Three cheers for me

Bradley is hitting one of those phases that moms complain about all the time. I don't know what this one is called but basically it is hunger strike meets serious manipulation.

Today I made a tortilla wrap, cut up to look like pinwheels. Yeah, yay me for ingenuity. B took one look at it and said, "I no like" and ate the crackers and apples. At the end, my adorable little pinwheels were sitting there and I was seriously annoyed. I knew B would like them if he ate them, so we were in a standoff. I have heard other moms lecture not to get in to a standoff at meals, but I am not other moms and I do not make it a habit to make additional meals. He was either going to eat it or starve.

Now to the manipulation part. Since he has become potty-trained, B's favorite party trick is to go to the bathroom during meals, especially if he doesn't like what we are eating. He has other tricks, too, like needing to wash his hands, getting the boogers out of his nose, putting the dogs outside, finding his brother's binky, fetching me a napkin, etc. It is so annoying. The worst one started up within the last couple days: the dreaded gag reflex. If he tries something he doesn't like he will start gagging. And he has followed through with his threats a couple times. Gross.

Back to my pinwheels. So we are taking the pinwheels, one little bite at a time. B starts getting bored and starts fighting back. He has to poop. He has boogers. He needs a napkin. The dog is bothering him. And then baaaarf. If I said I wanted to punch him you get that it is a figure of speech and not CPS-worthy behavior?

Ugh. So I clean him up, sit him (naked) at the table by himself and tell him in that super scary low voice that he will sit there until all his food is eaten. I might have also called Jeff and had him tell B in his super scary low voice to listen to me and eat. Then I open the computer and hit up my Google Reader for an escape. First one up, is Rachel's post about not focusing on her shortcomings as a mom and celebrating three things she does right. Then she invites her friends to share. So I am, because as you can see from the above, I need to or else I will feel like the scary mom all day long.

Item #1- (I am stealing this from Rachel) I am teaching them to love to read.
What kind of English teacher would I be if I didn't try my hardest to teach my kids to love to read? I know, yet don't understand, that people don't particularly like reading. Jeff is one of those people. My boys don't have TVs or lots of toys in their rooms, but they have tons of books. If they are ever stuck in their room because of timeout or naptime, they will always have books to entertain them. It's working, too, because both of them love to be read to--B won't go to bed without them and Cash coos up a storm while we read.


Item #2- My boys know they are loved.
Whether it is the cuddle time we have everyday or the boundaries we put in place, my kids know that we are there for them and paying attention.

Item #3- I am teaching them good manners.
This has always been one of my top priorities. B says "please" and "thank you" out of habit and because he means it, not just because he is prompted. I love when I give him his breakfast or blanket and he says, "Oh thank you, mama!" Like I just handed him one hundred dollars.

There is my list. I think you should share, too, and if you are not a parent write about three things in which you personally excel.

PS- By the time I finished writing this, B had finished his pinwheels and decided they were yummy. I winnnnnnn!!