Liam has plenty of opinions, although in his mind they are cleverly disguised as facts. He believes that when you are talking about "poop" it's more polite to say "poo" than poop. When he filled me in on this one (and he actually did say "I think" when he said it) I couldn't decide if it was an appropriate time to introduce words like "feces" or "stool" so I just let it go. I could honestly say that I don't know which term is more polite.
He also believed that granola was a "silly" and "not very nutritious" thing for me to have eaten for supper (as opposed to the super nutritious frozen pizza I fed him) and that a frozen dinner (which I usually eat when I make pizza for the guys) would have been easier. I added pecans and extra raisins. But I didn't argue with him on the nutritious part, just which one was easier.
Today was pretty much all about finding the easiest way to get through. I discovered that Liam really loves veggie flavored cream cheese. Putting that on Triscuits helped me to feel better about the fact that the rest of his lunch consisted of an entire 10 oz container of cherry tomatoes and a fruit bar.
Yesterday I found out that Liam believes that when someone near you (your child, for example) becomes king it is not enough to just put the word "royal" in front of everything. You also need to use a "royal" voice. He even very helpfully demonstrated this voice. He would have rather sat on his royal throne (read swing) in his royal palace and eat his (pretend) royal lunch than go inside (where I guess he wasn't really the king - maybe the deck was his whole realm?) and eat real food. I'm afraid I wasn't very cooperative. Although I appreciated the game I had already taken him to his parent/teacher conference and spent some time outside trying to repair a flower bed that was decimated by a rose disease last year. Not really up to finding my royal voice. When we got inside he showed me a picture of him wearing royal clothes at preschool - complete with royal shoes. So I guess he'd actually done some research on that one.
Working on that flower bed may have been a big mistake actually. I woke up very sore at about 3:30 last night and couldn't get back to sleep for a LONG time despite taking pain killers. Today was another one of those grit your teeth and survive the exhaustion type of days. It's MY opinion that landscaping is HIGHLY overrated. I really don't care about that bed. But it's right next to the neighbor's driveway and they spend a lot of time out there. I feel bad about leaving it with the landscaping cloth sticking out and weeds growing through. I have a strong feeling that they are watching it, waiting for the weeds to spread into their carefully tended beds.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Wacky Wednesday and Picnic
This last week was the final week of preschool for Liam for the spring. We have signed him up for a short summer session around the time the baby comes, but he has about 8 weeks off in between.
The last week was a fun time for the kids when the teachers helped them adjust to the idea that they wouldn't be coming after the end of the week. Wednesday was "Wacky Wednesday." The kids were encouraged to wear crazy clothes and things were a little mixed up in the classroom. Liam reported that they ate snack in the art area! Here's what Liam wore:
I'm planning to do a "First and Last Day" post when I can get the actual first day picture - not on this computer I guess. We have Liam's conference tomorrow, so I'll probably have a few more thoughts after that. Since the summer session meets at another location this is kind of an end of an era for us. He will, however, have the same main teacher he's had for the past two years.
Friday was the end of semester picnic for the preschool. One mom brought some chicks that the kids got to pet and some even held. It was a little cold and windy, so they had to be moved to a warmer spot before long, but Liam spent most of the time they were out in the middle of a tight group.
I was so struck at this picnic by how independent Liam has gotten. I'm not going to post the pictures of him with his friends since I haven't checked with their parents, but when they were on the move he was literally running with the pack and mostly forgot about us. It's such a change from the days when it seemed like there was an invisible three foot tether between Liam and I that he didn't dare break. I'm glad that he's gained so much confidence!
Hiding, though, is not my favorite part of this new independence. At one point I realized that I couldn't see Liam and thought that he would be on the playground structures with his friends. Allen spotted him alone, pretty far from us and anyone else he might know. Here are some shots I took:
Thanks to zoom you can get an idea of how far away he really was. You can also see that spring has been pretty puny so far this year. Lots of grass and some flowers, but not much in the way of leaves. Thankfully the sun was out for the picnic so the chilly temps were pretty doable.
The last week was a fun time for the kids when the teachers helped them adjust to the idea that they wouldn't be coming after the end of the week. Wednesday was "Wacky Wednesday." The kids were encouraged to wear crazy clothes and things were a little mixed up in the classroom. Liam reported that they ate snack in the art area! Here's what Liam wore:
I'm planning to do a "First and Last Day" post when I can get the actual first day picture - not on this computer I guess. We have Liam's conference tomorrow, so I'll probably have a few more thoughts after that. Since the summer session meets at another location this is kind of an end of an era for us. He will, however, have the same main teacher he's had for the past two years.
Friday was the end of semester picnic for the preschool. One mom brought some chicks that the kids got to pet and some even held. It was a little cold and windy, so they had to be moved to a warmer spot before long, but Liam spent most of the time they were out in the middle of a tight group.
I was so struck at this picnic by how independent Liam has gotten. I'm not going to post the pictures of him with his friends since I haven't checked with their parents, but when they were on the move he was literally running with the pack and mostly forgot about us. It's such a change from the days when it seemed like there was an invisible three foot tether between Liam and I that he didn't dare break. I'm glad that he's gained so much confidence!
Hiding, though, is not my favorite part of this new independence. At one point I realized that I couldn't see Liam and thought that he would be on the playground structures with his friends. Allen spotted him alone, pretty far from us and anyone else he might know. Here are some shots I took:
Thanks to zoom you can get an idea of how far away he really was. You can also see that spring has been pretty puny so far this year. Lots of grass and some flowers, but not much in the way of leaves. Thankfully the sun was out for the picnic so the chilly temps were pretty doable.
Friday, April 26, 2013
More Quotes and Status updates from Facebook
These are mostly for people I'm not actually friends with on Facebook, but it's also interesting to see them all together. These run from Nov 2012 to Aug 2012.
I swear I don't let Liam watch youtube videos very often, but when I do something "status-worthy" usually happens. He watches an ad of Michelle Obama asking people to "click here to confirm where you vote." He says, "We already voted, so I won't click. We don't need to vote again." November 5, 2012
Computer lessons from a four year old: "If I do something wrong, and there's an X, I press the X." YMMV November 3, 2012
One topic we didn't really study about language development in grad school is how kids develop vocabulary. Why, for instance, did Liam just say "compromise" under his breath while he was asking me to get out a certain kind of play dough. When I asked him why he said, "Because I wanted to." October 31, 2012
"I'll be the bad guy - since I'm a boy." - Liam October 27, 2012
Liam says, "I need someone to talk and chatter with me for all my doings." October 25, 2012
"Wherever I are, wherever you are, my love can always go where you are." - Liam (Even if he goes to Mongolia.) October 22, 2012
Liam: This chair is evaporating.
Me: Yeah, it's vibrating. October 21, 2012Liam: Did I love football when I was a baby Mommy?
Me: I don't know.
Liam: Why did you say 'I don't know'? Usually you say yes.
Me: What did you say? I wasn't listening. October 21, 2012In the category of unanswerable questions we have this conversation:
Liam: Why are we stopping.
Me: We're coming to a red light.
Liam: Why is there a light?
Me: Because there's an intersection.
Liam: How many intersections are there?
Me: Where?
Liam: In the world. October 20, 2012Liam's trying to get me to help him clean up the living room with a running monologue something like this: "Clean it up my mom, clean it up! It's so fun Mom, it's SO fun! Do it Mom! It's so fun, Mom, it's so fun! Come here, please, come here. I want someone to help me. Help me! Help me! Please! Pleeeeease! Why aren't you helping me?" It's getting a little shrill at the moment. October 18, 2012
"You always love me! Even when I make bad choices." - Liam October 13, 2012
Liam (who's been sitting on the toilet for at least five minutes, talking and singing the whole time): Dad, come here!
Allen: Are you done?
Liam: No, I need company! October 10, 2012My child loves to come up with worst case scenarios. When I told him to finish chewing his ham before he went into the bathroom he wanted to know why. When I said "So that it doesn't fall out of your mouth" he said (with great glee) "and stuff up the toilet?" October 9, 2012
Liam does not talk to the TV. He says that it doesn't understand him because it doesn't have ears. Never stopped me! October 9, 2012
Liam says that when he tells people he has allergies they say "What are you allergic to?" And what does he tell them? "That I'm not allergic to anything." I told him to say pollen. But he hasn't ever seen it and didn't seem too impressed with the idea. October 6, 2012
Liam: Why don't they do white M&Ms?
Me: They've never made white m&ms. I don't know why.
Liam: Maybe because the Ms are white?
Me: Maybe.
