Getting Back into the RoutineFirst off, I just realized I am about 2/3 done with this blog challenge. How did that happen? That’s pretty exciting and the finish line is starting to emerge.
So, today was the first day back to our old routine of being a part-time single mom. I think, no I KNOW we got spoiled and was so glad and used to having hubby/dad home. It’s going to be yet another adjustment for all of us, but, we’re doing what we have to do to move forward.
Today was a bit of a challenge for all of us. From getting them to pick up their toys to making their beds, to turning off the Wii, it was as if they turned off their “listen to Mom” switch or something. We made an attempt to have an outing, and it was a case of Murphy’s Law. Looking back on the whole experience, and after venting to my hubby, a lot of it could have been avoided and handled differently. Hearing him say, “You kinda created your own mess” was a hard pill to swallow, and very true. As much as the boys would like to have the dog on an outing to the Boardwalk, it just might not happen. So, tomorrow, if the weather is nice again, we will wake up early and go for that bike/walk. And that’s a BIG if!!!
The boys are asleep now, and it’s funny how things seem to come together AFTER they sleep. I was about to share some pet peeves I have on raising boys, but that gave me an idea and I’m saving it for another blog post. Today’s reflection for me is to take it one day at a time and each day will get better. We’ve done this before and came out fine on the other end. We will be fine once again this go around.
Keep moving forward!!!
Category: boys
What Is Your Most Proud Moment? – 100 Day Blog Challenge – Day 53
Proud Moments
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Wedding Day 2005. I like to joke and say Elijah was the silent witness at the ceremony. |
This is a very simple blog post. There are 3 moments that I hold very near and dear to my heart. The first is the day I got married. I remember it like it was yesterday. We were already engaged for about a year and a half and then we found out in January ’05 we were going to be a family. So, we decided to get married in the courthouse, and it worked out perfect. We joke all the time and say that the Man in Black married us, because he looked like Johnny Cash. He was very serious with us, too. He sat down with us prior to the ceremony and asked point blank, “Are you serious about this?” Then he asked again, “Are you serious about this? This is not something to be taken lightly and if you’re not serious, I will not perform the ceremony. I appreciated that talk because it showed how much he values marriage. It was a great ceremony, and we just celebrated 9 years in March.
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2005 – Elijah’s first official photo. It’s amazing how far we’ve come from that day. |
The other proud moments are the birth of my children. It goes without saying that these boys have made my life complete. Elijah, my oldest, almost didn’t make it, and we call him our miracle baby. We had a couple scares during this pregnancy. First, there was the possiblity of him being a down’s baby. There was a chance he had Trisomy-21, and we had to go over to IWK Children’s Hospital in Halifax for further testing. After taking the Maternal Serum testing, it turned out he was fine, no signs of down’s, but regardless of the outcome, we were going to see the pregnancy to term. He was a full-term baby, but there were complications on delivery day, which lead to an emergency C-section and he wasn’t breathing when he was born. Both his lungs collapsed, he had to be revived and was ulitmately flown over to the IWK. I didn’t get to hold him or hear him cry until he was two days old. Today, you couldn’t tell he had any complications and he’s about to turn 9 this year.
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2008 – Justus makes his appearance into the world. |
Justus, our middle child, was very emotional time when it came to his birth. We were excited, nervous, scared and on pins and needles. I know I was because all I kept thinking about was 2 1/2 years earlier. It was another c-section and this time, we all heard a cry. I cried, hubby cried, the staff in the room cried, and it was the best sound I ever heard. Justus turned 6 this year, is finishing up Kindergarten and is simply thriving. He’s a little reserved, quiet and sometimes likes to be on his own, but he is so smart. He loves to build, draw, color and design. He fell in love with building blocks at 6 months and would color-coordinate the blocks as if it were second nature to him. He’s the same way today, and heaven help anyone who tries to mess up his creations. He can be very quiet, but when he makes his presence known, watch out. That’s the Taurus coming out of him. He also has a smile that will melt your heart.
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2009 – Isaac at 2 days old. This is one of my favorites. He still makes this face when he sleeps. |
As for Isaac, our youngest, well, he was always a spit-fire, even in utero. Again, we had a scare and the possiblity of down’s, so it was back to IWK for further testing, which later showed he was fine. Isaac’s journey into the world was also interesting. This was right around the time of H1N1. The day before our scheduled c-section, it seemed like everyone was getting the H1N1 vaccine (shots) and this ended up being a family affair. Can you imagine sitting there, one day before my surgery getting the H1N1 shot? Anyhow, that happened, and the following Friday morning, I was on my way to the hospital. Isaac came into the world letting everyone know he was here and let his presence be known. I remember because of the H1N1 fiasco, visitors were only limited to one family member a day, and thankfully, the boys got to see their brother before it was enforced. Isaac is very fun-loving and always has a smile and a “hi” for everyone. He feels it’s his job to make everyone smile. He will be 5 this year, and can’t wait to start Kindergarten in the fall.
So, these are my proud moments; moments that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
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My best creations. |
Tales of a First Time Barber
As if my duties as a SAHM aren’t long enough, now, I must add “barber” to the list. And trust me when I tell you, this is NOT a job title I really wanted to add to my responsibilities.
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Justus’s New Cut |
The next 2 weren’t so easy.
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Elijah’s Happy with Mom’s Skills |
This is NOT looking great for me and I’m really not liking this new responsibility.
