When do you start disciplining your child?

Over the long weekend a few friends and I got into the discussion about when do you start disciplining your child. When Alex was a baby I read every parenting baby book out there about this topic. I was so afraid I was going to make mistakes! Ha ha!! In my opinion, a child under the age of one does not understand being spanked, swatted, etc. I always redirected Alex and it was not until he was well over one year of age that I started to swat his little hand and say "no". I NEVER spanked him. In my opinion a baby does not understand being spanked and certainly doesn't grasp the idea of time out. It was very interesting to get every one's opinion as we chatted by the camp fire. The main reason I started the conversation is because we have a very young lady in our family who has a baby who just turned one. She is having some issues (in my opinion of course) with the whole parenting thing. It's only to be expected though considering she is just a child herself. We try to guide her in the right direction, but I have to say it's hard. So I started a poll to see what you guys think. I just love doing these polls so please take the time to vote and/or leave me a comment on what you think.

Well that went by fast....

It seems like it was just yesterday I was posting that we were heading to the lake for almost 6 days. Now here I sit at my computer at work writing about how it all went. Time is just FLYING by so fast it's scary. We had such a great time!! Alex had a wonderful time and made a couple of new buddies whom he played with about 90% of the time we were there. We went fishing (well I didn't fish but just watched) and Alex reeled in a fish that was almost bigger than him. It was awesome! I have ALOT of pictures to add when I get a chance. This was our little weenie dog Hammie's first camping experience. He is NOT a very good camping dog to say the least. Lucky, our Jack Russell, is so good and just loves to camp. Hammie on the other hand would not let me out of his sight. He would start barking hysterically if he couldn't see me or if I walked away so by day two I'm even taking him to the bathroom with me. We are hoping that next year will be better since he will be older. Of course Sunday night into early Monday it stormed really bad. Typical Oklahoma weather for you! It was about 2:00 a.m. when it got REALLY bad but we just road it out. Alex was sound asleep and didn't wake up once, which I couldn't believe. At one point the thunder was so loud the entire tent was vibrating. Monday was ALOT of fun since everything was completely covered in mud and sand. We spent most of the morning cleaning and packing up then we headed home. Alex and I made our last trip to the bathrooms and he was wishing so bad that we could go back in time to Wednesday and start all over. I still can't believe how fast it went by this year. We are already planning for next year's trip!! We plan to go on a few weekend camp outs, but it's just not the same as Memorial Day weekend!

Lake here we come!!

Well I only have an hour and a half until i'm outta here till next Tuesday!!! Yippee!! We are going to the lake for Memorial Day Weekend. This will be our third year in a row to go so we have decided it's our family tradition now. Yes we are brave...we camp for 5 nights and 6 days! I started packing last night and by the time I was done it looked like we were moving to the lake for good! Mr. S just looked at me and shook his head. We'll see how hard he shakes his head when he desperately needs something that I just happened to pack! I am looking forward to getting away with the family where we actually spend quality time together. There are no computers, Internet, T.V., x-boxes or Wii's so we actually have to talk to one another. Anyway, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and please be safe! I am signing off till next Tuesday!

Gavin's MRI Results

My friends little boy Gavin who has cancer had his first MRI yesterday since he started chemotherapy. Great news....his tumor is shrinking!!!!! Which means the chemo is working!!!! The only downside was they saw that he had alot of fluid built up in his tiny brain so he is having a shunt put in this morning. Please keep him in your prayers. His mom posted on her blog that since he is already weak from the chemo that he is very susceptible to infection etc. so this surgery is kind of risky however it has to be done. God is working his miracles as I type this!!! Please be sure to stop by her blog at http://www.smithscooptexas.blogspot.com/

I'm a wolf now!!

