Love and Logic

I got back from my third parenting class. I am fascinated by the new techniques I have learned. They make so much sense yet boy it's not so easy to dive in and actually do it.  Maybe it's because I've been doing my own, kind of taking it by the day parenting for too long. I get mad too easily and I realized how little patience I have and how much more I have to learn to calm down so that I am good parent. We were told to take it easy with implementing what we learn and not to do it all at once. I realized that I have to have a plan of attack and rehearse what I would be saying should he/she misbehave. It helps getting a few answers ready. It helps to think about different situations that happen often and have an answer ready. It also keeps you cool and collected, enough to be in charge and not be drunk on emotion.
The other day Dacian hit my back more as a joke but it hurt. And we don't tolerate hitting so this is how it went:
"That's so sad Dacian, you hurt mommy. I was going to take you to Safeway to get a little toy with your quarter but now we don't get to do that. That's just so sad!"
First empathy, then consequence is what they teach in the first lesson. No matter how long he cried I just kept repeading. How sad... that's just so sad...
Well, I kind of took my time on this one and just implemented. It was a success. A success for me for being able to stick to my guns and for being on the ball, a success because Dacian (hopefully) learned not to do that again even as a joke. I told him that we can go to Safeway the next day but that I would ask grandma about his behavior. Apparently he was a little angel the next day and remembered to tell me he was a good boy so he could get his prize.
Was that easy? Yes and no. Yes because that was so simple; no because when we are mad or annoyed empathy doesn't come naturally. So if I rehearse and do this over and over, the "that's so sad" expression will take on a new meaning.
But the more I listen to the instructor and read the materials provided I realize how much I need to change about the way I parent. I get a little overwhelmed but I am excited to have new tools on how do it better.
I will come back to this subject with more examples as I start having more success. Maybe parenting comes easy for most people, maybe everyone's children are little angels, all I know is I have work ahead of me.
But I wouldn't change it for the world. I love my kids and I am so happy I get to be their mommy. I get to love them, play with them, and create memories as a family.
OK, now I really need to go to bed. Night, night.

So excited

Tonight I went to my first parenting class ever. A very smart and wonderful lady is offering this class for cheap for parents and staff and I think others who may be interested at my school for 5 weeks in the evening. She is teaching from the Love and Logic curriculum.
I am so exited to be able to learn techniques on how to be a better parent and guess what the first lesson was? How to stop the whining and arguing. Aren't I lucky for that to be my first lesson. I have been wanting help on this for waaaaaaay too long.
 I am so exited to give this a try. Tonight was a great night with Dacian though so I have nothing to report. I really thought I could practice right away though. :) I am sure I will tomorrow.  I wish Shane and my parents could also attend just so we can all be on the same page. Wouldn't that be wonderful. I don't think I am going to get my wish though. :(
I will report back with results, good ones I hope.
Ta ta!

Too Tired

It seems like every time school starts back up (meaning I go back to work) I am too tired to blog. I have so much to catch up on but I just don't feel like putting in the time to add photos and write up stories. I may do a whole post later on this topic, blogs and what not. To be honest when I get in  blogging funk I contemplate just not blogging anymore. I guess that is why I should just write even a little bit or else it's too hard to start back up.

Dacian started his new preschool which he loves. His bus comes way early so he's been rather grumpy lately adjusting to his new schedule. He can finally go to bed earlier. Summer throws our schedule off with the longer days of which we take full advantage by going to the park, swimming late, etc. I think soon he should get used to this schedule. I think I need to start up the bed routine even earlier as before preschool he loved reading books with me and saying his prayer and now he just says he is sooooo tired and just wants to sleep.

Lavinia gets cuter everyday. She is able to say lots and lots of words and little sentences now but does not speak Romanian as much as Dacian did at that age. She now hears Dacian speak English all day long and imitates what he says. I noticed how Dacian is more and more comfortable with English and I have to make him speak Romanian. I  tell him if he wants to go to Romania with me he has to speak it or else no one there will be able to talk to him.   It seems to do the trick for now. I completely understand though why it's hard. I will stick to my guns though. I can't imagine throwing away a good thing like that. :)
 It's always been so important for me that he can speak my language. Sure, it helped having my parents take care of him day in and day out since that's all they spoke with him. But since preschool and tv time and computer time and church and all his friends who speak English it's a little hard to make it appealing to continue to speak another language.

But away from my tangent and back to Lavinia. She's so fun and so cuddly. She just allows me to love her and she's so sweet giving us kisses and hugs. She's a naughty girl too at times. She loves to play with cars and trains but also loves to look pretty and always twirls and twirls as we put on her Sunday dress and shows off any hair pretties or jewelry she's got. So I guess she is girly but also a little bit of a tom boy. She's a climber and super fast. She likes to go outside with us and go pick blackberries and hold Tommy's leash. She is also an awesome whiner but I think most of it comes from wanting to express herself and not really being able to. I am so much more calm with her and I know what stages she's at and that they will all pass too. Oh, almost forgot, she's super afraid of bugs (not sure why, maybe she got stung once since she calls all bugs bees and when she sees one she screams and comes to cling to my legs.
She does NOT like nursery. She could care less if we walked the halls or go to RS at church. Again, don't know why she hates it so much there. I tend to think the older kids pushed her or something since most kids there are 3 and older. She is one of the two little ones in there.
Anyway, I hope this stage too shall pass and I will again be able to go our meetings without her.
All in all having kids is the best thing ever. I have been enjoying them, really treasuring their littleness, enjoying the funny things Dacian says, his sweet love for us and also my little Lavi who adores her brother.
I could go on and on about my kids and all the fun things we've been doing but I have to go put Dacian to bed and this post is getting lengthy. How did this happen? I thought I couldn't come up with anything.
Also I might just fall asleep putting Dacian to bed. I am that TIRED.

