Kids: You did WHAT? Why?

After working in the fast paced waterlogged snowmelt one, of a post flood museum, sometimes I find that my brain is tired. I caught myself putting the coffee into the fridge today and knew that perhaps more sleep might be in order. Nonetheless, today was also the day of the dance run. One of those days...

I enjoy children in all their wacky phases, although as you know, I have moments that challenge my perceptions of what children are really like. Over the past couple of weeks, there have been some incredible moments that have pulled on my heart strings and caught my breath. Like the note on my mirror...

"Mommy, what can I get for you today. Hot Water with lemon. Or your lady tea. Check box and writ back on my mirror. Love your dauter." (sic)

That was awesome. Or the thrill that my youngest had when I handed her an American Girl publication on Feelings and dealing with your emotions. I got the largest warm fuzzy and smiles. She even read it aloud in the van.

These are the moments that I treasure.

On the flip side, there are the moments that really make you wonder how it is that you came to be having such a strange conversation. Here are some from the past couple of days that either had me rolling my eyes or howling with laughter. Of course, the expression on my face was grave and serious at the time...

1) Child is practicing dance and turns and kicks sister in the head. Hard. I stare in stunned disbelief and then proceed to administer justice. Text to parents of said siblings and words of chastisement to children.This is an eye roll moment. Can't believe that I am having this conversation. This is followed up by a heart string moment when my eldest creates an art project to make the two in question feel better.

2) My youngest decides to slide down an icy snow bank on her knees and wonders why a) there are holes in her pant knees, b) why she has bruises on her knees and c) why she is soaking wet. Ummm really?

3) Ghosts. Elder "not my kid my kid" decides to ask what a poltergeist is. I explain about ghost theory and the types of ghosts portrayed in literature and film. Younger not my kid my kid from a different family sharply says "there are no such thing as ghosts." Debate ensues...as spirits are portrayed in the Bible as being good Angels or bad spirits which fits in with religious philosophy. Conflict rages between the children while I tried to referee all points of view on well...ghosts, angels, devils and the afterlife...all on a 20 minute drive with 6 children. Peeves from Harry Potter - you are responsible. Wow.

4) Child drops pineapple on floor. Which is worse? To invoke the 5 second rule or wash it? Did I know how much bacteria is in the water? Did I know that the sink was in the bathroom? Do I realize what people do in a bathroom. There are GERMS in there. Ummmm....maybe the muddy floor is better? What do I know? Garbage it was...hunger was better.

Then, you get into the really interesting stuff...the stuff that you never even thought of as it wouldn't make sense to an adult...EVER. Except, once it is explained...it almost does. Note the almost.

1) Storing clean clothes in the laundry basket so that they are easier to find, rather than having to go through the drawers. If I happen to wash them, then they are twice as clean...
                My head hurts on this one.
2) Not bothering to learn how to spell as it won't be important in high school anyway. Isn't that what spell check is for? Math gets the same logic. Insert the word calculator here.
3) Using the school skipping ropes as transportation devices for toys, clothes and ...live cat from floor to floor to save time. Never minding the mess that is made when the baskets tip etc. These same ropes are used for leashes, locks and fort racks, but rarely for actual skipping. Jump Rope for Heart...I don't need anymore skipping ropes in the house. Why? Because we were told to recycle at work and the ropes are being useful.
4) Art projects that require all your baking goods to create pastes, potions and serums. Being expected to sample them is the worst...sigh. Why? To make you have more energy.
5) Cleaning the bathroom with toothpaste to get a minty fresh scent. It cleans teeth so why not toilets? Sit on the seat...I dare you. Why? The cleaning ladies missed a spot.
6) Putting the alarm clock under the bed to muffle the sound so it is not annoying. Why? I need more sleep. The thought of going to bed on time doesn't seem to occur to them.

That is all from the past couple of days that I can remember. Children are delightful but challenging to the imagination. Tomorrow is another adventure. I wonder what I will do then?

Hooliganting: Daughter Drama: Sisters

Hooliganting: Daughter Drama: Sisters: The princesses rise from the curtained softness of slumber each morning. They are beautiful, smart, funny and dramatic. While I love this st...

Daughter Drama: Sisters

The princesses rise from the curtained softness of slumber each morning. They are beautiful, smart, funny and dramatic. While I love this stage of having them individually, the pair together leads to drama. Friend lead to drama. Activities lead to drama. By the end of the day, I find myself wishing for quiet time.

