Another First Day of Preschool

This isn't my first time dropping my kids off at preschool. In fact, today was J's fourth "first day" and M's second. Still, with four first days already under my belt, today was a little emotional for me. As excited as I have been for preschool to resume, it's another milestone - a reminder that my kids are that much older, that much bigger, and that much closer to being smarter than me.

I have to brag - my kids did great at drop-off today! M was a little hesitant at first - okay, so she ran away from the classroom while I hung up her backpack. But once she realized she'd dropped her kitty cat and came back for it, one of the teachers was at the door with a big smile, inviting her in. That's all it took - in she went, then found a puzzle to play with, and I was off to check on big brother. J had already walked up to his classroom, and he knew I'd be there shortly to check on him and say goodbye. When I peeked in, he'd already found his seat and was writing his name on his coloring page. He looked a little sad and his shoulders were sagging, but he perked up when he saw me, and after that got to work on coloring the letter A and pictures of "a" things. I guess he was back to normal pretty quickly, as he got in trouble on the first day of class. Just normal boy stuff - and I've been assured by the teacher that it's normal, first-two-weeks-of-school behavior. But I'm still allowed to fret a little bit. It's my job.

OK - now to the good part - more pictures!

Miss M was ready to go - her backpack was filled up, and was heavy, but she insisted upon wearing it. It's just a stage - we are going through it for the second time. Thankfully, it won't be that full every day - we had to take her special snacks to school with us this morning, so they were packed inside. Maggie was very upset on the way home that there wasn't a sippy cup in her bag - they took their own cups to the toddler class last year, so that's what she's used to. However, she's a big girl now and they use real cups in the two-year-old classes!



Mr. J was also anxious to load into the mommy-van and get to school! He was so good while I was snapping a few photos this morning - even doing his best to not squint in the morning sun. I tried the "keep your eyes closed until I say three" trick - he listened on the first try, and it worked! I think what I should really do is find a better spot for pictures. He's usually very squirmy when it comes to pictures, but this morning was a breeze. I guess he's passed the "squirmy" title on to Miss M.




This is my little man doing his homework. Yep, you read that right, homework on the first day. This evening, we worked on his "All About Me" booklet that he'll be sharing in class next week. I learned some new things about Jonah - his favorite color is now green (a change from yellow - but he still wants his bedroom walls to be yellow), his favorite book is Bible verses (then why have we been reading the Richard Scarry Dictionary at bedtime all summer long?!?), and he is afraid of monsters that come in his room (I always thought it was the auto-flush toilets in public restrooms - he hates those). I enjoyed helping him work on the booklet - from tracing his hand for the cover to writing out his answers and letting him copy them into the booklet. I was very impressed by his determination to write in all of the answers himself - even the long ones! I was also very proud of him for drawing the family portrait, when I can tell that he's not as confident about his artistic skills. However, we do know that he can be quite creative when he wants to be (see this post for an example).

I have one more cute story to share - this is how I knew Miss M had a wonderful first day. Last year, she was clingy at drop-off, and would often cry when I would come to pick her up - that, "Hey, you left me here! But I'm just now realizing it, now that you are here to pick me up, so I'm going to cry even though that was three hours ago" cry. Today, she was so busy playing with a shape sorter that she didn't even notice I was at the door. When she finally did see me, she shouted, "Mommy! My mommy! That's my mommy!" And when I picked her up, she wasn't clingy - she told me that she had painted, showed me the picture she colored, and then gave her teacher a goodbye kiss. I was so proud of her - and yes, a little emotional, too.

Creative, isn't he?

Here's a quick snap of Mr. J with some of his favorite toys - Kid K'Nex. While they come with an idea book - his sets can make boats, cars, bugs, and more - my guy got more imaginative this particular day. This creation is called a "booger buster."

According to the demonstration we were given, you have to rock it back and forth. I don't know much more about how it operates - nor do I think I care to. But, Mr J was mighty proud of this particular creation, so it warranted a quick snap and a quick post by a proud, though somewhat puzzled, mama.

Drought

Not talking about the weather, but about my lack of posting. Unfortunately, I haven't really felt very inspired lately. It's not that we haven't done anything blog-worthy - we have had visits with the grands, we have been geocaching a couple of times, and Jonah even ate steak without complaining one night! (I know - pinch me!) However, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with lots of "stuff" to do right now - about 3 more busy weeks to go - and my enthusiasm is waning. Not to worry - I expect I'll be back soon. There are dental visits (ugh!), the first day of a new preschool year (bittersweet!), and surely lots more fun things to blog about. There will be more photos, too - I have 4gb of them to clear off of my memory sticks, so I certainly have plenty to share. For now, though, I am taking one thing off of my "to do" list, and getting through the next few weeks before I pick this one back up.

All I want for Christmas is a GPS

Mister J and I tried something new today - geocaching! It's a modern-day treasure hunt game played - literally - all over the world. We joined some church friends for our first attempt, and had lots of fun. The best part about it - almost anyone can do it! Since we don't have a GPS unit, we can't do it on our own yet, but I guess you can figure out what we (well, I...) want for the next gifting occasion. I'm always looking for fun things to do outside since I'm not a naturally outdoorsy girl, and this fits the bill. I really think it'll be a great family activity for us, especially since Mister J is so interested in maps, and can't wait to introduce Big J to geocaching. Miss M isn't quite old enough to understand it yet, but that'll come soon enough. So, one brief expedition and two geocaches later, I think I'm already hooked. Now I just need a GPS.... Special thanks to the G family for letting us join them in the hunt this afternoon!

Dough-NUTS!

I have a cute little story to share from church this morning. It seems there were a few doughnuts left over from this morning's fellowship hour at church, and someone was kind enough to send them up to the nursery, presumably for the staff, but perhaps for snacktime, too. My little man and his baby sister were in the nursery during the 11:00 service, so they were each set to benefit in a tasty way from someone's generosity. As the snack was being served, Mister J told the nursery workers that Miss M could NOT have a doughnut because "she can't have nuts, she has a allergy." Cute, eh? Doughnuts. DoughNUTS. Must have nuts in it, right? He was so insistent, in fact, that Miss M did not get one - she had goldfish while everyone else ate a doughnut (poor thing!). The nursery staff recounted the morning's events when we picked the kids up, just to be sure they weren't about to cause Miss M to have an allergic reaction over a doughnut. Apparently, Mister J was very insistent!

While quite humorous, of course, I am also charmed, once again, by my sweet boy watching out for his little sister. For all the times I wonder if he's really listening to me, let this be a reminder that as long as he's remembering the truly important things, perhaps I can take it a little easier the rest of the time.

Two things!

Well, I still haven't remembered what I forgot, but I do have two little nuggets of wisdom-gained-through-experience for you tonight....

Nugget #1:
Miss M doesn't like to have her hair washed, and I can't (for whatever reason) get her to look up at the ceiling when I rinse her hair. So I tried this trick a while back when we were visiting my Mom, and Miss M thought it was pretty fun. I washed her hair "beauty shop" style! I knelt by the side of the tub, held her "football-style" cradling her head in one hand (over the tub, of course), and used the other to wash her hair. I used a plastic cup to pour the water over her head, and it stayed out of her ears and eyes. I've refined it a bit since then, sitting on the kids' stepstool or side of the tub and letting Miss M lay across my lap - she's quite a bit to long for the football hold, but when you are improvising.... Either way - it's much better than pouring water over the head of a screaming 2-year-old who is flailing about and trying to climb out of the tub because she hates having her hair washed!

