Without the internet, I’m pretty sure I’d never make anything. I’m pretty sure I’d also get a lot more housework done. Because I’ve signed up for random contests and whatnot, I’m constantly getting e-mails from Better Homes and Gardens, and HGTV, and a bunch of other crafty/make-your-home-nice websites. And while part of me really wishes I didn’t waste so much time surfing, I am also really thankful I have it for a reference. (I am thinking of getting some kind of timer thing, though, so I can start limiting my time.)

Seriously though, the internet has become a source for creative projects, for dinner ideas, for how-to-potty-train-your-child ideas, and has filled a void that I suppose is present because so many of us are so disconnected from personal attention. And I don’t mean we all sit around being lonely, but particularly with things like cooking, I know I wasn’t raised to be a chef. It used to be that the children were taught all things related to running a household because that’s what existence meant. Now, we’re very focused on education, which I don’t think is a bad thing, but there’s just not as much time to pass on a lot of traditions. (I know, there are exceptions, and many kids do still learn a lot from their parents; let’s just say I’m talking about me, ok?)

So I’m thankful that when I want an idea for a different way to carve a pumpkin, I can just go to my computer and not only find some cool ideas, but find templates to print off that I can use! When I don’t know what to make with the random tuna and barley in my pantry, I can go online and find a recipe for a casserole (which really didn’t turn out too badly). When I don’t have a clue as to where to begin with decorations, or gardening tips, or whatever, all I have to do is Google it, and I have the advice of the masses. It can be overwhelming, and I know it’s not as personal as your own mother, but one person can only know so much, and it’s pretty stinkin’ cool that I can learn something from someone I’ll never meet who lives on the other side of the planet.

Tweet This Post

I won’t say that having more than one kid is easier—there are certainly difficulties with added numbers, but I am thankful for siblings. Last night we trekked across Texas to visit Lloyd’s family, and while the kids weren’t amazing, I spent less time picking up toys than when traveling with just one kid. Emma is a fantastic big sister. She picks up toys, reads stories, and generally tries to entertain III. Eventually, he did become inconsolable, and at that point she started shouting, “I don’t like the crying baby in the car!” But overall, having two made things a little better.

Some mornings Emma spends a while entertaining III, and she can make him laugh like no one else can. They are forming a bond that will probably be stronger than their bond with me. I can relate. I love my own brother like no one else. I may not remember my life before age 4, but I know he was there, entertaining me and bonding with me. I can remember our family car trips; we’d sleep on each other, play games together, and scheme together. Sure, there were fights through the years, and I insisted my favorite pizza was sausage just because his was pepperoni, and I didn’t want to be like him, but today I openly admit that pepperoni is my favorite, and it probably is because I secretly worshipped my brother. I wanted to be like him.

And I trusted him. I remember walking to school in the middle of winter with him and getting a bloody nose along the way. This happened pretty frequently, so I had a pocket full of Kleenex, and he helped me hold my nose and walked me all the way to my classroom. I remember conspiring with him to continue to pretend we believed in Santa so as not to disappoint our parents. And I remember him comforting me and playing with me when our parents were fighting in their bedroom.

So I’m thankful for siblings. It makes me wonder if more than two kids makes things any easier. I mean, two kids to entertain a baby might be twice as helpful, right? Don’t worry, I’m not entertaining any ideas of expanding any time soon, but I’m considering that the pay-off for playmates at a later age might be worth the stress of the screaming infant stage.

Tweet This Post

I wish I could say I was thankful for my naptime today, but that remains elusive. I am, however, very thankful for little Lloyd’s naptime. He hasn’t been sleeping very well, and at this point I’m willing to write it off to teething pains, as he napped yesterday and today, and yesterday was when I could first see an actual tooth in his top gum. Notice how I am even updating long before midnight! (Of course, I also chose not to clean my disastrous kitchen, living room, etc. in favor of sitting down at my computer. Emma’s not too happy, but she’s being relatively well-behaved anyway.)

And naptime has me wondering about my priorities. Not that parenting magazines are the final answer to all of life’s questions, but I have recently read two articles that left me wondering how best I should spend my time. The first article talked about stress, and the small ways to relieve it. One of these was taking even a few minutes to read something, which I also correlated into writing something. I do feel a small release of stress when I am able to write things down. It boils down to doing something for yourself, which of course makes you feel better, and thus, relieves stress.

