I will never ever understand the mind of a man...

...nor a man in training.

Last night, for the umpteenth millionth time in ten years, Joshua took on his father in a wrestling match. Sure, all boys wrestle their dads, but stubborn, determined boys wrestle their dads for two hours or more trying to win. That's my boy. He won't give up. I've watched more matches end with him so exhausted, his muscles are too fatigued to let him up off the floor. I think the longest match ended after nearly two and a half hours.

Now, I'm not certain how father/son wrestling looks in other homes, but in ours, Joshua tries to pin his father down, which almost always inevitably turns into him being pinned to the floor. The rules of the game suddenly change, now the object is for Joshua to become unpinned. The wrestling is rather "calm" so to speak. There isn't a whole lot of jumping and pushing and shoving. More like Jeremy holding the kid down, and the kid wriggling and squirming. Joshua gets into a position that almost secures his freedom, which would guarantee his winning "The Game," however Jeremy quickly repositions and gets Joshua pinned down again. Pinning doesn't necessarily mean Joshua's shoulders are to the floor, it just means he can’t get out from Dad's grip. Sometimes Dad is on the floor on his back and Joshua is lying on top of Dad held down by Dad's arms and legs. It's quite a game, and Joshua has never won, until last night.

This is the part where I don't understand the male mind. Joshua has never won. He even loathes to concede, but has in the past because he was too tired to go on, and he has cried when he had to do so. It doesn't matter that he gave his father's muscles a two-hour work-out, he can't see the positive that he didn't give up so easily. No, he has to win and he doesn't want anyone to "let" him win. He hates that, and always has. And the fact that he had never won "The Game" in the past makes him determined to keep trying. I've learned "The Game" is a bonding agent for him and his dad. I learned that "The Game" has taught Joshua his place in "the pack". He knows, for certain, that Dad is not to be reckoned with. He respects Dad more because of "The Game." He feels loved by his Dad because Dad plays "The Game" with him. It's a total battle of the wills on the floor of my living room and it looks completely different from when the girls wrestle with Dad.

The other interesting thing I observed last night, is that there are unspoken "rules" to this game. In one moment where Joshua was pinned down, he had relaxed his muscles for a minute to gather his strength and thoughts, and to try and catch his Dad off-guard before making yet another attempt at escape. We caught each other's gaze, and I tried to get him to tickle his Dad's arm pits.

"OHHHHHH NO!" Joshua chided me, "If I do that, then that means tickling can be included in the game. I'm not going there." I learned a new rule to "The Game."

I watched them tussle. I watched the clock. About an hour into "The Game", I started cheering for Joshua. He was so close to earning his freedom so many times, I couldn't stand it. I wanted him to win, just once. The mom in me just wanted my baby to win. Well, my cheering spurred on a new burst of energy, and he began to fight harder to get out. He squirmed and tried to break Jeremy's pose. Between his wriggling, and my cheering, Jeremy started to laugh, which distracted him well enough to allow Joshua to break free. He won. For the first time in ten years, he won "The. Game." Sweaty and panting, Joshua stood up on wobbly legs and stumbled a bit into the kitchen. He downed a glass of water and then tried to catch his breath.

"No fair," Jeremy said, "You made me laugh."
"All's fair," I retorted, "He can make you laugh to break free."
"No," Jeremy looked at me accusingly while still chuckling, "YOU made me laugh."
"Yeah, Whatever," I replied, "He still won."
"Hey Bud," Jeremy turned and looked at Joshua, "You've been waiting for that moment for ten years, haven't you."
Tired and grinning from ear to ear, Joshua nodded. I sent him upstairs for a bath and to get ready for bed. He slept in this morning. Gee, I wonder why?

Another step towards graduation

I picked up my cap and gown today and paid my diploma fee. I could have saved seven dollars by picking it up in person, but nah, I just went "What the heck...I'll give you seven more bucks! I've already spent a fortune at this school. Mail it to me!" I also got my six tickets and am hoping I can get some extra tickets, and I'm scared to death I'm going to lose the ones I have already. I put them in a "safe place" but you know how those "safe places" can be. So far, so good. I haven't missed any deadlines for getting my graduation stuff completed. All that is left is the senior exhibition, and then the rehearsal picnic. That reminds me, I need to take off work on that day. Wow, time is just flying faster than I can fathom.

It's Microlicious!

I have to admit, I've often wanted to microwave things just to see what would happen. Now I dont have to. My favorite? The christmas lights.

They're coming to take me away ha ha!

Day 13 of quarentine.

