Four me (and you)

About Four me (and you)

I'm Hollie (aka 4Momma). I am a thirty something Mom convert. Convert, you ask? Why yes! Coming to peace with my role as mom and actually enjoying it was a hard-fought battle. In my BK life (before kids), I was a lawyer and part-time professor. After my oldest was born, I chose to stay home with her (and now her siblings) because it was something I wanted and needed to do for myself. Now, my job title reads more as ass-wiper, activities director, referee, and behavioralist.

I strive to be accepting and non-judgmental of all parenting choices and techniques. I believe none of us had any idea what she's doing, that we all just make it up as we go along. I also truly believe that kids are born who they are and that parenting does NOT solely determine who they become. I will try my darnedest to make my own four kind, independent, resourceful problem-solvers, but they will ultimately make their own choices about what they believe, what they want, what they like, what they say, and who they are.

4Daddy is a lawyer, too. He works his ass off so that our kids can have me home with them.

4A (circa de 2003) is an exceptionally bright, candid, and artistic girl, who just happens to be an Aspie (aka a child with Asperger's Syndrome).

4B (circa de 2005, exactly 17.5 months younger than 4A) is an overwhelmingly kind, sensitive, smart boy with a penchant for silliness.

4C (circa de 2007) is an insanely enthusiastic, chatty, fun girl with an exuberance for life.

4D (circa de 2010) is a super smiley, independent, cuddly girl who fancies herself much older than her true age. It is her lot in life to go with the flow, and she accepts that lot easily (thank goodness!).

Why this blog?

I'm blogging my four kids, myself, and YOU!

My kids, like yours, are growing up WAY too fast. I want a permanent record to remind them (and myself) that I enjoyed the heck out of our time together (for the most part). And, hey, if I can ever catch up on their scrapbooks, I'll have a timeline from which to work. ;)

I, like other SAHMs, long for a connection to the outside world that doesn't require me to put my kids in daycare or juggle work and kids in the same physical space (I tried that three different times in the last eight years, and NO ONE in this house was happy).

And, you, my friend...

Hanging in the circles that I do, I perceive a very real need for two things.

First, staying home with kids all day is HARD! We need easy-ish, cheap-ish ways to keep them out of our hair....er, happy. I fancy myself a creative, planning sort of soul, so I hope to inspire you to have some resourceful, mildly effortful, good old fashioned FUN with your kiddos. These ideas are what I like to call "quiet makers."

Second, raising a kid with high-functioning autism (4A has Asperger's Syndrome) requires a lot of effort. Social stories, good ones, are super hard to find, especially for free. I hope to provide some good ones here, along with some tips and tricks I've learned along the way. These stories, tips and tricks are easily modified to accommodate typically-developing children as well (like my 4B-D).

Enjoy! (And hopefully not while you've locked yourself in the bathroom with a cup of coffee for a self-imposed timeout whilst a toddler bangs away on the door, hollering, "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Is your timeout going okay?")

What are "quiet makers?"

Quiet makers are little things you can do with your kids to keep them QUIET and happy.

We do a LOT of crafts and activities around here, and I often use the web to locate just the right thing to do. I've learned over the years that there's a better way to go about things to achieve what we're really all after...peace and QUIET!

Quiet makers are things that my kids and I have tried and liked. Will you and yours like all of them? Absolutely not. To help you weed through, I will let you know right up front what you need to do the project in terms of time and supplies. I know cost can also be determinative these days, so I try to give suggestions for reducing costs when I can.

4C, 4 Momma, 4D, 4A, and 4B