Still a child

Posted October 31st, 2007 by Mom | Comments (0)

Sometimes it seems that C has grown up. He doesn’t need me to get him a cup of water. He doesn’t need me to help him on his bicycle. C doesn’t even need me to kiss his ouchies (sometimes). Other times I am reminded that he is a little boy that needs me and that he still has lots to learn.

This morning we were on the way to preschool. I don’t remember what we were talking about, but C told me about something that he did and I replied, “Excellent!”

Sweet little C then asked me, “Mommy, what does ‘excellent’ mean?”

I almost started crying. So many times I have praised him with this word, and neglected to tell him what it meant. Hopefully he could tell by my tone and body language that it was a positive.

I replied that, “it means very good, terrific, wonderful.” C smiled and we went on to discuss his Optimus Prime costume for this evening’s Pumpkin Party.

Because I love you

Posted October 23rd, 2007 by Mom | Comments (0)

A wise lady once told me that when my kids become adults, they won’t remember (when they were children) if my home needed dusting. They won’t remember how often I vacuumed (or didn’t) the floors. They won’t remember if the bushes outside our home got trimmed every week.

What my children will remember is how I fixed their toys with super glue. My kids will remember how I sat and read them books. My kids will remember sitting “in the hole” (me sitting sideways in the big rocking chairs in their rooms with them wedged between me and the arm rest of the chair) snuggling while we read books. J will remember me getting him his asthma pill and warm sippy cup of milk at bedtime. C will remember me sewing the holes in his blue blanket. C and J will remember the songs I sang to them every night. They will remember praying at bedtime.

Here it is at 12.30 in the morning and the washing machine is going. I have cleaned the kitchen table and put the place mats where they go. I have loaded the dishwasher and set it to start in a couple of hours. I have packed their lunches for preschool tomorrow. I have taken several arm loads of toys upstairs to the playroom and straightened the playroom. I have checked on the boys and covered them up and given them more kisses good-night.

I have the rest of my life to dust, after C and J are older and in school every day. I want them to remember that Mommy talked to them, played with them, read to them, prayed with and for them.

For now, I will dust and clean after they have gone to bed.

Boys too tired to think

Posted October 23rd, 2007 by Mom | Comments (0)

It was raining today. Just like yesterday. It will probably be raining tomorrow as well. Given the weather conditions and the energy level of my 3 and 5 year old boys, I knew I needed to get them out of the house and running and playing soon or I would have to repair a lot of sheet rock in the house from them bouncing off the walls.

Therefore, I took the boys to the local air bounce/ inflatable jumping moon bounce place and let them burn off a few thousand calories jumping, running, laughing and having an all around blast of a time. I had fun too. Fortunately the place was almost empty and I played on the moon bounces with the boys.

It was my goal to wear the boys out and feed them a good lunch so they would take nice naps since B was going to take them out to dinner and a little shopping while I went out for girls night out at Lisa’s house. (Thanks, Lisa! I had a great time! Awesome dinner!!)

I knew I wore the boys out:

1. when C was looking for his blue blanket immediately after we got to the car; and

2. when we were in the car on the way home and J was talking, talking, talking (as usual) and then after a pause said, “what was I talkin’ about?” Fortunately at that moment I was keeping up with his rambles and reminded him of what he was talking about – though I can’t remember now what it was.

Words this mother doesn’t long to hear

Posted October 19th, 2007 by Mom | Comments (0)

“I found something (outside)! It’s small and slimy. Look!!

Turns out it was a white locust in the formation stage. Ugh!

5 year old logic

Posted October 19th, 2007 by Mom | Comments (0)

The boys found another worm. This time the worm was in a pile of dirt that J had dug up and placed in their dump truck.

C and J came to show me the worm. Again I told them that worms live outside.

C told me that worms that are alive “live up top” (above ground) and that “dead worms live under the ground.”  (Complete communication including hand motions.)

Hmmmm… Is that so?

The mind of a 3 year old

Posted October 18th, 2007 by Mom | Comments (0)

Just a suggestion – never leave a 3 year old unattended at rest time with a bottle of baby powder.

Sometimes I wonder what goes through J’s head. Other times I just shake my head and go on with whatever I was doing. No point in trying to understand.

Today after rest time, J came to me, obviously smelling of baby powder. This is not his usual aroma. His usual scent is a mixture of Avon’s pink bubble bath and freshly dug dirt.

J told me that he cleaned up the mess, but I have found that his definition of “cleaned up” is distinctly different from mine! I went into J’s room to find his yellow toy pickup truck and his green toy pickup truck on his window seal. Both trucks were filled to the brim with powder. I immediately thought that J must have recently watched a show about snow, or heard a story about snow – especially considering the “patches of snow on the ground” (carpet). Well, this is how my mind rationalized it. I went to find J to ask him why he covered the trucks in powder. J replied, “I wanted to make the tree feel better.” Tree?! There was no tree – real or fake in his room. Huh?!

J came in his room with me and either pointed to a spot on the window or outside to a tree (bush in the flower bed?). I’m not sure what he was referring to. It was going to take too many particles of brain energy to decipher J’s rationalization, so I just let it go and told him not to play with the baby powder. Remember, J had already “cleaned it up” in his opinion.

Also today, I had to remind J that worms like to live outside, and not in the kitchen. J said that the worm was his friend and that he was going to “keep him for a long time.” C was busy calling the worm, “wormy.”

After J took the worm outside, it must have immediately wiggled into the soft dirt. (Smart worm.) J came inside complaining that he still wanted to play with it, but the worm “went away.” I assured J that he could play with the worm next time he went outside. No point in overwhelming him with the fact that there are tons of worms in the ground and chances are slim to none that he will find the exact worm again. However, this is J and J might indeed find the exact worm again. Stranger things have happened – like baby powder making a tree feel better.