Moments With A Not So Happy Camper

Ever been on a trip when someone on the trip with you was just not a happy camper? 

Well, yeah. That was me the other day.

No matter what we did, Little Buddy just wasn't having any part of it. He wasn't interested in what we wanted to do. He didn't care about the history of Fort Hayes, Kansas. He didn't care about the buffalo. He didn't care about where the prisoners were kept.




He didn't care that I wanted to take his picture. He was having no part of my plan - a guided tour of the Fort.

So I just went ahead and asked him, "what bee got in your bonnet?"

He didn't reply, but thankfully, he cracked a slight grin. Albeit very slight.

And then, as we climbed back into our RV to head on down the road toward Colorado, he said, "Mama, would we have room at our farm for a baby buffalo?"

At least he paid attention to something on our stop.

Let Me Hold On To These Moments

I'm working on focusing in on the little moments of life - not just the big and grandiose. The little fractions of a second when Little Buddy is deep into his play and oblivious to the fact that I have a camera tracking his every move for just a little while.

We went to see the movie Toy Story 3 recently. I wasn't prepared for the kick in the gut feeling that my baby boy is growing older, too. His favorite toys are being replaced by electronics and soon even those will become obsolete.

As I sat there snubbing into the napkin full of smudges from buttery popcorn, Little Buddy reached his hand over to mine and squeezed it. Just as I've done with him for years when we shouldn't speak, but needed to tell the other "I know." And that hit me even harder.

For now, I'll take time to enjoy the Army men on the playground, the Legos scattered underfoot in the playing room, and the Nerf battles that ensue nearly every afternoon. For there will come a day when I will no longer have these moments, just their memories and photographs.

Lessons in Etiquette

Do you remember my saying I was raising a Mr. Grabby Hands? Well, I was. His table manners during dinner one night on our cruise were horrendous. I couldn't wait to research children's etiquette courses when we got home.

What I found were many formal lessons geared toward large groups of children. So I decided to begin my own lessons. 


Family Values

First, I concentrated on helping Little Buddy to understand our family values. Not that grabbing bread from the basket on the cruise signified major misunderstanding of our family values, but I wanted to start from the ground up! No holes allowed in this lesson.

Proper Modeling

Our children emulate the behaviors, attitudes, and yes, manners they learn from those they are around. They learn from parents, friends, television characters, and even from the books they read. Whatever they are exposed to influences them in one way or another.

My husband and I decided we would take extra care in selecting these influences that provided the proper modeling. We had unfortunately become a bit lax in some of our cartoon selections we had allowed. Those fences had to be mended - and how.

We also made sure to model the manners we expected from Little Buddy. Please, thank you, will you pass the..., and excuse me quickly became emphasized.


Professional Help

Since most of the lessons I found were geared toward large groups, I needed another form of professional help. I needed Emily Post!

I ordered Emily Post's  The Gift of Good Manners by Peggy Post and Cindy Post Senning and began making my plans for this school year. The areas we are covering include:

• Words Matter
• On the Home Front
• Public Places
• Play Nicely
• Travel Well
• Special Occasions

These areas will be covered in 35 lessons finalized with a party for the 36th week. Nothing tests etiquette and manners like planning, hosting, attending, and thanking attendees better than a party.


I will be blogging about our Lessons in Etiquette and look forward to your comments. It's not easy raising children to be well-mannered, responsible people. I pray the investment in these years pays dividends later.

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

Come join in on the discussion at the Homeschool Village on Facebook.

Taking Time

As summer drew near, the boxes arrived. Boxes of our third grade materials full of new adventures, new discoveries, and new skills to be learned. It was tempting to dig right in and begin to unwrap it all immediately and begin feasting on the contents. I'll admit, I had to peek. I just had to get a whiff that comes from the things inside our new curriculum boxes. Books, fresh from the press.

And then, we had to remove the temptation. Not only did we need to remove the temptation so we could finish our second grade year, we needed to remove the temptation to allow ourselves time to get refreshed.

We all get so caught up in our daily activities it can become hard to see the forest for the trees. We see the dishes to be washed or the laundry to be done or the playroom with toys scattered high and low and everywhere in between. And if you homeschool, there is no yellow bus that magically picks up your child in the morning and returns them in the afternoon. Good or bad, the break in your day is not there.

