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Last night I slept right next to Lathan. He was so defiant yesterday that when I would sign "more" or "food" he would remove my hand from my mouth or separate my fingers, then turn his head and yell at me. This action receives discipline in the form of a pop. We sat together for hours on the kitchen floor and Oscar was in company encouraging Lathan. Lathan gave in, he signed "more" and ate dinner, but was adamant about holding out on "drink" and "water", so he went without. Every night he says goodnight to his siblings and his father, not last night. He was absolute. So without his warm milk before bed he and I fell asleep. This morning came and amazingly he still would not say, "milk, eat, or drink". Anytime that I would suggest it, he would smile, walk away, and play with his toys on the floor. Babies are amazing, amazing, amazing! My son knew exactly what game he was playing at. He went without all morning and gave no argument about it. Lunch came and he gave in again, "eat" he signed, "more" came right after his mouth was empty. Hurray! Yet, it has not been consistent, later when he wanted water he went right back to refusing to ask. Like I said, its a work in progress, and well worth it. I have a strong willed child, if its worth it to me to raise a great man, it will show in his character. It will show that I took the time, sacrificed what others might find silly to give up and make my children the priority, otherwise, I believe, I will fail him.

"Nope"

Lathan is not happy this morning. He wants to see what he can get away with. We work on ASL here in the house. He knows and uses his words regularly in sign. This morning he wants more and the way he is asking for that is by pushing me quiet literally in the direction that he wants me, in the kitchen to the counter where his food is. He would normally ask by putting his fingers together and applying them to his mouth. Nope not today. I have even reminded him of how we ask. "Nope" is his hand gesture by yanking his hands out of mine. The battle has begun. I will edit this post as decisions are made and there is a final out come... He cried and screamed, but no action with the hands. This went on for 3 hours, mind you he would show proof that he knew exactly what I wanted him to say and then would stop and scream at me when I showed him I was excited for good behavior. With his half hearted hand gesture I gave in, bad idea, really it is. I sat him down in his chair at his table and  put his bowl in front of him and he gladly filled his cheeks. However later at lunch he did sign no problem with Aunt Rina at Il Vicino, but trying to have him same more was just as difficult as this morning. A work in progress.

Blah!

Monday's are really not my Monday's. Tuesday's are more like my Monday's. Today has been hectic. Going to sleep late was not helpful considering I could have woke up a little earlier today. Today Lathan has gone without his bottle and only used his sippy cup. This has caused for a more than usual grumpy baby. He of all my munchkins is my extremist. He does not have a middle mode, he is either happy beyond measure or not happy. If you want to call tired and doesn't care if he sleeps in your arms, his car seat, or a bed, middle ground then I guess he does have one. So with today being his second day away from the bottles that he discarded, and my Monday, it has been a little exhausting. I went nowhere today, stayed in my PJ's & enjoyed snow this morning that was gone by noon, and that part I am excited about. Happy Tuesday!

So ExCiTeD to have updated my blog!

Ohh how much fun! A shout out to my brother Joey, for 3 simple little words; "click and type". I did just that and have had a few changes to the blog that have been so much fun! Keep a look out for fun new additions here and there. I look forward to any new ideas as always, as well as comments on new and old posts.
Adiós
Angelina

Be a Farmer

1. Prepare or break the soil
Soften your heart to the Lord for great things to be done in and around you.

2. Sow the seed
Read the Word, know who He is.

3. Water the seed
Like you eat to feed your body regularly, read, talk about,and write down to continue your growth with the Word.

4. Pull the weeds
When anything that will take away from given time to priorities starts to become "the priority" it needs to be squashed or pulled out. I have found that listening to the Holy Spirit here is best, really. Meaning when I debate the Holy Spirit, I find myself justifying unacceptable activity.

5. Wait
Patience is a gift from the Holy Spirit. Do what needs to be done in order to receive the rewards and let what happens beyond the visible eye take place; while you wait. Don't time God you'll get bored, or be unprepared, either way its better to just go on about your business and let Him take care of His part, the part you trust and believe Him for.

6. Reap the harvest
Enjoy and remember this part regularly, it has helped me when I get discouraged, reminds me that He is always there and brings Him glory!

*Posting inspiration thanks to Service this morning.

What Schedule?

It has been a little different since Oscar has taken the new job. Hours are not 9-5, then sometimes they are. I do enjoy him coming home later than 3o'clock, then sometimes he is home earlier. Coming home later allows me to really feel like the house is in order before he arrives. That is one of my great joys. I love a clean and orderly house; this was not the case in past years. Today he is home with us and then possibly off to work this afternoon. There have been so many benefits even in this first month; there have been days that I am really thrown off too, and that can be a benefit on days that I needed a new spin, and sometimes I am not happy that I did not know he was going to be home with us. Like I said it has it been different.

The story of stuff

I was checking out a bit of you tube last night found a great "BIG PICTURE" video.

Here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM&feature=featured

The reason it was important to me to post this on my blog was because we are raising the next generation for either poverty or prosperity. Those terms don't need to be attached to tangible items only. I need to consider what I'm leaving for my children's children. It needs to be a conscience decision not to make poor decisions that will effect our future generation. This video helped me see the big picture and be able to show my children too. I had them write down their thoughts after watching the video to see how they processed it. My four year old drew a picture of mountains being blown up, he explained to me that "they make aliens from that stuff they take from the mountains and it makes muscle ones that go into the sky.". You will need to watch the video to understand his four year old statement.

Helpers

 

Improving your day with your munchkins

Helpers

Wedding Bells

A new name for the same as always woman. It was a joy to watch my best friend say I do. I love you and thank you for having me and mine along for the ride.

Bottles

In order to train my little guy to use the restroom, there must be rules with the bottle.
1) The bottle is allowed when laying down and that is it.
2) It must be thrown away by his hands.
Eighteen months old and Lathan should no longer need diapers. I have not had any of my children in diapers past this point so there is no need to have Lathan either. It could be an easy transition, or not, either way I am ready to make this happen. The more Lathan's schedule is set the easier it will be for both of us.
I know when he wakes up he would usually have a bottle before getting out of bed with his diaper change,(6-7am). Transition; he will only have breakfast with us all at the table.
For his nap times I will make sure that he is tired. We will play and learn. With my purpose filled efforts of exercising his energy he will lie down with little fuss and put himself to sleep, without a bottle.
For bedtime time he will have a 4oz bottle and that will last a a few days before he will throw the bottle away. He is very familiar with the trash. He throws away many things throughout the day and even without needing to be told, which shows me that he understands. After the bottle hits the white pail, the diapers are a lot easier to take on.

Loves means...

My ultimate goal is to teach my kids to leave a legacy of who they are in Christ Jesus. A great man who showed us how to love others by living it out for us to see. Love is making the decision that is in the best interest of the person. It can be a great sacrifice sometimes, but even greater reward to know that you made someone's life better, even if just for a moment. I explain to my munchkins that love is a choice on an ongoing bases. I ask them "Will you choose to love?". It is important to me to show them that I love them and God loves them so much more. How wonderful to know that God is proud of them and loves them the way they are and so much  more to continue their growth into mature men and women. When you know you are loved and someone is looking out for you, how big of a difference does it play in your life? What different decisions do you make because you love someone or you know someone loves you?

Up and Coming Feild Trip

My children have a joy for riding the city bus. We really like taking them too, for what might be considered a field trip.  As far as I can remember, our only mode of transportation was the city bus, through all our years here in Colorado, aside a friend's parent. I wonder if my children had only to ride the city bus all of their days that they would be excited to stand and wait for its arrival, then sit and watch all the activity around them until they arrive at their stop, only to then walk the remainder of what might be left to their destination in whatever weather we Coloradans have that day. I may try this venture in a regular mandated time schedule to give them a new perspective and watch to see if there is a change of heart in their attitude towards the city bus. I would of course hope to see that they would appreciate it even more and all of those who work their life around the bus' scheduled day, and not their own.

Daily Inspiration and Accountability

We have lots of inspiration everyday. The way my children behave is inspiration to me, but where are they inspired? We read Proverbs in the morning, as a Mary Kay Consultant I listen to two hot-lines with women who have achieved much and share how they got to where they are, including lessons from failing, we receive e-mails that we all read with encouraging words, and we are accountable to those we admire, and we admire one another. Accountability is so important to me for inspiration, because I know someone has taken the time to look after my best. I teach my children to think about how they are addressing their siblings when they are helping them make the right decision,  I remind them to think about how the Holy Spirit speaks to them. He speaks with respectful and soft words, not with hard, controlling, and mean ones. I explain that in the end it will be there choice to make the wrong or right decision, and that will create their character. We discuss character all the time in this house, it allows me to easily address a poor decision and ask my kiddo, "Did this improve your character?". When we are inspired we tend to move away from the poor decisions, because we have seen and heard better outcomes with better choices. When we are held accountable it improves our character and gives us cause to be inspiration to others.

