Just Another Day of Kiddie Conversations.

On July 22, 2015 By Doser3In Dreaming of Mommyhood - GeneralLeave a comment

I am always amazed at a child’s imagination. There are times when I’d love to be able to shrink myself and travel through the neurons and synapses of my boys’ brains. I can imagine the sparks and flights of information travelling through the synapses to the various different compartments. I often wonder if my brain ever held their levels of ingenuity, and if it did, has the daily drudge of grown up life completely snuffed out the existence of any of those sparks.

Henry is becoming a lot more vocal and his vocabulary continues to expand. I’m still bombarded with the continuous dribble drabble of toddler speak, but for the most part he know what he wants to say and usually says it.

Davey is well past the standard vernacular of toddler speech. I am amazed at how well he speaks and the inflection and tone with which he says things. He is very good at enunciating his words. Of course, having a mom with at least two degrees, one in English and another in Speech and Communication Studies and Political Science, only serves to either help him or frustrate him as I constantly correct his grammar and tell him how best to diagram a sentence and conjugate a verb.

***side note*** I don’t think my Political Science degree with have any influence on his learning. And my Master’s in Business Administration may serve us when the boys become older. Who knows?

Today; however, isn’t so much about how either boy is communicating, but more so about what they have to say. I find myself chuckling at times, shaking my head at the absurdity of what I’ve just heard and the all out amazement with the things they develop.

Davey enjoys sitting in his room, perched upon his bed with books abounding fruitfully as if they seem to magically spring up from the never reaches of his mattress. He, of course, “reads” each one and then turns to his pirate ship and reenacts what he’s just “read”.

As I sit here writing this, today’s conversation seems to have flashed forward a few months to Christmas. Davey grabs my calculator and informs me it’s his mini computer with which he can text. This is our conversation:

“Mommy, I need to text Santa on my computer.”

“Santa? Why are you texting Santa?”

“I need to see if he was ok in daddy’s truck.”

“Why was he in daddy’s truck?”

He becomes exasperated and rolls his eyes at me as if he can’t seem to understand why I would ask such an asinine question before responding with this, “Because that’s how he gets to work, Mommy. Daddy takes him in his truck.” And then he walks off upstairs shaking his head at my apparent stupidity on the subject of how Santa gets to work.

Earlier, when I woke him up, he told his three good monsters who are strategically placed within his room every night before he goes to bed, that they were off work and could go home to their monster families. Interestingly, these monsters are the same every night, but they have different names, names I can’t speak, not because I would be banished for saying their names, but because I don’t speak “Davey” and can’t say the names. These three good monsters are in his room every night to protect him from the bad monsters and they even made it on the plane to NY a few weeks ago!

I’m impressed with his creativity, his attention to detail and I’m actually a bit jealous of it. As many of you know, I’ve begun writing some books. I have a few short stories under my belt, but the illustrious novel I want to write seems to elude me. I hit a constant creativity obstacle. My child, on the other hand, seems to exude my much needed spark. Once again, what I wouldn’t give to travel into his brain and see how it works.

We still have quite a few hours left in the day, so I’m sure our conversations will continue to grow and continue to astound and even stupefy me. Maybe he sucked out all of my creative writing skills when he was still within my womb. I don’t know if I really want to believe that, because it could mean my days of writing are over.

Just Keep Running, Just Keep Running

On July 21, 2015 By Doser3In Dreaming of Mommyhood - GeneralLeave a comment

I say this not only to myself, but also to Davey, and I do it in my best Dory voice. You know? From Finding Nemo.

I’m a runner. Not as much as I used to be, but I still do it. The older I’ve become, the more my body likes to remind me of that age. My hips crack and pop, my knees occasionally groan and lately I’ve begun to suffer from a thing called plantar fasciitis, a lovely little heel pain I was graced with while training for a half marathon last year.

I run because I like it. I run because it keeps me from getting too fat. I run because I want to be able to have energy and stay in shape so I can get out in the back yard with my boys.

