That Travis Tritt song kept playing in my head today as I ran errands. Beautiful weather (thank you Jesus for the sunshine today!) fun errands, and it's Friday! This year in particular I've needed Spring to show up....sooner than later. The blah wintery months were sucking the JOY from my life. With spring comes new things...in the yard, on our social calendar, and in our closets! :)
Our yard is getting green, we've got new flowers already starting to sprout, the kids are outside every evening, and dinner time is getting later and later........hooray for warm weather! Isn't it fun to drag the flip flops out of the closet and start thinking about what color of flowers to plant this spring? Kate and I have already started talking about our color scheme for this year.
I also love that our calendar is getting filled up with activites...end of school stuff, softball x 2 girls, Royals baseball, church camp, swim lessons for both girls, Bible school, Vacations = JOY. Plan on lots of blog posts about our fun summer activities....that is IF I have time to sit down and type!
I love shopping for spring clothes....for the girls especially, and sometimes for myself too. With 3 girls, it is pretty easy to get stuck in a rut with hand-me-downs for Kate and Jane. I could buy a yacht with the money I would save if I could just not buy so much for the girls, but walking through the little girl stuff is torture....in a fun, brightly colored, usually embellished, girly way.
Today mom and I were on a mission to find the perfect Easter dress. Not for my kids, my girls already have Palm Sunday and Easter dresses, but for my friend's 4 month old daughter M'Brace. Baby M'Brace needs an Easter dress whether her parents know it or not. And who better to shop for a first Easter dress, than the woman with 3 girls and lots of dress shopping experience?! In other words I said "does M'Brace have an Easter dress?" "No? Well, she will now."
I came home with two dresses.
Tonight we celebrate my father-in-law's birthday with a family party....should be a great time. Happy Birthday Pops! The Mayor loves ya!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Hassle
Funny story. A few weeks ago we found out that a girls 8 and under softball team was being formed to play in a league over in Platte Co. The team was going to be "hand picked" and coached by the same guy that was Tess's coach last year. Great Guy. Dedicated guy. Long story short, we were asked if Tess has been asked to play on this team by another mom(whose daughter had been asked) and we had to admit we didn't even know this team existed. In other words...no, we hadn't been asked.
Later that afternoon, Andy and I both agreed that we felt "left out" by not being asked. Tess is no superstar, but she is certainly good enough to play with this group of girls. Even though we were disappointed, we knew that with Kate also playing this year, it would be such a hassle to have to drive Tess to Platte county for practices and games. It's totally out of our way, and on nights when I'm a single parent it would require outside help from the grandparents or carpooling with a friend. So it was really a blessing in disguise that we weren't asked, right?
A week later, we find out that the coach thought Tess was in the 3rd grade and too old to play in this league. We got a call from the mother who originally told us about the team saying that Coach Rob was excited to hear that Tess was still 8 and that if we wanted to play just give him a call.
We gave him a call.
Remember all the hassle we wanted to avoid? Turns out some of the obstacles won't be there......the practices will be in Kearney, and games in Platte Co are once a week. What changed our mind, you ask? Several things.
We were asked. That is a great boost to the parent self esteem. Secondly, we came to the realization that the older Tess gets, the more we are going to appreciate a good coach and good team mates to help her progress in sports. It is a lot of work to seek out these opportunities, so when they fall in your lap, you gotta take notice.
Hardest to realize is that our little girl is growing up and is getting to the age where sports are a little more than just having fun.......yes, fun is imperative to the process.....but so is learning the skills and team building. It feels good to be good at something. And it feels even better if you are surrounded by friends. This goes for the parents watching their kids. The families that we sat with last year along the sidelines, are the same ones we will be hangin' with this year.
I don't know what sport niche Tess is going to eventually find is her comfort zone. She has parents that genetically passed along coordination and enough natural ability to be average at most sports. She loves being a part of a team, but hasn't found a sport that just blows her mind.......she loved basketball this year and really excelled for it being her first exposure to the sport. However, she had her dad as a coach, and their team was waaaaay better than their competition. She has played softball the longest and enjoys it.....her parents love it, but not so sure that she does. This year might be a real telling summer for us, and her. The older she gets, and the more the focus turns from fun to competition, the easier it will be for her (and us) to say "no, thanks" to the multitude of activites that are out there, and focus on what truly brings her JOY.
Now, don't even get me started on all the "arts" that Tess could want to participate in........
