Meanest Mom

With Mothers Day quickly approaching, I may have taken myself out of the running for "World's Best Mom" and become a finalist for the "Meanest Mom" trophy. At least according to Ryan.

Ryan have been fighting a morning battle lately. The boys each have a handful of things they are responsible for doing before school - make sure teeth are brushed (an ongoing battle with the youngest), make your bed, take care of the animals (they rotate weeks of cat and dog care), and put your breakfast dishes in the dishwasher. Wesley also helps unload the dishwasher if it needs it.

This is not an unreasonable list of chores and responsibilities. At least not to me, Duane and Wesley. 

Ryan on the other hand.......

Every morning I end up telling him over and over and over to do his chores. So basically I become a big nag that he tunes out unless I raise my voice. If I do raise my voice, he starts crying and says his feelings are hurt. So we leave the house with me feeling equally annoyed and guilty and Ryan generally upset.

Good times.

Yesterday I told Ryan that I was done with our mornings going the way they have been. I was going to set an alarm for shortly before we leave and when it went off, that was his reminder that his chores needed to be done. I would not remind him, but for every chore not done, he'd lose 15 minutes of his electronics. 

Needless to say, Ryan didn't like this plan, but I was firm.

This morning the alarm went off as he was eating breakfast.

"That was your reminder to do your chores," I said.

"I know. I've already made my bed and brushed my teeth. I'll take care of the cats after I finish breakfast."

He finished his cereal, dumped the remnants in the sink, and started reading a book.

"Ryan, I know I said I wasn't going to remind you, but don't forget to put your dishes in the dishwasher and take care of the cats."

He disappeared into the basement for about 30 seconds, then it was time to get shoes on and head out the door. I peeked in the basement and saw that while the cats had food, there water dish was bone dry. 15 minutes lost.  I peeked in the kitchen and saw dirty dishes in the sink. Another 15 minutes lost.

I waited until we were safely in the car before telling Ryan that he had lost half of his electronics for the day for failing to do/improperly doing his chore.  All hell broke loose. The boy started screaming and crying that "It's not fair! It's only the first day of the rule! It shouldn't count!"

I allowed him to scream and calmly explained that he knew how it was going to work and that I even bent the rules by reminding him, but he continued to throw a fit. It was so bad that I took the rest of his electronics away as well.

So much for new rule helping us have less stressful mornings. Part of me wishes I could just let it go and do the chores for him, but that's not parenting. That's enabling. I'm trying to raise responsible kids. I'm going to keep reminding myself of that while continuing to enforce the rules. Here's hoping he remembers for tomorrow.

You'll Live to Regret It

I don't know how much you know about kids soccer games, but the kids generally play every other quarter. That means there is half the game where your child is not actively participating. If your child is like my child, they will spend this time horsing around with other teammates who are currently not on the field - as evidenced below.

After witnessing Ryan, M (brunette) and M (blonde) horsing around, told Ryan he'd better not put grass on M (blonde)'s head.

Ryan:  What about M (brunette)?

Mom:  M (brunette) will kick your butt.

Ryan: She already has!

And that, my friends, is why I love M (brunette)

Would She or Wouldn't She?

This morning as I was attempting to get my kids out the door and into the car, I announced that I was leaving in 2 minutes - with or without them. For a split second, Wesley's face lit up and he cried, "Home alone!" but when I went into the garage and called out "90 seconds left," they scurried to join me.

As we were driving to school Wesley said, "If you would have left without us, Mom, I would have run down the street, chasing the car and yelling your name. But I don't think you really would have left without us."

"Oh, she totally would have left without us!" Ryan assured him.

Which makes me wonder exactly how far I could push it next time - dare I (gasp) circle the block?  Only time will tell.

Crazy Spring Schedule

It's that time of year again - the time when our calendar fills up faster than a cheetah chasing its dinner. If I seem a little distant or out of touch, it's mostly because I barely have time to breathe these days. In fact, I spent all day yesterday feeling absolutely worried sick because I was certain I had neglected to do something that I was supposed to and it was going to sneak up and bite me on the butt.

