You may recall I was having A LOT of trouble trying to get the babe to her classroom door every morning. You may also recall that I just couldn't handle controlling the little guy in the crowded halls of the babe's preschool. And you may recall I almost had a major meltdown, at the school, in front of people, while trying to help the babe with all her winter gear last Thursday.
Well you know what I did last Friday? I asked for help.
I confided in the school's front desk staff member, whom I love, that I was having trouble and didn't know how I was going to continue to be able to bring the babe to her classroom every morning. And guess what? She offered to watch the little guy on the first floor while I bring the babe to her class on the second floor. I don't have to take my son out of the stroller at all (which is priceless), and he seems to think hanging out with Ms. A is dreamy. Luckily she thinks he's really cute (at least for now), so it seems to be win win for all involved.
TA DA!
We have been taking advantage of this kind and generous offer ever since. And it makes morning drop off a whole different experience. It's almost sort of pleasant at times. All the kids and the noise and the chaos don't get to me as much when I am only chaperoning my 4 year old. She is a big girl and likes to show off what she can do, and now I'm actually able to appreciate it and let her know how well she's doing.
All I had to do was ask for help.
Perhaps I should try it more often.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Not An Artist
I was trying to have a balanced approach to parenting when I enrolled the little guy in an arts and crafts class. I figured he would benefit from exploring his more creative side. I was wrong.
Sadly we had quite a miserable time at our first art class this morning.
It's not that he was the youngest kid at the table. He wasn't. It's not that there weren't interesting things to do. There were. It's that he wanted to leave the table and run around the room exploring. He also wanted to throw a few crying fits, step on other people's art work drying on the floor, stare out the window at the clouds, and pretty much anything that didn't have something to do with the class we had registered for.
I knew within a few minutes I had made a mistake. I had an internal dialogue on whether I should switch to a more active class or just get my money back. I was also debating whether I was giving him enough of a chance. Perhaps he just needs to try it a few times, I thought to myself.
Well by the end of it I had decided I was not going to torture myself for the next eight Friday mornings. I asked the teacher if she knew about the withdrawal policy and while she didn't have any useful information for me, she certainly seemed relieved that my non artistic son and I would not be coming back and interrupting her little class.
I was relieved when the front desk guy reassured me that it would be OK and passed along the contact info of the Director of kids programing. I gave her a call as soon as we got home and we switched the little guy into a sports class as of next week. No hassle whatsoever.
I don't feel like a failure. But I did learn a lesson. The little guy is not the type of kid who wants to sit at a table quietly painting. This guy wants to move. And I'm going to let him.
Sadly we had quite a miserable time at our first art class this morning.
It's not that he was the youngest kid at the table. He wasn't. It's not that there weren't interesting things to do. There were. It's that he wanted to leave the table and run around the room exploring. He also wanted to throw a few crying fits, step on other people's art work drying on the floor, stare out the window at the clouds, and pretty much anything that didn't have something to do with the class we had registered for.
I knew within a few minutes I had made a mistake. I had an internal dialogue on whether I should switch to a more active class or just get my money back. I was also debating whether I was giving him enough of a chance. Perhaps he just needs to try it a few times, I thought to myself.
Well by the end of it I had decided I was not going to torture myself for the next eight Friday mornings. I asked the teacher if she knew about the withdrawal policy and while she didn't have any useful information for me, she certainly seemed relieved that my non artistic son and I would not be coming back and interrupting her little class.
I was relieved when the front desk guy reassured me that it would be OK and passed along the contact info of the Director of kids programing. I gave her a call as soon as we got home and we switched the little guy into a sports class as of next week. No hassle whatsoever.
I don't feel like a failure. But I did learn a lesson. The little guy is not the type of kid who wants to sit at a table quietly painting. This guy wants to move. And I'm going to let him.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
"Sorry, Coco"
As you may recall, the little guy apologized to me for the first time the other day. He really seemed to get that throwing his toy across the room is just not cool.
Guess what his new favorite word is?
Yep, you got it. Sorry. He seems to have realized there is a lot to say sorry for.
Now we hear "Sorry, Mama," and "Sorry, Papa," and "Sorry, Coco," all day long.
Coco? Who the hell is that?
Coco is apparently the babe. Over the last few days, exhausted by the effort of trying to master his sister's name, the little guy has started calling the babe Coco. We do not understand where it came from.
