The gift of Entitelment?

And I am not even sure how it happened, but I am raising children with the gift of entitlement - and it must stop, like yesterday.

"I don't want that fork, I want the other fork."

"I don't want to sit there, I want to sit in the other chair."

"I want the pink plate."

And the list goes on and on....

It mostly revolves around meal time - if you couldn't already tell.

Originally, these were comments I put under the Not-worth-the-fight category, but now, I am thinking that might have been a mistake.

When Ben and I first had kids, I can remember having a discussion with him about not giving our kids choices when it wasn't necessary. We were bound and determined to eliminate stress in our lives in that way. There would be no, "Do you want to wear the pink dress or do you want to wear the blue dress?" Instead, it would be, "Here, put this blue dress on before you come eat breakfast." Sounds mean, but we had good reason.

We saw so many parents giving their kid's choices and therefore when there was no choice present, an argument ensued. Something any parent avoids at all costs - at least every parent with a beating heart.

This tactic has worked stupendously for Ben and I while raising our kiddos. There are no fights on whether the bedroom door is opened or closed, no fights about what we wear in the morning, and no fights over countless ridiculousness that doesn't even matter.

Then, we enter the kitchen...

It is not like we ever gave them choices at mealtime - they eat what is put in front of them and I do not make alternative meals. They sit on their bottoms and do not get up without asking, "Mommy and Daddy, may I get down, please?" And they have proper mealtime behavior - except when it comes to the forks, plates, spoons, bowls, cups, chairs, etc, etc, etc.

Case in point. This morning while feeding my children their bowl of yogurt, I politely gave Peyton the pink bowl and Ellie Kate the blue bowl. HAAAA!! How dare I do such a thing! Peyton immediately threw a fit because she wanted the blue bowl. Ummm....ok????

In other news, no matter what fork I give EK, she wants a different one. It doesn't matter if it was the one she picked out for dinner last night, she wants a different one.

I swear they are conspiring against me.

So what gives?

Go and buy all the same bowls, plates, cups, forks, knives, and spoons? Well, besides the obvious expense of that, I feel like there is a valuable lesson to be taught here. Life isn't always fair. Sometimes you don't get exactly what you want. Or am I crazy?

Should I appease my children and let them have whatever eating material they so chose? Or should I stand my ground?

Do I ignore the relentless behavior that ensues because I mistakenly gave them the wrong one? Or do I punish said behavior?

I'm so lost and confused. Tell me, WHAT DO I DO????

Craigslist Queen

Seriously. I am the craiglist queen.

They should pay me for the amount of time I spend on that site.

In the past, I have found some fabulous buys on Craigslist. I have bought the girls clothes, a blow-up swimming pool, and even *gulp* a breast pump.

Now, I'll give ya that one. That was the weirdest thing I have ever bought on Craigslist. But before you call the sanitation police on me, let me explain. It was a $350 breast pump (which is a travesty in itself), that I got for $250 and it was brand new and in the package. The sealing was still on the box and all the parts were in airtight bags. Totally legite.

So seriously, you dont have to worry.

I am not kidding, STOP JUDGING ME! :-)

So lately I have been in a "let's sell everything we own on craigslist" mood. What can I say, I love to make a buck. Ben jokes with me, making me promise to not sell our kitchen sink while he is at work.

I dont know what it is about meeting strangers in a parking lot to exchange a bathtub for a wad of cash.

I don't kid. And that bathtub was a bargain!

Anyway, so lately I have been selling not only my stuff, but my friends stuff too. It is so empowering to earn money for junk, even when the money is going directly from my hand into my friends' pocket.

It's almost like one of those addicting gameshows. You arent really sure why you are watching it, but you just can't bring yourself to change the channel without finding out what number 5 on the survey says.

I just can't wait to see what kind of rediculouness I can get for people's discarded stuff. My friend Mellissa would have probably sold this in a garage sale for $20. Well, thats my cue....

$100 later, and I have moved from friend status to a recipient in the living will. I am selling one of these on craigslist, and it amazes me the freakish amounts people offer for a brand new, in the box vent-hood microwave. $50 - are you kidding me? That's insulting. Let me go ahead and just delete you from me e-mail inbox, you craigslist disgracer.

This one went in record time - 43 minutes to be exact. I was proud of that one. And then I got a headache from the ten thousand e-mails I got throughout the night wanting to know if I still had the fan. That is the last time I go to bed without deleting an already-sold item from craigslist.

G-mail seriously considered turning my account off to give it a "break."

