First-Month-of-Summer Blues

One of my favorite things about my job is that I get the Summers off to spend with the kids. The first three weeks are so much fun! We go exploring in the hills by our house. We find all the local parks and visit them one by one. We get all of the bikes fixed and functioning to last us for another year. Yep, those first three weeks are amazing.

Slowly, without anyone expecting it, the monotony starts to sink in. The kids are sick of what the outside world has to offer. They want to play the computer, or watch videos. They are starting to say those two most dreaded words in the English language... "I'm bored!"

With boredom, comes fighting. The whiney voices start going, the teasing and altogether obnoxiousness that having five kids in one house for three weeks straight causes. It can't seem to be avoided! (Did I mention I don't have a vehicle this Summer, so I can't really escape like I used to be able to?) To add to this, I have school work that I am behind on, so every little shriek, whether good or bad just grates on me like nails on a chalkboard! How can I think with all this chaos going on around me?

I do what any mother on the brink of insanity would do.... I borrow a car and load the kids up for a trip to the dollar store! Oh wonderful, amazing dollar store! With all your cheep paper and crayons and coloring books. Your little craft kits and dinky toys. Your puzzles and notebooks, bubbles and jump ropes, playdough and cookie cutters! I can spend $20 dollars and come away with a menagerie of things for the kids to do with their time. Did I mention all the candy a child could ask for that even their little piggy banks could afford?

When we finally come back home, the house is silent. AHHHHHHH, I take a sigh of relief and get back to work on my latest research paper. The children are all behaving like angels at the kitchen table with their little projects and other various things from the dollar store. So what is the cure to the-first-month-into-Summer blues? The beautiful, blessed dollar store in all of it's cheep, dinky gloriousness!!!!!

I Scream, You Scream!!!

Remember when your parents would take you to an ice cream parlor and you got to pick whatever flavor you wanted? You ran over to the freezer and stretched up onto your tip toes to see what bountiful colors of ice cream awaited for you to choose them. It would always blow my mind how many different flavors there were. Of course, I would always choose the most colorful ice cream I could see (usually bubble gum) and then I would savor every lick that dripped down my arm. There was always an older brother or sister or my mom and dad to say, "let me help you, before it drips all over." but I would guard that ice cream like a lion on a zebra!


I was so excited when I found out there was an ice cream parlor opening up right here in Eagle Mountain! I finally get the opportunity to let my kids experience the ice cream parlor feeling with out the "Cold Stone" price. We walked in and my kids did the exact same thing that I always did... they ran over to the counter, (they actually had step stools, so no getting on tip toes) and made their eyes pop out of their heads because of the excitement of the various colors!



Vega was the first to choose, she didn't even blink when she said, "mint chocolate chip." The other kids took a little bit more time to decide on which new flavor they wanted to try. Ara didn't take very long to choose the most colorful flavor she could see (she is exactly like me you know). This time it was Playdough. Orion followed closely with cherry chocolate chip and Centauri wanted coffee (leave it to her to test her limits of what she could get away with). Rigel actually pulled out his own money from his pocket (the money he has been saving for a big barrel of cheese puffs) and requested a double scoop. In this amazing double scoop, he had Playdough and pistachio, (a choice he would later regret, he didn't like the nuts). I had Caramel Caribou, yes, I do have actual taste buds now.



We sat outside enjoying our ice cream with grins on our faces and ice cream running down our hands. Of course, I had to do it..."Rigel, let me help you before your ice cream gets all over." As he pulled it away, it toppled off the cone! With my cat like reflexes, I caught it with the hand that was not occupied with my own ice cream cone! He was so relieved, he did let me help him a little, but only after giving him my cone to "hold."




We walked home with sticky fingers and sticky smiles, but it was soooooo worth it!!! Letting my children experience a moment of genuine happiness that I myself got to experience as a child was one of the best feelings I have had in a long time. As a child, I never really thought of sharing that type of thing with my own children, but as a mom, I cherish every second of their sticky, happy grins!

Out of school/In school!

