9.19.2010

deep breaths, a diet coke, and a craft

i feel so tense lately!
maybe i mentioned it before;)
but my 7 year old is really testing my patience lately.
mornings are so rough.
he argues and complains and cries and whines.
i do my BEST to stay upbeat.....but man!
i think because there is this part of me that feels like i'm failing and dropping the ball as a mother, when he treats his family so disrespectfully, i just really get amped up fast, you know?
like, if i can man-handle that attitude out of him i prove my success?
ew.
i end up dropping him off at school and kinda not liking him....but mostly really not liking me.

so, here are my ideas:

  • an alarm clock
  • a timed schedule that is posted for HIM to be in charge of...not me.
  • a renewed attitude of not micro-manging him.
  • letting go of some control and letting the natural result teach him to get ready instead of my annoying voice.(ex: he may not get breakfast or his stuff may be left out, which means i take it away...)
  • and lastly, when i feel myself start to get really amped....relax......i did this last week after drop off.

I set up a LOVELY station outside, with my Diet Coke and a roll and some stuff to make barrettes.



I turned AWAY from my dirty kitchen, and set up my speakers that my Reedo got me for listening to Pandora on my phone and listened to George Winston Radio(recommended to me by my cute sister, val)
check out my spot.....





see how this was my saving grace?





the light was guiding me?



i made pretty things for happy characters in my life.

that cheered me up!

i even had a pretty little helper....deep breaths......

what do you think i should do about Jakers?

What do you do to relax?

i am linking up to a linky party with this post.

have you ever looked at Heather's blog called Blessed Little Nest?

if not, you should today.

if so, yay! isn't she so inspirational and creative!?

i am feeling sassy and confident just being involved with her cute party!

7 comments:

  1. shauna, you crack me up! i'm quite certain you are a confident and sassy girl all on your own, but i sure appreciate all the nice things you said about my little blog.

    i think the space you created is very lovely, and calming, and fresh! a change of pace is what helps me when my henry gets all up in my kitchen. and just so you know, he's quite good at it! i try to do something nice for myself and then do the best i can to look at things with fresh eyes. you're already doing both of those things, plus i think your plan for future mornings is stellar.

    oh, and those sweet barrettes are super cute. :)

    i'm so glad you linked up!!

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  2. Oh, friend. Our first borns are so much alike! What I did with my Jake was get him an alarm clock. It's set for 6 am....that's right 6 A. M.! This gives plenty of time to wake up slowly at his own pace. We also shower in the morning too (night too)...this helps my sleepy, non-morning guy wake up. He does whatever he wants 'til 7 am when he knows it's time to get ready for school. We've been doing this since 1st grade...still works too!

    I love your crafty spot...sounds like a wonderful way to relax. You are an amazing mom....DON'T DOUBT OR FORGET that....EVER!

    Hugs, friend!

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  3. wait....were you at my house this morning??? it feels like you just described life here.

    it's no fun for any of us to be up and at 'em on school mornings. i agree with D, alarm clocks help. although with mine, i seriously hear it going off for 10-15 minutes before it ACTUALLY wakes my sleeper. unfortunately, i've found that things go smoother the earlier I get up. ugh.

    you are a great mom. i have no doubt that you are way more calm and collected than you think. glad you got your craft on, and made some pretties.

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  4. Hi Shauna,
    Popping over from Heather's!!
    What a lovely little place to create you have made here! And I really love those barrettes, I have three little girls who would love getting their hands on those!:)
    I think you have a great plan for your little man! Being a good mommy can be tough can't it!!:)
    I love you blog and look forward to reading some older posts.
    Enjoy the day
    Enjoy the day

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  5. Coming over from Heather's today...sounds like our son's could be brothers-the structure to get ready in the day, the nagging of this mom, the frustration, the frustration! You're not alone-I don't have any answers for you, but I bet you are a super mom-we just have to take it one day at a time! And then pray!

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  6. hi! I've been enjoying the music on your blog so much - I just keep clicking and clicking on these past posts....oh, and your posts are so cute, too! ;)

    This post, in particular is really striking me because i am SO with you. SOO struggling with my 7 year old girl! Sass & whining is the knee-jerk reaction to just about everything...And I HATE that feeling of micromanaging!

    I'm absolutely going to copy your tactics and post a to-do list for her...I'm all about the natural consequence of things, too ...Oh how it is hard to watch sometimes!

    Fabulous post, fabulous blog - am a regular reader now!

    PS - don't you just love suziebeezie? she's a friend of mine - our daughters were in K and 1st together. she's as bright and happy in person, too!

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  7. We all have days like that...even seasons. He will grow. He will learn and change. The more prepared I am the better the mornings go. Lunches made, clothes laid out, breakfast ready...otherwise I am so stressed out on the days we have places to go that I am not very patient...at all:-) If you think it is really bad (the only reason I bring this up is because I have it and so does my son) it could be a food allergy. Our allergies truly altered our moods until we found out. I love your blog and will be back. Found you through Meg's somehow:-)

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