Letters to God

I'm actually writing this a day ahead of time, so it's Easter around here. 

Today was a pretty typical Easter.  The kids woke up early and couldn't wait to dig into their baskets.  Within minutes the begging for jelly bean filled eggs and hollow chocolate bunnies began.  Around our house though, we have a strict no chocolate before breakfast rule (okay it's not a real rule but you get it).  Immediately following breakfast the jelly beans started disappearing.

While I had the kids attention for a few minutes, I ask them why we have Easter.  Ren proceeded to tell me his version of the story that involved police officers, Jesus' mean friends and a cave.  Little boys and their imaginations!  Ren's story obviously had gaps, which were gladly filled in by A with her shadow CS repeating everything she said.  It was very cute, very innocent, and very humbling to all of us.  To know that at their young ages they knew the reason behind the holiday put a smile on my face!

Now fast forward past dinner and this Mom was finally taking a break from all the cooking and cleaning.  Quite frankly I was hiding in my bedroom away from the noise and clammer for a brief second.  Suddenly, in runs Ren with a pad of paper asking for something to write with.  I ask him why he needed something to write with (call it Mom's inquisition due to time spent with a Magic Eraser in hand).  He answered that he wanted to write a letter to Jesus and God to tell them how happy Easter makes him feel.  I gladly handed him a pen and he scurried off to write his letter.  He came back with 5 or 6 pages of paper with nothing but random scribbles on them.  I ask him what went to who and handed me several pages for Jesus and several pages for God.  Then he proceeded to tell me what they said.  Please know that I'm paraphrasing.

Basically they said that he was sorry Jesus had to be on the cross and that his friends were mean to him.  Another said he was happy Jesus woke up.  Yet another thanked God for being great.

My job is to now put these into envelopes and mail them tomorrow.  My only dilemma may be finding the address to mail them to.  Aside from that, I take my job of mailing these important notes very seriously.  This one little thing made my entire day glorious!

Ren's diagnosis

A few weeks ago, I introduced you toRen.  During the little blurb I wrote I mentioned that we recently had him tested.  It was for a number of reasons.  To be quite frank and honest, hubs and I were at a loss.  We had tried everything when it came to teaching, discipline, attentiveness and just behavior in general.  We felt like parenting failures.  The first few weeks Ren was in preschool seemed to agree with our parenting failure.  He was misbehaving.  He was crying a lot.  He was...unhappy.  We were too. 

Now, I want to say that there were other things going on with Ren.  It wasn't just behavior, but for the sake of blogging, that's all I'm going to touch on.  Believe it or not, I may blog but I'm still quite a private person. 

To say Ren's behavior was out of control is putting it mildly.  He was beyond out of control.  During a pediatrician appointment, I mentioned that hubs and I were having issues surrounding Ren.  She suggested that we take him to a psychologist and have him evaluated.  So, we did.  The results both shocked us and didn't surprise us at all.

They came back that he had a "mild case" of Attention Deficit Disorder.  We weren't shocked by this at all.  Ren jumps from topic to topic when speaking.  He rarely sits still and demands attention all the time.  What the doctor said next took us completely by surprise though.  While explaining that Ren's "issues" could be handled easier since he was very young, he mentioned that he shows signs for ADD because he's bored.  What?  Bored?  Upon further explanation, he said Ren tested high on the tests as well.  When we ask questions the doctor said yes, Ren is in the gifted category of learners.  I. was. shocked.  I knew he caught on to lessons and concepts easily, I just never thought about it that way. 

Since having the evaluation, Ren is meeting every couple of weeks with a counselor whom he adores.  She is helping hubs and I with tools to help Ren with his behavior.  We are using a reward system for good behavior and now deal with him on a reasoning level more than the old "I'm your parent and you do it this way" idea.  The best part of all this is that it is working!  Now he can't wait to go to school and learn because when he has a "good day" he gets a coupon.  Once 5 coupons are collected he gets a bigger reward!  Of course, we have been adding more and more challenges to earn a coupon.  It's a terrific system!  We also reason with him more.  Instead of letting him know he did something wrong, we tell him what he did wrong.  We then give him examples of "good" behavior.  For example, instead of just screaming because his sister took his toy, he now says "please don't take my toy, it's not nice.  Give it back please".  The progress in the short time is amazing!  Our son has gone from a kid people avoided to a kid people like. 

