Fanatics and Superhumans~priddymomma

First, a confession:

I have been procrastinating.  I had plenty of time the rest of the week to get this typed up, but I waited until the day I should be posting it to get to work.  Now I’m up at six in the morning, WITHOUT COFFEE, trying to get this done before my house turns into a very merry unbirthday party.  Now, you probably have two questions:  1.) Why have I been procrastinating?  and 2.) Why on Earth would I be without coffee?  What is wrong with me? (Okay fanatics.  That’s three questions.  Get off me). 

Sweet, delicious tease.  Curses!

In answer to your second question, I’m attempting to give up coffee.  I love coffee, but I’m quite addicted to it.  I’m to the point where I don’t even enjoy it anymore.  I’ll drink warm urine-tasting coffee and complain the entire time about how it tastes, but I will still finish it.  Alas!  In answer to your illegal third question, they still haven’t found the answers, but they are out there somewhere.

I’ve been procrastinating, because I have too much to say.  My opinions are strong ones, and they are not necissarily representative of anyone but myself.  I hope you find this post helpful.  Here we go.

Home-school vs. Public School

Being a teacher is one of our primary jobs as parents, regardless of whether we chose home-school or public school.  We start teaching our kids the moment we bring them into the world.  We teach them how and what to eat.  We teach them how to love.  We move on with language and potty training and what not, but the point is that from the first day, they look to us to know how the world works.  A lot of parents hear that we home-school and they immediately respond with, “oh, I could never do that!”  Their reasons are usually that they are afraid they’d leave something out or not be smart enough.  What they fail to realize is that they have been teaching their kids from day one!  Moving on to academics is just an easy canter from there. 

Eh.  Not my color.

I went to public school, got an edumacation, and turned into a well-adjusted adult (QUIT LAUGHING!).  I made amazing friends, had wonderful experiences, and really liked many of my teachers.  If I could go back, I would definitely do it again.  Public school can be a wonderful option.  There are great schools out there and great teachers!  The friends your kid makes are vital to his or her growth.  Being away from mom and dad is an important step in gaining independence.  All of that is fantastic.

We chose to home-school. 

Safety was a factor in our decision to home-school.  As a parent, I worry constantly about my child’s safety.  I don’t need to put it down in words all the things to worry about.  I feel like I need to worry a lot less when my kids are home with me, where I can see them and/or hear them at all times.  I know what they’re eating, wearing, doing, and whom they are associating with because I have pre-approved of these aspects.

Another factor was curriculum.  In a home-school setting, you can follow your child’s lead.  If he or she is excelling at a fast pace, move on quickly.  If he or she is struggling, you can afford to take the time.  We as a society push our kids so hard, and we rarely give them a choice in the matter.  Kids are naturally curious and want to learn.  I believe that if the information is there or is presented in the right way, kids will jump at the chance to learn all they can about a subject.  Right now, Cheerio Champ is really interested in presidents.  He’s memorized all of them (I only taught him the first eight!).  In fact, he’s asking for more information to keep learning.  Not only is he learning an astonishing amount (all 44 presidents at age four!), but I’m learning as well.  I learn/relearn my facts before presenting them to him, and then we watch movies, read books, or explore websites together and learn more.  He’s learning and so am I.  I’m teaching him valuable research skills and providing him with a lifelong love of learning.  And there is ample opportunity to become closer through our experience.  The fact that we love homeschooling has been the primary reason we continue to do it. 

Another of our biggest reasons for homeschooling is time.  If my son went to public school, when would I see him?  He’d have to get up earlier than he does now in order to catch a bus to go to school.  He wouldn’t get home until around the time my husband usually gets home from work, leaving us with one hour before I had to start dinner, followed by eating dinner, shower, and bed.  During dinner prep, he would likely be completing homework/running around like a crazy person.  The weekends would be our primary time together, which wouldn’t leave him with much time with his father at all, as hubby works on Saturdays.  Yes, I would have more time to myself during the day, but at what cost?  Sure, it would be easier to just take care of my youngest during school hours, but it would be less enjoyable too.  Some of the most rewarding parts of my day would be missing.  We have much more family time this way.  (We usually don’t do homeschooling on my husband’s days off.  We home-school four days a week nearly all year, for two to three hours a day. )