Later that afternoon, Andy and I both agreed that we felt "left out" by not being asked. Tess is no superstar, but she is certainly good enough to play with this group of girls. Even though we were disappointed, we knew that with Kate also playing this year, it would be such a hassle to have to drive Tess to Platte county for practices and games. It's totally out of our way, and on nights when I'm a single parent it would require outside help from the grandparents or carpooling with a friend. So it was really a blessing in disguise that we weren't asked, right?
A week later, we find out that the coach thought Tess was in the 3rd grade and too old to play in this league. We got a call from the mother who originally told us about the team saying that Coach Rob was excited to hear that Tess was still 8 and that if we wanted to play just give him a call.
We gave him a call.
Remember all the hassle we wanted to avoid? Turns out some of the obstacles won't be there......the practices will be in Kearney, and games in Platte Co are once a week. What changed our mind, you ask? Several things.
We were asked. That is a great boost to the parent self esteem. Secondly, we came to the realization that the older Tess gets, the more we are going to appreciate a good coach and good team mates to help her progress in sports. It is a lot of work to seek out these opportunities, so when they fall in your lap, you gotta take notice.
Hardest to realize is that our little girl is growing up and is getting to the age where sports are a little more than just having fun.......yes, fun is imperative to the process.....but so is learning the skills and team building. It feels good to be good at something. And it feels even better if you are surrounded by friends. This goes for the parents watching their kids. The families that we sat with last year along the sidelines, are the same ones we will be hangin' with this year.
I don't know what sport niche Tess is going to eventually find is her comfort zone. She has parents that genetically passed along coordination and enough natural ability to be average at most sports. She loves being a part of a team, but hasn't found a sport that just blows her mind.......she loved basketball this year and really excelled for it being her first exposure to the sport. However, she had her dad as a coach, and their team was waaaaay better than their competition. She has played softball the longest and enjoys it.....her parents love it, but not so sure that she does. This year might be a real telling summer for us, and her. The older she gets, and the more the focus turns from fun to competition, the easier it will be for her (and us) to say "no, thanks" to the multitude of activites that are out there, and focus on what truly brings her JOY.
Now, don't even get me started on all the "arts" that Tess could want to participate in........
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Sight for Sore Eyes
Here is the scene from last night in our cul de sac! Count the kids! Nine! (minus Thomas and Isiah, the two boys that live at the other end that weren't home, but are usually out with us, Audrie from next door...and baby Khloe that was born late Saturday night, so she has an excuse.) This is what our street looks like every night during the spring, summer and fall. If you aren't outside, then you must not be home.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Finally!
My life of Bon Bons and complete relaxation has officially ended.
The repair guy finally came today and fixed the dryer. Can't say that I'm too sad, it was getting to be a real drag having to take laundry over to mom and dad's. Too much like college, without the college fun.
Why did it take so long you ask? (because you do want to know, right?)
I wish the heck I knew. I'm thinking we have a one of a kind dryer that requires parts from a small island in the Caspian Sea.
I actually don't know if such a place even exists....maybe that's why it took so long. They had to make the flippin' island first! Do I sound bitter? Cause I'm not. Nope. Not at all. But the name of the place that gave me two weeks without a dryer is called..............
AT YOU SERVICE APPLIANCE REPAIR, from North Kansas City.
Can anyone else smell the irony?
When the technician gave me my receipt he said "thank you ma'am" and Kate looked at me with a funny weird/shocked face and whispered "he called you ma'am!"
The Mayor is old enough to be called a "ma'am" now.
poop.
The repair guy finally came today and fixed the dryer. Can't say that I'm too sad, it was getting to be a real drag having to take laundry over to mom and dad's. Too much like college, without the college fun.
Why did it take so long you ask? (because you do want to know, right?)
I wish the heck I knew. I'm thinking we have a one of a kind dryer that requires parts from a small island in the Caspian Sea.
I actually don't know if such a place even exists....maybe that's why it took so long. They had to make the flippin' island first! Do I sound bitter? Cause I'm not. Nope. Not at all. But the name of the place that gave me two weeks without a dryer is called..............
AT YOU SERVICE APPLIANCE REPAIR, from North Kansas City.
Can anyone else smell the irony?
When the technician gave me my receipt he said "thank you ma'am" and Kate looked at me with a funny weird/shocked face and whispered "he called you ma'am!"
The Mayor is old enough to be called a "ma'am" now.
poop.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Bad Shirt....No, No!
