Olympic Round-up

If you know me personally, you know I’m a bit of a sports fan, so spending two whole weeks watching athletes on the flat screen was right up my alley! There are some things I observed during the world’s focus on London and things that I loved about the 2012 Olympics. I took notes here and there and I’m piecing them together. Sorry for not having direct references or links for you to see for yourself, but I’m lucky I remembered to write down what has inspired me! 

First of all, the Fierce Five were incredible! Those girls knocked my socks off with their performances and camaraderie. Once I learned to look past the “like” as every other word coming out of their mouths during interviews, and the mousey pitched voices (just some pet peeves of mine), I saw the amazing feat that is the US Women’s Gymnastics Team. They are all teens and have dedicated their lives to the sport. I saw that they were appreciative of their families and skills that enabled them to be in this position, confident in their abilities, supportive of teammates, critical of themselves and as well-spoken as teens can be. Overall, the way they carried themselves on and off the floor was quite impressive.

My heart went out to Team Leader Jordyn Wieber when she didn’t make it to one of two individual spots for the all around final. I could see the pain and disappointment in herself. When she was finally composed enough for an interview, she was as gracious as she could be in the eye of defeat, yet so proud and supportive of her teammates who advanced. For such a young woman to show so much poise and clarity after a loss on the world’s stage is simply incredible.

I perused some articles briefly after hearing about Olympic Gold Medalist Gabrielle Douglas’ criticism regarding her hair. This young woman just made history being part of the gold medal team AND winning the coveted all-around title! And people have nothing better to do than criticize the way her hair looked?? That saddened me, but her response made it all just go away. She ignored them. That kind of criticism is far below what this young black female has accomplished and she knew it and stayed above it!

Some other Olympic moments that made me smile were when the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, played Olympic tennis together and earned the gold medal. Track athlete Manteo Mitchell broke his leg in the 4x400 relay. He broke his leg and finished his race so he wouldn’t let his team down!! Hotty swimmer Michael Phelps holds the all-time record for most Olympic medals won. These athletes are amazing!

Misty May-Treanor and her Beach Volleyball partner took the gold for the third time!! When the cameras were on Misty in between sets, she was shouting, “Go Dodgers!” because her husband, Matt Treanor, is on the team.  In his pre/post-game interviews, he talked about was his wife and how he wished he could be there with her, carrying her bags, doing whatever he can to show his support. This couple and their goals of winning their respective sports do not hinder the love they have for one another. It was the sweetest thing to watch and still brings a smile to my face when I think about it!

2012 was my daughter’s first time watching the Summer Olympics. This girl was hooked on the gymnastics. She thought they were beautiful and strong and she wants to be just like them. She even told her Daddy and me that she wants to be in the Olympics when she grows up. As long as she has role models like the Fierce Five to look up to and aspire to be, I have no problem with that at all (I’m looking for some local gymnastics classes now!). Now that the two weeks is over, I struggled with Olympic withdrawals, but I’m back to my Nook or catching up on my DVR until Rio 2016…

It Takes A Village...

It takes a village. That’s what they say and it’s what I firmly believe. I have several friends that we spend time with who naturally feel that way. Our common path veers towards the village. If my daughter is climbing the tree, it’s okay if ‘Mrs. A’ tells her to stop and brings her down. If I have to go to the car to change a massive diaper, I feel totally comfortable leaving my daughter under the watch of my mom friend for 5 minutes. I have bottle fed babies and hand fed toddlers that weren’t mine. I have taken other preschoolers to the restroom for potty time. I have corrected a bad situation that none of my children were involved in. Do my mom friends care? Nope. Not one bit. In fact, while dreaming up this blog post, I found that they encourage it. They appreciate it because they can’t do it alone. None of us can. As proud as we try to be, we all need help and I like to get mine from my village of friends, and especially my family.

The age group of most of our play dates is 2 to 4 years old. This is a very impressionable stage of development, filled with numerous challenges and infinite decision-making. They test the waters to see what they can get away with, learning right from wrong. At this age, hitting is almost a given. It’s just what kids do. If my child were to hit another and I missed it, I expect the parent who saw it to say something to my child and then let me know. All children are sweet and innocent, and if they were to strike another child, it’s not with malice, but rather, endless curiosity or over-enthusiasm in a playtime environment. I don’t feel it is wise to shelter a child from something like this as it is a major learning experience at such a formative age. I am not saying that hitting is okay. A correction is still in order, but such actions come with the territory of the age group.