How can you choose between homeschooling and public schooling?  Here are some factors to consider:

• How good are the schools in your area?  If they aren’t up to your standards, are you willing to drive week days to another school?
• Do you have the time to home-school?  Are you a stay-at-home parent, or do you work a 40 + hour week?
• Do you want to teach your child from home?  If not, don’t!  There are other options.  Don’t want to home-school or public school?  Try charter or private!
• How deep are your anxieties about the things your child will be exposed to at public school?  Will this affect your sleep and daily life? 
• Where are you at financially?  Home-school does not equal free school!  There are a lot of things you can do for free, but somewhere you will have to drop some money.  Public school offers tuition assistance programs to those that need them. 
• Do your kids have severe food allergies?  I personally would never allow my kids out of my sight if they had a food allergy, so I’m including this here as a precaution.  Your kids can take their lunch to school, but what’s to stop them from trading lunches or sharing food at a classroom party?
• What do your kiddos want?  Are they already in school and love it?  Do they have a lot of friends or want to make friends? 
• How important is religion in your home?  Do you have the time to teach all that you want to teach about religion while your child attends public school?

I have another bullet, but I’ll make a paragraph to elaborate instead.  How do you feel about being constantly judged and possibly ridiculed?  People feel very strongly about the education they are providing for their children.  If you don’t measure up to their standards, they will not hesitate to tell you.  Oftentimes, people seem to take it as a personal insult if you home-school while they send their kids to public school.  Also, there is still a social stigma associated with homeschooling.  First, people believe that if you home-school, you are either snobs that don’t want your kids associating with the general population, crazy cult religious people, red-necks that don’t believe in education, Quakers, or you have too many kids to count.  People are constantly asking us to justify our choice to home-school.  Why should we have to?

 I should point out there is another side as well.  There are parents out there that hear you home-school and treat you like you are some kind of superhuman.  They hear you home-school and immediately feel the need to justify why they do not, usually elaborating on personal flaws they believe they have.  They start treating you like you have an amazing intellect (maybe you do, maybe you don’t) and try to impress you with some things they are doing “right”.  It’s really quite strange, but true.

Sometimes the other homeschooling parents are the worst.  They tend to go on and on about what junior can do and what methods they are using and “OMG!  I just started prepping him for the SAT!  I should have started MONTHS ago!  He’ll be four in a week!”  Possibly these parents just want to receive a pat on the back for their efforts, but I tend to not care in the slightest what junior is doing.  Good for him, provided he’s having fun.  It isn’t going to change what I do with my kids at all.

It comes down to what you are most comfortable with and what is the best fit for your child.  And remember:  you don’t have to exclusively do either!  You can teach your kids supplementary education to that they receive in school.  You can send your kid to public school one year and home-school the next.  You allow your child to take extracurricular activities or a chemistry class at your local high school and do the rest of his education at home.  The options are endless and the choice is yours.  Don’t let anyone tell you what is best for your child.  You know him or her better than anyone else. 

{Note:  If you wish to home-school, find out what the laws are for your state from the Department of Education.}

Potty Training (cue horror music)~priddymomma

Hello cats and kittens!  Heather here.  I hope I didn’t scare you off last week (No worries!  No Herman the Hemorrhoid in this post! <<<except there…).  Tori did a fantastic job of schooling you on the basics of potty training, so I won’t trouble you there.  I’ll just share Cheerio Champ’s story and what I learned in the process.

I went into potty training my son with delusions of grandeur.  He had been interested in the whole bathroom process for a while by two years of age, so I figured I had it in the bag.  He also hated to be dirty in any way, so naturally he’d want to have potty training out of the way.  I didn’t read any potty training books ahead of time or worry too much about it.  The way family members spoke of it, it happened rather naturally and the kids practically trained themselves.  How hard could it be?

Come to think on it, this is totally out of character for me.  Talk about your Red Flag.  I usually read everything I can get my hands on about every topic ever.  Somewhere in my heart of hearts, perhaps I knew I was deluding myself. 

