McGrath Moments

Brenna(talking to me): If you ever fall down the stairs, I will call 911.

Me: That sounds like a good thing to do in case there is an emergency.

Brenna: ...or I could call Daddy at work. ...or I could call the Doodlebops.

Okay, maybe not as important as the wheel or the light bulb, but pretty high up there on my list of "Modern Day" inventions. I received some really nice Christmas gifts from Ed this year...well, pretty much every year. He always spoils me. I opened something sparkly from Helzberg in a beautiful maroon box and I opened a big box with a Coach purse in it-I LOVE Coach! And then I opened a coffee maker.

I only use my small, individual cup coffee maker and I really like it. I makes just the right amount for me, since nobody else in our house drinks coffee anyways. I didn't need or want a new one. Little did I know that this is not just any coffee maker. It was a Bosch Tassimo! Many of you probably know what that is, but I had no idea. I used it for the first time on Monday and now I am addicted. I tried to make myself use the regular coffee maker this morning because the coffee for the other machine is so expensive, but I just couldn't make myself do it. It is SO EASY and SO DELICIOUS! You just pop in the coffee disc, it reads the bar code and makes the perfect cup of coffee. You throw the disc in the trash and you're done. NO MESS!

I had a meeting yesterday morning at 9am, so of course I am rushing to get the kids ready as well as myself. I popped a disc in the machine and by the time I had gotten the kid's coats on, the Starbucks Cappuccino Primo was ready to go too!

Stupid post some might say, but I love it and hey, if it saves time and clean up, I am all about it! Oh, did I mention D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S!!

All mothers know how important nap time is. It gives us a couple hours of quiet time to get some much needed chores done, to get our mind together for the second half of the day, or just to get in a nap ourselves. Whatever we do with the time, we need it and deserve it!

Yesterday Brenna and I were going to Braeden's school for his class Christmas Party at 2:30, so it was important for her to get in a nap before we went because I didn't need a crabby 3 year old to deal with. I put her down at 11:30. She stayed in her room for about 10 mins before I heard, "I need to potty!" I went up to take her potty and noticed she had barrettes in her hair and bracelets on her wrist, none of which she had before I put her down. I looked on her bed and it was full of toys. She had just been playing! I took all of the toys out of her bed and told her I really needed her to close her eyes and try to sleep.

Not even 10 minutes later, she is out of bed again. I just ignored her and thought she might go back to her room. Yeah right! No nap for Friday, so I decided to get in the shower to get ready for the party and then realized why she didn't want to sleep. I had gotten her a Mocha Frappucino with whipped cream from Starbucks while we were out shopping that morning. What. Was. I. Thinking. POOR Mommy decision, AGAIN!

There is a reality show on the We channel called Down-Sized. For those who are not familiar with this show, it is about a blended family that went from "having it all" to being broke and on government assistance. This show documents how they are changing their lifestyle and pulling together as a family to make it through these tough financial times. Ed and I really like the show and we watch it each week.

While we were watching it this weekend, I noticed that Braeden was not only picking up the toys that he had brought downstairs from the toy room, but also picking up his sister's toys. For the last couple of weeks he has been doing a really good job keeping the toy room cleaned up and just being really helpful around the house in general. The kids don't get an allowance yet, because there is really nothing we require them to do on a regular basis to earn the allowance, but after I saw how much Braeden was doing, I decided to give him $5. I wanted him to know that I have been noticing all he has been doing and that I appreciate it. He was excited to take the money.

Ten minutes later he brought the money back to me, telling me that I can have it back. Obviously being confused, I asked him why. He said that he wanted me to have it so we can keep our house. HE HAD BEEN WATCHING THE SHOW WITH US WHILE HE WAS PICKING UP THE TOYS AND I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE!! This family is always trying to find ways on the show to make extra money so they don't lose their house.

I was so proud of him for thinking of our family first, but explained to him that our house is not in jeopardy of being taken and that he earned the money so I would like him to keep it. You never know what kids are picking up on, on TV or just all around them and how their mind is processing what they are seeing. I do think teaching your children how to be responsible with money is an important lesson and maybe this TV show has just started Braeden on his way to a responsible financial future.

Friday, December 10, 2010 was the first time(I'm sure the first of many) that I heard:

Brenna: (stomping into her room) I don't like Mommy anymore!

At this age, she gets over "hating" Mommy pretty quickly. All it takes is needing a drink of water or wanting a snack, and Mommy is back in business. I wonder what it will take the "Teenage Brenna" to get over being mad at Mommy! Time will tell.

Let me preface this by saying that Braeden's teacher sent home a notice about homework. She said that each of their homework assignments are reviews of things they have already learned in class and that it is okay to give examples to help the student do their homework correctly, but each student needs to do the homework on their own. The homework is graded and needs to be done only by the student.