And then there is this beaut. I told you I was the craigslist queen. How many of you can say you sold an RV on craigslist? I am not sure I had even stepped into an RV before I had to take pictures of this one. I am not going to lie. I thought about spending my tax return on it, and then I smacked myself back into reality. You know the one with three kids and an "up-in-the-air" future.

And this item really brought out the men from the sticks. When one guy called about it, I had to ask him ten times to repeat himself because his down-on-the-farm accent was so thick. I mean, whatever floats your boat. And for men in their late fifties, this ride is the midlife crisis waiting to happen.

Now before you all call me crazy for buying and selling on craigslist, I know you all do it too. So tell me, what is the craziest thing you ever bought or sold on craigslist or ebay?

Cutie Pie

Seriously? How does one girl get so lucky????



Little boy, you melt my heart.

The Winner

Wow guys! Thanks for making this giveaway such a great success. There can only be one winner, and while I am sad about that, I am so glad that each of you are so up for trying something all-natural!

No need to be skeptical. This stuff works like a charm, and you will not be disappointed. Plus, you can feel good about making your home and our world and little bit better for our kiddos. So, Thanks!

Ok, now onto the stuff you guys really want to know.

Thanks to random.org and the random number generator, the winning number is #25!

Lucky #25 was Becky who wrote, "Pick me, Pick me, I have a house that needs to be cleaned!"

How cute, Becky, you even rhymed! And amen, sista, we all have a house that needs to be cleaned (although after this product review, mine needs to be cleaned less than yours does :-))

So send me your info when you get a chance, Becky.

Thanks again guys for participating. And donchya worry, this will not be my last giveaway. In fact, I have one being shipped to be as we speak. So check back next month. Until then, I will try and keep you all amused with the funny things my little munchkins do.

Speaking of.......

I haven't heard them in a while....

That's my cue!

To the Seventh Generation and Beyond...

Alright blog readers, it is time for me to deliver. No more anticipation, no more waiting, no more wondering. I am finally answering your burning questions on what appeared on my doorstep last week.



I intrigued many of you (or at least you humored me), by posting this daunting picture of these two boxes, claiming its contents would soon be the object of a future review and giveaway. And I spent all day yesterday reviewing said product. Boy was it fun. Well not really, it was more like work, but thinking about you lovely readers and one of you enjoying these products like I am, brought a tear to me eye. Ok, maybe the tears came from the thought that my high point of the week was getting mail adressed to me...

Does anyone else get excited about mail like I do? Sometimes I think about ordering something off the internet, just so I can live in anticipation for when it will arrive, in all its manilla-envelope glory.



Yikes, maybe that was a little too intimate.



Ok, enough rambling. I am not ready to share with the world my giveaway surprise!!!!




Boy, I hope you didn't think it was going to be boxes full of chocolate or a family pass to Diney World.



Its cleaning supplies...



Now, before you mouse click me off, let me explain why I am so excited about these cleaning supplies and why you should be too.

As many of you know, it is my lifetime goal (and it is turning into a lifetime process) to make my family a little bit heathier, one step at a time. Making natural, organic choices is at the forefront of my mind, and while we enjoy a push-up pop from time to time, we are making steps to become healthier and happier.

One of my first steps, several years ago, was to change my cleaning supplies. One of my mottos is, "if your grandma doesnt know what is, don't use it." And my grandma probably used what your grandma used - vinegar and water. Pretty good cleaner, but EEEEK, the smell.

So I do what any good blogger what do - I twittered about it. And Guess what? The nice makers of these products guaranteed I would like to clean just as well without the harsh chemicals, while using recycled materials that were healthy for my family.

Ummm, yes please!

Now, Seventh Generation is no stranger to my doorstep. I use their chlorine-free diapers, their baby wipes, their detergent, and I even own a bottle of their all-purpose cleaner, but I had yet to take the plunge into all things Seventh Generation.

And now, after reviewing all their products, I keep asking myself, "Why haven't I done this forever ago?"

Wait, did I hear you all shout in unison "BIG DEAL?!" That's insulting. Let me try and sell you on them a little more.

Seventh Generation's mission while constructing products, is to consider the impact it will have on the next 7 generations. (See the connection? boy, you guys are good!)

So I am helping my great great great grandchildren and yours too. Isnt that sweet of me?

So the products under review were as follows:

Aww, see that little cutie in the background? Its like an Alfred Hitchcock movie, he is always in at least one scene....

