Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Parenthood

I feel like I'm always in a hurry. I just can't keep up with everything anymore! My house is turning into one of those houses with mail and school papers piling up on the countertops, newspapers stacked by the door, several hampers of clothes waiting by the laundry room, dishes piled up in the sink and toys cluttering all other available surfaces. And if I do happen to get on top of it all... well, we all know that the mess always returns. Surprisingly quickly.

I wonder why I even bother.

And it's hard to keep up with other things too. Like socializing on the internet :) I'm not sure why I feel guilty for not commenting on other people's blogs more or keeping up with their pictures on facebook or making sure my own blog up-to-date. Do I really need to keep up with all of THAT too?? I'm pretty sure the answer is no.

Silas spends a lot of time in this bouncy chair watching his Baby Mozart :)


Despite our exhausting days, we're feeling very blessed right now. Erik has been working consistently for the last couple of months and today he's starting a new job that will take us through another month. He’s been doing mostly renovations lately and has been enjoying it. It’s also nice for him to have “inside” work as we head into the rainy months.

We're also feeling very thankful for health. Other than some colds, we've all been feeling good! With everything that’s going on we just keep hoping that it will continue. We’re still undecided about the H1N1 vaccine. Or I should say that I’m undecided.

Micah displaying some recent magna-doodle artwork:


Speaking of the flu, I read an email forward last month (from my mom, I think) about keeping onions in your house to keep the flu away. It sounds kind of superstitious, but there was some information to back it up (which you can read about here). I actually found quite a bit of information on the internet about using onions to combat the flu. So I felt a little silly but I put one unpeeled onion in every room of our house. If it works, then great! And, if not, I’ve only wasted $1.99 :)




Latetly my greatest frustration is how much these kids fight!!! I know they aren't the first siblings who are at each other all the time, but I honestly don't know how to deal with it. I've tried giving time-outs and spankings. I've tried ignoring it all together (until someone gets whalloped in the head). I've tried sending them to their rooms for individual play-time. The last one works the best, but I'm not sure that's a realistic solution for every fight...


The kids find way too much pleasure in teasing each other. Like yesterday when we were driving and Micah told Keziah that he was going to punch her in the face once we got out of the van. Or when he chases her around the house with a fake spider. And Little Miss Keziah isn't innocent either. Her favourite line is, "Micah, I'm gonna put you in prison!!" which makes Micah cry...

Anyone have some good advice for me? Some helpful parenting books to try??


Silas remains innocent of the sibling rivalry for the time being. He's turning into a pudge-bucket. And he loves to give us big big smiles...


I took this video on Sunday afternoon after we all had nap-time. For some reason Silas laughs the hardest when the kids hit his belly. Funny - but sometimes a little bit rough!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry that you feel so guilty/overwhelmed....
when i feel that wy, i make some "to-do" lists and force myself to stick to the stuff written on it (and leave the other things behind...). it helps me to relax a bit more...

and for the fighting-sorry, no advice! i try to seperate them when my girls can't stop fighting or do something we all can do together (like baking or cooking something).

i hope that your week will be one of the "up" ones:)

leslie

Kathy's corner said...

Loved that video of Silas. What a cutie! He has grown so much.I know few people believe in the "wooden spoon" anymore, but it worked wonders for me. I know how overwhelmed I used to get, and there were days that I felt like I was losing control, and sometimes "I" told you kids, that I couldn't deal with you, and I would go to the bedroom and shut the door, and cry, and pray. When I would come out, you kids would all look at me strangely and things would settle down. You are a super mom, Jamie and you are right. You don't need to feel guilty about not commenting on other peoples blogs, or even do your own blog(although I do check it everyday) Love you, and will pray for strength.

rachel joy said...

our house is much the same. the piles of stuff, the fights, the neglected blogs ... even a very large unpeeled onion on the kitchen counter. I haven't yet gotten to putting them in all the rooms. *baby crying*. i haven't read it yet, but I hear that Kevin Lehman's Have a New Kid by Friday is AMAZING.

rachel joy said...

I have also found that having the third baby really makes a difference on the time I get to do doing my own thing. With two it's easier to focus their attention, but add one more, it's not so easy. And I think the older two are at the age where they fight more, no matter how many other kids there are. We'll get through this!

kelly ens said...

i guess the onions don't smell since they're unpeeled - maybe i'll try that too.
SUCh a cute video - what a great laugh!

Wenona said...

Okay, I just got an email about that onion thing too! And I'm totally going to try it - why not, it's cheap enough!!

Rick and Sandy said...

I know that most families go thru the same struggles when it comes to sibling rivalry; I think we were one of the fortunate few that didn't have this problem...but egg one another on we were not exempt from. So my theory has always been, one must spank children, that is until one of our daughter-in-laws wouldn't; I was skeptical but she has persevered. That is not to say she doesn't remove the offender from the situation and ALWAYS has a discussion with them in private but in addition she discovered about her second oldest son (5 yrs old now) when he was about 3 was that he needed time all by himself, everyday, without exception. This would mean she would physically remove him from his 2 brothers, one older and one younger; send him to do an activity all by himself. Sometimes but rarely it could be a video or computer time but most of the time it was doing an activity with her, colour, paint, bake, ride bike and play outside. Today, this little boy is an unbelievably wonderful, pleasurable person. We love all our grandsons; but his relationship with us, his parents and brothers is more than I ever dreamed possible AND no spankings or sending them to their rooms; this is where my guilt sets in for being so very hard on our 4 sons as they were growing up...we did spank; we didn't realize that there were other options.

So I would encourage you; this too shall pass but maybe you will be successful by trying something else. If I wouldn't be witnessing what I see today, I would never have believed that "my way" might not be the best option for our grandsons.

Sandy

Erin and Rob said...

I don't know what you're talking about Jamie . .. my house is always super organized and clean. my kids are super well behaved, are never moody, and at the end of the day after putting them to bed at an early hour, I am bounding with energy, and usually do something creative/productive to close the day on a positive note. But that's just me . . . . :)

Lindsay said...

I love baby giggles!

derek salmon said...

it sounds like we are having very similar things going on in the house. i am reading "Boundaries For Children" which really reminds me how to have healthy boundaries and to teach them to the kids. i am less inclined to spank now, with the age & intelligence i see in the kids. unfortunately, it takes energy and creativity to come up with decent punishments that fit the crime. when my daughter cries because i dealt out a good consequence i feel good (i often say "its good to feel sad when you do something wrong. it helps you remember not to do it again."
but for any physical fighting, i definitely separate the kids.