The joys of boys (and girls)

Last weekend the kids' school had a family skate night. I wasn't around, but Darin took the oldest two kids (and dropped them off--which I realize takes away the "family" part, but I guess you do what you can, right? He knew several parents that were going to be there. Judge us if you must). Anyway, when we were together later that evening I heard all about their adventures. At the skating rink they do what is called "snowball skate" where the everyone on the floor is to be holding hands with a member of the opposite gender. They have boys' choice snowball skates and girls' choice snowball skates. When a girls' choice was announced, a cute girl named Addie (who chases Sean every recess) approached Sean with a smile on her face. Before she could utter any words Sean said, "Nuh-uh. Don't even ask." and promptly skated away.

Yikes.

We have had several talks with him about the value of being kind to everyone, and discussed in detail that just because you're nice to a girl it doesn't mean you're in love with her. This latest episode brought on a whole new set of talks, including the fact that believe it or not, there WILL come a day when he'll be interested in girls and if he's mean to them now the ones he's interested in will have moved on to greener pastures. Don't get me wrong. I'm not in any hurry to have him holding hands and having girlfriends, but I do want my children to be kind. The funny thing is that I know he loves it when she chases him. He's just in the age where it's (supposed to be) icky to like girls (his teacher said that all the boys treat any word associated with love as a swear word. They'll even skip it if it's in a book). I think Addie knows where his heart really lies, and I don't think he was trying to be malicious (at least I really hope he wasn't). He was just trying to be cool in front of his friends. I can only imagine the teasing he would encounter if he was seen hand in hand with the "enemy". Anyway, I had a chat with Addie's parents at the soccer field (just so they would know I have tried to teach him to know better than that), and they got a good laugh out of it. We'll see what the future holds. To all you parents of girls, we are trying to train our boys to be good future husbands. I have a hunch they'll turn out o.k., (I have a story to tell in a future post) but I can't promise anything in the meantime.

Fashion 101/Safety First

Before I was a mom I was going to be "that mom". You know, the one whose children were always well dressed, hair combed, no snot running down their noses. Then I had kids and had days like the one I am about to document. Last summer I promised we would go to the safety fair one Saturday morning. I didn't want to get out of bed and I knew I didn't have it in me to be the mom I always vowed I would be. So we went to the safety fair looking like this (at least I made good on my promise to go): (Please forgive the hazy images. My camera kept taking photos like these and I kept wondering what was wrong. My lens was dirty.)

First-Olivia sporting her soccer shorts, school t-shirt, and gold slips

Warren in an outfit he picked out all by himself, including tall socks and the camera case:


And the winner: Sean. See for yourself. I laugh out loud whenever I see this photo (I think it's the facial expression that makes it even more fabulous):

Check him out! At least he tucked his shirt in to "fancy it up". This photo will be on his wedding video someday!


We got free helmets


...learned about dog-biting safety, then got a bone to practice (?)
...listened carefully about fire safety...got out safely...learned the importance of staying smoke free
...and the importance of brushing
...and got some prizes
I still see the value in hygiene, cute clothes, and done hair. I now also see the value in being flexible and letting go of some battles on some days. We got out the door in record time with absolutely no complaints (which was totally worth the pride I had to swallow). I have had lots of days like this in my career as a mom, and I will have many more, I'm sure. And to those who still say that their kids will NEVER (insert any horrific offense here)...I say, Maybe, maybe not. The beauty of it is that we get to choose the kind of parent we are to our kids, but we don't get to choose their personalities, likes, dislikes, fears, dreams, etc. and part of discovering who they are helps us discover who we are, too.

All In The Family

For those who don't know the people in the following story, I will give a brief description of each:

Darin: My husband
MaryEllen: His mom (my mother-in-law)
Robyn:
a) Darin's childhood next door neighbor (Darin's mom always had "high hopes" for Darin and Robyn, but Brian beat him to it, so I guess I have to do (sigh). We have all joked about it, and for the record, MaryEllen loves me to pieces)
b) Owns the salon where MaryEllen gets her hair done
Camille:
a) Married to my brother
b) Robyn's current neighbor
c) Works at Robyn's salon

Are you with me?

Last week I drove MaryEllen to get her hair done. Darin had left some papers at home that he needed to sign so we made arrangements for me to bring the papers and meet at the salon since it's closer to his place of work than home. After the papers were signed I had to leave to get Warren to school and Darin stayed and chatted with his mom and Robyn for a little while. When Robyn took MaryEllen back to get her hair done Darin lingered and chatted with Camille (his sister-in-law) for a little while at the front desk. MaryEllen looked at Robyn with raised eyebrows and asked who that "chick" was that Darin was talking to. Apparently she was unaware of the family relationship. (Camille started working at the salon after her MaryEllen's last appointment so she had never seen her there before.) I guess what goes around comes around (see previous post).

Still Got It? Not so much.

I'm not sure why I remembered this experience today. It may be because I'm struggling to feel attractive, and as a result wanting to get back to a regular workout routine (and as a result thinking a lot about the Rec Center), but whatever the reason, this experience makes me laugh, so I'll share.

