That is how long my children have been out of school.
School was closed yesterday due to a level 2 snow emergency.
It was closed today due to fog. Because, duh, it’s suddenly above zero outside and the ground is still sub-zero and so the air gets foggy. Yes, that’s the official definition of what creates fog.
Today Tom took the girls to my mom’s house because I think if the poor man had to spend one more day telling Alyssa to get off Olivia and telling Olivia to stop touching her sister’s butt, he might just lose his mind.
So here we are, staring down a weekend. A normal, two-day weekend, hoping against hope that school will resume on Monday, no two-hour delays, no closings, just school.
I think even Alyssa is starting to miss school. Or, rather, she’s starting to miss her friends, which is the same thing since school is where she sees them.
Next Tuesday is Alyssa’s eleventh birthday, which should absolutely be celebrated by sending her to school. Don’t you think? Me to!!
Olivia, on the other hand, would be perfectly happy to be home schooled if that were an option. It’s not like she talks to anyone in her class anyway. Alas, even if Tom or I were willing to do that, we realize that it would be greatly detrimental to her social growth.
I am sure that by second grade, that child will be speaking to her peers.
Yes, we’re ready to this ‘winter break’ to be over. So very ready.
A mom, a dad and two daughters. We're living ordinary lives with a twist of 5p- (Cri du Chat) for spice. But we're about so much more than our younger daughter's genetic diagnosis.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Hugging the Babies
In the past few months, Alyssa has gotten clingy. Like, REALLY clingy. She wants to hug us several times a day and when we’re sitting down in the evenings, she sits as close to me as possible without actually sitting ON me.
I even started calling her by the name of a relative who is a ‘hugger’ in the sense that this person latches on to someone and doesn’t let go. It’s irritating to the point that I can hardly stand to be around this person for fear she’ll hug me or put her enormous arm around me and just let it sit there on my shoulders like a giant, dead snake.
Alyssa finds it amusing in the extreme that I call her by this other person’s name and tends to hang on to hugs that much longer in the hopes of eliciting the name from my lips.
My mom recently suggested that I hug Alyssa back with as much enthusiasm as she hugs all of us. I’ve done this for over a week and while she gets why I’m doing it, and finds it hilarious, it does seem to have curbed Alyssa’s need to embrace as often as she was even two weeks ago.
One afternoon after visiting my mom, the girls and I were getting ready to go home. I’d already helped Olivia with her shoes and coat.
I grabbed Alyssa’s coat and called to her, “Come her, Sweetie. Let’s get your coat on you.”
She laughed and let me ‘help’ her put her coat on. I zipped her coat for her and put her scarf around her neck.
Olivia watched these actions with concern.
When we got the to the car, Alyssa still laughing at how I’d babied her, Olivia declared, “You know she’s not the baby, right?”
I fought a grin and said, “She’s my baby.”
Olivia blinked. “I’m your baby,” she insisted.
Alyssa laughed and we went home.
Olivia couldn’t let it go. She asked several times that night why I’d put Alyssa’s coat on her. I finally told her Lyss and I were just being silly. That answer seemed to soothe her.
Olivia is not ready or willing to give up her status as the baby of the family, especially not her big sister.
Thank goodness Olivia doesn’t seem to care that I still go on for nice long hugs with Alyssa. And those hugs have gone a long way toward giving Alyssa the connection she seems to need these days while also giving me the personal space I need after a long day of catering the needs of both of my babies.
I even started calling her by the name of a relative who is a ‘hugger’ in the sense that this person latches on to someone and doesn’t let go. It’s irritating to the point that I can hardly stand to be around this person for fear she’ll hug me or put her enormous arm around me and just let it sit there on my shoulders like a giant, dead snake.
Alyssa finds it amusing in the extreme that I call her by this other person’s name and tends to hang on to hugs that much longer in the hopes of eliciting the name from my lips.
My mom recently suggested that I hug Alyssa back with as much enthusiasm as she hugs all of us. I’ve done this for over a week and while she gets why I’m doing it, and finds it hilarious, it does seem to have curbed Alyssa’s need to embrace as often as she was even two weeks ago.