 While we are thrilled with the diagnosis of gifted and finding new ways/techniques to help out with the ADD, we have some decisions coming in the next few months.  While Ren is excelling at Catholic school (just like his sister), the rules and regulations are a little hard for him to adhere to.  He's not a trouble maker or anything, but it was mentioned by the psychologist that we "might want to" look into a Montessori school for him.  They said Montessori's tend to challenge gifted kids yet are really good at keeping the attention of a child with ADD (especially one whose parents ARE NOT going the drug route). 

We haven't shared his results with everyone, but I'm sharing it with you.  Mostly because I am afraid of what family/friends may say about it.  Judging can be worst when it's by those you love the most.  We also don't want everyone to treat him differently just because of 3 letters.  What we are doing is continuing to raise our kids.  We're taking things day by day and utilizing the tools suggested by the therapist.  We're living our lives....

**I will update again about school and such as spring approaches.  Thanks for letting me share!**

Ren says...

Ren can say the cutest stuff.  Most of it is completely off the wall.  Some is just random observation.  Take yesterday for example.

He has a standing therapy appointment each Thursday.  As we walk in, we are alone in the waiting room.  Then, it starts to get a little more full as the time clicks closer to the hour.  In walks a nice guy who happens to serve in our own US Air Force.  He's there every week with his son as well.  I don't know if Ren has just never noticed or just shrugged it off, but this man is always in uniform when he arrives.  Well, this week was different.  Once he got seated, Ren looked over and said "Hey, look Mommy.  It's GI Joe".  I smiled and I'm sure blushed as I fumbled for the words to tell him that "no, it's not actually GI Joe".  That's when the guy smiled and said "Yup, I'm GI Joe little dude.  I fight Cobra every day."  Ren was thrilled and mumbled something about loving GI Joe and hoped he didn't see Cobra Commander.  The guy just chuckled and thankfully Ren was called back for his therapy right then.  What's a Mom to do in a situation like this?  What would you have done? 

Fast forward to dinner tonight.  We had "Hamburger Wagon sliders" (if you're local you KNOW what those are, but ours were homemade and so. much. better!), seasoned fries and green beans.  Dessert was on the menu for those who made a good effort at their dinner and the kids ate a lot.  Chuck got to play the hero and pulled out the cookies with icing that had been hiding.  Everyone is chowing down the cookies when I drop mine right down the front of my shirt.  Chuck never missed a beat and said "See guys, this is why we need to eat over our plates.  That way when you spill it falls onto your plate instead of in your lap". 

Right about then Ren pipes up and says......."unless you have a ramp like Mommy does".  I thought I would choke.  A ramp?  My 4 year old son just referred to my girlie bits as a ramp?!?  I was speechless.

This concludes my post with what Ren says....I'm positive more will come.  Well, worried actually....sheesh!

Wordless Wednesday ~~ Meet Ren

Meet Ren!

Following on the heels of A, Ren made his appearance into family 18 months later.  He's a super helpful, curious little boy.  He always wants to know more information, whether it's how something works or why we do something.  Asking questions is his thing.  He loves Hot Wheels, Monster Trucks, Lightening McQueen, Lego's and anything to do with construction(like road building, home building, etc). He's 4 and so excited to be 4!  He adores his preschool and loves his teachers.  Writing has become his new thing.  He recently started writing his full name and other words, since then he's always asking for a pencil and paper to practice with.

Ren has had a couple of set-backs in his life.  He couldn't hear for the first 16 months of his life.  Two surgeries and some early speech intervention and he's fine!  His hearing has been tested and it's almost perfect at this point (yay!!).  He was also recently diagnosed with mild ADD.  This diagnosis wasn't anything we didn't already suspect.  Ren can't sit still, he's always full of energy and has some trouble focusing(more on this in a different post). To go along with his mild ADD, he's also on the gifted charts.  We knew he was smart, all our kids are, but this one caught us a little more by surprise.  I'll go into this one in more detail later as well.

Wordless Wednesday

They made a new friend with an ant (and named him Flick...go figure!)

Mommy Confessions ~~ Ren says it...

You've seen posts about Ren.  He's my precocious 4-year-old.  He just started preschool last week.  He already has the "back to school" summer cold that seems to be making the rounds in this part of Ohio right now.  He is the middle child, only boy in a family with 11 girls (this is A and CS plus my 9 nieces), and 100% All-American little boy.  He loves classic cars, trains, and is really into construction equipment right now.  Yes, he's a typical 4-year old little boy.  Right down to the less than tactful way he says things.  Especially those things he knows better because they have been labeled "naughty" by us. 

