Category: kids

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children, humor, kids, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting

The Truth About Dimples

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Why is it that inevitibly on the day you have a conference with your child’s teacher they earn a bad behavior report?  This is only worsened by the fact that it is his second in a row in what is turning out to be a possible record breaking number of bad behavior reports.  I mean I’m going to give T.Puzzle credit.  At least he is consistent and obviously committed to racking up a high number of these reports.

His teachers aren’t completely throwing him under the bus.  They say things like, “well, he’s a good kid, he’s just not listening,” or “when he’s in a group he gets in trouble but on his own he is great.”  I don’t know if I buy it.  I kind of do but I’m telling you, his dimples and glasses let that kid get away with more than anybody has a right to.

I know I survived this kind of behavior stuff from Full Speed when he was exactly this age.  I know I have to be consistent and strong with discipline.  T.Puzzle has yet to be unfazed by the consequences he has incurred.  I’m going to have to up the ante just like I did with Full Speed.  I’m running out of options.  Pretty soon I’m going to have to start taking away food, shelter and clothing.

I’m almost postive this would make T.Puzzle a naked, starving and sunburned four year old who still refuses to listen to his teachers. 

Thank goodness for the dimples…

children, humor, kids, life in pictures, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting

The Write Stuff

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Underdeveloped fine motor skills and rowdy behavior are the staples of raising very active boys.  Full Speed has been known to have both of these.  Thankfully with practice and maturity he has shown tremendous improvements in both these areas especially in school.  At home, he tends to get himself in trouble with regularity.  It seems that since he is behaving at school he kind of loses control when he gets home. 

Over the weekend Full Speed misbehaved and lost some privileges for the day.  He expressed his displeasure at Mom and Dad by having a terribly stinky attitude and writing this note while we were at lunch:

Mad Dog and I marvelled at the penmanship and great punctuation.  So what if Full Speed won’t behave?  At least his fine motor skills are fantastic.

gratitude, humor, kids, motherhood, parenting

The Army of Brotherhood

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Full Speed has declared that he would like to join the military or be a police officer when he is grown.  Whatever he says he wants to be I agree with him wholeheartedly.  Why?  This is because my own Mom never once scoffed at my goal of being a ballerina.  She didn’t hold it against me that I had never taken one ballet class and that I was better at throwing a softball than doing a pirouette.  She was good like that.  Therefore I have an ‘If you can dream it, you can achieve it’ sort of policy with my own kids.  Note to self…still have never taken a ballet class, maybe my policy should be revised.

As for now, Full Speed’s military aspirations are still in place.  Full Speed must have seen the commercial for ‘Surprise Homecoming’ on TLC.  It’s a show dedicated to reuniting military families with their deployed loved ones.  This is the conversation I overheard between him and T.Puzzle:

Full Speed: If there was a war and I was in the army I would take a break and come home and surprise my family.

T.Puzzle:  You would surprise me?

Full Speed:  Well, no, I would probably surprise the person I married and my kids.  I bet my kids would miss me a whole lot.

T.Puzzle:  Oooh, man! (sounding quite bereft)  You really aren’t going to surprise me?

Full Speed: (spoken with trepidation)  Alright, I’ll surprise you, too.

T.Puzzle:  YAY!

Brothers for life!
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children, gratitude, humor, kids, marriage, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting

Are You Ready for Some Football?

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Do you ever wonder if we complain about something just to give ourselves something to do?  How can I be upset that my husband loves football?  It’s not like I didn’t know this before we got married.  If any of you know him, he will gladly recount his famous “The Buckeyes are Why I Got Married” story. 

So, he may be less available to me on the weekends and/or we will have to plan our weekend fall activities around Buckeye games.  It could be worse.  I could be forced to watch the games and I’m at a point in my life that I would much rather read a book or go to a movie with a friend or start my hair on fire… you get the drift.

There is an upside to all of this.  Everything has an upside if you scrutinize it enough.  Mad Dog is involving our boys in his football passion.  They already are reciting Buckeye related phrases on command and Full Speed is becoming much more invested if they win or lose.  This means the boys will be spending more time with Mad Dog. 

Maybe I like to complain about football because I feel so left out.  Maybe I’m worried that I will be completely forgotten about on weekends and have to eat my meals in solitude or go for long, contemplative walks by myself.  Or maybe that sounds like a little slice of heaven.   

Maybe I should complain less and embrace more.  Maybe football season will become my very favorite season after all.

children, gratitude, happiness, humor, kids, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting

Birthday with a Bite

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A lady doesn’t share her that it’s her birthday unless she’s shopping at a shoe store that offers a birthday discount.  Then she will shout it from the highest mountain top if needed.

So, my birthday was the thirteenth.  As you can tell I was pretty psyched for my $5 off birthday coupon at the shoe store.  Before I went shopping I had a lovely breakfast with my boys.  I told them that some of the best presents I had were their Dad and the two of them.  I said that I was very lucky to have two of the best sons in the whole world. 

“I love you no matter what,” I said.

“Even if we bite somebody?” asked T.Puzzle.

T.Puzzle has an unfortunate history of biting.  I would like to say it’s a phase but if something last three years and has yet to stop, that’s more likely a life habit (life sentence?) than a phase. 

I didn’t hesitate to reply to him yet it pained me ever so.

“Yes, T.Puzzle.   I love you even if you bite somebody.”

Unless you bite me! 

 Did I say that out loud?