And we needed a break. We all need a break.

Our school year starts back soon, next week to be exact, but our two weeks off have been delightful. I am still in the process of getting refreshed and our new school year includes a plan for regular Mom breaks. One afternoon a week for me time. Afternoons reading, writing, cooking, or dabbling with photography while Little Buddy has fun playing at a friend's house or spending time with Dad. Regardless, the refresher will keep me rejuvenated and my eye on the prize.

How do you take time for yourself?

Pack that Pool Bag

We've had it since our son was just a wee one. His bright red bag that we've hauled from hither to yon and back again has carried everything from diapers to his Nintendo DS, blankets to action figures and lots of things in between. But in the summer, this good ole bag has a definite purpose. It's his pool bag.

When he was a baby, it included his floaties, a spare bathing suit, swim diapers, wipes, pool toys, sunscreen and a hat. As we'd get ready to head to the pool, I'd also add in an insulated bag with a juice cup, some fruit and water for snacking.

While the bag hasn't changed, the contents have grown up. From the floaties to diving rings, swim diapers and wipes to his waterproof iPod case, and juice cups to larger water bottles. But regardless of the age, this bag stands ready to go to the pool.

There are also a few contents that I wouldn't leave out of this dear ole bag:
- large ziploc bag for storing his wet suit
- sunscreen and more sunscreen
- pool towels - make that two of these
- spare bathing suite
- hat
- swim goggles, both tinted and clear
- swimmer's ear for when he can't get the pool water out of his ear

Having my son's pool bag packed and on the ready has not only saved time, but has also prevented us from leaving behind something vitally important for time at the pool. For Little Buddy, time at the pool is about as good as life can get.

I Heart Faces :: Play

What else says PLAY and BOY other than DIRT.



This photo was taken of Little Buddy when we were building our house. He loved the tractors and all of the earth work - more piles for playing.




Head over to see all of the other playful pictures at I Heart Faces. I just know it will make you smile!

My Letter to Me

Dear Robyn,

You are bringing your beautiful baby boy home from the hospital today. You are completely raw with emotion and gratitude and love. You can laugh and cry at the same time your heart is so full of joy.

There are simply no words to describe the feelings when you first held him and were able to sing your favorite hymns to him. You didn't care what anyone thought when you were rocking and singing (Most definitely off key.) It just didn't matter. Remember this.

You are certainly ready to be this little boy's mother. You've read every parenting book you could get your hands on, filling them with sticky notes to mark the special sections you want to be sure to visit again should you need to. Even though these books are written by experts, I am writing to tell you a few things I learned along the way.

1. Don't fret. It will only make whatever you are fretting about so much worse. That was the hardest lesson to learn, but one of the most important. When you pray, pray specifically about whatever your concerned about and God will take it from there.

2. Yes, it really is colic. The doctors and nurses keep telling you that it is not colic, but it turns out that Grandmother Verdie is right. And here's how you comfort him - warm a towel in the dryer and then place inside of another towel, now wrap that towel around his belly. It will feel so much better to him. And go ahead and plan on sleeping in the recliner for about six weeks. That's where you both are the most comfortable.

3. He loves the swing. You wonder if it is worth the money to go ahead and buy him that swing when he's two month's old. Don't worry about it, he'll love it. As a matter of fact, you'll have to give it away when he's two because he sees it when you move and wants to swing in it again.


4. Your mother-in-law is a baby whisperer. It's just natural to pick up the phone and call your mother when you have a question or need something, but be sure to call your mother-in-law from time to time as well. She raised six children herself, she has wonderful insight and first hand knowledge. She really is a baby whisperer.

5. Enjoy your daddy's visits each day.  Every day during lunch, your daddy will "drop by" with lunch for you and want to feed and hold the baby. He really wants to give you a break and spend some one on one time with his new grandson. Let him. They will build a special bond that lasts even after your father passes away in a few years. These memories will warm your heart on days when you really miss your dad the most.

I'll write you again soon to tell you of some other things I've learned. Until then, remember, I love you and enjoy this beautiful gift you've been given - even on what you think are the bad days.

Love,
Robyn

Summer Full of Little Boy Fun

"Mom, I'm Bored!" Those four words are not welcome in our home. They mean trouble is brewing. Minds and bodies are idle. Something is amiss.

