Other People's Kids

Did you know I am the assistant soccer coach for Jacob's kindergarten team? Well I am. Tonight we had soccer practice and while I love all eight 6 year olds there is one little boy that .... eh ... drives me crazy. Seriously, he is mischievous. He is constantly kicking the other children's soccer balls away from them. He laughs at the other kids when they make mistakes. He hogs the ball and never passes to anyone.

To be honest his parents feed into him.

The rules for kindergarten soccer is that during every game every child plays goalie. His parents argue with the coach about putting him in goal because he should be scoring goals.

Tonight I had enough. This little boy actually spit on me!! Spit on me!

His dad was standing right there and did nothing.

I told the little one that spitting on someone is disgusting and if he does that again he will not be able to play in the game on Saturday.

Then after practice was over and the kids were leaving this child kicked Jacob's ball and then kicked Jacob in the arm.

Once again his dad was standing there. This time the dad told him to apologize. This child wouldn't and didn't apologize.

Jacob and I just left.

I am disappointed in the parents. They allow him to behave this way. He doesn't have any respect for authority either.

We wonder why children behave the way they do.

So now I wonder ... if this happened to you or your child what would you do?

One Lovely Blog Award -- For me!

I got this award from Jessica at Mommy needs Coffee! I just started reading Jessica's blog and love it. Maybe it is because we both long to stay at home with our children. Maybe it is because we are both Gemini's. Maybe it is because we are 20 somethings. Go check her out.

With any award there are rules so with out much ado ...

The Rules:
1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.}

Since I am a rule breaker and I broke the rules for the last two awards I won I am going to break the rules on this one too. I think passing on the award to 15 blogs is way too many so I am going to list 5 blogs. Please check them out. I do read these blogs everyday.

The Scoop on Poop and Other Mama dramas
Ponderings of the Heart
These are the days of my life!!
My Confessions of Craziness
Momma Needs a Time-Out

Not Me! Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Oh yes it is Monday - barely!

This past week I definitely did NOT make woodland creature food (just like MckMama) and my son did NOT love it!

I also did NOT go to Whole Foods and purchase every snack and soy milk and Ezechiel bread I could find. I am NOT going to try a Gluten - Free diet for my son who DOESN'T struggle with attention issue.

I did NOT slam my finger into the steering wheel after getting into the car after leaving Whole Food's store so hard that my finger nail started bleeding. I also did NOT hold my hand above my head so that it wouldn't hurt so much. And I did NOT tell my son that my finger feels much better when he is quiet.

Saturday morning I definitely did NOT oversleep and miss Jacob's soccer game that started at 10 a.m. It is also NOT a good thing that Jacob was at R's house so he made his soccer game. I would NOT accept the bad mommy award for missing his soccer game and also miss him score another goal.

My super sweet boyfriend, Dan, and I would NEVER EVER spend all day Saturday and Sunday painting my bedroom a beautiful shade of gray instead of the super ugly butter cream yellow that was on the walls when I bought my condo. (Every room and ceiling was NOT painted an ugly butter cream yellow when I bought my condo 2 years ago! I have NOT only painted the bathroom, Jacob's room , and now finally my room since I moved in.)

My wonderful brothers Mark and Michael are NOT coming over tomorrow and Wednesday to paint the dining room, living room, hallway, and stairway in return for gas money and lunch money. I would NEVER use my brother's like that.

Whooh ... I feel so much better now that I got all those things - that I DID NOT DO - off my chest. You should try it now. Everybody is doing it! No seriously - check out MckMama's blog and see who else would NEVER EVER do anything silly like I have NOT done.

I hope you are enjoying your week.

Mindy

Just a little ... stressed!

I am not sure why I am stressed but I am.

Jacob finishes kindergarten in the middle of June and I am not sure who is going to watch him yet. R's mom normally watches him two days in a row but this year she is really pushing me to allow her to watch him on a Thursday and Friday so that if it is R's weekend they will have him four days in a row. I DO NOT WANT THAT! I cannot imagine being without Jacob for four days in a row. I would just love it if she stopped pushing the issue.

This year has been a struggle for Jacob in regards to kindergarten. He struggles when he is supposed to follow directions, listen to the teacher, raise his hand, and anything else that requires attention. I am looking into changing his diet to help with what seems to be some symptoms of ADD. (Side note: He has not been diagnosed as ADD but ADD does run in my family.) I just don't want Jacob to struggle in school. I am willing to try anything.

In a previous post I informed you that I have been accepted to Northern Illinois University. I have been going to college for 10 years on and off. Oh yes ... 10 years!! God is really pushing me to go back to school and finish it. He is trying to get me to take a leap of faith. Maybe trying isn't the right word since I did apply, I did confirm my acceptance, I did apply for financial aid, and I am scheduling an appointment to meet with an adviser. This whole thing is still so surreal. I am not sure how it is all going to work out but I will be quitting my job and possibly working part time if necessary. I know God will take care of the details but I am terrified. I am not good with change and this is a HUGE change.

