Momversation Monday: Should Siblings See Each Other Naked?

Morning Everyone!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Funny how the questions I pose to myself over the weekend, end up becoming topics for Momversation's Monday?

So the question this morning is "should siblings see each other naked?"

Ducky and Chicky are 6 and 3 years old and they have been bathing together since Chicky was born. They have both asked the curious question of each others bodies. I explain it all in the age appropriate manner.
The kids now share a room because Chicky wants to be closer to Ducky and I don't mind that. They are great with each other.

I think living in a one bathroom house and the fact that, lets face it, less time consuming to put both in the bath, they are going to see each other naked. I don't think it's wrong, they don't think it is. But when it comes the time that either one of them decides that they want to be in the bath by themselves, I'll respect their wishes and let them have their own time. Or if they get crowded in the tub, whichever comes first.

I agree with Rebecca when she says that kids will naturally get to the point where they say they want to bathe alone or chose to be in their own room. I'm not going to force the issue or make them self conscious about their bodies. I know they are not going to be teenagers bathing together so I'm not going to bring the issue up now. It will come to them in their own time.

However I do have a limit on the being naked. Somewhere in a parenting forum a mom asked about how she could get her kids to stop running around naked. I draw the line to bathing and using the potty only. If they are running around the house in their birthday suits for no good reason I will tell them that there is a time a place for that and in the middle of living room is not the place for it.

In the video the ladies also mentioned about parents being seen naked by their kids. First, it happens! Especially when your kids come racing in the bathroom, forgetting the rules and whip the curtain open to tattle on the other, or they walk in while you are changing in your room. Second there is always a solution to that! LOCKS!

My sisters and I was kind of prudish when we were kids and we all had a really bad habit of going into my parents room when my mom wanted some privacy. One day mom had enough and started to change while we were in there, we couldn't get out of the room fast enough!

Do you think siblings should see each other naked? Let me know!

Momversation Monday: Bikinis on Little Girls: Cute? Or Just Wrong?

Good Monday!! Hope everyone had a great long weekend!

Momversation Monday is all about bikinis on little girls. Is it cute or just wrong?

I don't see a problem with them, but when I was a kid, I lived in Brazil where the bikini is a staple in a person's wardrobe. And I did find a couple of photos of myself when I was 8 or 9 in a triangle bikini (all the while wishing I could wear them now!). But we live in a conservative country now, where the idea of triangle top bikinis are considered "sexual" rather than what they are... bathing suits.
So in that sense, I disagree with what Jessica is saying about bikinis are what women wear to seduce men. Sure, some women do wear them to seduce men, but are you really thinking about that when you see a kid running around in one? Or do you see a kid at the beach playing and trying to cool off from the summer sun?

HOWEVER! I have seen some rather stupid concepts for bathing suits. Padded bras for toddlers? Really?! Padded bra? Why?  By the time a child is born to when a child becomes an adult, they are bombarded with sexual images why do companies insist on forcing our kids to grow up? I know what some of you are thinking, don't buy it and all that but it's a generality, why put it out there?

Let kids be kids!

What do you think? Happy Monday everyone!

We All Need A Little Happy

Negativity.

We all have it! Not everyone is positive all the time. But for the past couple of weeks all I have heard ins negativity.

I'm not going to say that I can sit here and type that I don't feel negative and sad, because if you have read my blog, there are several times where I use this place to vent or say how I feel. But why do some people need to find the negative all the time?

You can say "Hey, it's a great day out!". And that negative friend turns to you and says "Yeah, but I'm going to get a burn with all this sun! And it might rain in 5 minutes".

Do you have a friend like that? That one friend who just sucks the life out of your happy? I call them my "dark cloud" friend. She or he is that friend who darkens your day no matter is going on. That friend will find a way to make a crappy day even worse.

It's insane how many of my friends have a "dark cloud". Why are we attracted to them? Does misery really love company?

Or how about "The Dumper"? This is a friend who uses your friendship like a hit and run, dumping their problems on to you and then leave. Even if you have something you need to get off your chest and look for that friend for a shoulder to lean on and they want to change the subject from you to them. By the time the conversation is over you feel twice as heavy.  I got a call from a friend back home who asked me about a Facebook status I wrote, before I could explain what had gone on, she dumped her problems on me. I was so drained from that conversation, I wondered why did she bother to start the conversation concerned about me?

As the end of the week approached I wanted to get some happy back for the weekend and for myself! I decided to play part on the popular blog 1000 Awesome Things. It's a blog that find the little joys in life.
Something small that makes you go "YES!" after a day of everything going  wrong. My favourites from the blog are #844 Celebrities on Sesame Street,  #407 The Inlaw Nap and #324 Laughing at a stranger with another stranger.

So today here is my awesome: After a particularly rough day hearing Chicky say to Ducky, "Ducky, you're my best pal!"
I just might make this my every Friday post. To remind myself to find that happy.

What's your awesome? It doesn't have to be big, just something that made you smile today.

What is a Mom's Work Worth?

I'm writing this in regards to a comment that a friend of mine made about stay at home moms. Especially military wives who stay at home.

First of all, not all of us military wives are fat, lazy, slobs who spend their husbands pay checks and don't do anything. I HATE ( and I don't like using that word) that this is what people believe this is what we are because there are a couple of bad apples who spoil it for the rest of us!

I believe, no matter if you are a military wife or not, your choices should be no ones business but your own. If you have to go back to work or if you to stay at home, why does everyone need to put their opinion on it?

With the comments above, there are days that yes, I do feel that the stereotypical military wife persona is me because there are few positive stereotypes that are out there for me to connect with. I don't work right now, it doesn't make any sense for my family for me to go to work. In fact, and I'm telling you this not to justify my decision but for you to see where I'm coming from, it would cost money for me to go to work. With daycare, babysitters and everything else I lose money working and my kids lose time with me.

