I wonder if other parents, besides only myself, wonder if their children have split personalities…all of them?

Could it even be possible?

With me, I have no doubt.

I digress.

Some studies report that a child will misbehave when they are with the parent they spend the most time with, because they are comfortable “letting it all out” or showing their strong feelings”.

Of course this makes sense but is it just an excuse?

One article I read on Parents.com, nailed my 3 year old to a Tee – when discussing how one child acted with the mother vs. the father.  I can certainly relate with the author of the article; she comes home from a day of shopping and finds that her daughter napped perfectly for her husband, picked up her toys – no problem and didn’t argue over the little things like which cup she drank of. This is a constant with Reed at home, with me, he will NOT go down for a nap, will fight me to the very end, will refuse certain drinks and will even be picky with meals. But, when he is with his dad, I hear things like “he was asleep before we got to his bed” or “he ate all of his dinner” or “he drank water”.

WHAT??? He never drinks water for me.

Again, I digress.

While it is comforting to hear that “acting up may actually be a sign of how safe he feels with you” I wonder if it is just that. Just sweet words to make parents, like me, not feel crazy.

We can discuss the multiple personalities of my dear sweet teenage son on an entirely different post.

Cheers!

As a mother of a tween and a teen, I often feel frustration finding other bloggers who focus on or are geared towards teens and tweens. I get rather excited when I find a new site or blog. I recently came across blogger, Lisa Weidknecht, who also is the mother of two teenage sons, as well as a college age daughter. In addition, she is a self-published author and an accredited home daycare provider for preschoolers.

I read a review on her Lisa’s’ site about a site called Clean Teen Books: Helping You Choose Clean Books for Teens. This site was founded by a single mother, Alison Craig, a teacher who holds a Masters degree in English. Her site was inspired by her time (8 1/2 years to be exact) volunteering at a local Juvenile Justice Services facility, working regularly with juvenile offenders to improve their reading.  While searching for books to interest the teens and young adults, she experienced difficulty in finding not only books that they would enjoy reading, but also determining whether or not they are objectionable material. She developed a policy that she would read or heavily skim the books prior to introducing them to young readers.  Understanding other parents and teens and tweens too, most likely experienced similar frustration, she created Clean Teen Books.

I think it is an excellent concept.

She primarily reviews books from major publishers but will review books from other publishers as well. Her reviews are in a variety of genres, subjects and reading levels. Each with a “rating” indicating bad language, sexual content, violence, etc.. Her website is divided into sections: Teen Section, Parent Section and Subscriber Section. The parent section contains “spoilers” to the story, which are withheld from the teen section so as not to ruin the end of the book for a teen.

I have often struggled with this same issue. Once when one of the boys was 10 or 11, he came home with this book he checked out of the school library. I just assumed it was age appropriate content and was mostly just thrilled he was reading it.period. After glancing at the cover then reading the back, I started skimming through the book, to find awful language, violent behaviors and references. I was appalled - it was disgusting, and in the school library?

After this experience, I have been more careful with their selection of books and they know what is expected and accepted material. I love the site Alison Craig has created and was just thrilled when I found it on Lisa’s site.

Both ladies seem just lovely, I encourage you to visit both of their sites.

Photo credit: Photostock from FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Cold pasta is the best. I made this Southwestern Style Pasta recipe last week and it turned out great. It is so simple, minimal ingredients and I prepared it with two different dressings to alternate with and to accommodate different taste buds.

Southwestern Style Pasta Ingredients

• multi-colored rotini pasta
• Black Beans (drained)
• Mexi-Corn (drained) A small can of corn will work
• Rotel tomatoes (drained) but leave a small amount of juice for flavoring
• Red Onion (finely chopped)
• Sea Salt & Pepper

I cook/boil the pasta in chicken broth until tender and drain under cold water.

Add corn, black beans, rotel tomatoes and diced red onion to pasta.

Toss with Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Add Lemon juice to taste.

Voila! Delicious!

In addition I make the Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Recipe.

It calls for 1 packet of seasoning, 1 cup of buttermilk and 1 cup of mayo (I prefer Hellman’s). Mix and chill.

I divide into in half and to spice it up I pour a bit of pickled jalapeno juice into one half and chop up pickled jalapenos, adding them to the ranch dressing.

I then pour it over my own serving of pasta and Voila! Even more delicious!! Yum!

Good grief!

