Thank you

Two little words that make ALL the difference! I'm lying in my bed on the very verge of falling asleep when I hear my 2 yr old standing at his doorway saying, "wawer. wawer. wawer." (translation - "water.") You can't deny a child some water, so one of us, my husband or I need to get up and get the drink for him. And since we are out of dixie cups in the bathroom, that means a trip down to the kitchen. I get up. I stomp and sigh a little. I make my way downstairs and back up with a cup of water for Charlie. He has crawled back into his bed and pulled the covers up to his chin. I lean in and hand him the water and he says, "Ashu mom." (translation - "thank you mom.") Suddenly I don't feel like sighing or stomping anymore. That little thank you put me in a new frame of mind and put little grin on my face - until I got back to my bedroom where I saw my husband and remembered that he could have gotten up and gotten the water. But, then my husband says, "thanks hon." And once again I am transformed by the "thank you." I must remember this. The "thank you" is so important. I have so much to do around here today and we will be all pitching in to get it done. Perhaps the "thank yous" will get the kids motivated. Also I don't want to forget: -Charlie just put a wiffel ball in the oven. -Ben just brought me 12 cents and asked if it he had enough to buy a lego set yet. He's so damn cute, you know I am going to end up saying yes! I actually told him that a bunch of chores today may earn him what he needs to make up the difference. -yesterday at lacrosse camp pickup I find my older boys standing outside waiting for me and fighting over water, hitting each other with the lacrosse sticks and generally being fools. You know, depending on your frame of mind at that moment, a mom could say, "sheesh, boys are so crazy." and then tell them to settle down and ask how camp was. However yesterday, I was in no mood for the foolery and I doled out punishments and a lecture. They still owe me the lawn mowed, letters of apology and love to each other and they have to clean up each other's rooms. -Having just attended my brother's wedding this past weekend, some marriage tips have come to my mind that I want to remember to tell my kids, or better yet, teach them by example: 1.Say Thank you to each other often. I am not so good at this, but my husband is pretty good at it. I think because he likes when I thank him, and he wants to teach ME by example. Also he is just a kind person. 2.Go on weekly dates. We do. I like them a lot. I think it is necessary to keep the romance alive. 3.Many things are not worth the argument that they cause. Usually if one of you just stops arguing, the other will stop too. The arguments usually begin because one of you is just in a crabby mood. Wait for the mood to pass.