Mason birthday party is on Saturday. That means around 30 people will be invading my house and we need to get it clean. I mean it is clean but it has to be C-L-E-A-N! Not everyone has been to my house so there will be people looking in closet and kitchen cabinets I mean everywhere. So not only do I have to make sure the whole house is clean and organized but we have to make sure that the outside is safe for my nephews. So Austin and I have busy.
Monday we ordered the cakes and sandwiches and baught the cups plates and plastic silverwear. Tomorrow I have to go and buy drinks, ice and bubbles to keep the said nephews occupied. I just hope that the weather holds out for us. We are planning on this being outside and I really don't want all 30 or so people in my house at the same time.
So now on to thw next thing on my list: shampooing carpets...
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Oh My!
This year has gone by so fast. Where do I start? Well, Mason is turning one on the first of June. Can I just say I am not ready. I don't want him to grow up. I want my baby back. The sweet little thing that took two naps a day and didn't talk back or roll over right after I get the diaper off. Mason is growing so fast and learning new stuff everyday. Thankfully he isn't walking yet but I am sure he will be in no time. He has become a little mimic. He really tries to copy whatever you are doing. Sometimes this isn't helpful. Like when throwing something away. I am throwing away not digging in the trash like he interprets.
Mason vocab has just exploded recently. His favorite word is still NO, but he has added new words. Hy do (Hyde dog), ball, don't, ouch (touch), momma, dad, kiss, more, ood (food), cookie, cracker, down, shhh, ash (trash), bath, and mine. I know there are some wierd ones like touch and trash, well that is because when he is sticky I tell him 'don't touch' and trash is because I am always telling him and Hyde to stay out of it. I never thought I would have to tell him to stay out the trash but things don't always turn out the way you want.
Mason loves hot wheels cars. He carries them around pushes them around with one finger and makes the car noise. I think little boys are born knowing how to do that. I sure didn't teach him and I highly doubt Austin did. He also loves to torture the dog. He will follow him around all day. Given that Mason gets bored of this game Hyde will go lay down in a spot of sunshine and Mason will find him. It is almost like Mason tries to sneak up on him. He will approach him real quite and then just lunge at him and land on him. Hyde for the record doesn't think this is fun.
During the day Mason and I play and sometimes weather permitting that takes us outside. Mason loves to swing and has started to throw a fit if I try to take him out of it. So after getting out of the swing I put him in the stroller and we go check the mail. You will notice I didn't say get the mail. Nope we just check it but that is a whole other post. So then we walk to the stop sign and back and then we go inside for nap. Nap is a very important part of this equation. He has to be tired enough that I can bring him inside and lay him down for a nap. At least with a minimal amount of fussing. Some days this works and some days I have to rock him in the recliner and we both end up falling asleep.
I know the next 3 years will fly by and he will be in preschool and next thing I know he will be graduating high school. I am just not ready to give up my baby yet.
Mason vocab has just exploded recently. His favorite word is still NO, but he has added new words. Hy do (Hyde dog), ball, don't, ouch (touch), momma, dad, kiss, more, ood (food), cookie, cracker, down, shhh, ash (trash), bath, and mine. I know there are some wierd ones like touch and trash, well that is because when he is sticky I tell him 'don't touch' and trash is because I am always telling him and Hyde to stay out of it. I never thought I would have to tell him to stay out the trash but things don't always turn out the way you want.
Mason loves hot wheels cars. He carries them around pushes them around with one finger and makes the car noise. I think little boys are born knowing how to do that. I sure didn't teach him and I highly doubt Austin did. He also loves to torture the dog. He will follow him around all day. Given that Mason gets bored of this game Hyde will go lay down in a spot of sunshine and Mason will find him. It is almost like Mason tries to sneak up on him. He will approach him real quite and then just lunge at him and land on him. Hyde for the record doesn't think this is fun.
During the day Mason and I play and sometimes weather permitting that takes us outside. Mason loves to swing and has started to throw a fit if I try to take him out of it. So after getting out of the swing I put him in the stroller and we go check the mail. You will notice I didn't say get the mail. Nope we just check it but that is a whole other post. So then we walk to the stop sign and back and then we go inside for nap. Nap is a very important part of this equation. He has to be tired enough that I can bring him inside and lay him down for a nap. At least with a minimal amount of fussing. Some days this works and some days I have to rock him in the recliner and we both end up falling asleep.