I guess stressed really is the correct word for how I am feeling. I don't really know why but when I get stressed out I think of all the bad things that can happen (Yes this is the devil talking I know that). But still it makes me wonder ... Will I be so broke? How will I afford Christmas presents? Should I learn to knit or crochet or sew to make Christmas presents? (hahaha I am not crafty at all) Crazy thoughts I know. The one amazing thing I am looking for is .... Spending more time with Jacob. I am hoping this will make me more like a SAHM. I am hoping to only attend classes while he is in school. The commute to school will be about 45 minutes. Jacob's school starts at 9 a.m. and finishes at 3:30 p.m. Plenty of time!

Sorry if this was super duper boring. I felt like I had to get it all out. Hopefully everyone enjoyed their Tuesday.

Walk in His Strength,

Mindy

Not Me! Monday!

The only thing I love about Monday's is putting together my Not Me! Monday post. Please come join MckMama, me and everyone else in this bloggy universe. It is so much fun and as MckMama says a free therapy session.

Jacob totally didn't wake up this morning thankful that it wasn't Mother's Day anymore. He would never say that Mother's Day is too hard and that Mom's should always take care of their kids. I would never ever reply that I am thankful it wasn't Mother's Day either because Mother's Day is hard work for Mom's!

Being the absolutely perfect mother that I am ... I definitely didn't let Jacob help me light candles by holding the lighter. He then didn't put the hot lighter on his cheek to check if it was hot and burn his face. No way not me ... there is no way he would have been able to burn himself while I was standing right next to him.

On Mother's Day I would never go shopping with my mother and buy myself a pretty red lantern and two shirts. I also wouldn't buy Jacob and Christian shirts to wear on the 4th of July. I am not a planner and would never have thought 2 months ahead.

I am also not so thankful for having such a wonderful mother. I would never ever want to talk to my mom every single day atleast 3 times a day. I would never ever want to see her when I pick Jacob up from her house every night. I would never ever be so greatful for having her as my mother. She definitely isn't the best mother anyone could ask for. And I would never say I love her so much.

That concludes my Not Me! Monday. Come and join in at www.mycharmingkids.net. That MckMama definitely not hysterical.

Because I said so ... that's why!

I love being a mother.

I love all the things that mothers get to do.
I love tucking Jacob into bed.
I love kissing his tears away.
I love the look in his eyes when he figures something out for the first time.
I love hearing him snore.
I love when he climbs into bed with me in the middle of the night.
I love when he tells me he loves me.
I love when he tries to take care of me.
I love that he thinks I make the best chocolate milk.
I love that he is cranky in the morning.

I love being a mother.

But the one thing that never occurred to me before I had a child was all the funny things you get to say. Things I thought I would never say in a million years.

*Did you flush the toilet? Because if I go in there and you didn't flush the toilet you are grounded!

*Jacob stop pretending you are John Cena!

*Put your underwear on the right way

*No! I don't like it when you give me a wet willy

*Why did you draw on your stomach?

*No little boys cannot watch The Simpsons or The Family Guy!

*Who's the boss? No Jake you are not the boss. I am the boss.

*Yes you have to brush your teeth.

*No you cannot quit school. You are in kindergarten.

*What are you eating? No a handful of Pringles and a Pixie Stik are not breakfast.

*I am not your maid!

*You are making yourself burp, you cannot burp like that off of chocolate milk.

*No you cannot tell your teacher what color my underwear is!

Everyday I am thankful for him despite the funny things I get to say.
To all the mother's out there have a Happy Mother's Day!

Walk in His Strength

Mindy

Bloggy Awards, 90 Day Challenge, and My Mom

I have waited for this day for a long time and I just wanted to thank all the little people .... ha ha ha ... just kidding. Thanks to Becca I am the proud new owner of not 1 but 2 bloggy awards.


The first blog award is Lemons to Lemonade Award. In order for me to officially receive this award I do have to follow the rules.

The rules are as follows ...

1) Put the logo on your blog or post. 2) Nominate at least 10 blogs that show great attitude or gratitude.
3) Link to your nominees within your post.
4) Let the nominees know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5) Share the love and link to the person from who you received your award.

Queen of All Things Awe-Summ!!! Award

Rules:

List 7 things that make you Awe-Summ and then pass the award on to 7 bloggers you love.

Make sure to tag your recipients and let them know they have won!

Also link back to the Queen that tagged you.


I am going to combine the two awards. (And since I am still new to the blogging world I can only come up with 6 bloggers to send the awards to.)

*7 things that make me Awe-Summ*
1. I love God with all my heart.
2. I have the most precious son, Jacob.
3. I have amazing girlfriends.
4. I love to read.
5. I got accepted to Northern Illinois University so I can finish my degree.
6. My mom and I are friends.
7. I wake up atleast 3 times in the middle of the night to check what time it is.

I am going to pass on both the blogging awards to ...

The Scoop on Poop and Other Mama Dramas
Dancing Barefoot on Weathered Ground
Ponderings of the Heart
Marla Taviano
Life As A Mom at 21
The Beauty of Sufficient Grace

Go and check them out. I enjoy reading their blogs each and everyday.

