A Day at the Park...

L'il Blue Eyes...

I love Maddie's beautiful blue eyes! She's my adorable angel!

All Smiles!

Finally, able to scrapbook a little bit! I won't even tell you what I have to do in order to scrapbook...work on the scrapbook page on the desktop, save it on some little gadget that plugs into the back of my laptop and then get on the internet...good grief!
But...my page turned out just darling...my perfect little angel is just adorable!

A Nice Article About Parents Who Play Favorites...Thanks, Dr. Phil!

Do you openly show favoritism to one of your children? Is your bond stronger with a certain child than another? Certainly, the less-favored child can suffer from your alliances, but you may be surprised to learn that playing favorites has a negative affect on all children in the home, including the “star” child.

When parents focus more love and attention on one child, all the children begin to feel that their parents’ behavior is unfair and unpredictable, which creates resentment and uncertainty. It also affects sibling relationships, leading to higher levels of anger and aggressiveness. The less-favored child carries around feelings of not being good enough, wondering, “What am I doing wrong?” This leads to low self-esteem, anger and acting out for attention, even negative attention. The favored child will begin to feel his/her sibling’s resentment, and may even begin to hate being treated as the special child.

Dr. Phil cautions parents who play favorites and show preferential treatment to one child over another. He speaks with his guest, Kim, who says she can’t help but feel a stronger bond with her middle child because she’s still in love with his father, and still mourning their divorce. Dr. Phil tells her that what she’s doing is toxic to all her kids. The oldest, who’s 14, is still looking for that “soft place to fall” and has felt neglected throughout his childhood. The youngest, who’s less than 2 years old, spends so much time with Kim’s friends, he’s begun calling them Mama and Daddy.

Dr. Phil warns Kim that being so dependent on her middle child can immobilize his development as well. “That’s not healthy for you or for him because it stops his independence; it stops his development as a child because he was born with a job,” Dr. Phil tells her. “His job is to make you feel better over the loss that you’ve suffered. So the child was born with a job … He’s got to be there. He’s got to entertain you. He’s got to comfort you. He’s got to nurture you … This is not healthy. Can you love a child too much? No. But can you love them in the wrong way? Can you use them in ways that aren’t in their best interest in the name of that love? The answer is absolutely yes. And I hate to see him pay that price.”

He tells Kim, “Your job is a mother of three. Are you a single mother of three? Yes. Is that hard? Yes. Does that put demands on you? Yes. Are you emotionally tired? Yes. But that doesn’t change your job

My Own Author Website...

My newest book is currently in pre-production right now. It will be a little bit different than my 1st book since I've been approved to have pictures inside this book. I picked some REALLY cute photos to include...mostly photos of London and Maddie since they're really the stars of my life!
I also have received my own author website...yay me! This way I can advertise on a much different level and reach more people and make new friends with other authors. My author website is www.publishedauthors.net/tiffanysueroberts/index.html
My book is on its way to completion...now I have to think of book signings and whatever I can do to promote my newest accomplishment. The possibilities are endless...I'm off to go think about it......!

It's Official...

It's official....I just got my contract via postal mail for my upcoming 2nd book entitled, "Heart of the Matter". It will be available in bookstores sometime this fall or early winter....I'm very excited.
And...getting merchandise ready to sell in my online store....http://LadyTiffany.etsy.com
Stay tuned for more info as it becomes available.....

Budgie Buddies...

London feeding the budgies (parakeets) at the new Budgie Buddies exhibit at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. It wasn't even open to the public yet, only school groups were allowed to get a sneak peek! London had a great time and the budgies ate all of the food he fed them!

Precious Gems...

London and Maddie....my precious gems!

Tiff, Maddie, Aunt Sandi, and Gram...

A family picture of my aunt, myself, Maddie, and Gram. If my mom had shown up we could have taken a 4-generation picture....we still need to do that though and then we can submit it to the local paper for publication.

Maddie and Jeanine...

Maddie and our cousin Jeanine. We had a blast staying at Jeanine's house and it was so nice to be with family and feel the love and support that comes with being around loved ones.

OMGoodness....

