Tag: good times

gratitude, happiness, mommyhood, potty training

And the Winner Is…

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We attended the Vision Is Priceless annual meeting. My friend and director of VIP  encouraged me strongly to attend as well as bring the boys. I was leery bringing the boys to such a formal, child-free event but her persistence and the organization itself is hard to resist.

I admired the gathering of people as they chatted, drank cocktails and munched on appetizers. I basically just held my breath for two hours waiting for the boys to spontaneously wrestle. To complicate matters, little T.Puzzle is still potty-training without much success. So Mad Dog and I had to monitor his activity closely and try to convince him not to poop in his underwear and nice dress shorts.

I did my best to attempt to engage in conversation with all the interesting and kind adults, but my attention was decidedly split. One half immersed in the meeting, one half closely tracking the antics of my boys. It made me feel completely schizophrenic.

When it was time for the evening’s presentation, the boys were called up to the front and their ophthalmologist spoke about their condition as well as their amazing progress. They were the hit of the party. As an added bonus, I was given a volunteer recognition award for promoting public awareness of Vision is Priceless. A pleasant and unexpected surprise.

Thankfully, I not only owe thanks to Vision is Priceless for the award but I also owe a thanks to the invention of handheld gaming devices. Without them, this post would have had much more chaos and disaster. With the gaming devices, this post was a winner.

Just like me.

children, gratitude, happiness, mommyhood

Sunburn and Good Times

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I volunteered to help out at Full Speed’s end of the year party. This required helping to supervise roughly sixty kids in 90+ heat for two hours. There was a waterslide and food.

It was a free-for-all.

By the time it was over all I wanted was a quiet room and a nap.

That night at dinner Full Speed informs me that the party was the best day he’s ever had at school.

How lucky am I that I got to be a part of that?

Sunburn, exhaustion and all.

kids, mommyhood

Celebrate Good Times

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Full Speed had a birthday party at his school which also happens to have a huge ‘fun-center’ attached to it (turns out it’s not a bad way to go party-wise, the staff organize and care for almost everything). I was grateful to only be taking Full Speed . Playing him man-to-man in the sure to be chaotic party-setting was the only way to go. I left little T.Puzzle in the care of Mad Dog. The last I heard of him before I left was him screaming ‘no!’ and not listening to Mad Dog. No surprise there.

I’m somewhat confounded by the modern day children’s birthday party. My childhood birthday memories consisted of a cake made by my Mom and celebrated with a handful of family. Birthdays are in a different league these days and I’m afraid I’m still in the minors. I have a feeling I’m going have to step up to the plate for Full Speed’s next celebration (thankfully still months away). Luckily, I think little T.Puzzle will still be satisfied with a tiny, homemade affair. That’s more my style and much more conducive to my waning parental sanity.

At Box Seats. They are serious marksman.
happiness, kids, life in pictures, parenting

Kung Fu Fighting

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A lot has happened in the past 24 hours. First and foremost there was some serious kung fu fighting. I think these post pictures will prove that my boys could cause serious damage with bow staffs. I am allowing them to use nerf swords with the stipulation they only play against Mad Dog one at a time. The sparring matches were hilarious. The boys may have a ways to go in terms of technique, but they have the spirit of true warriors (just a note, Full Speed’s eye is patched for vision issues, not an injury sustained during the fighting).

For a lady who enjoys quietly sitting on her lanai watching birds as a favorite pastime, it was a bit much. I was more than ready for bed by day’s end and I didn’t do any of the fighting. Unfortunately, little T.Puzzle’s allergy symptoms had other plans for all of us. He was incredibly fussy and couldn’t be soothed by the normal routines. He wound up in our bed late in the night and the only way he would sleep is if his head was nestled in the crook of my arm with his face smashed (and yes I mean SMASHED) up against mine. He also could only lie in a mostly perpendicular angle to me and had to (and yes I mean HAD to) have his feet resting on Mad Dog’s back. Little sleep was gained by anyone.

I took him to the doctor the next morning and prayed (and yes, I really did pray) that he would be cooperative. Shockingly, he was an absolute angel. Maybe he was just too tired to be feisty. Turns out he is on the verge of a sinus infection and was prescribed an additional allergy medication to use as part of his daily regimen. Because not only did he inherit my incredible kung fu skills, my little T.Puzzle inherited my allergies. Now, if only he could inherit my love of sitting quietly. Then, we’d be on to something.

mommyhood

Dental Wishes

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T.Puzzle’s toothbrush from first dentist visit

As I was signing Full Speed out of school and little T.Puzzle was running amok in the lobby, I had a serious moment of pause. Why on earth did I decide to have simultaneous dentist appointments for my boys? Had I tripped and hurt myself? Was my brain deficient of oxygen? As I left having outwardly shared my doubts, the receptionist calls out after me, “I’ll pray for you!” She wasn’t joking.

way to go Full Speed!

The pediatric dentist that I chose (and our insurance covers) is a good 45 minutes away. Again, why so far? Do I not have any good judgment left?

When we arrived they quickly took both boys back. I didn’t see them for over an hour. It. Was. Awesome. So worth the long drive.

I assumed that since I didn’t hear any screaming that they must have been fine. No one had cavities, Full Speed set a good example for little T.Puzzle (who was a first-timer) and the staff actually said my boys were ‘sweet’.

The only thing that was missing from this awe-inspiring experience was a martini bar in the waiting room. If they added that (which I suggested on their patient feedback survey), I would encourage monthly teeth checks for the boys. I want to do my part for the health of their teeth and the teeth of children everywhere.