If my son or daughter does something bad and I don’t see it, the other parent can immediately step in before things get out of control. When s/he gets reprimanded by a villager, it teaches obedience and to respect others. At the same time, s/he learns from others. S/he learns trust. If my daughter ever gets lost (heaven forbid), she knows to approach a mom with kids for help, as opposed to the random stranger. She is also very observant, and watches and learns from the environment in our village.

I don’t judge other parents for their style of doing things. In fact, I like to watch and observe how others reprimand their children. Seeing a mom yell at her kids makes me feel good! It makes me feel like I am not alone! And yes, sometimes, it makes me thankful that my kids are not that bad! I’ve witnessed tantrums and admired the mom for her finesse out in public. I’ve seen a potty emergency without a bathroom in sight, but plenty of grass and bushes! I’ve seen a blowout diaper in all its glory and a mom with the quick skill to make it go away in a snap. I witnessed a child having a seizure and the mom didn’t skip a beat! I’ve attended a hosted party with at least sixty parents and kids in and out of the house all day long, and the hostess took it all in stride without a sweaty armpit. And I’m not ashamed to admit that I have even gotten jealous over a friend’s double stroller and another’s organized shelving system! These women are my heroes! I learn from them and I appreciate them. They are my friends. They are fellow moms.

Many times, in fact daily, I wonder to myself if I’m even doing the right things as a parent. I’m constantly questioning whether this was the right move, the right thing to say, the correct approach. This is one of many reasons I look forward to play dates…to watch and learn, to ask questions, to share what little I know. Parenting is not easy by any means. In fact, in my lifetime, it is by far the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. If I can get help from a reliable, personable source, I will do so because it takes a village…

Here is a link to a great article I read on using a village to raise your child(ren). Regardless of any political affiliations (Clinton haters), it’s an interesting read and quite insightful for my villagers.

http://www.phdinparenting.com/2009/07/31/it-takes-a-village-to-raise-a-child/#.UA-ospGG6So

Girls vs Boys

As a parent, it is impossible to choose one favorite kid over the other. Each brings to the table his or her own unique traits that make me love them to the moon and back, or make me wanna lock em in the closet until their Dad comes home. Today is one of those days where I wish they were both potty trained, obedient and clean… I know when they’re older I will miss them at this age and I should cherish every moment, blah blah blah. But come on…not everyday is sunshine and roses and some days we wish could be stricken from the record.

Both my son and daughter can be as sweet as pie. They are loving and very generous with the hugs and kisses. Both are great eaters. There are foods they don’t like, but they will try everything at least once. That being said, if they do not eat every 30 minutes, they get cranky. Mind you, it takes 20 minutes to eat a bowl of grapes. I feel like I’m constantly whipping up snacks for them. If my daughter doesn’t eat, she isn’t sweet. I’m convinced that’s where “sugar and spice and everything nice, that’s what little girls are made of” came from. Today was a culinary battle of wills with her and she’s been in time out more times than I can remember to count. All because she cranked out when I wouldn’t give her a piece of Easter candy, or the good strawberries (versus the bad ones??), or because I wouldn’t give her brother’s lunch to HER first. She told me he can have what she doesn’t finish. Oy vey.

My son discovered his wiener, aka peepers, in recent months. It’s a natural part of growing up, the self-discovery process. At his age, 20 months, it is nothing sexual. It’s an identification thing. This is his. He found it. He wants to look at it and see how far it can stretch while his britches are being changed. When his pants aren’t too constricting around the waist, he sticks his hand in his pants to make sure his peepers is still there. This action has been the center of attention and laughter at many a party and at plenty of Target visits. The laughter this elicits has encouraged his behavior and he will laugh right along with everyone else. Sometimes he’s the first one to bellow out a howl to draw the attention. It’s a big part of his daily routine right now. What can I do? He certainly doesn’t listen to me when I take his hand out of his pants and tell him to play with the trucks. He’s a boy and this “playing” thing will never end for the rest of his life. Though I am happy to say, I never went through that with my daughter!

