Starting Points

May 09 2011

Posted in: The Kids · Tags: Abby, milestones

My daughter was born with the most hair of any of my children. Which really isn’t saying a lot, considering. A ribbon could be strategically tied to her newborn locks, but only with the utmost care and nary a stray breath. Those fine baby strands soon fell out, however, and the hair that grew in its place has been, well, reluctant. In fact, almost 3 years later and Abby’s mane could really use a how-to course on how to grow from within.

I’ve longed to see my daughter running around with swinging pigtails, a right for little girls. Most her young age have already had cuts and stylings. They require hourly maintenance lest their strands get tied in painful knots. Some mothers curse the morning hair wars. I can’t relate. Abby has curls. She has curls to last for days. Beautiful curls for a beautiful girl. That should go without saying. But they don’t fall anywhere. I can’t help but wonder how much longer until it grows out.

Now, it’s even longer. Because the little hair Abby had has succumbed to scissors.

The boys received haircuts this past weekend. Never one to be left out, Abby wanted her’s done as well. After delicately trimming a section, we began to really look at the unevenness of her hair, as her father was there and doing the brunt of the work.

“Let’s just do it. It’ll be a starting point”, we agreed. Or he agreed while I winced.

That’s where we’re at, her first real haircut. Another starting point. Like when she lost her newborn locks. You can’t have pigtails with a starting point, you can barely tie it with a ribbon. I’m beginning to think it’ll never grow. Though at least she still has her curls.

Trapped: For Mother’s Day

May 08 2011

Posted in: Daily · Tags: motherhood, nostalgia

When I was a young girl, I locked myself in my parents’ bathroom. There were many times in the future that this would have been done purposefully, but this instance was not. The lock malfunctioned when I happened to be inside, and I couldn’t get out.

I was frantic, my mom was frantic. Being a little kid full of drama, I began to cry, assuming I’d be trapped in the bathroom forever. After trying everything we could, my mom eventually had to call someone to set me free. And she was there, my mom, appearing relieved just as I was when I was able to emerge.

What goes around, comes around.

Yesterday, Jedi was complaining about his door. “It keeps creaking open”, he whined. So when I rose out of bed that morning, I dug around our miscellaneous items drawer when I came away with an unused lock latch. Feeling remarkably useful so early already, I screwed it in place. Then tried to close the door.

It was tight. Very tight. That should have been my first clue to abort mission. I wiggled and finagled the door closed, however, with Jedi still in bed watching Spongebob, though it took a lot of prodding. And it stayed securely closed. And wouldn’t open.

I had flashbacks from that bathroom at that very moment.

He wasn’t in that bedroom nearly as long as I had been trapped with a toilet, but it was still enough for me to panic. Eventually, I did my best roundhouse kick to the door and he was set free. And there I was, Jedi’s mom, seemingly more relieved than he was when he was able to emerge. Because he didn’t. The lazy lump stayed in bed like nothing had happened.

Still, it’s nice to know there are mothers to get their kids out of tricky situations. Even if those mothers may be the ones who get their kid in the tricky situation to begin with.

To all the moms out there, Happy Mother’s Day!

Not Very Helpful or Interesting

May 05 2011

Posted in: Daily · Tags: FAIL, Jedi, school

Was today’s activity helpful or interesting? This was the top question on a survey handed out Wednesday during the family luncheon at Jedi’s school. Along with getting to sit in a loud cafeteria and eat a rather bland turkey and cheese wrap with my son, we were also assigned a stretch of land in their garden to dig for planting and seeds.

Does that seem like just an excuse for free labor to anyone else?

Now, I’m not a big garden person. I don’t mind getting dirty, but I don’t really know what I’m doing. We walked in front of a plot of land, though, with a packet of magnolias and some kind of fragile leafy concoction in a container. All the while, Jedi’s complaining because the sun was in his face. “I want to go back to class”, he even whined.

“No, I came here for this. We are going to plant flowers and have fun”, I hushed sharply.

“It’s too hot and the sun is too bright. Maybe I can go back to speech class”, he wondered as I knelt over with a small hand trowel, which is the class they called him out of when I arrived. He pronounces some of his r’s like w’s. I used to do the same.