Last night was the big Cub Scout cross over ceremony. Alex started cub scouts as a Tiger Cub in August. We made it through the entire year somehow and last night he got to cross over to the Wolves. This past weekend we had the big end of the year camp out at Cub World. It was sooo much fun!! He earned five belt loops and a patch during all of the fun as well. The belt loops he earned were for Archery, BB Gun Range, Ultimate Frisbee, Wildlife Conservation and Map & Compass. They taught the boys the importance of picking up after yourselves while camping and they earned the Leave no Trace patch. When we first started cub scouts I was not sure what to expect. As the year progressed I watched Alex learn so many things and develop friendships that could possibly last throughout his school years. I can't rave enough about cub scouts and highly recommend it to all parents out there with little boys! As I watched Alex strut across the little bridge with his head held high I couldn't have been more proud!! He just couldn't believe he was a "Wolf" now!! Once I get the whole video thing figured out on here I will post the video I took, plus lots of pics!

Mom you have flappy arms!

So the other day I was walking Alex to the bus stop and as he got on the bus I waved goodbye to him like I do every morning. This morning though I noticed something that was really disturbing. As I was waving the skin on my upper arm was flapping back and forth!! Not to be offense to anyone about age, but you know like your grandma's arms do when she waves?! When did this happen? Overnight? Gradually? Why haven't I ever noticed it before? I used to be a runner and was always in really good shape, but after I had Alex I quit running. My body isn't what it used to be to say the least. However, I've never had this problem before. So that evening while we were eating dinner (no it probably wasn't great dinner conversation but oh well) I started telling Mr. S about my little problem. Of course he doesn't understand why this is a big deal but he's trying to be reassuring by telling me that I look fine and don't have huge flappy arms. He's almost got me convinced when later in the evening Alex says to me "Mom, you do kind of have flappy arms but it's ok I still love you anyway!" He was trying to be really sweet and it melted my heart that he loves me no matter what I look like. However as all of us mothers out there know a child tells it exactly how it is so I MUST have flappy arms. I guess it's time to break out the running shoes and get back in shape!!

Under the Weather

I just realized it has been awhile since I have posted anything! Geez where does time go? I haven't been feeling all that great the last few days. I'm pretty sure it's just allergies or something, but it's still annoying. Mother's Day came and went. My day was pretty good. I was able to sleep in and didn't do a single load of laundry or dishes! So that in itself is a good day. Alex gave me a beautiful piece of art he made at school. He was soooo excited he just couldn't wait for Sunday so I opened it Friday evening. He is not very good at keeping secrets!

Oh please keep Gavin in your prayers this week. He is starting another round of chemotherapy this week and i'm sure it will be tough on the little guy as well as his parents.

Sponge Bob....

It looks like Alex is deep in thought here but actually he's just watching the latest episode of Sponge Bob. Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?Sponge Bob square pants! That's all I hear sometimes when he's really in the mood. I can't get it out of my head!! Oh ya and let's not forget Sponge Bob Ripped Pants. Who invented that thing? I would REALLY like to have a little chat with them. That thing does not stop playing either!! Once you push the button there is no stopping. Gotta listen to the ENTIRE song. What's even better is when it goes off in the toy box during the middle of the night. There is nothing like being woke up to Sponge Bob saying oops I ripped my pants followed by that annoying laugh he does!

We Survived!

Well we survived the birthday weekend festivities!! Saturday Alex had his best friend over for a slumber party. This was Alex's first time to have a friend over to spend the night so he was really excited. I had plenty of activities planned so Jacob didn't have much time to think about getting scared and missing his mom. I was worried he would get scared close to bedtime and want to go home, which would have been the end of the world to Alex. They both played very well together and believe it or not, I didn't have to get onto them one time! That is an amazing thing in itself!! His mom had warned me that he was an early riser so I made sure they went to bed kind of early, which was hard because they got into the pepsi in the fridge. I kid you not it was like the scene out of the new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie where the chipmunks drink coffee! To be honest with you I have know idea how many cans of pop they drank! Note to self for next sleepover: Pop goes locked away where little people can't just help themselves! Sunday morning Jacob was up at 7:00 a.m. (Alex will sleep till 10 or 11 on the weekends if you let him) ready to go. Alex woke up reluctantly but once he was up he was ready for the fun to begin. By 9:15 a.m. they had skated in the driveway, road their scooters, I took them to the park and also an adventure through the hilly neighborhood. Needless to say I was exhausted.


