Wow. What a week. I'd have to say this is one of the roughest ones I've had all year. You'd think since it was Labor Day, that it would have been a easy, short week... but that was not the case. Sigh.
Warrior Prayers
I mentioned on Monday that I was joining in the Fall session of 21 Days of Prayer for Sons. Ever since then, it's been a battle-- let me tell you! I've prayed for heart change, obedience, submission, integrity for Jonathan (as well as Grace, my future son-in-law and myself).The Good: Jonathan has gotten much better at sharing. We've been stressing being kind to others and that seems to really resonate with him. So there's some progress-- yay!
The Bad: Temper tantrums and deliberate disobedience have reared their ugly head this week. It's unusual for Jonathan. He ordinarily has a overall sweet temperament. I have lots of questions for more experienced moms:
* how do you deal with temper tantrums?
* Jonathan has also decided to mostly stop napping during the afternoons-- he's 32 mos. I don't know if the two issues are related... when do little ones generally stop napping?
31 Days to Clean
I've also joined in the September session of 31 Days to Clean over at Homemaker's Challenge. So, as a general progress update, this week I:* reviewed my mission statement
* hung some fall decor and some wall art in my mudroom
* cleaned out my refrigerator
* cleaned the top of my refrigerator
* cleaned the outsides of my cabinets and appliances
* cleaned out my microwave and my oven
* mopped the kitchen floor
So there's some progress there too.
So this week I've spent more time disciplining and cleaning than anything else. We got very little "Tot School" accomplished this week. I feel broken, humbled, and weak. So, my readers, I don't have it all together. I'm not Super Mom! I feel physically and emotionally drained this week. I've had to "run away" for some me time a couple evenings and make some Starbucks runs during the day to keep mommy sane. So, please pray for me and my little ones this week. It's been rough, but this too will pass... right???
Hey, Amanda. I'm one of the group member for the 21 day prayer for sons challenge. Thanks for your post! My two cents on temper tantrums- I try my best to ignore them (as long as no one is in harms way). I walk away and don't give in to what they want. And if it is really bad I will take the child and put them back in bed for a "time out" situation. I'm having a problem with my 18 month old banging his head for his temper tantrum. :( That's a hard one to ignore! I feel for ya. I have three boys and the two oldest don't take naps anymore. They stopped taking naps between 3-4 years of age. My suggestion would be to still force some sort of nap/quiet time in their rooms. Mine still do something to that effect each day (when they aren't in school). Hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! I am having the same problems with Shrade with temper tantrums. They are almost daily because I ask him to do what I want him to do and he doesn't want to do that. He has lots of time outs and I take away privileges like certain toys or playing outside. I'm still trying to figure it out. As far as naps, Shrade still takes a nap, but he doesn't sleep the entire time. I'm lucky because he stays in his bed. I think it's healthy to have a rest time in the afternoon well into 3 years old. You both need time away from each other. Find some quiet things that he can do for a hour and he even may fall asleep. Praying for you!
ReplyDeleteStopping by from the Homemaker's Challenge link up!
ReplyDeleteNone of us are "super mom," remember that! As far as the temper tantrums thing goes, I think the no nap problem could very well be contributing, as well as him just testing boundaries. I have a 5, 3, and 1 year old and they ALL still nap. I did find that at 3-4 they have all TRIED to give up their nap, but I still enforced a lay-down-in-your-bed quiet time rule, and then they usually started taking naps again. Sometimes, I think parents think their child is ready to give up naps, when really they are just testing you to see if you will let them stay up. Does that make sense? My 5 year old still sleeps for at least an hour every day. Some days she will tell me she isn't sleepy, but I still require her to lie down and be quiet for a "rest time" and almost always she will eventually fall asleep. If your son just WON'T sleep, I would suggest having a quiet time where he has to be in bed, but can maybe look at a book or something quietly or have a quiet toy, etc. That way his body is still resting. Then I would make an earlier bedtime to make up for the missed sleep in the afternoon. Hang in there! :)
We had a long short week too. Logan is giving up his naps recently too. I try to do a rest time but he doesn't fall asleep. Of course, then he's tired by about 5 pm. makes for a long evening. I think your post helped remind me just to pray about it. Maybe God can give me more patience to deal with an overtired 3 year old or maybe he'll start taking his naps again. I guess either way would be an answered prayer :)
ReplyDeleteWoo hoo, you are on a roll! Great progress!
ReplyDelete