Friday, September 24, 2010

Want to Watch Some Awesomeness?

First of all, thank you SO much for all your comments about my mothering question. It was really interesting and helpful to read your thoughts on it. I am always worried about finding that balance between letting Weston solve his own problems, and intervening on his behalf. I don't want him to grow to be afraid of possible confrontation by not helping him, but I also don't want him to be overly dependent on me. So, yes, it's a fine balance, and I guess it just depends on each individual situation. But seriously, thanks for sharing your ideas and experiences!

And now for your viewing pleasure: I present two YouTube videos!

First, our filmmaker friend Rob (of Rob and Rebecca) recently made this short video for Rebecca's birthday. If you enjoy babies, cute things, quality film editing, and/or music-that-you-can't-get-out-of-your-head, then you have to check this out. I love it!!!


P.S. We'll have a special blog post dedicated to these cool folks pretty soon!

P.P.S. Oops... Blogger cut off the right side of the video. To view the whole screen, click HERE.

And secondly, there's this video. Uhhh... yeah. Our thanks go out to Jacob for this spectacular find. If you enjoy Indian music, mini-caballeras, imitation Transformers, things-that-just-do-NOT-go-together, and/or the-stuff-of-nightmares-in-general, then this one is for you. :-)

Monday, September 20, 2010

What Would YOU Do??

I have a mothering question. It's bothering me.

Q: What do you do when another child hits, pushes, shoves, or generally behaves inconsiderately towards your child?

A: (cricket cricket)

Here's the thing: when other people's children are involved, it is my nature to take the passive track. I will rarely say anything, unless they cross the line and actually inflict real harm on Weston. But, if they push or swat at him, then my usual tactic is to just remove him from the situation as best I can. After all, I don't want to be "THAT MOM"... y'know, the one who yells at other people's kids and makes them cry. I understand that when children are in my home, they're my responsibility, and I have no problem talking to other people's kids if they're being aggressive in that setting. (More often than not, though, it's Weston acting up.)

But here's what happened this morning: I took Weston to the library for storytime, and it was going swimmingly. He was happy, and he was actually participating in the songs. It was great. Then, at the end when it was time to get a sticker, he gathered with all the other kids around the storytime lady (the typical routine). But then a little (bigger) girl shoved her way through all the kids to the front, displacing Weston in the process. It was really rude, but the worst thing about it was that her mother didn't do anything about it. Weston was really upset after that, and just wanted to go home. I persuaded him to try again to get a stricker, so we ended up waiting until all the other kids had gone, and then he cautiously approached the lady again for his sticker.

The most I could bring myself to do was give the other mother a look, which was neither effective nor meaningful. Should I have said something to the little girl? I didn't want to look like a jerk in front of all the other moms. Should I have said something to the mother? But if so, how do you do that without sounding like a jerk to her, either? Do I just need more GUTS?? Is that the answer?

Things like this have happened in the past. When another kid takes something from Weston, I'll do my best to get it back to him, because that's just wrong. But if another child just acts inconsiderately, then I usually say, "Weston, he doesn't want to share / she wasn't very nice / it's wrong to hit (whatever). Let's go over here." But again, I rarely say anything to the other kid.

So, I want to know: what would YOU have done in the storytime scenario? In fact, what do you do when things like that happen in general? Or, similarly, did another mom ever approach you or criticize you about your child, and how did that make you feel? Did another mom ever scold your child? I don't want to be too overprotective of Weston, because let's face it, he can dish it sometimes. But my dilemma is that I don't want to stand there passively while he gets pushed around, but I also don't want to overstep my boundaries in the Jungles of Motherhood.

Help me please. :-) And if you comment about this, please be honest. I know a lot of us daydream about being "THAT MOM" (the one who fiercely and relentlessly defends her child), but for my sake, tell it like it is. What do you REALLY do? And does it work?

Thursday, September 16, 2010

On Shopping

I sure love me some good shopping. (Editor's Note: in Jeanese, "good shopping" = "good bargains.") And, incidentally, I've had two of the best shopping experiences EVER within the past few weeks. I was going to blog about them separately, but I think I'll just combine the joy into one big happy pot of shopping stew.

First... here's the question I was asking myself earlier this summer:

What the heck is "JBF"?