The second article (in a different magazine) talked about the importance of sleep. Here’s where the controversy sets in. It provided a perfect picture of me: using the time after kids are finally in bed to do the things you’ve put off all day–like going on the computer. It recognized the difficulty of trying to find time during the day for yourself, but boiled it down to the conclusion that an hour more of sleep is better for you than getting your things done late at night.

Of course this struck me. That’s when I plan to have me time. Or plan to finally get to the pile of laundry on the floor. Now I find I should skip the late night catch-up–but how will I relieve my stress?? So, now I’m stuck pondering these things, which is doing nothing beneficial for my stress level, but I’m at least glad the baby is napping, so tonight I won’t be drawn to midnight-posting.

But I haven’t cleaned. And Emma’s begging for my attention. And it’s time to start thinking about what I’m doing for dinner. So what should my priorities be? And how do I follow through? I think this is going to take more than one naptime to figure out!

Tweet This Post

I realize this may contain too much information, especially for those who haven’t been through the process of potty training, but I am so thankful that Emma finally goes to the bathroom on her own. Before we moved, we were getting on the right track with her, but in relocating to Texas, she was kind of thrown back a bit. We kept her in diapers because I didn’t want to clean up any messes, and she got pretty good at peeing in the toilet, but saved the rest for her diaper.

Next comes upset #2: the new baby. Somewhere along the line, Emma became fearful of the toilet, and it became more acceptable for her to poop in her underwear rather than the toilet. And she only went about once every 2 weeks. The crazy part about this bit was that Emma is such a neat freak. She can’t stand getting dirt on her finger, but a rear end full of ick is okay. I got pretty frustrated (and really sick of washing underwear), and I know at times I responded with little patience, and quite a bit of anger, which everyone says is an absolute no-no in terms of potty training. You need to let the child do it at his/her own pace. So we went back to diapers for a bit, and did a fair amount of yo-yo toileting.

Then we moved again. By this time, we were fully in underwear, and pretty accident-free, beyond a streak here and there, but she just wasn’t going. At all. Enter the next stage of fun: suppositories. There were some nights even that didn’t do the trick, and while I wasn’t having to clean underwear daily, I was worried for her, and still frustrated. We tried being mean, we tried being nice, we tried bribing, we tried reading stories…I read tons of articles about how to help her go, and tried everything. Finally, one night I told her she had 5 minutes to go on her own or else she was getting “the poop medicine.” A few minutes later she had gone, and we lavishly praised her and gave her a treat. This was the way it went for a while; if she hadn’t gone for a couple days, I threatened, she went, and then I praised.

Eventually, the threats disappeared, and she just got the hang of it. We try to avoid giving her treats or desserts in general, but every time she poops, she gets a treat. So tonight, as she runs to the bathroom to do her business (she’s faster than her dad, too!), and then I get to share in her joy and inspect her . . . uhh . . . you know, I am very thankful she’s a big girl now. And I think for the next one I really am just going to leave it alone until he wants to do it himself!

Tweet This Post

I have been thinking lately about how much I love the new velcro. I didn’t even realized velcro had changed at first. Not until I did the laundry. With kid #1, I realized velcro’s downside when her bibs would stick to her tights in the wash, leaving them all scratched up. And they would stick to those nice fuzzy pajamas, too, which was always annoying to me. I would be remiss to overlook the ability of the old velcro to collect giant globs of hair as well. Ick.

Well, with kid #2 we got some new bibs (good thing, too!), and one day I realized they didn’t stick to things in the dryer! It’s magical velcro that only sticks to its counterpart and not anything else. Not so far anyway. So today, as I removed baby laundry from the dryer, I am thankful for the new velcro. And in awe.

Tweet This Post

That’s what I’m thankful for today. Now, I know he appears to be never bored. He is always working, working, working. He’s always got a new project going, and when he leaves his computer at his office job, he just comes right home and gets on his computer to do more crazy web stuff. So I’m sure he doesn’t appear bored.

And yet, he seems to respond to all the many e-mails we receive with links to ridiculous videos, and he passes on interesting articles for me to read. But this is how I know he must be bored: I have a new theme. In fact, I have 33 already downloaded that I can choose from. And it’s oh-so-exciting. After eight (rather dull posting) months, I finally have some personality. And he upgraded me, too (doesn’t that sound exciting?).

So now I can continue in my blissful ignorance of web technology, but finally look good. I am thankful for my husband. For his assistance. For his boredom. And for the fact that he’s pretty much the only one reading this.

Tweet This Post