The skating party was from 1-3:30 and we had a great turn out. Ten of Alex's friends came and it was just the right amount. Alex had so much fun and made out like a little bandit! It made me so happy to see him socializing with his friends and skating all around grinning ear to ear. After weeks of anticipation the party came and went as fast as the wind. Alex was so disappointed it was over and said he wished he could build a time machine so he could do it all over again. This is how our conversation went:

Alex: Mommy I wish I could go back in time. I want to build a time machine so I can go back to Friday.

I said: That would be really cool baby, but I don't think we can do that.

Alex: Hmmm....do you think Steven knows how to build one???

He wasn't giving up on the idea! He is slowly realizing how this whole time thing works! I am just happy that we survived the weekend and it turned out to be a success!!

Wednesday Recipe

Stuffed Mushrooms

If you like mushrooms and cream cheese you will love this recipe. It is so easy to make and delicious!

What you will need:
15-20 small fresh mushrooms
1 package of cream cheese
5-6 strips of bacon
3 tbsp finely chopped white onion

Directions:

Remove the mushroom stems from the caps and set aside in a container. Make sure you wash the mushroom caps and stems.
Chop the mushroom stems into small pieces and set aside
Chop the white onion and set aside
In a small pan fry the strips of bacon and then crumble. Do not discard the grease left over from cooking the bacon.
Saute the chopped mushroom stems and onion in the bacon grease.
Over low heat, mix the sauteed mushroom stems, onions and crumbled bacon with the package of cream cheese.
Place the mixture in the mushroom caps and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender.

You may have to adjust the recipe a little to fit your needs. I don't have this one written down anywhere (that is one of the main reasons I am adding recipes to my blog!) so I just throw it all together. It is so good! Please let me know what you think.

The Power of Prayer!

A little over a month ago the doctor's found a small tumor on my dad's pituitary gland. They told him they did not think it was malignant but it definitely needed to be removed. It was already causing him to have some major health problems. A few years ago my dad had a stroke right after hip replacement surgery so we are VERY leary of any kind of surgical procedures. So yesterday he went to meet with the brain surgeon (he had taken another CT Scan a day or two prior to this meeting). The doctor looked at my dad and said i've reviewed everything and you don't have a tumor anymore. What? All gone? Well, where did it go? Not like it grew legs and walked out of my dad's head! Then it sinks in.....it's gone! WOW!!! YIPPEE!!!!!!!! A fine example of God at work! We are so thankful and truly believe God worked this little miracle. Now if only my dad can get rid of all his other ailments we will be in good shape! I am just going to keep on praying!

Happy Birthday Alex

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! ALEX TURNS 7 TODAY!!


It's really hard to believe that seven years ago today I gave birth to my son. It just seems like yesterday I was holding this little newborn who weighed 7 pounds 1 ounce and was only 19 inches long.


Alex, I went through sixteen long hours of labor (you got stuck and as you like to tell me when I tell you the story "momma I was holding on and didn't want to come out!") and at one point thought I could take no more. When I saw you for the first time I forgot about the pain and fell in love. I never imagined I could have so much love for someone. You were so handsome! The one thing I remember so clearly about the first time we met was your pouty lips. They were all puckered up and so full. We joke now that you came out ready to give mommy a big kiss!! Now you are turning the big 7 and going into the second grade next year. You weigh a whopping 50 pounds and have recently hit a growth spurt! It won't be long and you will be taller than me! Recently I went through hundreds of pictures of you and was amazed at how much you have changed. You went from my precious, bald, chunky baby to my precious little boy. You no longer have a bald head(well unless Poppy takes you for your summer hair cut!) or rolls of baby fat, but you will always be my baby! You truly are my gift from God. When you smile the whole room lights up and your little eyes sparkle. I am truly blessed. I remember at my baby shower a friend of mine told me something that at the time I didn't quite understand. She said "Andrea, just remember even when you are having the worst day of your life, when you come home at night and look at your child you forget how bad everything is and are surrounded by love. Their little hugs and kisses make you forget momentarily about all of the bad stuff." How very true that statement is. I can't imagine my life without you Alex Randall! I look forward to watching you grow into a young man and can't wait to see what life will bring us! I love you!!!