Sophia woke up the other day from her nap and said “I’m mad, mama!”
“Why are you mad baby?” I asked her.
“I mad at sister!” she responded.
“Why are you mad at sister?” I questioned.
“Because sister hit me!”
Olivia had just woken up by that point and joined the conversation.
“I didn’t hit sister, I was over there, sleeping in my bed the whole time!”
We surmise Sophia had a dream that Olivia hit her and woke up angry.
Hopefully she’s not making stuff up…not yet anyway.
I know, in my future, there will be plenty of days when the girls scream “You’re the meanest mom ever”. It’s just the way it goes. They won’t get their way about something, and they will be mad and say something in anger. I won’t take it personally.
That said, I really do enjoy those moments when I do something that amazes them and they say “Wow! You’re the best mama EVER!” It melts me. I eat it up and perhaps I am just socking those moments away, so when they do yell out mean things I have those nice words to fall back on.
It can be something as simple as finding “Little Einsteins” for them to watch. (which is just a matter of right place, right time)
“WOW Mama! How did you do that? You’re the best!”
Or it can be something that takes only slightly more time and effort, like today’s St. Patrick’s day treat.
They're magically delicious. Or something...
A tiny bottle of green food dye, added while the marshmallows were melting, was all it took to make my girls proclaim “You’re the best mama ever!” They had green mouths, and will possibly have green poop, but who cares? They thought it was the neatest thing ever.
Green makes everything better, right?
Sometimes, it is the simplest things that mean the most.
I don’t want to be a jerk of a parent. I don’t. But, I fully intend to read all books before the girls do as they get older. Or, in the very least, read reviews, plot points, etc.
Don’t think I will tell them they can’t read something if I find it questionable (because, let’s face it, they’ll just read it behind my back anyway if they want to bad enough), BUT I want to know what they are reading. So I can be a guide, and possibly answer questions if they are confused about something.
Let’s just say that my stance has a LOT to do with the fact that I read many things at a young age that I didn’t necessarily understand. (I read Forever when I was in 5th or 6th grade, ya’ll). I don’t think I’m worse for it, but I also feel that if I had been given some kind of guidance when reading, someone could have told me that book (for example) wasn’t the same kind of book as all of the other Judy Blume books I loved.
So, imagine my surprise, when after taking Olivia to the library (where she decided she needed TEN books this time), we sat down to read Madeline in London. I’m happily reading aloud, when I reach this passage:
“And when they went to the place, they found A horse that was gentle, strong, and sound. Some poor old dobbins are made into glue…
but not this one–”
WTF? Um…really? This is a celebrated children’s series. I did not, for one minute, think I needed to read CHILDREN’S picture books before sharing them with my children.
However, after my second strike, I’m thinking I should.
So I skipped over the making him into glue part, stumbled a bit, but managed to get over it without drawing any questions. After we finished, Olivia wanted to read “Miss Spider’s Wedding”. For those of you not familiar, Miss Spider is a series that was made into a Nick Jr. show. It’s beautifully illustrated, and we’ve read many of the books without any issues. However, THIS one, was obviously written for the adults.
I paused when I started reading and got to this passage:
“Then Holley held Miss Spider’s hand…I’ll say no more, you understand. For private moments between spiders should not be witnessed by outsiders.”
I paused, but did not stop (I should have).
I didn’t stop reading the book until I got to the part where Miss Spider’s friends were discussing her date with Holley, a smaller, bespectacled spider who is “kind and wise”.
“That pantywaist will never do. What difference if he’s kind and wise, He isn’t half Miss Spider’s size.”
SERIOUSLY?
The book was written in 1995, so it isn’t like there is another old fashioned definition that we don’t know about. The whole book puts a whole lot of emphasis on how important it is for a woman to settle down with a man. When Miss Spider talks of having a date, her friend says “Well Finally”.
They talk about spiders who “drink so much petunia wine, he’s hardly fit to crawl.”