Nugget #2:
We've all heard how kids are supposed to use fluoride-free toothpaste until they learn to spit it back out, but how do you teach a kid to spit out that sugary-sweet toddler gel? To a kid, it must be like liquid candy, because I have found my kids sucking it from the tube when I thought they were napping (we now store it out of reach in another room....). Did you ever notice that those baby and toddler gels don't make any bubbles? Besides the sugary taste, those gels also contain simethicone. You remember simethicone - it's the main ingredient in the drops you give babies when they are gassy. Well, the simethicone keeps the toddler gel from making bubbles, so what's there to spit out, really? Quite a while back, I found a children's fluoride-free toothpaste without simethicone made by Tom's of Maine. Once we switched to this toothpaste, I explained to J that he needed to spit the bubbles out - viola! The next time we went shopping for toothpaste, we picked out one containing fluoride. That was about the easiest transition ever - J thought it was cool to have bubbly toothpaste like Mom and Dad! The kids both like the flavor of this toothpaste - also a plus - and for some reason they don't actually try to suck this kind from the tube (yet another plus!). I've tried it a couple of times with Miss M, but she's not quite ready to spit the bubbles. No worries, though, since it's safe for her to swallow. I also like it because I'm using an all-natural product. Best of all - the dentist was glad to find out that J was using a fluoride toothpaste earlier than most kids his age - I must admit I was quite proud of that!

Totally bloggable, but....

I don't think my Mom-nesia will ever end. I came up with a great tip I wanted to share today (I was even thinking of submitting it to parenthacks.com if it wasn't already out there), and before I could get online, I forgot what I wanted to post. Granted, it's been at least six hours since the idea popped into my head. Dinner has been served and cleaned up, children have run amok and been brought back under control, children were later put to bed, ice cream was made and eaten, work was finished (thank goodness for work-from-home, flex hours), emails were read, and more. No wonder I forgot!

I shouldn't really be surprised by forgetting. It happens a lot. I know I haven't surprised any of you. I like to think I can be Martha in the kitchen and the craft room, and I am pretty good with a hammer and a drill, but remembering the day-to-day stuff just isn't working for me right now. There are many times I've thought of something bloggable while driving between points A and B, or I've been trying to go to sleep at night and a post pops into my head fully-formed. Problem is, I can never remember it long enough to actually get it on the blog.

Before I was a mom, I would wear Post-Its around to help me remember things (this was when I worked in an office, and the strange looks I'd get from others would remind me that I was wearing a Post-It). Alternatively, I'd write notes on the back of my hand. Can't have the kids pick up that habit - there are only so many times you can say "Mommy had an accident with a pen" before the kiddos figure you out....

I never imagined I could blog about my lack of topic. If I should happen to remember what I was originally hoping to post, I'll make myself a note - if I can find a Post-It.
(Haha - get it? If I can find a Post-It, then I'll be able to post it - definitely tired mommy humor....)

Shakin' Things Up!

Every mom knows that kids who play hard take great naps. That's exactly what I had in mind today when we made ice cream! Yes, you read that right - we made ice cream. The twist - and the reason your kids will nap well afterwards - is that instead of using an ice cream churn, we shook it up. It didn't take long - but you will me amazed how much energy it takes to shake your soon-to-be ice cream for 5 minutes!

Here are the kids, hard at work - before they let me take over:













And, here are the kids tasting the final product:













I learned a couple of lessons during the process:

1 - Be prepared to do some (no, a LOT) of the shaking yourself (but you won't earn a nap....)
2 - Dig out the mittens from last winter before you get started.
3 - Homemade beats store bought - especially since this was so easy!

The recipe? Did you want the recipe? Oh, okay.....
(By the way, I got the recipe from FamilyFun.com - I watched the video first, and you can get a printable version of the recipe, too).

For the ice cream, you'll need:
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 small (quart-sized) zipper bag

For the "shaker" bag, you'll need:
1/2 cup kosher or rock salt (we used kosher)
ice cubes
2 large (gallon-sized) zipper bag

Prep time: less than 5 minutes; Shaking Time: 5 minutes; Yield: 2 servings

Pour the sugar, half-and-half, and vanilla extract into the small bag and zip closed (squeeze out most of the air, but not all of it). Double-bag the large bags, and put the small bag with the ice cream ingredients inside. When you are ready to start shaking, add the ice (I filled it a little more than 1/2 way) and the salt. Close the bags and shake for about 5 minutes, until the ice cream is a little thicker than soft serve.

We did not add any toppings to the ice cream - I'm a big believer in trying it "as-is" the first time. You shouldn't get any complaints - it was fantastic!

I doubled the recipe to make four servings. I did not increase the portions within the small bag - I made two "shakers" and then shook each recipe-worth of ice cream individually (it is possible to do all of the shaking yourself....). By the way, I highly recommend double-bagging, and I also suggest using store-brand bags. I used name-brand bags, which got torn, so in any case you probably won't be able to use them twice.

We will be making this ice cream again, and I will update this post if we come up with any good variations on the original recipe. Hope you will try it - it's great fun, and a great way to cool off on a HOT summer day!

Big Words

Ok, so we haven't exactly taken away the paci yet. Miss M has passed her 2nd birthday, I know the dentist will be unhappy with me when we go again in August, but I just can't do it yet. We have cut it back to naptime and bedtime, and I'll eventually cross that next milestone. In the meantime, Miss M has gone from asking for her "paci" to sometimes calling it her "paci-fower" - which, in Maggie-speak, means "paci-flower." Cute, eh?

Convo with the hubby

Sometimes, I'm just tired. Even with afternoon naps the past two days, I'm still feeling the effects of "vacation" - hence this exchange from last evening. I hope you see the humor in it that I did at the time (and, well, still do!).

Husband: Hey, can you help me take out the trash?

Wife (me): Um, I just put the kids to bed (by myself).

Husband: You helped make the trash.

Wife: Yep. And you helped make the kids....

Needless to say, I didn't get up off the couch.

Enjoy - at our expense ;)

Ewww.....

There are times that I want to just say no - flat out no - to some of my kids' experiments. But, I am always reminded by my husband (or his voice in my head) that as long as the kids aren't hurting themselves, what's the harm? Obviously, he's not the Type A of the family.

As we sat down to dinner this evening, after a looong ride home from the beach, there wasn't much to choose from - soup, sandwiches, watermelon, grapes, milk. We had stopped by Costco on the way home for a few essentials, but otherwise, the cupboards were bare. I offered my son a soybutter and jelly sandwich, some soup and crackers, or a grilled cheese. He decided that none of these was what he wanted. Instead, he asked for a soybutter and cheese sandwich. ICK! As I began to explain to him why it wasn't a good choice, I got "the look" from my husband. So, with as straight a face as I could muster, I made the soybutter and cheese sandwich as requested (cheese on top, cut into dinosaurs) and put it on the table. My son ate the whole thing, even the crust. I wonder if he did that because it was actually good, or just to prove a 4-year-old point of some kind....

Sun Fun 2008

We came to the beach for a wedding on Saturday night- the first one we've attended as a family. The kids thought it was super fun since it was ON the beach! You wouldn't believe the number of bathing-suited onlookers! We made the trip into a week-long vacation, hanging out with lots of Grandma R's family - cousins, aunts, uncles, and 4 dogs!

Among the pictures from the evening of the wedding, Grandpa R snapped a few shots of us - here's a family photo that you might see again sometime!



Plus, Grandpa H and MeMaw rode down on their motorcycles to visit the kids on Sunday (well, us too!) and played with the kids in the sand. Check out Grandpa in his motorcyle gear! They had great weather for the ride, and we had a beautiful day for some fun on the shore!

Of course, no beach trip would be complete without some sandcastle building! Here's MeMaw helping the kiddos out with their first creation of the week -


And here, you see Mommy and Daddy getting in on the action - reliving their childhood, perhaps?



