motherhood – Page 59 – Writes for all Mommies

children, humor, kids, motherhood, parenting

Free Time

08/02/2012 WFAM

Today is doomsday. This is my babysitter’s last day to help out during the week. I told her to have a ‘free day’ with the boys (which full disclosure, she actually wanted very much). That means she picked both boys up from school. That means I have several hours of free time. Let me repeat that, I have several hours of free time. A friend asked me what I was going to do. I didn’t have the foggiest idea. Oh sure, I know how to kill a few hours with errands or the occasional appointment. Several hours, well, that’s a whole different league. It’s a liberating feeling this free time to be spent alone. It also is kind of sad that I had to think very hard about what to do with it. This is what I came up with in no particular order: clothes shopping for myself (zero interruptions…it was divine), snack at Panera to do some writing including this blog post (I love, love, love to write) and to cap the night off, dinner with some girlfriends.

Who am I without my children to define my life or my time? Turns out I’m exactly the same. Same hair, same perspective and same joys and sorrows. The only difference is this quiet bubble that surrounds me wherever I go today.

I am certainly more of an observer of life than a participator. I leave full on life participation to the hands of my boys. Better enjoy the quiet while I can…

children, humor, motherhood, parenting, tantrums

Boy VS. Man

05/02/201220/09/2013 WFAM

Full Speed is an extremely stubborn boy. It is only recently that I can play any sort of game with him and it doesn’t end in him melting down if he loses. Well, most of the time anyway.

It’s nice that Full Speed has evolved away from some of this tantrum-ing in competition. The one area that Full Speed has shown zero to little improvement in competitive meltdowns is when he is playing anything against Mad Dog. Our theory is Full Speed’s belief system. In everything else, Full Speed has a fundamental belief that he can dominate so he powers through. When up against Mad Dog, he understands that his Dad is stronger and faster so he gives up in frustration quite easily. He feels hopeless so he acts hopeless. It ain’t pretty.

I don’t think the answer lies in having Mad Dog let Full Speed win all the time. Life doesn’t work that way. However, I do believe that I should be given at least one hour notice before they play anything against each other. That way I have plenty of time to find a more pleasant alternative to view.

What I don’t see can’t hurt me.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — This kid means business

children, humor, kids, marriage, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting

Black Belt Mommy

02/02/2012 WFAM

Here’s a few things you should know about Mad Dog. He’s handsome, incredibly smart, generous and he works a lot of hours. For him long work days are like that he has brown eyes. They are simply a part of who he is.

As I mentioned earlier, he is also an incredibly smart man. He knows that raising two boys, especially the two that I have, is quite a challenge. Since he isn’t available to help out more, he has always encouraged me to enlist the help of babysitters.

I hit the jackpot last year when my hair stylist offered up to help me with the boys on her free days. I was surprised because I had shared honestly about my boys and she volunteered to help me anyway. She finds their extreme energy and strong personalities adorable. She joined in the routine quickly and has been a tremendous help with the boys and especially karate. If you’ve noticed, there have been much less posts about traumatic incidents at karate since she’s joined the ranks about a year ago.

Quite frankly, I owe it all to this sitter. She is a lifesaver.

Now, her lifesaving efforts will soon be over. She starts a new job, will have less free days and won’t be able to lend a hand during the week.

Unless they award black belts to stressed out Moms for their wine consumption, I don’t see how this will end anything but badly…!

children, humor, kids, motherhood, parenting

Oops, He Did It Again

30/01/2012 WFAM

T.Puzzle has consistently been getting good and sometimes even great reports from school. I think it is reasonable to hope that while T.Puzzle may not get a perfect report every day, the awful reports are firmly planted in the past.

Ha. Ha.

First, it started with a report that he hit someone on the playground. The details were sketchy but witnesses placed him at the scene of a physical altercation. Bad report number two had to do with him pinching a fellow student over a book. And finally, this is the report that warmed my heart the most, he sassed the teacher (on the upside he had zero incidents of physical violence this day–I’m so proud). Oh, this isn’t the first time Mr. Man has sassed his teacher in this particular manner. It went down something like this:

Teacher: “T.Puzzle it’s not time for the Lego center you need to stop playing with them.”

T.Puzzle ignores her and continues his Lego building.

Teacher: “If you don’t stop right now, you will not be allowed to play Legos this afternoon.”

T.Puzzle: “It doesn’t matter, my Mom is picking me up early so I won’t even be here for centers.”

This was a true statement. Sometimes I pick him up early so he can get Full Speed from school with me. From now on I may be picking him up early to take him to “Mommy and Your Soon-to-be Juvenile Delinquent” classes.

He’s a work in progress…

children, humor, kids, motherhood, parenting

‘Left Out’ Has How Many Syllables?

27/01/2012 WFAM

Full Speed was invited to a birthday party this weekend. T.Puzzle is having a hard time comprehending that he isn’t invited to it. I’ve tried explaining that only the kids in Full Speed’s class were invited and not their brothers and sisters. He can’t let it go.

“Why aren’t syllables invited?” he asked.

“Siblings just aren’t, sweetie,” I replied.

These are the hard knocks of a boy’s life.