I know the next 3 years will fly by and he will be in preschool and next thing I know he will be graduating high school. I am just not ready to give up my baby yet.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Huh?
Why do Fridays always sneak up on me? Let alone a Friday leading up to a 3 day weekend. Austin and I did nothing on Saturday. I mean nothing. It was really nice. Sunday we cleaned the basement. Yes, I actually went down in the basement. I have been working on that while he is at work. I can actually do laundry again without having a panic attack. Lucky me!! Monday we went and ordered Mason's birthday cakes and food for his party. Should be fun. 30 people invading my property for the weekend. Shoot me now!! After that we went to our friends' house and saw their new baby. I don't remember Mason ever being that small. After that we went to other friends' house and had a BBQ. We always have fun with everyone. We had a nice slow weekend. I know I am leaving details out but I have to go rescue Hyde. Mason has been following him around all day and now he is starting to whimper. At least I hope that is the dog and not Mason. Anyways...
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Joy Rush
Well Barb over at so the thing is... tagged everyone to do a Joy Rush list. I thought long and hard about this list. To narrow it down to things that give me a joy rush. What kind of joy rush are we talking about. A rush so sweet that you never want to leave the moment or the ones that you know will go to fast so you lock them in your memory to bring out at will. I couldn't decide so I have included some of both.
Note: only #1 is in any order. I figured I might as well start with the sweetest.
1. Seeing my husband's face as the doctor tells him we just had a little boy. - We, being my husband, decided that we didn't want to find out the sex by ultrasound. We decided it would be fun to find out at the birth. Well the big day came 2.5 weeks early by my water breaking at home. So after a hurried drive home, finding me washing dishes, packing his bag, dropping Hyde (the dog) off at his parents, getting yelled at and abused for 6 hours before they decided to give me my epidural. There is no sweeter joy rush than seeing his face as the doctor tells him he has a little boy. Watching it sink in with all the wonder and awe. I get teary just thinking about it.
2. The sound of my husband and son playing in the living room while I am making supper. - They roll around and crawl all over each other and the dog. Basically just get rambunctious.
3. Laundry out on the line.- Nothing says summer like clothes out on the line.
4. Perfect sunny days where the breeze is barely blowing and the bees are out buzzing. You take a book out with you and doze between pages and don't care. Time just seems to stand still.
5. The telephone ringing.- My sister call 2 times a day and after being with a no talking toddler I will take anything.
6. Snow days.- When we are lucky enough to get snow without the wind and the flakes get huge and fall really slowly. Where you can go outside and stand there with your mouth open and try to feel the flakes hitting your tongue.
7. A good cup of coffee- The smell; the taste; all the creamer to candy-fy it. I use the spoon for more than just stirring. Need I say more.
8. My husband.- Everything about him. His smile, his laugh, his scent, his kiss, the fact that I can still make him speechless. I love his dry en-gen-er sense of humor. The Joy I get from laughing at him and sometimes with him is what keeps me happy. It doesn't matter how much I complain about him and his infinite wisdom, I am more in love with him today than the day we married, just as tomorrow I will love him more than I did today.
9. Mowing the yard.- I know crazy. Right? We have a huge, huge yard and it takes 2 whole hours on the riding lawnmower going full speed. That is 2 whole hours by myself. Bonus: the lawnmower is loud enough to drown out my own thinking.
10. Good friends.- I have found a new appreciation for friends. In high school I didn't make friends easily, I kinda went back and forth between groups and have no friends that live close by from those years. Since then I have made several really close friends that I couldn't live without and we have survived moves, marriages and kids together. When I say that I am going to go shopping or out to lunch with one you can bet I have butterflies just thinking about it. The joy I get out of from these friendships is priceless.
11. My dog Hyde.- My first baby. I call him the hairless wonder. As in it is a wonder he has made it through so many Iowa winters without freezing to death. He loves to cuddle. He will worm his way under my sweatshirts and sleep all day if I would let him. Some lazy days I do at least until he sets off a gas bomb.
12. Driving anywhere by myself- Well almost anywhere. I don't like to go to the store by myself. Come to think of it that is the only place I get to go by myself. I like to drive there by myself but don't like to be there by myself.
13. Laughter.- I love to laugh and to make people laugh. Good thing I don't embarrass easily.
14. Waking up in time to see the sunrise.- Stepping out of the house into the mist and watching the sun rise and hearing the birds chirping.