Now, I do love my "down" time and think that children should have some as well. It helps me to recharge my Mom Batteries. At the energy level Little Buddy runs all day, his batteries could use a little break every once in a while, too. That is until I hear the words, "Mom, I'm bored!" Then, it's time to get busy.

We already have a fairly busy summer planned of homeschool group activities, vacations, golf camp, tennis camp, Vacation Bible School, and Boy Scout Camp to name a few things. We'll also be right in the beginning of third grade. But, we also have time for lazy afternoons at the pool, picnics on the farm, riding bikes, and I hope taking a trip down to my Grandparents' old home place to pick wild berries.

And on rainy days, we love to pull out games like Monopoly, Ticket to Ride, Scrabble, and Clue to name a few. I also keep a deck of cards in my purse, ready for a game of Kings Corner or Go Fish. We draw, we read, we make up stories and giggle. And being silly is just perfect to end fits of boredom.

Most of all, I hope we have a whole lot of this. Fresh from building forts and racetracks, mud pies and dams.




Then I'll know our summer was full little boy fun.

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday.


What do you look forward to this summer?

Thankful for My Boys

I am so thankful for my boys. I always have been, but honestly I think I can take them for granted from time to time. Okay, probably more than I realize. But in a minute's time, what really matters was made apparent.

Carefree and Cautious.

One of my son's favorite things to do at the lake is to visit his Grandparent's lake house and jump off of the top platform of their dock. He looks forward all winter for the weather to get warmer and the lake level to rise enough "to jump".

As many times as he can climb the stairs and definitely more times than I can count, there he is yelling out, "Watch me!"

I watched him this past weekend leaving the wet footprints on the dock as he ran to get in another jump. The pure joy of the moment and excitement for the beginning of another summer season were evident in his huge smile and quickness in his step.


I wonder, was I ever so carefree? When did I become so cautious?

Back Scratches and Ticks

Little Buddy loves for his back to be scratched as he goes to sleep at night. He says it makes him relax and he rests better. There are some nights, I wish I could turn the tables and me be the one to get the back scratch at bedtime. I think it would relax me, too. And honestly, there are some nights when I beg off. Isn't that horrible to say?

There are nights when I think I am just too tired, too busy, too this or too that to add another five minutes to the bedtime routine for a back scratch.

And then, I feel guilty.

Guilty that I didn't. Guilty that I tried to get out of it. Wondering if when he grows up the one thing he'll remember from his childhood are the nights his Mom begged off giving him a back scratch.

The other night was a night I tried to avoid it. I was tired. I had been packing and moving the lake house for three days, our home was a huge mess, laundry was piled up to my eyeballs, I had work to do for my business, and I just wanted to go to bed. A bath was even optional I was so tired.

Have you ever felt that tired? I'm sure you have. It's miserable, isn't it?

And then I remembered my guilty feelings the other million times I'd tried to avoid the back scratch. Of how awful I'd feel all night, the dreams I would most likely have about it, and of how it would only take five minutes. Five minutes.

With the lights still off, I quietly started the back scratch routine. Scratch at the top of the back, side, bottom, other side and then middle. When I reached the middle, I felt something that I had not felt before.

I stopped. I went back over it with my finger. Definitely something different.

I turned on the bedside lamp and saw it. A tiny brown tick.

To say I was horrified is an understatement. However, I am proud to say I was extremely cool, calm and collected.

Quickly, I got Little Buddy out of the bed, took him downstairs and my husband and I began the removal discussion.

"Get tweezers and a match."

"Get the alcohol and peroxide."

"Do you pull it from the back or the front?"

Luckily, within a few seconds, we had the nasty thing removed. And then I remembered what my mother had done when I was about ten and had a tick on me. We put it in a Ziploc bag, cleaned the area well with peroxide and alcohol and then I snuggled him all night long.

The next day, I spoke with the pediatrician's office to find out exactly what to do and if Little Buddy needed a checkup. Here is what I learned:

1. Do not heat the tweezers or needle to get the tick to move. It can cause the tick to "spit" into the wound and leave behind even more disease causing bacteria and such.

2. With tweezers, flip the tick onto it's back. Then gently, remove the tick pulling from the head. If you pull from the bottom, the tick can break apart and leave the barbed head in the host (my child!).