One afternoon after visiting my mom, the girls and I were getting ready to go home. I’d already helped Olivia with her shoes and coat.
I grabbed Alyssa’s coat and called to her, “Come her, Sweetie. Let’s get your coat on you.”
She laughed and let me ‘help’ her put her coat on. I zipped her coat for her and put her scarf around her neck.
Olivia watched these actions with concern.
When we got the to the car, Alyssa still laughing at how I’d babied her, Olivia declared, “You know she’s not the baby, right?”
I fought a grin and said, “She’s my baby.”
Olivia blinked. “I’m your baby,” she insisted.
Alyssa laughed and we went home.
Olivia couldn’t let it go. She asked several times that night why I’d put Alyssa’s coat on her. I finally told her Lyss and I were just being silly. That answer seemed to soothe her.
Olivia is not ready or willing to give up her status as the baby of the family, especially not her big sister.
Thank goodness Olivia doesn’t seem to care that I still go on for nice long hugs with Alyssa. And those hugs have gone a long way toward giving Alyssa the connection she seems to need these days while also giving me the personal space I need after a long day of catering the needs of both of my babies.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
The Hills are Alive
I didn’t plan to watch Carrie Underwood’s televised live performance in The Sound of Music. Each time I saw a commercial for it, I think I might have groaned.
To be honest, I’d never even seen the movie version starring Julie Andrews in its entirety. I know, the shame, right?
But that Thursday night there was nothing else on, so we tuned in to watch Carrie sing about the hills and do re mi.
We laughed over the fact that the dude playing Captain Von Trapp looked severely constipated. We discussed our irritation with Rolf and the stupid song, “Sixteen Going on Seventeen.”
We didn’t manage to stay up to watch the whole play the night it was aired live but we did catch it the following Sunday when it was shown again.
Alyssa loved it. She loved the music, she loved laughing with me over the sillier parts (Rolf, ugh!
She loved it so much, we bought the dvd of both versions and have watched both several times in the past couple of weeks.
You can hear both me and Alyssa wandering about the house singing, “When you know the notes to sing…”
Even Olivia can be found singing, “Do a dear, a female deer…) at the top of her lungs. It’s awesome.
When we watched the 1965 version with Julie Andrews Alyssa declared Carrie Underwood her favorite Maria.
I told her it was just because Carrie’s Maria was the first on Alyssa had seen. I definitely prefer Julie Andrews’ performance. She managed to look more like a woman who might be heading off to become a nun. She was also feistier than Carrie’s Maria, who came across as awfully sweet.
If the point of doing the live performance was to introduce a whole new generation to The Sound of Music, it worked. At least it worked in our house. We’re loving the sound of music as it makes it was through our home.
To be honest, I’d never even seen the movie version starring Julie Andrews in its entirety. I know, the shame, right?
But that Thursday night there was nothing else on, so we tuned in to watch Carrie sing about the hills and do re mi.
We laughed over the fact that the dude playing Captain Von Trapp looked severely constipated. We discussed our irritation with Rolf and the stupid song, “Sixteen Going on Seventeen.”
We didn’t manage to stay up to watch the whole play the night it was aired live but we did catch it the following Sunday when it was shown again.
Alyssa loved it. She loved the music, she loved laughing with me over the sillier parts (Rolf, ugh!
She loved it so much, we bought the dvd of both versions and have watched both several times in the past couple of weeks.
You can hear both me and Alyssa wandering about the house singing, “When you know the notes to sing…”
Even Olivia can be found singing, “Do a dear, a female deer…) at the top of her lungs. It’s awesome.
When we watched the 1965 version with Julie Andrews Alyssa declared Carrie Underwood her favorite Maria.
I told her it was just because Carrie’s Maria was the first on Alyssa had seen. I definitely prefer Julie Andrews’ performance. She managed to look more like a woman who might be heading off to become a nun. She was also feistier than Carrie’s Maria, who came across as awfully sweet.
