Lesson #32

When all else fails, employ manual labor tactics

I love being in Kansas City with our extended family. My three kids play hard (and fight a little too) with their two cousins. But after three days of running wild and entertaining each other, things tend to unravel for these kiddos. By 10 am today, I think all five of them were at a breaking point. Fortunately for us, not necessarily my brother, a tree fell victim to the storms over night. Seeking an opportunity to harness their energy, amazing Uncle Justin decided to recruit some cheap labor. He manned the chainsaw while the three eldest hauled logs to the front yard. It was the best cooperation and least amount of fighting I have heard all weekend. This is further proof that a little structure activity coupled with heavy duty energy burning can be the best recipe for a peaceful afternoon.

Lesson #31

Scooby doo: The great equalizer

One girl...four boys...a bite to the arm...a shove down the slide. There's cousins are the best of friends and the worst of enemies. Today we packed in a series of events starting off with a workout at the gym for the moms while kids played at the child care center. From there, we hit the dinosaur museum. Max suffered what seemed to be a life threatening injury from the sound of his screams. Luckily, it was just a series of scrapes on legs and arms from falling from a ledge. We survived a brutal block destroying session in the discovery room before heading to lunch. We managed to survive lunch with the five kids despite a little snags in our strategic ordering. After naps we headed to the pool. No one drowned so another victory was ours! We muddled through a number of shoving matches in preparation for dinner. Just one huge bite to the back of an arm and we sailed through dessert. After a number of screaming matches, physical quarrels and competitive arguments, we finally landed in a peaceful place...scooby doo.

Lesson #30

Be fearless-it is really fun

We are in Kansas City this weekend visiting my brother's family. While visiting a local park/children's farm, I was reminded of how fearless toddlers can be. This isn't always a comforting characteristic to witness in your children but it can be inspirational. I was amazed at the brave two-year olds in our group. My son Miles and his cousin Jensen showed no reservations about sticking their hands in the mouths of greedy goats. They giggled with delight as their fingers were gently nibbled and licked. All I can say is thank goodness we departed with all of our fingers!

Lesson #29

Don't stay out with girlfriend until midnight on a Tuesday

I am not one to go out and stay late on a weekday evening. My bedtime is typically at 10 pm during the week. My kids are early risers so I always plan to get as much sleep as possible. Last night, I had a rare night out with some other moms from Max's school. We just met for drinks and appetizers. I figured we would be done by about 9:00 and headed home to read and go to bed. We didn't finish up at the restaurant until 10:00 and I was set to get home and get to sleep. One of the moms suggested going across the street for a beer and I could not bring myself to be the party pooper. As tired as I was, we were having such great conversation. I headed to the next venue and did not end up home until almost midnight. Of course, two of my kids decide to get up at 5:30 this morning. Needless to say, I am really dragging today. It was definitely a fun night and I really loved the bonding time with my friends. But as a stay at home mom, taking the morning off to get some extra rest is never an option. That is the price to pay for a little mom time!



Thank goodness for some pool time this morning and a long nap for the two younger ones!

Lesson #28

Passion for learning comes in many forms

Today is our official first real day of summer break. I really wanted to kick it off with something fun, knowing that my enthusiasm for long days with the kids will fade as the weeks go on. We headed for the zoo bright and early. We got there when it opened and headed for all of the exhibits that draw long lines later in the morning. First we hit the sting rays and then on to the sea lions.

Max insisted on bringing along his backpack. He had been getting it ready all morning. I didn't have it in me to fight with him about bringing it in to the zoo. I reluctantly told him it was fine as long as he would carry it the whole time. I was pleasantly surprised to discover what he had packed and his motives for bringing it along. He had a few notebooks along with crayons, pens and markers. He wanted to be able to take notes about the animals and brought enough for the friends we were meeting. I was so impressed by his plan and the fact that he did not once wine about carrying his bag along. The boys stopped and wrote notes and drew illustrations at every exhibit we visited.

I often encourage Max to sit and read with me or work on writing. He usually appeases me but can fight it sometimes. I was so happy to see his initiative and to see him working so diligently on his own writing project.

Lesson #27

I won't grow old alone

No one really likes to think about growing old. I dread the thought of turning 40...still over four years away but still. I like the thought of staying 35 forever, enjoying my family and friends with the energy I have today. As much as I do not want to grow old, at least I know I will not be alone. Today, completely out of nowhere, Zoey informed me that I will be in good hands. "I will take care of you when you are an old lady," she exclaimed with a smile.

