Mirror mirror, on the wall....

We know it all as teenagers


When we are teenagers, we take a vow to never end up like our parents.  I remember swearing that I would never do "such and such" when I had kids.  But, that usually changes as we grow and mature.  Eventually, we realize that our parents really are cool and know a thing or two about life.  Somehow down the road, I found myself being just like my mom.  I mean absolutely no disrespect to my mother.  She really does know a thing or two about raising kids and getting kids to listen.  Today was a really good example.

What in the hell happened to my house???


Again, my kids had the house torn apart while I worked on some projects.  That usually doesn't bother me too much but the piece of straw that broke my back was when my 7-year-old daughter and her friend coaxed the dog upstairs with treats.  The dog has been trained not to go upstairs.  That's my one area of the house where I don't have an extra "kid" under my feet and dog hair all over. As many times as I had yelled at the kids about "ruining the dog's training" and coaxing her upstairs, she did it again.  I sent her friend home and grounded my daughter to her room until it was completely clean.  All of a sudden, the mess in the house was beyond what I could handle.


I found myself doing "such and such"

I hated it when I was a kid and my mom threw all my stuff in the middle of the floor when she was cleaning.  It showed me that my mom didn't care about any of my stuff, when realistically, why should my mom care about my stuff if I didn't care enough to pick it up and put it away?  Once she started doing that, we learned very quickly to get our butts off the chair (and fast) and start picking up.


So here I was, throwing my daughters' things in the middle of the floor and making a very big pile.  Because I was so mad about the dog being upstairs, I was kicking most of the stuff into the pile.  My 3-year-old had a "fort" built in the play/dining room with the Barbie house all separated.  She keeps tearing the flowers off the windows, doors and windows torn off the hinges and the furniture just thrown inside the house.  Right now, the Barbie toilet and bathtub are upside down in the kitchen.  I started kicking parts of the Barbie house and furniture over to it's rightful place and my daughter fell apart.  She wailed because "I don't like her Barbie house anymore." That was when I realized what my mom did was right on.  Why should I care about my kids' things when they don't take care of it themselves?  It was a very clear visual at that point.  The house got cleaned up very quickly and I hope they learned that if they don't care enough about their stuff to pick it up, it was going to get kicked and thrown around.

Mirror, mirror on the wall....

I am my mother afterall, and I am damn proud of it!  My mom knew a thing or two about raising kids.  Was she perfect?  No.  Did she make mistakes?  Sure.  She's human.  I learned things from her that I've tried with my own kids that didn't work, and tried things that worked very well.  All I can do is pray that my kids will learn from my mistakes as a parent and learn from me what did work and try other tricks that might work on their own kids someday.

In the meantime....

I'm going to continue to throw my kids' stuff in the middle of the floor.  My house is picked up now and in record time, too.  I'm going to continue to try new tricks and call my mom when I need help.  I find myself calling my mom almost everyday asking her the simplest questions.  And she really does know what she's talking about!  Read more at  Mirror,Mirror....

One of "Those" People

Anita Patterson/Morguefile.com

Have you ever paid attention around you when you're out and about and notice how many people are on their cell phones? Several years ago, I did and I've noticed a huge increase since. I've also noticed how annoyed I become when I'm surrounded by cell phone use. Ok, ok, I am one of "those" people occasionally but not to the extreme I see most often these days.

Restaurants, movie theaters, standing in line at a checkout.... There's always someone's cell phone ringing, an opportunity to listen to half a conversation and oh, especially those "bluetooth" users who look like they're talking to themselves.

What have we done to ourselves for this intensive need to have constant communication? What is the issue of not being able to go to the store without a cell phone "just in case" someone needs to get a hold of us? I'm all about having a cell phone for emergency use but is it really necessary to chit chat while you're supposed to be enjoying your meal with a loved one at a restaurant?

I've noticed the lack of awareness in our society. People don't pay attention to their surroundings anymore. Not many people will smile or say hello when they pass by another person. I am an old-fashioned person. I like the values in life that most people have forgotten. It's hard for me to go through life constantly looking for the bad in people or situations. I believe there's good in everything, you just have to look for it and when you find it, it's a wonderful feeling.