My parents weren’t exactly active when I was a kid. They were active in the sense of, there’s yard work to be done, grass to be mowed, a garden to be tended and toilets to be scrubbed. I suppose that you can burn calories that way thereby preventing a gross exaggeration of your beltline, but my parents didn’t exercise. Occasionally, my dad would get out in the front yard with us and play baseball. And by “play”, I mean he would pitch, but for every ball we hit, WE (my brother and I) had to go get it.

I remember our neighbors two houses down used to run together in the evenings. The four of them would come home, change into their running clothes, and hit the pavement before dinner. I thought that was the coolest thing, but I wasn’t a seasoned runner back then, and of course neither were my parents. Back then, I thought you just went all out and began running. Not so, I’ve learned as I’ve become older.

In the spirit of the fact that most schools seem to be doing away with PE classes, I’ve decided to find ways to keep my boys active. Davey has played soccer the past two seasons and will play it again this fall. He just started up t ball, as you all saw in a couple of posts ago. Henry hasn’t quite made it to those stages yet which is a bummer for me. Davey; however, has the energy of the Energizer Bunny which I adore and I would love to find a way to keep him as active as possible, so I decided to let him run his first ever race this past Friday. In hindsight, perhaps last Friday wasn’t the best day to let him attempt to follow in my footsteps.

I registered my husband and me for a 5k. They’re usually pretty easy peasy for me, since I run a minimum of 4 miles and bike upwards to 20 miles (you can’t really tell that by the looks of my body). Being a born and raised Southern girl, one would think my body is already conditioned to the blistering heat and smothering humidity. Not so. Friday night’s race was run in 95 degree weather at 6:30, when the humidity had the opportunity to find its resting place and just perch. I was miserable and for once I didn’t care what my time was. I just wanted to not die, so I could only imagine how my son and husband were faring, seeing as how my husband doesn’t run. Well, it started a little something like this.

We all started at the back of the pack, but I quickly worked my way through the crowd and left my boys behind me. I ran the course, finished it and then turned around to find my boys. Aunt Erin was pushing Henry in his stroller and had set a pretty good pace, so she finished it ahead of Dave and Davey. When I finally came across the two of them, Davey was atop his daddy’s shoulders, his face flushed and his hair sopping wet. My husband, not to be outdone by Davey’s waterfall of sweat, was just as drenched if not more so. I asked how they did and my husband informed me of Davey’s “all out” mentality.

Davey started the race at full speed ahead, running as fast as he could go, at times making it a bit difficult for my husband to keep up with him. He made it a quarter of a mile before deciding he needed his water, which Aunt Erin had in the stroller. Instead of waiting for her to catch up, he ran back to her. There’s a full half a mile in the books.

Once he felt sufficiently hydrated, he began running again, treating the race as if it were a 50 yard dash. Needless to say, he pretty much hit a wall by the time he reached the halfway point of the 3 mile race. He finally just sat down on the side of the road and in one of his best Emmy performances to date, flailed his arms and sighed, following it with an “I just can’t go any further” statement. That’s when my husband decided to carry him.

I’m proud of Davey. He’s not even 4 yet and he participated in a 5k, on possibly one of the hottest days on record. He didn’t run the entire race, but he did a lot more than the majority of Americans can do. Fortunately for me, this one little event hasn’t turned him off of racing. I have him signed up for a 1 mile kids race in October, in the morning, when the climate will be much more conducive to running.

I asked him how he felt afterwards and he said, “tired, but I did like Dory does, mommy, but I didn’t keep swimming. I kept running.” Good job, Davey!

Peaceful, Easy Feeling

On July 18, 2015 By Doser3In Dreaming of Mommyhood - GeneralLeave a comment

I’m not getting that vibe right now. Nope. Not as I sit here and complete paperwork for my youngest to participate in a Mother’s Morning Out program.

