Joys of Parenting: Proof

Sometimes my boy needs proof.

Proof that I am more than just his Mommy.

Proof that I was a child once too.

Proof that 'I can!".

We were wondering around the park,

playing, running, jumping, watching,

when we came across this perfect Flamboyant Tree.

I told him that he should try to climb it.

I then proceeded to pick him up and hang him from a branch.

He didn't care for it much...

I little to far from the ground I suspect.

Then I told him that I could climb it.

His response was priceless.

"Mom, No you can't!"

Well that was all it took.

I dropped my water bottle, keys, and my phone and 

I jumped right up into that tree.

His jaw hit the floor and he immediately grabbed my phone.

"I need a picture of this to show Daddy!"

Proof.

thankful thursday

(source)

Today was one of those days.  I felt it in my bones.  My joints ached before ever making myself vertical out of my bed.  Getting both feet on the floor was like moving a ton of bricks. 

I got a bit cynical thinking about "thankful thursday".  Gratitude shamtitude.  I would be grateful for a few more hours of sleep and no responsibilities for the day.  Well, once I decided to get over my one person pitty party and face the facts...well, lets just say, it all starting spinning out of control.  And by "it" I really mean the boy.

You see when he's not feeling well, he's wild.  He doesn't listen, acts out, and tortures anyone and anything that gets in his path.  It's hard to feel sorry for the little bugger,  but you have to do what you have to do.  By about 3pm, I wasn't sure who was going to snap first...me or the poor dog (she been taking a beating from the boy lately - although, that bitch....she can go hid and take a nap whenever she wants).

So 3pm.  We've all lost our cool.  The boy is crying for no reason at all, the dog is hiding, and I wanted to find myself in the fetal position in the corner rocking like a crazy person.  And the it occurred to me....THE BEACH! Here comes the gratitude bit.

I quickly strapped on the suits, slathered the sun screen, and dragged the boy out the door.  It was time to send all that crazy out with the tide.  Something about the ocean, the waves, the sand in unmentionable places, the sun, it heals us both.  We took a day that could have defeated us both and turned it into one of the best evenings.

There is not much that can't be cured with a little salty air and being buried in the sand up to your neck.  Today I am so thankful that I have to ocean to wash away the weight of the world.

spin me right round baby....

a letter to the boy,

there are days that you 

make my head spin.

but i still love you

more than anything.

love me.

joys of parenting: uh oh.

never ask a two year old to...

...get you a towel from the bathroom.

joys of parenting: dealing with bullies

i want to start this post off by saying that i need your advice. i know that a lot of my readers are parents and for those of you who are not, maybe you will have some great outside knowledge to share too.

the boy and i were at the park the other day. he had brought one of his race cars to play with. well a group of older boys, probably about 6-ish, saw that car and wanted it. and so the taunting began. the older boys took his car and proceeded to play with it. my boy chased them all over the playground, and you could tell he just really wanted to play with them. the whole situation turned into a giant game of "keep the car away from the little kid".

watching this all happen made me very anxious. i sat on the edge of the bench ready to pounce on the first one to lay a hand on my son. i was having an internal moral dilemma. "should i just jump in and put a stop to the whole thing and remove the boy and his car?" the boy didn't seem to mind that the older kids were playing with his car, he just wanted to be a part of the action. "do i let the boy figure it out on his own?" would this teach him the importance of problem solving. i kept having mental images of the boy as a teenager running to me to fight all his battles, and god knows that's not what i want to happen.

so what do you think? how would/do you deal with taunting and bullies? how do you walk the fine line of parenting and over-protecting? how do you create a son that knows how to stand up for himself without creating a bully of your own?

10 things i couldn't live without this week:

1. a very long, sleepy, pajama and movie filled monday.

2. sewing sewing and more sewing time.

3. my very first tankini

4. doing things as a mother that i swore i would never do (i.e. wear a tankini)

5. 2 pairs of pants for the price of one. took a pair of thrifted pants and turned them into a pair of shorts for me and a pair of pants for the little man.

6. $2 yard sale finds. i am getting good at making $2 stretch pretty far.

7. the most delicious tomatoes i've ever had.

8. new additions to the garden. we now have tomatoes, bell peppers, strawberries, and pineapple.

9. seeing my grandparents for dinner tonight.

10. sanibel island sunsets. arrived today for our week vacation with my parents and sisters. keep reading this week for "a week without words".

joys of parenting: poop mittens

this morning my sweet little boy let us sleep in until 8 o'clock, which was greatly appreciated since he usually is ready to start his day at 6:30. Well technically he was awake before 8, but he was playing so quietly in his room that the hubs and i decided to just let him be and enjoy just a few more minutes of snuggle time.

after a few minutes of snuggling, starting the coffee, and letting the dog out i decided it was time to get that little monkey and start our day.

upon opening ash's bedroom door i was first taken aback by the giant mess that he made. there were toys, books, diapers, and wipes strewn about his room.

as i made my way into the giant mess it hit me like a brick in the face, a really stinky brick in the face. POOP!

now i am not talking about a little dirty diaper here. i am talking about the overwhelming smell of poop.

as i got further into his room he jumped out of bed to show me the cause of stink. let's start with his hands. my son was wearing poop mittens. there was poop under his nails, in between his fingers, and clear up to his wrists. in sheer panic i raced ash to the bathroom and quickly de-pooped his hands. i scrubbed them and then covered them in hand sanitizer. let me just interject here that i am not usually the squeamish one in the family when in comes to bodily excrement. but i was totally freaked out by this whole situation.

after sanitizing the child, he pointed out to me that there was a pile of poop hiding out next to his book shelf. now i don't pride myself of my detective skills, but i just can't wrap my head around how all of this happened!

i figured the pile of poop wasn't going anywhere, so i decided to tackle the source of the issue. ash's butt was next on the cleaning list.

by this point the dog and the hubs had joined us in the poop cave. all the commotion was drawing a crowd. but it was a much needed extra pair of hands. plus the hubs super sensitive gag reflex provided an extra source of entertainment. as if all the inappropriate poop jokes were not enough. as we started discussing the literal "shit everywhere", we found more. poop smears on the door, on the drum set, oh and check out the pile over there......where did it go?

yeah that's right the poop pile was gone. and so was the dog.

moral of the story. shit happens. and sometimes the dog looks guilty. gross.

needless to say, i spent the following hours avoiding the dog.