Then when Spiderus comes along to woo Miss Spider he gets pretty violent with her, and the pictures are actually kind of scary. Of course, there is a happy ending, but at what cost?
*shakes her fist*
At what cost?
So I suppose now I have to preread even the most classic of tales.
But, in case you need some help, we successfully read the following books:
Lost and Found By Oliver Jeffers: A penguin shows up on a boy’s doorstep one day. The boy tries to help him find his way home, only to discover something really profound. Olivia loved this one. We’ve read it at least three times since she got it from the library on Friday, and she’s read it solo more than I can probably count.
No Biting, Louise By Margie Palatini: Louise is a pigtailed alligator who loves to bite. Everyone tells her to knock it off except for her beloved Grandmama who says she will outgrow it. Sophia absolutely loved this one and laughs so hard every time we read it. I think we will be buying it for her collection.
Miss Spider’s Tea Party By David Kirk: Neither Bill and I have been requested to read this one yet…but Olivia has read it and likes it. The illustrations are gorgeous, and I’m sure before the week is over I will be able to report more fully on the content.
Miss Spider’s New Car By David Kirk: Cute! Not at all scary like the wedding book. The illustrations are (again) gorgeous.
Little Miss Spider By David Kirk: Very sweet book with the same gorgeous illustrations. I do understand how many adoptive parents are hesitant to share this one with their adopted children, as there is a passage that states “For finding your mother, there’s one certain test. You must look for the creature who loves you the best.” At face value, I found it sweet, but I get it. You don’t want your children to think that their birth parents do not love them. Maybe that helps? The only part I didn’t like (and perhaps it is because I’m reading it to such small children) is when the spider almost got eaten by a nest of hungry baby birds.
Kate, the Cat and the Moon By David Almond and Stephen Lambert: A little girl dreams she turns into a cat during the night, and turns back into a girl the next morning. Very nice illustrations, Olivia liked this one a lot. Very simple and easy to read. Both girls liked the “meowing” that I did.
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back & One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish By Dr. Seuss: We’re pretty much Seuss-a-holics in this house. Both girls LOVED these two and they have been read at least five times by Bill and I since Friday. Olivia has read them both at least as much on her own.
It is supposed to rain this weekend. I had to cancel my planned yard sale, so it damned well better rain.
We went to the library to stock up on books for the girls, since we anticipate not being able to go outside for the next couple of days. Olivia said she thought she needed more than five books this time, so we chose ten. After a trip to the grocery store we are hunkered down, the girls are in bed and Bill and I are catching up on our DVR queue.
I also realized I hadn’t listed any FLINKS in awhile.
So. Whether it is raining in your neck of the woods this weekend or not, enjoy this list of FLINKS.
Etiquette Hell I may or may not have listed this before, but the site has been updated and upgraded. Much easier to read and navigate. A lot of hilarious stories, also a great way to brush up on your own etiquette. Plus she posts cute stories every “Feel Good Friday”.
Friends of Irony Real irony. Not the series of unfortunate events that Ms. Morrisette sings about.
Lamebook Real facebook status fails. Some NSFW stuff, language, etc. Totally worth it.
Regretsy “Where DIY meets WTF” Some NSFW things are posted, but the writer does try to warn you. Making fun of the crap people try to sell on Etsy. It’s marvelous. (Sorry, it’s the girls’ favorite new word, we’ve been saying it a lot around here).
Enjoy.
That was February. I visited my family for a week and a half and the girls got really sick. I flew back home with two extremely sick girls, who stayed that way until just recently. Me, along with them.
Not sure if I mentioned it, but for Christmas, Bill enrolled me in a photography class which started two weeks ago. I never seem to have a minute, but I will attempt to take them when I can.
My first photography assignment was to photograph what we thought beauty was. All images were not to be altered in any way. No photoshop! Here are a few that I submitted:
Here’s hoping March sees more postings!