Beach fun isn't all about building - sometimes, it's about digging (or walking on the pier, or flying a kite, or eating a sno-cone, or playing in the water). Check out the "pool" that Mommy and Daddy made for the kiddos! They played in one that some kids had vacated, and really enjoyed it, so we made one for them the next day. I did not realize how much digging was involved....

Thanks to JD for the shovels, and the above photo, plus these two of my cuties:



Thanks to Margaret and Roger for the great "excuse" to vacation at the beach (Best Wishes!!!!), to Aunt L and Uncle D for having us for the week (and feeding us!!! and for the sno-cones!!!). I - not being a "beach person" - am so surprised by how much fun I had, and how much I'm looking forward to our next vacation at the beach!

Busy, busy summer

Wow - I'm in blogging withdrawal! It's been a whole week since my last post, but we have been SO busy! Last weekend, we went down to SC for a family reunion. This week, we have been at church every morning - I've been helping with Extreme Makeover: Nursery Edition and the kids have been hanging out with the youth volunteers. I felt like they deserved some extra-special kid time for being such troupers while I helped out with painting prep and other Makeover-related tasks, so Tuesday afternoon we pulled out the water hose, kiddie pool, and yard sprinkler for loads of backyard fun. Daddy was able to join us for a while after he finished up with work. In the end, we were all soaked - but smiling! As much as I'd love to have a picture to put up with this post, I was having too much fun to run inside for the camera. I'm trying to remember that living in the moment is just as important as capturing it on camera - and sometimes even more so. Now that I know how much fun it can be, we'll be pulling that pool out again - and perhaps next time I'll get a few snapshots to share!

Pretty Colors

(Mermaids, seaweed, and starfish, oh my!)

One more Mommy Milestone down - I painted with the kids! As many of you know, I am summer camp this year, so I've got all kinds of arts and craft supplies for the kids. You might also know how fearful I am of the mess-making potential of paints and markers (my kids can be sneaky and fast). For this art session, we used card stock, tempera paint, and stamps to make some jungle and ocean pictures, and we even mixed the colors to make some new ones! J especially liked seeing the new colors we made.

We have had quite a busy summer so far, so we haven't had art time as much as I'd like, but I anticipate more time once things slow down later on in the month. The kids had a great time with this project, and so did I, so we will certainly break out the paints again soon.

(I didn't get the best smile here, but he really was having a good time)

Celebrating Number Two!

I know you have all been waiting for the party update - and perhaps some pictures to go along with it, so here goes!

M absolutely LOVES to play in her sandbox - which happens to be the same turtle sandbox that my sister played in when she was a kid. You know, the big plastic kind with the lid. Yes, we still have it (a true testament to 1- my family's inability to throw away something that may be useful again "someday" and 2- the truth to the statement that plastic will not break down for millenia). But I digress....

M LOVES to play in her sandbox, so I decided to expand that idea a little bit for her birthday party and have 3 sandboxes and some other fun outdoor toys - it was Extreme Playdate: Birthday Edition! I used 2 small plastic kiddie pools, 200 pounds of sand, 5 sand pails , 4 super-duper shovels, 3 gigantic pinwheels, 2 track-making toy trucks, 1 gigantic beach blanket and more to complete the theme.















It was just a little bit warm outside, and as morning moved into noontime, our shade quickly disappeared. We had plenty of drinks on hand (40 juice pouches, 24 bottles of water, and four 2-liter drinks, to continue the counting theme....) to keep both kids and parents cool, refreshed, and happy. See that smile on our youngest party guest?




















After some light snacks, we got down to business - time to blow out the candles and cut the cake!















See that birthday cake? Made by Grandma RL, it's the famous turtle sandbox in miniature! By the way, that's not really sand. Now, take a close look at the pink bucket on the table - the one that barely made it into the shot. For two birthdays in a row (yes, for those of you out there counting, that would be both of Miss M's birthdays) I have provided a non-traditional sort of cake. My Mom thinks you have to have something to actually cut, so she provides the baked-in-the-oven sort to complement the party theme. Again, I digress.... That pink bucket holds my creation - Sand Cake! It was loads of fun to make, and yummy, too (not just patting myself on the back, there, either!). It, too, was made with "fake" sand - aka Vanilla Wafers pulverized to sand-sized bits by the food processor. Hooray for small kitchen appliances!

To all the folks who had cameras at the party - if you have a family shot with no eyes winking and fingers pointing, could you email it my way? I know there's no way to make my hair look any better (in addition to hot, it was also humid...). For those of you wondering, my kids really can't sit still for pictures. J will either wink, give a thumbs up, or cut his eyes away at just the "right moment." M will wink, reach for the camera to "see it" even though you haven't had the chance to snap the shot, or just generally wiggle and try to get away. It's like trying to photograph that crazy squirrel from Over the Hedge.... If anyone did get the "miracle shot" though, would you email it to me?




















Maggie is great at blowing out the candles, but instead I decided to include a shot to show you how much Miss M enjoyed the "cuttable" cake (and prove to you that it wasn't really sand on the cake!).

Finally, some shout-outs to the folks who really helped make the day extra-special:
Grandma RL and Aunt L - for helping with the day-before-the-party shopping and other prep work, especially the turtle sandbox cake
Grandpa H and MeMaw M.A. - for making a (long) day trip to come and celebrate with us (can't wait to see you at the beach - and see the new bikes)
Grandma and Grandpa R - for also making a (long) day trip to come and celebrate with us (by the way, J wants to come and play on your swingset soon - he forgot to tell you until you were already driving away!)
Of course, all of our friends - our local "family" - who came to celebrate with us. In the hustle and bustle of the party, and of daily life in general, I know we don't tell you often enough how much each and every one of you means to each of us. With our parents and siblings living so far away, you truly are family to us. We are so thankful that you are a part of our lives, and treasure you so very much. Thank you for helping us to celebrate another milestone in our lives, and in the life of our sweet Miss M.

Miss M is 2 Today!

Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday Miss M!
Happy Birthday to You!

Hitting the ground running

Well, I got as close to hitting the ground running as I could, considering the 3 hour time difference from here to California and the 4am wake-up call to catch a 7:15am flight. After a few very hot (113 degrees!) but fun-filled days, I made it home. In addition to catching up with some of my former colleagues during my trip, I also got to dip my toes in the Pacific, play on the beach, and spend a few hours at Disneyland. Thanks to my MIL for coming to town to help Big J for a couple of days while I was having some west coast fun!

Now that I'm home, I'm spending my days preparing for M's birthday party on Saturday, and spending my evenings at Vacation Bible School. I didn't do much on Tuesday - just tried to get a little extra rest by taking it easy with the kids. But now we are full steam ahead - grocery shopping, cooking, and planning the final party details. This is the most exciting part for me - getting down to the finishing touches!

Speaking of, I have to get back to those details before time just runs out!

Goin' to Cali

I'm about to have a Mom Milestone ... I'm leaving the family for a few days to head west for a conference. It's the first time I've left both kids for more than a few hours, and the first time I've taken a trip by myself since 2003. I will admit that I am looking forward to a little peace and quiet in the evenings, but I also know that I'm going to miss Big J, Mister J, and Miss M terribly. I know that when I get home, Miss M's smile will be different - those three teeth that are just barely poking through her gums will be noticeably closer to their final destination. Mister J will be able to kick a soccer ball even further than before I left. And while I know that my kids will be in good hands - they'll be having a great time with Daddy - I will still worry about them. It's just what a mother does. And the wife part of me worries about Big J, too - these two kiddos are a handful! While I don't doubt his ability to care for them - he is often able to remain calm in situations where I'm about to lose my cool, and in general he's way more laid back - I know just what a tough job it can be sometimes!