Happy Birthday Appreciation

Yesterday was Luke's Birthday. We do not get crazy when celebrating birthdays except every once and a while. Levi's Birthday will be tomorrow. Balloons are tradition, they wake up to balloons hovering over them and all over there bed, sometimes even on the floor. It's my hope that it will be something they cherish as adults. One of those simple, inexpensive, yet time consuming, exhausting, and so worth it treats. But as for a party we will probably have a shared cake with friends and family to enjoy a day this weekend. Souriya finished her CSAPs yesterday, and they receive a little something for giving a great effort and being there, she chose something for Luke, to give him as a gift. Today is St. Paddy's day and green is worn to avoid being pinched, my children all wore green yesterday for Luke, because they wanted to honor him on his special day. A choice they got together and decided. I love my kid's character. I try very hard to make sure we keep it cool on birthdays because I never want it to become something they expect. I want them to appreciate everything that happens for them or given to them on that day, or any day for that matter.  

Grooming your children

I love, love, love books that help me improve as a Mom, I found one last night. I was so excited to see the same ideas that I apply to our family page after page. I really was torn to put it down and sleep. If you have watched any new shows lately you may have caught on ABC TV's Secret Millionaire. She was one of the secret millionaires on the show. I was really intrigued with her story even as vague as the information was; homeless at 21 to being a millionaire at 23. We don't watch TV much and happen to catch this one in California with the girls. I was intrigued with her character. One of her books is called Grooming the next generation for success. Last night I was a Wal-mart picking up traditional birthday balloons for Luke and while waiting walked through the Book section. I saw on the shelf this title and began to read, Oh my goodness! 

Selfish

When in the middle of my crazy day yesterday I was waiting for Souriya to finish one of her CSAP tests. Standing in the lobby area I was thinking "Come on, Souriya, lets go". I was prompted immediately with another thought "Really Angelina, she is in there taking a test to asses where she is in her schooling and your day is more important". I needed a new perspective. I sat at the top of the staris and began to pray. I prayed for forgiveness for me and my selfishness, then on to Souriya's clarity in all she was reading and taking in. I prayed that she would receive a clear understanding in how to evaluate the problem and come up with a solution that would prove correct. I was distracted with all I needed to do yesterday but made a conscience effort to remember who was more important at the moment, not me.

A needed laugh

Today was so very busy. I do have a lot of these days, but I would dare say that most are productive because I am some what organized. That is to say I know where I need to be and when. Today everything was so mixed up I was a mess. In all of the chaos I received a text from a friend with perfect timing. It has always been important to make sure my friends know their value. I have slacked naturally now and then, but overall I really make the effort. So this is me giving you a huge shout out " Thank you Carle!".

Sit still

 

Ways to improve your day with your munchkin

Sit still

Taking the time

Not sure what was going on in my world yesterday but all my children seem to be having real difficulty taking care of business and even helping one another. I saw a lot of passing the buck, and bickering. Oh how that drives me mad. When these days occur, I take a minute and evaluate me. I know my children are a reflection of who I am. My mirror, for the most part looks pretty good, but there are days that it needs some real clean up. So, I needed to think, "where are they seeing me behave this way to other people?". I have not pin pointed it, but I will keep a keen eye on my attitude towards everyone around me. I also sat down with the 4 older ones around me on the floor and reminded them who they are. I showed them that who they are is never hidden, it shows in their actions and behavior towards themselves and others, and it was my responsibility to make them aware of that and then the decision was up to them to carry on that way or not. It was important too that they knew what I expected from them, I expected the best of who they are.

For better or worse

Being in my second marriage now, I can really appreciate the statement "for better or worse" and commitment. There have been really bad days in my marriage and combating them with the reality of "for better or worse" really makes a difference on how I react or behave in situations. The decision to be committed helps me have a lot more self control than I would if "pack up and hit the road" was an option. This is of course a deep conversation that I am posting so little for, but ultimately its a decision in the end.

Internal Clock 2

It is another early morning. Today began at 4am. Lathan was sharing with me this morning that he needed attention. I write little personal songs for each of my children, and this morning seemed fitting for Lathan to have his made up. I sang it to him as he fell back into dream world in my arms. This is one of those mornings where my mind knows there is much to do and waking up early needed to happen. I have quiet the check list in my head for today, I need to put it on paper before I don't accomplish very much of it and the day is gone.

