There are two things I can tell my boys that get their 'hyper kid mode' activated. 1: We're going to the playground, and 2: We're having a playdate. When either of these statements reach their tiny ears, it's as if I just pumped them with a gallon of sugar on top of 2 liters of caffeine while letting them eat all their halloween and easter candy at the same time. I really should invest in some noise canceling headphones to wear when I tell them this.
Playgrounds really are an ingenious invention. There's so much to climb on, slide down, swing around to keep the little ones interested while at the same time they're getting more than a daily does of exercise to tire them out enough to go to sleep that night without a fight! They can yell and scream at the top of their lungs without puncturing my ear drums and climb to their hearts content without getting into trouble.
We have a really nice playground less than five minutes from our house. Instead of those annoying little rocks that get in shoes and flip flops, they put in this foamy stuff that's sturdy enough to handle the most destructive toddlers but soft enough to cut injuries down. The play equipment includes three big slides for the big kids or daring toddlers, several small slides for the scared big kids or more timid toddlers, one twisty slide, an arched bridge, a hanging bridge, ladders, swings, monkey bars, and a few little interactive pieces to engage all types of kids. There's also a walking trail, a frisbee golf course, a soccer field and an outdoor amphitheater, plus three pavilions with picnic tables and grills.
The only time I try to avoid going is right after school. That's when a lot of parents go and after going there a few times as soon as school lets out I see why. The playground is right beside the school. In fact you can access the playground from the carpool line. When I get there and let loose the children, I notice that sitting under the pavilion are several moms who look like I feel. "I really don't want to take these kids home yet." Because the kids have been in school all day, building up energy, and noise. As I sit down to watch my kids zoom around the playground with all the other little kids like so many energizer bunnies on batteries that never run out, it is inevitable to hear one of those poor looking parents say "I wish I had their energy." I reluctantly join the sitting moms wondering if I look as tired as they do. Sometimes, just to escape the feeling of being old, I'll get out there and push the boys on the swings, or chase them around, or help them on the monkey bars. But it doesn't last long, I just can't keep up with them for long.
Once I see the kids start slowing down some, I decide it's time to go home. Of course I'm met with pleas of "I don't want to go!" "Just ten more minutes! Five more minutes? Two more minutes?" But I drag them to the car, get them in and get them home. And as predicted, they usually pass out earlier than normal at bedtime.
Playdates, I believe, are more for the parents than the kids. At least for me and my best friend they are. See, my husband is usually the only one to help me with the kids here at home, and he's great with them, playing with them, helping them, and giving me time to myself. And because he works during the day and I'm a stay at home mom, I'm usually all alone with them during the day. So playdates are nice break for me.
Me and Katie have known each other since high school, but having kids at the same time really brought us closer together. You know how you see those sayings "You need that one person you can be childish and stupid with"? Well, that's what we are when we get together. Her two kids and my two kids are the same age, and have enjoyed playing together since they were babies. We've gone through the pregnancies, the newborn stages, the toddler years and now kindergarten together, keeping each other sane by one upping each other on the craziness the kids can bring to our lives.
We frequently enjoy playdates, swapping out turns at each others houses. The excitement level is maxed out by both me and the boys as we prepare for playdate day. The past few playdates have taken place at my house and from the time the kids get up until Lily and Keefer get here, I hear "Are they on their way? When will they be here? Are they here yet?" while I'm texting Katie, "Are you on your way? When will you be here? Why aren't you here yet?" Once I get the confirmation text that they are in the car on the way, my kids can be found at the back door with their faces pressed against the glass, watching. I try to refrain myself from pressing my face against the glass, I mean, I am almost 30, and that's just one more smudge to clean when it's all over.
So after about fifteen minutes from her text, the drive up. All four kids go nuts. Connor and Kenny start jumping up and down, "THEY'RE HERE! THEY'RE HERE!" while Lily and Keefer bolt from the car and run to the back door. Shoes and socks barely get off feet before the kids are running back to the bedroom to start work on playing with all the toys while me and Katie look at each other with that crazed look in our eye, "It's playdate day! I'm not by myself with the kids!"
The entire day is spent in hysterical laughter, snack food overload, and stupid, childish, arguments. The kids usually just play. By the end of the day, the kids are well worn out and Katie is loading them up in the car. We'll stand there for ten minutes talking, cause neither of us are ready for the playdate to be over.
Summer time is always great because then we get to combine both worlds. Playdates at the playground! We're just waiting for the weather to get warmer.
