tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86964967242710560532024-03-13T10:28:30.551-07:00Between the LinesChronicling the often gentle, but sometimes violent mix of the humorous, pathetic, awe-struck and sometimes mundane moments in motherhood that even the best digital and video cameras could not possibly capture.Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038370158284663729noreply@blogger.comBlogger420125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8696496724271056053.post-89761470546083529272010-09-11T11:45:00.000-07:002010-09-11T11:58:40.419-07:0025 Distractions<div>I realized the other day, in the middle of a 4-year-old's meltdown, that all this time I thought the meltdowns were just going to fade away. I mean, a 2-year-old's meltdown is due to the terrible twos, and then there's the terrible threes and the frustrating fours. </div><div><br /></div><div>Most of the time, these days, life is a total dream with the girls. Most of the time. It's not easy by any means but it's easier than it was.</div><div><br /></div><div>And yet I realize all this time I've made mistakes. So many mistakes. The No. 1 mistake I make is that I often just try and convince them to just instantly turn their emotions off. Who does that? I've been extremely hurt by a friend in the last two weeks and as much as I wish I could turn off the hurt feelings, it's just going to take time. Why should I expect my 4-year-olds to do the same with much less world experience and much less understanding of what's important and what's not. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, during a nice cup of coffee and writing my morning pages, I realized that I should have kept a list from the very start of their birth on what makes them happy, what distracts them, what turns them from being a hot mess to being a happy joy. After all, this is what I have to do with myself now that I am hurting, isn't it? Find ways to heal. Find ways to distract. Find ways to cope. Find ways to remember that there are better ways to spend our days than mourning something that isn't that important. In my case, that people, despite what you think, can be very mean spirited and lazy just to make life easier for themselves.</div><div><br /></div><div>Life isn't easy. Our girls will learn that. But, for now, I am creating an energy list of sorts. A list that, at the drop of a tear, I can call upon to say: "You're sad/angry/frustrated and I'm sorry for that. I want you to feel better. How about ... X"</div><div><br /></div><div>So, so to not delay any longer, here's the list of 25 distractions for kids, almost any preschooler can do, (that do not involve TV or movies):</div><div><br /></div><div><ol><li>Hugs</li><li>Silly dances</li><li>Loud music</li><li>Monster faces</li><li>Chasing games</li><li>Tickle bug</li><li>Scavenger hunt</li><li>The Art Box</li><li>Let's take a walk</li><li>Snuggle up</li><li>Kid cleaning (adults should help)</li><li>Surprises</li><li>Tea parties</li><li>Lemonade stand</li><li>Bake something</li><li>Science experiments</li><li>Circle time/Story time</li><li>Charades</li><li>Duck Duck Goose</li><li>Build a fort</li><li>Rearrange a room</li><li>Write a book together</li><li>Go through old pictures</li><li>Do a puzzle</li><li>Hide and seek</li></ol></div><div><br /></div><div>Please feel free to add you're own distractions!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Thank you for visiting today.Please consider subscribing here:<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LettersToMyDaughters" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" style="border: 0pt none ; vertical-align: middle;" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LettersToMyDaughters" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
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<br />
<br />Dear girls --
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<br />A man should want to listen to you and hold your hand without any other intentions. He should be smart and sexy but not too much of either because it can go to their heads in one way or another and that leaves you feeling bad about yourself. You should be able to be yourself – boldly, daringly. You should be able to wear what you want, go where you want and believe what you want. If you can’t, than the relationship is not right for you. Granted, none are perfect, but these are good starters. If they have this, you can live with a little Sports Network now and then – and tell him so, too. Appreciate the men you find who are like this. Above all, though, nurture yourself and the woman you want to be.
<br /><p></p><p style="margin: 5pt 53.25pt 5pt 9pt; text-indent: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">
<br /></p><p style="margin: 5pt 53.25pt 5pt 9pt; text-indent: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">Love,</p><p style="margin: 5pt 53.25pt 5pt 9pt; text-indent: 9pt; line-height: 200%;">Mom
<br /><span style="font-family:Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<br />Anyone else care to chime in here??
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<br />
<br />
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<br />Thank you for visiting today.
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Just yesterday I was telling them hello in six different languages and playing Spanish music. I want, for them, many of the things I didn't have as a kid.<br /><br />I was recently honored to be asked to participate in a blog book shower for the next awesome book by Andrea L. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz. Last year, I wrote a review of their first "Daring Book for Girls," which I have proudly displayed on a shelf.<br /><br />Now, I'm even happier to display next to it the next volume: "<a href="http://www.daringbookforgirls.com/about-the-book/about-the-double-daring-book-for-girls/">The Double-Daring Book for Girls."</a><br /><br />For this shower, we were supposed to actually DO one of the activities. Well, I didn't want to just do it myself so I had to find one that was good enough for the girls, now 3, to do as well.<br /><br />I chose rock stacking. I've been wanting to do some rock activities lately because there are so many of them out there circulating the blogs. I'm sure I played with rocks a lot as a kid but I don't recall ever stacking them like blocks.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z9H_790jqAc/ShCo4fcpODI/AAAAAAAAEWE/wu76_9GV7U4/s1600-h/IMG_7001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z9H_790jqAc/ShCo4fcpODI/AAAAAAAAEWE/wu76_9GV7U4/s400/IMG_7001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336951246901819442" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We first went out with the girls' little pink wagons and collected some rocks in the back, backyard. They enjoyed that part alone.<br /><br />Then we took them to the deck and just started stacking them. They lost interested in about five minutes but I kept stacking and stacking. I thought it was a ton of fun. I didn't realize the challenge it would be to make them stack higher and higher.<br /><br />I was able to stack 8 rocks at the most. Can you beat that????? I'm supposed to challenge my readers to be my performance so if you have any luck, let me know in the comments, please!<br /><br />Rock stacking a great multi-step activity to do because once you gather them, you can wash them and then <a href="http://crafts.kaboose.com/earth-ladybug-rocks.html">paint them</a>. Once painted, you can add pictures on them to depict <a href="http://redbirdcrafts.blogspot.com/2009/04/mouse-stones.html">story characters </a>to tell stories outside (or inside on a rainy day).<br /><br />And, if you want more cool things to try that are new, that might inspire you in some new way today, pick up the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006174879X?ie=UTF8&tag=letttomydaug-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=006174879X">Double-Daring Book for Girls</a> today.<br /><br />It does rock. You'll be smarter for it, too. Just don't let your kids knock them over too soon.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z9H_790jqAc/ShCop1RIP1I/AAAAAAAAEV8/wEAp7ZOJBpE/s1600-h/IMG_6995.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z9H_790jqAc/ShCop1RIP1I/AAAAAAAAEV8/wEAp7ZOJBpE/s400/IMG_6995.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336950995061063506" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Thank you for visiting today.<br /><br />Please consider subscribing here:<br /><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LettersToMyDaughters" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" style="border: 0pt none ; vertical-align: middle;" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LettersToMyDaughters" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p><br /><br />Thank you for visiting today.<br /><br />Please consider subscribing here:<br /><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LettersToMyDaughters" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" style="border: 0pt none ; vertical-align: middle;" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LettersToMyDaughters" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
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