Archive | Life RSS feed for this section

The Happy Faces, Boos and Memorables of the First Week

9 Aug

As I type this, the kids are sleeping like a bag of snakes (how their Papa Dave describes their extreme tossing and turning), ready to start their second week of Second Grade and Pre-K. The first week was great but there were a few speed bumps.

Ready for School!

First the happy faces:

  • Nia loves her teacher and is happy to have friends she knows from last year in her class.
  • Nate had a wonderful first week, scoring four blue days and one green. (Blue is the best and green is good. Yellow and red days mean sad face.)
  • Nia is excited to be back with her buddies at after-school.
  • Nate made it through the week without his blankey. He’s been pretty much carrying it around with him since birth. This is a milestone.
  • Nia aced her first spelling test and we received the results that she got incredible “exceeding” scores on her CRCT from last year.

Now, for the boos:

  • A little boy made Nia feel bad when he said she was “too little” to be in their classroom. Andrew says there will be a time when that kid will be begging for tiny girl to like him. So there, dude.
  • The Georgia Pre-K program revoked the funding for Nate’s school due to complications I can’t comprehend which means hardships for his school, our weekly fee goes up and others who weren’t supposed to pay will either scramble to find somewhere else, remove their child from Pre-K or struggle to pay. We are worried and praying for all involved.
  • Another child threw a rock and left a lump on Nate’s noggin.

And finally, some of the memorable:

  • One of the t-shirts I matched with a cute skirt was actually a pj top. I didn’t realize this until Nia told me she bragged to one of her friends, “I’m wearing my pj’s to school!” Great. It totally did not look like a pj shirt!
  • Nate insisted on wearing his “fast pants” every day because his the little girl he has a crush on would like them.
  • Nia says this year’s homework is going to be tough – not “easy” like it was in First Grade.
  • There’s a little boy who just stares at Nia. He doesn’t talk to her. Just stares. She says, “He’s just shy.” We’ll see.

Fingers crossed that the pros and memorables will outweigh the boos in the coming weeks!

Tags: , , ,

Threw Away the Receipt

8 Aug

In a little less than a month, Andrew and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. I couldn’t ask for a better partner/roomie to grow old and put up with. When things get challenging, nerves are tried and the quirks add up, I will remind him that the receipt is thrown away and he can’t return/exchange me.

Here are just a few of my favorite “you married me” moments:

  • You pile your dirty socks near the side of the bed. I never put clean clothes away.
  • I am a moody girl. You check my birth control pills to see if there’s a valid reason for it.
  • You snore. I don’t hear it when I’m sleeping. When I’m watching tv though, watch for a pillow to be thrown.
  • I worry about everything like soap getting in Nate’s eyes. You rarely worry and respond to me with statements like, “The ceiling could also fall down on his head.”
  • You leave crumbs on the counter. I park too close to your work bench.
  • I ask flighty questions and have many brain fart moments. (For example, not getting simple jokes or taking a few seconds longer than I should to figure out what word was just spelled to me.) After you look at me in shock for a minute, you don’t make me feel dumb, you make me feel endearing.
  • You bring me home flowers when you go to the store each week. I bring you home my car that needs filled with gas.
  • I let cups collect on my bathroom sink. You build cup towers with them.
  • You love me. I love you back. Swoon.

Tags: , , , , , ,

A fart fan that clears the air and scares the crap out of you.

7 Aug

It’s a big title for a blog but it’s so accurate I couldn’t help it. Here’s why: we recently discovered that one of the bathroom fart fans in our home had become the home of many wasps.

I only realized this after several times of cleaning up small black specs from the toilet lid.

I thought, what is this? It’s not poop. Where is it coming from?

Look up.

Fart fan.

Insect legs peeking through the vent.

Gasp.

Yell for Andrew who just thinks I’m just freaking out over bugs as usual.

He takes a closer look and then squints his eyes and shockingly states, “Those are wasps.”

He taps the vent and then jerks back when a “buzz, buzz” sounds from inside the fan.

The discovery and his seriousness immediately prompts my-oh-my-gosh-it’s-so-gross bug dance.

He instructs me to turn on the fan and shut the door.

He then climbs 20 feet up, armed with a flashlight in his mouth and a can a wasp killer in his hand. (It was 9:30 pm.) The rest is picture history.

Here is the aftermath from inside our house:

Here is the view from the scene of eviction and aftermath from the outside:

I still can’t help but feel bad about the ones we killed. Then again, they could have hurt the kids and they weren’t paying rent.

