Positive discipline

Well, we had an incident with Myles this week that really caused me to stop and wonder what I'm doing wrong when it comes to discipline. We've settled into this routine where anytime we ask Myles to do something, he will ALWAYS either ignore us or say no (unless it's something like eating a piece of cake). So we'll sternly ask him again and sometimes even a 3rd time. When he still doesn't comply, we'll say Myles...Myles...Myles, are you listening to Mommy? (or Daddy) Our voice grows more stern with each syllable. He always looks over then to acknowledge us. Then we'll start counting...one...TWO...and he complies. He doesn't want us to get to three because when we do, he gets a swat on the bottom. (while many parents disagree with spanking, we do not as long as it's never done in anger)

This strategy, though, is getting old. And it's not correcting the root problem that he doesn't listen to us the first time we ask. So I've hit the Positive Discipline book again. I started reading it when Myles first started throwing tantrums and found he was a little too young for me to adopt many of its practices. At that age, only distraction was appropriate. But these days, Myles is clearly smarter and learning to manipulate. He's also pushing his boundaries more and more each day. As we observe his frustration at times, we realize we are simply not doing things the right way and something needs to change.

So while I am not a reader (I hate reading, actually), I will be reading this book in record time, hoping to bring Myles up in a loving, respectful environment...with limits.

If anyone else has any thoughts, suggestions or other good reads, please let me know. This is a difficult process, but a critical one. Myles' future depends on it.

Wordless Wednesday

Isn't he just precious? We've all been sick so I'll have to catch up tonight or tomorrow.

Our new addition

Ha! I'll bet I fooled some people with that title! Nope, no babies here...instead, we have added our newest toy to the household and it's a goodie! Myles is really into "meanies" right now. Anything with "big teeth" is a winner...sharks, alligators, T-Rex dinosaurs, etc.

So while at Toys R Us tonight (where we were purchasing something for a brand new baby), we came across this dinosaur, which Myles HAD to have! Although Myles is acting a little timid with him for the time being - especially when he coils his entire body and roars - I expect that he'll be a household favorite very soon!

My dancing friend

I've never thought of Myles as much of a dancer. Heck, he never even seemed all that into music. After all, Kindermusik class was more about chasing him around the room than actually participating in the songs and activities! But maybe he's about to prove me wrong...or perhaps he was simply waiting to hear music that lived up to his taste!

We took Myles to see Mr. Richard, a talented local children's musician, at Chick-Fil-A last night. It was our second time seeing Mr. Richard, with Myles showing "some" interest in June. But tonight was different. Myles really seemed awed and into the music. He remembered a Mr. Richard song from the last time we saw him called "Sloopy Doop" and he wanted to hear him. So I took him up to put in his request. He DANCED throughout the entire song and laughed out loud in the greatest joyful spirit you've ever seen. He was having a great time! He had Mr. Richard laughing, because - in typical Myles fashion - it wasn't enough to just dance. He wanted to PLAY. Meaning...play the guitar! He got right up in face of the guitar and started lightly touching it during the song. Before the night was over, Mr. Richard was showing Myles how to strum a chord. It was very cool and even more cute!

Oh, and I bought Myles the newest Mr. Richard CD while there (which sadly, does not have Sloopy Doop on it). It was signed, "To my dancing friend, Myles." Your friend, Richard.

How sweet is that! Check out Mr. Richard's site here...if you aren't local and don't know of him, he's fabulous and has something about him that kids love. Check him out!

Myles and his best buddy

So last night was rainy, canceling our plans to head down to Lake Eola for some playtime. Instead, we did something even better...Myles got to see his best buddy, Calvin for the first time in almost 2 months! Calvin's mommy, Jade, had her second baby in early June and we have tried to give them the space they needed to adjust to life as a family of four. Now that they are fairly well adjusted, we were able to resume the friendship. I haven't seen that little boy so excited in a long time! When they pulled into the driveway, he was literally shaking, he was laughing and smiling so hard.

It was really neat to meet Elijah, the new baby, and see how amazingly well Jade is doing as a mommy to two boys! She's truly an inspiration! And of course, it was very sweet to see Myles and Calvin pick up where they left off, just being boys and having fun. I hope we'll have more playdates with Calvin soon...it was too long!

Free gas offer!

Kraft and Publix are teaming up to offer $10 ExxonMobil gas cards to people who buy $50 worth of groceries, including four products from Kraft. The product mix that qualifies for the rebate is comprehensive -- including Capri Sun, Crystal Light on-the-go packs, Handi-Snacks pudding, Kraft salad dressing, Kraft mayo, mac & cheese, Oscar Mayer Lunchables, Post cereal and more.

You may receive a total of three $10 gas cards through this promotion by only submitting one form. However, you do have to spend $50 for each card, and receipts have to be dated between 7/7/08 and 7/27/08. The complete details are available on the mail-in rebate form here.

Thanks to the Orlando Sentinel Frugal Force blog for this great tidbit! Happy shopping!

My date with Myles

So Billy's mother came to town this weekend for our niece's birthday tea party and decided to stay at our house after the party. Billy owed her a "date" for her birthday in June. They decided to go and see a 3-D movie, giving me and Myles the perfect chance for our own mother/son date.

Of course, Myles and I went on a date where the main attraction was food...a new gourmet cupcake shop in Waterford Lakes called "Sweet." OK, this is precisely why I had to confess in a recent blog about my poor ability to instill good eating habits. But when I heard about this place Friday night, there was no way I was passing it up! My cupcake was one of the most delicious, heavenly things I've ever tasted!!! And Myles got a "kids" cupcake, which was about half the size of mine but came with a side order of M&Ms and gummy bears. Holy cow, you could have heard a pin drop at our table! We were both simply swept away by this decadent food!

We're heading to Monkey Joe's later this afternoon for some fun bouncing and to run off some energy. Gramma Mac (Billy's mom) will be joining us. Here's to trying to squeeze out every last minute of fun from this weekend!

Wordless Wednesday - a kiss

Teaching good eating habits

I have to confess...I am a poor eater. If I could, I'd live on chocolate, Mexican food and Diet Coke. Of course, since I don't have a death wish, I avoid this type of diet. But oh, the thought of it makes me hungry this very second!

With a never-at-rest sweet tooth and wishy-washy willpower, I have not done the best job instilling a good diet in Myles. He, like me, LOVES chocolate and anything else sweet that he can get his little hands on. He hates vegetables, can do without most meats and eats only a select few fruits. The only other food he seems to be addicted to (other than sweets) are carbs.

I've gone many a day to pick him up at day care, only to learn he ate 'only bread' at lunch. He tends to do a little better at breakfast and they always inform me he 'makes up for his lack of lunch' during snack. Of course, that's on days when they aren't serving carrot sticks for snack!

I've always been amazed by moms who make their own baby food, as well as those who engage in the debate of whether to buy organic or not. Organic!?! I am lucky to get my kid to eat ANY fruits or veggies so I couldn't care less if, when he does eat something good for him, it is organic. Our pediatrician told me to simply continue offering him a variety of foods. "Sooner or later, he'll try them," she insists. Meanwhile, I have to be sure that when I do put the dreaded green beans on his plate, it is accompanied by mac & cheese and a hot dog.

I'm not even close to giving up on this fight. But I now realize some mistakes I've made along the way that have led him to be such a picky eater. Mistake #1: my diet.

Fireworks for the 4th

Myles spent July 2-July 5 sick. He caught pink eye and also had an ear infection, which required antibiotics that caused diarrhea. It was not a fun weekend. However, we did manage to get out to some 4th of July fireworks that night. He was up and down all weekend and that night happened to be an "up" so we took advantage. We stayed in the car for most of the fireworks display but he was able to see a nice sampling for about 15-20 minutes, before we decided to call it a night and try to beat the traffic out of there.

Poor little boy was so sick...it's put me back in the "no more kids" camp. What the heck would I do with TWO sick kids? Or even one sick kid and another one to try to entertain and keep well? How do people do it!? With me being as wishy-washy as I am on the topic, we're certainly not going to have another one soon. We need to feel much more strongly than this!

On a positive note, I'm very fortunate to have such an understanding boss. When the daycare called at noon on the 2nd, telling me I needed to pick him up, she didn't bat an eye. This makes it much easier to maintain a career. And fortunately, I'm never so buried in work that I can't make up for time missed due to a sick child. It's all-around the right situation for a working mom!

Here are a couple of photos from the weekend - one as we celebrated my dad's birthday and the other of Myles at a local Ocala park.