It's been a long time since I've seen daylight or had a good night of sound sleeping. Child number two returned to school today. It was the first day in many that I didnt have all of them home with me coughing, sneezing, crying because the fever made their heads hurt. I've decided to change my name. I will no longer be "Mama" but I am unsure of what would suit as a replacement. "Fred" came to mind, but being monosyllabic, I realize that this too can be repeated over and over rather easily to the point of annoyance. Something more like "flocci­nauci­nihili­pili­fication" might be harder to say, and therefore difficult to repeat over and over and over and over again. Child number one remained at home with a low grade fever, which was just enough to make him feel restless and antsy. At the moment I continue to plot my getaway, however between nodding off and fits of delirium and hallucination produced by sleeplessness, I'm unsure if I'm coming or going. This makes escape much more difficult. Until tomorrow.

Random mumblings

Well, I can take a big, deep breath now. I finished dying all 30 something of my skeins of yarn for the big project at school. Jeremy video taped me while I was dying, without my consent. But then, I saw how funny he was, so I allowed him to upload it. Just silly, very silly. I had just come home from teaching swimming lessons, my hair was wet, and I was wearing my very attractive dye clothes. I'm trying hard to not let that bother me.

And for anyone worried about the tri-beam scale being on my kitchen counters while I was doing my dying, don't. I was just measuring salt, common house-hold table salt. Hardly a toxic chemical. I mix and measure the really powdery stuff outside (brrrrr!). All my containers and measuring equipment is kept separate from my cooking/kitchen stuff. I'm very anal. Normally I do my dying outside, but since there is still snow on the ground, I was forced to do part of the process in my kitchen. Nothing goes in my kitchen unless it's already in liquid form, except the salt.

I use mostly fiber reactive dyes. They're cold-water, and relatively safe, chemical-wise. Just the power from the dyes is very light and airborne. I always wear a dust mask when I use them. I never would measure those in my kitchen.

I'm really pleased with the results. I will post a picture of the skeins once they are dry.

On the family side of things, Ruthie has to go to the doctor today. Her fever is better, but now that we're past the 72 hour mark, the dr wants to see her, the school wants a doctor's excuse. Joshua still feels pretty lousy too. It was a shame. The Mr had gotten free tickets to a jazz concert last night, but he and the kids couldnt go due to the illness. We just wanted Joshua to see a live jazz concert. Hopefully we can do something before Jazz Fest is over.

So, now I need a vacation...a long one. Between being up with sick kids, being up late dying fiber, trying to keep going, I'm ready to keel over. I'm just going to sleep the summer away. I can just feel it. May 12th can't get here fast enough!

These are the days...

...when I wonder where I'm going to find the strength to carry on as a mom.

First Hannah had the fever with a horrendous stuffy nose. It started in the 101's and by day three spiked to 103. Then Ruth got it (still has it). Her fever spiked yesterday. And when I thought it might be over, because Joshua never gets sick, and I mean never. Never say "never," though, because the school nurse called and told me his fever is 101.2. Gonna strap myself in for another rough four days. So much for making it to school tomorrow.

At least I'm getting the hang of this virus. Two days of 101-102 temps, third day of 103 temp, and then back down into the 101's until it breaks. Horrible stuffy nose, cough and nasty headache. The cold side of the virus lasts about week after the fever ends. Now, I am just praying Jeremy. and I don't get this. And if you live near by, I highly recommend staying away, unless you've already had it.

I hate cold season

Well, it is 12:09 am according to my computer clock and I'm feeling pretty lousy...too lousy to sleep. Thank you, Hannah.

Hannah has been sick for almost two weeks. First just stuffy, sneezy, stuff, then she had a fever over the weekend that lasted almost four days. Just when I was about to cry uncle and take her to the doctor, she recovered. Before anyone thinks I'm cruel waiting so long, I'll tell you this: her pediatrician will not see a child unless they've had the fever for a certain amount of time. Their definition of a fever is anything 101 degrees or higher. So, since for the third and fourth day her temp was only 100 degrees, I knew they wouldn't see her, or at the very least, make me cough up the co-pay only to say "She really isn't running a temperature. Give her some Tylenol cold to help alleviate the symptoms." Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

Now, I don't bother to call unless they're dying.

So, because of the fever, Hannah wet the bed two, maybe three nights in a row. On the second night, I let her crawl into my bed. I can't lift the matress to change the sheets because of my herniated disc. And there was no waking Jeremy He could sleep through an atomic bomb raid.

BIG mistake. She was so congested she snored for about three hours straight. After trying to catch z's for most of that time, I decided I could make a bed on the floor for her in her room. I woke her gently, and walked her down the steps to her room, and made a bed. Then I proceeded to finish out the last hour before the alarm went off with out a snoring preschooler in my bed. Between being run down from lack of sleep, working like a dog on my project, and being contaminated by my child, I think I've caught it. It doesn't feel like my usual allergies, so I'm gonna guess it is a cold.

