DELETE, THEN REPEAT

Mama Sweet: My youngest has had a difficult time listening to rules. I have started a new system where we delete her action that was not in accordance with the rules and then repeat the action properly. For example, she will often dart from whatever door we have just exited straight to the parking lot. She will stop at the edge of the parking lot but that is still not safe enough. I have now started to say, "Whoops! Let's try again" and escort her back to the door and walk together to the parking lot. It has been very successful. At bath time one night, I became frustrated at something she did and placed a bowl down rather loudly on the bath ledge. Ally said, "Whoops! Try again!" I said, "Fair enough! You are right! Mama should not have slammed the bowl down." It was so poignant, sweet and hilarious! Motherhood is a growing process for everyone!

Mama Sour: We have gone from pneumonia to croup. I am exhausted and ready for some healthy children. I feel like this has been my sour for a few weeks but it still continues to be my ongoing sour this winter. Ugh!

PINKALICIOUS BATH

Mama Sweet: To catch up on much needed post-illness rest, I decided to put the girls to sleep really early one night. However, the logistics that accompany that idea can be a bit tricky. Who wants to take a bath at 3pm? In order to get the appropriate cooperation, I began the sneaky plan with a reading of the Pinkalicious book. Then, I asked them who would like to take a Pinkalicious bath? They both screamed with excitement and ran to the bath! I put red natural food coloring in the tub (which instantly turned pink), added bubbles and gave them each three silicon cupcake wrappers. They "baked" pink bubble cupcakes, giggled and enjoyed their bath for an entire hour! Those bubble cupcakes never tasted so sweet!

Mama Sour: My oldest daughter has had walking pneumonia and continues to battle an ongoing cough. It has been eight weeks of coughing and exhaustion for all of us! I am ready to sleep!

RUM PUNCH

Mama Sweet: Everyone has still been incredibly sick in our house. We have been using a combination of western and eastern medicine to heal our illnesses. Unfortunately, the eastern medicine does not come in the convenient fruity flavors that western medicine does. In order for it to appeal to my daughters, we have been partaking in the Mary Poppins' Rum Punch ritual. All three of us receive a spoon with chocolate syrup on it. Once everyone takes a sip of their foul-tasting remedy, we each take a chocolate taste from our spoon and say, "Rum Punch" and hiccup, just like in the movie. A spoonful of sugar really does help the medicine go down. It is sweet fun!

Mama Sour: This mama has had terrible computer problems. I apologize for missing Monday's blog. It really is amazing how computer dependent our lives have become. Not only am I unable to relay messages out, the world assumes I am receiving their messages. It has been really challenging to keep up with school and social engagements without the luxury of this modern necessity.

CHAMOMILE CAMPING

Mama Sweet: My homeopathic doctor suggested that my daughter try a chamomile tea steam with salt to rid her of this chronic cough that we have been battling. Certainly, I knew she would not even consider this task if I merely requested her participation. So, I asked her if she wanted to go camping. I involved her in the whole process. She found two flashlights, two blankets and two bowls. I prepared the chamomile tea and added the salt used for netti pots and the two of us camped together under our blankets for about five minutes. We played with our flashlights; we told stories and acted silly about how hot our faces were getting from the steam. I was so happy to help heal her and make wonderful memories at the same time!

Mama Sour: I am ready for spring! This week, we all have varying degrees of coughs- from pneumonia to the flu. We are making trips in and out of doctor's offices and just feel like a healthy home is still so far away!

RAINY DAY SMORES

Mama Sweet: There was a huge storm today and we lost power for three hours. The girls made sheet tents in the playroom and had a grand time playing with all of their toys tucked inside. I pulled out our fondue set and the four of us huddled around and roasted marshmallows over the single flame. We turned those marshmallows into delicious S’mores! We sang songs and told stories as if we were really camping. It really was such a sweet moment and a memory I will cherish forever.


Mama Sour: Caught in the rainstorm, literally. My eldest daughter and I were walking along the downtown strip when all of a sudden; there were gusts of wind and rain drenching us. We were soaked, hiding in an alcove with our umbrellas flipped up. This sour quickly turned pretty sweet when she said, "Mama, your umbrella is just like on Mary Poppins when they all flew away!" It was the perfect recipe for turning wet freezing cold lemons into lemonade!

MERMAID WATER

Mama Sweet: There was a suggestion in Family Fun magazine about adding water color to your child's bath to make it more exciting and fun. Little did I know those few drops would create such a magical underwater adventure! I bought natural food coloring from Whole Foods and added it to their bath along with some bubbles. The girls were having a great time with all of their fish toys in the “sea foam.” The blue color was really therapeutic and relaxing for everyone. Now, they are asking for their mermaid bath everyday. It is so sweet!

Mama Sour: My youngest daughter is having a really hard time getting back on schedule after the holidays. She is incredibly overtired and keeps waking me up throughout the night and is very early to rise. My acupuncturist told me he could help her with acupressure. I took her today and she definitely seemed very sleepy. I am hoping that our whole family gets a good night sleep so this tired, cranky, sour mama will not reappear in the morning!

ORGANIZING THE ORGANIZED

Mama Sweet: Each year, every family must partake in the annual post-Christmas ritual of the toy purge. This year, our family was literally raking the toys back into our toy closet after Christmas because it was such a disaster. I have our closet very organized with large baskets for every category of toys such as: princess, horse, etc. Although over the months, these large containers have become stuffed with millions of tiny toys. The girls have refrained from playing with any of them because these boxes have become so massive that the individual toys were hard to find. In the spirit of New Year’s resolutions, I bought clear plastic shoeboxes to help solve the problem. We took down every large basket and the girls helped me sort every single box. Now, within the larger box are four smaller containers that house their elected groupings i.e. gummy princesses, small princess, etc. THEY ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! They are playing with more of their toys and are excited to clean up the toy room at night because they know if it is put away correctly, they will be able to find it again the next day. It has added a new sense of appreciation and respect for their toys. They are learning to be more careful and are so happy to have all of the pieces to their puzzle...literally. It is such a sweet for me to have it organized and even sweeter to watch my girls learn how to cherish and respect the gifts people give them.


Mama Sour: Our whole family has had the stomach flu. At least I had it first so I could take care of everyone else. I am very ready for the winter to blossom into spring!