The Silent Resolution

I've never been a fan of New Year's Resolutions. I actually made a resolution this year to have more fun, be more relaxed, eat more cookies - basically stay healthy. Part of that "staying healthy" routine was a silent resolution that I made but didn't really tell anyone about. It started over the girls' Christmas break and it went so well that I've decided to turn it into a New Year's Resolution. I am going to say "no" a lot less to my kiddos and "yes" a lot more. Too often as parents we react to our kids' requests by saying "no" so quickly. We don't even hear what they say half the time and then they end up protesting and asking "why?" because the "no" made no sense at all. Kids will ask for something if they think the answer is yes. When their request is denied, it throws their world off and a tantrum ensues. No one wants that. So why say no? A kid wants to paint in the middle of the day? What's the harm in that? Most of the time it's just me having to stop what I am doing to set it up, monitor the activity and make sure paint doesn't splatter all over the carpet. Well, I should be painting with them anyway. So, I say, Yes and get me some paints too! One Friday or Saturday the girls asked if they could watch a movie before bed. Typical response is no because I want to go to bed at a reasonable hour which means they should go to bed at a reasonable hour because I know they are still going to wake up early the next morning. But the next morning we don't have anything going on. It's a chore day. Why can't they watch a movie? So, yes. You can watch a movie. Now, I sometimes kick myself because it takes them an hour to decide on said movie, but when they do, we have fun. One night we went out to fro yo at 8 p.m., went to Michael's to buy some craft supplies that were on sale and came home and painted. The girls went to bed way beyond 9 p.m. but both said on the way home what a fun night it was. That was the greatest night ever. I was THAT parent who had their kid out late! So awesome. There are so many other examples of requests my kids have made - completely reasonable ones - over the last couple of weeks that I have said yes to. It's made our house healthier, more fun and a lot more predictable. There's no guessing what kind of mood Mommy is in, they aren't scared to ask if they can do an activity or play a game or read five books before bedtime. We just do it because we have a fun house now where the kids can do what they want - for the most part. As long as it's a reasonable request, my New Year's Resolution is a simple one - say yes!

The joys of Christmas

The holidays are a busy time and this holiday season was incredibly busy for all of us. But for the two weeks that the girls were out of school, I vowed to be a more relaxed mom, say yes more and no less. I am proud to say that I succeeded and I think the girls had fun because of my refreshed attitude. Yes, I had to work, but the girls didn't have to go to any daycare during the two weeks they were out of school. They were around family the entire time. They spent time with Grandma V, they went to Daddy's basketball practices and spent time with Au Bob and Julia. It was exactly what the holidays are all about. As if I wasn't looking forward to Christmas already, the day it came was everything I had hoped it would be - the girls woke up in their own house, ran around the house yelling "Santa came! Santa came!" and we all came stumbling downstairs to the colorful display under the tree. I captured many great moments on Christmas and in the days after of us just hanging around the house, doing crafts, watching movies and relaxing, but this one sums it all up and shows what the season is all about. It's about giving and, sometimes, the joy of receiving. Amy got Diana a Taylor Swift calendar. She was so excited to pick out the calendar at the store, she ran over and knew exactly which one Diana wanted because they were just looking at them two weeks before. When Diana opened it, you would've thought it was tickets to see Taylor Swift in concert...she was so elated. This hug is what every mom dreams of between her kids and I captured it on camera. I will cherish this photo forever and hope that there are many more like it to come!