Keeping It Real: We're in a Rough Patch

So, in the spirit of honesty and making sure you all don't think we have this idyllic life, filled with nothing but roses and fairies, I'm here to tell you that we're in a really rough season with Jacoby right now (and I'm sure he'll be delighted to read about this in ten years (: ).  Back around the holidays, we started having major emotional control issues.  And this month, behavioral issues have cropped up at school.  I've gotten numerous notes from the teacher and a phone call from the principal (on my birthday, no less).  And the kind of things being reported from school are completely uncharacteristic of Jacoby and have really made us wonder what in the world is going on in his little head.  So, I finally convinced myself this weekend that this isn't just a "little phase".  I dusted off some books, checked out what has worked well for other parents, and swept away cob webs in my brain where the play therapist part of me used to be active and got busy with a few things.  We now have Calm Down Corner, a place where the boys go when they are super frustrated and angry.  It's a place to focus on sensory things that help us calm down so we can come back and figure out a solution to our problem.  The boys totally dig this spot, and have even claimed to be sad just so they can sit and spend time with some of the sensory things.  Time outs were doing us no favors in terms of actually trying to deal with anger in a productive way.  We also started gem jars to reward positive behavior.  The boys are working toward small rewards (when their jars are half filled) and big rewards (when the jars are full). These have been a big hit, and we've already noticed a shift in everyone's attitudes since we're focusing more on what's going well instead of what our problems are. Tomorrow I have a parent-teacher conference, so I'm hoping to get a system worked out with our teacher so that we're on the same page both at home and at school.  Next on the list will be our doctors if these things don't help.  Whew!  Ok, confession complete.  (:

In other news, we took a less than fun trip to the mountains on Saturday.  We had hoped to find some snow, but instead got gale-force winds and only a smidgen of the white stuff.  Bummer.  We really miss winter.  The boys and I finished James and the Giant Peach a couple of weeks ago and have now started Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (sort of on a Roald Dahl kick, he's such a good story teller).  We watched the James and the Giant Peach movie, but Jacoby was not impressed with the screen writer's interpretation of the story.  He felt like they left out some of the good parts of the story.  We were really busy with our Valentines this weekend.  We have nearly four dozen to complete, thanks to the numbers in both of their classes!  We found something easy and fun, so they've been a good project.

 The boys making a birthday treat with Justin

 We are cold and miserable in this picture and are making our way back to the car after trying to be outside for a whole seven minutes

Calm Down Corner: books, therapy putty, sensory balloons filled with various things like rice, play dough, etc.  I also now have a pinwheel to encourage belly breathing and am adding a wave jar.

 Jamming on the piano...here for the moment to make room for Calm Down Corner

Gem Jars

 Jacoby's 100th Day of School Project all finished

We made it to the 100th Day of School!  There were no less than three major food activities last week, and we made it!  Can I get a Hallelujah please!?  (:

Jacoby has learned how to take pictures on my phone.  Here are a few from his portfolio:

A Birthday Project -- 35 Acts of Kindness

I turned 35 today!  Yay!  I wanted to do something special to mark this milestone.  Justin and I spent a lot of time talking about giving during the holidays--how do we raise our boys to be givers? how are we different or similar when it comes to giving? what should our giving priorities be for our family, etc?  So, I happened to discover the story of a mom who spent her birthday doing random acts of kindness (the story is here) and decided that I would take on a similar type of birthday project that focused on spreading kindness and giving back in my community.  I wrote down a few things I for sure wanted to accomplish but left the list mostly fluid so I could be open to opportunities that presented themselves.  And I didn't save all 35 acts of kindness for my birthday, but instead spread them over the past two weeks.  I was worried that something could come up like a sick child or a crisis at work, etc and foil my plan.  So, here's a look at the 35 acts of kindness:

1.  Donated sheets and towels to the Boulder Homeless Shelter
2.  Left cookies and a note of encouragement for our mail carrier (and got a nice note back!)
3.  Donated books to the library
4.  Got the oil changed in the car for Justin (and ended up having to get a timing belt change along with it!)
5. and 6.  Left high-value coupons at two different stores (I was a recipient of this one time and it was such a blessing)
7.  Donate our unused Neocate to our allergist's office so they can give them to other families

5 cans of Neocate=approx. $173.75. So glad they'll be going to other families instead of being tossed!

8.  Helped a colleague at work (anonymously) with a task to alleviate some work load
9.  Brought muffins and a thank you note to the elementary school office staff
10.  Brought muffins and a thank you note to the preschool office staff
11.  Brought cookies to work
12. and 13.  Wrote encouraging notes to two colleagues at work
14. and 15.  Sent notes to two family members
16.  Donated clothes to the thrift store
17.  Tried to bring shopping carts in to the store--I'm such a wimp and I'm sure anyone watching probably got a really good laugh during this effort.