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Isaac in his calm state. I’m pretty proud of how it turned out. Don’t let that cute face fool you. |
Another go around with the clippers and then I need to change the blade. Meltdown number 5 million starts. “No, I don’t want the green one. I want the purple one.” After another back and forth battle and explaining that the back of his head (the nape area) needs just a little more help, he was NOT having it.
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Yep, those are my boys. And I just finished cutting all 3 of their hair!!! |
Anyhow, my first attempt at being a barber ended with everyone coming out fine on the other side. We all survived, and now, they’re asleep. Yep, I’m SuperMom!!!
So, to any of my fellow Moms who may be (or have been) in my shoes, and faced with the lovely task of cutting your child(ren)’s hair, realize they’re probably going to fight you and make your life hell, but in the end you will survive. Trust me, you will.
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Yay, we all survived!!! |
Oh man, I need a drink!!! (And this comes from someone who hasn’t had a drink in a LOOONNNNNNG time!!!)
Take care, and thanks for reading.
My Boys Will Thank Me Later
I will say this about how I raise my boys…
In and out of our house, we have rules. If they ask for something, they must use the words, “Please” and “Thank you.” They must be respectful to their elders, and any adult in the room. If they get out of line (use a tone or language that we don’t like) they will get a slap on the hand, mouth or bum so they learn their lesson. They must clean up after themselves, do chores and help around the house in any way we see fit. They must ALWAYS be there for each other, because at the end of the day, they are brothers and they have each other to lean on for support.
I am a strict Mom. I can also be a bit uptight. When we go out in public, I fuss over them, and make sure they behave themselves. I dislike it when they try to overstep the boundaries, and they do test the limits ALL THE TIME!!! I’ve yelled at them in public, I have made an example of them in front of other kids, and they know I will call them out at any time.
Why do I do this? I am their MOTHER!!! I am not their friend, I am not their equal. I am their superior and they must respect my authority. They MUST listen to their parents, they must follow OUR rules. I’m not here to cater to their every need or give them everything they want. They’ve heard me say “No” to some of their requests, they’ve seen me blow my top; they’ve seen me cry. They say they will listen, not do it again, but 9 times out of 10, the cycle has started all over again.
There are times I wonder if the words I’m saying get through to them or if I’m just talking to the air. I know they understand me and get what I’m doing. I’m also not a complete ogre who walks around with the yardstick. We have other rules that we live by in our home. We sit down at the table for meals all the time. We say grace before every meal. We say prayers every night before bed. We say “I love you” more times than you can imagine. We give each other lots of hugs and kisses and we say “Sorry” when we’ve done something wrong.
My boys won’t be boys for very long. Next month, my oldest starts the 3rd grade and my middle is entering Kindergarten. By next year, ALL 3 boys will be in school and there are going to be pressures from kids at every angle. They are BOYS. They are impressionable. They are smart. They are talented and they have a bright future ahead. As their Mother, it is my job to ensure they are prepared for the world – the good, bad and ugly. They will make mistakes, and hopefully they will learn from them. We have a pretty strong bond and they feel comfortable telling us their troubles and I hope it continues as they become TEENAGE BOYS.
One day, they will grow up and become MEN. They will hopefully have a great education, a successful career of their choosing (even if they decide not to partner up with me) and eventually (hopefully) they will fall in love, get married, and have children of their own. Then and ONLY then, will they understand WHY I was so strict with them as babies. One day, they may even have a baby girl (or 2 or 3) of their own who will grow up to be a teenage girl and eventually a WOMAN. They will want their daughter to respect herself, her body and treat it like the temple it is. They will want their daughter to know that her beauty comes from within and not have to seek it in the wrong places. They will want their daughter to know and understand that saying “NO” is okay if something doesn’t feel right and that at ANY TIME, they can call on their Dad for help if needed.
My boys may not like and or appreciate all the rules and structure now, but when they get older, they will thank me later. Why? I am their Mother, I love them very much and it’s MY job to help raise them to become true GENTLE MEN!!!
Take care, and be well.
For the Love of My Boys
It’s been a while since my last blog entry, and what can I say, life has been busy.
With that, I am about to do a shameless plug for my boys. Very rarely do I enter them in contests, but, I decided to enter their photo in the Today’s Parent Cover Photo Contest. Today’s Parent is the monthly magazine for Canadian families to gain parenting advice, learn new recipes, ways to cope, etc. I’ve been a subscriber since 2005, and now I’m moving forward with this contest.
Last month, I submitted their photo to be considered for the contest, and I honestly didn’t think they would be considered. You can imagine my shock when I got the email saying they were one of the finalists. Granted, there are over 9,000 entrants all over Canada, but, my goodness, they were considered. The contest opened today, and I’ve provided a link below where you can vote. It runs all month. The winner, or my case winners, would be featured on the September 2013 issue of Today’s Parent Magazine.
Pretty cool, huh?
I know my chances are slim, but, there is still a chance. So, here’s my shameless plug. Please, please, please vote for my boys!!! I think it would be pretty darn amazing to see them on the cover of a national magazine that would be in lots of homes across Canada and available online. To vote, click here. You will have to register to vote, however, I’m not sure if it’s limited to Canadian residents. So far, they have 3 votes, one of those are mine.
They are my pride and joy, and everything I do is for them. I would be humbled and honored if they were the winners. Thank you for taking the time to read, please vote, and share with your friends.
Take care, be well, and thanks again.