Why am I so crazy confused? Well, this is our "normal" schedule right now:

Monday: Cub Scouts (each boy goes to a different den meeting and Duane is an assistant leader for one den)

Tuesday: Drum lessons for Ryan

Wednesday: Soccer practice for Wesley

Thursday: Soccer practice for Ryan

Friday: Ukulele lessons for Wesley

Saturday: two soccer games

Sunday: church/Sunday school (which may or may not include small group, acolyte duty or teaching)

That's just the basics. It doesn't include birthday parties, races, fun events with friends, girls nights out, guys nights out, PTA, church trustee meetings or anything like that. PLUS Ryan asked to play baseball this summer and practices for that will start in May.

Yes, it's crazy right now. But it's only crazy for a month. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself.

Since last night was scout night (and a pack meeting), I do have a few highlights to share.  Ryan's den led the flag ceremony.

 They also achieved their Wolf rank. VERY impressive, indeed!

Wesley's den had an art exposition for everyone to enjoy. Here's a self portrait that Wesley did.

Then they used different types of color and shading to show a progression with their portrait.

Plus both boys got 3-4 different achievements.  We might get a hang of this scout thing after all!

Where Did the Weekend Go?

Ever have one of those weekends when you blink and the whole thing is just gone? That was this weekend for me.

Friday night I went to hang out with some girlfriends and had a little too good of a time. But it was totally worth it!

Saturday morning I dragged my rear end out of bed (and trust me, it was dragging) to go to a race.  Note to self: do NOT over indulge the night before a race. I didn't run as much as would have liked to, but I finished in 32:44 so I'm still pretty happy about that.

Hanging out with a friend pre-race

My post race treat - a Nutella filled crepe with bananas and whipped cream - from a friend's food truck. This is the real reason I race - DESSERT!!

After the race, I walked over to the boys first soccer games of the season.  Games were supposed to start last week, but there was snow on the ground. Seriously. Snow. In April.  It was 78 degrees yesterday. Crazy stuff, man.

The boys both played really well, and after soccer we headed home to get ready to host family for a  birthday celebration that night.  I'm pretty sure I didn't sit down all afternoon until we sat down to dinner. And I'm pretty sure I was in bed and sawing logs by 10:00

Things didn't slow down much today. Duane and I taught Sunday School, then we had to take a congregational vote at church, then part of our small group at church headed downtown for a bit of a social outing.

We didn't leave there until after 4:00, but after a quick stop at home, headed straight up to Duane's mom's place to see if Duane could fix her air conditioning.  Thankfully he was able to, and the kids got to spend time with Grandma W. while he worked.

We got home for the day a little after 7:00. Today I am very thankful for my crockpot because dinner was pretty much just waiting for us to arrive.  We're all trying to relax a little bit now because the craziness starts all over again tomorrow.

I Just Want to Bang on the Drums All Day

Ryan started drum lessons tonight. I'll be honest, I am very torn about this development. On the one hand, I have been hoping he would pick an instrument since Wesley began ukulele lessons more than a year ago. On the other hand, he chose the drum. Once he chose, however, he couldn't wait for his first lesson. 

How excited was he? Well, on the way to school this morning he said, "Mom, after I have a couple of weeks of drum lessons, we'll probably need to get me a full drum set." 

He didn't even pout too much when I explained that a drum set is pretty expensive and he'd have to take lessons for more than a couple of weeks before we spent money on one.

 

While he got to mess around with the full set a little, practice was mostly on the snare drum and he'll use a practice pad at home (thank goodness!) Even the fact that he'll be using a pad at home didn't seem to bother him and he ripped into the box as soon as we got home.

Wesley and his friend, J, are already planning on composing a piece for the ukulele (Wesley), cello (J) and drums so Ryan can play with them. I can almost hear it now (cringe).

Schoolhouse Rock Live

We arranged a little surprise today for the kids. Ryan hates surprises, but if we tell them when we gave something planned, one wants to do it and the other one doesn't and everyone ends up miserable. If we keep it a surprise, no one can get upset about it beforehand.

Today's outing was a family trip to Shadowbox Live to see Schoolhouse Rock Live and have lunch at the theater. I think it went really well! The kids were well behaved, we all ate like pigs and the show was so much fun. I wish I could have gotten pictures of the grin Wesley sported during the performance, but - no flash photos.

