3+4=Human?

I said to Todd the other morning (yes, it is me...I know it has been a long time...life is busy...unusually so), that I feel almost human again. With three kids it only took 4 years for that to happen! Although I am pretty sure I did lose my mind somewhere in the process. Because of that I am going to randomly record the thoughts I have had in the past month. These are the thoughts I wish I would have had the time to blog about. A month long list of blog posts...ready?

Homework. Who the heck decided that in order to keep our kids competitive with the rest of the world they should have 2 hours of homework a night in the third grade? I have now been told this is one of the reasons our kids are obese and after not being able to fit in my workouts at night, I agree! The weekend prior to Presidents Day weekend (right around the last time I wrote), Colin actually had 6 homework assignments to due. We spent the entire day on Sunday doing homework and he still didn't finish. I ended up doing my child's homework for him so he could go to ski practice on Monday night and actually get some exercise and not become another overweight child (or actually an overly rambunctious child which might be worse!). I want to point out that I helped him do his science experiment that weekend, for which he received a very poor grade. I also want to point out that it was a food science experiment (I went to college for this, his father works in the food industry, and WE FAILED his science experiment). Goes to show you that parents should NEVER go back to elementary school!

The following week he only had three assignments due. One of them was to memorize the preamble to the Constitution. I still have it memorized from the 5th grade. Since I still knew it, I taught it to him while we drove around town, it worked well. After this use of my odd knowledge and the debacle with the science experiment, Todd and I decided that we need to divide up which types of homework we give help on. I have obviously been removed from science homework, with the exception of biology. I am taking history (well all social studies), English, and all things creative. Todd has math, physical and chemical sciences. We might have to go back to school to relearn a few things as soon as the kids get into the 5th grade, but for now we are fine (you know minus the whole science fair bit).

Conferences. We have had conferences now for both of the boys. Apparently they are both doing great academically. Organizationally, they both need work. Seriously? In first and third grade my children (who can't remember to zip the zipper of their pants in the morning most days) are expected to remember all assignments and complete all homework on time. If Zach (first grade, remember) forgets to turn in his weekly reading comprehension exercise, he loses his extra recess time. Colin (third grade) was marked down on his report card for not turning in all work in a timely manner and not keeping his papers organized enough. In third grade, I didn't have homework and my mother had to tell me each morning that my shoes were by the front door (where I had left them the day before) so I would make it to the bus stop ontime. My kids are graded on their organizational skills in first and third grade. As an adult, I am now overly organized, and I couldn't find my shoes by the front door in the third grade. I am just saying, really? Todd works with PhD’s who have revolutionized the food industry and can’t find their car in the parking lot at the end of the day. I refuse to worry about my first and third grader’s organizational skills even if you give them a grade for it on their report card.

Winter. It has honestly been a blessing to have so much snow so Colin could go skiing this winter. He really seemed to enjoy race team. He was not the fastest out there. He wasn’t even in the top half of racers for any of his races, but he gave it his all EVERY time he went out. His coaches said that is something they can’t teach. Skill is taught, but heart is something you are born with. We are excited to see him doing something he loves and having so much fun doing it. On his last Fun Day of ski practice, Todd went and skied with him. They had a great day of fun races and bonding time. Later in the day they headed up the chairlift with another dad and son. Half-way through the ride, the boy slipped from the chair lift. Todd said it was horrible to watch. It is the second horrible accident we have heard about this winter. Colin asked me if he should keep skiing since such bad things can happen. I looked at him and said, “You love skiing. Most of the things worth doing in life, the things that are the most fun, are dangerous. That is why we do them. You can’t stop living just because you might get hurt.” Of course a whole lot of prayers don’t hurt either!

Molly decided somewhere before Thanksgiving that she was done with winter. By January 3, she was really done. With the 18 inches we received at the end of February, she because to question if winter would EVER end. She looked me straight in the eye one afternoon on the way to pick up Zach and said, “Mommy, do we still have a yard?” I wasn’t really sure I heard her right, so I asked “Yard? You mean at our house?” She nodded, “Yes, our yard where we play. What happened to it?” I explained it was still there, but under all the snow. Alarmed she looked at me and said “Will it EVER come back?” All we can do is hope!

Healthy. I may not be able to get a good grade on an elementary school science fair project, but I still understand what is healthy food and what isn’t. We have a lot of discussions at home about what is healthy and what isn’t. In our house, we have a fair amount of treats. I make cookies and we have donuts a lot of Sunday mornings. I like to get ice cream in the summer and a Starbucks in the winter. However, I also let my kids eat General Mills “sugar” cereals. I think they make a great snack. Someone told me recently that the NEVER allow their children to eat that junk. I should almost be ashamed of myself for allowing them to take that junk to school and passing it off as a healthy snack option. Part of the berating from this mother did happen in my head, but you know, she had that look of judgment about her. So I went home and I compared the box to Cocoa Puffs to her goldfish crackers. My junky sugar cereal actually had fewer calories, sugar (yes sugar), fat, and total carbohydrates. Plus my junky sugar cereal had more fiber and vitamins. It could be (in all fairness) that her child was eating the organic bunny crackers. In which case, my junky sugar cereal does loose in calories, sugar, fat and total carbs. However, sugar cereal does still have more fiber and vitamins. Pick your poison. My kids need fiber and vitamins. They move 1 million miles an hour and burn off all the sugar, fat, and excess carbs they take in. So, maybe I am a bad mom for allowing sugar cereal. If that is the worst thing I do…

I AM OLDER THAN YOU! Zachary had his first grade field trip to the science museum in the middle of February. They went to see the King Tut exhibit since their unit on Ancient Egypt had just concluded. An entire day at the Science Museum! He could not wait. It cracks me up sometimes to realize that in my children’s minds there are certain qualifications to getting older. None of them have to do with age, but ability to do things. When you get a big time fieldtrip like the Science Museum, you are super big…AND super smart. Only big and smart kids get to go to the Science Museum. Little kids visit the apple orchard or go to the Nature Center…I mean he did THOSE in Preschool. As a matter of fact, you age immeasurably once you go to school ALL day. Kindergarten is school, but not REAL school. First grade is an actual grade. It involves lunch AND recess. First grade is not for whiners or babies. Molly does not like being told she is not old enough for anything. However, she has learned that instead of getting upset, she just whistles. Zach can’t whistle. She informs him that the whistle gives her at least a ½ on her age. She might not be a first grader, but she is 4 AND 1/2.

What is even better is that the 2 ½ years that Zach has on Molly really makes him take on the big brother role. He is great at it. I was sick late this past week with a horrible sinus infection and could not move. My children, who had been stuck inside since November 15, were moving way too much. I sent them out to play with strict instructions to keep an eye on their sister. As I watched them from in the house, I see Zachary take Molly to the swings. He helps her up, pushes her for as long as she wants, encourages her to pump her feet, and then helps her down. He then helps her through the snow that is so high she can’t walk and gets her in the house when she is cold. They have a bond that I could never have imagined.

In conclusion...No matter what is happening in Egypt or Wisconsin or Libya or Japan, my kids are great kids who love each other (most of the time), help each other, and try really hard at the things they love. I ray of hope in this messed up, cold and snowy, never-ending winter world of ours! I may have missed blogging all their adventures in the past month, but they are up to the same old things. They make me proud. They make me laugh. They make me a bit crazy. But in the end, they give me hope that tomorrow is a new day and all I need is love...(sing with me now…)