How do you clean your sheets?

At our house, Peyton has graduated from nap time to “quiet time.” Ideally, Peyton would happily go into his room and play quietly…reading books, driving little cars around, or even staring out the window….just being quiet so that I can gain back a little sanity and be a wonderful mommy for the rest of the day until Daddy gets home.

In reality, Peyton goes into his room. I go to wherever I am going to regain my sanity. Peyton emerges to use the bathroom. I take him back to his room for “quiet time.” Peyton starts jumping on his bed. I remind him nicely that it is “quiet time.” Peyton again tries to use the bathroom card. Again, I remind him that it is “quiet time” and he just used the bathroom. Peyton finds every toy in his room that makes noise and pushes the buttons. I remind (with a little threat of losing his TV time) that it is still “quiet time.” Peyton plays quietly for 10 minutes than proceeds to tip toe down the stairs every 3 minutes to ask me “is it morning time yet?” Honestly, I don’t know why I even try to have “quiet time”. I guess I’m just trying to teach myself patience. Anyway, today’s quiet time was a first….

P: Can I color during quiet time today?

Me: Sure. I’ll let you take the crayons up, but only if you promise to only color on the paper….nothing else.

P: Okay Mom, I promise…”

Now you are probably thinking, “how dumb to put the idea of coloring on other things into his head. Doesn’t she know he is only FOUR!!” Well, I was thinking the same thing as I said it, but sometimes mouths say things you don’t want them to.

BEDTIME

Me: Why is there coloring all over your sheets?

P: I don’t know.

Me: Well, did you color on your sheets with the crayons during quiet time?

P: Ummmmmm……….well.......I did color……...but just one little time. But that’s okay. We can just wash them in the morning and they’ll be all clean.

Me: I don’t know if it will come out and be all clean.”

P: It will Mom. Don’t worry. I’ll show you. …..

He then bent down, stuck out his little pink tongue, and licked his sheets to “show me” how I didn’t need to worry about him coloring on his sheets.

Are you serious? Who licks their sheets to get them clean? And why is he always counseling me to “not worry”?

At least he stayed in his room during quiet time today – and he was quiet!! Really, is it that big of a deal if they color on their sheets?

Learning

Happy birthday to my not-so-little baby boy! (Do they ever hit an age where you stop thinking of them as your baby?) Being only four years old, he has taught me much.

1 – Love and Forgiveness. Get mad…throw a tantrum…but then forgive and love as if nothing happened…..it will be as if nothing ever happened.

2 – Sharing – One birthday candy bar divided four unequal ways. One bite for Peyton. Two bites for Ellie. One bite for mommy. Save the other half of the candy bar in a Ziploc baggy for daddy. Keep it in your pocket and keep taking it out to remind mommy of how happy it is going to make daddy. (Give more than you get)

3 – Joy and excitement – These can be found everywhere and in everything – playing hide and seek over and over even if there are only six places to hide in the entire house – watching the garbage truck empty the garbage cans – shoveling the driveway – rain and on and on.

What a privilege it is to be a mother! I understand more and more all the time why we have been counseled to “become as little children”. Thanks to my little (or should I say big) four year old for all he has taught me. Happy birthday!!

We're Still Modest

I just wanted to say that mothering and teaching your children really works wonders. They listen. Remember that whole talk we had about being modest….well, we have that talk a lot these days – only difference is, Peyton is now the lecturer….

He very loudly and conveniently (usually as the person in question is closing in) points out those that are NOT modest and are NOT making Jesus happy.

He frequently informs me of all the times it is okay to be naked.

“Mom, it’s okay if we are naked when we are taking a bath….Ellie is still modest when you are changing her diaper Mom. It doesn’t make Jesus sad…It’s okay if we don’t have a shirt on when we are swimming.”

And then there’s my favorite. He has barged in on me several times when I am in the bathroom just to inform me that “Jesus doesn’t mind if your pants are down when you are going to the bathroom Mom. It’s okay. You are being modest.”

So for those of you worried, like I was, about not being modest while going to the bathroom – worry no more. My four year old says Jesus doesn’t mind.