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Little Boy, Full of Heart

27 Dec
Inside-the-Park Home Run Smile

Inside-the-Park Home Run Smile

The title states facts. Nate is a little boy. Inch for pound, his height matches his weight and he’s smaller than others his age. His age alone makes him little. Now seven years old, he is still too little to open some food/drink containers without adult help, walk alone in a store or comprehend many “older” things like death (although he did cry when Mickey died in Rocky III) and dates (sweetly calling it a “date” when Andrew and I smooch in the kitchen as we cross paths). For as little as he is though, his heart cannot be measured.

Pushing himself.

Pushing himself.

His pure passion and intensity shows in all he does – from coloring a picture as neatly and as focused as he can to making his bed with each blanket layered and plush animal placed in its spot (when he does make his bed anyway). He starts his race each morning as soon as he wakes up – dressed with shoes on and waiting for his breakfast before his big sister is even awake. He is often ready before the adults of the house too – especially on baseball practice/game mornings.

Posing

Sneakers – just in case he needs to run somewhere.

Nate tries so hard and doesn’t quit until he “wins” or is pleased with his work. He is unbelievably and naturally competitive, even when it comes to getting the most reward sticks in his class for good behavior. (He actually has a strategy for trying to achieve this – befriending the boy who has the most sticks and striving to behave like he does.)

His brain hides so much knowledge behind his constant motion and the baseball stats he keeps. That love of baseball actually helped his brain. He taught himself math by figuring out how much his beloved Braves would have to score to win. He taught himself reading by scanning the channel guide looking for baseball games and reviewing the scores at the bottom of the screen of the game he’s watching. His confidence on the field is displayed in the classroom as well. He’s given PowerPoint presentations in front of his class like it’s no big deal. He gets beyond frustrated when he doesn’t get his schoolwork just right. He keeps a schedule and routine for himself, walking in the door after school and conquering his homework within minutes of sitting at the table. Little disciplined man – especially when it’s something he really wants to do. He amazes, entertains, teaches and challenges me every day.

Presenting before his class.

Presenting before his class.

As he begins his seventh year of attempts, memories and growing up, I wonder what he has planned next. His heart is his own and what drives it comes from within him. The flame burns so fiercely that I worry about it fizzling out too soon – before he really needs its strength to get him through tough times. I want to protect his heart and try to nurture it and calm it as best as I can but it often feels like he’s on such an important mission. It’s such a treasure and an example to follow.

Catching the ball - because he must.

Catching the ball – because he must.

One speed: Intense

One speed: Intense

Sign on the Solid Line, Santa

24 Dec

Sure, Santa. Stop by and drop off your presents. Have a cookie or eight. But that’s not all the oldest child in this house requests of you. Answer her questions and then sign on the line. I’m not sure it will hold up in court but I’m pretty sure the 9-year-old will hold you to the answers.

Oh yeah, and P.P.P.P.S., don’t forget it’s Jesus’ birthday.

IMAG6515

IMAG6516

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Room to Grow

14 Dec

A few weeks ago, I started writing an unfinished blog about how it’s been tough for me to give my kids room to grow. I’ve been worried that I’m suffocating their free spirits by not letting them play outside by themselves more – or stay over more friends’ houses – or let them walk the block to the bus stop without supervision. I see children playing outside in our neighborhood with other kids, no adult in sight. It looks as though they run this place. Confident and carefree, growing into their own. My kids, meanwhile, are sheltered.

It’s not that I don’t trust my children. I don’t trust others and situations outside of my watch. It’s been like that even for sleepovers at friends’ houses. Nia just had her first “alone” sleepover at a friend’s this year and I was worried the whole time. I woke up in the middle of the night. I checked my phone. She was fine and I felt like a mess. What’s my problem? I played outside until the street lights came on or until I heard the yell from home base. I had sleepovers and adventures sans adults. It’s just so tough for me to let them walk barefoot in the grass because I feel like when I do, they get stung by a bee.

What I need to remember is that the bee is really out of my control. I didn’t see it there as I sat and read my book. The kids didn’t see it there as they giggled and chased each other. Moments of bliss, interrupted with pain and tears. Mom and dad are there to make it better though. Scoop them up with hugs and kisses – medicine and a bandage. Don’t forget the ice cream. Still, we are able to be the protectors. Always the protectors. But what happens when you can’t be there to protect or comfort?

