Last night for Family Home Evening we had a lesson on being kind. We shared stories from the scriptures about people who showed kindness to others, we learned the song "Kindness begins with Me" and we played a game about showing kindness in our families. I thought things were going pretty well (the kids looked like they were really getting it) until we got to the game.

It was a simple game really- with simple rules. Each player in turn was given a real life scenario in which they were supposed come up with a "kind" response. If the player answered "correctly" they got to move the team game piece ahead 1, 2 or 3 spaces.

Everything was fine until Ross drew a card that said, "Your sister just won ANOTHER award. You never win anything. What will you do?" Without a minutes hesitation Ross said, "Well it does depend on how many awards she has won but... I say the kind thing to do is just divide her awards up evenly among all the kids!" Oh my!

On his next turn Ross picked a card that said, "Your brother keeps changing the channel while you are watching TV. What will you do?" After his last answer and our response (lots of laughter) he was really thoughtful before he answered, "Well, I would just wait for him to go to the bathroom and then I would steal the remote so he couldn't play with it anymore." We all burst into laughter again- he laughed too. When things quieted down a bit Spencer said, "Actually I would just say, if you want to watch something different than me... go up stairs and watch it on the little TV!"

Momma Mia! I think we need to have this lesson again next week! What do you think?

I had a hillarious conversation with Ross last night and could not resist posting it on my blog. Ross was sitting in our kitchen on a stool talking to me while I made dinner. I had just walked accross the room to throw something in the trash can when Ross asked, "Hey mom, how come girls buns wiggle when the walk?" "RRROOOSSS!" said Spencer as he turned three shade of red. I laughed. Ross said defensively, "Well they do!" Given my recent expereince being mistaken as a pregnant women, I couldn't let this one go. So I asked "Whoes buns are to talking about and what do you mean "wiggle"?" Ross said, "YOUR buns and you know, they move up and down when you walk." Mamma Mia! I guess my buns are just about eye level for him and they do command a lot of attention (becasue compared to his they are HUGE) But I was feeling ever so slightly self conscious and needed a little clarification so I asked, "Do you mean wiggle or jiggle Ross? There is a big difference!" I could tell he was not sure what I meant so I expalined, "Wiggle is when they move up and down. Jiggle is when they move all over- like a bowl full of jelly." We all started laughing. "Just wiggle mom, just wiggle!" Phew- that was a close one! I knew I could count on my kids to tell me the truth.

Today I bought new drinking glasses for the house. I wanted to show the boys where they were and how the should stack them and such so... when the they got home from school I brought them into the kitchen for a "lesson". I was being kind of silly and making a big deal about and Ross caught on immediately. When I opened the cupboard to show them what I had done, Ross (without missing a beat) gasped out loud and pretended to faint! The kid is a crack up- I love it!

I wanted to get a picture of Ross passed out on the floor but I couldn't because I was laughing to hard!

We decided to try to make our own peanut and soy free chocolate chips, so we could make Spencer safe chocolate chip cookies. It was quite the undertaking but it was fun. Have a look.

In order to have peanut and soy free chocolate chip cookies- you have to have peanut and soy free chocolate chips. So we made our own using butter, coco powder, powdered milk and powdered sugar. Thanks to the help our our friend and chief Evan, making the chocolate was relatively easy.

Once the chocolate was mixed and smooth we spooned it into our Pamper Chief easy accent decorator and made little chocolate chips. Now I have to be honest, this step was a bit labor intensive. It took well over an hour (with the help of several people taking turns) to make one batch or about 2 1/2 cups of chocolate chips.

While the chocolate chips were chilling in the freezer we whipped together our favorite chocolate chip cookie dough. Once the chocolate chips were nice and firm we carefully stirred them into the mix. When the dough was ready, we baked the cookies according to the recipe and... voala we have peanut and soy free chocolate chip cookies!

It was definitely a long, involved process (a labor of love in many ways) but seeing Spencer's face after his first bit was well worth the effort.

We had a great Halloween and hope you do too!

Here are a few pictures from our day.

My two Halloween decorations! I know, I know I am a bit behind on my Halloween collection but I am working on it.

