Responsibilty...Please tell me if I am wrong

Okay, I have been testing this theory and so far so good.

I am a firm believer in teaching your children responsibility and consequences for there actions and choices. In order for me to do what I do for my children I make them carry alot of responsibility. Mind you my children are 9, 7 (on Monday), and 4. I no longer get up with them in the morning. This is our schedule....

700am- Brianna's alarm goes off and she gets up on her own and goes to wake up her sister. They get dressed and they go downstairs to the kitchen where they make breakfast. Just to let you know I am awake and I am actually in the shower getting ready for my day. Sometimes Nic is awake but not always he is LAZY! After the girls eat they pack their lunch (which I randomly check so they know sandwich, chips, cookie, yogurt, fruit or vegetable and juice box or water). When they are done they proceed upstairs where they brush their hair and teeth make the beds and pick up all their laundry. At 820 we leave the house and go to the bus stop.

I was told that some of my friends disagree with the fact that I don't make their lunches or breakfast. That my job as a mother is to provide all of that for them (ha ha hahahahaha) Well my feeling on that is I have seen some of the laziest most disrespectful down right nasty children who care about nothing come from homes with no responsibility's. My girls have come to like the routine we have in place. When they help me I am able to spend more time with them and run them to dance 3 nights a week and spend WHOLE weekends at dance competitions.

When it comes to consequences if I give my kids a choice (and this goes for Nic to) they have to deal with it EX:

I offer you waffles or cereal for breakfast and you choose waffles you are eating them. I tell them that they were given a choice and thats what they choose so deal with it. You have to take ownership of the choices you make and the consequences of doing so.

I am so tired of seeing kids make decisions that end up affecting the parents and they just dont care. I decided early on that for every responsibility I carry my children will do equal (once age appropriate of course). I see kids walk into the house and throw EVERYTHING onto the floor and tell the parents to pick it up WHO TAKES ORDERS FROM THEIR CHILDREN!!!! Hello YOU ARE THE PARENT NOT THEM!

I dont know I am just looking for other mothers opinions regarding this. But I have to say what ever I am doing is working because my daughters teacher told someone else that he didnt know what we were doing to raise such a lovely young lady and whoever is raising her is doing an AMAZING job. I love to hear that!

Dont underestimate the ages of my children Brianna is wise beyond her years and VERY MATURE for her age. I refuse to feel like a slave to my family and I think my children are respecting the fact that I have given them more responsibility.

To Cute!

So, Nic and I tackled the front yard yesterday. I pulled weeds as he gathered the piles and put them in a 5 gallon bucket (Out wheelbarrel is BROKEN!) so we could carry it across the street and dump it. I also edged out the flower beds (dug a trench pretty much) and I never realized how heavy 5 gallons of dirt really was. But now worries Nic carried the other side of the bucket and amazingly it didnt seem that heavy when he put his hand on it to help me. After I finished the yard Nicolas and I decided to wash the van. Well he only helped about 5 minutes before he decided to wash his tractor LOL It was so dang cute!!! He parked it on the sidewalk stole my rag and my bucket and the hose and washed it! I wanted to take a picture but I couldnt find my stupid camera I swear I can never find it when I need it!

Girls Day Out!!!

I had the BEST DAY today. I took my 2 baby girls to the mall and we spent the whole day together. I took them to the salon and got their hair cut. Brianna's looks amazing they thinned it out and OH MY she looks like a completely different kid! Shays was just cut to below her shoulders and straight across. After I cut all her hair off two years ago she wont let anyone touch her hair. She was not happy about it today.

We arrived at the mall and headed for Claires. The girls had (what I thought was $20 gift cards, apparently they were $30 dollar cards) Gift Cards from Christmas 2 years ago. Can you tell this was a BIG DEAL we NEVER go to the mall. Well once the girls realized that they only had $20 dollars to spend (like I said I was wrong) we were in there FOREVER! Every time they picked something out I told them the price it was and how much they had left. Well Shailyn got frustrated half way through the store and says..."Why is everything so expensive" I laughed, Shay everything has always been expensive but you have always spent mommy and daddy's money but now you are having to spend yours its not much fun is it. But I was proud of them they did use their money wisely. Then we headed out for lunch.

We hopped into Children's Place after lunch and hopped into some really great sales. I got a WHOLE BAG of clothes for $117.00 It was awesome....Then off the Journeys Kids where we found shoes for $4.99. We picked a great day to shop there were some good sales a clearance stuff too!

