A few days ago we were invited over to our friend’s home, Shinobu, for a bbq and to play outside in the water. She is a mother of three boys, but only one son lives with her while her other two older boys live with their father except for a few weeks in the summer time. Unfortunately, our bbq didn’t land on those “few weeks” and her youngest son, who is barely 1 year old, was the only playmate she had for us. Not that we don’t love him, but he’s not quite as entertaining for all my kids as they’d like given that their ages range from 8 months – 10 years. Shinobu had a whole bunch of fun water slides and pools set up in her back yard for all the kids to enjoy. I lugged all my kids over and told them we were going to play
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We were at a birthday party not to long ago and most of the kids there were Serophina’s typical friends that she knows and plays with and they all get along swimmingly. They were playing upstairs when Serophina comes downstairs kind of sulky and says that there’s a girl being mean to her and yelling at her. My initial reaction was not of concern because I thought she might be exaggerating and it was just a normal tiff that happens with children. Later on I saw for myself that there was indeed another child there that I didn’t know who was terrorizing Serophina! And this is a big deal because I have never seen Serophina get scared or bullied or back down from anyone. It’s just her personality to be big and bold. So when I saw that this other little girl was causing my daughter to literally hide behind
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My dog Cardi has not liked Sayle from day one. My husband and I weren’t shocked that she didn’t fall in love with the new addition to the family the way that Foster did , but we were surprised by her behavior. She pouted for the first couple of days, even resorting to gnawing the leg of a rocking chair on our back porch-and she has never chewed anything in her life! She usually wanted to be right up next to me or in my lap, typical behavior for her pre-Sayle, but she sat by herself and became withdrawn from the family. As I started feeling better I was able to give Cardi more attention. I would take her for special car rides and was sure to spend some time with her to let my little brat (and that is exactly what she was acting like) know that we still
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Garrett’s parents love the books you can get through Hallmark where you can record your voice to read a story. They purchased one for Garrett to record for Nora before he deployed. A few weeks after Garrett left, a lonely day found me and Nora sitting in the rocking chair thumbing through the pages of the book and listening to Garrett’s calm, soothing voice. When the story was done I put the book on the coffee table next to me and continued to rock Nora; deep in thought. Nora immediately fussed and climbed down off of my lap. She walked over to the coffee table and dragged the big book off of the table where it fell and made a thud. She then worked really hard (grunting while she worked) to pick the heavy book off the floor and carry it towards me. She couldn’t see over the book and
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A few weeks ago one of our fellow bloggers asked a question to all the readers, are you more of a beach-goer or a pool-goer? I quickly answered pool-goer because although the pool takes a LOT of planning when bringing a kajillion kids, it’s WAY easier than going to the beach. Let me just a list a FEW things that I have to do to prepare for a day at the beach with all my crazies. Dress all kids in swimmers but leave babies in regular diapers until we get there. (the swim diapers leak and more often than not, they’ll pee before we get there leaving their car seat soaked as well as my waist when I pick them up.) Pack a bag for all the beach toys (babies need constant entertainment). Pack a diaper bag for all things baby including bottles (these items are not to get wet
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As most of you know, I used to teach Red Cross swim lessons as well as lifeguarded for many many years…ok about 15 years, wow I feel old now! Anyway, I have been teaching some “mommy and me” swim classes to a couple friends and we have been having a great time. I love to see the children’s new accomplishments every week, and enjoy practicing with them. I thought I would share some beginner tips for readers that are teaching their kids to swim. It’s such an important skill to have, especially living in this area so close to many different sources of water. Getting comfortable Remember, if you are not calm and relaxed in the water, your child will not be either. It’s also a good idea to slowly introduce them to the water if they are first-timers so they can have the time to get acclimated. Warm pools
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