Lost in Translation

Ryan was sitting at the table which this two stuffed cats while I was working in the kitchen. His favorite cat, Violet was given to him by Grandma H. Ryan called out, "Momma, did Grandma go to Ty?"

"What was that, Honey?" I asked, thinking I misheard him.

"Did Grandma go to Ty?" he repeated. Ok, so I didn't mishear.

"To Ty? Do you mean Thailand? The country?" I tried to clarify, wondering where he might have heard of Thailand.

Ryan stomped into the kitchen and thrust the tag on Violet out to me, "No, I mean Ty. You know, where Violet came from."

As I looked at Violet, who is a Beanie Baby, the mommy lightbulb went on. "Ryan, Ty is the name of the company that made Violet. Grandma got her from a store here in Ohio."

I think he was a little disappointed by that.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

I did not bribe Wesley into taking cold medicine one morning by offering him a piece of chocolate as a medicine chaser.

I was not moved to tears when Duane described to me the special day he and Ryan shared.

And there is no way I cried over a fingerprinting my four year old made at school.

We were not the neighbors working on a giant slingshot and shooting stuffed animals down the driveway last week. Not us.

I certainly did not get completely mixed up and skipped what I thought was Ryan's soccer practice on Wednesday, only to discover when I took Wesley to practice on Thursday that I had their practices switched in my mind - meaning I took the wrong kid to practice (or the right kid on the wrong day depending how you look at it.) I would never do that.

This is Only a Test

Both Wesley and Ryan have a fear of tornadoes. They come by it honestly as tornadoes are a really big fear of mine as well. It's weird though because although I totally get their fear, I can also see how irrational it is - unless we're talking about me.

Wesley will glue himself to the Weather Channel or the local news if there is any kind of storm warning and the mere possibility of even a chance of a tornado sends him over the edge. The kid is ready to camp out in the basement with a snack and his teddy bear until the storm is over.

Ryan doesn't fare much better. While he doesn't completely freak out, he gets really nervous. Ryan often asks us if tornadoes are real and if they will come near our house and if we will be able to hear the sirens where we live.

There was a tornado drill today at our church. Luckily, Duane and I found out about it early, so when we dropped the boys off at Sunday School, we were able to tell them what was going to happen and that it was just practice so everyone would know what to do and that there wasn't a real tornado. When we picked the boys up, Wesley said it went fine and Ryan told us that it was the only bad thing about Sunday School today because their safe place was in one of the bathrooms.

Still, I think the drill made a big impression on Ryan. After church we went to Ryan's preschool for the annual art show. Ryan couldn't wait to show us his artwork that was on display and the rumpus room and all the other very cool things to a four year old. However, included in Ryan's tour was the basement hallway where his class is to go if there would be a tornado. He even showed us the proper way to sit with head tucked during such an event.

It wasn't now I thought I'd spend part of the art show, but I'm glad he's prepared.

Little Slice of Heaven

What a perfect day! I'm tired and full and completely happy.

I finally had a Saturday off and was able to attend Wesley's soccer game this morning. I love watching him play. He is so happy on the field. I love cheering from the sidelines and talking to the other parents. I enjoyed every second I was there, but I did have to leave a little bit early to set up for the carnival at Wesley's school.

Fun and Frolic was exhausting, but a rousing success. I have pictures to share, but I'll have to post them later. The Angry Birds game was a big hit though.

I also got to go to Ryan's soccer game this afternoon. Double treat!

We ended the day with dinner at Mya's Fried Chicken, some frozen yogurt and Duane and I bought ourselves bikes. I picked the girliest pink bike with a pink basket and I adore it!

Just total happiness this evening

Well Melt My Heart

Since my mom is out of town right now, I got to take Ryan to preschool this morning. When we walked into the classroom, Ryan grabbed my hand and pulled me over to a bulletin board that was filled with artwork the class had done.

"See my picture?" he asked me as he proudly pointed to a picture on the top row.

I looked and very clearly saw a picture of a yellow cat with a red blob in the middle of the body standing against a blue sky.

"It's a picture of Sanders outside in the sunshine," said Ryan.

I smiled. "Sanders loved to go out in the sun. It's a great picture," I told him.

But Ryan had one more detail to share. "The red is his heart and how much love he has 'cause he was such a good cat."

And I started to cry right there in the middle of the classroom. "I love it, Ryan. It's absolutely perfect."

