Southern Manners

So it is true, southern hospitality is alive and well. The other day we were at the swimming pool and one of the moms there corrected her son, he immediately said, "Yes Ma'am." I made a comment about it to her and she said it was drilled into them since they were six months old. On another occasion, a store clerk was helping me out with groceries, he called me Ma'am. I told him I wasn't use to that and he replied,"it was just habit." It seems all who are southern bred, have these excellent manners. All, acknowledge you driving through any neighborhood. People always wave; when you leave a store, or anywhere for that matter, they always wish you well, have a nice day, be careful, drive safe and so forth. It all very genuine, and I have been impressed with the southern hospitality. I hope to instill a little of it in my children, and acquire a little of it myself.

Manners

For a Child of 1918

My grandfather said to me as we sat on the wagon seat, "Be sure to remember to always speak to everyone you meet. "We met a stranger on foot. My grandfather's whip tapped his hat. "Good day, sir. Good day. A fine day ." And I said it and bowed where I sat. Then we overtook a boy we knew with his big pet crow on his shoulder. "Always offer everyone a ride; don't forget that when you get older," my grandfather said. So Willy climbed up with us, but the crow gave a "Caw!" and flew off. I was worried. How would he know where to go?But he flew a little way at a time from fence post to fence post, ahead; and when Willy whistled he answered. "A fine bird," my grandfather said," and he's well brought up. See, he answers nicely when he's spoken to. Man or beast, that's good manners. Be sure that you both always do. "When automobiles went by, the dust hid the people's faces,but we shouted "Good day! Good day! Fine day!" at the top of our voices. When we came to Hustler Hill, he said that the mare was tired, so we all got down and walked, as our good manners required.

Elizabeth Bishop

Manners count. I think good manners will take one further than a first class education. So on that note I wish y'all a good night, and sleep tight.

P.S Check out the children's story, What Do You Say Dear? A Book Of Manners For All Occasions by, Sesyle Joslin

Ahh!

Do you ever lose it as a mother? I mean really lose it?

I do.

I did today.

It wasn't pretty, I wasn't proud.

Was I justified?

Yes, for being angry.

No, to losing it.

It never helps to lose your cool. I could feel my head pound as my blood pressure soared.

Any tips on how to stay calm, for those of us with a genetic predisposition to rage?

Well the day isn't over and I will try and start fresh and do better. I guess that is what life is about, improving ourselves.

Motherhood defined

Disclaimer this post is an outlet tonight, so if your not in the mood to read some venting skip on by.
Mother:^- a nurse, comforter, laundress, seamstress( for some), designer, chef, maid, chauffeur, mediator, sheriff, CEO, firefighter.

Tonight I'm feeling exhausted, in part from the different demands on time, and in part from the demands of being a mother. As I look around, every room of my house is, well, a disaster. Yesterday I cleaned my bathroom, you would never know it with the toothpaste smeared everywhere, whatever it is that is smeared all over my mirror. I swept the floor earlier today and then while completing some chore in another area of the house Andrew opened a box of cereal and scattered a bunch all over the floor. Somedays I think wow I can hardly keep up, and just feel a little discouraged, then when I look at it from another perspective, I grateful to my Heavenly Father for watching over my home. As I was bathing Anna and Lexie for the second time today, ie Lexie pooped her pants, and Anna is covered in sticky syrup I walked into the kitchen to find Andrew holding an oven mitt with a large four inch flame. I had some meatloaf in the oven and he decided to touch the orange heating element with the oven mitt. I wanted a picture of him with the flame but you know for safety purposes we didn't do that. Even when we feel possibly forgotten by the Lord, he is always watching out for us. I think that Andrew could have been hurt, or the house could have started on fire, or any number of things and know my Heavenly Father is looking out for us. It made me laugh but also left me feeling a little drained, you know why try to keep up with the mess because well with the busy body my boy is, what is the point? All I can say is good thing he is as cute as he is. So to all the mothers out there keep up the good work of being all the things required of you and good luck with the balancing act of well Motherhood.

One on One

Lexie on the 4th I could not get her to look or quit touching her face.

