Play-Learn-Grow-Repeat

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Jack was always our laid-back child who rarely gave us trouble. Once in a while he voiced his opinion or made it known he didn’t like/agree with something, but mostly he just went with the flow and was a happy camper. In recent weeks, my husband and I have noticed some shifts in Jack’s behavior/mood. He is more physical with his brother, and his attitude is starting to fire up. Dare I say he has entered the “tween” stage of life.

Jack is now a fifth grader. I expect changes to occur in his life, both good and bad. He no longer wants cuddles from me all the time, he prefers to sleep as long as possible on school mornings, and his hair-do is more important than leaving the house on time. He is growing up, and there is no denying it.

I grew up with two older sisters. We had our tiffs, but for the most part we got along. We shared one bathroom, toys, clothes, and managed not to kill each other. Raising children is not easy, but boys are rough and tough, and I’m still trying to accept it. Thank goodness my sisters give me great advice about situations with my older male nephews.

Testosterone is on the rise in our household!

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
I occasionally put little notes in the boys’ lunchboxes. I like to remind them that I am proud of them for being kind, for their good grades or for playing a great game. I want to share my thoughts and encourage them, to let them know how much I love them. I think it is a simple act that helps boost their confidence throughout the day.

I am old school, and I still keep a paper daily planner. It’s literally how I keep my life in order. I write everything in it, appointments, birthdays, and school/sports events. I even include random things like trash day, and reminders to mail birthday cards and bills. I have tried using my phone’s calendar app, but I find the old paper planner more satisfying. I love to cross things of my to do list through out the week. The boys know just how important this planner is to me by how often they see me using it.

One Monday morning, as I flipped to a new week in my planner, Tate wrote me a note in my planner. It was a simple message, to let me know just how much he loves his momma. It made my day to see his adorable handwriting, and his creative way to show affection. I asked him about it, and he said he wrote his message months ago and wanted me to find it as a surprise. Little acts of kindness, from my children, make me melt. I love to see him make big strides in life, but the little ones are just as important.

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Finally, this week was the big eclipse. We all saw totality photos and videos. But if you ask those people who saw it in person, there are simply no words to describe it. We live a few hours away from the path of the totality, but we had a 97% total eclipse here without driving anywhere. Our kids had school, so we stayed home. Fortunately, we checked them out after lunch, in time for the eclipse.

In a rare moment of foresight, my husband purchased certified eclipse glasses weeks before the retailers ran out. He also made a pinhole camera with a pizza box, which projected the solar eclipse on the ground for people to see without glasses. My kids had lessons in science class to prepare them for the event, and my husband gave a great bonus lecture throughout the event.

We went to our neighborhood pool and watched the eclipse with our neighbors and their kids. It was a wonderful experience for our kids, and even the adults were impressed. The temperature dropped, the shadows danced, and the sun faded to only 3% of its regular brightness. It was pretty amazing. My only regret is that we missed the “totality” only a few hours away. Our friends who made the drive were rewarded with an even more spectacular view. If we ever want to see a totality again we are going to have to drive or fly MUCH farther away.

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Jack and Tate have made some great friends in our neighborhood over the last year. There are a bunch of kids on our street. They all get along and play daily. The doorbell rings constantly with kids asking to play. This is everything we wanted when picking out our neighborhood.

Jack and his friends love to have sleepovers. They pack their pajamas and pillows, and they play games, watch movies, make forts and sleep in them. The parents all take turns hosting the boys. They are great kids. My husband was even impressed at how well behaved they are.

The hard part of sleepovers is that Tate feels left out. Tate and his friends are still a little young to really feel comfortable with sleepovers. Most parents feel the same way, which we completely understand. Jack likes to have time with his friends, since they’re older, without having his little brother around constantly. Tate doesn’t like this idea and feels left out. We’re trying to explain to him that his day will come soon enough, and Jack will give him his space. We also try to do special things with Tate while Jack is gone since we get the one on one time.

Our kids are growing up, but Jack will always be three years older than Tate. I’m sure this will not be the last time that age creates conflict. As the youngest of three girls, I know how tough it can be watching older siblings participate in fun events. Tate will eventually come around. For now, I will enjoy bed time stories, hugs, and kisses from Tate every night.

From Wednesday Mom – Jannelle:
Jack and Tate, like so many kids, are obsessed with the sticky, gloppy, gooeyness of slime. Although it can be messy, mixing just a few household ingredients makes a blob of entertainment that lasts for hours. My kids think it’s the greatest thing, especially on a rainy day.

We stayed with friends last week, and the oldest daughter showed us her personal slime collection. She has a plastic organizer tray with 12 different compartments and 12 different slime recipes. They’re all different colors. Some have glitter and foam balls inside. Some slime is thick and others are extra gooey. She is a serious slime maker, the way every great chemist takes pride in their work.

