Memo To Mommy

I found this great article in Parent's magazine this month. I ripped it out to put on my refrigerator as a reminder, so I thought that other parents might enjoy this too:

Memo To Mommy - You have alot to teach your little one, but he has a few words of wisdom for you too.

'Stop freaking out about the mess! There's always time to clean - but how often do we get to make mud pies?"
"Love me, even when I'm naughty. I'll only be this age once."
"Be patient. I do everything for a reason, but I don't know enough words yet to give you an explanation."
"Let ME do it. I know you can do it faster and better, but sometimes experience is the best teacher."
"Don't expect too much of me. I want to do what you ask and make you happy, but I'm still little."
"Don't try to reason with me when I'm having a tantrum. Trust me - i can't hear you over my own screaming."
"Keep your promises. It's all about trust. When I'm a teenager, you'll understand why it's so important."
"Don't keep asking me if I've been good. I'm not even sure what this means, but if I was bad I'd never admit it!"
"Don't let me think you're perfect. I feel a lot better knowing I'm not the only one who makes mistakes sometimes."
"Set limits. I can't actually eat a whole box of cookies - I just want to see if I'd get away with it!"

Pretty good, I thought. I am preparing for a week of change with Ashtyn's kindergarten orientation today and her first real day tomorrow. We have been quite excited, but now I am having some sadness and a bit of anxiety - mostly about the safety of the school. Has anyone else felt this way? Perhaps I should talk with the principal and then I'll feel better. The whole family went over to the Back-to School Ice Cream Social last night and met Ashtyn's teacher. She is a first-year teacher, a bit older than me, with two kids in school. She seems very awesome and perfect for Ashtyn (and me!) We talked a bit about volunteering (which we will cover in detail today at orientation) and she said she has a very open-door policy. So, even if we are not needed to volunteer a certain week, we are always welcome to just visit the class. Yay! I may need to do that for a while, but hopefully I can be helpful to her teacher.
I will be teaching Alyssa and her friend preschool at home. Letters and sounds and fun games and crafts this year. I will swap with this friend's mom for volunteering each week. I had felt that this time would really benefit Alyssa and help us to connect more and let her have a chance to do what SHE likes rather than sending her to a class this year. This was reiterated in the back-to-school blessing I received last night. We all received one as part of our family home evening lesson. The girls were very reverent and attentive to their blessings after our lesson on the priesthood.
So, I guess that's long enough. Jantzen is a funny, fun baby who loves to laugh and play. He is getting sturdier and better at scooting around the furniture. He has even stood alone for a few seconds and has pushed his little walker toy around the living room each day this past week. We will still visit the physical therapist tomorrow and see if he needs any additional help to strengthen his core muscles. He is turning over a new leaf and showing us his stubborn side in the throwing temper tantrums. A couple of brief ones at home, but then a terrible one out at dinner on Saturday night. Jason and I were at a complete loss of what to do with him, as never having experienced such behavior with our girls. We were sure there was something wrong with him, but came to realize that he was just mad and very hungry, but then too hungry to eat when the food actually came. Augh! He won't be joining us out at restaurants for a while. This will be interesting.
Loves to all - Amy