Discipline and laughter and Facebook

Chloe has been dumping her plate on the table, floor, herself, whatever for a while now. She only likes the food to be on the table or highchair tray. How do I correct something like this? When I tell her no, no, she just smiles and says hi. I take the plate away and she bursts into tears. When I give it back, she says datu (thank you).

Come to think of it, she smiles or laughs when I tell her no on just about anything. She usually listens pretty well, but there are sometimes she chooses to be stubborn.

I will not spank her. I'm against corporal punishment, so I'm trying to think of the principles in Love and Logic. If anyone has any input, it would be appreciated.

I've recently joined Facebook because a friend of mine said she was going to put pics of Chloe on her page and I wanted to see which ones she used. I started messing around and searching for people I have known over the years. It is so interesting. I found friends from junior high and high school, and places I use to work. It's fun to see how people have changed (or not) over the years. It's fun to see if someone will "be your friend" or not (still waiting to hear from a couple of people - fingers crossed :). It's a really great way to keep up with people.

George Carlin on Age

George Carlin on age. (Absolutely Brilliant)

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions. 'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!'You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead. 'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16!

And then the greatest day of your life .. . You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony YOU BECOME 21 YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed? You BECOME 21, you TURN 30,

then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away.

Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would! So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40,REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30 ; you REACH bedtime.

And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; 'I Was JUST 92.'Then a strange thing happens.

If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. 'I'm 100 and a half!' May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them.'

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER :
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,but by the moments that take our breath away.

And if you don't send this to at least 8 people - who cares? But do share this with someone. We all need to live life to its fullest each day!!

Opportunities

Isn't it funny how changes happen in the summer? I guess they happen all the time, but it seems like more pop up in the summer. In the past during summer, I've changed jobs, had a miscarriage, separated and divorced, bought a house, sold a house, a friend's husband passed away, and my father passed away. And recently a friend got engaged and bought a home. Next summer I hope to be returning to Ethiopia to adopt my son. See? Changes.

I have a job interview in Illinois. It sounds like a wonderful opportunity. The principal I've been talking to keeps calling it a dream job. I love working with kids with autism and this would let me do that. If I get the job, I would have to sell my house here (and we all know how bad the market is right now). The weather would be nicer there. There is a large community there of people who have adopted from Ethiopia. As Chloe gets older, I'm finding I need more and more support from people who share my experiences.

I'm also interviewing for a positoin witin my current district, so maybe that is the way to go.

I'm always praying that I follow in God's will for my life and that God shows me how to be the best mom I can be to Chloe. New opportunities have surfaced lately. I'm excited, but not sure if this is what I'm supposed to do. I don't want to move Chloe further away from grandma if its not the right thing to do. This might not even be an issue because I may not even get the job.

I need to nap while she's down. We have Gymboree today and I find that I can't dance and sing with one year olds unless I have a nap. :)

6 month update

It's been a whirlwind of a time having Chloe home. I don't think I got back into the swing of working (at a very demanding school), being a mom and all that entails until April.



Chloe is just a beautiful little girl. She's been walking since she was a year and 2 weeks old. She has 4 teeth. She says thank you, uh oh, doggy, wuff, hi, bye bye, and momma. She mimics everything I do from brushing my hair to putting on lipstick.



Lately I've been very aware of her not having a daddy. A couple of little girls we've met have asked where her daddy is. I want her to have a daddy, and I hope I'm not single for much longer. If it were up to me I wouldn't be. My fear is that this time of not having a daddy negatively affects her in some way.



We were in the book store Saturday and a father was reading a book to his son on the carpet. Chloe proceeds to have a seat on his lap and turn the pages.



Hopefully before I go back to Ethiopia to adopt a little boy to be her brother next year, I will have a better handle on the daddy situation.