I could only manage three carts!  I definitely have a greater appreciation for the staff who have to clear these from the parking lots each day!

18.  Picked up trash on one of my walks
19.  Took a library book back to CU for Justin
20.  Wrote a thank you note for the person who puts the "busy bags" together at church (our boys love them!)
21.  Left $2 with a note at the Red Box machine

I found the Kindness notes here

22.  Made a donation to FAAN (Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network) in the boys' honor
23.  Smiled and said hello to a stranger
24.  Helped a friend with her surprise party (see prior post for that whole story)
25.  Gave puzzles we've outgrown to a friend and her little one
26., 27., 28., 29. Made blessing bags and handed them out to four people without homes

We get these bags from the dentist, so I repurposed them into blessing bags filled with samples and travel-sized things, tea, etc.

30.  Wrestled with the boys--I realize this should seem like a given since I'm their mom, but they're really big and heavy now!  So, definitely an act of kindness to be at their mercy for 20 minutes of wrestling.  (:
31.  Bought coffee for the car behind me at Starbucks--the barista told me this would probably start a chain, so yay for spreading more kindness!  I asked him to tell the gentleman behind me to have a great day.
32.  Left change at a vending machine

33. and 34.  Wrote notes to two friends I've needed to get back in touch with
35.  Helped 28 Kindergartners wrap 28 hot dogs with crescent rolls for their rodeo lunch (and smelled like a hot dog wrapped in dough for the rest of the day).  YeeHaw!

This was a really rewarding experience and a great way to celebrate turning 35.  I learned a few things:  1) there are so many ways to pay it forward, and it doesn't have to mean spending a lot of money (I kept my budget to $35 and my donation to FAAN was most of that); 2) time and talent count for a lot; 3) I'm most comfortable giving anonymously; 4) I hope we can incorporate giving and service into our family life...I think the boys are ready.

And now a bit about how my birthday went today:

**I took the day off.  This is probably my fourth year running for this little tradition.  My colleagues have caught on and cornered me for lunch yesterday.  I did, however, get summoned into the office for an hour to help David with a semi-emergency.  Got to work in a cubicle since my laptop was at home...an eye-opening experience that made me really thankful for my lovely office.
**I went to the Container Store with a generous gift certificate from Christmas.  That place is an overboard organizer's paradise.  (:
**I went to Costco.
**The boys were told they were in charge of my birthday because Justin had a late meeting tonight.  So, we decorated cupcakes (leftover from another Kindergarten party) and they helped me open a present.  They also made me a card, which I think says that I'm pretty everyday.  (:
**At Morgan's suggestion we cranked up the Laurie Berkner Band and had a freeze-dance party for about 40 minutes, and then all of us collapsed on the floor in exhaustion.
**Jacoby has a loose tooth!  Yay and EEWW!

It was an awesome birthday!  Thanks to all who called, wrote, texted, and emailed--love you all!

Getting Healthy

We've been working on getting healthy again.  Morgan and I took a sick day last Tuesday.  We laid on the couch together and watched Lady and the Tramp.  He and I both got the worse of the bugs, and he's still got a runny nose and cough.  Jacoby bounced back from his illness quickly, so he was back at school to finish up the Rodeo unit.  Justin was the only one who made it through without getting sick.  He had a review with his supervisor and got a new title, a raise, and is now a regular part-time employee (instead of being on a 6-month contract).  I rallied enough by the end of the week to help with the Rodeo lunch at school and help with a friend's 40th birthday surprise party.  I got to use my sway as the boss's assistant to keep him at work until 6:30 pm on his birthday for a conference call. (:  He was told on the call that our boss was taking a job at the White House (not far-fetched since he's been there before), who our interim president would be, etc.  It worked, he was surprised, and actually still believed that our boss was leaving until well into the party when we broke the news to him.  (:  I'm glad it ended well, but I'm now officially retired from surprise parties--way too stressful!

Some of Jacoby's favorite friends at school

 The Kinders used a rope from gym class to lasso the principal and bring her down to their class for lunch.  It was so cute!

 Boys playing at the park.  Our weather has been really warm, so we got outside to enjoy some sunshine once we were feeling better.

 In the yard playing soccer

And the post just wouldn't be complete without a picture of our favorite chalkboard fridge!  At least I didn't treat you to 50 pictures of it this time.  (:

When Super Heroes are Down...And a Project

The boys got a nasty bug this weekend.  Jacoby went down first with a 102 degree fever and had to miss his field trip to the Stock Show.  He was sad about that and so were we.  Morgan went down on Saturday and is still running a fever.  There's nothing but snotty noses, hacking coughs, and crankiness around here.  We've been watching a lot of movies to keep everyone comfortable and happy.