15. My family.- Knowing that no matter what they will always be mine and there is nothing they can do about it.
I didn't think this was going to be as hard as it was. There are a lot of things I get pleasure out of but only a handful of things I get true JOY. I challenge everyone to make a Joy Rush list. To see it in black and white how truly blessed I really am is humbling to say the least.
Note: only #1 is in any order. I figured I might as well start with the sweetest.
1. Seeing my husband's face as the doctor tells him we just had a little boy. - We, being my husband, decided that we didn't want to find out the sex by ultrasound. We decided it would be fun to find out at the birth. Well the big day came 2.5 weeks early by my water breaking at home. So after a hurried drive home, finding me washing dishes, packing his bag, dropping Hyde (the dog) off at his parents, getting yelled at and abused for 6 hours before they decided to give me my epidural. There is no sweeter joy rush than seeing his face as the doctor tells him he has a little boy. Watching it sink in with all the wonder and awe. I get teary just thinking about it.
2. The sound of my husband and son playing in the living room while I am making supper. - They roll around and crawl all over each other and the dog. Basically just get rambunctious.
3. Laundry out on the line.- Nothing says summer like clothes out on the line.
4. Perfect sunny days where the breeze is barely blowing and the bees are out buzzing. You take a book out with you and doze between pages and don't care. Time just seems to stand still.
5. The telephone ringing.- My sister call 2 times a day and after being with a no talking toddler I will take anything.
6. Snow days.- When we are lucky enough to get snow without the wind and the flakes get huge and fall really slowly. Where you can go outside and stand there with your mouth open and try to feel the flakes hitting your tongue.
7. A good cup of coffee- The smell; the taste; all the creamer to candy-fy it. I use the spoon for more than just stirring. Need I say more.
8. My husband.- Everything about him. His smile, his laugh, his scent, his kiss, the fact that I can still make him speechless. I love his dry en-gen-er sense of humor. The Joy I get from laughing at him and sometimes with him is what keeps me happy. It doesn't matter how much I complain about him and his infinite wisdom, I am more in love with him today than the day we married, just as tomorrow I will love him more than I did today.
9. Mowing the yard.- I know crazy. Right? We have a huge, huge yard and it takes 2 whole hours on the riding lawnmower going full speed. That is 2 whole hours by myself. Bonus: the lawnmower is loud enough to drown out my own thinking.
10. Good friends.- I have found a new appreciation for friends. In high school I didn't make friends easily, I kinda went back and forth between groups and have no friends that live close by from those years. Since then I have made several really close friends that I couldn't live without and we have survived moves, marriages and kids together. When I say that I am going to go shopping or out to lunch with one you can bet I have butterflies just thinking about it. The joy I get out of from these friendships is priceless.
11. My dog Hyde.- My first baby. I call him the hairless wonder. As in it is a wonder he has made it through so many Iowa winters without freezing to death. He loves to cuddle. He will worm his way under my sweatshirts and sleep all day if I would let him. Some lazy days I do at least until he sets off a gas bomb.
12. Driving anywhere by myself- Well almost anywhere. I don't like to go to the store by myself. Come to think of it that is the only place I get to go by myself. I like to drive there by myself but don't like to be there by myself.
13. Laughter.- I love to laugh and to make people laugh. Good thing I don't embarrass easily.
14. Waking up in time to see the sunrise.- Stepping out of the house into the mist and watching the sun rise and hearing the birds chirping.
15. My family.- Knowing that no matter what they will always be mine and there is nothing they can do about it.
I didn't think this was going to be as hard as it was. There are a lot of things I get pleasure out of but only a handful of things I get true JOY. I challenge everyone to make a Joy Rush list. To see it in black and white how truly blessed I really am is humbling to say the least.
Manners
My child is coughing while eating breakfast. So me being a good mother look over at him to make sure he doesn't choke. What do I see, he has his hand up to his mouth holding his food in his mouth while he is coughing. He got really mad when I put his hand on the tray and let all his food fall out. Someday we will have to work on manners.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Friday? When did that happen!!
It is Friday and the weekend is here. This week it is more of a relief. I know that Austin will be home for 2 whole days and that I can sleep in. I am just so tired. I haven't been sleeping well. I think it is the weather. I just suddenly wake up and feel lost at like 2 in the morning and then it takes forever to get back to sleep. I can handle this happening once in awhile but this has been every night. I need a nap.