Well, now that I'm done whining, I suppose it's off to try and rest some before the alarm goes off.

A Ruthie tale

"I can't find my other Dora slipper!" Hannah whined.
"Go see if your brother can help you. I can't at the moment." I replied in my half-awake stupor.

Hannah bounded up the steps in her bright and cheerful morning manner. About five minutes later all three of my children reappeared before me giggling hysterically. I looked at my youngest's feet to see these ridiculously large soccer cleats on her feet. Delighting in the noise, she danced around the kitchen in them clacking while waving her arms about wildly.

"We couldn't find her other slipper, or her sneakers, so I put my old soccer cleats on her," Josh managed to say between snickers.

"Hmmmm," said Jeremy. dryly, "I think I know what Hannah is going to be when she grows up."

"A soccer player?" Josh asked.

"Nope," answered my man of little words, "A clown."

"Or a Canadian!" exclaimed Ruth.

It's official!

The Hannah is registered for Kindergarten. She successfully charmed all of the staff at the school who did her evaluations. They now all want to take her home with her. I wouldn't be surprised to find out the teachers are fighting over which one of them gets to have her in their class.

While I sat out in the hallway filling out paperwork, Hannah went from classroom to classroom doing various activities such as writing her name, and cutting out a circle. When they returned her to me, at least three different teachers and assistants said to me "She's so much fun." "She's adorable." "She's really cute." Overhearing them, she decided to be even more funny and charming as we walked out the door by walking like a monster.

Kindergarten should be interesting with this one.

The Boy pt 7? (Oh I dont know anymore...)

I hung out with a lot of guys when I was little. My first best friend was a boy who lived next door to me. I remember filling the back of his metal Tonka dump truck with cement with him as we played under the pine tree in his yard. I'm sure his mother was thrilled with us. After that, we moved to a neighborhood where my sister and I were really the only girls of our age. So, of course, we played games little boys would like to play: cops and robbers, space ship, etc. Somehow we always ended up the robbers, or the aliens, the bad guys.

When I was a teenager, all of my friends, with the exception of my sister, were guys. I'd watch them wrestle each other, try to jump off their parents' porch roofs, and have "manliness contests." My sister and I labeled them "manliness contests" because one guy would do some stupid stunt, and then the next guy had to one-up him, and then the next would one-up him as well. It could be anything from, who had more chest hair, to who could do more chin-ups, push-ups and sit-ups. Next thing we knew, they had a adopted the name for themselves. My now-husband was one of the gang. Before we were dating, when he had returned from the Army for a visit, one of the guys said, "Ooh, he's been through basic. Lets see what he can do now! Manliness Contest!" Then they all proceeded to see who could do more push-ups.

I never understood until I had my own son why my father would say, "We men are such bone heads."

All of Josh's young life thus far has been filled with impulsive actions. He never thinks. He does. At four, he found the matches and nearly torched the entire neighborhood. At five, he cut the cord to the phone line with scissors and then proceeded to wail, "Why do I do the things I do?". At six, he decided to pop-a-wheelie on his scooter while going down our very steep hill. He was covered for about two weeks with head to toe scrapes and scratches. I have found our basement foam ceiling tiles completely disintegrated. He has broken and destroyed many of my nice things and his toys. He has nearly taken his own life on many an occasion attempting to do dangerous stunts that, I suppose, he determined would be fun. Once, he and his friend convinced his best friend's little brother to stand on the swing. Then they pushed the swing and continued to keep it in motion by hitting the swing with wiffle ball bats. The little brother has me to thank for saving his life.

I looked back at the stupid things my guy friends would do, then look at my son, and notice his grand ideas aren't that much different from some of the things my friends did. Then I polled my female friends and ask them if they would have done any of the stunts I have been privy too, and they give me this shocked and horrified look like I'm some alien. That's when I decided my kid must be normal, and this must be a "boy thing."

We go through periods where he lacks more impulse control than other times. Currently, we are in one of those times. The latest phrase in the house is, "Is that a GOOD idea? Or a BAD idea." Usually this question alone will stop the activity that had been currently set in motion.

This morning I heard a funny noise as I combed my hair. I figured it was Josh who was supposed to be making lunch. It sounded like something was sawing through something else. I hollered down, "I don't know what you are doing, Son, but I want you to tell me...Is what you're doing a GOOD idea? or a BAD idea?" I still haven't found out what he was doing, but he immediately stopped. There are some things I don't want to know.

Then later I was doing my business in the bathroom. I heard a very loud knocking so I asked, "What do you want?"
"Oh I wasn't knocking," Josh replied.
"Then what were you doing?"
Sheepishly he answered, "Something that was a bad idea..."