There's a huge list of phobias. It's quite an interesting list. There are fears over things I never knew existed. However, there is no fear of cell phones, at least I can't find one yet. There is also no phobia of forgetting their cell phone and no phobia of seeing someone on a cell phone. Who wants to wager on the time of such phobias will be added to the list? Check them out here: Phobias

I suppose I need to let go of this struggle I have over the new wave of technology. Don't get me wrong.  I'm overly impressed by how fast and how amazing technology can be.  I do take advantage of it from time to time.... ok, everyday.  But I do enjoy getting out and about and enjoying the world around me, not keeping my eyes blinded and my ear to the phone.  Afterall, I don't get out much these days.

A leap into the 20th century

Right now, this is my favorite story to tell.

I've been using a trac cell phone for years now. Since I'm a stay at home mom, I've never needed anything more. The phone is used for my own emergencies, not for anyone else to call and chat for whatever reason. My stepkids tease me about my "dinosaur trac phone". My husband had to get his own cell phone for work and since he uses it extensively for work, he has to be able to access his email, text and many more. So he bought himself the iphone 4 a few months ago. Recently, my stepdaughter convinced her dad to give her his iphone 4, well, she had to buy it off of him. He traded that iphone 4 for an iphone 4s. My stepdaughter leaped from an old obselete cell phone to a Smart phone. I couldn't be happier for them.

When the two of them got back, my husband handed me a white cell phone with butterflies on it and said "here..." the conversation went something like this:

Jeff: Here you go.
Me: Hey, cool! Why did you pick butterflies? (looking at my stepduaghter) I thought you'd get something like zebra stripes or something.
Stepdaughter: No. (showing me her purple phone)
Me: Is this yours? (looking at my husband, very confused)
Jeff: No
Me: Is it yours? (looking at my stepdaughter)
Stepdaughter: I have mine
Me: Then this is yours? (Looking at my husband)
Jeff: No.
Me: What?
Jeff: That's your phone.
Me: No, it's kiersten's.... (very confused)
Stepdaughter: No, this is mine.
Jeff: No, Kiersten has my old phone, I have my new phone...... This is YOUR phone (speaking very slowly)
Me: What?
Me: What?!?
Me: ...... what??????? This is my phone? I don't need a phone....
Stepdaughter: If you don't want it, I'll take it....
Me: No! Wait.... What?

I've never been so confused in my whole life. What took these goons so long is that after they left Verizon, my husband had second thoughts about my dinky-little-dinosaur trac phone and went back to the store and added another iphone 4s onto our plan for me.

I told my husband that I don't deserve this phone. I don't know the first thing what it's capable of. All I need a phone for is to make phone calls and nothing more. I've got a lot to learn.

Later that night, we went out to eat (my husband was feeling super generous that day!) and I texted my stepdaughter something like this:

Ha ha ha! Hardy har har! Tee hee, ha ha! Whooo hoooo har har! Ha ha ha! Guess who's got the dinosaur phone now!!! ha ha!!!!! Love, Jill

More Keepsakes!

 I'm thrilled to have finished three more wedding keepsakes for a friend.  'Tis the season of weddings!  Need a unique wedding gift?  All you have to do is mail me an original wedding invitation and I will decorate, ,frame and send it back to you.  Send a check along with the invitation or use Paypal.  Here are pictures of the latest wedding invitations that I've done.

This bride and groom had little motorcycles on their tables at the reception.  I will add a touch of any unique theme.

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This wedding had a Mardi Gras theme with masks.  See the mask at the top?

Embellishments are my favorite to add to any invitation or announcement.

I also do anniversaries, new births and graduations.  See my earlier posts labeled "keepsakes" for more pictures.  Thanks for looking!

There's Yogurt on the Window

We've had a very busy summer so far.  If we weren't going out and doing something, we've had friends in to visit and play.  I never mind having company, especially when it's someone to keep my kids busy, like a play date.  But today was different.  I just wanted a day with nothing to do so I can get caught up on my own stuff that I needed to get done.  My daughter was constantly asking for someone to come over and play today and I said, "we don't have to schedule something exciting every minute of everyday.  You have a bedroom full of stuff, go find something to do."  She responded, "I'm going to keep whining until you let me have a friend over to play with."  So there you have it.  That was my whole afternoon.

