Mom Remembers

1. We had a dance party on Sunday.  We were listening to a Fraggle Rock CD Carl picked out at the library and suddenly, we were all up, dancing and singing along.  We have actually been enjoying that CD all week.  Pretty much every time it goes on, we can't help but start singing and dancing.  But Sunday was the best. 2.  Today, during Soren's rest time, I heard him bust up laughing in bed.  When I went in to see what was so funny, he was reading "The Mischief Makers' Manual", a book from his  Nan .  It is actually a very funny book but I wouldn't have expected him to understand it.  Apparently, he is sophisticated enough to get the humor of unexpected or embarrassing situations.  Cool. 3. Scott brought home red tulips for Valentine's Day, which was very unexpected and sweet. 4.  We went to visit  Madelyn , one of my friends from Interlochen, on Wednesday.  She has two kids a little older than mine and they play...

1. It seems to me that "The Terrible Twos" describes 2-1/2-year-olds.  Carl certainly seems to fly into a rage more often now-a-days.  But along with this upsurge of negative emotion has also come a much greater upsurge of positive emotion.  He has an increased enthusiasm for pretty much everything.  Carl is excited about life and very vocal about his excitement.  I like that. 2. He is also becoming a capable little person, which is cool.  He can go up and down stairs by himself. 3. He can walk the half mile to a friend's house. 4. He (usually) lets me know when he needs to use the toilet all by himself. 5. He can reach the kitchen counter so he can put away his own dinner dishes without spilling anything. 6. He can solve his own disputes with other children. Not always in the ways I would like but he is a participating member of the solutions, which is a start. 7. He can reach and fetch and clean up.  This means he can get what he wants o...

1. This may make me a bad mother but ... my favorite  thing about this week is that Soren has been grounded from watching/playing Megaman all week long.  This is what happened: On Sunday, we explained to Soren that he was supposed to listen to his teacher and learn about Jesus in Primary.  We told him that he could choose to play Megaman at home or in Primary but not both.  For a few weeks, that has been very effective at curbing Megaman related "shooting" during singing time.  But this Sunday, he karate chopped his teacher, explaining that he was "Sword Man".  Although I was terribly embarrassed on Sunday, I have really enjoyed the reprieve for the rest of the week.  Hooray for my break from Megaman! 2. On of my other favorites was during Sally's lesson today.  I came up with this clever ploy to trick her into performing for a stranger.  I texted my neighbor and asked her to come to my house during Sally's lesson and pretend to borrow a cu...

1. Soren makes me laugh.  A lot. 2. I really like it when he helps me do my chores.  Soren loves to sweep, fold clothes, dry dishes, mop floors, and (especially) scrub the toilet. 3. He also likes to cook.  He always wants to help make dinner.  He can dump, stir, and grate. 4. He can put on his own outdoor gear, which is a huge help. 5. And, now that he has a backpack, he can haul is own books to and from the library, his own scriptures to and from church, and his own sleeping gear to and from kid swap. 6. Sometimes I call him my little minion.  He will fetch and carry for me. 7. Soren loves babies.  Of all the neighborhood kids, his favorite is the youngest.  He is kind and gentle with very young children. 8. He is good at talking about his feelings. 9. Soren is very concerned with right and wrong.  He wants to follow the rules of a game, obey the rules of our house, or do a job in the correct steps.  He becomes very stressed when ...

1.  I changed up the kids routine just a little so that Soren is the one in Room Time when Scott gets home and Carl is the one who is out.  Carl *loves* to run and give his dad a hug at the end of a workday.  I think it's really cute and Scott certainly appreciates Carl's excitement. 2.  I really enjoyed visiting with Claudia Batey today.  She was very happy to see us, which is always rewarding, and the kids were excited to see her too, which confused me a little.  That is, until I saw them together and remembered just how great Claudia is with young children.  She is animated and interested in their stories.  Who would have thought that my kids would love to visit a 50-year-old single woman with no kids and no toys? 3.  Exercising has to make my favorites this week.  It's exciting to be able to make it through a work-out session without dying.  I like that there is measurable improvement in my stamina.  Woot! 4.  Th...

SOREN:  My hand is covered in pizza sauce! ME:  That's blood. SOREN:  Oh no!  My blood cells are spilling out!  [he thinks about it for awhile]  This is good news: my muscles and bones are staying on the inside.