Category Archives: Kids

Kids

Tough Luck

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My daughter says some pretty funny things. I hardly ever record them, but I think I ought to start. I never remember them later on. Like when you ask her to bring you something, or she shows you that she finished her homework, she presents it to you with a head tilt and an emphatic “Boom.” Like saying “and there you go”, but with one simple word. I don’t know where she gets this attitude but I suspect it may have been me.

Last night Natalie went to bed, and Luke and I started reading a book before it was time for him to go to bed. Ten minutes later Natalie emerged from her bedroom, crying real tears and sniffling something fierce. When I asked her what was wrong, she cried “I ran out of luck!”

Oh dear. That was certainly a new dilemma for this Momma. I wasn’t really sure what to tell her. I mean, it’s certainly not a vital need for survival. I told her that it would be fine, and that she didn’t need luck anyway because she had Jesus living in her heart. And when that didn’t work, I let her cozy up on my lap while she listened to Luke read about Amelia Bedelia’s baking blunders.

Who needs luck when you’ve got snuggles??

Deafness, Hearing Loss, Kids

Lame Recap of a Wonderful Weekend

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We’ve had a lot going on around here. This weekend was busy, and leaves me longing for Monday, when I can truly rest. Saturday was the Walk4Hearing, which was fantastic. Ir was raining a little, but it was tolerable. The temperature was nice for walking. I didn’t walk, of course, because I was still in surgery recovery mode. Instead, I borrowed a wheelchair and my friends were eager to push me along the way. Luke came with me, and it was a lot of fun to see how excited he was to be there to support his mom. He was amazed at how many kids were there, and how many had hearing aids or cochlear implants. Who knew hearing loss affected so many young people?

Then there is today, Sunday, the 8th anniversary of my son’s birth. Yes, it was his birthday. A day to celebrate, for sure. On these birthdays I think a lot of our seven year wrestle with infertility, and thank God for eventually healing me and for giving us two wonderful children. Luke was really excited to turn 8, and he talked about all the fun things he has experienced in his 8 years here on earth. It’s been a fun ride, that’s for sure. I am proud of the boy he has become, and look forward to the man he grows up to be.

I really do have more to say on that subject, as well as others that have been rolling around in my head, but it’s late, I’m tired, and I don’t do well with that combination. My mind works best in the morning, so that is when I will return. Whether it’s tomorrow morning or the next, I cannot say, but I do promise to be back.

Cochlear implant, Coffee, Housekeeping, Kids

Field trips, coffee, surgery…

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Well, I never did blog about those cookies, did I? Maybe next time. I have a lot on my mind this week.

I accompanied my son and his class on a field trip to an indoor aquarium. We rode a charter bus, and Luke discovered that the on-board restroom is not as glamorous as it sounds. The aquarium was located in a large shopping mall, and since our bus let us off at the wrong entrance, we were able to scurry past all the wonderful-looking shops on our way. Luke seemed to enjoy the aquarium. There were a lot of neat things to see – jellyfish, stingrays, turtles, etc – and Luke enjoyed it all, but he made a point to tell me that his favorite part of the day was spending it with me. My favorite was hanging out with him too, and that just melts my heart to hear it from him. Oh, but my second favorite part was finding a Tim Horton’s right there inside the mall! I had not had time to make coffee that morning, so that was the icing on the cake for me 🙂

That was Monday, and I can’t remember what’s happened since. Mostly soccer games, doing laundry, walking to the bus stop, and a little eating and sleeping in between. I’ve been feeling like I have to stay “caught up” because I’m going to be out of commission for a bit. Why, you ask? Because tomorrow I am having surgery to get my 2nd cochlear implant installed, that’s why! And this time I’m pretty sure it’s for real. The UTI that prevented me from having surgery last month is gone, and I had the lab test done last week to be sure. So today is a day of making sure the floors are clean and the laundry is caught up and then I’ll be packing for tomorrow.

Wish me luck, pray for me, send soft cookies, whatever! I’ll be back in due time.

Coffee, Housekeeping, Kids, Piper

The Calm

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I forget, is it the calm before the storm, or after? Or is it both? I think I’m in the middle. It’s Friday, and I do have shtuff to do, but I’m utterly spent. Natalie is in her pajamas, watching SpongeBob, Luke is at a friend’s house for the day, Piper is napping on the rug, and I am showered and shipping coffee. And blogging of course. Floors need sweeping, but they will just have to wait. Momma is resting her weary bones. Happy Friday to you all 🙂

Friends, Kids, Writing

Spring break festivities

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I had a wonderful day today. Yesterday was okay, with the exception of a large dental expense. It almost physically pains me to pay for dental work, but it’s gotta be done. A necessary evil, I suppose.

Speaking of necessary evils, today I helped a friend prepare her tax return. She’s a smart cookie and probably didn’t really need my help, but I was able to offer moral support and celebrate with her when we were done. She ended up getting a refund rather than owing a crap-ton of money, so it was definitely cause for celebration. We took the kids out for ice cream cones. It was cold and rainy, but in my book the weather is always perfect for ice cream.

Tomorrow the kids and I will be taking the Spec-Tran to the local bounce house. We’ll be there all afternoon, so we’ll need to be sure to bring snacks and other supplies. I’ll bring electronics just in case one of them gets bored, but I’m hoping that doesn’t happen. I’m really hoping they play away and forget about me so I can sit, uninterrupted, and work on writing my book. It will be a great day for all of us, I’m sure.