On one sunny afternoon, I left the babies with my dad. He thinks his Grandkids are a joy… as long as they go home with their mother at the end of the day. It was a great day of playing outside after lunch, diving into the toy box, munching on snacks and watching some toons. At one point, the boy walks over to him, happy as a clam, showing his hands to my dad. Dad is wondering where in the heck he left the chocolate for the boy to have gotten it all over his hands. Upon closer inspection, dad realizes it isn’t chocolate at all!! Little Mister “Hands in his Pants” has found the golden nugget! The boy is whisked off to the bathroom for a thorough hand washing and then over to the bedroom for a vital diaper change. That moment deserved a special phone call from father to daughter. I’ll be honest, I giggled like a school girl when that call was over. By the way, my daughter never played with her poop.

The constant grazing of fruits and veggies, and only drinking water everyday has contributed to a very healthy system in my kids. The boy easily poops 5 times a day. (It’s 4p and I just changed poopy diaper #4.) There was a special surprise when I picked him up from his nap. Left unsupervised and unchanged is when the best damage is done. When I walked in, the room was stinky and he was showing me his hands. That’s a bad combination right there. Little Mister “Hands in his Pants” had poopy #3. On a positive note, he tried to wipe the poop off his hands this time. At least that’s what I like to tell myself. His cribsheet was like a giant pair of skid marked undies. Super gross. And you’re welcome for the mental picture. I now have a load of laundry going. Thank goodness my daughter is finally potty trained.

As you can see for yourself, my boy is so typical boy. He likes to play with all things masculine…cars, trucks, balls (both his and the sporting kind), and the occasional Disney Princess, just to name a few. This afternoon, I was called into the living room by cries for mama. Apparently, he spotted one of his golf balls under the couch. Being resourceful and as independent as he can be, he went under there and got it for himself. Piece of cake. The hard part was coming back out. His head was stuck under the frame and he couldn’t move anymore. He was scared, rightfully so, but I still had to contain a chuckle as I saw him struggling to get out. A moment later I returned with camera in hand to memorialize the moment before I freed him from his cranial shackle! He wasn’t happy, but you wouldn’t know that by seeing the giant smile on his face when I snapped the pic. Did I mention he got stuck twice today? Tough lessons are learned the hard way. Thankfully, my daughter never got stuck under the couch.

Everyday is an adventure with my children, boys vs. girls, as you parents already know. Today just happened to be crazier than most and it’s what made me hit the laptop to document the zaniness. They make me laugh. They make me cry, but most of all, they make me proud to be a mama and they validate me, my sleepless nights and all my patient hard work.

By the way, it’s almost 6p and I just changed poopy #5. I hope it’s not a #6 kind of day…

The Movie Experience

Call me crazy, but I took my babies to see The Lorax yesterday afternoon. By babies, I mean I have a 3 yo and a 19 mo old. The oldest sat tight and glued her eyes to that giant screen. As long as she had her popcorn and water, she was a gem! The boy, well that's another story and the reason for this blog post. Some things are just too entertaining not to share.

Timing is everything. We saw the 300P show because it was after his long nap and perfect time for a late lunch. I made some popcorn and PB&J at home because I was not going to stand in line with 2 monkeys and buy their overpriced anything. Edwards charges for kids at 3, but she can pass for 2 so I just bought one ticket. (Hey, we're a single income family and I have to cut corners wherever possible. I don't feel bad for it. They make up for cheap mom's like me at their concession stand!) We get our spots in the 3rd row of the stadium seating 10 minutes before showtime. This was good because he was able to check out the surroundings, settle in, people watch and adjust to the volume in the theater. Lights go down and that's when I whip out the popcorn.

Right about now, I am thinking to myself that all is right with the world. I'm in a packed theater with two youngsters who are angelically seated with eyes up and feet forward, munching on snacks, watching a movie. My heart is swimming! The boy finished his popcorn. But not to worry...I have the trusty PB&J in my purse. Eaten in the dark, it's hard to see where the excess fillings drip out. Turns out, they drip out all over my white pants. (I'm making a mental note about that one.) Things still going good...he's watching the movie. I've missed a bit at this point because I have one eye on the boy and the other on the screen. The Princess has finished her popcorn and now she wants sandwiches. She's so good today!

