Tag: parenting

children, gratitude, happiness, kids, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting

Two Brothers

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Originally I thought having children close in age would be ideal.  Then the reality of it set in and the long, hard road of raising two rambunctious boys began.

There were days I didn’t think I would make it.

I still have those days.

You can’t know when a child will come into your life or what they will be like.  I imagine life would be pretty boring if all of us could control the gender and type of children we could have.  I’m guessing there would be a lot of us who would choose one mild-tempered girl and one even-keeled boy.

Where’s the fun in that?

I’ll take knock-down, drag ’em out, spunk-tified Full Speed and T.Puzzle any day.

Is it bad that I’d prefer to take them to a sound-proof, padded coliseum (not the Metrodome, I really do care about their safety) and let them run free?

I didn’t think so.  If any of you spent an afternoon in a confined space with them, you would completely understand.

So, by the roll of the dice I happened to have two boys close in age that are giving me a run for my money.

The positive to this (and yes, there actually is a positive) is that after nearly four years of coexisting, they are becoming the best of friends.

Granted, best friends who periodically beat the tar out of each other, but best friends nonetheless.

I know they will always be brothers.

I hope that they will always be friends.

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

The Motherland

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Mad Dog has taken the boys to tae kwon do practice two days running.  I have whole-heartedly enjoyed the reprieve.

As they sauntered out to the studio Full Speed was shocked that Mom was staying behind.

“You’re not coming with us?  What are you going to do, Mom?”

I didn’t want to share that my plans consisted of a whole lot of nothing.  I had a hot date with my Redbook magazine and XM Radio holiday traditions, baby.

“Well, Mom, I guess you are going to the Motherland to rest and relax,” he decided.  I love that he coined this new term and acted as if we use the word ‘Motherland’  in casual conversation all the time.

That’s when it dawned on me.  I need to create a Disney-like complex dedicated for Moms only.   There would be kiosks of cocktails and stores full of fashion and shoes.  Instead of rides and attractions there would be spa treatments and chocolate tastings.  It would have fantastic lighting that would flatter the face and a perimeter flanked with mirrors that when looked in, would reflect back a slimmer silhouette.

We would all feel beautiful, loved and appreciated.  I’d even open the doors to anyone who is a caregiver in any capacity.  Daycare teachers, Grandmas, nurses, friends, etc. would all be welcome.

Anyone care to join me?

children, gratitude, happiness, kids, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting, self-discovery

The Right Kind of ‘Yes’

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If you actually complete all your ‘to-do’ lists on a daily basis during the holiday season, it is easy to lose yourself.  Sure, you may have all your presents bought and started addressing your holiday cards, but where is the love?

It is so easy to get swept up in the momentum of holiday madness.  You say ‘yes’ to your child’s classroom teacher, you say ‘yes’ to buying more presents, you say ‘yes’ to giving all that you are and then some.

Maybe ‘no’ is something worth considering.

What if we all said ‘no’ a little bit more this season and focused our ‘yesses’ on the people we cherish most in this world?

I certainly am thinking of three guys that I would love to hang out with more as Christmas and the New Year approaches.

Who would your ‘nos’ make room for?

children, gratitude, happiness, life in pictures, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting

Happy Birthday, T.Puzzle

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T.Puzzle turns four today!

My baby is now officially in big boy territory.  Let’s hope like his brother before him, this increases his awesomeness tenfold.  Let’s leave the terrible ones, twos and threes behind us forever.

The birth of a child is always a vivid memory.  T.Puzzle’s stands out because I went into labor (after a solid month of miserably contracting for no reason) on the night of our third wedding anniversary.  I was in complete denial.  I can even remember the clothes I was wearing in great detail.  That’s mainly because I was so huge (T.Puzzle ended up being a healthy 9lb 7oz), I only had one semi-dressy maternity outfit that fit me reasonably well.  Black pants, with a huge amount of stretch no less, and a long-sleeved black tunic with red and white dots to top off this stylish ensemble. Pregnancy is certainly not about the fashion.

When I realized that the Braxton Hicks I was having were actually closer to the real deal, we went to the hospital where I continued to deny I was in labor.  I even got to watch an episode of Sex and the City on TBS as we waited to see if I dilated more.

Eventually, I couldn’t deny it any longer.  T.Puzzle came into this world and screamed louder than any newborn I have ever known.  I remember thinking, ‘baby, you’re suppose to be my easy one,’ and this only seemed to increase his volume.

Easy or not, he is the best second kid anyone could hope for.

Happy  birthday, T.Puzzle.  I love you!

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

Dreams with a Bite

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Oh, T.Puzzle.  There were times when I was nicknaming you for this blog, that unfortunately words like shark and razor tooth were at the top of the heap.  As I went through the catalogue of your gifts and idiosyncracies, a fascination with using your chompers for evil was a strong contender for possible names.

So happy I went the puzzle route instead.

We all dream our children will find their passion.  We hope they excell at whatever they choose to endeavor.

One of T.Puzzle’s favorite endeavors is to bite his brother.

It didn’t start out this way.  He used to bite about anyone or anything in his path.

I told you he was gifted.

Thankfully, except for the rare attempt here and there on innocent bystanders, he now seems to mostly isolate his attacks on Full Speed.

Is it bad that I’m secretly grateful he is only biting his brother?

I feel if he keeps it in our family there’s less chance of a lawsuit.

What’s a Mom to do?

I wrote an extremely unfavorable behavior report for tae kwon do about his recent double-biting-brother escapades over Thanksgiving break.

Here’s how it went down:

“First, let’s commend little Bobby for helping his sister with the dishes,” exclaimed the instructor as he rattled off the first exemplary behavior report.

“Wow, great job to little Jenny for being polite and using her manners,” he continued.

It went on and on.  One after the other did something more extraordinary than the student before him.

Until…

we got to T.Puzzle and his report of biting doom.

And this was when my other dream of having a child stand out in a crowd was fully realized.

Maybe it’s time to start shopping around for some new dreams.