Live and Learn

My office has "summer hours" between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Basically, as long as you make up your time, you can leave at noon on Fridays. Well, this Friday was the first Friday I had the afternoon off and no kids. I had aspirations to get some shopping done, run some errands and just enjoy the few hours a year I get alone. But I did none of those things. Not one. I did what any parent of three kids would do; I slept. Two glorious hours. No one to wake me up crying. No one wake me up to help them in the bathroom. And I fell asleep watching a show I wanted to watch - not cartoons. **sigh** I'll remember that afternoon fondly, because it only comes once in a very great while.

Sadly, while I was having a wonderful afternoon to myself, poor Josh was having a rough day. When I picked him up from daycare he told me that he had fallen off the monkey bars that morning and hurt his chin. I asked if he was okay and he said he was.

Then at dinner he said he hadn't eaten all day because his chin hurt too bad. So I took a look under his chin and saw that it was all black and blue. He told me that he fell off and hit his chin right on his knee. I asked if he went to the nurse's office and he said he didn't.

Later that night, we were all lying in bed reading our books and he started to cry.

Josh: Mom?
Me: What's wrong, hon?
Josh: Mom. I didn't fall of the monkey bars.
Me: What happened?
Josh: Someone pushed me off.
Me: Oh, sweety! I'm sorry. Did you tell a teacher?
Josh: No.
Me: Why not?
Josh: Because my best friend told him to do it.
Me: What?!?!
Josh: **sobbing** Jackson told him to push me off. But as soon as Jackson saw I got hurt he told me that he didn't really mean to tell him to do that.
Me: Josh, it doesn't matter what he "meant"; it's what he DID. Friends don't hurt friends. You need to tell the teacher when something like that happens. Not only should they have gotten in trouble, but by the look of your chin you should have gone to the nurse's office.
Josh: **crying**
Me: That hurt - what Jackson did to you, didn't it? You thought he was your friend, right?
Josh: Yeah.
Me: He doesn't sound like a very good friend, Josh.
Josh: I know, mom. But he apologized.
Me: Well, that's a good start. But if he does something like that again you need to tell the teacher. Okay?
Josh: Okay, mom.
Me: Josh...I love you. And you deserve to have someone be as good of a friend to you as you are to them.
Josh: I know, mom.

God, that was hard. So hard. To see your child crying because of emotional pain inflicted by a "friend"? It's unbearable! Outside I tried to be comforting and understanding yet inside I was screaming, "I'm gonna get that brat!"

It is extremely difficult to raise a child with a good heart when sometimes it seems to only make them more susceptible to having it broken.

Saturday was a much more enjoyable day. In between working on laundry and while the kids were napping, I squeezed in 45 minutes on the treadmill in my new effort to get off the couch. (If only I could combine the treadmill with studying for the exam!) I could have gone longer but when I realized it was 3:00 I freaked! We were supposed to be at a party across town at 4:00!!!

Dustin was mowing, the kids were sleeping and I was a sweaty mess! I ran upstairs and grabbed Ella, stripped her down and brought her in the shower with me. By then it was 3:18!!! It was one of those moments when you run around and keep changing directions because you have no idea what to do first.

A snippit of my thoughts...

I need to go tell Dustin to get in the shower! Wait...I am not clothed and cannot go running outside to get him. I should go wake up Josh and tell him to get Dustin. Wait...where's Ella? Shoot...we have to pick up beer and ice yet. Where's that mini-cooler we have? No...I should go get dressed and then focus on the kids. Crap...I haven't wrapped that gift yet. Do I have any clean bottles? Jesus! Where is Dustin? Oy yeah, he's outside. I need to go get him. AHHH!! I don't have any clothes on!!!

Yeah...like that.

I am proud to say that once I organized my thoughts, GOT DRESSED, and rounded up the clan we were only 10 minutes late! No THAT is impressive!!

The kids had a blast at the party, the weather was beautiful and we got to enjoy some adult time, too. It was the perfect mix!!





Ella is still working on some teeth so one minute she can be Miss Happy Go Lucky and the next she can be screaming and ripping out my hair. I have NEVER seen such stubborn teeth in my life! When these things finally "pop" through we are going to throw a party!!

Here's what I mean...





15 seconds later...



Of course, I picked her right up, took her upstairs, gave her some medicine and sat her in her swing while I got her cold teething ring. I came back and found this...



So either the drugs kicked in...or she was just tired.

Dustin was feeding Ella at lunch on Sunday and Lauren was busy watching his every move. Dustin kept asking Lauren if she was his princess and she would giggle and say, "YES!"

A few minutes later he was talking to Ella and said, "You're my lil' pumpkin, Ella". And Lauren quickly chimed in with, "An' I'm your pwincess, wight Daddy?"

That girl just cracks me up.

Sunday afternoon Dustin left to mow his parent's lawn and came home with some fresh sweet corn. The kids and I went right to work cleaning them up for dinner. Josh had no idea that corn had "hair" and Lauren had no idea you had to cook corn before you eat it. Guess you learn something new every day!




Either way...I think I'm going to hire these kids out! They did a great job cleaning the corn and were more than happy to help.

Then at dinner the kids each had two full ears of corn!!! Yowzers!! It was one of those moments when you remind yourself how glad you are that they are potty trained. ;-)