At 8:00pm, I turned around and looked at the house.  Good gracious!  This is what I get for letting the kids have too much fun while I stayed busy on my own tasks.  Heaven forbid, I accomplish what I need to get done without regretting it!  Of course the kids' energy rapidly depleted when it was time to clean up and I was left yelling.... a lot.  How many times do I have to say, "pick up those papers and put them away" before I go crazy?  In fact, I yelled so much that I started to lose my voice.  I didn't even yell that loud, just a lot.  I don't even want to know how yogurt got smeared all over the window and why the carpet is soaked in the playroom.  This is what I get for getting something of my own done.  I remembered an article I read on Yahoo! that said "stop yelling at your kids once and for all" and it said to talk quietly to your kids instead of yelling.  My first reaction to that statement was, "why talk quietly when yelling feels so good?"  Sometimes, yelling at my kids feels good to get all my frustrations out, then again, that just adds to my frustrations.  I suppose being a mom, I just can't win.

So here I am, 11:00pm and I'm sitting here for the first time in weeks and I'm doing nothing of importance.  It feels good.  I decorated three wedding invitations today, which my goal was to get them done by Thursday.   I can't wait to take pictures of the finished keepsake.  I will post them once they are finished.  I'll tell ya, these keepsakes are a unique gift.  They are beautiful and they preserve special moments in life like a wedding, anniversary, births and graduations.   If you're ever interested, I ship, accept Paypal and I would love to do a Keepsake for you.

The Meanest Mom

Today, it was declared by my children, not only at home multiple times, but also in public that I'm the meanest mom and I don't like my children.  I have never said, "I hate you" or "I don't like you" to my children... ever.  I will say, "I love you, I just don't like this behavior" to my children.  All last week, my girls and I were at Girl Scout Camp every day.  We hiked in the woods in 90 degree weather, got rained on, sat around a hot fire cooking food, made crafts, pot latches, and earned lots of patches.  We had so much fun that we pretty much wore ourselves to exhaustion.  As soon as we got home, the girls were to empty their bags, wash their hands and straight upstairs to shower and get ready for bed.  Then we would eat something edible for dinner and then we crashed.  I was lucky to do one load of laundry, just so we could keep wearing our camp shirts everyday.  Because of this chaotic schedule all week, my kids and I barely got enough sleep, which lead to all this mean talk from my children.  The girls are yelling at each other, fighting, spitting on each other and then just as fast, they can swirl around and be super nice to each other.  My 3-year-old started hitting me and yelling "no!" for everything I say.  How did my children become so mean to me and I'm the one declared as the mean one?  This is exhausting!

I think I figured it out today, after I treated my girls to ice cream and then after that their ears shut down for the rest of the day that I am too nice.  How can I be too nice and mean all at once?  I'm a mom, that's how.  I proclaimed today that anything that relates to me, gets put on the back burner until late at night when I can accomplish something in peace.  Today when I needed (not wanted) to buy a new pair of shoes, my kids automatically thought they could get something too.  This is after I said "no" a million times in the store before the shoe store.  Why can't I get something just for me because I NEED something and my kids get something they WANT just because they can?  Frankly, I get tired of saying no, but at times, I find myself turning it into a little secret game of mine.  How many times can I say "no" until I drive myself crazy?

We moms are too nice.  We put all our own personal needs behind everyone else's needs and forget to take care of ourselves.  When we do get a chance to take a break, we feel guilty.  Perhaps that's one of the requirements of being a good mom.  Who wouldn't feel guilty taking a hot bubble bath in the middle of the day when the babysitter is chasing screaming kids all around the house?  Well, I suppose I've put up with it long enough that I can put ear plugs in and know that I can take advantage of this babysitter while I have her in my grip and can't go anywhere until I get out of the tub.  She may never come back, but at least I got a bubble bath out of it.

It's important that we moms take care of ourselves.  I pray at night that God will keep me motivated in the morning to want to go to the gym and get a good workout.  He answers my prayers the very next morning (every single time I pray it) when my kids start fighting and wrecking the house, I grab my gym shoes and rush the kids out the door without a second thought.  I get two hours to myself and I can pound my frustrations out on the treadmill or spin cycle.  Read How to Survive Your First Spinning Class by Associated Content.  I will freely admit that I have shed tears on the cycle during class.  I have been that stressed and that frustrated that I can release all that through my pedals and out through my tears.  When I got it all out, I smile the rest of the spin class.

