Shannon Yee

On Monday, I will be fulfilling my civic duty and reporting downtown for jury duty. I am most distressed about this. I am still mostly exclusively nursing, since TJ doesn’t really eat any solids (although he does seem to like guacamole, pinto beans, and pancakes, so hopefully he won’t cry too much from hunger). I am really disappointed in this clear NO answer from God in my request to not go. I shouldn’t be surprised since every other avenue that I pursued (yes, I talked to my dr and this already a delay from last year’s summons) in getting out of this came up empty, but still I am. I’m also irritated at myself for being so selfish and ungrateful since jury duty is something that I should be proud to do, to serve in this simple way. My thoughtful husband tried to encourage me to recognize that I have something to learn from this all. I suppose he is right, again.

Some people seem to be big fans of a certain TV show that I personally find to be interesting, but far too disturbing and unresolved at every turn to enjoy. Brian and I watched the first season a while back and then decided to give it another chance since so many of our friends and family are addicted. I definitely enjoyed the one-hour recap better than I would’ve watching the entire 5 seasons. Am I the only one?

are good for all sorts of things:
-making noise (LOTS of noise!)
-jumping on
-learning to share and take turns
-mastering cooperation & teamwork
-teasing
-teaching survival skills (how to fight off the big, bad toy stealer)
-entertaining on boring car rides
-torturing on car rides
-blaming each other
-hugging
-dressing up & pretending
-making messes (LOTS of messes!)

At least, that’s what they’re good for today in our house.

My house smells so good right now, like warm honey and almonds. I think that there are few things better than homemade treats. My favorite sweets include freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, cinnamon rolls and granola. I couldn’t wait until breakfast and had a bowl while it was still warm!
Here’s the recipe:
3-1/2 cups rolled oats
2 cups almonds, smashed/cut in pieces
1/4 cup shredded coconut
small handful of brown sugar (about 2 T. probably)
1/4 cup honey and a little extra
1/4 cup oil
Mix together, then spread on cookie sheet and bake at 250 F for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Stir occasionally while cooling to prevent clumping.

But I’m definitely getting older. I cannot believe that today we celebrated my daughter’s fifth birthday. She really is growing up and while I am very much a part of her every waking moment, I’m afraid that somehow I’m missing it. The days are often a blur of household chores, shopping, or even fun outings, but still going so quickly as to all jumble together. I am so grateful for Eila and all her spunk. Her name is perfect for her and her joie de vivre. She is sensitive and smart with a laugh that makes everyone around join in. It is my great privilege to be the one who kisses her scrapes and bruises, who sings her lullabies and tickles her until she begs for mercy, who stops her bossing her brothers around and teaches her to set the table, who reads to her without end and loves her even more than that. Happy birthday to my sweet baby girl, who will always be my little girl – just like she promised me this week!

I recently finished reading the most recent (7th) installment “An Echo in the Bone” by Diana Gabaldon in her adventure, romance, time-travel series. I devoured this series and had fun reading each book. However, I was rather disappointed in this latest book for a few reasons: the story was slower than the others in the series and very jumpy with three different time periods and plots to follow and at the end of the book, when it was getting interesting (and very confusing) it just ends and now I’ll have to wait years to find out what happens.

As a whole for the series, I really enjoy the strange plot twists despite the absolute implausibility of it all and the way that the main characters survive time and time again. I also love historical romance and learning about events that really took place through things that didn’t. (The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers might be my very favorite fictional series!) The first book is the best, IMHO, and can be read by itself. If you are like me, you’ll probably keep reading and wish that you had waited until Ms. Gabaldon is finished writing this series so that all the lose ends can be tied up. Although, it might take a while to read them all, so you could just get started so you’ll be ready when the next one is released. (These books are long: 650-1500 pages.)

As a side note, I’ve been caught telling my kids “Dinna fash” and calling them my “wee bairns.”

After a fabulous visit with family over the past two weeks, we are all pretty tired. Apparently, family fun involves leaving our house every morning with lot of diapers and a few changes of clothes to return home well after the wee ones’ usual bedtime, think 3-4 hours after.
So, tonight the kids were all in bed at 7pm and Brian and I watched (part of) a free movie from amazon-Thanks to freeismylife.com! While this isn’t at all normal, it’s the fast track to get everyone back in the swing of normal. Here’s hoping that they all sleep until the sun rises…

1. Eila talks with God and knows that what she asks for, she’ll get.
2. Josiah only cut his eyebrow/lid and didn’t need stitches.
3. Thaddeus slept for almost 10 hours last night, without waking up to feed.
4. Brian went grocery shopping and prepared tonight’s dinner over the weekend.
5. My parents joined us for a super comfort food dinner on Saturday.
6. We had a great time at the Kraly’s church’s Christmas pageant on Sunday.
7. Our kitchen is super bright with a complete set of working lightbulbs.
8. The final book in the series I’ve been reading is on hold at the library.
9. I’m done with my Christmas shopping, mostly.
10. My bed has flannel sheets and is warm and waiting for me.

Of course, there are many more…

Here’s another parenting book that I found useful in many ways. First, and maybe most importantly, I was delighted and encouraged to find out that I am doing something right. The punishment that I use most often is the approach advocated by Dr. Cary Chugh in this book for “when conventional discipline fails unconventional kids.” He calls it “behavior-limited discipline” and I call it “taking a break until you are ready to do/make it right.” I don’t know that I have unconventional children, but I do know that I prefer unconventional methods of parenting, namely gentle (in Christian circles, grace-based) discipline.

I would’ve liked this book a lot more if it hadn’t started with a whole chapter devoted to telling me what the book was going to say (and detailing what each chapter would cover again at the beginning of said chapter). I have lots of idiosyncrasies and one of my very biggest pet peeves is when authors tell you what they are going to tell you instead of just telling you! So, skip the introduction and get right into the research about punishments and what works in “normal” families and with most kids, but doesn’t work for the “difficult” children or if you are really short on time and think that you have a good grasp of what constitutes regular punishments in most families, skip all the way to chapter 5.

This book is great in its design for parents to use as a tool. It has neat summaries of the main points for each chapter in gray boxes along with important arguments and conclusions throughout the chapters. I will definitely be able to pull the book out again and quickly refresh on any ideas presented here, which is essential in parenting books. The final chapter has several gray boxes with all the pertinent info in one handy place along with a wonderful “cheat sheet” questionnaire so parents are ready for whatever disciplinary action might be required.

Another feature of this book is that it is a quick read and easily organized. I could’ve (and would’ve if I weren’t reviewing the book) the chapter on school-related problems and solutions since I don’t have school-aged kids. I found that chapters 5, 6, 8 and 9 would’ve been sufficient for me especially with the summary points at the end of each chapter. The author integrates a bit of light humor and keeps a the book somewhat playful despite the serious nature of the topic. However, for me, this was a bit confusing/annoying as I didn’t understand all of the jokes and alternate chapter titles and I found that they took away from the general air of authority and know-how that Dr. Chugh establishes.

I really appreciated the practical examples and ideas throughout the book. Dr. Chugh presents several dialogues where he further explains how to implement behavior-limited discipline as well as verbal rehearsal or planning or priming (basically all the same things), which in essence are discussions with kids about how to behave reminding them that their choices have consequences and they have the power to choose.

I think that one of Detroit’s best kept secrets is the Wayne County Lightfest Grand Opening. I love it. We went last year in the blizzard and had a great time. This year the weather was so nice, and it was even better. At 6pm, kids were invited up on stage and then Santa and the political gurus turned on the lights and the fun began (around 6:15pm). They have a great fireworks display with loud music – loud enough that the sound of the fireworks isn’t scary or really even noticeable (even to Josiah, who was so afraid of threat of booms that he covered his ears from the time we drove into the parking lot until I grabbed on to his hand as we walked to the stage). Eila and Josiah danced and screamed and enjoyed all the festivities, which include bagels, donuts, and drinks. Then we returned to our cars and drove slowly through the light display for free.