Alfie Kohn

Alfie Kohn believes that children should neither be punished for bad behavior nor rewarded for good behavior, because it's coercive. He also believes that the current school system is not good for them, but I think his kids are in it, because he and his wife both work (at least that's what I hear), and I'm assuming their kids have been either in daycare or with a nanny since infancy. Kind of odd, don't you think? I know in our case, ds being in daycare would be coercive because he won't even stay with a friend for five minutes while I go to the bathroom! I would think it would be a lot easier to be tolerant with your kids if you spent that much less time with them, don't you? Give me 40+ hours a week away from ds and I would bet I would treat him a lot differently. Although getting him to bed would probably be a lot worse of a problem, since he would be wanting to spend more time with me.
I do like more the stuff that Marshall Rosenburg says about non-coercion. http://www.cnvc.org/raisekds.htm

Happy New Year to you!

I heard that April 1 used to be new Years. Sounds good to me! I sure wish it would get above 60 degrees -- the high here today was 48, and it's supposed to snow tonight! I really would like to live in a place that has a real spring! Cold weather for a couple of months is one thing, but half a year -- please!
That's it for today.

How do I fit yoga in with a four year old?

I have got to do my Yoga 4 Fertility video today, but ds is using the VCR. I have the VHS version from the library, they don't have it on DVD.
I think I'll buy the DVD, unless there is a better one. I'd like one that has both short and long workouts. This one is about an hour or more, depending on whether you pause the tape.

gratitude entry for today, 3/28/07

Things I'm grateful for: my friend Becka and her wonderful daugher Amelie, who met me and ds at the park today and played. Playgroups like the Eastside AP, where I can talk to other moms. Message boards, where I can post and read other posts from other moms and people. Books from the library that I can read. Being able to read books. Reading to ds tonight. Holding him as he fell asleep. Watching him play with his friend Amelie, and then another girl later on tonight in our apartment complex. Cleaning up the kitchen and having it not be too bad. I need sleep!

gratitude and joy entry for today, 3/24/07

Things I am grateful for:
1. Having a mommys group to meet other moms -- I actually ran into one of them today and enjoyed talking with her a bit. 2. Having a wonderful son who lives well 3. Having a loving husband with endless patience 4. My health, which is improving 5. the fact that ds's health seems to be impoving as well 6. being able to buy food at the food court at crossroads mall 7. Being able to go to Redmond Town Center and see the new sensory garden and get a backpack with free stuff in it for ds
Things that brought me joy:
1. Sleeping in this morning 2. Playing games with ds 3. eating dinner 4. making yogurt with mango for ds 5. Posting on MDC 6 reading to ds tonight

gratitude and joy entry for today, 3/19/07

I am so grateful to my loving, patient, kind husband, who did the dishes tonight without being asked or reminded. I am grateful for a sweet, loving, happy, funny son who did really well last night, not waking much at all. I am grateful for my yoga video, which is helpful and makes me feel good. I am grateful for my wonderful friend, Stacy, whom I will be visiting and staying with in less than a month. I am grateful for the flowering trees and milder weather -- even went without a sweater today! I am grateful for our warm dry apartment, which is getting cleaner and more orderly all the time.

Things that brought me joy: going to 321 Bounce today with ds and playing with him on the equipment. Doing yoga and having it relax me and help the crick in my neck. Reading to ds. Seeing dh walk in the door, having walked through the rain on his way home from work (I keep the car so we can go places, he walks nearly 2 miles each way to and from work). Breathing.

what do you think of this?