The HORROR! *tremble*

I got a free potty seat with Diego all over it through the Gifts to Grow Pampers points reward system, which I placed on the potty and left for some amount of time without rushing Cheerio Champ.  After he became comfortable with that, I started placing him on it every now and again, fully clothed.  He thought it was hilarious and would sit there for several minutes before wanting to get down and away from his mom (whom, from his perspective, was clearly losing her mind).  Then I started placing him on the seat in just a pull-up (he had outgrown diapers), and he seemed fine with that.  It was after the diaper came off that it started to become tricky.  The seat rocked and he pinched a finger and then he wanted nothing to do with the seat again.  I tried to step back to being clothed, but it was too late.  He was now terrified of the potty seat.

I let it go for about a month, tried again.  Nope.  Still terrified.  I tried buying one of the floor model potty chairs, but honestly he was too large.  He’s a big kid, man.  I’m also positive he had NO idea what it was for.  He peed in it once, by complete mistake, so we made a big deal out of it.  The next time, he went immediately in it, but after that he had no interest in it whatsoever.

Next came a multitude of bad ideas and poor results.  We tried movies, songs, candy, consequences, toy rewards, letting/making him run naked, getting angry (not planned), ridiculous praise (with cheering), potty chants, praying to the potty gods (are there such things?), running water with the hope that he would feel the need to go, trying to “catch” him when he needed to pee…the list goes on and none of it worked.

The biggest difference came when I bought a new potty seat to fit on the potty.  It adjusted to the size of the toilet seat, so there was no rocking.  It was more ergonomic, so not only did he find it more comfortable, but I didn’t have to watch out for yellow showers (always a plus!).  It was costly, but well worth it.  I also provided him with a potty book, which helped make the sit more enjoyable, as he was only allowed to have it while on the potty.  We also gave him a stool, to allow him to get up there when he wished.

I can not tell you how much I appreciated the sticker chart idea.  We began giving him stickers on a poster board each time he had success.  It was magical.  We didn’t have to reward him after so many stickers.  He just wanted to see the stickers on his poster.  They didn’t even have to be cool stickers!  We called grandma a couple times and proudly told relatives of his success and that was good enough for him.  During that time, we moved to a new house.  I didn’t put up a new sticker chart, but he continued to use the potty just the same out of habit now and life was good. 

He also wanted to stay dry during the day so he could wear his cool big-boy underwear.  If you have a boy, I highly recommend buying underwear that are the same type his daddy uses.  For our son, that meant boxer briefs, which they don’t sell everywhere with fun cartoon characters and the like.  That’s both good and bad, but it didn’t make a difference for Cheerio Champ.  He was like his daddy and that’s all that mattered to him.

We just had one small problem:  the kid wouldn’t poop to save his life.  Allow me to rephrase:  the kid wouldn’t poop IN THE POTTY to save his life (Pull-ups or the floor were acceptable).  He ended up constipated, which I do not recommend.  Not even a little.  I tried bribing the child with cake, I was so desperate!  CAKE!  He still would not poop in the potty.  By this time, Cheerio Champ was 3 ½, and I was pregnant.  “NO WAY was I going to be changing two sets of diapers when he was plenty old enough to use the potty,” I told myself.  He was just being stubborn, I was sick of cleaning up after him, and I had had ENOUGH (I was also pregnant and possibly irrational).  One night, he clearly had to poop, and I placed him on the toilet.  I had to check on dinner, so I left and came back to find a steaming pile waiting.  Oh no.  I made him clean it up.  That’s right.  I gave him a grocery bag and a wad of paper towels and made him pick it up.  It was his mess, after all.  He gagged and cried, I felt awful, and the floor got cleaned.  He never pooped on the floor again.  NEVER.  Not once!  There was probably a better way, but he was pooping in the potty now, so I was good to go (for the record, I think it is a good idea to teach responsibilities and make it a group effort…but making them pick it up out of anger is not such a good idea).

One last hurdle then:  bedtime wetting.  I sat him down and told him that he was so big that they didn’t make pull-ups in his size anymore.  We needed to wear big boy underwear all the time, even when we slept at night.  If he felt like he had to pee, he needed to get up and go.  I also said we don’t pee in the bed.  We pee in the potty.  He was absolutely okay with that, and I never had to buy another pull-up.  He wet the bed two nights in a row.  I washed his sheets (he has a waterproof mattress cover, which I highly recommend) and wet clothes, reminded him to use the potty, woke him at night a couple times to get him to go, and that was done.  He was more than ready to be completely potty trained, so that part was easy. 