I am doing the best I can to prepare the family for my absence. The freezer is full of Dream Dinners, and there are already a few thawing for the coming few days. I went to the grocery store on Saturday. We have started a new grocery list since then, but perhaps that's an excursion for Big J and the little ones. I'm talking to (little) J each day about my trip, preparing him for the few days that Dad is in charge. Big J is slowly taking over some of the routine with Miss M so she can adjust in her own way. Most importantly, I've performed the requested "brain dump" - put the most important things Big J needs to know on paper. I don't think that there is a way to prepare myself, other than to think about the trip itself - What do I need to pack? Did I remember to print my e-ticket? Should I check in online the night before? (That's a big YES, since I have to be at the airport at 6am....)

At dinner time each night I'm gone, I know that I'll be calling home to check in with the fam, tell the little ones goodnight (due to the 3-hour time difference), and count down the number of days until I'm home. Thank goodness for the "all-you-can-call" cell phone plan. I imagine there will be plenty of text and pix messages, too - that's what we did when Big J was on a business trip. Surely then I will know how hard it was for Big J to be away from us for a week, and I'll decide that perhaps next year, we will all go to the conference together again. It'll be in Boston - a much more manageable family trip.

Paint My Numbers

J is very interested in numbers. He likes to count things, read numbers, and has been known to ask, "What number are you?" No, it's not like asking, "Hey, what's your sign?" It's his way of asking how old you are. He also asks, "How many ____s until ____?" For example, how many days until Grandma gets to our house? Since he is so interested in numbers, I drew him a big number chart on a piece of poster board, and now we are decorating it. We started today with watercolors - only had a bit little of time while M caught a quick nap. While my goal is to have J work on it as much as possible to encourage his creativity. I also let him practice his management skills today and tell me what color to paint and where to paint it. He asked me, "How do you do that (stay in the lines)?" so we got to talk about working slowly and practicing to get better at something. And, he got to practice cleaning up. We were sitting on the kitchen floor with the paints and this big poster, and he got paint on the floor a few times, so we kept a box of wipes nearby. Amazingly, he didn't complain about cleaning up!

I am so surprised by the things we talked about today - but glad that he is hopefully learning some good lessons in the quiet time we have together.

By the way, I will post pictures soon - some in-progress shots and another once it's complete.

Exciting Experiment

Another food-related post - but this time no photos.

Many of you know that Miss M has some food allergies, including peanuts. In fact, we avoid all nuts, foods processed on equipment that also processes nuts, and foods processed/packaged in a facility in which also processes foods containing nuts. I do a LOT of label reading! You may or may not know that one of my favorite foods is - you guessed it - peanut butter. My favorite candy? Reese's peanut butter cups. I like M&Ms too - and even the nut-free varieties are off limits due to "shared equipment" warnings. In fact, pretty much any candy containing caramel or chocolate, and many types of cookies, cereals, and most granola bars are not a part of our diet due to this restriction. What's a peanut butter lover to do?

When M's allergies were diagnosed, her allergist recommended SunButter as an alternative. It's made from sunflower seeds, so it's a safe alternative. (OK, all you brainiacs, a peanut is technically a legume, and all the other things we avoid are truly nuts - but that's a convo for another day.) I talked with other parents of food-allergic kids, and got another recommendation for SunButter. All of the allergy websites out there listed it as a peanut butter alternative. "It can't be too bad," I thought, so we gave it a try. If you have ever tried SunButter - or any of the generic equivalents that are popping up out there - you know that it's just not the same. It's not bad, just not the same. Personally, I don't think it's good with jelly, but I will eat a plain SB sandwich or toast. The kids love SB&Js. Mister J made the switch very easily, and Miss M has really never known anything else. For my husband, however, we still keep a jar of real PB sequestered on a top shelf - and it only comes down when M is asleep.

"So," you are thinking, "When is she getting to the exciting part?" Right now! I was grocery shopping with the kids a couple of days ago, and we needed more grape jelly. As I do every time I walk down the aisle with the PB and all of the jams, jellies, and preserves, I gazed longingly at the jars of PB. And then I saw it - a jar I had glanced at before, but never seriously considered purchasing. I took it down off of the shelf, read the label again (I had read it at least once before), and put it in my shopping cart. I thought, "Why not give it a try? How bad can it be? And, if we hate it, it even has a satisfaction guarantee on the side...." That jar was soy butter.

I brought it home, set it out on the counter, and kept glancing at it as I put the groceries away, unloaded the dishwasher, reloaded the dishwasher, and started thinking about dinner. When my husband got home he looked at the jar, read the label, and got an expression of doubt that this experiment would turn out well. I waited as long as I could - about 2 hours, max - and finally opened the lid, peeled off the foil inner lid, and scooped up some of the soy butter with the tip of my (clean!) finger. Time for the plunge - just taste it! And, man oh man, was it ever ... good! When Big J came back to the kitchen, I told him to taste it. He wasn't sure if the grin on my face was good or bad, but he was a sport and tried the soy butter. It wasn't just my imagination - he was impressed. Actually, we both wonder a teensy bit if they didn't actually put PB in there by mistake! I haven't given it to the kids yet - I'm afraid that if I do, they won't want to finish the jar of sunflower butter that's still in the pantry! My other worry is that the soy butter has such a similar texture and consistency to PB that if Miss M ever encountered real PB she might not realize the difference - and that would not be good....

We tried 'em out... They work!

Day One of the healthy lunch experiment! Well, not really, but Day One with the Laptop Lunch boxes. I wanted to try them out at home to see how the kids would handle them before we hit the road with them. I had a few questions to answer - Could Mister J get it open ok? What would Miss M think about it? Plus, I just needed (wanted!!!) to practice packing it. There was nothing but excitement on their faces as they opened up the LLBs and checked out what was inside! Of course, you know I took some pictures ;)

They had pasta with olive oil and herbs, fresh fruit, veggies and hummus (those are carrots and cucumbers), and Mister J got some cheese bites and a little dessert of 2 Tootsie Rolls (like I said yesterday, healthier lunches - I'm not perfect!).


Mister J had no problem opening the containers - the yellow (fruit) and purple (hummus) containers come with lids. He still needs a little help with the lid to the outer box (the blue part) - mainly because he holds the lid down with one hand while trying to open it with the other - but I am sure he'll get the hang of it soon. Miss M won't be going anywhere on her own for lunch anytime soon, so I didn't test her lid-opening skills. I just set the open box in front of her and let her go to town! She ate most of the fruit, pretty well ignored the noodles (which she had previously enjoyed at lunch 2 days ago....), picked at the veggies, and ate the hummus with a spoon. Then, she dumped two of the inner containers out into the big box and proceeded to build a tower. Mister J ate more veggies than usual (he actually ate some of the cucumber!), downed most of the fruit (left some blueberries), and ate some of the pasta. He asked me to save the leftover veggies for later. They snacked a little before lunch - I was doing some cooking this morning, and they were doing some tasting - so I didn't expect they'd finish everything. However, this was also my first opportunity to see how much the LLBs really hold. It's a LOT! I could pack an entire lunch for myself in one of these, so I probably served a bit too much for their meals. Overall, a fun and interesting lunch, and I'm extremely pleased with today's trial run of the LLBs.

Woo hoo! They're here!

Ok, I am one crazy lady! I know this, I accept it, and I thank my husband for loving me anyway.
I am excited because, after waiting a week for them to get here from California, my kids' new lunchboxes have arrived! I bet know what you are thinking, "Lunchboxes? Ok, so I knew she had her own little '-isms', but I am now sure that she has lost it. Totally. How does he trust her to raise his children?!?"