The heartbreaking tragedy that happened in Connecticut today captures that fear for me. Each day, we send our children on their merry – or cranky (depending on their mood that morning) – way to school and we head off to work or to whatever routine we have on the schedule. “Love you! Have a great day!” Words of caring we exchange to each other as they walk toward the bus or building. “See you later.” Because that’s what’s supposed to happen. See you later.

Sometimes, the hurt that happens when they are away from us isn’t permanent like the violence of today. Hurt feelings or worry in their hearts because of bullies, a fight with a friend or boys saying rude and inappropriate things. (That last one happened to Nia today.) For the most part, that hurt can be healed with an end of the day hug and talk with mom and dad. They feel better. They have some options on how to handle things if it happens again. They know teachers will be there to help because mom and dad talked with them. But still, I couldn’t keep them protected at the moment of their pain and I need to absorb that I never will be able to do that. They are not hurt-proof. None of us are. Mere mortals. Breakable. Perishable. Fragile.

Thinking about what happened in Connecticut today, my heart hurts for all those facing “What now?” and it hoards fear about “What if?” I am telling myself to allow my children to savor more barefoot in the grass and sleepover moments – especially for all those innocent little ones who now cannot.

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A Change in Seasons

15 Oct

I can’t believe it took me this long to notice. Well, maybe I did but I just didn’t want it to be happening so quickly. Other people mentioned the change to us. “Wow! Nia is getting so tall!” “She’s really growing!” “Nia had a growth spurt over the summer!” I just kept looking down at you, holding your small hand in mine, kissing you on your forehead – now level with my ribs.

Sure, I kind of noticed when I cleaned out your closet. To me, those 6X’s still fit you but in reality the ankle-length leggings were capris on you. I folded each younger size and hugged a few pieces in memory as I stacked them on your bed. I didn’t want to move them aside but I knew it was necessary to make way for the clothes that really fit you – and are the style you want now.

All the signs were there including how you’re now able to reach the cups in the cabinet without a chair and how you excitedly point out that you’re getting as tall as me. Heck, sometimes you would stand next to a friend who once towered over you and you’d meet them eye-to-eye. Still, it didn’t register to me like the slap in the face it should have. No. It took a moment of accomplishment for you at a corn maze festival to make me really see.

You climbed the netted tower all the way to the top and you made it look easy. Last fall when we went, you couldn’t pull yourself up to the second level. I watched you struggle and sweat and try so hard to make it to that next layer of net. You were so tired when you finally exited through the entrance. Maybe next time. And you sure did! You climbed it like it was nothing.

Top of the Tower

And then, if that feat of size, strength and determination wasn’t enough, you really showed me how big you are now. Never able to flip over on the bungee ropes before, you gave it another go this time. Of course you flipped. And flipped. And flipped.

Not to be out done, Nate wanted to flip too. I could see his stomach muscles working to try to pull his legs over his head. I was tensing mine as well, trying to zone over some strength for him to succeed. Just when we thought his time was up and no flip was in his immediate future, he gave it one more shot.

Finally, a flip!

I get it already. You’re both growing up. Show offs.

(I wouldn’t want it any other way …)

Pumpkins

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My Six D’s of Disney

12 Oct

First, another “D” for disclaimer: This post is very long. I wrote it as a review of-sorts and a memory-keeper. If you’d like to just read what I’d like to do-over for a future trip (Andrew jokingly says that will be in 17 years), skip down to the bottom of the post for my Do-Overs. Maybe they’ll help other first timers as well.

First Visit Pins

Our first family trip to Disney World started out like many others, I’m sure. The “We’re going to Disney” post on facebook welcomed suggestions from friends and then my research began online. I questioned my closest friends, “Where to stay?” “Where to eat?” “Dining plan or no?” “How long?” “Will I have time to brush my teeth?” After filtering through all the feedback, I should’ve been all set for success but I still doubted my decisions. I bought a book called The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids and called in reinforcements – a travel agent.

Our friends have used the agent in the past and recommended her. Deb with MEI and Mouse Fan Travel took a huge weight from my shoulders. A phone call and a few emails later, we were booked and dinner reservations were made for Valles, party of four. Then, the other kind of wait set in – we have how many months until we get to go?!

