The Old Kearstin...

would've been a little disappointed that Adam went to a huge mall yesterday and came home with a Nike bag. The new Kearstin was so excited when she woke up to see an orange Nike bag next to Adam's bed side that she ran Jayden to school and hurried home to see what was inside. New sneakers, sweatpants, t-shirt and some new socks. I heart cute workout gear!

Parenting: A Month in Review

This month I have truly realized that no matter how perfect I want Jayden to act and behave, it's not possible. He is a 3 year old boy with more energy then anyone I have ever met. But that doesn't mean he can act out or not follow the rules; I have simply concluded that if we are at home or out in public he is not going to be a perfect little gentleman everyday. Here is our month of parenting in review:

1. The Nuknuk fairy. You may remember how the nuknuk fairy had made its way to our house. Well the nuknuk fairy went away without any nuknuks. For 3 1/2 days we lived without a nuknuk. At first, Jayden was doing pretty good (and I use that term loosely). During bedtime on the 3rd day Jayden woke up around mid-night absolutely screaming and bawling his eyes out. Nothing I, nor Adam, could do would calm him down and I mean nothing. He worked himself up so bad he was so red in the face and out of breath. It was almost scary. Needless to say, that night he got his nuknuk back. Why you ask? Because at about 12:30 AM a Polish woman came down to our door ringing our doorbell and knocking on the door. Finally, Adam opened the door and she started to scream at us (in Polish). It was a lose/lose situation. I didn't want to give in and give him his nuknuk but at the same time I also didn't want Adam to get in trouble with the team and have anymore neighbors yelling at us. Later that night when I was putting Jayden back to sleep (with his nuknuk) he softly told me, "Momma, I have been praying to get my nuknuk back. Thank you Jesus!" And after sleeping until 10 AM the next morning, he woke up and said, "Momma, that is so very nice of you to give me my nuknuk back. Thanks Mom!" In the end I felt like he truly wasn't ready to give up his nuknuk. It is the one of the only constants he has had in his life since he was born. When the time comes I know he will give it up himself but for now, the Lord and his nuknuk will continue to comfort him while he sleeps at night and for some reason, I am now ok with that.

2. School. Three different schools, in three different countries, in three years. Some people think we are nuts to change his environment so often and even more nuts when I enrolled him in school in Poland since we knew we were only going to be here for 3.5 months. To me, it's a opportunity for Jayden. He is able to play, learn and grow with kids all around the world. You'd be amazed of how well two kids can communicate with each other without speaking the same language. It is truly an amazing thing to watch. I brought up school this month because of Jayden's behavior at home. Jayden has been tested Adam and I more then ever. I was worried that he may be acting the same way at school. So I sat down with the only English-speaking teacher at his school and asked her to be completely honest and tell me how Jayden behaves. She told me that he is a very sweet boy. Sometimes he gets a little rough with the other boys but she said it is completely "normal" for a child his age (I totally don't agree with this but that's another topic). She did tell me that one day a couple weeks ago he had knocked down one of the little girls. I was mortified. Then she continued to tell me that he immediately helped her up and said he was so sorry so I guess I felt a little better. Lastly, we concluded our conversion as the following, "Well you know (way too long of a pause) he has a lot of energy! He loves to run around and play with all the balls! All the older boys love to play with him!" And just when I thought she was going to say something I totally didn't want to hear, she told me something I have known since his birth.

3. Reaction. When I don't react, he stops. When I react, he continues to misbehave. It's not rocket science but I swear it's been working. A friend of mine I met in Poland told me that when her daughter used to throw tantrums she wouldn't react, she would just ignore her until she was done. I decided I would give it a try. Sure enough, it worked. It was amazing. When Jayden is starting to melt down or throws a tantrum I try to ignore him. Once he calms himself down and a few minutes pass I then go talk to him about what just happened. He can then express his feelings to me without yelling or getting upset. I have noticed an improvement in his behavior ever since trying this method. It probably isn't the best parenting advice but it works for us.

4. Daddy time. Adam and Jayden have this unique relationship. It's like they understand each other on a totally different level then Jayden and I. Maybe it's a father/son thing or maybe it is because Jayden is an exact clone of Adam, who knows; but one thing I know is when Jayden has alone time with Adam (I swear Jayden gets sick of me) he comes home refreshed and rejuvenated. He always walks through the door with a huge smile on his face and can't wait to tell me what him and Daddy just did. This past Monday I begged Adam to take Jayden to dance class, not because I had something to do but because the first time I took him he would not let go of my leg or participate at all. Sure enough, I looked in through a little crack of the door to see Jayden dancing away and having so much fun! Adam has been making it a point to do something special with Jayden once a week and it's been great! I know Jayden really looks forward to those days and I don't mind getting a little reading in while their out and about!

That is about it for our Parenting: A Month in Review. It has been a learning month for both Adam and I but the Lord has been guiding the way. Even after a difficult day I know He is in control and will continue to offer His guidance and grace to help us overcome any rock in the road.

Menu Monday

Monday

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: Chicken Cheese Steaks with Harrington Potatoes

Tuesday

Lunch: Cold Cut Sandwiches

Dinner: Turkey Dogs and Burgers

Wednesday

Lunch: Grilled Ham and Cheese

Dinner: Sweet & Sour Chicken over Rice

Thursday

Lunch: Broth Noodles

Dinner: Homemade Calzones

Friday

Lunch: Hot Sandwiches

Dinner: Fajitas (yum!)