Cause I'm pretty sure it's the shirt's fault that this happened.....AGAIN!
(see post from 2-16-10) 
So, do I toss the bad karma Dora shirt, or just start monitoring my kid better when she is within a mile of magic markers?Right.
The shirt is soooo outta here.
Friday, March 19, 2010
My Ear...Up close and personal
Just in case you are wondering how my ear is doing.....first of all, thank you for caring and secondly, here is a picture of my ear 3 weeks post surgery. It is soooooo much better. Still tender near the wound, but I don't have to wear a band-aid(thank you Jesus) and slept on my left side for the first time two nights ago(again, my thanks to Jesus).
My sincere thanks for all the prayers and thoughts. It has been awesome the number of people that have shown they care about my lil ol' ear.
My sincere thanks for all the prayers and thoughts. It has been awesome the number of people that have shown they care about my lil ol' ear.Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Dinner Theatre
I love my girls. Seriously. And I'm not just saying it because I have to.....
Tonight we ordered pizza(a rare treat) and ate it in the family room...on the new carpet(another rare treat, don't tell Andy!) and watched RAW ANATOMY on the National Geographic channel.
This is a show that dissects animals that have died for unknown reasons, for the purpose of education and research. Totally cool stuff. We watched as they peeled back skin, cut through bone, pulled out small and large intestines and went through the undigested food, explained the heart, lungs, stomach, brain, muscles and ligaments. They even discuss how the animal has evolved and adapted through the years to the structure that it is now. Did you know that whales used to have hind legs? They actually showed the residual hind legs that the whale has tucked up in its blubbler. Anyhoooo..
Such a great experience and learning/teaching opportunity for both the girls and me. When they would pull out an organ etc. I'd ask the girls to point to where their similar "part" is. Did I mention I have some crazy smart girls? I asked them at the beginning if they minded we watched the dissection while we ate, thinking it might gross them out. Nope. They were cool with it.
Wow, cool and smart.
Tonight we ordered pizza(a rare treat) and ate it in the family room...on the new carpet(another rare treat, don't tell Andy!) and watched RAW ANATOMY on the National Geographic channel.
This is a show that dissects animals that have died for unknown reasons, for the purpose of education and research. Totally cool stuff. We watched as they peeled back skin, cut through bone, pulled out small and large intestines and went through the undigested food, explained the heart, lungs, stomach, brain, muscles and ligaments. They even discuss how the animal has evolved and adapted through the years to the structure that it is now. Did you know that whales used to have hind legs? They actually showed the residual hind legs that the whale has tucked up in its blubbler. Anyhoooo..
Such a great experience and learning/teaching opportunity for both the girls and me. When they would pull out an organ etc. I'd ask the girls to point to where their similar "part" is. Did I mention I have some crazy smart girls? I asked them at the beginning if they minded we watched the dissection while we ate, thinking it might gross them out. Nope. They were cool with it.
Wow, cool and smart.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Whew...what a weekend!
What a great weekend this family had! It went by with a whirlwind of activity, and we are all dragging our rears this morning, but it was well worth it! Here is a quick recap of what kept this family movin' and groovin' for two days.
Saturday: Andy and I taught the EMT students at the firestation. His topic was Environmental emergencies....boo. My topic was Behavioral Emergencies....hooray! It was somewhat anxiety producing at first, but I felt it went well overall, and the students thanked me for coming....or maybe they were thanking me for finally leaving. Don't know, don't care.
After class we went to Tess's final basketball game. I haven't talked much about this bball adventure, but she has love love loved playing. It would not surprise me if this is a sport she wants to continue with for many years. She loves the constant moving, the team spirit, and has turned out to be a pretty decent ball handler....not to mention she can play some mean defense.
We had a couple more things that kept us busy that night---Andy played in an Upward coaches vs refs bball game, the KHS Bulldogs won the boys HS State bball Championship, and our Jayhawks won the Big 12 Tournament. It was a good Saturday.
Onto Sunday.....Started out bright and early, thanks to Daylight Savings Time, and it was Youth Sunday at church. I am one of the youth leaders, so I needed to be there early to lead! :) The two services went very well, and I continue to be amazed at how gifted the youth of our church are.....and when I say gifted, I'm talking about their spiritual gifts too.
