I am so random today. I have a million and one thoughts floating in my head and no way to put them in order. In the past two weeks I've had so many blog posts written in my head but they never made it to my blog. Instead I filled up the screen with my kiddos birthday posts and utter cuteness. So is the life of a mama, I guess. No matter what is going on in our own lives it seems to take a backseat to our children. And that is okay.
Unfortunately, I don't know when all of my brilliant posts will make it to my blog. I am having major computer problems. Stinking computer. Have I mentioned how much I loathe this freaking ancient computer? Well, I do. Especially now since I have so much to share and very few opportunities to do so.
First off, I wanted to tell you all that I finally got fed up with my sloth-like attitude, and my binge eating, and decided to take charge. I began running again and have been shocked with how quickly I bounced back into my running routine. The eating part is a bit more of a challenge for me, but I have a little bit of help with it being Lent right now. I have given up all sweets (yes, ALL sweets) and junk food. Completely crazy, I know. But I convinced myself that eating an entire box of mini cream puffs a couple times a week is NOT OKAY. Apparently it doesn't help get off extra baby weight. Bummer.
I've only lost a few pounds so far, but I'm hopeful the rest will come off when Grace weans herself from breastfeeding. I never loose all my weight until the breastfeeding is done. Most people tell you that breastfeeding helps you loose the post baby weight but I've found that I always hang on to at least 10 pounds until weaning. I'm okay with that. But not this extra 20 I have right now. Hopefully I can get down to a more comfortable weight soon.
I also wanted to let you know that my house is covered in snot. Good to know, right? All my kiddos have been sick for the past two and a half weeks. It has been seriously crazy. Horribly running/stuffy noses and an awful barking cough. Poor Gracie still has it. It is so hard for her to eat. I just feel so badly. And she is such a trooper. We had her 6 month check up and I was happy to hear that even though she hasn't been eating as well as she normally does she is still growing like a weed. She is in the 90th percentile for height, 60th percentile for weight, and 25th percentile for her head. Tall girl with an itty bitty head. Ha! Anyway, the kiddos have been super troopers dealing with their colds, but I am ready for this nasty cold/flu season to be over with. It is so hard to be cooped up in the house with sick babies for so long. Ack!
Which bring me to my last bit I wanted to share with you. As I said, I had been feeling kinda crazy with all the sick kids stuck in the house for the past few weeks. It has been draining and aggravating. The boys have been wild despite their colds and I just didn't feel like I had it in me to handle their craziness. I was moody and snippy and so, so tired. Basically, I was feeling like a pretty rotten mom.
It must have been kismet because I was reading Catherine Newman's blog and in her post she asked her readers what was the best parenting advice they ever received. I read through the 110 plus comments and MAN! Some of the advice just clicked with me. They really made me think. One of the readers, Sara , said that the best advice came from her father regarding her daughter when he would say, "Remember, she won't pass this way again." That struck me to the core. How true it is. My kids will never be this age again. I will never have this day back. Another reader, ELN5, wrote about a woman who told her, "Oh, when you have young children the days can be so long, but the years are so short". So, so true. I could keep quoting comment after comment, but really, you should just go over there and check it out for yourself.
I am telling you, it completely changed my week around. I almost feel like saying it has changed me as a parent. I have not raised my voice ONCE this week. I feel like a new person. Every time I feel frustrated, or annoyed, or tired, or angry, or bothered, I hear, "Remember, he won't pass this way again." And it is like magic. It immediately snaps me out of my funk and helps me focus. And I am so grateful.
So, my dear readers, now I will ask you. I want all the great advice you've got. You'd think that with four children I'd have this stuff figured out already, but I'll take whatever help I can get. So tell me, what is the best parenting advice you've ever received?
(This post has taken me FOREVER to write because my computer keeps shutting down on me. I will try my best to get around to your blogs, but please be patient with me. Thanks!)
20 comments:
Ugh. I hate computer problems. Good luck.
Hope everyone's feeling better soon. It's so hard when they're not.
Lots of compassion and empathy for how hard it can be when they're all inside, and you are so right, they never will be this little again. I look back on all the chaos and craziness of when Jacob and Julianna were really little, and how hard it was, and I would give anything to be right there in the midst of it again.
Hope you can hang on to that feeling.
Slow computers stink!
And I'm so sorry to hear all the kiddos are sick! :-(
Dear Kat,
I found your blog because I use site meter and it listed yours as a referring site. I'm so glad my dad's advice found it's way to you. It is gold, pure gold. I am very happy to have found your blog. I find I use variations of the word sanity in my blog quite often (sane, insane, sanity, insanity). That alone makes me think I will relate well to your point of view! I hope you have as sane a weekend as possible!