Ryan's teacher caught me on the way out and shared two other facts about Ryan's artwork. First, she told me that this was the first time he talked about Sanders dying at school, even though she knew he died a couple of months ago. She also told me that when Ryan first made his picture, he painted Sanders without the heart, but as he was washing up, he hurried over to her and said he needed to add a red heart to Sanders to show the love.

How I love that little boy.

Ready. Aim. Fire

We've spent the last few days fine tuning a life sized Angry Birds launcher for a school event this weekend. I think it's going to be a hit.

A Walk in the Park

Now this is a boy who knows how to enjoy a day at the park!

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

I did not have such an awful time with Wesley one morning that I very nearly abandoned my healthy breakfast for a fork and a partial sheet cake.

I did not promise Ryan a "field trip" of his own on Friday afternoon because he was so heartbroken that Wesley got to take a class field trip and he didn't.

I did not talk two of my best friends into buying lots of books when we popped into a bookstore on our girls night out without making a single literary purchase of my own.

I did not down an iced coffee at 10:00 one night, figuring the caffeine would be counteracted by the NyQuil I knew I'd be taking.

I did not win a really nicely photographed cookbook at a library conference and refer it as "food porn."

Update

Wow, it seems I've kind of fallen off the face of the Earth this week. I didn't mean to ignore the blog, but its been that kind of week.

Let me see, I went to PTA meeting on Wednesday night, where my comments about not giving every child in a class a certificate if they didn't do something to earn it probably means I will never have to worry about holding an officer position. I don't think I made myself very popular that night.

I gave a presentation at a library conference out of town and was told I was the best carpool driver ever because I told the folks I was driving that of anyone needed a potty break, a coffee break or a French fry break, all they had to do was ask.

I went to Ryan's soccer practice even though I had been battling a sore throat all day.

I developed a massive Spring cold.

I took Ryan to Magic Mountian for a "field trip"

I had a fantastic girls night out.

I worked today and now I am on the couch so stuffed up that I can barely breathe.

Wow. Good times.

We're THOSE Neighbors

Every neighborhood has those neighbors. The ones who never mow their yard. The ones who let their dog out on the roof (although that was fairly common in our old neighborhood. The ones who are just a little odd. I'm afraid Ryan may have established us as "those" neighbors in our new neighborhood.

Monday night was just beautiful here. I posted yesterday about the boys feeding the birds in the backyard, but there was more going on than just bird feeding. Duane's back felt good enough that he went out in the yard and bagged up some leaves and sticks as the boys were playing. Pretty soon our next door neighbor came over and they started talking about yard care and the flowers that are growing in our yard and the like. I wandered outside as well, hoping to keep the boys on their best behavior. The boys cannot resist a fresh audience and soon began talking Mrs. B's ear off.

She was very sweet and was humoring them, listening to their tales, when Ryan turned on his heels and hurried into the house. Mrs. B and I exchanged a glance, wondering what might have caused Ryan's hasty exit. We didn't have to wonder long.

Ryan came out of the house, carrying a small wooden box. A small wooden box with a brass plate on it. A small wooden box with a brass pale on it that read "Sanders."

Uh-oh.

Ryan held the box out in front of him proudly. "This is our cat Sanders," he told Mrs. B. "He was 15 years old and then he died."

Mrs. B seemed to take it all in stride, but I'm afraid our place as "those" neighbors may have been secured.

And it may or may not be a coincidence that I baked a crumb cake yesterday and delivered pieces to Mrs. B and her hubby, and the neighbors on the other side of our house. I'd rather be "that family who brings us baked goods" instead of "that family that allows their kid to carry their cats ashes around." Call it a bribe if you want, I call it good neighbor insurance.

Feed The Birds

As I was cleaning out the kitchen cupboard last night I found a couple of hot dog buns that were just this side of crunchy. Not wanting to waste things, I handed the bag to the boys and told them to go out back and feed the birds. They gleefully grabbed the bag and took off.

A few minutes later I walked out back to check on them and this is what I found.

One boy on each of the half walls by our door, happily breaking stale hot dog buns into chunks and tossing them into the yard for the birds.

Wesley has decided this should be his new job every Monday. And he wants to buy a bunch of bird feeders for our yard just to make sure the birds get enough to eat.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

 

I didn't move up to the next level on my exercise DVD only to discover afterwards that my arms suddenly lacked the strength to even lift a bowl of candy off the top of the fridge for Wesley.