Tags: , , , , , ,

No Crayola? Not Cool.

27 Jul

The season of school supply shopping is here. The kids start back to school in less than a week so we were forced to deal with side-by-side shoppers sifting through the special displays, slim pickings and deciphering the supply lists from the teachers. (I usually end up with one or two things that I can never match to their lists.)

This year, I had more on my mind than just successfully checking off the list in one trip. I started to think about whether Nia will be judged by other kids based off what folder, notebook or brand name crayon she had in her desk. Yes. I worry about a lot of stuff, a lot.

She wanted (and got) a Barbie folder. I couldn’t help but wonder, is that ok for a second grader to sport? I don’t know what’s cool and even if I did, should it matter? I know it shouldn’t but I also want to eliminate as many obstacles as possible from her new school year. I remember things like brand name clothes and sneakers being status symbols when I was in school. Even if you’re decked out in some GAP, Hollister or whatever’s cool these days, I tend to believe the in-crowd kids will still find something to pick on others about. I guess that’s more of a reason not to care. Andrew actually had the opposite concern, he was worried her Barbie/fancy school loot would make other children feel bad because they want horses and cats to hold their homework as well.

Just to be safe, I grabbed some plain purple folders too.

Cool Enough/Too Cool for School?

Tags: , , , ,

All for Her

26 Jul

He picks out his clothes for school based off what she’d like. (“I want to wear my Braves shirt because she likes the Braves.”)

He also dresses to impress her.  (“I’m gonna wear my fast pants to show her how fast I run in them.”)

He draws pictures for her and no one else.  (I asked for one and he said no.)

It seems our baby boy is smitten with a little girl at his school. While I think it’s adorable and I approve of the young lady (Nia says she is her best friend at Nate’s school), I just worry about this part – he told us they have “sneaked” a smooch.

Now, Andrew and I told him all that we are supposed to tell him as parents about this. He’s too young to be smooching anyone, it’s not proper to do such things at his age or in school and he’ll get germs.  (No, not cooties! Germs! Well, I guess there’s really not a difference, huh?) I even said that I didn’t think her parents would like that and that he could get in trouble at school. Nia then added, “I don’t even do that and I’m older!”

Maybe we’re over-reacting, I don’t know. I just want him to be respectful and not feel like it’s ok to plant one on others whenever he wants. I suppose I also want him to stay little and unknowing of such things for as long as possible.

As a compromise, I told him no more sneaking and no more smooching but that he could give her a hug. I actually think I like Nia’s idea better though. She suggested he just blow her a kiss.

Tags: , , ,

Free HBO, a Continental Breakfast and WiFi

24 Jul

What’s not to love? Those are great selling points. HBO has groundbreaking programs, a love me some one serving cereal packages and the internet is like blood to me. But none of that softens the spike I feel in my anxiety level upon entering a hotel.

I’m not sure exactly what made me so hotel-phobic. I used to love staying in them. When I was a middle schooler, my dad, stepmom and stepsister stayed in a new room almost every night for two summers during our road trips across the country. It was an adventure. We visited the most awe-inspiring places and I would often send home/collect postcards of the hotel we stayed at along with the beautiful likes of Yosemite, Yellowstone and Redwood National Parks. I was intrigued by the different places we stayed, not disgusted like I am now.

Now, I can’t relax in them at all. I loathe using the towels, sleeping in the beds, using any part of the bathroom and, of course, walking on the carpet. I even cringe at putting my face directly on the pillowcase.  (How many dirty heads have been on that thing?!)

This latest hotel we stayed at wasn’t even so bad but I still struggled. I just don’t want my freaky fears to rub off on the kids.  (I already ruined them when it comes to bugs.) So far, I think I’ve hidden my revulsion fairly well around them. Nate seemed to love his hotel stay.

He jumped from bed to bed, was pleasantly surprised when he learned they let us use their towels, wanted to cook popcorn in the mini-microwave, felt like king of the world standing on furniture to reach the sink and thoroughly enjoyed his breakfast of bagel, an apple and some waffle.

I wish some of his carefree and happy hotel handling would change my attitude. I’m pretty sure the free HBO won’t do it because I still have to touch the remote to watch it.  (Shiver.)

Tags: , , , ,

“Mini-Me”

22 Jul

Many kids look like one of their parents. Resemblance among family members is a pretty common thing. You hear things like, “You have your mother’s smile.” “… your dad’s ears.” “… your grandpa’s balding pattern.” What Nia hears is a little different.

