Did you ever do something that you immediatley regreted?

So I am being vulnerable and hope to get only encouraging words and to hear stories to make me feel NOT ALONE!!

Today Merci had VBS and needed to be there by 9, we didn't wake up until 8:30 (very unusual). I rushed to get us all ready and out the door. Ethan and I also had a mom's day out at church, which is only 10 minutes from VBS and 30 minutes from home, so we just found something to do until we had to be at church at 10. You all know how 2 1/2 almost 3 year olds can be one of the hardest ages. Ethan is definitely HARD right now. I have to beg him to do almost everything I ask, nothing can be done without a temper tantrum. I have defiantly been stressed, and having to deal with my almost 7 year olds constant nagging and bad attitudes along with Ethan's bad attitudes. So after we dropped Merci off at VBS we went to Walmart to grab a a few things we needed, and then we headed to church. Ethan was very good at church, he ran around with his friend, he was a little whinny, wanting juice every 5 minutes, but whatever. Once it was time to leave he couldn't find the car we had just bought at Walmart (which I told him to keep in the car or my purse but he refused) I had to go get Merci on time, so we didn't have time to look for it. From then on all he did was whine the whole way home, about anything he could think of. He also has had this new thing where he tells me to go certain ways (like left or right) when that is not the way I need to go, and he gets ticked when I don't listen. I needed to stop at the post office and at the bank so he wasn't too happy. We got inside and I was going to make lunch. I usually let them watch a show while I prepare lunch, but he wanted juice and could not wait. I decided to pour some juice for him and asked where his green cup was, he told me it was in the sink and it was dirty (from the lotion he smeared all over it) and asked for his M&M cup, I poured it and then he threw a fit because he wanted the shark cup. NO YOU SPECIFICALLY SAID THE M&M CUP, SON.
He was whining and crying and throwing a huge fit and I just got so frustrated that I.......

I was debating putting this on here, but I did ask Ethan's forgiveness and he said sorry for his bad attitude so I guess I can share................................................................................................

I poured the cup of juice on his head=(

How mature, I know. I was just to my boiling point and made a bad choice. Merci came running in the kitchen and began scolding me which didn't go over very well with me. I knew I was wrong the moment I saw Ethan's face. But you can't turn back time only try harder.

Have you ever had a moment like this??

Tell us...

Two productive things you did today!
and
One thing you did for your children today!