I am so proud of their accomplishments and love watching them grow. They need love and encouragement. They need kindness and stability. They are both doing things that they never thought possible. The flip side of that is they need discipline and grounding more than they seem to be able to get along.

Why do girls argue and fight about the rules, fairness, and who is allowed to play with whom or what? Why do they constantly seem to be picking battles that no one can win? Some of what we are coping with comes from the age difference, and I get that. Some is coming from that impossible Grade 3 stage. Thank goodness, I am on the second go round with it. (I will be over the moon happy to be done with the awfulness that is Grade 3 girls - they seem to be more hormonal than the 11/12 set). They are refusing to play independently, yet when they play together they fight. If they are along, they are bored. I keep grounding them from electronics and TV in the hopes that their active imaginations reengage.

Now, that brings me to the next challenge. ACK. The imaginations have reengaged. We have baking projects or jumping on the furniture to not touch the floor games. We have water experiments or burned microwaved croissants. There are paintings on the floor and pins in the walls. Of course, in the process of causing mayhem, chaos and disorder, they fight.

Sisters should be friends...shouldn't they?

I thought they would be best friends with each other, enjoy each other and well...like each other. I am so tired of refereeing. I love spending time with them, but often I am finding that we can't spend time together as a family because they fight. I have a special trip planned for them and I dare not tell them yet. They might fight over that ...airline seats, who gets the window, what to pack, who is more responsible and helpful, who is smarter, who is the best at what...CRAZY...

I could write a whole page on the disagreements...

Living for the moments when there is peace in the house is well, what I am doing best. I love when things are going well. I love when they work together and can play for more than an hour. I am finding that the less electronics, the better they interact with their world. I love their acting out of their stories.

How do I encourage more of that?

Hooliganting: Tomorrow is a Brand New Day

Hooliganting: Tomorrow is a Brand New Day: "Tomorrow is a brand new day with no mistakes in it yet." I have read and re-read these words through the pages of Anne of Green G...

Tomorrow is a Brand New Day

"Tomorrow is a brand new day with no mistakes in it yet." I have read and re-read these words through the pages of Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. I wonder if she knew as she penned these words that they would have impact a hundred years later. I wish I could think that the "thinks I think" (Dr. Suess) and the words I write would have impact positively.

The power of positive thinking got some fine tuning today. In fact, I had to turn to a few folk today for some requested coaching in order to effectively deal with drama. I am amazed at the impact that a few people have in my life and I don't always think they know how appreciated they are.

First stop, to the teachers at the schools. I have bright, challenging and creative children that do not always follow the road well traveled. Today, at parent teacher conference, I discovered my eldest had elected to choose to skip enough practices to be able to spend more time with her friends. Her commitment to choir was less important to her than her friends, which I get, but the way I discovered it...not so good. What I really appreciated though was that two teachers took extra time to help get through to her. They care about the academics but also equally care about her character. After 40 minutes, that also eventually included her report card discussions, she came out with messages of I can and I will learn, play and be my best. The ironic part was that I had gone initially to see her science fair project, which was very well done, to support her in that. The emotional roller coaster of a tweenie to be.

Thinking that I was done with that, it was time to cruise to the other school to get the younger. She chattered about her day and I realized with growing concern and frowns, plus a sick feeling to my stomach that the Grade 3 girls as a whole were at it again. Gangs this time if you please. Seriously? I really don't care so long as kids aren't verbalizing taunts and goading each other into exclusive behavior and/or deliberately getting others into hot water. I started asking some pointed questions and my younger child did what any self-motivated child would do, back pedaled like mad and played the Not ME card. I didn't buy it for a second as where there is smoke...fire surely follows. That meant a careful email to the teacher (no names mentioned) but requesting that someone keep an eye on the tone of voice being used. My younger can be very blunt and sassy and there is no way I am having that. Not more than 10 minutes later, I get the email back that yes, Keelin can have a counselor meeting to learn about tone and yes, the girls will be spoken to about inclusion and respecting all players. The funny thing is that the girls have known each other for years...it feels like a pecking order is being established and that they are vying for position. Crazy.

That wore me out and then we get to the pool. I was stunned again by the girls arguing in the change rooms. There are a lot of Grade 3/4's in the change rooms at that time and I just looked at the spitfires and thought "who needs enemies when you have friends." At that point, I decided to let them go as mine were less involved. The coaches could deal. I took the opportunity to get some coaching on how to cope with temperamental folk while the kids swam back and forth.

Was I really that bad as an 8 year old? It seems to me that I don't remember enough about being 8. I know I was moody and temperamental at 14 but holy smokes, it seems to come early now. And then the older girls try to help and that just seems to make things worse.

