Scrapbooking and Glasslooking
First of all, Samuel is feeling better. He is still on his prescription, and is fighting a runny nose, but this is a tiny nuisance in comparison to how sick he was. He is smiling and playing again, and for a while all he did was whine and beg to be held (who can blame him though, when I'm sick, I am whiny and sometimes want to be held too!) Selfishly, I'm glad he is doing better, because this weekend was packed with fun things to do, which wouldn't have happened if he was still quite sick.
On Friday the kids had off school, but my daycare kids left early which was nice. At 4 pm we left to go over to the church. A bunch of ladies met together to do scrapbooking. We ordered pizza and soda, and had a great time visiting and working on scrapbooking items (albums and organizing photos etc..) I was a bit frustrated because somehow I misplaced my photos so I didn't get any scrapbooking done myself, but I had a wonderful time visiting with everyone!
On Saturday my sister and I met at my house, and then left to go to Corning Museum of Glass. It was nice, because all kids are free so we only had to pay for ourselves. The kids enjoyed watching a man creating animals out of glass the best. There is also a section called "Innovations" which is fun for the kids (little and at heart) because it is a hands on section. I am amazed at how many beautiful and diverse things have been made from Glass! We had lunch right there at the glass center in a little cafe'. The weather was beautiful, so after we were done there, we walked downtown Historic Corning, and looked in the shops. It was very nice!
On Sunday I had to "manhandle" Samuel at church. I actually had to give him a few light swats yesterday on his behind because he was throwing temper tantrums. He is starting to develop his own will now, and I will not use the nursery. I believe that my own children should be taught to sit during church from the beginning. It is difficult, but it will pay off in the end. Do any of you have any suggestions on how to keep Samuel preoccupied but not disruptive other than snacks? I already make sure I have books, and toys to chew on right now. I know consistency is key to teaching him the difference between good behavior and bad behavior, and this is just the beginning of his being molded into an obedient child, but it doesn't hurt to ask everyone what you do/ have done with your own children so that I can learn some "tricks of the trade" :) Have a blessed week! :)
posted by Full of Grace @ 3:06 AM
7 Comments:
Hi Elizabeth! I was bummed that I couldn't come to the scrapbooking party on Friday! We will have to try to do that again so I can make it! Maybe I will get my photos organized, too! haha
Isn't Corning Glass fun? I haven't been there in YEARS, but would love to go again... My favorite thing was watching them make things out of glass and seeing the melted glass being molded into some new creation. :)
About Samuel... Do you have lots of soft toys/books to occupy him? Cheerios? Honestly, at that age, that is about all we did with both Matthew and Stephen. It is a hard age, because they are developing that sense of self and want to move, move, move, but they DO need some boundaries. What Leah suggested about practicing at home really did help for us. Just start out small, like maybe a couple minutes, then build up to 5, and so on. If a baby isn't used to sitting on your lap for long periods, when it comes to sitting in church, it is a shock! He is used to buzzing around the house or yard at their leisure and suddenly mama wants him on her lap for an hour??
Praying for you. I know it is exhausting. I am exhausted for other reasons (newborn!), but we still go through what you are going through with the other boys off and on. It pays off SO MUCH to start early, though!!! We started much, much earlier with Stephen than with Matthew and we can definitely see a big difference in attitude in how they respond to our telling them to sit still.
The glass museum sounds really cool. It looks like you all had a blast! We haven't taken our kids to too many museums, but I'm realizing now that some of them are a little bit older, maybe they would enjoy museums.
We've always taken our children into church with us for at least the singing portion, and sometimes kept them with us for the whole service. Snacks and books work great, and as they get a little older drawing and stickers can be wonderful too. But of course there are definitely Sundays when one (or more) of ours is feeling ansy or loud and we've had to stand in the back bouncing them or take them out for a few minutes. We strive to teach our children to worship Christ right along with us, but we definitely have our moments. Just read my January 22 entry to see what church with three little ones can really be like in our family...
