It Just Makes Me Laugh

I think that it is so funny what I used to say before I had kids. Most of the sentences probably began with: "I won't let my children. . . " or "My children will never. . ." Then when reality hits and we are actually confronted with this little human, our entire belief system seems to shift. These little humans are basically horrible roommates. They never help pay the rent, they eat all my food, do a horrible job of cleaning up after themselves, and they can be very dramatic. So you have all these different personalities trying to live together in harmony under one roof.

All children are different, and their habits are different from their siblings. As a parent, I must learn to deal with each child differently. Some battles with one child are not worth fighting, while others you must take a stand.

One battle right now that is just not worth fighting is the sleeping arrangements. Having 2 girls and 2 boys makes it very convenient. In a 3 three bedroom home, we have the master bedroom, the girls' room, and the boys' room. This looks really good on paper, but does not seem to translate to real life.

My sweet little Jonathan who is 3 will not sleep in his bed. I actually do believe that he does not sleep as well in his room (but maybe I am just telling myself this). He actually sleeps, every night, in the floor of my closet on a bed of thick blankets that we have made for him. It is definately darker and quieter.

I would have never believed that my child's "bed" would be in my closet floor (before I had kids). But it definately makes him happy even if I can't get in my closet anytime after 8:30pm at night.

The newest addition to this unusual bedtime routine is a sword. As a gift, he was given a Nerf sword with a soft exterior so that if he hits a sister, the wound will not be too tragic. But in case of a surprise attack, he is convinced that he must sleep with this sword. After we put him to bed, we can hear the occassional outburst when he yells, "On guard Mr. Bad Guy!" After a few minutes, he quiets down and goes right to sleep.

If someone would have told me that I would let my toddler sleep in the floor every night in my closet with a toy sword, I would have laughed and thought they were crazy. And now I am asking myself who the crazy one is?

I'm Running Late (as usual)

So, I am starting a blog!!!
This is for several reasons:

• -we have recently moved farther away from family so I thought that it would be a nice way for them to keep in touch if and when they choose
• -this will be quicker than traditional scrapbooking and yet it will serve as a record (easier is better)
• -a it will help me (the mom) vent, laugh and cry to others.
• Of course, I was going to start this blog on January 1st. You know, New Year's resolutions. I began the initial set-up a few weeks prior to that, but just didn't get to the actual posting until now. Better late than never. (Sometimes I feel like that is my life's motto.)

Christmas is over once again. It is now January 9th and my Christmas decorations are still up. Usually I am ready to take them down by December 27th, but this year I am enjoying them longer. However, my toddler's patience is at an end and he has begun to take the ornaments off the tree, so this weekend, the decorations are coming down before he breaks something.

Along with the Christmas decorations going up, so do the Christmas movies and the Christmas music. I am generally ready to get rid of these before Christmas even gets here! This year my kiddos wanted to listen to "The Polar Express" soundtrack everytime we are in the car (which is alot). We always must start at the beginning. The CD starts with train noises then my 3 year old starts yelling "All Aboard!" Even though we are in an enclosed van driving down the highway, he still yells it. The toddler now claps to the music!! We all get excited as the fast-paced songs rolls along.

The next song on the soundtrack is "When Christmas Comes to Town." This song is the reason that I am not looking forward to putting away the Christmas music this year. When my three older children are singing such a beautiful song in unison and off-key, it is absolutely precious!! It really surprises me that even the 4 and 3 year old know the song perfectly. The end of the song: "And all the dreams of children, once lost will all be found. That's all I want when Christmas comes to town." Everytime I hear my children sing this, it warms my heart. It gives me hope that they are getting message to do good and be good.

Of course, the next song on the soundtrack is "Rockin' on Top of the World" by Aerosmith and the 3 year old really likes that song.