Screeeeammmm FREE...parent.

So, as I am raising my little Sammie, I've seen myself raise my voice a bit more then I like and I feel like I am starting to scare her at times. I found this book, which I had Daran read first, called Scream Free Parent and I am going to see if it helps me. Maybe it will help me understand her a bit more too..her side of things. Boy, I yell more at her then I did Pat at Envision and that is a lot! hahaha..

After Daran read it he has not yelled at her once. It's very freeing!

Thought I would share it in case you feel some of the angst I feel on some days...

http://www.amazon.com/Screamfree-Parenting-Revolutionary-Approach-ebook/dp/B000UZQHF2/ref=tmm_kin_title_popover?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1323795946&sr=8-1

Happy Tuesday!

Fun with my Hun!

So Daran and I took half day to go to Disneyland! Our passes end this week and we haven't been all Winter!

It was rainy, fun and totally productive!! lol Still lots of families, more then I expected. But, we went on Indiana, Haunted Mansion, Pirates and Star Tours AND had lunch at the Bayou in Pirates all between noon and 4pm!

I loved it in the rain much more then the hot days, the windy days and the crowded summer days! YEA!!

You should try it one day!
Here's to a happy holiday!
xoxo

What the heck $100??

So, this week I tried my hand at "helping" Sammie try to enjoy lunch at school. She is back at her school full-time from 8:30am-5pm. As some of you know she has a thing with eating at school and at social events. She eats great at home and at restaurants, but the other two she only eats maybe 20% of the time. It was great to see her actually eat a ginormous turkey leg at Thanksgiving! I was so happy!! She didn't even know.

Incentive's has been my new thing to get her to try things. I got a new treasure chest in which I load up with $1 goodies of all varieties that she can choose from each day when she is good. Since doing this, she has not had as many melt downs, tantrums or crying spasms...(she did today though..).  So, in getting back to the eating at school thing, I made her a "deal", if she can try her food for 3 days she will have the opportunity to  Day 1: buy christmas tree; Day 2: buy ornament; Day 3: buy ornament at disney store. If she did good all three days we would go to Disneyland! whoohoo...

She ate yesterday and we went shopping in freezing cold 50s...here is the story...

Sammie ready to go tree hunting!

Sammie running, crying..no fair, I want the big tree! See tree that is behind her, that is what she wanted.

Happy compromise...whew. Finally an agreeable tree. Was a good price, but with the Stand and Delivery..still $100!

Annual tree shot.

The tree Daddy liked with Sammie

The tree I liked (actually I didn't want the snow)

Our tree at home! Introducing "Buttercup Sammie"... Ready to be decorated! We're stringing popcorn tonight and decking it out. Stay tuned! Happy Holidays.

So, on a side note, Miss Sammie...not sure how I will ever be ahead of her head (as Amy noted today), she had a tantrum this morning and we proceeded to give her timeout. During that I told her that she was not able to go into the treasure chest tonight. She was already being not so good. I had an early meeting this morning, so Daran brushed her teeth, as they were brushing, she said "it doesn't matter if I brush because I don't get to go into the treasure chest today any way mommy already said"...she felt that she didn't need to be good since she does get a prize any way!! It's all backfiring now!! What to do. ugh...

Back to the whiteboard...come on honey! What should we do next???

Quick Blog...b4 I forget..It's all about COALS..

Funny quote from Sammie to make your day, this was a few days ago:
" Mommy I don't like Christmas, I think Santa is only going to give me coals. I've been bad all year. I think I like Halloween. Can I get more costumes?" 

KIDS, they are so smart. She knows for Halloween you just have fun. You don't have to earn the fun...you get candy, wear fun costumes and have a party. No being good is necessary. WOW.

Little does she know that some of the coals are made from CHOCOLATE!! HAHA..

xoxo

Yummy snack!

When I was little..like 5-6 years old I would take packages of Chinese ramen and eat it raw. My parents would get so upset when they saw me eating it. Eventually I would take it and hide it when they came by!! lol

Well in the last decade the ramen companies found out and they started selling it as a snack all seasoned and everything! My nieces loved them. Today I got the snack below. It is sooo good. They made them into little puces, blocks and they have the perfect spice. I love the cover too! The woman looks like a ...actually not even sure how to describe her! just kinda funny!! Get it if you see it in the store! There were different flavored too. I just got seaweed flavor.

Enjoy!

Slowness...

Maybe I should call my blog "complain-a-blog"...hahaha.. So I have this client and  he a fairly new business partner. He is super nice, very kind person, new to his role, but we just don't work at the same speed. I think that he was put forth my life to get me to stay patient and calm. He is not a bad person, he is just slow..for me. Everything he does is very slow. He talks slow, he works slow, he responds slow, when we have conference calls that he leads he has loooooog breaks in which creates this awkwardness to the conversation. Why am I writing this? Because I am waiting for him. haha Again, maybe I move too fast in my world. I don't meet many people that work so slow, especially at his level, so I am getting use to it. I guess it gives me time to update my blog. Cheers!


