children, humor, kids, motherhood, parenting

So Proud!

WFAM

Every parent has moments when they are proud of their children.  It might be an ‘A’ on a test they worked really hard for or holding the door open for someone without being told.

This was not one of those times.

T.Puzzle decided he didn’t feel like listening to his teachers all day long (what a shocker!).  They told him since he couldn’t listen he was going to have to sit by the wall for afternoon recess and not be able to play.  They told me that he looked at them and announced that it didn’t matter because his Mom was picking him up early.  He wasn’t even going to be here for recess.

What’s the opposite of pride?  How I felt right then.

Guess who lost all their privileges and had to sit out recess the next morning?

T.Puzzle and Mad Dog. Both handsome and both don't like to be told what to do.
gratitude, humor, kids, life in pictures, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting

A Call of Acknowledgement

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All anyone wants in the world is some acknowledgement.

Full Speed wants praise for his good grades and high-flying karate kicks.

Full Speed attacks!

T.Puzzle wants to show off his muscles after drinking his milk and have me say how impressed I am (his four year old guns are massive by the way).

I told you T.Puzzle's pipes were massive

How often do the Moms of the world get acknowledgement?  In my experience it is not an everyday sort of occurrence.

Last week Mad Dog’s team at work took Boss’s day to the next level.  Not only did they show appreciation for Mad Dog, they also sent me flowers.  I appreciated that they understand the impact on our family of having Mad Dog work such a demanding job.  I work hard to raise our boys and run our household and a lot of times Mad Dog isn’t able to lend a hand because of his own work commitments (bazillion late day conference calls, anyone?).

It feels good to be acknowledged.  Actually it feels great.

I dedicate these flowers to all the Moms, wives and partners out there who make a house a home and keep their families going no matter what the circumstance.

Gorgeous!

I will be scheduling a conference call later with all of you so we may discuss this at length.

children, humor, kids, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting

Count Me Out

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Full Speed has a tendency to wake up angry. He naturally channels this anger at his brother which often culminates in physical violence. Full Speed was feeling extra saucy this morning and released a flurry of kicks and punches upon his brother. When it came time to brush teeth Full Speed had managed to stop the physical attacks (thanks to some threats and coaching from Mom). Instead, he attempted to keep his little brother intimidated by striking a menacing pose topped off with a fierce grimace. After being mostly whiny (and who can blame him?) T.Puzzle had enough and finally fought back landing a blow squarely on Full Speed’s stomach. At this point I didn’t care who started it, who kept it going or whatever.

“Guys, knock it off. The next person that hits or kicks their brother is getting their first strike of the day. You know the rule, hands and feet to yourselves while we brush teeth.”

Full Speed denied any culpability and surprisingly didn’t throw T.Puzzle under the bus, “Mom, T.Puzzle used his elbow so it doesn’t count.”

That’s when Mom started to count to keep her own aggression at bay.

I ended up counting to a million and seven.

children, humor, kids, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting

Scream

WFAM

My morning was a little stressed. As the boys continued to fight and scream in the car I made a conscious effort to breathe. If they pick up on my stress surely they will pick up on my zen. I inhaled deeply and waited. They seemed only to get louder. I exhaled slowly certain my inner calm would infuse the car with peace. They escalated. I lost it. I screamed at the top of my lungs. The result? Two boys that thought that Mom was hilarious. Shockingly this only increased their rowdiness.

I give up.