Why Chinese Mothers are Superior

My sister shared an article with me that was in the Wall Street Journal a couple of days ago. You may have seen it. The article was titled "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior". Click here for a link to the article.

Wow. Reading that article was kind of a clarifying moment for me in my parenting. I am not saying that I am going to adopt her list of what she doesn't allow her children to do. However, she has prompted me to think about what I hold most important for my children. I have been thinking about what it is that I think gets in the way of those values. What are my priorities for them, and how are we living that in day to day life?

When I read the article, I was not offended by the author's ideas or defensive of my parenting. Many of her ideas I would not feel comfortable implementing with my children. However, she has made me think deeply about our parenting priorities and what our non-negotiables are, and I am grateful for that.

An Awakening

It's been a rough couple of days. Suffice it to say that raising responsible and respectful children is hard work, and one of our children has been testing the boundaries lately. A couple of nights ago, after I wrote my post about my diet, exercise and going to bed early, I had a BAD case of insomnia. If something is going on with one of the kids, I tend to obsess over it at the very inopportune time of when I'm supposed to be sleeping. As my sister told me though, insomnia might just be God's way of helping to give you some extra time to catch up or work through problems. Soooo...that night I had plenty of time to work through my child's boundary issue, specifically during the hours of 10 PM through 2:30 AM. ;)

By the time I fell asleep that night, I had figured out a plan and was full of resolve. I knew what had to be done. I knew that my child was going to put forth a great deal of resistance, but that I was going to hang tough.

Still, in the morning, it was HARD. It went as well as could be expected, and again I felt confident that I had to follow through, but it was so hard. I knew that the logical consequences that I had chosen were tough, and that they hit home. I knew that they would be effective, but I felt so MEAN.

I followed through on my decision yesterday and in to today as well. Until the lesson is learned, Dave and I will continue this course of action. I am feeling more and more confidence because I am seeing results in my child's behavior.

Thank God for moments like these. I'll be able to sleep tonight. :)

On a side note, the diet is going great! I feel so much energy and have worked out every day so far! Here's lunch...black beans on leftover Quinoa, mixed with red peppers, spinach and splashes of avocado oil and lemon juice. My kids all ate my favorite snack of honeycrisp apples and almonds. Seth said that he loved it, and that together they tasted like a caramel apple. He actually asked if he could bring an apple and almonds to school as part of his lunch tomorrow!

Sorry about all of the food pics! Tomorrow I'll post more pictures of the kids!:)

A little catch up...

It's been quite a week...

Evan is still OBSESSED with Playdough, playing with it every chance he gets. His brothers joined him on Saturday morning, and got creative....
Evan made quite a few of these...not sure if this is a dragon or a monster...
My "eating clean" is going really well. I am really enjoying my food, and am trying things I've never tried before (almond butter, ground flax seed, bee pollen, wheat germ, Ezekiel bread, multi-grain wraps, tofu, avocado oil, Quinoa, brown rice...the list goes on). I am having fun trying new recipes, and can whip up a simple meal in no time. That's good because right now I am cooking mostly separate meals for myself and my family. (That being said, they are trying some of my foods, and are grabbing some of my healthy snacks without being prompted. My ultimate goal is to clean up their eating too.) I'm eating 5 small meals a day, all including a complex carbohydrate and a lean protein. Here's a couple of examples:

A multi-grain wrap spread with hummus, packed with grilled chicken, tomatoes, spinach and bell peppers, blackberries and raspberries, green tea, water

Quinoa topped with tofu, cucumbers, bell peppers with a dash of balsamic vinegar and olive oil

My favorite snack has been a honey crisp apple with a couple of tablespoons of almond butter. Breakfast is mostly oatmeal with a couple of tablespoons each of wheat germ and ground flax seed, 1 tablespoon of bee pollen, moistened with low fat plain yogurt and topped with blueberries. I drink a cup of green tea with breakfast too, and finish things off with a four egg white omelet.

I've been walking/running on my treadmill too. In my past life :) I was a fit and active person. I ran cross-country and track in high school, and continued my running into my young adult life before I had kids. I've tried to exercise and have been successful at times, but recently had some sciatic issues that derailed me for the past few years. I miss running, the runner's high and the feeling of strength that goes along with it. I see a woman running on the road, and I wonder if I could ever do that again. This week I have done some running on the treadmill, and it makes me feel hopeful. :) To give myself the best possible chance, I have been doing stretching and back exercises too to try and prevent irritation to my back.

Wahoo! I am down 8 pounds!

I've been getting in bed by 10 (or 9 :)) at night, and that is a HUGE improvement.