After we left the mall we hit Old Navy for matching flip flops and then target for some shorts for Bri (I still wasn't paying $24.50 for shorts) On the drive home the girls were talking about all the GREAT clothes they got and how nice it was to spend the day with mom.

These are the days that I LOVE BEING A MOTHER!!!

To protect you must also sacrafice!!!!

HOW I PROTECTED

Well last Friday I found out that Shailyn has been being bullied on the school bus and let me tell you something "Dont piss off a momma"!!!! Apparently the girl Shailyn was sitting with was forcing Shay to sit by the window and not allowing her to talk and when Shailyn did she shoved her against the window. Well that was all I needed to hear....

When we got out to the bus stop I waitied patiently for the bus to come and when it did I flew out of the van. I climbed right up on that bus and told the bus driver what was going and demanded that Shays seat be changed. He told me his bus was full and that he would have to figure something out. I said "Oh HELL NO! I am not getting off this bus until you change my daughters seat.....and he did! I informed him that I was also calling the school to handle this situation.

When I got off of the bus my new neighbor was looking at me like I was NUTS!! LOL Well if you mess with my babies you will definately see the nasty side of me. She said "Are you okay?" I laughed and said yes and just gave her a brief synopsis of what I had learned about what was happening to Shay. She said WOW you are always so neat and nice and put together and then this morning I saw a whole new light around you and I was scared LOL!!! I just laughed it off and said as long as she was not hurting one of my children she would never have to worry about encountering that Shannon ever again!!!

I called the Vice Principle and thankfully I volunteer alot and he knows me. He sprung into action and handled the situation. He called Shailyn down to the office got her side of the story and then talked to the other BRAT and told her bullying was not tolerated and if he heard of it happening again he would take further action. He also made sure that the bus driver permantely moved Shays seat.


HERE IS THE SACRAFICE!!!

Sometimes I dont understand parenting.

Shailyn has now been moved to the back of the bus with her sister. Which I thought would work out better. I was wrong....

While at competition this past weekend one of Shays dance mate informed me that Shailyn told her a story of another little boy and girl at her school were caught taking their clothes off and kissing!!!!!!

I was mortified that my daughter told this story. When we got home my husband and I sat her down and asked her what was going on. Brianna also confirmed that Shay overheard other kids in the back of the bus talking about this situation. Brian and I told her she was never to repeat the things she hers to other kids and that she needs to tell a grown up what she hears.

I dont know what to do I can drive them to school everyday but picking them up is a problem both Brian and i are working at 330pm. So to save my 6 yr old from a bully I feel like I am sacraficing her innocence! I am at a loss and I just figure I will come up with a way to stop her from riding the bus and protect her a little longer!!

I know I know I suck at this but TODAY I AM A PROUD MAMMA!!!!

Well as most of you know I am a mom to two beautiful dancers!!!

This pas t weekend we had a dance competition and Brianna performed her SOLO for the first time! Well She danced on Saturday at which time we realized they put her in the WRONG CATAGORY!! They had her in the "Future Stars" (which means they have little to no competiton experience and is meant to be a steping stone for the kids) age range 9-11. Well Brianna is technically nine but JUST turned nine and was suppose to be in the 8 and under catagory. Well we fixed that and asked the judges to place her in the right catasgory and they did. Brianna did her solo her song is concrete angel by martina mcbride. She NAILED it!!! I cried like a two year old who just had a lollipop snatched from them. I was very proud of her to have enough courage to get on that stage and dance as if noone was watching. She looked like she owned that stage. After she was done the judges informed her choreographer that we would not recieve her scores until SUNDAY!!! ugh Saturday night was a LONG night.

Sunday morning we had to report back at 1230 for the awards because the other 8 and unders all performed Sunday morning. Well they announced her name and she won.......

ELITE GOLD AND FIRST PLACE IN HER CATAGORY and SECOND PLACE OVERALL IN HER AGE DIVISION!!!!!

For her first time out on a stage alone I was in shock and on a emotional high!!!! My babygirl has made my day!

These are the moments as a mother that I live for. She was so happy and just seeing her facelight up and carry her trophy and her metals was pure bliss.




Shailyn also danced this weekend and did fantastic as well she is so dang cute coming up behind her sister. She wants to be just like her ( I just wish she could clean up after herself like Brianna does LOL).

Shailyn has the cute factor going for her. She could stand there and win trophys just for being cute LOL.





All and all it was a very good weekend!