After church, Andy and I headed out to celebrate Valentine's Day! The College Basketball Experience was a hit! Andy was really surprised, and we had a great time. There were some stops at Kansas Sampler, QT, and Target(cause we can't not stop at a Target, right?) and then we squealed our tires into the church parking lot just in time for the beginning of Tess's bball awards ceremony. Good times. We then broke several traffic laws to get Andy to his 7:30p bball game in Liberty. They won.
The night ended with us listening to my brother playing guitar and singing live on a local KC radio station KKFI, 90.1FM. I cannot begin to explain how proud I am of my brother's performance last night. He sounded amazing, and I hope this does great things for his future as a musician. I will try and post a sound video of the radio show sometime soon.
Monday, Monday. I have a crook in my neck, a frog in my throat, still not adjusted to the time change, and dirty laundry is piled so high that we lost Jane for an hour yesterday.
No, the dryer still isn't fixed.
The Mayor is starting to feel guilty walking by all these piles of dirty laundry.
Saturday: Andy and I taught the EMT students at the firestation. His topic was Environmental emergencies....boo. My topic was Behavioral Emergencies....hooray! It was somewhat anxiety producing at first, but I felt it went well overall, and the students thanked me for coming....or maybe they were thanking me for finally leaving. Don't know, don't care.
After class we went to Tess's final basketball game. I haven't talked much about this bball adventure, but she has love love loved playing. It would not surprise me if this is a sport she wants to continue with for many years. She loves the constant moving, the team spirit, and has turned out to be a pretty decent ball handler....not to mention she can play some mean defense.
We had a couple more things that kept us busy that night---Andy played in an Upward coaches vs refs bball game, the KHS Bulldogs won the boys HS State bball Championship, and our Jayhawks won the Big 12 Tournament. It was a good Saturday.
Onto Sunday.....Started out bright and early, thanks to Daylight Savings Time, and it was Youth Sunday at church. I am one of the youth leaders, so I needed to be there early to lead! :) The two services went very well, and I continue to be amazed at how gifted the youth of our church are.....and when I say gifted, I'm talking about their spiritual gifts too.
After church, Andy and I headed out to celebrate Valentine's Day! The College Basketball Experience was a hit! Andy was really surprised, and we had a great time. There were some stops at Kansas Sampler, QT, and Target(cause we can't not stop at a Target, right?) and then we squealed our tires into the church parking lot just in time for the beginning of Tess's bball awards ceremony. Good times. We then broke several traffic laws to get Andy to his 7:30p bball game in Liberty. They won.
The night ended with us listening to my brother playing guitar and singing live on a local KC radio station KKFI, 90.1FM. I cannot begin to explain how proud I am of my brother's performance last night. He sounded amazing, and I hope this does great things for his future as a musician. I will try and post a sound video of the radio show sometime soon.
Monday, Monday. I have a crook in my neck, a frog in my throat, still not adjusted to the time change, and dirty laundry is piled so high that we lost Jane for an hour yesterday.
No, the dryer still isn't fixed.
The Mayor is starting to feel guilty walking by all these piles of dirty laundry.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
It's Valentine's Day.....Martens Style!
Just a quick post to wish my hubby an early Happy Valentine's Day. Notice I didn't say "VD" (see post from 2-14) because that would just be yucky.
Anyway, tomorrow my sweetie and I are going to celebrate Valentine's Day by going to.......
***SPOILER ALERT****stop reading Andy or your surprise will be ruined!
The College Basketball Experience, then out to the Kansas Sampler for some new KU and Royals merchandise, somewhere for supper, and then home to our busy evening of basketball for both Tess and Andy. Wow.....are we romantic or what!?!
I don't care if it is a Sunday afternoon, I'm ready for a date with my Valentine.
Anyway, tomorrow my sweetie and I are going to celebrate Valentine's Day by going to.......
***SPOILER ALERT****stop reading Andy or your surprise will be ruined!
The College Basketball Experience, then out to the Kansas Sampler for some new KU and Royals merchandise, somewhere for supper, and then home to our busy evening of basketball for both Tess and Andy. Wow.....are we romantic or what!?!
I don't care if it is a Sunday afternoon, I'm ready for a date with my Valentine.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Hooray for today!
Today is turning out to be a great day. Yes, there are clouds in the sky. Yes, I have a sore ear and a stuffed up nose. Yes, I really need to go to the grocery store because the cupboards are bare....... However, today for the first time in a long time(maybe ever!) I have a valid, totally legit reason to slack off.