Having the kids out of school for the Summer is one of my favorite things in the world. There are so many things that we love to do together. The problem I am having this Summer is that I am in school. My school isn't your average go-to-class-and-do-your-homework-deal. I am doing a blended format of schooling. This means I do most of my classes online.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being in school too, but I get so caught up in my everyday life, I forget to do school. Suddenly, it is Sunday and everything (that I had all week to do) needs to be done and turned in by midnight! Monday morning, I'm promising myself that I am going to get my work done early this week.

I start off with good intentions. I wake up super early while the kids are still asleep. I start my reading Monday morning, everything is going great until I hear, "Mom, What's for breakfast?" One of the kids heard my breathing or something (I swear they just sense when I'm awake) and woke up to see what I'm doing. Since spending one on one time with each of the kids is really important to me, I stop what I'm doing and find out what is going on in this child's life.

The day goes on with one adventure or another, the next thing I know, it is the weekend. The only time in the world I get to spend with Tim. I can't waste my weekends on school! We spend the weekend doing family things and just enjoying each other's company. As Sunday comes to an end, I think, "OH NO!!! I have a report that is due at midnight!!!" and the cycle starts over again.

I think my kids need to start telling me every night to get my homework done. That is what I would do to them when they were in school. What if I can just get some motivation for getting my homework done, maybe if I offered my self a reward when my paper gets written? How about setting the alarm for a certain time that would be best to do the work? Those would all be great ideas, if I would ever stick to them!

I don't know, maybe it is just to hard to be in school when my kids are out of school. What do you think?

The Shoemaker.....

Have you ever heard "The shoemaker's children have no shoes"? Well, the cabinetmaker has no descent cabinets. What is up with that? My husband, (sweet man that he is) is one of the finest cabinet makers in the world. He builds furniture and kitchens in multi-million dollar homes, yet he comes home to a house where the cabinets are falling apart and I have one room with no furniture in it at all.

One of Tim's chests that he designs.

I can't blame him for being tired and not having the time or energy (not to mention the money) to fix our cabinets. I recently discovered that the same applies for the Child Psychologist. I am aware of so many methods of raising children, I have a million theories and I have worked with tons of kids. Some parents call me a miracle worker because of what I have done for their kids. Why can't I figure out what to do with my own kids? Actually, just one in particular... Rigel. For the most part, I have fairly well behaved children. They have their moments (we all do) when they fight and generally just drive me crazy, but for the most part, they are good kids. Rigel, on the other hand, is the most unusual kid I have ever met.

He can't let us take pictures of what is going on, they have to be of him.

This morning, he woke up seemingly in a good mood. As we went about our day, he decided to be clingy, which happens occasionally. So, being the mom that I am I played a game of Monoploy Jr with him, (in which he won..AGAIN!) and we talked and had a happy time. He decided he wanted to earn gems, (a reward system where he trades gems in for money at the end of the month) so he does his jobs and looks for other things to do.

It was a wonderful day... until Uncle Christian came over. For some odd reason Rigel thinks he needs to be the center of attention when his Uncle comes over. The way he does this is by bugging everyone else in the world until someone punishes him. Punishment usually involves his gems being taken away. When that doesn't work, he gets his hands on the wall, when that isn't working, he goes to his room. I am now, pulling my hair out!! He has been in his room three times and he doesn't show signs of stopping.

Every other child in the world responds to consistent consequences except for my boy! The Psychologist's kid. I have everyone else's children figured out except for my own! It has been this way since birth. Everything I have done for all of my other kids has NEVER worked for Rigel. Sleep training, potty training, time outs, positive reinforcement, unpleasant deterrents.... nothing works! He has done everything the way he wants to, at his pace, when he decides that is what he wants to do. If you have children like this, it can be a very frustrating thing, just know that you are not alone. Someday my kitchen will be amazingly beautiful, and someday, Rigel is going to be grown up and dealing with kids of his own. In the meantime, I just have to keep believing that what I am doing is working. In the end, the journey won't be as frustrating as we thought it was at the time. After all, hind sight is 20/20.

Alien Abduction!!!

Once upon I time I had the sweetest little boy. He would do anything for his Mama. He was happy and easy going. Rarely did he ever throw a temper tantrum and when he did, he would always apologize and give hugs to make it better.

As he grew, he had the same personality. He would test his limits every now and again, but he was always so polite and kind. His sisters loved him and he loved them. He was a protector and a friend. He also had a little brother that loved him and wanted to be just like him.