I have an eleven-month old daughter, whom I will eventually have to potty train (I’ll try to contain my enthusiasm).  My number one mistake with Cheerio Champ was making potty training a Big Deal.  It was obvious how much I was tied up in his successes and failures.  With Princess Cheerio, I will be more laid back (and awesome?), as I am in all things parenting with child number two.  I plan to start with what worked with Cheerio Champ ultimately, skipping over everything else.  No two children are the same, so I’m sure that I’ll have entirely different problems and sentiments with her.  I also plan to let her take the lead and not move on until she wants to and not just because I feel pressured by friends, relatives, complete strangers, or circumstances.  She’ll train when she’s ready and not a second before.

Maybe you are dreading potty training after reading all that, and I wouldn’t blame you.  It was stressful and a horrible experience, but it was absolutely enlightening.  I learned a lot about myself, a ton about my child, and I began to parent differently as a result. 

Parenting is like a roller coaster:  it has its ups and downs.  Sometimes you are giddily anticipating the thrill, enjoying the moment (First steps!  First word!  First day of school!), and sometimes you are screaming your full head off and wondering what the hell you got yourself into.  It can also be a lot like looking in a fun-house mirror.  In some mirrors, you wonder how you never noticed all these flaws you have.  In others, you discover how truly beautiful you can be if given the chance.  And in looking in all these mirrors, you realize that there is always another perspective and always the chance to change how you view yourself and the world around you.  So just keep in mind that after the trip to the amusement park is over, we won’t remember every mirror or every hill.  What we’ll be left with are impressions and fond memories, and we’re likely to forget any hang-ups we had as they never truly mattered in the long run.  Relax and enjoy.  If your kid is still wearing diapers in high school, they can buy them out of their own allowance. 

It was the best of times, It was the worst of times~priddymomma

Hey hey!  Heather here.  Hope you all had a fantastic week.  Here’s our topic for this week (how strange that all these statements began with an “H”):

MOTHERHOOD:  EXPECTATIONS VS. REALITY

I suppose my expectations began with my first pregnancy.  I had visions of being cutesy pregnant, smiling, cooing to my bump and happily awaiting the birth of my son.

Har har har.

I looked and felt like a beached whale.  I wanted that boy out and soon.  Yesterday would have been great, in fact.  I had gestational diabetes, constant heartburn, and a hemorrhoid.  Named Herman.  Herman the hemorrhoid.

This was to be only my first lesson in motherhood reality (and Preparation H).  Hubby and I talked a lot about what sort of parents we wanted to be.  His parents were very lenient, while mine were too strict.  Ideally, we would meet somewhere in the middle and not make the mistakes our parents made (read “We will not be our parents!”).  We would love and respect our kids, and they would love and respect us.  We would see parents on our outings and say to ourselves, “No way will OUR kids get away with that!” or “I can’t believe that set her off.”

Yeah.  Foreshadowing at its finest.

Thankfully, I had a much more comfortable pregnancy with my daughter.  Sure, I still looked and felt like a beached whale, but I was a cute whale this round, by gum (and best of all, no Herman!).  My husband and I were more realistic about life post-pregnancy as well, which made it a lot easier to hit the ground running. 

What I ultimately discovered was a world both more terrible and more beautiful than I could possibly have imagined.  I didn’t know unconditional love until I beheld my wee ones.  I didn’t know fear until I had cause to worry about harm coming to them.  I had no idea I could get so mad about words fired back at me by an adorable four year-old.   I didn’t realize that I would be learning as much from my kids as they would be learning from me. 

Parenting brings out the best and worst in me.  It tests my patience, challenges my creativity, raises my awareness of all that is around me (and around my children, naturally), causes extreme anxiety, and brings me cause to continue learning about everything.  It brings a different perspective to my thoughts and ideas.  It challenges my preconceived notions and makes me turn inwards to ponder what I truly believe and what I want to instill in my children.  I have never been so tired in my life, nor have I been so inspired or had so much to live for or found so much joy.

I wouldn’t change a thing.  They were totally worth it.  

What I Expected of Motherhood vs. Reality ~Tori

I have to admit motherhood is totally different than I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I love my boys, and I love being a mother.

But to be honest I had a really naive idea of what motherhood was going to be like. Feed, rock, dress, play with, teach, etc., the baby but everything else would carry on.

