Apr 6, 2020 | Party people, Sesame |
It was much easier to take AB’s birthday photos on her second birthday. All I had to do was fake sneeze and she’d burst out laughing. This year she insisted her leggings matched her dress (they didn’t) and she intentionally let go of the blue balloon and we never got it back.
On birthday eve Christopher inflated somewhere around 38 balloons. We take birthday balloons very seriously around here. I’m so happy we have a mantle to decorate again. Hanging the birthday banner from the tv stand isn’t nearly as festive.
We had a very low-key day. Annabelle opened one of her gifts in the morning (she opened the rest at night) so she’d have a new thing to play with during the day. I baked the cakes the night before so all I had to do was make the frosting and cake toppers the day of. Cake decorating is 1000% less stressful when I’m not worried about all the rooms being spotless for guests who are arriving in 3 hours. Normally I’m a chicken with its head cut off on birthday party day but I enjoyed the slower pace. The downside is no one was here to appreciate what I’m ranking the best birthday cake I’ve ever made.
Sesame wanted a Harry Potter themed birthday which is NOT a theme I ever would have picked. I wasn’t allowed to read the books growing up and I would have been fine if she never read them, but Christopher enjoys them and the two of them have been listening to the books together. He’s able to explain and discuss questionable parts as they go. She won’t be able to listen to anything beyond the first three books for several years which means she’s listened to those three at least 5 times since January. By virtue of living in the same home, I too have listened to the first books 5 times. She has spent so much time telling me the rules of quidditch, the history of this character and asking questions about how such and such potion is made. I’ve been through a similar Harry Potter indoctrination before. We got married the same year the last Harry Potter movie came out and Christopher thought I needed an HP movie marathon to see the previous seven movies. It was SO MUCH Harry Potter. Now nine years into our marriage I’d say peace out, I’m going to watch A Walk to Remember so you’re on your own, but newlywed Sarah was very obliging.
AB asked that her birthday cake have a letter from her favorite characters on it. I printed a birthday letter signed by several characters, colored it with a tea bag and crumpled it to give some texture. I made the little quidditch ball (sphere? playing piece? I haven’t been paying much attention) with playdough that morning and used a black chopstick for a wand. I was dealing with health issues that week and didn’t have the energy to create a personalized wand.
We were able to get both sets of grandparents, all aunts and uncles and a few cousins together to sing happy birthday to her at the same time. It made me so happy. So few family members have been able to attend her birthday parties because of distance and it meant a lot that they did this for us.
They couldn’t get a good view of the cake but they didn’t require me to clean the bathrooms either. All in all they were perfect party guests.
Mar 31, 2020 | Sesame |
My favorite girl turned six on Saturday. Last month she was swimming in a cake pan because we didn’t own a kiddie pool and now she’s waiting for her first tooth to fall out.
Every March 28th I take her picture at 1:40, the minute she turns another year older. It’s neat to look back and see what she’s doing at that time every year because it really shows what she’s into. She LOVES coloring and drawing right now.
She had a lot of first this year. She graduated from preschool and started piano lessons. She did her first group sport and danced in her first recital.
She got her first headache, first case of HFM and went to the eye doctor for the first time. She went to her first VBS and on her first camping trip. I feel like she’s done so many big kid firsts this year. She’s somewhat adjusted to me working and not being home to tuck her in every night. Most nights she waits for me to get home to fall asleep which is slightly annoying but honestly makes me happy because it’s so sweet.
She still has a wild imagination and an assortment of imaginary friends. Her original group of Goldbug, Garby, Carla, Azelia and the baby are no longer part of her imaginary rotation but I refuse to let them die off. She brings her brother Matt on every trip and I always ask if she’s going to bring Goldbug and Co and she says no. I know she’s going to say no but I ask anyway.
She loves coloring, playing outside, snugging the cats and collecting stuffed animals. We have more stuffed animals than we know what to do with but every time I try to get rid of some she notices. She loves history and doing science experiments. We’re still working on reading and her handwriting leaves much to be desired but we’re getting there. She’s started to sound out words and write us notes and letters and I love it. She loves jokes and making puns. She would listen to kids podcasts and audio books all day if I let her.
