What Did You Expect?

My Mother-in-Law purchased tickets to A Christmas Carol for me and Arwen as a Christmas gift. I was incredibly excited, as it's been years since I've seen a play, and couldn't wait to make the trip.

As we walked inside the building, and waited for the doors to open, I saw not one, but two very small infants. Pushing aside what could possibly become a distraction, I took my daughter inside and purchased her a drink that she had to finish prior to taking our seat. All of the ticket holders were told as we entered, "No food or drinks in the auditorium". Yet, when we arrived, we sat next to a women with one of the aforementioned infants. And seated next to her was a child Arwen's age -- gulping down a cup of soda from the concession stand.

Really, I could go into the other things that occurred when the lights went down -- babies crying (and in their defense, with all the loud and unexpected pyrotechnics, I would be squalling too!), children kicking the back of our seat (after being politely asked to stop), food wrappers being opened, cell phones going off -- but I won't. The purpose of this blog isn't to delve into that. Rather, I'd like to address people who feel that my Mother-in-Law's gift (and money) is less important than what they obviously think is their God given right to be assholes.

What is wrong with people? I don't mean to be a downer, but I was flaggerbasted by the adults who brought food and drink into a place they were specifically asked not to. Then to add insult to injury, decided their phone conversations were so damned important they couldn't shut their Motorola off for an hour and a half to spare the rest of us saps a bit of sanity.

Sadly, the bitch within surfaced, and I not only said something to the woman's child who was kicking my seat (who refused to stop after several warnings), but I was also forced to explain to my daughter (within earshot of the child her age and the mother that refused to follow the rules) that some people don't have the sense God gave a cockroach.

It was only after my declarations that the idiots in my vicinity threw away their drinks, chided their heathen children, and allowed my daughter, Mother-in-Law, and me to enjoy the second half of the play in peace. Word to the wise, peeps. You don't want to be called out for being a douche, then don't be a douche! Seriously, what do you expect?

Here are a few pictures. The cast was wonderful enough to pose for pictures and to give autographs. It's a shame they had to perform with cell phones blaring and babies screaming.

How do you punish this?

I'm livid, furious, angry. I could rip out my hair, scream at the top of my lungs, punch a wall or the nearest tree. Thank god I managed to control myself and only let those volatile emotions come through in the form of screaming.

My 7 year old daughter just decided to climb into the window via the assistance of my curio cabinet. Nestled atop this cabinet are the Windstone Unicorns I've amassed as gifts over the years (for those not familiar with them, the cheapest one is the baby and starts at $60. The others range from $80-150) as well as numerous unicorns, music boxes, and gifts from friends and family.

Of course the curio tipped, it's not meant to be used a climbing device. I was just pulling the crock pot down to prepare a roast for dinner when I heard the crash. When I arrived to the scene all of the Windstones (minus the baby one) were destroyed. The most treasured in the bunch (pictured above) and my favorite was broken into over a dozen pieces. The things inside didn't fare much better and I had to pull a garbage can from outside and throw away things that are tied to certain events in the past (christmas, an anniversary, a birthday as a child).

The thing is, after I was done railing at my daugther and had begun cleaning up the mess I calmed enough to tell her, "After this I expect a good report from school from you". She responds with, "If I'm good do I get to go to Wal-Mart and get a toy?"

My 7 year old has zero remorse for what she's done and I think the only thing worse than losing these things I adored is the fact that my child seems absolutely oblivious (or uncaring) for what she's done.

I'm open to advice here. What would you do?

Strep Throat

Arwen woke up this morning and I inspected her skin. The rash she had wasn't necessarily worse but it wasn't better either. I decided to take her into the pediatrician just to be safe and it's a good thing I did.

Turns out she has strep throat (a first in our home) and the strep in turn has caused her eczema to flare into infintigo. She's fully medicated and on the mend but keeping her apart from the other children for a full week is going to be impossible.

Fun stuff.

Daughter Humor

As she's being nit-picked (pun intended) and I'm grossing myself out combing through her hair (I'm a serious bugphobe) Arwen turns to me and says:

They were just having a party inside my head and then you showed up and ruined it!