If the point of doing the live performance was to introduce a whole new generation to The Sound of Music, it worked. At least it worked in our house. We’re loving the sound of music as it makes it was through our home.
Monday, January 6, 2014
An Extra Sunday
The only thing people are talking about around these parts is the weather. We are in the Midwest where not only did we get 12+ inches of snow dumped on us yesterday, we are also experiencing below 0 temperatures.
The girls have been out of school for, well two full weeks and a day as of today. School was supposed to start back up last Thursday but snow stopped that. The cold, blowing winds are causing drifts that will probably close school again tomorrow.
They're very much enjoying their extended Christmas vacation. I should probably call it their winter vacation now that Christmas is over.
As unusual as it is, my work closed today due the weather too. Yay for all of us.
The best part is that we knew this going bed last night, which means I could NOT set my alarm and just sleep in.
When Olivia woke me up at 7:00 this morning she gave a little whispered, "Whoohoo! We don't have to go to school or work."
I smiled sleepily and said, "That's right, you and me and Daddy and Lyssie just get to stay home together."
She said, "It's like an extra Sunday."
I like that. An extra Sunday to just be together.
Let it snow, let it blow. We're blessed to be warm, have plenty of food. We've enjoyed sitting at the front window, watching the drifts form. Maybe we'll get to do it all again tomorrow.
The girls have been out of school for, well two full weeks and a day as of today. School was supposed to start back up last Thursday but snow stopped that. The cold, blowing winds are causing drifts that will probably close school again tomorrow.
They're very much enjoying their extended Christmas vacation. I should probably call it their winter vacation now that Christmas is over.
As unusual as it is, my work closed today due the weather too. Yay for all of us.
The best part is that we knew this going bed last night, which means I could NOT set my alarm and just sleep in.
When Olivia woke me up at 7:00 this morning she gave a little whispered, "Whoohoo! We don't have to go to school or work."
I smiled sleepily and said, "That's right, you and me and Daddy and Lyssie just get to stay home together."
She said, "It's like an extra Sunday."
I like that. An extra Sunday to just be together.
Let it snow, let it blow. We're blessed to be warm, have plenty of food. We've enjoyed sitting at the front window, watching the drifts form. Maybe we'll get to do it all again tomorrow.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Bad Boys Bad Boys
Last October the girls and I were grocery shopping and happened upon the Halloween aisles. Olivia found some toy handcuffs and had to have them. I mean, she was enchanted by these silver bangles that were connected by a three link chain. There was no key but they were toys, they had a little lever on each cuff that released it.
They were only $3 so I went ahead and got them for her.
She played with those things almost constantly for the next couple of months. She played with them so much that Tom had to fix them several times because O turned out to be hard on handcuffs.
One afternoon Tom was flipping through the channels and came across an episode of Cops Reloaded.
Olivia stopped almost mid-flip and stared.
There were people being handcuffed on the television! She couldn’t believe her eyes. She watched the entire episode, her own hands cuffed behind her back, then in front, and finally, with the cuffs just dangling from her hands.
Last week she was flipping through one of her poo magazines. She came across a picture of Kevin Federline (aka the ex-Mr. Britney Spears) being hauled away in handcuffs. She carried the magazine open to that picture around with her for days. She asked several times, “Why do celebrities get arrested?”
I think the most common answer was, “Because celebrities are stupid and they think they’re above the law and so they do dumb things and are shocked when they’re caught and held accountable.”
Probably a bit much to be saying to a seven year old but…whatever.
The last few days as I walk into the door from work, I can hear Olivia in the living room asking Tom if it is time for Cops Reloaded to start. He found a channel that shows two episodes in a row of this insane show right at 5:00 and 5:30 each afternoon. Olivia is in handcuff heaven. She claps gleefully when the opening song starts and races to find her handcuffs so she can watch as idiots of both genders, all ages and ethnicities are arrested for stupidity.