She adores Christopher. All day long she asks how long it is until he comes home. They still go on Daddy Daughter Breakfast every Saturday morning and sometimes they let me come but I know she prefers when it’s just the two of them.
I’m not sure how much she weighs but she’s around 47″. She has her 6 year well check tomorrow morning at 8:30 which was VERY optimistic planning on the part of pre-quarantine Sarah. I guarantee you I thought we’d get the appointment out of the way, then have time to go to the library and do some school before swimming lessons. Now we feel like we’re really living it up because we get to leave the house at all and drive to the doctors. How the times have changed.
I love this picture from the cruise because she looks like her two-year-old self and I cling to every little bit of babyhood. ”What a surprise that you don’t want her to grow up” said no one ever.
We’ve had some rough patches lately because she’s started to think she is more of an authority figure in our home than she is. We’ve always given her the respect of listening to her thoughts and opinions but as she’s gotten older it’s become apparent that she assumes she has more influence on daily decisions than she does so we’ve had to work on that. I want her to know she’s an important part of the family but she isn’t a third adult. I never imagined I’d make it 6 years into parenting and only have one child but here we are. I was never someone who wanted to have children close together because I wanted to enjoy each child as a baby and toddler and we’ve gotten that with Sesame. As I say to her every night, she’s my best girl.
Nov 9, 2019 | Sesame |
I was under the impression that cats were very easy, very hands-off pets. Sources told me, “all you have to do is give them food, water and clean the litter box.” No one told me that they’d go into all my cabinets, sit in the sink while I brush my teeth, drag a loaf of bread bigger than their body from the pantry to the living room, stand on the keyboard while I type or sit on my head while I’m sleeping. They’re into everything. It’s like having two toddlers.
No one told me they can also have allergic reactions leading to traumatic shots at the vet.
I took AB to her doctor this morning to have her ears checked. She hasn’t complained about them but she’s had an endless cold and what might be blocked ears on and off for about three weeks. It just as well might be selective hearing. Who knows. Most of my motherhood is guessing. I decided last night to take her in so I didn’t have time to make an appointment. Her doctor takes walk-ins every morning for an hour so I decided we’d try that instead. Half the town had the same idea, thanks to flu season. Annabelle wasn’t concerned about germs and thought laying out flat on the floor was a good idea so we’ll be bathing in disinfectant tonight. Lucy had an appointment at the vet at 11:30 so we were on a time crunch. After waiting 40 minutes we were still two patients away and Lucy’s appointment was fast approaching. I had to choose between waiting another 40+ minutes for my child or taking my cat to her doctor. I don’t like those types of decisions. It’s too much of a which child do you love better situation. OF COURSE, I love AB more, but Lucy is the one with wounds/sores on her body and Annabelle was the one happily sitting in the waiting room with her dress bunched up around her waist with her tights and belly on full display. She is not in any pain. We made an appointment for Monday and left.
AB was thrilled to have someone in the backseat with her. Lucy normally loves the car but meowed up a storm. Annabelle kept up a steady pep-talk. “It’s ok, Lulu. Do you wanna blanket? Do you wanna little cuddle time? I’ll take care of you.”
The doctor took one look at Lucy’s issues and told me she was having an allergic reaction. A reaction to what, she didn’t know. I love the cat and all (I did choose her doctor over my human child’s doctor) but I’m not about to do some kind of food elimination diet to figure out if she ate something she shouldn’t have. I’m not about to go cat paleo and feed her a diet of almond meal and cauliflower. If she’s reacting to something outside, maybe she’ll learn to stay inside like she supposed to. The vet gave her a shot that made Lucy jump a foot in the air and AB squeal much too loud for a small room. Both girls were wound up as we walked back to the car. Lucy was trying to leap from my arms and Annabelle was strolling through the parking lot while swinging the cat crate into her legs and asking why a highway is called a highway.