So many moms here were saying, "JBF this...!" and "JBF that...!" But what the heck is JBF? Well, as it turns out, it's the bomb-diggity of baby/kid consignment sales. It stands for "Just Between Friends," and people (well, moms) here in Oklahoma are FANATICAL about it. I guess it's really big in the South in general, because while JBF sales occur throughout the country, they tend to be concentrated in southern/midwestern states like Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri.

So, here's how it works (and here's why moms are fanatical): you can go as a shopper, a volunteer, a consigner, or all of the above. If you are a "consigner" (you're selling your gently used items), then you drop off your stuff one day, already labeled and barcoded at your own prices. Then, you get something like 65-70% of the sale price, and they just send you a big check after the conclusion of the sale. So, it's pretty nice because it's a lot faster and easier than going it alone by, say, selling on eBay or something. Plus, you can also pick up your unsold items at the end, or just designate them as "donations" and not have to worry about them at all.

However, it's also nice and convenient for the shopper because all the items are organized by boy/girl, size, etc. So, you don't have to look through the items of individual sellers - it's all just packed together in long, long rows. Therefore, it's GINORMOUS -- Tulsa's JBF sale was contained in one of the huge warehouses at the Expo Center, and it was probably larger than a football field:

Finally, it's great for volunteers, because as a volunteer you get special presale opportunities (in other words, the opportunity to shop first). Depending on how many hours you put in, you get to shop in advance of the public at the opening, AND you get to shop in advance of the public at the 50% off day at the end. Plus, it's just fun to be a volunteer (I've gathered), because it's like a little community of hardcore bargain-hunting moms. Seriously... people make their own crazy JBF shirts and spend tons of time taking part in volunteer activities. Hardcore.

So, although I am not a hardcore bargain-hunting mom, I am a medium-core bargain-hunting mom, and naturally I was thrilled at the prospect of what is basically a monstrous rummage sale. My friend Jessica is one of those consigner/volunteer/shopper combos, and because she felt shopped-out the first day, she gave ME her pass to the 50% presale. AHHHHH!!!! It took place at 7 PM on a Friday evening, the night before the last day (the 50% off day) of the weeklong sale.

So, I drove to the Expo Center that night (complete with my laundry basket, as recommended), pretended to be a volunteer while waiting for my number to be called, and then set off on a journey for Awesome and Cheap Clothes, Shoes, and Toys. I shopping the entire two hours (only once taking a break to indulge in some of the volunteer refreshments, never mind the fact that I wasn't actually a volunteer), and finally called it quits and reviewed my spoils. (Toys on the bottom - hello ninja turtles!, followed by shoes, followed by clothes, followed by the giant Hot Wheels thing that I couldn't fit in the basket):

(Most of the toys that I bought are being stored until Christmas - action figures, toy animals, a huge robot, etc. But see that big fella? Well, it was much too big to put away, so I just gave it to Weston the next day. HE LOVES IT. And it was only $10 - marked down to $5 for me! It's nice that he finally has something to do with his 30 Hot Wheels cars.)

Anywho, here's the thing about JBF: it's NOT rummage sale prices. I've left rummage sales with bags of 50-cent clothing before, but at JBF, all of the toddler clothing that I was looking at was priced around $3 to $8 each. That's fine when it's name-brand clothing that you're seeking, but I don't really care about brands, so it was a little steep for me. However, the 50% off day is what it's ALL ABOUT. That really made it for me. No, I wouldn't spend $8 on a used GAP sweater, but I would spend $4 - heck yeah! So, I love love loved it. It's really great if you're expecting and trying to accumulate all that expensive baby stuff that you use for 4 months and then put away, because you can get it much, much cheaper and still in nearly new condition. For me, I just loved having SO much selection and such low prices for new-looking clothes. In the future, I'll probably do the same thing that I did this time: skip the regular-priced days and then let loose on the 50% off day.

Oh, and one more thing: I found pretty much the most splendid Motherboy outfit of all time (priced at $8 - down to $4!):

Happy, happy day! So, if you're interested, go to the JBF website and see if there's a sale near you, because then you can take a picture of yourself like this, too:

And now for my second note on shopping:

You may recall (probably just I recall, haha) that I won a $15 Target gift card in a giveaway by the fabulous girls at Smitten Blog Designs a few months ago. YAAAAAAAAAY!!!! I was beyond thrilled.

Well, I held onto that precious gift card for a LONG time, even though I was going to Target at least once a week (and usually more often). I couldn't use such an exquisite prize on just anything. It was special, and I had to save it for the Most Wonderful Thing in the Entire World (priced at $15 or less, of course). I just didn't know what that Thing was. So, I gave it a lot of thought, and I waited for the inspiration to come.

