IT COULD HAPPEN!

First grade, it turns out, isn't easy.

It's been a big adjustment for our Henry.  Kindergarten was, for the most part, an incredibly positive year.  Henry arrived already a confidant reader and he made new friends while enjoying a pretty tight friendship with one of his best buddies from church and pre-school.

Then that best buddy moved away over the summer.  And everyone can read in the first grade, some very well and some -- GASP! -- better than Henry.

"Mama," he said one day early in the school year, "I am not the smartest one in the room anymore."

Add to this a class that is nearly 70% boys and Henry has found himself in a very competitive environment.  Did I mention that Henry does not like to lose?

Anyhoo, it's been a challenging year.  This week in particular.  It included a loud argument with a classmate over a game of kickball.  The argument ended when Henry yelled at his teacher who was trying to mediate.  Not cool, little dude.  Not cool.

Then yesterday, Henry had some tummy trouble and well, let's just not go any further.  It was a bad day.

At bedtime, Henry's mood perked up when he remembered that Friday was the Read-a-Thon assembly.  Read-a-Thon is a big deal at his school.  And Henry did a fine job.  His "earned" prize came home in his backpack on Thursday, but Henry thought he would win another prize on Friday, when the raffle winners were to be announced.

Now, even though I can be kind of "complain-y" (kind of?) sometimes, I really am generally a positive person. But after the year and the day Henry has had, I couldn't stand the thought of him being disappointed, so I told him not to expect a prize.

Henry's response to my attempt to burst his balloon:  "IT COULD HAPPEN!"

He seemed certain.

"But, it probably won't," Brian chimed in.

"IT COULD HAPPEN!"

A few minutes ago I received this text message from a friend who is at the Read-a-Thon assembly:

It could happen! PS Thanks Laura for sending the text and the photo. It made my day!

Where's Perry?

Progress

This is what a toddler who just peed in the potty looks like.

Also, I snapped a picture of the potty and it's contents. I am not posting it. RESTRAINT. Internet, you're welcome.

Hard to believe

It is hard to believe that the adorable napping toddler pictured here is capable of such flatulence. But he is. Oh my. His room needs vented.

Grateful

I am not wired to be home with a small child. I get lonely and hate to sit on the floor.

But there are moments of bliss. And they make me so happy and grateful I have had this opportunity to spend time with Charlie.

He was a bit demanding at nap time. We read five books instead of three. We did the iPhone Winnie the Pooh app twice. And he asked for three songs. The last one was Rainbow Connection. His eyes closed during the second verse. And his breathing relaxed during the third. When I finished he was pretty much asleep. I kissed his forehead. And he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed.

I know this is sappy. But it is a gift to feel so loved.

Note to self

One of my worst faults is when I have missed the mark on something I quickly take a measurement of the failure and get grumpy. The result is that I can miss some good stuff. Exhibit A. I arrived to pick up Charlie and found a few valentines in his mailbox. Instantly, I kicked myself for forgetting to get valentines for his classmates and his teachers. What I missed in the moment was appreciating the lovely valentine that Charlie made (with his teachers' help). It had a darling picture of him and his best friend, who brought a valentine from home just for Charlie. It was a dear and sweet moment. And I missed it because I was grumpy. I resolve to do better.

Moment

Every now and then, we get a glimpse of cooperative and compatible togetherness.

Brothers

Just a photo I want to remember.

Changeling

Someone has taken our delightful toddler and left a little stinker in his place.


That is all.

TUESDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I know some great people VIRTUALLY and every now and then we get to see them FOR REALS.  And then one of them goes and TAGS me.

Acccck.  It's like Internet HOMEWORK.

On a Saturday.

So here goes.

The RULES

• Post these rules
• You must post 11 random things about yourself
• Answer the questions set for you in their post
• Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer
• Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them
• No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people!

And I am totally going to break these rules because I don't know 11 people who blog anymore.  Indeed the two I think of first are Tuesday and her husband.  And Tuesday already tagged him.

So, I'll just post 11 random things and then answer Tuesday's questions.  But first I want to note that I am only doing this because Tuesday and her husband are cool.

Random Stuff

1. I really hate most vegetables and there is no way that is going to change now.  I am 42 years old.  I don't care what cool recipe you have for squash or cauliflower or broccoli, I am here to tell you that I am convinced it tastes like shit and I don't want any part of it.  
2. Here are the vegetables I like: peppers, onions, mushrooms (otherwise known as the Pizza three), asparagus, turnips, celery, some lettuces, cucumbers, spinach (raw; if cooked it needs to be in a lump of some ricotta mixture or creamed) and carrots.  
3. I also like avocados and tomatoes but we all know those are fruits.
4. I have no interest in reality television. 
5. I am evangelical about only a few things -- knitting with quality yarn, butter should be salted, and marriage equality.
6. My feet grew with each pregnancy.  I wore an 8.5 shoe when I was married, a 9.5 after Henry was born and now I wear a 10.
7. Crowds bother me.
8. Concerts only interest me if they are the sort where the audience remains seated until the end and claps between songs, not during.
9. I love giraffes.
10. Who are these Kardashian people?

