My favorite park!

Yesterday I decided to take a break from all of the stress.

And I took the kids to a park that we haven't been to in a long time, let them run around, and snapped a few photos. It was definitely the break I needed. (Them too, I am sure!)

They played at the park for awhile, but then Kaetlyn saw the "climbing tree" (that's what I call it). We spent the rest of the time playing on the climbing tree. It's a magnificent tree, and if they ever cut it down, I will be very sad! It's perfect to play in, on, under, and around, and especially perfect for cautious kids like my own. I remember playing on it when I was not much older than Kaetlyn is now.

And this is my favorite photo of Alex. He sat there for quite awhile, I think he might like the tree as much as I do!

We have a few parks where we live, but none are as glorious as this one... It's kind of hidden, so I think even most of the people that live here don't know about this park. It's really quiet, with lots of space, and great for the old and young alike.

My favorite part is just watching the kids be kids.

Do you have a favorite park? And what are you best memories of playing with your children at a park/playground?

Make Me Laugh

Okay, so I had a bad day today. I mean, it could have been A LOT worse than it was. But as a person who dwells on the negatives, you can all trust me and just believe that I did indeed have a bad day. I won't go into details as I think some things are meant to be kept private. {I can't share every detail of my life...otherwise I may as well change the name of this blog to Facebook! haha} All jokes aside, I will say that some of the "bad" was work related and some was a whole mess of personal stuff. And I don't really want to badmouth my work for fear of retribution (hey! A girl's gotta earn a paycheck!(but seriously, who am I kidding to think someone from work will EVER care to read this!!)) And the personal stuff...well, I'd rather just keep it personal until I figure it all out, and even then, I may not blog about it.

BUT (in spite of me being a negative person) I do like to laugh. So, as of recently, my favorite thing to do when I am down is to peruse Pinterest's Humor section. Here are some of my favorites {literally, these things had me laughing until I cried!}

Sometimes I say to my children they drive me so crazy I could eat them--but now I know people actually do this! haha

 I seriously thought this lady was "nakey"  from the waist down!!! Almost had a heart attack, and then I nearly died laughing.

No caption necessary!

 I look at this photo often because it ALWAYS cheers me up, he he he

 Whoever thought of this is a genius, and I am going to resort to this so I don't ever have to clean again!!

 I say this to my kids all the time, true story.

I can't math either, friend.

If you were having as bad of a day as I was, then I hope these cheered you up a little.

Enjoy!!

xoxo Rebekah

Free Range Kids

Today, I craved a sandwich that I haven't eaten in YEARS! A peanut butter and Doritos sandwich. Some of you may gag at the thought of that combination, while others may be wondering how I came up with that concoction in the first place.

It happened years and years ago when I was a kid. My parents left me home alone during the summer months while I was off on summer break. While they were off at work, it was my responsibility to make my own meals. Basically, I was a young kid experimenting in the kitchen and trying to figure out a way to shorten eating time to be able to get back out and play with the neighborhood kids. My lunches usually consisted of a sandwich and chips, well, I combined them and...Viola, a masterpiece!

Anyhow, it got me thinking about my kids and summertime. I was a product of a time when kids were allowed to roam free without an elevated risk of abduction, getting lost or hit by a car. It makes me wonder what kind of summers my kids are going to grow up having as I have been known to sort of be a helicopter mom, meaning I hover over my kids every possible minute. This also means, my kids depend on me for absolutely everything.

I recently discovered a website about free range kids, and since then, I have been "free ranging it" in hopes that my kids will learn a little independence and confidence. I urge anyone who reads this to check it out. Free Range Kids isn't for everyone, but a lot of what the lady says makes enough sense that it was worthwhile to evaluate my parenting style, and you may think so as well.

We are starting in little steps. I think it's important to really consider your child's abilities (among other factors that may be unique to the area in which you live) and not what most 7 year olds can do unassisted. For instance, there is a kid in Kaetlyn's grade (but is about the size of my 3 year old) who rides a bike that is way too big for him without training wheels (or a shirt, yeah he's pretty bad ass) all over town. His parents, apparently, have been "free ranging it" for awhile. My daughter, ALWAYS wears a shirt while outdoors (hehe), and rides with training wheels, she is nowhere near being able to remove them. But the point is that I could NEVER let her ride her bike around town on her own, she would get totally completely lost. And I am fairly certain she has no idea what to do when losing herself happens.

But we are taking the steps to get there. We go on bike rides together (actually I walk alongside Alex) and I let her lead the way and allow her to determine when it's safe to cross the street. And I let her ride ahead of us. She loves this, and feels so grown up and important...especially when she beats us home. So she is getting there. But the most important part is seeing a more confident 7 year old.

We free range in other ways, too. Simpler ways. Ways that a weary parent could begin with his/her child. My kids have began picking out their own clothes, and I do not advise them differently...Hey! They've got to start somewhere, and I don't want to be picking out clothes for my kids even after they've gone off to college!

Alex picked this out today. His favorite shirt with blue shorts that have cream colored "Jolly Rodgers" on them. It matches in HIS mind!

I also have been allowing them to choose what they eat for lunch. They have chosen pizza sandwiches for the past several days. Normally, it would bother me to have them eat the same thing two days in a row, but we're almost out of pepperoni and then they'll have to choose something else ;)

Another thing I strongly suggest (when your kids seem ready) is to let your kids play outside by themselves. Even if you're sitting inside in the AC watching your kids through the window like a hawk. They'll surprise you. I did this with my kids, and guess what?? They stayed in the yard. They really did!! There is a whole wide world for your kids to explore in their yard, regardless of how much space there is for the kid to play. And kids really do enjoy being able to look for bugs, collect sticks, and play with their outdoor toys without mom or dad hovering.

