Sick Day Turned Into Art Day

My bff came to stay with us for her daughters spring break.  It's been really fun eventhough her oldest, Iris got the flu the first day she got here.  We were planning to do the zoo, or museum center and we just couldn't take our poor girl out on the town.  I got out all the art supplies and we made puppets, decoupaged a lamp shade and painted many pictures.  Later, the kids made their lunch a picnic on a blanket and played duck-duck-goose.  Here's a few pictures of our day. 

Hannah and Iris and their puppets

Eli in his painting zone.

The torn stained lampshade that is now my favorite!

All hands were on deck for this project.  So cute.

Daddy and Eli taking a wrestling break.

Picnic in the kitchen

Eli, Lily, Hudson, Hannah, and Iris

A prolific day....

My favorite lampshade of all time. 

Duck..... Duck.......GOOSE!

The Adoption Option: Planting the Seed

Well, Keith and I are very happy with our life and our family.  So why is there a constant nagging about more children in the back of our crazy (let me iterate crazy) brains.  I am really happy and contented and we don't need anymore stress in our lives.  However, there is this little spiritual thing called a purpose... I personlly want to run screaming and ignore this "inner knowing" but I've wanted to adopt a child since I was little girl.
Everytime, I listen to the tragic stories of children in horrific situations I keep telling myself, we could handle a child.  I feel it is my personal/civic duty because I think I could do it and do it well. (Hopefully, those aren't famous last words!)  Seriously,  there are soo many children with bad parents out there and I mean sick people.  I can't help but know that my home would be a loving safe house for someone to grow up in and to have a family that they can rest peacefully in.

I also, know the flip side of this. That it means one more mouth to feed, one more person who needs  help with their health, their mental and emotional life and not to mention college.  I look at our financial situation and know that it would be hard for us.  I had really laid the whole idea to rest.  I was thinking how I just want to be financially stable and ignore this idea that I can help a child.  Oh, but then I just talked to my friend this weekend, whose mother passed away when she was 2.  Her step mother was abusive to her and her siblings.  She told me she never knew why her mother hadn't made arrangements for them and thought her mother hadn't loved her.  She just recently got in touch with her mothers' step sister and found out that she was "very" loved by her mother.  She said she felt happy for the first time in her entire life at the age of 56. 
A mother's love is sooo healing at any age. So many children  lose there mother and no one steps in and tries to fill the void.  I know that I could do that if I would just take the leap and do it.  I guess George Michael sums it best with, "I got to have faith."  I say, "YIKES."

I can't get the idea out of my head.  I wish that I could. I really do.  I long for a simpler life. 
Hudson is really into the idea. He keeps telling me he wants a sister while he's still little so he can play with her.  I

Valentine's Day

      I have never been more impressed with the thoughtful and creative Valentine's Day cards then the ones Hudson got from his preschool buddies at the Waldorf School.  We got felted hearts, A giant watercolor heart-shaped envelope for his hearts, oragami cranes, potato-stamped hearts, glittery hearts,
recycled seed catalog hearts, golden doilie hearts, rubber hearts, and a heart-shaped puzzle.  So cute.  My hats off to the mom's who facilitated those hearts.  I hung them all up and took a picture of them.  I love them so...

We went down to a place called Happen Inc.  a free art center for kids in my neighborhood and made a king of hearts crown.  Very fun and best of  all my house didn't have glitter and glue all over it.  Thanks Happen Inc.  you make it fun to do art with my kids...

Hudson: The Mediator?