My brother would often travel to Dublin to pick up cases of the sweet, cane sugar delight – he quickly added my son as a fan of Dublin Dr Pepper, so much that he would no longer drink regular Dr Pepper, you know the one made with corn syrup and that you can find any and everywhere.

Here is the sad part:

For Christmas, my brother gave Jace a six pack of Dublin Dr Pepper, mainly because he was quickly reducing Brian’s supply when he visited. Well, last week, the very day the news broke of the closing of the plant Jace, just hours before word hit the news, he drank his very.last.bottle.

He was devastaed!

Devastated.

He has collected the bottles but would not have drank the last one had he known.

More devastation ensued.

I feared tears were coming.

He was able to hold them back, regardless of the immense pain he was undergoing.

Dear Dr Pepper,

Us Texans wish you would change your mind. We love Dublin Dr Pepper. The town of Dublin is in shock and some news reports say it has suffered a heart attack.

This is not good.

Will you please kiss and make up?

Sincerely,

Cane sugar loving Texans.

Dear Dublin, Texas,

We feel your pain. We are on your side.

Hang in there. It will get better.

Sincerely,

Dublin Dr Pepper Forever Texans

My blogging friend Allie of Screwed Up Texan is a true Dr. Pepper fan.

Check out all her Dublin Dr. Pepper posts here.

Mike asked Reed if he wanted to ride and he was ready to go. I thought he was going to ride with him, but he just put Reed up on the horse without hesitation and began to pull him around the arena. Reed was into it. He wanted me to walk along with him, which I was going to do anyway. It is a little scary seeing your toddler up so high, but I knew he was in good hands.

He had so much fun, riding horses, go-carts and four wheelers. Thank you to our great friends Mike and Tiffany for having us out for the  evening and entertaining our boys.

Kid: Can I hold hands with Girl at church tomorrow?

Me: What do you mean? Like while you are praying or just sitting there? Tell me the situation.

Kid: Well when we are in the back rooms in the church.

Me: Um, why are you and Girl in the back rooms in the church? Are you alone?

Kid: Haha Mom, your funny. No, we are with all the youth listening to our youth pastor.

Me: Oh, okay, well it really is your call, Kid. If it is an appropriate situation, then sure, you can hold Girl’s hand.

Kid: That’s right it’s my call.

Kid: Can I kiss her?

Me: Why are you asking me all this if your going to do it anyway?

Kid: You always have something funny to say and might have good advice.

Me: Okay, thanks.I guess.

Me: But, no you can’t kiss her.

Kid: Right mom. Thanks. (pure sarcasm)

I remember when I was the exact same age as said pretend kid. I had this boyfriend and he would come to church with me, my friend and her boyfriend sat next to us. We would cross our arms and hold hands with our opposite hands. Can you even picture it? It’s quite funny thinking back to it. It was innocent as can be, we just wanted to hold hands.

So,if said pretend kid wants to hold hands with his girlfriend at church and he is at church and he is telling me about it. I feel pretty confident in his judgement.

Funny story that may not have even happened.

Need some tips on hand holding? Yes, they are out there – Bwahaha! Check out this 10 step guide to holding hands.

Tip #1? Figure out who it is you want to hold hands with, and if they would let you. Good advice, people.

Sea Otters holding hands. Cute story.

Coloring is such a wonderful activity for children and preschoolers. Kids of all ages really. It allows them to be creative and use their imagination while developing coordination and fine motor skills.

Reed loves to color, although at times it can be difficult for him to sit for long period of times. I have noticed he does well with activity books — the kind that you color with an erasable marker and eraser. These will entertain him a little longer and he likes putting the caps back on the markers. Most of all he loves erasing his art and starting over – I do have to watch him closely to make sure he stays on the board. I definitely recommend large ones with different pages.

The challenge for me has been teaching him to stay in the lines. I have never focused on it and just let him scribble color to his heart is content and when coloring on paper he gets the honor of placing it on the refrigerator with his favorite magnet. He beams with pride and that is really what it’s all about. He has confidence and pride in his work.

Tips on teaching our little one to stay in the lines.

Choosing a coloring book with large pictures and very little detail and discussing the page with them.

Purchase large sized crayons, which are easier for little hands to grasp.

Outline the picture with a crayon and point out the inside and allow them to choose the color they want to use. I usually do not focus on whether the brown dog is pink or blue. If he wants a blue dog, so be it.

Encourage them to color inside the picture and let their juices flow.

