Getting Political

I don’t usually get into politics, on facebook, with my friends,  or in any other public forum, because politics and friends don’t usually mix. I learned to keep my views to myself when I was going to cosmetology school, the number one rule, other than not turning someone’s hair purple or making it fall out, is don’t discuss politics or religion. I am also a firm believer in the freedom of speech and the freedom to have your own ideas and values. Where I draw the line is when someone tries to take away my freedoms, the freedoms that my husband, father, grandfathers, grandmother, and all of the soldiers that have given up their lives have fought for. You see, I have this “friend” that regularly posts about his wanting to become an expatriate and live in Europe for the rest of his life, he hates our social system, our education system, our healthcare, and our freedom to have weapons. He constantly posts about our not being the number one super power that “we boast about” and he goes on to brag about his great adventures in Europe and how anyone that does not live that lifestyle is not taking advantage of life. 

I think that he is a pompous ass.

His most recent post was about gun control and how our society is 2^nd class because we are 18xs more likely to be shot than a German citizen is. He thinks that we all tote guns because we are afraid ALL OF THE TIME, that if we took away the right to own a gun the crime rate would decrease in America, etc. I do not agree. I think that the “bad guys” would still have their weapons and we would be defenseless.

I think that my “friend” has this utopian idealism that is a pipe dream, but then again he also thinks that you should take from the rich and give to the lazy. That’s right, I said it… I don’t think that all poor people are lazy but I do think that our welfare system is broken and taking from a hard working person to give to someone that refuses to look for a job because they are getting a government check each month is a bunch of hogwash! I think that people on welfare, unemployment, and those on food stamps should be given drug screenings. I think that people that have committed robbery of any kind should not be allowed to own a weapon because they clearly don’t know how to make good decisions. I think that any person that is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be required to take a nutrition class, and I think that there should be a tax on junk food (ALL OF IT, fast food and store bought junk food), I think that those taxes should go to pay for the socialized medicine that is being pushed on our country, those taxes should pay for the healthcare of people with coronary heart disease that is not genetic and stems from a bad diet and lack of exercise. I think that preventative medicine should be number one on the doctors list instead of reactionary medicine.

Children should be forced to pass health and physical education classes with a C or better and I do not give a CRAP if they don’t want to get dirty or sweaty, they are in school to learn about life and get an education, not to be pretty. I think that parents need to take a more active approach in ensuring that their kids are learning the life skills they need to make this world a better place but sadly too many parents are more concerned with being their kid’s friend or trying to be the next cougar on some reality housewife show.

I could go on and on about what needs to happen and how things should be but they aren’t and the only yard that I can keep clean is my own, so I will take care of my family and teach them the tools to succeed, I will ensure that my children know how hard their family has fought to keep this country free and what it means to have the freedoms that we have, I will show my children gun safety and when it should be used, and I will make sure that they understand that life doesn’t just happen to them, they are the captains of their destiny. The choices that you make are the choices that shape your future!

Sleep Deprivation...

I've been absent. The thing is, we've been a little sleep deprived around these parts. Clark's schedule has been non existent for quite sometime over the past few months and this has led to sleep deprivation around here.

This weekend was finally enough to make me cancel all outside events for our house for the rest of the week. We are getting back onto a schedule if it is the last thing we do! Oh, and Clark has bought himself a one way ticket out of our bed too! The child would not sleep unless he was in my arms last night and that meant that I did not get any good sleep! THIS WILL NOT DO!

So as of yesterday I started the "Baby Wise" method of getting him on schedule. Unfortunately this means that if he needs to cry himself to sleep for his naps then that is what has to happen. I HATE IT! It truly breaks my heart to hear my boy cry. I just want to scoop him up and let him know that Mommy is there for him when he is in pain or sad, but I can't do it anymore, we have created a "monster" (no, I do not think that Clark is a monster, I think that he is just accustomed to falling asleep with me all of the time and that isn't condusive to having a secure, confident, self soothing baby).

So as I write this post, my sweet little boy is crying himself to sleep in his bed. My heart is breaking! I wouldn't do it if it hadn't worked for us before. So with fingers crossed, I will keep you updated on if Clark is back on a better sleep schedule soon.

