Sunday, January 25, 2009

Soccer

**sigh**


I don't know what to say. This fall we found out that the township had a indoor soccer class for 3 and 4 year olds starting in January. B and I were so excited. L loves to run around kicking a ball and goodness knows that child has tons of energy, so we thought soccer would be a perfect match for him. Did I think he was going to be a natural or something... absolutely not. He still doesn't have great coordination, but I thought he would love it.


Lets just nicely put it with the fact that he didn't love it.


It started out well enough. The teacher was familiar - she had taught R's swim class this past fall. There were lots of kids his age. He was very excited about his new ball and had a good time kicking it around Friday night with B and I. We were trying to teach him to not use his hands and that is where the problems began.


When we got there, L stood in the circle and stared at the teacher. He didn't stretch with the other kids. Then they moved on to trapping the ball. They did it about a dozen times. L did it once.


Then they played a sort of musical chairs with the balls. That is where everything went to shit.


He started crying and screaming. Holding his arms out to me. I had him calmed down enough to put him back to the circle and walk away and then they moved to the one end of the gym to start dribbling. It was OVER then.


Out of a class of 30 kids my kid is the ONLY one who freaked out. My kid is the only one who wouldn't do anything. My kid was the only one who had to cry and whine about soccer. LOVELY.


So we ended up sitting in the blechers while the rest of the kids played. He watched and I hope he learned something. We are going back next week and going to try it again. And again and again.


I know I could explain this away by blaming his sensory issues. He hates change. Resists it with every fiber of his being, but I am pretty unsympathic with it. He needs to learn to live in THIS world... it isn't going to change for him, so I can only help by teaching him that change isn't bad. But I can't say that it doesn't bother me.

I don't understand it in the least. I don't have a shy bone in my body and I don't think I ever did. I prefer being around people I know, of course, but I can make do pretty much anywhere. B isn't shy either. Although he has a lot harder time in new groups. How do you teach a child to not shut down and be overwhelmed though in a new/large group? That is my primary focus.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

getting it together

Maybe I am just strange, but sometimes I actually feel like I know what I am doing in this mommy role. I get balanced meals together. Kids down for naps at the right time. Quality play time/craft time in, and everyone is happy.

Then there are days I can't seem to get anything together. Kids end up with whatever I can throw at them for food. Rarely it is balanced. Something else draws my attention away from them and they whine all day for my attention.

Today is one of those days I feel like I have it together. Maybe it is because I am home with just R, but both kids had a good breakfast. L got off to school well. R has been entertained (and not just by the TV), spent time playing with playdoh and I actually have been getting work done.

I wish I had more todays then I do.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

because the sickies aren't enough

the house seems to be conspiring against me too...

Dishwasher -- yeah, it just likes to flood our basement. Technician was here on Friday and said it was a fluke thing, nothing is wrong with it... LOL. yeah, well when it flooded into the basement again today, let me tell you whose ass I wanted to kick.

Call to the home warrany company and OMG - the woman I got kicked ass and she is pissed for me. Maybe the fact that I yelled at the boys at one point to just please be quiet, which made her crack up, helped me. You know... mom's bonding and all. Apparently she has a 3 year old too. She gets my current pain.

But, it isn't just the dishwasher. The washing machine crapped out on me yesterday too. Not exactly what you want to see happen when you are doing a load of laundry a day due to your child's propensity to poop his body weight. (which, because you are on the edge of your seat seems to be getting better after the benefiber in his fluids... I am starting to love the new pedi). It wouldn't drain. But luckily B seemed to be able to fix that.

Something else water related happened, but search me if I can remember it now. My brain has started to shut down with all the stuff going on.

Tomorrow is Monday right? I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing anymore. Monday's tend to be the onslaught of new files/work. I don't know if I can handle more at this moment. Luckily my first solo court date is this Thursday, so after I have that under my belt, I think I will start feeling a bit more confident.

Or at least I will for one of the two new practice areas I am working in. The other one -- yeah that is going to take some time. Too bad I am in court for that come the 30th. YIKES.

Maybe Monday's aren't so good after all...

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Plague

The stars have aligned against us this week...

sick, sick, everyone is sick.

L was running 102 temp and got bumped from school on Thursday. B was home with both boys yesterday and of course they seemed snotty, but were on the mend.

This morning -- I got up to find R covered head to toe is diarrhea with chemical burns all over his legs and torso due to the acid in his poop. Since he got up at 751 I have changed more then 5 diapers. That is 5 diapers in ONE HOUR.

Think my day is shaping up to be a winner?

Oh -- and of course we are SUPPOSED to be in Phoenix right now visiting N and her family, but had to cancel that due to the plague. So instead of 74 degrees I am suffering through a high of teens and 10 degrees as of right night.

TEN! And I have to pack the kids up and take them to the doctors shortly.

The joy just never ends.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Oh fair blog

how have you been. I have been a bit neglectful, no? Well, better you that the spawn on the devil and the cute little boy in my house.

Anyone want to guess who is cute and who is the spawn?

Yeah, not hard. L is still pushing all my buttons, all the time. Been a long week, so I am sure that isn't helping me any on the patience front. Here is a weekly blurb.

