To think like a 2 year old......

I'm finding out a lot lately that they call it the Terrible Twos for a reason. Connor, who is a normally docile and cute child, has been acting like something akin to Satan's Spawn lately. Temper tantrums are not an adequate way to describe what he's been having. It's all-out warfare with him when he doesn't get his way. And I'm sorry to say that most of the time, the 32-pound tiny terror wins the battle.

As any stay at home mom will tell you, 13 or 14 hours of non-stop toddler fun can be more than taxing on your patience. It's safe to say I've been totally worn down at this point. Connor gave up napping about a month ago, so I don't even get that little reprieve anymore. Time outs don't work much these days, and any other form of punishment I've tried hasn't been successful, either. I literally took away all the kids toys one day as punishment for throwing them. Didn't make one lick of difference.

So I decided, on the advice of a friend, to read the book "The Happiest Toddler on the Block." After just a few chapters, I decided the author must be nuts. He compares toddlers to cavemen who have to learn the proper rules of behavior. He suggests the best way to deal with a tantrum is to let the child know you know how they feel. This involves becoming a toddler yourself. Today, when leaving preschool, Connor threw the kind of fit that had people looking at me like I was kidnapping him. So I decided at that point, with everyone in the building already staring at me, it couldn't hurt to try out one of the book's tactics. So I got down on my knees so I was at eye level with Connor. I clenched my fists and I yelled "You're mad, mad, mad and you're not going to take it anymore. You don't want to leave. It's not fair!" While everyone else was looking at me like a monster with 3 heads, Connor actually calmed down. By golly, it WORKED! It was embarrassing, but it worked. What's the moral of this story, you ask? I guess if I'm going to look like a moron in public with a kid throwing a tantrum, I might as well go all the way and repeat the caveman scenario. At least it's the lesser of two moron evils. :)

My name is Shari.......

....and I am a Peep-a-holic.

I admit it. I can't help myself. It is my one weakness in life (OK, OK, second weakness if you count chocolate).

Now, before any of you run to close your window shades for fear I might be lurking outside, I'm not that kind of peep-a-holic. No, I'm talking about those irresistible marshmallowy goodness peeps that come out every year about this time.

I don't know exactly when this obsession of mine started, but I'm fairly sure it's my mother's fault. From a very early age, I remember having those things in my Easter basket each year. Maybe it's the pure sugar rush I get from them. I don't know. All I know is I lose all reason when a box of those things are around me. And anyone who knows me knows I prefer them stale. Poke a hole in 'em, let 'em sit for a few days and then voila, you have the perfect peeps. A former coworker of mine used to buy me boxes upon boxes of them and squirrel them away in my desk drawer for easy access. I think it's safe to say I liked that guy. If only I could get him to come stock my home office with them, I'd have it made!

AMEN!

Sometimes, I wonder if anyone is really listening to me when I talk. I know I accuse Isaak of having selective hearing all the time---if it's not something he wants to hear, he selectively tunes it out. And after the 15th time out in 3 hours Wednesday, I decided Connor must have inherited his daddy's selective hearing abilities, too. But then he did something that pleasantly surprised me. We've been having Connor say a simple mealtime prayer with us, and also his bedtime prayers. On Thursday, I gave him his lunch and walked back into the kitchen to get mine. I heard him say "God Good, AMEN!" He was trying to say grace all by himself! It literally made my heart melt. I guess he is listening! :)

Falling Stars.....

They may take the spirit from you,
Try to change the person you are.
They can take away the hope I have,
Just don't touch my falling star......

Death as a part of life.......

I recently started a new responsibility for the Post Gazette (the Pittsburgh newspaper for which I freelance)-----writing feature obituaries for their North section.
Now, I took on this job because it was guaranteed money each week with relatively little work involved. But I had no idea it was going to be such an enriching experience.
It would be easy to get very depressed talking to people about the deaths---and lives---of their recently departed loved ones. And for the first two weeks, I did. Most of the time, because of my deadline, I'm talking to these people hours after their loved one's death, and sometimes, on the day of the funeral. Needless to say, it's very hard for those folks to talk about something that is so fresh in their minds. So I've had to listen to more than one person break down on the phone with me. Because I inherited my mother's compassionate personality, I am able to comfort these people while still getting the information I need. But it's a tough situation.
Today, however, I decided that doing these obituaries can be a positive thing. While talking to the family of a Pittsburgh man who died suddenly from heart failure, I got to find out about this man's generous personality. He would give the shirt off his own back to someone in need because someone had once helped him. He learned from that experience and went on to be a better person for it. That's something I've always hoped to do but have not yet accomplished. This man, whom I don't even know, has inspired me to be a better, more giving person myself. Thanks, Ron.

If removing adenoids is an adenoidectomy.........

....what do they call it when you put them back in?

Connor had his removed Friday morning at Chlildren's Hospital North because they were enlarged. The surgeon ranked them at a 10 for blockage, which means 100 % blockage that's how enlarged those things were. It's amazing he could even breathe.

However, since he's had them out, he's been like a different kid. He always was active. But that activity level has gone up at least 75%. I guess now that he's feeling good, we're going to find out just what a bundle of energy Connor really is, and I'm not sure I can handle that. I couldn't keep up with him before. I'll never be able to do it with this newfound energy of his.

Do you think they could put his adenoids back? Just kidding. :)

Two Reasons for Praise.........

Today was a double-whammy kind of day for my family. My son had surgery to remove his adenoids, and my dad found out the results of a recent colonscopy. My dad had been diagnosed last week with prostate cancer, and then they found a polyp in his colon. Thankfully, it was negative when they sent it out for the biopsy. We praise God for that. Dealing with prostate cancer is enough right now.

My son did exceptionally well during surgery. The procedure took just 20 minutes, and his adenoids were causing a 100% blockage. The surgeon cleaned out some goop from behind them, too, which had become infected and wasn't draining because the adenoids were in the way. Already, Connor is playing and singing and acting like himself, which is a relief. He's also making up for lost time (and meals---he wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything since midnight last night). He's eaten 3 bowls of oatmeal, 2 pancakes, 2 pudding cups and is now asking for more. He may eat us out of house and home!

I was so glad Isaak was there today. He was a real rock for us. He was the one to hold and soothe Connor after the surgery and he handled it better than I could have done myself. So he definitely earned a gold star today. :)