Drive

Fast forward to October 4 and Nate cries to me that he doesn’t want to go. He’s scared of the rides. I talk to him about it and our dear friends even have their little girl record him a video telling him it will be fun and there’s a ton to do. He feels better and then we’re off! We’re driving along, driving along … did you know that people in Florida with a lot of money really don’t like abortions but they seem to really like strip clubs? I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, just saying it made for interesting discussion with our kids along the path to Disney. I guess I was thinking it would be a more kid-friendly kind of whee! Silly me.

Digs

What rain?

When we finally reached that “Yeah, Disney!” sign, it was flooding rain. Thunder. Lightning. No matter! We’re there! The Art of Animation is Disney’s newest value resort. The Little Mermaid room (complete with a giant statue Ariel outside) was our home for the next five days. Size-wise, it was an average hotel room. It did the trick. I was surprised it wasn’t more kid-friendly being that the resort is really meant for the pint-sized patrons. At 6 years old, Nate couldn’t reach the sink to brush his teeth or the towel rack to dry his hands. He also had to really stretch to reach the tp from the potty. Andrew said he also noticed this issue at the Disney parks themselves. Only one or two kid-height urinals and one shorter sink in the public restrooms. I didn’t notice that as much because Nia is taller but even the paper towel dispenser in those restrooms was high for me. (I should note, I don’t mean for these to sound like complaints, just observations.) Maybe they were in case King Triton and his merman 6-pack needed to use the facilities.

Giant Statues to Greet You

Along with The Little Mermaid art at the resort, it’s adorned with scenes from The Lion King, Finding Nemo and Cars. The lobby’s walls are covered in everything from sketch drawings to the finished, colored characters. Very cool. There’s an arcade and the main pool hosted different activities throughout the day and a movie under the stars played each night. You wouldn’t even need to leave the resort to have a great time at Disney. But, of course, you want to!

Nia Amid Lobby Art

Delights

With a leisurely arrival on that first day, we headed straight to our dinner reservations with the princesses at the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall at Epcot. The kids loved it. They got autographs and pictures with Belle, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel and Snow White. They adored signing Nate’s baseball, proclaiming it the first one they ever signed. Nate was in happily ever after heaven, especially over Snow White who blew him a kiss and seriously won in my book for best performance. For mom and dad, dinner was good and we were excited for the kids.

Nate was smitten.

You can tell Nia’s favorite was Cinderella.

Saturday dinner was a barrel of laughs at the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue. We ate dinner while watching a live performance complete with singing, dancing and goofy comedy. We all laughed and Andrew even gave a few of his loudest whistles during the audience participation parts. I recommend the Hoop-Dee-Doo for the performance aspect of it – just know it requires two table service credits per person if you have the dining plan. (That includes the tip.) As with all the food at Disney, you get a ton of it and it’s all good.

Our favorite meal of the trip though was at Biergarten Restaurant at Epcot’s Germany Pavilion. It was a bountiful buffet of delicious German specialties and it was tough to stop sampling. We splurged for the German beer there as well since alcohol isn’t included in the dining plan. (We just had the regular plan – one snack, one quick/counter service meal, and one table service meal per person, per day.) The kids also were able to get up and dance while the band played. They had a blast.

Gettin’ Down after Dinner

Chef Mickey’s was the other table service meal we had. Andrew called it a slightly upscale Golden Corral starring Mickey and crew (the real reason you eat there). We were there for dinner and heard that breakfast is wonderful. The kids couldn’t have been happier with the food and the friends. They loaded up on all their favorites and beamed when meeting the beloved stars of the show.

Mickey and Kids

Happy to Meet Minnie

Eye-balling Each Other

As for the quick/counter meals we ate, they included the Flaming Tree Barbeque, Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe, Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe, Pizza Planet and our hotel cafeteria. One suggestion I have is to make sure to check out the children’s menu of each counter location and plan based off that so they kids aren’t eating nuggets and burgers for days in a row.

I’m pleased with how it turned out for our meals. I just knew where were going to eat lunch each day and planned our trek through the parks around that (and the must do attractions).

