Basketballs and Bones

We had a very relaxed weekend. I have to say that is my favorite kind of weekend. Not too much running around and just hanging out with the family. The Boy started basketball this Saturday. While he doesn't seem to have much of a vertical yet, he sure does have the defense concept down.

We have been trying to satiate The Boy's incredible hunger for knowledge by having him pick topics he would like to learn about each week. He has a list of things like teeth, construction, the earth's rotation...etc., etc. This week, he wanted to learn about the skeletal system. Too bad our friend who is an orthopedic surgeon moved to Virginia for the year.

For each topic he wants to learn more about, I search for a book to read and a few activities to do related to the topic. This weekend we made a pretzel skeleton after learning about the major bones in the body. His favorites are the phalanges. We learned about the digestive system before Christmas...good thing I took Anatomy and Physiology in college. I worked hard for that B+. That knowledge is all being used for good now. I have to say, that pelvis looks great!

Social Life Dilemma

I have all but realized that it is almost impossible for the parents of young children to have an active social life. The Husband and I find it increasingly hard to find a way for us to go out together (as in a couple) like adults without having to take out a second mortgage on the house.

I was an avid babysitter back in the day. I was always the person in my house with the disposable income because of this. It wasn't unusual for even my parents to ask to "borrow" some of my hard earned cash. I loved the freedom of making my own money and thought at many times like I was the richest 12-16 year old in the world. Had I known that the babysitting rate would skyrocket in the next decade, I would have seriously considered babysitting as a profession. I only made $3 an hour...I think I was robbed.

Nowadays, in order for The Husband and I to get some alone time out in the world, it costs us $10 a hour for someone to come and take care of the kiddos. And, I am not sure if that number goes up when you have more than one child. We haven't yet trusted The Girl to be watched by those outside of family and daycare. This means that if we stick with the current rate, to go out to just a movie (which we haven't done in a year), it would cost us at least $40. Throw dinner in there and we are talking $80. Ouch. So painful to the wallet.

Now that we are closer to some family, we are able to ask for some help in this arena. Unfortunately, it often feels like (to me at least) we only ask for relatives to come visit when we need a babysitter. Mom guilt kicking in I guess. I know of friends whose social lives haven't at all been affected by parenthood. Please share with me how you got so lucky.

Today is a very blah day. I feel poopy, my car wouldn't start and I slept next to a coughing, head bonking, bed hogging almost four year old last night....all night...that equals no sleep for those with no experience. The joys of motherhood are endless. The Husband asked me if he thought we would have kids knowing what we know now. I think we would, we may have just thought about it a bit longer. It is totally worth it, but some days you just want to pull the covers over your head and sleep as long as you possibly can. Today was one of those days.

On a positive note, I have fun pictures for today's entry

Snow Angel


I have a mohawk.



The Boy's self inflicted haircut.
.

I don't know if I like cereal.

Winter is Still Here

Anyone else ready for spring? I am glad that we moved closer to friends and family, but I miss the Texas sun and warmth. There is nothing flattering about wearing layers and flannel pajamas and socks to bed every night. My poor husband is so hot all the time and I am sure that the flannel pjs help that problem. It has been very cold here, but hope is on the horizon with predictions for 50 degree weather this weekend. Woo Hoo!


I keep telling my friends that as you get older, time seems to go by faster. Nothing makes this feel more true than watching a baby grow in its first year. The Girl is 22 weeks old this week. She is no longer the cuddly little bundle. She is 16 pounds and is sitting up and talking up a storm. It really was only yesterday that she was a tiny swaddled bundle that just wanted to sleep cuddled up next to me.

Stay warm out there...pictures tomorrow.

Morning Conversation

The Boy: Momma, look, that is a church. That is where Jesus lives.
Momma: Where else does Jesus live?
The Boy: In my heart.
Momma: That's right.
The Boy: Momma, when will I go to Heaven?
Momma: Well, you will go to Heaven when God decides he would like you to be there.
The Boy: Then I will be with Jesus all the time.
Momma: Yes, you will.
The Boy: But, for right now, I will just go to church to see him.
Momma: That sounds like a good idea to me.

