Medal-worthy Mothering Moments?

This morning as RTR and I were leaving our co-op preschool class, I was in a bit of a hurry. I had a table to load in the car and it was raining. But RTR wasn't really that into hurrying to the car. So I took the time and decided that yes, I could slow down and let RTR go at his own pace. So he splashed through all the puddles on the sidewalk, despite not wearing the proper footwear. He became particularly interested in the deepest puddle which was being fed by the leaky rain gutter, dripping steadily. Of course splashing wasn't enough. He had to walk through the stream coming from the rain gutter--several times. I thought, okay... the table can wait. He's having fun. What's a little water? Of course, by the time RTR was finished, he was soaked and I didn't have a change of clothes for him. I rushed to load up the table and raced home in time to change RTR before we had to go pick up CSR. I thought, yea for me, mother of the day for letting RTR splash around.
Now it's an hour later and we're walking home from picking up CSR's school. The light rain turned into a cold drizzle. Not even before we left the school yard, RTR was mad and pulling to get out of the stroller. Foolish me for braving the rain. Halfway home, I had to take him out of the stroller and carry him. He had gotten cold and wet from the rain. Thankfully CSR was very cooperative and willingly pushed the stroller the rest of the way home. So now, I withdraw my nomination for mother of the day. RTR did bounce back after a grilled cheese sandwich, tomato soup and some warm milk. But still not one of my smarter moves.

Oh Christmas Tree

It took a little bit longer than I would have liked, but finally we have our tree up. Helping increase the Christmas spirit around here. We drove out to the same farm yesterday we went to last year. This year, only a cloudy sky. Last year, we trooped out to the farmer's field in the middle of a big snow storm. I'm sure if you look at last year's blog post, there are full details there.

CSR was really eager to get the tree decorated. He really got into looking at all the ornaments. Our collection of special ones grows each year. I think they're crowding out the "filler" ornaments, the basic glass bulbs. It was fun looking at them all and talking about them, where they came from, what they represent. One of my favorites is the snowman I made for Tyler back in 1999. I can't remember the significance exactly. But I thought my construction was pretty ingenious-- using a twig for the arms, making a tiny felt hat and the teeny carrot nose.

The little blue stocking for RTR's first Christmas.


The glittery pine cone marking the summer camping trip with just the boys.
It will be interesting to see how RTR reacts to the tree tomorrow. He was in bed by the time we broke out the decorations. Most of the ornaments within his reach aren't delicate or breakable. Nothing that a little glue couldn't fix. I have a few others that need some repair work.

Reading is Fundamental

I can't believe my luck. We checked out a "Books to Grow On" theme kit on manners from the library. When it came due, I couldn't find one of the 12 books that came in the kit. I looked high and low, inside, outside, every possible place I could think of. I made CSR look for it too, even denying him a trip to the library when he couldn't find the book either. The librarian told me I could hold onto the kit a little longer in hopes the book would turn up. So I waited, accruing ten cent a day fines for nearly a month. And then having $200 for the kit billed to my overdue fines account. Last Monday, I decided to take one more look around, checking the kit case before returning it to the library and paying for the lost book. As I counted the books again, I noticed a small label on the inside lid of the case. It said "Missing 12/2007 No! David", the exact book I had been looking for for the past month! I couldn't believe it. Boy did I feel foolish. On the bright side, when I told my story to the librarian at the desk, she kindly knocked half the amount of the overdue amount for the kit.

Multi-tasking Mama

It's amazing what a mother can get done when there aren't any children around! This afternoon CSR was at a friend's house and RTR was taking a nap. During that time I was able to bake some bread (in a bread machine), talk on the phone, bake a batch of cookies, have another conversation on the phone and assemble a lasagna (actually two, one for dinner and one for the freezer). Not too shabby. Just don't ask me about the condition of the rest of my house.

Our Little Ham-ster

We're probably headed down a slippery slope when it comes to RTR and his eating habits. As I mentioned in an earlier post, he's a bit of a snacker and pretty much begs for food anytime anyone is in the kitchen, regardless of whether they're doing something food-related. Last night, grandpa was slicing up the ham for our dinner and all the while he worked there was RTR at his knee begging, saying "Ham, ham, ham." Of course, gramps couldn't refuse, giving our little "Ham-ster" bits and bites while we put the finishing touches on getting dinner on the table. I thought when it did come time to actually sit down and eat, RTR would be full. But he did eat some of the food on his plate and of course begged for more ham. Now if only I could get him to beg for veggies the same way. It also seems ham and hi are two of the words RTR says pretty clearly.

Football Fans

The Seahawks may not be having their best season, but here are some of their fans watching yesterday's game against the Dolphins.



Hmmm, should I be appalled by the condition of the living room?

Halloween is the New Christmas

The month of October culminated with the annual ritual of trick-or-treating. We headed out just as it got dark on Friday night. I think we were the first ones out in our neighborhood. Around the corner, we met up with one of CSR's classmates and her brother. Since they were coming from the other direction, they were wanting to trick-or-treat at houses we had already been. While we tried to get CSR to wait on the sidewalk, he wouldn't do it. He went ahead with his friend, but when it came time to get the treats, he told the people at the door, "No candy for me, I've already been here." What manners. Of course it didn't matter that he didn't "double dip" at those houses, he still came home with a sack overflowing with candy. And on Saturday morning, a neighbor who wasn't home Friday night, dropped off little treats for both boys.



I think Halloween may be becoming the new Christmas. It's turning into a month-long series of events-- from field trips to pumpkin patches and corn mazes to class parties and community events--everything from carnivals to "haunted" parks. Not to mention that we also hit Pumpkin Prowl, a goody-laden event at the Woodland Park Zoo. And it probably doesn't help that many stores have already started stocking their shelves with Christmas stuff. Last week, next to the Halloween candy, I noticed stacks of Christmas-themed candy at Bartell Drug. I know Costco gets an even earlier start-- maybe after Labor Day. CSR told me that after Halloween, Christmas starts. I tried to explain that Thanksgiving came in between and that we don't start our Christmas celebrating until AFTER Thanksgiving.