Mommy's Project 52:42 Sharing

This week I tried to take pictures of my kids sharing.

The conversation goes like this.

Son: "Mom, what are you doing?"
Me:  I'm trying to take pictures of you and your sister sharing.
Son:   "Why?"
Me:  "It is the topic for my blog post this week."
Son:  "Why don't you just write sometimes we like to share and sometimes we don't."

In the early months of this year, they seemed to share quite effortlessly. As my daughter has developed speech, things have changed.  She uses her words to tell us all the things that brother has taken from her. Simple car rides have turned into backseat squabbles over who looks at what book and on and on.  It would seem at 5 1/2 and 2 1/2 sharing is not so popular. Sometimes they like to share and sometimes they don't.  Right now, we are more NOT sharing.

I have been thinking about this since my son does construct complicated play area with trains and his toy figures.  He will have spent an hour setting it all up and it can be all undone by sister in 10 seconds or less.  I know that frustrates him.  On the other hand, I have also seen him watch sister pick a toy up and for no other reason than her new interest decides he must have it to add to his play immediately.  Even harder for him is toys that were originally his when he was younger are really now appropriate for her to play with but he still wants to claim them as his own.  It has not really been a problem until the last few months so I am working on the family guidelines for what has to be shared and what is yours alone. What are your guidelines for sharing toys?

One of my favorite pictures of the two of them - November 2011

Sharing limited snacks - January 2012

Coloring on the same picture - February 2012

Brother ran off with the toys.

Waiting to try again at sharing the pool toys - May 2012

Frequent expression in the car these days - April 2012
(yes, I know her top buckle has gotten low, constant struggle)

Yes, I found one! Sharing colors together - May 2012

Mommy's Project 52:41 Entertaining

Mommy's Project 52:40 Natural

Natural means existing in or caused by nature; not made or caused by humankind. Natural also means a person regarded as having an innate gift or talent for a particular task or activity. These definitions are from the dictionary.


It is the first definition of natural applied to food products that confuses me.   What does the word "natural" or "naturally"  mean exactly on the package of a food product?


According to the FDA, they do not have a definition of the term natural.  However, they have not objected to the use of the word natural if the food does not contain added color, artificial flavor, or synthetic substances. 


I went to the pantry and pulled out the first handful of items that I found labeled with the word natural.

  
The use of the word natural made the most sense on the pineapple chunks.  I get the difference between "in its own natural juice" as opposed to the others on the shelf labeled heavy or lite syrup.


I thought the Juicy Juice would also be a good use of the label natural.  I try to buy juice boxes that are actually juice.  However,  I am confused by the statement that it is 100% juice and then in much smaller lettering below, it says "from concentrate with other natural flavors & added ingredients."  If it is 100% juice, then how can there be anything added? 

The rest of the stuff is definitely processed snacks in one form or another and would not fit the dictionary definition of not being caused by humankind or existing in nature. The goldfish, the Dora fruit snacks, the Fiber One bars  and the Graduates Yogurt melts all use the word natural or naturally in the label.  


The truth of what is in these snacks is in the tiny print of the ingredient list.  I have to admit that I do not spend a lot of time reading the list.  My excuses are that the print is so small it is hard for me to read and I am busy with two kids while shopping therefore I am making quick decisions based on what I can easily read on the label. 


Except for the pineapple, I don't think the natural label actually resulted in a healthier purchase.  I guess if I want natural, I should go check out the local farmer's market.  What do you look for on a label when shopping?

Mommy's Project 52:39 Flexible

Being flexible can be having a body that is flexible or it can refer to a person's ability to deal with changes in schedule with calm.  I don't like my schedule messed with and I like to know in advance what is going to happen.  I think I can deal if something happens but I am not too happy about it.  Kids have helped me develop that side of my flexibility.

There are many benefits to having a flexible body.  As an older parent of two young children, I have noticed that my older body doesn't move through slides and tunnels as easily as my 20 something mommy friends.  Since I don't only want to be around to see my kids grow and marry, I want to be able to enjoy and participate fully as they/we grow older.

