Thaw before reheating.
Will’s life as a big brother goes something like this:
1. Kids are independently playing in public space.
2. Kate is run over by big kid.
3. Will is tasked with watching over his little sister.
4. Kids proceed to play extra cute.
5. Kate falls.
6. Will helps her up.
… and …
Poor kid. Every darn time.
Offered on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays: it’s JAZZERCISE with KATE!
Leg warmers optional.
Aerobics not your style? Try some yoga with our own in-house Yogi…
Kate recently failed a middle ear hearing test. Yesterday, Will complained that his left ear (his problem ear) hurt and that he couldn’t hear out of it. I called the doc; Paul took them this afternoon while I was teaching. This is the story that unfolded for me when I got home:
Paul: Will’s ear tube fell out.
Me: Wow, already?
Paul: Except he put it back in.
Me: What?
Paul: Tell Mommy about your tube, Will.
Will: My tube fell out after lunch. I put it back. Then the doctor found it.
Me: You put the ear tube back in your ear? Just pushed it in?
Will: Yes, I put it back in. A lot of earwax pushed it out.
Paul: The doctor said the hole will be around for a few more weeks, maybe months. There is fluid inside the eardrum, though. We just have to watch it and keep using his ear drops.
Me: Will, next time something falls out of your head, put it in your pocket and tell an adult before you put it in your ear, okay?
Will has completed Kindergarten.
And will enter 1st grade in the fall.
Aren’t I too young to have a child in 1st grade?
Will made necklaces for his teachers as a thank-you for the year. For a last minute OH SH!T gift idea that came to me at 11:40pm 2 days before the end of the school year, I think we pulled it off well. It was just enough time to get the kids to make necklaces (“Mommy, can we make cookies?” “NO, YOU’RE MAKING A NECKLACE.” “But I don’t want to make another right now.” “TOO BAD. GET TO WORK.”)
A.H. and Lulu: we owe you big-time. Your b-day gift for Kate SAVED MY LAST-MINUTE ASS.
Here are Kate’s necklaces. She got some help from Will (read: Will did it) on the one with some symmetry. (Will LOVES symmetry.)
We had a bit more time for Will’s necklaces (he was in school one week longer than Kate). Thank goodness, as we needed a few more ho-has to stretch our necklace-making capabilities. The necklace to the left was made with pieces from another kit I got to stretch our supplies. The only reason there is a necklace not done in a symmetrical fashion was because I encouraged Will to mix it up.
I adore the necklaces but what really got my heart was how he drew the flowery circles and hearts when he wrote out the envelopes. (Can you tell he has a very special place in his heart for his English teacher, Roxanna?)
Will gave them out the day before school ended, which makes me feel pretty certain that he passed Kindergarten of his own academic merit, not for bribing his teachers with jewelry.
– Kate is a popular topic of conversation outside of school. Her reputation extends past all of her classmates to their parents and beyond to even friends and family of parents.
– Kate uses the potty all day long at school without incident. (Note: she is not on board at home.)
– Kate knows and uses French vocabulary daily. Just not with us.
– It is possible for Kate to lay on a mat during nap time. And stay there.
– Despite our frequent discussion of holding Will to repeat Kindergarten (and thus be on the American system in terms of his age and grade level), we are struggling to find a true reason to do so; Will’s academic performance remains one of the best in the class, even when compared to students who have had 3 years of French immersion.
– We couldn’t find a reason developmentally, psychologically, or emotionally, either. We asked. We looked.
– When Will struggles with something in English, he has the same struggles in French.
– Things Will needs to work on in both English and French: counting with his fingers (he does it in his head just fine, something about using the fingers throws him off) and listening to break down the sounds in words.
– Will can write very nice cursive. (Relative to other 5 year olds.)
me: Both kids in bed.
Paul: wow, go you
me:
Kids eating post-dinner pudding.
I do laundry.
Come back.
Kate has used pudding as finger paints.
PUDDING EVERYWHERE.
She has to get cleaned in kitchen sink before being brought to bathroom.
Paul: our little angel?
me:
In bathroom, I’m dealing with pudding clean-up
on me
and her clothes….
…and she removes pants to reveal the evening’s 3rd poop.
Her pull-up removal spreads poop everywhere.
Poop all over legs
Feet
Floor
Carpet
Clothes.
Finally, she’s in the tub.
I wash her.
I am getting her out.
Will, who has been eating pudding this whole time, comes in.
He decided the finger painting was a good idea.
He’s painted his entire face with it.
And hands and arms.
It’s COVERING his UNIFORM.
Paul: I hope you killed him
me:
His WHITE
NEW
BRAND NEW
WHITE
SHIRT.
Paul: he should know better
me:
I rinse tub and refill.
He gets in.
I dress Kate.
I come back in bathroom to find Will with the soap.
Bubbles.
Everywhere.
Soap bottle is upside-down.
He’s squeezing the bottle.
The NOW almost EMPTY bottle
Because he’s emptied half of it
in the tub
with him
.
This is why the kids are in bed early.
Sent at 7:00 PM on Wednesday
I am a woman with many irrational fears. And three times as many pet peeves.
A few of the things I am irrationally afraid of:
— Driving off of a bridge and into a body of water with the kids in the car.
— Intestinal parasites that enter through the feet (oddly, I am not afraid of any other intestinal parasites).
— Kate falling off the slide/swing set/stairs/ladder or whatever else she has climbed up despite being half the size and a quarter of the age requirement.
— A child running into the street.
— The attachments to bicycles where kids ride? They are so low that I worry a car won’t see them.
— Someone breaking in the front of the house and I can’t the kids out of the back of the house fast enough.
A few things I am irrationally irritated or preoccupied by:
— Yard chemicals being tracked through the house on shoes.
— Mud on shoes or clothes getting on bed linens or furniture.
— Whether or not my pillowcase is causing me to break out.
— That I’m not diligent enough about the kids’ teeth.
— Dirty hands.
Lucky for me, the people in my life tolerate my craziness. This means that they generally abide by my crazy rules.
— No sitting on furniture when you’ve been working outside, until you’ve bathed/changed clothes.
— No walking around barefoot outside, especially in rural areas.
— I have to brush everyone’s teeth.
— Unlocking the doors when we go over a bridge (one less thing to do if the car flies off). When I’m feeling particularly crazy, I also get out the glass punch from the glove compartment and put it down my shirt or in my pocket until we’re off the bridge.
— Sleeping with one of the kids (sometimes both) when Paul is not around.
— Strict handwashing.
I try really hard to not be as crazy as I am. In general, I consider myself pretty laid back. I’m not afraid of getting dirty, I like mud pies, and have absolutely no problem with getting stains on things (I’m a master remover.)
Also? I love walking in the rain.
Will: “What language do they speak in Pensacola?”
Paul: “Floridian.”
Will: “Is that like French?”
Me: “No, Will, it’s a lot like English. You won’t notice anything different.”
Paul: “Except that they have 18 verbs for ‘dining at a buffet'”.