Root beer floats are serious business

We've spent the rest of the day just relaxing. Duane and I have been reading. The boys have been playing on their devices. It's so rare that we have a day to just spend together as the four of us without a million things to do and places we have to be. We might actually be recharged and ready to face the week ahead.

Mini Slices of Life

Mom: Go put your laundry away.
Child: Do we have to do it right now?
Mom: Yes
Child: Do you just want us to go away from you for a couple of minutes?

Uh-oh! They're on to me!

_______________________________________________

Child: Can I have salami and bacon for breakfast?
Mom: No, you can a piece of salami OR a piece of bacon
Child: Well, bacon is much more important, so I'll have that

Shaking My Head

Ryan: Can I watch TV?

Mom: Yes, but you need to get in the shower in 15 minutes.

Ryan: Okay

(five minutes pass)

Mom: Ten minutes until you need to get in the shower, Ryan.

Ryan: Okay

(five minutes pass)

Mom: Five minutes until shower time

Ryan: Okay

(five minutes pass)

Mom: Go get in the shower, Ryan.

Ryan:  But Mo-om! Can't I just finish this episode?

sigh......

How Can I Be Emotional About a Chair?

We are finally getting our new furniture this week. We purchased it several weeks ago, but picked it out more than a year ago. The delivery date is set and it's going to look amazing!

I'm really excited to be getting it, and I'm not going to miss the sofa we have in our front room one little bit, but I'm having a hard time letting go of our chair.

Okay, so it's not the most stylish of chairs anymore, and it's definitely been put through it's paces as the picture below show

Kitty claw marks

Random cuts

Missing buttons

But I LOVE this chair. My parents bought it when I was Wesley and Ryan's age! I spent Christmases as a child in this chair. I read thousands of pages in this chair. I'm sure I logged many hours worth of teenage conversations in this chair.

I don't want to let the chair go!

I may have even asked Duane if we could put the chair in the basement for awhile. Never mind that our basement isn't finished and it's getting too crowded and I almost never go down there. The chair would be there if I needed it.

I need help, don't I?

Trying Something New

Yesterday was a day to try new things - and only a few of them were actually part of the plan.

We started out the day with a trip to the North Market. I have been wanting to take the kids to a donut place there because I knew they would just love it. I was right!

Mmmm...Chocolate bacon for Wesley, Chocolate Pistachio for me and Grandma and Butterscotch Sea Salt for Ryan

Delicious!

It was almost as big as he is!

We picked up some calzones for dinner, since the boys have heard some cartoon characters talk about calzones and then headed to a bakery for a few more treats. We watched Kids Baking Championship as a family and every since then the boys have wanted to try french macrons and eclairs. Well, I was not about to introduce my children to these culinary delights from a sub-par bakery, so we headed to one of the best in the city, Pistachia Vera.

They chose Coco-Nib Macrons and they loved every crumb

We saved the eclairs for dinner dessert, but they went over incredibly well too - even though Wesley called it a "dessert hotdog."  I think the boys wondered why we have been holding out and hadn't introduced them to the wonderfulness much earlier.

After the North Market, our plan had been to go to COSI and spend the cool, rainy day there. However, it seemed like everyone in every school district on spring break had the same idea. The line to get into the overflow parking lot stretched over a block. Time for Plan B.

Plan B was going to be the history museum, but at the spur of the moment Grandma and I decided to give the Central Ohio Fire Museum a try. I'm so glad we did! I've driven by it my whole life, but never stopped. It was FASCINATING!!!

Wesley and Ryan helping a firefighter work the old-fashioned hand pump. This was used even before horse drawn fire-engines, back when a bunch of men would pull the wagon to the fire.

A new fangled steam fire-engine

Wesley ringing the tower bell

Ryan's turn

Getting ready for the loud alarm that would wake the firefighters sleeping upstair

Did I mention it was loud?

We watched a fire fighter put on every piece of his equipment, then the kids inspected him to make sure there wasn't a single sliver of skin exposed

Giving the fire pole a try

After the fire museum, we headed to the toy store where the boys pooled their Easter money to purchase a new LEGO set, which they spent most of the afternoon putting together.

Guess trying something new now and then isn't such a bad thing after all.