I’m mortified to have typed out 1,000 words about my cat. I swore I would never be that person.
Earlier in the week, our homeschool group had a kids market where the kids could sell baked goods, crafts or old toys. Annabelle and I made little turkeys out of lollipops and paper leaves.
It goes without saying that I did most of the work but she did draw all the faces. It took IMMENSE self-control not to redo all the faces when she went to bed but it was her project. If she liked how they looked then I would sit on my hands rather than have her think I was criticizing her drawing. She set up her little booth and told me, “You go look around, Mama. I’ve got this under control.” She was so proud of herself.
I could tell she felt grown-up when she would look at what the other kids were selling and handed over her money. I told her she needed to save some of her money, but she spent some on an LOL doll, a necklace, a baggie of meringues and a cup of hot chocolate. Not bad for spending a grand total of $2.50.
Lucy will need to set up a table at the next kids’ market to pay for all her vet bills.
Aug 31, 2019 | Sesame |
Earlier this week I purchased a jean skirt. I was on the fence about it because I was worried it would be too modest and I don’t want to head down that path. I wore long jean skirts and dresses many a time in my past and they weren’t really outfits I’d like to repeat. Recently I’ve seen many a fashion bloggers very fashionably wearing a knee-length skirt so I bit the bullet and bought one. Everyone knows an outfit seen on a slim and trim instagram model will look exactly the same on a 30-year-old mom who forgot to go to zumba two times this week.
ALL THAT TO SAY, the purchase lined up with the start of my homeschool mom career. Christopher has gotten a lot of milage to jokes about homeschool moms in jean jumpers with their fourteen children in matching clothes trailing behind. I almost canceled my purchase. (To be honest, I did buy it from a boutique owned by a Christian homeschooling family but that was just a coincidence.)
As a homeschooled child, I heard all the stereotypes and misconceptions. I heard surprise that I knew how to socialize and had friends who weren’t homeschooled. Random people would quiz me about presidents and math facts. No one dares do the same to public schooled children! I was told how to raise my hand if I had something to say, as if I didn’t know. I was asked if I, or someone I knew, was in spelling or geography bees. I wasnt bcauz Im bad at spelin, but I knew a boy who went to the finals of the National Spelling Bee. I can’t count the number of times I heard, “I knew someone who was homeschooled and he was rude/a failure/could never get a real job.” That can be said about students from every educational background. People asked if I spent the day doing whatever I wanted or if homeschooled kids were allowed into college. Everyone thought they were so clever to ask, “if you don’t get all your schoolwork done, do you have homework?”
As a second-generation homeschooler, AB wants to set the record straight from the beginning.
Jun 10, 2019 | Sesame, Uncategorized |
What do you want to talk about?
About my school.
What about it?
It’s fun. It’s work through play. I like my friends. (She means learning through play.)
Who were your best friends there?
Teagan, Luke, Victoria and Arya. All three of them. Actually, just Victoria and Arya.
How did you like your old school?
It was fine. It was work like a boarding school.
How do you know what boarding school is like?
Cause I know all about it. Cause I heard of it before from Christopher Robin. If you wanted to be on an interview blog, whose blog would you want it to be? You type quickly. Are you supposed to type quickly?
Who’s doing the interview here?
What makes you scared or lonely?
What makes me feel lonely is if you’re at work and I’m at home and I kinda get a little worried about you. That makes me sad and lonely.
What makes you feel brave?
To have courage.
What is courage?
I don’t know. Do you?
Tell me about your imaginary friends.
Ralph and Leah are on vacation but they’re coming home. They’ll meet us at MA. Massachusetts is fun at Grammy’s apartment. Me and my Aunt Squiddzen go and have a lot of adventures together. Like one time we explored a tunnel. I will never go in there again!
Tell me a story about your life.
One time, it was the night before my birthday and I didn’t want to turn 5.
Why not?
Because I liked being 4!
Do you not like being 5?
I do. The one thing I’m glad about being five is I can go to the Home Depot kids making things. I went just a couple days ago!
