More good news!

After last's week's great news that my man got hired on a wonderful fire department, I'm ready to share more good news! We're expecting another little boy in November. I am officially a boy mom now. That's still sinking in :)

There are so many reasons I can give for not finding the time to update my blog, the main one being exhaustion from working 6 nights a week and trying to love on my boys all day. But all that's about to change! In 3 weeks I will no longer be the one bringing home the bacon (more like bringing home the peanut butter!) My man just got hired on by a wonderful fire department in the area! So wonderful, in fact, that they'll be paying for him to go through paramedic school on his days off! It really is everything we've been hoping for!

That's all the excitement I can handle for tonight, more coming next week.

I guess it's our motto

It's amazing how a small, seemlingly simple moment can change your life.

Mr. Reliable was in Maia's office hanging out when one of the young missionary students came in and asked to borrow Maia's cooking stone. She quickly agreed, producing the aged and seasoned stone with a gentle reminder that it was valuable to her and to be careful with it. Mr. Reliable and Maia returned to their conversation as the student left the office. Moments later a crash was heard from the kitchen; Maia froze. Both of them knew what had happened: the cooking stone was gone. At that Maia, rather than curse and berate the girl, looked up at Mr. Reliable and said, "People are always more important than things." And then went to help pick up the pieces of her broken treasure and assure the sweet girl who had broken it that everything was okay.

That moment, years ago, has deeply impacted our family. It may not seem profound, but this statement has taken root in our very souls. It's the core of how we want to live and what we want to pass on to our children. People are valuable, far more valuable than a fancy vacation, a nicer car, or even a precious cooking stone. I guess it's our motto.

Boots

My older boy is turning 3 on Saturday!

I cannot believe that this precious baby is really a preschooler!

He just learned to sit up yesterday, didn't he?

At least he still sleeps with Shine Shine Bear!

He's not a baby anymore.

He's a smart, funny, energetic little boy!

And I love him even more than I did the day he was born.

Happy Birthday Boots!

Bringing Up Boys

I'm not really a big "Focus on the Family" fan. Someone gave me the FOTF Baby Book when my older boy was born and a lot of the things that are important to me (cloth diapers, natural birth, midwifery, breastfeeding, the list goes on...) were dismissed as old fashioned or even dangerous. So I haven't used them as any sort of resource since then. Until recently, that it.

I finally got around to picking up the copy of Bringing Up Boys that my Mother-in-Law gave us a couple years ago. To say that I was skeptical would be an understatement. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found: a mostly balanced view on how to teach boys to become good men. Most chapters included in depth research, which was rather important to me considering the rash conclusions drawn in the only other Focus on the Family book I had read. I really enjoyed the studies on the differences between boys and girls. The book looks at many of the challenges facing boys and their parents today and offers practical advice on how to avoid some of the most common pitfalls.

Just like any book, there were areas I don't particularly agree with, but all in all it was a good read!

And the more I read the more thankful I became for Mr. Reliable, who is a great man and an excellent father.

5 thoughts

1. I made the most wonderful protein bars this week (they came from Passionate Homemaking) ; everyone who has tried them adores them.
2. Now I just have to figure out how to cross things out without deleting them.
3. Mr. Reliable is plugging away at the academy; already 5 of the 30 cadets have dropped out. They spend most of the day outside, doing drills in their turnout gear (in 100+ temperatures). Most of the guys have quit because it's to hot and/or hard. Maybe they didn't think this whole firefighter thing through... because most people would assume that fighting fires is both hot and hard.
4. I have read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? At least 8 times this morning, and will probably read it again as soon as I finish this post.
5. I got a job! And I love it! I've started waiting tables on the weekends to help make ends meet while Mr. Reliable is in the academy. It's really fun to get out of the house and relate to other adults!

Have a happy Wednesday!

Room Time

Room Time is the #1 sanity saver in my day.

It's pretty simple. Each boy goes to a separate space (Boots in the bedroom and Snugs in the pack & play) and plays all alone for 30 minutes.

Here is a little glimpse into my life before we re-instated (I have no idea why we ever stopped) room time:

It's 4:45 and both boys are crying. The little one because he just got tackled by the Boots. Boots tackled his brother because I couldn't read him a story while I cut the veggies for the salad. I walk into the living room to try and fix things, but neither boy wants to be in my lap with the other. So I alternate between the two (neither satisfied) until Mr. Reliable walks in at 5:30 to see our messy house, teary faces, and dinner that's not quite ready.

Now instead each boy goes to his space at 4:45 and I do my final dinner prep, pick up the living room, and take a few minutes to sit my myself. When room time is over at about 5:15 the boys are so excited to be reunited, they act like they haven't seen each other in weeks and play together happily until their daddy arrives at 5:30.

It works perfectly; except on days like yesterday, when Mr. Reliable didn't walk in the door almost 6. On those days I just remind myself that someday this will all be funny.