They DO exist!

Mr. Incredible and I work every day to make sure our children have (and use) good manners.

Most of the time they use those manners, but like anything it's a work in progress.

I have noticed more and more that today's children (wow, I sound old) are, generally speaking, not held as accountable for their manners as we would have been as kids.

We teach our children to open the door for people, hold the door for people, say please and thank you, etc...even the three year old tries to open doors for people. It has actually been pointed out to us by strangers and teachers more than once how polite our children are. Yes, I'm bragging just a bit.

One mannerism that I was taught is that when you are walking and someone driving stops to allow you to cross the street, you give a small wave to say thank you. We teach our kids this every time we are out for a walk. The three year old likes to also scream "THANK YOU" at the top of her lungs...but the wave is sufficient. To be honest, I kind of thought that nobody was teaching their kids this. I have been dropping my kids off at their schools for over a year and have let many a school-aged child cross in front of my car. Never have I seen a wave of thanks...until this morning!

I cannot tell you how happy it made me to see a little girl and her sister (they both would be between ages 6 and 10, given the school) cross in front of my car and then the older sister looked at me, smiled, waved, and mouthed thank you. THEN, (that wasn't all) she stopped and told the younger one to wave to say thank you and she did too! It was amazing to see that someone is, in fact, teaching their children this. And I would like them to know that their children listened!

So, to all who teach their children good manners. Keep it up! They are actually paying attention. Someone will take notice and appreciate the small moment your child took to be polite.

Momma Days

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A firefighter? A vet? A teacher? A rockstar? 

I wanted to be a mom...a wife and a mom. That was my goal for my life. 

So imagine my surprise (after some wrong turns) when I ended up the wife of an absolutely amazing man and together we have five kids! Some would say that I got more than I bargained for. That may be true...but what a deal! 

I love this man and all five kids with everything inside me...with a love so fierce sometimes it hurts. 

And I love being a mom and wife...more than anything I could ever hope to be. I have the most special job in the entire world. I get stand next to the best man I know and to teach these kids about pretty much everything. I get to help shape who they become as adults in this world. Sure we have rough days but...still...I love being a mom. 

I love it so much...but there is one part of being a mom of SO many kiddos that is really tough. Tonight we were in the playroom waiting for dinner to finish cooking. Our playroom has old school wide floorboards...the kind that things get stuck in all the time. Mister said he was hungry...like really hungry...like dying of starvation (his words not mine)...he was holding his stomach...I made a comment that dinner would be ready in a few minutes and that he was being a bit dramatic. And then...yeah...I'll spare you the guided imagery but the next hour was spent cleaning the playroom floor and lysol-ing every surface of the house...cleaning between floorboards with a q-tip and bottle of lysol...it was a blast. As it happened, the timer went off for dinner, the kids started screaming, and I prayed nobody would get it on them. I ushered the other four to the table and had to serve them dinner and help Mister before any of the cleanup could happen. Too many kids...not enough hands. Someone should work on that...

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This is the other big problem with seven people in one house...almost every illness is times seven...or at least times three. Which makes for a very long three to seven weeks in "Momma Days". So far this illness has taken down three of our troops (Mr. Incredible being one of them)...but it seems to leave as quickly as it comes on which I guess is good. The other three have instructions that if the floor is necessary, head for the kitchen linoleum. (I'm kidding...sorta). I am off to do more laundry because we are out of lysol. 

What do I do for work? I'm a hooker!

That's right. I'm a hooker...sort of.

Not THAT kind of hooker (get your mind out of the gutter!)

I'm the kind of hooker that uses a hook and yarn...a crochet hook.

I love to work magic with my hook (sometimes the kiddos call it my magic wand) turning skeins of yarn into works of art. It is a relaxing, easily transportable hobby that I'm fortunate enough to include in my works for sale.

Bella wanted to get involved in yarn-art as well so I taught her, JBean, and Mister all how to finger knit. A couple of their cousins too! I will post a video tutorial soon so that you and your monkeys can also learn. It's a great activity for quiet time or even in the car on long rides.

I have been working on three pairs of slippers lately with my "magic wand" and I can't wait to share them with you, but for now I leave you with a case of the giggles.

Parenting is for the birds...

This weekend was rough. The kids had a million different things to do at all different times...I played taxi...if you have kids over the age of 3 you likely know what I'm talking about. The only day that every single one of us was home was Sunday...and even then we weren't home, but at least we were together. This is not an example of our normal weekend. We try not to let our schedule get TOO hectic.

Sunday night...it all fell apart. The kids are stressed about things that are going on (that no child should ever have to be stressed about), Mr. Incredible and I are stressed out and trying to put our stress aside to be good parents to these amazing kiddos we have been blessed with, and the crazy weekend schedule just added to it. We were all a mess by the time we made it home.

Consequences had to be issued before bedtime.

I hate consequences. Doesn't it always seem like parents get punished too? It bites the big one. But consequences in our house mirror whatever the infraction was. Lie to me? Lose the privilege to go places that I have to trust you to be. Potty mouth? Write "I will not swear. I will respect myself and others." Rude or unkind to one of your siblings? Write/Draw them an apology letter and/or do something nice for them. All valid consequences and the kids are able to draw the lines between cause and effect most of the time. All of these consequences take time though...and energy...and mom guilt. I have a bunch of that (the mom guilt, not the energy haha!)...don't most moms? It's something I'm working on. There will be a post on it later I'm sure.

I not a huge fan of bedtime either...it's never the low key, relaxing, kids-are-sweet-as-pie-and-snuggles-are-abundant, time of our day that I would love it to be. It never fails that someone is cranky, someone is overtired (that kind of beyond overtired where they Just. Can't. Even.), someone is off the walls, and someone is anxious or stressed. We do music, a lengthy bedtime routine, low lights, sometimes even essential oil blends...everything that is recommended for that amazing bedtime we all dream of. It's just never that easy.

Add these two delights (sarcasm much?) together and Mr. Incredible and I finished bedtime feeling like crap. Yup, I said it. Parental Crap. I looked at Mr. Incredible and simply said "parenting is for the birds". He nodded. We sat and talked for a while to get our own "calm" back before bed. That is the key. Seriously...the key to surviving this parenting thing. I'm going to give it to you.

The key to surviving parenting...Having another crazy bird to say "Hey that stunk...Let's do it again tomorrow." to and knowing that that person knows exactly what your talking about. It doesn't matter if it's a spouse or a friend...one crazy bird needs another because this parenting thing? It's for the birds.

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Review: My newest obsession

My newest obsession...I am not a yogurt lover...at ALL...but this stuff is amazeballs. Seriously. I can't get enough. Yoplait Greek 100 calorie Whips! I've had a few flavors (Cafe Latte, Raspberry, Vanilla Cupcake, Strawberry, Strawberry Cheesecake) and they have all been incredible. The yogurt is smooth, light, and doesn't have that weird "yogurt tang" that makes me loathe most yogurts. It is filling too! At only 100 calories, 9g protein, and about $1/each...I can't go wrong. Try one and let me know what you think!

Side note: I am not being paid in any way by Yoplait for my review. I just tried a new yogurt and adore it. 

A New Day...A New Treehouse

First off, to all our fans new and old, we appreciate you. We wouldn't exist if it weren't for you. 

Now, we have been quiet in the Treehouse lately filling orders and changing our structure. We are VERY excited for our changes though and we think you will be too. The people and places have not changed, just the focus of our business. 

The Monkey's Treehouse will still offer handmade items at a great value. Many of our items will be available with customization but we will take very few fully customized orders. The majority of our products will be already crafted and in stock which means you will be able to get that lovingly handmade quality you love, at the speed of a box store. Additionally, our blog will be Where. It's. At. 

The Monkey's Treehouse will very soon become your absolute resource for reviews, events, ideas, advice, Treehouse products etc...Our calendar of events will be updated (For the New England area) and will be available for you to find events to attend with your family. We will also be sharing more of our story with you so that you can be a part of The Monkey's Treehouse Family. 

We hope that you will join us on this next adventure and be as excited to be a part of our future as we are to be a part of yours. 

From our treehouse to yours...Thank you.