Today I am reminded of the importance of spending one on one time with our children. Lexie has been hobbling around or crawling rather than putting pressure on her right foot since Sunday morning, so we finally relented and took her in to see Dr. Doug. My mom watched my other kids and I was able to go with just Lexie. She was a delight; darling in every way.

They found nothing on the x-ray, which did not surprise me, it just seems when you finally decide to go in that is when you hit the turning point and you could have skipped the whole thing.

As soon as we picked up the other kids, the bickering and whining started again. We all needed a nap. I am happy to report after naps all has been well and Andrew and Lexie have been playing very well together, jumping on pillows which they say are water slides.

The trip to the doctor with just Lexie was nice and a good reminder to me of the importance of one on one time with each child.

Sweet Exchanges

Riding in the car home from Jeremy's bike race tonight, we had this interaction with Lexie.

Lexie: I wake Anna up.

Jeremy: Honey, why? (reproving but gentle tone.)

Lexie: I want her to talk to me. I want her to laugh to me.

She was so cute and sweet and sincere we couldn't be mad at her for waking Anna up. Jeremy and I exchanged a pleased look.

It makes me glad Jeremy responded the way he did. If he or I had responded harshly, which in similar circumstances in the past I'm sure I have, we would have surly missed out on the sweet interaction which followed, both between our daughters as well as the moment we caught each others eye smiling. Lexie then continued to try and get Anna to laugh and Anna obliged.

I can't help but wonder how many other sweet experiences I may have missed because I responded too harshly.

I like this quote from President Hinckley, so I thought I'd share, hope it all doesn't come off too churchy.

"You parents, love your children. Cherish them. They are so precious. They are so very, very important. They are the future. You need more than your own wisdom in rearing them. You need the help of the Lord. Pray for that help and follow the inspiration which you receive."

I am so very grateful to have a husband who truly knows how to cherish his children and does so everyday. This is one of my very favorite things about Jeremy and something which he excels at, very naturally. Aren't I lucky!

Ideas for Moms

I've decided to pick a topic each day to write about on my blog; so for today I've chosen to write about a few ideas I've been trying out with my kids.

A friend from work, told me about an "activity chain" she made for her kids. So we made one today. We wrote down ideas of activities we can do each day and the plan is to take one link of a day, and do the activity written down. We wrote down things like: fly a kite, have a race around the block, Lexie's idea was, "have a soda pop", a hint to me- maybe I need to quit drinking soda. I thought this was a cute idea and so we are trying it out. Andrew and Lexie don't totally get it yet, but I think after we start using it, they will really enjoy it and look forward to taking links off each day, and coming up with activities for our future chains.

My second idea, which we have been doing for about a month now, is keeping a gratitude journal. Each night as part of our bedtime routine we write down five things we are thankful for. I'm hoping this will help us cultivate thankful hearts, and recognize the many blessings in our lives. The other day I heard Andrew say, "Lex, what are you grateful for?" This was a gratifying moment as a mother. We get a lot of repetition. Andrew is continually grateful for car washes, his cousin Isaac, all characters from Mickey Mouses Clubhouse, and I occasionally make the list (Momma, he says.) Lexie's top three are deer (we saw a few on the way home from my moms the other night and she has talked about them ever since), stars, and again characters from Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse. This has been really enjoyable for Jeremy and I. Jeremy has been good to do it even on the nights I am at work. The next day he will ask me if I saw what the kids wrote down.

The last idea we have been working on is our vision boards. This idea is really in its infancy. So the idea behind the vision board is to put up thoughts, pictures, goals, things we want to have happen in our lives, on our "vision boards" and then put the board somewhere we see it often. I want the kids to develop the habit of goal setting. Andrew saw a picture of Paris on a movie and he said, "Look that's beautiful." So we have a picture of Paris on his vision board to remind him that if he wants to and it is important to him he can go there. I have a picture of Greece on mine, and I'm hoping to make it there. Andrew says he want to play the harp when he get bigger, so we are going to put a picture of a harp on his vision board. Lexie's is a little sparse at this point, but she has a picture of Jesus with the children and a wedding picture of Jeremy and I; these are a work in progress. Once we have more going on with them, I'll post a photo. Well I think that's it for my ideas. Try them out, if you want, and let me know what you think!