Homeschooling

Homeschooling has been a highlight of our life. It really is a blessing to conduct my day with my little guys in toe without having them miss out on their education. The curriculum that we use is a public online schooling system. I have been provided with everything that I need to make it happen from home. I love homeschooling and what it does for us in the regular routine of our day. It is amazing what a child learns in everyday activities. A child learning how to think for themselves makes for a healthy mind. Individuality is needed and it allows those who will succeed to move forward beyond what is expected. I have found that homeschooling has offered me the ability to watch my guys grow at each owns pace and continue to become their own person too.

Memories to hold onto

Arriving in Denver was a smooth transition from LA, considering the weather getting chilly in LA and snowing when we arrived here in Colorado. I was excited to see my munchkins, so excited to see my husband. The faces were as beautiful as I left them them, if not even more so with a bit of character, (Luke and his wonderful Frankenstein scar). We were hugs and elated smiles staring at one another with stories to tell. My 14 month old son couldn't sit still waving and screaming to see me! That will make any day rank at the top. Then there was Levi who was asleep in the comfort of Aunt Lissa's arms.

Last day endurance

These girls are amazing. Today is the last day of March Radness here in LA. It began on Thursday morning and will end late this evening. Here you will find women from coast to coast on quads. They have come to skate and skate hard. They receive training from others who are confident in their skills and want to improve, and support all who want to take the sport to the next level. It's exciting to see the love and passion all of these women have for one another. I have enjoyed a fabulous time this weekend here in LA with a crew that looks to make someone's day better. It's been awesome and a privilege to be a part of March Radness. A special thanks to Bonnie Thunders and Demo!

Humble

She enjoyed every minute of play, even the final score. Deranged played against her sister Pyscho Babble and lost. Normally you would find these two taking care of one another on the same team but tonight was a little different. The crowd cheered for her and her team as tough they won. Deranged loves the game and the game loves her. This is because she is a woman with character. The list of her qualities are many, however humble is at the top.

What we'll remember

My children are exceptional. I know that it is due to their surroundings. Who they hear and watch, what they see come of those actions, and all the questions they ask that they get real answers for. Yesterday, after my best friend's husband dedicated his afternoon to four of my children while my husband sat with Luke getting stitches, they were on their way to eat. The children let Luke choose. They spent the day at Dave and Busters in Denver. His Uncle said, "I dont think he'll even remember smacking his head, he'll remember, that day we went to D&B". My children saw thier Uncle give freely of his time with joy, they watched their Dad be their pillar in the fear they were in, observed all of the staff, from the ambulance to hospital show respect and take care of the patient, Luke. They admire the behavior that brings order with true peace, free will to make the right choice because they want to. It is my joy to see them choose to be exceptional. A great way to remember the day, tough I do hope the scar reminds him to be a tad more cautious.

Wanting God to be tangible

I fly away from Colorado this morning and upon landing I call home. My news of a safe landing doesn't compare with the news my husband has for me. My middle child has cracked open his head, due to a stunt he pulled off at the pool. I naturally want to go home. Not because he won't be ok, but because I am his mom. Anyway, a ride in an ambulance and 7 stitches later, I am not back in Colorado. My husband and best friend's husband took great care of the situation, and all is well on the home front. With that said, this was one of the times where I love that I know, know, know God is with me always. Sometimes you need his presence so much more than you think. I tell my children He is there at all times, and sometimes, so much so that its like He is tangible. I love you Lord and Thank you for bringing me closer to you. Your daughter.

Everything has a place

I used to believe that things being a little messy and out of place was alright. Credit due to my husband; that is not the case anymore. He is a stickler for knowing where he can find something and likes it to make sense in anyone's home. For example the toothbrushes in the bathroom, extras in the medicine cabinet, or perhaps the linen closet. I can appreciate his perspective. Whenever I leave town or anywhere for that matter, I leave in confidence that I didn't add to his or any family member's plate, spending time finding things that really should have a place. It shows that I appreciate their time and help. There are many other reasons to have a place for all our other belongings; last longer, don't spend more money on something I already have,...

Up early

The house woke up with Dad today. It is his first day in his new position, and we are all so excited! Took a minute of family horse play, as always to get the blood going, and prayer. I know it meant a lot to him that we were there to send him off with dose of encouragement of what we have to come, a new adventurer. Soooooo excited!