Off I go…

I am going to florida for one week to the Vegas of preschoolers, Orlando. I hope to find some peace and quiet from the worries of the working world for the week. The blackberry and laptop will stay home. Although the laptop did not quite make it through the week anyway, since it was dropped one too many times and suffered a broken screen. Oh well, no worries until I return!

Perhaps I will absorb enough Vitamin E to last the rest of the oppressive winter in MN. That is my hope along with peace, happiness, healthiness and goodwill towards human-kind.

 

Dear Santa:

My Wish Need List:

Let’s get serious Santa, I know the economy is in the toilet and money is not growing on trees this year, but there are a few things I really need. Besides, my kids have been more ‘naughty than nice’, and they are the only grandchildren…so their grandparents are more than generous to them.

1. I really need tires…after driving this morning I think I need some chains to get back home.

2. A new car battery, because the light keeps coming on and I don’t want to stall on the way home in the frigid weather.

3. A car overhall, because my check Engine light remains after several months.

4. A new rear light on my car because there is a warning light that says it is in failure, probably related to the incident earlier in the year.

5. Throw in some windshield washer fluid while your at it because that light just came on too…

6. If you want to skip all of these steps you could just get me a different vehicle with no warning lights on/ and new tires.

Please don’t think of me as greedy, I just need a working vehicle with working parts.

Thank you in advance to your prompt response, and feel free to skip the wrapping.

 

Alas…wrinkles and worry

My latest struggle with kindergarten has fostered the arrival of new lines and wrinkles on my otherwise youthful appearance. While clearly naive, I never thought my kids would have problems in school. They have never had problems before, so what is different about kindergarten? In reflecting on the last few weeks, I realize that there is so much more to parenting then just parents and children. The simplicity of what I can remember as ‘the good ole days’ of communication between parents and caregivers has reached a new level of throwing verbal punches and defensiveness. I guess I was not ready for the first, “And what IS happening at home?” As a response to something that happened at school. And “This has got to stop!” After a scribble on paper. As a parent of a 6 year old, the expectations I have of my daughter are that she try her very hardest in school, that she learn from her mistakes and move forward as an individual. The old adage that ,”kids will be kids” should not be used as an excuse for behavior, but as a reminder to adults that kids are not miniature adults but young individuals. Throwing stickers at them for good behavior may work at 6 but it is not going to teach them life skills. This too shall pass, right! I have to continue to remind myself of this.

 

Motherhood: At a Glance

I have experienced some recent tests to my ego as a mother. It has put me in my place and has allowed me countless hours of reflection and perseveration.

Kelsey (my little angel) has been getting in trouble at school. I was able to pass it off as kindergarten transition for a while, but realized sometime after the second humiliating call home from school that something needed to be done. So we scheduled a doctor’s appointment to have a check-up and ensure all the physiological avenues were addressed. The appointment was last week…

The nurse asked me what kind of referrals we needed and I answered with a definitive, “I don’t know.” The nurses statement, “Well, I don’t know what you expect from us if you don’t know what you need,” put me back in my place once again. Gone are the days when a doctor’s visit has to include a specific purpose (getting a referral), I just wanted to run the behaviors past a person who has known Kelsey since she was born, her doctor. The doctor came in and was much more understanding, and indicated that there was nothing to worry about at this point.

I left with a sense that Kelsey was cured. I don’t know why? However, in a frenzy of uncontrolled energy she hit a boy at Sunday School this weekend. We realize there are no quick answers as parents, just a lot of gut-checks.

 

Hooked

I have felt a sense of warmth and comfort the last three days after ordering my new drink of choice; the Caramel Machiato.

Despite having some difficulty pronunciating Machiato, the sophistication and warmth in this drink is something close to incomparable. It starts with a frothy caramel layer on the top and ends with a smooth bite of espresso.

Today I received a $2.00 coupon to be used later in the day to indulge my taste buds, and empty my pocket book for a second time in one day…

 

Sugar High

My little sweet-pea Kelsey started the school sponsored summer program and is eagerly and excitedly preparing for kindergarten.

