Letting Him Have a Cup and a Cone

We decided to go to a wonderful ice cream spot in our town on the 4th of July. It used to be small train station along railroad tracks. Now it is small ice cream spot along the railroad tracks. They serve soft serve chocolate or vanilla ice cream with a wide array of topping for a very reasonable price.

While he waited in line JDaniel watched for a train. They don't come by often in the evening. We usually hear them in the middle of the night.

He really wanted to play in the large puddle behind him, but I persuaded him that his feet would get drenched and he listened to my advice!

You can get your ice cream in a cup or a cone. JDaniel really wanted a cone. Due to the fact that ice cream can fall off a cone and become unable to be eaten unless it is is licked off the ground. (Which we won't allow him to do) He conceded to having a cone in a cup.

Once he sat down he pulled the cone out and set it to the side. He never touched it again. I guess he just likes the idea of a cone.

The ice cream was yummy, but JDaniel hardly made a dent in his. He is usually the first one finished.

Why?

 He was distracted by the discussion he decided we needed to have on fireworks. JDaniel knew we would be watching some later in the evening. He wanted to know everything we knew about how they worked and what they are made of.

We ended up taking the rest of his ice cream home to have later.

I bet next time we go it will eat it all!

What are your children interested in learning about now?

This post is linked to Mrs. Matlock's Alphabe Thursday and Mama Kat's Writing Workshop.

Sharing a Joyful Moment- Tell Me Yours (Every Comment is Chance to Win)

There are so many joyous moments in my life. I have been truly blessed in many ways, but one that stands out is the day I finally got married.

My sisters both got married in their thirties and I am sure my mom had given up all hope I would ever get married. There had been wonderful men I had dated in my twenties and thirties, but I had a lot of homework to do before I was ready to get married and just wasn’t ready for them.

I am so blessed that by the time I was ready my husband was too. We were both late bloomers in the marriage department. Both were in our forties and both had never married before.
Planning our wedding was just wonderful. I almost everything we chose to celebrate our special day. One of my favorite wedding details was a Shutterfly photo album that we used as a guest book. It was filled with important events and people in our courtship.

I have never understood the need to have people you invited to your wedding tell you they came by signing their name in a book. Our photo guest book has messages of encouragement around photos we love.

Here are some of them:

The cover fo the guest book.

A picture I love taken at Great Falls Park in Virginia.

 These are my matron of honor and bridemaid's wedding pictures.

This is the church where we got married.

I’d like to hear about your moment of joy! Share your story and upload a photo (optional), and in return Shutterfly will gift you $5 off your next photo book to commemorate life’s joyous moments, and you"ll be entered for a chance to win a $200 Shutterfly Gift card.


Do you have a favorite photo that captures it? Upload your photo below with your story for a chance to win a $200 Shutterfly Gift card.


This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Shutterfly. The opinions and text are all mine. Offer valid for $5 off one photo book order and valid for one-time redemption per member. Taxes, shipping and handling will apply. BlogFrog hosted gift card contest live from June 17th to July 14th. For $200 gift card, participants must have uploaded a photo to be eligible. A winner will be randomly chosen and announced on July 18th. All participants remain the copyright holder of their photos.



What was  a joyful moment in your life?

.

Pause Life for a Moment- Blue Cotton Memory

I fell in love with Blue Cotton Memory's writer and her blog when I read her post on the Six Mom Stages of Boys in January of 2010. It is a wonderful post on how mothering never end it just changes over time. She inspires me to be a better mom and challenges me to think about motherhood in new ways. I am thrilled she is here visiting with you today.

Pausing Places

By Maryleigh at Blue Cotton Memory

I love rain storms. Rain storms are the pause button to my schedule. Maybe it’s baseball or football that keeps you busy – it’s soccer for me. When the rain comes, my schedule comes to a grinding halt.

“I’m bored. What can we do?” the boys always ask

“Fill the emptiness,” I answer.

“With what?” they persist.

“With big and little thoughts,” I think. “Press in to the quietness. Let its peace be like a soothing balm rubbed into the cracked and worn feet of my soul, soothing my walk, giving me rest.”

"’This is the resting place, let the weary rest’"; and, "’This is the place of repose’"--but they would not listen” (Isaiah 28:12)

“It is important to learn how to handle nothing-ness,” I answer. I go into a great story about back in the day when I was their age, only 3 TV channels existed. On a rainy day we built card houses, watched NASCAR races, played cards or board games. . . read books. On sunny days, porch wall jump-offs, sidewalk roller skating, tree climbing, daisy chain construction, bee catching.