Well, they are not just any lunchboxes - they are Laptop Lunch Systems! And I'm excited because they are an important part of achieving a few of my current goals:

1) save money by eating out less
2) eat healthier meals
3) help my kids to eat a wider variety of foods



In our efforts to save money, we have cut eating out to once or twice a week (most weeks). I am, of course, buying more groceries since we are eating at home more. I have been buying lots of fresh fruits, serving fewer processed foods, and reading labels much more closely. I'm expanding the kids' diets slowly, starting with the fun stuff (fruit and healthier snacks) and trying out new recipes. Jonah will also be helping me out in the kitchen more. I know that my biggest challenge this summer will come as we start going to more storytimes and playdates. The temptation is always to grab lunch at a convenient drive-thru or a restaurant with an indoor playground, but at $12-15 to feed an adult and 2 kids, that really adds up! I'm hoping that in addition to saving money, the kids will think it's fun to eat from their new lunchboxes and be willing to try out the new foods they find inside. As added bonus, I can get rid of all of the random lunchbags stashed in my pantry and all of the assorted containers and lids (that didn't fit well into the lunch bags, anyway). There will be more room in the pantry for all of those groceries! And, I'll be using fewer plastic baggies, pre-packaged single-serve items, and juice boxes - which helps me feel better about doing my part for the environment (I could write a whole post about that!).

In an effort to stay true to these goals, look for posts and pictures about our latest mealtime advenutres - triumphs and flops. I'm excited to start on this new lunchtime (mealtime) adventure!

PS - Aren't those lunch boxes CUTE and COLORFUL? Jonah wanted to take his upstairs at naptime! I think we will try to use them at lunch tomorrow, even though we will be eating at home, just to see what the kids think and to practice packing them!

Catching up....

You've probably noticed that there are a few new posts up here at once - and you may wonder why they are mixed in with posts you have already read. I've been drafting some blogs this week while Daddy/Big J was out of town, but I wasn't quite ready to post them. So, I'm finishing them all up and posting them now that Big J is home (yay!). The following is from an email reply I sent to a friend who emailed me mid-week. I think it's a pretty good illustration of what days are like around here - call it normal, call it crazy, but I call it a pretty good day for the middle of a long week!

Monday and Tuesday were ROUGH - but we are doing better now. I don't know how single parents do it - except that they probably aren't home with the kids all day since someone has to pay the bills! I gave myself a bit of a break and we have used paper plates and bowls all week - that's saved a ton of work! J and I teamed up to tackle the toy mess yesterday - he loves to sort stuff, for which I am very thankful! The kids also thought it was pretty cool to rearrange the furniture in the den - they liked "riding" the chairs around the room. We've had plenty fun, too - arts and crafts, playing outside, and cuddling on the couch. J is really missing Daddy - he won't let me tuck him in at night since I don't do it "right." We do call Daddy every night at bedtime, though, to just check in and talk about the day. Truth be told, I think Daddy is really missing them, too. So, we are all looking forward to him coming home tomorrow :) It'll be late when he gets home, kids will probably already be in bed, so they will be anxious to spend Saturday with him.

At this particular moment, I'm eating my lunch and working on the laptop at the kitchen table. The kids finished their lunches before I ever sat down. J is crashing Matchbox cars under the table, and Maggie keeps coming over to steal " 'matoes " and " 'cumbers " off of my salad. I asked J if he could stop crashing for a few minutes and he said no, because his rescue trucks need something to do. I am sure we are quite a sight, but for the most part we are happy and having a good day!

NB: The kids were not in bed when Daddy got home, thanks to some long, late-in-the-day naps. J was thrilled - especially since he got a tuck from Daddy tonight!

Bloomin'

A few weeks back, Grandma and Grandpa R came for a visit and brought us some daylilies. They'd thinned theirs out, and knew we would be interested in any low-main-
tenance color we could add to our all-green landscaping. (Or, as the helpful lady at a local nursery put it, these are "plants that can handle neglect." Gee, thanks... I'd rather worry about feeding and watering my kids, thankyouverymuch.)

J was very excited about helping plant the daylilies, and was equally excited about the prospect of helping water them daily (well, almost daily... and sometimes Mother Nature gives us a hand....). Seeing as how he was so excited, Grandma was a little worried that they might not bloom. These lilies were being transplanted north, and they'd already bloomed before they were dug up and split. Plus, maybe they would just be mad about being dug up. Well, apparently the growing season here is a few weeks behind and they like their new home.... We have flowers!

When Only Dad Will Do

After visiting Grandma for a few days, we came home to be with Daddy for a few days before he went to Texas on a business trip. Since he left, I have answered lots of questions about how Daddy got to Texas (on an airplane), about how airports work (Daddy did not take his car to Texas with him on the airplane - he parked it, walked into the airport, then walked out of a very special door to get on the airplane), and why Daddy had to go to Texas (to go to school and be a teacher). Daddy even sent us some pictures of airplanes and some video of airplanes taking off - ah, the wonders of technology!

I've been able to satisfy J with my answers to most of his questions. But what I can't do is tuck him in at bedtime. His bedtime routine includes, among other things, a story, a song, and a bedtime prayer, which Mommy does most nights. Then, after a kiss from Mommy, he asks for a tuck and a kiss from Daddy. While Daddy is gone, I have offered to tuck him in, and he has refused each night. Refused! I was surprised, a little sad that I wasn't "enough," but also glad that he and Daddy have that bond.

Each night at bedtime we call Daddy to talk about the day and say goodnight. Still, after our bedtime routine J asks, "can you tell Daddy to come tuck me in and give me a kiss?" It breaks my heart a little bit each time.... So, we are counting down the nights until Daddy gets back home. J is a little sad each day that it's not "today." And, even though it will be past bedtime when Daddy gets home, and J will probably already be asleep, Daddy has promised that he will go in and give J a tuck and a kiss.

The Girl, the Wolf, and the Book

I know what you are thinking - Little Red Riding Hood - but that's not it. Nope! That is not who came to find me in the wee hours of the morning, dragging her blanket along. Miss M has been waking up in the night and coming to climb into bed with Mom and Dad. Being wired for mommyhood as I am, I cannot turn her away. I have always loved to snuggle with my kids, and since she's not much of snuggler in daylight hours, I take what I can get - even at 2am. So this morning, when she came to my room with the little stuffed animal (that might actually be a dog instead of a wolf - but it wouldn't sound as good) and a tiny little book from Grandma, and quietly called, "Mommy....Mommy..." I could not say no. In less than 5 minutes she was back asleep - and I realized this morning that she had not even brought her paci with her!

As much as I love to snuggle with them, I have to admit it can sometimes be a little uncomfortable. Miss M likes to sleep sideways with her feet in my back, or upside down (I have been woken many mornings by a kick in the face - ouch!). She even had her own side of the bed last night - Daddy was away - and still ended up so close that I couldn't roll over. And, that tiny little book from Grandma that is one of her never-put-it-down favorites right now had sharp corners! But - if that's what it takes to earn her snuggles, I'll do what it takes to get them.

I am summer camp....

Yes, I am saying this to myself a la the Lightning McQueen mantra and hoping that it gives me strength, patience, courage, and overflowing creativity, craftiness, and imagination. If that sounds like a tall order, read on....