Davey started at First Presbyterian Academy’s MMO program two years ago. I was nearly 6 months pregnant with Henry and truthfully I enrolled Davey just so I could have a little bit of peace, even if only one day a week. I wanted him to get set into that routine before Henry arrived, so that he would have at least ONE thing that wasn’t disrupted by the arrival of a new baby.

Being pregnant, I wasn’t able to participate as much in any sort of volunteer opportunities. Truthfully, I didn’t want to get involved for one reason, but I used my pregnancy and the birth of Henry as an excuse. My one reason…I’m not comfortable meeting new people. I think I’m a bit socially awkward. I’m not good at idle chit chat, and I don’t have a witty sense of humor, well not initially. That wittiness usually arrives hours later after I’ve dwelled upon my uncomfortable encounter and replayed different scenarios and end results in my head.

After MMO was over for Davey, I enrolled him in K2 at the Academy last year. Once again I didn’t volunteer for anything. I did things on my own, secretly berating myself for being so insecure, thereby making my child suffer the repercussions of having an unwieldy mom amongst societal peers. I did participate in the occasional classroom party, but I felt like an outcast. In hindsight, I should have introduced myself to the other parents, but I didn’t. After said parties, I usually came home feeling dejected, less than mom like, and a complete failure. My poor husband not only had to deal with craziness at work, but also craziness at home. This year, that’s going to change.

Right now I’m looking at a volunteer sheet for Henry’s MMO program. I studied it for a moment and perused the options I had before finally deciding that I’ll volunteer to be Room Mom. Yep! That’s right. I’m going to possibly coordinate Teacher Appreciation, Christmas gifts, and other little parties. Of course, there’s a possibility that a more Pinterest friendly mom may win the position, but I’m stepping outside of my comfort zone and I’m volunteering.

I don’t have that peaceful, easy feeling. No sir, but I’m going to do it anyways. Stay tuned, for if I should get this position then I’m sure craziness will abound along with a few complaint from me, the occasional whine and frustration, and the desire to end my day with a little brown liquor.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

On July 16, 2015 By Doser3In Dreaming of Mommyhood - GeneralLeave a comment

We just started a new adventure with Davey…t-ball!

From the start, my husband and I decided that we would encourage our boys to participate in everything extracurricular. This doesn’t mean they must choose one thing, nor does it mean that we’ll push our dreams or visions onto either one of them. We just want both of them to have the opportunities to explore, to play, and to learn the value of teamwork.

Up to this point, Davey’s only foray into the sports world has been soccer. He’s played 2 seasons of it and is already registered for a 3rd season. He’s not much of a player on offense, but he’s definitely learned his role as a goalie. I was amazed at his persistence and resiliency last season as he blocked goal after goal after goal.

As with anything we endeavor in with our boys, my husband and I have learned to not have any expectations, at least not now. Henry has yet to have the opportunity to play in sports, but Davey is still young and learning. I may have once harbored some dream somewhere of having an all star athlete in Davey, but reality set in and I just want him to have fun and to have the opportunity to decide what he wants to do.

So, with two seasons of soccer under our belt, I decided to enroll Davey in his first season of t-ball. We’ve practiced with him in the backyard, determined that he may be a switch hitter, and have encouraged him to participate. He’s still learning how best to catch a ball and who he should throw it to when catching it. Our expectations; however, are extremely low.

Tuesday we kicked off his t-ball season with his first practice. He was adamant about wearing his cleats, the same ones he wears for soccer, and needing a baseball cap. I tried to encourage his NY Yankees cap, but he kept deferring to his Buffalo Bills cap. To each his own.

We had a nice little discussion of the need for him to NOT run around on the field, to listen to his coach, and to play nicely with the other boys on his team. We’ve had this same discussion before each soccer practice and game, but it’s never sunk in. This time something seemed to click.

ready for another opportunity to catch the ball.

I watched as my boy listened intently to his coach, stretched before practice, ran the bases, and learned how best to catch the ball. I kept my mouth shut for once, not wanting to interfere or distract him. I hung back and clicked away with my camera and watched in awe at how my once little boy now looked like a big boy ball player.