Destination Fun

Our first night there, Nate was feeling pretty full after our dinner with the princesses and Nia had her heart set on gift shop exploring. She found her beloved Dumbo Mickey Mouse Ears at Epcot and loved the many compliments about them from park employees and other visitors. Nate zoned in on a Phineas and Ferb Perry the Platypus football and played with it any free minute we had in the hotel room.

Saturday was strictly for Animal Kingdom – the park Nia dubbed her favorite even after a day spent at Magic Kingdom. She loved the Safari ride. Nate was nervous that the animals were going to get him and jumped to the middle of the seat when he knew we were nearing the lions. I kept telling him it would be ok. That Disney doesn’t want to hurt us because they want us to come back and give them more money.

Safari

Safari Lion

Beautiful Gorilla

Our first ride was the TriceraTop Spin. Nate asked, “Is this scary?” That became his question before every ride or show of the trip. The one time I was wrong with my answer was at Animal Kingdom. The 4D show “It’s Tough to be a Bug” has a minute of darkness when the mean grasshopper says to spray the humans. Darkness. Spray. Loudness. Hurt the humans. Spiders dropped from the ceiling. It even frightened Nia who cried and jumped in my lap. She wanted out of there. Me too, really.

Nate also wanted off the water ride, Kali River Rapids, we went on (because he really wanted to go on it) but now says it was his favorite. He and Nia got drenched at the front of the raft. His face when he saw the drop coming and then the wave of water will always be in my memory. It went from terror to laughs that he made it through it to realization that he wanted off that ride. He leaned to Andrew and then felt better knowing the ride was over.

Magical Moments

Sunday and Monday were devoted to Magic Kingdom. We covered as much ground and rides there as we could. Both kids loved flying with Dumbo. Nia screamed and laughed during the Big Thunder Railroad and rode it twice. Nate’s favorite was the Tomorrowland Speedway. He raced twice. They also enjoyed all of the live performances, parades and, of course, gift shops. Nia wanted to uncover all the treasures she could. This was also when she started pointing out how her Sharpie-written name on her “First Visit” pin was wearing off.

Nia’s Favorite Ride

Nate’s Favorite Ride

Ready to Spin

Daddy doesn’t like tea …

We got some pool time in on Sunday evening before dinner and Monday evening had us back at Epcot for our dinner reservations and we were able to catch the fireworks show and strolled through all the countries of World Showcase.

Our last day was filled with action at Hollywood Studios. The kids had so much fun at Star Tours (another two-time ride), Toy Story’s Midway Mania (way cool carnival-type ride), the Muppet 3D show and the Pizza Planet arcade. Nate even asked to go back to Hollywood Studios on Wednesday just so he could ride Star Tours again. (I think he wanted to be the Rebel Spy like his mom got to be by luck. Fun!) We cut the day shorter there because we wanted to have more pool and relax time. Plus, we had some arcade points to burn back at the hotel.

Remote Timer Family Photo at Hollywood Studios

Cheers to our Disney Trip

Disappointment

If there’s one thing I could label a disappointment of our trip it would be the many inconsiderate people. This isn’t Disney’s fault. People are people and I guess I expect too much from them sometimes. They would cut you off from the rest of your family. They would cut in line. They would leave their garbage on the table for someone else to clean up or put trash on one of the statues. They would invade your personal space by shoving right up on you in line. They did not cover their mouths and noses for coughs and sneezes. By the end of the third day, Andrew and I stopped letting it get under our skin and just shrugged it off. They aren’t going to change. I kept thinking, maybe they are just oblivious – but then I thought that’s really the same thing as inconsiderate though.

They in no way represented all of Mickey’s fans though. I rejoiced in the considerate and kind ones and let them know I appreciated their politeness. We even chatted up quite a few and Nia remarked, “I’m glad we have a friendly family.” She even noticed when others weren’t doing the right thing and pointed out the sour – and the sweet (like when a sister hugged her brother and made him happy) – during our park time.

Sweet Brother/Sister Moment

Do-Overs

  • Soaking Up Fun

    I would bring more at least one extra outfit per person and load up on socks and skivvies. Having the extra pair of sneakers was great due to the rain and the water rides but I should’ve carried flip-flops in my park bag to keep the kids from water-logging while walking. I noticed some people had their kids in swimsuits under their clothes which eliminated the splash zone aftermath. (Nate didn’t want to leave the splash play area but was soaked when he finally did.)