Since the kids aren't in camps this summer, I'm trying to provide them with at least a taste of the activities they enjoyed in preschool - art, music, and of course, playtime. Well, the playtime is easy enough - playdates, the backyard swingset, and our outdoor toys provide plenty of play and exercise (for Mommy, too!). We also have a jog stroller, tricycle, and bubble mower - so we are set for many forms of outdoor fun. The music is also not a stretch for me. We have lots of kids' music, several music instruments that the kids can use to play along, and of course if we clean up enough we have a dance floor in the den. It's the art that leaves me anxious. When it comes to crayons and stickers, I'm ok. When it comes to projects - with stuff like markers, glue, or paint - that's where I get a little nervous. I am afraid of getting messy and staining things. I am most anxious about setting my kids loose with paint and brushes, but I still bought them some paint yesterday. In the best case, we will paint outdoors on a nice day, and I will try to find old t-shirts for the kids to wear. I bought washable paint, so how bad can it really be? That's what I am afraid of. I need a little courage. I need some craftiness (well, more than I have). And I need a little more imagination - to help me imagine how much fun it can be so I can get excited!

I am glad to say that I survived our first attempt at craft hour this morning! I found some cute foam sunglasses and foam stickers during our craft supply adventure. They turned out really cute (check out the before-and-after-and-afters below)! J had to do his twice (he's a bit of a perfectionist) and M lost interest in about 12.5 seconds, so she played with the foam stickers while I decorated her glasses with a little help from J. As you can see, she didn't want to wear them for an "official" portrait, so J took the picture with me wearing her glasses. Don't I look like the coolest mom around?
































I am curious about what I will learn from the kids and this experience over the summer. I have already learned that J, not surprisingly, is good at sorting. He will gladly sort things and package them up in the process. Yep, he helped me clean up the art project! I just didn't call it "cleaning up" - lesson 1 of Project Summer Camp. I'll keep you posted on what else I learn - including if J is as good (read: neat) a painter as his preschool teacher said!

Even Magic Moms Make Mistakes

Made a mistake, it's too late, how much havoc did I make?

I am officially out of the running for the Mommy of the Year Award. I goofed, big time, and I had to fess up to my four-year-old at bedtime last night. I (we?) left Blanket at Grandma's house.

Blanket, by the way, is my son's lovey - a hand knitted (or maybe crocheted) blanket that we received as a baby gift before he was born. Since he was about a year old, he's held Blanket at bedtime, and Blanket has accompanied us on trips. The boy and his blanket come as a pair - usually....

I know - you are staring at your computer screen in disbelief. Let me tell you, when I was halfway home and realized that Blanket had probably not made it into the kids' travel bag, for a split second I thought about turning around. I can't believe I'm even telling you that I goofed so badly! However, even Magic Moms goof on occasion - the magic comes with the clever solutions that we often (but not always) come up with.

Let me give you a little more background on Blanket. You already know what he looks like (yes, Blanket is a he). You already know that J goes to sleep clutching Blanket - naps included. But you don't know that the rule around here is that "Blanket stays in bed." I guess I'm a germ freak, but the thought of my kid hauling a blanket everywhere just didn't sit well with me. I have seen kids in the store with their fave lovey along for the ride, picking up shopping cart germs, grocery store dirt, and parking lot grime. That's just not okay. The only exception to the rule is if we will be leaving home overnight - then the blankets accompany us. They get packed into the kids' travel bag along with a few toys, a pack of wipes, and other necessities for road trips in the mommy-van. If the kids want them during the ride, the bag sits right between their seats, and they can just grab a blanket and snuggle. This often leads to a nap, which leads to happy kids upon arriving at the destination.

Well, I was packing yesterday morning for the trip home from SC. When J woke up, he came down the hall to say good morning and have some breakfast. As he does at home, he left Blanket in bed. So, the kids had breakfast, got dressed, and watched the Disney Channel while I got everything packed and loaded. Jonah slept in a separate room from me, so as I was packing up everything in my room, I forgot to do a double-check in the room where he'd slept. I also did not double-check my packing list from when I originally packed for the trip. Yes - I use a packing list, and I take it with me to use when I pack for the trip home. I also write down "blankets and toys" every time so I don't forget to take them along. How terrible would it be to get to your destination and not have the blankets?!? Even worse than getting home without them, I think.

As I mentioned, we were about halfway home when I discovered Blanket was not along for the ride. J asked where Blanket was, and in that moment I realized what had happened. Using my best quick thinking skills, I told him that I couldn't reach it (which was true...), but just to relax and watch the movie (thank goodness for in-car DVDs, but that's anther post). He seemed satisfied with that, as he'd already made a lot of requests for things I couldn't reach. I knew he wouldn't be so satisfied when the whole story came out.

When bedtime rolled around, he helped me tuck Miss M into her bed. Her blanket had just "taken a bath" and was in the dryer, so we were sitting around waiting for the familiar "ding" to tell us it was dry. As I explained this to J, he asked me where Blanket was. Uh-oh - the moment I'd been dreading. I asked him if he'd put blanket into the toy bag before we left Grandma's and he figured it out too fast - Blanket was still in bed at Grandma's. I know what you are thinking - how mean to turn it around like that and make him feel like it was his fault. Well, we are trying to teach him to be responsible for his possessions, but I also apologized that I did not remind him to find blanket before we left. And, having called my mom earlier in the day to ask her to put Blanket in the mail, I was able to assure him that Blanket was on his way back home, thanks to Grandma and the mailman. After explaining that Blanket was in a big envelope or a box, and that he would return on Friday, J promptly told me he wanted Blanket to be in a box. There were some tears, but not nearly the amount I had anticipated.

By the way, there's only one Blanket. After searching the house for a couple of possible substitutes, and having J veto every one, he had to go to sleep alone.... He didn't want to sing a song or say prayers, as is our usual routine, so I said his prayers for him, thanking God for Grandma and the mailman, and asking to help Blanket get home safely. I'm not sure if that's an ok thing to pray for, but I imagine that if it's coming from the heart of (or on behalf of) a child, God doesn't mind.

The big issue with the candidates? The holes weren't big enough. They were all knitted or crocheted, but none of them had "holes" as big as Blanket. And J reminded me of this when I put him down for his nap this afternoon. I am so proud of him for really taking this in stride (he's growing up!), but Friday at 2pm can't come fast enough. I bet we will be on the front porch then, waiting for the mailman and Blanket to arrive.

UPDATE:

Blanket was home by 11:30am today (Friday), and arrived on the front porch in a BOX. J could not have been more pleased :)

I wiped off my elbows, so I'm good now.

I met my youngest reader over the weekend! During my trip to SC, I was able to visit with my good friend H, her husband P, and their new little bundle, Miss A. P was generous enough to allow us big girls a lunch date, and then we picked Miss A up for a little shopping trip. I got to practice my tried-and-true "bounce-pat-shh" method of baby-calming (which still works!) and then my sweet little friend drooled all down my arm as we strolled around Babies R Us. Then, after the ride back to her crib (during which she fell asleep), H and I both realized that we forgot to take any pictures! Can you believe two scrapbookers forgot to take a single picture?!? I guess we were so excited to see each other and share everything that's new - Miss A's new nursery, pics of my kids who are SO big now, and just general catching up - that the actual being there was just too important to stop for a single "cheese" moment!
Thanks, H, for sharing your day with me, and for the yummy Yo! Burrito lunch. P, thanks for letting me steal your wife for a couple of hours for an adults-only lunch, and both your girls for the shopping excursion. And Miss A, thanks for all the smiles and chatter and even the drool. You are definitely a keeper!
PS - Check out H's account of our day - she beat me to the blog!

Take it easy.... Take it easy.... Don't let the sound of your own wheels....

Today, my status on Facebook says, "RL is taking the kids over the river and through the woods...." That's right, we're at Grandma's house! The drive to my mom's house takes about three hours if you drive it non-stop, but it usually takes at least one stop with the kids. There are stretches of interstate and four-lane highway, but about half of the drive is on two-lane roads. Being from the "big city," a lot of the driving I do on a daily basis is on four-lane highways and interstate, going around 65 miles per hour. Either that or 35 miles per hour - but not a lot of variation otherwise. I think that these speeds have somehow become a part of me. If I don't pay attention to the speedometer, my surroundings seem to dictate my speed - and it's either around 35 or around 65 (or maybe just a few miles per hour higher....).

