And so ends fall in Texas

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Originally uploaded by Mainline Mom

We don't really have much of an autumn here. It's November and we're still wearing shorts on some days. But I break out lots of fake pumpkins and fake foliage, tons of orange and brown decor, all in an effort to make it feel like fall. This year we bought three large real pumpkins and a whole bunch of minis. But we didn't get a chance to go to Dewberry Farms, our local pumpkin patch and fun family autum activity place, until after Halloween. A friend had a birthday party there where we had a little fire pit and roasted marshmellows. We took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch and stopped at the baby Christmas tree farm. It makes it feel just a bit like being back in Pennsylvania.

And this week is Thanksgiving, which in my mind is the end of autumn. I'm hosting my grandparents, Mike's cousin and our friends, the Gertys. People are bringing various dishes which is great. I'm gonna try one new recipe, cranberry minis, that I will make today. Then on Friday I am thinking of going shopping, although I have the majority of my Christmas gifts already purchased. Also this weekend the house is transformed from autumn to Christmas. And then I wait...and plan...and wait...till both sides of my family descend upon my abode to celebrate.

Videos

I know, I suck about blogging. But I love taking pictures and making cool videos. Like this one from last summer...

Elsewhere

I know this is NaBloPoMo so I'm posting here to say that I put up a new blog post over on my other, professional photography blog, Enlightened Photography. So this counts, right?

Parenting Successes

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Originally uploaded by Mainline Mom

This summer Mike and I attended a parenting seminar at our church. It was one day and a whole lot of information to digest, but it was good. They focused on not just changing a child's behavior, but getting at the foundation of their character and molding it for good so that their behavior will naturally follow. This is a lot harder than it sounds. Especially since teachers are trained in behavior modification and that is what kids learn in school.

I have been feebly trying to teach Nathan about God, Jesus and the Bible, and about why we should care about doing the right thing...but it often seems to go nowhere. I confess to using a whole lot of bribery and rewards at times to get the kids to do what I want. Good for short term behavior modification, not good for long term character development. So I've been reading a book I bought called "Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining and Bad Attitudes in Your Children and You" (or something like that). It's all about the concept of honoring each other in a family, going beyond obedience.

So I started to introduce the idea of honoring to Nathan. We had been seeing some especially bad attitudes coming from him since Kindergarten began...a lot more whining, mainly at mealtimes. For weeks it seemed to be fruitless, like I was talking till I was blue in the face. We did some serious discipline, but it wasn't going the way the seminar folks outlined.

Then, suddenly this week something changed. No idea what triggered it, but the honoring concept seems to be sinking in with Nathan. My grandparent flew back this week from two months at their summer house, and came over Sunday for my grandmother's 90th birthday dinner. Nathan is naturally shy and is usually pretty rude to them, avoiding hugs or discussion. He had been warming up to them before they left, but I figured two months away and he'd be right back to ignoring them. So before they arrived I explained that they were coming, that is was her birthday, and that he needed to honor them. I told him they love him and they love hugs from him, and they love when he talks to them.

Well...Nathan was a different kid Sunday night. Mealtime was a joy...he didn't complain about this food and even ate some CORN. He greeted them with hugs and tons of discussion. He seemed to really appreciate that it was her birthday. I hope she appreciated how much of an effort he made.

Patience, prayer, and practice. It pays off in the end.

Yeehaw, Buckaroo!

Yeehaw, Buckaroo!
Originally uploaded by Mainline Mom

Happy Halloweeny and a good November to ya!

I'm already a day late on NaBloPoMo. Yes, November is supposed to be National Blog Posting Month. That means I'm supposed to post EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. this month. And I missed yesterday. If you had seen my weekend, you'd know why. It's enough material for like, eight separate blog posts, but it all happened in three days. And I suck at drawing out stuff like that.

So, bullet form? Yes!

Friday:
- Halloween parties at school
- But first! A 5 yr old checkup for Nate
- Bottom line, he's a healthy giant.
- Alex was very confused by my hanging out with him at school for awhile
- Everyone loved Nathan's homemade ghost costume, except me
- I will never top the cuteness of Buckaroo Alex
- Just before lunch, boss calls with important rush assignment
- Two minutes later, I win tickets to MuteMath concert on Twitter...for THAT NIGHT...requiring a babysitter
- Found a sitter and freaked out with excitement
- Went to part 2 of allergy test, 16 NEEDLES stuck in my arm that make me itch like mad
- Allergic to dust, mold, all weeds and grasses
- Went to Pappadeaux for fabulously delicious dinner
- Went to MuteMath show at Warehouse Live...incredible band, incredibly entertaining

Ok perhaps I will draw this out at least a bit. So that was just Friday. More on the rest of the weekend later.