So when I saw this post on another blog I had to show you. For the first time in a long while I feel like what I'm doing is right for my family and worth something.
Do I knock down the working mother? Of course not! Every family dynamic is different. Do I want to get put down by the working mother? Um, no. So let's just be happy for the choices our friends decide to make without questioning their decisions.

That's my rant for the day!

When The TV Fell On Chicky....

First, no, I don't have photos! Not that kind of blogger. As much as I love to capture every moment of my kids life, this one called for a "no photo shoot clause".

On Saturday, I went upstairs to put laundry away and while I was up there I hear a "BANG!".
Usually this does not surprise me and I slowly made my way down the stairs. Until I saw Ducky running up the stairs, pale as a ghost with tears streaming down his face followed by cries from Chicky.

"What happened?!", I asked him fully aware that by the time he started his sentence I would see what the commotion was all about.

I look into the living room where the noise had come from and all I see is an empty entertainment centre, 100 plus pound TV on the ground and my 35 pound daughter underneath it screaming. I jumped over Ducky to get the TV of my little girl, flinging it over and watch to see what she does. Does she get up and walk away? Does she stay there cause something is broken?
Chicky gets up and runs towards Ducky where they both proceed to check each other for injuries and cry to themselves, because now that I've seen that she is perfectly ok my fear has now turned to rage! "What in God's name where you thinking?! HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO CLIMB ON THE FURNITURE!!!"
I spend the next 10 minutes checking Chicky up and down, trying to explain how this fall could have been more serious and to please, please, please not to do it again. I go to give her a hug and she starts to wail in pain. " Get your shoes on we are going to the hospital", I'm not taking any chances!

The hospital trip was fine, nothing broke, no internal bleeding, she was walking fine. We come back home. HEY! Are any of you asking where Cpl. Mayhem is? That's right he's out in the field! Cause that is the Murphy's Law of the Military. They leave, something happens! I left a message for him telling him we were going to the hospital and he gives me a call back.

" Hi baby, are you ok?".
(Blubbering like an idiot on the phone) "I'm ok, I'm so glad to hear your voice!"
"So tell me baby... How is the.... TV?! Do we need to replace it?! LOL!"
"You know that we are home so it's not that serious but yes your TV is fine! Thanks for trying to get me to laugh!"

Cpl. Mayhem came home for a couple of hours, enough time to snuggle the kids, give them a stern lecture and put them to bed.

Can I just say, for an event that lasted less than a minute, a multitude of emotions ran through me. I sure as hell hope that doesn't happen again because I'll go grey and lose another 10 years off my life! And after Chicky was out from under the TV, could I pick the damn thing off the ground and back into the unit? NO!

OH! The reasoning behind the climb? I have yet to get the whole story, and from the sounds of it, it's going to be locked away as safely as the secret on how they get the caramel in the Caramilk bar.

And to be honest, knowing Chicky is OK, I don't really care what it was they were doing now.
AS LONG AS IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN!!!

Wordless Wednesday: Enough Said!

Momversation Monday: Preschool Panic: Is It Worth It?

Morning Everyone!! Hope all you have a great Mother's Day Weekend whether you were being pampered by your kids or celebrating your mom!

Momversation Monday is all about Preschool Panic. Is preschool worth freaking out over??

Here's my thing on preschools. Every city is different. If you were living in a large city you have more options in schooling that you want for your kids than smaller towns. But I can't fathom dishing out 19 THOUSAND DOLLARS for preschool! I understand where Jessica is coming from, getting your kid into a certain preschool is going to help to get them into that sought after private school, but if my kid is going to a preschool that cost more than a car, their artwork better be laced with gold paint and fine gems!

I think every parent needs to go through the list of things they want in their preschool, and filter the noise that other parents are tell them, because at the end of the day it's your kids who have to go there.

I decided on a preschool that would help my kids integrate into kindergarden easily. They helped the kids get into the school structure, encouraged them to do things on their own and forced them to interact with teachers and other kids while learning the alphabet and numbers. Ducky had a speech delay and I put him into the preschool that I did, because it helped me get the connections to people I could speak to in order to get the help Ducky needed.

Blocks are blocks, I'll save the 19 thousand dollars for when they are in university!

Where are you in finding the right preschool for your kids? Are you relaxed about it or totally freaking out!

What THIS Mom Wants For Mother's Day

PEACE!!

No Cleaning

A Date Night

Just to be Appreciated for a Day

That's all!!

Wordless Wednesday: Chicky's FIRST Haircut... EVER!!!

Where Are The Kids?!

Saturday was the big Spring Cleanup which means The Mayhem family was working hard to get rid of all the junk in the house.

Almost all of the junk of the house. We tacked the garage which was our main goal.
All the crap, garbage, old furniture and everything in between is now gone! We actually have space to put the car into the garage now!

As Cpl. Mayhem and I finished with the last of the trash, I noticed that Chicky and Ducky were running off further where they were supposed to. I turn the corner and they are GONE!

The only three rules I have for them is #1 stay within our limits, #2 don't cross the street and #3 tell me or Cpl. Mayhem where they are going.

First it's usually Ducky who we let our more often because he is old enough Chicky is still too young. But they were both off, without telling me or anything. So I did what I do best, I panicked!

Cpl. Mayhem and I start looking for the kids everywhere. I turned to my husband and said "this isn't good, they are in so much trouble when I see them."

His answer:

"Did you see the fence buddy is getting rid of? We should ask him about it!"

Swell Hun!

And we did find the kids, when did the loop around the house we came back to find them playing in the driveway.

What?! I've been here the whole time!