(I'm probably wrong - there's probably specialty ones that are white. I just meant in the regular packages.) October 6, 2012Liam: How many colors are in the rainbow?
Allen: Depends on how you define a color. October 5, 2012The people in Liam's little town heard a "terrible voice crying, 'Last call for snacks!" October 4, 2012
Liam says that at the "Creativity Studio" they go to with his preschool they told him to move the paintbrush "back and forth" when they are painting. He says he doesn't really like this idea, but he is still practicing it over and over. When I pointed this out he said that he wants to be good at it for class, but he still doesn't really like the idea - he wants to move the paintbrush all around. October 4, 2012
Liam just instructed me: "Any time you use the potty I want you to put the seat back on." He's referring to his little seat that we put over the regular seat to make it more comfortable for him. Allen is currently explaining why it "more efficient" for each person to arrange the seat the way they want it before using it. September 29, 2012
Liam and I are discussing how many numbers there are. I told him that however many numbers he can think of there's always one more. So he started naming all the numbers he can think of. Then he gave me a 2 by 3 inch piece of paper and told me to write them all down. It's not big enough. September 27, 2012
Tonight Liam pulled some kind of dare-devil stunt in the living room involving a box. He came and told me about it while I was in the kitchen making supper. I didn't really follow his whole description, but then he said, "I'm still alive!" and went back and did it again. The second time he hit his head and needed an ice pack (the universal cure for every bump and bruise in his world). September 25, 2012
In the interest of full disclosure I should probably share that Liam is now singing a song about how he likes to kill people who feed him candy because he wants to grow up strong and healthy. September 25, 2012
"I want to take care of you. I love you. When there's a scary thing coming I want to take care of you. I'm there with you!" - Liam, singing. September 25, 2012
Liam informs me that chocolate covered raisins are really raisins, with chocolate on them. September 24, 2012
I forgot that Liam needs a bath and it's getting pretty late. Liam says, "We could have made a list." September 22, 2012
"We're trying to find something that doesn't look like....that." - Liam. Thanks. I'll be on the lookout. September 22, 2012
Liam with a cold. Running around the house wearing an old birthday hat, racing an antelope who is 101 fast. Thankful he's one hundred and seventy fast. And quickly "completely worn out." September 22, 2012
Liam got out a nursery rhyme book today. Apparently we hadn't done that for a while, because he thought that "Mary had a Little Lamb" was very funny. But he couldn't understand why it would be a bad thing that the lamb made the children laugh and play at school. He decided to play the part of the lamb, but said that he would only make the children laugh and play during play time, not while they were at "circle time." (When the kids in his class are supposed to listen quietly.) September 21, 2012
"I am a bad guy that LOVES to kiss." - Liam September 15, 2012
Liam's planning on keeping his one-minute timer going the whole time between now and supper - pressing it again every minute. He reports that he loves waiting. September 15, 2012
Another beautiful September day. It's a great day to be outside - NOT doing yard work. Liam says, "Aaahhhh! I can barely survive all this yard work!" September 15, 2012
"My favorite day to go to the park is ruined." - Liam
Rainy day. September 14, 2012Liam just watched "Little Bear" where his parents tuck him into bed and leave the room. He wanted to know why they did that. September 12, 2012
Today Liam told us that they taught him in preschool that no one is really "white" or "black." I told him that's true, but sometimes we say that as a kind of shortcut. It's shorter than saying "marshmallow with a little brown." September 11, 2012
Before I even got out of bed this morning I was trying to explain how, if you were trying to count to 100 quadrillion, and had a robot with 14 heads it would not be able to count any faster than a robot with one head. Happy Monday! September 10, 2012
"I got an F word!" - Liam
OK. He's picking coloring pages from a list on the computer. He still can't read enough to figure out what he's picking, but he's paying attention because he knows that the "monster trucks" start with M. September 8, 2012Already this morning we've grappled with the question of why it's called a bathroom. If it's because people take baths there, why isn't it a "bath/toilet room"? I went with the theory of inconvenient length on that one. September 8, 2012
Liam mixed paint to match his skin color at preschool today. He reports that he used "marshmallow" and some brown color. Mostly marshmallow, I think. September 7, 2012
Liam told us about playing cats with the kids at preschool today. He said that when he "discovered" how loud cats can be he decided to be an animal doctor. The daily email from his preschool describes the same event, but adds that he was "the" animal doctor. It says that the cats kept eating to much and getting sick and finally the exhausted doctor had to take a vacation. When asked where he went he said "to the circle area." (Where the class gathers for group discussions etc.) September 5, 2012
Liam was really upset that his racetrack was not set up correctly. When his dad finally fixed it Liam said that he had been "exaggerating and trying not to cry" while he couldn't use it. September 5, 2012
Liam was watching a show about a counting game and the characters were talking about the end of the game. But Liam said it wasn't the end because numbers go clear up to a thousand. He thinks more than a thousand. September 1, 2012
We chuckled when Liam said, "My tummy hurts when I press it." (Well, don't press it.) We didn't laugh when he vomited while sitting on the toilet. He's happy to report that he can still laugh and jump and do lots of things he could do before he had a vomitty mess. August 31, 2012
It's still fun to hear Liam say "plexiglass." August 31, 2012
I just had an in-depth conversation about whether or not more than one person (or a boy and a train) can be "mighty" at the same time. And of course, why. August 31, 2012
Liam reports that preschool is hard work, but it's not really learning, it's playing. In his opinion, learning involves sitting and drawing pictures or talking, or finding sites on the computer for learning. August 27, 2012
Liam has decided that one of the big differences between little people and big people is that little people have to go to bed and big people get to stay up late. Maybe it's really that little people can rely on someone else to tuck them in when they are clearly in need of sleep and big people have to have the self-discipline to go on their own. August 25, 2012
So he's back to cutting and wants to cut strips for me to make beads with. But I'm too honest to tell him that the strips he's making are long enough to make good beads, so I mention the idea of a mosaic. The next thing I know we are scouring the house for craft supplies and "finishing touches." August 24, 2012
Liam was doing great cutting until he impulsively cut one of the hairs off my head. I told him that it's very important never to cut people's hair with scissors - that only barbers and beauticians do that (not true actually, since we occasionally cut his hair - oops). Soon he was crying broken-heartedly. I swear I did not yell at him. I guess he's sensitive. I'm glad preschool starts Monday and he'll have more guidance about stuff like cutting. August 24, 2012
Yesterday we had a discussion about whether anything could be bigger than outer space and whether the universe has an outside. Since it involved the whole family it included phrases like "with our current understanding." Curiously absent: "huh?" August 23, 2012
"I'm a scientist of painting good now." - Liam August 21, 2012
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Kersplat!
Talk about losing momentum. After several days in a row of posting on the blog I missed a day and then had the hardest time convincing myself to post again. Plus, I've been really terribly tired. I feel like I've been saying that a lot on this blog. And lately, when I say anything about being tired people give a knowing look and say something about me being pregnant. Before that, for the past four years or so it's been about having an infant/toddler/preschooler to take care of. But really, for a long time, it's been more complicated than that.
I have, believe it or not, generally tried to avoid talking about my health on this blog. After Liam's birth it actually - gradually - improved versus what it had been before that and I found that focusing on what I could do was more encouraging, fun and energizing than focusing on the ways that my health still held me back. But it's still true that almost ten years ago now I developed symptoms of a frustrating illness with the lame official name of "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome." And without going into the full history at this point lets just say that great improvement still does not leave me with nearly the energy and stamina that I suspect that "normal," "healthy" people experience.
I started thinking about this today because I saw a quote on Facebook that reminded me so vividly of some of the emotional anguish I experienced when my symptoms were more severe and it was harder for me to pass myself off as a "normal" person. It said, "Lord please grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know were to hide the bodies of anyone who says, 'Your perfectly healthy, it's all in your head.'"
It's "sick" humor - the kind that anyone who's dealt with a chronic and especially an "invisible" illness immediately understands and relates to. Sorry if it seems just crabby and not at all funny. In a culture that values doing over being and generally believes that we control our own destinies accepting and learning to live with physical limitations can be a long journey that isn't always helped by the "can do" attitudes of people around us. We struggle with our own disappointments and don't have energy left to help other people deal with theirs.
Becoming a mom has actually been more of a blessing in my efforts to cope with illness than I would have predicted or expected. Days filled with diapers, snot and next to no sleep don't sound like an antidote for chronic exhaustion. But besides the fact that my physical symptoms did mysteriously improve I also found my struggles infused with a purpose they didn't have before. And smiling at those chubby little cheeks and amazing blue eyes a couple dozen times a day did eventually help me see the world as a brighter place.