Egg plant spread (Salata de Vinete)

I had a craving for this eggplant salad spread for a while now so with four little eggplants I bought at Costco it was time to get to work. I roast the eggplant right on top of the fire but you can broil them on a cookie sheet as well. ( keep turning every 5 minutes or so until it's all charred)

I turn it until it all looks like this: 

It's very easy to peel the burned up stuff. Keep all the yellow goodness with seeds and all and lay it on a cutting board to drain of the juices a little. 

After it's drained chop it all  and put in the prettiest melamine bowl that your husband may have given you for Mother's day :) OK, totally optional but I had to show you all how pretty my bowls are and to praise them and tell you how much I like them. I can even use them as a double boiler (putting the bowl on top of a pan with water in it) 

Now pour about a cup and 1/4 of vegetable oil in there and a half of white onion chopped finely plus salt to taste. At the end add a little mayo as that will lighten up the color a bit but you can leave that out and it will still be good. 

Voila! The end result is so good. You can eat it with tomatoes on a slice of French bread. I even add feta on top. Very Mediterranean dish and VERY good. I loved the smell of my house while they were roasting however Shane will disagree wholeheartedly. Anyway, we all know how smells bring us back to a certain place sometimes and that was Romania for me. I miss it a lot and since I haven't been there for 6 years and since my parents just went there this summer I was a little homesick.

 Enjoy!

P.S Hubby almost ate the whole thing at once. I will have to buy more eggplants for next time. It's a yummy appetizer.

Blue Angels

Last weekend we saw angels. The rain stopped just in time for the show and started back as soon as the show was over. As a tradition Seafair weekend we go to see the Blue Angles. We hear their loud engines starting with Thursday, their practice day and then Dacian can't stop talking about them and about when the day comes to go see them. This Saturday we went earlier than usual to hopefully get a good spot on the bridge (I-90 that goes right over Lake Washington connecting Seattle to the East Side.)  We totally came unprepared, no umbrellas, no rain coat, just sweaters since it was chillier and overcast when we left home. Well as soon as we got to the bridge it starting pouring. At this point I am thinking well are they even going to fly? What a waist of time I'm thinking and found myself grumbling and cursing this area of the world for all its d*** rain. Seriously I will never get used to it. Even summers are not that hot and you still get plenty of rainy weekends. But better get back to my story before I plop a few more curse words on my blog. Ha!

Fortunately the rain gods listened to our prayers and stopped the rain for the show only. Fine by me. I guess the Angels flew lower that day since it was so overcast. It was super awesome of course. I wish it lasted longer. I really, really wished to be in their cabins along with the pilots. The adrenalin, the feelings you must get when flying those things, probably nothing else like it.

 We had a very pleased 4 year old that day and to be honest so were we.

Big Four Ice Caves

A few weekends ago we went to this place. I had hiked here before with my parents when Dacian was little and for some reason Shane couldn't come. I loved it so much that I had to show Shane as well. We also invited Kim, Shane's cousin to come with us. The hike was very easy and beautiful and we went on such a hot day that when we got close to these caves it was pure bliss to have the cool breeze coming from the caves blow on us. It was hard to leave that place and want to hike back in that heat actually. 

Well, not days go by after we return from our trip only to hear on the news that a little 10 year old girl got killed there from the ice collapsing on her. There were signs everywhere saying not to go in the caves but apparently the girl wasn't inside but near the caves. Well, we too were near it and of course most people were too. Actually Shane said that a big chunk almost fell on his head but he took a step and the thing fell right by his feet. I am sure he wouldn't have been killed from that but he would've been hurt. Something prompted him to move seconds before this chunk of ice fell on him. So now as I would recommend this hike to anyone I also have to warn them to be extra careful. I guess you can't mess around with nature and also when one's time is to go there is nothing anyone can do about it. I pray for this little girl's family. The mother was also hurt but ended up with minor injuries. Anyway, now go on and enjoy my pictures. : ) 

View of the caves from our trail. 

Well, of course the snow/ice will melt away and pieces of this cave keep on falling away. 

So I guess I could've totally been killed where I was standing. I was not inside the cave even though the picture makes it look like I was. Promise to tell the truth. 

Family shot. I like it. 

And I love this one my son. 

Kim, our fun cousin. 

The Lake

I love sunsets (or around that time of day) and I love that I live so close to the lake. Today was joy to my soul to go cool off in this lake around dusk and play with the kids and capture some of the magic of this evening on camera. I prefer this time of day for one I can find parking and secondly there are not so many people there and it's cooler and the water feels warmer. It' relaxing. Can you tell I am soaking up all my summer?