I hope all this isn’t a sneak peek into the life she one day wants to lead. That is, of course, unless she decides to be a cop. But wait, danger, no. No, no, no. I do not want my child (even my adult child) out there dealing with crack head morons on a daily basis.
No. This is a passing phase, right? A funny, cute-because-she’s-seven phase.
They were only $3 so I went ahead and got them for her.
She played with those things almost constantly for the next couple of months. She played with them so much that Tom had to fix them several times because O turned out to be hard on handcuffs.
One afternoon Tom was flipping through the channels and came across an episode of Cops Reloaded.
Olivia stopped almost mid-flip and stared.
There were people being handcuffed on the television! She couldn’t believe her eyes. She watched the entire episode, her own hands cuffed behind her back, then in front, and finally, with the cuffs just dangling from her hands.
Last week she was flipping through one of her poo magazines. She came across a picture of Kevin Federline (aka the ex-Mr. Britney Spears) being hauled away in handcuffs. She carried the magazine open to that picture around with her for days. She asked several times, “Why do celebrities get arrested?”
I think the most common answer was, “Because celebrities are stupid and they think they’re above the law and so they do dumb things and are shocked when they’re caught and held accountable.”
Probably a bit much to be saying to a seven year old but…whatever.
The last few days as I walk into the door from work, I can hear Olivia in the living room asking Tom if it is time for Cops Reloaded to start. He found a channel that shows two episodes in a row of this insane show right at 5:00 and 5:30 each afternoon. Olivia is in handcuff heaven. She claps gleefully when the opening song starts and races to find her handcuffs so she can watch as idiots of both genders, all ages and ethnicities are arrested for stupidity.
I hope all this isn’t a sneak peek into the life she one day wants to lead. That is, of course, unless she decides to be a cop. But wait, danger, no. No, no, no. I do not want my child (even my adult child) out there dealing with crack head morons on a daily basis.
No. This is a passing phase, right? A funny, cute-because-she’s-seven phase.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Hovering
On December 30th, before I left for work Alyssa asked if her friend T could come over on New Year’s Eve and spend the day with us.
I figured, “Why not?” So I sent T’s mom a message via Facebook and plans began to set.
Although N, T’s mom, replied to my Facebook message, I called her that evening when I got home from work, just because it’s easier to actually TALK to each other and make plans than it is to do it via messaging.
It was set that I’d go get T at 10 on New Year’s Eve morning, she’d spend the day with us and then at 6:00 that evening, T’s mom would come get T and Alyssa for the night.
But the weather outside was frightful and the more Tom and I talked, the more we realized that letting Alyssa spend the night with T was a bad idea. The snow was already falling when T’s mom got there at 6:00. I explained to her that we were going to let Alyssa go to their house for the evening but I was going to go get her at around 10:00 so none of us would have to be out on the roads the next day after a night of snowing and blowing.
Just before the girls left with T’s mom, Alyssa came to me and said, “I wish I could spend the night.”
I hugged her and told her, “I know you do, but the weather is awful and I really just want you home before it gets worse.”
She was disappointed but still glad to get to go at all.
I’ll be honest, I wanted to give in and let her stay the night. A third friend was going to be there and I knew it was going to suck for Alyssa when 10:00 rolled around and I showed up to take her home.
But I also had her safety and my own, at heart. I wanted her to have fun but I also wanted to avoid driving on snow-covered, slippery back roads the next day.
After Alyssa and T left for the evening, I took Olivia up for a bath. About forty minutes after the bath started, I asked O if she was ready for me to wash her hair and get out. She replied with exasperation, “Mom! I just got in here.”
Okay then. I hung out around the bathroom while she played a little longer.
Finally, she was fully pruned and agreed to get out after I washed her hair. She was grateful for the warm pajamas I’d laid out for her.
We settled in on the couch and read our three books for the night. She asked for some rainbow sherbet and then, as she lay almost dozing, she asked me, “When you go get Lyssie, are you going to wake me up?”
I told her I wouldn’t wake her up.
She asked, “Are you just going to carry me to the car while I sleep then?”