This little boy was named Orion. His Mama was always so proud of him! He wanted to be just like his Daddy. He loved cars and trucks and building things. He always wanted to help cook in the kitchen and when I asked him to help clean up, he would say, "okay, Mama!" and do it right away. Oh, what I sweet little boy I had!

Suddenly, without warning my sweet little boy was abducted by aliens! He was taken away from me and in his place a strange being stood! This other being was tall and awkward, he was ornery and rude. If I asked him to do his job, he would yell at me and tell me that I make him do everything. I don't understand where this rude, disrespectful person came from. He looked like my Orion, but he didn't talk like him, he didn't smell like him, and worst of all, he didn't act like him.

I am convinced that my sweet little boy has to be in there somewhere. Every now and then I get a glimpse of that young man that was so polite, but all to quickly the alien rears his head back and bellows about how life isn't fair! He yells at me that I don't understand, that he hates me and that he doesn't want to be here anymore! I can't get rid of this alien, he holds my sweet little boy hostage inside of him somewhere.

I have an idea! Maybe if I can establish boundaries and lay down the law, but keep our dialogue open. Maybe, I can save that sweet kid inside. If I can patiently wait through the outbursts and teach this alien how to deal with all this emotion that he doesn't know how to deal with, maybe, my kind and loving child will emerge into a respectful amazing adult. If I can just walk him through this patchy time letting him know I will never stop loving him, I think, in the end, he might just be okay.

Dirty little freaks

There are some days when I look around at the families in our neighborhood and I wonder what goes on in their houses with their families. My children are independent and loud! They run around the neighborhood like a bunch of wild Indians. The rest of the neighborhood seems to hide in their houses all day. I don't usually hear from their kids or see any activity at all.

The wildest Indian of them all!

Maybe the reason that my kids are always outside is because we don't have any TV in our house. There were many days in my childhood where I would sit in front of the TV all day. I never really watched anything, but I did watch everything. I didn't really make the choice to not have TV in the house, it just sort of happened. When the analogue signal was turned off, we couldn't afford the converter box. Since we don't have satellite or cable, we have no reception. Therefore, we don't have television to vegetate in front of.

Water + dirt=mud! At least they know their math.

Another theory is that our house is really too small to have 5 rambunctious kids in and live comfortably. We are always bumping elbows and being general Space Invaders. There is lots of fighting about this or that and chaos reigns. What choice do I have but to tell them all to go outside and leave me alone!

This is actually a rare occurance for Vega. She never takes off her shoes!

In any matter, my children come home covered in dirt and all matter of filth. They have torn clothes and scuffed knees. The girls' hair is always flying all over the place and it doesn't matter that I just did it 5 minutes ago. When it comes down to it they are dirty little freaks. The funny thing is, they think that is the best compliment they have ever heard! I guess since I say it in the most loving way I can think of, they wear it like a badge. This is their theme song: Raise Your Glass. I love my kids' independent sense of self! The way they have confidence in themselves and know that they don't have to be like everyone else in the world.

I'm happy I have my beautiful kids and their messy faces and sense of adventure. If I didn't teach my kids to enjoy life to its fullest, I may as well just produce little Ken and Barbie clones.

But that is a blog for another day!

Allow Myself to Introduce.....Myself

When I originally started this post, I figured it would just be read by my friends and family. You know, the people that already know me. Well, I found out this is no longer the case. There are people from all over reading my blog and wondering who I am. Allow myself to introduce..myself.

I am Amanda. I was born a Robinson, but I will die a Watt. I came from a polygamist family of 13 kids. (My mom had 7 of them). Every single one of my brothers and sisters are a valuable asset in my life. We didn't always have the best childhood, but we made the most of what we had and we are all fairly good friends now.

These are my mom's kids, I can't find a picture of the rest of my family, but I love them just the same!!!

I met my sweet husband and soul mate at the tender age of 7. He was the first person I dated, the first (and only) person I have ever kissed and I have no doubt he will be the only person that I will ever be with. The best part is, all of that stuff goes for him as well.

He only has eyes for me!

I am 32 years old and I live in Eagle Mountain, Utah. This beautiful little town that I live in is just about the best place a person can live. The air is clean, the people are friendly, the neighborhoods are safe and everyone knows who I am. Being a substitute teacher for Alpine School District, I specialize in the Special Ed classes.