My little family did a test on all these products and we unanimously agreed.

They. Are. Awesome.

The prodcuts (minus the free and clear ones) clean wonderfully while leaving a lemony fresh smell lingering in the air. The free and clear still clean well, just minus the lemon-fresh scent, because, well, its free and clear. But who doesn't love a good lemony smell? I mean, its as important to a bathroom as the daily newspaper.

Even the glass cleaner worked great....

Ewww, the enemy of all mothers with children - the smudge. They should write a horror film about it.

In the name of Seventh Generation, smudge marks, BE GONE!!!

Pretty impressive huh?

And I cleaned everything with these....

Recycled, planet-friendly paper towels. While brown in color, they worked wonderfully. It seems like everytime I clean with other paper towels, little paper residue is left behind. Not so with the poop colored ones.

I mean it guys, you will love this stuff!

And how cruel would I be if I didn't give you an opportunity to own your very own? So here is the deal....

Go to Seventh Generation's website and come back and leave a comment about anything - your favorite product, an interesting quote, etc. Your comment acts as entry to the giveaway.

Need Seventh Generation cleaning supplies like I need Jelly Belly jelly beans?

Post a link about the giveaway on your blog, come back and leave a comment that you did that, and you are entered a second time.

Need brown paper towels like I need a vacation?

Post a link about the giveaway on facebook, come back and leave a comment you did that, and you are entered a third time.

Need chemical free disenfecting wipes like I need a $1000 shopping spree to TJ Maxx?

Well, then maybe you should go out and buy your own, because that is some serious desperation.

So get to commenting and get to winning because you only have until Monday at midnight.

Oh, and I forgot to add the disclaimer...

*The use of Seventh Generation products may entice your children, and even your husband, to help you with the cleaning.*

(wow, that like NEVER happens)

So here is a complete shot of everything up for grabs. Nine items in all. I told you it was my biggest giveaway to date.

So what are you waiting for? Let the games BEGIN!

Stay Tuned

Gosh, Meredith, what in the world could be in those boxes?
Well, blog readers, I am glad you asked.

Because it is something Fantastic. So super-duper itll make you scream for joy. I mean, its down right da bomb.

But I am not going to tell you what it is.

Cruel, huh?

Because coming soon to a blog near you (or maybe just this one), will be a glorious giveaway of gigantic proportions. It will be my biggest giveaway to date, and you won't want to miss out.

You will have to wait a few days though, because the lovely company that supplied said giveaway requires that I actually REVIEW the product first. How dare they send me something free and then require something in return. What is this world coming to?

I am more than excited to try out unmentioned product and the winner of the giveaway will receive every bit of this product for their very own.

Intrigued yet?

Good. Come back on Friday and get in on all the action! Now tell me, Who is excited.....

Happy Easter

"Oh death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?"

He is risen, He is risen, indeed!

From our family to yours, we want to wish you a very Happy Easter.

Bling

Remember when I blogged here about Peyton and her horrible teething episode?

And when I say horrible, I mean Horr-I-ble!!!!

I can remember laying in bed with her, skin to skin, trying to get her fever to come down naturally. She would cry and cry until she finally fell asleep, and then minutes later she would be crying and crying again.

As a matter of fact, World War III almost broke out when I finally got her to sleep, and Ben decided to mow the backyard - literally right on the other side of our bedroom. Scared the daylights out of poor Peyton and she jumped out of her skin - and proceeded to cry for three more hours.

I love that boy, but C'MON!!!!

Anywho, we purchased a teething necklace from her, and I immediately kissed the ground of it's inventor (or at least I would of had I known who invented them, but you get the point).

Stone has been producing an obscene amount of drool these past few weeks, and I knew it was time to get his very own necklace - you know before the real all-night scream sessions began.

Now, I am not saying that your child will feel no pain of discomfort while wearing the necklace, but I am saying that if you have a baby, are planning on having a baby, or know someone who has a baby - do yourself a favor and go buy one of these - PRONTO!



Word of caution - be careful where you buy. Not all amber is true Baltic healing amber, and many necklaces use fillers and charge you a "competitive price" - yeah, competitive for who?

Go to www.hip-green-baby.com and buy one from Kristi. She is a mom herself and will get it to ya in a jiffy. Tell her Meredith sent ya, not because she'll give you a discount, but because I think that it will be fun - so humor me :-). So giddy-up, mosey on over, strut your stuff, or just mouse-click your way over there and save your sanity. Seriously, what are you doing still reading this post?