It's a Daddy Thing...

I started joining in on this photo-a-day fun. It's a great reminder to take a picture once a day. Pictures are so powerful; they can make a memory or conjure one. If my house were to catch on fire {after grabbing my kids} I would grab my pictures. They would be the things I missed the most.

So in this photo-a-day gig, you take a picture that has to do with the list created every month. I snap it and name it and post it to my instagram.  You can interpret your pictures however you prefer. And it's always interesting to see someone else's view point. 

The second day was titled "father". We were actually visiting my parents and I was planning to take a picture of my dad. However, my littlest fell asleep with daddy holding her and I could not miss this photo opportunity...

The picture started me thinking about the father/daughter relationship. My dad and I have a good relationship. I always felt protected AND if I only asked my daddy, I could get just about anything I wanted. Like when we went to Disney World and I wanted a Princess hat, all I had to do was ask my Dad and his answer was, "Anything you want, sweetheart!". {Of course, I was 17 years old at the time, so I might have looked a little silly, but he just wanted to be able to give me all of the things I wanted.}

Now that I have my own daughters, I see that father/daughter relationship from the very beginning. My hubby is so enamored with our girls. He holds them so preciously, wants to keep them so near and safe, and can't even stand to think that one day they will go on a date!

I constantly tease him that both of our daughters have him wrapped. He never denies it, but always tries to shrug it off! 

It's not just in our family ... I've seen examples of this Daddy/Daughter thing on TV as well. Recently, while watching So You Think You Can Dance {my fave summer show!}, I was able to catch a glimpse of someone else with that special bond. An 18 year old ballroom dancer talked about hiding her costumes from her Dad. He has a hard time with his little girl dancing for the world to see. My hubby had to agree {I make him watch with me!!}

Do you have a special daddy/daughter relationship? Or do you see one forming in your own family?

Cabin Fever Crafts

We stayed home and cleaned the house today. And even though it was clean enough for a friend to come over, I didn't feel like I accomplished anything but fussing at the kids and baking more fattening food. {On a side note, why is it every time you are trying to lose weight, all you want is sweets?! UGH!} And to top it all off, it RAINED.....

So what do you do when you have cabin fever??  You break out some boxes, of course!!

We took advantage of the 5 minutes between down pours and pulled out some empty boxes. Immediately, number 1 wanted to make a house. Initially, he wanted to just share one, but I knew that would not work well with number 2. She has a mind of her own and has to do things her way. {Where ever did she get such an independence streak?! .... I have NO idea...}

We broke out the crayons {the REAL, Crayola crayons ... not the waxy substitutes (for my friend's peace of mind)} and made them into cute little homes for my sweet kiddies! Here is what they came up with:

 The little princess(who dresses herself) designing her house

 Welcome to the "Unicorn House" ... because it's not enough to make a house, you have to name it too!

Hard at work, covering every inch with color!

He named his "A Boosgan House" ... whatever that means! Some kind of restaurant he said. He has quite the imagination!

We like to create and craft when we have cabin fever ... What do you do when you are all couped up?!

**For those wondering, these were taken before the water slide came down...don't worry, it has all been taken down now!**

Choosing Not to Battle

Ever heard anyone say 'choose your battles'? This is a saying I didn't utilize as much until children came into the picture. You know, like when your two-year-old cries and screams and kicks around the floor because it's time to go to church and she wants to wear her tennis shoes instead of her dress shoes. Or when your five-year-old turns on the waterworks because you won't let him watch the same television show for the fourth time in a row. These are the times to 'choose your battles'. 

>Is it more important to get to church or for your daughter to wear a certain pair of shoes? 

>Should you endure your son's waterworks and pitiful crying or let his brain go to mush? 

....For me, I chose to let my daughter wear her tennis shoes and to endure my son's crying (for the 2 minutes it lasted until I got him distracted making bread for dinner). 

I often choose my battles and decide what is worth the fight and what is not. For me, it's pretty simple. If it's for their safety, too much money, or for my sanity, I fight. If it's not going to hurt anyone or I'm too tired, I give in!

Exhibit G: My daughter's "pajamas" tonight....

In case you can't tell, that is a bathing suit and her cover up. When told to put on pajamas, this is what she brought out. I attempted twice to change her mind, but that was not happening. So I decided it wasn't going to hurt her, it would be okay this one time. Naturally, she responded with, "yep, that's better!". Such an independent little girl!

What battles have you chosen to fight or not to fight recently?