He went into the outfield and tipped his cap up to wipe his forehead before pulling it back down using the bill of the cap. He then slid his glove on his left hand, balled up his right fist and punched into the palm of the glove, insuring that it was indeed fitting and in place. Then he leaned over, knees slightly bent, and held out his glove, ready to catch (or attempt to catch) any ball that headed his way. Boy, did he look like a real ball player.

the ball that rolled between his legs. he'll get it. — the ball that rolled between his legs. he’ll get it.

I watched as the kids hit the balls off the tee, with some balls heading in Davey’s direction. He hustled to grab a couple of them, but at other times seemed content to just stand his ground and allow for others to get the ball. One ball rolled between his legs as he tried to snatch it up, but he immediately turned around and hightailed after it.

Finally, it was his turn to be up to bat. For a couple of moments, there was a bit of uncertainty as I explained to his coach that we are unsure as to whether Davey is a lefty or not. Once we decided on letting him hit left handed, he took his first swing, missing the ball by a couple of inches. The next swing he hit the tee, but by the third swing he had a good solid base hit.

After hitting the ball, he stood there for a moment unsure of what to do next until his coach nudged him along to 1st base. I watched with pride as my boy, both hands placed firmly atop his helmet to keep it in place, ran as fast as he could to 1st base. With the next hitter, he had the opportunity to advance to second and again I chuckled as he held tightly to his helmet and tagged second.

My husband didn’t get the opportunity to watch Davey practice, but I took a bunch of pictures. Last night, Dave and I sat down and looked at the pictures as I explained how well Davey did.

third time's the charm. — third time’s the charm.

“He looks sharp, doesn’t he?” my husband asked. I saw the smile beaming across his face and could feel the pride swelling up inside of him. My husband is a HUGE baseball fan and he’d sure be happy to have one or both of his boys playing baseball. Soccer hasn’t really done anything for my husband. It’s not a sport he played, nor is it one he followed. Baseball is American’s past time. It’s a good Saturday afternoon, eating a hot dog and peanuts, sort of adventure.

Davey has one more practice next week before starting the regular season. Don’t worry, I plan to keep you all updated on his games.

Hey, batter, batter, batter, batter. Swing, batter!

Cruisin’, On A Friday Afternoon

On July 11, 2015 By Doser3In Dreaming of Mommyhood - GeneralLeave a comment

I sat here this morning, perusing through the memories my family and I had made over the past couple of weeks and it hit me that I hadn’t once blogged about our 3 hour tour of the Erie Canal. Fortunately for us, the weather didn’t get rough and our tiny ship wasn’t tossed. We did add an almost 4 foot tall crew member mid tour, but we didn’t set ground on an uncharted desert isle.

Friday, July 3rd, we decided to take advantage of my in-laws close proximity to the Erie Canal and the much cooler weather, to go on a cruise and enter one of the many locks along the 300 + mile stretch of water. No, we didn’t travel the entire 300 odd miles, but our tour was informational, historical, and even eventful.

Of course, having two young children who are not only adventurous, but also inquisitive, we just HAD to sit at the top of the Colonial Belle, the ship that took us out onto the canal. We left from Fairport and went under the infamous lift bridge, a one of it’s kind structure built in the early 1900s. The entire bridge is lifted by 40 horsepower electric motor. The bridge can reach a clearance level of 16.3 feet depending upon the water levels of the canal. The sound of the horn, reminiscent of those found in lighthouses and on ships who are coming into harbor during a fog, and the bells that signal to those around that the bridge is lifting was our first excitement, more so for Davey than Henry.

Once we made our way under the bridge and watched it lower again, we began the sightseeing. Along the canal is a paved trail with bicyclists, runners, walkers, and even the occasion fisherman. I once lumped all New Yorkers into the category of being too fast, too inconsiderate, and too stuck up. Growing up, I thought a New Yorker was the polar opposite of a Southerner. Well, that may be the case in some areas of the state, but not in Fairport where people wave at you as you cruise by. We shared the canal with pontoon boats, kayakers, and those on pedal boats. Docks jutted in and out of the water, haphazardly spread about, giving me the visualization of a bar graph when seen from the sky.

