Grace #4

16. Amazing teachers who really get your kid and truly, honestly, have their best interests at heart.

17. Letting go of all the bad that has happened and embracing what can be.

18. Pumpkin, anything.

19.  A really good run.

20.  Wine 

A Tinkerbell Band-aid Does Not Stop Bleeding

Scene: My kitchen, with blood, and glass, everywhere:

"Michael, can you get me a band-aid.  I broke glass and I'm bleeding."

"What kind of band-aid do you want?"

"I don't care there is just a lot of blood and I need you help.  Daddy's not home."

5 minutes go by.  "Michael, seriously, band-aid."

"Mommy, a band-aid is an important decision.  I want to get you the right one."

Another two minutes.

"Ok, I brought you a Tinkerbell band-aid because I know you love Tinkerbell.  (I do not love Tinkerbell.  I did not even know we had Tinkerbell band-aids in the house.)

The child brought me the tiniest band-aid known to man.  I sliced my hand open by putting it through a glass bottle.  I was contemplating the ER by the time he brought me a band-aid.  I might have gone if Doug was home.

"Um, thanks Michael."

"Mom, can I have a bead since I was so helpful?"  (New behavior management plan brought to you by teachmama.  It's working great for behavior at home.  It's not translating so well for behavior at school.)

"Yes Michael you can have a bead since you were so helpful."

"A big bead?"

"No Michael, big beads are saved for extra special things.  A small bead."

"A medium bead?"

"Fine."

"Mom, you changed your band-aid."

"Um, I bled through that one.  There is a lot of blood."

"Mom, I'm so sorry.  Those band-aids were waterproof.  I really thought you needed a waterproof band-aid."

Clearly, I need to teach him how to dial 911. 

Pillow Pets Are Taking Over The World

To celebrate Michael's first day of Kindergarten I got him a Pillow Pet.  And he loves this thing so much he carries it with him from room to room in the house, lies on it, sleeps with it, and genuinely has decided it might be the best thing in the world.

My sister and mother also got him a Pillow Pet (spoiled much?), so now we have three.  Three Pillow Pets.  (And no, this post was not sponsored by Pillow Pet.  We all paid for our Pillow Pets with our hard earned money.) 

(All together now, it's a pillow, it's a pet, it's a pillow, pillow, pet.  Sorry, that will be stuck in your head the rest of the day.)

My house now looks like this-

 

And then last week, we had this conversation: 

"Mommy, I want to buy you a present, I want to buy you the pink, sparkly unicorn Pillow Pet.  Because I know how much you want it." (I do kind of want the pink sparkly unicorn Pillow Pet.  Who wouldn't want that?)

"Thank you Michael, that's very nice.  I have an idea.  What if this year we exchange Hanukkah presents,  you could go shopping with Daddy and get me a present and I could take you to buy Daddy a present?"

"That sounds good.  But I'm going to get you the pink sparkly unicorn Pillow Pet."

"Okay Michael."

"Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"If I get you the pink sparkly unicorn Pillow Pet can I sleep with it?"

So much for altruistic motives.  Or me getting my own Pillow Pet.

The Anatomy of Choosing a Costume

On Saturday we were out running errands and saw one of those Halloween costume superstores.  Michael had been begging me to get his Halloween costume, so we went in.  The kid thought he was in heaven.  His previous costume shopping experience had been Target, the week before Halloween.  Basically pick what is left and in your size.   He had been wearing the same Spiderman costume the last two years, so he was due for a new one.  And before that he wore my nephew's hand me down costumes.   The problem was he had ho idea what he wanted to be.  And this was a big important Halloween because Kindergarten has a parade, "a parade, Mommy!"

Step One-examine all the choices:

 

Step Two-decide you want to be a Storm Trooper, no Batman, no Anakin Skywalker, no a skeleton, no not that skeleton a different skeleton.  And why can't I have weapon?  (Both school and Mommy have a no weapon rule.)

Step Three-try on a million different costumes:

Step Four-pick one, finally:

Step Five-ask everyday if it is Halloween yet.

Shoe Friday #94

Angel's wedge derbys.