She is very excited to go to her “school” everyday and thrilled that kindergarten is starting soon, however everyday she points out as her highlight of the day; the food. She reported back the first day that they served candy in their cereal, she said it was called “Lucky Charms”. The next day I asked her about the cereal and she said that she discovered a new and better cereal with colored cherios and sugar called “Fruit Loops”. And then yesterday she said they had candy for snack time too. She described it as vanilla and chocolate frosting spread on crackers with chocolate chips on top. I have not been surprised with all of these little treats since the trend for school lunches have not been the healthiest and the obesity rate among kids is not the lowest in the United States vs other developed countries. What has surprised me is that my little sweet-toothed child has requested that I start preparing her lunch. She has asked everyday for the past week; could you prepare my lunch today (she has only been in the program for one week and one day). Last night she said, “A salad would be great for lunch tomarrow, could you make me a salad?” Today she said, “I would love some Tomato Basil Soup today for lunch, could you mix some up?”

Perhaps she is making some good food choices based on her healthy diet and upbringing or perhaps she is tired of the crash after the brief sugar high she experiences. In either case I have bought a lunch sack and containers to begin the process of preparing school lunch for her, the beginning of many years I am sure.

 

Avoidance

Avoidance does not make something go away, it just gets buried deeper inside. So here I am two months later finally coming back to blog. I have not given it up…just managing other projects in my life with less than enough aptitude, so this break has been a long one.

Alot has changed.

Although I still look the same, my family still looks the same. The problems are still the same (the she-law, the preschool debockle for Kylie, letting go of my independent 5 year old-Kelsey, my dog who eats anything and pays for it later, the newly diabetic hubby now attached to a pump). Wow, I summed up the problems in a paragraph! I wish they were that easy to get through.

There is something about the freshness of Spring to help deal with troubles and seemly impossible tasks. Amongst the spring cleaning this weekend I had the opportunity to go through some old pictures of the girls. Notably their baby pictures. I was amazed at the transformations and fondly remember the days holding them and dreaming about them as they would grow and become talking, walking, independent little people. I dreamed about how they would “turn out” and dreamed they would have good sense of humors, be healthy, and enjoy their lives along with other people around them. Reflecting on how they were has helped me to see how they are and who they are becoming. Everything that challenges me is a normal progression of life, I just need to sit back and enjoy the ride and keep snapping pictures along the way.

 

Daycare gifts

I was trying to figure out what to get for our daycare provider since she does such a hard and appreciated job for us all year long with our kids. Most years I get her a gift card; one year to Kohls, several years to Barnes & Noble, and a few years fancy chocolates. She has always written a thank you which was appreciated, but it is hard to know what she appreciates the most because she is a very no-nonsense kind of gal. I thought a spa gift card would be cool, but honestly, I don’t know if she would like it?

I did a google search on the topic and found some of “the worst gifts” given, it made me chuckle…

I will probably go with the trusty Barnes & Noble gift card again, any ideas?

 

Hilarious

They are hilarious!

Between Kelsey falling asleep snoring outside our room last night to Kylie’s insistance when she doesn’t quite follow adult humor, “Whatcha doing GUYS.” It’s the “GUYS” part that cracks me up.

Maybe it is the 11 hour sleep I had last night, but joy and humor are what I think of when my children come into my thoughts (right now).

Sometimes, when they don’t even try, they do the most hilarious things.

 

Memories and a bridge gone

The faces and images of the bridge collapse are heartbreaking and difficult, and even now, unbelieveable. The families and the memories made are held even tighter now that loved ones are missing or found lifeless. My heart goes out to familes and friends of victims and those still missing.

As I see the images, in the pictures, the traffic signs no longer standing high over the river, the bridge torn about, I recall my own rides on that bridge. As a youngster we rode over that bridge many times during the year; living in the southern metro and family living in Arden Hills and further north, we frequented that bridge. As a younger child I remember having fear with being on the bridge, not because it didn’t appear sturdy, but because I was and am afraid of heights. I would cover my eyes and hold my breath. The bridge was so high in the air and so long, so so long especially when holding your breath. As a grown up I could no longer cover my eyes, so I would instead avoid looking down. I focused on the traffic signs overhead; “Oh good, University is right ahead.” The traffic signs I remember so vividly, as if I traveled the bridge this morning. It is so unbelievable.