My kids have taught me...

Having kids has taught me many things. Patience is still a lesson I'm working on  -some days are better than others. But one thing I have learned to do is pick my battles wisely.

Two of the many things I want for my children is for them to feel comfortable with who they are and for them to learn on their own from their mistakes. Like most things in life, we have rules, but we can't dictate every inch of their lives.

GG has been playing around with clothing trying to find what styles she likes and what colors suit her best. She knows that shorts no bigger than a pair of underwear are not allowed, but if I pick out her clothes every day, how is she going to figure out how to express herself?

Little Dude and his hair seem to be a big issue for most people, but not so much for me. His hair is now a few inches past his shoulder. He refuses to get it cut and with the husband having the longest hair in the house, how can I argue with the kid? Part of it, I'm sure, is due to the fact that this kid is more stubborn than any mule out there, but it's hair.

Do I get frustrated when people call him a girl even though most of his clothing consists of trucks, monsters and other boy things/colors? Of course. Sometimes I let it go, sometimes I speak up. We were recently at a carnival and an employee tried to get us "ladies" to play his game. I ignored him because I didn't want to waste money on games we would never win, but he called out to us ladies every time we walked past his booth. Finally I told him we weren't playing his game because he kept calling my son a girl. There is no handbook stating all boys have to have short hair and if you're not sure, don't assume.

Learning from mistakes - I am always there to help, but if I swoop in every time to try and fix a problem, my kids will never learn how to do it on their own. Sometimes I think people look at me as the mom who doesn't care or doesn't have rules. Do I get lazy? Of course I do. We all have those days. But spending who knows how long arguing with my son over his wanting to wear snow boots on a walk to a local yogurt place on a 80+ degree day is not worth my time. We would never get out the door! And I'm pretty sure by the time we got to the yogurt shop, Little Dude realize his choice of footwear was not a wise one.

I know I am not the perfect parent and I will never claim to be, but I hope my children learn that it's ok to express who they are, within reason of course, and that's it's also ok to fall down 7 times as long as they get back up 8.

Until next time...

Excited for what's to Come. At Least for Now.

It's June! How did that even happen?! I'm so glad it's behind us, but it feels like only yesterday we were shoveling snow.

Not only is it June, but the school year is almost over. It's always a little sad at the end of the school year. The kids don't see as many of their friends over the summer, I worry about the kids taking over not being able to keep the kids busy enough, and I don't always see as many of my friends.

The ending of this school is especially bittersweet. It is GG's last year in elementary school. I'm sure come August I'll be writing a post about how scary middle school will be, but for now, let's take this one small step at a time.

Our school has a 5th grade committee and every year they plan something awesome for the graduating fifth graders. this year was a little different as both schools couldn't have a combined picnic at the park due to the construction. But that doesn't mean our school didn't have a fantabulous time.

Different games were set up on the playground and we also had a DJ.


The plan was to only have so many students at each station, but due to the 90 degree weather, they all ended up gravitating towards the water games. It was too hot for any of the adults to care and the kids were having fun anyway.

After the picnic, everyone came inside for a special lunch and then we worked our way up to the middle/high school for a graduation ceremony. 

GG received her diploma along with the President's Award. This is awarded to students who maintain a 3.5 GPA in fourth grade and the first semester of fifth grade and also score in the advanced range in math and/or reading of the PSSA's. We are incredibly proud of GG!!

I wish I was able to get a better picture of her receiving her papers
but the kids seems to make getting to the stage and back to their seats a race!


I was able to catch her attention long enough to pose for this picture.
Still proud!!



After speaking to GG's teacher earlier in the day, we are both looking forward to middle school (again, this could change come August). GG was given a special math test a few weeks ago. She thought she failed and was surprised when I told her she did not. Passing this test means she gets to skip sixth grade math and take seventh grade math instead. Per her teacher's recommendation, we are also having her tested for the gifted program. As if graduating with the President's Award doesn't make us proud enough, this tidbit of news put us all over the moon.

We're sad to see the year end and look forward to the summer, but I can't wait to see what middle school brings. At least as far as academics go.


Until next time...