Perspective – Through the Eyes of a Two-Year-Old

Yesterday, with the threat of rain looming, we figured we should get some yard work done. The goal was to get all the leftover leaves cleaned up and fertilize and seed the lawn before it rained. I put the two older boys to work bagging the leaves I had raked a couple weeks ago and then took the rake to the other side of the lawn so I could rake and bag over there. Ian was on fertilizing duty and was trying to set everything up while watching the littlest one (now two).

Unfortunately, watching the little one wasn’t conducive to getting work done. Ian ended up taking him inside and feeding him watermelon and milk while we worked. While the boys bagged up the seventh bag from the front lawn, I ended up on watching the kiddo duty. I took him to the back yard to finish up the last bag from there (the fifth bag back there this spring) that I hadn’t gotten done before the birthday party earlier in the week.

He ran around and tossed leaves all over the place and tried helping by throwing leaves at the bag. He even managed to get some of those leaves in the bag. When the boys finished their bag off, I had them take him in to wash up and got a plate of watermelon for them to eat on the little table outside. Even then he ran around and played as he ate his watermelon.

Later in the day as I rested, exhausted from the day’s work, I asked C if he’d had fun today. His response? “Yes, I played with Mummy and Daddy.” It hit me then that even though we thought we were getting work done, he thought he was playing with us. It’s a little lesson that sometimes you just need to spend time doing things with your children as opposed to trying to keep them entertained.

Lesson of the Day: If You’re Going to Send a Child to School…

Today’s Lesson: If you’re going to send a child to school after a week of being sick, at least make sure there is school.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but after a summer of giving the boys some slack, I look forward to September to get them all back into a routine. We’d just finished up the first full week of school and Liam’s first week of preschool (an hour on Friday just doesn’t really count as preschool starting in my books) and I was planning to have this past week go even better since it takes a little time to get back in the groove. Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans…

Lesson of the Day: If You’re Going to Forget an Appointment…

Today’s Lesson: If you’re going to forget an appointment, then at least live within walking distance.

I seem to be racking up a few “not the first time” experiences. The most recent one is the forgotten dentist appointment. Last year, when Callan was still tiny, we got a call from the dentist asking if we were going to show up for the boys’ appointment. We were already late! Thankfully, we live about a seven minute walk from the dentist. We dragged the boys out the door and got them there before our time was up.

Yesterday, I remembered the dentist appointment and I didn’t remember it. I knew that Liam had an appointment. In fact it was written on the calendar. Every time I walked by, I reminded myself that I had to get him there. I planned the day around it and made sure the boys had plenty of time for lunch before we had to leave. When Aiden asked if he had to go too, I said, “No, you can stay home. It’s just Liam’s appointment.”

I got the two little boys out the door and to the dentist with time to spare. When I got there, I found out that their usual dentist was no longer with them (she had found a full time position at another office and no longer had the time to pick up extra shifts). We waited for a little while and then someone came over to tell us it would be another five minutes before they’d be ready for us. When the hygienist came out for us, they asked which boy was going first: Liam or Aiden…

Lesson of the Day: If You’re Going to Put Something In the Oven…

Today’s Lesson: If you’re going to put something in the oven, then you should at least turn it on first.

This was not the first time – nor will it be the last – that I’ve tried to put food in a cold oven. When I was still at my parent’s house, I got used to only having to turn one dial to turn the oven on. I can’t recall if my mother’s oven was permanently set to bake and we changed the temperature or if it was always at 350 and we turned the other dial to bake. Either way, I only turned one. That stuck in my head.

Now that I have my own oven, I know darn well that I have to turn both dials simply because I keep turning both off when I’m done. Yet every now and then, I find myself forgetting and lapsing back to what I grew up with. Today was one of those days. I started out well: I had taken chicken out of the freezer to thaw early in the day and figured I’d have the kids eating at a decent time. I followed up by cleaning the bathroom when I should have been prepping dinner. It was okay though; I was just going to throw s o me stuff in a Ziplock bag, add the chicken, shake and then stuff it in the oven.

Lesson of the Day: If You Really Wanted to Help…

Today’s lesson: If you really wanted to help, then you would have offered to get up with the crying baby instead of offering to stay in bed with him.

It’s summer and school just let out last week. That means that Grandma is back in town – or more specifically back in the guest room. I guess here is where I make a couple confessions: 1) I co-sleep with the baby. This comes from not wanting to spend hours sleeping in the rocking chair like I did with Liam. 2) We kicked Ian out of bed (and into the guest room) so that all three of us could get more sleep. We’ve had the occasional guest since Grandma left last year, but they all stayed for only one (weekend) night and we suffered through it. Grandma’s visit is different: it lasts about a month.