Wordless Wednesday

Dr. D's food-art rendition of

the Sydney Opera House.

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It's a Good News, Bad News Kind of Day

The good news?

Today is the last day of school for LadyBug and Baby BlueEyes.

The bad news?

We can't spend the afternoon in the pool celebrating our freedom from alarm clocks.

The good news?

The Boss has started fixing the unbalanced chemical levels in the pool water.

The bad news?

He had to shock the h*ck out of the water to do it.

The good news?

No one got hurt when the mirror slid off its broken bracket in the master bath.

The bad news?

Looks like there's a master bath re-do in the near future for The Boss.

The good news?

Dr. D is very good with a screw driver. And at rescuing his Momma from herself.

The bad news?

The mirror was heavier than I thought. And my hands were very slippery with hair product.

The good news?

We purchased a replacement faucet a long time ago.

The bad news?

It's been sitting NEXT to the vanity for almost two years.

The good news?

Ni Hao Kai Lan has taught Li'l Empress to talk about her feelings in a helpful way. Most of the time.

The bad news?

Stomping off in a huff when you are a "top heavy" toddler rarely ends gracefully.

The good news?

Li'l Empress didn't break her elbow when she fell on it this morning.

The bad news?

She's still crying about it as if she did break it. An hour later.

The good news?

Shaggy is a very compassionate, kind brother.

The bad news?

AFTER he gets his "candid" of her freaking out, wailing and weeping over her bloody elbow.

The good news?

It's almost naptime.

This I Know

Let me interrupt your Monday morning to share a little thing I know.

I know that you can NOT teach a toddler NOT to scream by needling, taunting, annoying or teasing.

She will NOT learn NOT to react when you poke, prod, hover, or take over.

Even if it is with the greatest of big-brotherly affection.

It can't be done.

Thanks for reminding me of this lesson, big brothers.

You know who you are.

This I know.

You may resume your Monday.  Carry on.

"Mommy Do Nuggles"

Earlier this week, I noted that Li'l Empress has experienced success and increased confidence in staying in her toddler class at church.  Well, I think I was so high on the adrenaline rush of her recent accomplishments (potty training has been deeee-lite-ful with her!) and feeling so refreshed by the ability to sit through an entire worship service and sermon that I lined up another "project" for us to tackle together this past Monday.  This one is no less important, but as we are gaining some great progress, I found it's actually been more bittersweet than I expected it to be.

We are training Li'l Empress to be able
to do her night time routine with Shaggy.

On the surface, it sounds like no big deal.  And the carrying out of the project has really been no big deal, for Shaggy or for Li'l Empress. We've been wearing her out before lunch daily in the pool to make her really ready for nap time. So at 11 a.m. for the last three or four days, screams of laughter and "do agin," have been echoing around our pool area while the big brothers indulge her repetitive need to jump into their arms, "race" them across the pool, and engage in splash fests. She's been sooooo tired that I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have mattered WHO was laying her down for her naps. But I keyed into it on Monday afternoon. As attached as she is to me and as often as she begs for "Mommy do nuggles" at night time, I knew it would make the transition easier  to take advantage of her exhaustion.

The Boss and I haven't had a date night out in 2 years. And really, we need to institute some sort of date night into our schedule again. It's worked really well since she came home to limit our "out of the house" date times to coffee or late lunches while she napped, but the opportunity presented itself this week in the form of a really weary toddler and a willing big brother. I jumped at the chance and she's gone down for naptime really well for him each afternoon.

Last night, I asked Shaggy to give the night time routine a whirl.  She was tired, having played after dinner in the pool with Daddy.  I was exhausted, having run around all evening cleaning up and getting the dinner, laundry, dishes, lists, and more laundry finished up for the night. Shaggy was willing, having long ago pledged himself to be Li'l Empress's loyal subject and bondslave for life.  He walked her through the night time routine, she settled in and fell right to sleep.

I was left feeling a bit bereft.  A little adrift.

A little more tense and stressed than I normally feel

at that time of the night.

I missed "nuggle" time.  

No matter how hard the day has been, no matter how willfully Li'l Empress has behaved, no matter how stressed I am at the end of a long, busy day: that time with Li'l Empress is almost always the most peaceful, sweet moment of my day. I take pleasure in the warmth of her little body on my lap. She prays to Jeee-ah in her sweet little voice, thanking Him for her Daddy and Mommy, and I can physically feel the tension leaving my neck and shoulders.  She burrows that little head into the crook of my neck and I sigh in contentment.  She chirps a little, "I lah looo, Mommy," as I lay her down to bed with her doggie and blankie and I know the day is done. And most days, I'm pleased to know that it was done well.

So, while it's very important that Li'l Empress be very comfortable with Shaggy being able to put her down for bed and be able to fall asleep with a slightly different routine at bedtime, I have to say, I'm pretty sure it's not going to happen too often for a while yet. As long as she is still begging for "Mommy do nuggles," you can bet I'm not gonna be giving it up easily after last night. I have a feeling, in the big picture, it's not going to last much longer. She'll be three at the end of the summer. I don't want to miss any more chances to end the day with those "nuggles," than I absolutely have to.

Wordless Wednesday

Dinner Date with a Cousin

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The Best Thing

These are just five of the

reasons I LOVE this man...

Happy Birthday to The Boss!

I think you are the best thing

that ever happened to me.

Another Hurdle Cleared!

The toddlers' class at church made these adorable little gifts for the fathers this Sunday.  This is noteworthy to us for several reasons. First, Li'l Empress has discovered the joy of creating with sticky stuff.  For those of you who know me intimately, you know kid-crafting is not.my.thing. So I'm really glad that she gets this outlet in her little class each week.

But the second reason this is so noteworthy, and most exciting for all of us, is that Li'l Empress HAS a little class to go to each week. Yes, I said it. HER class. She's gained a new level of confidence and now goes to the "Rockin' Tots" class every Sunday morning. LadyBug goes along, providing a transitional "security blanket" person for her little sister. It's working out beautifully on so many levels!  Li'l Empress is learning that we will always come back for her. She's learning how to tune out the different background and white noises of that environment with lots of room for safely failing and grace to re-try. LadyBug is learning how to serve her sister. The teachers are learning more about how to meet Li'l Empress's needs for face-to-face instruction. And Momma gets to sit through whole worship services AND sermons, with nary an interruption. It's a beautiful, beautiful thing. And it's been several consecutive weeks of successful separations from Mommy and Daddy on Sunday mornings. Woot! Woot!

I've said to quite a few folks over the last 6 or 8 months that her reluctance and anxiety over being left in her toddler class seemed to be the last "big" attachment issue we've experienced with her. NOT to say that she has successfully conquered all of those developmental milestones that mark healthy attachment along the way. That would be foolish and arrogant of us to assume. I know that there will be re-visits to some of these stages, looking and feeling different as she grows and continues to experience life along the way. But this seems like it was a little hump she couldn't overcome.

The panic and racing heart, the "different" cry that would pour out of her. The clinging arms and uncertain glances around the room. Those of you who have faced this kind of separation anxiety in any of your kids, you know what I mean. Those things all kept cropping up every time we'd try again and again to leave her in class. Or the nursery where she always felt so comfortable. Seeing me depart a room  (anywhere but home or a family member's home) has regularly been scary for her. With consequences that often would last a long couple hours after the separation! I really tried so hard to be patient and consistent and unconditional with her over this one thing. I don't mind admitting it was hard and some Sunday afternoons I'd feel so frustrated with her lack of progress, with my own impatience, with my exhaustion from the emotions of it. The Boss was great at reminding me that she's done such amazing things in all her other areas of connecting and gaining that sense of security. He was also great at reminding me that our plan was a good one and that she wouldn't need us this way forever.  I'm so glad he was patient when I couldn't be!

I know she still has the hurdle of releasing LadyBug and handling class on her own, but looking back on it, I'm pretty confident that it won't last as long as the previous stage. And even if it does, LadyBug is enjoying being that hero to her sister. I can't help but think that even if LadyBug is missing some of her own, age-specific class time with her friends, she's gaining MILES in relationship-building with her sister. And with those little tykes who are becoming her sister's friends. (She's rather enjoying the attention and adoration of the other tots in the room, I've noticed!)

Another hurdle has been cleared. Another milestone marked. The original picture used for Daddy's little stickered picture frame showed us just how grown up our Li'l Empress is becoming. When I look at this picture, I don't see very much of that scared, chubby little baby girl who couldn't look me in the eye back on that beautiful September morning in Xian. I see a little girl. A bright, engaging, stunning, and love-able little girl. Smiling into the camera for her Daddy. And I'm beyond words when I look ahead to what God has for her as we clear life's hurdles together!

Wordless Wednesday

Lest you think that all we do is sit around

watching and waiting for Li'l Empress to potty.

The gardens here have undergone

a massive transformation.

These lovely ladies are here to greet you

at my front door.

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head over to 5 Minutes for Mom.

I Gotta Get a Life!

I know, I know. . . believe me, I know. The fact that I've posted four times in less than two weeks about our adventures in potty training Li'l Empress speaks to many issues. NOT the least of which is the fact that I have no life right now.

Which isn't entirely true. I do have a life. It's just stuck in this weird summer-not summer limbo. With a dash of potty training obsession thrown in for giggles. I have the two older boys home with me and Li'l Empress all day long, finished with their schooling for the year. They're sleeping in, begging for Wii time, and coming thiiiiiiiiiiiiis close to uttering the dreaded words, "But I'm boooored." (They haven't yet, but when they do, I'm ready. The boredom busters are lining up in my mind even as I type!)

But I also have this annoying thing called SCHOOL that wakes me at the crack of dawn every morning. I mean, the waking occurs at the prompting of my alarm-radio. So that I can experience the joy and delight (insert snarkiest tone here!) of waking Baby BlueEyes. After he turns off his own alarm and falls back into bed whining and moaning.

We tip-toe quietly downstairs while Li'l Empress and the big brothers slumber away, all the while resenting the division of the day. Well, I resent it. I would rather be sneaking in another half hour or so of sleeping. Sleep that I know Li'l Empress would indulge in if the hall floorboards weren't creaking and doors weren't opening and closing. Sure enough, as soon as I get downstairs and am counting scoops of coffee into my beloved Happy Machine (read: coffee-maker), I hear her little voice calling me.  It's a darned good thing this kid wakes up happy and smiling most mornings.  It's a blessing for her that she's really cute. Cuz the level of EXCITEMENT! and EXUBERANCE! that she brings down the stairs with her is enough to make me want to crawl under the table and weep.

And since we started the potty training?  Well, that EXCITEMENT! and EXUBERANCE! has gone up a notch or two. Or 20.  Every time she potties successfully (which, in the morning, seems to be every gosh-darned 10 minutes), she jumps up and down, yelling, "I did it! I did it! Yay! Yay! Yay!"  She's so excited by her accomplishments, she doesn't even need the reward of the M&M anymore.

But I do.  Cuz the coffee isn't ready yet and when I'm looking at her sweet, little, mostly nekked body jumping around the kitchen in all her EXCITEMENT! and EXUBERANCE! I see three of her. In slow motion action, blurry and loud. Really, really loud.  (Yes, without my coffee, I think I "see" her loud. I do. And the sleeping brothers hear her. Evil laughing ensues on my part.)

We're well on our way to diaper free around here. All the chanting of "three for pee!" (3 M&M's per successful attempt after weaning her off the 1 just for trying). In fact, she's been in "big girl panties" for two days and stayed dry!  And whatever fear she might have experienced over p**ping is completely gone. Thanks to tons of apple slices, fresh carrots and a slight adjustment in the water to juice ratio in the kitchen!

I'm happy to say that she's been accident-free since last Thursday.  Me? Not so much. I've spilled coffee down the front of me, dribbled M&M's on my shirts, and tripped with almost disastrous consequences while carrying the little pot to the big pot for emptying and cleaning.

All of which left me wondering this morning just why I haven't figured out how to program the Happy Machine to be ready when my alarm goes off in the mornings.

Huh. I guess I was wrong. I really don't have a life anymore.

Linking Up

Okay, so there's some good stuff out there in bloggy land that I have finally gotten around to reading and processing.  With all the focus on "taking back my territory" and our "potty boot camp" around here, I'd gotten quite behind on reading my favorite blogs and websites.  Some of this will be new to you, some of it won't. But if you're looking for a good read while your little ones are napping or watching B@rney, here you go!

Supermoms R Us - made me want to stand up on a chair and cheer for Christie. That girl's got a way with the words.

one question answered - Stefanie tackles the question of affording adoption. Rather, she tackles the question of what your priorities are if you desire to afford adoption. Good stuff. But guard your toes - the truth might step on the little piggies a wee bit.

Why I feel Weird When People Ask How We're Doing - my adventurous and honest friend Stephanie tackles the "questions" and the question-ers.  Was a great reminder to me to only ask if I really want to know, and be really willing to hear the answer and LISTEN with my HEART for what a friend might be saying within the words. This does NOT pertain just to adoption, but that's what Stephanie is currently adjusting to.

Burdened - also by my friend, Stephanie, this post makes me wonder how many of us are really broken-hearted over the things that break God's heart. How many of us cry over the things that make Him cry?

I've Been Summer Schooled - Classic Mama is wise beyond her years, and the two-part post is giving my creative juices a run for their money.  Her great idea is a huge bonus for all of their family.  Plus, it's always fun to have a fellow-potty-training mommy with whom to commiserate.

how do you know? - This is a beautiful description of the many ways, within one family, that the Lord worked to reveal the next child to be added to the clan. A walk down memory lane for the mama and a great example to us of being open to God's creative plans. If you are not a regular reader over at the blog of No Hands But Ours, you really should be. It is a timely resource and I'm learning so much from the other folks who post there regularly.  I could list link after link after link that has made me investigate my parenting style and my views on adoption and special needs.

That's a smattering of what I've been reading this week, while housebound and potty training. I have to say, I had forgotten in the years since Baby BlueEyes learned his potty skills how hard it was to be home and focused on this big task. But the laundry is caught up, I've stayed on top of the dish piles that magically appear each time Shaggy or Dr. D meander through the kitchen, and I've gotten some brainstorming and planning done for summer.

What are you reading? What links have captured your thoughts and challenged you this week? Really, I want to know!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

 I know, I know. Enough with the potty talk already . . . 

But seriously, it's what we are all about this week.

For more Wordless Wednesday fun,

head over to 5 Minutes for Mom.

Adventures in Potty Training

Oh, my word. I have a really smart toddler on my hands.

Yesterday I mentioned that I started potty training. Well, my girl has me all figured out. She found a way to work the system. Already.

By 11 a.m. yesterday, she totally figured out that the incentive of 3 beautiful M&M's for sitting and trying were DA BOMB.  So she sat.  And sat. And sat. And sat.

Seriously, she barely left the kitchen. All morning. And into the early afternoon. And again after nap time.  She would walk over, lift her little tee, and sit. For about 12 seconds. Then she'd pop up and say, "I ready treat now, Mommy."  She'd munch her 3 little morsels of incentive. And go right back to the potty, sit down, and say, "I trying Mommy. Watch me."

I let it ride.  My philosophy of potty training is to make it as rewarding and positive and fun and productive in these first two or three days as I possibly can. We sing, we cheer. We clap and and give knuckles, high fives, and hugs. I even have a potty dance for the occasion.  So I let it ride.

However, between the copious amounts of chocolate consumed by my darling girl and the distinct lack of physical exertion she experienced (ya know, due to all that sitting she did), there was precious little napping going on.  Instead, she talked to all her toys, threw bunny out of the crib, played peek-a-boo with her blankies, chewed on doggie's ear. And sang random K@ren H*nley songs. At the top of her lungs.

After dinner (on the kitchen floor, n@ked and eating her nachos) she finally couldn't wait any more. She panicked a little and asked for a diaper. But I declined and went to watch The Boss mulch while listening to her as she tried to figure out what to do. Again, I knew she was smart and going to figure this out on her own. I just had no idea how it would play out.

LadyBug came running out to the front porch, "Guys, she p##ped! She p##ped!"  And at first, Li'l E was pretty excited and showing off her end result proudly. (Don't worry, I'm not gonna pull a K@te G*ss#lin and share video. That's way beyond even my personal boundary issues!!!!) We cheered, we clapped, we hugged and I danced.

Until it was time to dispose of it. Then.  Oh, then.

She started crying and screaming and asking for a diaper. "I no potty tain. I all done. Nee' die-pah."  She wouldn't stop. She was so freaked out about what had just happened. EVEN after I gave her TEN M&M's, in an effort to help her see how big this really was. And to distract her from the pitiful wailing and despair.

For the next hour and a half, she would. NOT. sit. on. that. potty.   Would. NOT.

I have to say, I'd heard of kids who were afraid to p##p anywhere but their diaper. But this is the first of my kids to actually experience it.  One in five. Not bad odds, I'm sure. But odd for us. I have a feeling this one is going to be giving us lots of these kinds of firsts :)

Finally, I sat down on the floor with her (I had to cut my conversation with my mom short, she was so upset!), hugging her and wiping her tears and telling her that diapers are only for night-nights and naps. I coaxed her to the potty seat. And promptly rewarded her with three shiny M&M's. Tears and chocolate-y drool flowed.

Then she pee-pee'd again. It all felt safe again. Nothing bad or scary happened. And she got 3 more M&M's.

See?  Smart, that girl. She's smart. And now highly caffeinated and sugared up.

Let the Potty Begin!

It's official. Li'l Empress has begun a new stage. We are potty training.

The big sibs are getting a kick out of my methodology, forgetting that it worked really well for them and that they all had lots of fun with it.  And the big brothers are slightly uncomfortable with, ummmm, the quick (and sometimes not so quick) peeks at little buuuunnnnns we all keep spying. Let's just say that they wished the t-shirt was a LOT longer :)

So far, she's on quite the chocolate high, having figured out really quickly that an M&M treat for just sitting and trying is REALLY! REALLY! FUN! And the bonus M&M's for actual successes are EVEN! MORE! EXCITING! because they are accompanied with cheers and hugs and a lap around the house to share the news with the brothers!

After a day or two of practicing and trying consistently, I'll drop it back to treating her with M&M's just for actual successes. But you can bet I'll still be rewarding myself for all the clean-up. Mmmmmmmm . . . .

And for being held captive to the three main rooms of my downstairs.  :)

Dusting off the Tools of the Trade

We are raising a strong-willed toddler. Who, currently, is in full blown verbalization, tantrumization, whinization mode.  {Chanting under my breath: It's just a season, it's just a stage. It's just a season, it's just a stage.} It's wearying. It's overwhelming at times. It makes me especially grateful for naps. For pre-school shows on-demand. For 8:30 p.m. And enclosed cribs.

Quite a few times over the recent weeks, (Okay, months. Who am I kidding?) I've had to employ tricks that I forgot I knew. I've had to take out some old tools that have been sitting in my parenting toolbox for a long while now, gathering dust.  I mentioned a few posts ago that The Boss and I had gotten a little lax in the discipline area of our home life.  This is one of those areas.

I'm sharing this today, not because I got it licked. Ya'll? I think I've been sufficiently real and raw enough that you all know I don't know it all. But in the past couple days, I've found myself reverting to a pattern that I learned from my mom.  Way before parenting manuals were all the rage, my mom was searching Scripture and using her God-given common sense to re-direct and re-train her little brood. Back then, some folks I'm sure thought she was unusual in some of her methodology. But every single time I try one of her tricks, I love how things come into order and peace again. My mom is/was a pro at distraction and funny, sweet, yet devious methods of getting us to see our own sinful behaviors. And at making us want to change them. She could write her own parenting manual, full of practical, common sense, intentional behavior-molding advice.  I'd buy it in a heartbeat!

I've heard lots and lots of various tips for training and re-training through the whiny stage. I've tried lots of them, with varying degrees of success. But this stuff? This is golden.  You may or may not agree with it. That's fine. It works for us, now and with the other toddlers many moons ago. . . I submit to you what I believe to be my most effective tools in combating the whiny toddler season.

Re-phrase:  When Li'l Empress opens her mouth and the first thing out of it is "I neeeeee...." in that screechy, nails-on-the-chalkboard-whine, I try to stop her mid-sentence or mid-thought and ask her to say it again, differently. The conversation goes something like this:

She says, "Mommy, I neeeeee jooooose."

 I hold my hand up, or my index finger and say,

"I'm sorry, Li'l E. Can you say that again, nicely this time?"

When we successfully complete the request in a kinder, more respectful tone, I congratulate her for asking so nicely and I give her the juice.

Re-direct: Let's face it. Basic human nature is to rebel against authority.  Anyone who believes differently does not have children.  :)  But it's true. At the core of our Christian belief system, we hold that we are nothing without Christ. That we cannot overcome our fleshly inclinations on our own strength. We need the  Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit working in us and through us to submit appropriately to authority. So I've started doing some end-runs around Li'l Empress's desire to buck authority by changing the way I talk to her. I try to avoid trigger words, like "no," "don't," or "stop" as the first words out of my mouth. I re-direct her inclination to have her own way by re-directing the conversation from the get-go. I take control of the conversation, keep her mind and heart open to me, by NOT going to the "NO!" first. I manipulate the conversation in a way that helps her feel really good about choosing an obedient response or attitude. I follow it with much ado about it all. I applaud her choices, no matter that I've contrived the situation to lead her to that choice. I help her feel the joy and the power of a good choice.

Incidentally, as I was reading the Word last week, I observed something I'd not seen before in quite this way. Rarely in Scripture does godly spiritual counsel with "Don't" or "No." I observed that the words of guidance and direction of my favorite books like Ephesians, Colossians, and James that equip us for living are positive, practical directives on what TO do. When I read, "Don't" or "Stop" in Scripture, it's usually in the form of warnings or strong admonitions.  Granted, those are just MY observations and certainly not any attempt to create doctrine or theology. But if that's how I'm reading the Word, that's how I want my kids to be reading me. . . Make sense?

And a disclaimer?  Obviously, there are times when "No," and "Don't" and "Stop," are necessary. I'm not advocating that you never say "No" to your child. I am, however, encouraging you to consider using these words sparingly in the interactions with your kids. Especially in these years of really, intentionally going after their will and their spirit. I have a  wise friend who used to say all the time that she didn't want her home to be a war zone, so she was picking her battles carefully.  The toddler years are just a skirmish in the life-long war of putting our flesh under the submission of Christ. This is one of the ways I choose to keep the long-view that it IS just a skirmish and it is just a season.
It's just a stage.

Re-capture:  If Li'l E is caught in a cycle of whining or demanding or verbally exploding all over anyone in her path, it's usually our fault.  Ouch.  But it's true. If she has been speaking or otherwise verbalizing in an unhealthy, unacceptable manner, it's usually because we've let her. So we have to re-capture the atmosphere and the tone of the interactions and stop the cycle. She's not mature enough or conscious enough to do that on her own yet. It's like I told Shaggy the other day when he was totally frustrated with her attention-grabbing behavior: toddlers are all gut and instinct. They're all emotion and reaction. They have to be trained to respond appropriately. It's part of shaping and overcoming that basic sinful human nature.

One of the most effective ways we've found to re-capture the atmosphere for good is to employ a time in with Li'l E.  I've never been a big fan of time-out; when we were raising the older Gang members, we were old-school and spanked as part of a corrective process for defiance or dangerous behaviors (stop the behavior, spank appropriately, follow up with interaction and end with prayer and forgiveness). But Li'l Empress is not ready for regular spankings. We know that, we respect that, and we are far choosier about those things with her.

So a time-in is perfect for her for now. We remove her from the situation. We sit her on a chair that is NOT in an isolated spot of the home. We set a timer for 2 or 2 1/2 minutes. We stand with her while she sits. We require that she sit silently and calm herself down. We apologize and re-phrase the offensive conversation or behavior. Fresh start. But we do not leave her. I came upon this method quite by accident, as I discovered that a traditional time-out really freaked her out. Being left alone when she knows we are displeased with an aspect of her behavior seriously upsets her and the time-out was counter-productive.

Re-peat:  Yeah. Ummmmm. It's just what it says it is. I repeat this process, over and over, all day long. My requests for polite conversation. My re-direction of her rebellious nature. My re-capture of her sunny, happy spirit.  My re-phrasing of whiny demands. My re-routing of  her choices, empowering her to choose obedience. My taking back of the atmosphere in my home. My name, rank and serial number. Over and over and over. And again. One more time, a million more times, just for good measure :)

So, there it is. My pattern of dealing with the season of whines and demands that sometimes spew out of my darling Li'l Empress's mouth. What have you got in your toolbox? What have you found to be effective in training your toddler?  I want to hear from you . . . Let's chat!

Wordless Wednesday

 

This weekend, my son chose to obey the Lord

in the act of Water Baptism.

 

 The testimony of his journey

to personal faith in Jesus Christ amazed and humbled me.

And encouraged me in ways I know that the Lord

knew I really needed right then.

 We are so honored and blessed to be his parents.

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head over to 5 Minutes for Mom.