When we were about 20 minutes from my mom's house, on the last bit of "country roads," I found myself going 65 miles per hour where the speed limit was only 55. Normally, I'd probably slow down to about 60 - and later find that my speed had crept up to 65 again. But today - on this beautiful, sunny afternoon under the bluest SC skies that you can't find anywhere else (nope, not even in NC...) - I felt the need to slow down and go only 55 mph.

Maybe it was because for the first time in a long time, we hadn't left late. I didn't feel pushed to get here as fast as I could to make the most of our short visit (since this time we are staying FIVE days - yay!). Maybe it was because the kids hadn't started getting fussy - and I had even turned off the movies and turned down the music so they could enjoy this part of the trip along with me. Maybe the One who's really in the driver's seat was telling me something simple - something that I should adopt on a grander scale.

I was amazed by what I noticed when all of the distractions were gone. We looked at the cows, the pecan groves, the fields growing whatever grows best around here (I think it's soybeans). I noticed the beautiful green of the grass and trees. I also noticed how much quieter the "road noise" is when you go slower. I am sure I noticed it because I felt compelled to slow down - and even found myself crusing along below the speed limit at one point. That never happens.... Except for today - when the sky was blue, the grass was green, and I took a moment to slow down and enjoy it all.

Searching for Summer Fun

Oh, me, oh, my - how the year did fly! Preschool is almost over - Miss M's last day was today, and J's last day is Friday. The school year ends with a picnic lunch - and then we are on the road to Grandma's! Mister J has been quite a handful for Miss Caroline this week, but it seems that's the norm for the entire class. I think the kids realize it's the end of the year (classroom decorations are coming down, lots of art is coming home) and they are a little off-kilter.

As I ponder the summer months ahead, I'm trying to think of projects I can complete and fun things I can do with the kids. I am imagining a clean house (ha!), healthy homemade lunches (already making a good start on this), and lots of fun activities and projects. I wonder what happens when art and lunch collide....




Mmmm.... tasty......

Wishing you a great summer - tasty treats, outdoor fun, and art projects that are easy to mail to Grandma, Grandpa, and all the aunts and uncles!

UPDATE: Shortly after I finished this post, J came down from his not-so-quiet time to tell me he was hungry. I asked him what he wanted for dinner - hotdogs! I did not make the octopi (octopuses?), but I did make hotdog flowers with ketchup centers (mustard for mine). I took a picture so you can see how it turned out, but won't get that posted tonight. Exhausted....

Bye-bye crib...

We zoomed past yet another milestone this weekend.
On Friday afternoon, we moved a twin bed into J's room, and moved his toddler bed into M's room. He loves the big bed with its bright new bedding - but wondered why his walls were not yet painted the "dark yellow" he had requested. (One step at a time, son - we have the whole summer ahead of us!)
M spent just one more night in the crib, and has been in the toddler bed for naps and at night since Saturday. She hasn't even tested us that much with sneaking out of bed - knock wood.
I guess this weekend I'll be sending the crib up to the attic until/in case we need it again.

UPDATE 5/21/08, 2:30PM: I put M down for her nap this afternoon, then J and I went outside to watch a cement mixer delivering to the house across the street. Afterwards, we watered our newly-transplanted daylilies (thanks Grandma and Grandpa R!). We kicked the soccer ball around a few times - J can't resist this when we go outside, and he's getting pretty good! Finally, inside and quietly upstairs to put J down for a nap/quiet time. We tiptoed into his room and found Miss M asleep on the floor in front of his book case. Apparently, she got out of bed and went looking for him when she was supposed to be napping! My two are quite a pair - they love each other so much, and I couldn't be more blessed!

Growing up waaayyy too fast

Seems my kids have a lot of things to say lately, and I'm finding many of them funny enough to post. We were on our way to a friend's house this morning when my son piped up with this:

"Mom, I'm getting old."
"Really? How do you know?"
"Because I have a headache."

If anyone out there has had a headache, I hate to tell you, but in the eyes of my four-year-old, you are nearly dust.

I do think he's growing up too fast, though. He has recently been telling people that his sister is "one-and-a-half." Fairly accurate, but I didn't know that almost-four-and-a-half-year-olds cared about it that much.

My daughter has several new words and phrases lately. She's picked up "cool" from her brother, loves to look at one of her picture books (on the "Good Morning, Baby" page) and shout, "Moh-nin' Bay-bee!" and often says to me "Aw-wight" when she's in the mood to actually agree with me (a rare occurrence this week).

I always heard from more experienced moms that I would be sad when my kids began sitting up/walking/talking - that I would miss what used to be. It's a little bittersweet, but watching them grow into themselves - does that make sense? - become their own little person fills me with such joy that I can't put it into words. I'll take them "getting old" just to marvel at who they will become.

Not Exactly Pointless....

On the way to preschool this morning, we saw a fire truck as we passed through an intersection. My son observed (and by that I mean saw it and told me about it) that the fire truck turned and followed us as we continued down the road.
"I think it's going back to the fire station," I said, referring to the station that's about a mile ahead of where we were at the time.
"Good point, Mom," said my 4-year old.
What a great feeling it is to have your intelligence confirmed by a preschooler....

All the love...

*you may need a tissue - grab it now*

I think it's a safe guess that most of you out there know that I recently lost my grandfather and my great uncle. And that I have been trying to help my 4-year-old wrap his brain around death and heaven. Two events in the last week have really touched my heart, and reminded me just how complex these ideas are for children to understand.

As I pulled out of the preschool pick-up line one day last week, my son asked me if he could listen to "his" music. As I reached to switch from the radio to the CD, the last words we heard from the radio were, "... all the love is gone." My son caught this part of the song and asked me, "Mom, all the love is gone???" His voice was a mix of shock, sadness, and misunderstanding. How could all of the love be gone? I quickly reassured him that it was just a song, and that of course there was still love. After all, he still had the love of his parents, his sister, his grandparents, and lots of other people. I reminded him that he still loved all of the same people, too, so all the love was not gone, after all. I thought all was well until I heard him say quietly, "I think all of Great Grandpa Jim and Uncle Henry's love is gone...." My heart ached, and my brain scrambled for a way to help my dear little boy understand. "Sweetie, even though they are in heaven, we can still think about them and remember the time we had with them. We can still love them even though they are in heaven." I know my son continued to ponder these ideas long after the conversation was over, and I hoped for a way to be able to help him just a little bit more the next time such questions should arise.

Two days ago, we attended a family get together to celebrate my grandmother's birthday and Mother's Day. It was the first time my son had been to my grandparents' house since my grandfather died. After a great meal and plenty of time spent playing with his cousins, it was time to head home. We said our goodbyes to a dozen family members and loaded into the mommy-van. A few minutes down the road, my son asked me, "Where was Great Grandpa Jim?" Deep down, I knew that this question was coming. It's the first time he's had to face the idea that death means someone is gone. That someone is missing from the space in your life that they used to occupy. That they are not coming back. My husband glanced my way with an "OK, you're up...." look. I reminded my sweet boy that Great Grandpa Jim is in heaven. He responded, "Grandma still loves him," and continued with some other hard questions, most notably, "Does everybody die?" Thankfully, I found the words to answer these questions - though I'm sure those words were given to me at just the right moment by the One who's really in the driver's seat.

I am so thankful that we are nearly always in the mommy-van when these questions come up. I don't think that I would have the presence of mind to answer these questions if I was looking into the face of my son who, at 4 years old, is having to learn about death. He knows that his Great Grandpa is gone. He misses him, and that breaks my heart.