Grace #3

11. Finding a babysitter at the last minute.

12.  Not freaking out about something you would normally freak out about.

13.  Realizing your long awaited vacation with just you and your husband is only two months away.

14.  New clothes.

15.  Eating dessert and not worrying about your weight.

Elsewhere

I try not to often pimp my writing other places here.  I'm writing at mamapop 4 days a week, so if I posted everything I wrote, that would get really, really annoying.  But Lindsay Lohan Fails Drug Test: Lies, Tweets, Then Prays is too good not to share.

Also, my (mostly) weekly column at the Washington Times Communities is still going strong.  This week's topic is communication in the public schools.  I get the feeling from my friends that my school is pretty rare, in that Michael's teacher emails me a lot.  Come over and talk about your experience.

And tell me, what is the best thing you've written lately? 

Fat, Thin

Michael is all of a sudden talking about his weight.  "Am I fat, mommy?"  "Do I look fat, mommy?"  "When I grow up am I going to be fat?"  "I want to be thin when I grow up."  "Fat is bad."

He's five.  I will also point out, not that it matters, that he is very, very thin.  So thin that for the first two years of his life the pediatrician lectured me about his weight.  To the point that I finally looked at them and said, "he is meeting all of milestones, and with the obesity epidemic in children I can't even believe we are discussing this.  I will not discuss this child's weight again until there is an issue.  20th percentile for weight is fine."  He is now 40th percentile for weight and 90th for height.  Just like his dad. 

I have struggled with weight all my life.  Only in the past 6 months can I honestly say I have come to terms with the way I look.  I am who I am and while I could probably lose another 10 pounds, it is not going to change much.

I never ever imagined raising a boy would bring up these issues.  In fact, Doug once told me he was grateful we don't have a girl because he would hate for me to transfer my body issues to her.  We don't talk about weight in our house.  We talk about eating healthy and making good choices and sometimes foods and having treats, but I don't think I have ever described anybody as fat or thin.  Especially a five year old.  Where is this coming from?  Kindergarten?   

I tried to redirect the conversation to how weight was not important but health was, but it didn't get me anywhere.  I'm not sure how to change the conversation.  To make him see that there is nothing wrong with him.  To show him that words like fat and thin do not belong anywhere in his vocabulary. 

How I Ruined My Nephew's Life With Breadcrumbs

On Friday night I had my family over for Kol Nidre, the traditional meal before the Yom Kippur fast.  And because you have to fast for 24 hours, I made heavy food.  Homemade macaroni and cheese, and cheesy rice casserole.  My nephew, who seems to always have an opinion about food, was mortified that I put BREADCRUMBS on the macaroni and cheese.  He loudly exclaimed, upon looking at the piping hot dish, "WHAT ARE THOSE?" and I said "breadcrumbs," to which he replied," "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?"

Upon tasting the dish, he said "BREADCRUMBS HAVE RUINED MY WHOLE LIFE."

I did explain that breadcrumbs are just bread that has been beat to death with a shoe to make crumbs.  That didn't seem to help matters.

So, I will have you know I not only ruined my own child's life by being lunch mom, I also ruined my nephew's life, WITH BREADCRUMBS. 

I win.

WT: Public School Communication

When Michael started elementary school, everyone told me to get used to very little communication from his teacher. And I have to say, I have been pleasantly surprised by how much communication I have had. The very first week of school I got an email from his kindergarten teacher giving me her email address and telling me about his week. Daily I get a behavior report. And I have written notes and emailed when I have needed to speak to the teacher about something. She has always responded in a timely fashion.

 

No, I don't have the face-to-face drop of and pick up time that I had with his preschool teacher. But I'm not sure that is a bad thing. Michael is a walker, and his school's drop off procedure is that every child is dropped off in the cafeteria and then they line up and are brought to the classroom. I am sure that this is, partly, to avoid parents bugging the teacher right before school starts, and the system works quite nicely.

 

So far, I have been very impressed with how accessible Michael's teacher has been. I have not contacted any of the school administrators, but I would hope they have the same policy of answering emails and returning phone calls that the teacher has. I don't know if it is just my son's teacher or the entire school, but I have not had an email or note go unanswered in the first 3 weeks of school.

 

We have our first back to school night this week. I look forward to hearing what the school has to say, and communication is one of the issues I plan to raise. And not to complain!

 

Cross Posted and Archived from the Washington Times Communities Section