I laughed so hard I tripped over her chair and nearly busted my hiney. So there is something to be learned from this - always find the humor in something, it makes surviving it so much easier.

P.S. I won't go into how she thinks the bugs are "cute" - WTF?

Cheap

It seems my potty mouth isn't the only thing my children are picking up from me. They are also implementing my nifty little slang terms too.

Today Arwen was playing her video game and she got killed at random and I heard her yell:

"Well that was cheap!"

I say that all the time. Now my daughter does. The world is in so much trouble when my children reach maturity. I'm apologize in advance.

Bubbles

I love the bubble machine. It's a cheap, easy and fun way to spend 15-20 minutes. Annabel enjoyed it too and I have her on video saying "bubble"! It's her first word other than MaMa and DaDa!

Baby Birds

For the last 5 years or so we've had birds come to nest in the same exact location in our garage. We keep the door open every year because of this and I noticed a Momma bird a few days ago laying on her eggs. When she flew away I took a peep and I made out 5 little speckled eggs inside.

Well today Arwen and I got to witness some of them hatch! This is the first time we've ever seen them actually come out of the egg. I rushed inside to grab my camera. The picture below shows the egg splitting in you look.

Another reason I adore living so far out in the country. Sure it sucks when you want fast food or need an ingredient for dinner but you can't beat benefits like this.

Future Artist?

Arwen has always been artistic. Coloring, drawing, painting, molding with play-doh. She enjoys coming up with new pictures and we run out of supplies steadily here.

First I'd like to show you a picture of Zelda the Twilight Princess art from the game guide, note the little creature riding the wolf and of course Zelda astride his faithful horse Epona.



This is a picture she drew when she was 4 years old. Yes you read that right. At the age of 4 Arwen asked to play Jimbo's gamecube system. She'd watched him play Zelda Twilight Princess and fell in love with it. He hooked it up in her bedroom and off she went. For the next year she drew pictures of her adventures and when she finally beat it I was proud of her but amazed. How many 4-5 year olds (she hit 5 during this time) beat a role-playing game like Zelda?



And this is something she just did for me today. I'd noticed her cutting up random bits of leftover construction paper and when I asked what her newest project was she said it was a surprise for me.

Maybe I'm just one proud Momma but I'm awestruck by this. She's only 6 years old and the art she does is so amazing, especially for her age.

Where it stands

I called my surgeon's office this morning and spoke to the sweetest receptionist you'll ever meet. She told me he usually doesn't see young patients but since he sees me perhaps he would make an exception. If not she assured me that they have a partner in the office for young children and that he can coordinate with my Ears, Nose and Throat doctor when having her tonsils removed if in fact she needs the biopsy. She's supposed to contact me tomorrow and let me know.

Today I'm feeling much better. The neck is sore but bearable. The only issue being Annabel who began vomiting at 6:25 this morning. She hadn't eaten since 11:50 or so the night before and threw up all that milk from then. She has since vomited once more but I'm hoping she's on the mend. Poor baby girl!

I wouldn't recommend anyone come to visit our house. It seems like there is a cloud of sickness and bad luck surrounding it recently. I'm going to have to do some major spring cleaning when I'm all better.

Late Night Worrying and Ranting

"Mommy, I have a lump in my neck too." Arwen walked up to me and motioned to her neck.

"Really?" I played along. "Where?"

"Feel, right...here." She pulled on my hand and placed it on the same side, same spot of my surgery.

I gently felt around and thought I was imagining things, so I felt again...and again...and my heart sank. She has a lump that is almost the same size in almost the same exact location of the one I just had removed.

I have to see the surgeon again in a week and I'll be making a dual appointment for her and myself. I thought I was worried before when this happened to me but I had no idea how worried I could be about something. It's 20 times worse when it's your child.

She's had issues with her tonsils and we'd planned on having them removed this summer. I'm thinking that if the surgeon feels a biopsy is necessary I can request they do both while she is under anesthesia.

It's 3:19 am and I've tossed and turned all night long. I wish it was for the reasons related to myself and not my little girl.