Several months ago my friend Julie and I took our kids to the Rec center to go swimming. At one point Julie offered to watch all the kids so I could sit in the hot tub. I hadn't been in very long when a young single guy starts a conversation with me. Here's how it went:

The guy: So, did you just finish your hundred or are you getting ready for your swim? (It took me a minute to realize that he said this in a "So...you come here often?" kind of way. It's been a LONG time since I've been hit on)

Me (pretty sure I'm wearing my wedding ring, and not wanting to give any wrong ideas): Nope, just here with my kids.

Lily (Julie's daughter who had taken Warren to the bathroom): Deanne, Warren needs you to wipe his bum.

(End pick up scene--Happily back to reality)

I'm not sure what the guy did, but I had a good hearty chuckle. I thought about winking and saying, "I'll be right back" but I refrained.

5,6,7,8

Liv and I spent the weekend at the Thanksgiving Point barn at a clogging competition. Friday night we were there cheering on my niece, Rylee, who clogged on a sprained ankle. (She did great, by the way! If you want to check her team out, you can do it here.) Saturday was Liv's turn. She competed in Freestyle, 4 solos, and a team dance. I may be guilty of living vicariously through my child since I had to quit clogging a few years ago due to a bad knee, but she kind of (o.k. REALLY) likes it, too!
Here is her team dance. Pardon the low quality video. I opted to leave the video camera at home and just bring the small digital camera. You get the general idea! The first thing she said when she came and sat down was, "I messed up on my double doubles" so forgive her for that. (She starts the dance in the back and runs up to the front--right side of the screen in case you have a hard time finding her)

I think they look awesome! We had a fun weekend with lots of catchy beats stuck in our heads, girls' dinners, and lots of laughing.

The Master Chef strikes again

Remember this post? Well, apparently his desire to cook his own food and his independence are both still very much intact. The other day Warren was ready for lunch before I was ready to make it, so he took matters into his own hands. He got a frozen burrito and a plate and asked me how long to cook it. I told him 1,3,5 start (One minute 35 seconds). I was busily chatting on the phone and he was busily watching cartoons while he waited for his lunch. A little while later I smelled something and looked toward the kitchen. It was FILLED with thick gray smoke. I quickly ended my phone call as I ran to the kitchen to open the microwave (and prayed that there wouldn't be fire inside!). There was 4:13 left on the microwave. After I saw that there wasn't any fire, I called for David and Warren to run outside as I opened all the windows and fanned the front door to get some of the smoke out. The smoke detector never went off, so battery checks are in order!!! Before I share the photos, I need to clarify a few things. 1) We do feed our children non-processed food on a regular basis (and lots of fruits and veggies). Fruits and veggies don't usually cause kitchen catastrophes which is why they have not yet made a spot on my blog. 2) I am aware of the potential dangers of using plastic in the microwave. This experience only confirmed that.

It went all the way through the plate:

Thankfully, the microwave cleaned up pretty well, although every time we use it there is a still a lingering burnt smell.
After we cleaned it up Warren (with a shaky, about ready to cry voice) said, "I thought you said 1,1,3,5". I gave him a hug and assured him it wasn't his fault and that I should have watched more closely. I sent him upstairs to get dressed for school. After a few minutes I noticed him at the top of the stairs with the same sad, unsure face. I asked him what was wrong and he said, "When Dad comes home and sees the plate in the garbage, I will get in trouble." (This statement was totally mysterious to me. Darin is not an angry person, and if he would have seen the plate he probably would have laughed.) I again reassured him, and told him there was nothing to be in trouble for. I gave him another hug, and he seemed to be feeling better. I called Darin to let him know of our adventure, and told him what Warren had said about Dad getting mad. He laughed and wondered why he felt that way, but said he would make sure to handle it delicately.
We'll have to see what the future holds for Warren's culinary skills. I hope he isn't gun shy based on this experience. I am planning on having him help me with dinner sometime soon (totally supervised, of course!) to boost his confidence!
In other Warren news, this is his newest phase. Sometimes it's mismatched socks, sometimes it's mismatched shoes, sometimes it's matching everything. Depends on the day and his mood.

My Valentines

I am aware that it is now March, in case you're wondering. I still wanted to document the valentines we received from our kids. Darin and I came downstairs to these fun surprises:

From David (with help from Liv):

This one from Warren:

(It says, "Mom Dad I brot you a valentine"--It shows him bringing us valentines in bed. We foiled his plan by coming downstairs prematurely.)

This one from Sean was surprisingly comforting:

From Liv:

And this one from all the kids:

Don't let this note fool you into believing that it is a permanent love and appreciation fest at our house! We definitely have our battles (daily), but it is nice to know that even when they think we require too much of them, and think that life is unfair, they still love us! We feel like the "luckiest parents" to have you guys as kids, too!
Valentine's Day was pretty low-key this year. Darin and I went out with friends to celebrate on Friday night, and Saturday was a family day. We had a fun valentine breakfast, made sugar cookies, and went to see Bolt in the evening.