My household consists of a wonderful husband, seven children (yes, we are a blended family), a dog (welsh corgi), a bird (cockatiel), a gecko, and several fish. It is rarely quiet here and we are quite busy, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. We have a second grader, the lone elementary school student. The rest of the kids are in the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. This spring we begin our series of six years of high school graduations in a row. Having a house full of teenagers sometimes makes us feel young again and at other times it ages us. If we survive the Driver’s Permit stage of all seven kids it will be a miracle!
My passion is my family. They are my focus and bring me a sense of fulfillment. Other interests include writing, gardening, my son’s cub scout den and now blogging (though I am still a newbie). I am a substitute school teacher and a crossing guard, jobs I enjoy and that allow me to be home when I need to be. I believe in the Love and Logic approach to raising kids. I’ve seen it work well in my own family and so became a facilitator of the “Becoming a Love and Logic Parent” program so I could share it with other parents.
My favorite quote is “Good, better, best. May I never rest, ’til my good is better, and my better best!” I don’t know who said it first, but it has become my philosophy on parenting. I try to take any good I see in myself and work with it until it becomes my best. If I learn something new or come across a great tip that helps improve family life I love to share it with others. And I really enjoy when others share their tips with me. My desire is to connect with others that have the same passion about family and parenting that I do.
March 16, 2008 at 3:25 am
Hi,
I noticed you left a comment on my blog, so I thought I would stop by for a visit. I think it’s wonderful that you are passionate about your family. Over the years that I have been a parent, I have seen a great weakening of family relationships, which is sad, so it’s always encouraging to see parents that strive to raise good kids. May God bless you in all your parenting endeavors.
Blessings,
Carol
March 16, 2008 at 5:53 am
Thank you for visiting! Blessings to you as well.
March 22, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Family first. I like the blog.
Peace,
March 25, 2008 at 2:51 am
I love the quote that is the basis for your blog! It sounds like you have an amazing family! Thank you for stopping by to visit me.
April 11, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Wow, what a blessed family. I would love to have a BIG family, but for now I will take the two I am blessed with and just wait for another!
April 18, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Hi, Kweenmama. Thank you for your nice comment on my blog. I love your blog site, how you focus on your family and your views in life. God bless you and your family!
May 3, 2008 at 12:21 am
Thanks for the comments on my blog - I just started blogging so it was nice to hear from someone!
Looks like you have a wonderful family!
May 8, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Thank you so much for the kind comments on my blog today. I was encouraged by your words. It sounds like you are a great mom and wife, and I hope you have a blessed Mother’s Day! I enjoyed looking at your blog, as well. Great stuff!
May 19, 2008 at 4:46 am
thx for the comment! I really enjoy “meeting” people who provide links to their own blogs, and I’m very glad to have visited yours (I’m sure I’ll be back, too) — very refreshing to find kind of a “kindred spirit” in blended motherhood!
*MWAH!*
Tanya
May 29, 2008 at 7:28 am
Thanks for the nice comment on my blog! You seem to have a wonderful family and I enjoyed reading a few of your entries. Beautiful blog!
Take care,
Minna
June 2, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Thanks for visiting and commenting on my blog! I will take some time to read through your blog!
-Timmy
June 11, 2008 at 5:37 am
Other than my family I’ve never known of anyone else that has heard of or uses Love and Logic. I have found some things helpful, but not everything to be full proof. Is there something from Love and Logic that has helped your family the most?
June 11, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Callie: Not owning the kids’ problems–handing the problem back to them to solve, which helps them to think and problem solve AND gain confidence in handling situations (even bad ones they have created themselves); Showing empathy before giving logical consequences, thus preserving the relationship; and offering choices so that the kids feel they have some control, then they aren’t as likely to protest when you do sometimes have to say no to something.
Those would be my top three tools from Love and Logic that have helped me. There are others, of course. Nothing is full-proof, but it is nice to have some “tools” in place when the kids surprise you with some of their choices.
Thanks for your comments on my blog.
June 11, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Hi K.A.,
You are phenomenal! What a beautiful family! Can you say the updated version of the Brady
Brunch (smile).
Talk to you soon,
K