Getting old...?

Today Emilee was brushing her teeth before bedtime. She had been playing in the mirror, came out and announced to her dad:

"Dad, I have cracks on my eyes like Mommy!"

When I heard about the cracks, I tried to get her to elaborate, but couldn't get much more that for her to repeat the same comment. She says such funny things.

Life is NOT fair

Rewind 15-18 months ago. Jonathan was getting to be REALLY good friends with 3-4 boys from Anchorage. We played together, swam with one, played baseball with 3, and went to school with all. He had, for the first time in his life, a BEST best friend. It was really sad when we left for Cali, one of his last nights in Anchorage was spent with said best friend. When we got here, he transplanted into the 1st grade, though never made another BEST friend there. He started 2nd grade, and has made a good friendship with our neighbor, Z, though they are about 2 1/2 years apart in age. (Z is younger). 5 months ago, he started 2nd grade with a wonderful teacher, and made a new BEST friend. This one is an identical twin, and he can tell them apart because said Best friend has black shoes, and his brother has white! So, after 1 month, we talk to his teacher about moving up to 3rd grade. He should be there by CA school age standards, and was leaps and bounds ahead of the other 2nd graders. It was decided that he would do that, and so in Sept he started 3rd grade. He was placed next to another gifted child, a new friend named "T". T was a great addition in Jonathan's life, and wouldn't you know it that within 2 months, they are Best Friends. They have taken to calling each other a few times, talking mostly about armpit farts and Star Wars. (!!). Today he got to go to T's house for the first time, and he stayed for a couple of hours. When I went to pick him up at T's house, which is just 3 blocks from home, I chatted with T's mom out back while the boys played. She said that the house is a rental, and they will be moving a mile away when their new, bigger house is complete. They will then be switching schools for T and his siblings. I don't know how soon that move will come, but I am so bummed for Jonathan. He FINALLY has something that we thought he could really hold onto after a partial year in both 1st and 2nd grades. He is where he needs to be, and making a new friend, and now as soon as he gets him, he will be leaving. Early elementary years shouldn't be this way, and this is unfortunately a side effect of moving that I DID NOT anticipate. It breaks my heart for him, and fortunately, at this point he is still on the "friend high" and not really identifying what will happen when T has moved along.

Poor Jonathan, he is such a good kid, and tries really hard in all he does. He deserves a long term friend that he can see as soon as he gets to school in the morning. You know, so they can talk about armpit farts together.....

Things are looking up...

Today, after 15 long months, I made the last payment on our move here! We were able to do the last year at 0% interest, and that surely saved us a bundle...

Woohoo! We can stay! Alaska can't repo us now!

Being sick is no easy task

Emilee: Mommy, when Papa was sick, he was green, then blue, then purple, then red, then pink. And now, he's all better!!

I was finally early

So today was a busy day. Normally I don't work on Mondays (well, you know, the kind of work that PAYS). But, one of my clients had some things to take care of, so I went in today instead of tomorrow.

I worked until 1:10 or so, then I needed to make it home to grab the kiddos from the sitters' across the street. After grabbing a samich at home, I went over, and rushed the kids out the door to get Bella off to the doctor. She had a follow up appointment for an ear infection. I knew the appointment was today because you know, it is on holiday Monday at 1:40. As I get there and I am signing in, admittedly, 4 minutes late, I get half-way through her last name and realize that today is not the 18th, but rather the 11th. There are 2 holiday Mondays this month.

Yes, that's it, I wasn't 4 minutes late, I was 10076 minutes EARLY since her appointment is NEXT MONDAY!

See what happens when you make me work?

How many?

Emilee: Mom, how many mommies and daddies do I have? Oh! I know! It's 2 mommies and 2 daddies.
Me: 2? Really? Who are your mommies and daddies?
Emilee: OH, my mommies are Grammy and you- Brooke.
Me: Oh, ok. Well then who are your daddies?
Emilee: My daddies are Papa, and what is daddy Joe's end of his name?
Me: Huh? Do you mean (last name)?
Emilee: No, the other end of his name..
Me: Oh, do you mean Joseph?
Emilee: Yes, and daddy Joe-fus. That's my other dad.

Headaches... again...

OK, so I am really tired of headaches. I get them every month, and have been for about 5 years now. The reason I started seeing a chiropractor in Anchorage was because I wanted to have Emilee, but couldn't do the meds for migraines.

Anywho, I have been doing a little bit of reading on headaches. I have been taking Tylenol, but finally threw it all out because it didn't do enough for me. I have ibuprofen now, and that helps a pinch more. Typically, once they start, they are here or 2-3 days. Sleeping can help but only because I am asleep, not because they go away when I wake up. I did buy some Excedrin Migraine recently.

WHO-BOY! So, I thought I escaped the headaches this month, but I was mistaken. On Tues morning, when Joe was up at the crack of dawn, he asked how I felt. At that time I felt fine. An hour later when it was time for me to get up, I DID have a headache. I followed the directions, took Excedrin, and started the day. What would otherwise have been a doozy of a headache, didn't materialize at all. Joe asked again at lunchtime how I was, and I told him my head was fine. My heart, on the other hand, was alive and well. I asked what my heartrate SHOULD be, because it was beating fast. I had to make sure I was eating so that I didn't feel lightheaded from the meds. All in all, it wasn't a bad episode this time, and I kept myself busy enough with a racing heart that I got alot done! I am going to continue watching the headaches and seeing what I need to do to keep everything at bay.