 

I did not suddenly forget the name of our wedding song, even though I could easily remember the name of the artist who recorded it. And I certainly didn't admit my momentary memory lapse to Duane.

 

It did not take me three tries to figure out how to properly poach an egg in my new microwave egg cooker.

 

I did not look at the caller ID on my phone and at and think to myself, "I know that number (of the person calling). Now, who is it?" only to realize a few seconds later that it was my own home phone number.

 

There is no way I had to miss Wesley and Ryan's first soccer games of the spring season.

Spring Soccer

The boys had their first games of the Spring soccer season yesterday. I had to miss it because it's my full weekend to work. I'm going to be lucky to get to one game this season. I work four out of the seven game days and two of the three others are major event days at Wesley's school where I am on the planning committees and have to be there. So pretty much get to spend this season feeling like a bad mom and rotten wife who signs her kids up for something and then makes her hubby do all the work.

Of corse, yesterday's weather made the fact that I had to miss the game a wee bit easier. It was cold and the fields were really muddy. Ryan was cold enough that by the time his game rolled around he was miserable and pretty much refused to anything but stand on the field the first quarter. He tried a little in the third, but it was not his shining moment.

Wesley on the other hand had a great game. I got a text at work from my friend telling me that Wesley assisted the first goal of the game and her hubby got a great picture of it. Duane got some good pictures too, but my computer is acting up again and I can't get them off the camera. Wesley was smiling really big in each of the pictures and Duane told me that our oldest son tried his best the entire time. That's what make me proud and we were sure to tell him that pretty much all day long.

A Weighty Issue

I am reading/listening two books dealing with weight right now. I just started both of them, so I'm not really sure how I feel about them, but they do have me thinking. A lot.

The first book is "Butter" by Erin Jade Lange about an overweight teen boy who decides to kill himself by eating himself to death - and to broadcast it over the web.

The second book is "The Heavy: a Mother, a Daughter, a Diet" by Dara-Lynn Weiss. It's a memoir about a mom whose daughter was pronounced obese at age seven. The author embarked on a quest to get her daughter healthy and received a lot of backlash for putting a young child on a diet. The classic damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario.

Weight and food  are often an issue in our house. I have been pretty open about my boys picky eating habits and their love of junk food, just as I am open about my own love of food, both cooking and eating it. But there's another layer in our house. Duane and I have both had our own battles with weight and food. Duane lost a significant amount of weight some years ago, and he has kept a good deal of it off, although his weight does fluctuate and sometimes he puts himself back on a diet. I battled an eating disorder for a number of years and am still regularly unhappy with the way I look, even though logically I know I look fine.

Like many parents, I worry about the messages I send the boys about food and body image. I try to make sure the food we pack in lunches or serve at home is at least relatively healthy, but we have two picky eaters, so it's hard.

Ryan likes junk food and snacking, and yes, that is our fault. With the exception of breakfast, he's pretty much content to just munch on snack stuff here and there throughout the day. I try to make sure he's getting healthier snacks. When I'm home I offer him cheese or wheat thins or fruit or yogurt for his snacks, but that doesn't mean I don't let him have fruit snacks or sugar cereal or chips occasionally. We let the kids have chocolate milk, but it's always low-fat and juice boxes are 100% juice. And Ryan loves soda, which he only gets if we are out to dinner or order pizza for dinner as a treat. He won't eat vegetables. He won't eat any meat unless it is a nugget and dinner times are usually a battle. He often will eat no more than a bite or two of his food, profess not to like it, and then ask to be excused, only to be hungry before bed (we don't usually give evening snacks and never if dinner was not consumed). The child is a bean pole and I know that despite our efforts and the vitamins we give him, he is not getting the complete nutrition he needs.

Wesley is a different case. He is less of a snacker and more of a meal eater. Not that he doesn't like a snack - he does. Especially if it's sweet. My worry with Wesley is the amount of food he eats. Given the opportunity, he'll eat two hot dogs or two cheese sandwich for his lunch or several donuts instead of one. He wants multiple pieces of bacon instead of the one I let him have with his breakfast. He'll happily finish he's brother's food in many cases and always eats at least something at meal times, and if it's meat, he eats a lot of it. He doesn't eat a ton of fruits or vegetables, but he will eat them if we insist.  I find myself telling him "no" frequently.

"No, you can't have another hot dog."

"No, I'm not making you another sandwich. You just ate a whole one."

