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      November 27, 2018

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      November 19, 2018

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sibling rivalry

Sibling Bonding At Sea
ReviewsSchool Age DaysTravel

Sibling Bonding At Sea

by Jill June 19, 2015
written by Jill

When Carnival asked me who I’d like to take on a cruise before they sent me last month, I was obligated delighted to say, “My family, of course!” Then they asked me to write about how my children bonded during our trip. Soooo… I thought about lying, but this is the truth: my kids think annoying each other is a sport. And they are both very competitive.

Feeling festive on our Carnival cruise last month, we ordered up a coconut monkey, filled with a non-alcoholic colada while poolside.

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It was a hit! We, the World’s Coolest Parents, were rewarded by the sweet, sweet sounds of sibling rivalry.

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My bad.

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I’m the fool who dared order only ONE for the TWO to share.

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THE HORROR.

Fortunately… unfortunately (for the people around us)? I’ve reached the point of parenting these two that I’ve come to expect these reactions and can tune them out.

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That’s good, Kendall. Take one for the team and act like you like her. Leyna, we ALL know you don’t want him to touch you. EVERYONE ON THE ISLAND knows you don’t want him to touch you. Right, right, sand is gross. Uh huh. LOOK HERE! Smile?

Don’t be fooled, though. We’re not. We know that these two are fully capable of not only getting along, but actually enjoying each other’s company. We’ve tested this theory by completely ignoring them and forcing them to fend for themselves.

Survival is easier when your brother is able to help you get the cereal from the top shelf of the pantry, and when your sister lets you know when mom and dad are on their way to seize your tablet.

On the cruise, we had to find other ways to get the bickering to subside, since having them fend for themselves really wasn’t an option. (THANKS, EXCELLENT SERVICE EVERYWHERE.)

I hate to say they loved not having their baby brother there, but I think they loved not having their baby brother there. One parent for each of them at all times, which was only made possible by my generous mother who watched the 20 month old at home while we were gone.

(We’re totally going to have to come up with a better solution for next time, because we’re definitely bringing little bro when he’s a little older. Is it too much to hope the older two will be more civil to each other by then? Don’t answer that.)

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They especially loved when we did things with each one of them alone, and that was so easy to do just about everywhere, from excursions to back on the ship.

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Although, I think MY very favorite way to end the arguing was to simply drop them off at Camp Carnival for a couple hours. Okay, so we got some kid-free time to enjoy. But also, since they were in different age groups, they were in two different rooms the whole time, so they got a break from each other, too.

And once they were reunited?

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Well, at least they were able to bond over my requests for embarrassing pictures.

This post was created for Away We Go with Carnival, the destination for getting in the getaway state of mind. Head on over.

June 19, 2015 0 comment
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Happy National Siblings Day!
BabiesReviewsSchool Age DaysToddlers

Happy National Siblings Day!

by Jill April 10, 2015
written by Jill

ISeeMe Books has teamed up with me to celebrate National Siblings Day by sponsoring this post! They are giving away books and a sentimental piece of jewelry to commemorate the occasion. More info on how to win at the end.

You can choose your friends in life, but you can’t choose your siblings.

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For Scott and me, as parents, our goal is for these kids to grow up feeling like they chose each other as friends.

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Not that they were stuck with each other.

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I dream of a day when they are all of legal drinking age, and we have a family dinner. They all come home from college and work obligations. We laugh around the table. Share a couple bottles of wine. And then they stay up past the time Scott and I head to bed. They talk and laugh until the early morning hours.

They enjoy each other’s company. As adults, as siblings AND friends.

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Sometimes these are the hopes and dreams I need to hold onto, okay? Grant me a little cheeze in my life.

Because right now? They are very much in the “stuck with each other” phase.

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Like, we have to move Lowell’s carseat this weekend because he keeps kicking Leyna in the face. On purpose. While Kendall laughs in the backseat.

There are glimmers of love and bonding, though. They are fleeting, but there.

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It’s mostly when they team up against me and/or Scott. But parenting is all about sacrifice, right?

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Having survived the “stuck with” portion of sisterhood and come out the other side with 2 real friends, I know there is no secret trick to fostering those relationships.

It’s just time, and patience, and time, and growth, and a few bumps and bruises along the way, to be honest. Okay, and maybe some broken phones (can not count the number of cordless phones my sister and I broke throwing at each other) and holes in the wall. And more time. And separate bathrooms might help.

And perhaps a little assistance from mom and dad in the form of a reason to band together, which I think is something we can certainly provide- maybe already do. You should see the other two come the the rescue of the one that’s in timeout.

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Dec 17, 2014 at 3:16pm PST

ISeeMe creates gorgeous, high-quality personalized children’s books, including What My Big Sister/Brother Does Best, which they sent us to celebrate National Sibling Day.

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Leyna and Kendall each got one, and have enjoyed reading them to Lowell.  Leyna with my help, Kendall all on his own.

Kendall actually loves reading books to Lowell, and this one is right on his level. Leyna’s favorite part is probably that it not only has her (not very common) name in it, but also her picture.

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ISeeMe is giving away 5 runners up copies of these books and 1 winner will get a Grand Prize that includes a copy of the personalized book AND a Stella & Dot momento locket (with chain and engraving). It’s super simple to enter! Just HEAD HERE and share a photo featuring “siblings” (and hey, BFFs are totally okay, too!).

Good luck with the contest! And good luck keeping your kids from killing each other long enough for them to like each other. May the force be with us. Or wine. Whatever.

April 10, 2015 4 comments
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The StoryToddlers

Perhaps She’s Broken One Too Many Block Towers

by Jill October 11, 2012
written by Jill

A conversation with 4 year old Kendall:

Who’s your favorite mommy?
You!
Who’s your favorite daddy?
Dada!
Who’s your favorite sister?
Clint’s.

Clint is a kid at school. I’m guessing he has a sister who has never kicked over Kendall’s LEGOs.

October 11, 2012 5 comments
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PhotographyThe Story

The Way I View: Friendship

by Jill May 2, 2012
written by Jill

I know they have a long road of sibling rivalry and arguments ahead of them, but they’ll wind up good friends eventually, right? I mean, my sister and I used to throw knives at each other, and now we’re as close as two sisters can get. So, I’m hopeful they’ll have many memorable meals together as friends throughout their lives.

This was my April assignment for my Clickin Moms photo challenge. 

May 2, 2012 15 comments
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