Do you have any suggestions for getting him to sleep better? Does your baby sleep through the night?

a little late...

Is it Wednesday already?

I cannot believe that the past few days have flown by so quickly. Sunday we went to Kreuzberg Monastery with two of our friends. They are moving back to the states this coming Friday and it was our last hoorah with them. I'm so sad...

We drank more beer than was necessary, Travis was the DD, and then we went out to dinner. It was truly the first time in 18 months that I drank more than two beers. I am sure that another 18 months could pass before I feel like doing it again.

Monday we lazed around the house, mostly. We did manage to make a couple of trips to our friends house to pick up some furniture that they weren't taking with them back to the good ole US of A. Oh and we certainly did not forget to say a pray and show some gratitude for the lives that have been given in the name of our freedom.

Yesterday was back to work as usual for Travis, Clark and I helped our friends clean their home for inpection and then we went to an afternoon social with some lovely ladies and their kids.

Last night Travis and I got to witness what I swear is has been one of the best 'parenting' moments yet. Clark fell asleep while eating his dinner. It was awesome! I'll try to post video soon.

I hope that you all had a great weekend!

Entertainment for Baby

I have been going out of my mind to find ways to entertain Clark day in and day out, so I decided that I would make him flash cards. I was trying to find a way to make a game of them or something and this is what I came up with:

Alphabetical flash cards on construction paper in “bubble” letters so that he can color them in (once he has the dexterity to do so),they are laminated so they are reusable. The colors of the paper are in the order of the color spectrum. You know, ROY-G-BIV. (Side note: I also organize my closet this way. Yep, I’m OCD like that.) I put the capital letters on one side and lowercase letters on the other. Clark does really well with paying attention as I go through the alphabet, he looks at the letter as I show it to him and he watches my mouth as I say the letter out loud. I also tell him what sound the letter makes, “A says Ahhh, B says Buhh, etc.” He will usually sit for three rounds before he wants to eat the cards.

I also made him some memory cards. The memory cards are either gray (ay is the preferred American English spelling, ey the rest of the English speaking world, just saying…) on one side with a basic word written on them (such as Mom, Dad, Dog, Moon, etc.) and then colored strips with a letter of the alphabet on it, or they are white with a dashed word on them for him to practice writing (I get that it will be quite some time before that happens but these are mini versions of the big cards for travel purposes) and the same colored strips on the other side. I figure we can take these cards with us when we go out to eat or are traveling, to keep Clark entertained. The basic words are so that he can get used to word recognition.

I can’t wait to finish my next project for you to see…

Do you have any recommendations for entertaining baby?

Role Models

My Mom after her 1st Full Marathon, My HERO

As I ran the Mannheim ½ Marathon I got to thinking about heroes and role models. I thought about how when we are children we read stories about heroes, princesses and princes, knights in shining armor, dragon slayers, etc. The list is unending, but who are the people that really made a difference in our lives? Our parents, our teachers, the neighbors, our friend’s parents, our parent’s friends. I think about the people that are considered role models today and it scares me. I worry for future generations when today’s role models consist of teen pop stars that wear too little clothing, drink underage, go to jail, and make bad decisions publicly. I hope that I can ensure that Clark has a surplus of good role models in his life.



My Dad, the man that taught me how to be an active parent.

You see, before the race started I got to watch as my friend’s husband interacted with our other friend’s children, how he made up superhero names with them, how he fed into their imaginations, how their eyes sparkled when they talked to him and when their make believe scenarios weren’t crushed by some adult that refused to entertain their childish thoughts. I watched in awe. I’m glad to know that there are adults out there that can embrace their inner child, even if only for a few minutes, to be a hero to a kid.

So while I ran I wondered who would be Clark’s hero? Who will his role model be? I certainly hope that it is his father and me, but I hope that there are other adults out there that will encourage his imagination, that will guide him in the right direction. Lord knows that there are going to be plenty of people in his life’s path that will want to lead him in the wrong direction, there will be people that will do so even though that isn’t their intention, but I hope that there are more role models providing respectable and wholesome events in his life than bad.

