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I was watching The Nanny on Friday night (yes, I was home and watching The Nanny and it was lame but such is my life these days) and this woman (and her husband) on there had 4 kids – a 5 year old and triplets who were 3. They were clearly at the end of their ropes. The 5 year old was out of control. OUT. She was all over the place. And they had no control of this child. But what got me was the hitting – them hitting her. They’d learned in their church (!!!) to paddle the child with a wooden spoon. So they’d grab the child, tell her she’d been bad, and paddle her while hugging her. It was fairly horrifying. Now, I know a lot of it had to do with how it was edited and all that but they hit her over and over and over. And I was just beside myself.
But then I thought, who the hell am I? I don’t have 4 kids under the age of 5. I don’t have triplets. I don’t have a 5 year old who gets her way all the time (and knows it). I have no idea what these people are going through every day.
How much time do we spend judging others? Judging others and how they parent or interact with their spouse or children. I’m not perfect. I wouldn’t want others to judge me. I see how other people put their lives on the Internet, like I do, and then get judged HARSHLY for their actions. They spank or don’t spank. They home school or don’t. They vaccinate or not. And people are ruthless.
It’s OK not to agree with others. It’s OK to have your own convictions. It’s ok to be a believer in something. But it’s also OK to respect others for what they believe. It’s ok to not judge.
I was raised in a house with the wooden spoon and ivory soap. We, fortunately, didn’t see the spoon often and when we did, it was flying through the air having just been snapped in half on the kitchen counter during the “threat.” I did have an episode of getting my mouth washed out with soap, it wasn’t pleasant. And what it taught me was not to swear in front of my parents. Got it, lesson learned.
Paul and I haven’t talked about discipline yet. I’d like to live in a house where you don’t hit, which means no spanking. I don’t know how you teach your kids not to hit others when you then smack them on the ass when you do. It just seems a little hypocritical. But I don’t know, we aren’t there yet. But when we are, we’ll figure it out and hope that people don’t judge us for our decisions. And if you do, that’s ok, just keep it to yourself.
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In other news, you can find me on the Shreds today, talking about motivation. So exciting!!
I was feeling the need for something different. A little “spice” in my life. I know, I live large here. I felt the need to look a little less like a “mom” in my yoga pants and hugely baggy sweatshirt. And now that I’m taking care of my body and the healthy part of life, I need a little external updating. So I got my hairs did. I LOVE it. Love! LOVE!!!
 My hair before (it "usually" looks a little better than this)  Before the cut  Feeling SASSY  From the side It will never look this good again, unless I can get my wonderful hair dresser and friend, Jenna, to move in with me and style it every morning. But don’t I look SASSY!!
After last weeks episode when I tried to do my child in, we’ve had a rough week. I’ve done more laundry this week then I have done in my entire life. The sheets go out of the dryer, onto the crib and back into the washing machine. It’s a literal wash, rinse, repeat around here. We went to the doctor yesterday and she said it’s just a virus, nothing they can really do for her. Just keep an eye on her. She said something about if the diarrhea continues come Tuesday, we can get a poop sample kit, put saran wrap in her diaper and collect some samples. Seems like a lot of work when I can just bring in her clothes.
Courtney has big bags under her eyes and has spent most of the week glued to my side, sitting on the couch. Oddly, when she’s not on my lap, she’s sitting in the kitchen, on the floor, in the corner. I don’t quite get it but she seems happy. She’s also not eating anything, and that kind of freaks me out. I’m not forcing food on her, because when I did that last week, there was vomit and it was in my hair. But I’d really feel better if she’d just eat something. I even made Kraft mac & cheese and she wouldn’t touch it. Not one noodle. (Paul, the entire box is in the fridge, help yourself.) Last night I put her to bed half and hour earlier than normal and she could have cared less.
Paul had a reprieve last night and went to some surfing movie debut thing. Or so he says. Some likely story about them showing a movie in a bar. Right, because that makes good business sense. He even went and got his hair cut for the event. This story gets fishier and fishier with every passing moment.
After my own little stomach thing at the beginning of the week, which laid me up Sunday and prevented me from eating food on Monday. Unheard of. Me, not eating food. I kicked butt with the exercise, I did the Banish Fat Boost Metabolism Jillian Michaels DVD on Wednesday, and it kicked my ass. All. Over. The place. It’s like I’d never worked out a minute in my life.
With Paul gone, I made tis for myself for dinner. I modified the recipe and instead of using the carrots and celery, I used mushrooms and squash. I think there was too much curry but curry or no curry, Paul would have despised it. I, thought it was delish. The next time Paul goes out, which who knows when that will be, I’d make it again. I think you could change up the curry and tumeric, use something else and then add feta cheese. Don’t ask me what that something else is, I’ haven’t a clue. Really, I can’t cook and stink at following directions so maybe someone else can tell me to do so it would go well with feta.
There were a couple of bright points this week. (Oh, and hopefully some Colombian food for dinner this weekend. Hmmm, Colombian food….)
I’m reading the The Happiness Project
in “preparation” of Mom 2.0. Gretchen Rubin is one of the keynote speakers at the conference and since I didn’t know who she was, although I’d heard of the Happiness Project, I thought I’d read the book before I go.
I’m still reading the book, she breaks it out by month, and I’m only on March. I have a lot of happiness left to read about.
Happiness is one of those things that is so specific to us each individually. What makes me happy, won’t necessarily make you happy. Or you. Or you over there. I’ve spent a lot of my adult life thinking about my happiness and what that means and how to be happy. And it’s not so much that I’m not happy, because I am. But am I as happy as I can be? Am I living up to my happiness potential? I don’t think so.
I think there are a lot of interesting things that Gretchen talks about in the first 100 pages or so in her book. Many of those things being things that I think I’m already kind of working on. (I told Paul that one of the things she says is, “Be nicer to your husband.” And while that’s not exactly what she says, he thought it was awesome!) Things that I want to change or evaluate or focus on that can help make me a happier person. As she says, the happier you are, the happier those around you are. Absolutely.
So, I’m going to finish the book and hear her speak. And maybe I’ll even get to talk to her. Although, that could be more than I can handle at a conference that I’m going to where I will know approximately one person. And then I’m going to spend some time thinking about what I can do to be a happier person. Not just for me but for my family and those around me. I can’t change others (yes Paul, I said that) but I can change me. It’ll be my own little Happiness Project. Without the book, because, well, Gretchen already wrote the book on that.
 Friends  Maybe  Your feet stink. Or is that my breath? (It's your breath, Hunter.)  Finally, some rest. ************************************************************
 Excuse me, I'm trying to call my hair dresser.  What's wrong with my hair?  Can't a girl get some privacy?  What ARE you looking at? I’m just full of love for my girl this week (OK, extra love this week). She makes me smile at every turn. She’s funny and she’s smart and she’s enamored of her belly button. I love her even when she blows out her diaper. Six times this week.
She’s cute and sunny and talks and talks and talks. I love it when she talks. And did you see that hair? I mean, not only are we happy that she’s finally getting hair, but it’s just so cute. She loves Hunter, even if Hunter still isn’t sure about her. Other than the fact she drops her food for him all the time.
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Oh, and Paul posted on his site the other day. It’s been MONTHS. I’m sure most of you have given up on his blog. I know I had.
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