Moms, you owe it to yourself to ignore those mean comments by our children, erase all the guilt when you get a moment to yourself and it's OK to tell your children, "if you can be good for one hour, Mommy will be a happy Mommy for the rest of the day."   You are a fabulous mom, a loving mom and the most giving mom on all the planet.  Just don't forget to tell yourself that everyday!

That's a lot of hits!

I recently wrote 8 Uses for a Rainy Day Box and it has gotten 2,900 hits!  I've never written anything that has gotten so much attention.  I just had to share this fabulous article.  Parents!  Do you need to keep your kids busy while you're on an important phone call?  Need to get something done without constant interruptions, check out this article!  You'll be glad you did!

Getting married soon?  Know someone who is?  I was married 10 years ago, this September.  Making a Wedding Welcome Bag For Out of Town Guests has become quite the new fad lately.  Check out this article for something new for your guests at your wedding.  This article has reached almost 800 hits!

Interested in who the guards are of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier? This is a short article about what they have to do to become a Sentinel.  This has gotten over 250 hits.

How about reading an Interview with a Korean War Veteran?  My father-in-law tells about his experience in the Navy.  My father did the same:  Interview with a Navy War Veteran.

Thank you for visiting my Yahoo! articles.  I write for Yahoo! because writing has always been a hobby of mine.  What better way to get paid when you embark on one of your favorite hobbies?

What is it about slacking?

I met a new friend today and I was telling her about all the writing I do.  I realized that this sad little blog of mine has been neglected just like my journals.  When I logged into my blog to send my new friend the link, I noticed I got my first follower.  That prompted me to get back in gear.

As I sit here, listening to my dog snore under my feet, it's 11:30pm and I still have nothing important to say.  I have been busy writing for Yahoo! and of course, the Fourth of July activities has kept me very busy.  My husband has been working so much lately, I've hardly seen him in two weeks.  With that being said, I've gone borderline crazy with kids running around, me trying to write and still keep the house grounded; I'm not getting very far, or perhaps I am.  I've been double featured on Yahoo! and the beat assignments are rolling in.  I'm so excited to be writing for a reason but sadly, the lack of time given to me in a day has dwindled like mad lately.  I wonder why I'm so tired these days, then realizing it's because I've been up super late getting my own things done in peace while the kids sleep.

So, I don't have much to say, feeling like such a slacker.  I've got tons of ideas running through my mind but because they are overwhelming my brain, my brain shuts down and I have nowhere to go.  I get distracted very easily and I would swear on a hot fudge sundae that I've got ADHD.  My poor kids will always know me to have a laptop on my lap while multitasking love to them.  It's a sickness that I've created for myself.  I've read articles about going on a "technology diet" and how good it is for you to wean yourself off of technology for a while.  My brain has officially become mush and it needs adult stimulation: real knowledge and real brain exercises.  A "technology diet" would not be of best interest to me at this point.  If I did, I'd really go crazy!

Being a stay-at-home mom has been the best decision I have ever made for myself (ok, for my kids too).  I'm spoiled and I know it.  I don't have to rush out of bed, get ready, drop the kids off at daycare, work all day, come home and work some more and do it all over again.  Although, I do work just as hard as the full-time working mommies, I feel that I work even harder.  I'm sure all you moms out there feel the same. 

So here I am, jabbering on when I should be in bed.  So what keeps me slacking?  The quiet house when the kids are sleeping, no TV on for distractions, the phone is not ringing and I can sit here and waste time my own way.... and man!  Does it feel good!

Keepsakes by Jill & Judy

When I was growing up, my mom stayed home to raise us kids and she created keepsakes to sell to people for gifts.  She did so many of them, it was money she earned to help our family go on summer vacations. These keepsakes are all over the world now.  They are in England, Australia, Italy and many more places I can't think of right now.  They are beautifully done and very well made.  Now that I'm a stay-at-home mom, I have gone into business with my mom and we create these keepsakes together.

