Things I Have Learned About 3 Year Olds

In a few days, my youngest child will celebrate her 4th birthday. As I reflect on the young lives of both my children, here are some of the things I have learned about 3 year olds. Do these ring true with 3 year olds that you know?

1. 3 year olds are CONFIDENT. They have figured out that there are things that they can do. They have discovered that they do things well. They are getting taller and they are developing better motor skills. They are gaining independence and they can do some things without constant supervision.

2. 3 year olds are PROUD. They are proud of themselves for the things they are learning and for their art work and for their exercise and for….whatever they do makes them proud.

3. 3 year olds are INDEPENDENT. They want to do it themselves and, lots of time, they can!

4. 3 year olds are FUNNY! They say funny things and they do funny things and they see the world in a unique, funny way.

5. 3 year olds need some QUIET every now and then. They will not necessarily ask for it, but they will appreciate a little time when they can be still and quiet and be by themselves.

6. 3 year olds still NEED A NAP. It doesn’t have to be a long one but they do need some nap time each day. One great trick to getting them to nap is to tell them, “You do not have to go to sleep but you have to be in your bed and you have to be quiet.”

7. 3 year olds still like to SNUGGLE and HUG! From what every parent always says, there will come a day (and it will arrive too soon) that they won’t want to acknowledge you in any way, much less want to touch you. I don’t know when that will happen to me but, until it does, we snuggle and hug A LOT!

TUESDAY TIDBITS

Bargain Hunting

Practical Saver – ideas for saving money

Author Tracker – find out where your favorite authors will be signing books

Novel Action – trade your books for ones you have not read

Paperback Swap – swap your paperbacks for free

Life After Baseball

Before the game yesterday, our son was on a team tied for 2nd place in a league with 12 teams. They were playing the first place team. The first place team had not lost a game all year; our team had only lost one. It was a big game!

All last week, my son came home from school and practiced in the back yard. He worked on his hitting; I threw him ground balls and reminded him to get in front of the ball. He played with anyone that even thought of approaching our driveway because he knew it was a big game. Yesterday, as he was getting his uniform on, I overheard him reminding himself (like he obviously heard from his coaches) to 1) play hard, 2) try your best, and 3) have a good time.

“What if I hit a home run every time I bat?” he asked as we drove to the field. “That would be exciting,” I answered.

The game was a good one. The score was close and both teams made good plays. They watched their coaches and they cheered for each other. When the game was over, our team had lost a close game. As they have done all year, regardless of the outcome, they lined up and shook hands with the other team. The first boy in line was carrying a homemade flag with the team logo on it, showing his pride. Another boy turned a cartwheel as he finished shaking hands. Most of them “ran the bases” after the game and anxiously ran to find out what the snack would be. It would have been nice for them to have won. It is better, though, that they played hard, tried their best, and had a good time.

My husband and I spent our walk to the car heaping praise on our son for his effort on the field. Just as we reached the parking lot, he asked “Where are we going for dinner?” I guess there really is life after baseball!

SUNDAY REST

R – Remember the blessings from the week you have just finished.
E – Explore something new.
S – Sing a song.
T – Turn the TV off for the rest of the day!

10 Very Good Things About Youth Baseball

Too often, the things that are newsworthy about youth sports are negative. Without a doubt, there are too many examples (even 1 is more than we need) of parents and coaches that put too much pressure on children and adopt expectations for them that are beyond their abilities. Certainly, the dugouts and bleachers are littered with fathers (and mothers) that are attempting to live vicariously through the children they are suiting up and sending into the field.

In spite of the negative things that exist in youth sports, there are places where some balance exists between only playing for fun and playing to win at all costs. My son is playing t-ball this year. I don’t expect that I’ll ever see him on a Major League roster but that is not the point. What matters is that…

1. He is on a team and learning the aspects of what that means.

2. He is participating in his community and making connections with people that he might not otherwise meet.

3. He is being active and playing a game that he likes.

4. He is gaining confidence in skills he has had previously and learning new skills to add to his abilities.

5. He likes the uniform!

6. He is having fun playing and we (his father, sister, and I) are having fun watching and cheering for him.

7. He is seeing adult men act in positive and responsible manners toward children.

8. He is learning that he can contribute to the success of the team without hitting a home run.

9. He thinks that the dirtiness of his uniform is an indication of how he played. It is CERTAINLY an indication of how much fun he had!

10. He sees that getting a game ball is something to strive for AND to be proud of!

He actually received a game ball early in the season and he still has it right by his bed to look at each day. Tell me that is not a very good thing!

TUESDAY TIDBITS

Mom Corps – This unique staffing service seeks to match working moms that need flexible work situations with companies that can use them.

Mom’s Team – Information for sports moms

The Last Self-Help Book You’ll Ever Need – Dr. Paul Pearsall

Go To My PC - Software program that allows you to access the files and settings FROM YOUR OWN PC no matter where you are.

