Operation: Stay cool, calm & collected

February 26, 2009~

Lately for whatever reason I've been a little short tempered with the kids.  As a result I've actually been able to see a difference in the kids' temperament.  Instead of asking me for things they whine and cry and they fight like mortal enemies.  It always seems like we're in a constant struggle; they scream, I scream, they scream louder, etc.  And the louder, madder and more short tempered I get the louder, madder and more short tempered they get.  So I've decided to NEVER scream and always keep a totally calm head.  That way the situation will never get too escalated and they'll realize that it's easier just to stay calm.  I'd like to think I'm naturally like that.  Andy used to tell me that's one of the things he liked most about me, that I maintained the "3 C's".  But lately I've just been a little crazy.  Anyway, yesterday (Day 1) went great.  The kids were still out of control but slightly less so than usual and I managed to go the entire day without losing my cool.  Today is about the same so far, but it's my birthday so that always puts me in a better mood.  I certainly don't expect to get instantaneous results but I am pretty optimistic.  I've certainly been able to see the major downturn these past few weeks.

I should also mention that by not yelling at the kids I am not excusing anything they do and they certainly won't be getting away with any more than usual.  I still expect to hand out my fair share of spankings and stern warnings (not screaming) but I'll at least be in the right frame of mind when doing so.  Wish me luck.  Who knows, maybe I just have uncontrollable kids and this is my excuse for a crazy physiological experiment but I'll certainly keep you informed on how it goes, successful or not.

UPDATE:  I wrote this post on February 26th but didn't get around to posting it until March 21st.  Since I started with my no yelling policy things have surprisingly gotten better.  I can't exactly say I haven't screamed at all since then but it's definitely a lot more rare and the kids take me more seriously when I do.  I've definitely seen an improvement in them.  They've been a lot more calm and as a whole I think we've all been happier with the new change.  I would say it's a success!

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Today Amber is a quarter of a century old! I wanted to publicly express how much I love Amber. She is the sweetest, kindest, prettiest, wife anyone could ever ask for. Not to mention is probably the most patient wife there is, because I don't know how she puts up with me.

It was love at first site, about six and a half years ago and my life was completely changed that fateful day. I love you honey! Thanks for being my wife and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

It's ALMOST HERE!

It's almost here... I'm ready for it to be over already.

Anyway, the Bakersfield Californian wrote a wicked sweet article on the film today so go grab a paper or check it out HERE or http://www.bakersfield.com/619/story/699871.html

See ya on Friday!

Run Pictures

Feb. 25, 2009~

I know I keep rattling on about how nice the weather is and how amazing all the trees and plants are but here's one more... (I can't help myself).

Today on my run I made a little variation of my running route.  I crossed over the train tracks and ran alongside the orchard and the tracks.  Here's what I saw.  Granted I took these with my phone so they're not the highest quality but I was amazed by how pretty it looked (and smelled too).

My Good Day☺

February 19, 2009

Today... was a good day.  It's hard NOT to be happy when you have weather like today.  I woke up totally ready to get stuff done.  I managed to clean the front half of the house, completely spot clean the dining room carpet, dust everything and thanks to LISA I got a good start at cleaning the crayon on Evelyn's walls.  The trick, for anyone wondering, is a combination of baking soda and water made into a paste.  It still takes a good amount of elbow grease but it works!  Anyway, I digress.

I have been totally enjoying the trees blossoming all over town lately and then this morning I looked out my kitchen window to see this.  Yay! 

While I was admiring the amazing backyard view I got a call from the library telling me that the book I've had on hold for weeks is in.  Double YAY!  I didn't have a car seat for Preston so Liz let me put him down for his nap over at her house and Evelyn and I got a little girl time out.  I took her to the library to pick out some books (and get my own).  Everyone has been raving about this book so it better be worth the 6 weeks I spent waiting for it. **UPDATE: I FINISHED IT! AND IT WAS WAY WORTH IT!**

We still had some time before we had to be back so we took a little detour to the marketplace.  And thanks to this seriously expired* gift certificate that's stuck around for years in my wallet we got some delicious Coldstone ice cream. 

*the fine print on the coupon says "expires December 31, 2005 except in Ca... etc."

And we enjoyed the beautiful fountain.  Evelyn was afraid of falling in so she wouldn't get too close but I did manage to get this really cute picture of her.  I gave her a coin to throw in the fountain and she actually caught me off guard by how excited she was when I told her that she got to make a wish too.  She talked about it all the way back to the car.

When we got back the kids hung out with Grandma and Grammy for a few minutes and then we did a bit of this...

This is how we roll!  Preston's great at riding the handlebars.  I kept trying to scoot him back onto the seat but he preferred riding further up.  I think his little butt fits just right between the bars.  In case your wondering this IS NOT dangerous.  With our combined weight the bike tops out at about 5 MPH.  I think you could probably outrun us if you wanted too.  We drove around and then went around the back to check these out...

There's sheep practically in our backyard.  Granted it's kind of stinky sometimes when the wind shifts directions but it's fun to go out and watch them.

And to top everything off I get to write this blog and share my great day with YOU.  And you know YOU'RE awesome!

Just Enjoying the Weather

February 18, 2009

Today we spent a good amount of time outside since the weather was so nice.  We took Dmitri outside for a bit and then Evelyn took Sophie for a walk.  In Evelyn's attempt at dressing herself she managed to put both her shirt and pants on backward.  I don't know how obvious it is in the pictures but it was pretty funny.

Preston had a good time too.  He managed to get about 10 yards out the door before completely face planting in a mud puddle.  And then he wandering around the yard bringing me all the sticks, berries, and poky balls he could find.