  • BYOB and store in the mini-fridge for the downtime back at the hotel. The restaurants and the hotel bar could run you $6 or $7 per brew.
  • BYOBreakfast too. This saved us time and some dollars. The mini-fridge fit a half-gallon of milk perfectly and everyone picked out their own cereal before the trip to make it a special vacation treat.
  • Consider paying more for a resort with a monorail option as well as bus. I think it will  help reduce the lines.
  • Definitely buy the dining plan – just make sure to use the snacks evenly throughout the trip so you don’t have a bunch to just spend the last day. It wasn’t tough to spend them, it just would’ve been nice to space them out more.
  • Review kid’s meals prior to planning restaurants to prevent the same meal over and over again.

    No Waiting

  • Character meals are the way to go so  you don’t have to wait in the lines for autographs at the parks. Some characters aren’t at the meals though so you may still wait if your little one loves that particular one behind the rope. (We just had the kids stand in front of the rope while Phineas and Ferb were taking pictures with others and snapped our own. Sure, it’s not the real deal but it’s pretty funny.)
  • Eat at Biergarten again. So worth it.
  • Try the Dole Whip and a giant turkey leg. Two popular things we didn’t sample.
  • Spend two more days down there. Check out Downtown Disney – and maybe Sea World or  Universal Studios while we’re there. The kids will be three or four years older so they’ll be up for taking on more things.
  • With younger kids, the mid-day pool and nap are key to smiles. We missed a few due to timing and we had to contend with a very over-tired Nate on those days.
  • Make sure to work in Magic Kingdom fireworks. We didn’t get to see them and I bet they were beautiful over the castle area.
  • Get the fast-passes whenever you can. For example, I wish we would’ve boogied it over to the Toy Story Midway Mania ride at Hollywood Studios to get the fast pass after riding Star Tours because they were all out for the day by the time we got there and we had to wait in line for almost an hour. That’s a big chunk of time that could’ve went to a few shows that we didn’t get to see.
  • Speaking of fast passes, I found it helpful to map out the plan of attack using the park map. I ordered the rides/attractions and then told Andrew (the fastest walker of us) to head straight for the fast pass for such-and-such ride. The kids and I would then catch a performance or ride something with a 10 minute or less wait.
  • Next time, try harder to get to each park right when it opens. We were pretty laid back about our arrival time which meant longer lines for the bus, bigger crowds at the parks and hotter temperatures.
  • Take deep breaths and remember that people are people and it won’t be the end of the world if you don’t get to everything on the map. All that matters is the tiny head under that giant Donald Duck hat and the sweet smile underneath those Dumbo Mickey Mouse Ears.

Until Next Time …

Happy Kid

Blissful Bean

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Happy Things

22 Sep

Some of us may have a face-washing regimen. Others may like to read a book or need the tv playing. Maybe there’s a blog post/journal entry to write or a bathroom need you must take care of before you finally settle down for your night of sleep. For Nia, it’s always been a very particular process – almost a formula.

  • When she was a baby, she needed rocked and bounced  – a lot. I remember practically sleepwalk-swaying with her in my arms in the bathroom with the fart-fan turned on for white noise. We also spent many nights rocking and snuggling until she fell asleep. (Understandably, I just didn’t want to let her go.)
  • When she was a little younger than a toddler, she would cuddle with Andrew on the couch with her nightcap of milk, watching Tom and Jerry episodes. She knew after the cartoon episode was over, it was time for sleepy.
  • From about that same age until she was a preschooler (when night-night time really became an obstacle course), she required three different music boxes to run simultaneously for her to fall asleep. Her Lola described it as a cacophony and had the hardest time one night while trying to figure out how to make all the “musics” work. We forgot to tell her about this bedtime ritual so she was left with Nia saying, as if it was a no-brainer, “Lola, my musics.” Nia then had to instruct her Lola how to operate each “music.” One was a teddy bear with a tail that turned to wind up the music, one was a princess jewelry box and the other was a light up music projector that our friends Anna and Jason sent her when she was born.
  • At that time, she also required I give her a hug along with seven kisses on the forehead, seven blow kisses and seven leg rubs before I could leave her room.  When she returned the blow kisses, she kissed each finger and counted until she had seven fingers held up and seven exaggerated blows aimed my way.
  • The cacophony ended when one of the music makers stopped working and then the classical CD became the next must have. That, and happy things. I love happy things. It started because she was afraid of having bad dreams so I told her she needs to think of happy thoughts to calm her mind. I will usually tell her three things – a positive thing from school, something to look forward to, and something I love about her. Often, I’ll ask her to tell me one from her day. (I learn more about her day that way, too.)

