A Child's Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,
Please bless that we will have Holy in our Ghost. Please bless Emma that she will be strong, so she can carry heavy things. Please bless Mommy and Daddy that they will not argue with me.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Twilight - The Movie

I'm giving it mixed reviews. I can't decide if I'm just too picky. Never mind...I know I'm too picky. See I truly am "one of those people" who LOVES it when the movie is as true to the book as humanly possible and begins to loathe a movie that doesn't follow suit. Take the characters for instance... Bella- well done, she seemed a good match. Though, if I hadn't read the book I'd wonder what the heck she was thinking. Though that's not necessarily just acting that's more script work and directing. Edward- o.k. seriously, no one could actually live up to the beauty of the Edward my mind created, but "movie Edward" could have been more smooth and have more turn of the century mannerisms. Rosalie- are you kidding? I mean she's not ugly by any means, but she is NO Rosalie; who should be taller than Emmett and drop dead gorgeous. And I swear Jasper said something in the first book. Emmett should be HUGE, but I think his mannerisms are fairly in sync with the book. I know I'm going to love Alice. She looks as close to what I could have possibly imagined her (maybe shorter hair) but a very close match.

The movie mostly followed the book, but once again I'm that picky girl who likes to see situations happen where they "originally" happened and not where the director finds it most convenient. I'm not saying this was a bad movie or evenly poorly done, it's just hard for me to be satisfied by anything other than the original. I just wasn't drawn in to the movie as emotionally as I was the book. I'm I alone in this?

Christmas $$

I decided that it was time for Maggie to start understanding the "giving" of gifts to others and not just receiving. I figure it's a great time to start helping her also understand how people get the money to get those gifts for others. They must earn it.

Now, this is NOT an allowance. And she will NOT be paid to do things that I consider just being part of a family, such as keeping your room clean, cleaning up areas that you have been playing in or helping Mom and Dad regularly. So we sat down and decided on a "CHORE" that she could do everyday for one week to earn $2.00 toward Christmas presents for her sister and parents. Week 1- She cleaned the bathroom. Here was the list SHE came up with that needed to be completed before we could mark off the day.
1. Clean the mirror
2. Wipe down bathtub
3. Clean toilet and stock toilet pape
4. Wipe sink and counter
5. No clothes on the floor
6. Sweep
7. Mop

She DID it!! By Thurs it was too big a job for her 5 year old, self, but she followed through and made her $2.00 Christmas money.
This week she is doing a more manageable LIVINGROOM chore chart and learning to vacuum. It's great. Oh and we added a new part to her chore. A Happy Face. No whining and complaining about a job she WANTS to do.

I'm so mean. That first week I let her know how the real world works. When she wanted to skip a step or not do the chore she had agreed to I explained how this is like having a job. I explained that I'm like a "Boss" and she works for me. If she chooses to not do the job we agreed to, that's fine with me...I'd be happy to fire her and she will lose the opportunity to earn any money for the week. Huh...it worked. She is still gainfully employed with the Nichols Household until Christmas.

Sweet Sisters

This is how they decided to sleep last night, instead of in separate beds. Yes, folks that's a toddler bed they are wanting to share. silly girls.

The Sleep Over

Our good friends had their new baby this last weekend and we kept their little boy for them overnight. He and Emma are only 3 weeks apart in age. They play so well together, well...too well. They can sure get in trouble (hint: lots and lots of goldfish=lots of vacuuming) We just thought this was a cute picture of them finally fallen asleep. Notice how he has a blanket and sippy and Emma looks as though she unloaded her entire toy closet on her bed before deciding on a book to fall asleep to.

Lil' Creator

I'm not sure if you can tell what has happened here or not, but this is Emma's newest most favorite past time. I don't know where she keeps finding her crayons, but she sure knows how to use them!! This is a picture from the 2nd time last week of her "creations". The bottom of the bed was also covered in crayon. Whew...she makes me tired. Yes, the Magic Eraser works though it is also useful in removing paint. I think I'm going to need to do some touch up work.

A Big Thank You!!

I just want to take a minute to thank all of you for your support! I've really been struggling with this and feeling pretty alone in it, so it was very helpful to know I'm not the only one out there!! It has also given me the courage to attempt to stop "sweating it" and just let her succeed or fail as she chooses. For I cannot make her potty at will, as convenient as that would be. LOL. SO...thanks.

Potty Whoas

Disclaimer: I am quite frustrated and I will not apologize for the attitude that may spew forth from my frustration.

You might be thinking...oh, she's struggling with Emma. You, my friend, would be WRONG.

Yes, it is my oldest, my five year old, my daughter who should be utterly MORTIFIED by having an accident, that I am struggling with. Here's the history....

