My kids

Sometimes do you ever just stare at your kids?? Like almost creepy mom stare?? I do.  I watch my kids alot.  I look at them and cant believe how much they are changing daily.  I look at there hair color and there faces, there teeth, there smiles, all of them.  I examine them and cant believe they are apart of me and Riley.  I look at them when they watch TV and watch there facial expressions, or when there talking amongst one another.  I watch the little things they do and it makes me smile.  I even watch them as they fight and try and let them resolve what they are arguing about instead of me all the time.  I didnt know I could love another as much as I love Riley.  I didnt think it was possible to love as much as I do for each of My Kids.  Its an amazing feeling.

Over the past few weeks we finally started a new tradition in the family.  I got it from my sister and always loved the idea, just was waiting for the right moment to start it.  We have one child stay up an extra hour Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday.  The other kids go to bed and we get too spend quality time with the one that's left up.  Brynlee is usually fast asleep as well so its been great.  We ask each kid what they want to do, craft, bake, whatever they want.  Then we sit and talk, play questionnaire games to get to know them better, and we have alot of fun.  I can see how much each child LOVES the one on one time.  It amazes me how different they act when its just them.  So much more grown up.  I love every moment of it, I almost find myself looking forward to the evening myself evening if Ive had a long day and am tired.  And each child is soo excited for there night, and what mommy has planned.

Tonight is Allies night :)

Allie

She came from school and you could tell something was not quite right.  I asked her how her day was and she didn't say much.  So I let it go.  Continued on and made supper.  Finally she came back to me after a while and asked "mom have you ever done something you felt evr bad about?" I said "of course probably quite a few things".  Then I new something happened and she was wanting to tell me she just didnt know how.  I asked her "what happened today? Its okay you can tell me?"  She then opened up.  She said "in gym class we were playing dodge ball and I hit Mary with the ball and yelled 'Mary your off" and she she didn't listen so I yelled it again and again ever louder.  She ran to the bench and started crying.  Then after gym class she called her mom and went home".  Oh my I didnt know what to reply.  I let Allie think about what she just told me for a few more minutes.  "Well the best thing for you to do Allie, is pick up the phone right now, call Mary and apoligize and ask for her forgiveness".  She didnt even hesitate and agreed.

I picked up the phone called there house and asked for Mary.  Alie got on the phone, "Mary this is Allie, Iam very sorry about what happened in gym class will you please forgive me?"  I was sooo proud of her.  SO proud that she felt hurt by what she did and so proud she was making it better for herself.  She got off the phone and her mood changed instantly.  She was much happier cause her heart wasnt being pulled and tugged on.  I hugged her tight and told her it takes a bigger person to do what you did.  I hope she learnt a lesson from that.  I know her heart is very caring and soft and she will know better next time :)

Proud

Im proud of my girls this past week.  Some days you wonder if anything you teach your children every sinks in, are they ever listening or hearing you blab on.  And you hope they make good choices when you arn't around, and think of the times you tried to teach them proper values in life.  When I ship my kids on the bus every morning, you usually find me shouting as they walk to the bus, "have a great day, I love you, treat people the way you want to be treated, don't take nothing that isn't yours, be confident, play with the one who is alone cause one day that could be you, stick up for the one who's getting bullied cause one day that could be you". Many of those kind of phrases.  I hope they listen, for all I know its going in one ear and out the next.  And Ive only recently added "don't take nothing that isn't yours", just this past week due to what happened.

I notice alot around my house.  I think probably most mom's do.  I notice when things are out of place, or its a complete mess, or when the kids r missing something its usually me that knows where it is.  Well this past week I noticed Aubrie playing with some things that I have never seen before.  So I simply asked her "Aubrie who's are those toys?" Well the look on her face pretty much said it all.  I then asked her again and again, till she finally told me she took them from school.  I asked her if I didn't notice would she have returned them and she said no.  I was very upset but kept my cool cause she knew she was in trouble and her tears started to flow.  I began to explain how wrong it was that she took those, how it was stealing, how she would feel if someone came here and took her things what she would feel.  I also explained how stealing can lead to prison if it gets that far.  I explained how some times you steal and you get away with it, so you steal again cause its easy and no one notices or sees you.  But one day you will get caught.  I told her about an incident I myself was in with a friend, who stole from Walmart, and as we left the store she handed to me what she had stolen, I was so shocked she did that. Then all of a sudden we were getting arrested by police hand cuffed and walked to the back of the store.  I tried explaining over and over how it wasn't me it was her, and my friend wouldn't even own up.  It didn't matter, she handed me the items and I was now part of it all.

  She cried pretty much the entire evening.  And for how much I wanted to hold her and tell her its going to be ok, I needed her to think about what she did.  I told her we would be returning the items together at school the next day and talking to both the teachers she took stuff from.  She was very scared.

I walked into the school the next day, confident in what I was doing.  Hoping that this would really show Aubrie that what she did was wrong.  I knew when she saw me she was going to crumble so I waited till the recess bell rang and met her in her classroom.  She went white when she saw me, came over and held my hand.  I asked her teacher if I could speak to him and Aubrie after the kids went outside.  I also grabbed the other teacher as she was walking by.  The kids all left, and there the 4 of us stood.  Teachers looking at me like "what's going on".  I cracked.  Aubrie started crying and so did I.  It was pulling at my heart strings so much but I couldn't turn back now.  I said "I noticed yesterday Aubrie playing with some toys that didn't belong to her, and belonged to each of your class rooms.  I explained to her what she has done is wrong and we are here to be honest and own up to this mistake", I was choked up the whole time.  I felt so bad for her, but I knew this had to be done.  The teachers both explained how happy they were that Aubrie was honest and how we learn from our mistakes, and how happy they were that us as parents chose to be honest as well. Aubrie then said "Im sorry for stealing, I promise I wont do it again."

I left the school, soo soo proud of her.  Yet she made a huge mistake she was brave enough to own up to it and tell the teachers.  Many kids wouldn't, but she did.  I left the school hoping that that would stick with her for along time, and she would realize that stealing is not good, and never do it again.

And as for Allie, she made a huge step this past week to.....