“You won’t let your kids watch what?”

I am so beyond picky on what my children are and are not allowed to watch. I know at times it may not seem like it, I know some people say I let my children watch whatever they want, but really I don’t. For starters we do NOT watch almost anything on Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network. All they are allowed to watch are just a few shows on Nick Jr. We do not allow them to watch shows where characters regularly refer to each other as “dumb,” “stupid,” and especially not “retarded.” It can not show the main character repeatedly doing unintelligent things (i.e. beating themselves, acting as if they have no common sense, running around acting as if they have no brain…). We do not let them watch shows where they use soft/replacement swearing often. The characters can not always act in mean, ugly, hateful ways to each other without some form of consequence. That’s a huge one we’re against. All these requirements may come across as us being over protective of our children, and even people at our church have accused me of being silly about it. But this is just how we are. They are allowed to watch Saturday morning cartoons like Spiderman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and things like that, which we’re told goes against all the above. HOWEVER, 9 times out of 10 John or I are also in with them and should they say or do something we don’t approve we can explain it. Plus, while many might not notice it, most of those types of shows do have some sort of lesson you learn, just not in the obvious PBS sort of way. Speaking of PBS, those kid shows are about all the boys do watch, and they love them. There’re shows Zach enjoy that come on later during the day and shows Ryan likes all day. Though I have a slight beef with PBS too. (lol) We have had to cut two of their shows out of our programming because they pushed on political views John and I don’t agree with. Such as when a certain early morning show did a thing on vaccines and explained that “Mommies and Daddies who love their children get them vaccinated, especially for H1N1.” I am not against vaccinations, I am against new untested ones on my children especially when that particular sickness is already in season. Getting vaccinated then is pointless. Another show got banned when they pushed on many many political views we are against, too many to name all.

But we do let our boys watch all sorts of action/adventure/fantasy movies rated up to PG-13 as long as they are not too scary, have no nudity, and no sex. They know what cuss words are and why they can’t say them. They no behavior they should not do. Lastly, they know the difference between what is real and what isn’t. The reason we are more relaxed on this is that the people that they watch in movies like that, they aren’t children. They are older teenagers to adults and the boys know that adults have different rules than children.

So, yeah many people think we’re silly, but you know what, they’re are our children. We make their rules, not everyone else.

Sometimes life just isn’t fair

Yeah, I know that’s stating the obvious, but I’m in a sort of obvious mood. I’d been slightly stressing out over some things in my life recently. (Something I don’t advise, nor do I normally do) Like really really stressing. And I had thought that I had no reason to stress anymore. But apparently I was wrong. I did, now I don’t, and at this point I can say this isn’t at all what I wanted.

Morning People We Are Not

So as I've mentioned several several times, John and I, we aren't morning people. Not even a little. We are at our worst for several hours after we wake. Zach is the same way.
Every morning we go through the following battle:

6:30 - "Wake up and go get Zachary out of bed." "No, you do it, I don't want to."
6:40 - "Trish GET UP!" "Fine! Just go away!"
6:45 - "I mean it get your butt out of bed now!" "Go take your stupid shower and leave me alone. Zachary, get up!" "Nooooooooooo! Leave me alone! I don't want to go to school!"
6:50 - "Zachary get yourself out of that bed this minute or I will drag you off of it." "I hate you, I hate school, no one loves me! Go away!"
6:55 - "Zachary get dressed." "I don't want to wear these stupid clothes! Why can't I pick my own clothes!?" "Why the heck isn't he dressed yet?! We have to leave in five minutes." "Zach, put your clothes on now, or I swear you'll be grounded this week." "Fine! I don't like you now either."
7:00 - "Come on we have to go now!" "Zach, brush your hair and teeth." "No I want cavities and messy hair." "Cavities and messy aren't an option go do it now!"
7:05 - "Zach, come on we have to go! Get your butt to the door or I'm leaving you here with your mom."

And then they go. It's not always exactly the same, but its mostly the same every day. Three people who don't want to be up trying to get two of them out the door on time with a whole lot of yelling. After they leave, I go back to bed.

Sunday Sayings (4/25)

"A daughter is a miracle that never ceases to be miraculous… full of beauty and forever beautiful… loving and caring and truly amazing."

- Deanna Beisser

Saturday Snapshots (4/24)

1 Year of Bella in Pictures

I can not believe that a whole year has gone by since my Bellarina Belly Button was born. It just seems so inconceivable to me that she's now 1, but 1 she is. It has been a very hard year, but sooo wonderful too, and I love my girl so so much. (You can find her birth story here: Miss Bella has arrived!)

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Saturday Snapshots (4/17)

A Week in Updates (4/10-17)

Saturday

• "My headphones are in - that means go away and bug your daddy about it."

Sunday

• "listening to Bella sit in her bed saying "night night night night." She needs to go night night so I can go to bed!"

Monday

• "Ugh, why is it my one child who is a morning person is in a crappy mood, while my one who was up till midnight woke up bright eyed and ready to start the day at 6:30???"

Tuesday

• "My daughter is sitting in her seat farting up a storm and laughing her head."

Wednesday

• "Zach to Terrick 'Its against the laws of Heaven to be a brat.' "
  

Thursday

• " 'Bella, quit feeding the dogs so that they'll kiss you!' "

Friday

• "Oh please won't you all shut up?! Mommy's head is killing her!"

Easter 2010

So here are our pictures from Easter! (better late than never right?) Silly me, I left my camera at my mom's the day before so I had no pictures of Easter morning. We went to church the night before so we didn't go in the morning. We just got dressed, watched Up (Zach got it in his basket), then headed to my mom's for family get together.
Belly with her Maumau, my mom

Belly with her Bo-bo (my younger brother)

Belly with her great-grandmother Nana

My sister "helped" Belly look for eggs. (Code for she walked around carrying her and her basket while they both spent more time looking cute than for eggs.)



The boys hunting for eggs in my mom's front yard




Belly could've cared less about what was in the eggs. She was having too much fun looking at them, eating them, and being outside.


The boys' baskets full of eggs:


Belly and I

Sunday Sayings (4/4)

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Psalms 127:3-5