101 Things to Do! From955thefish.com

1	Make a scrapbook of everything you do this summer The Basics of Scrapbooking 42explore.com/scrapbk.htm
2	Have a picnicPlanning a Picnic www.recipeamerica.com/picnic.htm
3	Write a letter to your best friend English Works! Writing Letters depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/writing/letter/writingletters.html
4	Visit another country Lonely Planet Destination Guides www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/
5	Go to a ballgame Major League Baseball Team Schedules mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/schedule/index.jsp
6	Get a job (parent permission) Teens 4 Hire www.teens4hire.org/
7	Become a photographer BetterPhoto for Kids and Teens www.betterphoto.com/photography-for-kids.asp
8	Make dinner for your family Do-It-Yourself Dinner Party Project (PDF) www.reynoldskitchens.com/ReynoldsKitchens/KitchenConnection/ special/dinner_party/DinnerParty.pdf
9	Compare a book to a movie Compare and Contrast Essay (PDF) www.csudh.edu/CLASS/services/studyskills/english/ webpageworksheets/comparecontrastessay.htm
10	Write a poem 30 Days of Poetry www.msrogers.com/English2/poetry/30_days_of_poetry.htm
11	Learn about fireworks How Stuff Works: Fireworks people.howstuffworks.com/fireworks.htm
12	Bake some cookies Science of Cookies www.bakingandbakingscience.com/cookies.htm
13	Take a boat ride Boat Safe Kids! www.boatsafe.com/kids/index.htm
14	Sketch a picture of your house from the outside Perspective Drawing www.artyfactory.com/perspective_drawing/perspective_1.htm
15	Go to camp Virtual Summer Camp www.homeschoollearning.com/summer/summer.shtml
16	Visit a farm 4-H Virtual Farms www.ext.vt.edu/resources/4h/virtualfarm/main.html
17	Take a walk and record the sounds Listening to Nature www.museumca.org/naturalsounds/
18	Make your own soccer camp Soccer Drills, Skills, Rules, and Tips www.soccerhelp.com/
19	Keep a journal of what you do during the Summer Summer Journal Writing Prompts www.astoria.fulton.k12.il.us/JuniorHigh/JrHiEnglish/summerhelp/ journal%20prompts.html
20	Cut up an old greeting card picture and make a puzzle (parent help) How to make your own jigsaw puzzle tn.essortment.com/howtomakeyour_rgzx.htm
21	Start a band Make Music! Start a Band www.mustcreate.org/kid_home/kids3_1.shtml
22	Make a new kind of sandwich Who Cooked That Up? – The Sandwich members.cox.net/jjschnebel/sandwich.html
23	Blow up balloons, put notes inside and hand them out to friends Message in a Balloon www.nmhct.nhs.uk/pharmacy/nmha-activities.html
24	Go backpacking The Beginning Backpacker www.backpacking.net/beginner.html
25	Go outside and find 10 different kinds of flowers Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center www.wildflower2.org/
26	Create a web site Lissa Explains HTML for Kids www.lissaexplains.com/
27	Go camping Go Camping America Kids Pages www.gocampingamerica.com/kidspages/
28	Invent a new dance Elements of Dance artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/2338/
29	Help an elderly person with house or yard work (parent permission) 20 Great Reasons to Volunteer www.volunteermatch.org/volunteers/resources/tipstricks.jsp
30	Visit the zoo National Zoo Animal Web cams nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/default.cfm
31	Learn a foreign language Free Online Language Courses www.word2word.com/coursead.html
32	Make an obstacle course in your back yard How To Set Up An Obstacle Course www.ehow.com/how_3113_set-obstacle-course.html
33	Make a treasure hunt The Ultimate Treasure Hunt www.allthatstuff.net/treasurehunt.htm
34	Read a story to someone Read Aloud Tips www.myscschools.com/tracks/parents/readtips.htm
35	Have a winter theme party Children’s Winter Theme Party Ideas www.partyshelf.com/Childrens_Winter_Parties.htm
36	Recycle bottles and donate the money to a local charity The Internet Consumer Recycling Guide www.obviously.com/recycle/
37	Clean up a nature trail Trail/Campground Maintenance www.volunteer.gov/gov/resultsZ.cfm?myPosition=trail&myTx=Trail/ Campground%20Maintenance
38	Build a tree house The Tree House Guide www.thetreehouseguide.com/
39	Create a new world World Building teenwriting.about.com/library/weekly/aa071602a.htm
40	Set up a lemonade stand Lemonade Stand Game www.coolmath-games.com/lemonade/
41	Learn or teach a new sport with someone Sports Illustrated for Kids www.sikids.com
42	Attend a concert Instruments of the Orchestra www.sfskids.org/templates/instorchframe.asp?pageid=3
43	Have a family game night What Game Should We Play? www.hasbro.com/familygamenight/pl/page.games/dn/default.cfm
44	Make a movie Movie-Making for Kids www.town4kids.com/town4kids/kids/digitalmedia/moviemaking/ movie_main.htm
45	Make a collage from magazine words and pictures Collage pbskids.org/zoom/activities/do/collage.html
46	Create a terrarium How to Make a Terrarium www.ehow.com/how_9374_make-terrarium.html
47	Go canoeing US Kayak / Canoe Disciplines www.usack.org/disciplines/disciplines.asp
48	Discover a new favorite author or book series Children’s Literature Web Guide www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/
49	Go to a museum Museums on the Web curry.edschool.virginia.edu/it/projects/Museums/ Teacher_Guide/Hotlist