The manuscript for my 2nd poetry book is in the hands of my editor as of yesterday. I cannot believe it - I actually finished my book and sent it to my publisher! Finally, completion of a big project....it's such a nice feeling of accomplishment when you finish something like that. Especially, since I'm so busy with my two munchkins....how did I find the time? Try in between naps and while London was away at school...it's amazing the things you can do when you manage your time right.

We're off to the zoo on Thursday, April 30th. Mike and I are going too (bringing Maddie too of course!)because we are chaperones for London's class. The cool thing is that this trip to the zoo will be London and Maddie's 1st time to the zoo and they get to experience it together! That is SO cool. And yes, I will bring my camera with fresh batteries from the battery charger so as not to miss a single moment!

Finishing my coffee and waiting for my aunt and uncle to arrive from California.....ta ta for now.....

Oh Happy Day...

Sooo, it's Saturday morning and all is quiet. Maddie is taking her daily morning nap and she's sitting right in front of me in her bouncer allowing me to get some computer time in. Michael took London with him for the morning so I'm able to have a little bit of peace and quiet. It's windy and gloomy outside and it would be a GREAT day to head off to the gym. Michael gave me a gym membership for Christmas and I had to wait until now (with my Dr.'s approval)to be able to use it. WooHoo, I can finally get my body back after having 2 kids! However, I must say that I have already lost 23lbs of the 36 I gained with Maddie. I'm almost back to my pre-pregnancy size and then I can work on all the lbs I gained with London. Yeah, 5 years later and I'm still packing around the extra pounds. That's okay....I have a wonderful husband who had the foresight to realize I might (oh yeah!) want to get away from the kids for a little while and work off my frustrations.

Finishing my morning cup of decaf coffee and then getting ready for the day. I'm also heading to the library with my laptop in tow. It's SO much nicer and faster to use their WIFI at the library - I get so much done and don't have to wait for dial-up...I can't stand dial-up but you make do with what you have. I'm entering London and Maddie into a photo contest too and need to go to the library to download my photo onto their form.

Off to begin my day......

Maddie and Jaymie...

Maddie with her cousin Jaymie. Soooo adorable! Our family makes beautiful children! We are truly blessed!

Handsome Guy...

London enjoys just randomly posing for pictures...it was a color picture and I turned it into a black and white. He looks very handsome and he's growing up soooo incredibly fast!

Such a Pretty Day...

It's such a pretty day today. Maddie slept through the night and has been sleeping through the night all week long. Woo Hoo! You know what that means, don't you? I'm actually getting some much-needed sleep!

I'm waiting for the library to open today (they don't open until 10am)so Maddie and I can go and use their WIFI. I love to take my laptop computer to the library and use their high-speed internet for free! I can get twice as much done in half the time. Plus, it gets Maddie and I out of the house while London is away at school and Mike is at work.

I'm working on downloading all of my poems for my new book entitled, "A Window into my Heart". I've found a new publisher (actually they found me after I entered some poems into a contest in November)and they pay twice the royalties I was making with my other publishing company, and they pay for all of the publishing costs. Plus, they physically stock your book on bookstores shelves rather than the print on demand concept. So, I'm getting my poems ready to send to the editor.....that's always such a nerve-wracking thing to do....it's like putting your baby out into the real world and hoping they return in one piece and not damaged. I don't know how I've managed to finish writing another book while being a very busy wife and mom of two. Hmmm....maybe I am Wonder Woman after all and just never realized it!

Gotta figure out what to have for dinner tonight and jump into the tub while Maddie is napping! The all-important multi-tasking Mom is at it again! Haaa!

Smile Pretty for the Camera...

Maddie is such a ham! She just discovered how to smile last week and she smiles all of the time. She's such a happy and good baby....yeah, she's colicky at times but most of the time she's full of smiles! She smiles especially at her big brother London. She loves him so much and he loves her just the same.

A Father's Love...

I really enjoy the rare moment when I can capture Michael on camera during tender moments with our children. He and Maddie were just "vegging out" watching TV. Actually, he was watching TV and Maddie was taking the all-important nap!
He loves our children and we went through a lot just to get the precious two that we have now. We are truly blessed.

Maddie's 1st Smile....

Maddie's 1st Smile.....so glad I was able to be a stay at home Mom and capture this spectacular moment! She and London are my pride and joy!

Grammy and Papa...

Papa and Maddie....

So precious....my Dad with Maddie!