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90 Day Challenge

Remember a few months ago I posted about how my church does a 90 day challenge. Well we are starting another one. My friend Sarah and I are going to do this one together. We both are busy individuals but we are going to email each other so that we can keep each other accountable. (FYI - I love Sarah. Her and I have been friends since 6th grade. She has a strong faith and has always been there for me.)
If you are interested in participating in the 90 day challenge click here for the adult version and click here for the student version.
Also, if you want to check out any of the sermons from Harvest Bible Chapel (Naperville) click here.

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Last but not least ... Momma at Momma Needs a Time Out is hosting a giveaway. I really really want it. The rules of her giveaway are to post something about your Mom in honor of Mother's Day.

Boy oh Boy could I post a ton about my mom. I love my Mom. She is amazing, strong, loving, and a really great friend. As a teenager I didn't ever think I would say those things about my Mother. We were not exactly close. I was closer to my dad. But when my dad left we clung to each other. Matthew was a baby and Michael and Mark were still so young. I leaned on my Mom for strength. She was my shoulder to cry on. Now that I am a older I am finding out more about the time following my dad leaving. My Mom told me that she had $8 a week to buy groceries for the family. Our house was in foreclosure since my father cleared out all our bank accounts and my Mom was on maternity leave. She never let us know. I didn't know how bad things were. My Mom is the strongest woman I know. I hope that I am as good of a mother as my Mom is.

I love you Mom!!

Well that is it for tonight.

Walk in His Strength
Mindy

Not Me! Monday! .... is back!!!

Welcome back to another edition of Not Me! Monday! I stopped my Not Me! Monday posts while Baby Stellan was in the hospital. But now since he is back home and doing well and MckMama is hosting Not Me! Monday! again so count me in.

Come and join in on this blog carnival at MckMama's blog.

And away we go ....

I definitely did not think about kicking a soccer ball at R's new girlfriends face on Saturday at Jacob's soccer game. That would be immature and childish and wrong ..... Right??

I definitely wouldn't couldn't still be eating marshmallow peeps from Easter. They taste so much better when they are stale! ( I mean marshmallow peeps are gross)

Being that I have everything all together all the time I would never ever ever ever leave laundry in baskets for 2 weeks AND laundry in the dryer since last Monday AND clothes in the washing machine for 3 days. No way would I ever do that.

Also, at Jacob's soccer game I would never ever video tape the grass while Jacob scored a goal. No way am I that into a 6 year olds soccer game that I couldn't even hold a camera towards the field. Thankfully, he scored 2 more goals that I did get on tape.

I am definitely not up on Sunday night at almost 10 p.m. typing this post while the previously stated laundry baskets are sitting in front of me waiting to be folded and put away. No way not me ... not ever.

Lastly, there isn't dirty dishes in the sink and a dirty table that needs to be wiped down also waiting for me to clean. I am way more on top of house cleaning than to leave things a mess.

I know I said lastly but really this is the last one ...
I DEFINITELY DIDN'T GET ACCEPTED TO NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY. Ok I did but how exciting is that!!

Yay for me.

Until next time

Mindy

I have a Baby Daddy

Oh yes I do! And let me tell you that it is not as glamorous as it may sound. It is really hard to have a baby daddy. I don't like it one bit. We will call Jacob's dad "R". I may have said his name on here before but let's just pretend I didn't.

Reasons I don't like having a Baby Daddy
1. I don't like to share. Having to share Jacob on the weekends is awful. I want him all the time.
2. I have to plan my life in 2 week increments. I don't want to check the calender to see if I have Jacob so that he can go to a birthday party or a family function.
3. I am selfish. I want all Jacob's love, kisses, hugs all the time.
4. I am a control freak. I want to know what Jacob is watching, eating, doing, and playing at all times. I don't want him to watch or do anything that I don't find appropriate.
5. I don't like to share. (I know I already said this one but it is worth repeating!) I want every single holiday with Jacob. Holidays are important and I don't want to juggle Christmas or New Years Eve.

Being a single mom is really hard and this weekend I really felt it. The second Jacob left with his dad I started crying. It is hard to be without him. REALLY REALLY HARD. When he is gone I always feel like I am missing something. I run back into the house 2 or 3 times wondering what I forgot and then I realize that it is Jacob.

To be honest, it wasn't my decision to not be with R. He broke up with me when Jacob was 6 months old. Maybe that is why I struggle with these things.

Saturday at Jacob's soccer game R's new girlfriend was there. I couldn't even look at her. It hurts my heart. I don't understand how R is willing to work on a relationship with someone else when he wasn't willing to work on a relationship with me. I just hate the fact that Jacob is part of a broken family.

Maybe I am whiny! I don't know. I am trying to learn to live with the reality that Jacob's dad gave us.

Does anyone else struggle with living with a decision that someone else made for you? Or is it just me?

Walk in His Strength

Mindy


***** Also, beccad I tried to get to your website and I don't have the address. Please leave it for me so I can check out your blog.