50	Make a fire plan Home Fire Safety www.usfa.fema.gov/kids/flash.shtm
51	Make up bubble solution and have a contest Casey Carle's "Secret" Bubble Solutions www.bubblemania.com/faq/solution.html
52	Find a pen-pal (parent permission) Pen Pal Directories www.stonesoup.com/main2/penpal.html
53	Plant something Gardens for Beginners www.geocities.com/mastergardener2k/
54	Visit a tourist spot near your home Tourist Information Directory www.touristinformationdirectory.com/
55	Host a yard sale How to Plan a Yard Sale www.ehow.com/how_137461_yard-garage-sale.html
56	Build a sandcastle Sandcastle Tools www.sandcastlecentral.com/toolpages/
57	Donate some of the toys and clothes you no longer use How To Donate Toys www.ehow.com/how_10124_donate-toys-children.html
58	Research your family tree Family Tree Online www.familytree-online.com/
59	Fly a kite Professor Kite and the Secret of Kites www.gombergkites.com/howgen.html
60	Invent your own board game Design Your Own Board Game la.essortment.com/boardgamedesig_rxcu.htm
61	Use a compass or GPS to map your neighborhood Mapping your Neighborhood www.dnr.state.md.us/education/growfromhere/LESSON8/ LESSON8.HTM
62	Build a time capsule Making Time Capsules dlis.dos.state.fl.us/barm/preservation/conservation/time/
63	Act in a play So You Want to Put On a Play? www.writewords.org.uk/articles/theatre1.asp
64	Throw a cultural heritage block party Block Party Basics www.canadianliving.com/CanadianLiving/client/en/Food/ DetailNewsPrint.asp?idNews=230226
65	Make a bird feeder Plans for Building Bird Feeders birding.about.com/od/buildfeeders/
66	Organize a bike safety clinic Bicycle Safety Command Center www.state.il.us/kids/isp/bikes/
67	Spend time with your grandparents 10 Great Activities www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson136.shtml
68	Attend a first aid class Emergency First Aid Chart (PDF) www.ihsdesmoines.org/documents/Patient%20Education/ emergency_aid_guide.pdf
69	Dig for fossils Dinosaur Dig www.sdnhm.org/kids/fossils/
70	Write a song Notes on Songwriting www.robinfrederick.com/write.html
71	Tie-dye some t-shirts How to Tie-Dye iaia.essortment.com/tiedyedyefa_rmel.htm
72	Take a dog for a walk Tips for a Better Walk with Your Dog rubyglen.com/pets/dogwalk.htm
73	Have a paper airplane contest Paper Airplane Contest Rules www.frankenmuth.k12.mi.us/fhs/science/PA.html
74	Go without TV for a day TV Turn off Network www.tvturnoff.org/
75	Sign up at your local library for their Summer Reading Program Summer Reading and Learning www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscresources/summerreading/ summerreading.htm
76	Learn some new outdoor games Games Kids Play www.gameskidsplay.net/
77	Make something from recyclables Crafts from Recycled Products www.makingfriends.com/recycle.htm
78	Share your favorite movie with a friend Movie Mom movies.yahoo.com/mv/moviemom/
79	Make home made ice cream Kitchen Theater Science in a Scoop www.carnegiemuseums.org/cmag/bk_issue/1996/julaug/ dept4.htm
80	Jump on a trampoline Trampoline Safety Rules www.outdoorfunstore.com/trampoline-safety.asp
81	Get a magazine subscription (parent permission) Magazine Listing www.magsonthenet.com/chilmag.html
82	Organize a scavenger hunt Outdoor Scavenger Hunts www.lovetheoutdoors.com/camping/kids/scavengerhunt.htm
83	Go swimming Video Clips of the Swimming Strokes wellness.lattc.cc.ca.us/real/strokes.html
84	Paint a portrait of your best friend Draw Your Friend www.arts.ufl.edu/art/rt_room/sparkers/friend_portrait/ portrait_friend.html
85	Start a collection How to Start a Collection www.ehow.com/how_10563_start-collection.html
86	Write a fairy tale Fractured Fairy Tales and Fables teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/mff/fractured_fairy.htm
87	Travel in time Odyssey Online carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/MidElem_Home.html
88	Stargaze and track the moon phases Astronomy for Kids www.dustbunny.com/afk/index.html
89	Learn how to sew Learn to Sew www.sewing.org/enthusiast/html/e_learntosew.html
90	Visit a National Park National Park Service Guide www.nps.gov/parks.html
91	Rent a video of a ballet Easy to Read Profiles of the Histories of Ballets classicalmusic.about.com/od/historyofballet/
92	Roast marshmallows How to Roast a Marshmallow www.ehow.com/how_1164_roast-marshmallow.html
93	Watch the birds Tips on Getting Started with Bird Watching www.birdwatching.com/tips/kids_birding.html
94	Arrange a bouquet of flowers Virtual Ikebana web-japan.org/kidsweb/virtual/ikebana/virtual-ikebana.html
95	Learn to blog (parents permission) How Blogs Work www.learnthenet.com/english/html/20how.htm
96	Re-decorate your room Decorating Gallery www.bhg.com/bhg/decoratinggallery/
97	Learn to play chess Chess is Fun www.princeton.edu/~jedwards/cif/intro.html
98	Adopt a pet (parent permission) ASPCA Adoption Tips www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=adopt_tips
99	Keep your brain going Brain Teasers www.brainconnection.com/teasers/
100	Teach someone to use email How eMail Works www.learnthenet.com/english/html/20how.htm
101	Create your own holiday A Month With No Holidays? Make Up Your Own! www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson018.shtml

