Teach It and They Will Learn

I am a busy Mama. Even my 3 year old says so. There is a lot to be done to make this house run smoothly. Each day I try to tackle the tasks out of love, but a lot of the time they just take on the appearance of a to-do list. But right behind me are four little eyes watching my every move. Four little hands just twitch with excitement. Will Mama let them help sweep? Will Mama let them carry their own cups to the sink? Can they join in the fun?

Yes! Of course!

The beautiful thing about encouraging toddlers to help is that the hard part is done - no motivation required. They want to help! They are excited to help! Harness that enthusiasm and give them a job. A wise mother of 8 once said to me that an 18-month-old can throw things away and put toys in a basket. Bella started with that, and has now graduated to other tasks, making room for Anastasia to pick up the simpler things. They feel important having a job that they can do. Choosing jobs that each can learn to complete well also builds proper self-esteem and confidence. That stubborn "I do it myself" attitude turns into "YES! You can do it yourself, and I will let you practice."

It is exhausting and time-consuming to let toddlers help. The job will certainly take at least twice as long and make for extra work for me afterward. Plates get spilled, dirt is flung, and someone is fighting over the sponge again. But we keep trying and finding new ways to adapt the chore for clumsy little hands (for the kids, too!) and one day there is a difference! One day you notice that the Big Girl is helping the Little Girl clear her own dish. She knows where the forks go and how to put her cup in the dishwasher. One day you hand her the towel and she wipes up her own mess and puts the towel with the dirty clothes. And you forgot to show her.

To Whom It May Concern

Dear Two-Year-Old,

Thank you for helping me finally decide to throw away those old cassette tapes that have been in a bag in my closet. Regardless of how much I enjoyed them 10 years ago, I have no desire to try to rewind all the tape back into them.


Dear Darling Husband,

Thank you for the "new" bedroom TV. Despite all my protests you found a good deal and surprised me with a beautiful viewing option in the comfort of our bedroom. I will love the fact you put the girls to bed even more come baseball season!


Dear Baby Boy,

You now weigh MORE than either of your sisters did at a year old! That means that by the time they were your size they were walking. Please don't misunderstand, I really like your immobility; it's just that my arms are really tired.


Dear Biggest Sister,

You are so helpful and I really appreciate it. I love to hear you teach your younger siblings all about the world. Sometimes it is hard to be patient with your pupils, but please remember that she likes to try things by herself . Maybe next time you shouldn't try to help her brush her teeth.

Snow Days

Quotable Quotes

... from Anastasia!

Anastasia: "Monter!"
Bella: "That's not a monster, Anastasia. That's your brother!"
Anastasia: "Brodder Monter!"




lost in pronunciation - (*crying)

Anastasia: "Hey Joey, no dying!"

~Yeah, I couldn't agree more.

Quick Takes

1.

Patrick will be gone ALL WEEKEND. All. Weekend. Once a year (or so) a group of men we have known since college go away for a much needed guys' weekend. These men have all grown up to be solid, Catholic Dads and one solid Catholic Priest. I could not ask for a better group of men with whom my husband to be friends and spend a long weekend. However, for me who is used to having a LOT of help with the kids, the emphasis is on long.

2.

I hope to go into survival mode. Plaster a big smile on my face and sing for 10 hours a day. Alert the funny farm, I'll be filling my spot Tuesday. In reality, I'm not sure how it's going to go. I really am used to him helping a lot, and I haven't regained my confidence with the 3 kids yet.

3.

For the first time ever, I am actually ready to resume Ordinary Time. The Church has given us a beautiful rhythm to our lives ordered with the Liturgical calendar. Before kids I never really gave it much thought; it was there, it was good, but it had very little to do with how I live my day. Now that I am in a constant struggle to bring order and rhythm to my days I really appreciate the beauty it offers for our lives. We knew when to start preparing for Christmas, because there is a whole season of Advent. Now we know when to start settling down from the wonderful happy upheaval that is Christmas and ease ourselves into a normal routine.

4.

Joey has another head cold. Yuck. The poor little guy is a Snuffly Sniffly Mess who isn't sleeping well. The worst part of it all is that he has his MRI scheduled for next week! Last time they couldn't do it because he was so congested (he has to be sedated under general anesthesia, so he can't have upper respiratory problems). Please pray for my Joey, that he gets over this very quickly and that a silly head cold does not interfere with procedures again.

5.

Speaking of my Amazing Joey he is growing like a champ! At 18lbs 14 ozs he's HUGE for a cardiac kid, and he is a super-smiler. He's progressing and developing so nicely, and I really need to write a real post updating asap.

6.

Patrick and I actually had a date-night this week! My parents stayed with the kids, and the girls even went to a puppet show! They were almost as thrilled as we were to have us out of the house! We went to dinner at our favorite steakhouse, thanks to a gift card from a thoughtful friend. We way overate and it was wonderful down to the last lick of BBQ sauce and sweet potato. After a leisurely dinner we went to see Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader at the theater! We really loved having an evening out!

7.

Did I mention I'm nervous about the next 4 days? I am offering up a lot of my anxiety and the suffering of the weekend for the women who's husbands are deployed. I am such a wimp.

Many thanks to Jen @ Conversion Diary for hosting!