I am excited! When Austin gets home I get 2 whole hours by myself. I don't care if those have to be spent mowing the yard. At least the mower is loud enough to drown out my own thinking. Literally I zone out and ignore everything. I do keep my eye out for snakes though, just so that I can run over them. I do watch what way the wind is blowing before running over one now. I might have been spacing and ran over one a couple of years ago and ended up with dead snake all over me. Austin was in Germany and I was covered with dead snake running around the yard screaming like a mad woman. I don't have to wonder why they call the crazy lady. Dammit I earned that title. A couple of other things might have happened also to attribute to that title but those will have to wait for another time because Mason and I are going to go outside and play. Well right after we slather on the SPF Dork.
Hopefully the rest of my weekend goes as well as today
I am excited! When Austin gets home I get 2 whole hours by myself. I don't care if those have to be spent mowing the yard. At least the mower is loud enough to drown out my own thinking. Literally I zone out and ignore everything. I do keep my eye out for snakes though, just so that I can run over them. I do watch what way the wind is blowing before running over one now. I might have been spacing and ran over one a couple of years ago and ended up with dead snake all over me. Austin was in Germany and I was covered with dead snake running around the yard screaming like a mad woman. I don't have to wonder why they call the crazy lady. Dammit I earned that title. A couple of other things might have happened also to attribute to that title but those will have to wait for another time because Mason and I are going to go outside and play. Well right after we slather on the SPF Dork.
Hopefully the rest of my weekend goes as well as today
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Snakes!!!
Sunday we were cleaning out the basement and I found a snake. Did you hear me? A SNAKE!!!! In my basement. A snake! I can handle about anything but that.
I am deathly afraid of snakes. I saw it and started screaming. Poor Austin didn't know what was wrong. Good thing he was helping to clean. Otherwise I would have been down there screaming scared stiff until he got home. He did his duty and got the thing out of my house.
Monday I was gonna do laundry and had such a bad panic attack I ended up bowing to the porcelain thrown. Just the thought that there could be more down there is enough to do it for me. I cannot bring myself to go to the basement. Hopefully there are no tornadoes this summer. I will surely die because there is no way I can go down there.
I am deathly afraid of snakes. I saw it and started screaming. Poor Austin didn't know what was wrong. Good thing he was helping to clean. Otherwise I would have been down there screaming scared stiff until he got home. He did his duty and got the thing out of my house.
Monday I was gonna do laundry and had such a bad panic attack I ended up bowing to the porcelain thrown. Just the thought that there could be more down there is enough to do it for me. I cannot bring myself to go to the basement. Hopefully there are no tornadoes this summer. I will surely die because there is no way I can go down there.
Monday, May 12, 2008
"She got to us first"
I will start this one with a little background. Austin and I have been together for 12 years this June. We will have been married for 8 of these years on June 24. That is a long time. In this time I have been a fair, sweet, understanding, willing to please, and dare I say loving daughter-in-law. I have gone out of my way to be nice to my horribly spoiled sister-in-law. I have been more than fair in the way we split major holidays. Never once have I told his family no we can't do this or won't do that.
Well about a month ago I asked Austin's parents what was going on for mother’s day. I was told they would check with S-I-L and see if they were going to celebrate with us at their house. Well two weeks ago I asked again and got the same answer and that they would let us know. So last Wednesday I sent my M-I-L an e-mail and asked again. No answer so they called about asparagus and I asked, again, and was told "S-I-L is taking us out to dinner" I replied "would have been nice if she had invited everybody to celebrate the family holiday" To which they replied "She got to us first" I was simply livid. Got to them first my butt. Needless to say I ended the call rather quickly and informed Austin that I was done trying with his family. He was very loving and supportive because he has never cared one way or the other. He very nicely summed it up by saying "You can only make excuses for people for so long before you run out of them. I am out of excuses."
Well I am tired of being ignored, shoved out of the way, left out, taken for granted, and pissed on in general. I refuse for Mason to see his Mother being treated this way or to feel like she is being treated this way. I have taken control of my family. We will do what I see fit when I see fit. Austin has agreed to this by saying "Evidently playing favorites is not the way to raise children". I couldn't agree more. He can go see his parents when he wants by himself. If they want to see my child they can call and invite the whole family. Not just one or two of us. He has also agreed that as soon as Raquel says something snide we can leave no excuses need to be given. Have I said lately that I absolutely Love Love Love my husband. He is better than I deserve but I am not giving him up for anything.
