Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Naughty Papa

Just a few minutes ago, Reed informed me, pencil in hand, “I don’t dwa on wall.” He has so much to learn about his Miranda rights! He is starting to grasp the concept of denial and blame, though. When I lectured him about drawing on the wall, he repeated that it wasn’t him. “Then who did it?” I inquired. Without hesitating for a second, he named the offender, “Papa.” It was all I could do to keep from laughing at the image of my dad making the 500 mile journey to impart his artistic touch on our living room walls. Somebody needs to teach that boy about little brothers! Instead, I reminded Reed that lying is bad. I cited an episode of Veggie Tales, the one where a cute little monster, named Fib, grows in a similar fashion to Pinocchio’s nose. I know – I’m terrible, but it’s not like I told him that a monster would get him if he lied. I just let his imagination go where it may… His eyes widened a little at the memory of the monster and he immediately fessed up, “Reed dwa on wall.” I thanked him for telling me the truth and then showed him how to use an eraser (which, honestly, made more of a mark than the pointy end of the pencil!)

Monday, February 18, 2008

Sweet Parenting Skills, Mommy!

Due to weather, I've basically had a 10-day weekend (aside from a 45 minute workday on Monday, right before the ice storm hit), so you'd think I'd be fresh, organized, and on the ball, right? WRONG! We spent 2 days without electricity, 3 days at Grandma and Grandpa's, and today trying to clean up from the craziness, including draining and flushing our water heater to replace an element. Ryan had to go hunt for a dog (I always thought the dogs were supposed to do the hunting for him, but I digress...) and I REALLY needed a shower (and someone had to test the water heater), so I employed my Mommy-of-the-Year strategy and plopped Reed in front of The Land Before Time, Calvin in a bouncy seat, and my stanky self in the shower. A few minutes later, Reed runs down the stairs saying, "I'm OK! I'm OK, Mommy!" He wasn't too OK, though, because he wouldn't go back upstairs until I went with him. I heard Sarah the Triceratops scream in the background and knew Reed was coming down for comfort. Still not wanting to be a Mommy at the moment, I balanced Reed and Calvin on my knees facing the movie while I checked e-mail. It worked well until Sharp Tooth reappeared on the screen or Calvin stuck his drool-y hand in Reed's face ("Stop, Baby Calvin! Don't do THAT!" Did I mention Reed's become a bit of a boss lately?) We made it to bedtime though, and I didn't think another thing about the movie until Reed hollered upstairs at me, "Mommy! Sharp Tooth down! Mommy! Sharp Tooth dead!" I went downstairs and he proceeded to explain, "...swimming in the water...wait until the water's dark...Sharp Tooth fall in the water." Note to self: no more scary movies as babysitters in the evening!

Friday, February 1, 2008

Snow Day!


Being a teacher in winter rocks! Being married to a teacher just sweetens the deal! Yesterday, my principal walks in the room with a slip of paper for me at 9:30 a.m. I was in the middle of a reading group, so I didn't read it all right away, but I saw enough to evoke the happy dance inside - "We are dismissing at 12:00..." After a hectic morning, filled with, "I know you're excited, but..." we got those antsy kids on the bus - an hour early, actually, and I headed to Mrs. Pam's to pick up the boys.

The roads were "slicker than snot," to quote the MODOT worker who was directing traffic around two ditched cars. Reed and I prayed before we left for home and a good portion of the trip there. At one point, I was so scared I was praying out loud, "Please help us go slow down this (snake-like, long, eternally steep) hill (that has sharp ditches on either side)" FYI - the parentheses were prayed in my head to avoid scaring Reed, but I guess my voice revealed my emotion, because Reed said, "Mommy, stop cryin'." Anyway, to make a long drive short, we arrived alive and Ryan joined us about an hour later. That was Thursday. Today is Friday and I'm in my bathrobe and slippers (not at school). We just had the most fun romp in the snow EVER with Reed!

He wanted to "play in my snow" yesterday, but nap scheduling wouldn't allow. So, today, we kept him in his jammies all morning and then piled on the waterproof gear over top right before lunch time. He marched. He ran. He fell. We made a snowman. I made a snow angel, and Reed made one, sans wings. We pelted Daddy a few times. He pelted us quite a few more. We ate some snow and passed down the age-old advice about snow color and edibility. And then we went inside for Reed's first taste of hot chocolate (a.k.a. warm milk with a tiny bit of Nestle's). Reed approved, "Mmmm... It's good!"

One would think that Calvin was napping during this rendezvous, but I am a firm believer in simultaneous napping (how do you think I'm typing this entry?) No, the poor child was strapped to a bouncy seat just inside the doorway. Ryan and I took turns checking on him. He was happily sucking on his fists every time we opened the door but the last. Neglect? I think not! We're just teaching him to entertain himself!

The snow is supposed to melt tomorrow, so I'm sure we'll be back to the grind by Monday, but it's days like this, when we get a little time to just ENJOY each other and God's creation, that make me realize how lucky I really am!