I do not know how this kid's mind works. She is such a sweet and caring little girl. I plan to hold her to this statement when she has a family and life of her own!

Lesson #26

Toddlers and pregnant women have a lot in common

If someone made a food request of you for  pickles and peaches, you might assume they were pregnant. But in my case, I have a toddler with a very strange appetite. This kid requests pickles for breakfast, lunch and dinner...even snacks. When it comes to meat, he often has an aversion but cook up a pot of macaroni and cheese and Miles could eat more than a kid twice his age. I don't usually let my kids run the show when it comes to meals. I cook one meal for dinner and present it as a take it or leave it option. But when we go out to eat, I generally let them make their own choices. Miles is a comfort food lover, picking a tower of pancakes or an enormous cheese quesadilla for pretty much ever meal we eat. The kid will barely touch a bowl of ice cream but instead eats all of the toppings. This young man has been known to eat hummus by the spoonful but pushes away a cheeseburger. Just when I think I have his food cravings figured out, he goes and changes it all up. Once a blueberry lover, this kid now only wants blackberries and raspberries. He won't eat his waffle at the breakfast table but insists on bringing it on the ride to school, scarfing it down in a matter of minutes. Tofu in a bowl of miso soup? Yes please! But don't even bother with that fried spring roll. Miles can devour a bowl of feta cheese but turns up his nose at a slice of american cheese. The child will tear apart a filet of rainbow trout but cannot be bother to try a pork chop.  I am sure his tastes will mature as he gets older but for now, I am learning to expect the unexpected.

Lesson #25

Falling short of expectations doesn't have to be a disaster.

The kids were all geared up to celebrate the last day of school with a celebratory dinner as a family. I knew it was possible that my hard working husband might not make it off in time to join us but I was hopeful. I knew it was a big deal to the kids so I was ready with a backup plan. If I was going to be flying solo with the kids, I would just take them to McDonald's, a rare treat for these kiddos. But I had a promising update around 5:00 that we could all in fact eat out together. I suggested their favorite pizza place or our neighborhood sushi bistro. They all jumped at the chance to eat lobster and the decision was made. But then the worst scenario happened. Josh was stuck at work and we were en route to sushi. I tried to convince them to go to McDonald's but what can I say? These kids have caviar taste! I reluctantly pulled in to the sushi place and requested a table outside. At least we wouldn't be bothering the other customers on their date nights. We ordered and ate, still clinging to the remote possibility that daddy would arrive at the end of the meal. No such luck. We were however joined by another couple, good friends of ours through Max's school. They politely offered up their company, giving up their own night out sans children. Max talked the husband's ear off while Miles and Zoey talked non-stop to the wife. I felt terrible for them but so grateful to be able to take Zoey to the bathroom without dragging the other two along. We ended up getting a chunk of the food to go as the kids were done well before most of mine even came out.

Was this the happy, celebratory meal I had envisioned? Absolutely not. But I did not hear one complain from the kids. Of course it would have been much better for their dad to be included  but the goal of the outing was met for these kiddos. They had a great time and got to eat at a place of their choosing. I declare it was a success after all of my initial disappointment.

Lesson #24

Never underestimate your four-year-old

As the school year comes to an end, I am naturally filled with a mixture of competing emotions. It is such a fun time for the kids but also an emotional time. Ever since Max graduated from pre-school last year, Zoey has been fantasizing about her turn to walk across the stage and be in the spotlight at her own preschool graduation. Ever since we decided to enroll her for pre K at the school her big brother attends, we knew that she would not get this same opportunity. Her school apparently has a policy that only the kids moving on to kindergarten, the five-year-olds, would get the chance to graduate. Kids moving on to another school for pre K after this year would be spectators. I knew this would be really rough for Zoey. I have been stressing about it all week, envisioning a melt down on par with the scene at the raffle last week. I even toyed with the idea of skipping the whole ting altogether. In the end, I decided to take her, not wanting her to miss out on her last day and the pizza party. As she walked out and took a seat with the other 4-year-olds, I was surprised by her gleaming smile. One-by-one, her older classmates filed in with their graduation attire on. Zoey continued to smile and sing songs along with her class. At the end, she cared about nothing other than getting in line for pizza and taking a picture with a few friends on the stage. I was so surprised and proud of how well she handled the situation.