Sara
You would think at my age now and having raised 3 children of my own and now, helping my daughter to raise her two youngsters, that somewhere along the line someone surely must have passed me some astute bits of wisdom for parenting, but if they did, I must have forgotten what it was. Not unusual there as I tend to forget most things that have happened in the past 20 years but anything that happened or was said/done 30-60 years back in time, I tend to remember much better. Go figure!
With my kids though, instead of thinking along the lines of our Constitution with "Innocent until proven guilty" I always tended to take the reverse point of view -mainly cause I knew them all too well! I think most of my parenting stuff I picked up from observing many of the parents of my friends growing up and adopted some of their theories or ways then when my own kids came along -if it seemed to work well for them, perhaps it was worth employing with mine and for the most part, I guess it did work okay cause all three of my kids are pretty much some really great adults now. And as to my grandchildren -well, they can do no wrong! (No, I'm not quite that much of a doting old Grammy but they sure are the prettiest, most handsome kids I've ever had the good fortune to have share my gene pool ya know!)
I have not been given any real advise as of yet. I do try to think of what my parents did that seem to work, since I didn't turn out to bad. The one thing my dad would do when he had something he really wanted you to listen to (when we were acting up) was say it really softly. We would have to all (an there was four of us) have to quiet down to hear what he was saying. He would also get really close to you and almost say it in a whisper. I find that when my oldest is really acting out and not listening when I talk to him if I try this approach he does listen. It's like he know when I talk really quiet to him that I have reach the point that he need to listen. Even my husband is amazed at how well it works. It beat me yelling over him.
This was something I watch a lot lately and it inspires me to be a better mom. I thought you would enjoy it as well: Defining a Moment.
Good catch up! I am random everyday ;)
I love your honesty! So transparent. Sometimes that's the best way to be, just to lift all the burdens off our chests! We should all be so honest.
Hope your computer starts to shape up soon!
The best parenting advice I ever received was a variation of the advice you just quoted. It's so true. I'm sorry about all the colds going around your house. It sounds like you have a great attitude.
Kat....Thank you for your dear comment on my blogpost about my mom. Hugs to you for that~
Grace is absolutely beautiful...covered in snot, or not!!
I love this post of yours. How I wish I could close my eyes and snap my fingers, and my boys would be small again.
My best advice: You're gonna miss this. Yup...all of it. Even the snot. So take it all in. All of it. Enjoy EVERY second!! xoxoxox
So glad you're feeling better, despite the sickies and computer issues. I've heard that saying before, the one about days being long and years being short. It is SOOO true! And I hear you on the breastfeeding...I always held only to a few pounds until I weaned as well.
All that parenting advice from Catherine Newman's site is golden. I'm adviced-out, but I do agree about the breastfeeding...the weight doesn't really come off until they're weaned, or at least nursing way less.
Your banner photo is beautiful!
it's just a stage....whatever "it" was would pass.
SOrry about the computer. But honestly I think the best parenting advice I have gotten is if your marriage is strong, your family is strong.
Putting the marriage first and being a mom second, actually helps teh kids to see a stable loving home and they feel happier and safier, so I've heard.
Plus I love having a good reason to have date nights with my honey :)
So happy to hear you're out of that funky mood!!! The best advice I have ever received was to just laugh. It makes the hard times a little easier.
Thanks for sharing that blog. I think I'm gonna go check it out. I could use some words of wisdom lately!
One thing - besides the awesome advice that they will never be this little again - that keeps me in check is making sure I treat my kids in private, the same way I would treat/talk to them in public. Would you really yell at them if you were in the middle of the store (except Walmart where it seems that's where some mom's think it's okay to do so...)? Or how about if you accidentally left your cell phone in your pocket and someone was still on the other line? That keeps my attitude in check a lot of the time. I don't want my kids to think I'm a different person in public than I am at home.
:-)
Glad you're feeling out of your slump. Hope the kiddos feel better soon - that's stinky.
Okay...those quotes from the moms on the blog you were reading brought tears to my eyes. It's so true. I feel like I've been more snippy lately b/c I've been tired being up with a newborn. I need to remember more patience with Karys.
And for sick kiddos? Girl I am SO ready for Spring it's insane. I want all the sickness out of my house as well. Ugh!
I'm glad to read you're back on the "run." Like you, I always clung to an extra 10 pounds until I was done nursing.
I'm trying to think of parenting advice I've heard that was good...nothing is springing to mind right now. But I love your attitude. I really try to temper my reaction with "remember the big picture."
I try to remember that too, that even though they may be frustrating or "bugging" me, they are my sweet babies that continue to grow, what seems like every minute!
Some of the best advice I've always gotten is "go with your gut" - that we know our kids better than anyone else, etc.
when MQ was much younger and I was sad about her passing from each baby phase someone told me "Every phase will be your favorite" and that has helped me not only let go of old phases, but search to find the good things in each phase she's in
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