It seems happy things (besides her goodnight prayer) is the longest running simmer-down-for-sleep ritual. After years of the same classical music, Nia has started listening to her beloved One Direction CD. “It makes me happy,” she says while turning over to get comfy in her bed.

The best way to fall asleep.

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No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

8 Sep

That’s the way the saying goes, right? I googled it so I’m 99.9% sure I understand its meaning. Trouble is, like many things, that’s a difficult view to explain to a 9-year-old. It seems Nia experienced it last week at school though.

It all started with the good deed in the morning. Like most of the students in her class, she wanted to eat the school breakfast. She hadn’t started eating it yet when she heard another girl say she didn’t get a breakfast. They were all gone. Worried about the other girl, Nia took her meal up to her teacher and told her she’d like the girl to have it.

Great deed. I teared up when she told me. I hugged her, kissed her on her head and told her how special that was and why it was so nice to be considerate of someone else like that. Nia said her teacher loved what she did too and told her to move her clip up (a classroom reward technique). Nia added, “But that’s not why I gave my breakfast to her. It felt good to make someone else happy.”

It seems that other little girls in Nia’s class didn’t have that same spirit within them that day. It was book fair week so Nia made a few purchases besides her Guinness Book of World Records and journal to record all things friends, fashion and fun. She also decided to spend her dollars on some bookmarks and a really cool invisible ink marker with a mini-black light on the cap to read hidden messages. She was most excited about that marker. She wrote her name with it and then let the girl next to her try it out before she had to leave the class for another subject. When Nia returned, her marker was not in her desk where she left it.

She learned that the girl who tried it took it out of Nia’s desk and used it to pass messages back and forth to another girl in class. When Nia got it back from them, the marker tip was worn down to the plastic.

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She was bummed. I was bummed for her. We talked about what makes people act certain ways sometimes and how she responded. I told her I would give her another $3 for her to buy a new one because she didn’t even get to really use it. The next day, she told the teacher she’d like to go buy another marker at the fair because someone in the class ruined her first one. The teacher, of course, wanted more information and corrected the behavior of the other girls.

I didn’t tell her to say that to the teacher because I don’t agree with tattling when people aren’t in any danger of being hurt but I feel like the girls did need corrected. I worry the behaviors of others will dishearten our sensitive and giving girl. I told her to keep being sweet Nia no matter what and added she should tell the girls she would’ve been glad to share her marker with them – all they had to do was ask.

Maybe she could write it in invisible ink in a note to them …

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Waste Not …

25 Aug

I must start by stating – I don’t consider myself a recycling do-gooder. I am lacking on many levels when it comes to reducing and reusing. However, I do try. We recycle the products accepted by our city each week and I’m aware and care about the amount of waste that we create and that exists all around us. Sometimes, I even feel dirty living in a “new” house when there were so many already in existence that needed loving occupants. That is a different blog post entirely though. Now that it’s off my chest – back to what this is all about – school lunches. (Yes, I just went all the way around all that stuff to get to school lunches. You just took a trip on my brain waves – weird, wild stuff and thanks for sticking around if you’re still reading.)

Yes, school lunches.

For the most part, the kids bring a packed lunch from home. (The one day they don’t is pizza day – apparently still a must buy – even if they don’t have those coveted peanut butter squares that we had as kids.) Every lunch, I would load their boxes with three throw-away plastic snack bags carrying their cheese crackers, carrots and grapes. I have plastic containers for their sandwiches but the rest felt so wasteful and pricey. Then, I spotted these at our grocery store:

Fit & Fresh Kid’s Healthy Lunch Set

They are called Fit & Fresh and I’m pretty happy with them. The kids think they are really cool too. (And so do their friends, so they tell me.) I like them because I don’t feel so wasteful and also because they come with little cool packs inside the lids. I bought the ones for dipping too so I can pack some ranch with the kids’ veggies.

