Power Tools

It is strange… I love Christmas and am happy when it is time to get out the decorations.  I love to get the tree, put on the ornaments, and hang the stockings and a wreath.  Every day, the decorations make me feel so so  happy, until they suddenly don’t.  And then the decorations feel a lot like dirty dishes…

So after our final holiday event – Christmas with Grady (ahhh, he is so big now!!!)I gave the monkeys “closure” with the tree (there were many tears last year when I took the tree down, so I was hoping a formal goodbye would help – it did!)

The next day, while the boys were out with Eric, I packed away all of the decorations apart from the wreath, and dragged the tree out to the garage.

Eric usually slowly cuts the tree up and puts it in the yard waste can a little each week until the tree has disappeared.  I eyed the power saw, and figured that there was no reason for Eric to have all of the fun! 

(try not to be too jealous of my nifty glasses that I borrowed from Jack’s Nerf gun tag set – and also try not to laugh at me too hard – I got enough crap about being overly safe from my brother!!)

Anyhoo…I cannot for the life of me understand why it takes Eric more than one session to get the tree completely gone?!?!  I had that power saw in my hands for about 10 minutes and the tree went from 9 feet to 1 foot before I was done having fun…

Next year, I am not sure if the tree is going to make it until after Christmas day before the power tool fun begins!

Super Jack Party

Jack’s 5th birthday party was superhero/Superman themed.    This was the first party that Jack wanted friends from school(outside our usual group in invitees) – he picked three boys that he often talks about – and a girl that I hadn’t seen him play with before.  Every time we talked about his party, she was always on the list.  He finally explained, “She always laughs at my jokes, Mama.”

It felt a little odd not to have the “normal” core group at the party, and I was terribly nervous at having to perform in front of people that I don’t know (as most of the parents stayed with their children)   Once I started leading the games, my old teacher self kicked in, and I lost my nervousness…

I love the idea of a backdrop for a party (and it helps the photos to look cute!) I used a roll of mailing paper and tempera paint to make the background.  I used spray paint on boxes to make the buildings.

While we waited for everyone to arrive, I had the kids decorate a belt made from felt and duct tape.  I made each kid a cape with their initial on it – that they could take home instead of a party bag.  These two things were big hits.

December is rainy, so I had to think of games that worked for 5 and 6-year olds cooped in a living room.  The games ended up being insanely simple, but were amazingly successful.  The idea was that the kids had to train to be superheroes and prove that they were.  I wrote the Superman motto on a sheet of paper, and added 3 more “requirements.”   Each of the kids showed their skills one at a time while the others watched (and I exaggerated looks of awe…)

• Faster than a speeding bullet (running in place – I wanted to die laughing at how seriously the kids took this “game” – one boy started over three times because he knew he was faster than his previous demonstration “no, wait, I am even faster!  Let me do that again!)
• More powerful than a locomotive! (lifting a ‘very heavy’ weight that I had first asked John and Uncle Marc to bring into the living room – but they just couldn’t lift it – so we had to ask SuperJack to do it…)
• Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!
• Stomp out crime! (no photos of this – just popping black balloons)
• Restrain the bad guys! (I picked one of the dads at the party to wrap up as a “practice” bad guy. The kids wanted to punch and shoot the “bad guy” but I quickly explained that superheroes don’t like to hurt anyone, and they just tie up the baddies for the police to take to jail.  I was quite relieved the kids were satisfied with that explanation! This dad was a riot and made all kinds of attempts to break free without actually ripping the tp that the kids were using.  It made the kids scream and think the game was that much more fun.)
• Get a supercar! (I wrapped Squinky cars individually and put them in a bowl.  The kids passed the bowl around in a circle while the music played and when the music stopped, whoever was holding the bowl got to take a package out and keep the car inside.  Everyone got a car, so it was just a matter of waiting their turn.)

I had the idea of taking photos of each superhero in front of the backdrop, but completely forgot about it.  When I finally remembered most of the guests were gone, or were completely uninterested in cooperating – including the birthday boy…

I made the buttermilk cake from the Domestic Goddess cookbook and it turned out really nice – though just as I was serving it, I realized that Jack likes chocolate best – next year I guess…

My only photo of the decorations – a bit fuzzy to see.

Happy Birthday my Jack-Jack!

Merry Christmas

(Dedicated to Amy B. who inspired me to write my Christmas card in song form.)(To the tune of Jingle Bells)

 

Jingle Bells! Hope you’re swell!

Here’s our news this year.

Read our song, and hum along.

Oh we hope to spread some cheer.

___

Dashing little Jack

loves to wear his coat and tie,

tell tales and funny jokes,

laughing all the while. HA HA HA

 

He’s learned to ride a bike

and also swim and read.

of French preschool he says, “I like!”

of Superman, “I NEED!”

 

OH! Adenoids out! Tonsils out!

He finally sleeps ALL night!

Energy to sing, play, shout,

oh and we think Jack’s just right.

____

Owen now is six.

In the first grade, having fun

memorizing poems

learning French with everyone.

 

Still loves to build Lego

To swim, and dance, and read

history and biographies

are books that take the lead.

 

OH! Cardboard please! Tape! and he’s

inventing something new.

Oh! what fun it is to see

his creative side come through!

Merry Christmas!

Snack Notes

Since Owen started kindergarten, I have written little notes to him at school that I slip in with his snack (or lunch).  On day one, Owen told me he wanted me to do it every day that he was in school “for the rest of my life.”  And for the most part I have.

When I first started writing them, I had to limit myself to 3 and 4 letter words that followed phonics rules or to sight words that I knew he knew.  As he learned to read better, I was able to write more idea (and could use less-neat handwriting.)  Several more times Owen has told me how much he likes the notes and it is a little ritual that I really love. 

I occasionally throw the notes in a drawer to save.

One day this week, Owen was having a bad morning, and was mad.  Several things had gone wrong that morning for him. And when I would not make him a different breakfast than what was served (one he usually likes)he stomped off and took the note from his lunchbox and tore it.

I was apparently not nearly at my best that morning either… I responded by picking up the note and throwing it away saying, “If you feel that way about the notes from me, I guess I won’t write them anymore!”

I felt terrible as I drove the monkeys to school.   I took an old receipt out of my purse and wrote, “No matter what, I always love you!”  and slipped it in his lunchbox.

I hated that he would have to wait until lunchtime to see it.

After school Owen seemed his normal chipper self and chattered on about his day.   I felt a little better then.

But when I got home, and opened his lunchbox, I found this tiny, tiny note back to me and knew that all was forgiven –between the both of us.