Monday -- start in the new office for my 3 days a week. Super busy with a brief I need to finish but still proceed to get 4 new files. By about noon I think I am going to cry, but pull my shit together and get to work. On my way home receive an email sending me to yet a 3rd office for Tues. Up until midnight working on a draft of the brief.

Tues -- more work on the brief, but a much much better day. I walk away from it with the best crash course I have ever received to improve my writing and I am thrilled with how the day goes. Unfortunately, my tutorial ran late and I got home 30 minutes before the boys went to bed. Not used to that anymore.

Wed -- back at the home office today. Good overall. Still slugging away on the brief, but I have a nice lunch, leave at a normal time and attend my class. Drinks/marketing after class and home by 1030. Thinking I am doing damn well because tomorrow will be an early one.

That night -- L is up ALL NIGHT LONG. Running a pretty high fever. Might catch 5 hours of sleep or so.

Thursday -- roll my ass out of bed feeling like the living dead. B takes the reigns for the day and will play Mr. Mom to L while he is home sick. I get out of the house early and get to the new office early. Again with the brief. But I know it is due tomorrow so it can only last so long. At 6pm make the decision that this is stupid and head another 30 minutes East from my house to meet up at the 3rd office again with the attorney I am working on the case with. His wife brings us dinner with the kids and at about 730 we settle in for the night. I finally leave the office at 230 AM - missing the Gators play for the National Title (OUCH!!! That hurt more than the long night) and drive an hour west to my house. In bed just after 330.

Friday -- starts with a bang as L gets up at 6. I think I am dying. B puts L back in his room when he leaves for work. Just makes L scream and cry. I roll out of bed at 730 and start getting ready. Wake the boys up at 800 only to realize L is still burning up. R is a little pissed at me being that he hadn't seen me for 48 hours before that. Lovely! Get R to school and back to the house to work. Thank God a sick L is a lazy L so he snoozed on the couch while I worked most of the day. Brief submitted at 345, 15 minutes after L got up from him nap.

Whew.

That even hurt to type. Now I am off to do some more things that I needed to do this weekend but haven't gotten to yet. My bosses goal was to "load me up" so I stayed busy. I think she has succeeded.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

New morning

I will try having a new perspective.

I know I am lucky and my boys are pretty good. So, to get my spirits up and to get myself in the mood to finally do the Christmas cards (yeah, I know... I am about 2 weeks late), I am gonna do a brief update on both.

L --

When we turned 3 in Nov. he got his Gator 4 wheeler and he is amazingly agile at driving that thing around. He is always pretty patient with R and getting him in and out on the passenger side. Actually he is pretty good with letting R try to drive to. L also is a little word monster. He simply doesn't stop talking. And the stuff he comes up with it really amazing. I don't know if he was taught in school about the human body, but he understands that when he poops it is the food he ate before. Although it is a little weird to have him tell me that the orange he is eating right this instant is going down into his pee pee and poo poo.

L is potty trained now, but mommy and daddy are still holding out on the night time thing. He hasn't had an accident at night in more than 2 weeks and I know he is ready to make the change. I am not for some weird reason. I seem to be the one who stalls more than he does.

L helps in the kitchen. Helps clean his room. Feeds the dogs and would take care of the cat if we handed over that responsibility too.

R --

Well, we are finally!! starting to see some words from him. Most of it is just a lot more vocalization and babbling. Yeah -- about a year late, but hey, it has started at least and that is the goal in the end. For the most part he is still Mr. Happy.

He is also fabulous with the dogs, but he is more of a cat person. The mere mention of cat sends him scurrying around the house in search of Spookie -- who really just hides from the kids all day long. R is also becoming quite the sneak when it comes to feeding his food to the dogs under the table. How does one learn to be sneaky before he is even 2!

R still has all sorts of skin issues though. I feel like we are constantly battling eczema - which is also linked to his allergy to disposable diapers, so it is pretty obvious he hasn't outgrown it at all. I can't believe it has been more than a year and I am still going 100% strong with the cloth thing. I was recently talking about cloth diapering and most people still fear it. I know both daycares did until they got the diapers and now they thing it is as easy as sposies.

Anyways -- the bad things... neither of them eat all that well right now. It is weird. They talk, make noises, yell at each other and play at the table, but they don't eat for crap. They are terrible at sharing their toys with one another. L thinks sharing is ripping a toy out of R's hands, throwing him another toy and running away with the prized possession as fast as possible. R thinks the only way to deal with a problem is to scream at the top of his lungs.

They are 2 and 3 (for the most part) and it isn't easy by any stretch of the imagination, but they are cute and fun. I know this stage will fly by, no matter how much it stinks, and I will strangely miss it at some point.

Friday, January 2, 2009

AHHHHHH

Ok -- I have a confession.

I have said it about 100 times before but this time I am about to scream it from the rooftop. I am not cut out to be a stay at home mom.

This holiday is lasting FOREVER.

Luckily we are getting out of the house tomorrow and not running 700 errands. We are off to a birthday party. Lets hope the kids decide to behave, listen and not drive me nuts.

Two more days until B and I go back to work. I am starting to count down the hours.