This morning he was in bed with us watching cartoons when we heard the babe yell some random thing from her room down the hall. He yelled back "Coco" at the top of his lungs.
And it has carried on all day.
We all think it's funny. Both the "sorry" thing, which is cute, and the "Coco" thing, which is strange and overall humorous. Not sure how long we'll think these things are cute and humorous, but for now we take it as progress. The process of learning to speak involves many twists and turns....and we are just trying to enjoy the ride.
Guess what his new favorite word is?
Yep, you got it. Sorry. He seems to have realized there is a lot to say sorry for.
Now we hear "Sorry, Mama," and "Sorry, Papa," and "Sorry, Coco," all day long.
Coco? Who the hell is that?
Coco is apparently the babe. Over the last few days, exhausted by the effort of trying to master his sister's name, the little guy has started calling the babe Coco. We do not understand where it came from.
This morning he was in bed with us watching cartoons when we heard the babe yell some random thing from her room down the hall. He yelled back "Coco" at the top of his lungs.
And it has carried on all day.
We all think it's funny. Both the "sorry" thing, which is cute, and the "Coco" thing, which is strange and overall humorous. Not sure how long we'll think these things are cute and humorous, but for now we take it as progress. The process of learning to speak involves many twists and turns....and we are just trying to enjoy the ride.
Be. More. Patient.
If they sold patience, I would buy it in bulk. I would give up all my treats to afford it. I would do pretty much anything to have more patience.
The kids.....who I love so very much...test...my...patience to such a degree I sometimes think my head will explode. Being a Mom means I have to keep a lot inside. There is a lot of inappropriate language going on in my head, and although I try to keep my game face on, I do not always keep it under control. I do not curse in front of my kids, but I do blow my lid every once in a while.
Our morning wasn't overly smooth today. But the highlight was dropping the babe off at school (we were actually on time). I am having BIG problems getting the babe into her class in the morning. There are so many steps to get out the door in the winter. And the school hallway where jackets and boots are stored is so crowded with little people I feel like I am going to lose it.
As I am not allowed to take the stroller up to the second floor, I have to take the little guy upstairs with no way of controlling his movements. I'm also supposed to be helping the babe with her jacket, mitts, hat, snow pants, boots, lunch bag, etc. Add about 15 other similar kids into the mix, plus a 2 year old boy who will not stay still and doesn't listen when you are yelling at him to "GET BACK HERE," it really is enough to break me.
I know it's only a 20 minute experience, but it is the worst 20 minutes. I guess I'm just jealous of all the parents who breeze in with one kid and are out the door in less than 5 minutes. I know I always look like a mess, and I mumble to myself, and I don't look like someone you'd want to be friends with, but I suppose if I just get through it, the winter will pass and we will get to a point when jackets and all that jazz are no longer needed.
Perhaps I need to get more in tune with my Canadian self. Be nicer, calmer, more patient and able to handle the chaos of children in the winter.
The kids.....who I love so very much...test...my...patience to such a degree I sometimes think my head will explode. Being a Mom means I have to keep a lot inside. There is a lot of inappropriate language going on in my head, and although I try to keep my game face on, I do not always keep it under control. I do not curse in front of my kids, but I do blow my lid every once in a while.
Our morning wasn't overly smooth today. But the highlight was dropping the babe off at school (we were actually on time). I am having BIG problems getting the babe into her class in the morning. There are so many steps to get out the door in the winter. And the school hallway where jackets and boots are stored is so crowded with little people I feel like I am going to lose it.
As I am not allowed to take the stroller up to the second floor, I have to take the little guy upstairs with no way of controlling his movements. I'm also supposed to be helping the babe with her jacket, mitts, hat, snow pants, boots, lunch bag, etc. Add about 15 other similar kids into the mix, plus a 2 year old boy who will not stay still and doesn't listen when you are yelling at him to "GET BACK HERE," it really is enough to break me.
I know it's only a 20 minute experience, but it is the worst 20 minutes. I guess I'm just jealous of all the parents who breeze in with one kid and are out the door in less than 5 minutes. I know I always look like a mess, and I mumble to myself, and I don't look like someone you'd want to be friends with, but I suppose if I just get through it, the winter will pass and we will get to a point when jackets and all that jazz are no longer needed.
Perhaps I need to get more in tune with my Canadian self. Be nicer, calmer, more patient and able to handle the chaos of children in the winter.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Canadians Skate
As I've mentioned, we recently returned from a long trip to Canada.Last Saturday I decided we needed to make more of an effort to expose our kids to "Canadian" things, and while Canada doesn't own ice skating, there sure is a lot of it going on up there.
So we packed up the kids after nap time and drove out to the rink. I'm not sure what I expected, but it was really, really hard to take a 4 year old and 2 year old to a busy public skating rink. There's the part where you have to stand in line and buy your ticket, the part where you stand in line and rent skates, the part where you squeeze onto a crowded bench and wrestle with children getting them into the skates, the part where you try and walk them to the rink and get on the actual ice without killing anyone, and the part where you try and skate around hunched over holding onto the full weight of a 30/34 pound child while trying not to collide into the boards or other skaters.
So will we do it again? Yes. Will it be soon? Let me get back to you after my back and arms have healed.
The Art Show
December was a crazy busy month. As such, I am going to have to back track a bit.
On December 15th, the babe's class had their annual "art show." The school displays the work the kids have been focusing on since September. We get all dressed up and eat a pot luck dinner together. It it quite the event.
I am posting a picture of the babe and her art piece, inspired by Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky. I don't normally put pics of the babe up, but she looks so proud standing next to her art, and I can't resist sharing it with you.
As you can see (despite the fact that I cut off the top of it), the babe's painting is quite something. While many of her female classmates speak of unicorns, princesses, and castles in the evening's program, my daughter apparently took her inspiration from a friend.
The piece is called "Eleanor Is Writing Her Numbers"
Acrylic on Canvas
"This painting is of Eleanor because she once had pink eye and needed to go to the doctor. The brown ladder is for her to fix her roof and the blue ladder is for her tears to travel. The table is for dinner and the blue circle is her computer. The red lines make her a wolf. Eleanor is in school and is looking at her new boot her mom bought her. This painting can be sad and this painting can be happy. My favorite part of being down in the art studio was doing the (collaborative) painting with my friends."
Now if you can deconstruct that for me, and let me know what it means exactly, I owe you.
I am proud of my little artist and while her style may have shifted from last year's piece, I can't wait to hang the babe's new work up on our new walls.
On December 15th, the babe's class had their annual "art show." The school displays the work the kids have been focusing on since September. We get all dressed up and eat a pot luck dinner together. It it quite the event.
I am posting a picture of the babe and her art piece, inspired by Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky. I don't normally put pics of the babe up, but she looks so proud standing next to her art, and I can't resist sharing it with you.
The piece is called "Eleanor Is Writing Her Numbers"
Acrylic on Canvas
"This painting is of Eleanor because she once had pink eye and needed to go to the doctor. The brown ladder is for her to fix her roof and the blue ladder is for her tears to travel. The table is for dinner and the blue circle is her computer. The red lines make her a wolf. Eleanor is in school and is looking at her new boot her mom bought her. This painting can be sad and this painting can be happy. My favorite part of being down in the art studio was doing the (collaborative) painting with my friends."
Now if you can deconstruct that for me, and let me know what it means exactly, I owe you.
I am proud of my little artist and while her style may have shifted from last year's piece, I can't wait to hang the babe's new work up on our new walls.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
The New Photo
I have a new photo up. It's called "The Big Hug." It was taken a few weeks ago behind my folks place by a very dear family friend, Linda. I want to thank Linda for the shot and for encouraging me to get back to my writing. Sometimes hearing some positive words makes a huge difference, and I may not have plotted my return if I hadn't been given a loving shove.
Decisions, Part 2
I left you hanging there, didn't I?
You want to know what my decision was?
I decided to stay home with the little guy next year.
You want to know how I decided?
I added it up. I sat down, and crunched the numbers. And it just doesn't make sense to send both kids to preschool in September. I would be spending what I made to cover the cost of it.
You want to know how else I decided?
I thought about how hard it would be to leave them from 8am to 6pm every day. And I just can't do it.
I am by no means judging those who do, and am so grateful I have a choice, but I am not at a place right now where I can imagine leaving the kiddies for that many hours a day.
I am usually a great Mom and quite enjoy it when I have only 1 kid around (if I do say so myself). In all honesty, I am not as effective or relaxed when I've got both with me, but I still think it is better for them and for me if we stick it out together for a while longer.
In September 2012, the babe will start kindergarten (public and free!), and at that point I think we'll all be better prepared and possibly ready to handle the challenges of living as part of a family with 2 working parents.
