cozy winter days

Cartoons, cartoons, cartoons!

"I so tired mommy"  down and out with a cold.

Feeding the birds!

East coast storm 2011!  

Snow Day

Tiger mom or Kitten mom?

A controversial book just came out called "Tiger Mom".  A mother raising her children the Chinese rather than the Western, way.  Riding her children hard, making them practice for 3 hours a day in piano, school work.  Never letting them go to sleepovers, have play dates or watch TV.  Well, as my kids are watching the "old school" Batman right now, I know that I should turn the TV off and practice some ABC's or sight words.  However, I was raised Western and now I am a Western mom.  But I am beginning to feel the pressure for my kids to succeed and be good at school, activities, maybe an instrument.  What is the answer to raising successful well-rounded kids?  Who knows?


I just finished an interesting book called "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell.   A story about success.  What makes people successful?  According to Malcolm, several factors come into play.  Everything from cutoff dates, to having the best teachers or coaches, to practicing endless hours and working hard, rituals and organization, a combination of academic intelligence and practical intelligence, to parents monetary funds, and just down right where you are from, where your family comes from.
So it left me thinking a lot about what I want to give my kids.  I feel like it is my job to give them the opportunity to have the best instruction in school, expect the best from them, provide them with cultural experiences and expose them to people and places that will increase their practical intelligence, teach them the practice of meaningful work and reward and financially be able to support future endeavors.  Right?  So if I do all that, my kids will be successful.  Right?  What if they get a bad teacher?  What if they don't make the top team?  What if they don't want to go to college?  Well, I guess that is where I step in and give them the reinforcement at home with practice and enrichment.  Right?
Tiger mom or kitten mom?  Hmmmmmm.

Ok, so I am going to turn off the TV.

I have change my mind, Mommy

I want to be Santa when I grow up!

"Mommy, I just wish I could be fat like Santa"  said Charlie
"But Charlie, being fat is not healthy" said Mommy
"But Grandaddy is fat" said Charlie



Mary Kate has decided that she is ready to use the potty!  Halleluia!


My resolutions seem to be going well...

Air and Space Museum
Free Family night at the Kennedy Center, check out Cake for Dinner
Spin class twice a week

A new year!

I only hope that this year brings...
contentment 
self-control
a smaller waistline 
culture
a vacation

The best day!

We like to say that the kids were in pure "SHOCK"!  It took a few minutes for the gifts to sink in to these two overjoyed kids.  We have had endless fun in our cardboard house and watching the Polar Express make rounds.  Both castles are a hit and these children now want for nothing.  Except Mary Kate, she was a little disappointed that she did not get a bell from Santa.  (it came with the train) Who would have thought that the Bell would be the favorite toy.  Nana and Papa are in Virginia for a few days.  We have so much to be joyous about and I thank God everyday for family!  Merry Christmas!

And he carved the roast beast...

Even the Grinch learned to be nice.  Not only did the Grinch's heart grow but my Charlie boy's heart is beginning to grow too.  He is currently earning back his toys one by one with days of self-control.  Nick and I were pleasantly surprised to learn that he is at least practicing self-control at school.  According to his teacher he is doing fine, just tends to be a little too loud, too fast and too close to his peers at times.  That would be my Charlie.  We also decided to give this little guy a challenge and put him with some kindergarten students on T/TH afternoons.
Always hoping that I make the right decisions when it comes to my children.  I guess a mother's job never ends.  But I wouldn't change it for the world.
Last day of school before the holidays.  Looking forward to the following...

Christmas morning
Christmas dinner with Mom and Greg
Discovery Museum's New Years at Noon
Organizing
Watching some movies
Snuggling with my babies in the mornings!

First Snow!!!

The lunar eclipse.  Taken by Nick at 3am.  Yes, he set the alarm!