I figured I could put my baby to bed where he would fall asleep happy, sleeping all night long. I pictured potty training being a breeze, tantrums were going to be non-existent in my world, etc.

I devoured parenting books and felt that I had it in the bag. I was going to be the best mother this world has ever seen, and I would handle it all with super-human strengths. My kids were going to be perfect little angels. But that's where I made my mistake.

I didn't really expect the long nights, forgetting to eat because I was so tired, constant diaper changing, little time to read or even shower, how potty training was going to carry on for a year and a half, how tantrums would be crazy bad and mostly happen in the most public of places, how hard it was going to be to venture out on my own with my baby for the first time, etc. It was a rude awakening to be honest, and nothing like I thought it would be. 

When I first ventured out of the house I must have packed half a box of diapers, 2 whole refills of wipes, 3 changes of extra clothes, tons of blankets, etc. I couldn't even zip my diaper bag, and it was a pretty big one at that.

When you tell everyone your pregnant everyone cheers, hugs, congratulates you, etc., but they don't tell you how hard it's going to be. They don't get into the nitty gritty details of what is all to come. But it is also the most rewarding thing in this world if you ask me. I love being a mother and that part is exactly how I pictured it. Motherhood is constantly changing, and you just gotta roll with the punches. I get overwhelmed, I get stressed, I am not the perfect mother despite all my parenting books, and I finally realize that it is an unrealistic dream. None of us is going to be super-woman. We shouldn't expect that of ourselves because it's only letting yourself down in the end. All we can do is the best that we can. And it really does help to have other mothers to talk to around your age. It doesn't matter how many parenting books you read, or how well you think your prepared for motherhood. It's going to come and it's gonna be packing heat along with it, but it's going to be breath-taking. You will experience a love you never thought possible, and you will finally uncover hidden strengths you didn't even know you possessed. Even though motherhood isn't all rainbows and butterflies it is the best part of life. And one I am so thankful for despite all the hectic, crazy, sleepless nights. My children are my world, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Be sure to check back Thursday for priddymomma's post & Saturday for Leslie's :)

And again if you have any topic suggestions feel free to email them to us at thecaseofthemissingcheerios(at)gmail.com

The Importance of You Time ~ Tori

Sorry for posting so late, it's been one busy day. Which makes this week's topic all the more important.

The Importance of Taking Time To Yourself

I have 2 boys as you all know, and let me just say that things always can get a bit...

CRAZY

So it's more important than ever to schedule yourself some personal time. Otherwise you will find yourself one stressed out mama.

Of course you can't always get personal time because, well...kids get sick, schedules get hectic, etc. But even some time to yourself a little each week will do wonders.

Now you may be thinking to yourself: "She has to be kidding if she even thinks I can get some time to myself, there's no time for that"

The thing is, there is time. We usually just don't realize it. Either we can get up a bit early (I know it sounds hard, but it is sometimes well worth it), or we can stay up a little later to get our "me" time. There is also nap time, and you can compromise with your partner sometimes as well and switch.

And your "you" time doesn't have to be anything crazy expensive, or at a special place. Just some time to yourself to do something you enjoy. Maybe go to the library by yourself, take a couple hours to read, play some computer games, take a walk, ride your bike, work in the garden, go get your hair done, crochet, watch a TV show, etc. You can take an hour, two hours, or even 30 minutes. Just take some time to breathe for yourself. 

There are many ways to give yourself a little break now and again. Most importantly just know that it's okay to do that.

When I had my first son I felt guilty about taking time to myself. For the longest time I didn't even want to, and that's okay too. But as time went on, he grew, schedules started getting even more crazy, our family expanded, and things got even more hectic with all our lives. I wouldn't change any of it for the world of course, I am so thankful for my husband, family, and children. But you can't lose yourself in the process. Just because you are a mother, wife, etc., doesn't mean you are not still you. You are still your own person with your own interests, hobbies, etc.

If you find yourself getting stressed out take some time. Schedule it in for yourself, and you will be thankful you did. It really helps your mood, patience, and just your whole parenting spirit in general.

