All posts by Janna

A little tweaking

Parenting

Parenting is fluid; if it never needed tweaking we’d still be working on sleep patterns and whether you need to eat or just have a pacifier.  It’s also different for each child – just because I’ve had a 6-year-old before doesn’t mean I’ve had a 6-year-old Ada before who thinks she’s my equal.  I’m currently rereading Boundaries With Kids for a book study I’m leading, and I’m SO glad.  Here are a couple of things I’m tweaking, thanks to this book…

Homework  I hate the homework battle.  It seems to me that my kids should be used to it, but … Read the rest

Wednesday Wit: March 21, 2012

Wednesday Wit

Ada: Will you please look at the clock?  The clock that shows you the weather?
Me: The thermometer?
Ada: Yes.  Will you tell me what it says?

Ada: When we’re with Grandma and Grandpa, and you’re not with us… we still have to make good choices but we have different rules.

Grace: Oh no!  I forgot my camera!
Ada: Well, we can turn around.
Grace: No we can’t, we’ve been gone for an hour!
Eli: Actually, we’re half way there.
We were exactly nine minutes into our 4.5 hour trip.

Grace: … Read the rest

Some Recent Observations

Kids

We went to see The Lorax this weekend, and Grace had THE best laugh in the theater.  She would laugh harder and louder than anyone else in the place, and it made me smile every time.  She just truly enjoyed herself.

Eli is turning into such a sweet boy.  You know… when he’s not beating on anyone.  When I ask him to do something I’m hearing more of “Yes, mom” and less of that obnoxious whine.  He has a tender heart for younger kids – he loves to help them and protect them.

Ada actually is quite the rule-follower.  I … Read the rest

Wednesday Wit: March 14, 2012

Wednesday Wit

Ada: You smell like white milk.

Chad: Isn’t mommy beautiful?
Ada: Well, I think she’s more beautiful when she wears make-up.
It started out so well… 

Eli: In the Kivil War… (he pronounces Civil incorrectly)
Chad and I: Civil
Eli: Yeah.  In the Kivil War…
Chad and I: CIVIL!
We’re usually more kind in correcting our children, but come on, twice??

Grace: Can I wear capris today?
Me: Yes.
Ada: Well mom, do you know if I have capris, and do you know what capris are?

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My favorite…pancakes

Recipes

(courtesy of our Williams Sonoma Star Wars pancake molds)

2 eggs
2c flour
3T sugar
2t baking powder
1t baking soda
1t salt
2 1/2c buttermilk
4T butter, melted
1/2t vanilla

Beat the eggs until frothy, then add everything else and stir just until the flour isn’t lumpy.  Don’t over mix.  They’re super yummy! 🙂

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A few random photos

Kids

Here is Chad doing his burpees, which is a push up, then you stand up and jump, then repeat.  They make me light-headed.  Ada usually keeps track of how many sets he does with a clipboard but the sometimes she joins him.  I felt it was picture-worthy.  And in case you’re wondering, that’s a cut-out taped to my dresser Eli made us of him so we don’t miss him at night.

Apparently, in my home, this is where your coat goes if you decide to wear a different one. No one informed me of this policy change.  Noted.

 

 … Read the rest

I said, they heard

Parenting

I get frustrated when my kids don’t listen.  I also get frustrated when they don’t like what they hear.  Yes they’re kids, they’re learning, they push boundaries, blah blah blah.  It’s exhausting.  Today I need to make a joke about it so I can continue to calmly sip my coffee.

I said…it’s time to get dressed.  They heard…it’s time to all go into one bedroom and play, preferably while one of us is getting dressed so we can be inappropriate.

I said…it’s dinner time.  They heard…nothing.  

I said…it’s bedtime.  They heard…I hate you AND fun.

I said…you need to clean … Read the rest

Wednesday Wit: March 7, 2012

Wednesday Wit

Ada: My kindergarten class is taking swim lessons at the high school!
Eli: I would be scared, there will be big high school kids everywhere!
Me: Eli, are you trying to scare her?
Eli: No.
Ada: Besides, I’m six years old and I’m not scared of anything except the dark!! (she said with ALL the attitude her little body could muster)

Me: Should we have leftovers or go to Red Robin?
Eli: Leftovers.
Me: What?!?
Chad: I think ELI thinks that by having leftovers he will have more time at home … Read the rest

A completely different Grace

Kids

Our church had a lock-in last night for 3rd-5th graders to give them a taste of summer camp.  Grace was excited to go, but when it was time to go she started to get a little anxious and asked if I could stay for a bit.  I assured her I would.  Then when we walked into the building and she saw many of the camp counselors from last summer, she turned into a completely different Grace.  She was loud and chatty, pointing at people and recalling events with them from last summer.  She was sarcastic and goofy.  She was confident… Read the rest

Where is she?

More About Me

OK, maybe you haven’t been wondering that about me, but I haven’t been on here lately.  I just haven’t had anything to write.  I’m working on closing my laptop more so I can be more intentional with my kids.  I’m working on having more intentional time with God rather than just checking off that I read my Bible and moving on.  Oh sure, a blog post might come out of one of those things, but so far it hasn’t, and I’m ok with that.  I can’t force it.  AND Grace has the lovely ISTEP tests next week for the first … Read the rest