One of the many flood gates along the canal

The docks were surrounded by trees, some littered with chairs and tables, lights and swings, and even the occasional hammock. Couples and friends, families and neighbors were already enjoying pre July Fourth festivities on many of the docks and back porches of the houses. I like to think that at least one person was enjoying a good ole glass of sweet tea.

The houses ranged from modular homes, to four story mansions and condos and townhomes. As we cruised by, it felt like our own low country in South Carolina. I had an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia, of sitting on porch swings under the oak trees with the Ashley River flowing in the distance. If it weren’t for the low-humidity of the day and the obvious northern accents, I would have thought I was back in Charleston, SC.

It wasn’t just an adventure for me, but also one for Davey. Henry seemed to be much too young to really understand what was happening. He just knew that he was, once again, confined into a space where he couldn’t get out. Dave ended up taking him down below, where doors were bolted and windows were too high for him to climb out of and go overboard. He had free reign of the lower deck.

As with any adventure we undertake as a family, there is always the consideration with how long our boys will be able to keep their attention focused. Davey lasted longer than Henry, but once there was no longer bridges to go under, which by the way we had to actually duck our heads on a few of them, or animals to see in the woods (a LOT of deer), then he quickly became bored as well. It wasn’t until we made it to Lock 32 when he became enchanted once again.

I’m sure many of you know about locks on a canal. Some of the well known locks of the world are on the Panama Canal. I’ve never visited, but would put it on my bucket list. For those of you who don’t know what a “lock” is on a canal, let me give you a brief rundown.

There are 35 locks on the Erie Canal that run from the Hudson River to Lake Erie. The canal rises 566 feet through those locks and in order to get from one section of the canal to the other, one must enter into a lock, which is an enclosed compartment. You sail into the lock and tie up. The “lockmaster” (if that is what he is indeed called), then closes two steel doors behind you. He opens up tunnels that release hundreds of thousands of gallons of water. It takes approximately 10 minutes for the lock chamber to fill. Once it is filled, then steel gates open in front of the ship allowing for passage through.

At this point in our adventure, Davey became intrigued once again, although only for a few minutes. It’s quite dull to wait around 10 minutes for your boat to rise, after all. The opening and closing of the chamber seemed to numb the pain of sitting through the lock itself. When we turned around and came back through the lock, we went through the same process as before except this time, tunnels were opened to pump out the water and the wait wasn’t quite so long. It was immediately after this when the Colonial Belle took on a new shipmate, in the name of Davey Doser.

Davey stated he wanted to thank our captain for doing such an excellent job at navigating us into and out of the locks. That token of appreciation in the form of a handshake from Davey, led in turn to the opportunity to become captain of the vessel, an exciting feat even if only for 60 seconds out of a child’s life. At this, he became happy once more and found the need to tell everyone on the boat how he’d been in charge of chartering us back up the canal. A round of applause ensued, along with pats on the back, and I’m convinced my child may have a future in politics thanks to his outgoing congeniality.

Bridges were the most exciting parts of the boat ride, but I’m afraid 3 hours was a bit much for my two boys.

Should you happen to make it to Western New York, take the time to find a cruise along the Erie Canal, especially one that goes through one of the many locks. For us old people, it was an educational experience.

Go to http://www.eriecanal.org to learn more.

So Long, New York, Until We Meet Again

On July 10, 2015 By Doser3In Dreaming of Mommyhood - GeneralLeave a comment

Perhaps in November?

Once again another exciting Doser adventure has come to an end. As I blogged about previously, we were in the wonderful state of New York, amongst the rolling green hills and pastures of the western part of the state, Rochester. I know many of you read my blog about the nice little village we stayed in, Fairport, and I even had a few people share that post. Thank you to each and every one of you.