"No, you had dessert, you may not have ____."

Inevitably these statements are followed by Wesley insisting, "But I'm still hungry!" At which point I try to direct him to a piece of fruit, cheese or yogurt.

And then the guilt begins. Wesley is not in any way, shape or form overweight. Should I be letting him eat another serving of high calorie food if he is legitimately hungry, or should I redirect that hunger to something a bit healthier figuring that if he really is hungry he'll go for the healthy food? I feel like a hypocrite sometimes because I'll do almost anything to get Ryan to just eat something, but tell Wesley he cannot have a second serving.  Am I teaching the difference between eating for hunger vs eating for pleasure, or something else entirely? And why do I care?

I care for a number of reasons. As I mentioned before, Duane and I have both had weight issues and I don't want that for the boys. I don't want them to feel out of place because of their weight. I don't want them to be teased or called names because of their weight. I don't want them to look at their own wonderful bodies and feel self loathing. I don't want food to be their enemy.

I want the boys to be healthy, to reduce their risk of heart disease (which runs in their family) or diabetes or any other health problem that is compounded by being overweight. I insist that they each have one physical extra curricular going on. I don't care if it's gymnastics, dance, football, soccer, martial arts or swimming, but I want them moving. And yes, again I feel a little hypocritical about that because Duane and I tend to be pretty sedentary. We both have desk jobs and sit a lot. I am trying very hard to exercise again and we have plans to buy ourselves bikes to take family bike rides this spring and summer, but we are not the most physically active folks.

On the flip side of this whole thing, I want the kids to enjoy being kids. I want them to eat birthday cake and popsicles. I love candy and carbs and fried food and so do they and I don't deny them treats. I mean, some days just call for an ice cream cone eaten outside, or a family pizza party to celebrate something. I don't want to become the food police, but I don't want the kids to be unhealthy either.

Obviously I don't have answers, just questions. What works in each family is different and everyone has their own opinions about what makes a child healthy. These are things that have been rolling around in my mind for some time and since the books I am currently reading focus on the issue, I decided to throw my thoughts out there. Don't judge me too harshly for not following the latest eating trends with my kids. Please don't roll your eyes when we let Ryan have some soda and don't mutter under your breath when you see me try to steer my kids to healthier choice sometimes. Like you, I'm doing the best I can.

Karma Sucks

So guess who had a flat tire less than 15 minutes after that last post?  Routine shot to heck? check! Children yelled at as I stressed? check! Desperately needing a donut? Oh yes!

I borrowed my mom and stepdad's van and got to work fine. And a wonderful, kind friend texted me to see if I needed a ride.  I may be stressing, but I am blessed with the best people around me to help me out!

Early Birds - Sometimes

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a creature of habit. I have my routine. I like my routine.

Please don't mess too much with my routine.

Now that I have that confession out of the way, my next statement will make a lot more sense.

I have a real love/hate relationship with the days the kids wake up early. On the one hand, it's nice not to hear, "I don't want to get up! Why do I have to go to school!" or to referee the race to the bathroom.  On the other hand, it shatters my morning routine.

This morning Wesley was up and dressed by the time I got out of the shower. That was fantastic. However, this is what followed as I was attempted to get dressed and my hair and make-up done for work.

"Mom, can I watch tv?"

"Mom, I need to brush my teeth" - this said as child pushes past me in the bathroom while I am attempting to apply makeup.

"Will you do my hair now?"

"Where are my underpants?" - this said by Ryan as I'm still trying to get myself ready.

"Can you fix my breakfast now? I'm hungry" - said as I am attempting to fix my hair with the curling iron.

When the kids were finally ready and headed downstairs (while I still tried to finish getting ready), they decided to annoy each other instead of fixing their breakfast, which they would normally fix almost entirely by themselves.

"Mom, Ryan won't leave me alone!"

"Mom, Ryan turned on the tv"

"Awwww...Ryan, Mom is going to be angry when she sees what you did."

"Don't, Wesley!"

"Mom, can I have a timer in my room so I know when it's time to get up in the morning?"

But it all came together. I was ready pretty much on time and the kids have been a good mood. I guess routines need a little shake up now and then.

Everything's Coming Up Roses

Over the weekend we picked a bunch of daffodils from our backyard and put them in a vase on the dining room table. I love daffodils. They are so bright and sunny and are easily my favorite flower, although yellow roses and peonies rate pretty highly as well.