Here is the latest example.  This happened today when A had a doctor's appointment. 

We are running late, which is highly unusual for me.  Yet, this was the very first time I've ever signed A out of school and it took FOREVER, but I digress.  Anyway, we are running about 5 minutes behind.  We head into the office and straight to the waiting room.  I sign A in and tell the kids to sit down and play with the toys they brought in.  A gets called into the room and she heads off.  (Just in case you are wondering, no I didn't go with her.  It's her dermatologist and she was just seeing the nurse for a check on her hand.  No big deal, no needles, just a once over and we were on our way).

Well, while A is back in the room with Nurse Joyce, this lady comes in.  She is wearing hospital scrubs and is looking like she is exhausted.  Ren is casually sitting near the sign-in sheet playing with his Hot Wheels.  The lady goes to sign in and bends over.  It is right then that Ren looks at me with his eyes like saucers and says "Mommy lookie, that lady has a BIG booty".  I wanted to die, fade into the wall paper, anything but be right there.  I hushed him and said "We don't say things like that Ren".  To which he said "But Mommy, that lady in the purple shirt has a really BIG booty.  Didn't you see it?"   Why won't the earth just swallow you up when you need it too?  Instead, I quickly knelt down and explained that "booty" is a very hurtful and naughty word.  That it makes people's heart hurt when someone uses hurtful words.  He shook his head in understanding and told the lady he was sorry.  She smiled and said "It's alright, I know it's not small".   At least she had a sense of humor right?!??!  Sheesh!

Birthday Cake Success

My little Ren-man turned four last week.  Since his birthday is so close to a holiday, we usually celebrate the weekend before or the weekend after his actual day.  Let me disclaimer this by saying, I'm not the world's best cake maker.  I don't pretend to be.  I'm not that creative or have a steady enough hand for fine decorating.  For Ren's party theme though, he had chosen a Hot Wheels theme.  Yay, that's easy enough.  My idea was to make a road of some sort and then pop a few brand new Hot Wheels on the top. 

Then, I saw a picture where someone had made a road in the shape of the child's age.  A large light bulb went off in my head!  I could attempt to make a 4 on the cake.  I did it.  It looked, well, like a Mom made cake.  Mom made isn't too bad is it?  I did include the special ingredient that's been passed down through food in my family for years.  Love. 

The end result is that it turned out.  It was cake.  The kids loved it.  It was a great day for a celebration!

Here are the pictures of the cake. 

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Happy Birthday Ren!

Happy Birthday to Ren!

Today, at 7:30 A.M. my little man turns 4!

I can not believe he is actually 4 today.

I was in labor for a grand total of 7 1/2 hours.

You were 9 lbs. 1 oz. at birth.

You were born on a Sunday morning.

I cried.

Chuck cried.

Uncle Sean walked into the room at the WRONG MOMENT!

You were the first boy born into our family.

You are named after your Daddy and share his initials.

You weighed the same at 1 year as you did at 5 months.

That made you a rolly, poly little guy!

You love anything Daddy does.

We had you hearing issue fixed.

I cried the first time you heard a bird chirp and pointed to it!

You became a BIG brother.

You adore anything to do with cars, trucks, and trains.

 

We moved into our house and you got your own room and new "big boy" bed.

You caught up with your peers in speech!

Daddy and I both cried when you said "I wuv you" for the first time, complete with huge hugs!

You look just like Papaw (even if everyone says you look like Daddy) 

You are a smart little man!

You are *finally* potty trained!!!!!!

You're super excited about pre-school this fall.

You are loving the lawn mowers this year as well.

I ask you today what you wanted to be when you grow up.

Your answer was "I want to be a lawn mower guy OR a 'struction dude OR a race car driver"

My thoughts:  Thank goodness you're only 4!

Happy, Happy Birthday Rennie! 

I love you all the way to the moon!

 

 

Wordless Wednesday

Anyone else think they look alike?  Or is it just me?

Protect-A-Bed Mattress Cover Review

About 6 months ago we started a journey in my family.  The journey of potty training Ren.  Yes, he's over age 3.  No, it hasn't been a piece of cake (think super stubborn do it himself meets ginormous meltdown when can't figure it out).  Up until now, we've been using small, hospital type mattress pads.  You know the ones, they put them under you when you have the kids.  Yeah, they are super absorbent, but small and not very practical for the potty training step. 