And see how well all of this is working? Don't I look great?! (HA! No make up, and hair styling by Caroline and Evan!)
Last, but not least, Evan got a brand new "BIG BOY" twin bed today!!! He seemed very excited about it, that is until we put it together and he realized that what we got was not a bunk bed. He was under the impression that his big boy bed would be just like Henry and Seth's bed, which are in fact, bunk beds. Once we got him past that disappointment, he started liking the bed more, especially once we put all of his cowboy bedding on it. :) He also likes that we can snuggle together in it when we read.
This picture is courtesy of Henry (or maybe Seth, I'm not sure). Evan and I were all ready to read when the paparazzi (Henry and Seth) arrived to take pictures of the big event (Evan's first night in his bed). Hee-hee! Like mother, like sons! :)

Playing Playdough

This boy likes to play Playdough...
and I do too! We had fun playing together after the older kids went to school this morning.
That's a cool dragon he made, huh? And did you like my creations too? :) Such Playdough talent!

I think I'm on to something...

My sister, Lisa, visited over Thanksgiving. She had lost some weight, and I commented on how great she looked. She was thinner, and her hair and skin looked beautiful. She told me that she had read Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet book, and how much it has helped her. She explained that she is eating 6 small meals a day, and that basically the meals combine a complex carbohydrate (including grains, vegetables and fruit) and a lean protein. She drinks lots of water, a couple of cups of green tea, but no pop or juice. She was never hungry as she ate about every three hours. She feels better and has more energy than she had for a long time.

All of that really appealed to me, and I wanted to follow her lead. Truthfully, I have not really been living a healthy lifestyle. I drink too much caffeine through pop and horribly caloric chai tea lattes, and eat too many sweets. I don't eat enough fruits and vegetables. I don't get enough sleep. I don't exercise. I'm heavier than I have ever been (aside from when I was pregnant), my complexion isn't clear, I'm ALWAYS tired, and quite often don't feel well. After talking to her I decided to try to "eat clean", get to bed earlier, and start exercising.

However, I knew that I might not be as successful in changing my diet if I started during the holidays. So I vowed to prepare myself to start on January 2nd, after our last holiday party. Toward the end of the holidays, when I didn't need quite as much caffeine ;), I started to wean myself off of Diet Coke and Chai Tea Lattes. I picked up the Tosca Reno's book and started reading. I asked my sister's advice as far as her favorite meals and snacks, and made up a shopping list.

On January 2nd, I started. I am on my fifth day of eating clean, and I feel fantastic. I am never hungry, I feel good and have lots of energy, and I have lost 7 pounds. (Apparently, that sometimes happens at the beginning of this diet, but I should lose about 2-3 pounds a week after this from now on.) I've been walking and running on my treadmill, enjoying my food, and feeling hopeful and happy. My sister and I have been checking in with each other every day, and that encouragement is such a good thing.

Wish me luck!

LOOK! NO HOLE!!!

Remember what it used to look like?

Three cheers to my wonderfully handy husband who, when confronted with a leaking pipe in the wall of our downstairs bathroom and the subsequent mold that developed in the drywall, knew what to do. He opened up the wall, had the pipe fixed by our plumber friend, cleaned in the hole with bleach, soap and water, painted with Kilz, put in new protective plastic, redrywalled, taped, mudded, sanded and painted. (OK, I helped with the painting part, but that was it.)
YAY!

So nice to have a project that has been going on for a month and a half draw to a close. We now have an almost presentable bathroom, which is good because it's on the MAIN FLOOR for all friends and family to see.

I love my husband! :)))

And I have to say, seeing this done inspired me. I got some things DONE yesterday and today. The Christmas decorations are down. I figured out what decorations I wasn't using and put them in a pile to donate. I consolidated what we are using to less boxes. And I organized our storage room and pulled out some more things to donate. Our storage room looks so much better, and I know where things are. And that makes me happy.

It felt so good to get some things done, to make progress on jobs that have been hanging over our heads. The holidays are wonderful, but it's nice to now have more time to tackle this kind of stuff. Now that the bathroom is nearly done, the decorations are put away, and the storage room is more functional, we can move on to the other 43 items on our to-do list. :)

A Cousin Christmas

Happy New Year!

Today our extended family got together at my sister and brother-in-law's house. My mom, dad, brother and some of my favorite cousins were there. It was so much fun!

This is my cousin, Mary, AKA one of Robbie's favorite people! He was all about her today. He has good taste! :)
Robbie loved showing his cousins his Christmas robot factory...
Dad and Bill engaged in some good-natured ribbing. :)
The girls! (my mom and my cousins)
My sister, Karen, Robbie, me :), and my cousins, Mary and Dianna
Cousins playing trains
Robbie, Evan and some of their favorite girls
Evan and Robby loved playing "chase".

My mom, sister, Robby and me
Mom, Karen and me
Robbie having a man-to-man talk with Uncle Dave.
Watching the Rose Bowl
Mary playing with Robbie...
...and Evan

Thanks so much for a fun day, Karen and Jim!

Update on baby Oliver

Good news from Oliver's dad...
Oliver has been taken off the ventilator. He is breathing sufficiently by himself and only requires minimal oxygen flow to help him out. He was moved from the ICU to a High Dependency Unit at the hospital, which is big progress. He'll be monitored there over the weekend and if all goes well will be moved to a regular ward next week. Myself & Krissy got to hold our boy today for the first time since Christmas Day. Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers over the past week. Looks like it will be a Happy New Year after all!