Mommy's Crazy Life

Sorry for my absence last week. I should really just change the name of my blog from Mommy's Musings to Mommy's Crazy Life. LOL

Did you all have a good memorial day? It poured rain here but we still had a pretty nice day. Hubby had to work so we went to my mom's house for dinner. She made her famous homemade fried chicken, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and grilled corn on the cob. The rest of the day we decorated outdoors in between all the rain and played with the kiddos. I am just so thankful for all the men and women out there who have/and do fight for our freedom each and every day. Without them our lives here wouldn't even be possible.

Hubby got some bad news from his work that there would be a significant amount of layoffs and cutbacks. Luckily he is only one of four others that weren't affected by this. Half of the other's got their hours cut but work more days in a week, and the other half have been laid off indefinitely. It's all very stressful. He has been with his company for over 8 years now so he is in no hurry to leave, the instability of it all just has us a bit on edge.

Also I have been winding down getting excited for the end of this school year. My son only goes to school for 4 more days but we recently found out there has been a change for next year. A couple schools are only announced for being positively affected, but the others I'm thinking will follow suit. Rather than have K-5 in our schools they are trying to push for 1-5 and one whole building for just K. Which doesn't bode well considering the building they want to use for Kindergarten is close to ten miles away from us. That just makes me incredibly uncomfortable. If an emergency came about it could take at least a half hour just to get to the school. So needless to say we have been a bit stressed. Our school system has never fully functioned well when it comes to making decisions. Last year they put all the preschooler's in one building, which wasn't really a huge ordeal although we weren't happy about finding out until a couple weeks before school began. Not to mention I had a huge ordeal where they didn't even have him registered.
That's exactly what we are afraid of happening this year. So we now have to take a look at private schools and homeschooling. We aren't sure what route we want to take yet. We aren't even sure if his school will be one of those affected, but we want to be prepared just in case. That way he doesn't have to be thrown behind in the next school year.

Also in the news the boys are getting sick. What a way to end the school year. It could just be allergies for my oldest son, but for my youngest I think he may have a sinus infection. He's got the bright green gooby snot going on, itchy watery eyes, and ultra irritability factor. I'm going to keep an eye on it and run the cool mist humidifier tonight. If he is no better by Thursday I will set a doctor appointment for the same day.

Anyway, I have much coming up in the way of reviews so stay tuned. If your interested on guest posting on my blog or you need something reviewed just send me an email: mommywonderland (at) gmail (dot) com.
I will get to you as soon as I can. :)

Thanks for stopping by.

Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe ~Book Review

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (January 8, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1400204666
ISBN-13: 978-1400204663

:::Book Description:::

"I just can't be a mother today."

These words have been whispered to God in quiet desperation by mothers who love their children to the depths of their soul, but who are struggling with how hard motherhood is.

Motherhood turns you inside out. Sometimes you feel overwhelmed by how tired you feel; the days go on and on, and you want to be a "good" mom, but you feel like a failure so much of the time. What happened to all your ideals? When did you end up feeling so...lost?

Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson have been to the edge and back. Desperate is the story of one young mother’s trials and one experienced mentor’s priceless exhortations. Desperate is not a book about despair, nor is it a rule-laden mothering manual. It is a bouquet from a friend who has been there, reminding us that we are not alone. Sarah Mae’s unvarnished account of her own struggles mothering three feisty young children is a lesson in learning patience, loving idiosyncrasies, accepting help, and—most of all—leaning on God.

Each chapter includes a brief Bible study with journal exercises to help you find your own quiet center, and get you back into the fray soul-filled and refreshed. Written with candor, empathy, and faith, Desperate is like coffee with a trusted girlfriend; one who knows how hard being a mother can be, and how to navigate the often turbulent road.

:::My Thoughts:::

This is a really good tool for all mother's to have. I can't even say how glad I am that I not only got the opportunity to review it, but read it. It is sunshine for the mother's soul. To know that you are not alone in the way you can feel. Let's face it, motherhood is not exactly what any of us pictured. Don't get me wrong motherhood is wonderful. I wouldn't trade it for the world. My children are my everything, and I love being their mommy. They are my little blessings and I count myself grateful for them everyday. But the fact of the matter is that motherhood is not as easy as I thought it would be. I devoured parenting and baby books while I was pregnant. While they are chock full of good information they don't quite prepare you for all the hardships, late nights, tantrums, etc. Everyone usually tells you that labor can hurt, that you will be tired once you have the baby, but they don't delve into the details of staying up all night long with no sleep, toddlers that throw tantrums in the middle of the grocery store, how it's so easy to get swept up and lose friendships because you find yourself with much less time to devote to anyone else, that it's okay if you can't do every little thing you expected to be able to handle all at once, etc. Nobody quite prepares you for that. This book holds nothing back, however, and gives personal accounts from the authors. Advice that is so truthful it's refreshing to hear.

Another great feature of this book is that it points out how important it is to bond with all mothers young and old alike. No matter our ages we are not alone. I luckily have had my mother along my journey to help guide me in questions about my children, and within the last couple of years I was able to reconnect with some old friends that are also mothers as well. It is just so important to have a mentor that can remind you that you are not alone, and just be there for you. We were never meant to mother alone, families were created by God with us in mind. We must keep God rooted in our lives as well as our children's lives. We can't be wonder woman as much as we want to. There's only so much we can do and handle on our own. We can sometimes set such high goals for ourselves that when we don't always reach them it can bring us down.  But when we put it in God's hands, and confide in other mother's we can find kinship and a peace unlike we have known. This is one encouraging book, and I recommend it to mother's of all ages. Even if your children are grown and out of the house it can show you how you can help mentor a younger mother. It's truly a book for mothers of all ages with scriptures, reflections, journal exercises, QR codes and links at the end of each chapter that lead to videos with Sarah Mae and Sally talking about the chapter, and questions for yourself that will be sure to enlighten you.