So tomorrow or the next day I will be back to rambling about my sweet little boy. News is on the way about the end of the preschool semester and how we continue to prepare for the new baby coming soon.
QUICK EDIT: I would totally like to thank my dear husband and many others who have believed in and supported me through all of this. It hasn't been an easy road for those walking beside me either!
I have, believe it or not, generally tried to avoid talking about my health on this blog. After Liam's birth it actually - gradually - improved versus what it had been before that and I found that focusing on what I could do was more encouraging, fun and energizing than focusing on the ways that my health still held me back. But it's still true that almost ten years ago now I developed symptoms of a frustrating illness with the lame official name of "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome." And without going into the full history at this point lets just say that great improvement still does not leave me with nearly the energy and stamina that I suspect that "normal," "healthy" people experience.
I started thinking about this today because I saw a quote on Facebook that reminded me so vividly of some of the emotional anguish I experienced when my symptoms were more severe and it was harder for me to pass myself off as a "normal" person. It said, "Lord please grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know were to hide the bodies of anyone who says, 'Your perfectly healthy, it's all in your head.'"
It's "sick" humor - the kind that anyone who's dealt with a chronic and especially an "invisible" illness immediately understands and relates to. Sorry if it seems just crabby and not at all funny. In a culture that values doing over being and generally believes that we control our own destinies accepting and learning to live with physical limitations can be a long journey that isn't always helped by the "can do" attitudes of people around us. We struggle with our own disappointments and don't have energy left to help other people deal with theirs.
Becoming a mom has actually been more of a blessing in my efforts to cope with illness than I would have predicted or expected. Days filled with diapers, snot and next to no sleep don't sound like an antidote for chronic exhaustion. But besides the fact that my physical symptoms did mysteriously improve I also found my struggles infused with a purpose they didn't have before. And smiling at those chubby little cheeks and amazing blue eyes a couple dozen times a day did eventually help me see the world as a brighter place.
So tomorrow or the next day I will be back to rambling about my sweet little boy. News is on the way about the end of the preschool semester and how we continue to prepare for the new baby coming soon.
QUICK EDIT: I would totally like to thank my dear husband and many others who have believed in and supported me through all of this. It hasn't been an easy road for those walking beside me either!
Monday, April 22, 2013
My World View on Earth Day
"Hey guys. At preschool we figured out that the earth spins. And we don't feel it."
"It's earth day, so we shouldn't throw litter on the ground."
These charming sayings by my child would probably warm my heart even more if I weren't feeling stressed out by trying to get him to do pretty much anything in a timely manner. We did make it to the doctor's appointment in time. That even went pretty well. I think I can cross "find a new pediatrician" off the list of things to do before the new baby comes.
But then we had about an hour for Liam to eat lunch and use the bathroom before we needed to leave to get him to preschool on time. During this interval I started to think fondly of the benefits of adopting fatalism as my over-riding life philosophy. Then while my child discusses at length the pattern he's going to use to eat his jam sandwich and banana ("half a banana, half a sandwich, half a banana, half a....." at which point I can't help but point out how many sandwiches would be involved) or when he insists that his tummy hurts and he needs to take a play break before eating more, or when he spends 20 minutes on the toilet and then insists that he can't possibly be done because he's pooping at this very moment I could chalk it up to karma and possibly continue to breathe at the same even pace I was using before. And when, at the exact moment the preschool is supposed to be starting he is still pulling up his pants and washing his hands maybe I could just assume that we were supposed to be late and that his teachers would understand because they too would know that the events of the universe are out of our control and it's useless to chafe against them.
Instead, I'm left with a scientific, western world view that uses genetics and environment to explain my child's behavior. And either way, it's pretty much my fault and my responsibility to fix it. Or at least to take deep breaths, try to unclench my jaw and gently move him toward the goal with the hope that some day the lessons of "stay on track" and doing what it takes to get some place in a timely manner will sink in and he too will accept the premise that he is in charge of his own destiny and can influence, if not control the future. I believe at moments like this that it's impossible for me not to brainwash my child.
I guess I should be wishing that I was "better" at practicing the spiritual beliefs I actually do ascribe to - trusting in God to give me strength and patience and to enable me to get through the situation by His grace. But I have decided that trying to be a better Christian is a burden I can't carry and probably a goal that has kept me from really enjoying my relationship with Christ, and benefiting from it as much as He'd like for much of my life. And honestly, I'm not sure what most of what I said about trusting God to give me strength actually means. I'm not sure how that differs from just taking the next breath and doing the next thing and trying to focus on how precious my son is to me rather than on how much I want to manhandle him into the car while explaining as loudly as I can how frustrating his behavior is to me. Maybe it's my western world view blocking my access to the spiritual world again, but short of showing up in person to take my child to preschool (which I'm sure He would be able to do on time) or sending a surrogate to do it, it's hard for me to see how God is, in a practical sense, helping me through this moment.
But I can believe that God cares about the frustration I'm experiencing at these moments. I do feel comforted by the idea that He deals with me with infinitely more patience than I can ever muster in my dealings with my child. And that whether or not, on some distant day, I can see that it was all worth the hassles because of this awesome human being who came out of this process, that God sees my effort and the intent of my heart and that He treasures me - even when I roll my eyes for the hundredth time, take another deep breath, and speak as quietly as I can to avoid yelling at the top of my breath.
"It's earth day, so we shouldn't throw litter on the ground."
These charming sayings by my child would probably warm my heart even more if I weren't feeling stressed out by trying to get him to do pretty much anything in a timely manner. We did make it to the doctor's appointment in time. That even went pretty well. I think I can cross "find a new pediatrician" off the list of things to do before the new baby comes.
But then we had about an hour for Liam to eat lunch and use the bathroom before we needed to leave to get him to preschool on time. During this interval I started to think fondly of the benefits of adopting fatalism as my over-riding life philosophy. Then while my child discusses at length the pattern he's going to use to eat his jam sandwich and banana ("half a banana, half a sandwich, half a banana, half a....." at which point I can't help but point out how many sandwiches would be involved) or when he insists that his tummy hurts and he needs to take a play break before eating more, or when he spends 20 minutes on the toilet and then insists that he can't possibly be done because he's pooping at this very moment I could chalk it up to karma and possibly continue to breathe at the same even pace I was using before. And when, at the exact moment the preschool is supposed to be starting he is still pulling up his pants and washing his hands maybe I could just assume that we were supposed to be late and that his teachers would understand because they too would know that the events of the universe are out of our control and it's useless to chafe against them.
Instead, I'm left with a scientific, western world view that uses genetics and environment to explain my child's behavior. And either way, it's pretty much my fault and my responsibility to fix it. Or at least to take deep breaths, try to unclench my jaw and gently move him toward the goal with the hope that some day the lessons of "stay on track" and doing what it takes to get some place in a timely manner will sink in and he too will accept the premise that he is in charge of his own destiny and can influence, if not control the future. I believe at moments like this that it's impossible for me not to brainwash my child.
I guess I should be wishing that I was "better" at practicing the spiritual beliefs I actually do ascribe to - trusting in God to give me strength and patience and to enable me to get through the situation by His grace. But I have decided that trying to be a better Christian is a burden I can't carry and probably a goal that has kept me from really enjoying my relationship with Christ, and benefiting from it as much as He'd like for much of my life. And honestly, I'm not sure what most of what I said about trusting God to give me strength actually means. I'm not sure how that differs from just taking the next breath and doing the next thing and trying to focus on how precious my son is to me rather than on how much I want to manhandle him into the car while explaining as loudly as I can how frustrating his behavior is to me. Maybe it's my western world view blocking my access to the spiritual world again, but short of showing up in person to take my child to preschool (which I'm sure He would be able to do on time) or sending a surrogate to do it, it's hard for me to see how God is, in a practical sense, helping me through this moment.
But I can believe that God cares about the frustration I'm experiencing at these moments. I do feel comforted by the idea that He deals with me with infinitely more patience than I can ever muster in my dealings with my child. And that whether or not, on some distant day, I can see that it was all worth the hassles because of this awesome human being who came out of this process, that God sees my effort and the intent of my heart and that He treasures me - even when I roll my eyes for the hundredth time, take another deep breath, and speak as quietly as I can to avoid yelling at the top of my breath.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Reporting Back
So of course Liam had a great time at the birthday party. It was a little cold and windy, but felt good in the sun. Liam's favorite part was when he went down the big slide all by himself. He also enjoyed playing with the birthday boy.
