It seems like I've been a little down on my mommy- skills lately (Christmas pity party, check)... So I thought I would force myself to ponder what is going well in our house these days... Except I won't mention (yet) that there might be the slightest, slimmest possibility that our "bad sleeper" is actually sleeping most nights. Shhh! Don't tell anyone! Don't jinx it!
Okay, here we go; 5 Things I'm Doing Okay As a Mom:
1. I always buy plain white socks for the kids. Because who has time to match socks? NOT ME.
2. They eat vegetables and fruits! Mostly.
This one started out as dumb luck on our part because my kids' innate food preferences were nurtured in an Ethiopian womb. Their First mom most likely ate only spicy lentils, vegetables and bread. Nary a processed food or chocolate bar in sight. Nature Vs. Nurture: tied again.
(Daniel's preference for Doritos, and Lily's for dark chocolate is all my doing.)
That being said, I do make a very conscious effort to buy, cook and encourage them to eat a good variety of healthy foods, and they both have a fairly good diet right now. Lily has finally made it to the end of her "running away from the dinner table in tears every night" phase. (She only does that 2-3 times a week now.) Daniel will eat Caesar salad with gusto. He puts salsa on everything. I've also managed to not pass on to them my own craving for something sweet after every meal. (I eat dessert after they've gone to bed. Bedtime is cause for celebration!)
3. They can both read. And LIKE reading.
We have books all over our house, and we read together every day. Daniel has all the ridiculous super hero, Harry Potter related, comic strip, joke books- usually all spread out on the floor next to his bed, where he tossed them after his nightly reading session. Lily's got Doc, Barbie and all the Frozen characters cozied up next to her. I sometimes find her sleeping on top of a pile of books. One of our most effective incentives for getting through the bedtime -teeth brushing- pajama routine is threatening NOT to read to them.
4. Lily's hair looks awesome.
Again, nature vs. nurture: tied again. Lily has beautiful, strong, thick, glossy hair. It is a big part of our weekly routine to keep it that way! My braiding skills are pretty fair now, and Lily has chosen her favorite hair styles. She still hates washing it, but she's pretty patient with the combing and braiding. Her hair, once teeny puffs of curls on her little head, now stretches down her back.
5. We encourage their independence. This is a tricky one... BUT, despite our fears and our worries for them, we do let them play outside on their own. We do let them go around the corner on their scooters (so long as they stay together). We do encourage them to do things for themselves and for each other instead of always asking for help. Sometimes it means waiting impatiently while the shoes are put on and praying as they carry armloads of dishes off the table, but so far we think their independence is a good match for their strong wills and self esteem. And G-d damn it one of these days Lily is really going to be able to put her own seat belt on!
Okay, here we go; 5 Things I'm Doing Okay As a Mom:
1. I always buy plain white socks for the kids. Because who has time to match socks? NOT ME.
 |
| Queen Elsa of Spaghettiville |
2. They eat vegetables and fruits! Mostly.
This one started out as dumb luck on our part because my kids' innate food preferences were nurtured in an Ethiopian womb. Their First mom most likely ate only spicy lentils, vegetables and bread. Nary a processed food or chocolate bar in sight. Nature Vs. Nurture: tied again.
(Daniel's preference for Doritos, and Lily's for dark chocolate is all my doing.)
That being said, I do make a very conscious effort to buy, cook and encourage them to eat a good variety of healthy foods, and they both have a fairly good diet right now. Lily has finally made it to the end of her "running away from the dinner table in tears every night" phase. (She only does that 2-3 times a week now.) Daniel will eat Caesar salad with gusto. He puts salsa on everything. I've also managed to not pass on to them my own craving for something sweet after every meal. (I eat dessert after they've gone to bed. Bedtime is cause for celebration!)
 |
| We especially like to read shirtless. |
3. They can both read. And LIKE reading.
We have books all over our house, and we read together every day. Daniel has all the ridiculous super hero, Harry Potter related, comic strip, joke books- usually all spread out on the floor next to his bed, where he tossed them after his nightly reading session. Lily's got Doc, Barbie and all the Frozen characters cozied up next to her. I sometimes find her sleeping on top of a pile of books. One of our most effective incentives for getting through the bedtime -teeth brushing- pajama routine is threatening NOT to read to them.
 |
| Look at those curls! |
4. Lily's hair looks awesome.
Again, nature vs. nurture: tied again. Lily has beautiful, strong, thick, glossy hair. It is a big part of our weekly routine to keep it that way! My braiding skills are pretty fair now, and Lily has chosen her favorite hair styles. She still hates washing it, but she's pretty patient with the combing and braiding. Her hair, once teeny puffs of curls on her little head, now stretches down her back.
 |
| First time. No, seriously. |
5. We encourage their independence. This is a tricky one... BUT, despite our fears and our worries for them, we do let them play outside on their own. We do let them go around the corner on their scooters (so long as they stay together). We do encourage them to do things for themselves and for each other instead of always asking for help. Sometimes it means waiting impatiently while the shoes are put on and praying as they carry armloads of dishes off the table, but so far we think their independence is a good match for their strong wills and self esteem. And G-d damn it one of these days Lily is really going to be able to put her own seat belt on!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Add your comment here. Don't worry about logging in... you can just use your name, and leave the "URL" box blank. Thank you! -Becky