Keepsakes by Jill & Judy are hand decorated invitations or announcements for any life's milestones.  Anniversaries, weddings, graduations, new baby and many more!  Here are some pictures of the keepsakes I've done so far.

High School Graduation Announcement

Baby Boy

Baby Girl

 I also have different designs for babies, weddings and anniversaries.  So, for example, if you have more than one child, the baby announcement for each child would be a different picture so they are not all the same.

Wedding Invitation

 If you're interested in getting a keepsake for a gift or for yourself, post a comment or send me an email at jillzy@columbus.rr.com

Thanks for looking!

The Binky Fairy

I recently wrote an article When Should I Wean My Baby Off the Pacifier?.  I figured if I was going to write an article on that, I should practice what I preach.  My 3 1/2 year old was still sucking on her pacifier and had eventually learned to talk through the darn thing.  When we started saying "take that thing out of your mouth, I can't understand you...." it was time to make some changes.  So we started her off with the binky only allowed during nap time and bed time.  That was a rocky start but eventually, Ellen would get busy throughout the day and forget about her bink.  Then, as stubborn as she is, she would go upstairs and grab one of her pacifiers and cover her face with one of her blankies as she walked down the stairs, knowing she wasn't allowed to have it.  Yes, she walked down the stairs with her blankie covering her face.  I soon came to realize that every time she went upstairs to get her pacifier, it was because she was tired, bored, or upset about something.  Then we had to start hiding the binks and putting them up high.  That worked for a while but then it seemed that her pacifiers were coming out of the woodwork.  I figured out that Ellen was taking one of her pacifiers and she would hide it in her room.

It was time for the Binky Fairy.... 

Just before Easter, I tried to convince Ellen that if she gave the Easter bunny her pacifiers, he would give them to other little babies that don't have any pacifiers.  She was not too keen on that idea and I could see that it just wasn't going to work.  BUT!  Recently, one night I went to tuck Ellen into bed and I really couldn't find any of her pacifiers.  I really couldn't.  I told her that if she laid in bed and went to sleep, I would keep looking for her pacifier and bring it up to her when I found it.  Naturally, I never "found" any of them.  Ellen went 5 days without the pacifier.  She would ask for it every night and every night I would tell her that I still haven't found it.  She was the one who asked about the Easter bunny coming to take her binks and leave a present.

Here was my chance!

Ellen and I sat on her bed for quite some time the other night talking about the Binky Fairy. This is how the conversation went:

Me:  What do you know about the Binky Fairy?

Ellen:  She comes in my room and leaves me a present.

Me:  How does the Binky Fairy come into your room?

Ellen:  She comes in the window and flies around my room.

Me:  What does she do?

Ellen:  She leaves me a present in my closet, but she could leave under my dresser or over there, over there, there or there or there.....

Me:  Why would she leave you a present in the closet?  What if you don't see it or forget about it in the morning?  (no answer)  Do you think the Binky Fairy will hide your present?

Ellen:  uh, yeah....

Me:  Well, did you know that if the Binky Fairy comes, she takes your binks and you won't have them anymore?

Ellen:  Yeah....

Me:  Are you ready to give up your binks?

Ellen:  Yeah....

Me:  What does the Binky Fairy do with your binks?

Ellen:  She gives them to other babies.

This conversation went on and on.  I am so amazed at the "big kid" conversations I can have with Ellen.  She is the most reasonable 3 year old I know.

I stayed up pretty late that night making one of her presents from the Binky Fairy.   It was one of those Make and Melt projects.  A rainbow, like I had growing up.  She also got a fancy pair of dress up shoes.

The Binky Fair came?????????

Ellen woke up the next morning and walked right by her window where the shoes and rainbow were.  She came in our room and didn't even realize that there were presents in her room.  After a few minutes, she remembered and wanted to go downstairs to see what she brought.  I think she thought it was going to be like Christmas or something.  When I told her to check her room first, she walked in and still couldn't see anything new.  Good heavens!  She finally saw the window and got the biggest smile on her face.  She liked the rainbow the best and was really happy that she even left her a thank you note.   After a few minutes, Ellen says, "that's all I get?"

Oh, to be such an honest child.