The Nicest Thing

My amazing little sister spend the weekend at my house. And when I say amazing, I'm completely serious. My girls absolutely adore her, and she is wonderful with them. Like unbelievably patient and willing to play, and a hundred times more fun than mom. So it's a super exiting time when Aunt Ra-Ra (Laura) comes to play.
On Saturday, I decided to be super brave and take my sister and all three girls out to breakfast. I say brave because, have you ever tried to take a three-year old to a restaurant? Let alone a three-year old, a two-year old AND an infant. Well, we had the traditional talk before we left about what it means to be on your "Best Behavior" and honestly? they were pretty great. They ate their pancakes and eggs without running around, dumping out all the sugar packets, or throwing salt shakers. It was a very proud mom moment.

But the story doesn't end there.
During our meal there was a couple sitting across from us who was the happy recipient of all of Rousseau's little smiles during the meal. As we were getting up to leave, the husband stood up and said "let me get that for you" I smiled thinking he was going to help me hoist the car seat out of the booth. Instead he grabbed the check off the table. I was totally stunned. Stuff like this doesn't happen to me. I protested of course, (but not too hard really) and gave him a big hug and thanked him profusely.
Who does things like that? Seriously!

I am absolutely determined to repay the favor by doing something nice for some complete stranger. I don't think you have to be a wealthy person to make a difference in someone's day, or their life for that matter. I mean, a breakfast for two toddlers who shared a meal and me and my little sister wasn't terribly expensive, but it was still one of the nicest things that has ever happened to me.

Now, I don't often wax religious, especially in a place as public as this. But I do feel the need to point out the incredible love and Christlike attitude these people had. This weekend was an awesome Easter/General Conference double-whammy. There were things said that I really needed to hear, and I'm glad I made the effort to listen.

So in the spirit of springtime (which should be around here... somewhere) Why don't you go do something nice for a stranger today? (I will too)

Be Nice

I am not a very neat person. So I really don't have seizures or anything when my kids have toy explosions in the living room, or decide that it's a good idea to eat popcorn in my bed.
I am, however, a reasonably nice and polite person. So it stands to reason that all my kids should be the model of affability right?
Not so much.
Astoria is... well, (how do I say this nicely?) A bully? A terribly violent and sadistic bully?
No day is complete without an episode involving Astoria grabbing Elliot by the hair, pulling her down to the ground, ripping the toy she was playing with out of her hands, then run away top speed. This is not a joke, nor an exaggeration.



Maybe it's a middle child thing? I don't know.

I know that at times I put some unrealistic expectations on her. I mean she is, after all, only two. But because of the fact that she is so ridiculously smart, I sometimes forget that she is not the same age as Elliot. For example, Astoria is obsessed with letters. OBSESSED. Her favorite song is the ABC song, she reads every letter she sees no matter where we are, and she can even read a couple words by sight (to, we, me, go, and jump). It's pretty amazing. But even though she has the literacy skills of a four-year old, her emotional level is still definitely TWO.

So we've tried time-outs, spankings, taking away privileges (like toys and treats). Nothing seems to be sinking in. All I can really hope for at this point is that is just a phase, and that someday her, uh... assertiveness will turn into positive adult traits, like confidence and determination. But as for now, i'm just trying to figure out ways to keep her from getting us kicked out of nursery (again) or the play room at the gym (again).

sigh...

Bacon and Karma

Lately i've become a huge believer in Karma.

There are many good things that I want to have happen in the near future for me and my little family. There are jobs, and creative projects, financial endeavors, and other wishes that consume many a tête-a-tête. So in an attempt to see these things realized, we have begun to practice principles of good Karma. It's just an experiment at this point, so we'll let you know how it goes. Who knows you may even be a recipient of some karma that you can in turn pass on to someone else.

Also, bacon is delightful.