Life is no fun when the boys are sick.  And I find that the things that often drive me crazy on normal days, are the very things I miss on sick days.  One of Jacoby's defining features right now is that he is super loud.  He sings at the top of his lungs when he's in the bathroom and has a full repertoire of sounds he uses when he plays.  Sometimes I long for an "off button" when I need a bit of peace and quiet.  When he's sick, it's way too quiet around here and I really miss his volume! And Morgan, my child who is never still and always in motion--the house just isn't the same without stomping and thumping!  My super heroes donned their capes and masks today, but a lot of their missions were interrupted by hacking coughs, tissue breaks, and lying on the floor for rest...so sad!

In other news, I painted our fridge!  We inherited a hunk of junk when we moved into the house.  It has a lot of cosmetic damage and is a major eye-sore in an otherwise beautiful kitchen.  So, since a new fridge is not in our budget anytime soon, I've been researching some possibilities for several months and finally settled on one I thought would suit us until we're ready to upgrade.  For Christmas, the boys (the small and the tall) gave me a gift certificate to Lowes AND a whole day to myself to do any project I wanted.  Obviously, the germs thwarted the second part of the gift, but I bought myself a gallon of paint and a few supplies and got to work Saturday morning.  It was very easy and turned out so well.  We love it!

Here's the hunk of junk in all of its damaged glory.  The boys were concerned we'd never get to the food inside after I removed the handles.

Lots of rusty scrapes and dents

After one coat of paint.  The color is Classic Teal.

After three coats of paint + a secret ingredient. (:

I added grout to my paint, so once it dried it was a chalk board! This was much cheaper than buying actual chalk board paint, and a lot less toxic.

Morgan making sure his magnets still work

It's really cool and feels just like a chalk board!

Jacoby trying it out

My little artists at work

Justin even tried it out

It looks great and adds some color and whimsy to our kitchen...and the ghastly rust scrapes and scratches are gone!

My littlest sick, super hero

We are happy to have an extra day at home today because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.  Justin overheard Jacoby telling Morgan that Martin Luther King was killed by a bunch of angry white guys.  Not too far from the truth!  Don't worry, we spent time learning other things about Martin Luther King too and why he's an important part of our history (especially for Inauguration Day today).

Have a great week everyone!

So Cold!

It is really cold here in Colorado right now!  The boys and I tried an experiment Sunday morning...we wanted to see what would happen if we blew bubbles when it was freezing cold outside.  Well, the frozen bubbles are pretty cool but we only lasted about 10 seconds out on the porch.  At least we learned a little something while freezing our toes in the name of science!  We've kept busy indoors with activities and try to channel extra boy energy whenever possible.

The boys really like Legos right now

We were proud of Jacoby for figuring out how to put a roof on his house

I'm not sure what was funny at the time, but I do love this smile!  This boy is a busy running, jumping, building, reading, talking machine right now.  I'm pretty sure he doesn't walk anywhere...it's always a jump, stomp, run, or slide.

The 100th day of school is being celebrated at the end of the month.  So, the Kinders are working on a very special project.

They have to fill a 10 x 10 grid with items of their choice, pattern, etc.  I found a couple of options for him (tricky trying to come up with 100 of something that can be glued to paper!) and Jacoby chose these tiny beads.  He's been working on it very meticulously for the past couple of days.  He also noticed that we got to page 100 in James and the Giant Peach tonight!

I'm still perfecting my pasta making skills...it's really like playdough for grown-ups.  I tried ravioli this weekend and still have a ways to go before they'll be ready to serve to anyone outside our immediate family. (:

I spent time in the Kindergarten class on Friday and also attended a parent meeting with the principal, who I really like.  I also really like being in Jacoby's class.  They're doing a rodeo/cowboy unit right now and will be attending the Denver Stock Show on Friday (and even get to ride on the school bus).  Jacoby has been so excited for this adventure.  Justin is the lucky winner this time and gets to go as a chaperone...and I'd bet my spurs he's not quite as excited, but still up for wrangling 28 Kinders for a day.  (:  All of the kids have cowboy names.  Jacoby's is Festeus, and from what we know, Festeus has magical powers and rides a unicorn!

Jacoby has also taken to fixing Morgan's breakfast in the morning!  He can do just about everything, except pour the milk.  It's very sweet and we love seeing his helpful side.  Morgan thinks it's pretty cool too.  It really helps that Jacoby's tall enough to reach the cupboards now...he even served Morgan marshmallows for a snack one day before we had a chance to intervene.

That's about it from our neck of the woods.  We hope you all are warm and have a good week!