On The Road Again

We have done so much driving between Illinois and Michigan over the past two years our car can drive the route on autopilot...and we are about to do it again.

Alia hasn't seen her cousins on my side (Bethany 5, Benjamin 2) in a long time and they keep asking about her over the phone. So, we are off on another roadtrip to go visit (Alia took her first long road trip when she was 1 week old). All 3 of us are driving down for the weekend to help them move into their new place and then Paul will return for the week to work. Alia and I get to spend a whole week with the cousins! Grandpa and Grandma Edighoffer (and Uncle Mike too!) are coming down the following weekend to see the Jusinos, so my wee bairn and I will ride back home with them the following Monday.

We will be without internet while we are gone but I will try to check in once we are back and things have settled down again.

Well, gotta go put away the 11 quarts of pears I canned yesterday (off our own tree--YEAH!!!)...and then I better get to packing while Alia is still asleep!

Jigsaw or Fully Interlocking?

There is a big difference we learned this weekend. We suddenly thought it might be fun to do some puzzles since it was such a overcast rainy cold weekend. We ran over the neighbors house to borrow a couple big puzzles and got started just as soon as we got back...1000 pieces, fully interlocking. Jigsaw is much easier...I'll just say that!

We re-discovered the joy and fun of doing something so simple. For us it is about being together...that's all that really matters! How is it that the simple act of doing a puzzle together can remind me so poignantly of how much I adore being married to my husband?

Anyway, its still on the card table and MAYBE we will get it done before I go to my sisters in IL next week...MAYBE. But, who really wants such a good thing to end?

Pearly Whites

Teething is NO FUN!!!!

My sweet little girl has transformed into a bundle of angry crying ouchyness! I have gotten nothing (a relative term-I know) done for the past two days--except to hold her and re-freeze wet washclothes!

Someday, I am told, I will look back on all this with nostalgia and wish for it to come back...that person couldn't have been referring to the teething phase that's for sure!!! They were thinking of the peanut butter in the hair, the gum stuck to the couch, and the mud tracked across the freshly mopped floor--but certainly NOT teething!!! And just when I am at my wits end and I think I am about ready to jump out a window, I remember my sisters words referring to raising kids "Remember, this is supposed to be fun!"--Maybe I will head for the second story window! :)

Random Fact

Hee Hee! This one made me laugh when I heard it!

When Levi's Jeans were first marketed in the 1800s they sported a rivet on the fly. Shortly after that, the company began receiving complaints from upset cowboys. Apparently the little piece of metal was a very good conductor of heat when squatting by a campfire!

Yikes!

Daughter Dear

Alia is turning 5 months old on Friday. She is getting so big so quickly. Every day Paul and I see another way that she is developing and learning--its so much fun!

Paul and I already knew we were going to start the process of "training" when she was about 6 months but we have seen and experienced some behaviors that we feel means training needs to begin now. You wonder what we have seen that would cause us to want to correct behavior at such a young age? Well, let me tell you and explain further.
1. Alia has started trying to roll over when we are changing her diaper or giving her a bath.
2. We started solid foods over the weekend and that bring with it a host of possible bad high chair manners to steer clear of.
3. Pulling away from me when I am trying to clip her finger or toenails.

All of these have to do with lack of self-control. Even a 5 month old can be expected to exhibit self control (obviously not to perfection though). Learning to have self-control is a valuable lesson for her to use in every area of her life later on. It is essential for her to learn this skill/character trait.

First, rolling over when we are changing or bathing her is little Alia's way of exerting her will over ours. Self control would mean keeping her own will in check and laying still when these things are happening. As a parent we know that allowing her to roll over in the tub could possibly be very dangerous, so training her to listen to s and obey is very important. A light flick on her shoulder or back is a reminder to stop that behavior and practice self control.

Second, when eating we are training Alia to put her hands on top of the tray when it is sliding on so fingers don't get pinched. Training here makes the job easier for mom/dad and safer for Alia. We haven't yet begun to train her to keep hands out of her mouth as she is still learning to swallow without sucking...when that time comes we will give a light flick on the opposing hand and tell her "hands out".

And third, I took hold of her hand yesterday and proceeded to clip her nails and whenever she tried to pull away I gave her hand a little squeeze and said "no". This happened only 3 times and all her toenails and fingernails were clipped within just a few minutes...last week I gave up because she pulled away so often I just couldn't do it.

So often I hear about parents who feel that their kids are "out of control"...why? When there are so many books and seminars and people to seek advice from? I know, lots of you are saying, "Yeah, wait until yours is 1 1/2, then you'll understand." Well, maybe, but I don't think so. Maybe I am naive, maybe I am determined...maybe I am both, but I think that if you train your child to have self-control it then comes out naturally in many other areas of their lives.

Just as it says in a well known parenting book I was perusing recently...adults follow the line of beliefs beget behaviors, but for children it is the opposite...behaviors beget beliefs. What do you want your kids to feel is "right"...train them to behave that way.

The more training you do the less disciplining you have to do....the principle of not retraining. Teach them the right way from the start and then you don't have to try to eradicate bad behavior later.

Yes, this takes more work on the parents part to train rather than discipline later...but wouldn't you prefer to teach good behavior and not have to deal with the "out of control" child later. Wouldn't it be nice to never be embarrassed by your kids behavior again? Extra work for the parent? Yes. Is it worth it? Definitely!

I personally know children whose parents have put the work into training and it really works--they are the most delightful children to be around. We figured...Hey, when you see someone who has something you would like (well behaved delightful children) why not ask how they did it and see if they have some tips for you to use.

We plan to continue to do this and we hope that when you check back here a year from now we are just as happy with our kids behavior.