While eating breakfast the other morning, I made a comment about the daffodils, which got Wesley talking about flowers.

"I know why you like daffodils, Mom. It's because they are so bright. It's like looking at the sun. They aren't my favorite though."

So of course I asked what his favorite flowers are.

"Well, it's kind of hard to say. I really like dandelions and I like sunflowers too. I REALLY like red roses too."

I thought it was kind of strange that Wesley listed red roses among his favorites. Considering how many little girlfriends he has, I figured it had something to do with a first grader's idea of romance. I had to ask, "Why red roses?"

"Well, the flower is red and the stem is green and red and green are the colors of Raphael and he's my favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle."

I should have known.

Good Question

Well, Spring break is over and the kids are back at school. It's been a big adjustment for the boys again. Getting them ready and out the door yesterday morning was a bit of a challenge. And of course, Ryan didn't want me to go work and wanted to stay home and cuddle.

"Why don't grown ups get a Spring break?" he asked me.

Good question, my love. Mommy's in the wrong profession for that.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

There is no way I ate my own dessert AND finished Wesley's brownie one night even though I am (supposedly) making an effort to eat healthier and actually exercise for a change.

I did not use a coffee cup for several days with only a good hot water rinse, rather than a real wash, between uses just because it's my favorite cup and the dishwasher wasn't full enough to run.

I do not have the most fabulous, wonderful amazing hubby in the world. No way am I that lucky.

I did not go to a HUGE international grocery store, look at my purchases at the check out and think, "Wow, all I'm buying is food."

I did not freak out that I would not have enough food for a party I hosted, then wound up having way too much. And there's no way that happens to me every time I host something. 

THAT'S What I Call a Weekend!

For a weekend that started out a little slow and with me feeling a bit glum, it totally turned around and rocked!

Friday was a beautiful semi-warm sunny day - and I had to work. It was also the last day of spring break and the day some of my friends and their kids went to the zoo, and I had to miss out. I was kind of bummed, but that was OK, I told myself. I had an invitation to go out with one of my co-workers and someone we went to high school with, but I turned them down because I had a birthday party to go to. Then any plans I thought I might be able to have for a sitter fell through and I had to skip the party too. So my Friday night was the usual family date night at the grocery store and a gloomy Heather.

But then Saturday hit! Saturday my mom and I took a road trip to go to IKEA and Jungle Jim's International Market (about 2 hours away). It was WONDERFUL!!! I had never been to IKEA before and told myself that there wasn't anything I was going to buy. Ha! I wanted it all!! I bought a new wine rack, some full length mirrors, a chair for Wesley's room, a fake plant (sorry Pam), a funky napkin holder and some organizational stuff for Ryan's room when we get around to redecorating it. And I wanted so much more!

Jungle Jim's was just as bad. I bought a ton of fun food and wound up with this excellent t-shirt.

When I got home I discovered that Duane had been super busy all day too - and he didn't slow down at all when I got home. He hung up all the pictures and letters and what not in Wesley's room while I put up the wall decals and gave positioning advice before the holes in the wall were drilled. Now we have one room in the new house completely done (except for finding a valence).

I hosted a Thirty-one party for my sister-in-law today and while I spent the day making all sorts of yummy goodness, Duane ran errands and hung up my new IKEA purchases. 

My new wine rack

Hooks in the entry way that are actually low enough for the kids to hang their own jackets up

Mirrors in the hallway so I can see if my shoes really do match what I'm wearing.

I think the party was a huge success and Duane did the vast majority of the clean up too. Now we're getting lunches packed, finding school bags and getting ready to head back to the real world tomorrow. I wish this weekend had an extra couple of days though. It's been that good!

Today's Ryan-ism

While getting his LEGOs out and looking for the directions to build something, Ryan sighed, "I don't know where the constructions are!"

It's In a Book

I don't usually write about what the kids and I are reading. It's kind of strange to realize I don't. I mean, I am a librarian and my job totally revolves around children's literature. I read a bazillion (technical term) book blogs and my library card is always maxed out.  So why don't I write about books?

I think the main reason is that it feels too much like a book report. I read to enjoy myself. I read to escape. Occasionally, I read nonfiction and learn a thing or two. However, when I have to really think about what I read - analyze the characters and pacing and plot and message -well, it sucks the fun right out of it for me.

Wesley and Ryan are becoming such great readers though, I that I wanted to share what they are reading and what we are reading as a family.

