Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Same Same

Little guy and Little L are two peas in a pod. They play together like two clumsy puppies tumbling about in the spring grass. They have the same laugh, the same sense of humor and the same double cowlicks.  Their foreheads crinkle the same way when they get mad, and they both prefer to sleep in my bed.  If that is not an option, they cuddle up with each other instead, reading each other stories and giggling over silly knock knock jokes.  They are the best of friends, though neither will admit it.  I hope they will always be able to hold tight to this special bond they have... two ships sailing along together in this topsy turvy sea of life.




Monday, March 24, 2014

I am.

So tired. 

We went to college. We graduated with engineering degrees. We got jobs. Paid off debt. Saved up. Bought a house. Had kids. Bought a bigger house. Lost jobs. Got new ones. Did things on the side. Got sick... one at a time. Got better... ish. Got another new job. Moved across the world to get cash to pay mortgage and new debt.  Pursued dreams. Got screwed over. Still employed, income zero.  Still in limbo.  Keep the game face on.  Keep the kids involved. They shouldn't have suffer. They didn't choose this. We didn't know. Was not in the plan. Appreciate the little things. Those little things. So tired of feeling unstable.  So tired of feeling like the only ones. 

Just. So. Tired. 



Friday, March 14, 2014

Sprouts

Every year I think I am going to grow my own food. I imagine myself tending my garden and picking fresh veg to use for rustic dinners that I just throw together with friends on warm summer evenings, soul warmed with good company and good wine, while the lightening bugs dance and the children play.  Ahh, nice eh?

Last year the closest thing I had to it was five volunteer pumpkin plants which grew like they were from the little shop of horrors circa the jurassic period and killed everything in their wake, except one deranged cucumber plant and a confused cherry tomato bush that couldn't quite decide of it was alive or dead.

I had one night of friends over around a bonfire, until I ran out of wood and had to scramble to tear up some sticks, getting splinters in my hands which needed professional removal the next day. Then it started raining and I got violently ill from a beerita... I swear it was the gluten and not the bottle of wine I drank... Yeah, pretty sure it was the gluten. 

The cucumbers were good though.

This year, Little L and I decided to get a head start on our garden and sprout some seeds instead of planting them randomly and then going out and buying plants because the seeds we planted   never sprouted and/or got eaten by a mammoth pumpkin vine.  We have a stash of seeds, and since we don't want to spend any money right now (long story) I had to figure out a way to make my own greenhouse with materials on hand.  

Last year, Little L brought home a ziplock baggie with a plant in it that they had sprouted with just a wet paper towel in her nursery school class.  She didn't know what kind of plant it was, and the teacher didn't send home and instructions, so we just set it in the window sill and watched it grow.  2.5 feet later, Little L said, "Oh yeah! It's a popcorn plant!"  It was too late to transplant that seedling, but the method might just work again.

So, here is our DIY sprout house. I hope it works!  If not, I'll see ya at Pike's nursery in May!


Thursday, March 13, 2014

a GIANT

Well, it sure has been a while since I have blogged. I recently returned from California and a lovely woman there told me I should start blogging again. Now that I have access to a really smart phone, I can blog on the go. There's an app for that! Of course there is.

Well my Little Guy is now 8 years old. And Little L is 5.  G is 10. 10! Can you believe it?! Me neither. Unbelievable.

Today, Little Guy, who has turned out to be quite the gymnast, did his first Giant on the high bar. Of course, me being a non-gymnast mom, I had no idea what it was, but it was clearly a GIANT deal.  I am so proud.  

Basically a gargantuan, I mean giant, is when you swing ALLL the way around the bar, completely laid out, like a spinning hand on a clock.  I myself, cannot do a somersault without being dizzy for the next three days, so I am baffled that the kid was able to walk straight out of that gym with nary a wobble. 

Funniest thing happened though, while I was watching him at his practice.  These two other moms struck up a comvo with me. They talked about how their boys needed to score this many points to make it to regionals and they have  spreadsheets for their scores and how their boys need to do better on this event or that event. They asked how the level 4 boys were doing, and I said I think they are all doing well, and working hard.

They were nice enough, and then we started talking about how hard doing the pommel horse is.  There is this piece of equipment called the mushroom that the boys practice on to help develop the movements to do the pommel, and one of the moms said she just got one for her house for her kid. (at $350 it is not a small investment). She said she makes her kid practice on it for punishment for poor behavior. The other mom chimed in with she makes her kid do conditioning as punishment. (Sit ups, push ups, etc).  They looked at me.

Awkward silence.  I can't think of the last time I "punished" Little Guy.  Timeouts sometimes until he can get himself together and then join us again, but that's about it. I don't consider that a punishment, though... we all need a time out to ourselves sometimes.  I felt so bad for those boys.... They are only 8 or 9 years old.   

I eventually told the moms I have my kids clean for punishment, which technically isn't true... They clean up because we all have chores and they earn their allowance that way... But I felt weird telling them my kid doesn't do anything that requires me to punish him...  It's just not how we roll around here.  

I gave my Giant swinging Little Guy a giant hug after practice, and told him how I love watching him do his gymnastics and that I can tell he has been working so hard because it shows. 

Then he asked if he could please have a mushroom at our house so he could practice more on his own, and also could he please go to the gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays so he can practice more and work hard and get better?  And then he told me that he wants to be a gymnastics instructor when he grows up... and I felt like the best mom with the best kid in the world... and so glad that in his world, his sport is a pleasure, not a punishment.