Too much praise?

I read this about Jerry Seinfeld in last week's Parade magazine and agreed with every part except his first poison P.

Although his own children obviously want for nothing, Seinfeld works hard not to be too indulgent. He bemoans the way some people cater to their children’s every whim. Seinfeld has three rules of parenting, what he calls “the poison Ps.” The first is Praise—“We tell our kids, ‘Great job!’ too much,” he says. The second is Problem-solving—“We refuse to let our children have problems. Problem-solving is the most important skill to develop for success in life, and we for some reason can’t stand it if our kids have a situation that they need to ‘fix.’ Let them struggle—it’s a gift. Just as he’s explaining the third P—“Giving your child too much Pleasure”—a woman comes in the deli with her three young daughters and buys them all huge cookies. “Can you believe this?” Seinfeld says, gesturing like his TV counterpart used to. “It’s 5:30 p.m.—when will they have dinner? At 8?”

I strongly believe kids need to have problems and be able to work out their own problems. Like for instance hard teachers in school. I'm not the mom who puts in requests for certain teachers. I believe that if one of my children has a hard time with a teacher, that's okay. They'll learn to deal with it because there are going to be hard people to deal with throughout their life. Children today also have way too much pleasure and not enough work. Part of the reason I'm excited to move to Lake Point is our one-acre lot with a lot of dirt for my kids to learn to work in. I grew up with a lot of dirt and a big garden and I want the same for my kids.

However, the one issue I take with Seinfeld is overpraising our kids. I don't think you can tell your kids "Great job" too much. There will always be the world telling them otherwise. At the end of the day, they need to be able to walk into a home where they feel safe and loved and mom and dad can build them back up again.

And the gender is . . .

 ??????

I like surprises. Tyler doesn't. Our children consist already of 2 boys and 2 girls, and we have all the right season clothing.
This time it was my turn, but I did tell Ty if he wanted he could look while I closed my eyes.
Well the doctor said this baby had his/her foot strategically placed. I'm not sure he looked very hard.
Also he moved my due date up a week to June 20.
That made me happy.
This baby makes me happy.
We are all a little excited at our house.
Boy or Girl!

Sitting, sitting, sitting

I lost all ambition after making enough dough for seven pizzas and getting up from a nap that was much too short. I've sat at this computer staring at the screen wondering what it is I'm supposed to be doing. Too many things going on right now. So not typical of February. Usually this month is a slow one for me waiting for spring to arrive. I'll make a list. A list in no particular order that will help get the motivation rolling. I love lists and the feeling of checking things off.

• I have a stack of SPCA dues that need to be opened and put into Quickbooks and then taken to the credit union for deposit. I only have about 200 or so. [insert frowny face here] I usually enjoy this mindless task every year as part of my duties as the SPCA treasurer, but this year, like I said, way too much going on for me to enjoy it.
• Bills to be paid
• Kiersten's science fair project to complete. Really this is her baby. But what parent doesn't become involved somewhere down the road. And while I'm on the subject of Kiersten, I've also been busy attending the elementary's annual Book Battle where she placed 3rd for her grade (Erik took 2nd for his grade) and also the districtwide Reflections award assembly. She got a certificate for making it that far and then she was one of the finalist for her category (music). She gets to go on to state. At first she really wanted to do the art category, but I talked her into writing an original piece on the piano, knowing that a lot of kids wouldn't be competing.
  
  
• Flooring to pick out. We've decided on our wood floors; now just need to match the carpet and tile.
  
  

• Book St. George trip for next weekend. And no, it's not because of Valentine's Day. Our kids happened to be out of school Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. They are out more than I wish they were. Anyhow, Tyler thought it would be a good idea to hit the parade of homes down there and get some last minute ideas before we finalize these plans. I know I'll be looking for bay windows and how to dress them. I don't want blinds because of the view.
• 3 Jr. Jazz games on Saturday and a baptism. Thankfully all I have to do it show up.
• Would really like to sweep out the garage and get rid of all the dirt from the dirty snow.
• Purchase a new violin string for Kiersten's violin. One of those online jobs.
• Dejunk my closet as part of the moving process.
• Buy a baby gift for my friend Sara.
• Start the book club book Shattered Silence. I finally finished The Lost Symbol which took me longer than I anticipated. Again, where to find time to read. I mean leisurely read, not the paper, not the kids' homework, not the recipe book, not the internet.
• Now that I mention recipe book. I have a myriad of recipes waiting patiently for me to type, print, and tuck away carefully in my recipe book. I used to be an organized person. The last 6 months have proven otherwise. It is also 5:45 and I also have no idea what to do for dinner tonight despite going to the grocery store today and making pizza dough. I've learned a few secrets in the past couple of months about the makings of a good pizza from Papa Sharm. The dough has to sit in the refrigerator for several days as it SLOWLY increases in size. There will be no pizza tonight, but come Sunday we are having a feast. I did suggest to Erik that maybe we should make it a banana split night. You've got your fruit group and dairy group. Add a few nuts and there's some protein. I'm not going to even mention the fat group.

 Well, there's a list to get me started.