We never uttered the words, “I am bored.” If we gave them a mouth-full of whine, they gave us an afternoon full of chores. We wisely kept our complaints to ourselves.

“Solitude is painful when one is young, but delightful when one is more mature” (Albert Einstein)

Where do you go when nothing-ness comes? Where is your Pausing Place? Pausing Places – a place to sit and let nothingness wash through, like clear water in a rushing stream – clearing away the debris of my soul, clearing away for freshness and new growth.

My back porch, during a rain storm – that is one of my pausing places. Sometimes it is my kitchen when no one is home – and I can throw myself into the cooking and think about life without interruptions – while making something wonderful for my boys.

“Solitude is such a potential thing. We hear voices in solitude, we never hear in the hurry and turmoil of life; we receive counsels and comforts, we get under no condition”

(Amelia E. Barr)

Other times, it is wrapping myself in a blanket, curling up with a good book and my knitting. I would read a bit, knit a bit. That happened the other day. My son flung himself across the end of my bed – and just looked at me.

“There’s nothing to do,” he said, baleful eyes woefully wooing me to create “something” for him out of nothing.

“I’m having a great time,” I said. “I’m loving this. I’m sorry there is nothing you want to do – but there is plenty you can do. But – I am not going to let your frustration mar my nothing-to-do-time.

He sighed.

“One of the most important things you need to learn is how to find peace and joy in the nothingness of a day,” I gently coaxed.

He wallowed a bit more, making sure I knew he was frustrated. I wouldn’t be baited. I sent him on his way.

Filling each moment with him-centered activities does not prepare him to live a fully enriched life. If they do not learn to embrace the quiet times, the stopping times, then later, they might fill those moments with harmful activities – just to fill the nothingness.

One of the most important skills in life is to learn how to embrace those pauses. My boys, well, they need to learn how to make something out of nothing. Their day is so chocked full of activities they become bewildered when they face, what they think, is the Great Monster Nothingness – which I have discovered to be a great friend.

Learning to turn nothing into blessing – what a great life-skill. Bring on those rainy days!

Looking for Fun ( Not Scary) Movies for My Family

To celebrate summer fun, Redbox is asking moms, "What’s the best animated movie that both kids and parents can enjoy?" Plus, they are rewarding 2 lucky people with a chance to win $10,000 as part of the Redbox Summer of Fun & Games Sweepstakes.

JDaniel is a G rated movie and television viewer. We tend to watch documentary style DVDs on robots and construction equipment. Curious George (The Movie) is about his speed when it comes to cartoons. He does ask me to fast forward when George is going to have something bad happen to him. I guess he is sensitive about how George is going to feel.

Recently I thought I was taking JDaniel to a movie selected for young children. It was shown as part of the summer movie festival a movie theater near us is hosting for the summer. It was rated G.
Jdaniel was terrified. He kept asking to leave. We stayed for two reasons brought the little boy next door with us. The second was I thought it would get better.

While I admit I should have done research on the movie ahead of time, I really didn’t think they would be showing a movie that featured robbery, lying, torture, and murder to children.

Here is some of what happens:

A young brave mouse is cast into a tunnel that is believed will lead him to a sure and certain death after talking to a human being ( a princess) and refusing to be fearful.

After landing in Ratland, the mouse is placed in an arena of blood thirsty rats to be gauged and eaten by a cat trained to brutally attack animals placed in the arena. The mouse is saved from the cat by a kind rat.

A rat who loves adventure sneaks into a castle to investigate a wonderful smelling soup bowl . He falls into the queen’s soup. When she finds him there, she has a heart attack and dies.

A young princess is envied by her handmaid. The handmaid steals from her and comes to despise her.

The rat becomes angry when he isn’t forgiven by the princess for killing her mother. The rat convinces the handmaid to kidnap the princess while wielding a cleaver. The princess is dragged to the dudgeon where she remeets the mouse.

While the mouse is trying to get help for the princess, she is dragged into the arena to be eaten alive by rats.

Thankfully the mouse convinces the rat to help him save the princess and the movie ends on a happy note.

I thought I was taking JDaniel to a movie selected for young children. It was shown as part of the summer movie festival a movie theater near us is hosting for the summer. It was rated G.

