Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there! (And a hug to those of you who no longer have a dad to celebrate…I didn’t realize how bittersweet this day could be.) I hope you enjoyed a weekend of sports and beer (which may or may not have been what the dads I know did)—or whatever else it is that makes you happy. And, hey, if reading this is part of your day, you’re obviously one lucky guy!
Lesson #1: A wet bed, hours of traffic, and two kids with nurse-call-in issues (which eventually turn into a visit) are immediately forgotten when all you can see to the end of the world is water. (Ok, almost forgotten.)
Lesson #2: It’s a good day when your kids’ laughter roars as loud as the waves. (And thanks to a mid-week getaway with my mom and a Father’s Day excursion over the mountains, my kids and I had some pretty great days this week!)
Lesson #3: While most people get up early to find sand dollars and clam shells on the beach, Little prefers treasures like beetles and dead crabs. (Though he does love the live ones too!)
Lesson #4: The next time we head to the pediatrician (which will likely be in the next 48 hours), I’m sending Lenny—he has some ideas for the suggestion box. The best one is that on your 5th visit that month, you get a sticker book to show off the gems you’ve collected at other visits. You know, the ones that can be found sprinkled all over the house.
Lesson #5: Though you’re not supposed to play favorites with your kids, Pink made herself the frontrunner in Lenny’s eyes (and neat-freak heart) by following the boys around the playroom and cleaning up after them. (In fact this may convince him to quit at 3—while he’s ahead not so far behind.)
Lesson #6: When your neighbor gives the kids a bag of dog treats to hold on to for her pup, it’s best not left in the hands of a fearless, curious, hungry 3-year old.
Lesson #7: If you’re looking to kick your shopping habit (which I truly don’t have—I can’t stand shopping), I’ll send Big to the store with you next time. The other day we popped into Old Navy to get him a new bathing suit and I grabbed a thing (or three) on the way to the kids department. It didn’t go unnoticed. “You’re going to spend $17 on a dress? Wait, that’s $19, not $17. Wow, do you know how much money that is? Mom, you’re really getting a lot.”
Lesson #8: If narcs started their recruiting/grooming on kindergarten playgrounds, there wouldn’t be a drug problem in this country.
Lesson #9: Thanks to Big, I now know that watching sports on TV doesn’t “rot your brain” (a phrase he learned from his kindergarten teacher). You spend the whole time doing math—keeping score, tracking strikes/balls/outs, and counting all the ways you can outsmart your college grad mom.
Lesson #10: My kids do like having me around more now that I work from home. The #1 reason was reported to me as, “Because you know how to turn the video games on.”
May your week be un-rotten and full of summer fun!
I am not sure which lesson made me smile more… it might be the shopping one. In our house, as opposed to the kid stopping the shopping, we have the other problem. Irene is a total clothing obsessive. Any store we go in that has clothing in her size she demands something. She knows to look at the price tag and say, “Mom, its only $9.99… that is so cheap!”.
Smart girl you have, my friend!
Finn needs some time with Big… Finn is ready to buy everything in the store when we go in… he just doesn’t want me spending time trying things on 😉
And really, though aren’t dog biscuits just another source of protein for the kids?! 😉
have a great week this week! (with no additional stickers, thankyouverymuch!!)
Oh, I should mention that the price of all the things he got/wanted never came into play. He came home with far more than I did. He didn’t get the one thing he REALLY wanted though—a Cal shirt. As if cheering on Stanford isn’t hard enough on Lenny!