Totally worn out mentally, I remembered that we were out of our prescriptions for asthma so off to the drug store we went. This was an opportunity to search for the snow pants that had gone MIA the day before. I had already had a mom look, but the exercise of looking is important too. So, did that and no pants. Came home and no snow pants. Sent Dad down to look and he found the pants. How does THAT happen? Sigh.

And still the day of the crazies wasn't done. Music practice and vocal practice. Resistance is futile (Star Wars?) Art lesson and neighborhood child in the house. Supper cobbled together late. (Burn baby burn) Later bedtime. Lunches are not done and nor is my work. Don't even look at the kitchen. Instead, I am going to take some more time to breathe.

I think the rest of my day will be better spent reading, and when I am needing more advice...this time I am going to my ultimate source: the bible.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Proverbs 19:20 

Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.

Hooliganting: Florida: Magic Kingdom Day Three

Hooliganting: Florida: Magic Kingdom Day Three: Magic Kingdom is a place of family oriented mayhem, line-ups and the occasional party. By day three, I knew we hadn't seen everything bu...

Florida: Magic Kingdom Day Three

Portal Fantasyland

Cooling off

Clang Clang Clang

Glass blower - Main Street

Stage show

Iconic Disney moment

Just plain fun!

Portal in Liberty Square

Thunder Mountain

Portal Adventureland

Magic Kingdom is a place of family oriented mayhem, line-ups and the occasional party. By day three, I knew we hadn't seen everything but wasn't really thrilled by the idea of spending hours in the lines. In addition, I had adopted a not my kid my kid for the morning so there were three excitable children who were raring to go.

By this time, I had learned that there is no right or wrong way to Disney. But there are things that really help, like getting your fast passes done ahead of time through the website so that you don't have to find the fast pass kiosk right on entry. That certainly saved us a lot of time. Pack a hefty lunch bag so that you don't have to stand in the food lines (although I totally caved in favor of the Starbucks as I needed caffeine.) Be prepared and have a lot of water bottles. I carried 12 every day and they all disappeared by the time the evening rolled in. On this particular day in time, I knew I didn't want to stand in the one to two hour lines for the rides. My eldest made a bee line for the Pluto line for a picture, so that killed thirty minutes, and the other two aimed at the Aristocat line. There are characters everywhere so if there are favorites, know where they are and gauge the lines.

From there, we opted to do something different as a family. We walked to the fire hall in Main Square and found the Sorcerer's game. Each of us got a package of cards. On opening them, we had a series of spell cards that could be used to defeat the Disney villains. One key is issued per group and that is used by swiping your key on the lock at each portal. Your first mission is given to you at the kiosk by the fire hall. We were sent to Fantasyland. Then, we sleuthed the ground for our special symbol, found the lock, listened to the message and followed the instructions from portal to portal. It was like a choose your own adventure or treasure hunt. At some spots, we were able to hold up a spell card and one per group was chosen and cast by the cameras. AWESOME! It was so much fun that we went on to do missions in Liberty Square, Adventureland and Main Street USA. The best part about it is that you can play every time you go and there are some locals that have made a hobby of collecting all the cards.

However, the rest of our party finally arrived and so we journeyed the rides together. Pirates, Thunder Mountain several times and then Space Mountain. We played at the dance party and shopped a bit. I had to purchase sweat pants for my eldest at one point because it sure got darned chilly after about 8:00 pm. It was our last night there so you know that we had to try and stay as late as possible. In our case, that was midnight. Lol. If you have small children that can last that long, the rides certainly are quicker to get through and you can get more accomplished. We watched the fireworks and had a great time.

However, all vacations have to come to an end at some point and this one was no different. It was time to head back to the hotel where I was up until 2 packing the bags. It actually meant purchasing an additional suitcase as I had acquired too much stuff. Darn it.

We actually had one more day in Florida, but that was spent at the resort enduring a time share owners update (they means sales so don't be fooled like we all were...and if you have guests...don't do it...I was furious by the end as they stole 3 hours of my holiday and when we went to get the gift, the guy went on his 30 minute break...um...no I don't want to wait in the office when I could be by a pool, thank you.) I finally got to the pool and waited until dark when we opted for Smokey Bones for supper. That was yummy but not worth the 2 hour wait. Then, we stayed at the Staybridge Inn by the airport. Great breakfast and great rooms for reasonable pricing. I was impressed and would totally recommend them.

And that ends Florida...next travel blog...California for Dance the Magic...

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