parent Bandwagon

There's something going on with parenting blogs in the almighty Blogosphere.

It seems to have been started by Girl's Gone Child. And it's spread like wildfire! It's a fantastic trend for us parents to stand up and admit we're good parents! So, now it's my turn.

I'm a good parent because....

... I had good teachers. My parents are wonderful parents. They showed me love, so I learned love. After I became a parent, my dad said to me, "Now you know!" and boy do I ever... I now know the love my parents had for me. It's awesome!

... I don't have to do it alone. I'm so fortunate to have a wonderful husband to help me. He is an amazing support system for me. This gives me the break I need to refresh and recharge my batteries. (He had good teachers too!)

... I believe that as a parent, it is my job to raise my children to be responsible adults. This means sometimes I have to be the "Mean Mommy." I am not my children's best friend, I am their mother. My kids have chores that they are responsible for. We have rules in our house and when the rules aren't followed, there are consequences.

... In spite of me being Mean Mommy, we do have fun. We bend the rules; stay up late sometimes, stay in our PJ's all day, have candy or cake for breakfast on special occasions. We play.

.... I love my kids. When they are sick or hurt, it breaks my heart. When they are happy, my heart swells. I am so proud of their accomplishments. When Sam says, "I did it!" and when Josh comes home from school having scored a "5 of 5" on yet another AR test. Or when Josh reads to me, or Sam sings his ABC's or counts, and how well he did with his potty training.

... But most of all, I know I'm a good parent when I see how wonderful my boys are. I see it in the way they act with other children and adults,.the way they treat each other (most of the time), and how happy they are. And, the love I have for them is returned to me. I am so proud of my kids!


Yes, we have our "moments." It's not easy, it's not all good all the time, but that's for another day.... I thank God everyday for blessing me with a such a wonderful family and for helping me be the parent I am!