Friday, May 15, 2009

Frustration, Success, Joy

Frustration:

After the day was over, and I had retreated to my bedroom to attempt my relaxation, refocusing process, I turned on the t.v., just for company. The first thing that appeared was a food commercial. It's no wonder people struggle with their eating habits and become so overweight. I am just as guilty as the next person.
Our society has become so fast paced that we grab and eat "on the way" or while doing something else like talking on the phone or going to a meeting. I find myself immediately changing the channel when those commercials come on. I am the first to admit, those commercials can be quite tempting!!...from McDonald's to Olive Garden. Though one can eat healthy at a restaurant, it can be quite costly. Television can make trying to eat at-home, healthy meals frustrating...at least for me!

Success:

I am happy to say, I did eat a "healthy" dinner at about 7:20 pm; hot dogs on wheat bread, baby raw carrots (love 'em) and apple slices :). Considering I need to go grocery shopping quite badly, I think it was a successful dinner. I even ate in the early evening. My daughter had come home early and had taken the baby. He had fallen asleep for his evening nap. I took advantage of that. I had one late nighter and had gotten him squared away 6:30 pm. The baby woke up just as I had finished eating dinner.

I prepared his dinner, which he did not want. Then I spead a comforter on the floor for him to move about and to play. He is crawling, pulling up and standing without holding on now! Yes, quite the active one! :)

My youngest son was having difficulty concentrating on his homework. When this happens, I have him to do it at the large desk in my room. That way, he can spread out, having good lighting and sit up, rather than lay across his bed or sit downstairs at the kitchen table alone. He did much better.

As I sat tending to my grandson, I began to think, this is ridiculous. It seems I can't take a bath because I have to look after my grand baby. So, believe it or not, I had a talk with the baby (7 mos old) to let him know that Nana was going to take a bath and he will be ok for a little while. I asked my son to keep an eye on him as I put him in his musical saucer. It worked out quite well. I felt great after my bath :). The baby fell asleep shortly after I got out of the tub.

It took a lot of concentration, but I did it!! I'm feel so jazzed today!

Joy:

Last night, as my late nighter left, I had tears in my eyes. This little guy, 4 years old, has been through a few transitions lately. His mom is a young single mom, living with her boyfriend (not the boy's biological father). The boyfriend tends to monopolize her time, leaving the poor boy to play alone. She and I have been talking about her situation. She has starting spending more time with him on a daily basis and following through with her discipline tactics.

His behavior has improved drastically! At first, she thought he was acting out with me because he was jealous of the attention "I'd" give the other kids. I did not feel that was true. I told him that if he ever felt 'icky' , like he wanted to say something that was not nice or wanted to do something that wasn't nice, like hitting or taking someones toy, he can use his words instead. I told him he could say, "Ms. Lori, I feel icky. I need a hug." He really liked that. I told him, "Ms. Lori always has lots and lots of hugs!" Though he spends a great deal of his time with me, I think all children are more influenced from those closest to them i.e mom and/or dad. Her changes at home have made that point very clear to her now. I am very proud of her :).

As he walked to the car last night, he said, "I love you Ms. Lori." He was such a different little boy. My heart was warmed as my eyes swelled with tears. Emotionally, children deserve all that they can get from their parents. When the world fails, (it has and always will), they look to us as their save refuge. We may not always be able to remove the pain, but we can certainly provide some comfort for them....reliable comfort that's always there.

I'm getting misty even now!! ... lol!

4 comments:

lori vliegen said...

good for you turning your frustration into a success! it's not easy...and i totally agree with what you're saying about the food commercials! and if that's not bad enough, how about the food network?! i struggle with my weight, too...it's an ongoing battle! hang in there! :)

presious said...

Lori,

Thanks for your encouragement. Fortunately, I don't like to cook. I only cook because I have to for the daycare kids. I would be HUGE if I enjoyed cooking! I'd make ALL the foods that I enjoy and I would eat them all day long!

My mother and my oldest sister love to cook. My mom would cook in huge army pots. Family would always stop by our house on friday. Everyone that came ate to their hearts content!

linda said...

Take away food is so convenient, tasty and cheap. So easy to grab. We have fat food Friday and my son and husband will share a small pizza. I never eat take away as it makes me so ill it is truly not worth it.

At school they should teach children about nutrition and how to cook then they could make good decisions about food. Plus those big food companies should be more answerable about what they call food anyway. Oh, I could go on about it.

However, I want to say I am glad to hear you got yourself into a nice bath. That alone is a bonus. Plus the little boy that told you he loved you. That is gorgeous. Makes the day worthwhile.

presious said...

Linda,

I absolutely agree with you about the fast food. Lately, I've been so tired that it is so easy to just send my son to go pick up something. We try to do "healthy" fast food, but is there really a such thing?

Yes, the bath made the everything so much better. I really wish I could take them in a more relaxed fashion.

My little daycare boy really did make my day! :)

Thanks Linda!