Lesson #23

Put down the iPhone and enjoy the moment!

It is hard to believe that this school year is over. My son Max just graduated kindergarten and had the most adorable ceremony at his school. Opening with a moving slideshow, it was all I could do to avoid blubbering about how much he has grown and matured in the past year. Just like the 50 other parents in the auditorium, we were armed with iPhones and cameras, ready to capture every moment of the occasion. As I started strategizing the best angle to shoot video and take pictures, my husband told me to chill out and just enjoy the moment. This is something I really struggle with on a daily basis. I have been working really hard on limiting my time on Facebook and Instagram during the day while with the kids. It is so hard not to want to capture their lives in each moment. Even on days when things are crazy and chaotic, a part of me knows I will really miss the things that drive me nuts about my kids. We did end up taking a number of pictures, but really tried to soak it all up, waving and giving an encouraging thumbs up after his little performances. I know how nervous Max was and I am sure now that looking up to see our smiling faces was more important than looking up to see our camera lens and iPhone throughout the ceremony.

Lesson #22

Let go and break your own rules

I am definitely a rule person. I try to keep some sense of control over the chaos that is our awesome family. One of the most annoying things that I struggle to keep under control is the behavior at the pool. I have a severe aversion to being splashed in the face or blasted with a water gun. I know it is pretty crazy. The whole point of being in the pool is to get wet. I am constantly reminding the kids not to shoot adults with the water guns.

Yesterday, we were playing outside in the backyard. It was the first really hot day of spring. even though we were in the shade, it was still pretty warm. Miles had his water blaster and was struggling to use it. I reluctantly showed him how to do it and he was off and running. I was of course the first victim of his spary. I started to protest but realized there was no where we needed to go, no reason to care about getting wet. I told the kids to take off their shirts and just go for it. We were all a big mess about an hour later but it ended up being a really fun afternoon.

Lesson #21

Inspired by fearlessness.

There is almost nothing my two-year-old son Miles is afraid of. This kid had a broken leg at the age of 18 months, attempts to climb trees with his big brother and even loves diving head first down the steepest of slides. But last night, his fear took on a new, edgy angle.

As much as I cringe to write about it, Zoey spotted an ant  crawling near her plate at dinner last night. She was very dramatic about it, backing away from the table, almost in tears. Have no fear, Zoey! Miles came to the rescue. "I'll get it!" he exclaimed as he jabbed his finger at the wily insect. He smashed it flat and then examined the mangled creature at the tip of his finger.

Sticking his finger right into his mouth as if he just dunked it into a scoop of ice cream, my fearless little boy proclaimed, "I ate it."

We all roared with laughter and gasped with disgust. Unfortunately, daddy was not around to witness this courageous feat. Max jumped for the phone and immediately called his dad to fill him in.

This was not exactly my proudest moment as a mom but it just reminds me of how innocent kids are at this age. They aren't as easily disgusted or freaked out by things like creepy, crawly ants lingering around the dinner table. It also helps me keep things in perspective. There are far worse things in the world to be afraid of than a tiny, perhaps delicious little bug!

Lesson #20

Giving into a tantrum doesn't solve anything

None of my kids have ever been huge on throwing tantrums. Historically, mini meltdowns will often resolve themselves with a little distraction. But there are certainly times when I have witnessed major fits from each of my kiddos.

Yesterday, while attending a picnic at our kids' school, Zoey really fell apart. The staff was doing a raffle drawing for a number of small prizes. Kids could put there tickets into bags representing individual prizes. With each prize Zoey had chosen for her raffle tickets, another child's name was drawn. The first one was pretty devastating as it was a "Frozen" puzzle. By the time we got to the Barbie, she was pretty much inconsolable. The magnitude of this tantrum was on a level I had never seen from Zoey. There were tears, telling and even some breathing patterns I might liken to hyperventilating! It was pretty impressive. A few parents joked about making a trip to target to make up for the loss but I knew that was not the answer. Zoey was just going to have to deal with it.

Fortunately, the picnic was winding down and we got to make a move for the car. She eventually got over it and we were all able to move on. As uncomfortable and unenjoyable as it was, I am happy that we didn't give in and try to buy her happiness with a replacement.

The other positive thing that came out of this was witnessing how sweet Maxwell was to his sister. He won two prizes...a monster truck and spiderman bubble bath. He offered them each to her in an attempt to make her feel that she had won something. 