When Maggie was 2 she showed some interest and thus we started trying here and there letting her experiment with using the potty...we moved and quit all progress/interest. Our new home area was full of wonderful mothers and it was a bit intimidating. All I was hearing was "Oh, she's a girl. She'll be easy and I'm sure she'll be trained by 2 1/2, and my daughter was trained in 3 days and no accidents" Yeah, no pressure. So, I kept trying here and there and the girl has the stubborn level of a dozen mules. Around 3 years we really started working hard at this since I was then pregnant with Emma and wasn't excited about 2 in diapers. Well Emma came around and Maggie totally rebelled and I fell apart and it was ugly...We moved again. So then we approach her 4th birthday and she's FINALLY got it figured out. Minus one very important detail: Anticipating the need or trying to "empty the tank" (as I call it) as a convenience precaution to activities you may not want to stop in the middle of to go to the bathroom such as, ballet, grocery shopping, preschool, playing with friends, mealtimes etc.

Today at the age of 5: The girl will wait until there is absolutely NO possibility of being able to move even an inch in the direction of the bathroom. She waits until the point of no return. I suppose I might expect this from a child who hasn't been practicing very long, but we are going on 2 1/2 years here. Really...enough already.

In case you are ready to jump in and judge (I love you all, but I know a few of you are already at that point) these are some of the strategies we've already tried. (Also, we are not talking an accident every month or two, we are talking at least a couple times a week to multiple times a day)

1. One week without accidents and we will all go to Blast Off. (After 3 months of trying we gave up)
2. Rewarding each successful potty with 5 min of PBS Kids games online. Could be used immediately or saved until the end of the day to play in bulk. (Worked for almost a week)
3. Yelling (doesn't work)
4. Spanking (doesn't work)
5. Talking about embarrassment associated with wetting your pants in front of friends, adults, etc. (Doesn't even faze her)
6. Bribery of candy, toys, etc. (nothing)
7. Threatening her that she can't go to school next year if she's still having accidents (she really wants to go to school) (Still, doesn't mean enough to her)
8. Recently, I've been having my phone "ding" at various times during the day as a reminder to go "TRY" to go potty. (That was also O.K. for a limited amount of time and now once again she's back to "I don't feel like I have to go" as she crosses her legs and sits on the ground, refuses to try and has a "little" accident.)
9. I have tried resorting to pull-ups when she has accidents. (short lived)
10. I have tried totally ignoring the issue and having her in charge of clean up, but haven't seen any improvement with this.

I'm sure there's more. I feel awful as a Mom, seriously what Mom can't get her 5 YEAR OLD to stop having accidents. Well, this Mom apparently. I am SOOO at the end of my rope with her. I wouldn't mind so much if she wasn't amid the verbal development of attitude. UGH!

Oh this story will not be published in the Blurb book, but this next story may help you understand why I am so very frustrated at this point. This Tuesday and friend of mine and her husband watched the girls for me. They all had a great time. Said friend's husband, was giving horsie rides at the end of the night and apparently once again Maggie failed to "anticipate" and peed on his shirt. Granted, it was not soaking, but was indeed moistened. Of course, she totally denies it amid 3 adult witnesses. By the way, she has written an apology to him. Do you think the embarrassment of that situation would make her very aware? If you said "yes", once again you would be WRONG. She failed to make it to the bathroom in time again tonight.

What am I suppose to do? I mean, really?

Multi-tasking is NOT for Amatuers

I am admittedly distracted today. I'm not sleeping well, due to another addition to the family (not a baby) though that's a tale for another day. I'm still fairly new at the managing cooking shows business and I have 5 shows closing this week and I'm working through closing 2 today. Thus, while trying to get some help from my sister over the phone the girls went to town....

First, Emma is an unstoppable monkey. The girl can scale any obstacle in her path. In fact, I think she goes out her way to seek a challenge. In addition, she has become the world's fastest baby streaker. She can strip down to nothing in the blink of an eye. Anyway, I'm discussing fantastic cookware in the office while assuming (should never do that) the girls are being watched over by their ever diligent father when I start hearing the all too familiar shut of mirror doors in the bathroom. This is what I found..

What is that on her face you ask? Why my concealer, of course, being used as lipstick. This first picture is her caught in the act.

This next photo is after I said, "You're in BIG TROUBLE little miss". I think I might be in big trouble.
Meanwhile.....in the kitchen there is a "helper"...





