Blogger, mother, dreamer, swimmer, biker, runner, coffee-drinking mistress of silliness… all in exciting Kitsap County!
The other morning Joel asked, \”Mom, do we have french toaster sticks?\”
My reply, \”Nope.\”
Predicatably, Joel asks, \”Can you buy some?\”
I pulled out the standard line with the standard tired sigh, \”Joel, not today…\”
My commercialized son responded in such an inncoent, yet influenced way, \”But on TV kids can\’t wait to get \’em!!!\”
True, true… We didn\’t get the toaster sticks:)
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Joel wanted an adventure-style party this year. So we decided to go \”pirate adventure\”. We made a fun \”treasure map\” for the initation. It read:
Ahoy there ye maties, come if you dare! It\’s a shipload of fun for Joel\’s 5th birthday fare… Hunting for pirate treasure is part of the plan. Aye, batten down yer hatches — run as fast as ye can!
We burned the edges, rolled it up, wrapped it with twine and Joel hand delivered most - dressed for the part. He greeted his fellow maties with, \”Hardy me hardies!! Come to my adventure party!!\” He was so cute as he ran up to each door and delivered the \”maps\”!
2 cups o\’ coffee after 10 p.m. It\’s almost 2:30 in the morning and I\’m still awake… My alarm is set for 6 a.m. Tomorrow will not be a good day…
I should be sweeping. I should be emptying the dishwasher. I should be reading to my kids. I should pull weeds. I should take a nap. I should catch up on my scrapbooking. I should read more. I should get back to training for the triathlon and not scratch out this year. I should learn how to play the mandolin I\’ve had for 8 years. I should make pirate hats. I should play outside with my kids. I should put the meat in the freezer/fridge from our Costco trip. I should file my nails and pluck my eyebrows. I should finish the laundry. I should make the kids some lunch.
How can I read, blog, play with my kids, teach my kids, practice music, keep a clean home, be creative in my scrapbooking (just do ANY scrapbooking), exercise daily, tend to my garden, spend time with friends, sleep, and date my husband? I know I need to change some expectations, but I also know I want to fit it all in.
This is my summer challenge. I think scrapbooking is out until the fall…. I\’m off to sweep the kitchen floor…
It seems like is was a week of “guy time” for my husband and son. Last weekend they went to Boys Camp. For several years, some friends organize a camp for dads and their sons. This was Paul and Joel’s second year. Rumor has it (though no woman has crossed the bounds of this boy-only event) that upon arrival, the boys rush out of their vehicles and find their sticks. The entire weekend is a battle of ninja swords, guns, and any other kind of potential assault device. Amazingly, they come home safe and sound:)
While the boys were gone, me and my girl went shopping. I took Livi to Seattle and we hopped from shop to shop, enjoying a latte here and a latte there…. Ahh, the life! She enjoyed the hubub of life in the city. She asked about all the noises (”What’s that noise?!), and was particularly interested in the man with the bagpipe. The next day I devoted my time to cleaning a much-neglected bathroom, and rented a movie. Oh, I blogged abunch too!! I had planned to hang out with a girlfriend and her daughter (same aga as Livi), but I suddenly got task-minded and flaked out.
The boys returned and it took a few days for Joel to emotionally adjust to the civilized world. I think he’s come back to us - the haircut on Wednesday probably helped too:)
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Joel and Paul went with another father and son to a Mariner\’s game last week. It was just the dads and their boys. Joel and his friend has a great time (hot dogs, peanuts, they sang \”Take me out to the ballgame\” at the seventh inning stretch…you name it!), and my boy was wiped out by the time he got home (actually, both of them!)! It\’s a bit of a walk from Safeco Field to the ferry. Paul said Joel rode on his shoulders most of the walk back. Later this month, Paul will be taking Joel to another Mariner\’s game for his Joel\’s 5th birthday… he is becoming such a big boy!
We saw a crab - probably dead. I\’m chicken-mom and didn\’t check!
The tide is getting low! The water is shallow for quite some distance! It was a great day at the beach!
I called a good friend yesterday. I was seeking out advice from a more \”experienced\” mom, so I stepped outside the preschool-mom circle. Joel has been lying lately, and I am looking for a great way to deal with that natural inclination Truthfully, I\’m looking for a unique, even outstanding way. There are all the \”old stand-bys\” (time-outs, etc…), but both my hubby and I feel we need to really focus and seek out a different method. I wrote in my previous post that Joel lied to his teacher about peeing outside during playtime.
Yesterday, I caught him in a pretty bold lie abou his pb&j sandwich. He brought an empty plate. I asked if he had eaten all his sandwich, crust, everything… checked the TOP of the table. Yup, it was gone. I gave him great kuddos and praised him highly in front of the other moms and kids - I love to go all-out for the good stuff! At naptime, while cleaning, I found the 3-bites-eaten sandwich, below the table.
I called my friend. She had some terrific advice. I had thought about not letting our family go to our small group time, because Joel loves it so much, but she suggested a time-out AT small group instead. Whay have the family pay his consequences as well??? So… while the kids were-a-playin\’, Joel was a-sittin\’. I gave him 6 minutes. That was plenty of time given the atmosphere!
Another idea was using a \”trust cup\” as an example. Here\’s what I did. I got 2 glasses (Joel is particularly fond of the adult glasses), and filled one full with water. We sat at the table and I showed him the full \”trust cup\”. I explained that when he is truthful the \”trust cup\” is full. Then I demonstrated that with each lie, the trust cup grows empty. He did not like that. I demonstrated further that it takes many more truths to fill the \”trust cup\” than lies to empty it. He was pretty frustrated when the \”trust cup\” was emptied. I explained that today the \”trust cup\” is full (starting over) and encouraged him to try to keep it that way. He seemed pretty on-board.
I have a hunch the \”trust cup\” analogy will need to be revisited, but I am pretty excited about our moment this morning. He has an understanding of \”trust\”. He says, \”Just trust me!!\” when we are seeking truthful answers (and he is not being truthful). I believe the cup analogy is not above his understanding. Now, we need to take him to apologize to Mrs. Cindy…
Today was Joel’s last day of preschool. It’s not THAT big a deal - he’s going back next year. Yet, I was a little sad. Some of his buddies are moving on to kindergarten, and so are some mom-friends. Next year, there will be a different group of moms and kids checking in and begging to play at each other’s homes next fall. We’ll still see those friends, but not nearly as often.
Today was a bit of a marker day for another reason - Joel and a buddy were “busted” for indecent exposure this last day of school. He and his friend decided to go potty in the bushes at playtime, instead of using the perfectly good toilet in the schoolhouse… Those boys. His friend said they could go in the bushes because they were boys… it’s true, their anatomy makes it easy!! The bigger disappointment was Joel lied to his teacher about it. Teaching potty-appropriateness should be fairly easy to deal with, but lying is a matter of the heart. Those heart-issues require much dilligence.
Monday, June 28th, 2004 is Please Take My Children to Work Day. I think that\’s a terrific idea!!! What a hilarious, yet rational idea!
Jen Singer, creator of this ingenious holiday will
… present \”Where Are My Bon-Bons? Why At-Home Moms Deserve a Day Off\” at 10 a.m. at the Dancing Goat in South Orange, New Jersey. Pre-registration is required: Call Jen Zerres of the MOMS Club at (973) 701-8043.
Man, I wish I could fly to Jersey for the day! Maybe I\’ll try to organize a group…
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