MY DRYER IS BROKEN and I am waiting on the repairman to show up. Do you have any idea how liberating it is to know that not only do I not want to do laundry today, but I CAN'T do laundry today. I can walk by the piles of clothes totally guilt free.
So far today I have checked email, paid bills, played with 2 lovely little girls, shopped online for a new camera, watched Dora the Explorer, and now I am enjoying some guilt free blogging time.
I just recently realized (you're going to question my IQ after reading this) that even though I don't work at a paying job as many days per week as Andy does, I actually work just as many days(and probably more hours total) than him! I jokingly refer to my family/home life as my small business with 4 employees......that isn't far from the truth. A lot goes into making this house and our family function at an average (I strive for above average and fail most days!) level of performance. Luckily I do love being "the Mom" and even though I would love a little more thanks/appreciation/lavish gifts out of gratitude, I have a pretty sweet deal here, and I know it.
The repairman is supposed to arrive between 12p and 2p....so my time is limited.
The Mayor has an attitude of Gratitude today.
MY DRYER IS BROKEN and I am waiting on the repairman to show up. Do you have any idea how liberating it is to know that not only do I not want to do laundry today, but I CAN'T do laundry today. I can walk by the piles of clothes totally guilt free.
So far today I have checked email, paid bills, played with 2 lovely little girls, shopped online for a new camera, watched Dora the Explorer, and now I am enjoying some guilt free blogging time.
I just recently realized (you're going to question my IQ after reading this) that even though I don't work at a paying job as many days per week as Andy does, I actually work just as many days(and probably more hours total) than him! I jokingly refer to my family/home life as my small business with 4 employees......that isn't far from the truth. A lot goes into making this house and our family function at an average (I strive for above average and fail most days!) level of performance. Luckily I do love being "the Mom" and even though I would love a little more thanks/appreciation/lavish gifts out of gratitude, I have a pretty sweet deal here, and I know it.
The repairman is supposed to arrive between 12p and 2p....so my time is limited.
The Mayor has an attitude of Gratitude today.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Random fun(ny) kid stories
Staying true to the real reason behind this blog.....here are some kids stories that need to be documented for eternity.
We'll start with the wee one.......
Jane Gracen, turns 20 months old on Sunday the 7th. Jane is a sponge. Her vocab is growing every day and her body language is pure Martens. She loves to put on a show to make anyone who is watching laugh......and we always laugh, not because we want to be supportive parents, but because she is funny! My favorite form of entertainment currently is her animal sounds. She can do a dog, cat, horse, cow, duck, pig, lion, monkey, and is working on a frog. I love how she will just look at us and say "Moo!" then smile a real cheesy grin. And finally, if we want Jane to do something, we just need to talk her sisters into doing it first.....she loves copying their actions. New words are shoe, apple, baby, Kevin, shower, moni(macaroni) Gego(Diego) Dora(and all the characters from that cartoon) Tess, Kate, Sissy,Grandma, Papa. She can also identify her hair, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, tummy, and toes.
Kitty Kate is 4 years, 2 months, and 5 days old today.
-One day Kate says to me "I know who's house the church is.....it's God's house!" when I told her she was right, she said "When you say stuff like that, I learn it!"
-My hands are always cold. One day I was complaining about my cold hands when Kate says "Here mom, you can hold my hands....they're warm......um, and a little sticky."
-We were playing a game and she needed to go to the bathroom. As she got up she looked at me and said "Pause it, mom!" I must have given her a huh? look because she said "mom, pause it until I get back!" Turns out she watches a little too much on the DVR
-Do you know any other 4 year olds that requested "The Perfect Brownie Pan"(as seen on tv) for their birthday? Mine, did! (and she got her brownie pan from her Aunt Pam!)
-Ever heard a four year old ask if she can please have broccoli for lunch?
-Kate thinks it is so annoying(which means she loves it) that Jane mimics her and cannot believe she use to(still does) copy Tess.
Brogan Tess, 8 going on 18,makes me want to scream, smile, cry, laugh, throw something, and then smile again. I have no idea how we are going to survive her teenage years. Last month we dealt with lying, kissing, attitude, confidence, respect, self-esteem, sportsmanship, math facts and piano practicing.
In a nutshell, we had to start enforcing consequences for lying......it is a big deal to lie, even if the lie is about something small! We also had to discuss attitude, which co-exists with confidence/respect/self-esteem/sportsmanship. Tess's 2nd grade teacher brought to our attention that she(Tess) was acting above reprimand for obnoxious behavior. Bad attitude at home, shame on us....bad attitude at school? Shame on Tess. So after a brief weekend of AA(attitude adjustment) we have noticed some improvement.