And who knows, perhaps I will get really good at this Mommy thing and won't be so torn anymore. Only time will tell. But for now, I am breathing a huge sigh of relief that the little guy and I have more time together and that I will be able to continue seeing the babe's excited face as she runs towards me at pick up time every day after preschool.
Cheers to the good life and to all our many blessings.
You want to know what my decision was?
I decided to stay home with the little guy next year.
You want to know how I decided?
I added it up. I sat down, and crunched the numbers. And it just doesn't make sense to send both kids to preschool in September. I would be spending what I made to cover the cost of it.
You want to know how else I decided?
I thought about how hard it would be to leave them from 8am to 6pm every day. And I just can't do it.
I am by no means judging those who do, and am so grateful I have a choice, but I am not at a place right now where I can imagine leaving the kiddies for that many hours a day.
I am usually a great Mom and quite enjoy it when I have only 1 kid around (if I do say so myself). In all honesty, I am not as effective or relaxed when I've got both with me, but I still think it is better for them and for me if we stick it out together for a while longer.
In September 2012, the babe will start kindergarten (public and free!), and at that point I think we'll all be better prepared and possibly ready to handle the challenges of living as part of a family with 2 working parents.
And who knows, perhaps I will get really good at this Mommy thing and won't be so torn anymore. Only time will tell. But for now, I am breathing a huge sigh of relief that the little guy and I have more time together and that I will be able to continue seeing the babe's excited face as she runs towards me at pick up time every day after preschool.
Cheers to the good life and to all our many blessings.
Belated Wishes
On December 23rd, my beloved husband turned 40. I'm not going to go on about it, but I am eternally grateful to this man for giving me love, understanding, friendship, companionship, and 2 amazing little children. I love you and wish you many, many more happy days.Happy Birthday, dear husband.
On December 24th, my sweet little baby boy turned 2 years old. I am quickly having to come to terms with the fact that he isn't a baby anymore. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to hang out with him every day and watch him learn and grow. I think you savour things a little more when you know it's your last child. I am trying to slow down and enjoy the little things more with him. Every development, every new word and every new day with him seems like such a gift. I can not imagine tiring of kissing his little feet and fat cheeks.
Happy birthday, little guy. Your Mama, Papa and big sister all adore you.
And to all the other December birthdays out there, hope you had a great one!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
The Sweetest Sorry
"Sorry, Mama."
That's what the little guy said to me today right before his nap. He had just thrown a toy across the room as I was getting him in his pajamas. I responded to his energetic display of carelessness with a curt "No throwing."
He looked at me, hugged me close and said "Sorry, Mama."
This may not seem like a big deal, but it is the first time my son has ever apologized to me. He appears to have picked up the word "sorry" this week. We told him to say sorry to his sister last night after he had been pushing her around. He walked over to her, hugged her, and said "Sorry."
Perhaps it's that we have just returned from 16 days in Canada and Canadians say "sorry" more than Americans. Perhaps it's that we have been encouraging apologies between the 2 siblings for some time now and the little guy has gotten used to his big sister frequently hugging him and saying sorry.
Whatever the explanation, I was extremely touched by this simple apology. So touched I had to get myself in front of the computer and document it.
Perhaps this was all I needed to come back to you, 24-7 Mommy.com.
Happy New Year. I'm looking forward to continuing my Motherhood journey with you.
That's what the little guy said to me today right before his nap. He had just thrown a toy across the room as I was getting him in his pajamas. I responded to his energetic display of carelessness with a curt "No throwing."
He looked at me, hugged me close and said "Sorry, Mama."
This may not seem like a big deal, but it is the first time my son has ever apologized to me. He appears to have picked up the word "sorry" this week. We told him to say sorry to his sister last night after he had been pushing her around. He walked over to her, hugged her, and said "Sorry."
Perhaps it's that we have just returned from 16 days in Canada and Canadians say "sorry" more than Americans. Perhaps it's that we have been encouraging apologies between the 2 siblings for some time now and the little guy has gotten used to his big sister frequently hugging him and saying sorry.
Whatever the explanation, I was extremely touched by this simple apology. So touched I had to get myself in front of the computer and document it.
Perhaps this was all I needed to come back to you, 24-7 Mommy.com.
Happy New Year. I'm looking forward to continuing my Motherhood journey with you.
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