Frazzled Not Dazzled

I need a kick in the butt. I need refocus. Have you ever felt like things are getting a little out of control? I’ve been feeling that way lately when it comes to parenting my three-year-old. Exasperation, frustration, being just plain tired of difficult behavior has been wearing me down. This is no excuse for slippage but it’s where I’m at. I’m the parent. I need to always have a handle on the situation. Now, I’m not one step from calling up Supernanny or anything. I’ll admit I’m probably overreacting. But my lack of patience with my child needs to change. It’s not good for either of us.

Let’s talk about Becky Bailey and Conscious Discipline. I had no clue who Becky Bailey was or what Conscious Discipline was until I began taking Wildman to Lab School when he was 9-months-old. Lab School is a program through our local community college for children and parents focusing on education/emotional intelligence/respect for children as individuals/creativity/discovery. It’s firmly rooted in the principles of Conscious Discipline.

Let me clarify: I’m not one for formulaic parenting. I don’t think there is one right answer or method that can be found in a self-help book. Following what feels right and what works for my family is what I try to do. But one can never be too educated right? I try to take bits and pieces of different philosophies and apply them. Conscious Discipline is more of a set of guidelines for nurturing compassionate, well-adjusted children. If anything, I’ve reminded myself of a few tips for dealing with difficult situations. And that’s reassuring.

Does anyone else find themselves in a rut from time to time? I think I just need to chill a bit and maybe shake up our routine to keep things interesting… *sigh* Where’s that handbook that was supposed to come with children?

P. S. Happy Memorial Day!!!!

P. P. S. I really liked the new Indiana Jones movie!

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Sweltering Outdoor Fun

It’s finally here. The sweltering heat of summer. It was 94 degrees today or something equally ridiculous. And wouldn’t you know it, Wildman begged me to play outside. I grudgingly obliged him. He soon realized what I meant when I said it was too hot outside when he insisted on going barefoot. He ended up doing the hot pavement cha-cha across our driveway until he found relief in the grass.

Here are the boys in the John Deere. We have a well worn path around our house thanks to this toy from Santa…

Hot weather calls for Capri Suns.

We kicked the soccer ball around a bit.

“The sidewalk is HOT, Mom!”

Sweet relief in the shade of the mailbox landscaping.

Gotta love Florida summers!

Epicurean Kids

Wildman loves to help me in the kitchen. But most of the time it’s not very convenient when I’m rushing around trying to feed two cranky, hungry children. Because we all know how little ones become whiny, sobbing masses when they get hungry… Mealtime is not a great time to slow down and let one of them wield a knife, ya know?

So, I’m scouring the Internet to find some fun, kid-friendly recipes for Wildman and I to try out during the summer. Setting aside specific, kitchen-related project time is my goal. Familyfun.com is my favorite place to go for fun ideas. They have pictures of every concoction and I’m a total sucker for pictures 🙂

Caterpillar pizza anyone? I think we’d have to couple this recipe with a reading of Eric Carle’s book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

And these little sailboats are too cute. (Ours won’t be included in the nifty sunset-over-water diorama)

Strawberry mice look fun but I’m not sure that the eyes, ears and noses will stay on…

Wildman would be all about a sandwich on a stick too! Spear-fishing ham cubes would go over in a big way.

And Mexican Sushi Bites sound fabulous. I’ll put my plug in for those. Would coupling these with virgin margaritas be wrong?

This is a start anyway! I’ll have to get a grocery list together.