Leaving Fairport is always a bittersweet time for me. I’m ready to come home, to be back in my bed again, surrounded by my own personal belongings and relishing in the sanctity of my own personal space (what little of it I have with kids). It’s also hard to say “goodbye” to friends and family, to know that we won’t see them again for months. The boys don’t quite understand, but we adults do. I’m already missing the guaranteed daily adult interaction I had for a solid two weeks. I did get the chance to read 2 & 1/2 books, and to even pick up the lost art of writing my blogs. I miss all of that.

This year on our last day, as we drove out of the little village and onto the expressway, we were all treated to a trip down memory lane via Davey.

The Erie Canal was where he took his boat ride and got to drive the boat. “Do you remember, Mommy?” he asked. Instantly he spun around to look at the playground, where he fed the ducks one day, danced with a band another, and even played on a bouncy house obstacle course. The latter two thanks to the Fourth of July party at Perinton Park. Right across the street was the bowling alley where he learned to “play bowling” with Aunt Dee Dee. And from there it was nonstop.

He spent the half hour drive to the airport reliving each day of our trip. Everything from where he was sitting to cheer me on as I ran my 4 mile race, the Firecracker 4 Miler, on the Fourth of July, to where he was sitting when he saw the parade come down the street. He relayed the story of Grammy dropping him, Henry, me, and Aunt Dee Dee off at the park and then “forgetting” about us. Side note, Grammy had a doctor’s appointment that ran late, she did not forget us. Grammy was gone so long that day, we had to walk across the street to Tom Wahl’s to have lunch where we met Guh Guh.

He pointed to the exit that took us to Great Grandma’s house, towards Irondequoit, and told the story of the bunnies that hop around in her yard and her neighbor’s dog who looks just like Dixie. Every day and every adventure, including where he and Grammy went to get Benadryl (Wegman’s), was retold to us in a narrative that made me smile. I’m impressed with his memory. I’m even more impressed with his storytelling abilities and his attention to minute details.

I hope every trip gets a quick 30 minute ,”As Told By Davey Doser”. Perhaps he has a bit of the ability mommy’s always wanted…to write a story.

New York State of Mind

On June 30, 2015 By Doser3In Dreaming of Mommyhood - GeneralLeave a comment

When Billy Joel sang those words, I am well aware that he was referring to New York City, the concrete jungle of the United States. For me and my family; however, a New York State of Mind applies to Western New York, where the land flows with farms and fields, liberalism isn’t quite as strong, and being referred to as Southern Canadian comes with the territory (well, maybe I’m the only one who uses that reference, and more specifically to annoy my husband).

As many of you are aware, my husband is from western New York, specifically from the village of Fairport within the confines of Rochester. It’s located along the Erie Canal and boasts the status of Top 100 Best Places to live in America. There are row houses, old Victorians, and those that give you the feel of New England, although my husband doesn’t like being referred to as New England. There are festivals, parades, and a warm hometown feel. It’s quaint, simple, and laid back. Gosh, if it weren’t for the horrible winters and atrocious taxes, I’d consider living up here. Fairport is my husband’s native home, and our home away from home for me and the boys.

We love to visit up here, usually making it 2-3 times a year, more specifically during the warmer months. This time around, I decided to make it a two week visit for me and the boys, with my husband joining us for the final five days. How is that going? you ask. We have our good days and we have our bad days.

My boys are out of their element, so that can create some difficult times. I stick to their normal day to day schedule as much as possible, but going for over a week without daddy, and staying in not normal surroundings, has caused for some hair pulling issues. My hair, that is. Fortunately, I have an awesome support group in my in-laws. We’ve managed to find ways to keep the boys active, even on the rainy days, involving them in coloring binges, and games of Memory.

Davey’s learned how to bowl, we’ve had awesome Tom Wahl’s burgers, enjoyed ice cream sundaes, ridden bikes, visited Great Grandma, taken advantage of the cooler weather and lower humidity to play on the playground, and practiced our artwork on Gammy and Guh Guh’s driveway. We’ve had exciting days, but days that are still trying.