Traditional Wadsworth Halloween Dinner: Chili and Cornbread served in pumpkin bowls. This year we had a pumpkin serving bowl too- it was very festive and very fun!

Trick or Treat Fun! The boys dressed up as Spiderman and a Mummy and actually went trick or treating- it was so fun! We trick or treated in our small gated American neighborhood (only about 80 homes) so it was short and safe. I felt more comfortable about the whole trick or treating experience than I anticipated. I was pleased and the boys had a GREAT time!

Enjoying the Treats

Ross decided he wanted to "organize" his candy. So he divided the candies into groups and put them in labeled bags! Oh my, I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree after all!!

To all of our trick or treating family and friends- have a fun night and be safe!

I am frustrated beyond reason and in need of your help! "Homework hour" at our house has become "battle hour" and I am seriously at the end of my rope with it all. One of my children (who shall remain unnamed) struggles E-V-E-R-Y-D-A-Y to get his homework done (I am not exaggerating when I say he struggles EVERYDAY. He has seriously struggled with every homework assignment from the very first worksheet he brought home in kindergarten to the load of homework he brought home today. That is 5 years of struggling people and I have completely had it!!) He spends the better part of his homework time crying, complaining, and flying into fits of anger. In the process, I get frustrated and loose my patience. What is supposed to be an educational/ live learning experience for him turns into a painful fight. Anyway, I am just not sure what to do here. I have tried everything I can think of to help and well, clearly nothing is working. In fact- it seems the harder I try to help him the worse it gets!! Anyway, I need your thoughts and ideas (and to be quite honest your sympathy) on the matter. In short, I need homework help and I need it ASAP (preferable before homework hour tomorrow afternoon)!!

If you are serious about helping (and I hope you are) here are a list of facts that might help you help me.

1. Homework has ALWAYS been a huge struggle for Spencer. From the very first assignment in kindergarten (where we both ended up in tears) to today.
2. It doesn't seem to matter what the subject matter of the assignment is or how large or small it is- he struggles to get it done.
3. He struggles to stay focused on the task at hand. Assignment that has more than one step are really challenging for Spence. So you can imagine that several assignments with two or more steps each are almost impossible. What should take 10 to 15 minutes at most to complete- takes him an hour. Now, it is not that he doesn't understand what he is supposed to do (he knows what he is being asked and he can tell me how to do it) but he can't seem to get it out of his brain and onto the paper. He has an incredible memory too -he memorizes long letter and number sequences, poems, songs, even long passages from books for fun with no problems at all. So this trait is really frustrating to me- it is really hard not to think he is just being stubborn and lazy.
4. He is easily distracted. In fact, the very paper he is writing on and the pencil he uses to get it done are distractions for Spencer. A piece of paper, a crayon, music, talking, the clicking of a clock, his own hand- these things (and many more) are distractions.
5. The more I do to "help" the worse it is. Here are a few things I have tried

• Setting aside a certain time of day for homework- otherwise known as "homework hour". We have tried having homework hour right after school, in the middle of the afternoon, and after dinner. All of these times result in the same thing- tears, frustration and a lot less learning than all the hassle is worth.
• Setting aside a specific place to do homework. We have designated the dining room table as the place for doing homework. It is a comfortable place with lots of light away from the distractions of TV and toys. We have a homework box full of pencils, crayons, markers, scissors, etc. so everything he needs is right there. If left alone in the dining room for even a few minutes Spencer will be on the floor sprawled all over the place working. Hum, I am not sure having a specific place to do homework is working for Spencer.
• Making myself available to help with homework. I try really hard to make myself available for the kids during homework hour. I sit at the table with them (doing some of my our work). The idea being that if they need something- they don't have to "stop" what they are doing to get the help they need. I think it also teaches them that learning is a life long process- not something you only do when you are in school and have an assignment from a teacher. Anyway... so I make myself available to help. Now, this works well for Ross- he asks a question or two and does the rest on his own. But Spencer... momma mia! If I am sitting at the table, Spencer talks to me non stop. He wants to know what the date is, how you spell this word and that, what I think the answer to problem 12 might be. When he isn't trying to get me to do his work for him, he is talking to me about inertia, eagles digestive systems, the components of strong concrete (just to name a few of the things he wanted to talk about today). It makes me crazy. Seriously how many times can one woman say, "Son, I have already been to fourth grade. This assignment isn't for me, IT IS FOR YOU!" and "I'd love to talk with you about inertia/ digestive systems /concrete WHEN YOU ARE DONE WITH YOUR HOMEWORK!!!" The trouble is when I make myself available- it distracts him and infuriates me but when I am not there he doesn't do a thing.
• Letting him set the "rules" about homework. For one week I let Spencer decide when and where to do his homework. The only rule was that it had to be done right and turned in on time. It was insane! He would scramble to get his work done in the 10 minutes before bed or on the bus on the way to school the next day. He was a total stress ball the entire week (and to be honest II was too) but we stuck with the deal. In the end, he missed a few assignments because he "forgot to turn them in" and lost a time on "Fun Friday" I didn't see any change in the pace at which he worked or in the amount of complaining he did while getting his work done.
• Giving rewards. I have not yet found something that really motivated Spencer- food, money, toys, time with friends, special privileges, time with Mom and Dad- nothing seems to work.
• Giving punishments. I have not found a punishment that works either. There are several punishments we use that make him mad but none that actually result in a change of behavior.
• Giving up. I have tried this too-pretending that he can do whatever he wants and I really don't care. But given the length and intensity of the post I am sure you can tell that this approach isn't working either.

Alright, tear me up friends. What am I doing wrong? What can I do better / differently? How can I help this child succeed without "breaking" him or "babying" him? Is his response to homework normal and I just don't know it? Does he have some sort of learning disability that I don't know about? I am desperate for help. Seriously, I will read any book, buy any program, try any method... I just want to help my son get the learning and education he needs to succeed in life. I want him to form good study habits now that will help him throughout his life. I want help him to use the great mind he has been blessed with do something important and fulfilling. I want what is best for him and I want him to be happy!

Ross just gave me a hug and kiss good night and said, "I love you Mom! You are as warm and cuddly as a honey pot and as safe and sturdy as a chair!" Humm, I am not quite sure what that means but I am taking it as a compliment!

I decided if I have to be a honey pot- I'd like to be this one!

(It looks warm and cuddly- don't you think?)

And I would like to be this chair!

(Okay it is really more of a bench than a chair but it looks safe and sturdy, hu? AND (this is my favorite part) it is red!)

This afternoon Ross asked if he could use the computer to type a story. I was in the middle of a big "discussion" with Spencer and was happy to have Ross engaged in something other than our trouble. So I sent him down stairs to type without another thought.

Well, a few minutes ago I came down stairs and found this story on my computer screen. NOTE: Ross chose the fount, size, spacing, etc. all on his own. When I told him his story was so good it was blog worthy he really wanted me to change the font color before posting it. I think we have author / graphic artist in the making over here.

The New School
Chapter 1:Ben

Ben was the shortest kid in Floros (Floro is a name Ross made up) class. He had no friends and everyone teased him. Win ever (whenever) Floro caught sum one (someone) doing it(,) they wood (would) bee (be) at the Principle. (")123 eyes on me(") everyone quickly looked(.) (")today we will (...) FIRE DRILL! (") But nobody curved (covered) there (their) yrs (ears). (")BEN WEY (why) WRINT (weren't) YOU LISNING (listening)!(")

End of chapter:1

Is this just cute because I'm his Mom? Seriously, I think this kids got talent!

So after the whole auto port melt down yesterday we got the in the car to come home and Ross asked, "Mommy, are you mad at us?" I felt terrible. I told him I wasn't mad at him just mad at the situation we were in. Spencer said (something he hears Robert say often), "What can we do to help Mom?" (I love that boy) I thanked him for the offer but told him I couldn't think of anything. After we got home and I finished furiously typing my last post Spencer came down stairs and said, "I know what I can do to help Mom- I can make dinner." I told him I thought that would be fantastic. So we went up stairs and scrambled 8 eggs, made two box of Mac and Cheese (the last of our emergency dinner stash) and toasted 4 pieces of bread. It took about an hour but he did an amazing job! Ross and I both agreed it was one of the best dinners we had ever eaten! It was SO nice to have someone else call me up to dinner to a change (never mind the 3 hours worth of cleaning up it took to put the kitchen back together). What really touch me was Spencer's thoughtfulness and willingness to work for the family. Honestly, who could be up set about anything with that kind of love and support from a 9 year old boy! I decided right then and there that I had better stop complaining and feeling sorry for myself and start counting my blessings.

Two of my favorite blessings- Spencer and Ross!!
My happy, healthy, good boys!

Last night I tried a new recipe for dinner (it was awesome- blog worthy in every way). Robert and I and Spencer really enjoyed it BUT Ross wasn't terribly impressed. In fact, we started complaining about it. In response Robert said (our favorite thing to say when the kids complain), "Ross, if you want to make a complaint, it must be submitted in writing." After leaving the table Ross found a piece of paper and a pen and wrote the following:

Dinners
1. Caisudyas!!! (quesidillas)
2. Ryfride byns!! (refried beans)
3. Wofls and Pancakes!! (waffles and pancakes)
4. Corn!

Dizerts
1. icecrym (ice cream)
2. fugscls (fudgesicles)

I guess he decided a list of suggestions for dinner and dessert would be better than a complaint. I swear, I love this kid- he is SO funny!

For the last 10 months or so I have tried really hard not to mention much about the trash problem we have here in Naples- I figured that 1. talking about it won't make make the problem go away 2. It makes me mad (sad, frustrated, disguised etc.) every time I think about it and 3. you simply can not comprehend how bad it is until you have experienced. However... yesterday on our way to Carney Park we passed a section of road lined with garbage- it was rather stinky so I said to the boys, "Hey guys can you smell that stinky Naples air?" Spencer said, "Yeah Mom- its gross!" then he starts singing a "song" that he made up about the garbage. I didn't know if I should laugh or cry that he had noticed the problem enough to make up a song about it but I promised him I would blog about it anyway, so here it is!

Trash, Trash all over Naples,
Trash Trash all over Naples.
On the sidewalks, on the street,
Always under my two feet!
On the mountains, on the cars,
All the way from earth to mars!
You can find it everywhere
except in garbage cans!

(This is a picture of Spencer by the trash pile in front of our house. Believe it or not we live in one of the areas that is better about trash pick up than most! Scary, hu?)

Clearly Spencer has given the trash issues here a lot of thought!

This year Ross chose to have a pool party to celebrate turning 6- very appropriate for a July birthday don't you think? It was so fun! Here are a few pictures of Ross' special day.

Crazy, CRAZY kids! Notice the craziest are mine-
what is up with that?

This is a picture of Ross just about to enjoy one of his birthday cupcakes. Now I hate to toot my own horn but they there really cute cupcakes! They had blue icing (to look like water), crumbled crackers (to look like sand) and an orange starburst cut into the shape of a star (to look like a starfish). They were so cute!

Ross's Guests
April from School

Rayna and Evan
(who Ross thinks are more his friends than mine)!

And the big kids- Cole, Josh and Spencer.

In attendance but not pictured here Connor and Reese and all the Moms and Dads.

Because we celebrated Ross birthday on the 5 of July there were a handful for friends who were out of town and could not attend. We missed sharing the day with Jimmy, Stanton, Josh, and Jordan. And of course we missed sharing it with all of you!!

On Sunday May 11th Spencer turned nine- I honestly can't believe it! Spencer has grown up SO fast. It amazes me everyday that his is half way to adulthood. Spencer is such a good boy- he is smart and funny. He loves to read and snuggle and create and play. He adds so much life and interest to our lives.

Spencer has his struggles to be sure but the Lord has blessed him in so many ways. I have seen God's hand in his life so many times, I can never doubt that he is loved and that he has an important missions to fulfill in life.

Here are a few pictures from our family "Spencer Celebration"! We wish you all could have been there too!

Spencer got a mountain bike for his birthday- it is awesome!!

Spencer also got a guitar. I love his face in this picture -
hello Chris Mattson!

Spencer had his ninth birthday in May this year. To celebrate we had an "All-About-NINE" Birthday Party- it was quite the event! Everything about the party was somehow related to the number nine. Nine kids, nine games, nine gifts, nine clues to solve- you get the idea. It was more than a little crazy- all I know is that by the time it was over I needed nine Advil and a nine hour nap!

We played Hide-and-Go-Seek with the gift Spencer received from his friends. All of the kids who attended got to hide the presents they brought and Spencer had 9 clues to figure out where each one was hidden. Here is a picture of Spencer "finding" his present from Josh.

Nine little boys hungry for a piece of birthday cake!

After presents and cake, we all headed outside for nine outdoor activities and games! Here is a picture of the boys favorite activity- the sponge toss!

This is a picture of my favorite game- the nine person three legged race. (Okay, I recognize that a nine person three legged race is actually not possible- but it was sure funny to watch!)

After the fun and games were over we had a BBQ- hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, soda. I think it is safe to say that all nine boys had a blast!

Have I mentioned lately that I am a total fan of the Cub Scout program? I think it is fantastic! Not only does it provide needed physical and mental challenges for young boys, the program teaches useful skills that the kids will use throughout their lives. In addition Cub Scouts is structured in such a way as to inspire respect, responsibility and hard work- something I have been trying to teach my boys for years.

Fortunately for us the Cub Scout program here in Naples is really strong. There are about 75 boys in our pack and a large number great adult leaders. We even have a huge outdoor recreational facility to meet where the kids can really get out and do things. Last week the boys and I went Day Camp- it was a blast! We shot BB guns, bows and arrows, climbed rock walls, made and raced rockets, played a zillion games, made a ton of crafts and of course learned one too many silly scout songs! It was great.

Here is a picture of Spencer and his scouting friend William. Aren't they cute?

My Boys aren't artists in the traditional sense of the word (i.e. they don't really paint pictures or draw) but they are creative non the less. Here is a look into their creative genius.

This sculpture was made from their car collection the day we told them we were moving to Italy. You can see from the photo that they used red, white and green cars to make an Italian flag. And (this is my favorite) that cute little blob at the bottom is... a boot! I love these guys- they keep me laughing!

Tonight while Spencer and I were snuggling I asked him, "So Spence, what do you think?"
He said, "What do I think about what"




I said, "What do you think about winter?
He said, "I think winter is perfect for hot chocolate, and getting a stack of books for reading, and snuggling in bed"

I said, "What do you think about summer?"
He said, "Summer is great for playing outside, and eating popsicles, and playing outside some more."

(And here is my favorite one)
I said, "What to you think of grass?"
He said, "I think it is green, and not good for stuffing down shirts, and I think it is definitely better for wrestling on than concrete."

It was hard work getting him to let me take a picture for the blog (worse than pulling teeth) but I did it- take a look!

This year for Family Home Evening we are using the Preach My Gospel manual. Each month we study a different chapter and each week we have a different theme (if take the guess work out of planning for me). Anyway, last night Ross asked if he could teach the lesson for FHE. We decided it would be fun and funny to see what he would come up with, so we agreed. Ross began the lesson by writing this on the board. It says, "Preach My Gospel" For the activity Ross had Spencer draw a picture of a missionary and Ross wrote," Missionaries- listen to the gospel!"
My favorite part of the whole night though was the memorization Ross had us do. He said, "Okay guys, everyone say what I say... let's get addicted to the gospel!" Oh my, I wasn't sure if I should laugh or cry- I decided to laugh because (as Sister Hinckley used to say) crying give me a headache.

Cakes for Sale

Monday, February 25, 2008

Cakes for Sale

On Saturday Spencer had his very first Blue and Gold Banquet for scouts- it was quite the event (deserving of its own post, so stay tuned)! As part of the days events there was a cake auction to raise money for camps and other troop outings. Each child was required to make, decorate and donate a cake for the auction. Spencer did a great job on his cake - take a look.
I really enjoy baking and was delighted to help Spencer with his cake. And given our sugar issues, I was thrilled that we could bake and decorate a cake together without actually having to eat it. We worked really hard and by the time we arrived at the banquet and donated our cake, I was glad to be rid of it. But a few minutes after the auction began it occurred to me that there were 50 cakes to be auctioned and only 50 families to buy them! I realized it was my duty as the mother of a boy scout to buy a cake, so I did. But here is the funny part, we spent 10 dollars buying the ingredients for the cake, 2 hours making and baking it and another hour decorating it. Then we bought it from ourselves for 10 dollars, cut one piece for Spencer to eat and threw the rest away!! Hello, what is wrong with this picture? Next time I will save myself the time and hassle and just donate 20 bucks!

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Sunday Snacks

Sundays are always the hardest day of the week for me when Robert is gone. I am always out of ideas and out of energy long before the kids are and it never fails to make for interesting experiences. Well, today was no exception. Despite my greatest efforts not to, I took a nap this afternoon. While I was sleeping the kids asked if they could have a snack, I said sure. When I woke up this is what I found in the kitchen.


In case you can't tell by looking, their "snack" consisted of: a bowl of raspberries (note the straws used to drink the juice), a package of 5 hot dogs and half a bottle of Katsup, 2 cups of hot chocolate each, toast with frosting on it, half a loaf of Sunday bread, a zucchinni (I'm still not sure what they did with that because I am pretty sure they didn't eat it), a yellow bell pepper and left over Hawaiian Haystacks from last nights dinner. HELLO! What is up with that? It is not like I never feed them, they had breakfast and lunch- I swear!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Murmuring

I am so frustrated right now about the endless murmuring I am subjected to by my boys. It is SO out of control and I am at a total loss for knowing how to deal with it. I feel like they have everything in the world to be grateful for and yet they live lives of total dissatisfaction with themselves and everyone else. What am I doing wrong!?! I can only imagine that they are getting their negativism from us. But both Robert and I try really hard to be positive about things (even when they are really hard) and I think we are both very careful about the things that we say (of course, I could be wrong).
Anyway, a perfect example... yesterday the boys woke up all grumpy that it was Monday. When they started in with the regular "I don't want to go to school today" and "I'm too tired to get out of bed, Mom" I reminded them that it was a holiday and that they didn't have to go to school. I thought they would be delighted but instead they immediately began complaining that they only got one day off and they didn't want to have to go to school at all.

Ahhh! How can I help them to be grateful for what they do have? How can I help them to see the glass as half full instead of half empty? When I discipline them for being negative and for constantly murmuring- they feel that I am not listening. When I listen to it day in and day out it gets worse. I am really struggling to know what the proper balance is.

Any thoughts, ideas, or comments from other moms who can relate would be greatly appreciated!

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Good Dreams

Tonight at dinner I told the boys that tomorrow was "Curtain and Carpet Day" (meaning the day we are FINALLY going to buy carpets and hang curtain in the house). And that they were really lucky they didn't have to go to school so they could stay home and help!

Ross said, "Mom tomorrow is not carpet and curtain day... it is Martin Luther King day!" I was impressed he remembered why he had the day off of school- I didn't think he would. So I and asked him why we celebrate Martin Luther King day.

And he said, "Well... it is all because he had a good dream!"

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Ross for President

This morning at breakfast Spencer and Ross and I got into a political discussion (it was actually quite comical). We talked about democracy's and monarchy's, Presidents and Kings. We talked about the great blessings we have been given as Americans and the many responsibilities that we have as a result of those blessings. Then we got to talking about the up coming presidential election and the importance of electing righteous leaders. I shared with them my feelings about the up coming presidential candidates. And while I tried to be objective and stay politically neutral, my strong feelings about Hillary must have at some point taken over becasue by the time I was done ranting both the boys were looking at me wide eyed and terrified.

Spencer, in his usual thoughtful and concerned way said, "Oh no Mom, what are we going to do if she gets elected?"

Before I could answer Ross said, "Don't worry Spence. I'll run for President- I'm sure I'll win! Cause I'm good and cause I can do hard things!"

So move over Mitt and Hillary- here comes Ross!!

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