Motherhood is the most rewarding job in the entire world if you ask me. The love I feel for my children is by far the most wonderfully indescribable feeling in the world. I could go on and on about all the joys, but motherhood can also be hard. I'm not going to sugar-coat it here. It isn't always easy, no matter what people say. Whether you are a working mom or a stay at home mom we all have a hard job even as rewarding as it is. We are literally everything rolled into one. Oftentimes we are thrust into these new lives with little or no training, and nobody is going to give you the lowdown nitty gritty details of motherhood. You'll hear of all the good because they want you to be happy, but the hard stuff is learned as it comes. And we deserve a little time to ourselves every now and again so we don't get overwhelmed. It doesn't mean that you aren't a good mother, it doesn't mean you aren't taking good care of your children, so don't even let any of that make you feel guilty. Everyone deserves to do something for themselves every now and then. Moms are no different.

So take some time out for yourself this week, and enjoy it. Whether it's 1 hour, 30 minutes, or even 20 minutes just take a breather and relax. Ask your husband or partner to play with the kids for an hour or so, they will get some bonding time, and you will get a little break. Wait till your kiddos go to sleep and just relax and get caught up on that book you never get time to read. You'll feel better once you did. 

Come back on Thursday to see priddymomma's input on The Importance of You Time, and come back Saturday for Leslie's input.
And again feel free to email us at thecaseofthemissingcheerios(at)gmail.com if you would like us to cover a certain topic, or answer any questions. And feel free to comment below as we would love to hear from you. :)

How do you usually spend your "me" time?

Favorite Books from Different Genres ~ Tori

Oh my I cannot believe it's time for another post already! Is it just me or are the weeks flying by? I hope you have all been enjoying our blog so far, and we have another great post for you this week. All about books!

I'm gonna talk about a few different genres today and a few of my favorite books. First off let me just start by saying that I love, love, LOVE, to read! I read just about every genre that is out there. In a world full of good books I just can't bear to limit myself! I read cookbooks, historical, romance, christian, fiction, non-fiction, true crime, biography, memoirs, science fiction, young adult, mystery, etc. I just can't bog myself down to one, it's impossible.

Here is my absolute, all time, favorite book:

::From the back of the book::
From New York Times bestselling author Kathryn Harvey comes an arousing, passionate story of three women’s hidden desires and the place called Butterfly, where dreams are kept and where fantasies come to life.

Above an exclusive men’s store on Rodeo Drive there is a private club called Butterfly, where women are free to act out their secret erotic fantasies. Only the most beautiful and powerful women in Beverly Hills are invited to join: Jessica, a lawyer who longs for the days when men were men, and women dressed to please them; Trudie, a builder who wants a man who will challenge her—all of her—with no holds barred; and Linda, a surgeon, who uses masks to unmask the desires she hides even from herself.
But the most mysterious of them all is the woman who created Butterfly. She has changed her name, her accent, even her face to hide her true identity. And now she is about to reveal everything to realize the dream that has driven her since childhood—the secret obsession that will carry her beyond ecstasy, or destroy her and everyone around her.

While this book has nothing to do with being a mom or anything I do feel that this is a book that is too often overlooked. I fell in love with this book when I first read it. It can get a little explicit so if your uncomfortable reading about that then this isn't the book for you. This is not a 50 Shades of Grey type of book. This book has a plot, intrigue, desire, sadness, horror, revenge, mystery, etc. It isn't just an erotica book. It mainly focuses on women and their lives. They work through their own personal demons in various ways, and it takes so many twists and turns you won't be able to tell in what direction it is headed. I myself became immersed in the novel after just a few chapters and couldn't put it down. I re-read it at least once a year, as it has become one of my favorites.


Here is a good book on parenting that I love::

::From the back of the book::

One Small Change in How You Love One Big Change in your Kids

Having problems with your kids? What if you are the problem and you just can’t see it? How We Love Our Kids offers a unique approach, to help you as a parent transform your kids by making specific changes in how you love. It’s the only book specifically for parents that reveals the unseen forces that shape every interaction with your kids.

• Identify which of the five love styles you have. 
• Discover the surprising dynamics that shape your parenting. 
• Get rid of your “buttons” so your kids can’t push them. 
• Create a close connection with your kids that will last a lifetime. 
• Learn the seven gifts every child needs. 

