I would choose my little brother

It has been a busy holiday season so far with multiple dinners during Thanksgiving weekend and the upcoming Christmas holidays.  We have enjoyed our boys throughout the changing of the leaves and the unusually warm weather for December.  Since the boys are getting a little older and can settle down a little bit more during dinners, we decided to do some discussion topics during our supper time.  During one such discussion, I asked the boys, "if you could choose only one person to be on a deserted island with you, who would that be?"  Our 6 year old, thought and thought and said, "I would choose my little brother (who is 2 years old)."  That certainly came as a surprise to his mom and me.  We were certainly hoping it would be one of us.  We quickly asked him why he would choose his little 2 year old brother.  Our kindergardener sat back in his chair and said, "well you and mom are older and will die before me, so I chose my little brother so that he can spend the most time with me."  Now, that is thinking.  We were all impressed.  

Be Careful When You Are Tired & Stressed

I have been traveling quite a bit and work has been very busy.  I have noticed that I get more irritable much easier with the boys these days and my reactions seem to be much more severe than fits the situation.  I believe it is the added stress involved in being tired from work and all of the economic uncertainties that currently surround us.  I have started to remind myself on the way home from work, to not over react to boys being boys.  My wife and I love our boys very much and we tell them this every night.  However, when discipline is necessary, it needs to be fair, and fit the action that I am trying to correct, and always delivered with love.  This is not always easy, when you are tired and just came home from a long day of hectic work.  

I need to constantly remind myself to be gentle, even with the boys, who are usually rough with each other.  Parenting continues to be the most humbling role that I have ever had.  

I Got Shot By A Cow

I just remembered that I wanted to get this thought down before I forget. My two-year old was playing with plastic animals the other day. It was going really well. He lined up the farm animals against the tiger and was having a great time. I was helping him with the battle. A bit of background here before proceeding. My wife and I don't give our boys a lot of "gun" toys, not as any big political statement, but just to teach them that you can have fun without pretending to be in a shootout. This is not the easiest thing to do when you have boys. Most toys "aimed" (pun intended) at boys have something to do with shooting. Well anyway, we were having a great time playing with the plastic animals, when my two-year old picked up the horse and the cow, one in each hand, and began to shoot me with them. 

It really is an uphill battle, even if we don't buy them toy guns, I can still get shot by a cow!

Oh well.

I Can't Find My Sweatshirt!

Summer went by quickly this year. We finally moved back into our newly remodeled house after 16 months away. That was a long ordeal and too painful to recount and part of the reason I have not blogged all summer. In short, everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong....twice! The boys are settled into their new rooms and we are once again part of the great morning ritual of walking to school vs. driving 20 minutes. Aaaaaah, the joys of the simple things in life.

Three of the boys are once again at the same elementary school. This year we have a fifth grader, a third grader, and a first grader. The youngest is also starting preschool for 1 day a week. There is something to be said about routine. Summers are wonderful and chaotic in a good way, but just getting back into the rhythm of school, little league practice, piano lessons, homework has a nice ebb and flow like the ocean tides. School for us also means the start of our annual tradition of losing sweatshirts, baseball caps, lunch boxes, backpacks, library books, just about anything that is, as the saying goes, not physically grown on the child. Thankfully, our elementary school has a lost and found "cart" right at the front of the school. I have begun to call it our kids "other" closet. We go by it every morning to pick up the previous day's lost sweatshirt, hat, .....You have to love the mind of a young boy. They see something fun to do and all responsibility instantly leaves their head. Anything that is not attached is left at the playground, on the lunch bench, in the school bathroom, and at the many friend's houses. I threatened one of the boys that if he loses on more sweatshirt, I would buy him a pink one with big flowers on it, and I would make him wear it until he found his other one. So far, it has been two days and he has misplaced only one sweatshirt, but he knows where it is.

It's late and I need to get some sleep, but did I say how much I love being back home? The boys are great and even though I rant and rave sometimes, my wife and I feel so blessed to be the parents of four great boys.

Ciao!

I Can't Find My Sweatshirt!

Summer went by quickly this year. We finally moved back into our newly remodeled house after 16 months away. That was a long ordeal and too painful to recount and part of the reason I have not blogged all summer. In short, everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong....twice! The boys are settled into their new rooms and we are once again part of the great morning ritual of walking to school vs. driving 20 minutes. Aaaaaah, the joys of simple things in life.

Three of the boys are once again at the same elementary school. This year we have a fifth grader, a third grader, and a first grader