mother's diary

Reading thru the discipline book recommended by Faith. It's seriously encouraged me because I didn't have much luck putting into practice current baby techniques of letting them cry or old techniques of discipine. So a lot of the practices recommended in the book we have done just thru building relationships with our two little ones and adapting to their needs and what's right for us.

I think some people look at me and think I'm overly sensitive to my children but they're just as important to me as any adult so I do listen to them and answer them when they call me. And i'm flexible with their routines.

Caleb is super shy with people he doesn't know well and in a family of loud laughing social butterflies it's a bit hard for some to understand. But myles and i were both shy when we were little so he has a double dose of it! We don't try to force him to say hello, etc we just try to encourage him and interact with him.

I'm going to keep a diary of my little ones. How they're developing as little people...how our relationship grows...the many changes.

Today's note:

my son says 'no' a lot. I'm told at this age 'no' is normal. But he also has a habit of turning any suggestions into the negative....if he's said 'no' to something then even things he normally likes doing will get the negative response...eg: if I say do you want to go outside he will say, 'no don't want to go outside'. do you want a hug 'no, don't want a hug'....etc.

He is very strong willed. And refuses to do anything someone else tells him, if he gets in his 'negative' mood. What does this mean for him? I find myself asking the LORD why does he need to stand up for himself so? why does he need to be so strong willed? I wonder what he will have to face in the future, that he might need this in his personality?

I have learnt not to tell him to stop doing something instead I give him something different to do. Eg: instead of saying move back from the tv, which he immediately says 'no' to, I pull his couch out and say 'caleb come and sit on your couch' or if i'm sitting on the big couch I will say 'come sit with mummy' and he does. Without any problems.

caleb

just had a ditzy moment. If you read this faith sorry, for making a mess of your comments! forgot that you have to approve comments on your blog 1st.

I had a hard moment today. With caleb and discipline again. He had the worse trantrum. And screamed at me when i took something off him that he was ripping up. In the end he said sorry and we hugged etc. But scared me into doing something about it.

So just ordered the book Faith recommended , actually there were a few. But thought I would start with the discipline one and see from there. Might get a whole library of them :)

just a little romance

a little romance can go a long way...an act of kindness, thoughtfulness, of love...can make a girl feel like someone else out there gets who she is and wants to be a part of her life.

It's an interruption in her day to say 'i know you and I love you so much I just had to show you.'

It shows that person knows what makes your heart melt, what makes you smile and laugh, what brings out the best in you. What makes you shine!

We love to feel loved. I'm trying to capture that feeling...but I can't quite express it well enough. It's like standing in a crowded room and everyone else is out of focus except you. That's what a little romance can do.

It's what the LORD does when he interrupts your day just to say that even though he has so many sheep he still sees you and he knows who you are...his daughter, his son. And he knows exactly what you need and when you need it.

A little of that magic is all a girl needs in her busy hectic day. It's enough to make her want to wash her man's dirty feet with love :)

my family

myles

My man playing with my children.

proving to be a very productive time without my man. only because my brother has pitched in to help me sort my backyard. Since we did the biggest loser comp. it has been full of sports equipment. I do have a lot of stuff to get rid of! Purging I think is great for the soul. Including old attitudes!

I miss myles. I knew I would but it's not his presence like I thought I would. He is such a big help with the children and weekends we spend even more time together. It's not in relation to the kids. I just miss my hubby.

Absence does make the heart grow fonder. We have been together 19 years and I realise he has changed so much in the last 10 years or so. It made me realise something about myself. I still treat him as if he's the same. Instead of learning to love and appreciate who he is now.

It doesn't help that the man I fell in love with was so awesome and ahead of his time! But now at 40 he's learning what it means to be him, who God created him to be, warts and all.

I am one of the lucky ones. My husband is supportive and loving and he never stops trying. He's forever trying to accommodate me. And I need to do the same with him. Old attitudes of mine have no place in this new family of ours.

home alone

40 yrs old and home alone with my children for the 1st time ever! My brother lives with us but he's mostly at his girlfriend's place. My hubby has gone to NZ for the weekend. His Mum's plaque will be unveilled on Saturday. Hope he will be ok.

Home alone should be interesting - aaaahhh! putting them to sleep at night will be the hardest...caleb will wonder where his Dad is. Lots of fun!

I'm wondering how I will cope. As long as we stay accident free I should be ok. That's when I start to panic. I could easily ask one of my relatives over to help out but I actually want to see how I will go.

My daughter is crawling all over the place and my son wants me to play soccer with him...all good stuff. But a whole weekend??

small things can outweigh big things

I wrote a post a few days ago which I didn't post. It was just to revealing, layed my heart bare for the world to see. And it was just too much of my heart.

But since I wrote it the LORD has really answered so much of it. And I'm trying to put it into practice. It requires me renewing my mind.

I can share this - you know when things weigh you down and you can't get them out of your head? Well, that's me. I'm a problem solver so when something bugs me, I can't just put it aside.

So in writing about it, the LORD of course has shown me yet again that I don't have to let my mind rule my spirit or my emotions. The world does not have to be perfect for me to enjoy it still.

In fact I can be dealing with huge issues and still manage to enjoy my every day life. This image of my son and my man popped into my head when the LORD was counselling me over this. I wish I had taken a photo! It took place the day before when we all spent the morning together.

They were sitting on a bench on a main shopping road, so there was a lot of hustling and bustling around them, and they were happily sharing lebanese bread together watching the world go by...just hanging out together waiting for me and riley to return.

It was such a great image. I stood there watching them for a bit. It was such a lovely morning together with lots of 1sts. We started off with great coffee in a new coffee shop. Found this deli with yummy salads and great bread which we had never noticed before! Plus a wonderful french style homeware store. It was like we had never walked along that road before. Yet we've been their so many times!

So this all happened the day before the battle with my mind! Praise the LORD for he never leaves me nor forsakes me. That he is ever present in my life and patiently teaches me. Reminds me how blessed I am to have the family I do have. And most importantly to cast my cares on to him! He reminds me that I don't have to deal with the big stuff on my own. And that there are much better things to dwell on which may seem small to others but are just as powerful to me.