So between playgrounds and playdates, I can usually give my kids a good day at least once in a while. Now that it's warming up again, I usually get asked everyday after school if we can go to the park. And with summer break coming, playdates will become a little more frequent and longer.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Three Generation of Godzilla
When I was fourteen, Godzilla premiered in theaters. You know the one, with Matthew Broderick and Hank Azaria. It was an awesome creature feature in its day, in my opinion. After it came out on DVD my dad bought it. I remember that night because it was the first movie we watched on our brand new surround sound system. Of course it was epic! We felt like we were back in the theater. The rain was pouring all around us, and at the end, when Godzilla's heart was slowing down, our whole house shook with every thump.
Well, after that, my dad thought it would be just as awesome to introduce my sister and I to the Godzilla he grew up with. You know the one, from the 50's and I think he had one from the 70's too. He found them on VHS and brought them home. He was so excited. So we sat down, pressed play and started attaching. Needless to say, after watching the new movie, the old ones looked a little......different. Being teenagers, my sister and I started laughing at them. After all, we had just watched a very realistic Godzilla terrorize New York. I think we hurt my dad's feelings, whenever we talk about it now, his bottom lip pokes out.
So, flash forward almost twenty years and now my generations Godzilla is outdated. Some of the graphics are laughable compared to the newest special effects Hollywood is rolling out. So when Connor came bringing Godzilla to me asking to watch it, I didn't know whether to laugh or cringe, because I suddenly found myself in my Daddy's place. (I had to stop the movie, having forgotten how much bad language was in it. I didn't want Connor hearing it or repeating it. He'll have to wait until he's a little older.)
But just having my child watch Godzilla made me think about when I watched my Dad's Godzilla. There is a new version of Godzilla about to premier in theaters. I'm sure it will make the 1998 Godzilla look about as silly as the 50's Godzilla looked to us.
Well, after that, my dad thought it would be just as awesome to introduce my sister and I to the Godzilla he grew up with. You know the one, from the 50's and I think he had one from the 70's too. He found them on VHS and brought them home. He was so excited. So we sat down, pressed play and started attaching. Needless to say, after watching the new movie, the old ones looked a little......different. Being teenagers, my sister and I started laughing at them. After all, we had just watched a very realistic Godzilla terrorize New York. I think we hurt my dad's feelings, whenever we talk about it now, his bottom lip pokes out.
So, flash forward almost twenty years and now my generations Godzilla is outdated. Some of the graphics are laughable compared to the newest special effects Hollywood is rolling out. So when Connor came bringing Godzilla to me asking to watch it, I didn't know whether to laugh or cringe, because I suddenly found myself in my Daddy's place. (I had to stop the movie, having forgotten how much bad language was in it. I didn't want Connor hearing it or repeating it. He'll have to wait until he's a little older.)
But just having my child watch Godzilla made me think about when I watched my Dad's Godzilla. There is a new version of Godzilla about to premier in theaters. I'm sure it will make the 1998 Godzilla look about as silly as the 50's Godzilla looked to us.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Bedtime or How I Torture My Children
Every parent will agree with me, bedtime for children is one of the highlights of the day. Or if you've had a rough day, or the kids have been terrors all day, it is THE highlight of the day. But somehow bedtime becomes the hardest part of the day.
Children believe this is a conspiracy by parents to make them miss out on all the best stuff. They must think that once they're asleep, Mom and Dad are going to pull out these cool things to play with, all the candy and junk food to eat, and have a blast without the kids. At least, that's what I used to think when my parents put me to bed. Truth is, we're just so exhausted from the day, once the kids are asleep, we pass out too.
Bedtime at our house can turn into a circus. It usually starts around the time it starts getting dark. The oldest one starts, "I want to stay up." "Hey momma, let's have a movie night." "I'm not sleepy yet." "Since I don't have school in the morning, how about I stay up tonight and sleep late in the morning." (By the way all you new parents or people thinking about having kids, the term "sleep in" no longer applies, you might get to sleep until 7:30, if you're very lucky.)
Once I actually announce "Bedtime" to the kiddos, they run in different directions. The oldest runs to his room and picks out a stack of books that would take two hours to read while the youngest runs to our room yelling "Daddy's bed! Daddy's bed! Daddy's bed!" I firmly tell Connor to pick ONE book while grabbing Kenny off our bed. That's when the tears begin. "But I want to read two!" "NO! DADDY'S BED!"
Here lately I've been able to bribe Kenny back to his and Connor's room by saying we're reading a book. Then Kenny wants to read One Foot, Two Feet, while Connor wants to read How The Grinch Stole Christmas. We literally have hundreds of books for the kids as we've signed them both up for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library when they were born, so the fact that they pick out the same book night after night can get frustrating. But I read them, over...and over...and over.
