First!

Three days a week the Hoos is on his own with the girls in the morning. I know from experience that this can be incredibly frustrating. Constant nagging, prodding, cajoling... He has been insisting that it is impossible for him to get them to day care before 9. And he frequently calls me with the morning report already upset and on track for a not-so-great day.

Today the Hoos has jury duty and had to be in Stamford by 8:30. For those of you that don't live in Fairfield County, while the distance from Norwalk to Stamford looks like about 10 miles on a map, it can be an eternity on the highway. Suffice it to say, with day care not opening until 8, we decided that I would go in to work late and handle morning drop off.

The girls were up at 7:15 - with smiles! Dressed - in what we had picked out! - by 7:25! Done with breakfast by 7:40! Teeth were brushed, toilets were used and flushed, and we were out the door by 8!

They were the first children in their respective classrooms! Sure, AK was crying ("She doesn't do this for Daddy," explained the teacher. Thanks, that makes me feel better...), but LP was excited, "First! Miss Miller! I'm first! And [AK] was first in her room!" and didn't cling to me or follow me, yelling, out of the classroom! It was a miracle!

Or was it just the work of mom?

PS: When I told the Hoos he said to me, "And being first is a good thing?" I think he is just jealous.

Braveheart

As previously suggested in blog posts and photos, LP is not the bravest of children. We have been working hard to encourage her NOT to cover her ears at the sight of a dog. The dog does not even have to bark, her hands just habitually rise on sight. It is ridiculous.

Recently we have noticed dogs while driving home from day care. I point them out to the girls and then watch in the rear view mirror. AK tries to throw herself out of the car. LP covers her ears. And then explains, "I wasn't covering my ears, I was pushing my hair behind my ears," or "I wasn't covering my ears, I was twirling my hair like [my friend] MK." Sigh.

AK on the other hand? FEARLESS. She loves our neighbor's cats. She pretty much stalks it as soon as we get home calling out "OOZZZYYY! BEEEEEEEBEEEEEEEE!" The poor things are terrified of us. LP will actually pet the cat every once in a while, but more typically she pretends that she wants to pet the cat but she doesn't succeed because the cat is uncooperative.

LP won't go near the cat without being close enough to touch me. AK will run across our lawn, leaving me in her dust, to get near the less skittish of the kitties, Ozzy, who is likely laying on her back, paws aloft, waiting to be rubbed. AK will circle the cat, laughing with glee, occasionally reaching out and touching her. The cat gets impatient for some loving and yesterday "high fived" AK in an attempt to motivate her. AK LOVED it, LP loved it. As long as it wasn't her being high-fived.

Competitive Edge

We are three weeks in to LP's soccer season and I am not sure that she is getting it.

To be fair, this is her first foray into team sports, and we have spent three years teaching her about taking turns, being gentle, and sharing, not necessarily the attributes of star athletes.

The league is for kids around 4 and some kids are closer to 5 with this being their second season playing. Those kids look like Pele compared to LP and her compatriots. LP will kick the ball once and stand still waiting for someone to kick it back; the more experienced (and way bigger looking) players will run to the ball and dribble it past her right into the goal.

At this age, the concept of "team" seems to be foreign too. There is no passing and the players more aggressive in going after the ball will steal it from whoever has it, no matter the color their jersey.

To be honest, I am just glad she is out there playing, If the coach (who is a really nice and patient guy) calls on her she runs right in. She follows direction and is really proud of herself if she scores a goal, even if it is when they are taking turns kicking it into the goal during warm ups. At this point, the fact that she is not clinging to me on the sidelines is a win. And she looks so dang adorable in her uniform I can't stand it.

The Hoos, who actually never played team sports, is way more competitive than I had imagined. It kills him to watch LP "play". He is a great dad and will cheer for her to the end, coaching her kindly on what to do from the sidelines, but I think he would rather cover his eyes than watch. One of the highlights of the last game for him was when another little boy, one of the few smaller than LP, spent his time on the field picking grass and throwing it at the other players.

With Relish

Guess who likes getting dirty?

This was her second outfit. It had been on 15 minutes. And I thought I was so smart to put her rainboots on.

Ideal Mother's Day?

The other day my friend Dana sent me this fabulous blog post about the search for good jeans. It is actually hysterical and quite informative. Go read it. I will wait.

After reading it, I determined that what I really needed was a girls trip to the outlets. And by "girls" I do not mean me and my daughters. Nor do I mean my and my boobs (although they are part of the package). I mean me and my friends. The people who will tell me if my jeans not only give me long butt but also muffin top and fat legs.

The easy part? Convincing the ladies a shopping adventure is needed. The hard part? Scheduling said trip.

So, I got to thinking...Mother's Day is coming up. What do most moms want on the holiday celebrating our awesomeness? Nothing. Seriously. What I really want is NOT TO HAVE TO PLAN THE DAY. I don't want to have to answer questions about where I want to go, what I want, what I want to do. I want to not have to think.

Or, alternatively, just have the Hoos take the kids for the day and have a guilt free day to myself.

With the kids in day care, weekends are about family time. Going to a playground, or activity, or even running errands. Together.

Would taking Mother's Day for myself and going shopping with my lady friends make me a bad mom? Never mind that I wouldn't be celebrating my mom (sorry mom, you know I love you and I know you understand shopping) but I wouldn't be letting my kids celebrate me. Or would I?