3. Immediately clean the area with peroxide, then alcohol, then with Neosporine.

4. Circle the spot with a Sharpie where the tick was attached and removed. Monitor the site for up to four weeks for any redness, swelling, circles, etc. Also monitor your child for fever, tiredness, joint pain, etc. If any, take your child to the doctor and tell them of the tick bite.

5. KEEP the tick in a Ziploc bag stored with a damp paper towel. This will help the doctor should the person bitten become ill or need any testing.

For information on tick bites, prevention, treatment, and symptoms, please visit WebMD. 

I don't believe I'll ever try to get out of giving Little Buddy the back scratches he loves so much.

Disclosure: I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am simply sharing information I received when my child was bitten by a tick. You should seek medical advice and attention from your medical professional.

Happy Birthday Sis, Please and Thank You, and a Winner

We celebrated my sweet sister's birthday on Tuesday.  Little Buddy and I invited her over to our house for breakfast and made our (we think) super-dee-duper fantastic pancakes. They were some kind of good! (I'll have to share the recipe for them sometime soon. I think y'all will love them, too.) Then Little Buddy spent time with her this afternoon helping her with her raised-bed garden. When I went to pick him up, they both were wet. I asked what happened and he gave me his famous lop-sided grin and said, "the water hose didn't do what I wanted it to do."

As I put Little Buddy to bed he said, "Mama, I just love it when people have birthdays and I get to help them and do stuff with them. It's almost as good as having a birthday of your own."

I think my heart grew ten-fold and melted at the same time. That little booger is just so stinking sweet sometimes.



I think he reads my blog. Or at least picks up on my posts. Maybe he has ESP or something. Remember how I was having a hissy fit about his manners and planning a full assault on etiquette lessons for this summer? Well, I think he got the drift of what was forthcoming because today, you could not have asked for a child to have had better manners. He held the door for me (yes, I had to do a double take), he waited at the dinner table until everyone was finished before he asked to be excused, and he said his "Please" and "Thank You" every time he should have!

To say I felt a bit guilty about having just said how pitiful his manners were was an understatement. At least for about 10 minutes. Then, I realized I still need to make sure he knows them and more importantly uses them consistently. So, I'm not backing down on my plan for etiquette lessons starting this summer. They will most likely make it into my homeschool lesson plans from here on out.

We also have a winner for the All Aboard giveaway of $100 Amazon Gift Card. It goes to Sephysmomma! Congratulations on your win and thank you! Email me and I will get your gift card to you via email.

Etiquette for Children

I've raised a Mr. Grabby-Hands

I realized we had become lax on enforcing proper etiquette and table manners for our son when he reached for the bread basket while we were being served on our cruise.

The server quickly looked from my son to me to my husband and back to my son like he had never seen such an ill-mannered human in all of his life.

And then I think my son realized he really shouldn't have just reached his hand right into a basket full of bread and plucked out the brioche he was eyeing.  But, he wasn't exactly sure what he should have done.

I couldn't be upset with him. It was my fault he didn't know what to do in that situation. I realized I had coddled him. I am the guilty party. Just as if I had reached my hand right into that basket myself. I had not taught him better.

Now don't get me wrong, we take our son to nice restaurants quiet often and he certainly has not seen my husband or me getting grabby hands at the table. But I realized I had not taken the time to intentionally teach him what to do. It hasn't become natural for him to wait for the bread to be placed on his bread plate. He didn't know.

Right then and there I decided our lessons this summer were going to include a full course of etiquette for little boys. I checked locally and formal lessons do not begin until the age of 12. So, guess who will be leading lessons this summer? You got it, me. I'm sure I'll learn a ton, too.

I think I will have to blog through these lessons, don't you think?

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Oil Pastel Self Portraits with Amy

Today's guest is Amy from She Wears Many Hats.

Y'all already know how much I love Amy from last week when she was the Guest Judge of On the Grill. But just wait until you see this post on creating oil pastel self portraits with a child. I can not wait to do this with Little Buddy!

You can also find Amy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/wearsmanyhats.

Looking for a gift idea that will allow your children (or yourself) to flex your creative wings? Or just an art project for a rainy day?