My Child Did That?

We have had quite a week with The Boy and it is only Thursday. I am not sure what to do with him. During nap time at school on Tuesday, he took scissors and cut a chunk out of his hair and then yesterday, during nap time again, he shoved a bead up his nose. This behavior is so unlike him. I spent 20 minutes talking with his teacher yesterday and she made me so concerned that something is really wrong with him. The teacher also indicated that he isn't doing his work like she would like him to. He isn't working up to his potential. She is trying to get him to work on what the Kindergartners (5&6 year olds) are doing and he is more interested in what his peers (3 & 4 year olds) are doing.

The Husband and I talked to The Boy last night trying to get to the bottom of the issues. I was really wondering if something was happening at school that was making him act this way. It turns out he just doesn't want to take a nap, thus the acting out at nap time. He told us that it is hard for him to go to sleep at nap time. He gets too distracted and then he gets bored.

As for his work time, he has gained a clear understanding that he is being asked to do work that the older children are doing. While his peer group is still learning numbers 1-10, he is learning to count by 1000s. While his peers are still learning how to write the alphabet, he is already reading small books. He told us last night that he is not a Kindergartner, he is not event four yet. He has realized that his is different than those his same age. I really didn't think that he would notice a difference. We talked about why he is doing work for older kids. But, it is a hard conversation. What should you say? Hey kid, your really smart and those other kids are smart, but not as smart as you?

I am a worrier at heart. It is true. Calm on the outside, torn up on the inside...and I don't want him to feel isolated or weird just because he seems to be a little advanced. I want him to healthily embrace that difference and run with it. I want him to have a healthy sense of self. And, I never thought I would be having these types of conversations with an almost 4 year old. We strategized last night and came up with a plan of action for The Boy while at school. We will see if it works today. Here's hoping he has all his apendages and hasn't altered his body in any way by the time I pick him up this afternoon.

Party Like 2009!

Okay, so I am definitely getting too old to party like I used to, but the thought of rockin' out for the New Year is something I aspire to do. I have this grand vision that one day, when the kids are old enough, The Husband and I will again be able to celebrate New Year's with the best of them. We made a valiant effort to at least stay up to watch the ball drop. We made it to 11:45 PM and then fell asleep on the couch missing the entire shabang. We were a sad site. I will say that I did drink half a beer in celebration prior to falling asleep, thus the reason for falling asleep I am sure. Woo Hoo!

It has been awhile since I posted. I wanted to spend as much quality time with the family as I could while we were all off from work and school. The Boy is still on Winter Break, but I am now back at work living it up. I dropped The Girl off at daycare this morning and she was not happy. It pains me to leave her when she is crying. She only cries maybe once a day, so I know she wasn't happy. Tomorrow starts the weekend thank goodness.

We had a great Christmas and a fairly relaxing holiday stretch. The Boy really enjoyed Christmas this year. He is full of such wonder. Santa brought him everything on his list and a few more items. I think, in total, we spent $500 on all of Christmas this year...for everyone, not just the kids. It is good to know that you can not go crazy and it will all work out. We plan on keeping it as simple as possible in future years. It is much easier on everyone involved.

I will leave you with a few tidbits from the break that came from The Boy...
Lyrics to Christmas Carols
"Oh how much fun it makes you rhyme in a one horse open sleigh!"
"On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me three friendships, two turtle doves and a part of a pear tree."
When hearing have a cup of cheer in "Holly Jolly Christmas", The Boy indicated that you can't drink cheer...cheer means being happy.

General thoughts....
"Santa needs more cookies so he can share them with his elves."
After opening almost ever present..."This is what I wanted my whole life!"
"The Girl can't open her own presents even though she has opposable thumbs, so I will have to do it for her."
"Next year we will have two Christmas trees, one upstairs and one downstairs for me."
"Now that Christmas is over, it is my birthday month!"

Happy New Year!