What’s your favorite color?
Magenta and blue and green and purple. Dark, dark, dark, dark, dark purple. Look at the cats! They’re sleeping!
Can you tell me a joke?
Do you remember the joke of gobble, gobble, google? Here’s another joke about z,z,z. What did the zebra do all night? Zzz, zzz, zzz! Sleep!
If you wrote a book what would it be about?
It would be about soggy, wet, scratchy blankets on top of a blankie, on top of a blankie, on top of a blankie! Then there would be a whole stack on top of soggy, wet, scratchy blankets! Isn’t that funny. Or I’d write about the Watermelon Princess and the surfing hampster.
What kinds of things do I like to do?
You like to hold me. And you like to go in drawers. You go in there and snooze all day and never get any work done.
I’ve never snoozed in a drawer!
I know but it’s a silly answer! You like Daddy. You like black things and sparkly things.
Who taught you how to wave like the queen?
You did.
What else have I taught you?
That feathers are made from birds. That if you put your fingers across it, you don’t have a messed up feather anymore. You want me how to talk. How to write an A. How to say “hi Daddy.” How to groom the cat’s fur. How to read.
What are your favorite things to do with me?
Tag and tickle and tickle tag! I like to spend time with you playing tickle and airplane.
How old am I?
48.
What size shoe do you think I have?
890? Maybe size 1.
How old is Dad?
45.
How strong is Daddy?
So strong! Like, a zillion strong! So strong.
What do you like to do with Daddy?
Get presents for you. Go to Home Depot and make the kids activities.
I’m going to ask you some questions about America.
America! You know all about America! If I were you I’d spell my name.
Why would I spell your name when we’re talking about America?
It has hair.
What does?
America! It has hair! It has ears! America has cats scratching it all the time!
Where does the president live?
In the 1890’s? Or the 1880s. Get it?
No, I don’t. I mean, what’s the name of his house?
The Black House! I mean, the White House.
What is his wife called?
The First Lady. Can you read me this interview?
***
“Mama, what’s squash bubbling?”
“Squash bubbling? Is it something in cooking? Where did you hear it?”
“It was in the Peter Pan movie. They were squash bubbling.”
“I think the word is swashbuckling.”
”That’s what I said. Squash bubbling.”
“I used midge pod at VBS. Do you ever use midge pod?”
“What’s midge pod?”
“Do you mean modge podge?”
I hope she always mispronounces words.
May 17, 2019 | Sesame, Uncategorized |
Sesame Pie graduated preschool this week. I don’t know how that happened since she started preschool seven minutes ago.
Everyone knows I love a good party and any chance to celebrate, but I’ve always rolled my eyes a little at preschool and kindergarten graduations. I’m the odd person who enjoys high school and college graduations, but preschool graduation ceremonies always seemed a little too much. However, I arrived at Annabelle’s graduation ceremony 25 minutes early to get a good seat and loved every second.
I teared up a little when they walked into Pomp and Circumstance. I feel like she was just learning to smile and hold Mr. Lion. In September I agonized and shed tears over whether I should have her switch schools. It could not have gone better. She learned so much about God. She went to chapel every week and memorized a new Bible verse every month. She learned so much about praying and says the school prayers at home. She loved playing Wild Kratts on the playground with the other kids in her class who also watch the show. She went to music class weekly. She loved her little group of friends. She learned about fruit by the foot and other foods we don’t buy by seeing what her friends bring for lunch.
She told me for weeks they were going to sing “the ABC 123 song but not like, the ABC song. The other song that has ABC in it. Some kids will get to hold signs with ABC and 123 on them but not me. Miss Terry’s class gets to do that. I get to move my hands fast like boom boom boom.” They sang four songs and recited all their Bible verses. It was precious.
Receiving a preschool diploma is very serious business.
Her teachers, Jessica and Sheila, made a photo book of the school year for all the students. They also gave a children’s Bible that they and the principal had written in.
I plan on many months of popsicle eating and swimming before we hit the books again next school year.