One of the primary reasons we decided to send Hudson to school (being of the homeschool persuasion)  was because we wanted him to have a special place of his own.  Having a little brother to share everything with was getting overly frustrating for him.  We decided he needed somewhere that was only his and not Eli's.    His own friends, teachers, and situations.  He really loves it and the way school has worked out at the Cincinnati Waldorf School (CWS) has been truly phenomenal.  I've realized how many skills he now has with communicating with the family, especially Eli.  He regularly "wins cooperation" with Elijah.  I am totally impressed with his mediating skills.  He has taught me sooo much about how to get Eli to play along rather than dig in his heels. 
One of the best skills  he has acquired is 'before' he takes something out of Eli's hands, he brings something cool for Eli to trade him.  "Hey Eli, do you wanna play with this?!"  If Eli accepts there has been a crisis averted via the element of distraction.  However, if Eli does not accept Hudson has yet another means of winning cooperation, via overt subliminal persuasion.  Eli, say that you want this new toy, Eli say that?  Eli will sometimes fall into a a meditative state and say, "Otay, I want your new toy" and start playing with it.
Brilliant, a crisis averted.  Now when straight manipulation doesn't work for Hudson, he starts negotiations.  Okay, Eli, let's see how you stand up to emoting...  "Eli, my feelings are really hurt when you have that toy. I will be really, really, sad if you don't give that back!"  If Eli's response is "Otay, I'm sorry"  Brialliant, that's another situation where I don't end up in the crossfire. If Eli's response is "Nah Nah Nah boo boo stick your head in a big poopy diaper!"  then it usually results in I have to pull the two cavemen apart and pray for peace and tranquility to befall my feeble existence.   

Hey, it could always be worse, a few short months ago Hudson had zero mediation skills.  So thank you Ms. Carmy (CWS preschool teacher), you have done my family well by your teaching methods.


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Scared to Turn 4, Are you kidding me?

After 3 birthday parties over the last 3 weeks, I thought Hudson would be sailing high.  however, he just kept getting crankier and crankier.  I was starting to get really frustrated with him so tonight I gtook into my bedroom and gave him a holding time.  Holding time is really tough the deeper rooted the fear is.  Hudson had been sassy with me and saying he wanted to go live with his Grandee.  I was trying to figure out what was wrong and why he was so angry. 

The holding time is basically a session where I remain physically close to Hudson until we resolve our issue no matter how long it takes.  In this instance, it was probably an 1 hour.  He was really thrashing and fighting to get away from me and I just kept remaining calm saying I wanted to find out why he was so angry.  I asked him why he wanted to go live with Poppy and Gee and he said because our house wasn't his house anymore.  I asked him why he felt that way.  He basically said that if he became a big boy, then we were going to have other children and he wouldn't have a home anymore. Poor guy misinterpreted me telling him that Keith and I are planning to adopt a child when he get's older.  He said that he wanted me to adopt a sister for him while he was still little so he can play with her. He wants me to go get her tomorrow.

He's been saying he wanted to stay 3 this week and that i would be too sad if he was big boy.  (An instance where he took me too literally) I did say I would be sad if he ever grew up and that he had to stay little.   During the holding time he cried his little eyes out but by the end we both felt a lot better.  It is so good that we have this tool because instead of blaming his behavior on a phase, I know that he is truly bothered by something and we need to get to the root of it so we can move on with our lives.  I'm not saying its going to make my life like Pollyanna's however, it makes the day to day more better.  

Eli's turn to say cheese

Eli at this very moment is saying, "Say cheese, mommy. Wook at choo." The picture to the right is a pic Eli took while having the camera turned the wrong way. He is really trying to figure it all out. I wish I would have bought 2 cameras. It really does cause a lot of fights. I'm hoping a grandma will come in a save the day at Huddy's next birthday party which is this saturday. (Our grandma's usually buy both boys a present on their birthdays).

Huddy's photographic endeavors

Well, huddy got a camera for his birthday because he has been wanting to use mine a lot and I could just see the writing on the wall. He would eventually break mine and we'd have no camera. I have to admit it is pretty funny listening to him tell me to smile and say cheese and follow me around taking my picture. I'm starting to understand how annoying I've been to him all these years.

We got him a Vtech kidizoom. Most of the pictures are pretty blurry. So we are going to have to let him have a turn with mine now and again. He really lights up with it though. I can tell he gets really excited when he gets the "shot" he was after. So cute...