If you have not tried some of the “make and take” dinner places, find one close to you and make an appointment. They are great time and money savers and the food is good too! Here are some of the more common ones…
SupperThyme USA
Super Suppers
Let’s Dish

Recycling Only Goes So Far

I am NOT hard-core when it comes to recycling. I only started recycling a few years ago when I moved into a community that provided curbside recycling as part of the garbage pickup services. My thinking was (and is) that, if all I have to do is put it in a box and walk it to the curb, it is the LEAST I can do!

On my way to “the least I can do”, I got a little bit interested. It is not something that I am passionate about; it is not something that I worry about; and it is not something that I consider when choosing my friends or children’s playdates. It is just something that I do because it is convenient. If it turns out that my small contribution helps the overall process, that is fine with me. If not, I cannot say that I have sacrificed very much.

While I won’t win any recycling awards, I have learned a little bit about it and I find myself looking for ways that I can recycle things from my house. I have been doing it long enough that I know which of our regular consumables come in recyclable containers and which do not. We actually have containers for “recycling” on each level of our split-level home so that we don’t throw recycling away just because the container is somewhere else.

In my home office, I have started recycling my ink cartridges. Because I own a writing business and I keep track of my business expenses, I started thinking about other ways that I could recycle in my office. I print a lot. I print many things that others read online because I like to be able to hold them in my hand to read them. I always have a pile of reading going and I carry it from my office to my bedroom, to the car, etc. Sometimes, I print things more than once because I forget that I have already printed them. Often, I print things as a reminder. Once I have dealt with that particular task, I don’t need the printed version any more. I don’t make any excuses about how much I print. Likewise, I don’t spend much time trying to print less. I have come to accept myself as a “high volume printer”. The one concession that I DO make to my large amount of printing is to reuse the paper. After I have printed on one side, I turn it over and use the other. Since the vast majority of what I print is for my own use, I consider this to be just a small thing that I can add to the recycling universe.

That brings me to my husband. He has no trouble with the recycling that we do in the kitchen and the upstairs. He has gotten good about putting magazines, junk mail and containers from the upstairs bathrooms in the recycling container that we keep in our closet. When he remembers, he is happy to check for #1 or #2 plastics and send those out as well. Truth be told, he is usually the one that is dragging the container to the street each week. He draws the line, though, at my current practice of recycling my printing paper. He says that life is too short and his eyes are too bad to try to make out which print is on which side of the page. I guess recycling only goes so far!

SUNDAY: DAY OF REST

R – REJOICE in the gift of another day of life!

E – EXERCISE your body. This doesn’t have to be some major workout. Just take a walk around the block or play ball with your kids for a little while.

S – SIMPLIFY expectations. Just for this one day, don’t worry about being productive.

T – TREAT yourself to something you think is luxurious – a long bath, a crossword puzzle, reading ALL of the paper, an extra dessert – whatever makes you feel a little bit special.

Something to be Proud Of

I have no connection to Virginia Tech. Until Monday of this week, what little bit I knew about the school was related to it athletic programs and nothing else. Today, because of the horrific events that have taken place there, I know more about the school than I ever expected to. As a total outsider, I am proud of what I have seen.

In spite of the efforts of the media to lay blame in a situation that cannot be analyzed with any rationality, EVERY single student that I have seen interviewed has been calm, articulate, genuine and loyal. Obviously, they are stunned and heartbroken. Admittedly, they are confused and disillusioned. Certainly, they are afraid. Yet, they exhibit confidence in their Virginia Tech Family. If their reactions are any indication, it is a family held in genuine esteem and love. Undoubtedly, they have questions and, like all of us, they struggle with “what if”. They wouldn’t be human if they didn’t. What I see, however, is maturity beyond their years in the way they are handling the uncertainties.

First, they are gathering as a family and focusing on each other. There are too many stories to mention of the ways that students have contacted each other and made sure that friends and acquaintances were accounted for. They are connecting with their own biological families and drawing strength from those relationships.

Second, they are evaluating their roles in the Virginia Tech community and are offering themselves and their abilities to repair the damage this incident has caused. They are committed to something greater than themselves and they are determined that this not be the reason that people know about Virginia Tech.

Third, they are showing the rest of us that, in spite of WHY this happened, that there is more to Virginia Tech than this senseless, horrible event. From the law enforcement officials to the medical staffs to the university staff, I have heard nothing but praise for the students of the school. I get the feeling that those feelings of pride would have been expressed whether this event had happened or not!

Finally, they are standing up for their family, in spite of its possible flaws. I have not seen 1 student question the decision making as the event unfolded; I have not seen 1 student blame the university for what was beyond their control; I have not seen 1 student speak ill of the shooter. Does that mean that they are naïve or unfeeling or apathetic? No, it means that, like most families, they need to deal with their shortcomings privately – in their own way and in their own time.

What I have seen this week is a group of young people that are loyal to each other, loyal to their authorities, and loyal to their community. That is something to be proud of!

Eugene Robinson Column

This is a good article that goes along with my thoughts from the earlier post about Virginia Tech.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/17/AR2007041701461.html