Based on years of research in the area of attachment and bonding, How We Love Our Kids shows parents how to overcome the predictable challenges that arise out of the five love styles and helps parents cultivate a secure, deep connection with a child of any age. Retool your reactions and refocus on how you love. Start today. Watch your kids flourish and thrive as they receive what was missing in your love.
With four self-assessments and powerful application tools to use with children of all ages.

I am always intrigued by parenting books because there really are so many different parenting styles out there. I have tried many and found a few that works for us. What works for one may not work for another, but it's always nice to at least try a few different styles just to see how they fit.

One thing we don't really think about is the fact that sometimes our children's behavior may not be due to them but rather due to us. Not to say that we are dysfunctional or bad parents, but just pointing out that sometimes we need to not only evaluate our children but ourselves. 

One thing I have instituted into our household that I got from the book is a list of emotions Towards the beginning of the book Milan's son is upset due to a school incident so Milan has him go to the refrigerator where there is a list of emotions and choose what emotions he is feeling so they can talk about it. We have been doing this since our oldest was 4, we have a list of "emotion faces", which are drawings of various happy, mad, sad, frustrated, silly, etc., faces with the words underneath. When he starts acting out or throws tantrums we will take him to the fridge and have him explain to us how he feels so we can talk about why he is acting the way he is. It doesn't always work right away, but it does have a positive effect for him. It helps him realize that he can talk to us about anything, and how it's a good idea to talk through emotions rather than act out more rashly.

I also loved the fact that the book doesn't really seem as if it is lecturing you but rather speaking to you. Those are always the best kind of parenting books to read. Who wants to sit down and be lectured when your already trying your hardest? LOL

Favorite children's books::

I must admit I am over the moon about Dr. Seuss books. I grew up reading them, and my children are growing up loving them as well. But there's another series of books that I would like to draw some attention too. Many people don't know about them, and they are wonderful teaching tools. That is the Howard B. Wigglebottom series.

Howard B. Wigglebottom books are entertaining educational books. They teach important life lessons to children while helping them learn good from bad, and helping them feel good about themselves. Characters are colorful, and there are many books to choose from, including:
Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen
Howard B. Wigglebottom Listens to His Heart
Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Bullies
Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Mud and Rainbows
Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns It's OK to Back Away
Howard B. Wigglebottom and The Monkey on his Back
Howard B. Wigglebottom and the Power of Giving (a Christmas Story)
Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns Too Much of a Good Thing is Bad
Howard B. Wigglebottom Blends in Like Chameleons
Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Sportsmanship
Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Courage

They help kids learn important lessons about lying, telling the truth, doing what is right, handling bullies, having courage, playing fair, giving, making friends, behaving, etc. They also have a wonderful website with fun games, coloring page print-outs, etc. You can visit it at wedolisten.org

Feel free to share your favorite books. We are all always up for recommendations and hearing what all the other parents are reading out there. There are just too many good books to even possibly get to them all in one post so that's it for me today. Come back on Thursday to see Heather's post, and Saturday for Leslie's. 

Introduction - Leslie

Hello and (for the third time ha!) welcome to The Case of the Missing Cheerios!  My name is Leslie.  I will be a weekly contributor to this blog along with Tori and Heather.  Our topics will include everything from books, to parenting, to personal issues and current events.  I hope you'll find our posts insightful and helpful with a good dose of humor thrown in here and there.

Myself with the Green Man at Ren Faire.

I have a 2 year old daughter.  We frequently refer to her as 'Miss Attitude'.  I'm engaged to an artist, who tells me often that I'm just as artistic as he is, only in a different way.  Ha ha ha!  Riiiight.  I currently work part time as a school bus aide with special needs children, and though I love working with the kids, I would love even more to be able to do the stay home mom thing full time with A again.  When I get a pocket of free time, you'll most likely find me with my nose in a book.  I love to read and I'm often working on 3 or 4 books at once.  Other things I enjoy are writing, photography, making jewelry, and scrapbooking.  Yes, I said enjoy.  I never claimed to be good at any of it.  :)

My loves.

I look forward to being a part of the growth of this blog, to meeting other likeminded (and not!) people, and to sharing my life and my views with you.  If you have any ideas for weekly topics, feel free to send them to us at thecaseofthemissingcheerios.gmail.com or leave them in a comment.  PLEASE remember to be respectful with your words while you're here, as we will do as well.  See you next week!