MOPS and Autumn

I really enjoyed my MOPS meeting today. I just love the ladies in my small group. Two, in particular, really seem to be kindred spirits. The speaker today was very insightful. She addressed 5 Big Points of life that are most useful for raising your kids.
1) You have Unique Abilities
2) You have a Direction
3) You have a Respect Need
4) You Have A Capacity to Love
5) You have Unique Vulnerability

The respect issue really spoke to me. She pointed out that you can't teach your children to respect if you don't even respect yourself. Self-esteem has always been a bit of an issue for me.
She also addressed the issue of Discipline vs. Punishment in arena of respect. Discipline simply means teaching. You teach your curious,, adventurous 2-year-old not to play with certain things. If an accident occurs, like Mr. Mischief knocks over a lamp in an area where he was not supposed to be playing, rather than punish you use more discipline. You teach him to clean up after himself and demonstrate the consequences for his actions. Rather than quelch his adventurous nature, teach him that it needs to be bridled.
Punishment should really only come into play if he is disrespectful. If he knocks over the lamp, you teach him a lesson and he is defiant regarding that lesson he is exhibiting disrespect. It is not the accident of knocking of the lamp that is the really serious issue, it's the need of a child to learn respect, not only for his parents, but for himself and everything/everyone around him.
Good concept.

The other important part of the meeting was learning that another family is dealing with Celiac. My new friend, Sarah, has a two-year-old diagnosed with Celiac. I am so thankful for this new network! She's going to introduce me to her pediatrician, take me on a grocery tour of Silver Spring and show me the best place to get the blood screen done. Praise the Lord!

In other news, Maryland decided to go Autumn today. It's sunny, breezy, crisp and cool outside. I'd find the weather beautiful if I had some jeans, but I'm waiting to buy them until Heather comes shopping with me.

Gabey's birthday is on Thursday! Heather arrives on Friday! Yay!! Fun week.

Career Decisions

I've finally decided definitely what I will do when I go back to school. I have about half a semester worth of credits left to get my bachelor's degree in economics. Although I will have to take another 30 credits just because I would be transferring to another school, but it's still the least work I would have to go to get a degree. Odds are I will go back to school when Johnny does his hazard tour.

After my bachelor's I will get a teaching certificate. My career moves will depend on what my boys are up to. I may homeschool them and simply tutor, or I will try to teach at a private school overseas and put my boys in that school.

Eventually I may get a Master's and apply with the foreign service. They have job opportunities for couple tandem jobs, meaning Johnny and I could work together. That's way down the road, though.

So, there it is, my 20 year plan. Babies, travel and uncertainty make this plan very sketchy, but that's the outline.

Somehow My Children Are Surviving My Parenting

So we've already gone through the saga of me allowing Gabriel to careen towards a mountains river; yesterday was another chance for me to qualify for the mothering Darwin Awards.

I left the boys in the kitchen while I walked out to grab the mail. I left both doors (one leading from the kitchen to the garage and one going out of the garage) so Zach could watch me. As I walked I chuckled to myself about how terrible it would be if Zach knew how to lock the doors. Next thing I knew:

*slam*

Zach shut the door coming out of the garage. I hurried up and tried the door. Yes, it was locked. I calmly knocked on the door and told Zach to unlock it. He jiggled the knob a few times and started to cry. He couldn't get it unlocked. Starting to get a little disconcerted I knocked again and tried to explain to him how to unlock it. He launched into hysterics. I immediately shifted from somewhat disconcerted to frantic. I pounded and yelled at him to please unlock the door.
I ran around trying all the doors and windows to no avail. I finally ran to the neighbors and called 911. By the time I got back Zach was quiet, which made me even more nervous. I managed to climb high enough to see inside the kitchen window. Zach was sitting at the table looking forlorn. When he saw me he started to scream again, which set Gabriel off. Zach climbed up on a chair by the window and cried and Gabriel crawled too close to the window for me to be able to see him.

The firemen finally showed up and each took a turn as they reached me asking me if any windows were unlocked. Had they not been my potential heroes I would have been annoyed. Yes, I realize I let a 2-year-old lock me out of my house, but I'm not completely dense. Did I mention I was still in pajamas?

One man then asked me the disturbing question: "If you had to lose a door, which would it be?" Fortunately, the very large lieutenant managed to force a window open by pulling it off its runners. He climbed in, unlocked the door and brought Gabriel out:
"I just grabbed the loudest one. The other one is still crying."

The captain then proceeded to lecture me about why I should give a key to a trusted neighbor. I guess they failed to hear me when I told them that this is not, in fact, my house. Oh well, I couldn't be too uppity, they did just rescue me.

Zach was easily calmed by the sight of the fire engine and the firefighters were completely charmed by him. In the end, once my heart rate dropped below 200, it wasn't such a bad experience. And it's a great story.

I blame the boys for my sharply dropped IQ.

New Chapter

We're settled in Silver Spring, MD! Johnny started his new job on Monday and he is loving it.

The boys were amazing on the trip. We had a DVD player set up in the car, via Johnny's stroke of genius, and that saved our sanity. The first leg of the journey was Sheridan to Sioux Falls. The day went without much event. The next day was Zachary's second birthday. Yes, I have a 2-year-old! Agh! We made it from Sioux Falls to St. Paul. We went to Chuck E. Cheese for his birthday, joined by the lovely Kirsten Lindberg. It was so nice to see her. The next day was spent in St. Paul with Johnny's sister, Carolyn, her husband, Jared, and my beautiful, adorable niece, Madeleine. Johnny's mom also made the trip out to say goodbye and to spend time with the Banks family.
We headed to Menomonie, WI the next day to visit Great-grandma Richards and finished out that leg in Bloomington, IL. From Bloomington to Columbus and from there to Silver Spring! Thus concludes my tedious recounting of the trip.

And I'm too sleepy to post anything remotely interesting, so more updates to come.