The kissing issue turned out to be a lesson in self-respect/self-esteem/lying/confidence. Tess rides the bus home every day and sits 3(!) to a seat. Turns out 2nd graders get very bored during their 20 minute bus ride home and challenge each other to do stupid things. Tess kissed a boys arm(gross! I know) and felt so guilty all evening that she burst into tears right before bedtime, causing a majorly dramatic ending to the evening. She first denied that she had done anything wrong, stating she had just been accused of doing wrong. Five minutes later, she felt so guilty for lying that she literally lost her mind right before my eyes.
We had to do some crisis intervention, then some tough love(if you did something wrong Tess then you deserve the consequences!) followed by some more crisis management. We ended the evening discussing how even smart people do stupid things (I could write a book on that topic, with myself as the main character!). The most important thing is to learn from the mistakes.
I sure hope I learn from all these parenting mistakes I am making.
We'll start with the wee one.......
Jane Gracen, turns 20 months old on Sunday the 7th. Jane is a sponge. Her vocab is growing every day and her body language is pure Martens. She loves to put on a show to make anyone who is watching laugh......and we always laugh, not because we want to be supportive parents, but because she is funny! My favorite form of entertainment currently is her animal sounds. She can do a dog, cat, horse, cow, duck, pig, lion, monkey, and is working on a frog. I love how she will just look at us and say "Moo!" then smile a real cheesy grin. And finally, if we want Jane to do something, we just need to talk her sisters into doing it first.....she loves copying their actions. New words are shoe, apple, baby, Kevin, shower, moni(macaroni) Gego(Diego) Dora(and all the characters from that cartoon) Tess, Kate, Sissy,Grandma, Papa. She can also identify her hair, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, tummy, and toes.
Kitty Kate is 4 years, 2 months, and 5 days old today.
-One day Kate says to me "I know who's house the church is.....it's God's house!" when I told her she was right, she said "When you say stuff like that, I learn it!"
-My hands are always cold. One day I was complaining about my cold hands when Kate says "Here mom, you can hold my hands....they're warm......um, and a little sticky."
-We were playing a game and she needed to go to the bathroom. As she got up she looked at me and said "Pause it, mom!" I must have given her a huh? look because she said "mom, pause it until I get back!" Turns out she watches a little too much on the DVR
-Do you know any other 4 year olds that requested "The Perfect Brownie Pan"(as seen on tv) for their birthday? Mine, did! (and she got her brownie pan from her Aunt Pam!)
-Ever heard a four year old ask if she can please have broccoli for lunch?
-Kate thinks it is so annoying(which means she loves it) that Jane mimics her and cannot believe she use to(still does) copy Tess.
Brogan Tess, 8 going on 18,makes me want to scream, smile, cry, laugh, throw something, and then smile again. I have no idea how we are going to survive her teenage years. Last month we dealt with lying, kissing, attitude, confidence, respect, self-esteem, sportsmanship, math facts and piano practicing.
In a nutshell, we had to start enforcing consequences for lying......it is a big deal to lie, even if the lie is about something small! We also had to discuss attitude, which co-exists with confidence/respect/self-esteem/sportsmanship. Tess's 2nd grade teacher brought to our attention that she(Tess) was acting above reprimand for obnoxious behavior. Bad attitude at home, shame on us....bad attitude at school? Shame on Tess. So after a brief weekend of AA(attitude adjustment) we have noticed some improvement.
The kissing issue turned out to be a lesson in self-respect/self-esteem/lying/confidence. Tess rides the bus home every day and sits 3(!) to a seat. Turns out 2nd graders get very bored during their 20 minute bus ride home and challenge each other to do stupid things. Tess kissed a boys arm(gross! I know) and felt so guilty all evening that she burst into tears right before bedtime, causing a majorly dramatic ending to the evening. She first denied that she had done anything wrong, stating she had just been accused of doing wrong. Five minutes later, she felt so guilty for lying that she literally lost her mind right before my eyes.
We had to do some crisis intervention, then some tough love(if you did something wrong Tess then you deserve the consequences!) followed by some more crisis management. We ended the evening discussing how even smart people do stupid things (I could write a book on that topic, with myself as the main character!). The most important thing is to learn from the mistakes.
I sure hope I learn from all these parenting mistakes I am making.
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