So for Mothers Day I got to sleep in and then we went to town and had lunch with his parents. (How sad that you only want to spend long enough to eat with your son and grandson on Mothers Day. I told my husband that if I had known how my mothers day was going to end up being that I would have been stashing money away for gas to go to my grandmothers to spend the day with my family. Why because they were ALL there. Not one or two but all. That is the way I want Mason to remember holidays being. Warm and loving with everyone in attendance. Not an hour at a restaurant.
Well about a month ago I asked Austin's parents what was going on for mother’s day. I was told they would check with S-I-L and see if they were going to celebrate with us at their house. Well two weeks ago I asked again and got the same answer and that they would let us know. So last Wednesday I sent my M-I-L an e-mail and asked again. No answer so they called about asparagus and I asked, again, and was told "S-I-L is taking us out to dinner" I replied "would have been nice if she had invited everybody to celebrate the family holiday" To which they replied "She got to us first" I was simply livid. Got to them first my butt. Needless to say I ended the call rather quickly and informed Austin that I was done trying with his family. He was very loving and supportive because he has never cared one way or the other. He very nicely summed it up by saying "You can only make excuses for people for so long before you run out of them. I am out of excuses."
Well I am tired of being ignored, shoved out of the way, left out, taken for granted, and pissed on in general. I refuse for Mason to see his Mother being treated this way or to feel like she is being treated this way. I have taken control of my family. We will do what I see fit when I see fit. Austin has agreed to this by saying "Evidently playing favorites is not the way to raise children". I couldn't agree more. He can go see his parents when he wants by himself. If they want to see my child they can call and invite the whole family. Not just one or two of us. He has also agreed that as soon as Raquel says something snide we can leave no excuses need to be given. Have I said lately that I absolutely Love Love Love my husband. He is better than I deserve but I am not giving him up for anything.
So for Mothers Day I got to sleep in and then we went to town and had lunch with his parents. (How sad that you only want to spend long enough to eat with your son and grandson on Mothers Day. I told my husband that if I had known how my mothers day was going to end up being that I would have been stashing money away for gas to go to my grandmothers to spend the day with my family. Why because they were ALL there. Not one or two but all. That is the way I want Mason to remember holidays being. Warm and loving with everyone in attendance. Not an hour at a restaurant.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Do you hear me? The last time!!
I have been hurt for the last time. I refuse to let his family treat me this way. I have been far too sweet for far too long. I wouldn't let a stranger make me feel this way why should I let his family. Forget waves I'm going to make a big splash.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
I do know my little guy!
I wasn't far off on how our day would go. I do know my kid. When we got home he so graciously 'helped' me put away groceries until Austin got home and informed me we were going into town again. Fun stuff ya know! At least he put baby to bed without me asking;)
Busy day
We have a full busy day planned. First we are going to play in the plants and make a mess. Then we are going to clean it up. Next we are going to get dressed to go to lunch with friends. Then we are going to scream, cry and refuse to take a nap in the car all the way to town. Next we are going to K-Mart to get some summer shorts and sandals for Mason where he will flirt with every lady in sight and act the total angel at least until we get back in the car where he will start screaming again. Then we have to go to the store where Mason will flirt and charm all the old ladies. And then finally on the way home he will take a 20 minute power nap. Where upon he will wake refreshed and ready to destroy my house again. Sounds fun to me.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Sunshine
Today and yesterday have been just wonderful outside. Mason and I have spent as much time as possible outside. Yesterday we walked a mile to the stopsign and back and played in the yard. Well that is until we saw a huge (HUGE) snake. I am so scared of snakes. Ridiculously scared. So Mason and I spent the rest of yesterday afternoon inside. When Austin got home he wanted to take a walk so Mason and I walked another mile to the stopsign and back. In case your adding that up that is 4 whole miles.
Today Mason didn't wake up until 9. It was wonderful!! We spent a large portion of today outside also and now it is time for a bath to get all the slimy baby sunscreen off of him. I hate how it feels on our skin. It is to rain tonight and tomorrow so we will be stuck inside again. Hopefully by Thursday it will be nice enough to get back out.
