Pity Party and a Baby Devil

Tonight Elsa was over the moon because Charlie's basketball coach invited her to practice with the team this Friday.

Charlie was less than thrilled.

"Elsa gets EVERYTHING!"

"I get NOTHING!"

I tried to tell him that the way he was feeling about Elsa

is the way Sarina has felt about him.

For ages she has felt he gets more attention,

he gets whatever he asks for.

Now Charlie is having the same feelings about Elsa.

I tried to reason with him.

I reminded him that she's his baby sister.

He muttered, "she's the baby devil."

Yes, I laughed out loud at that one.

It's funny!

Maybe sometimes she is.

Aren't we all at some point?

I wish I'd been as patient with Sarina about her feelings, as I'm finding myself far more patient with Charlie's feelings.

I'm beginning to see that they each are going to see a sibling as a rivalry 

in some sense.

My job as a mama is to affirm each one's strengths and unique qualities.

My job is to help them feel secure about who they are 

without comparing themselves to everyone else.

All four are so wonderfully different 

and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Baby devil.

Ha!

Hahahahaha!

Charlie and His Terrrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day

Last week, Charlie had a terrible horrible no good very bad day.

Dad didn't make his fluffy 4 egg scramble with ham and cheese before school, mom served eggo waffles and yogurt instead.

He wanted to play on his kindle, but he'd had it taken away for a WHOLE WEEK.

When listening to music with headphones,

no one wanted to be in the same room because he sang too loudly.

Then mom only let him turn it up less than 1/2 way.

He fell at art walk showing his fantastic leopard gecko habitat.

He fell again during circus hands-on part of the art walk, trying unicycle.

He fell yet again trying the stilts.

Juggling was hard.

He didn't want to leave, even though mom CLEARLY said 7:30pm was the latest he could stay and he didn't leave until 7:55pm.

He almost didn't get mud pie,

even through turned down ice cream at school because he was waiting patiently for mud pie.

He ate mud pie and proudly put dirty bowl into dishwasher...

full of CLEAN dishes.

Before bed, he pooped and peed but didn't flush.

Then he played with Lego guy too crazily

it bounced off the ceiling,

hit the mirror,

slid down the counter

and some how landed in ️the UNFLUSHED toilet!

Then what the heck, he got completely crazy and

wiped bum with his little sisters bath towel and

left it on the floor.

He knew he was in trouble.

Mom assured him she wasn't mad,

just disappointed.

And to top it off,

he JUST

COULDN'T

SLEEP.

Charlie had a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day.

Somedays that happens,

even in Olympia.

Tilak Mark

Over a week ago our family was enjoying watching Sarina in her fourth school play performance.

She was a narrator in Aladdin which meant she had a handful of singing solo lines and she was marvelous!

Anyway, the chairs were nice and cozy so when Charlie stood in front of me to talk we were really close.

In an unfortunately timed reach into my purse-on the floor-my poor little buddy also happened to bend forward at just the right time.

His little beaver tooth (I can say that because he inherited it from me...) perfectly collided with my forehead slicing right in.

Yes, I felt nauseous.

Yes it hurt like hell.

And yes I thought I was going to pass out.

But I couldn't show it.

His beautiful little face crumbled when he saw that he'd hurt me.

Truly, I think it might have hurt his heart more than my head hurt.

I smiled,

told him I was ok

then tried to bee-line it to the bathroom to get some tissue to stop the bleeding.

Of course I was right behind an old lady with a walker I could not dodge

no matter how many attempts I made.

Mark has laughed that my wound looks like a tilak mark.

Today, over a week after, I wrapped up in a scarf I love.

Charlie looked at me with a twinkle in his eyes,

"Now you REALLY look like an Indian lady", he said.

I have to admit, though I fall quite a bit short of their exotic beauty...

I can see where he's coming from.

What do you think?

We're All Human

Funny how when you turn 40 you feel your time on earth more keenly.

Last night I dreamed that someone was squeezing the life out of me.

Someone was leaning over me and squeezing me.

I woke myself saying, "You're hurting me."

Mark was on shift.

I was alone in our big, big bed- roomy enough for one or four kids to crawl in with us.

I laid there with my heart racing

thinking I'd never go back to sleep.

Reminding myself that it was just a dream.

But it'd felt so real.

Today I learned that an acquaintance has breast cancer.

She's a vibrant, active, wonderful person.

It was the nudge I needed to make my mammogram appointment,

although I'm so super duper healthy I forgot (yet again) the name of my primary care physician.

Thank goodness my sweet friend who referred me to her always remembers for me (thank you Kristi!)

While I was at it I checked into when I need to go in for my next colonoscopy (August 15, 2015-insurance covers 5 year and one day after the last one which is different than most because my dad had colon cancer under age 60).

Then I stumbled across a blog that brought me to tears.  Mundanefaithfulness.  Wow.

I already feel like time is fleeting.

The years of having little people hanging on me and needing me 24 hours a day has diminished.

They're moderately self sufficient,

and yet I know how very fiercely I'm needed daily

by each and every one of my babies.

It makes it even more heartbreaking that there are mamas out there who won't get to be needed by their babies in each and every stage of their life.

Heck, I'm 40 and need my mom far more than I should admit.

This woman, Kara Tippetts' experiences remind me that I need to make a better effort to lead my children to enjoy a life of faithfulness.

We've never been very consistent about attending church although I consider myself a very religious person.

I'm raising my kids to consider God in many elements of their lives.

We've had countless discussions about God, Jesus, Heaven, Hell and everything in between.

And every night they remind me to say prayers if I'm not quick enough for them.

But I feel I need to lead them to a house of worship outside my own little view of faith.

I also know that I need to be more present in their lives.

I'm trying to cut back on computer/phone time.

Each day I find myself looking forward to bedtime when I can snuggle them each one on one and whisper how wonderful, fantastic, smart, funny, and kind they each are.  I whisper that I love them.  I whisper that I'm so very, very lucky God chose me to be their mama.  And how proud I am to be their mama.

I am trying to remember to be grateful each and every day for the beautiful life I am so fortunate to enjoy.