Ha! I suggested that maybe I’d just leave her sleeping on the couch by her daddy and I’d go get Lyssie and we’d be back before she knew it.
She uttered a very clear, “No.”
This was not an acceptable solution to her.
I just smiled, rubbed her back and told her I’d let her sleep while I went to pick up her sister. Is it my fault that miss bossy pants assumed I’d carry her sleeping self to the car and take her with me? No, I think not. The child never woke up during the half hour I was gone and the next morning asked me if she slept through going to pick up Lyss. She did sleep through it.
When A and I got home I hugged her again and told her again that I was sorry the sucky weather made for a disappointing New Year’s Eve.
Then…that child said something that I know all moms of children who are on the brink of the teen years will appreciate.
She hugged me back and said, “It’s okay. I had fun at T’s house but I’d really rather be here with you.”
Ohh, my sweet girl. I just can’t even stand it.
In the end, Tom woke up long enough to ring in the new year with me and Alyssa. We all hugged and kissed as the ball dropped while Olivia snoozed on the couch. We ate some Chex Mix and Tom and Alyssa drank diet Pepsi.
We were all able to stay home on New Year’s day and that, my friends, is the benefit of being an over protective parent.
I figured, “Why not?” So I sent T’s mom a message via Facebook and plans began to set.
Although N, T’s mom, replied to my Facebook message, I called her that evening when I got home from work, just because it’s easier to actually TALK to each other and make plans than it is to do it via messaging.
It was set that I’d go get T at 10 on New Year’s Eve morning, she’d spend the day with us and then at 6:00 that evening, T’s mom would come get T and Alyssa for the night.
But the weather outside was frightful and the more Tom and I talked, the more we realized that letting Alyssa spend the night with T was a bad idea. The snow was already falling when T’s mom got there at 6:00. I explained to her that we were going to let Alyssa go to their house for the evening but I was going to go get her at around 10:00 so none of us would have to be out on the roads the next day after a night of snowing and blowing.
Just before the girls left with T’s mom, Alyssa came to me and said, “I wish I could spend the night.”
I hugged her and told her, “I know you do, but the weather is awful and I really just want you home before it gets worse.”
She was disappointed but still glad to get to go at all.
I’ll be honest, I wanted to give in and let her stay the night. A third friend was going to be there and I knew it was going to suck for Alyssa when 10:00 rolled around and I showed up to take her home.
But I also had her safety and my own, at heart. I wanted her to have fun but I also wanted to avoid driving on snow-covered, slippery back roads the next day.
After Alyssa and T left for the evening, I took Olivia up for a bath. About forty minutes after the bath started, I asked O if she was ready for me to wash her hair and get out. She replied with exasperation, “Mom! I just got in here.”
Okay then. I hung out around the bathroom while she played a little longer.
Finally, she was fully pruned and agreed to get out after I washed her hair. She was grateful for the warm pajamas I’d laid out for her.
We settled in on the couch and read our three books for the night. She asked for some rainbow sherbet and then, as she lay almost dozing, she asked me, “When you go get Lyssie, are you going to wake me up?”
I told her I wouldn’t wake her up.
She asked, “Are you just going to carry me to the car while I sleep then?”
Ha! I suggested that maybe I’d just leave her sleeping on the couch by her daddy and I’d go get Lyssie and we’d be back before she knew it.
She uttered a very clear, “No.”
This was not an acceptable solution to her.
I just smiled, rubbed her back and told her I’d let her sleep while I went to pick up her sister. Is it my fault that miss bossy pants assumed I’d carry her sleeping self to the car and take her with me? No, I think not. The child never woke up during the half hour I was gone and the next morning asked me if she slept through going to pick up Lyss. She did sleep through it.
When A and I got home I hugged her again and told her again that I was sorry the sucky weather made for a disappointing New Year’s Eve.
Then…that child said something that I know all moms of children who are on the brink of the teen years will appreciate.
She hugged me back and said, “It’s okay. I had fun at T’s house but I’d really rather be here with you.”