Strangers sometimes act floored when they see us together. One of our CVS clerks can’t get enough of how much we look alike. When Nia isn’t with me at the store, the clerk asks where my “mini-me” is and then proceeds to announce to her coworkers, “her little girl looks JUST like her!”

Sure, I can see a resemblance but I also see her. I see Nia. Not me. She is uniquely and adorably herself and it’s hard for me to believe I could be as precious. When she hears, “You look just like your momma,” what does she feel? Right now, probably nothing. But what about when she gets older? What if she grows to resent it?

I also never know how to react to people’s reactions. I respond politely. I thank them. Tell them my genes beat my husband’s. Smile. Then, I turn to Nia and say, “You look like you. Don’t you Sweets?” Beautiful, beautiful Bean.

Mommy & Bean

Tags: , , ,

Smoothie-licious

20 Jul

Smoothie-licious

You want it with strawberries? You got it. Some melon? No problem. How ’bout some pineapple? It can add a nice touch. What really makes it yummier than any other smoothie I’ve ever had though is a splash of Sunny D, Andrew’s not-so secret ingredient.

The boy is a smoothie master, always choosing all the right fruit to mix into the non-fat yogurt. He’s made smoothie monsters out of some of our family members. In fact, they even wanted their own Magic Bullets to make the smoothies as easily as he does.

Today, I woke up to find a prepared smoothie and some coffee all ready for me. It’s better than any smoothie/coffee shop I’ve sampled. It also costs a lot less. To that I say, sip until the annoying straw noise is made.

Tags: , , , ,

Excuses, Excuses

19 Jul
  • I’m too tired after I get home from work and do all that I need to do in the evenings.
  • I can’t seem to wake up in the mornings.
  • Besides, gym showers give me the heebeegeebees.
  • I don’t want to get all sweaty yuck during my lunch break.
  • It’s too hot.
  • I have a headache.

Have a suggestion about when I can squeeze in some exercise? I have a reason why I cannot. It. Is. Ridiculous.

I’m through with it. I need to exercise. I am a mush. I feel terrible and grumpy and will not let myself dodge working out anymore. I love to do it. That’s not the issue. I lack motivation and self-discipline. I give a bag of chips I’m eating to Andrew so that he can get them away from me because I don’t have the will power to close the heaven-filled bag.

Tonight, I actually said, “I’m going to go running,” and I did it. Well, I walked some too but it’s a start! No more excuses. Nia and Nate need a healthy mommy. That is motivation enough.

Tags: , , , , ,

I used to write a sex column…

17 Jul

so why am I such a prude and conservative when it comes to certain things? Those things all involve the upbringing of children in the areas of sex and violence.

Let’s start with what sells – sex. It’s fantastic, right? Talking about it, thinking about it, watching it, having it. Great stuff, that sex. I just am finding it difficult to deal with how even the most common children’s cartoons demonstrate sexual attraction. What Nate is learning by watching these cartoons is that when he sees a pretty lady he’s supposed to call her hot, whistle, pop his eyes out of his head, make that arooga noise and pant. I know male cartoon characters have been portrayed like that since before our parents were kids but I find it, well, STUPID. I can tell Nate, it’s not the best idea to act that way when you see a beautiful girl but if popular culture says it’s ok, does my small voice matter?

The same is true for violence or how anger is handled on tv, movies, music or even during a skit at a baseball game. Someone make you mad? Give ’em a knuckle sandwich, push them down, kick ’em where it counts, play a nasty trick on them and call them names the whole time. I counter with a, “That’s not nice, is it? Here’s what you should do instead…” But again, how long will my voice win over what they continually see as acceptable behavior? Heck, sometimes the fighting is cheered. Yay! Go get ’em!

I find myself even having to correct commercials now. For example, it’s not nice to stick your tongue out at people. Right? This mom says so and it took some time for us to get that through to Nate. When we finally did, what do we see? A mini-van commercial where a little boy outsmarts some other kids then sticks his tongue out at them. That little tongue-sticker-outer is the “good” kid. Great.

It is my responsibility to raise my children to the best of my ability. I take that on wholeheartedly. I do not expect movies, cartoons, commercials or songs to teach my children proper behavior and I don’t want to shelter my children from them. I just wish they didn’t contradict me all the time. I guess my cartoon would be pretty boring.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →