I have come to realize that being a leader in a retail store has taught me how to set better boundaries for the kids. Giving them obtainable goals and setting time frames for them to complete them. Then giving them the consequences right up front so that there are not any surprises when it happens. Funny how it is exactly the same for my team at work. The hardest part is the follow up piece and sticking to the consequences when they don't meet the expectations. This works for most kids, however I think I have one that is unfazed by anything being taken away other than thinking we are the most horrible parents alive!

This past week we have given Mason a little more freedom and last night I found myself quoting something I had heard Dr. Phil say once (I know, cheesy). "There are only two things we have to provide our kids...clothes to wear and a place to sleep. Anything beyond that is a privilege." He says we catered to Megan this summer and well yes we did. Megan is a 4.0 student and hasn't broken our trust. We trust her to do what we say and she does it, therefore she gets privileges. If she chose to break that trust, she would then lose privileges. Mason only sees that we are letting Megan do what she wants. We try to trust Mason and as soon as we give him a tiny bit of freedom, he goes and does something stupid and we catch him lying about it. Life would be so easy if he did two things! 1. Do what is right (trustworthiness) 2. Do his best in school!

I have tried to explain to him how he makes himself more miserable by lying and doing things he knows will get him in trouble.....don't know if he will ever get it! It will be a long 4 years of high school for us and him if he doesn't. I am hoping that his sports will help him want to do good and be trustworthy. I am hoping he will learn to assume good will from us rather than thinking "they will say no anyway so I am going to just go do what I want" attitude that he has right now. Because I can tell you now, that isn't working out so well right now! He has zero trust from us and will have to earn it back. I just don't know how to get through to him. I'm at a loss

Easter 2010...Young at heart!

Rob with Megan, Mason, and Merick coloring away at all those Easter eggs!
Megan isn't usually camera shy, but it was a no shower, messy hair day and being a teenager girl and all, she didn't want to give me any blackmail pictures....(she knows I have one already from when she is about 5 though!)


Pretty much for the last couple of years, we have moved away from the traditional "color" Easter eggs, hide them, hunt them. For some reason this year, we decided to do just that. Now with a 15, 13, and 9 year old, you wouldn't think that it would be very entertaining, but you would be wrong! Rob came home with 5 dozen eggs! Yeah you read that right, FIVE!!



Merick picked out a couple of different design packets to use and they started the fun! Pretty soon, they had the entire table filled with cups to color all of the eggs. To see them all actually getting along was a miracle in itself!



One of the kits we bought had a magic crayon. That was my favorite!!! You know I had to write my own eggs and color them purple right?? Big shocker I know! You could write on the plain egg and when you put it in the color, it showed what you wrote. Merick wrote one that said "I love Mom!" Awe, be still my beating heart!



Next thing I know, Rob is in the kitchen helping them and making his own special egg.....I think it said something like "Christy is awesome and pretty much rocks every day". Okay, maybe it just said "Megan is a dork" or something like that. I could wish right?



Memorable to say the least! Easter morning, Megan went out and hid the eggs in the back yard for the boys to go find. I was worried that Mason would be too competitive and end up fighting with Merick before they were done. We were watching out the window when Merick lost his basket and dumped it out. Okay, here we go! To my pleasant surprise, Mason stopped looking for his own eggs and helped Merick pick up his basket and fill it back up. I have to say little things like that really make me so proud of my kids. They can show acts of kindness to their brother or sister! Who would have thought!

Everything that matters

So I have this friend who recently reminded me that we have to live in the moment because we never know when our lives can be changed in an instant forever. I sometimes forget that and let things get me side tracked that really don't matter. Well, this is what matters to me: I have a husband who supports me through anything I may be going through. He is truly my biggest supporter. He still loves me when I get mad for no reason, he doesn't mind when I am not always so lady like. I can always be myself around him and he doesn't judge me. Rob knows when I am upset or nervous before I even show any signs or when he hears my voice on the phone. He knows me better than anyone else. We may not always agree or get along, but we have learned to have a mutual respect even during these times...not an easy task! I like to sleep in, he gets up early. I like to stay up late and he falls asleep as soon as he sits down. I hate shopping and he likes it. I am pretty shy around people and don't make friends easily and Rob is always talking to someone and so easy going. I can tune out the kids and the dog, it drives Rob crazy. I hate going grocery shopping, Rob usually takes the kids and does it while I am at work so I don't have too. I let him put gas in my car most of the time :--), and he does it so graciously! When I have bad news or great news, he is the one I want to share it with first. We finally realized that we should do what makes us happy instead of what makes everyone else happy. I am so grateful to have him in my life!