Repetition is key – the more they practice the more they will become.

Praise, Praise, Praise!

It will come and they will be coloring in those lines in no time.

He received this book as a Christmas present from his grandmother. One of the neat things about the discovery of this book is that my mom purchased it at the North Texas Kids Expo event I was working in November with She Is Dallas. She had met me up there to pick-up Reed to watch him while I was attending my booth. Before they left, she walked the expo from booth to booth and came across one with some children’s books. She met and chatted with the author, Diane Shapley-Box of Rockwall, TX, who according to my mom was “just lovely and a delight”. My mom fell in love with her books and was immediately drawn to them by the amazing illustrations done by Shapely-Box herself.

Reed received Fred Visits the Emerald Coast written and illustrated by Diane Shapley-Box and she also purchased another book, Tator’s Race for my niece, Miss C.

I am a firm believer of the power of reading and doing so from birth. I myself love a good book, have always enjoyed reading and am just tickled when I find wonderfully, beautifully written and illustrated books for my children. This book, Fred Visits the Emerald Coast, is about a sweet little frog, Fred, who visits the beautiful Emerald Coast with his best friends. While venturing off exploring alone, he runs into a sea turtle and a starfish who are frightened and in need of help. He bravely helps them without pause and in return they both tell him, “No matter if you live near or far, I will be your friend wherever you are”.

The next day, Fred and his friends from home go sailing and he runs into trouble, falling into a chest which locks and is thrown into the sea. The sea turtle and starfish hear his cries for help and swiftly run to his rescue. It ends with Fred reciting the same sweet words his new friends said to him, “No matter if you live near or far, I will be your friend wherever you are”. 

The story is followed by a Fun Facts page highlighting the sea animals mentioned in the story – a fun and educational addition to an already brilliant book.

Shapely-Box has done a wonderful job with rhyming verses and glorious illustrations. This is a beautiful book about friendship, kindness and goodwill. My son enjoys it as much as I enjoy reading it to him, turning the pages one by one admiring the beautiful sea creatures and greenish-blue water of the Emerald Coast. I strongly encourage you to add one of these endearing books to your child’s collection. She is right here in Dallas/Fort Worth and you can easily order her books online.

I can not wait to pick up the other two books to complete his collection and we will anxiously await for more to come out.

Pretty picture, ay? Sure is. Cocktails look fabulous and deliciously refreshing. A fun night ahead? Let’s party.

Do you have a driver?

Here is one good reason why – will it change your mind about your choice of transportation?

Tarrant County is stepping up their efforts to prevent party-goers from drinking and driving this upcoming New Year’s Eve.

The district attorney’s office will post on its website the names and ages of drivers arrested on suspicion of drunken driving between Friday night and Monday morning.

Would you want to be publicly humiliated in that fashion? Not only is your name listed on a very public website, but if you are arrested for this offense then you are facing trouble with the law, with your family, financially and so on. Is it worth the risk?

I think not.

So instead of drinking and driving this holiday season

Take a cab

Get a hotel

Designate a Driver

Stay home

Don’t drink

Make up your mind before you go out that you are not going to drink and drive. Have a plan. Keep that plan. Put the plan in motion.

You could save your life.

You could save someone else’s life.

No jail time.

No humiliation.

Just don’t do it.

It’s not worth the risk.

It doesn’t take a huge post with lots of writing and mumbo jumbo to get the message across. Do what you know is right and don’t drink and drive.

Enough said.
Happy New Year.

Photo courtesy of FoodChannel.com. Check out Food Channel for great recipes and New Year’s Drinking Do’s and Don’ts.

Reed loves his big brothers Oh! so much! It makes me so incredibly happy each time I see them sharing a special moment, especially when they do not know I am watching them. Those are the best. Pure, unplanned and true.

It is a feeling I can’t quite explain. A feeling of accomplish by me maybe – have I successfully engaged them to where they love one another unconditionally? Nah, they just share a special bond.

Now, do not get me wrong – it’s not all roses and butterflies here. They fight. Battle. Exchange words. Even at three (on the 25th) Reed can hold his own. He does have two older brothers of which  he has watched very carefully every day of their lives over the past three years. They do not give him any slack either – which is why he is so tough and independent.

At the end of the day, they all share a very unique, special bond and always will for years to come. I pray this bond only grows stronger and follows them into their adult lives. That they will always care for one another, can count on the other for help and their lives will forever be connected.