Wesley is my power reader. Even as I type this at he is up and has chosen a Noah's Ark book of the bookshelf to read.  He's really into the Magic Tree House books right now. We're on book 8 in the series. They are a bit easy for Wesley, but he really enjoys them and he reads a chapter out loud to us most nights.

As a librarian, I kind of scoffed at these books. There are so many of them, and I figured they weren't very well written and we could never keep enough of them on the shelf. But as a parent, I LOVE these books. They have given Wesley so much confidence in his reading and he is determined to read all of the books in order.

Ryan has recently become a pretty good reader too. I give most of the credit for that to Wesley. Wesley loves to teach his brother and let's face it, a lesson coming from big brother has a totally different feel than a lesson coming from mom or dad.

Ryan is really into the Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie books right now. They are silly, yet easy enough for him to tackle on his own.

He's also reading a series call the King School books.

They are not exactly great literature, but they are doing wonders for his confidence in reading. He loves that he's reading "level 4" books all by himself. He loves that he can read several in one sitting. He loves that they are small and just his size.

I've started reading a chapter book with the kids. There are so many great chapter books out there, but I thought long and hard about my choice. Yes, I want my kids to read Harry Potter - but not yet. I want them to read it when they are a little older and can relate to the characters more. I want them to read "Because of Winn Dixie" but not yet. I want to share books by Andrew Clements, but in a couple of years. I want my kids to be kids for as long as possible. I am in no hurry for them to grow up. That's why my choice for our first real chapter book is "The Boxcar Children."

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this book, it was originally published in 1942. It's the story of four siblings who are on their own and end up living, for a short time, in a boxcar.  It's a sweet, innocent story, with just enough adventure to make it interesting for the kids. The sentences are short and simple (Wesley could read this on his own with no problem), and it has black wood-block style illustrations throughout.

My dad read this book to me and my brother when we were about Wesley and Ryan's ages. I remember sitting in my brother's room listening to the story. My 4th grade teacher read it to the class back in 1984/85 and I remember loving it then. It's always been one of my go to recommendations for families looking for a good read aloud.

So how do the boys like it? They love it! My boys, who are completely into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Avengers love The Boxcar Children. They beg me for more chapters. They want to know what happens next. Ryan really identifies with Benny, who is five, while Wesley seems swept away by the book's charm.  We live near a set of railroad tracks and the boys have happily been pointing out boxcars, saying "Is that what Benny, Violet, Jessie and Henry live in?"

I love that my techno-savvy kids are completely taken in by this old-fashioned story.

One on One Time

Tonight I got some rare one on one time with my oldest son. Ryan had a birthday party to go that started before I got home from work. Duane took Ryan to the party, leaving me and Wesley to have an evening with just the two of us. I can't tell you the last time that happened.

I let Wesley chose where to go for dinner and he chose Panera. My little man placed his own order, carried the desserts to the table (only dropping one - which the staff person replaced for us) and carried most of the conversation. So what did I do? Well, other than paying for dinner, I listened.

And you know what? That's hard for me sometimes. I usually have work and my "to-do" list buzzing around my brain. I am usually trying to keep my kids from fighting, or trying to get Ryan to eat, or a million other little things, but I don't listen so well. Tonight I made a conscious effort to listen to what Wesley was saying - even if it was just talking about his imaginary superhero cats. I asked questions about what he said. I paid attention. I didn't bug him to eat or make a big deal about making sure all the food groups were represented. I just enjoyed time with my son.

We stopped at Target after dinner and I let him look at toys for as long as he wanted without me getting impatient and trying to move things along. He picked something out and stood in line to pay for it with his own money with no help from me. When we got home, he picked out a show for us to watch together and we snuggled on the couch.

I feel bad that I don't usually  have the time to really focus on him the way I should. This was totally his evening and I'm so very glad we spent it together.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

I did not kick off my high heels and do a presentation for work in my stocking feet. And even if I did, there is no way not a single person in the audience batted an eye.

I did not eat a giant sugar cookie one afternoon, but then decide that evening that my day was not complete because I hadn't eaten any chocolate.

There is no way I exercised, made breakfast for Wesley and cleaned the house before 8:00 in the morning on my day off!

I did not buy extra Easter candy for myself and Duane and hide it where the kids won't be able to find it.

There is no way I left a pile of black jelly beans next to each of the kids Easter baskets and then pretended to be mad that the Easter Bunny pooped jelly beans in my new house!