You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance. - Franklin P. Jones

I have a problem. I have very little patience for HoneyBear lately.

I am sad and ashamed.

She just does not want to listen. Everything is fine as long as I make it a game, or sing it or take as long of time as SHE wants. If I break Happy Mommy character once she slowly goes on a downward spiral to all out stubborn, non-sensical, Macaulay Culkin screaming FREAK in 2.4 seconds.

So, to this point I have stuck to my “No-Nonsense Mommy” routine making sure she knows we can have fun but she has to be on my timetable.

When I say now, I mean now.

.. and I don’t mean walking slowly and dragging your feet whining. We can even skip to my friggin’ loo just get YOUR ASS GOING!  

This is what I am screaming in my head as we walk to school, or any activity for that matter.

This morning we woke up at 5:50. Have I mentioned that I am NOT a morning person. In fact I waited to have kids at a later age for many reasons but sleep was one of the top 3 reasons I assure you.

20 minutes after I grabbed SBean and began feeding her HBear ran in crying. She had an accident. Seriously when my kids grow up they are going to look back at my musings and HATE me for sharing EVERYTHING! LOL

So even though my patience level was pretty low by the time I got out of bed at 7:45 I decided today was going to be a good day. How did that happen you wonder?

Ninja.

He gets up with the girls after I am done breast feeding. He gets breakfast for them and lets me sleep an extra hour… everyday! I am very lucky, I know.

So when I got up to do lunches and get HBear ready for school, I say to her “HoneyBear let’s have a good day. Mommy needs to learn patience just like you, so go easy on her ok?”

Blink Blink… like I am crazy “ummm yeah sure Mommy”.

Can it BE that easy?

Well she got to school without having to be yelled at, talked sternly to, threatened, or even 1…2…3’d.

Perhaps it IS that easy. 

After school she asked if she could play on the playground. I explained that we had to go because we have gymnastics.

AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!

She totally freaked out. I looked around and everyone was staring at me, not her, ME!

I looked down and picked up a longish branch from the ground and said Abracadabra Abracadoo don’t let SydneyBean eat any more poo!

She cracked up and began skipping to the van with me. *PHEW* Crisis averted! But really, should I have to do that? Am I teaching her anything by doing that?

She was great getting dressed and having her snack and on the way to gymnastics.

We sang…

The Pink Ladies' Pledge: To act cool, to look cool, and to be cool. Till death do us part, think pink! 

Skip to the end of the class. “Mommy can I stay for a bit and play?”

I guess I could have said yes, but I have dinner on the stove and Ninja is with SBean so I said no.

Obviously what I did earlier didn’t work because I could see her chin begin to wobble and knew what was coming next. So I picked up her jacket and her runners that she refused to put on and said… goodbye and walked out the door.

I thought I would collect my thoughts and make a new plan of action but she came running our bawling! I picked her up and carried her to the van screaming her fool head off.

We did NOT sing on the way home.

She has been great ever since and is now sleeping soundly in her bed. Which method is the right one? Is either of those ways the right way?

Beats the hell outta me!

It was a beautiful sunny blue sky kinda day. But the autumn chill is in the air. Dad is in Calgary this week visiting my sister and her sweet baby girl so I am making things he doesn’t like!

Today to take the chill out of the air I am making chili! YUMMY

I was lazy so I used the bread machine to bake a loaf of French bread to go with it!

Chilly Day Chili

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

2 onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 bell pepper, chopped
1 cup mushroom, quartered

1/2 bag chili beans,rinsed and soaked

1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes w/ chiles

1 cup corn

1 can (10 oz) tomato sauce

1 cup beef broth

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon cocoa powder
2 teaspoons sugar

Toppings:

Sour cream

Shredded cheese

Cilantro

Beans before overnight soak 

Beans after overnight soak

Place beef, garlic and onion in a large pot over med heat and cook until meat is browned and onions tender.

Break the meat up as it cooks. Drain off excess fat.

Mix in the bell pepper, mushrooms, diced tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce, beef broth, chili powder, cumin, salt, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, sugar, cocoa powder, and cayenne pepper. Bring the chili to a simmer and reduce heat. Simmer for at least an hour.

½ hour before done add your can of corn.

Top with Sour cream, shredded cheese and cilantro.

I know SOMEONE liked it! lol

A couple of random things…

I brought home a Bounty Bar for a treat yesterday and Ninja was all like “what’s up with the Bounty? Who likes those?”

Seriously? The question is who DOESN’T? Yum. What a weirdo.

Oh, and I use debit all the time. So yesterday when I was out getting groceries and my delicious Bounty Bar, I remembered I had cash on me! Ninja’s dad and I have been selling things on Kijiji and halving the profit. We sold his chainsaw on the weekend for $160!! Yay! So, I always use self-checkout so when the bill came to $56.04 I slipped in 3 $20’s.

When SBean cried this morning I sat up and thought… SHIT I forgot to grab my change!