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

Here’s Hoping…

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The IHOP logo
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I’m feeling nervous.  I have been cracking down on the boys and their behavior and frankly, the only thing that is close to cracking is me.  But that’s not why I’m nervous.

I told Full Speed and T.Puzzle that they need excellent reports from school so we can go to IHOP for dinner.  No exceptions.  I need a ‘blue’ day from Full Speed, blue being the absolute best mark you can get in kindergarten, and I need an excellent report from T.Puzzle’s teacher.   If not, no pancakes no how.

So you see I’m nervous because I don’t want to have to follow through with my threat.  It’s not that I’m jonesing for pancakes for dinner.  It’s that I’m jonesing for my kitchen to remain mess-free.

However, I guess the real punishment if I get negative school reports won’t be so much that the boys won’t go to IHOP and my kitchen will be messy, but that I would have to cook for them.

Poor dears.

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Thomas and Boba Fett

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No matter what is going on in your life, you can’t helped but get sucked into the enthusiasm of children on Halloween.

T.Puzzle and Full Speed get set to hand out candy. Yes, the candy's in a cooler because it was that hot outside!

Hope you had a Happy Halloween!

children, humor, kids, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting, Taekwondo

Belts VS. Pizza

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It was Full Speed’s turn to graduate.  I have less reservations about his involvement in tae kwon do because since the age of three, he has taken to it like a fish to water.  I figure there can’t be any real lasting damage if the kid is having a blast.

As for the adults viewing the nearly two and a half hour long graduation spectacle, I don’t think we fared quite as well (my apologies to Grandma and Grandpa for the extreme time commitment, on a Saturday no less!).  Apparently, we got off easy.  Previous graduations for juniors and above have clocked in at five hours.

Why oh why can’t Full Speed be a Tiny Tiger forever?  One hour graduations for the little kids are the bomb.  And, poor T.Puzzle was beside himself with boredom and hunger near the end of Full Speed’s graduation.  He sounded like a broken record, “Can I get some pizza?  Can I get some pizza?  How about some pizza peeps?”

Full Speed in attack mode as he spars for his belt advancement.

Despite all this, we enjoyed watching Full Speed perform his forms, kicks and punches.  He sparred like a champ and showed great attention and focus.  As for me, I showed great attention and focus, but only when Full Speed was on the mat.  The rest of the time I too, dreamed of pizza (and shopping, and reading and birds and the meaning of life, pretty much anything except tae kwon do).

We join him on the mat for the belt tying ceremony.

Way to go Full Speed!

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Belts VS. Suspenders

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As a Mom you are always questioning if the decisions you are making today will have positive outcomes for your children’s future.

I don’t know if having my boys in tae kwon do at such an early age is the right decision.  I have a bunch of logical reasons to keep them in it.  Structure, channeling high energy into something good and enforcing respect, good behavior and manners are all elements of tae kwon do that I like.

Am I asking too much of them?  On the days that T.Puzzle fights me to go to practice, will he have permanent psychological scars?  Will he never be able to be in a room with a person wearing a colored belt without breaking into a sweat of fear?  Is he doomed to a life of wearing only suspenders?

I. Don’t. Know.

I do know I have seen his confidence improve and it is finally clicking that the color of the belts is meaningful.

He rightfully earned his yellow belt.

Yes he is proud and so am I.  Does that make it right for a three year old?

I. Don’t. Know.

bad day, children, kids, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting, tantrums, terrible threes

Why?

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T.Puzzle during happier times

 

Like nails on a chalkboard.  That’s the only way I can describe T.Puzzle’s onslaught of questions concerning his assorted punishments.  I picked him up from school and when it was time to go, he decided that he wasn’t in the mood.  He dragged his sorry self down the hallway and folded into a heap of sorrow about half-way down.  I informed him that he would lose his crocs for tomorrow and would be sent to his room when we returned home.  He screamed at top volume all the way home.  This only lengthened the amount of time he would be spending in his room, expedited his bedtime hour and contributed to a loss of his other privileges.

After I managed to get Full Speed off to tae kwon do with Mad Dog, I allowed a seemingly defeated T.Puzzle to come to the table for dinner.

“Why can’t I have my Thomas (the Train) color book?”

“Why can’t I have my animals?”

“Why can’t I have my crocs?”

“Why can’t I have a treat?”

“Why can’t I watch TV?”

“Why can’t I stay up late?”

“Why?  Why?  Why?”

I tried to ignore him, but my ears couldn’t take it.  Not after all the high-volume screaming they had already endured.  I tried to tell him to be quiet.  I tried to calmly explain the reasons for the loss of his privileges.

Nothing worked except putting him to bed.

Early.

Very early.

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