One day at a time.

Sticky Notes

Today I went to church to pick Emilee up from Preschool. While we were there, I thought I would fulfill my wifely duty of scheduling hubby’s appointment with Father, for his RCIA program. I went to the lady whom hubby said I needed to call (I was onsite, seemed silly to call from home), and she said I needed to go to the office, and schedule with someone else, so I did. I waited in line patiently, as she was already seeing someone who works there. I would hope that if I were waiting to see her, it would be because she is discussing work/church things. They were discussing tough love that the lady was applying to whom I am assuming is her daughter. Don’t really know. Anywho, I finally get in there, and tell her who I am and why I am there. She tells me they have an appt for next Wed at 4pm, I try to get something later in the day, but they don’t have anything until the end of the month, and even then it is only at 5pm. Sorry, honey, gotta take it next week. Before I leave I confirm the date and time, and as I see some sticky notes, ask her if she minds if I write it all down so I don’t forget. She glances over her glasses and says, condescendingly of course, “Are you serious?”
Yes, yes I am serious. Of course I am serious. What does she think? I tell her I have a lot to remember, and wouldn’t want hubby to miss his appointment. Just today I am thinking about: Preschool, teething, diaper rash, earaches and frequency of, tired of at least one kid being sick for last 3 months, work for 3 clients, tax season clients and personal tax return, birthday of Mother/her twin, niece’s birthday, 2 bro-in-law birthdays, church class tonight, hubby’s scout commitment, voting, headaches and frequency, new camera, daycare, vacation, house cleaning, laundry, pool repairs, hubby’s lunch hour, spilled coffee, plates for Valentines party next week, Valentines in general, remodeling kitchen… etc. Do you really think it is a big deal that I ask for 1 little sticky note to write out an appointment? Now, I realize that we aren’t supposed to judge (especially at CHURCH!!), but, c’mon, SHE STARTED IT!

Whatta boy!

Just to set the scene….

I am sitting on the pot preparing to take a shower, thinking to myself, “I should move my coffee off of the end table (in the family room), before the baby gets to it…”

Emilee comes to the bathroom door, and says, “Mom, Bizz (Bella) spilled your coffee…” So, of course I come down to see the damage, expecting to maybe see it spilled on the couch. Instead, she walked with the coffee down the hallway, and I can see drips all the way from the table to the hallway where I can only assume she was bringing it to me. (She made it ½ way, spilled the majority of a ½ cup, and then set it down in the hallway.) I picked it up and started cleaning the floor. Jonathan opens their restroom door there in the hallway, and Emilee immediately says, “Jonathan, don’t walk in the hallway, Bizz spilled mom’s coffee.”

He says, “Oh, no wonder it smells so good out here!”

Some secret club...

This was a picture I took of Jonathan's artwork outside. He was playing with our little neighbor friend, and they were creating a clubhouse outside. As you can see, WARNING! NO GIRLS ALOUD!

And fairness for all

So I have been thinking a bit about the differences in girls and boys. Beside the obvious physical differences, of course. I have been thinking about the way things work in schools and playgrounds and the way we are bringing these children up in this world. It used to be that boys had the ‘advantage’ at school, and then girls are boosted up through Title 9 (most commonly thought of as equalizing sports programs in schools), and general equality in the classroom. Now, given a chance, the girls are passing the boys in most areas of school. They are generally “pleasers” when it comes to teachers and adult authority, and tend to be able to sit still longer. We hear reports of boys struggling with delayed reading, lower scores, fewer recesses which allows time to run out the wiggles. (We can attest to the difficulties that brought Jonathan)

What dawned on me was the way our kids’ rooms are decorated. Seems simple, really.

Our girls’ room is filled with

Sugar and spice and everything nice

His room is:

Books and a desk, and maps in thrice

Are we paving the way for success for a son, and failure, or at the very least, LESS advantage for our daughters? Do we not think it matters what adorns the walls of their room? We are more likely to buy for our son the things that we really wanted but never got out of childhood. (It doesn’t help that I would be more likely to want “boy toys” than girls toys as a kid) For me, that would be all of books, a desk of my own in my room, and maps on the wall. Our girls have a dollhouse-ish bookcase, and a dresser that accommodates clothes enough for 2. What will happen to the space when we don’t have a crib to contend with, and the girls are generally older?

We are at the point where Jonathan is 8 and the girls are 4 and 1. They have a lot of books, age appropriate to each child. The girls aren’t at the point of wanting or needing more extravagant toys. Jonathan, for some time, has had things like a science kit, and recently, an energy kit. He has built things for scouts and just for fun with Dad. Emilee has a kit to make foamy sticker crowns, and other art supplies. She also enjoys puzzles and coloring, dressup, dolls and stuffed animals. They both enjoy their bikes, scooters, and balls outside. They all enjoy swimming, and they all go on walks with us. I hope we are giving all our kids the things, equally, that they will need to do well in school and life. I hope that we aren’t ever making the girls feel that that they are just cute, or sweet. They all need to know that they are smart, and capable, and deserving of the best that this world has to offer.

While I don’t think they will be getting giant maps on their wall, maybe we can get desks squeezed into the girls’ little room… and globes… that are pink, or purple…