Lesson #19

Winning isn't everything

I will be the first to admit...I am a competitive person by nature. I don't like failure and I am definitely passionate about giving 100%. I think my drive is a great quality to have and I hope my kids will channel some of that. It is important to have a competitive edge in order to be successful. But there are obviously more important things than winning and being the best. \

Max has been playing hockey for almost a year now. His transformation into a talented player has been remarkable. He has become one of the best on his team and is definitely passionate about the sport. Today was a series of playoff games leading into the big championship. His team has been dominant this season and we expected them to do very well. We were flying in from Toledo this morning so we had to meet Max there, hoping to catch the second and possibly third game. But the coach texted to say they lost the first game and were out of the playoffs. We immediately felt bad for Max, discussing how upset he was going to be. But when we got out of the car to pick him up, Max didn't even mention the fact that they lost. He was excited to tell us about the great assist he had to one of his team mates. I was so proud. It really made me take a step back and realize that beyond developing into a strong player, Max has also been learning great lessons about team work and confidence. Of course winning is the goal but seeing Max learn and grow into a player with great character is far more exciting. It was a great lesson to me that there are far more important things in life. 

Lesson #18

Life goes on without me

It is always hard to leave the kids when we travel. It doesn't happen often, but when we do get the opportunity for a kid-free trip, there is always that anxiety about how things will go in my absence. I am typically in charge of everything that goes on in our house from the moment they wake up until the last one falls asleep.

I love talking to the kids while we are gone just to hear how they are doing and what activities they have planned. But it never really seems to go the way I explect. When calling to check in on Saturday, no one was really that interested in talking on the phone for us. Out of sight...out of mind I suppose.

It is of course great that they the do so well without us here. We are happy that there are minimal tears and that they aren't longing for us all day long. Life does go without me. But it is always good to be back home and to feel needed again.

Lesson #17

Chocolate doesn't always make everything better

Getting ready to head out of town for the weekend, I wanted to make breakfast a little easier for the kids' YiaYia. I thought I would turn some over ripe bananas into some breakfast bread. Knowing the aversion my kids sometimes have to bananas, I tried to pull one over on them. I added in plenty of chocolate chips, something I would never normally incorporate into any meal. I even played it out like we could trick YiaYia into letting them eat it for breakfast despite the fact that it had candy in it. I was fooling no one with my banana bread in disguise. Just one look and Zoey knew it contained bananas. She did not even want to touch it! Max was a little skeptical but could not resist the allure of chocolate. He did give it a try but ate it just the way I predicted. With the skill of a surgeon, this clever six-year-old tried to pick out the little morsels, avoiding the bread as best he could. All it took for Miles was seeing the other kids reacting. He didn't even entertain trying a bite. So, store bought bagels it was for our Friday morning meal before heading out of town.

Lesson #16

Television can be a good thing

I struggle with what is the appropriate amount of television for my three kids. I feel guilty turning it on for them and really try to limit their time using electronic devices. I would so rather them do something physical or educational. Restricting television and iPad time has other benefits as well. When they do get to watch or play, they are very focused, allowing me to get things done around the house. I know that some television can be educational but Miles really taught me just how much he is learning.

Ask Miles what he wants to watch any time of the day and he will almost always request "Dora the Explorer." He LOVES his Dora. I hear him answering questions when the shoe has interactive portions so I know he pays attention. The other day in the car, I hear this 2 year old spontaneously counting from 1-10 in Spanish. I could not believe it! I don't think Max could do this until he was 5. When I asked Miles where he learned that, he said, "Dora."

I guess television does have some perks!

Lesson #15

Forgive and forget

This is something I definitely preach but don't always practice. It took a very hard lesson to remind me how important it is to forgive others and get over it!

Just days after Miles shattered the screen of my brand new iPhone, I suffered another great technical tragedy. Yesterday, the same culprit left behind another casualty. He pulled our cannon SLR camera by the strap from a location I thought was out of reach. Of course it fell to the ground, landing on the lens. I cringed as I picked it up to see a familiar scene. The class of the lens was completely shattered. I was beyond angry. I yelled at Miles and tried to get him to understand how he just ruined our expensive camera. Being that he is only 2, this of course didn't really matter to him. He definitely knew I was mad but I did not accomplish anything with my yelling. This all happened around 4:15 and by 7:00 I was still hanging on to my anger and frustration. I let this incident ruin a big chunk of my evening.

