Finding my sanity!

I have been making an effort to make things more fun for me and for my boys.  Some of the things I have done this week to accomplish this are:

-Instead of fussing at the boys for running in the Jazzercise building I played tag with them until customers started arriving.
-Instead of telling Jensen to get off my stage I had him do a routine with me.
-Instead of saying for the 1,000,000,000th time "Jensen DON'T TOUCH MY IPOD!" I found something for him to pretend was his ipod.
-Instead of taking the Nerf guns away from the boys for shooting each other, we set up a shooting range on landscape timbers using the recycling.
-Instead of sending Joel to his room for quite time because he wouldn't quit talking at school I went to his room with him and we talked and talked and talked!
-Instead of stressing about healthy snacks I let the boys eat cereal and oatmeal.
-Instead of worrying about the fact that the big boys cut their own hair and rushing them to get a new haircut, I left it alone.  Jackson is sporting a nice gap in the front but he doesn't mind so I don't either.
-Instead of pushing the potty training I am taking cues from my 2 year old.  When he is ready he will let me know, but that doesn't stop me if I catch him "in the moment" and rushing him to the potty for 1 less poopy diaper to change.
-Instead of losing my cool because Joel is refusing to take his medicine I calmly explain to him why we need it and how proud he will feel when he is feeling better because he took his medicine like a champ!
-Instead of getting frustrated because all my boys want to talk at once and they just get louder and louder, I recognize each one "Ok Jackson, what did you want to say?  OK Joel, now it is your turn, what were you saying?  Jensen do you have anything you would like to tell Mommy or your brothers?"  It seems to be working at least for now.

So those are just a few of the things that have helped me be a little less crazy this week.  And on these rainy days I need as much help as I can get with 3 stir crazy boys!

Working harder!

As soon as I was old enough to notice there are people in the world other than me I have noticed that my mom can't take a compliment.  Every "You look great!" my mother gets is followed by a "Oh yea" (insert heavy sacastic tone).  "Wow this dessert is wonderful."  is followed by "Oh it was nothing, really."  I have fussed at her for years.  Just accept how great you are and say "Thank you".  Now I am a mom and most of my friends are moms and I have found that it must be a mom thing.  I have been working hard lately to lose some weight and I have been pretty successful.  I have been met with lots of "Wow Mary Lynn you look so skinny", "you have lost some weight, you look great" you know that kind of thing.  All these compliments and words of encouragement ususally get the same response "Whatever!!!  I am so not skinny!" or "I still have lots to lose."  Why is it so hard to say thank you???  I think once we become mothers we want to shift the focus from ourselves to others.  For some strange reason as moms we think that if we accept a compliment it means we are making others feel bad.   Like if my mom accepts a compliment on a wonderful dessert she is saying "it wouldn't hurt you to crack a cook book every now and then".  So today and am going to start trying to listen to what I have been telling my Momma for years.  I am working harder at saying thank you and being proud of the things that I do and not making it out to be no big deal.  And my hope is that all my mommy friends will do the same because you are all FABULOUS!

It's all about Jensen!

It's been awhile since I talked a bit about my sweet Jensen and he has changed so much!  He has gone from being a baby, so easy and cuddly and sweet to being 2.  I won't say terrible 2 because he is anything but terrible but at times he is a trying 2.   Into EVERYTHING, if it is within his reach it must belong to him!  He is curious and I keep telling myself that is a good thing.  He is testing his limits and I keep telling myself that is good too but with that comes testing Mommy's patience and that is not good!  I can't count the number of times in a day that I say "Jensen WHAT ARE YOU DOING?????"  Most people who have or have had a 2 year old know exactly what I am talking about.

Well along with the getting into everything and the climbing the furniture and dragging all the toys out and general messes of 2 comes the joy of a 2 year old.  Jensen goes around the house and says: "Is this a toy? No.  Is this a toy? No."  He will say that about 10 times about 10 different things until he finds something he thinks is acceptable as a toy.  It is hilarious!  He prefaces everything he says with "Mommy, can I tell you something?"  For example "Mommy can I tell you something?  I need a diaper change.  Mommy can I tell you something?  I love you.  Mommy can I tell you something?  Can I watch Mickey Mouse?"  Also hilarious!  No matter what you say to him the first thing he says is "What?".  I think it is because you can't always understand a 2 yr old so a lot of the time when he tells me something I say "what?"  because I don't understand what he said.  Either that or it is genetic, my Dad says if the first thing I say is "what?"  then I am about to be less that truthful and I need a minute to make it good.

Jensen is the baby brother with 2 older brothers teaching him all about the world.  They teach him to run and jump and spit and all the boy stuff that Mommy doesn't know about or doesn't want to know about.  They have made him tough, he can hold his own.  As a matter of fact Jackson and Joel come crying to me often because "Jensen hit/pinched/scratched/pulled my hair!!"  I think he is being proactive, trying to teach his big brothers he is not to be messed with.

Being the mother of 3 boys is a constant battle and a constant joy!  I spend most of my day refereeing and cleaning up various messes.  It is all so worth it because I am well paid.  I can't count the number of unsolicited hugs and kisses and I love yous that I get in a day.  Even when I am teaching a Jazzercise class and they can't talk to me they tell me they love me in sign language.  I am often told that in many cultures have 3 sons is considered a huge blessing and I know from experience that is really is!