To make matters worse, I got a phone call this afternoon from the school I'd registered Arwen at. While not in our district I was assured that if the class was not at capacity she would be more than welcome (understandably they have to service the children in their zone first). I knew I'd be getting the call to tell me whether or not there was room in the class.

Let me start by saying the principal is an ass, I already knew this. He was a teacher for years at this same school and eventually got the job of principal. He's very well known by all the parents because he's very well despised (by his former students, now parents to his new batch).

He pissed Jimbo off not too long ago when he dropped Logan off at school one morning. He didn't have work that day and was wearing a t-shirt, blue jeans and driving his truck (which looks like something a crazy teen would drive - tinted windows, etc). He pulled up, got out and ran to the passenger side to take Logan inside. Mr. S saw this from the office and rushed outside.

Mr. S : You cannot park here.

Jimbo : I'm not, I'm just dropping him off.

Mr. S : Don't park here again.

Jimbo : I'm not parking, I'm dropping my son off...

Mr. S : Sir, this is a no parking zone, do not park here again or you will be fined.

Jimbo: .....

Then the next week Jimbo did the exact same thing, only this time he was in our Camry, in his work clothes (slacks and dress shirt). Mr. S walks right on by and never says a word.

So when he calls today, this is how the conversation goes.

Me: Hello?

Mr. S: I'm calling to speak to Arwen's parents.

Me: This is her Mom.

Mr. S: I have here that you registered Arwen to attend 1st grade here next semester. (note, he doesn't ask he informs)

Me: Yes sir.

Mr. S: We're not accepting anyone from outside the district into the classroom.

Me: Oh, so you're at capacity this year?

Mr. S: No, we're just not accepting anyone outside the district.

Me: I'm confused, I was told that if you weren't at capacity...

Mr. S: It's not personal, nothing against your child but we're not accepting children outside our district, she will have to use your own zone.

Me: I'm not sure if you're aware but the major reason we'd hoped to register her at your school is so she can attend the same school both of her brothers do. My oldest son is a student of Ms. F and has been since last year.

Mr. S: It's not personal but we're not accepting children outside the district. Thank you.

*click*

The fracker hung up on me.

Now. I know school's only have so much room. I knew Arwen might not get into this particular one. But this man talked down to me, treated me like an idiot and then had the audacity to hang up on me. Perhaps the fact that a majority of his parents don't have a college education is his excuse for being so arrogant. Perhaps he is used to intimidating other people because he thinks he is smarter and more cunning. But I'm not one of them and I refuse to be treated so callously by him.

So the next time I go to the school I plan on walking up to him, introducing myself and asking him to explain exactly why my daughter can't attend the school. I'm pretty sure he won't be so ballsy when he's looking me in the face.

I'll save the drama with my Momma (lol drama with my Momma!) for tomorrow. This entry has enough of that as it stands.

Don't Feed the Dinosaurs!

I'm dividing the party pictures into two separate entries, mostly because one set is having fun with my daughter, the others are the ones I took for me (will pick one to enter into photo contest this week).

The party! The dinosaurs are on display here until July, they were very popular with the kids.


This fairy gate actually opened and closed, it was so adorable.

COPS

As we were pulling out of Payless shoes Arwen noticed the police car.

Arwen: "Mommy, there is a police man!"

Me: "Yup."

Arwen: "Hey, the policeman can arrest bad people right?"

Me: "Yup."

Arwen: "Hey, you know the policeman song right?"

Me: "Uhh, song?"

Arwen: "Yeah, the policeman song."

Me: "Uhh, no..."

Arwen: "Yeah you do, it's this one: 'What you gonna do, what you gonna do when they come for you. Bad boys, bad boys! What you gonna do when they come for you."

Me: "Where did you learn that?"

Arwen: "It's saw it on the TV at Mimi's house. You know, the show COPS."

Well that explains her fascination.

Outside Fun

Another weekend, more stuff to do. This was us pulling down ivy from the front of the house. It has grown so wildly it took all of us, rope and brute force to pull it down. The kids thought it was hilarious.

Yakety Yack, Don't Talk Back

Arwen is admittedly a 'hard' child. She's very smart and because of that she's stubborn, willful and extremely independent. She challenges boundaries each day and constantly pushes to see just how far she can go before the shit hits the fan.

