Through Parenting Eyes

Parenting is tough. Even during the fun stuff, it is tough. It is the most rewarding thing you could ever imagine and while it is too much of an awesome thing to call a job, it's a full time gig. It's a constant stream of thoughts, a puddle of tears, a room full of laughter...it is everything and it is always and it is what you do even when it's not what you are physically doing at the moment.

You live it and love it and struggle the struggles. Some nights the only thing left to do is pass out from sheer exhaustion and some nights you just want to steal all of the snuggles and stare at them while they are sleeping because you know those snuggle days are numbered. You sleep when you can and then you wake up to the faces of the little people who challenge every ounce of your being and fill your heart with a love that has no chance of description. So you roll out of bed, try to pay no attention to the amount of sleep you got and you do it all again...because doing it all is what you do. 

Dead Presents, Dirty Socks, And The Art Of Learning To Not Always Speak My Mind

My 5 year old informed me today that he needs a hair cut and that his nails need to be cut too. He followed that up by telling me we should probably take care of the hair and nails of his little brother while we are at it. He hates when I cut his nails and has never cared about the length of his hair. Ever.

I bought my kids three little goldfish for Valentine's Day and was so excited for them to come downstairs this morning to see their new fish, but at 2:00 this morning I realized that all 3 were dead. At 2:00 this morning all I had for my kids for Valentine's Day was a fish bowl full of water and three dead fish in the toilet.

My husband had to put serious effort into finding a clean pair of socks this morning and I actually was a little nervous that he was going to end up having really cold, sockless feet or really smelly dirty sock feet today but thankfully he found a clean pair. I don't know how that happened because I don't know how long it has been since I have done laundry...unless starting the washing machine with the same load of laundry in it about every 3rd day counts as doing laundry. And if that's the case, then it's been 3 days since I've done laundry and I probably need to go start the washing machine.

Reasons My Kid Won't Eat

Getting my 2 year old to eat is currently going just as well as keeping my hardwood floors in my entryway clean during the slushy snowy winter. I'm not even talking about getting the kid to eat healthy food. No no, I am just talking food in general. If it is food, he is not interested.

This is not a problem I faced with my oldest kid, and it really wasn't that big of a problem with the little dude until recently. And before you get all "just put the food on his plate and make him eat that or nothing" on me - let me just tell you that I have. And we do. And we did. And we will do again. And he just won't eat.

He doesn't care that you won't give him a snack or that he is going to bed hungry. He won't complain about that at all. He'll happily go to bed hungry and he will just move on after a decently manageable fuss when you tell him he can't have a snack. And if you tell him that he has to eat what is in front of him or nothing at all, he is relieved because you gave him the option to eat nothing at all. And when you tell him he has to sit at the table and wait for everyone else to be done, he will. He might be bored or make faces at us all after a while...but he will sit there and he will wait.