A Time to Talk

You know how when they were babies and everyone told you that this was the most precious time and that you should enjoy every second?

And you were all - "um yes but I might just die right here from sleep deprivation and sure this kid is cute and all but I would seriously entertain offers from the highest bidder if it meant that I could sleep for 4 hours in a row"..... kind of thinking?

But you didn't sell them and you kept on loving them and you kissed them and you enjoyed those late nights and early mornings and tummy time and obsession over milestones and all of the good baby stuff in between and you were still a good mother EVEN though you GASP had moments that you didn't enjoy?

Then came toddlerdom (is that how you spell toddlerdom? toddlerdumb? surely that can't be it)

Anyway - I digress

Ahhh the toddler years. Everyone tells you how sweet they are and that they wish that their kids could go back to this age and that you should enjoy every second?

And you were all -

"For the love of God I just want to have a decent uninterrupted poop!!!!!" 

But you carried on and had tons of laughs and cute memories and your kids still ask you to tell the story of when brother played in the toilet or that sister called a crocodile crockocackle and you were still an awesome Mom even though it is possible your teeth are a little worse for wear from the experience on account of all the grinding?

Well - I am finding myself in another stage such as that. My oldest daughter is 11. She is a 5th grader and to be perfectly honest I am putting myself in a little bit of jeopardy because she is probably more tech savvy than I am and if she ever has the interest (I have no idea why that would strike her but you never know) and looked up and read my blog then I certainly don't want to hurt her feelings so Baby, if you are reading this - Mom is mostly just looking for a laugh and I am trying to encourage other Mothers who have kids WAY more irritating then you are.

Ahem 

I digress 

She is awesome and smart and funny and social and crazy type A and reads like a million words a minute and has a lot going on in that funny, smart brain of hers.

And guess what 

She likes to talk

and do you know her favorite person to talk to?

Yep 

Me. 

And I get it. She is not always going to want to talk to me like this and she and I have had SO many learning opportunities because of this. I got her to watch a special by Brian Williams (whom I always tell husband is the only person I would ever leave him for and husband always says isn't he a lot older than me and I always say - doesn't matter but once again I am digressing...) about texting and driving and we talk about friends and boys and teachers and schoolwork and such funny conversations and things that happened at school and I am expected to react appropriately and think that everything is just as funny as she is and sometimes when my husband gets home I seriously ask him

Are my ears bleeding? Please check my ears. I think we should find me an ENT. I feel broken.

And he assures me that I am going to make it and I remind myself that this time is fleeting and that I should really enjoy it and seize the day and so on and so forth and so I remind myself and I write about it on the blog so that one day I will remember these days and look back and miss them.

She is sound asleep still so I am going to go and enjoy a simple discussion about the Imagination Movers with my two younger ones to prep for whatever we will be discussing today and you know what I can honestly say in the quiet of this moment?

I am looking forward to it. 

We will see what I have to say by 8:00 tonight

A Flashback to February 2008 - In The Weeds!

I wrote this post on the other blog in February of 2008. I think it is funny how the more things change the more that they stay the same. ;)

In the Weeds

I still say in the weeds from my No Frills days! Super super busy is in the weeds just for you guys that have never had to deal with a Friday night full of Soccer teams, drunk morons, and mean mean people. Anyway - I digress:

Well I had to jump on here and write that I really do have some cute pictures to put on here and some cute stories to tell along with them. That is going to involve me getting the camera in here and hooked up and that has just not happened yet this week! :) Let me see - what can I say about us:

Grace (my oldest - now 11 - then 6) : She was excited to go to the 100th day of school today. I really can't believe it - 100 days of Kindergarten - she is like an old pro! She had dance on Monday and is really doing great at dance. We just found out that her dance recital will be on June 21st this year. I love the way that she talks right now - her little hand gesturing away as she tells us her stories of her day. She is really reading up a storm right now which she is very excited about! She is doing GREAT at tennis! She was by far the best kid there on Saturday and I know that I am her mother but Mimi can vouch for me. :) (I know - super objective right there right?)

Zoe (now 8 then almost 4) : She is so funny. She had a great time at Soccer Tots on Sunday. She was the only girl and she was just hanging in there, throwing elbows and racing them all to the finish (when she wasnt looking at us grinning with her little arms flying.) She was actually TACKLED by this gigantic ringer of a kid during a game and the coach was so sweet to her and helped her shake it off and then she was fine. The Dad next to us said, "she is tough" and then another Dad mentioned later that she was really good. She is still biting her nails like crazy and I am about to lose my mind over it. We tried the bad tasting stuff today and she just bit right through it. She is so funny and sweet and such good company when she is not throwing a "scweaming fit" as she calls her tantrums.

Max (Now 6 then almost 2) : Ahhh the little man. We went to our Friend Lance the Chiropractor yesterday and it was the most amazing thing! He had been really fussy that morning and as Lance was working on him he put his head on my shoulder and almost went to sleep! Then last night he slept 13 hours straight! I am such a HUGE believer in that Chiropractor! The way that he runs right now is hilarious. He has a little hop to his step that is hysterical. He gets SO excited when Daddy comes home and starts saying, "DADDY DADDY DADDY" - very sweet. He had to be at the gym this afternoon for 2 hours because I got my hair cut and he was SO traumatized. He just kept squeezing me as we left. I told him that there are babies out there that have to be away from their Mommies for 9-10 hours a day! He just looked at me like, "Mommy - why do you talk to me like I am a grown up?"