Here is a video on the book:

This book is available in the following forms (among others):   Paperback   Kindle   Nook   a DVD companion study (coming soon, you can pre-order now)



 Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions expressed are my own.

4th Birthday Parties

Wednesday has passed and gone, and with it my baby boy's birthday. He is now officially four years old. It makes me happy and yet sad at the same time. Time just flies by! While I love seeing him grow and learn and transform into the little boy he is, I also want to wrap him back up in a baby blanket and have him coo at me within the safety of my nestled arms. LOL

We were wanting to do a really big shindig for his birthday inviting friends, family, and his school friends. HOWEVER, last year for his birthday we did that and it didn't end in very good results. Needless to say a house full of three year old's running amok resulted in a broken vase, puke on the floor, and a toilet stopped up with hot wheels cars. Not to mention one kid actually pooped on our kitchen floor and his mother ended up slipping on it in her rush to try to whisk him to the restroom. It resulted in a sprained tailbone for her and a very messy outfit. The house was so packed with people the kids were getting overwhelmed, and due to one of his presents getting broken Lucas ended up crying in his room that he wanted everyone to go home. He didn't even eat a piece of cake last year.
After that huge debacle, we decided to keep things low key this year. He had a Transformers themed birthday party which he was over the moon about. We only invited family and his little cousins, and it went without a hitch. The only downfall was the place we ordered his birthday cake from got it wrong and there wasn't enough time to have it corrected. We let him pick out his own cake this year, and they didn't make the right one. It was still Transformers though so he still liked it. Next year though I will either go with a different bakery or I will make it myself. He ended up having a great time anyway, he ate two pieces of cake, and nothing got broken. By the end of the day he was so tired he went to bed wearing new transformers pajamas, holding some of his gifts, one including a stuffed horse we got him since he is fascinated by the Harry The Helpful Horse book from Nick Jr's. Little Bill. I would have loved to have invited fellow friends with children he could play with, but I just don't think he is ready for that yet. He does awesome in school, but that is a more stern, sit-down environment. He does awesome when we take him to a kids play area like Chuck-E-Cheese because he knows he can just cut loose, but when everyone is crammed in a tiny space and running amok he tends to shy away from everyone.
I do think he will adjust in his own time though, and as he gets older I think a bigger party would hold more fun for him. Right now though I am just gonna stick with low key parties. Every child is different after all.

I am curious to hear others views on the whole birthday party topic. What age do you think it acceptable to have a big party for your child? Or do you start out with big parties at a young age? How do your kids do? Has any of your children went through a shy phase?

The Terrible Toddler

Usually referred to as the terrible two's or the terrible three's, we may as well face it, from the age of 2-5 is pretty terrible. 2's weren't so bad for my son, a cakewalk compared to his 3's. And now that he's entering his 4's it seems to only get more intense. Tantrums intensify and now more so in public. It's pretty embarrassing but a part of the toddler process nonetheless. I am learning that a proper schedule, and privileges are the key to success, at least where my son is involved. Kids and especially toddlers need a set schedule, and often times we make the mistake of giving them what they want or giving in to what they want to avoid the terrible part of the toddler process. And that is our mistake. My son has TV time, craft time, play time, and reading time in addition to the other things scheduled throughout the day. If he acts up one of these privileges are taken away. He has lost all these in one day multiple times and has spent the day having mealtimes and sitting on the couch and that's it. We also incorporate time out. These actually work for my son, and the more we incorporate theses disciplines the less he seems to act out.
Now that does mean that the previously mentioned options will always succeed. As growing children they will always test our patience, repeatedly. It's in their nature. Think back to when we were young. They will do it as toddlers, children, teens, etc. And all we can do is be prepared.
It is hurtful to feel like the "mean mommy" who takes away all the fun stuff, especially when your child is crying to you begging you "please mommy I'll be good". My heart aches and I want to give all the privileges back, but I have learned to stand firm and maintain a positive attitude and not only will the tantrums lessen, but my son seems to have more respect for me.
It's easy to get frustrated, as adults we often forget how WE were as children. And when our children are being difficult no matter what age they are, stop a minute, go inside your head and reflect back on to when you were there age. Every child is different as is their methods of choice. But by keeping a positive attitude and standing firm we will gain respect and over time they will learn that tantrums do no good at all.
There are other ways of disciplining a child besides spankings and such. And for my son the privilege system is really showing great results. And I'm preparing myself for the future tantrums to come.


As an added note I would also like to add that often times also talking to a child gently and soothingly no matter their screaming or yelling will often times prove successful. Ask the child what they are feeling at that moment and why, and then talk through it. It can take some time because they are toddlers, but as they are also asserting their personality's it not only helps them learn, but it helps them realize how to work through feelings and emotions.
 And if your in a public place or have company and your child chooses this moment to act out, ignore their stares of disdain that many people place. It's a part of the childhood process to try and act out, and by standing firm we will always get the respect and the good behavior...eventually. It just takes time. Love and affection can go a long way in a child's life. And whipping and yelling will only make tempers worse in children. Hopefully this has been helpful.