Kids

No Screentime Until…

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Spring break is here! I didn’t really have a plan at first, other than our various appointments and a trip to the local bounce house. But then a friend posted a link on Facebook (heck if I can find it now) with a list of things that your kids must accomplish each day before they are allowed Screen Time. I think it was intended for kids when they are home for the summer, and I think  spring break is a perfect way to try it out. If it goes well this week, we just may be implementing it for summer and Christmas breaks as well!

I made some minor adjustments to the list, and here it is:

NO SCREENTIME UNTIL:
1) You have read for 20 minutes
2) You have checked the common areas to be sure your things are put away (toys, clothes, wrappers)
3) You have checked your room to be sure it is clean (bed, clothes, toys)
4) You have played, built, crafted or have done something else creative for 40 minutes
5) You have finished one chore (and it’s done well enough that Mom/Dad will say that you did a great job)

I didn’t expect a lot of pushback from Natalie, because she isn’t obsessed with video games or tv. She can spend hours doing crafts, playing “house”, or even doing chores or cleaning her room. It’s Luke I thought I would get resistance from, because he is the one obsessed with video games. Whenever he requires punishing, we take away his screen time and he FREAKS the FUDGE out.

Yet once again I am surprised and happily amazed at my children. I had forgotten how much my son is like me. I see myself in him when he is frustrated with his homework and wants to give up, and the stories I hear from his teachers are probably eerily similar to the reports my teachers gave when I was his age. He and I have strong perfectionist tendencies, attention to detail, and are easily distracted. But I forgot about the List Factor. I love lists. I use them daily, and they really do help me function. In the past, I have found short to-do lists scattered around Luke’s room, and they always make me chuckle.  So, when I presented this list to the kids yesterday morning, Luke was all over it. He was so focused on accomplishing each task on the list; he was even setting the timer so there would be no question that each thing was done just right. Surely this excitement and eager cooperation would not last more than a day, so I made sure to cherish the moments.

But then today! Today he was ready to go all over again. “Mama, where did you put the list? What chore can I do today?” I’m not even kidding you. He really said these things. I’m in heaven. He did the dishes and wiped down the counters, and then he built a fort with his sister. It’s 11:30 and I haven’t heard one request to play video games (but since he’s reading over my shoulder and he’s a Mr. Smartypants, that will come soon). Yup, there it is. With a big cheesy grin… “Can I play video games downstairs?”

We are having so much fun. Big, cheesy grins all around.

Food, Kids

Some days you just wanna chuck it

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Do you ever just feel like you’ve HAD IT with being a grown up? Like you just want to dismiss all your adult responsibilities and go play games and eat chocolate cake? I’m having one of those days. It’s the first like this that I remember having, but I’m sure I’ve had them before. I just want to go to the party. There is a party somewhere, isn’t there?

My daughter hosted a party of sorts for us this afternoon. She called it a “bubble sword” party. It was just the two of us, with our bubble swords (wands?), sitting on the porch. In the cold. Eating crushed Doritos. That’s pathetic, right? Not the sort of party I’m longing for, but I was a good sport about it and I love spending time with my daughter. She’s very thoughtful, creative, and caring. Today she let me take a nap in her bed. She declined to join me for my nap, and I found out after I woke up that she spent that time putting away the clean dishes. What a role reversal! So, no real partying, but today’s napping went well.

It is in this moment that I could really go for a beer or four, but truth is I just don’t want to deal with the consequences. I do enough staggering sober, and there’s no sleeping off a hangover when you have kids who think 7 am is “sleeping in”. So, instead I am munching on tortilla chips, drinking water, and writing. My ultimate therapy – the writing mostly, not the chips.

Okay, the chips too.

Happy spring, readers!

Family, God speaks, Kids, Parenting

Parenting with grace, and do-overs

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Last night the local Parks and Recreation held a daddy/daughter dance. Mike and Natalie were signed up to go. They were both pretty excited about it, and I was excited for them.

And then, our daughter decided to “accidentally” steal two cell phones from the adults at school (one teacher, one parent).

Part of her punishment was that she would not be attending the dance with her dad. And that broke our hearts. It would have been lovely, getting them all dressed up for a real date. Daddy and his precious little girl. She was devastated to learn they would not be going, and we were too. We want to do nice things for our children, and to make memorable experiences. But not at the expense of teaching them they can get away with lying, stealing, or cheating.

I believe this is a lesson – an experience – Natalie will remember for years to come. Of course as a parent you would rather your children  only have warm, fuzzy memories of childhood, but that doesn’t necessarily prepare them for life on their own out in the real world, does it? They will have it all: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I know there are a million worse things, but right now this feels like the ugly. This morning I saw other dads had posted pictures with their daughters, all dolled up and ready for the dance. My heart broke all over again.

We want to bless our children. We want to give them good things. But when they go and make mistakes like lying or stealing, they ruin it for themselves, don’t they?

This is not a new concept. This theme, this story, has been occurring over and over and over again, since the very beginning of time. Ever hear of Adam and Eve? Wow. God had so much to give them. They were living in paradise. No worries, not a care in the world. God looked forward to blessing them. He wanted so badly to give them good things.

And then they listened to that damn snake.

I think I now have an inkling of what God was feeling at that moment. His heart was broken, just as mine is over my daughter stealing. Dang it girl, why did you have to go and do that? You would have had such a wonderful time at that dance. I’m just heartbroken. And angry. But angry FOR her, not AT her. It’s an anger that comes from a place of deep, deep love. Wanting to give her good things. Just like our Father God. He wants to give us good things, good experiences, and it breaks His heart when we screw it up.

But! We get second chances, and thirds, and fourths, and so on. God’s grace is endless. I am so grateful for that. Do-overs are the best! In fact, we decided to give Natalie a do-over. We are giving her the chance to earn a night out at the movies with her second favorite person: Momma.