Well - I am off to bed and I promise that I will put my pictures on the computer tomorrow.

A period of imperfection

I have pretty much been a blogger since I had children. I began with a little blog that was private and I am actually in the process of going back through it which is such fun. I am even going to repost here because I think one or two of my 5 or 6 loyal readers will get a kick out of that.

Anyhoo - the main purpose, for me, of blogging is that I really love being a Mom. I understand how fleeting childhood is and I want to remember what I was feeling and how I was doing during the days of my life. (Anybody here ever watch Days of our Lives? I just totally had that guys voice in my head - THESE ARE THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES....)

Anyway - I digress.... I have had a lot of trouble with my blogging since all three kids started elementary school. It is not for a lack of material (which has caused bloggy breaks before) or from a lack of the funny (also another reason for bloggy breaks for me) but rather a lack of time. I honestly don't know where the days go.

When the children were babies things were not perfect but there was also a lot of calm. Babies nap and babies want to be held and there are lots of opportunities to sit when you are watching babies. I would compare life with babies to being a small town firefighter - a lot of sitting around interspersed with moments of extreme terror/horror/exhaustion.

 I would describe the time in my life when my babies were preschoolers as lather, rinse, repeat. I really loved being a preschool Mom. I could sit and build blocks all day. I miss Caillou and I can play Toy Story Yahtzee with the best of them. I stayed home after my third was born and once again - those days were not perfect (are any days really?) but they moved pretty slow and also had a bit of a rhythm to them. Wake up, watch The Backyardigans. Eat some cheerios. Have a disagreement about socks. Give in about the socks but insist on the jacket. Head to preschool then run around like a chicken with your head cut off to run as many errands as humanly possible in a 2 and a half hour period. I actually jogged in and out of stores. Then pick up preschooler. Head home. Have a long and involved conversation about Splat the Cat. Read a book, read another book, cuddle for a while get preschooler down for nap. Then make the age old decision that every mother of napping preschooler makes - watch a television show, facebook, do something productive.

Anyway - now here I find myself with Elementary schoolers and myself in an Elementary school. I would classify this as a very fun time but it is also an age of imperfection. It was pretty funny. Here is the conversation I had with my girls this year:

 Me: "Girls - you know how last year on Valentines day I had balloons on the front porch and hearts for you to follow to your Valentines treats after school"

Girls: (expectantly) "Yes!!!!"

Me: Yeah, well, that is not going to happen this year.

 Girls "oh"(In all seriousness we had an awesome Valentines day, totally pulled it off and went skiing. The kids said it was a Valentines Day to remember.)

 I seriously pull stuff off seconds before it happens. Getting the right kid to the right thing with the right stuff is not always easy.

 I also feel that it bears repeating that the laundry situation is completely out of control. I really thought it was hard when they were little but the laundry that three elementary schoolers generate in Massachusetts in the winter time is crazy.

That is neither here nor there though and although I continue to digress I have to say I am not complaining. This is a really fun time. My kids are hysterical and they still like me. I understand that these days are also fleeting. It is just a period in my life where things cannot be perfect and I am great with that. I am way too tired to sweat the small stuff.

 I also have so much that I could blog about. It is like not getting to talk to your best friend for a week. You honestly don't know where to start.

 Maybe my next post will be about Frank and Freya (our pug and new lab) oh yeah - we are crazy - got a new dog. She is AWESOME though.

 Maybe my next post will be about the 6 year old and the 8 year old pushing the 11 year old down the stairs while on her belly to see how fast she would slide only to be horrified that she started flipping end over end halfway down.

 I could blog about the weather. OH I could blog about the blizzard.

 I could quite literally - go on and on. Oh wait, I am doing that already you say? Anyway - we will just have to see what comes next. I can't believe that I have been able to type this much without anyone interrupting me. I just don't know how to make myself stop typing. Maybe I should wrap this post up. Hmmm how can I do that? What would be an interesting way to end it? Maybe I will just stop typing.

A Blast From the Past - why playing in the toilet is awesome!

I wrote this post in October of 2008. My kids would have been 2,4 and 6.

Ahhhh the good old days




By the B Squared (Baby Boy)

Age 2

Well - first off - the toilet itself is AWESOME

A. it's forbidden
B. it has working parts and gadgets like this great flusher and a lid that if you use all of your super human toddler strength you can maybe get off
C. it is filled with water!!!!! I mean - really how great can one thing be?

THEN you get caught playing in it and three awesome things happen...

1. Your Mom makes this great gasping choking sound of horror. Don't be afraid first timers - it might be a little scary at first but it is so funny to see her thrown so far off her game - the reaction itself is well worth the crime.

2. Then while she is freaking out going to find something called disinfectant and something else called a plunger - you get to stand at a stool at the sink and play with - wait for it - more water! Only this stuff is warm and soapy - so great.

3. Finally you get stripped out of your clothes (something about germs and poop and stomach virus's - I am not sure) and you get to run around having some nekky time because by now your sisters have dismantled Mommy's sewing machine and she has run out of time to finish dealing with you.

All in all - an experience I highly recommend.

Yours Truly

The B Squared