“No, you’re here with me”, I kept insisting, trying not to take his resistance personally.

“Where’s Miss Cassidy? I want to go with Miss Cassidy”, he looked around, still whining. When we were finally done, he couldn’t bolt for the door fast enough.

So was today’s activity helpful or interesting? Not in the way intended, no. We’re not going to rush home to begin a family garden anytime soon. But it did make my son appreciate his fluorescent light and temperature-controlled classrooms more, so that’s kind of helpful, right?

Just Like Rocky Fighting that Russian Guy

May 04 2011

Posted in: Daily · Tags: highly unusual, life, of course

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome and thank you for attending today’s not-in-the-least anticipated matchup. We expect a vaguely entertaining and clean bout with as few rounds as possible. There will be no referee with us today, however, so do what you have to do for protection. Though let me remind you, screaming like a girl is strictly prohibited. Since one of you is armed with a stinger, the other has chosen as her mode of defense a rolled up Maxim magazine and a bottle of Windex. I don’t know what she was thinking, either, ladies and gentlemen.

Now, let me introduce you to our untrained, yet ferocious, fighters this morning, ladies and gentlemen! In this corner, we have a wasp. He’s brown, beady-eyed, and happens to have found a comfortable residence for waspy things in his opponent’s slim mailbox.

In the other corner, we have our noble challenger, C. She’s terrified of wasps and doesn’t want her mail carrier, nor herself, to get stung when reaching in to gather her mail. Really, the bills sting enough. We agree there, don’t we ladies and gentlemen?

And the bell rings! Stay safe and good luck!

Round 1: Here comes C, she’s about to check the mailbox. The suspense is insurmountable! She appears steady, firm in her stance. But the wasp is in a strong striking position. Just the look of him alone appears enough to send C retreating. Round 1 goes to the wasp!

Round 2: She’s at it again, this time with a different take on the same approach. Cowering for cover, she flings the door open enough to jolt the wasp out. The wasp flew out, ladies and gentlemen! This round may go to… Wait, it’s back! The wasp is back! Stubborn and determined to stand its ground. Round 2, again we have to give it to the wasp.

Round 3: What’s that? C has brought out the big guns, ladies and gentlemen! In her left hand, she has the rolled up magazine, in her right a bottle of Windex. What do you think she’s going to do? Clean him? Let’s see! She manages 3 sprays before the wasp gives up and flies away. It’s gone again, ladies and gentlemen! That was a good amount of window cleaner it consumed. I don’t know if we’ll see him again, but he should be shiny if we do. Round 3, and the winner by ineptitude, goes to C! Congratulations C!

That’s right bee-otch, who’s scared now? (Please don’t come back.)

2 Years and Counting

May 03 2011

Posted in: General · Tags: good, teh internetz

2 years ago today, I published my first post on this domain titled An Introduction, and it was just that. This wasn’t my first domain, I’ve been blogging off and on for a long time, before it was even called blogging. But I’ve always had a tendency to get bored, pick up and move on to someplace else within a short time. Something about Kid Things, though, has been different.

That difference has been you, the ones that stick around to read about us. You’ve cheered us on and laughed at my stupid jokes. You’ve become my friends.

I didn’t have any great intentions when I started this site. I just wanted something to do amidst a day of chasing kids that was just and only mine. A child can’t smear peanut butter on a piece of the internet, or tear it to pieces. They can delete it all if the right button is pressed, but thankfully that hasn’t happened. Yet. Let’s cross our fingers.

This site, though, is also for them, my children. I wanted someplace to share our stories. I wanted to write, but nothing too introspective or deep, though I’ve been through a lot in these 2 years. But just good fun that hopefully would find an audience. I’ve found more than that, though. I’ve found you, my dear readers. I’m sometimes a little down that my stats aren’t more impressive, especially when those who haven’t been around nearly as long are racking up incredible opportunities and I feel like the dork in the back of the gym at the high school dance going hey, what about me. But then there’s you. I wouldn’t trade the group I’ve found here for anything.

Thank you so much for reading and commenting, whether from the beginning or just recently.

Thank you.