Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Clothing Battle Solved!

In a perfect house there would be no battle picking because we would all just get along and see things from one another's point of view.
Wouldn't that be cozy?
Life, especially with a SPIRITED or STRONG WILLED child has more ups and downs than a roller coaster.
But without those challenges life would be pretty dull I admit.
So I love it when there are certain battles I find loopholes for and then that battle theoretically never has to happen again!

One of those battles now loophole is CLOTHES!
I was so tired of fighting with 3 girls about what they could and could not wear to school, outside to play, the store, etc.
"I am sorry but tutus are not allowed out of the house""
"No, shorts cannot be worn in the snow"

I decided to designate drawers.
It also helps my husband and others that have to dress or help dress the kids when I am not around!

Top drawer is always shirts of the school or going out in public type!
2nd drawer is always shirts of the play clothes type!
3rd drawer is my outfits/sweatpants/anything that needs a home that is home clothes!
4th drawer is always jeans/school pants!
5th drawer is always pajamas!

The kids now dress themselves. They can pick out their own clothes and I know that if it is a school day they can choose out of the school drawer and there will be no fight!
One rule = no dresses to school.
I admit I was a dress wearer and have fond and embarrassing memories of lifting up my dress more times than I could count :D
 My girls will not be following in my footsteps.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Happily Ever After

Having 4 girls makes for a feminine household. I say this because I don't declare myself as "that feminine".
Right now it is "princess this and princess that". I am sad to say that even my little boy wears a tutu and tells me he is a "pincess".
Our oldest 2 go back and forth on love and marriage. One day they are going to get married, the next they are not. Sometimes they want kids, and other times it's never. 
But now we have reached a dilemma, or a hitch I didn't expect.

From the time they were born they had the example of Mom and Dad.
Mom and Dad had jobs, met in college, fell in love, got married, kissed, and then decided on children,
in that order.
Life happens this way in our house and this is what Mom and Dad expect. By drilling it into them this young I am hoping that when life starts happening that they will pause and reflect on our teachings and hope it has some impact on their decisions.

Now the 2 oldest girls are in 1st and Kindergarten they are exposed to all kinds of families. Don't get me wrong, I did not grow up in that lifestyle either but I want what I believe is best for our kids.

I remember when the first crack appeared.
"I'm not getting married, I don't want to fall in love or a husband, YUCK, I just want a baby"
"In order to have a baby you need a husband"
"No sir, Aunt doesn't"
...
Very true
...
"Having a baby is hard work on your own. You have to be up with it all night by yourself, feed it and change it with no help, and it will be hard to work to buy it food and diapers if you are also taking care of a baby by yourself"
"Okay, I don't want a husband or a baby".
...
After this conversation the next one cracked me up.
"I've decided I want a husband"
"You do?"
"Yup, and I'm going to work at Disneyland as a waitress and he is gonna see me from across over there and say that I'm the most beautiful girl he's ever seen and I'll be his wife and we will get married in Disneyland."
And each time he gets more complimentary about her.
"I'm not going to have a baby in my belly like you, it was gross to have a needle in your back and to have a baby out your butt."
"Is your baby going to come from an airplane?"
"Nope, I'm going to take my money to the baby store and pick one out in the window?"
"The baby store, what window?"
"You know the window at the hospital where you take your money and they give you the baby you pick out."

So...
Was I wrong to portray life this way?
I know that most households are NOT this way.
We've talked about how some kids live but never put them in those roles.

What do you think?