just the essentials

boys will be boys

lucas’ newest word: diarrhea.

Thomoptimus Prime

To be filed under the “disturbing yet so awesome” category. Christmas, anyone?

details on Wired.

lucas’s (lucas’? still figuring that one out) list at 22 months old:

1. dada
2. mama
3. this
4. that
5. more (”muh”) 
6. milk (”muh”)
7. cheese
8. juice
9. please (”deez”)
10. who is it
11. up (”ut””)
12. down (”dow”)
13. thank you (”deak dah”)

14. sit
15. go
16. blue
17. red
18. yellow
18.  mm, good!
19. where are you?
20.  shoes
21. outside (sigh-ow)
22. dear Jesus
 

And if you listen really closely:

14. Gordita
15. Gaza
16. Baba ghanouj
17.  Yeshua

18. mamacita

balance

Mister outgrew his Kettler tricycle earlier this year, and I was debating for the longest time whether to get him a bike with training wheels or a two-wheeled balance bike. The advantage of training wheels is, of course, that the kids just hop on and go. The balance bike is a steeper learning curve, but the payoff is that they learn to balance by lifting their feet and coasting on the momentum. The idea is that the transition to two-wheeled pedal bikes is much faster and smoother. I was intrigued, so we got Mister the “Weeride push training balance bike” from Amazon for a steal.

The first, oh, 6 or 7 times, I thought the Weeride was  a total crock. Mister complained about the seat height no matter how much we fiddled with it, and he would walk v.e.r.y. slowly, treating it like a ride-on toy. I was determined that Micah get the hang of it, encouraging him with  ”Ooh, Micah, so blue and shiny!” or “It looks like a bike only big boys can use!” or “You’re not eating dinner until you ride this thing!”.

The good news is that Mister begs to ride it every day now; he builds up quite the speed and coasts comfortably down the block. We love it!

 

 

check out that determination!

inspiration

Working the 9-5 scene can be brutally monotonous sometimes. Rich and I try to keep artifacts around the home that inspire us, remind us to get in touch with our creative side and transcend the mundane.

The only thing better than creating something myself is teaching the boys to do it. I love that art comes naturally for children, and that it’s a part of their daily job description. I’m very tempted to bring the finger paints to work and petition for one hour of required doodling.

Nevermind that basket of unfolded laundry back there. It can wait.

 

coping

Transitioning from a stay-at-home mom to a full-time working mom hasn’t been easy. The worst part of the day happens at 8:30am ( 8:20 when I’m good) when I have to say bye to the boys, pry their pancake-battered fingers off my legs, and be apart from them for the next nine hours. Thankfully, we’re incredibly blessed to have a strong support group in the form of a loving montessori for Mister, an amazing preschool for Lucas, and grandmas who love their grandsons to pieces and chip in whenever they can.

Still, that’s sometimes not enough for me to feel at ease about the whole arrangement. There are moments when I’m at work  and I get this sudden, stabbing ache to be home. Don’t get me wrong; I have a decent job, to-die-for benefits, and great colleagues, but they just don’t replace a simple, mundane day with the boys. Staying in PJ’s. Taking slow, heel-to-toe walks to the park. Having the time to make 3 square meals a day. Being there to hear their ever word, to witness them learn something new or revel in something old.

It’s hard to be be physically in one place and emotionally in another. When the kids are older and not so needy I’m sure things will change, and hopefully at that point I will be completely engaged in a career or endeavor I love and identify as my passion. But for now, it’s a plate-spinning trick, balancing act, and tug-of-war all rolled into one.

Lucas-speak at 20 months old:

1. dada
2. mama
3. this
4. that
5. more (“muh”) 
6. milk (“muh”)
7. cheese
8. juice
9. please (“deez”)
10. who is it
11. up (“ut”")
12. down (“dow”)
13. thank you (“deak dah”)

And if you listen really closely:

14. Gordita
15. Gaza
16. Baba ghanouj
17.  Yeshua

Containing

Hurrah for coupons! The Container Store has a 25% off coupon site/storewide. Nevermind that I have a raging fever and a throat on fire at the moment. Or that it feels like someone pried back my eyelids and doused my eyeballs with chili pepper. Because, let’s admit it, personal well-being takes a backseat to finding great deals and ways to make our lives easier. (Yes, sadly, online window-shopping wins out over rest and fluids for the category “making my life easier”.)

 

Some of my favorite finds so far:

 These boxes would be perfect for housing Mister’s 38-per-day masterpieces.

Likewise, these mailing tubes could archive the boys’ bigger projects.

 This buys me at least 20 more minutes of sleep in the morning.

Bento-style dining perfect for throwing in the diaper bag.

New digs for King Kandy.

One more step in reducing my carbon footprint.

 

Of course, there are other things that normally look unnecessary, but apply some 25% off magic, and suddenly  I need them, like this Kingsford Charcoal Caddy Dispenser. (What better way to say “Happy Belated Father’s Day”?)

 

But my favorite best buy of all: the omnipresent clear shoe boxes.  

Mister’s preschool uses multiples of these to store legos, wooden blocks, crayons, you name it. Every time I walk in, I make a mental note to buy these. I’ve always made the mistake of getting 2 or 3 nice, pricey  containers at a time as a set, then using tupperware or empty cereal boxes to wrangle the stuff that doesn’t fit in the nice and pricey. The result? Sad, mis-matched decor that doesn’t quite make the “eclectic chic” cut.

Now, a couple weeks ago, I was psyched that the set of 20 went down from $29.80 to $25.80. But this is one instance in which my procrastination pays off: the coupon doesn’t work for special-priced items. So buying 20 of the single boxes to create your own “set”, with the coupon applied, brings your total to $22.50. That’s $3.30 in your pocket. 

And what, one may ask, would I do with the savings? No doubt about it; I’d get 3 double cheeseburgers from the dollar McMenu for the Mister, Lucas, and Hubbie. 

See? Making my life easier. It has come full circle.

my dream for you

Every time I see Micah zip his coat on all by himself, or Lucas toddle to the bookshelf and grab his favorite book (Hippos Go Berserk — so fitting! ), I want life to slow down. The boys are growing up too fast. Before I know it, they will go from being my babies to “big boys” to “pubescent boys” to “Mom, get out of my room”. 

I think a lot about what I want for my children. Beyond the obvious, like being happy in life, being at peace with themselves and God, finding true love, winning the Pulitzer… I think about what type of men I want my boys to become, regardless of occupation or socio-economic status. And when I think in those terms, this mommyhood business becomes all the more daunting. I am raising little men-in-training. It is probably the most scary, and yet the most noble, task I have had to take on.

So in Obama-like fashion, I want to archive the hopes I have for my sons.

1. The security to understand that discipline is love, and not the absence of it.

2. The ability to ask for help.

3. The boldness to be inquisitive and to challenge for the sake of making something better.

4. The courage to tell people they love them even if the feeling’s not mutual.

5. The patience to rise above less-than-ideal circumstances.

6. The humility to admit wrongdoing.

7. The humanity to see the soul within every person they encounter.

8. The vision to lead others.

9. The creativity to discern the divine in the mundane.

10. The grace to forgive. 

 

As you can see, not too much to ask.