I am glad I have only 1 little one to preoccupy (although I still have to speak to Samantha and Wayne because they too get antsy, just in different ways!) I know it isn't easy, My mom and dad are the perfect example of this. They often have anywhere from 3-5 children to keep busy during service, one of which has Asperger Syndrome (they are adoptive/foster parents) I also know that every family is different when it comes to the "nursery" situation. I don't want anyone to get the impression I am being judgemental about how they do things in church. By no means am I saying that other people's ways are wrong, we all do what is best for our own families. I am just trying to stick to my own guns about the nursery for my own family situation :)
I too will go into the back of the church and bounce Samuel sometimes when he just cannot handle sitting and is disruptive, he is just getting to a point where he is getting smart about it. He is understanding that if he cries enough I will let him "get up" and observe from a different place instead of sitting. I made him a baby bible book for Christmas, and I always stock up on a few others including a mini- photo album book too which Samuel likes to look at. The drawing/ sticker idea is also a good idea. Colorform sets might work with him too.
Corning glass center is a really fun place to go. This is a perfect example of taking advantage of quality entertaiment locally * Corning Glass is so well- known there was even a tour from Japan in when we were there on Saturday! All kids under 17 are free which is an added perk! :)
Oh, and Michelle, we missed you on Friday night, and you can be sure we will do it again! :) I didn't get anything done myself, but it was just nice visiting with everyone. Sundays tend to be busy, so often I don't get to just sit down and talk casually so it was really nice to hang out in an informal atmosphere! :)
I never took Corynn out to 'bounce' or play for the very reason you said. They eventually learn that if they make a sound, you will get up and stand with them or let them run in back or whatever. Then, it defeats the whole purpose-might as well use the nursery in THAT case! :-)
Really, I would just whisper in Corynn's ear not to do something and if she disobeyed, I would take her out, swat her and then bring her back. I am not sure at what age I started doing this-but I am sure it was around Samuel's age-maybe even younger. You don't have to BEAT the kiddo. Just a small swat is enough-especially since they are really just LEARNING 'no' and the consequences of disobedience. Even a harsh tone can be enough. I remember several times just taking her out and making her look me in the eye and telling her 'no'. That seemed to work better than whispering in the pew. With consistency, in a short time you will not have to take him out at all but a mere whisper in the ear NOT to do something (I am a firm believer in no threats, meaning: If you do this, you will get a spanking.) You tell them no and they either obey or not. If you consistently discipline disobedience, they will learn what the consequence is and you won't have to threaten them with it. Most of the time, 'threats' are just that-words that are not followed through with.
As far as distractions go...Samuel loves cuddly things which works to your advantage. It may be just the distraction you need and it is so soft, it won't bang around in the pew. Another thing I did was put together a photo book for Corynn. Just a simple picture album from the dollar store and put pictures of everyone she knew in it. She liked that a lot because the faces were familiar.
Anyway. Don't be too hard on yourself OR Samuel. After all, he is still very little and won't be able to sit perfectly still and quiet. And really, people don't notice it all that much. Parents are always more sensitive to their children that others. :-)
Elizabeth,
I'm going to be doing some things differently with this new baby than I did with John and Noah. John has always done very well but Noah on the other hand... He's given me lots of trouble, especially when he was litt younger. His worst time was around 18-21 months or so. I plan to work with our new baby at home during the week as I mentioned on Sunday. I also plan to impliment some of the things I've learned from the following website. www.raisinggodlytomatoes.com No, it's not about raising real tomatoes. ;) Here's an article about babies in church that may be helpful. www.raisinggodlytomatoes.com/crying.htm I know just what you mean about sticking to your guns about keeping your children with you for worship! We believe the same way but I will admit it's hard sometimes. You're right! Consistency is the key! Samuel will catch on soon and you'll be so glad you stuck it out!
I had a wonderful time Friday night! We definitely have to do it again soon!
Corning Museum of Glass sounds so fun! We'll have to plan a family trip out there sometime!
Thanks for all the advice and suggestions everyone! It's nice to get different ideas and opinions on such an important topic. Hopefully, with a little of your help, we can get Samuel off to a good start! :)
As for Corning glass- I HIGHLY recommend it! Even Samuel had a great time because there were so many things to see!
Thanks again for all of the information (and Leah, I'm glad you clarified that Godly Tomatoes didn't have to do with real tomatoes (it was a funny name, but I'll be checking it out later!) :)
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