If there is anything to know about me, it is my love for children! I have a passion for kids with special needs and a desire to help counsel girls that have been sexually abused or assaulted. Thus, I am a student of psychology. I will soon have my Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a concentration in pediatrics. I will go on from there to obtain my Master's and eventually my Phd in Pediatric/School Psychology. The ultimate goal for both my husband and I is to open a ranch for girls that have been sexually abused or molested. We will be doing animal therapy on the ranch with a major focus on Equine therapy. It will be called The Return To Innocence Ranch.

Is there anything more innocent than that sweet face?

I have a lot of interests and things that I do in my spare time, but my main focus is my family. Everything I do and say is usually thought out and spoken with care. I spend most of my time teaching my children by example the way to being a healthy and happy adult. I calculate my interactions with everyone because I want my children to learn how to relate with other people. I am in no way perfect, I do yell at my children every now and then and my husband and I do get into arguments. The key is to follow through to the end and to show them that it is not possible to be good all the time, but it is possible to correct mistakes and to learn from them.

I really don't like to talk about myself, but I thought it should be known by all who they are reading about and the motives I have behind the interaction I choose to have with my kids and my husband. This will be my last boring post, I promise! I just had to get all the introductions out of the way so we could start on the meat and potatoes of what really inspires me... my own children.

My Partner in Crime

When I wrote my post yesterday, I realized that I didn't make any mention of my partner in all of this parenting. Since today is his birthday, I will devote this blog to my beloved soulmate and partner in crime. Tim Watt is one of the most amazing people that I have ever met. He is wonderful husband, an amazing provider, and most importantly, a super, excellent daddy!

Tim works hard at a job he hates, to provide a roof over our heads and food in our bellies. It is a huge responsibility to take on the care of 5 kids and a wife (luckily, I'm really a low maintenance person). He is so talented in his woodworking skills. If you want to view his stuff, you should check out his website www.lincolnfurnituredesign.com (I know, a shameless plug, but it is my blog). He isn't perfect by any means, and he will be the first person to tell you that. He is, however, perfect to me.

When it comes to parenting, we don't always agree. Me being a Psychology Major, I tend to try to find the whys behind the bad behavior. After figuring out the underlying cause, I use different methods depending on the behavior to correct it. Tim just tells me that I am looking for excuses and I just need to punish them. He always resorts to putting the kids hands on the wall, regardless of what they have done. (Putting hands on the wall is a type of timeout where the children must "assume the position" of a person being arrested by a police officer for a certain amount of time that varies for each child.) I prefer natural consequences and positive

reinforcements, but the way we work together is a great balance that, I think, works for our family.

It is so much fun to have my man home. When he comes home from work he doesn't just kick back and watch TV or anything like that. He makes it a point to find out how my day was and to see if I need help doing anything. There are some days (like last night) when he comes home and makes dinner. He likes to help me cook and it is one of the best things that we do together. He loves to grill and he also enjoys dutch oven cooking, (we compete together and win prizes! It is so much fun!).

We all sit down as a family and eat dinner. This is when the kids get to talk to dad and tell him all about what is going on in their lives. I believe this is a tradition that is not done enough in this hurry-through-it world. After dinner is when he gets to unwind and relax. He usually does this by watching a show on Hulu, (he tries to make them kid friendly until the kids go to bed), or by playing a few games on the computer. If we are running low on funds, he will go out to the garage and work on his furniture. There are some days that it seems he never stops working.

Weekends are the best with Tim around! He is such an adventurer. If we can't go camping or hiking or something else like that, we find a park so he can go coin shooting with his metal detector. This is one of the kids' favorite activities, because if they stick around, he always hands them what he finds.

When you see him, he seems a bit intimidating. I know there are many people that don't think he is the perfect specimen that I think he is. He is gruff sometimes and he doesn't like people to break through his shell. Only the kids and I really get to see the wonderful man that he is. The rest of the world usually gets to see this side of him:

To us, he is funny and smart. He keeps us stable and he keeps us happy. He is a rock in our family that we know we can count on. He does silly things that make us laugh, he is thoughtful and loving. I don't know what I would ever do if I didn't have him to help me raise these kids. Our family is whole thanks to the amazing man that helped to get it started. So, happy birthday My Love! You are the most wonderful person to have ever entered my life.