We have a week left and fortunately for all parties involved, Daddy joins us tomorrow. Our New York State of Mind is still going strong and today we’re going on an adventure to The Strong: National Museum of Play, a children’s museum known throughout the country as one of the best and greatest. Davey’s been twice, although I’m sure his memory may be waning, but Henry has never been.

So, for now I sign off with the encouragement for all of you to check out Fairport, NY.

http://www.village.fairport.ny.us

As well as the The Strong.

http://www.museumofplay.org

And stay tuned for a recount of today’s adventures.

Come Fly With Me

On June 29, 2015 By Doser3In Dreaming of Mommyhood - GeneralLeave a comment

Flying can be stressful. Once upon a time, flying was a luxury, something people looked forward to. Airplanes were more spacious, flight attendants (stewardesses) were a lot more friendly, and the overall demeanor of most of your fellow passengers was more mellow. Back then, flying was exciting. It wasn’t just a way to get from one place to another quicker, but to also do it with a twist of relaxation. I wish I’d known those days. Perhaps those days didn’t exist, but instead have been sketched upon my brain with the quick flick of my imagination.

These days, flying can be down right treacherous, exhausting, and if you’re flying solo with a 3 &1/2 year old and an 18 month old, both boys by the way, then it can test even the strongest of wills and turn you into a raging alcoholic. Okay, so the raging alcoholic bit can be a little much. I think drinking would have made my situation much worse as it would have only allowed me to be numb the pain, while forcing my fellow passengers to endure my screaming and fighting boys.

Neither child suffers from air pressure and popping ears. Instead they suffer from containment and much like a caged animal who’s been taunted, teased, and can see “freedom” just on the other side of the seat, they’re ready to pounce and scream their way to said freedom.

This isn’t the first time either one of my boys have flown. Davey has flown three times a year since he was two months old. If you calculate that with each trip we’ve made to Rochester, NY, he’s been on a total of 44 flights. He’s more of a frequent flyer than I am. This is Henry’s third trip up north so his frequent flyer status is still fairly new, equating to 12 flights. These boys are accustomed to flying, but they’d prefer to have the entire plane to themselves, as I’m sure the rest of the passengers would to.

When I first flew with Davey, I prayed that the other passengers would have sympathy for me. I hoped they would be understanding and that they wouldn’t be like me pre-baby. I loathed flying on a plane when kids were on board. I did everything in my power to get a seat as far away as possible. I silently threw insults at the parents, cursed them for bringing their spawn(s) on board. I wanted them to suffer. Now, I suppose karma is coming back to bite me, as I’m now the one who suffers.

These days, Henry is more of my problem than Davey. Davey will watch a movie on the iPad or look out the window. Henry wants to scream, kick the seats in front of us, torture his brother, climb under the seats, and basically cause an all out war. I want to knock him out, to force him to sleep. I want to have enough money to buy the passengers a round of drinks, in the hopes that they won’t get too upset. I suppose the best thing, though, is to not have the brilliant idea to fly solo with these two heathens.

I’ve never prayed so much for a plane to land as I did on the flight to Rochester this time. I tried to will it with my entire strength, my mind power, to fly at super sonic speed so that I could escape my confined hell. Looking back on it now, almost a week later, I think, “what was I so worried about?” But those 65 minutes of flight time felt like nonstop 65 days. I could feel the hairs in my head starting to gray, but in the end I survived. I just look forward to the day when I can put the two of them on a flight WITHOUT me. In the meantime, Daddy will be on board for the next flights. I think I may sit 20 rows away from him and the boys, pretend I don’t know them, and have a cocktail or two.

Summer Break, Give Me a Break!

On June 4, 2015 By Doser3In Dreaming of Mommyhood - GeneralLeave a comment

We are only two weeks into summer vacation, and this mama is absolutely exhausted. It’s nearly mind-numbing to me, not to mention physically taxing to come up with ways to not only keep my boys entertained during summer, but to also keep those brain cells pumping. And of course, there’s also the normal day to day activities involved with the upkeep of our house.