http://www.specialtybottle.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=409

gratitude and joy entry for today, 3/1/07

Gratitude:
I am so grateful for my loving husband who did the dishes for me tonight, and also got ds ready for bed (except the teeth brushing, book, and nursing, LOL).
I am endlessly grateful for my wonderful, imaginitive, intelligent, sweet little son.
I am very grateful for my friend Becka, who came over today with her beautiful daughter.
I am grateful for my brothers, who have been there for me over the years.
I am grateful for the sun that came out today.
I am grateful for my Aunt Janet, recently returned from a trip to the South Pacific, who emailed me today. I am picturing her grandson, my cousin, healing from some illnesses that he has had recently.
I am grateful to the earth, for providing us with delicious food.
I am grateful for having a computer to write this on.
Joy:
Cooking black bean soup brought me great joy, as did eating it.
Seeing ds playing with his friend brought me joy.
Holding ds in my lap brought me joy.
Kissing dh when he came home brought me joy.
Seeing dh and ds play together brought joy to my heart. They have so much fun together!

Messages of Love

Messages of Love
This is a website by a really cool mama who sends out messages of love to people. They are way cool.

Isn't this a cool drawing?

My friend Chasmyn introduced me to this artist, William M Perry, who is selling his drawings on Ebay. He's selling them every week so if you sign up to see his new stuff, you will get a new image in your email every week. Pretty cool, huh? And he also sold a cool love poem called "Until Bananas Turn to Ink" which he wrote and illustrated and self-published, and it's really awesome. I bought a copy for DH for Valentine's day and he loved it. I just wish I'd left more positive feedback -- I was stressed and rushed so it was a bit terse: "item in good condition" was all. Oops!

Save money going to college Video!

I don't have the patience to listen to this guy, but the idea sounds cool -- go to college for $11 per day!

gratitude entry for today, 2/14/07

I am grateful for a loving, handsome husband, and wonderful, attached son, great friends, and a healthy, sound body. I am grateful to have a nice place to call home, lots of good food, and fun things to do. I am grateful to be able to stay home with my son full time, and to be able to get around with him in our car regularly. I am grateful to have a mommy's group that meets regularly relatively close by, and to be able to spend time with them and their kids. I love kids!
Things that brought me joy today included going to a mommy's group Valentine's party and seeing C play with the other kids and eat whatever they were serving without any unusual reactions (sure, he was hyper, but so would any kid who ate the sugar and stuff they had). Being with my husband and son brought me a great deal of joy in different ways. I really enjoy seeing C laugh and smile, and playing magic tricks with him really makes him excited, which I love to see. Loving DH and celebrating Valentine's Day as a couple really brought me joy too.

I love Hanna Andersson!

Here is a bid I missed on ebay for C's favorite jammies, Hanna Andersson -- his favorite are the striped ones. They make cute prints, too, but they aren't as soft or durable as the striped ones. That is especially important when you buy them used -- the prints are usually at least slightly faded and definitely don't last as long. Anyway, I need to figure out the best way to win an ebay auction without driving up the price, because these things can get pretty spendy if you keep bidding on them. I can get them new at the outlet store for $28.00, although they aren't always available in the size we want. So I don't want to spend more than say, 20 bucks, shipping included, on them on ebay, but often the bids get way high on the popular ones. I intend to have good jammies for a decent price.

We love Hanna's long johns!

Reiki - long distance healing

Reiki healing
So, this blogger can do long-distance healing with Reiki via instant messenger. What an interesting idea, using modern technology to use an ancient healing technique. Reiki is supposed to be really good for pregnant women and for childbirth. Supposed to help a woman get in touch with her feminine energy.

This is a strange thought: I wonder if that's why I have infertility? I sure have had a hard time getting in touch with my feminine energy. I was kind of a tomboy growing up, but mainly in the sense that I didn't like my hair long or to wear dresses. I didn't like my hair long because I had a sensitive scalp, and I didn't like dresses because I felt exposed in them. I did like to climb trees, and I did play with trucks, but I think that was at least in part because I didn't like dolls (they scared me) and I wasn't left with much else to play with. I wasn't into sports, and I didn't take to things like car repair or woodworking. But I never fit in with the girls with all their gossip and such. At least in part because I didn't have any early friends who were girls, so I never learned to relate to them.
Does that explain my infertility? That I just never felt like a girl? I doubt it, there are plenty of butch or tomboy women, lesbians and otherwise, who get regular periods and ovulate. It could be the endocrine system problems I have are a result of toxins, which also caused my scalp sensitivity and maybe even my fear of dolls. Who knows?
Now, to try to turn all this musing stuff around: I would like to put more energy into directing my mind at what I want from life, rather than what I'm not getting.