Saturday

Lunch: Chicken Quesadillas

Dinner: American Chop Suey

Sunday

Lunch: Pizza

Dinner: Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Corn

I can't believe it's the last Monday in March. Over the past month I have shared with all of you what we eat every night as a family. It is easy to see we are not the "healthiest" eaters but I have improved a lot since Adam and I first started dating. I try to make as much as I can from scratch and use little to no red meat, i.e., turkey meatballs, turkey dogs and lastly, I hate when food goes to waste so I try to re-use our leftovers to make something else (leftovers have been minimal this season because we have one of Adam's teammates over every night for dinner).

I don't want to make excuses but when we are in the states our weekly menus are much more of a variety. As you can see now, we eat a LOT of chicken and I will be the first to admit, I can get sick of too much chicken. I feel like I have so many more options in the states; such as shredded cheddar cheese, can soup mixes for casseroles, etc., it's the little things I miss which I am sure I could make from scratch but haven't set out on that adventure yet! I plan on continuing to work on more of a variety as well as more vegetables for the next few months when we get home. Hopefully that will carry on to next season wherever we may be!

Sacrifice

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary the word sacrifice means:

1. an act of offering to a deity something precious; especially: the killing of a victim on an alter.

2. something offered in sacrifice

3. a destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else

As humans we make sacrifices everyday; some little and some big. As a professional athlete, Adam has made more sacrifices in his 29 years of life then most humans will in their lifetime. But to him, that was his choice. He made sacrifices when he was younger to become where he is today.

So why am I talking about sacrifices? After spending 40 minutes of shooting (on a regulation hoop, with a small ball) Jayden was so frustrated. He was unable to make one shot while Daddy was making all of his. After a couple meltdowns, he had finally made one shot. He was so proud of himself. When we were talking about what had happened at the gym after he was having a hard time understanding why Daddy can make all of his shots and he can't. I began to explain to him the sacrifices Daddy made throughout his life to get where he is today. I explained to him that while some kids are sitting infront of the television playing video games, Daddy was outside practicing basketball.

Later that night Jayden and I were reading one his bibles and talked about how Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice (in toddler terms). We ended reading his bible and said some prayers. He proceeded pray that everytime he misbehaves or mistreats someone he hopes Jesus will forgive him. It was just about the cutest thing I have ever heard. As much as I feel Jayden "kinda" understands about sacrifices, I really don't know he truly understands why we make sacrifices or why Jesus sacrificed Himself for His people. We will continue to work on explaining to Jayden why Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for us and how He restored the pathway for humanity to come back to God.

In conclusion, I ask you, what sacrifices do you make? Do you make sacrifices that benefit others more then it benefits yourself? What sacrifices can you make today to strengthen your relationship with Jesus? Don't forget who made the ultimate sacrifice for you!

My Dream of being a Stay-At-Home-Fashion-Mom...

just came true! You may remember this post about being a professional basketball player and longing to be a fashionable stay-at-home Mom. Adam receives countless packages from numerous companies of clothes, shoes, gear, etc, due to his profession. However, since I am a stay-at-home Mom I feel like I should be able to go shopping for clothes since I don't get any "free gear" for my job.

So how did my dream come true? Adam is close with Dirk's Nike Representative who is based in Germany. He is an extremely nice guy so Adam asked him if he would send something for me next month instead of him (how sweet is that?) Last night Adam said had a surprise for me! I had no idea what it could be but as soon as he came out of the locker room I saw 3 packages with the word "Nike" on the packaging label! Of course I couldn't wait, so I ran home to open the packages! They were full of workout gear and a pair of the newest Nike kicks! It totally made my dream of being a fashionable stay-at-home Mom come true! I don't care if I never receive anything else in my lifetime; this one shipment was plenty!

(I can't wait to post some picture; who ever thought workout gear could be so cute)!

Soup Noodles

At least once a week we have "soup noodles." It's Jayden's favorite meal and if you asked him what he wanted for lunch or dinner he would say "soup noodles!" Some of you may be wondering what "soup noodles" are. To be honest, I have no idea what they are but we absolutely love them!

Shopping List

No. 5 Spaghetti

Knorr Bouillon aux Herbs et a l'huile d'olive

Why in French? Because we had stocked up before we left France last year to bring them back to the United States and now to Poland. Basically they are bouillon cubes with herbs and olive oil. We use the Knorr brand but other commons brands are Oxo, Kallo, Hormel, etc. I am not sure what is available in every country, but they are very common.

Directions

Prepare spaghetti according to box and simply add 2 or 3 cubes to the water. When the noodles are done place a bowl underneath the strainer to collect the "broth/water." Fill your bowls up with spaghetti and lots of broth and have fun slurping!

Menu Monday Cont.

Adam is finally home this weekend so I had to plan meals through Sunday this week!

Thursday

Lunch: Calzones with Chef Salads

Dinner: Soup Noodles with Grilled Ham & Cheese

Friday

Lunch: Cold Cut Sandwiches and Tuna Salad

Dinner: Metropolis (our favorite Italian joint)

Saturday

Lunch: Chicken Quesadillas

Dinner (pre-game meal): Egg Noodles with Italian Chicken

Sunday

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: Turkey Burgers and Potatoes