Emma was quick to get in on the discovery. Maggie decided that she would help me by unloading the dishwasher. That is so thoughtful of her and I am grateful for her kindness. I'm excited for the day when she understands that if there are dishes that get put away higher than she can reach, to just leave them be or get a chair. Someday....
Emma "helping"... and you'll notice in the first picture that Maggie wearing red gloves. Why you ask? So did I. This is her explanation, "The dishes were too HOT so I put on my gloves like Word Girl". Okay then.

Late Halloween Photos

We had a great Halloween this year. Maggie insisted that she be Word Girl this year. For those of you who are not familiar with PBS kids programming, Word Girl is a superhero who fights off evil villains. She has some pretty cool superpowers; she can fly, she is incredibly strong and also has an impressive vocabulary. Word Girl has been teaching us some great new words. Anyway, you cannot buy a Word Girl costume that I'm aware of, so this is what I put together. And Emma is a cute little Leopard kitty. She was adorable while we trick or treated with her..."Meows".

Later that night we enjoyed our traditional pot o' chili with friends and played board games.

I Snagged a Tag...

The High School tag:

1. Did you date someone from your school? I went on a couple of dates with one guy from my high school. It was pretty lame.
2. What kind of car did you drive? 78 Cutless Supreme, 74 Monte Carlo, 85 Ford Taurus
3. Were you a party animal? Umm...no.
4. Were you considered a flirt? Nope
5. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Choir all the way!! Yep, I'm still a choir geek.
6. What was your most embarrassing moment of high school? Do we need to talk about such things, really?
7. Were you a nerd? No, just invisible.
8. Were you on any varsity teams? No
9. Did you get suspended/expelled? Nope
10. Can you still sing the fight song? I don't think I ever KNEW the fight song. haha
11. Who were your favorite teachers? I realize I'm terrible, but I don't remember their names, but I remember what they taught! My Senior Psych teacher, My Senior English teacher and My AlgebraII teacher.
12. What was your school's full name? Cedar Falls High School
13. School mascot? Tiger
14. Did you go to homecoming, and with who? Yes. Ted Sommers. And I think Amanda and Tamara shared John David that night. That was a lot of fun. Wow, that was a long time ago.
15. If you could go back and do it again, would you? No! College was where it was at for me.
16. What do you remember most about graduation? I remember thinking..."I don't think I'm going to miss anyone here. I can't wait to leave in a couple of weeks" (once again, I know I'm terrible)
17. Where did you go senior skip day? To Independence, Ia to take my boyfriend at the time to get his tux for Prom. (I stole a Junior to go with me, yep that was you Tamara, you're caught) Oh wait...don't tell my Mom! She doesn't know. She thought I was the golden child. Oops.
18. Were you in a club? Do athletics count? Soccer
19. Have you gained some weight since then? More than I intended....
20. Who was your prom date? Joshua Fillinger. We went to his and mine. We obviously attended different High Schools.
21. Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion? I already missed mine. I figured, what's the point?
22. Looking back, what advice would you give yourself? Have more confidence and don't worry so much!!

Dental Moments

Maggie was sitting in the dentist chair and the dental hygienist asked her where she got her pretty green eyes. She asked, "Did you get those from your Mommy or your Daddy". Maggie replies, "God made them for me". She can be so sweet.

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Bette!

Bettes are direct, self-reliant, self-confident, and protective.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Stand up for yourself... and me.
• * Be confident, strong, and direct.
• * Don't gossip about me or betray my trust.
• * Be vulnerable and share your feelings. See and acknowledge my tender, vulnerable side.
• * Give me space to be alone.
• * Acknowledge the contributions I make, but don't flatter me.
• * I often speak in an assertive way. Don't automatically assume it's a personal attack.
• * When I scream, curse, and stomp around, try to remember that's just the way I am.

What I Like About Being a Bette

• * being independent and self-reliant
• * being able to take charge and meet challenges head on
• * being courageous, straightforward, and honest
• * getting all the enjoyment I can out of life
• * supporting, empowering, and protecting those close to me
• * upholding just causes

What's Hard About Being a Bette

• * overwhelming people with my bluntness; scaring them away when I don't intend to
• * being restless and impatient with others' incompetence
• * sticking my neck out for people and receiving no appreciation for it
• * never forgetting injuries or injustices
• * putting too much pressure on myself
• * getting high blood pressure when people don't obey the rules or when things don't go right

Bettes as Children Often

• * are independent; have an inner strength and a fighting spirit
• * are sometimes loners
• * seize control so they won't be controlled
• * figure out others' weaknesses
• * attack verbally or physically when provoked
• * take charge in the family because they perceive themselves as the strongest, or grow up in difficult or abusive surroundings

Bettes as Parents

• * are often loyal, caring, involved, and devoted
• * are sometimes overprotective
• * can be demanding, controlling, and rigid