JDaniel was upset by the movie. He kept asking to leave. We stayed for two reasons brought the little boy next door with us. The second was I thought it would get better.

While I admit I should have done research on the movie ahead of time, I really didn’t think they would be showing a movie that featured robbery, lying, torture, and murder to children.

We are ging to stick to movies for the library and the RedBox from now on.


What movie would be fun (not scary) for my family to watch?




Redbox is celebrating summer family time with a great line up of family-friendly titles, awesome savings and two chances to win $10,000 as part of the Redbox Summer of Fun & Games Sweepstakes.*

4 Easy Ways to Enter:
1. Enter your email address at www.redbox.com/summer
2. Rent a movie or game at a redbox kiosk (and provide a valid email address at checkout)
3. Reserve a rental online at redbox.com
4. Text 'SUMMER' to 727272
Enter to win today!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Redbox. The opinions and text are all mine.

*Each item rented earns one entry, regardless of how long it is rented, up to three entries per day. Limit 3 entries per day, regardless of entry method. The sweepstakes begins May 27, 2011 at 12:00 a.m. CT and ends on August 1, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. CT. No purchase necessary. See official rules at www.redbox.com/summer.

Displaying Independence Link Up!

Welcome to the Displaying Independence Link Up! It will be so exciting to see what each of you has decided to share. If you haven't added the Displaying Independence badge or added a link to one of the blogs hosting this link up, please do so.

This link will be open all week! Please add your post when you get a chance!





                                                                      

                                                                  <a border="0" href="http://www.jdaniel4smom.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/jacquiblogger/DisplayingIndependence150.png" /> </a>
  Blog Hosts are the following: The Activity Mom, June Clever Nirvana, Milk and Cuddles and Quirky Momma along with me. We are all co-community leaders of Mom Loop!    Displaying Independence- Climbing to the Top
JDaniel tried and tried to climb up this play structure at the Children's Museum of the Upstate. We have a yearly pass and try to visit the museum at least once a week.

His first few attempts lead to frustration and angst. A few times I had to crawl up to get him. JDaniel didn't give up though. Each time we would visit he would try again.

There were a number of stops to rest and regroup of the way to the top. There were a few times I worried that he would decided to take nap on the way up. It seemed to take him a long time to figure out the path he needed to go and how to get there. Finally he was able to climb up the structure all the way to the top.

 Starting off!

Navigating higher!

Deciding where to go!

Resting for a moment!

Still need to go higher!

Hooray! I have conquered the play structure!

This post is linked to Momma Made It Look Easy.

 

Muffin Tin Monday on Sunday- Happy Fourth of July

I am participating in the Displaying Independence sponsored by Mom Loop tomorrow so, I decided to post this yummy tin a day early.

JDaniel had a burger with a cheese and bread star, Two Bears Farm's Corn and Black Bean Salad, potato salad made with red potato stars, strawberries, red grapes and peanute butter fudge brought for me to the Type A Conference by Lisa of Two Bears Farm.

JDaniel loved everything. He is still into eating with his hands rather than a fork. He was able to pick up the stars, burger and fruit with his finds. A fork was used for the corn and black bean salad.

The corn and bean salad is the first recipe to be featured in my summer series. Serving Lunch with JDaniel4's Mom series. It runs through July and August.

How does the Serving Lunch with JDaniel4’s Mom work?

You just leave me a comment on a Muffin Tin Monday post with a link to a recipe you think I should get JDaniel to try a muffin tin. If I use your recipe, I will mention your blog in the post it appears in along with a link back to it.


The salad was a huge success. If you would like to try it, please visit the link I have included above.

This post is linked to Muffin Tin Monday.




I am participating in Jeanna Journey's 2nd Annual Comment Challenge. It should be fun!

  

Displaying Independence- Helping with Breakfast

It used to be simple to get breakfast ready in the morning. JDaniel would wait at the kitchen table for me to bring over his cereal bowl and milk cup. I would quickly pour everything into its correct serving piece and place it on the table.

At three he decided he could “help” me get breakfast ready. He started to carry his stepstool over to the counter just below his breakfast bowl and wait for me to bring over the cereal box.

Pouring the cereal into the bowl was a job he decided that he wanted to do himself. He has usually been able to do a good job at this. There were always a few pieces that fell to the floor, but not many. He didn't overfill his bowl which was a miracle.

