Supporting you in motherhood, one little blog post at a time
What’s a Mom to do to entertain her youngest while her older child attends a soccer camp?
Books?
Puzzles?
Art projects?
Been there, done that.
T.Puzzle has since moved on to chair diving.
On the bright side, no furniture, glasses or limbs were broken during the filming of this video:
[wpvideo XzMt97eC]
While Full Speed is doing his thing at a morning soccer camp this week, T.Puzzle and I checked out storytime at the library.
We have a spotty past with storytimes. In theory they seem like a wonderful thing. In practice they tend to take nightmarish turns. Essentially quiet sitting+crowded room=disaster.
I figured with T.Puzzle being older and since I was playing him man to man, I had a decent shot at some actual enjoyment of the experience.
As we filed in the soon-to-be overcrowded room, I still felt confident. I believe the line between confident and crazy is paper thin.
Then, the backslide into silliness began.
T.Puzzle couldn’t keep up with all the steps of the African dance that accompanied the safari story. He folded his arms, pouted and defiantly declined to participate. He plopped to floor and I could see a tantrum starting to brew under his frowny face.
I refused to let him win.
I grabbed him close and positioned his ear so that I could speak directly in it.
“If you want to go to the park after this, you better adjust your attitude and participate the best you can. If you continue with this stinky face I’m taking you home and putting you to bed.”
From that point on a finer African dancer I have yet to meet.
When we receive important news, we often are able to describe in detail where we were and what we were doing when first learn of it.
It was 10:14 a.m. I was seated at the computer checking emails. I had on shorts and a printed purple tank top that I had worn to my morning workout. It was sunny and the heat of the day was beginning its usual build-up. I wore no make-up, my hair was scrunched back in a haphazard ponytail and my brow was furrowed with concentration as I scrolled through my inbox. I heard my phone beep to alert me of an incoming text.
Grandma wanted to know if she could take both boys overnight.
Do mothers like cocktails? Is summer hot in Florida?
I was feeling so generous of spirit after this offer I was willing to give her the whole weekend with them.
Who knows, I may even let her have them for all of July.
I’m that generous.
For most of us in my neighborhood, today is the first official day of summer vacation. As the usual group of moms gathered outside the main exercise room at the gym, the stories of motherly frustration began to flow. There were kids who refused to get up, who didn’t want to eat breakfast and who kicked and screamed all the way to the gym kid zone.
We are all in the same boat. Summer will be a fun change of pace but there will be some bumps in the road.
My favorite comments were from a Mom who has a grown daughter. She said that frustration is part of being a mother. The moms you have to watch out for are the ones who say their kids are “perfect” and everything about motherhood is “easy” and “always wonderful”.
It’s okay to lose patience with your children as long as you don’t pretend that you never have.
I took both boys to taekwondo. It was rainy and the sky was clouded in a way that made me feel kind of doomy. For some reason, I did not have a proper attitude. My attitude could have stemmed from the twisted knee I sustained during last Friday’s Zumba class (yes, I clearly am highly coordinated) and it twinged with regret every time I took a step. Or, I am starting to really, truly be over the YEAR ROUND taekwondo situation (Mad Dog, please take note). Yes, with most activities there is a distinctive start point and end point. Taekwondo is infinite. Apparently, my boys can become 128th degree black belts and me? I would like to start earning my black belt in lounging or slacking off in general. But, alas, this will never happen. Even if for some reason we suspend all kung-fu type activity in our home, there will be another activity or goal to replace it.
My goal? To try to remain gracious even when I feel completely the opposite.
How am I doing Mad Dog?
On second thought, better not answer that. You know with me trying to be more gracious and all.