I had only to rewind the day a few hours to really get a perspective on the situation. As I was getting dinner ready, moping about my broken camera, Max accidentally hit Miles in the face with a ping pong paddle. Miles was crying and upset while Max repeatedly apologized to him. Within minutes, the two boys were running and playing together again.

How are kids so much better at forgiving and letting go of things than I am? Starting of my morning, I have really been trying hard to focus on living in the moment and not letting things bring me down. It has been  a much better day.

Lesson #14

Poop never stops smelling bad

I have been changing diapers for just over six years. I have two boys and one girl and at any given time, I have been changing the diapers of one or two children. That really adds up over the years. We are talking thousands of diapers! You would think that I would have gotten used to the smell by now. That it really wouldn't bother me to change the terrible messes these tiny people produce. But truth be told, the sh*t never stops smelling awful. As much as I love these guys and would do anything for them, I will never cease being floored by the awful stench.

There are a lot of things I know I will miss about being in the "baby stage" once my kiddos are all out of diapers. But I can say with absolute certainty that I will NEVER miss the smell of a poopy diaper.

It is a good thing this guy is so cute because he can clear a room like no body else!

Lesson #13
Just because the day sucks really hard doesn't mean it can't turn around for the better

As my morning seemed to go from bad to worse today, I began to wonder what positive life lesson I could reflect on today. My two younger kids were really giving me a run for the money. They argued non-stop, wrestled for my lap during music and whined for most of the morning. I did not learn anything positive from their terrible behavior. But just as they were headed up for a nap, something switched in Zoey. She wanted numerous kisses and hugs before heading up stairs. She was all smiles, asking me to play Frozen Barbies when she woke up.

Sometimes they do love each other

How do kids have the ability to bounce from one mood to the next. She certainly wasn't focusing on the terrible morning we had. It was in the past. Zoey was living in her happy little moment as I probably still wore my frown from the first part of the day. It was a truly rough morning but the afternoon has promise. I am going with that!

Lesson #12
I am really funny

There is no better self-esteem boost than three little kids. Hearing their laughter at the silly things I do makes me feel like I am pretty awesome. I love hearing their giggles and belly laughs when I make faces or act like a complete fool. I'm no comedian, but my kids make me feel pretty damn funny!

Happy Mother's Day!

Lesson #11

The laundry isn't going anywhere

Laundry is definitely at the top of the list of my absolute least favorite things to do. It is boring and monotonous and never seems to end. I hate getting behind on it because it can be really tough to catch up. Yesterday as my younger two kids napped, I planned to catch up on laundry before our family arrived from out of town for a big birthday weekend. Max really wanted to swim but I had so much work to get done. I took a step back and decided that I could just wait on the laundry. We got about 20 minutes of good pool time but it was totally worth it. I was really tired at the end of the night and was not thrilled about folding 7 loads of clean laundry. But I look at that little quality time we had together and know that it was totally worth it.

Lesson #10

Going to battle can be a good thing

Driving the kids to school this week, Zoey was very upset over an issue she had with her teacher. She told me that she had to go to timeout and had her "job" for the day taken away. She couldn't really explain what happened, but knowing her flare for the dramatic, it probably wasn't as big of a deal as she made it. But Max took this very seriously. A few minutes after Zoey vented her problem, Max announced, "Zoey, I am going to battle your teachers!"

I couldn't help but laugh a little. I told him that there was no need to battle anyone. He argued that no matter what Zoey did, she did not deserve her punishment. 

Despite their differences, it is apparent that these two will always look out for each other. It touches my heart to see how much Max cares for his little sister and to witness him developing into such a caring person.

Lesson #9
Material things can always be replaced

I really lost it yesterday. Just six days after shattering the face of my new iPhone, Miles managed to break my replacement. I was so mad that I could not hide it, even though we were out in public. I literally yelled at him and went on and on about how he broke my phone. Despite the fact that I was the one who let him run down the concrete halls of the rec center, I placed all of the blame on this two-year-old child. I felt remorse after but was still very angry about it.

This morning on the way to school, my six-year-old son reminded me that there are far more important things in life than phones. He asked from the back seat, "I'm sorry your phone got broken yesterday, mom."

This truly warmed my heart and made me feel terrible about my reaction the day before. Max wasn't even the one who broke the phone yet he felt compassion for me because of how upset I had been.

This is a big lesson that I need to keep in mind each day. I have three healthy kids, an amazing husband and the blessing of staying home with my kids. Material things can always be replaced. I felt so proud that my son is so caring and kind that he wanted to express his concern over something that made me so upset. I need to be more careful about focusing on the importance of material things around my kids. 

Lesson #8
Motherhood: The hardest and best job I have ever had

Today is the sixth anniversary of starting my job as a mom. My son Max was born in the early hours of May 7, 2008. Since starting my employment, about four weeks earlier than expected, I have been peed on, hit, yelled at and disrespected in a way that would result in a major lawsuit at any job. But I take it all in stride because the benefits of this gig are second to none. No matter how many parenting books you read or how many "experts" dole out their years of wisdom to you, there is no preparing for how hard the job will be on a daily basis. But if I would tally up all of the big and small rewards I enjoy throughout the day, the good would always outweigh the bad.

I had the opportunity to celebrate Max's birthday at his school today. As I watched his teacher make him the center of attention, praising his uniqueness in front of hist peers, I smiled with pride at the son I helped to raise. Max's hilarious sense of humor, creativity, kindness and passion for life are all part of his special personality. When I look at him today, knowing that I have played a role in creating and fostering all of the things that make him special, I know that I am the luckiest mom in the world with the best job I could ask for.

Lesson #7
Cherish being needed

I cannot begin counting the number of times I hear, "Mommy!" on a daily basis. The tone and urgency varies, but the desired result is the same. My kids expect me to come running whenever I hear them call my name. To be honest, some days I wish I could mute out that call. It comes in a whiny voice, a demanding voice and even a tearful voice. I get tired of the tattling and the relentless demand for my attention. It can really be exhausting. Coming from three kids, often simultaneously, the call for me to come running never seems to end.

Today I was especially fed up. I had an exhausting day yesterday and no one seemed to be listening to me from the moment they got up. They needed shoes, a referee, their breakfast, their butts wiped. I was exasperated by 7:15 this morning. I found myself so aggravated when Max called me in to the dining room. I expected he needed me to stop Miles from bothering him. But when I came in, I realized that he wanted to show me the huge Lego project he just finished. I immediately felt terrible for being so annoyed by all of the "mommy" calls this morning.

I am trying to make a concerted effort to stop and think every time I start getting irritated by the beckoning calls. When I really take a moment to think about it, I get a little sad knowing that I won't always be needed in this way. Right now, I am the one they want and the one they need for every little thing. But in just a matter of years, I will be lucky if they even want to tell me about what happened at school. This has been a huge "ah-ha" moment for me. I hope I can keep this perspective, especially in the most trying of times with my kids.

Lesson #6
Embrace embarrassment

Kids are embarrassing at times...that is just unavoidable. But I am starting to finally learn that some times, the best way to save face is to just go with it.

Today I was embarrassed by both Miles and Zoey at our weekly music class. Miles perseverated the word toot despite my corrections. I finally just ignored him and he eventually stopped. Zoey asked why I didn't smell very good. Awesome! I tried to ignore her but it had the opposite effect. She kept asking until I finally replied that I did not know why. I promised I would shower during my free time.

All of this before 11:00 am.

Lesson #5
They really are listening!

We spend a lot of time trying to instill kindness and good manners in our kids. Prompting "Please" and "thank you" is an automatic for us on a daily basis. We teach the Golden Rule and always remind our kids to especially be kind to their siblings.

It can be exhausting to referee the bickering and constant arguing between the kids. Someone is always wrong and there is a lot of tattling in our house. I often wonder if they will ever listen and start treating one another with respect and kindness. Well, this weekend, I finally got a glimpse of just how much Max is starting to internalize our push for kindness.

During his 6th birthday party, Max was very busy joking around and playing with his best buddies from school. Other than his Rossman pals, the only other kids at the party were his little brother and sister. Naturally, Zoey automatically felt left out, being a four-year-old that didn't know any of the other big kids other than her brother. I witnessed two of the kindest gestures I have ever seen from Max on this day. As kids pushed forward to sit by their best buddies for the group photo, Zoey instantly began to tear up. Seeing her sadness, Max grabbed her arm and pulled her to the front to sit next to him. She immediately smiled and felt so special. Just a few minutes later, Max made his way through the other kids to get a goody bag for his little sister, running over to give it to her as the other kids pushed to get theirs. Neither of these gestures were prompted by us. Max did it out of the kindness of his heart. We praised him multiple times on the way home and bragged about his kindness to instill how important this was.

I know these kids will always bicker and have their struggles with sibling rivalry, but it sure is encouraging to see that they really are listening and soaking up our wise ways of parenting!

Lesson #4
It is never to early to teach the value of a dollar

There are far more important things in life than money. But if you ask my soon to be six-year-old son, money definitely matters. I am not sure if it is the recent currency section in school or an innate fascination with cash, but this boy loves his money! He loves counting money specifically and dreaming up ways to earn more and more. One might say this would be an opportunity to teach that there are more important things in life, which I wholeheartedly agree. But I am choosing to take his lead and spin this love for dinero into something positive.

There are so many differing opinions on how to raise a well rounded child in today's society. Do we hover too much? Are we too quick to praise the smallest accomplishment? Do we plan too many activities and and not enough time for free play? It is easy to drive yourself crazy over the best approach. But I do know that one value is very important in our family and that is working hard. Our family motto is "Always try your hardest and never give up."

My husband and I did not come from wealthy families but we both focused on education and working hard to be successful. I don't think it is too early to teach that if you work hard and come up with creative ways to earn money, you can be as successful as you want.

Max is really starting to learn about how to be an entrepreneur at an early age. He is consistently making lists of chores he can do to earn some extra money. From folding and sorting laundry to assisting in the kitchen, this kid is out to make a buck! His insatiable appetite to earn more and more can be very difficult. I am taking this opportunity to teach that you have to be patient and save your money to have money. Some chores are expected without payment and others can be small jobs with earning potential.

Today was a big day for Max. He received one of the best birthday gifts a kid could ask for from his grandparents. MONEY!!!!! This has definitely given him a jump start on his nest egg. Rather than running out to the toy store to spend, he is tucking it away in a safe place and already thinking about how to add to his stock pile! I think this kid has a career in finance!

Lesson #3
Be careful what you wish for

I knew I wanted to have a daughter long before I ever got married. I am lucky enough to have a fabulous mom that gives great advice, offers support and has been a great friend. I always wanted to have a daughter to dress-up and do the stereotypical "girlie-girl" things with me. I have already fantasized about helping her plan her wedding, as it was such an amazing process for me. It seems like I may have gotten more than I bargained for with my 4 year-old daughter, Zoey.

This little lady has always been into dressing up and looking pretty. But things have reached a whole new level as we approached the fourth birthday. Zoey has taken on a new, intense fixation on all things wedding. As my kids ran around in an open field last weekend at a birthday party, Zoey spent forty five minutes collecting flowers for her wedding bouquet. I didn't have the heart to tell her that the dandelion arrangement she had so carefully assembled was just one sneeze away from disaster.

Forget the groom to be, Zoey is more concerned about her wedding dress. Inquiring about where my gown came from, this forward thinking four-year-old is already developing anxiety about picking out the perfect frock. I told her about the bridal store I shopped at and she wanted to know all of the details about how I picked out my dress. When I told her that my mom, mother-in-law, sister and friends came along with me, she became despondent. "I don't even have a sister! That is why we need another girl in our family. Who else can go with me to pick out my wedding dress?"

It is already evident that this daughter of mine is going to give me a run for my money. In addition to being a total "girlie-girl," Zoey is spirited, opinionated, passionate and independent. She knows what she wants and is not afraid to use her voice. Zoey is all girl! And to think, she is still nine years away from embarking on her teens!

Lesson #2
Surrendering the battle doesn't mean accepting defeat

If you are a parent, you inevitably encounter a variety of battles throughout the day. From getting dressed to eating meals, kids start to assert their independence very early on. In our house, getting three kids dressed and out the door is often the hardest part of the day. The biggest challenge for me is often the getting them dressed part. Even my two-year old is forming his own opinions about his clothing.

Recently, both my six-year-old Max and my 4 year-old Zoey have taken on  creative license in footwear. When it comes to socks, matching is not part of the plan. They both like to pick out different colors and styles for each foot. I recently stopped fighting this and gave in to the power struggle. But what I have started to appreciate over the last week of laundry has made that surrender a little easier. Rather than digging, sorting and searching for pairs of socks for three kids, I have taken on a new approach. I simply toss all socks separately into their drawers. It is saving me time and aggravation and giving them a little taste of victory and independence in at least one small part of their day:)