Before we came home, she helped Jack and Tate make their own batch to take home. We all loved how excited she was to teach us about her slime collection. My kids learned a lot, and my husband explained that they will learn even more in science and chemistry class in the years to come. Fingers crossed our carpet remains slime free.

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Today is Jack’s tenth birthday. I can’t fathom how that is possible. He is extremely excited to be double digits, a whole decade, and a rising fifth grader.

I think ten is a magical age. Jack’s no longer a little boy, but not yet a teenager. Although he is concerned about his hairstyle looking perfect, and he prefers to walk into school by himself, he still likes his mommy to tuck him in at night. That makes my heart happy. Jack has experienced a lot in his 10 years of life. More than I did for sure. He inspires us daily with his kind heart and his silly sense of humor.

We plan to celebrate the day with some pool fun, cake, and a movie. Jack gets to pick where we go to dinner, and I made him a cake. I’m looking forward to the next decade of Jack’s life. He has already made us so very proud.

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
It’s that time of year! Finally, it’s getting warm enough to actually, once and for all, ditch those winter coat and gloves, break out the sunblock, and get ready to donate all those too-small winter clothes. I know the kids need more shorts and tees, but Step One is making room in their drawers. This process takes longer than you would think! So many items are on the borderline of too small, not quite too small but totally worn out, or just favorites the kiddos don’t want to part with. It’s like each garment has a lengthy trial complete with arguments on both sides and a judge and jury determining its fate. Things can get very heated!

But then it’s up to Step Two, procuring new clothes. My little ones are pretty easy to please. But it’s always a battle to get Haley to not wear all her brand new clothes right away. She’ll have a pretty new dress she’ll want to wear during a day of relaxing at home, where she’ll inevitably spill something on it. I’d rather she “save” new clothes for a special outing or at the very least, a day at school. It’s an ongoing battle. And the weather report does little to dissuade her from wearing something totally inappropriate.

It’s pretty bittersweet to go through this cycle. And they grow so fast that it feels like something you’re constantly managing. So much of parenting is about the need to be hands-on and react to the ways they change every day. The wardrobe is but a small part of the ongoing journey.

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
Hudson has an adorable new habit that I find just delightful! Not really. He likes to hide things. In particular, he likes to hide things that he’s not supposed to have in the first place. His favorite? Flashlights. Also in the running? Small jars of Vaseline, remote controls, Oreo cookies, fish food…. The list goes on.

Sometimes I’m able to retrieve these items quickly and easily. Other times, there is a lot of effort and frustration involved. I always ask Hudson where he hid it, and he usually plays coy. When he’s in the mood, he’ll run away and quickly come back with the object and a huge grin on his face. But it’s not unusual for me to find a cup of raisins in his laundry basket, a few days later.

I wonder how long this behavior will last. I have to admit, it is kind of cute that he covets things and figures out little nooks and crannies to use as safe houses. I am crossing my fingers that this is just a phase, and that the future moments in which Hudson stashes his milk cup are few and far between. If you haven’t experienced this, it’s not pretty. And doesn’t smell too great, either.

Have a great week, everybody!

From Friday Mom – Erin:

Rory has a new idol.

We went to a party at my husband’s colleague’s house on Sunday afternoon.  They have three kids, ages 12, 10, and 5.  They had quite clearly been instructed to make the other kids feel comfortable and at home.  Rory hit it off with the 10 year old boy splendidly.

Or should I say he shadowed him.  They ate snacks, Rory watched video games, and they shared a chair watching movies.  Rory was so in awe of his new big kid friend.  He hug out in the basement playroom without being his typical shy and uncertain self.  He never once came looking for us, and when it was time to leave he went back to say goodbye to Henry three different times.

I was proud of him for being such a big kid.  And it also made me realize just how important it is to expose him to older, well-behaved role models.  While I don’t know we’ll be back to “Henry’s House” any time soon, I do think we’ll keep trying to expose him to great examples.  Perhaps a trip to see his cousins is in order soon!

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Tate lost his first tooth last week. According to him, he waited an “eternity” for this milestone. Periodically, he asked why his teeth weren’t loose yet and why all his friends were missing teeth, but he wasn’t. I told him everyone’s timeline is different, and with some patience his tooth would find its way under his pillow soon enough.

At breakfast, he was incredibly excited and ran to me with his tooth in his fingers shouting, “I lost my tooth, I lost my tooth.” He was hilarious, but I hid a little sadness. When my youngest starts reaching milestones that remind me how quickly childhood passes, I get a little sad. Tate’s first day of Kindergarten was hard, but now he’s losing teeth, and concerned about his hairstyle. These moments are fleeting, but I’m happy to experience them together with both Jack and Tate.

So, instead of feeling down because I no longer have babies in the house, I am making sure to live in the moment and enjoy the day-to-day interaction with my boys. Some days are better than others, but the toothless smiles make a sad mommy happy.