Be Mine

We made it through Valentine’s Day!  Whew….who knew it would be far more work than Halloween and approach the type of prep required for Christmas?  Valentine’s Day in preschool is pretty easy….buy or make valentines, sign your child’s name, DONE!  Kindergarten Valentines left me feeling like a mall-walker trying to run a marathon.  We started weeks early.  Kenny had the attention span to write classmates’ names and sign his name on exactly three valentines before his eyes started rolling around in his head.  Twenty-two names, some of which were far too long to fit on a little Valentine.  Twenty-two “Kenny” signatures.  And then there was THE BOX.  I couldn’t even deal with the idea of working with my 5-minute-attention-span-5-year-old on this project.  So I broke my cardinal rule of motherhood and spent an hour of my life making an over-the-top Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle box.  I had to bust out my sorority craft box and nearly used up my supply of glue sticks.  Every glue stick was worth it—the box turned out fabulous and was quickly embraced like a prize trophy by my picky son.  

If only the cards and box were the end of this story.  No, no…the best is yet to come!  Elementary parties have evolved since the “dark ages” of my childhood to involve four fabulous stations the kids get to rotate through.  So the parents get to plan a fabulous snack, a fabulous craft, a fabulous game, and one more fabulous thing.  (For the life of me, I can’t figure out what was so bad about eating cupcakes and playing Heads Up 7-Up for all special events.)  Having dodged the bullet on parties so far this year, I felt obligated to help make something fabulous.  Thanks to Pinterest, and my trusty glue gun, the kindergarteners feasted on fabulous Valentine Robots.  Twenty-two juice boxes with an applesauce cup glued to the top, two raisin boxes glued to the bottom, and one wrapped candy glued to each side.  

We lugged the Valentines, the boxes, the robots into the classroom, nearly collapsing from either the weight or excitement of it all.  And then I had to go home and throw together something for the love of my life.  All the love was sucked out of me….he got a card and a bag of Dove chocolates!   It’s a good thing he loves me….probably for my sweet glue gun skills.

The sweet taste of victory!

My kids are cracking me up lately and becoming more and more fun to be around.  While daddy was on a guys’ ski trip over the weekend, we treated ourselves to a Hibachi dinner at our favorite Japanese restaurant.  (My husband and I discovered the brilliance of this style of dining, which doles healthy food out over increments of time while also providing entertainment watching the food preparation.  I’m about ready to install a hibachi grill in my kitchen in hopes of having a pleasant dining experience EVERY DAY!)  Back to the Japanese restaurant….we waited ten minutes to be seated.  The host (twenty-something male) raved about how happy and well-behaved my boys were.  And the boys continued to display civilized behavior through the entire, two-hour meal.  There was a delay before the dessert course when some general antsy-ness started.   So I asked them to tell me a joke.  AND THEY DID!  I’m in no danger of having them scouted out by Jimmy Fallon…the jokes all went something like this, “Why did the banana cross the road?  To put out the fire!”  But we all laughed and then the ice cream was served.  It was a great night.  I enjoyed my boys.  I needed that little win in the midst of what seems like one big battle!  And what might those battles be you wonder?  

1)      Convincing my five-year-old that it’s time for a new swimming suit.  He has been wearing size 3T swim trunks for over a year.  They’re faded, and slightly too small.  He’s sure I can get the exact same swimming suit in a bigger size, and I’m about ready to petition the Gap to have one custom made!


2)      Maintaining healthy sleep habits with an almost four-year-old who awakens in the middle of the night, gets out of bed, and walks into our room to request to be “tucked in”.  Are you serious?  What kind of madness is this?  We roll over and ignore him.  The whole thing took on a comedic tone when he crawled into our empty bed one morning (I was in the bathroom getting ready).  When I saw him, I laid down beside him to cuddle and rub his back.  He promptly requested I get out of bed, citing the fact that he needed some alone time.  Right.  How about you get your alone time between the hours of 8PM and 6AM buddy!


3)      Instilling a sense of urgency in an almost four-year-old that getting ready in the morning should NOT take forty-five minutes!  Seriously, the child removes his pajama pants and plays for fifteen minutes.  Then removes his pajama shirt and plays for fifteen minutes.  He usually has his socks on by the time the two minute warning for school drop-off rolls around.  I end up standing over him yelling like the coaches on the biggest loser.  Good thing I gave up the battle for him to wear underwear….that would make us late for sure!

I realize there will always be a battle to wage as long as these precious little stinkers are living under our roof.  But the lack of battle would signal a time when our boys are grown and gone.  There won’t be wrestling matches in the family room.  There won’t be races through the kitchen, dining, and living rooms.  I won’t get to pull the covers up over soft bellies and kiss cheeks goodnight.  So I’ll remain fully present in my day….treating my battle wounds and celebrating each small win….with a hibachi dinner:-).