"NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP."~Winston Churchill

Monday, January 24, 2011

bugs

Leave it to the little girl...

So Kendall went to the barn this weekend with Mimi, as she does many weekends, to ride her pony and have free time. She spent a huge chunk of her day out there coming home after it was dark. She came in and Mimi said she had been scratching her head a lot. Ugh. So I ran up to her room before she had time to touch anything and brought her into the bathroom...I flipped her head over and started checking for ANYTHING. I saw a bug, and I SWORE it was a tick. I am telling my mom to "google" (isn't it funny that we go directly to Google now) how to remove ticks. I get my tweezers and I start digging into my screaming little girl's neck trying to remove the "tick" (Greatest mommy moment EVER). I'm digging and digging. I get a safety pin and try to get it out that way...so I start digging into Kendall's skin with a safety pin...AWESOME. I am telling my mom "I can't get it out, what is going on?" We then realize, it might not be a tick. I can't find a body. Kendall screams "SO YOU ARE HURTING ME FOR NO REASON????"

My mom mentions that Kendall's little pony has had louse (a horse form of lice) before and she did lay her head back on him while she was riding him. We google "Louse" and I turn my attention to her hair, which is as thick as molasses, and I start combing through it. Some louse are biting louse, which explains the bump I thought was a tick. I found about 5 "louse" (yuck) and picked them out, gagging the whole way because I HATE bugs in multiples. Then I coat her hair in mayonnaise to get anything else out (tip: mayonnaise is used to remove lice and their eggs from hair-so I thought it was an appropriate precaution to take in this case). Luckily they don't thrive on humans so they were easily removable. After all of the chaos, I strip her clothes off, throw her in the shower, throw her clothes and towels in the washer and take a deep breath! Kendall comes downstairs and what does she say to her dad? "Mommy made be bleed for no reason daddy!!!"

So lesson learned? Yes. Do NOT start poking into your poor daughters skin unless you know for sure what a tick looks like.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Amazing

Amaizingly enough the boy had a fabulous day at school today...no stories to report. Sorry friends, that's all I've got.

Monday, January 17, 2011

First Blog, First Day

I have never considered a blog...but as I sat in my office at work today with so much on my mind, I realized that in the past, during the hardest times in my life, I wrote. I wrote and I wrote. And I always felt better. As I go through another tough spell I have been wondering what was missing, maybe it's this.


My son was born on 3/17/07, 7lbs 13oz, yep a St. Patty's Day baby born with a lot of lucky numbers as his stats. I truly gave birth to a little leprechaun. He is my second child. My daughter was 2 1/2 when he was born. She is witty, energetic, talkative, dramatic, smart as a pistol, and gorgeous. While during her terrible two's/three's I believed her to be "difficult" I look back now and want to SLAP myself. She threw fits, yes she did...but they ENDED. Her terrible times lasted 2 YEARS. She does have an occasional uproar every now and then, and it can be painful, but for the most part she is a joy to be around and a really easy kid.


Now, back to the boy. Many mothers have battle stories and we love to talk about them over coffee-well, let's be honest I discuss them over wine- and we compare our stories to our friends' stories. We laugh and feel good that we're not "the only ones." Well when I leave and go home and think about the story I shared that night, I always think to myself "Why did my story seem to stand out?" "Why are my friends always so shocked?" Three, almost four years later I know why...because my stories are shocking, and unbelievable.


I wanted to start this blog to make people laugh, but to also give other mothers a sense that they are not the only ones. We all have our challenges, whether they be daily, weekly, or occasionally. We also love our kids unconditionally. I have spent the last year asking "Why Me" and praying my son changes, but the truth is, I am not sure I want everything to change. I would like to teach him what behaviors are appropriate and how to get positive attention rather than negative...but his spark is amazing. I love who he is. I accept his behaviors and I cannot blame myself anymore.


Often times, we see our children as a reflection of ourselves, but they are who they are. It is our job to help them find that person and help them become great. If we spend all of our time trying to change them, all energy will be lost. I am no expert as I still break down almost everyday, but I do know A LOT about humility and what didn't work the first time. And I will always admit my mistakes only to celebrate LOUDLY when I am finally right!


that intro was very long...but I had to explain myself


DAY ONE- The New Pre School


He started a new Pre School today, the other one did everything they could, but it was just time to give them a break and make a change. He started there when he was just a baby and picked up some bad habits on the way (by no fault of his most recent teachers though). Last year we went to Hell and back with his behavior and he changed completely, positively. I was not ready to put them through this again. I do not want him spending his pre school years always in trouble. It was time for a change. 


Let me rewind to just 6 days ago...

He got mad because he didn't want to nap so he decided to take his shoes off and throw them across the room. He took all of the toys off of the shelf and dumped them on the floor. He then began to get off of his mat refusing to lay down. The director went in to calm him down and eventally he went to sleep. When I picked him up his teacher told me that she had taken away the superhero costume he was wearing because of his behavior. He wanted to take it home. I told him we had to follow what his teacher said. He threw the fit of all fits so I had to carry him out the front door, wrestle him in his car seat and drive home. During the car ride he attempted to take his seat belt off, and attempted stripping most of the clothes he could manage off. He screamed all the way home and finally when we got home, I asked him to walk in on his own two feet. He refused. So I sat there staring at him in the garage. He took off all of his clothes and then started screaming because he was cold. I asked him to walk inside. He refused. Before I could blink he started PEEING on the garage floor. PEEING. I was in shock. I stared at him. Clinching my teeth I said very firmly..."GO UPSTAIRS NOWWWWWWW" He walked upstairs, crying butt naked.

I am hoping a praying this works out. T minus 2 YEARS to KINDERGARTEN...not much time! He started his day by asking me "Mommy am I going to be bad at my new school?" ... I said, "no you are going to be great and you are going to try" he said "I want to make good friends" I said, "That is a great idea!" It took me 5 minutes to get him in the car (He wanted to ride his bike, we had no time) and then when he was finally in the car he had to pee and I was SO not letting him pee in my car so I let him go. Then we were off...New School here we come!  His new teacher, let's just call her Miss D, had just returned from a two week vacation...welcome back!!! My daughter had her for pre school as well, so I know her style. She is firm, but fun and loving. He had a nice morning, enjoyed play time and his new friends but then came nap time. He did his usual dramatic plea to get out of napping "I'M HOT" "I'M COLD" "I'M NOT TIRED" "I'M TIRED" "DON'T TOUCH ME" "RUB MY BACK PLEASE!!!!" So Miss D had to call in back up and eventually he went to sleep. When I came to pick him up, she looked exhausted, but we talked and we came up with a plan, so I hope it works.


We got home and he told his daddy he loves his new school and he likes his new friends...that's a start.


And tomorrow is another day, STAY TUNED...