Murphy's Laws for Moms

Here's yet another way to help kids learn through hopscotch...or have them tell you that you don't know how to count.

As a parent, I have found myself saying - and arguing - things that I never imagined I would.    We don't pet puppy bottoms.   Food does not go in the potty.   I've just answered your same question fifteen times,  so why don't you tell me what you think the real answer is. Yet, there seems to always be an argument that Murphy gets involved in and I simply cannot win .  Lately, this is the unicorn debate. The unicorn debate began when my daughter was approaching her fifth birthday.  She watched a Dora episode in which there is a magical unicorn who can fly the children around the sky.  It was such a happy unicorn and so, obviously, my daughter wanted one.  When I told her that unicorns are not real, the debate began. The debate started as a simple statement of, "Mommy, I want a real unicorn for my birthday.  One with magical powers that can fly."  The response that unicorns are not real was not understo...

One of the great moments for me, as a mom, are the moments I get a little bit of peace and quiet.  I love the chaos-filled days, but my mind and body also need to be filled with comfort.  I found this comfort on a recent trip to Alaska.  The calming effect that flying around such a marvelous wilderness had on my body and soul was inmediate. The beauty and majesty of the mountains and glacier reminded me that, while Murphy often tries to interject into our lives in an uninvited way, there is a greater force at work. A God who loves us - despite our parenting.

I'm a big fan of letting my kids sleep. I learned a long time ago that they function best when they get enough sleep.  The problem I now face is that they may get the right quantity of sleep but it's not the greatest quality. Somewhere along the way, my kids started hating sleep. They fight it. They fight me when I try to get them to sleep.  They work themselves up into such a fit that they suddenly drop...in odd locations and positions.  Then, they wake up and find themselves somewhere they don't usually sleep and get upset about that, too. So, the question comes to mind: when do you risk.moving them and when do you let them be? Let them be. They may be hogging the bed but at least you're both asleep. Let them be. They at least have a pillow. Depends. Did you just arrive home? Are you on the road? This may not look comfortable, but they may sleep like logs. Trick question. How can you not let them be? When they stop falling asleep in your arms, yo...

Since moving to the Pacific Northwest many years ago, I've become somewhat accustomed to the rain.  I still don't like it, but I'm now prepared for it with my designer rain boots and rain coat and lack of umbrella so I don't look like a tourist.  The one thing I'm unsure I'll ever become accustomed to is the fact that my children love the rain.  And, when I say love , I mean that they would prefer for days to be rainy so that they can go outside and splash in the puddles or run around and get wet.  So, what does a rain-loving child do when weeks go by with no rain?  Well, they make it themselves.  A rain-loving child wakes  up sometime before 4:30 am, escapes from his baby-proofed and booby trapped room. He goes downstairs without waking anyone.   He then finds both stoppers for the double kitchen sink, turns on the faucet and – as Elsa would sing – LETS IT GO! And, boy, does it go! It fills the sink until it sloshes over the edge cascading do...

My kids and I love to play outside. And, one of the activities we most love to do is play hopscotch.  It's a great activity to teach numbers, processes, coordination and taking turns.  As my children have grown, I've allowed them to draw their own hopscotches to practice drawing squares and writing numbers.   However, hopscotch can become a monotonous activity.  So, to keep it fun, I like to change up the rules every now and then.  Instead of just counting numerically from 1 to 10, we find other ways to count.  Here is this week's counting activity.  Let's see if you can figure out what we were counting! Hopscotch: The Murphy's Laws for Moms Way