UPDATE: He is 20 minutes late and now wants to postpone. blahlalala...

Taking a R&R day for myself!

Sometimes we all just need a break. For me, I like to go go go then crash (repeat). Recently I have been trying to be more balanced and so one way I am trying to do that is by getting back into golf. I was back on the green after over 10 years and it couldn't have been a more perfect day! Amy and I took a lesson out there, hit some balls and then retreated to the third installment of Twilight. It was such a nice and relaxing day. Although both of us didn't want to drive the driving range cart!! the bumps and dips ...ahhhh I actually could not stop laughing. Next time I will drive!! Be brave Sandy Fu Johnson!! It was so fun. I really stink, but I like the thought that I can get better!!

Thanks 33 for an awesome R&R day

Any way I hope this holiday brings peace and balance (especially in your tummy!) this year!

Thanks Jia for cooking the Turkey day feast this year!!

Love you all!

Cheers!
xoxo

profane profanity...proper pronounciation of pro....

OK I need your "gises", as my niece use to write, opinion...when should, could, would this begin? when is it okay for our kiddies to start saying some of these words and why? and when do, can, should we stop saying "this is not a nice word, please don't say that it might hurt someone's feeling"...
dumb, stupid, shut up, hate, you are ugly, gross, you smell...are there classifications? I am not even at the F bombing, S*ck, mF'ing...yet. Hopefully we won't get there. I personally was there years ago, seemed like I was a regular sailor, but when I entered the corporate world I "swore-off" the swearing. Sometime it sneaks back in, but I have totally tamed myself versus the past. How about Sammie? She is starting a couple of these words and they give me chills when she says them. I was giving her my "quote" above when she says something that is not proper, but now I am trying not to make a big deal now in hopes that it will just go away, but any opinion out there?

PS..some of you are automatically getting my posts now, let me know if you want me to take you off. No prob!

PSS...see this table of yumminess? This was taken at Shanghai Restaurant in Torrance. Guess who ordered all this food??? Do you know that we had 9 dishes and it cost us $40!...

Being thankful...

Added photo - this is the Thankful Tree Sammie made at Michael's this last weekend. It's all her teachers, Santa Claus and Disneyland! haha. Cheers!

for ...

1. my little Sammie
2. my dear husband Daran
3. fabulous family
4. the most supporting group of friends - especially Amy, Amy, Debi, Rachele, Allison, and Stef
5. ..also Facebook, I have been able to keep up with friends and past co-workers that I would have NEVER been able to keep in contact with.
6. that the world can include wonderful ingredients and ideas to create wonderful food, music and entertainment
7. and lastly that there are people out there that do care, I think we focus a lot of attention on those that don't, but I am surrounded by wonderful people that constantly give back. It's a great feeling I ended up with good surroundings, not only for me, but for my Sammie as well...

so...what is Sammie thankful for? This is the first year she can properly articulate and write what she is thankful for. So for me this was kind of a big deal...In one of her classes they made a Turkey's with "What I am thankful for"...all the other kids wrote some form of Mom or Dad or ..family. My child wrote "Mr. John my art teacher"...and then in a separate class, she wrote "Go-go" which is her stuffed doggie we bought her when she was first born. I was sad initially that she wasn't thankful for US! :) Kind of selfish I know! But, I in hindsight, I know she is thankful for us...even if it's not displayed in public for all to see. She said that Mr. John doesn't yell at her and that is why she is thankful for him. I am thankful that she recognizes kindness.  That is my learning and I love her dearly for that.

This holiday know that I am thankful for you! For caring and reading my post in your spare time.
Happy Thanksgiving!
xoxo

Destined to play bingo...

I love bingo and if there is one thing that my daughter loves right now is to play Zingo (which is preparation for Bingo! hahaha), but as I roll into this stage of Sammie's life I now know, she is her own person. She loves what she loves and sometimes it will be the same as I and sometimes..maybe not. For example, I still don't understand how ANYONE cannot like dumplings. But, she is only four, so maybe in time.  :)

In following my good friends footsteps, I thought I would also start a blog. I tried starting up an email address for Sammie to send her notes, but maybe I will just send her these blogs! :)

Although my life is focused almost all on Sammie right now, I probably will blog about my health, so I can track my progress or lack thereof or sometimes work stuff. I think this will be good for me to journalize my journey in life! :) I hope you join me and also share your thoughts and your journey. Would love the company!

xoxox to all
future bingo playing, dumpling eatin' fuLogger..