All-righty.  That was easy.

Now to answer Tuesday's questions.

Why do you do what you do?

I do not know.  Other than I have to work.  I can't stay home full-time because I seriously do not like children.  I mean I love my own.  And I have loved being home with Charlie part-time.  But if I were home full-time, I'd have to fill our days somehow and the only other people around during the day who want to hang out with a woman and her kid(s) are other women with kid(s). And the next thing you know you are surrounded by children.  

Wow.  That sounds awful.  Especially because of the top of my head when I think about my friends and their kids, I do like them all.  But there is something about the collective force of a roomful of children that completely drains my soul.

So I work to avoid children.  

What questions keep you up at night?

What do I want to do when I grow up?  Seriously.  I want to find a full-time job again and I am not sure what that will be.

How do you think you are most like your parents?

I have my father's quick temper and my mother's inability to make a quick decision with confidence. (To her credit, my mother has improved greatly in the decision-making department. No more taking three years to decide on a sofa she'll end up hating.)

What comedian makes you laugh out loud?

Paula Poundstone's twitter/Facebook feed routinely makes me LOL.  

If running ain't your thang, what is?

Jogging. Or "slow" running.  How slow?  A 12 minute mile is pretty speedy for me.

What song are you embarrassed that you like?

Air Mix-A-Lot's Baby Got Back

What's your favorite kind of smoothie?

Banana-strawberry-blueberry

What are you afraid of?

Not having a job. 

What gives your heart joy?

Watching my children give each other hugs and kisses.

What's your next big goal?

Columbus 1/2 marathon. May 5, 2012.  And thanks to a cold, I am now a week behind in my training.

I really don't know anyone else who blogs. But every now and then my friend Kerri will write a Facebook note, so I'll tag her if she reads this far. Oh, and my friend Nikki.  And I'll break the rule about not tagging mere readers.  If you've read this far and want to be tagged, you're it.

Questions for anyone who accepts this Tag.

1. If you had to vote in the Republican primary and all of the original candidates were still on the ballot, which nutjob would you vote for?
2. And why?
3. What is your favorite holiday movie and have you ever watched it during the summer months?
4. Peppermint or spearmint?
5. Woody or Buzz?
6. If you are not a runner what do you do to purposefully elevate your heart rate for at least 30 minutes a few or more times a week?
7. Where is your "happy place"?
8. Hey, are you on Pinterest.com?  Am I following you there?
9. Have you read Bossy Pants by Tina Fey?  If not, why not?  Get on that already.
10. Where is your favorite cheese from? (That question is, admittedly, stupid.  But it was an actual question used by my beloved employer as part of its enhanced on-line security set up.  I am supposed to remember where my favorite cheese is from should I ever forget my password.)

chaos

I am not a natural at this parenting thing. It's hard. And my skill set isn't well matched to the demands of the gig.

So when I have a night with the boys where the house gets trashed and everyone is loud, you'd think I'd end up curled up in the corner rocking back and forth.

Tonight was one of those nights where I managed to embrace the chaos. We had a sitter at the start so Brian and I could race downtown for a conference with Henry's teacher (very positive) and then Brian had choir rehearsal so I was left here with the boys for the end of the day. I think they managed to touch or move every toy in the house.

And then they helped me clean up. For reals.

Next a bath. Then some stories. It was crazy. But I decided it wasn't going to be bad, and it wasn't.

It was actually rather good.

Consoling

I want to remember this.

Earlier today we denied Henry additional time with the Wii after a day filled with too much scream time. Because he is my son and thus has a short emotional fuse, he started to cry. Wail, even.

Charlie immediately went over to his brother hugged him and said "It okay. It bad dream Baba."

Henry cupped his brother's face with his hands and then patted his hair.

It heartwarmed me.

Next time: Rigatoni or Ziti

Items not to forget

1. Henry enjoys apples. And he takes great pride in his consumption. This was his greatest work to date.

2. Parents of toddlers who are not good sleepers may want to skip this bit. Charlie still loves his naps. He never balks at going up for nap and when I go to wake him at 4 PM,  he would prefer a few more ZZZZZZZZs.

Bros at Joe's

After-work Friday night visit to Trader Joe's. Fun for the whole family.