Other highlights included a hitting a pinata, playing leap frog and chasing bubbles. He was excited to get a particularly icing laden cupcake, but discovered that he liked the cake part better than the icing and didn't like getting the icing on his hands. He was very happy to get to bring a couple of balloons home.
Other highlights included a hitting a pinata, playing leap frog and chasing bubbles. He was excited to get a particularly icing laden cupcake, but discovered that he liked the cake part better than the icing and didn't like getting the icing on his hands. He was very happy to get to bring a couple of balloons home.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Good News - Bad News
Today was a "good news/bad news" kind of day:
Good News - It wasn't raining. Sunny even.
Bad News - Still cold and windy.
GN - Got Liam to the park in time for the birthday party.
BN - Should have double checked the invitation. Party's tomorrow. Tears.
GN - Weather is supposed to be warmer and nicer tomorrow.
BN - Liam didn't get to play at the park today. Still. Tears.
GN - He got to snuggle with Daddy and watch him play Facebook games. Eventually he even got into the "good news/bad news" game and got to giggling about it. Eventually he settled down and did the 100 piece puzzle - again. (The first time no one but him got to see it completed. I was in the bathroom and he decided to take it apart and try again before I got out.) We even took pictures. He wasn't too excited about taking the pictures. He said that if people wanted to see they could come here. We pointed out that some people, like Grammy and Grandpa are too far away. He obliged.
Also, from earlier in the day, here are some pictures of him jamming on his electric "guitar" which I think are too cute to miss. He says he wants one with strings, but that has a little lever on it like on this toy one that actually plays songs when you move it up and down.
In other bad news, the boy had a grumpy tummy again today. Strawberries and grapes for supper last night this time. He seems to have very sensitive digestive system, which I'm sure he got from me. We have an appointment with a new pediatrician on Monday - just a check up mostly to get the paperwork done for kindergarten - so we'll see if she has anything to say about it. By the end of the day Liam claimed that all he did was "play and poop."
In the good news category I did something extremely unusual for me today and actually altered a shirt I bought over the internet. The bad news had been that it was not returnable and had very tight sleeves. The good news is that it was made in India and had generous seem allowance. The bad news was that the shirt was dyed after it was sewn and undoing the seems revealed a lighter area. Good news: I was able to turn the seems under and leave the cuffs open. I think it will look fine and be more comfortable.
Also in the good news category was some great "honey do" stuff that Allen got done around the house. Although we don't, at the moment, have an actual list. I really appreciate seeing stuff that can be "crossed off" since I am starting to feel like the time between now and when the baby comes is going to really fly!
Good News - It wasn't raining. Sunny even.
Bad News - Still cold and windy.
GN - Got Liam to the park in time for the birthday party.
BN - Should have double checked the invitation. Party's tomorrow. Tears.
GN - Weather is supposed to be warmer and nicer tomorrow.
BN - Liam didn't get to play at the park today. Still. Tears.
GN - He got to snuggle with Daddy and watch him play Facebook games. Eventually he even got into the "good news/bad news" game and got to giggling about it. Eventually he settled down and did the 100 piece puzzle - again. (The first time no one but him got to see it completed. I was in the bathroom and he decided to take it apart and try again before I got out.) We even took pictures. He wasn't too excited about taking the pictures. He said that if people wanted to see they could come here. We pointed out that some people, like Grammy and Grandpa are too far away. He obliged.
Also, from earlier in the day, here are some pictures of him jamming on his electric "guitar" which I think are too cute to miss. He says he wants one with strings, but that has a little lever on it like on this toy one that actually plays songs when you move it up and down.
In other bad news, the boy had a grumpy tummy again today. Strawberries and grapes for supper last night this time. He seems to have very sensitive digestive system, which I'm sure he got from me. We have an appointment with a new pediatrician on Monday - just a check up mostly to get the paperwork done for kindergarten - so we'll see if she has anything to say about it. By the end of the day Liam claimed that all he did was "play and poop."
In the good news category I did something extremely unusual for me today and actually altered a shirt I bought over the internet. The bad news had been that it was not returnable and had very tight sleeves. The good news is that it was made in India and had generous seem allowance. The bad news was that the shirt was dyed after it was sewn and undoing the seems revealed a lighter area. Good news: I was able to turn the seems under and leave the cuffs open. I think it will look fine and be more comfortable.
Also in the good news category was some great "honey do" stuff that Allen got done around the house. Although we don't, at the moment, have an actual list. I really appreciate seeing stuff that can be "crossed off" since I am starting to feel like the time between now and when the baby comes is going to really fly!
Friday, April 19, 2013
What Are We Going to Do?
Liam's standard question, when I'm picking him up from preschool is "What are we going to do when we get home?" It seems like I hear some variation of this question at least half a dozen times a day. I try to convince him that I can't predict the future, and I'm not his personal activity coordinator, but since I do control so much of where he goes and what he does I guess it's kind of a hard sell.
It's amazing, too, when I don't have something lined up for him to do, and don't give in and let him play computer games or watch a video, or we don't go outside or to the library or read a book or play a game how often he can actually come up with something fun and creative to do on his own. Although he pretty much never stops angling to find a way to get me involved I think that he enjoys playing on his own more than he would like to admit.
Which is good, because lately I haven't had much energy for joining in his play. Today has been one of those days when I wake up feeling groggy and exhausted and progress to exhausted and foggy. Being six months pregnant has something to do with it, but I really almost never have as much energy as I'd like to have.
So what does Liam do when he's forced to actually play with his toys? Today one of his projects was to bury me in blocks. Then he documented it. From several different angles, most of which are actually a little confusing. Here are a few shots.
And one of the part of me that wasn't, at that point, covered with blocks. By the way, how did we get back to jeans and a chunky sweater weather? The wind was actually audibly howling around the house most of last night and today and we actually had something somewhere between snow and freezing rain falling this evening. I hope it improves by tomorrow because the much discussed birthday party is supposed to be held at the park!
It's amazing, too, when I don't have something lined up for him to do, and don't give in and let him play computer games or watch a video, or we don't go outside or to the library or read a book or play a game how often he can actually come up with something fun and creative to do on his own. Although he pretty much never stops angling to find a way to get me involved I think that he enjoys playing on his own more than he would like to admit.
Which is good, because lately I haven't had much energy for joining in his play. Today has been one of those days when I wake up feeling groggy and exhausted and progress to exhausted and foggy. Being six months pregnant has something to do with it, but I really almost never have as much energy as I'd like to have.
So what does Liam do when he's forced to actually play with his toys? Today one of his projects was to bury me in blocks. Then he documented it. From several different angles, most of which are actually a little confusing. Here are a few shots.
And one of the part of me that wasn't, at that point, covered with blocks. By the way, how did we get back to jeans and a chunky sweater weather? The wind was actually audibly howling around the house most of last night and today and we actually had something somewhere between snow and freezing rain falling this evening. I hope it improves by tomorrow because the much discussed birthday party is supposed to be held at the park!
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Music Class
I've mentioned a few times that Liam has music class on Wednesday mornings. So yesterday I took some pictures of the class so you can get an idea of what goes on. His teacher, "Miss Susan" teaches piano at "The Studio Connection" locally. She also teaches classes for toddlers and preschoolers using the "Musikgarten" curriculum. I really like this program. Liam took a couple of the classes when he was a little tot and is now taking some that are designed to help his age group learn about rhythms, instruments, musical notation.....probably even more that he's learning mostly without even realizing it because the class involves lots of movement and hands on experience. He always enjoys it.
The classes for younger kids are designed to have the parents in the room the whole time which is great because it allows really young kids to participate and also helps parents learn ways to expose their children to music. For the class he's taking now parents come in for a short time at the end of the class to hear about what they covered and participate in some singing/dancing/ instrument use.... whatever the day's lesson calls for.
The new concept this week in the music notation category was the "rest." Teaching preschoolers to pause and be quiet is pretty ambitious! Joseph, on the right, is the other child taking this particular class.
Joseph takes a turn while his mom watches.
Liam is combining tones and rhythm while accompanying Miss Susan's singing. I'm not sure where we'll go next with Liam's music education, but I'm happy that he has this strong foundation!
The classes for younger kids are designed to have the parents in the room the whole time which is great because it allows really young kids to participate and also helps parents learn ways to expose their children to music. For the class he's taking now parents come in for a short time at the end of the class to hear about what they covered and participate in some singing/dancing/ instrument use.... whatever the day's lesson calls for.
The new concept this week in the music notation category was the "rest." Teaching preschoolers to pause and be quiet is pretty ambitious! Joseph, on the right, is the other child taking this particular class.
Joseph takes a turn while his mom watches.