And then one day... it came!!! And not only did I have my eyes set on what I knew to be the Most Wonderful Thing in the Entire World, but fate was on my side, because that Thing was ON SALE!!!!

So, wanna know what it is...? Wanna guess...? Any ideas...?

Think of what you love more than anything else, after God, family, and country, of course. THAT'S RIGHT...

PAJAMA PANTS!!!!!!!!!!!

And here's the kicker: the super-awesome pajama pants sale on the day that I went enabled me to buy not one pair, but TWO! So I came home and had a fashion show for Tim, who humored me:


Here's what I don't understand: how can a pair of pajama pants as AWESOME as these possibly be $3.78? How???

Anyway, they made my day. But there's more: there were still a few dollars left over, so I got the Second Most Wonderful Thing in the Entire World:

NUTELLA!!!!!!!!!!

AAAHHHHH!!! It was a very, very happy shopping experience. Two pairs of discounted PJ pants and a jar of Nutella for $15. Shopping (and life, for that matter) are rarely so magnificent. Thank you, Smitten Blog Designs! Thank yoooouuuuu!!!!!!!!

The end. :-)

Monday, September 13, 2010

Weston Funnies

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We have a rule in our house that we only throw balls (in an attempt to keep Weston from throwing toys all the time). One day, he came out of his room holding his inflatable orca whale, and he said, "We only throw... SHARKS!" And then he threw the orca at Tim. (Not only is the orca NOT a ball, but it is NOT a shark, either.)

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Weston yelled, "NO! BAD GOOSE!" at Tim one evening. (That's what we tell him to say if the geese come too close while we're feeding them breadcrumbs at the park. I guess it also works on dads, FYI.)

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"Ba-yimp"
(Weston's word for "blimp." He can't say the letter "L," so it sounds like a "Y." Plus, because blimps float in the air like balloons, it has to start with a "ba" sound, just like "balloon." His rules, not mine.)

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Our friend Kelli babysat Weston one evening when I had a church meeting. When Tim got home, Weston ran out to greet him, pointed to his room (where Kelli was), and said, "I have a lady."

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When we told Weston that Santa brings presents at Christmastime, he asked, "A new spatula...?"

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Weston invented a new song. It involves him singing "Guns! Guns! Guns!!" over and over again, very loudly.

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When Tim presented Weston with a couple new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toys (Leonardo and Raphael), Weston replied, "NO WAY!!!"

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One time Weston and Tim were running around and playing while Leo (the ninja turtle) was lying on the couch, face down. At one point, Weston started calling for Leo ("Yee-oh! Yee-oh! Are you okay?!"), and then saw him on the couch and said, "He's dead."

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One time Tim was joking with Weston that Tim was going to sit in my chair at the table. Weston said, "That's Mommy's chair!"

So, Tim pointed to the empty fourth chair and said, "Well, whose is that chair?"

Weston said, "The ninja turtles'."

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Last Sunday I said, "Weston, today is Fast Sunday!"
He replied, "No, it's slow Sunday, Mommy."

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"Watch can I can!!!" (Translation: "watch what I can do." We're working on it.)

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When Weston was little, we used to tell him that "Daddy, Mommy, and Weston are a family!" As he got older, we'd feed him the line and let him finish it: "Hey Weston: Daddy, Mommy, and Weston are a...?" "FAMILY!"

The other day, I did that as usual: "Daddy, Mommy, and Weston are a...?"

"Waffle!"

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Sometimes Weston likes to sing along with songs in the car, and other times it enrages him when Tim and I sing. On Sunday, it was enraging him. He said, "No! I don't like that!!!"

I replied, "Weston, singing makes Mommy happy."

He yelled, "No happy!! JUST SAD!!"

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The other day, Weston started running circles around the living room. He said, "I'm running...!"

Tim replied, "Oh, good!"

Weston added, "...like Daddy! Now I'm stinky."

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Weston's Newest Favorite

Weston's newest favorite is the movie Tarzan. Tim and I bought it after we realized that it contains three of his other favorite things: guns, gorillas, and babies! I took this video while he was watching the scene where the mama gorilla discovers baby Tarzan under the blanket (which NEVER disappoints)...

(I love watching Weston's slowly expanding smile, starting at 19 seconds in!! Oh, fer cute.)