Love is Patient

10 Little Ways To Show Your Wife You Care

nobody@vox.com(Love is patient) — Tue, 20 May 2008 12:15:12 -0700

10 Little Ways To Show Your Wife You Care

http://hubpages.com/hub/10-Little-Way...

Everyone likes to feel appreciated, and hard working women are no exception. When was the last time you did something sweet for the woman you love? If you can’t remember, then it has been too long. This is a lighthearted list of easy, painless ways to let your wife know that you love and appreciate all she does. Give her a genuine, sincere compliment. Saying “Gee honey, your butt doesn’t look that fat in those pants” will not count. That will set you back quite a bit, as will comments like “Those sunglasses look great on you! They hide the dark circles completely.”One night, just to be sweet, let her be in charge of the remote control, and don’t get all annoyed if you aren’t happy with her choices. Clean something. Anything, anywhere in the house will do. If you think everything is already spotless, be thankful you have such an efficient wife, and go clean out her car, or give the dog a bath. I know you are probably thinking that you don’t want her to get used to this help, and that is why you are terrified of doing it even once. Trust me, if she is an overworked wife and mom, she will be thrilled.Fix something around the house. Anything. If you are oblivious to what needs fixing, just ask her. I guarantee she has a list already prepared.Do the grocery shopping. Moms of toddlers especially appreciate this effort. Be sure to buy more than just beef and beer. She has a list for this too. While you are there, buy your wife something that is not on the list, like her favorite candy or other treat. Warning: Do not buy her favorite chocolate cake, or blueberry pie if she is on a diet, unless you want to wear it.Let her sleep late on the weekend, even if you can only keep the kids quiet for an hour. Bring her some coffee or tea in bed when you wake her. Feed the kids while you are at it, please!Pick up dinner on a week night so she doesn’t have to cook (or feel guilty for making you warm something up yourself). Pick up her favorite food, instead of yours. Tell her to ...

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Learning Games For Toddlers

nobody@vox.com(Love is patient) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 06:28:20 -0700

Learning Games For Toddlers

http://hubpages.com/hub/learning-game...

A comprehensive list of games and activities to encourage learning in all developemental areas. They are fun for kids and parents alike!

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Life Overflowing

nobody@vox.com(Love is patient) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:12:01 -0700

Some of my days with the kids are overflowing with hugs and laughter, fun and games. others, like today, are filled with a different kind of overflow. Noise. Excessive noise. A kitchen floor covered in cereal, thanks to my 1-year-old. Filled past the recommended capacity washer and dryer, due to the vomiting of my 8 year-old and trail of crafty debris throughout the house, compliments of my 4 year-old.
Trying to keep it all together without totally and completely losing my mind is my challenge, always. Love is patient may be my name here, but I would be a big fat liar if I pretended that I am consistently patient with my children. Patience is something I work at daily, and (with the love and mercy of God) I am making progress. Slow progress. But it is still progress.
In My Cup Runneth Over I write about this daily life as the mom of 3 little loves more extensively. As always, with a sense of humor and thankfulness for the life I have been given.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

QotD: Spring Cleaning

nobody@vox.com(Love is patient) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:31:47 -0700

My favorite spring cleaning (or anytime cleaning) tip is for getting hard wood floors clean. I make a pot (or even just a large cup) of tea and use it as a cleaner. I use it while it is still warm to clean my floors. I do this on my hands and knees to be sure that I don't miss a single spot! The results are outstanding, and completely chemical free / eco-friendly. You may want to use some kind of padding for your knees, if they aren't used to this type of work!

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Toddler Storms

nobody@vox.com(Love is patient) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 05:23:46 -0700

The first time my daughter had a tantrum, I called her pediatrician. I know that sounds crazy, even more so because she was my second child, and I was already a seasoned tantrum handler. But my daughter was only 13 months old, and she kicked, screamed and rolled around on the floor for an entire hour. She was inconsolable and she did not stop until she was thoroughly exhausted. Her tantrums peeked around 3 years old, to the point that I was often afraid to leave the house with her, not knowing when she would completely loose it.
The ultimate tantrum occurred at this time, in a restaurant,(luckily towards the end of the meal). She somehow lost a very tiny piece to a toy she had just bought with grandma (I advise against ever purchasing any thing so small that you have to crawl around on the floor to even see it) and we searched for it, but couldn’t find it. She began to cry, then scream. I quickly put the baby in her seat, and had grandma and grandpa take my other two children to the car as I pried my now screaming three year-old, who was refusing to leave with out the toy dog bone from her Polly Pocket set. She was gripping the side of her chair so tight that I had to pry her little fingers one by one to release them (in front of a full audience of diners) And carry her through the crowded restaurant.
It didn’t stop there. She refused to be buckled in the car, and when I leaned over to secure her belt, she lifted her knees to her chest, got her feet under me and kicked straight out, pinning me to the back of the drivers seat. I had kept my cool until then, and at this point I didn’t even scream, I cried in pain. I won’t finish this story. I will only say that it took me 3 months to get the courage to enter another restaurant with her.

Now, at four years old, she still has the occasional tantrum, but when she is put in her room to get over it, she will then tell me that she cried because I didn’t give her what she wanted. It has been a long road, getting her out of this cycle, helping her learn to use her words to express herself instead of screaming, and deep down, I still have a fear that she may go crazy on me again. I took four months for me to venture out with her to another restaurant after that incident, and she was a perfect angel.

Here is an article I wrote for HubPages that addresses the tantrum issue in depth. It also includes this hilarious video (if you live with a toddler, you will love it)!

Ask A Toddler - Special Delivery#1: "How To Throw A Tantrum"

Toddler Tantrum Taming has tips and advice for tantrum prevention and how to manage tantrum when they happen.
.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

The Perfect Mom

nobody@vox.com(Love is patient) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:19:37 -0800

We all want to be the perfect mom, but we also know that it is not an attainable goal. Don't we? This is an article I wrote (with a sense of humor) that explores the idea of the perfect mom - the woman you know that you think has it all together.
I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know what you think :)

The Perfect Mom Next Door

http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Perfect-M...

"You are the best Mom in the whole world," my 8-year-old said to me one night while I was tucking her into bed. I glowed for a millisecond. She followed up that statement with "even though you're not crafty."

Read and post comments | Send to a friend