So after finally settling on a book, we sit down on Kenny's bed and I read to them, doing all the voices, playing up the dramatic parts, and having Kenny point out different things from the pages. After this Connor hops up into his bed yelling "Cover me up! I want a super kiss and super hug!"
Let me just pause here and explain the super kiss and super hug. When Connor was about 3, I would kiss him good night and before I could leave the room, he'd wipe his kiss off and say I had to kiss him again. After a couple of nights of kissing him over and over (which I never get tired of doing, unless it's 8pm and I've spent all day chasing him around) I told him I was going to give him the super duper mommy kiss that could never ever be wiped off no matter how much he wiped his face. I then grabbed his face with both hands and planted a kiss on his cheek that lasted a good minute, with me making all kinds of kissy sounds. Then I had to do the same thing with the hugs. After that, I could give him one big kiss and the leave the room. So now every night, both boys want the super kiss and super hug.
Ok, back to our bedtime routine. So Connor is in his bed asking for the super kiss and super hug. I'm still at Kenny's bed, trying to get him to be still long enough for me to cover him up, because it's this time that he realizes the whole reading a book thing was a rouse to get him into his bed. Now he starts hollering for Daddy's bed again. After a few tries of tucking him in, I give up on covering him up right then and I order him to stay in that bed.
I turn to Connor, pull the covers up around him, give him his super kiss and super hug and tell him I love him. I then turn back around just in time to catch Kenny and put him back in his bed. It's usually at this time Daddy comes in and gives hims a big hug and tells him he has to stay in his bed. Kenny will calm down some as Daddy lays him down and covers him up then gives Connor night-night hugs and kisses.
Alls good until we turn out the light and leave the room. Kenny starts crying again. And not just "I'm mad" cry, this is a full on "You've broken my heart into teeny tiny pieces, I'll never be the same, I can't believe you'd leave me like this" heart wrenching cry. Even after almost three years of hearing this cry, it still gets to me. I don't know how he can sound like this every time he cries, but he has definitely perfected the heart wrenching cry. I poke my head around the door and tell him to be quiet.
Usually after this he settles down and we don't hear any more out of either of them until around 6:30am. That's our normal bedtime routine.
There are the occasional nights that Connor is crying just as hard as Kenny while tucking them in because he can't find one of his three animals that he sleeps with. He has Puppy, a small, tan blanket that has the head, tail, and feet of a puppy, Scary Bear, a black bear my parents brought him home from Gatlinburg, he's wearing a green Smokey Mountain hoodie and scares away any monsters that try to get in the room at night (hence his name Scary Bear) and Blue Bear, a blue, furry teddy bear. If even one of these characters is missing when it's bedtime, Connor hits meltdown mode. No substitutions will do, it has to be Puppy, Scary Bear and Blue Bear. I have scoured the house before looking for one or the other, even checking behind the couch and in closets and bathrooms. Once located, Connor is fine and goes right to sleep.
And then there's the nights we have a little visitor come crawl in the bed with us. At any time of night, I'll hear Daddy wake up with a start and Kenny will be standing there, staring, wanting in the bed with us. Brad will pick him up and put him between us. I usually give Kenny a little bit to go back to sleep and then I'll pick him up and take him back to his bed. Sometimes I don't hear him come in and I'll just wake up to him kicking me in the back or I'll roll over to see his face right there in mine.
I miss the days when Brad and I got ready to go to bed, we just got in the bed. We didn't have to put up with screaming fits, or little ones climbing in the bed between us, or being made to feel like I'm a horrible person just by laying them down and telling them to go to sleep. No doubt my kids think I'm just being mean, just torturing them, by making them go to bed every night. And I know that once they get older, all this will go away and there'll be days I won't be able to get them out of the bed. But I will always tuck them in and give them goodnight kisses for as long as I can get away with it. Even if they are crying cause they don't want to go to sleep.
Children believe this is a conspiracy by parents to make them miss out on all the best stuff. They must think that once they're asleep, Mom and Dad are going to pull out these cool things to play with, all the candy and junk food to eat, and have a blast without the kids. At least, that's what I used to think when my parents put me to bed. Truth is, we're just so exhausted from the day, once the kids are asleep, we pass out too.
Bedtime at our house can turn into a circus. It usually starts around the time it starts getting dark. The oldest one starts, "I want to stay up." "Hey momma, let's have a movie night." "I'm not sleepy yet." "Since I don't have school in the morning, how about I stay up tonight and sleep late in the morning." (By the way all you new parents or people thinking about having kids, the term "sleep in" no longer applies, you might get to sleep until 7:30, if you're very lucky.)