He would then hop down from his stool and rush for the refrigerator to get the milk jug. If it was heavy, he would let me carry it over for him. If it was light, he felt he could carry it.

Then the scariest part of cereal preparation occurred. He wanted to pour the milk into the bowl himself. He has a terrible sense of pouring liquids. I would hold part of the jug handle, but. the milk still seemed to slosh out of the bowl and cascade down the cabinets and or his pajamas.

Thankfully he has recently conceded that he could use my help with the milk pouring. My body can cease to tighten up and relax now that I can pour the milk.

The most precarious part of the cereal preparation happened when he tried to step off the stepstool carrying the bowl. It was kind of like watching a tightrope walker step out onto the high wire. I watched him carefully try to hold the bowl and step down at the same time. The milk would lick at the sides of the bowl most days without spilling to the floor. There were times that he stepped down too quickly and everything would flow out of the bowl and onto the floor. This truly frustrated him and me. It might mean we would have to begin the process again.

Once the bowl had made it onto the table, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief .

The bowl has been know to fall of the table when he tries to get out the final spoonful of milk, but beyond that it seems to remain in its spot on the table until he tries to drink the milk out of the bowl.

What activities do your children want to do by themselves?


This post is a part of the Displaying Independence celebration that begins Monday here and on the following blogs.


On July 4th the moms of Mom Loop would love for you to link up posts on your children displaying their independence. Your post could be all words or pictures or a mixture of both.

You can post your link on any of the blogs listed below. We would love for you to display this button or link to any of our blogs on your post.


 
                                                                      
                                                                  <a border="0" href="http://www.jdaniel4smom.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/jacquiblogger/DisplayingIndependence150.png" /> </a>



Blog Hosts are the following: The Activity Mom, June Clever Nirvana, Milk and Cuddles and Quirky Momma along with me. We are all co-community leaders of Mom Loop!  

Read.Explore.Learn.- Sunflowers

I want to take a moment to congratulate Just Starting Out! She is the winner of the June Edition of the Read.Explore.Learn. Summer Reading Challenge. She will be receiving a $10 gift code to Amazon.com.

 
Welcome to first week of the Read. Explore. Learn Summer Reading Challenge- July Edition! This meme was designed to be a place for you to share the learning opportunities, crafts, field trips, and other activities you have done this week that tie-in to children’s books. I look forward to seeing ways you have learned with and explored books. Remember each post you link up counts as an entry in the the July Edition of the Summer Reading Challenge.

Steps:

• Link your activity below.

• Please place the Read.Explore.Learn. badge on your post or create a link back to this meme.
  
  
                                                        
  
  
  
  <center><a href="http://www.jdaniel4smom.com/"><img alt="Shibley Smiles" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-wYnCaxCjpQ/TIbl9KccMVI/AAAAAAAAB98/vjalStjjb-I/s1600/ReadExploreLearn.jpg" alt="jdaniel4smom" width="150" height="150" /></a></center>

• Please try to visit at least three of the other people that have placed links below and leave a comment. I will visit each of you and leave a kind comment.

• If you are not linking up an activity and are just visiting, please try to stop by a few of the links below.

My Book Tie-Ins of the Week:

We also read Sunflower House by Eve Bunting . The little boy in this story gets a wonderful idea about how to plant sunflower seeds in his yard. He decides they should be arranged in a circle to create a play place. What fun he and his friends have playing in it!

To be like the Sun by Susan Marie Swanson is a wonderful book about the lifecycle of a sunflower seed. It starts with the dirt being moved to make room for the seed. The seed is told it will do work. Not the work of a thistle or a radish, but a work on its own. After the seed it underground the girl who planted it wants to know if it can hear the rain when it falls. Once it forms leaves, roots and a stem a bug will form.

What did we do?

Paper Plate Greenhouse

We had fun trying to grow seeds in the paper plate greenhouse. This is really just a plastic bag with wet cotton ball between two plates cutout to look like a house.


Wove Petals to a Plate

I helped with some of the weaving, but JDaniel did a lot of it. He was able to put the ribbon through the holes and then through the plate.

He got tired of using yellow ribbon and asked for the box of ribbon to select a new color. I had saved ribbons from a bouquet of balloon JDaniel had been given my his Nana for Easter. He loved "exploring" the ribbon.

Here is our final product. It looks like it has had some of its petals plucked off. JDaniel was very proud of it and thought it really belonged on the the fridge.