Today Mason didn't wake up until 9. It was wonderful!! We spent a large portion of today outside also and now it is time for a bath to get all the slimy baby sunscreen off of him. I hate how it feels on our skin. It is to rain tonight and tomorrow so we will be stuck inside again. Hopefully by Thursday it will be nice enough to get back out.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Oh My!! Where did my year go.
My to-do list now only has 6 items on it. We only have until the 29th to get it all done. I don't know if we will get to everything. Some of them are big things. It is okay though. It is just stuff that I would like to have completed before Mason's b-day party. Tomorrow I will take care of one of the things. Organize my kitchen. It should take a good portion of the day. I will be taking everything out of the cabinets and putting down new contact paper and then nothing will be getting put back where it is now. I absolutely hate how it is set up now. I told Austin that if he is good I might take pity on him and label the handles. If he is really good I will label them correctly.
I can't believe Mason is almost a year old. What happened to my sweet little baby. It sure was easier when he was tinier and slept all the time. Before I know it he will be going to kindergarten, high school, college, getting married, and then bringing his own kids to be babysat. Time is going too fast.
I can't believe Mason is almost a year old. What happened to my sweet little baby. It sure was easier when he was tinier and slept all the time. Before I know it he will be going to kindergarten, high school, college, getting married, and then bringing his own kids to be babysat. Time is going too fast.
What is important to me?
Well Tricia this is for you. I don't remember a bigger challenge, it is not all flowery and flowing but then again neither am I. ;)
From the title of this post you wouldn't think that this would be a hard post to write but it is. It is hard to decide what is important to you and then decide what you want for your child. I have expectations of myself and my little family. Sometimes they coincide sometimes they don't. Usually both spouses are united on what they want and expect out of their children. Austin and I are not united on this. Yes on what we want the end result to be but not on how to get there.
This can be traced back to how we were both raised. We were raised totally different. That shows especially now that we are raising a child. I want Mason to be a well-rounded individual. One with strong morals and convictions. So here is my list of things that are important to me for Mason.
Faith- This is very important. Everyday I pray that Mason will know the Lord as I know the Lord. That someday if ever asked 'Do you believe?' that he will be able to say without doubt 'Yes, I do!'. This is probably where Austin and I differ the most. He would like to pick a church based on how long he has to 'sit there and try to stay awake'. I want one based on how much I get out of the sermon. I don't want one that reads right from the itinerary. That leaves me cold. I grew up in a wonderful church with a wonderful church family. I want that for my child. Which takes me to the next thing.
Family- I never want my child to feel unwelcome within the family. Reading that makes it feel even weirder. I have never felt unwelcome within my own family but I know Austin has in his so it is very important to us that Mason knows he never has to have an excuse. As it stands right now we don't go over to Austin's parents house without the proper invitation. There is no popping over or anything of that nature. My family, for lack of a better word, is intrusive. You never feel unloved. We have gone over this again and again my absolute best friends are my sisters. We talk everyday, more than once, usually. My brothers and I send dirty jokes back and forth via text messaging but it is still technically communicating. Never for one second have I doubted that they would give their live to save mine and they know it is true of me also. I have convinced Austin that he need to show more affection towards his son. It, believe it or not, took a lot of talking to do that. Austin's family does not hug. It is something that my family does whenever anyone says goodbye. I have so many memories of hugs that I couldn't pick a favorite of any of them. He thinks that man hugs are awkward. Well DUH, they are if they only happen at your wedding, funerals and the birth of your kids. The importance of family is so very important to me that he has jumped on board, so to say. We have agreed that if we, or our child, ever feel unwelcome somewhere that we will just leave. No excuses.
Compassion- I am not raising a bully. Period.
Gratefulness- Not to be confused with a sense of entitlement. We are not a bank and money does not grow on trees. I never want Mason to feel that he deserves something just because he is our child, or because of who he is or thinks he is. I worked for everything I had in high school and missed out on a lot so I don't think we will push it to that level but he is going to work. Nothing is free. On this Austin and I are on the same page. The over abundance his grandparents can give him is not because he deserves it or that he is entitled to it. It is because they love him and want to. Therefore he will be grateful for it or he will not get it.
Self-confidence- He will have to follow Austin on this one. I have self confidence but it is not as evident as in Austin. I know that what I do I do well and would not be afraid to put my photos or public speaking up against anyone but that is not readily seen. It isn't something I developed until after high school. I'm sure if I had the self-confidence that I have now when I was in high school it would have been a lot more fun.
