It's all about your image.

I seem to be pretty serious when I write here. But in real life I do have a sense of humor. Or, at least I think I do. So I'm trying a more "light hearted" topic this time. And maybe, just maybe, I can get someone to laugh.

What better way to evoke delight than the topic of fashion? Or better yet, my sons image. And you have to cut him some slack, he is only 2, so his "image" is mostly based on the items he can reach.
Not that I have much fashion sense. And I certainly don't really have an image. I wear clothes that are utilitarian. I live in yoga pants and tee-shirts. Mind you they are a fitted tee-shirt, not baggy. But I do lots of sitting-on-the-floor stuff and I get spit-up on, a lot. So instead of 13 pairs of jeans, 47 tee-shirts, and countless undergarments, I wash yoga pants and tee-shirts.

And that's not to say I don't have any fashion sense. If I get dressed for an outing in public, I stick to the GAP look. Black or white shirt, almost-trashy-tight jeans and sunglasses. Classic. And I only wear the almost-trashy-jeans because I lost a TON of weight and can feel good about my butt.

But I'm not talking about my image. Let's talk about my DS's image.

He walks around with his hand down his pants like Al Bundy. And he's 2.

And it gets better. He prefers doing this while wearing his sisters sparkly shoes. And sunglasses is he can get a hold of some. Maybe some gaudy Mardi Gras necklaces too.

It's like Rocky Horror meets Sesame Street.

I take a lot of pictures, so hopefully when he is a rotten teenager I can humble him into housework and stuff by threatening to post all the pics on his FaceBook. (If Facebook is even around then!)

But mostly I just smile and nod.

This afternoon he comes clumping in the kitchen in a normal rugby tee-shirt. He's got a pair of silver glitter ballet flats on that are 4 sizes too big. He has a pair of those 3-D glasses on that come from the movie theater. He's wearing a long, gaudy plastic necklace. And his hands are down the front of his pants.

*sigh*

He really likes wearing my nightgowns too.

So he may not have that GQ look, but he certainly knows how to keep it um, colorful?

I believe in fairies

Yep, here at our house, fairies are real.

They have to be, they back up all that parenting I do.

So the first fairy to "come into existence" at our house was the binki fairy.

Conjure up a little girl, at the ripe old age of 3 who still has a binki. (gross, I know) But I had a baby, I was pregnant, and I was not about to take away the one thing that helped calm her. And my DD had an ear piercing scream that could make your ears bleed. A binki was almost a necessity.

Let's focus on the good here, not the fact that I had a huge belly, a screaming baby on my hip, and my 3 year old was running around with a binki in her mouth. (And I bet I was probably standing in the kitchen barefoot too!)

In all honesty, she only had the binki in her bed. We had long since weaned her down to bedtime only. (Which was a process in itself.) But, the day had come when the binki fairy would pay us a visit.

Here is my *gold star* advice!

We sent a note to our daughter from the binki fairy. The fairy stated that our DD needed to leave all her binkis for the fairy so she could make them into her castle, and the fairy would leave a WONDERFUL FAIRY GIFT.

DD bought it. Out when the binkis in a bag on the porch. (Mama had prepared for this with a rather expensive trip to Target.) And when she wasn't looking, the binki bag was replaced with a huge fanciful bag full of fairy goodies. There was a crown, a tutu, stickers, a movie, some costume jewelry, a wand, and lord knows what else. I told you I went crazy, how can you not, it's Target?

Anyway, the bag was a huge hit. The fairy has decorated it with glitter and sparkles. It was special and girly. She got a certificate saying our DD was an honorary fairy. And the binkis were long forgotten......

until bedtime.

After brushing her teeth, our smart DD gathered up all the fairy stuff, put it back in the bag and gave it to me saying, "K mommy, I don't want to be a fairy anymore, I want my binkis back."

After 35 minutes of intense crying, she did go to sleep. We sat in the living room and turned the TV up a little louder than normal. It almost killed me. I almost gave in. But my DH made me stay in the living room.

After 2 bedtimes and 1 nap time, she was over it. She quit crying and asking for them. She was officially a big girl.

sigh 

And after all that trouble I still let my baby have one. And when the 3rd came, he got one too. With #4, I still gave him one.

I didn't really learn a lesson, but at least I have a tried and true method to get rid of them.

Hopefully my boys will believe in fairies too.

Crime and Punishment

We discipline at our house. Some days, a lot.

There are 4 children 5 and under here, so mischief seems to dump on our days. At times, they can't help it, they're children. Other times, sibling rivalry gets the better of them.

We use time out, or as we call it, "the NAUGHTY spot" and they really hate it. But they (shockingly) sit for the duration of their punishment.  We put toys in "time-out", which can be very effective. We occasionally dole out a spanking. We use re-direction. Sometimes our daughter looses privileges. We praise good behavior (when we remember) and we try to set a good example.

But more importantly, we are consistent. Creative, but consistent.

Discipline is a LOT of work for us as parents. It barely seems worth it.

The other day my 5 y.o DD and 3 y.o. DS were tussling like puppies. (There is no other term for it.) I had tried re-directing, asking them to please choose a different game. But they seemed intent on wrestling around. At some point, my son "developed" a bloody nose when his face came in contact with the kitchen floor. It was a purely accidental accident. It wasn't purposeful or hurtful....but he was hurt.

I was annoyed, and a little frustrated, but I wasn't angry or mad. True, they know better, especially my 5 y.o. DD.  So, for "punishment" I asked her to sit in the naughty spot until his nose stopped bleeding. She sat, and sat, and sat. It was a pretty bad bloody nose. And she was REALLY bored.

But, something happened.

The next time they were tussling and I asked them to find something else to do, I reminded her of what happened the last time. Her response, "I don't want to make him have any blood!" and she immediately found a new game, and her brother was quick to follow suit.

Miracle!!!!!!!

I consider it a major breakthrough in our discipline policies. Gold star for mom!

We also use "time out" for toys. If they are arguing or fighting over ANY toy, I put it in time-out and NO ONE gets to play with it. After the first few times, all I have to say when they start squabbling is, "Does that toy need a time out?" Instant sharing occurs.

Now our system works pretty well for our family. But it works because we are consistent. When I threaten, it isn't really a threat, I mean it. And my kids know that if I say blank, I mean it.

I do this because I love them. If I don't discipline them, the world will, and the world doesn't love them. I would be a pretty terrible parent sending my children out into the world with no concept of limitations or respect for rules.

But mostly I discipline because I enjoy peace and quiet.