Here's an easy one, oil pastel self portraits. No liquids are involved (so no spills!) and the project can easily be stored away if not finished at the first sitting to return to later. No expensive supplies. No special techniques. It's basically fancy coloring. So whether you're 5 or 85...4 or 94...3 or 103...well...if you're 103 and can still color...well then...you rock!

You don't have to make it a self portrait, any theme or topic would work. We chose self portraits because it's always fun to see how people view themselves plus it was a nice change of pace to the usual photo portrait for the grandparents. But if grandaddy is a fisherman, you could draw him a picture of the "one that got away" or maybe a picture of his boat. Or if Aunt Judy is a renowned baker? What about a picture of her famous chocolate chip cookies? You get the picture.

But, again self portraits are always fun and you could begin, or add to an existing portrait gallery with an original work of art. My children created these a few years back for my parents, who can now say they have an official portrait gallery like no other art museum around. Priceless.

Remember this is supposed to be a fun, creative project. Achieving the perfect or realistic portrait is not the point. I'm pretty sure my son's ears have never looked like that before but it's a cute picture. It's neat to see different styles and interpretations emerge at such a young age.

What you'll need to get started:
- art paper (something medium to heavy weight and acid free; watercolor or medium drawing paper works well; we used 9 x 12" and it was around $7-$10 for a pack) and some scratch paper for practice

- oil pastels (nothing expensive; this pack was around $5) and pencils w/ eraser

- cotton swabs (because it's always important to have good, clean ears when creating a masterpiece)

- spray fixative

- framing (since you'll be using spray fixative, you don't have to use a frame with glass; if you choose to use a frame with glass you'll need a mat or the oil pastel, even with fixative applied, will stick to the glass)

And of course a willing artist. My good friend's sweet little daughter, Mary Helen, was all about coloring – what a great artist. Watch as she shows us how...
Here we go!

Step 1: You may want to begin by doing preliminary sketching on some scratch paper to practice, compose your picture and think about what color choices you will use in the final. This step isn't necessary but some artist like to take some time to think it though.

Step 2: When ready to draw final, lightly sketch portrait (or whatever the artist has decided to draw) on the art paper. If mistakes are made, you can easily erase just don't go crazy digging into the paper.

If you're drawing a portrait try to fill the paper with the face. Add any details or decorations you'd like.

Look, she's drawing her cute little dimple.

What a stylish shirt Mary Helen.

Just take your time.

Step 3: After sketch is complete, begin "coloring" with the oil pastels.

Oil pastels are quite a bit softer than crayon so it may help to practice a tad on the scratch paper to see what happens when you press down. Since there is no point, the edge of the pastel will have to be used to get into smaller areas.

Be sure to fill in all areas, covering every section of the paper with color.

She's working very hard I can tell.

Very lovely color palette Mary Helen. I love the rainbow.

Mary Helen went back over her colors to darken the areas which I think looks mighty nice.

Adding more oil pastel to cover the paper well takes time but it's worth it.

Step 4: When coloring is complete and picture perfect, get the cotton swabs and begin cleaning your ears. Naaaah, hopefully you already did that this morning. Use the cotton swab to "blend" each separate area of color, almost pressing the pastel into the paper.

You're not trying to blend colors into each other – unless that's the style you're looking for, and if so, go for it! The cotton swab tip tends to want to ball up, so you'll need to hold it right at the tip. Depending on the age of the artist, an adult may need to assist with this step.

Step 5: (Sorry but I didn't take a picture of this step. I had to run to the grocery store.) When drawing is complete, following directions on fixative container, spray artwork. Spray at least 3 times, letting dry between sprays according to directions.

Step 6: Oh, almost forgot! This is important! Sign the artwork with a dark pastel color. You can sign it before or after spraying with fixative.

Step 7: Frame and hang. Remember again, if you're using a frame with glass you'll need a mat. The pastel shouldn't be able to touch the glass or it will stick. Since you're using spray fixative, you can frame without using glass.

Yea! You're done. Now you can have a gallery party revealing the priceless artwork.

The most important thing to remember is to have fun!

Do you have any art project that would make a good gift idea? Please share.


Be sure to visit Amy at She Wears Many Hats and let her know how much you enjoyed this post! It is definitely a great one! And remember my giveaway.