Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Busy little bees

I hate the whole concept of overscheduled kids. Childhood should be playing outside, building forts out of every chair and sheet in your house and just hanging out. In fact, NPRrecently ran an article about free play for children. See it here
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19212514

So, with all this, I managed to undo 5 years of hanging out in one semester. Currently, my boys have the following schedule. (If you are a stalker, please know I am a fully certified Krav Maga instructor).
Monday- free play!
Tuesday-My Gym (Jacob) & Swimming (Nate)
Wedneday- soccer (Nate & Jacob)
Thursday- Physical Therapy (Jacob) & Art Class (Nate & Jacob)
Friday- Playgroup (Jacob & Nate) & play therapy

I had signed up for a Sunday morning t-ball class, but I cancelled it. It would be too ridiculous to add that on top of everything else. I look at each thing and wonder what we could lose. Clearly all of it, other than Jacob's PT. In a generous move, Nate says he would give up swimming. I can't let him make that sacrifice since it is important to me he learn to swim.

This summer I am dropping it all other than the Therapy. We will hang out in the sprinkler in the backyard and eat popsicles.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Story Retirement

The other night I went out for drinks with some other mom friends. I found myself telling a funny anecdote and had some deja vu. The story is pretty funny, so I've toldit often in the past few years. My friends around the table politely laughed- even though they may have heard the story before.

So, this is my call to myself and others. Retire the story. Yep- tell it one last time, then make a vow to retire it. Find a new story to tell. I happen to like this particular story, so I am going to tell it one last time on my blog then retire it. If you are ever in my presence and I tell it please just hold up 2 fingers so I know I have broken my retirement clause.

the story goes like this: I usually tell this in a crowd of women comparing most incompetent husband stories. When I went into labor with Nate, Matt drove me to Sibley hospital at 6 in the morning, and we checked in to a L&D room. We were just settling in when my OB/GYN arrived and poked in to see how we fared.

Before I could say a word, my darling husband, however, held up his hand and told the good Doc, "I'm ok, but I got a bad splinter on the way here. Can you take a look?" So, my Dr SCRUBBED up, got a needle and tweezers and removed Matt's splinter. ON MY PREGNANT, LABORING BELLY!!! We have the pictures to prove it.

Matt's favorite part of the story is that Dr. H didn't even charge for his services. No insurance claim forms- nothing. I guess OB/GYN forms don't have the correct code for splinter removal.

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

I've got the vomit

Welcome to my little corner of Hell. Friday night I felt a bit nauseated. Saturday morning, nausea turned into full fledged vomit. It is now Wednesday, and I am only just beginning to hold down solid food.

Thank goodness for family, specifically my mother in law, who showed up fearlessly (the threat of vomit contaigion was strong) and took care of the boys. Despite the hours she put in, I still had to drag my ass out of bed and help with finding missing jaguar stuffed animals, changing diapers and preparing meals when she was not here. Matt, of course, took a flight to Vegas for the week. He assured me it was round-trip, but I have my doubts.

Cause honestly, if I had the opportunity, I might not return to a house full of the vomit. Again, how do single parents do this? And I don't even have to leave the house to go to work. Please, please, whoever wins this endless election, DO something about childcare in this country!!!