I remember going through the HSP with Mason a few years back. He struggled to walk because the pain was so bad and there wasn't really much we could do for him. Thank God he has grown out of that and it never came back. Doctors said it would come back about every 6 months. Mason is pretty healthy now. Mason is a pretty smart kid and I wish he wouldn't waste his talent. He is athletic and can be a loving kid. My biggest wish for him is to not be a follower and do what he knows in his heart is right. I want him to do good in school and not have to struggle through life's achievements.

When Megan was little, we started putting her in dance classes. That didn't last long, she hated it so much. She started sports in elementary school and finally found what she was good at. Basketball and softball. Academically we have been so impressed with her determination and her great spirit she has every day. She can really make her dreams come true and I am sure she will. I hope she far exceeds our expectations!

Having our scare with Merick two years ago also brought back what matters to me. He is a strep carrier and we didn't know it. It started to effect his kidney's. We had to have him on blood pressure medicine for almost a year and a pretty strict diet. Very tough on a 7 year old boy. He became an expert at getting his blood drawn. Merick is ray of sunshine, though I think we will have many sleepless nights when he gets older. His fad right now is UFC wrestling. He wants the real stuff. I told him that his mom wouldn't let him do it and I wouldn't sign a permission slip for him. He still loves WWE and can mi mick every move they make, but now a real fighter. Like I said...sleepless nights ahead of us.

This is what matters to me. Every day life making new memories with my family!

Every year around this time of year, I wonder if I should be doing something else with my life. I realized the other day that I base that entirely on my career choice. I think I start feeling this way because it is the slowest time of year for retail and the expectations become greater on my shoulders. I always rise to the occasion, but I find myself wishing I had a normal job with normal hours. My other option is to promote again within the company...next step is to have my own store. I had finally made a decision and let my boss know that I was ready to move up! I talked to Rob about it and then didn't think about it for a few days. Rob brought it up again later saying that he told Megan about my decision. He told me she said "I am so happy for her and very proud of her", and then she started to cry. I realized I had crushed her entire world with even the remote possibility of leaving her high school life here.

Megan has worked so hard to achieve her goals in life, and well, she has more goals then most kids her age. I pray that I had a hand in who she has become. I also look back at my career I wish I could change sometimes and understand why I have made the choices in my life. I love that my daughter is so selfless that she would tell me how proud she is of me when her heart is breaking. I am so proud of her in every aspect of her life and I have to admit, that I am pretty lucky. We often base our lives around our jobs and let it interfere with our lives. I just feel blessed that I have such a great family who is truly proud of me and who I am. I can endure anything with their love and support.

Happy New Year

Starting the year out right once again. We are going to change our lifestyle again. Seems that we have been struggling with it this past year since I had my surgery. I haven't really been committed to working out like we did before.....and I am feeling it! I am ready to get back into my old jeans!

This year in a nutshell has actually been pretty good. I can't complain about much. We are all healthy, both of us have jobs...some days we both hate them, but non-the-less we have them. I have three great kids. So far they all stay out of trouble...I am hoping that continues.

Megan has a good head on her shoulders. 4.0 GPA, Harvard plans, and playing softball and basketball. It has really kind of been a blessing for her to be involved, because it forces us to be more involved.

Mason...well I have to say is struggling with his grades a bit. When I say this, I don't mean he is not smart by any means. He is just lazy when it comes to school. He can take an ISAT test and pass it with flying colors, but on a day to day basis, he struggles. He does do a fantastic job working with Rob though. He is probably better than any apprentice Rob could hire right now. When he turns 16 he can get his official license and start the program.

Merick is my funny child. He is a goof. He is also doing pretty good in school although I see him heading in Mason's direction rather than Megan's. Must be a boy thing!

I hope this year will lead us to better and healthier things. I appreciate all of my family and friends. One of my New Year's resolutions is to spend more time with our friends. We just don't do it enough!