the Lactivist

The Lactivist -- a website by a mom who is a lactivist -- an activist for breastfeeding. Her latest post is about how she got sued by the National Pork Board for selling a shirt with the slogan: "Breastmilk: the other white milk" (because they were saying it made pork look bad somehow! Anyway, she changed the slogan to "Breast: the original white milk" and the pork board apologized and donated money to a mother's milk bank.

Pretty crazy stuff.

What I think is cool is that not only is she a lactivist for breastfeeding, but she's also a work-at-home mom. To do that takes a lot of organizational skill and energy. How does one do it? I'd like to watch her one day just to see how she copes.

Gratitude and joy, dude!

I keep typing "gratidute" or "gratidude" so I thought I'd just make a silly joke. I am tired, so it's easy to entertain me.
Here are some things I noted today to be grateful for:
1. Having the sun come out today -- in winter, sun is a rarity up here, so you need to enjoy every bit you get of it.
2. Being able to brush my teeth and get them clean.
3. The smell of soapy water as I wash dishes.
4. My friends, who are so supportive and helpful.
5. C, my wonderful son, who teaches me something new every day
6. My wonderful husband, who will play with C in a different way than I do.
7. Having a washer and dryer in our apartment! Yes! I grew up going to laundry mats, and hated it. Never had a washer/dryer until moving in with DH. No more dragging baskets of laundry down the street!
8. Having a car that can get us where we need to go. I only bought my first car a little over 10 years ago. Before that, it was bus, bike, and/or walking. Of course, when I lived in San Francisco, that was fine, but it made it hard to get out of town.

Things I did today that brought me joy:
1. Going to Farrel McWhirter Park to see the animals. There are baby chicks there now, and C just loved watching them peck and scratch and huddle under the heat lamp.
2. Washing dishes and getting them clean.
3. Holding C while he slept
4. Reading to C
5. Seeing Dh come in the door tonight.
6. Watching videos with C sitting next to me. Or lying next to me nursing. Yes, he's almost 4 and still a nursling!

gratitude and joy for 1/30/07

(I'm actually writing this on the 31st, but that's because I couldn't get on the computer last night)
Things I'm grateful for:
1. Having DH, who went into work late and left early to help out while ds and I were sick, for a husband.
2. Having Chasmyn, who is sending me "The Secret" video and another CD whose title escape me, for a friend.
3. Becka calling me to talk even though she doesn't like to use the phone.
4. DS's birth, which was a miracle in more ways than one.
Things from 1/30/07 that brought me joy:
1. Holding my son in my lap while we read a book together
2. Seeing the blue sky and sun shining
3. Feeding ds frozen blueberries
4. Eating yogurt with frozen blueberries

joy for today, 1/28/07

Things I did today that brought me joy: eating porrige, reading the Sunday paper, holding my son in my lap, drinking clean water, reading email from friends.

gratitude entry for today, 1/28/07

I am grateful for my patient, loving, handsome husband, and my sweet, gentle, handsome, healthy son. I am grateful for the sun today, and being able to comfort my son when he was ill. I am grateful for my brother Charlie, who is really smart, and my other brother Stan, even if I never hear from him. I am grateful for my friend Stacy, whom I meant to call today, and my friend Vashti. I'm grateful for the evergreen trees all around and my friend Becka who emailed me today.

 

I will try to keep up this blog

OK, so I just realized I don't keep up my blog. I should enter something new every other day, at least. I should have made it a new years' resolution.

I need to do this:
1. Make a list of the things I'm grateful for each day
2. Make a list of the things that brought me joy each day.

Maybe I could combine the two and blog about it?