As her Mother, I know exactly how trying it can be when she's at her worst. But the one thing she does that drives me absolutely ape shit batty is her back talk. Here's a snippet of what it's like:

"Arwen, move and let Vincent kiss Annabel good-bye."

"NO! HE MOVED OVER ON MY SPOT AND I WAS HERE FIRST!"

"Arwen, move I said, let Vincent kiss her good-bye before the bus gets here!" Vincent starts to cry as he just wants to kiss his baby sister, which peaks my annoyance.

"NOOOO," she starts.

"ARWEN! I SAID..."

"NOOO! I WAS HERE FIRST! HE..." she starts in again before a mini meltdown occurs in which she is then forceably moved by her Father so our son can kiss the baby.

This is a common thing. Whenever she gets into trouble and I try to tell her what she's done wrong, she interjects, interrupts or stops me midsentence. When I was a kid I'd have gotten slapped in the mouth (and I did, I remember, I stopped talking back after that) if I spoke back to my Mom like that.

I informed Arwen that starting today there will be no more talking back or speaking over others. She has to begin to learn some control. I realize she is only 6 but at 6 she should have a better handle on her emotions to an extent. I can't let this power struggle continue for her sake. There has to be a defined line so in the future there is no miscommunication when she steps over it.

Girls are so much harder than boys.

Field Day!

All I can say is Arwen had a great time and it was wonderful to be able to enjoy watching her. I can't believe Kindergarten is almost over...my little girl is growing up before my eyes. I'd better not blink.

Mixed Signals

"They made fun of me Mommy!" Arwens face crinkled up at me as I was brushing her hair to get her ready for school.

"Who did?" I stopped brushing to look at her in the mirror.

"The other kids, you put me in my uniform yesterday and it was out of uniform day and we were supposed to wear pajamas!" She emphasized the last part.

*****

Out of uniform days at school are a very rare treat and one Arwen really looks forward to. I mark each of them on the calendar and since they only occur every couple of months it's pretty easy to keep up with.

Last week we got a letter stating the school would have a 'student' principal and that May 30th was the set day for out of uniform PJ day. I marked it on my calendar. This morning I remembered the note and went digging and I found it. Boy am I pissed.

The date for out of uniform is obviously a typo because it says clear as day the girl will be principal on April 30th and she has decreed that May 30th will be out of uniform pajama day. I feel pretty bad right now since my daughter was obviously picked on by other children because her Mom forgot it was out of uniform PJ day.

I'll be SO glad when she's in a public school next year. Then each and every day she can be the little individual I love. Out of uniform days? Who needs them.

Full Circle

You know those moments when something suddenly hits you?

Vincent and Logan are at Mimi's for the night so it was just Daddy and the girls. We'd decided to watch Alvin and the chipmunks together so I made the popcorn and we piled onto the couch. At some point Arwen was laughing and cuddled close to me and I flashed back to my own childhood. Some of my fondest memories are of taking in a movie with my Mom and Dad. I loved listening to them laugh, it made my heart flutter and at times I felt it brim over. I didn't enjoy the movie as much as I enjoyed being with them and just listening to them laugh. I didn't watch the movie, I watched them.

As Arwen watched me laugh and laughed all the harder because of it I knew my life had come full circle. I'm not just her Mother, I am to her what my own Mother was to me ... the world. I hugged her tightly to me and made sure to laugh a little harder, a little longer, at the screen.

I have a feeling my parents weren't just watching the movie when I was a kid either.

Got Milk?

"Mom, when you eat chocolate does that mean Annabel gets chocolate milk?"

Awkward.

Kids say the darndest things...

"Mommy, why is the weather so mad at us?"

As asked by my daughter as her Father rushed to the school to pick her up as tornado's touched down in our area and she asked to call me on his cell phone.

Cake!

Since there is a no fever for 24 hours rule at Arwen's school, she is home with me again today. She's feeling better though and helped me make another cake.

She's titled this one, "Birthday Cake Chocolate Surprise". Although I have no clue who's birthday it's supposed to be. She's getting really good at helping me bake. She's also getting better at scraping all that extra icing out to eat!