Time to Begin

I had a friend of mine tell me that she thought I should write my own blog. I am doing what she suggested and finally putting myself to it.

If there is one thing that I am constantly doing, it is parenting! Why not do a blog on something that I am doing everyday of the week, 24 hours a day. I know there a lot of you out there that can relate.

Hopefully, I am able to write a funny, insightful, and possibly exciting blog for all you out there that want to know what it is like to be the mother of 5 awesome kids that I had the joy *just slightly rolling my eyes* of having in 6 six years.

When they were babies, it was as scary as anything, I still don't know how I survived those early years. Now they are older, the oldest one is 13 and the youngest is 6, and I have a new

adventure with them everyday. Having independent children is more fun than the baby stage, but I still loved every second of my babies.

If I'm going to do a blurb on parenting, I may as well introduce you to my victims, er... I mean, um... children.

My oldest, Orion, is one of the smartest kids I know. He plays basketball, the saxophone, the clarinet and also tries my patience like you wouldn't believe. He is going throu

gh puberty which means he can change his mood at the drop of a hat. It also means that whatever he is feeling, he blames on me. He is 13 years old and is an amazing kid. He learns quickly and has so many ambitions it is hard to keep them straight. He loves to build and create, cook, and when he wants to be, he is the best big brother in the world! (Note the "when he wants to be" part.)

My next angel, *smirk* is Vega. Although, she is legitimately an angel. She was born with a genetic disorder called cranial facial dysplasia. She has a lot of severe disabilities, but it could be worse. She is able to walk, talk and sass, just like the rest of the kids. She is also going into puberty which is scaring me to death. I mean my other kids I can handle, but I'm not ready

for my Vega to hit that milestone. She is 11 years old, loves Batman, Superman and all manner of other superheroes, and she adores a new pair of shoes. She loves to draw, color, paint, or anything else that she can create with her own hands. She prefers it quiet, but rarely gets that. If you offer to let her sleep over at your house, she will be your best friend forever!!

Now for my middle child, Centauri, she is 10 years old going on 20. She has decided to take it upon herself to be the second mother of the household. (Whether anyone wants her to be or not.) She has the best sense of humor and can get a laugh out of anyone. Tauri is very shy, when it comes to meeting new people (or even doing new things for that matter) it takes her forever to warm up. Once she does, however, she takes complete control and turns into the leader

of the pack. She is very bright and she loves going to school. Her teachers have always had her helping tutor the other kids, because the way she figures things out in her brain is so advanced, they can't keep her busy with her own math problems. She excels in everything she does and I am so proud to call her mine!

My fourth child is the child that my mother said I would have as repayment for who I

was as a child. Ara, my 7 year old, will be turning 8 in about 20 days. She is exactly who I was as a child. She is talkative, outgoing, over-emotional and super whiney. She doesn't have as many social issues that I had as a child, but she suffers from the same know-it-allism that I had. She is so pretty with her amazing freckles and she has a great sense of humor. She is sensitive and loving and cares about every animal that walks within a 50 yard distance of her. Her heart is always open and she is loved by everyone.

Last, but certainly not least, is my whirlwind. If I had Rigel first, I would have done everything in my power not to have any other children. He is 6 years old and I sometimes don't know what to do with him. From the very beginning he has been different. He is not Autistic, but he does suffer from SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder). Which means everything he touches, hears, smells, tastes and sees is more intense than what we perceive them to be. He has a super nose that can smell a piece of candy being unwrapped in Japan. He knows the difference between the chaos of Wal-mart on a Saturday and the peacefulness of the Smith's on a Sunday morning. When he is hungry you may as well just run away screaming. He is also the absolute sweetest kid there is. He is so loving and kind. He is always thinking of ways to make his daddy smile.

As you can tell, all my kids have interesting names. I will choose to tell you all about how they got their amazing names for a day when my adventures get me nowhere. (You can just remind me later, I'm pretty sick of writing right now.)

I guess that wraps up my post for now, but look for some super exciting adventures to come next time on..... Adventures in Parenting!!!!!