I swore to myself, more so than to my children, that I would keep them going during the summer. The television tuning would be and has been limited, that the educational experiences would abound, and not once would I hear the dreaded words, “I’m bored.” Well, truth be told, I’m not too ashamed to say that I wish I hadn’t made that oath to myself. I’m not that mom who seems to be able to function at full speed on the half charged “d” cell battery. I’m not the crafty mom, either. Forget finding acorns and painting and stringing them together into a beautiful key chain. That’s not me. Pinterest is really not my friend.

In my nearly two weeks, I’ve found only a smidgen of things to do to keep the boys occupied that will not break the bank. One of which included an air show last week. The downside to the air show was that it was brutally hot, something I should be used to being a native South Carolinian, and the almost 45 minute drive to get to it. It didn’t cost me anything except for the gas, and if I’m going to be honest, my mom and dad came along and they drove, so it really cost them gas. This is what I’m looking for, free things that are fun and educational. I know they exist, we’ve done them before. I’m just tired of searching them out and planning our weeks based upon these.

Once the air show started, it became a success with both boys. I’ll gladly take them to another one of those this summer, of course within a reasonable driving distance. I’m grateful for my stay at home mom status so that I was able to take the boys to the show since it was going on during working hours of a Wednesday afternoon. However, if I were a working mom, I wouldn’t be fretting with ways to keep my boys entertained during the summer. Someone else could handle that for me. Oh the insanity of it all!

Another thing I’m grateful for is our current location, nestled witin the rolling hills of upstate South Carolina. There are a ton of options for us, some of which cost money, while others are free. The one exciting item for Davey that I plan to continue on a weekly basis, a few days a week, is to take advantage of our Swamp Rabbit Trail.

Davey has really taken to his bike lately, and I’ve used the opportunities to add in some additional cardio for me. He’s started biking three miles, while I run/walk alongside of him as I push Henry in the stroller. It’s great for some fresh air and we’ve even managed to turn the excursions into learning exercises as I’m pelted with questions like, “why is that tree trunk falling apart?” or “look at that lizard, what is it doing?” And then I also get the opportunity to tell the story of the trail and it’s origins making for some funny antics as Davey tells his own version of events. At the rate we appear to be going, he should be without training wheels before his 4th birthday. Guess that means a new bike is around the corner.

We plan to hike, since Paris Mountain is right in our backyard, and learn about the different trees, their leaves, and how they grow. I hope we encounter a few animals, minus the snakes, and even get the opportunity to swim in the lake.

We have a neighborhood pool and a playground in our backyard, along with the one at the Runway Cafe not too far down the road. There are waterparks, $1 movies, and trips to NY planned for the summer. My only problem in all of this is trying to find some way to fit everything into the 24 hours allotted to me each day. Why oh why couldn’t the Lord make us to NOT need sleep. It is a waste of my time.

As I write this blog, Davey and I have practiced writing his upper and lower case letters. He’s drawn pictures, and is working a 48 piece puzzle, something he seems to be a pro at. Henry? Well, he’s napping, thank God for that.

Perhaps I’m the only stay at home mom who focuses and frets over summer breaks. Maybe I’m putting too much focus into their days and I should just throw them out into the backyard every day, but I can’t seem to let go. While I may be complaining about what feels like the added work of summer vacation, I’m also eternally grateful to have the days where I can do all these wonderfully time consuming and exhausting trips.

Overachieving Moms

On May 27, 2015May 27, 2015 By Doser3In Dreaming of Mommyhood - GeneralLeave a comment

I stumbled across this little post on Facebook today and of course I was drawn into it. It’s dead on with how so many of us “non crafty” moms feel. I’m convinced my husband had some hand in writing this as well. Take a moment to read it.

Enjoy!

http://accidentalmissionary.net/2015/05/22/to-the-moms-just-stop-it/

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: