Woah...what a week

Absolutely crazy. So much stuff has come to a head this week. And I didn't really see it coming! This was Russ's first full week of traveling, so I knew it was going to be tough. Not from not having him here, (but yes that was part of it) it was more the changing of the routine. I have been able to figure out how to do something with the kids for one night during the week. But now it was 4 nights in a row. Add to it, that I started my new quarter of school this Wednesday. Then we are trying to plan for our vacation to Florida in two weeks. Now all the summer events are being sent out, so try to figure out your summer plans, ok? School spring conferences need to be scheduled too. Don't forget about your house and auto insurance that is due. Oh heck, throw in a new tax rebate to buy an energy saving appliance. And why not try to change Gwen out of a crib to a bed this week too.

Those are just the major events that happened this week. There were much smaller things going on too. Today, I was able to have a little break for myself at a salon for a nice facial. Ahhhh....I'm ready for round two in two weeks. We have been blessed to find out that Russ will not be traveling every week, at least for the near future. It will be every other week. It has been turning out better than expected. It really is our turn for good things to be happening!

I will leave you with a troubling thought that has entered my mind this week. As I mentioned before, Gwen's ECFE class is reading the book 10 Basic Principles of Good Parenting. This week, we did point 7, which is be consistent. By simply reading the chapter title, I knew I had this one down. I believe it is one of my biggest strengths as a parent. However, reading the chapter made me doubt my parenting. Primarily that it defines being consistent as very different from being rigid. I think I might be being a little more rigid than I should. But what really struck me was the first line in this chapter. Our teacher pointed it out, and mentioned how much this quote is SO true in parenting. It states:

"The single greatest contributor to children's disciplinary problems is inconsistent parenting. If your rules vary from day to day in an unpredictable fashion, or if you enforce them only intermittently, your child's misbehavior is your fault, not his."

While I may claim to be a consistent parent, I can tell you that based on this statement, I for sure could improve upon my parenting. I think I just need to pick my method and never deviate. Well, of course unless I am becoming too rigid. Arrgghhh...the joys of being a parent!