Once I actually announce "Bedtime" to the kiddos, they run in different directions. The oldest runs to his room and picks out a stack of books that would take two hours to read while the youngest runs to our room yelling "Daddy's bed! Daddy's bed! Daddy's bed!" I firmly tell Connor to pick ONE book while grabbing Kenny off our bed. That's when the tears begin. "But I want to read two!" "NO! DADDY'S BED!"
Here lately I've been able to bribe Kenny back to his and Connor's room by saying we're reading a book. Then Kenny wants to read One Foot, Two Feet, while Connor wants to read How The Grinch Stole Christmas. We literally have hundreds of books for the kids as we've signed them both up for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library when they were born, so the fact that they pick out the same book night after night can get frustrating. But I read them, over...and over...and over.
So after finally settling on a book, we sit down on Kenny's bed and I read to them, doing all the voices, playing up the dramatic parts, and having Kenny point out different things from the pages. After this Connor hops up into his bed yelling "Cover me up! I want a super kiss and super hug!"
Let me just pause here and explain the super kiss and super hug. When Connor was about 3, I would kiss him good night and before I could leave the room, he'd wipe his kiss off and say I had to kiss him again. After a couple of nights of kissing him over and over (which I never get tired of doing, unless it's 8pm and I've spent all day chasing him around) I told him I was going to give him the super duper mommy kiss that could never ever be wiped off no matter how much he wiped his face. I then grabbed his face with both hands and planted a kiss on his cheek that lasted a good minute, with me making all kinds of kissy sounds. Then I had to do the same thing with the hugs. After that, I could give him one big kiss and the leave the room. So now every night, both boys want the super kiss and super hug.
Ok, back to our bedtime routine. So Connor is in his bed asking for the super kiss and super hug. I'm still at Kenny's bed, trying to get him to be still long enough for me to cover him up, because it's this time that he realizes the whole reading a book thing was a rouse to get him into his bed. Now he starts hollering for Daddy's bed again. After a few tries of tucking him in, I give up on covering him up right then and I order him to stay in that bed.
I turn to Connor, pull the covers up around him, give him his super kiss and super hug and tell him I love him. I then turn back around just in time to catch Kenny and put him back in his bed. It's usually at this time Daddy comes in and gives hims a big hug and tells him he has to stay in his bed. Kenny will calm down some as Daddy lays him down and covers him up then gives Connor night-night hugs and kisses.
Alls good until we turn out the light and leave the room. Kenny starts crying again. And not just "I'm mad" cry, this is a full on "You've broken my heart into teeny tiny pieces, I'll never be the same, I can't believe you'd leave me like this" heart wrenching cry. Even after almost three years of hearing this cry, it still gets to me. I don't know how he can sound like this every time he cries, but he has definitely perfected the heart wrenching cry. I poke my head around the door and tell him to be quiet.
Usually after this he settles down and we don't hear any more out of either of them until around 6:30am. That's our normal bedtime routine.
There are the occasional nights that Connor is crying just as hard as Kenny while tucking them in because he can't find one of his three animals that he sleeps with. He has Puppy, a small, tan blanket that has the head, tail, and feet of a puppy, Scary Bear, a black bear my parents brought him home from Gatlinburg, he's wearing a green Smokey Mountain hoodie and scares away any monsters that try to get in the room at night (hence his name Scary Bear) and Blue Bear, a blue, furry teddy bear. If even one of these characters is missing when it's bedtime, Connor hits meltdown mode. No substitutions will do, it has to be Puppy, Scary Bear and Blue Bear. I have scoured the house before looking for one or the other, even checking behind the couch and in closets and bathrooms. Once located, Connor is fine and goes right to sleep.
And then there's the nights we have a little visitor come crawl in the bed with us. At any time of night, I'll hear Daddy wake up with a start and Kenny will be standing there, staring, wanting in the bed with us. Brad will pick him up and put him between us. I usually give Kenny a little bit to go back to sleep and then I'll pick him up and take him back to his bed. Sometimes I don't hear him come in and I'll just wake up to him kicking me in the back or I'll roll over to see his face right there in mine.
I miss the days when Brad and I got ready to go to bed, we just got in the bed. We didn't have to put up with screaming fits, or little ones climbing in the bed between us, or being made to feel like I'm a horrible person just by laying them down and telling them to go to sleep. No doubt my kids think I'm just being mean, just torturing them, by making them go to bed every night. And I know that once they get older, all this will go away and there'll be days I won't be able to get them out of the bed. But I will always tuck them in and give them goodnight kisses for as long as I can get away with it. Even if they are crying cause they don't want to go to sleep.
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