Kid friendly recipe..sorta!

I came across this recipe in Taste of Home Aug/Sept 2001.

I made it with the kids today! I was pretty easy and the kids got to help (Forgot to take pics).

Peanut Butter Puddingwiches

3/4 C Peanut Butter
1 1/2 C milk
1 C Cool Whip or like
1 small package chocolate or vanilla pudding
Graham Crackers

Line 1 13x9 Pan with foil. (I think the quick release stuff would work very well, I used regular and it made it kinda messy and hard). In a mixing bowl combine Peanut butter and milk until smooth ( I mixed it for a little bit). Slowly beat in chocolate pudding mix ( I did it all at once on medium speed) until blended. Fold in 1 C Cool Whip ( I just beat it in with the mixers!) Pour mixture into foil lined pan and freeze until firm.

Break or cut grahams into squares (break big cracker into two) cut frozen pudding mixture into squares (same size as grahams) and put between toe crackers. Place individually into plastic wrap and freeze overnight.

We ate some right away and they were messy. I guess freezing overnight will make them more solid!

Enjoy!

I let the kids add the ingredients and I would put the ice cream squares on one cracker and they would top it with another and ad to pan! With lots of licking fingers in between=)

Cute Idea

Have you ever asked your child what they want to buy someone for a gift?

I do this all of the time with Merci, and funny, but she has come up with some of the best ideas!

Some gifts she has suggested for daddy: a motorcycle...a real one wasn't in the budget so we got him a hot wheels one!, screwdrivers, which he had mentioned one day and I had forgot, he was very excited when he opened his new full set of screwdrivers for Christmas, a snow tube, which has been so fun to go sledding with in the winter. I am sure there are more, but I forget.

Yesterday we were in the car and I asked her what we should get her teacher, since today is the last day of school, and she said, Mrs. Means only likes yellow laffy taffy. I was kinda like, well we aren't buying your teacher laffy taffy. We had to return a movie at Blockbuster so I decided to just get her teacher a gift card from there...who doesn't rent movies, right?? And while we were in line we saw a bag of Laffy Taffy on the candy rack, so we had to get it. I took all the yellows out and put them in a cute bag! Is that corny?? I wrote her teacher a note saying Merci just really wanted to giver her, her favorite candy!

So the moral of this post is that if you don't involve your children in picking out people's gifts, you should, they do a great job! They are quite perceptive!