Punishment

...for never reading my blog.


I love you Bart :)

Cliff Notes

Y O U  A R E  T H E

GUARDIANS

O F  T H E

HEARTH 

 YOU ARE THE BEARERS OF THE CHILDREN.

YOU ARE THEY WHO NURTURE THEM.

NO OTHER WORK REACHES SO CLOSE

TO DIVINITY AS DOES THE NURTURING OF

THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF GOD

G O R D O N  B.  H I N C K L E Y

I wrote up this big long blog about details about the full-blown violent tear-filled panic attack that Dave had when we went to the park today and I tried to encourage him to sit (not swing, just sit) on a swing at the park

I wrote about how frequently it's difficult as his mother to have to stand back and not get to play with him because he's in his own different world that I can't get to.

I wrote about how much the moments when he giggles with me, and hugs me, and needs me, make me melt into gooey putty...and mean the world to me.

I went into this tangent about how despite how blessed I am and even sacred it feels to be entrusted by God to be his mother, it's ok for me to have hard days and to feel frustration.  It is part of growing pains.

So instead of leaving all of my inner thoughts, I've deleted them all and condensed them into this:

Being a mother is simultaneously the most rewarding, frustrating, incredible, heartbreaking, faith-building, tiring, heart-growing, soul-strengthening, and difficultly wonderful privilege I will ever have. 
  

 

DEFCON 1 Crisis Averted

In reference to my earlier post....few things in life can't be fixed with a game of "keep a straight face and don't laugh."

I cried.  In laughter.

Trifecta of Terror

Some days, you have to count your maternal losses.

And by losses, I mean admitting that it's a possibility that you might in all seriousness....lose your mind.  It is a protective defense mechanism where the self shuts down in order to prevent overheating.  Oh, you just made another enormous destructive mess?  *shrug*  Here, watch some more television.

Today is one of those days.  And I have to be careful saying that because it's only 11:20am and goodness knows we still have the bulk of the day left.  There is plenty of time for me to go completely DEFCON 1.

So today when I folded five loads of laundry onto my bed, and while carrying a neatly folded pile of clothing to Dave's room, he decided it would be awesome to jump and swim in them like autumn leaves, I was upset.  Certainly he knows better.  There was appropriate disciplinary action taken.

When he starting dragging the poor dog around by her collar like a sack of potatoes, there may have been some yelling.

In an effort to turn things around, we worked on some productive crafty things and fine motor tasks.  There was a snack, and all manner of motherly goodness.

And then after another series of events which I do not wish to recall, we arrived to the moment-- When the bathroom was beginning to flood due to hot water that was left running for an unknown amount of time while I was refolding laundry, and a container of vaseline was spread all over the wet counters, and the refrigerator was partially emptied and left open and a full glass of milk was dumped on the kitchen table...I waved it.

 

Dave has achieved the trifecta.  

The destructiveness of a 3 year old....

The speed and agility of a 4 year old....

....and the energy of a crack infused squirrel.

d and an a and another d

This morning, David asked where his dad was and then answered his own question, "Dad's at work."

I explained to him that dad goes to work so that me and David could be together and play and to buy us things we need to be happy and healthy.  He agreed that was really nice of daddy and I told him maybe when we got home we could write dad a letter to say thank you.

Dave thinks a letter means the alphabet.  So...he said, "Gon-write him a letter.  Write D...and an A.... and another D."

"David! Did you just spell dad?!"

Matter-of-factly, "Yes."

"I'm so proud of you!"

"Oh.  Thank you."

Hah, love this kid.  Always a surprise.

Fine motor with beads and shoestrings

This is one of David's favorite regulars.  One shoe string with a knot tied at the edge and some more colorful beads that he threads onto the shoe string. As he gets better I use smaller and smaller beads, and have also started using a longer shoe string (I used to keep it shorter when he was first starting out) so that he can practice extending his arms to get the bead down to the very end.  Count 'em when you're finished!

Check out that tongue action...

Fine motor with playdough and beads

We have been trying different things to work on David's fine motor skills.  I thought it would be good to put all the ideas of things we do on here so I can remember to do them again, and also thought other moms might benefit from some of these things for their kiddos.

This activity is great for hand strengthening.  David is 4 1/2, but has the hand strength equivalent to the average 15 month old child, so this is probably typically better for younger children, though you could change the size of the beads to make it an additional challenge for older toddlers and preschoolers.

All I did was take a handful of small beads and hide them in playdough.  Make sure to count how many you hide so you make sure you've found them all!  Roll it up into a nice ball, then have the kiddo dig 'em out!  You could make it a race, hide tiny beads, make it extra tricky by hiding the same color bead as the playdough so they really have to squeeze and dig through to find them.

This activity is also great for kids like David that have sensory processing problems to give them incentive to touch a texture they might otherwise totally avoid.

Basically, if he's sticking his tongue out in concentration doing anything, I know it's a good activity for him!

Lion King

We've busted out the old VHS collection.

David is falling in love with the Lion King.  If he growls at you, it's a term of endearment.  He is the daddy lion.