10 Things That No Longer Surprise Me

As a parent, I am still learning that adult logic and child logic are worlds apart and that personal space is a true thing of the past.  In honor of my sweet progeny, here is a list of ten things happening often around the house that no longer surprise me, in no particular order . . .

1.  Discovering plastic cups (and a variety of other thankfully waterproof items added while I'm not looking) in the washing machine (this after hearing a mysterious thump, thump, thump after starting the wash).

2.  That the yellow stuff around the window screens isn't always pollen but is present all year long (sidewalk chalk is also fun to use on window screens).

3.  That laying down my head on a pillow generally sends off a signal for one of the boys to wake up. 

4.  That when we get sick, snow days will happen as soon as the kids get better and can go back to school. (Twice in under a month this happened!)

5.  That the only guarantee at the dinner table is a sudden need to go to the bathroom. 

6.  That the kids will play together well until you sit down and try to read for 5 minutes.  (Addendum: they will also be silent in the car UNTIL I put in an audiobook).

7.  That the house is really a race course. (Especially true during our floor renovations as the furniture is out in a storage box and there are no major obstacles to a good race or chase).

8.  That naps are now things to be dreaded.  If Liam falls asleep in the car and ends up taking a nap, he has no desire to go to bed until 10pm and will throw crazy fits at his 8:30 bedtime.

9.  That a made bed is mortally offensive to a 3 1/2 year old and must be destroyed!

10.  That though the boys love to be tucked in with multiple blankets and their stuffed animals, they are always on top of their covers (and in Graeme's case generally completely turned around) when we check on them later.

It is always an adventure and I'm looking forward to expecting more of the unexpected.  

"Insanity is hereditary; you get it from your children."  (Sam Levenson)

The Highs and Lows of One Week in NC

Okay, so what are you thinking as you start reading this post?  Good things, bad things, crazy things? Well, it is simply going to be about the weather.  Last week we had a crazy snow storm of several inches of snow and ice, this week it is almost 70 degrees and the flowers are blooming and I've broken out the shorts.

Liam was so excited for more fluffy white stuff that he dragged us to his coat and hat.  When told he needed to add shoes to his outfit, he walked over to the shoe basket and threw them toward us to help him put them on.  (It was not quite as deep as this picture makes it seem, he and daddy built a snow "mountain" he climbed into)

Graeme finally got into the action with a grand snow ball attack.

Graeme-zilla takes on the snow "mountain"

This is the coating of ice our trees received one week ago today.

The pine needles were beautiful.

Ice covered rose hips, anyone?

And this is today, the crocus around our mailbox has bloomed.

Hope 

Not Prepared for This (And That's Okay)

Just when you think you are prepared for the world of parenting, there comes a day like today.

12:00 a.m.  My day started with my children waking each other up crying out (bad dreams, hungry, missing daddy?) from midnight to 2 a.m.  After snuggles and an applesauce for Liam, we eventually all managed some semblance of sleep until about 7 a.m.

8:30 a.m. Get ready for school and get out the door.  Though tired and the night unusual, at this point of the day I was still feeling somewhat on top of parenting-I even made the boys and I a hot breakfast before we had to leave. This part of the day was also normal crazy-we did get to school on time with everything we were supposed to bring (including m&m's for Graeme to share for M show and tell since that was all I could think of that began with M this morning-he was a hit)

9-noon I usually work a few hours on Friday, but was blessed with a day off which I used to go into the grocery store and just have a quiet few minutes.  (Especially needed with hubby out of town for 8 days)

12:30 p.m. After picking the boys up from their preschool at noon, we headed over to the second-run movie theater to meet up with some friends to watch a movie.  At this point of the story, I'm still feeling very much like I have a handle on parenting for the day.  The boys were well-behaved (though Graeme did narrate the entire plot of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2) and we love popcorn and watching movies on the big screen. Snuggles with Liam and fun with friends.

This day doesn't seem so bad?  It wasn't, we had a blast with everything we did.  But the next trip to the park showed me that I had let slide a few things on the prepared parent scale-extra clothes.

2:30 p.m. The boys both do such a great job with bathroom trips that I have gotten slack in carrying extra clothes, especially for Graeme.  Normally, I try to pre-empt and make the boys go to the bathroom at the beginning of an activity.  Well, today I didn't.  We got to the playground, and indeed within 5 minutes Graeme was needing to go urgently.  It was a new playground for us so precious moments were spent locating where to go.  We made it to the bathroom before a big accident but we needed new clothes.  I had NONE in the car for Graeme, but being the giant children that they are, Liam's clothes are close enough in size that I could use the one's in Liam's school bag and problem solved, right?

NO!

We get back to the playground, where I decide to be smart mom.  I take Liam to the potty.  About 5 minutes after we get back, he is having so much fun that he does not come get me so he can go back.  I see him and know what is about to happen but the maze of the cool, giant wooden castle playset (plus the distance to the bathroom) does not allow me to get to Liam in time.  Luckily, we were at the playground with a friend who still has a kid in diapers so we were able to borrow some wipes and get cleaned up.

After this eventful first 30 minutes, the boys played, I got to hang out with my friend as much as any mom can at the playground.

4:00 p.m. We had a blast until time to head out.  Being worn out from a very busy day, the boys both ended up falling asleep (Liam on the way home and Graeme once we got back).

So while I was not prepared for today, I'm glad to say we had a blast nonetheless and no major mountains were created from life's molehills (AND since they both napped, we will likely be partying late tonight to celebrate this fact)

A Museum Outing

After four days at home from our "blizzard" (okay, even I am exasperated by the southern caution taken with this past snow), we were ready for an out of the house adventure that did not involve Target or speech therapy.  I was not quite ready to tackle an all day trip to the zoo, so we decided to check out the Porsche by Design Exhibit at the NC Museum of Art.


I had discovered this automotive art exhibit at the end of December, but illness and other craziness prevented us from going before now.  Fortunately, the exhibit was extended until February 2 (so we squeaked in and made it out on its final weekend).  It was crowded (but not horrible) plus we were able to get our tickets at the museum and walk right in.

It has been a delight for me that my boys have always done well with cultural outings.  While they are still active and have very short attention spans, I have been able to take them to Rembrandt, Titanic and other special exhibits at various museums in the past.  However, our other adventures have generally taken place with a stroller.  So this time was my first adventure to a special exhibit at a museum without the boys in a stroller, but luckily I had Mike along for the "ride".


Though we didn't get to read much of the information and the audio tour was not an option, this exhibit was AWESOME for the boys (and mommy, too).  We enjoyed checking out the many cars on exhibit, including some from the 1930s, a multitude of race cars, and cars owned by celebrities such as Steve McQueen, Jay Leno and Janis Joplin.  (Can you guess which car posted was owned by Janis Joplin?)

Note for parents-Mike and I definitely could have spent at least  an hour exploring the exhibit and would have liked to check out the audio guide which I imagine was quite fascinating.  However, moving through and seeing every car with young kids we were out in approximately 30 minutes!

After the cars, we did head over and check out a few things in the main permanent exhibits side of the museum and even got in a few of the outdoor exhibits before it started raining.

It is small steps, but I love introducing the boys to a bit of culture and hope they end up loving to explore museums as much as their mom does.