Text to my sister this morning:
Parenting classes really need to tell people that mothering is 93% holding your sh*t together while other humans don’t want what you want.
Truth is, I’ve been super humbled a lot lately and I’m trying to be mature about it. It sure would feel good to drop to the floor and cry about things every now and then. Maybe that’s why my boys do it so often. Maybe I’ll try it…..
(BLARGH! WHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYY???? THIS IS STUUUUUUPPPPPIIIIIIIIIDDDDDDD. I DON’T WANT TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!)
Awesome. That felt great. Good thing it’s nap time and I’m by myself. Or else that would have been somewhat embarrassing.
OOPS. Guess what? I totally spaced a September blog. Time to catch up! Back on track. Focus, Heidi. Focus. Crank that 2002 Justin Timberlake and get to work.
(Dance party)
OKAY. FOCUS. GOODNESS GRACIOUS! PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER, WOMAN.
Lazy Mom 101: Have both of your kids’ birthdays be within three weeks of each other, combine the events, and raise them to believe that birthday parties only involve having a handful of family members over for an easy lunch (which you would totally do anyway…). Hey, it works for us, and I’m going to ride it out as long as I possibly can.
Luckily, all Ben desired for a birthday party was some cake and at least one new train set. And Fred just needed a nap and a box. The fact that the box had some cool Mickey stuff in it was an extreme bonus. May they always be this easy to please, for this year totally exceeded their low expectations.
Yes, we have a 5 year old. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – he’s truly one of the most interesting people I know. His way of thinking changes my perspective quite a bit, and I’m learning to match his pace. After all, why would you change things that are going well? If you are content, why can’t you just be? If you like trains, why can’t you just play with trains all the time? Love your family deeply and be fine beating to your own drum. I can learn a lot from this kid.
Mom: “Come here, Love…”
Ben (snuggling in): “Awe……..thanks for calling me Love!”
Ben pointed out a man in a wheelchair as we drove by a bus stop. I explained how sometimes people need help to move around. Ben got very concerned that “It’s not working, Mom!!!” So I had to explain how he was waiting for the bus and didn’t need to be moving at that particular time…
“I told the police that I love TrackMaster.” Thankfully, they had an officer as a guest speaker at school that day.
Speaking of school, Ben has settled into life as a developmental kindergartner. It was a rough start – needing to be pried from the car in the drop off lane – but he has discovered that having a routine and life outside of home can be tolerable. In fact, I had to pull him out of school on Monday (did you know that ear infections can also give you rapidly spreading hives!?), and he actually told me that he missed school all afternoon. And then he was decently willing to go the next day. So that’s pretty huge improvement from yelling, “I HATE SCHOOL” and refusing to put his shoes on. Yeah, his mom was a teacher. That didn’t go well. But to my delight, he has mentioned several friends and routines at school that he enjoys. They have already gone on a field trip to a nursing home, and he randomly sings songs from school. He writes more (thanks, peer pressure!) and drops some serious new knowledge at the dinner table. It’s funny to hear him sing the months of the year and explain syllables out of the blue! So yeah, I’m optimistic at where this year is going. Here’s his picture from the first day:
I’ve also been really enjoying some quality Freddy time. Having Ben at school from 9-2 gives Fred and I the option of an adventure before nap time. (Sweet, sweet, nap time…) We’ve done the zoo, hikes, library time, lazy home time, play time at a community center, etc. It’s awesome to get one-on-one time with my spunky and curious Frederick.
Fred still loves to have a constant flow of a sippy cup and the comfort of Blanket. He remains a fearless climber and is continuing to grow his vocabulary. He is stubborn and likes to run. He is social but loves to have some quality time with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He still doesn’t converse much, but his first phrases or “WHEREITGO?” and “WHEREAREYOU?” are pretty darn cute. He can name animals and identifies all numbers and letters as “two”. The boy’s a genius.
MY BOYS!
Okay, I’m hoping this jump starts more blogging. We flattened the back yard and added a new-to-us playground. We also stopped a bat infestation. That’s worth an entry. And of course Halloween is coming up, where Ben plans on being a ghost for the second year in a row. Because if it’s not broken, don’t fix it!! Man, I love that kid.
Happy Thursday!