I think that the reason the run provided me time to think about this subject was, not only because it was so long and we were out there FOREVER, because on the side of the road were children of all ages watching as we passed. These children were our cheering section; they clapped, yelled, beat drums, and held their hands out to give high fives. I wasn’t able to high five every child that I came across but I slapped every hand that was close enough. I watched as some of the runners would just pass those tiny little hands without even a second thought. It made me grimace. I mean really people? You are running the same pace as me, maybe a little faster, so I know you aren’t winning this thing! Sticking your freaking hand out to the side isn’t going to slow you down any, what is the harm in making that kid feel like they are contributing?  Those kids made my day! LITERALLY! I don’t think that I would have made it without them. 

My Sister, an amazing role model

As I slapped high fives with a little girl I wondered if she too would one day become a runner, if she would catch the running bug from me as I trotted past or would she be disheartened by all of those runners that didn’t take the time to show their appreciation? I can’t wait to take Clark to a race, one that he can sit on the side and high five runners of all ages and genders.  I can’t wait until he sees that his mommy and daddy are amongst those runners that give high fives. I hope that he too will catch the running bug. If not, I won’t love him any less but I hope that even if he doesn’t catch the bug he still supports the people that do. I hope that by giving a high five to those kids I was a role model for them, someone that didn’t crush their hopes, and someone that appreciated their support even if they didn’t realize that they were the ones that were so important on that day.

Conquering Fear, I hope Clark will too.

I hope that I can be a role model to the children that I come in contact with, someone that they can learn from, respect, trust, and confide in. Do you know of any great role models for children these days?

Parenting

Over the past week I have had multiple conversations about parenting styles. I must make note here that I have certain expectations of children and what they are 1) capable of 2) what is expected of them. This post is not only an observation of what I’ve notice in trends these days but also I hope that it will serve as a reminder in the future of what I’ve seen and how I thought the situation should be handled. I’m sure that parents want to hold onto the idea that their child will do no wrong, or is incapable of behaving badly but I remember the stuff that I got away with because my parents were oblivious to what I was capable of, my kids won’t fare so well.

You see, I think that children are too spoiled these days. They are given freedom too early in life, their parents are more concerned with being liked than they are with being a guiding force in the lives of their kids. I have a friend, who has a 16 year old daughter; her daughter basically runs her life. My friend is constantly chauffeuring this girl to and from her boyfriend’s house, so much so that she can’t even enjoy an evening with friends because she is constantly looking at her watch to see if she is supposed to be leaving to fetch her daughter.  I have a problem with this for a few reasons: 1) The girl has more than one D on her report card (one would be enough in my house to be restricted) 2) The boyfriend is two years older and has tattoos and earrings (yes, this might be judgmental but…) 3) When did boys stop picking the girl up for a date and returning her home? 

I think that my friend has lost it. I’ve told her that she is an enabler and that none of this would be happening if she didn’t allow it but she just makes excuses for the girl, “it’s her first relationship/ we’re moving soon, they only have four more weeks together / they don’t know how the train system works, etc.” Her husband on the other hand sees things the way that I do but for some reason unknown to me he won’t hold his ground. They argue about it but it always seems to go in the direction that the daughter wants it to and I think that it is because Mom doesn’t want to be the bad guy. Unfortunately that makes Dad the bad guy. I think that this will lead to a bad relationship between the father and daughter for a long time to come.

I’m not writing this post to bash my friend. I’m writing it because I think that parenting is like a slow dance between partners. I think that if the parents aren’t in sync, then like in dancing, someone’s toes are going to get stepped on.  I think that parents are doing a disservice to their children when they try to be their friend and not the guiding light in their life. Children need guidance and an explanation as to why things are the way they are, they need protection. Sometimes that protection is from others and sometimes it is from themselves.  Children aren’t always able to make the right decision, they are more interested in having fun then working on their grades, they would prefer to be with their friends instead of with the books, but as the adult in their life we need to take the reins and drive them in the right direction.  This might lead to disappointment or even a few cross words but it will teach the child that they won’t always get what they want, something’s are earned and others are privileges, that not everything in life is going to go their way. I think that today’s youth is spoiled, they are allowed to get away with way too much, and they aren’t being taught manners or what it is like to work for something. I hope that I can at least teach my children what that is all about.