Have a happy "Free Range" summer!!
xoxo Rebekah

So Far, So Good

Today I implemented the new chore chart. All I can say is that I am AMAZED!!! And I actually feel a little guilty since I haven't had to lift a finger. I explained the "Uh Oh Basket" to the kids and how it works. and I explained their new chores to them. Let's just say that they zoomed through a majority of their chores in about 30 minutes. Also, the Uh Oh Basket is working out really well. Several toys have gone in the basket, and several toys have been rescued by completing chores.

In addition to their daily chores, they also decided today to make their own lunch AND K washed the dishes while A dried them. I only had to put them away.

I know this won't last forever, eventually these chores will seem like as much of a nuisance to them as my chores did (and still do) seem to me. But right now, I am basking in it!

Anyhow, here is the Uh Oh Basket and their chore charts, again, completely stolen from Just Another Day in Paradise.

If you're interested in this idea, let me know and I will give you a list of the chores I used for the   Uh Oh Basket...I had to get REALLY creative as they couldn't be any of the same chores that were also daily chores. It took a lot of thinking, but I think I came up with a pretty good list.

Enjoy!!

xoxo Rebekah

Ideas, Ideas, Ideas!

Ideas, Ideas, Ideas!!

My new favorite thing in the world is Pinterest. I am seriously addicted, not unlike many of my fellow Pinners. Anyhow, I am seriously stoked about this new idea I found for teaching my kids to pick up their own toys without my asking. ( found it on Pinterest, but will link directly to blog it came from here.) The reason that it's so amazing is that if it works, my kids will actually keep their toys picked up and get chores done at the same time. WOOHOO Mommy heaven!! Also, the original blogger has included free printables {squeal} She has some really cool chore chart ideas that I am going to use too.

But the main idea is when I find a toy abandoned in the middle of the living room for example, I pick it up and put it in a special "toy box". In order for either of the kids to reclaim their lost treasures, he/she must draw a chore out of a jar that he/she must complete before their toys will be returned (one chore rescues one toy). AND here's the kicker, if the toy box is full, and I find more toys that "dreadfully" haven't been put away, they're mine to keep for ever, i.e. sent to live at GoodWill.

We are starting this tomorrow and maybe I will post pictures, but they won't be as good as the photo's posted in the link above. So check hers out because I am lazy! haha

Also, here's another idea I want to share with you all!! Laundry, I hate it. Like, really really really hate it. So anything I can do to simplify the laundry process, I am game. So here is my super fantastic wonderful idea that I am sure someone else has thought of before me, but since I am unaware, I will claim it as my own. :)

Sorting...eliminating this step makes laundry a little more pleasant. Imagine this, you've gathered all of your baskets or mounds of laundry and sit down in the middle of your living room to sort. Then you realize how much it blows because everything is super stinky from sitting in a pile all week. GROSS!!

I took four laundry baskets and labeled them each: Hand Wash, Whites, Colors, and Darks. Then I explained to the offspring what is allowed in each basket. My 3 year old needs a little help with this since he can't read, so I let it slide when his clothes only end up on the floor next to the baskets. But aside from that, we are sorting clothes as we take them off. AND here's the best part. Since each basket has a designated load assigned to it, I just grab a basket when it reaches the point of being full and wash it right then rather than doing ALL the laundry in one day. Woohoo, less work and no sorting!! :)

Enjoy!
xoxo Rebekah

Bloggers new look...

So, it would seem that I have been MIA for quite awhile. Almost a year to be precise! I can't believe how much time flies. But now that I am back and seeing the new look of blogger, I am not sure I like it. What happened to the wonderful layout I spent HOURS creating. Where are my pictures of my beautiful babies!?!?!?

Maybe I just haven't figured out all of the bells and whistles (or lack thereof) yet, but so far I am not too crazy about it. I will give it a few weeks to see how it all works, but otherwise I will be taking my business elsewhere! haha


UPDATE:
Okay, I see that my layout is still there. So I am guessing most of the changes are just in how you post and edit??

Bad Mommy Moment

I had quite a scare yesterday and it was definitely a "bad mommy" moment...

I was visiting at a friend's house and she has a son that is almost 5 but is nearly the same size as my two year old so I guess they think they're the same age and LOVE to play together. Usually when we go over there the two of them hop in the power wheels and ride and ride and ride...I would like to say they ride until the battery is dead, but not sure this is true. Sometimes they ride to the front yard, but my friend's son always swings back around to the back yard straight away so I allow it, but I always tell him not to let Alex drive because I am afraid that he'll drive into the street. I was sitting at the patio table chatting with a couple of friends when I realized all of a sudden that it was entirely too quiet. I knew they had gone to the front yard but usually hear the little John Deer zooming back to the rear of the house within seconds... So I got up and bolted to the front yard (my friend's son was headed to the back yard to alert me Alex was driving away) And I found Alex happily driving nearly ONE BLOCK AWAY!!! I started running toward him and was screaming for him to stop. To my surprise he listened, but I think it's only because he's never heard me screaming frantically like that before...it probably startled him. He managed to cross the street, but thankfully it was at a stop sign and he was not hurt!!! I yelled at him not to ever take off like that again, and he is no longer allowed to drive OR ride in the power wheels EVER!

Aside from the frantic screaming, I wasn't too hard on him because he is only 2, and it was my fault, not his. But I wanted to share my "bad mommy" moment so that you all can learn from MY mistake. I am very thankful nothing bad happened, but will be more cautious and vigilant in keeping an eye on him at all times. I usually am VERY watchful over him, but it just goes to show that letting your guard down for even a moment can lead to potentially devastating situations with irreversible consequences.