There's half an hour left (I checked the running time before I committed and noted when the previews were over and the movie began so I had more accurate timing) and I'm all out of popcorn and PB&J. They didn't last the 86 minutes like I had hoped! And just like that, my swimming heart is punctured and panic spills out. *GASP* He gets cranky that there are no more munchies. So he drinks water. He likes to shake his cup to hear how much is in there. In one swift cup-shaking motion, he threw it at the kid in front of him. After slamming into the kid, the cup hits the armrest and clatters to the ground. And I get mad dogged by an angry 8 year old. I whisper, "Sorry." What else can I do? Well now my boy has no water because his sister saw what happened and she wasn't about to give up her cup for the cause. So I let him take smalls sips off my water bottle. I had just refilled his before he lost it, so mine wasn't full. Next thing I know, he hurls it in the air and it lands on the mom of the kid he already nailed. She handed an empty water bottle back to me.

Why can't my body curl up small enough to fit under my chair?

He is no longer on my lap. I put him back in the seat, next to his sister, with my arm across his chest, like a mom seat belt. But he wriggles out of it. When he stands on the seat, his head barely exceeds the high back, so I don't worry about him obstructing the view of the folks behind me. That's when he notices the lady next to us. She has a plastic bottle of Dr. Pepper in her armrest. Not anymore. More apologies whisper out of my mouth. I think about leaving, but that would crush my daughter and then I would have TWO cranky annoying kids. I must appease where ever conceivable! So we stay.

The movie is finally over (cue celebratory dance!). I know we have to wait for the masses to leave because it's easier maneuvering down the stairs without someone behind us. But my daughter is in a hurry to get out. She jumps off the seat and it flips up. My boy was standing, leaning on the back of the seat, so when it flipped up, he dropped down. It was right out of a game show. I nearly peed myself. He was not a happy camper. I tried to pull him straight up and out, but his leg was stuck. I had to free him from the giant kid trap through my tears of laughter.

The theater finally cleared out, especially the family in front of us (parents, grandparents, 3 kids), and I was able to fish for the assault cup. We left the theater and I was free at last!! Such relief. An overwhelming sense of relief that I survived the experience. I let the kids run out through the lobby and around the giant fountain before we head to the minivan. We're ready to cross the parking lot, so I pick him up. That's when I notice that he has a shoe missing. It's the shoe from the leg that got stuck in the kidtraption chair! We had to go all the way back into the theater. My daughter is excited because she thinks we are going to see it again. My son is excited because he thinks he can run up/down the stairs by himself. I get excited because I saw all the sandwich fillings on the floor that didn't make it to my white pants.

As we are on our final trek to the minivan, I think to myself that it could have been a lot worse (that the potential for PB&J on my pants was far greater than the actual). It was an adventure, a fun one, and though stressful at times, I laughed so much it hurt and my kids enjoyed themselves. I would do it again in a heartbeat...only after I try to find a sitter for the boy!

Hello Blogosphere

I've been thinking about writing a blog for quite some time now. I'm a Stay-At-Home Mom and I have the usual excuses: two babies, a hubby and a home that all vie for my undivided attention; why am I doing this?; not sure what to say; hope to not offend anyone; what if no one reads it?? I am finally over the reasons NOT to do it. So like all other bloggers, I have to start somewhere. I can't worry about my excuses.

Funny. Crybaby. Thoughtful. Offensive. Caring. Sarcastic. Liberal. Unpolitical. Optimistic. Cynical. Believer. Sinner. This is who I am. The plans for my blog are to express soul-baring thoughts, opinions, and simple observations. They may be insightful, thought-provoking, or just plain boring. But I'm hopefully going to feel better because of it, all the while making myself laugh. I do that often. Laughter truly is the best medicine. I might have offed myself by now if I didn't appreciate the ability to laugh at myself or laugh my way out of a situation!

I promised to write when it hits me and I plan to keep that promise. This Blog is one of a very few things I do just for me, but I welcome you to take a ride. Stay tuned...