Liam is combining tones and rhythm while accompanying Miss Susan's singing. I'm not sure where we'll go next with Liam's music education, but I'm happy that he has this strong foundation!
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Birthday Parties
I don't like to complain. Actually, I love to complain, and I'm about to(which is what people usually mean when they say they don't like to complain). I try not to complain much on my blog because it's not very entertaining and it doesn't really help my outlook on life in general. But right now I'm going to complain about the general topic of birthday parties for young children.
Why isn't there a manual for how kid's birthday parties are supposed to work? What kind of gift is my son supposed to bring? Should I send him hungry, or having eaten already? Am I supposed to stay, or drop him off and leave? Since no one else has a manual (to my knowledge - if there actually is one and I've missed this fact someone PLEASE fill me in!) every parent is left to figure these things out and the answers seem to be different for every party. Whatever lessons I learned from the last party only partly apply to the next one.
I do not in any way want to knock the parents of the other kids in Liam's preschool who've had birthday parties for their kids and invited Liam. These have been parties that are planned with a clear understanding of the needs and desires of preschoolers. They have contained no hint of one upmanship, a reasonable amount of time and activities that leave my child satisfied, but not on the brink of throwing a screaming, rolling on the floor fit at the smallest disappointment. These are qualities I greatly appreciate in a birthday party.
And really, Liam seems to have no awareness of the possibility of mishandling a social situation. He just picks and wraps a gift and shows up ready to have fun. Right. Picks a gift. With a little help from Mom and Dad. A lot of help really. I believe that was on my original list of questions. I know what it's like to have an influx of new toys. Great for the kid, but where do they all go? Does this mean that as a parent I have to try to figure out what toys to get rid of? I think of this as I try to pick a present. Putting myself in the other parent's shoes. Also, what is the child interested in? What do they want?
These last questions can sort of be answered by Liam these days. For the party coming up this weekend he informed me that his friend likes Thor. A helpful preschool teacher also added Green Lantern to the list. So we headed to the big everything-for-cheap store with me very optimistic that this would be a quick trip and I would be able to make a stop at Hobby Lobby.
Good thing I did the birthday present part first. It turns out that the average consumer does not have the memory or attention (or obsessed interests) of a preschooler. Both Thor and Green Lantern have fallen from grace in the otherwise well-supplied super hero supplied section of the toy aisles. Ninja Turtles, Spider Man, Bat Man, Captain America, Transformers and professional wrestler figures for crying out loud, but no Thor or Green Lantern. The guy in the tech department turned out to be surprisingly knowledgeable on the topic and I was able to find a mangled slinger-thrower thingy in the clearance section that I was not about to send to a preschool birthday party.
Part way through this search I began to seriously contemplate grabbing the next bit of creatively shaped plastic that presented itself to my view and bolting. Unfortunately Liam had caught on to my well meaning intention of getting a thoughtful gift that his friend would like. He even began to plan how he would approach his friend and ask him what else he liked besides these two super heroes. Last chance: the book section. Score. Finally. Two books, a coloring book and two drinking cups. Hopefully the subject matter will make up for the fact that he is, in fact, getting books as a gift.
So this type of thing probably just points out that I'm taking my son's social life (and myself) a little too seriously. It's much more important that my OB appointment this morning went well, with all signs pointing to a healthy, growing baby and a reasonably healthy me. And after listening to a father in a radio interview describing his reaction to losing a child and dealing with injured family members in the recent attack in Boston I am able to be at least a little glad that I have the privileged of having this kind of petty frustration in my life. But these are the moments that make up our days, so there you have it.
Here, for your entertainment, is a picture from Liam's fourth birthday which we had the pleasure of celebrating with his cousins Ben and Ruth and my dear brother and sister-in-law. In future years a summer birthday may get complicated, but for now it's nice that we can spend it at the zoo and keep things very casual.
Why isn't there a manual for how kid's birthday parties are supposed to work? What kind of gift is my son supposed to bring? Should I send him hungry, or having eaten already? Am I supposed to stay, or drop him off and leave? Since no one else has a manual (to my knowledge - if there actually is one and I've missed this fact someone PLEASE fill me in!) every parent is left to figure these things out and the answers seem to be different for every party. Whatever lessons I learned from the last party only partly apply to the next one.
I do not in any way want to knock the parents of the other kids in Liam's preschool who've had birthday parties for their kids and invited Liam. These have been parties that are planned with a clear understanding of the needs and desires of preschoolers. They have contained no hint of one upmanship, a reasonable amount of time and activities that leave my child satisfied, but not on the brink of throwing a screaming, rolling on the floor fit at the smallest disappointment. These are qualities I greatly appreciate in a birthday party.
And really, Liam seems to have no awareness of the possibility of mishandling a social situation. He just picks and wraps a gift and shows up ready to have fun. Right. Picks a gift. With a little help from Mom and Dad. A lot of help really. I believe that was on my original list of questions. I know what it's like to have an influx of new toys. Great for the kid, but where do they all go? Does this mean that as a parent I have to try to figure out what toys to get rid of? I think of this as I try to pick a present. Putting myself in the other parent's shoes. Also, what is the child interested in? What do they want?
These last questions can sort of be answered by Liam these days. For the party coming up this weekend he informed me that his friend likes Thor. A helpful preschool teacher also added Green Lantern to the list. So we headed to the big everything-for-cheap store with me very optimistic that this would be a quick trip and I would be able to make a stop at Hobby Lobby.
Good thing I did the birthday present part first. It turns out that the average consumer does not have the memory or attention (or obsessed interests) of a preschooler. Both Thor and Green Lantern have fallen from grace in the otherwise well-supplied super hero supplied section of the toy aisles. Ninja Turtles, Spider Man, Bat Man, Captain America, Transformers and professional wrestler figures for crying out loud, but no Thor or Green Lantern. The guy in the tech department turned out to be surprisingly knowledgeable on the topic and I was able to find a mangled slinger-thrower thingy in the clearance section that I was not about to send to a preschool birthday party.
Part way through this search I began to seriously contemplate grabbing the next bit of creatively shaped plastic that presented itself to my view and bolting. Unfortunately Liam had caught on to my well meaning intention of getting a thoughtful gift that his friend would like. He even began to plan how he would approach his friend and ask him what else he liked besides these two super heroes. Last chance: the book section. Score. Finally. Two books, a coloring book and two drinking cups. Hopefully the subject matter will make up for the fact that he is, in fact, getting books as a gift.
So this type of thing probably just points out that I'm taking my son's social life (and myself) a little too seriously. It's much more important that my OB appointment this morning went well, with all signs pointing to a healthy, growing baby and a reasonably healthy me. And after listening to a father in a radio interview describing his reaction to losing a child and dealing with injured family members in the recent attack in Boston I am able to be at least a little glad that I have the privileged of having this kind of petty frustration in my life. But these are the moments that make up our days, so there you have it.
Here, for your entertainment, is a picture from Liam's fourth birthday which we had the pleasure of celebrating with his cousins Ben and Ruth and my dear brother and sister-in-law. In future years a summer birthday may get complicated, but for now it's nice that we can spend it at the zoo and keep things very casual.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Puzzled
On the way to the curling event on Saturday we drove by an old cemetery. Liam thought it was a park and we got into a discussion of what a cemetery is. On the way home he started asking questions about what happens when someone dies. He wanted to know if people feel sad. I told them that sometimes they do, but if someone has lived a long life and has been tired and sick for a long time then people understand that it's time for them to go and be with God. (Major oversimplifications here, I know.) Then he asked about the death of a person who was young and not sick. I said that when a person dies young people are likely to feel more sad because of all that could have still happened in that person's life. He said, "Like Martin Luther King Jr.!"
I said, "Yes, it was sad when Martin Luther King Jr. died because he was still young and could have done lots of good things in his life."
Liam said, "But then Harry Potter came!"
I laughed. He added, "A lot later."
I didn't try to find out what the tie in was. I'm not sure why he knows about Harry Potter. He says he learned at preschool. I can't figure out what the context is, though. He seems to think that Harry Potter is a girl.
I mentioned in my last post that Liam spent part of the day Saturday doing puzzles. We've been working on a puzzle for most of the week actually. He wanted to do a really big puzzle, so we got out a 750 piece one from the attic. It was in chunks in the the box and when he started to take out the chunks in tact I figured "what's the harm in hurrying the process?" As we worked on the big puzzle he dreamed up a scheme of putting all the small puzzles he has together in the space around the completed puzzle. Which is what he did. He has a couple of new puzzles. I could see that he was ready for something beyond the twelve piece ones we already had, so we went to the dollar store and got a 24 piece and a couple of 48 piece puzzles. We probably should have skipped directly to the 100 piece-ers. But he is still interested in working these smaller ones and doesn't get frustrated doing them, so maybe it was worth it.