What say you ladies? Are you in?

An Off Day

I was in a good mood yesterday. At least in the morning until I had an annoying call with my VP and the Chairman of our Board. But anyway, until 1:45 I was having a nice day. It was sunny, I was feeling good, I got to see my babies in the morning...

I was even trying to spread the joy, slightly lengthening the brief, polite conversations I had in the hallways. And all of it was met with awkwardness. Like people thought I was weird, condescending, creepy.. I'm not sure, can't really put my finger on it, but it wasn't what I was hoping for.

THEN when I walked to the cafeteria down the street to get a cookie and take advantage of the nice weather, I had the ultimate buzzkill.

We have a narrow sidewalk, with a road with no shoulder directly on one side and a rocky embankment on the other. I was walking on the right side, along the embankment as two women, walking next to each other, approached. As we neared, the one closest to me REFUSED TO YIELD. She walked right at me, didn't slow her gait and move behind her friend or stop or nothing. Alas, if I hadn't turned my shoulder at the last second, she would have knocked me down! As LP would say, WHAT. THE. HELL.

Why do I always have to be the one stepping down? Because I am small? NO MORE, PEOPLE! Today I am on a mission. A mission to be my usual self, but even more direct. STAND DOWN.

Okay, I am only kidding. I am direct enough. And have enough awkward convos without trying. Plus, LP needs to start learning better behavior - because yesterday was not her best day either.

SUGAR!!!

A few weeks ago the girls and I were at Stew's and they had colored sugar on sale post-Easter. It was orange and yellow and super pretty. I couldn't resist and bought a couple to save for cookie or cupcake decoration.

LP is the girl who never forgets. Last Friday before leaving for day care she reminded me about the sugar and asked if we could make cookies to decorate when she got home. That was the plan, until I got a call that she hadn't behaved and had attempted to kick one of her teachers. Sigh. Very out of character for her, but nevertheless, a punishable offense, so no cookie making fun.

Yesterday she again requested that we bake after I picked her up. I then spent part of my nice, quiet day alone making and rolling cookie dough. I even cut out two trays of cookies so that all the girls would have to do was decorate and we could pop them in the oven.

As it turned out, we brought some friends home from school to help us decorate the cookies. It was very nice to have some extra helping hands (thanks D and J!), especially since AK decorated a single cookie and then proceeded to eat an entire mini cup of sugar (only about 1 teaspoon's worth, but still...).

Once the cookies were cool we added some gel icing as the finishing touch; Shockingly, AK proceeded to mainline the BRIGHT PINK tube into her mouth. The younger kids (LP and her buddy "Bubub") tried to use as much icing as possible on each cookie, and the lone big kid created beautiful pieces of edible art. They all created quite the mess.

By then it was 5:30. So we decided to order dinner (and make penne for the kiddos). It was nice to have guests on a weeknight, sort of made the week seem like it would a day shorter. Except, of course, with the kids being pumped up on sugar and friend-adrenaline, it did make the night time routine a bit longer. What with LP crying that she wanted to have a sleepover and all.

Of course, after the whole rigmarole, the Hoos decided that he doesn't like sugar cookies all that much. Good thing we make them more for the experience than as a dessert (although they are pretty darn good if you ask me).

Need(le)

LP, holding herself: "Mommy, I have to go to the bathroom"

Me, in the middle of eating dinner: "So go."

LP, more insistently: "I want you to come with me."

Me, standing up, sighing: "Let's go."

LP, stabbing me in the heart: "Mommy, when I get big, I won't need you any more."

Me, dying a bit on the inside: "Big? You mean like me?"

LP, twisting the knife: "Big. Like kindergarten."

Me, holding out hope: "Won't you still need me to drive you places?"

LP, indicating our surroundings: "But I won't need you for, like, this."

Later, still sitting in the bathroom.

Me, clipping LP's toenails: "Stop moving!"

LP: "Don't cut my skin."

Me, getting frustrated: "I won't! Hold still!"

LP, channeling the Hoos: "Don't cut my skin...dammit!"

Suited Up

Rain boots? Check.

Rain coats? Check.

Hair clips? Check.

Cuteness? Without question.

Good Day, Sunshine!

This morning I was startled awake at 6:15 by LP who grabbed on to me calling out "Uppy!" It was a jarring way to wake up from a deep sleep and a weird dream. It took me a few minutes to stop feeling ill.

Then she pretty much pushed me out of the bed, although I am sure she will insist that she was snuggling.

I had to get up to get ready for work anyway, so I crawled into the bathroom with my puppydog at my feet. She laid on the bathroom floor when I showered and sneaked out at one point, returning with a blanket. "I got it from [AK]'s room. But I was really quiet so I didn't wake her up."

After we both got dressed we retreated downstairs for some Calliou and breakfast. But first, more conversation:

"Mommy, when my teachers go on break, they take off their [day care center] shirts so they don't get boogers on them."

To be fair, her observation is way better than the monologue I heard at Dunkin Donuts on my way in to work. The lady in front of me was chatting with no one in particular about how hard she works and for so little money, "I told my husband that if I wasn't scared of jail I would be a prostitute so I could make more money." Thanks for sharing!