I have a 70 year old friend who is able to bicycle and really play with her grandchildren.  At that age, my grandparents could only watch Wheel of Fortune with me.  So my goal is to stay as flexible and healthy as I can so I can really enjoy the upcoming years.

In a conversation with a stretching instructor at a former gym, he said it is not only the sedentary that can benefit from stretching but many athletic people skip the stretching as well.  They are so busy building muscle and extending their endurance that they don't take time to stay flexible which leads to injury and early retirement from the sports they love.

Stretching can improve performance and decrease risk of injury.  It also reduces muscle soreness, improves posture, reduces low back pain, increases flow of blood and nutrients to the tissues, improves muscle coordination, and enhances enjoyment of physical activities.

After crawling after my children for a couple hours at a local indoor play land both my husband and I were  sore from the twisting and turning in the tunnels and going through the mazes.  I have a DVD of my stretching class that I took when I was pregnant with my son.  It helped me so much and if I would do it a couple times a week I would see great benefits.

The problem is knowing that it is a benefit and actually making the time to do it are two different things.  So the question is can I take the knowledge and get it put into action?  That is my new goal.  Here is a picture of my son showing me his bridge from gymnastics class.  I thought it was a much better picture than me showing off my flexibility.

Mommy's Project 52:38 Emotional

This is the first blog post that I have posted late.  I have been dragging my feet not really wanting to talk about this topic.  Emotions are a struggle for me right now.

I know that when I have my emotions under control I am a happier and better wife and mother.  Knowing that doesn't seem to help in my struggle to accomplish this task.  I have always been emotional but felt I succeeded in keeping it under control until I had children.  My life where I got enough sleep, didn't put too much on my plate, and only had my own well-being to consider made all that much easier to keep those emotions under control.

Add a husband, two kids, three moves, and all the things that go along with life and all of a sudden I need to adapt and cope while supporting my husband and helping my two kids to grow.  I still think I hide the emotional side until something breaks the proverbial last straw and then the anger or tears just come out.  Let's just say that it is not an ideal situation for any of us.

In an effort to find a calm place, I did join an exercise place which helps greatly.  I pay once a month and I have unlimited visit and unlimited childcare so when I need to let off some steam I have a great outlet.  The other thing I really try to do is get enough sleep.  It can be hard because sometimes you would rather stay up late and watch a movie or surf the web when I really need to do is catch some sleep especially when the kids are getting up at night.  If I exercise, I sleep better, and when I sleep better, the whole day goes better.  So a combination of sleep and exercise is a powerful combination in keeping my emotions in control.

I am trying to be more mindful. When I say that I am making an effort to be thankful, content, and joyful in my daily life.  Things that help me are prayer, writing a gratitude journal, and trying to stop negative thinking in its tracks.

Joining a mom's group here, I am hoping to meet some other moms who I feel a connection with and develop new friendships.  I prefer deep lasting friendship and it takes time for me to find and connect with other moms.  Hoping that we will not have to move for many years, it is something that I will find with time.

Below is a picture of my daughter being grumpy.  I remember this day because it was one of those times where this whole episode could have gone much easier if I had my emotions under control.

Mommy's Project 52:37 Pretending

Pretending is what preschool age kids do really well. I never know what my children will be from one minute to the next. They play like puppies, builders, dinosaurs, parents, and pirates in one play session. It is sometimes hard for me to get myself into the pretend mode with them. I think we lose a lot of that as we grow up. I love to watch them act out the possible and impossible. Pretending is a great thing!

Mommy's Project 52:36 Colorful

Colorful means to have much or varied color. With Easter this weekend, the first thing that comes to mind is Easter eggs. I look forward every year to coloring Easter eggs. We did this last night. It was a huge success and so much fun for my kids. We put stickers on them and then dyed them. We dyed them and then added stickers. We used a "magic" crayon and drew on them and then dyed them. We painted them. I don't think I could have more fun for a $1.95 coloring kit plus the cost of 18 eggs. Here are some pictures of the process and our results.