I would say the only thing I don’t love about them is that they aren’t “Made in U.S.A.” Yes, I’m slowly becoming more aware of that as well. I know and understand all the reasons for it saying something else on the plastic – and it is a rarity to find labels with such print on them – but it just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy (supportive?) when it does. I did notice the little Rubbermaid containers I bought for their cheese crackers don those letters so I guess that balances out their lunch box some. I will likely buy more of those Rubbermaids though – did you see the sandwich and entrée kit?!

Reusing in the U.S.A. I’m a fan.

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Baseball Brain

18 Aug

Silly momma. I thought it would be fun to test Nate’s baseball knowledge one night at dinner. I spoke it to him like a math word problem while he spooned up the last of his peas on his plate.

“If you’re playing Third base and there’s a runner on First and the batter hits a grounder to you and the First Base runner is coming for Third, what should you do?”

I was expecting a simple response like, “Throw it to First.” Instead, Nate replied, “I would tag the runner and throw it to get the batter out or I could throw it to Second so he could get the batter and then he could throw it back to me so we could have the runner in a pickle.”

Of course he’s always thinking about making a double play! How could I have expected anything less? What I love most about his answer is that he thinks about baseball in the same way I used to act out my Barbie scenes as a child. His imagination comes to life with such different subjects than I’m used to. His “pickle” was my Barbie cliffhanger.

Love his baseball brain.

 

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A Backpack, Boyfriend(?), and Other Back-to-School Stuff

13 Aug

As Nia and Nate made their way up the hill to the bus stop for the first day of school, my mind flashed back to last year. Sweet siblings. Kindergartener brother and Third Grader sister, holding hands as they made the walk together for the first time.

Sibling Sweetness – 2011

It’s funny to think what a difference a school year can make. Right after I took the photo below, now First Grader Nate darted across the street, making sure he’d beat us all to the corner of the street.

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School Siblings, See ya! 2012

The kids were very excited to start this new year. Nate is digging the thought of getting bigger (and maybe getting to stay up later like Nia gets to sometimes). Nia, meanwhile, had been hoping for the teacher she got. When the letter arrived a week ago, she repeated over and over as Andrew opened it, “I hope it’s Mrs. Ballard. I hope it’s Mrs. Ballard.” Andrew tricked her and acted like it wasn’t but just as soon as he saw her face turn to disappointment, he gave her the announcement she wanted. Her face beamed. She then wanted to trick me like her daddy did to her. When I got home, she had a sad face and handed me the letter, “I really wanted Mrs. Ballard.” “Oh, I’m sorry Bean.” I looked at the letter and then looked up to her giggly, happy self. Apparently, she and Andrew rehearsed the trick.

She was so happy to be headed back to school that she didn’t even let a little girl get her down at the bus stop when she turned Nia around to see her back and then sneered, “That’s last year’s bag!” Nia told me she replied, “So? Actually, I’ve had it for three years. It’s a really sturdy bag.” I am always amazed at how she manages to be so cool against cruelty. Even more impressive? Nia was playing with the little girl, along with Nate and another friend, in our front yard when I got home after work. I need to take lessons from Bean’s heart and attitude.

Bean also had some discussions with a boy today about if she still had a “boyfriend.” Her response to this also cracks me up, “I don’t know. You should ask him. Why do you want to know anyways?” We gave her the talk that she doesn’t need to worry about any of that business. Just have friends. Something she insists is all she is with this other boy. “We’re just friends!” she says with animation and giggles. Sigh.

Nate was rewarded for good behavior with silver sticks next to his name and didn’t get any warning sticks. (Phew.) I’m hoping him “winning” the good deed sticks will help him keep his eye on the prize. You know, learning and all – while staying out of trouble, of course. Now, if he would just eat the fruit and veggies I pack for him …

I hope this year brings them fond memories and expands their brains enough to be able to play Apples to Apples with us without much explanation. After all, that’s why I had kids – breeding adorable, capable board game opponents is tough.

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First and Fourth Graders!

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