And I Was Desperate Enough to Buy a Book...

I'm not one to read self-help books. But I simply couldn't take it anymore. I sat at a stoplight, with home a mile ahead of me and the local Christian bookstore a mile to the left. Ryley was throwing a fit because I had turned off her kids' praise CD (which we had listened to three times in an hour) and switched over to Christian radio. After making my case and listening to her throw a tantrum in return, I glared at her silently in the rearview mirror, and then -- she actually had the gall to mock me. That's gall I never had with my mom and dad. So I flipped on the left blinker and headed toward the bookstore to buy a book I have heard a lot about in the last week: "Have a New Kid by Friday: How to Change Your Child's Attitude, Behavior, and Character in Five Days."

That was yesterday. I know the process isn't over, and we're bound to have more struggles, but the book could seriously be called "Have a New Kid by Tomorrow." Ryan and I are quite possibly the most skeptical of quick-fix solutions and self-help books. But so far, in the changes we've already implemented, we've seen a marked improvement in Ryley's behavior. We are believers!

It's funny how very similar this parenting method is to the dog-training methods we are learning about in Juliet's weekly class. Train a dog. Train a child. Little by little, we are regaining control over our household.

My mom and dad came to visit a couple of weeks ago. We had such a good time!! I am so appreciative of the close relationship we have with my parents. They are filled with such love and wisdom. :-)





Ryley lost her first tooth while they were here. It was quite exciting!



I finally got my vegetable garden planted, too. This was the first year Ryley actually took interest in the planting and wanted to help. She had honestly never looked more beautiful than when she was attempting to help me prepare the soil....







And before my garden was even 24 hours old, it had already survived its first hail storm! The weather has been crazy this past week. We had severe weather warnings (hail and/or tornadoes) on the Front Range for nine days straight. It kind of became a joke as to where the tornadoes would hit each day!





So with all the storm damage, my office has suddenly become extremely busy. Add to that the fact that my office is relocating on Friday, and Ryley's in dance camp this week and VBS next week and swimming lessons throughout the summer....It's shaping up to be a busy month of June!!

My magazine was released on Sunday. Yay! It's not perfect, but we are just so excited about it. There are so many delightful, helpful, practical, anointed articles for ladies of all ages! If you see me regularly and would like a copy, I have many to pass on! Just ask. :-)



Or, you can order one online. I am not responsible for the web site content at all, but please be blessed by what you read there (though it has not been proofread by me! ha!).

We went downtown on Saturday night to see the Disney Christmas Carol train (which we didn't end up waiting in line for), ride the bus up and down the rainy 16th Street Mall, and see the movie "Up." Fun family date. :-) I got the giggles during the movie and couldn't stop laughing! Kind of embarrassing. ;-)





I love these pictures of Ryley. We were sitting on the patio on a Saturday afternoon, enjoying our treats from the ice cream truck, and she was just talking to her daddy. She loves him so much!







Last week one day, an elderly lady stopped Ryan at McDonald's and told him how refreshing it was to watch him and his daughter have lunch together, look each other in the eye, and really talk to each other. It's true. Ryan's a wonderful husband and daddy. And in spite of the behavior issues of late, Ryley truly is a good girl overall. I feel really, really blessed. :-)