He wanted to make sure to document this project by taking pictures. He planned to take lots of pictures "from different angles." We had to work hard to convince him to be far enough from the surface of the puzzles to get anything other than a glare from the flash.
I said, "Yes, it was sad when Martin Luther King Jr. died because he was still young and could have done lots of good things in his life."
Liam said, "But then Harry Potter came!"
I laughed. He added, "A lot later."
I didn't try to find out what the tie in was. I'm not sure why he knows about Harry Potter. He says he learned at preschool. I can't figure out what the context is, though. He seems to think that Harry Potter is a girl.
I mentioned in my last post that Liam spent part of the day Saturday doing puzzles. We've been working on a puzzle for most of the week actually. He wanted to do a really big puzzle, so we got out a 750 piece one from the attic. It was in chunks in the the box and when he started to take out the chunks in tact I figured "what's the harm in hurrying the process?" As we worked on the big puzzle he dreamed up a scheme of putting all the small puzzles he has together in the space around the completed puzzle. Which is what he did. He has a couple of new puzzles. I could see that he was ready for something beyond the twelve piece ones we already had, so we went to the dollar store and got a 24 piece and a couple of 48 piece puzzles. We probably should have skipped directly to the 100 piece-ers. But he is still interested in working these smaller ones and doesn't get frustrated doing them, so maybe it was worth it.
He wanted to make sure to document this project by taking pictures. He planned to take lots of pictures "from different angles." We had to work hard to convince him to be far enough from the surface of the puzzles to get anything other than a glare from the flash.
He did eventually accept the reasoning that since he had gone to all the trouble of doing all the puzzles at the same time it would be a good idea to get some shots that showed several puzzles at the same time.
And finally, a shot of the planner and his project.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Curling Surprise
Yesterday was Allen's last curling event of the season. Curling, if you've never had the pleasure of witnessing it, is a sport involving pushing large granite rocks down a sheet of ice towards some concentric circles. Sort of like shuffle board on ice. It's a team sport. It was invented by Scottish people and while drinking is not actually part of the game it seems to be an important aspect of the sport - not that Allen plays for that reason!
Since Allen was gong to be gone most of the day and I thought I might need the car I decided to get ready in time to not only drop him off, but also go in so that Liam could see first hand what curling is all about. He was pretty excited about the surprise - in the car on the way there. I think that the ice arena, which was pretty busy with ice skaters, and the curling area, which was populated with people who were very friendly but he had never met before, was a little intimidating for Liam. He was pretty happy to hold my hand most of the time.
He stepped out on the ice briefly with Allen. No slipping. Allen's holding a "broom" which is used during the game to "sweep" or rub the ice in an effort to change the direction or speed of the rock as it moves.
Here Liam is watching from the viewing area. He pretty quickly decided that watching rocks slide back and forth across the ice wasn't actually too interesting. He did get to eat a doughnut, though. Tim Horton's, which he said was better than the ones he gets at church.
Here Allen is getting "down in the hack," ready to throw a rock. It's a little tricky to get good shots of the game, actually.
Liam also found out, from another member of the league, that a welding shop in a nearby town has a real truck that's the same model as "Mater" from the movie "Cars" and has been fixed up to look like him. Liam was very disappointed that we didn't go and find this treasure that very same day. Instead we went home and Liam played Nick Jr. games and did puzzles while I crashed on the couch. We ended up combining picking up Allen with a trip to the grocery store.
Since Allen was gong to be gone most of the day and I thought I might need the car I decided to get ready in time to not only drop him off, but also go in so that Liam could see first hand what curling is all about. He was pretty excited about the surprise - in the car on the way there. I think that the ice arena, which was pretty busy with ice skaters, and the curling area, which was populated with people who were very friendly but he had never met before, was a little intimidating for Liam. He was pretty happy to hold my hand most of the time.
He stepped out on the ice briefly with Allen. No slipping. Allen's holding a "broom" which is used during the game to "sweep" or rub the ice in an effort to change the direction or speed of the rock as it moves.
Here Liam is watching from the viewing area. He pretty quickly decided that watching rocks slide back and forth across the ice wasn't actually too interesting. He did get to eat a doughnut, though. Tim Horton's, which he said was better than the ones he gets at church.
Here Allen is getting "down in the hack," ready to throw a rock. It's a little tricky to get good shots of the game, actually.
Liam also found out, from another member of the league, that a welding shop in a nearby town has a real truck that's the same model as "Mater" from the movie "Cars" and has been fixed up to look like him. Liam was very disappointed that we didn't go and find this treasure that very same day. Instead we went home and Liam played Nick Jr. games and did puzzles while I crashed on the couch. We ended up combining picking up Allen with a trip to the grocery store.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
School Days
I registered Liam for kindergarten in the public school system this week. I'm not that excited about putting Liam into public school. We've looked at a couple of private ones in the area, but finances are a factor right now. Some of my readers are probably thinking "home school!" and I see the point, but Liam loves being with friends so much and with the new baby coming I just don't think it's an option for us right now. So I started jumping through the hoops. Made the appointment. Found most of the documents they wanted. Finally found the area in the high school where registration was being done. While Liam was demonstrating that he knows pretty much all the letters, colors, numbers, shapes and how to write his first name (didn't know rhombus) I started putting our names, addresses and telephone numbers on about 15 different forms. Including the busing form, which is interesting because they haven't even told us which elementary school he will be going to and I don't know if he will be morning or afternoon, so how can I possibly figure out if he will ride the bus and if so which one. It's a good thing I have naturally low blood pressure because I can feel it rising again even as I type.
It will be fine. Liam will do great in school. But after almost two years of an awesome preschool - with lots of adult interaction and so many great resources - I'm dreading the change. So lets just focus for a moment on the preschool he's in right now. Last night was the "art show" for his class, as well as a chance for the college students who get teaching experience in his classroom to show the units they designed and taught. We were a little rushed because Allen had a curling game to get to, but Liam still managed to achieve his goal of eating a cookie with a music note on it and participating in the "activities" the teachers had set up. He managed to put his own twist on pretty much every activity they had.
Printing with vegetables and paint. Pretty straight forward right? (Other than me hovering nearby thinking that it had been a bad idea after all to let him wear his "spiffy" clothes.) I guess I stopped taking pictures right before he started to slide the apple around the page and mix the colors. Not a recognizable vegetable shape in the finished product. He said, "This is very creative!"
Playing in colored rice in the "color" unit section. This one didn't have much of a goal, but he did demonstrate his love for digging and burying things.
Retelling the "Three Little Pigs Story." After he told the story he put all three "houses" in a tight row and pointed out that they would be much stronger that way.
Jumping on the trampoline. The kids each jumped 100 times on Thursday for part of their "100 Days of School" party. The boy who jumped before Liam tried to demonstrate, but that wasn't part of Liam's plan. He just wanted to enjoy the action. This unit was actually about growing - plants and what helps people grow. They had a nice snack selection of raw veggies and dip. Liam took a few veggies including some strips of sweet pepper. I was concerned about getting done in time, so I suggested that he share a few with his dad. "OK," he said. "But not these peppers. They're sweet!"
So I just hope that if part of Liam's strategy for dealing with kindergarten is to find his own twist on whatever activity they are doing that his teacher has a sense of humor and likes creativity.
It will be fine. Liam will do great in school. But after almost two years of an awesome preschool - with lots of adult interaction and so many great resources - I'm dreading the change. So lets just focus for a moment on the preschool he's in right now. Last night was the "art show" for his class, as well as a chance for the college students who get teaching experience in his classroom to show the units they designed and taught. We were a little rushed because Allen had a curling game to get to, but Liam still managed to achieve his goal of eating a cookie with a music note on it and participating in the "activities" the teachers had set up. He managed to put his own twist on pretty much every activity they had.
Printing with vegetables and paint. Pretty straight forward right? (Other than me hovering nearby thinking that it had been a bad idea after all to let him wear his "spiffy" clothes.) I guess I stopped taking pictures right before he started to slide the apple around the page and mix the colors. Not a recognizable vegetable shape in the finished product. He said, "This is very creative!"
Playing in colored rice in the "color" unit section. This one didn't have much of a goal, but he did demonstrate his love for digging and burying things.
Retelling the "Three Little Pigs Story." After he told the story he put all three "houses" in a tight row and pointed out that they would be much stronger that way.