Well, I was tweeting about our new venture with several other Moms.  We were sharing our dilemmas, worries and catastrophes when I was approached by Protect-A-Bed about the opportunity to try one of their mattress protectors.  To say I jumped at the chance would be putting it very mildly.  I responded immediately and before long the Protect-A-Bed mattress protector arrived at my doorstep. 

When I took it out of the box I thought "How on earth is this going to work, it's so THIN!".  However, being the good reviewer I am, I looked over the packaging materials (because I'm like that) and thought "okay, let's give it a try".  I didn't wash it or anything.  I just went straight into Ren's bedroom, stripped his bed and put it on.  The first thing I noticed is the top of the actual protector.  It's sooo soft!  I mean, like you want to lay on it soft.  The pockets (you know, the part that actually goes around the mattress) are deep!  Ren has a thick mattress and it FIT!!  With room even!  That is a perk in itself!!

So, onto the actual protection part.  It's great.  Can't say enough about it.  Ren has had many accidents in our potty journey and nothing has gotten through this mattress protector.  It's machine washable, which makes it super easy to just toss in with the soiled sheets.  It dries quickly too!  I even hung it out on my clothes line this week and in no time it was dry and back on the bed!  I honestly can't say enough about it!  Really.  I never in a million years thought I'd gush over a mattress protector, but thanks to the Protect-A-Bed mattress protector, we won't need to replace Ren's mattress!!  Trust me, this is a good thing!

So, in case you're wondering, here is some information from the website:

Protect-A-Bed® Premium Mattress Protectors Are:

• Guaranteed to moderate temperature and enhance sleeping comfort


• Waterproof yet air vapor porous - acting the same way as human skin


• Effective in preventing bacteria and dust mites from breeding in your pillow and mattress (a major cause of asthma, eczema and rhinitis)


• Protects mattresses from stains (accidental spills, perspiration, bodily fluids)


• Machine washable on hot, tumble dry medium


• Especially helpful in cases of incontinence


• Ultra thin with four-way stretch does not detract from the comfort of the mattress


• Can be used on all visco elastic, inner spring and latex mattresses


• High Quality Fitted-sheet style


• Expandable skirt ensures mattress protector fits any depth of mattress (8" to 20")


• Wash durability rating: > 200 washes


• Soft and super absorbent


• Can be sterilized at 50° C/120° F


• Tested for harmful substances according to Oeko-Tex Standard 100

So, here's the bottom line.  I feel a little silly gushing about a mattress cover, but if it saves us from buying a new mattress then I will gush about it all day long!  It's a wonderful product!  Lightweight, easy to use, launders wonderfully and doesn't add a lot of "bulk" to an already thick mattress!  It's fabulous! 

Dear FTC:  I was provided with/ given a Protect-A-Bed mattress protector to review in my home.  HOWEVER, the opinions and words contained within this blog are mine.  I really DO love this mattress protector!!!! 

 

What Happened Wednesday

posted by Kandi




This week's edition of What Happened Wednesday s actually a What's Happening! My little man is using the potty!! I know, nothing too exciting about the potty...usually.

See, Ren is quite opinionated when it comes to well, everything. He's either a yes guy or a no guy and there isn't an in between. Since he turned 3 (yikes) in the summer we have been talking up going to the potty. Several times he got really interested in it, only to melt down when it came to the actual act of doing it. So, we gave up. Yes, you did read that correctly. We just gave up.

Finally around Christmas (of all the times, my son picks the busiest!) we were given some advice on how to get him started. The advice was to allow him to go to the rest room with Chuck and use the urinal. Maybe it wasn't he didn't want to potty. Maybe it was he didn't want to sit down and do it. Hmm, brilliant! So, we went to our local Wally World and let him do it. Lo and Behold it WORKED!!! I would have never in a million years guessed that would work.

Fast forward to the past 7 days. Ren is in big boy undies and getting the hang of the potty thing pretty well. We went from having the timer set for every 45 minutes to today not having to set it at all! I'm elated to say the least!

Now that we have conquered the potty (well with #1's at least) maybe just maybe we can conquer the "I never share my trains with my sisters" issue. Then again, maybe not....

Do you have any What Happened Wednesday stories to share? Feel free to link them up below or just post a message and share.




**The potty picture at the top is the the LATTSAM potty from Ikea. We have it and LOVE it's portablility, ease of use and that it can easily be stored without taking up too much room! They are sold for around $4 and this Mom recommends it! Also, I was not ask to recommend. I just purchased it last spring and it works well for mine so I thought I'd share!**