What Weird Holiday Story Do YOU have?

Life with Sizzlers is just plain different. There’s no use denying it. They stand out, sometimes in ways we wish they didn’t. But more often in ways we love, even if others don’t always understand. When my kids were younger, it got to the point that I stopped sharing stories with people on the playground. I really felt bad for these other parents. They were trying so hard. They would tell their funniest children’s tale. Others around them would softly chuckle. And I would just nod and smile, knowing full and well that my Sizzler stories would top theirs in a heartbeat–either making them gasp or snort soda out their noses. Their kids did something mildly shocking about twice a year. I could usually pull something out of that day’s events.  Their children often said bemusing and sweet, even poignant things. My children’s activities often involving large machinery, ordinary dental floss and a wonderful exhibition of the laws of physics at work.

Many of you have been writing in saying, “Please-oh-please, create a place for us to share our fun holiday stories.” Not only do you. . . 

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Put Norman Rockwell Away

The holidays are coming. Are you excited? Full of anticipation? Or terrified.

For many typical families the holidays are simply a great change of routine.
They look forward to the many things that will be different during this season– a break with the daily standard.
But that very change of routine, along with odd hours, different foods, different sounds, different activities– these are the things that can unravel a Sizzler.

But take heart, there are two MAJOR things you can do to prepare both you and your child for the energy filled season that is to come.

And the Winner Is. . .

We’ve spent the last few days snortling, chuckling, grinning and snickering at the submissions for our “I Never Thought I’d Say THAT!” contest. I figured we’d all find something to laugh about. What I didn’t expect was just how often I’d look through the list of things some of you all have said and find myself saying, “Yep, I’ve said that too. Yeah, there’s another one. Whoa, just said that one a few minutes ago!”

It just goes to show you, while our kids may seem so unique as to be almost bizarre sometimes, more often than not, another family somewhere has been through the same thing.

So let’s do the countdown of the top ten winners to our contest.

Never Thought I’d Say THAT!

When you thought about becoming a parent, you proably expected you’d say regular things, normal things, things you might expect to find oneself saying.

Then. . .you gave birth to a child, maybe more than one, maybe a child or two who could only be described as unique, challenging, impulsive and surprising. And because of this you now find yourself saying things you could NEVER have dreamed of, things that never cross the lips of regular parents, things that when said outloud are either hysterical or horrifying.

We’re on a mission to collect them. We’ve asked parents to send in some of their best “I-Never-Thought-I’d-Say-THAT” utterances and we’re posting our favorites here.  Some are just funny. Some are so breathtakingly bad that I considered leaving them out. But doggonit, our kids truly do SAY such things. So for better or worse, I’m including them. As more come in, we’ll add to the list. Check back often. The list just may be endless.    

Mean Adults- Part Four- Final

This is IT. . .the last in our series about dealing with adults who are mean to our Sizzlers.

Thus far we’ve covered this topic from several angles.

We’ve looked at how to…
Change the Situation
Change the Sizzler
Change the Offending Adult

What could be left?

How about. . .

Mean Adults- Part Three

In this series about dealing with adults who are mean to our Sizzlers, we’ve discussed how to change the situation and how to change the Sizzler themselves. But what about the offending adult?  Is there anything that can be done there? 

Mean Adults- Part Two

We all love our highly distractible, full-of-life kids.  That’s why we’re here.
This is not a place where we even consider these kids as a defect in need of correction.

They are a delightful bundle of energy, destined to do incredible things in their lifetime.
But during these less formative years, their raw energy and gifts are still being refined.

And because they are unique, they are very often misunderstood and under-appreciated, even by the adults in their world.  

In the last mailing we discussed how to change the situation. 
Today’s email addresses the Sizzler themselves.

Changes in the Sizzler 

What are some things that can be changed in our Sizzler that might minimize the impact the grumpies of the world have on them AND the impact that our Sizzlers have on the grumpies?

Mean Adults- Part One

When you have a highly distractible, pinging off the walls kind of kid, it doesn’t surprise you that other kids can sometimes be a bit mean.
But what do you do when the prickly offender is an adult?
Say. . .

   a Sunday School teacher?
   a clerk in the store?
   a grandparent?

Then what do you do?

Mother’s Day Unedited

One of my favorite memories of my mother came when she was in the hospital…dying of cancer. We were rarely alone during her last days as many in our family would come and go. We never ever left her alone. So it was surprising to suddenly find myself alone in the room with her. And since I thought she was sleeping, it was also surprising to look up and find her staring at me.

I smiled at her, wondering what she was thinking.

But she just kept staring. What was going through her mind? Did she need something?
And then she said, “You know…of all my children…you are the one who looks most like me.”

I smiled again.

She continued to stare. Then…

Green Grass Syndrome

Having homeschooled now for over 15 years, I know what it is to always see greener grass in someone else’s classroom. We’re always sure someone else is doing it better. We’re always sure our children will surely lack something because of an item we’ve missed. We’re always sure there is something else we should be doing, but probably aren’t.

Take a look at a clip from a talk I did in Atlanta, Georgia. When you first see my face you may think…What is going on with this woman? Is she in pain? Is she giving birth?  And why can’t she find a better fitting jacket. Well…the jacket never improves much. But the pained expression does pass. It’s just my social marketing consultant’s idea of a funny place to do a stop-frame on my video. Push play as quickly as you can and it soon will progress into something less frightening.

So, if you enjoyed this video, then subscribe to my channel for future mayhem.