Jumping on the trampoline. The kids each jumped 100 times on Thursday for part of their "100 Days of School" party. The boy who jumped before Liam tried to demonstrate, but that wasn't part of Liam's plan. He just wanted to enjoy the action. This unit was actually about growing - plants and what helps people grow. They had a nice snack selection of raw veggies and dip. Liam took a few veggies including some strips of sweet pepper. I was concerned about getting done in time, so I suggested that he share a few with his dad. "OK," he said. "But not these peppers. They're sweet!"
So I just hope that if part of Liam's strategy for dealing with kindergarten is to find his own twist on whatever activity they are doing that his teacher has a sense of humor and likes creativity.
Friday, April 12, 2013
The Faith of a Child
Liam's singing while putting puzzles together. The worlds include the phrases, "Tell me what you like about me. I really want you to love me. This is what I want you to do. I really want you to do this with me. This is what I love, what I really love best."
Today I have been reminded that I should be careful about getting my theology from the internet. (So read on at your own risk.) First I read a devotional, posted by a friend to Facebook talking about the third chapter of Romans which teaches us that we all fall short of God's righteousness and need to receive His forgiveness. No problem. This is an idea that I grew up with and it doesn't jangle my nerves.
But then I read this quote from another mom - posted in a group created for moms to share about challenges of parenting and to ask questions and share information and solutions: "My son is 4 and lies alot as well, I believe its to keep him out of trouble... So I've been teachin him that no matter what he has done if he tells the truth he won't get in trouble, there will always be consequences for his actions but no "punishment" I also tell him that Jesus doesn't like him to lie and it hurts his heart and makes Him very sad because he knows [my son] is a good boy and good boys don't lie."
Wow! That's a lot of theology in one guilt-inducing statement. It really got me thinking. What is my purpose in trying to mold my child's behavior? How does God feel when He sees a young child act in ways that are contrary to the moral ideals that are set out for us in scripture? How does He feel when I "fall short" of his righteousness in my actions - even though my faith has declared me "justified" in his eyes?
James 2:20 tells us that in spite of the fact that we are saved by faith, "faith without works is useless." (NASB) But from the context I would say that this teaches that true faith will result in actions that are consistent with what God wants us to do - not that our actions demonstrate to God that we are "good." The idea I see is that we can't compartmentalize what we believe - separate it from our actions.
Even the most sincere believer, though, sometimes "fails" to live up to the standards set out in scripture. After all, part of God's purpose in spelling out His righteousness is to impress on us that we can't live up to it on our own. So is God watching my behavior, responding with sadness and disappointment when I fall short? Or does He see the righteousness of Christ when He looks at me - secure in the knowledge that when my sanctification is complete I will reflect his image perfectly?
And back to the parenting question, how do I represent God to my child? Maybe the mother who shared this is more certain of the faith of her child than I am of mine. We read Bible stories to Liam and talk to him about what they mean. We pray with him every day and go to church with him regularly. We try to answer his questions about how God can be everywhere and invisible at the same time.
But I don't know if he understands concepts like righteousness and sin. I find that I tend to tread lightly when it comes to telling him what God expects of him or how the Bible describes "good" behavior. I believe that following God's standards of behavior will benefit anyone - the wisdom on Proverbs, for example, can be applied to many of life's experiences. But I don't want him to develop an externalized, behavior-based idea about how we relate to God. I'd rather that he think about God in terms of the song he sang this morning - someone he loves and is loved by. Someone he wants to do his favorite puzzles with.
Today I have been reminded that I should be careful about getting my theology from the internet. (So read on at your own risk.) First I read a devotional, posted by a friend to Facebook talking about the third chapter of Romans which teaches us that we all fall short of God's righteousness and need to receive His forgiveness. No problem. This is an idea that I grew up with and it doesn't jangle my nerves.
But then I read this quote from another mom - posted in a group created for moms to share about challenges of parenting and to ask questions and share information and solutions: "My son is 4 and lies alot as well, I believe its to keep him out of trouble... So I've been teachin him that no matter what he has done if he tells the truth he won't get in trouble, there will always be consequences for his actions but no "punishment" I also tell him that Jesus doesn't like him to lie and it hurts his heart and makes Him very sad because he knows [my son] is a good boy and good boys don't lie."
Wow! That's a lot of theology in one guilt-inducing statement. It really got me thinking. What is my purpose in trying to mold my child's behavior? How does God feel when He sees a young child act in ways that are contrary to the moral ideals that are set out for us in scripture? How does He feel when I "fall short" of his righteousness in my actions - even though my faith has declared me "justified" in his eyes?
James 2:20 tells us that in spite of the fact that we are saved by faith, "faith without works is useless." (NASB) But from the context I would say that this teaches that true faith will result in actions that are consistent with what God wants us to do - not that our actions demonstrate to God that we are "good." The idea I see is that we can't compartmentalize what we believe - separate it from our actions.
Even the most sincere believer, though, sometimes "fails" to live up to the standards set out in scripture. After all, part of God's purpose in spelling out His righteousness is to impress on us that we can't live up to it on our own. So is God watching my behavior, responding with sadness and disappointment when I fall short? Or does He see the righteousness of Christ when He looks at me - secure in the knowledge that when my sanctification is complete I will reflect his image perfectly?
And back to the parenting question, how do I represent God to my child? Maybe the mother who shared this is more certain of the faith of her child than I am of mine. We read Bible stories to Liam and talk to him about what they mean. We pray with him every day and go to church with him regularly. We try to answer his questions about how God can be everywhere and invisible at the same time.
But I don't know if he understands concepts like righteousness and sin. I find that I tend to tread lightly when it comes to telling him what God expects of him or how the Bible describes "good" behavior. I believe that following God's standards of behavior will benefit anyone - the wisdom on Proverbs, for example, can be applied to many of life's experiences. But I don't want him to develop an externalized, behavior-based idea about how we relate to God. I'd rather that he think about God in terms of the song he sang this morning - someone he loves and is loved by. Someone he wants to do his favorite puzzles with.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
An idle mind....is something we don't get much around here.
This morning on the way to music class Liam wanted to know if other preschool classes made "snow trees." Once I found out that a snow tree is a tree that kids have thrown snow at (seems obvious, but several other posibilities had presented themselves to my mind) I told him I thought they probably had. "Why?" he asks, ever suspicious it seems of my simple, confident answers.
"Well, lots of kids have snow and lots of kids have trees."
"Everyone has snow."
"Well, not everyone." (Why I felt it necessary to introduce this detail is now a mystery to me. It seems harmless at the moment, but....)
"Why not?"
"Well [I say this a lot I need a chance to think but have to let him know I'm going to say something so he doesn't keep asking over and over again] some places are too hot and some are too dry."
"Like the desert. Why doesn't it snow.... How do they make freezers in the desert?"
You see what I started here. We are now veering dangerously into territory I know nothing about.
"Well...Freezers are run by motors that use electricity."
"How is electricity made?"
Mercifully we had arrived at the school where his music class is held by this time and he was distracted by the presence of a truck with pictures of milk on it ("Oh, it's a dairy truck. It says 'dairy' on it." Absolutely true and no time for follow-up by me on how he figured that out.) It's not that I mind telling him that I just don't know something, but the truth is that sometimes I know something about the subject, but just feel too tired or distracted to try to figure out how to explain it and deal with the stream of related questions that will inevitably follow. Do you have any idea how many different aspects of life we just let flow by, on an average day, without considering why they happen or where they come from or how our lives would be different if they didn't happen? Lots. Take it from me.
On the way to preschool he wanted to know how they got all the radio stations into cars when they make them. I got through that one just by telling him that cars have radios that are designed to pick up all the radio stations. I think that the only reason I didn't end up in the confusing world of radio waves and broadcast towers is that he started thinking about our (usually) yearly trips to New Hampshire and how on long trips like that we listen to CDs because the music on the radio gets "scratchy." And then he was on to remembering sleeping in the tent and how we don't have much supper - which turned out on further discussion to mean breakfast ("Daddy had pieces of bread with syrup and I had some too.")
So I dropped him off at preschool and now for three hours they can deal with his questions. Although from what I've seen and heard he's usually so busy at preschool that he asks fewer questions. Actually I'm very grateful to them for filling him with lots of information so that he seems to spend some time mulling it over before coming up with his next round of interrogation...I mean questions.
"Well, lots of kids have snow and lots of kids have trees."
"Everyone has snow."
"Well, not everyone." (Why I felt it necessary to introduce this detail is now a mystery to me. It seems harmless at the moment, but....)
"Why not?"