Education- Formal and informal. Yes, I want him to go to college and get his degree, blah, blah, blah. I also want him to have an informal education. I want him to understand how the world actually works. Truth be told I am still trying to teach Austin this. He lives in black and white. I know that black and white exist but I can usually be found in the gray. I like the gray;)
I am sure Austin's list would be totally different but that is because he thinks what he had growing up should be good enough for our kid. I don't agree. I think all kids deserve better than the cold upbringing he received. 'A home is nothing without hugs and love, a heart is empty without a home.' I want my son to grow up in a warm, loving, forgiving environment.
From the title of this post you wouldn't think that this would be a hard post to write but it is. It is hard to decide what is important to you and then decide what you want for your child. I have expectations of myself and my little family. Sometimes they coincide sometimes they don't. Usually both spouses are united on what they want and expect out of their children. Austin and I are not united on this. Yes on what we want the end result to be but not on how to get there.
This can be traced back to how we were both raised. We were raised totally different. That shows especially now that we are raising a child. I want Mason to be a well-rounded individual. One with strong morals and convictions. So here is my list of things that are important to me for Mason.
Faith- This is very important. Everyday I pray that Mason will know the Lord as I know the Lord. That someday if ever asked 'Do you believe?' that he will be able to say without doubt 'Yes, I do!'. This is probably where Austin and I differ the most. He would like to pick a church based on how long he has to 'sit there and try to stay awake'. I want one based on how much I get out of the sermon. I don't want one that reads right from the itinerary. That leaves me cold. I grew up in a wonderful church with a wonderful church family. I want that for my child. Which takes me to the next thing.
Family- I never want my child to feel unwelcome within the family. Reading that makes it feel even weirder. I have never felt unwelcome within my own family but I know Austin has in his so it is very important to us that Mason knows he never has to have an excuse. As it stands right now we don't go over to Austin's parents house without the proper invitation. There is no popping over or anything of that nature. My family, for lack of a better word, is intrusive. You never feel unloved. We have gone over this again and again my absolute best friends are my sisters. We talk everyday, more than once, usually. My brothers and I send dirty jokes back and forth via text messaging but it is still technically communicating. Never for one second have I doubted that they would give their live to save mine and they know it is true of me also. I have convinced Austin that he need to show more affection towards his son. It, believe it or not, took a lot of talking to do that. Austin's family does not hug. It is something that my family does whenever anyone says goodbye. I have so many memories of hugs that I couldn't pick a favorite of any of them. He thinks that man hugs are awkward. Well DUH, they are if they only happen at your wedding, funerals and the birth of your kids. The importance of family is so very important to me that he has jumped on board, so to say. We have agreed that if we, or our child, ever feel unwelcome somewhere that we will just leave. No excuses.
Compassion- I am not raising a bully. Period.
Gratefulness- Not to be confused with a sense of entitlement. We are not a bank and money does not grow on trees. I never want Mason to feel that he deserves something just because he is our child, or because of who he is or thinks he is. I worked for everything I had in high school and missed out on a lot so I don't think we will push it to that level but he is going to work. Nothing is free. On this Austin and I are on the same page. The over abundance his grandparents can give him is not because he deserves it or that he is entitled to it. It is because they love him and want to. Therefore he will be grateful for it or he will not get it.
Self-confidence- He will have to follow Austin on this one. I have self confidence but it is not as evident as in Austin. I know that what I do I do well and would not be afraid to put my photos or public speaking up against anyone but that is not readily seen. It isn't something I developed until after high school. I'm sure if I had the self-confidence that I have now when I was in high school it would have been a lot more fun.
Education- Formal and informal. Yes, I want him to go to college and get his degree, blah, blah, blah. I also want him to have an informal education. I want him to understand how the world actually works. Truth be told I am still trying to teach Austin this. He lives in black and white. I know that black and white exist but I can usually be found in the gray. I like the gray;)
I am sure Austin's list would be totally different but that is because he thinks what he had growing up should be good enough for our kid. I don't agree. I think all kids deserve better than the cold upbringing he received. 'A home is nothing without hugs and love, a heart is empty without a home.' I want my son to grow up in a warm, loving, forgiving environment.
Friday, May 2, 2008
To-Do
Another weekend is upon us. We have a to-do list that has about 7 items on it. Hopefully we will be able to mark one maybe two off this weekend. That would be wonderful but we will have to see how things go.
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