Eliza from Babylune is inviting fellow bloggers to share photos of their kids in a sort of then versus now set and little stories about the photos.  Here is my personal contribution.  Be sure to stop over and let Eliza know you’d like to contribute to her baby pictures, then and now drive.

The baby images aren’t the best quality because they are snapshots of pictures.  All of my best photos are safely tucked away at my father’s house or large photos hanging on the walls down my hall.  Following the flood we had in June, I wasn’t going to risk having too many of the photos here anymore.

The photo shown just above of Coty (left) and Trey (right) was taken when they were three months old.  Because they had been premature - this was the earliest I could take them out in public.  You can’t tell by this image just how tiny they are, but for anyone who has ever had a baby photo taken, the twins were both sitting inside the pop up seat photographers have on their tables to hold baby up.  Coty was in a great deal of pain and it shows.  He was so colicky the first several months.

I love this picture from the twins first Christmas.  Coty (right) was always a little afraid of strangers so you can see he’s holding on to Trey’s (left) hand.  Trey was trying to figure out how to get up and moving toward the equipment that looked like a giant playground.

These were taken the same day.  I have these images hanging along with their latest school picture outside their bedroom doors.  I thought it was a fun way to let people know where to find the boys rooms.

This picture was taken just over a month ago.  It’s of my twins, now age 15 and my niece, Jacie (pronounced J.C.) on her visit from Kansas.  Trey is seated with Jaicee and Coty is kneeling behind them.

And just for good measure, I’d like to introduce you to my soon-to-be niece, Taylynn (pronounced Tay-Len). 

(images: Gayla McCord)

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It seems as though the year 2008 has somehow ushered in complete obnoxious, ultra selfish, teenage boys and swapped them out for my boys.  Boys who used to be well behaved, kind, considerate and knew not to cross their mother or risk being knocked into their mid 30’s.

I honestly can’t believe what a change this whole puberty shit is causing.  Puberty isn’t about coming of age, it’s about going through a period of time where the ability to carry out a normal thought process and behavior completely escapes it’s victim.

What exactly is it about becoming a teenager that makes hitting other boys in the groin or twisting another girls tit seem like such a bright idea?

My boys haven’t attempted any purple nurples or titty twisters on any girls, at least not that I’m aware of.  If they do and I find out, I. Will. Break. Their. Ever. Loving. Fingers.

While attempting to do this “work at home” thing earlier today, I heard a ginormous scream of agony from the front room.  When I walked into the room, one kid was on the floor while the other was sitting on the couch laughing.  I screamed in my best drill sergeant voice asking what had happened.

I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard “son A bagged son B.”  And it was son A that was sitting on the couch laughing.

This came right on the heels of my having jumped on a different combination earlier in the week for the exact same crime.

Now, considering that I am a mother who believes in creative punishments to fit the bill, I have threatened them in NO uncertain terms that IF this happens again, I will make the offender stand in the front yard holding a sign that says “I can’t keep my hands off my brothers penis.”

Aside from that, I’m not exactly sure what a suitable punishment would be.  I’m completely open to suggestions here - anyone have any ideas?

Care to help me devise a punishment for the next time one son is caught hitting the other in the groin?  I’m sure it’s going to happen again and I’m hoping to be prepared.

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I’ve seen it so many times. We will be playing at a park, shopping in a store or at a school function andwe see achild who is being a complete brat. The mom will flush and say something like, “He has ADHD.” Oddly enough, that same child will be seen eating junk food for lunch and is known for the ability to quote whole episodes of Transformers. Hello? If the kid really does have ADHD, why isn’t he on a restricted diet? Why is he obviously consuming way too much television, known to worsen ADHD symptoms?

I know why and so do you. It is an out…a way for parents to justify the bad behavior and not have to put effort into parenting. Now, before you get hot under the collar and yell at me, know this: I do believe that ADD/ADHD and other common childhood disorders are real. My own son was diagnosed with ADHD, among other things. However, we do not use it an excuse to allow him to act out. He also knows thatif he chooses to act out, that there will be consequences. Maybe not the same consequences that his siblings without ADHD are subject to, but one that is tailored to his need for patient, gentle discipline and a large amount of teaching/redirecting.

I think that the whole ADHD/ADD epidemic is getting out of control. Foods are beingmade for convenience and have terrible side effects on the body and mind. Television and video games are too easy to use as babysitters. Parents are becoming too involved in their own lives and look to convenient methods of controlling undesirable behavior (medication is one of the biggesttools that parents are currently seeking out.)In my opinion, it is being abused. If more parents of hyperactive, lethargic, or out of control children would put more effort into treating their children through diet, behavior modification techniques and supplements, instead of passing the buck and opting for convenience, their kids would be much better off in the long run. Sadly, I do not see this happening any time soon. In the end, it is the kids who suffer as they become adults and are unable to function in the real world, where acting uncontrollably leads to jail, chemical dependence or even premature death.

The answer? Stop making excuses and start getting more involved. What is your take on the issue?

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Sorry for the delay in announcing the winner of our bloggy giveaway #3, the Microderm Abrasion Buffer. The winning comment was submitted by Suzanne B. (Crunchy Green Mom):

“I would love this, I just turned 35 and I need all the help I can get :)”

Congrats, Suzanne! I will contact you shortly to get your mailing info. In the meantime, check back for our awesome fall bloggy giveaway contest in the coming months. Thank you to all who participated in our contest!

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Yep, you’re going tosee a whole lot ofback to school posts around here for the next few weeks! My kids are gearing up to facetheir return toschool in only six more days. One of our biggest struggles is keeping track of the hundreds of school papers that come and go every week. It seems that some of my kids are great at keeping track of everything, while others struggle to find the homework that was in their back pack, just five minutes earlier. The solution? Making an easy system that all kids can use and mom can manage without a huge hassle.

Here at home, we have been through a trial and error method of finding the perfect system for us. We have five kids in school, which adds up to a lot of duplicated school newsletters, book order forms and PTA announcements. In addition to the usual paperwork, each child has a homework packet to keep track of for the week. We implemented a drawer cubby system, much like they use in Kindergarten. Each child empties the contents of their backpack into the personalized drawer as soon as they walk through the front door. As they have a snack, I go through the drawers, throw out duplicate notes, pull out homework and file each packet into a slot in an accordion folder, then pin any important papers onto a large cork-board.

The kids are not allowed to mess with the accordion folder. I retrieve the packets and replace them when the kids are done with homework and I have checked their work. This way, I never neglect to check for mistakes and I know that the homework made it back into the appropriate slot. The kids are responsible for taking any papers that they wish to save and put them into their memory boxes. At the end of the week, the drawers get cleaned out. After the kids are in bed and I have a few minutes of quiet time, I pull the papers off of our cork board and tend to the business of signing field trip forms and other important parental duties. After I finish, the forms go straight back into the backpacks in which they belong. The cork board also serves to display jobs well done, lunch menus and b-day invitations. It has been a great reminder of coming events.

This system may seem overly simplistic, but it works well. The kids have some responsibility, but not an overwhelming amount. The only chance of losing a paper, happens in transit to and from school. Since this rarely happens, we have had a huge decrease in missing homework packets and the like. Now…remembering who has which lunch is an entirely different problem!

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