Growing Up

Somehow, dealing with the emotional ups and downs of a tween makes me feel so much more grown up than giving birth to the babies ever did. I have now arrived at the age in parenting where my children will remember how I was.

Just Wow

“In the morning I'm like a snake in the spring: I need to lie out on a warm rock and let the sun sink into me before I can start wiggling around and get on with the day.”
― Katherine Hannigan, Ida B. . . and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World

It's funny how Katherine Hannigan's book brought me back to this blog. My oldest daughter climbed into bed with me this morning, the first day of spring break, talking about Ida B. from a book her teacher is reading to the class. She was saying that some people are like birds that flit around right away when they wake up in the morning and others are like snakes and they need to wiggle around a bit and relax before they start their day. I perked right up like a bird (very unlike my snakelike self that had previously been stretching out relaxing) and was like: "Ida B. !?" I have thought of that book from time to time over the last several years, but now it's back and it brought me here. I started this blog with my favorite quote from that book in, gulp, 2008. Where has the time gone? Holy smokes. Anyhow, I may even need to edit that original entry to make it a little less, well, personal.

We've had our 4th (and last) baby since I last posted and she's almost 3. I can feel myself moving toward the decade of activities from the decade of diapers. I feared that I would long for another baby when that chapter ended for me, but I find that I'm really ready for the next phase. I am trying to soak in all of the adorable cuteness of an almost three year old, though, because I know from experience how soon the mixed up expressions, imaginary friends, high-pitched voice, and cuddly, chubby arms that squeeze "Mama" tight for a sticky hug will morph into full-grown kid that never needs to be carried.

And I'm back here. No one really knows about this blog right now. It's like my own place. Many of my friends on Facebook tell me I should have a blog. I should write everything down. My kids are funny, my stories are funny. Well, I have read the old posts and they're not so funny. Not so silly. And that's fine. I'm not sure that I have anything beyond a one liner now and then, but we'll see. Right now, this is for me.

So, what's on my mind today are snakes and birds. My daughter and I are snakes (according to Ida B.) and I spent the day yesterday thinking about birds. My younger son is VERY into birds. Most notably, owls, but any bird will do. We spent the morning listening to bird calls online, took a walk, tried to identify the birds we heard, then returned home to listen to the online calls again. My son is in preschool and his favorite book is his bird guide. A regular, grown-up bird book that he has me read to him as if it were a storybook. He's convinced there's a Great Horned Owl outside his bedroom window in the mornings. I'm convinced he's dreaming it. He asked it we could plant a cactus because he'd really like an elf owl. I explained that cacti and elf owls don't really thrive in the northeastern states. Anyhow, we did make a mean peanut butter and birdseed feeder yesterday. And I'm looking for activities to feed his interest.

So, yesterday was for the birds. Today I'm a snake. And, maybe, tomorrow I'll be back.

Notable Moment

There are some moments that truly make all of the mommying worthwhile AND they help you forget that you are open to criticism 24/7 (my kids love to inform me that they hate coffee breath, aren't fond of my singing voice, etc.). Today at the park I had the good fortune to experience one of those breathtaking parenting moments. My three year old boy ran over, grabbed my hand, smiled up at me and said "Mommy, you're my hero." Really, what more do I need to say?

Construction

We made the overzealous decision to rip out all of the flooring on the first floor of our house this summer and replace it with bamboo. Since we were doing this, I thought we should paint first (in case we spilled - which I did, actually). I am so hoping that we don't regret inviting in all of the extra chaos, but mostly I am praying that we get it all done. We have a tendency to procrastinate home improvements (example: the paint we bought for our bedroom that was NEVER used - we have since had two kids, moved, and had a third baby!). Anyway, as you can see, the troops are rallying to help out. It has been especially fun ripping out the double layers of vinyl flooring in the hallway - we haven't even gotten to the kitchen full of it yet. Let's hope that we get it all done soon. Did I mention that we promised the kids a tree house this summer?

Life with the Kids

So, we've been passing the time here playing trucks and splashing in puddles. I have not been particularly creative, but I have been soaking in my ever changing 15 month old's personality. He's a stitch.

We've also been dealing with the aftermath of Singulair - my three year old boy seemed like he had a personality disorder on it. We will continue to investigate our options as we take him to an upcoming allergy appointment. A while back, a pulminologist had him on Pulmicort through a nebulizer daily, Singulair daily, and albuterol or Xopenex as needed. We'll see what the verdict is with the new specialist. I'm just hoping this person is more kid and mom friendly. I don't need someone telling me to pump a ton of medication into my child and then snickering in a self-important way as he tells me that this is for my child's well-being and he "highly recommends you don't read the warnings on the package inserts" when I express concerns. Funny how all the negativity surrounding Singulair came out 2 years later, huh?! Between the breathing issues and trying to seal the deal in the last steps of potty training, the three year old little guy has kept us busy around here.
Not to be left out, Princess Buttercup has been showing her personality as well. She loves to be the bigshot (she took the doll picture above) and has been helping out when it suits her. The other day, she helped me unload groceries from the car and informed me: "You can go in, Mom, I've got it." She's also on the road to developing a lovely sarcastic sense of humor much like mine where people aren't ever quite sure if you're kidding or not - interesting in a 5 year old. Yesterday as we were bringing her friend home, I made a wrong turn (shocking, I know) and turned around in a driveway. The little girl asked what I was doing and told me this wasn't her house. My daughter turned to her and said: "It is now. Your mom moved today while you were at our house." Totally deadpan. Her friend's mouth dropped open and I couldn't tell if she looked comatose or about to cry as I quickly let her know my daughter was goofing her. Apparently my responses (for instance when they ask me for a snack and I inform them that I will, in fact, never feed them again) are rubbing off. As I closed the door last night saying "Goodnight, Goofy," I felt guilty name calling for a fraction of a second until I heard her sleepy response: "Goodnight, Stinky," and my husband laughingly groaned: "Oh, God, she's you."

Mosaic Attempt

My creation, originally uploaded by herdoturtles.


As you can see, I was able to get myself so distracted that I have a blank!! This happened when I realized that I had put brownies into the favorite food category and I wanted to change it to favorite dessert. It is fairly ironic that the one spot that is blank is favorite dessert considering that I am known for my sweet tooth! Since I have sick kids and I spent a large portion of the morning figuring out Flickr and how to publish this to the blog, I better say goodbye to the computer.

Mosaic Attempt

Okay, here is my attempt at the mosaic I have seen around:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

I had seen them around, but the instructions were here:
http://lottielulu.blogspot.com/

Uggh, it was more time consuming and less fun than I wanted it to be!! Then again, menstrual cramps have that effect on most activities.