YES! You Can Ride Your Bike!

We've been asking Caden if he'd like to ride his bike without training wheels. "No, you do that when you're 5," he'd say.

Which is exactly what we thought. We figured we'd get a "YES!" next spring or summer, but we like to plant seeds early so he starts thinking that way. Imagine our surprise, when he woke up on Father's Day and wanted to take off his training wheels. We couldn't believe it! (He's 4 years, 4 months).



He took off like a bandit the minute he was up on his bike.  He's now going up and down hills.  I am honestly floored and had no idea he could do this.  Just goes to show that children are so capable... much more than we can even imagine.



Way to go, Caden!  We're so proud of you!

Exhaustion

|Taken right before bed time last night|

In case you've ever been curious, I have bad days too.  One of the funny things about having this blog is that everyone assumes I'm super woman.  As much as I wish that were true, it isn't.  I started this blog to help me focus on the positive in my life and as it turns out, it usually involves my children.  I love all the fun projects we do, and I love sharing them in hopes that they inspire you.

You may have noticed my blogging has been light recently.  Right now, I'm exhausted.  Seriously exhausted.  I can't find my energy and it's the most frustrating thing.  I'm not one that naps or relaxes much so when the only thing I can think about upon waking up is if I will get a nap or not that day is super frustrating to me.  I feel like a terrible mother and can be really hard on myself during times like these. Needless to say, my creative juices are not flowing like usual which only adds to my frustration.  I read this article, "Connecting with Kids When You're Exhausted" yesterday and wanted to pass it along for anyone else that might be interested.

I hope to be back soon to share some fun things.  In the meantime, feel free to tell me in the comments what's inspiring you these days.

xo

Play is a NECESSITY!

Caden is 4 and won't attend Kindergarten until fall 2013, but I'm already thinking about public schools and admittedly a little worried about how structured and how play-less they've become.  Recesses have been decreased as well as P.E. time decreased across America.  As this study states, schools are shifting to "a more academically oriented instructional approach as new standards for reading readiness have changed for even kindergarten students."

Benefits of play: (as listed in the same study)

1. Play enhances physical health by building active, healthy bodies.


2. Play contributes to healthy brain development.  Play and recess may increase children’s capacity to store new information, as their cognitive capacity is enhanced when they are offered a drastic change in activity.


3. Play is essential to developing social and emotional ties.  It teaches them skills like cooperation and leadership.


4. Play is a natural tool that children can and should use to help them overcome challenges and adversity.

I know how important down time, outside play, free play or whatever you want to call it is for our children.  How do I balance this with the new academic trends in public elementary schools?

How do you feel about this? Is there anyway we can make a change in our schools, or voice our opinion?  Are there alternative school programs that you like?

Being a "YES" Mom

Something I've been working on is letting my children enjoy life and creativity when it's unplanned.  In other words, I've been working on saying "YES" a little bit more.

This doesn't mean that our rules have gone by the waste side.  I'm constantly working on keeping firm boundaries as I know how important rules are to build structure and confidence within our children.  Forks are for eating, couches are for sitting, etc.  The same rules apply, but I'm open to creative activities that I feel also build my child's self-esteem and confidence, as well as discovery.

One example of saying "YES" happened recently.  It was really gloomy outside, but Caden wanted to have a picnic.  He brought his bedspread down to the living room and said, "Mom, let's have a picnic!"  I responded, "Why, YES, let's do!"  It was so much fun and I'm pretty sure the kids ate a lot more than they usually do.  Our lunch was filled with giggles and fun.  Memories I will hold dear forever.

Another recent example of saying YES is when we made our finger paint valentines.  We hadn't finger painted in a long time and it quickly turned into a body paint festival.  The kids were having so much fun and not hurting themselves, anyone else or anything so how could I stop it?

Do you make a conscience effort to say YES to your children, or do you like to play by the book? I realize we all have different parenting styles, but I feel like we can learn from one another.  What works for one family may not work for another.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts, ideas and philosophies on the matter of saying "YES."

Date Night is Important!

|Image circa 1997 when Casey & I were dating-- check out those sideburns!|

Do you have date nights often?  I was reminded this weekend of how important date night truly is for couples.  Casey and I went on a date Friday night and had an absolute blast.  I'm afraid to admit it, but the last time we went out was probably 3 months ago.  And that was to a company Christmas party so there wasn't a ton of one-on-one time.

During our date, there was a lot of talking, laughing and fun.  We probably had more conversations than we have in a month without interruptions.  We were able to talk about how each of us were doing, and about what each child needs.  It was therapeutic and rejuvenating.  I woke up on Saturday and probably put Betty Crocker to shame.  'Cause you know she was a good mother.  I was patient and giggling with my kids like there was no tomorrow.  I needed that connection and talking.  I didn't realize how much I've missed it.

For those of you like me who don't have family near by (or maybe you do, but they aren't able to help), here's a couple ways to make date night happen:

• Trade with friends- BUDGET FRIENDLY - We trade with friends so they can go out one night while we watch the kids and vice versa.  It's win/win!


• Babysitting Coop- BUDGET FRIENDLY - we've never done this, but we've had friends that get a group of couples together and every Friday night they trade off which 2 couples watch all the kids.  So say you have 8 couples, rotate every Friday night for the location and couples that watch while the other 6 six couples go out.


• Care.com- we've found excellent people to watch our children.  You can put up an ad, interview them and agree upon a rate that works for both of you.

How often are you able to go out on dates?  How do you find a great and dependable babysitter?

One-on-One Dates with Children

|image by Alison Iven|

When I was young, Saturday was doughnut day.  My dad would take turns with each child taking them to the doughnut store to pick out goodies for the rest of the family.  I have such fond memories of doing this with him.  I really loved picking out the bear claws and long johns!  I loved it so much that my husband and I have decided to carry on the tradition with our kids. It's a simple way to spend one-on-one time with a child each week and it's like an adventure!  Since Caden (4 yo) is the only one old enough to care, he gets to go with dad every Saturday.  We've only been doing it for a few weeks and he loves and looks forward to it!

I don't talk a lot about it on this blog, but my husband is VERY busy.  He's working full-time and working on his MBA full-time too.  It's exhausting for all of us, but it's made us realize that it is possible to build a quality relationship with children when time is limited.  I was reading a study (which I can't find a link to now! Sorry!) that stated how it only takes 5 minutes a day with each child to build confidence and trust within them.  These are 5 quality minutes where the child has your undivided attention.

Even though I stay at home with my children most of the time, spending time one-on-one with each child can be a bit of a challenge.  I find I have more success if I carve out time and plan ahead.  Do you have times that you carve out to spend time one-on-one with your children?  What sort of activities do you do?