Ohh, my sweet girl. I just can’t even stand it.
In the end, Tom woke up long enough to ring in the new year with me and Alyssa. We all hugged and kissed as the ball dropped while Olivia snoozed on the couch. We ate some Chex Mix and Tom and Alyssa drank diet Pepsi.
We were all able to stay home on New Year’s day and that, my friends, is the benefit of being an over protective parent.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Reflections of 2013
What a year. I feel like 2013 was one of the best so far. I came a long way toward being healthy, which, yes, is awesome.
But also Tom and talked a lot more this year than years past, we worked on being a couple, we parented more cohesively and we laughed. We laughed a lot and quite honestly, I think that goes farther toward cementing our relationship than anything else.
Alyssa finished fourth grade with a bang in 2013 and started fifth grade with enthusiasm. Having her tonsils out in 2012 meant Alyssa had an incredibly healthy 2013. All that mommy guilt over the time it took her to heal from the surgery has evaporated thanks to her ongoing good health.
Olivia...oh, sweet little Olivia. She continues to amaze us with her words, her humor, her gymnastics. This girl has mastered the headstand. Can you even believe that. A child who didn't sit up on her own until she was a year old has the muscle control to stand on her flipping head. Wow is all I can say.
My brother Jason got married in 2013. His July wedding was the catalyst to my changing my eating habits on January 2 last year. And I did it. I made it a full year of eating well, of staying the course and in the end, I lost 59 pounds. It would have been lovely to be able to say I lost 60 pounds even but what the hell, 59 is a pretty darned good number.
I finally, FINALLY got that darned toy room cleaned. It only took about five months of five minutes here and hour there of cleaning, sorting, tossing. The day I vacuumed the carpet and looked around at the organized toys, I sort of wanted to cry with relief. Instead, I bounded down the stairs and announced to my family, "Wooo, to the who, to the whoo whoo whoo! I am done with the toy room."
We were able to let all the little kids go up there last Sunday and not worry about it being destroyed because there is a place for everything and I have no trouble putting it all back together even after Olivia and the five grandkids went up there for hours without adult supervision.
2013 was good to us. But I also think we were good to ourselves and each other and often that makes all the difference.
2014 can be just as awesome, if only because we will face the challenges together just as we'll face the celebrations together.
But also Tom and talked a lot more this year than years past, we worked on being a couple, we parented more cohesively and we laughed. We laughed a lot and quite honestly, I think that goes farther toward cementing our relationship than anything else.
Alyssa finished fourth grade with a bang in 2013 and started fifth grade with enthusiasm. Having her tonsils out in 2012 meant Alyssa had an incredibly healthy 2013. All that mommy guilt over the time it took her to heal from the surgery has evaporated thanks to her ongoing good health.
Olivia...oh, sweet little Olivia. She continues to amaze us with her words, her humor, her gymnastics. This girl has mastered the headstand. Can you even believe that. A child who didn't sit up on her own until she was a year old has the muscle control to stand on her flipping head. Wow is all I can say.
My brother Jason got married in 2013. His July wedding was the catalyst to my changing my eating habits on January 2 last year. And I did it. I made it a full year of eating well, of staying the course and in the end, I lost 59 pounds. It would have been lovely to be able to say I lost 60 pounds even but what the hell, 59 is a pretty darned good number.
I finally, FINALLY got that darned toy room cleaned. It only took about five months of five minutes here and hour there of cleaning, sorting, tossing. The day I vacuumed the carpet and looked around at the organized toys, I sort of wanted to cry with relief. Instead, I bounded down the stairs and announced to my family, "Wooo, to the who, to the whoo whoo whoo! I am done with the toy room."
We were able to let all the little kids go up there last Sunday and not worry about it being destroyed because there is a place for everything and I have no trouble putting it all back together even after Olivia and the five grandkids went up there for hours without adult supervision.
2013 was good to us. But I also think we were good to ourselves and each other and often that makes all the difference.
2014 can be just as awesome, if only because we will face the challenges together just as we'll face the celebrations together.
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