"Well [I say this a lot I need a chance to think but have to let him know I'm going to say something so he doesn't keep asking over and over again] some places are too hot and some are too dry."
"Like the desert. Why doesn't it snow.... How do they make freezers in the desert?"
You see what I started here. We are now veering dangerously into territory I know nothing about.
"Well...Freezers are run by motors that use electricity."
"How is electricity made?"
Mercifully we had arrived at the school where his music class is held by this time and he was distracted by the presence of a truck with pictures of milk on it ("Oh, it's a dairy truck. It says 'dairy' on it." Absolutely true and no time for follow-up by me on how he figured that out.) It's not that I mind telling him that I just don't know something, but the truth is that sometimes I know something about the subject, but just feel too tired or distracted to try to figure out how to explain it and deal with the stream of related questions that will inevitably follow. Do you have any idea how many different aspects of life we just let flow by, on an average day, without considering why they happen or where they come from or how our lives would be different if they didn't happen? Lots. Take it from me.
On the way to preschool he wanted to know how they got all the radio stations into cars when they make them. I got through that one just by telling him that cars have radios that are designed to pick up all the radio stations. I think that the only reason I didn't end up in the confusing world of radio waves and broadcast towers is that he started thinking about our (usually) yearly trips to New Hampshire and how on long trips like that we listen to CDs because the music on the radio gets "scratchy." And then he was on to remembering sleeping in the tent and how we don't have much supper - which turned out on further discussion to mean breakfast ("Daddy had pieces of bread with syrup and I had some too.")
So I dropped him off at preschool and now for three hours they can deal with his questions. Although from what I've seen and heard he's usually so busy at preschool that he asks fewer questions. Actually I'm very grateful to them for filling him with lots of information so that he seems to spend some time mulling it over before coming up with his next round of interrogation...I mean questions.
Monday, April 8, 2013
We've been waiting for this day!
So I'm in the bathroom getting dressed when suddenly I hear loud crying coming from the living room. No crash or preliminary whimper - just loud, pitiful crying. "What's wrong Liam?" Crying. "What happened?" Finally I get a tearful explanation involving a Lego wheel and pinching. More crying. "Well," I say, "I'd come and give you a hug, but I'm mostly naked." "O.K." comes the tearful reply. "I'll wait."
Thankfully by the time I got done getting dressed he had calmed down. Turns out it wasn't even the standard little Legos, but the over-sized ones designed for very little children. Liam suggested that maybe these weren't a good toy and we should put them away. I suggested that if he wanted the wheels taken apart in the future he should let me do it. The logic of this was not immediately obvious to him.
We've had a few more meltdowns than usual over the last couple of days. The colds we started to get Friday have not gotten as bad as I thought they might, but Liam has had a runny nose and once complained of an uncomfortable feeling around his eye. This morning I was thinking of taking him to a friend's house, but he woke up claiming that his throat was too sore to eat his usual breakfast of a jelly sandwich and that he just wanted a banana. I try to be understanding about the meltdowns since I get pretty grumpy when I'm not feeling good too.
Liam would have liked to play outside on Saturday, but it wasn't that warm and since he was fighting a bug we kept him inside. He discovered (again, I think) that magnets will leave their shape on his magnetic drawing board. He made this arrangement and carefully removed each magnet. Then he wanted me to take a picture so I could put it on the blog. So hear it is.
Sunday was actually warm enough to be outside and even open up the sandbox. The first order of business was burying himself. Pretty easy with nice dry sand. Tricky to pose for the picture because of the bright sun, though.
The neighbors were also outside. They were using their power saw. Is much less bothered by loud noises these days, but that power saw noise - well, I think you can see how that went over.
He also built the first sandcastle of the season. We had to add some water to the sand to get it to actually pack well enough. Still, I don't think he got the definition he was hoping for. He was very happy, though that in spite of having only one door he was able to make a tunnel that went all the way through. And he insisted that I go inside and get "something red" that he could put on top of the stick. It's a good thing I brought the scissors, because it turned out that it had to be red and a triangle. Mission accomplished.
The warm, sunny weather seems to have been a bit of a tease. Although the forecast does call for warmer temperatures this week it also includes lots of rain. Liam was pretty happy to get to wear his fire fighter inspired raincoat. At preschool today the "Question of the Day" was "Do you like rain." Liam said "Yes. Because it makes lots and lots of mud!" Sigh.
Thankfully by the time I got done getting dressed he had calmed down. Turns out it wasn't even the standard little Legos, but the over-sized ones designed for very little children. Liam suggested that maybe these weren't a good toy and we should put them away. I suggested that if he wanted the wheels taken apart in the future he should let me do it. The logic of this was not immediately obvious to him.
We've had a few more meltdowns than usual over the last couple of days. The colds we started to get Friday have not gotten as bad as I thought they might, but Liam has had a runny nose and once complained of an uncomfortable feeling around his eye. This morning I was thinking of taking him to a friend's house, but he woke up claiming that his throat was too sore to eat his usual breakfast of a jelly sandwich and that he just wanted a banana. I try to be understanding about the meltdowns since I get pretty grumpy when I'm not feeling good too.
Liam would have liked to play outside on Saturday, but it wasn't that warm and since he was fighting a bug we kept him inside. He discovered (again, I think) that magnets will leave their shape on his magnetic drawing board. He made this arrangement and carefully removed each magnet. Then he wanted me to take a picture so I could put it on the blog. So hear it is.
Sunday was actually warm enough to be outside and even open up the sandbox. The first order of business was burying himself. Pretty easy with nice dry sand. Tricky to pose for the picture because of the bright sun, though.
The neighbors were also outside. They were using their power saw. Is much less bothered by loud noises these days, but that power saw noise - well, I think you can see how that went over.
He also built the first sandcastle of the season. We had to add some water to the sand to get it to actually pack well enough. Still, I don't think he got the definition he was hoping for. He was very happy, though that in spite of having only one door he was able to make a tunnel that went all the way through. And he insisted that I go inside and get "something red" that he could put on top of the stick. It's a good thing I brought the scissors, because it turned out that it had to be red and a triangle. Mission accomplished.
The warm, sunny weather seems to have been a bit of a tease. Although the forecast does call for warmer temperatures this week it also includes lots of rain. Liam was pretty happy to get to wear his fire fighter inspired raincoat. At preschool today the "Question of the Day" was "Do you like rain." Liam said "Yes. Because it makes lots and lots of mud!" Sigh.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Theology of Ears and some Creative Efforts
It seems that Liam and I have come down with a cold. Thankfully he doesn't have strep throat. I think that "little brother" is growing especially fast right now because I've been running even more exhausted than usual. So here's some of what's been going on lately with no real attempt to link any of it or make a point.
When Liam was going to bed the other night he wanted to know if God has a face. He said when he gets to heaven he'll look and see if God has a face, then when I get there he'll tell me. Then when we were praying he told God he wanted to know if He has a face. Liam said that God will come and whisper in his ear and tell him if He has a face. Liam says that little people can hear God better than big people. He says that God comes and has supper in his ear. Liam says that God eats the dead skin cells and ear wax in his ears.
Liam spent a couple of days making this tower. It contains all three sizes of linking plastic blocks he has. He wanted to make sure to document the final product, then made of video of himself destroying it.
When Liam was going to bed the other night he wanted to know if God has a face. He said when he gets to heaven he'll look and see if God has a face, then when I get there he'll tell me. Then when we were praying he told God he wanted to know if He has a face. Liam said that God will come and whisper in his ear and tell him if He has a face. Liam says that little people can hear God better than big people. He says that God comes and has supper in his ear. Liam says that God eats the dead skin cells and ear wax in his ears.
Liam spent a couple of days making this tower. It contains all three sizes of linking plastic blocks he has. He wanted to make sure to document the final product, then made of video of himself destroying it.
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| He likes to pose with a "friend." |
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| Here's a close up. It actually has an inside. |
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| And a few more architectural features. |
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| Here's one of my "creative efforts" lately. With the help of pricey chicken hotdogs and for the sake of feeding my child I have overcome an almost life-long aversion. I can't resist adding some veggies, though. Liam was very excited about the oven roasted mushrooms and didn't object to the zucchini. He ate the leftover veggies in a quesadilla today - insisting that just plain cheese was not good enough. The leftover hotdogs went into a cabbage and bean dish that we had last night. Liam ate three helpings of the cabbage and then got the chocolate ice cream he requested. |
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| Today he made this "sick diplodocus from Germany." He wanted to take a picture of it before he took it apart to make sure his dad gets to see it. Don't know what a diplodocus is? I recommend Google. |
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