While losing someone is sad, I have always felt the greatest sadness for those left behind, who have to deal with the empty place in their lives. My grandfather's death was the end of an earthly presence for someone who had lived a very full life. It was his victory over a disease that had caused a long, slow decline. My son's most vivid memories will be from a time when we (adults) already knew that my grandfather was dying. My heart aches for my grandmother, who had a front-row seat for 60+ years - who watched my grandfather go off to war and welcomed him home, who bore their 6 children, who worked, traveled, and celebrated with him, and who is alone now. My heart aches for my Mother and her siblings, who also remember him as a strong, hard-working man. My heart aches for my cousin, who spent several years as a teenager living with my grandparents, and who learned some great life lessons from our grandfather. As the time passes, my sorrow fades, but it's dredged up again each time my son - my sweet boy - says something that reminds me that there's a hole in his life, too. I am heartbroken for my little boy who senses this hole, and can't yet understand why God would take his Great Grandpa to heaven or how that's better than here with the people who love him.

Storm Warnings

What an eventful night we had last night. Around 9:45pm, a line of storms started moving in, and within 15 minutes the thunder was so loud that both of my kids were awake. As usual during this type of weather, they ended up in bed with me. The difference was that this time, I had the idea to show my older child the weather report and radar to explain a little more about the weather. I didn't even have to turn to the all-day weather forecast - our favorite local station was already on with news about thunderstorm warnings and tornado watches. Just a few minutes later, there was rotation in the atmosphere indicative of a possible tornado - about 5 miles from our house. The forecasters were warning us to get into the lower lever of 2-story homes, into a small room or closet with no windows. They did not have to ask me twice. Downstairs we went, and I sat the children nearby as I emptied the floor of our closet under the stairs. My husband gathered some pillows and a comforter, then helped me finish cleaning out the closet. The kids and I went inside while he listened to a bit more of the weather report.

It's quite interesting to sit in a small, un-air conditioned space with 2 preschoolers who are up in the middle of the night. My son wanted to ask LOTS of questions (really not that different from any other time) and my daughter just didn't want to sit still. My kids started playing (um, fighting over) the flashlight until we started making shadow animals. They were quite entertained - and even tried to make their own, but they just aren't quite coordinated enough.

Another interesting thing? What crossed my mind as I considered what to take into the closet just in case things got really bad. Aside from the kids, I grabbed my purse (which is where I keep my camera, insurance cards, keys, and cell phone) and the external hard drive that's my photo backup. My husband grabbed his wallet and keys. Not much else mattered at that point. I realized how little the "stuff" of life actually means, and how replaceable many things really are.

As it turns out, several homes in our town and one nearby received significant damage. We were quite lucky, both that we had no damage, and that the kids quietly went to bed 2 hours later and slept through until morning.

For the techno-mommies out there...

Here's a FREE podcast - you can download it from iTunes or listen here. There are lots of different topics, and you can even get some older 'casts in the iTunes library (go to the iTunes store, select podcasts, then select Kids and Family). Easy enough - and you get your daily dose of comfort or worry, depending on your personality type....

That's got to be a boy thing....

It's Saturday morning, I'm out in the backyard, pushing the children in their swings, and the following conversation takes place:

Son - Mom, can you push me faster?
Mom - Sure (and gives another push).
Son - I want to go higher Mommy, and flip out of my swing.
Mom - Oh, that would be very dangerous....
Son - OK!

I guess I'm just not meant to understand, being a girl and all. I looked at my husband, who grinned right back at me with a "That's my boy!" look on his face.

Boys.....

Neighbors Just Don't Understand

It's a lovely Saturday here. Not too hot, with a gentle breeze. Partly cloudy, with a chance of rain in the evening. It was a great morning for the kids to spend plenty of time playing outside before the rain sets in around dinner time. They played hard, they got dirty, and they wore themselves out. When naptime rolled around, there was no argument from the Little Miss - she was so ready to snuggle up with her blanket for a few hours. There was considerably less argument from the Little Sir than usual, which was quite pleasant from my perspective.

With my kids safely tucked in for their naps, I crept quietly down the stairs to eat a late lunch and finish up the grocery list. I was gearing up for a kid-free shopping trip - woo hoo! About that time, one of my neighbors was gearing up for an afternoon of lawnmower blade sharpening. I kid you not. If you don't know what this sounds like, imagine chainsawing through a piece of metal - a healthy-sized chunk.

You know, I see the UPS man less often that I see my neighbor, but he remembers that I have small children. When he drops off a package, he knocks lightly on the front door - he never rings the doorbell. I really appreciate that about the UPS man. He probably put a note in his little computer/scanner thingy - "Lady with napping kids lives here - knock on door - don't ring doorbell." I mean, he may not have committed it to his personal memory, but he has a note to remind him. Awesome.

I don't expect that my neighbor will never sharpen his lawnmower blades. My husband has sharpened the blades on our mower before. I know that lawnmower blades need to be sharpened. I was just kind of cringing that my kids might wake up and miss their naps - ugh. And, I needed to vent. Thanks for "listening."

By the way - the kids didn't wake up (I waited to be sure....). I did get to shop alone, and I spent about $160 on groceries. All of that food will be gone in about 20 minutes, so I'm glad my husband likes his job.

Tools Every Mom Needs

I'm not talking about a sense of humor, a cast-iron stomach, or enough band-aids for a school full of children - although these are certainly important. Nope, today I'm talking about a literal tool box. Whether yours is red, black, or yellow; metal, plastic, or just a cardboard box, there are a few things you MUST have:

• Tape - clear, for repairing books; packing, for repairing puzzle box bottoms. You will certainly encounter many more items that need taping - these are just the things on my "frequently repaired with tape" list. Notice I left off duct tape - it's only needed by men for on-the-fly repairs and boys of scouting age who are using it for the duct tape wallet craft.
  
• Batteries - lots of them, in all different sizes. More AAAs than anything, but also AAAs, Ds, Cs, and the occasional 9 volt. NOTE: If your toys don't sing, dance, read aloud, flash, or need a remote to perform, skip this one - but I bet you think this should be at the top of the list.
• Screwdrivers - assorted sizes. You will need them to replace all of the batteries, since every battery cover screws on. It's a great safety feature - especially since kids think batteries are a delicacy. I use a Phillips head (the "not flat" one) and a mini Phillips most often. Of course, you probably need a flat head, too - toy companies are always throwing you a curve ball - it's entertainment for their R&D departments. Note: You can get a great set of mini screwdrivers (3 flat and 3 Phillips head) from Walgreens for about 2 bucks right now. Another note: DO NOT get a cordless screwdriver. Although it's convenient, you'll just have more batteries to change.
  
• Pliers - needle nose and regular. Toys need some interesting repairs.
  
• Valium - For after you fix all of the toys, install all-new batteries, and listen to the singing, flashing, buzzing, dancing toys, and your child's gleeful giggles and squeals.
  

I'm sure there are many more things you must have. In fact, I know there are - I just want you to have at least the basics handy. My toolbox (red and black plastic, by the way) has all of these things plus: picture hanging hardware, assorted screws, fishing line, a small level, a ruler, a pencil, a pen, stick-on felt pads, stick-on cork pads, a mini wratchet-type set, allen wrenches, and more. I also keep a box in the closet under the stairs (i.e. - very easily accessible place) that's full of assorted batteries, wood glue, an extension cord, one of those measure-your-wall-and-mark-the-hanging-spot tools, and a staple gun, among other equally groovy tools.

So, what's most important? Screwdrivers, batteries, a sense of humor - and perhaps some earplugs.