Helping me wash dishes

"I do it myself!"

Redondo Bch Pier, August 2012

Redondo Bch Pier, August 2012

Redondo Bch Pier, August 2012

Making Raima and Mama laugh! - LA trip August 2012

This one's my favorite

I'm going to admit something here, (but maybe I already have?) - I am not a tidy & organized person. I've never been (but people change). Growing up, I hated making my bed (what's the point I would whine to my mom - if I'm going to mess it up again later?) or putting away my clothes (I still hate laundry. I can somehow fold them but putting them away..ugh) or putting anything away back to it's original home when putting it down right where I am was much easier (obviously not easier for my mom). If I could turn back time to undo those bad habits, I would, ok, probably not..but I can undo them by being an example now to my kids, who I hope will not be a pain like I was (who am I kidding? I believe in karma). Because I hate to admit it but - being tidy (not necessarily hospital clean ocd type - which my mom was - or so I thought when I was a kid) is kind of nice. Or rather having a nice, tidy and clean space does wonders..it really does.

Now that I'm a mom, I've realized that being a messy person works against me. So I have tried to, as they say, see the change I want to see. Often I have to remind my husband, I mean, my toddler, where his shoes should go or where his clothes should go (not on the floor, as my mom would say. Oy, so sorry mom!). Sometimes I don't think he quite understands but sometimes, toddlers can surprise you (and, yes, husbands too).

Case in point: Just the other day, I was laying down on the couch and Jax comes over to me..

Jax: Is that where your shoes go? (I'm sorry, what did he just say?) - Jax pointing down to where I can't see anything since I'm laying down (being lazy) -
Me: What?
Jax: Your shoes mama, is that where they go? - (he really did just say that!)
Me: No, you're right, they don't belong there.
Jax laughs and says: Nooo..they go in the cubby.  Silly mama.

I guess the constant asking of - is that where your shoes go? has paid off and it has become standard these days but we all need a little reminding of these things now and then.

Jax has been doing great with potty training. We still put him in diapers overnight only because, well - I don't know.. Most mornings he wakes up dry. He talks so much more these days and to be honest, I can't remember when it was that he didn't talk, it was just harder to understand him, I guess. He's still a funny little entertainer and he has his moments, but so do we.

Modeling the behavior I want to see in my children is often a challenge. I ask him to say please and thank you and excuse me but I know, I often forget to do these things myself. The becoming tidy thing is new to me. I've found that I have become more like my mom in so many ways than I could have ever imagined. On some nights when I can be found in the kitchen, cleaning the counter tops and wiping down the sink, I feel as though my mom is watching me, smiling. When I make my bed in the morning, I think of my mom too. (You were right mom, it does make you feel good!)