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Tuesday, November 30, 2010

on snow flurries, pajama pants, and kids with the grumpies

crappy picture, nice moment.
This is the kind of morning where I feel lucky to be a stay at home mommy. The snow is coming down in gentle swirls but with an extra special fun layer of ice underneath. And I sit in my fleece pants and hoodie, coffee at the ready, typing on my new laptop, I can’t help but feel slightly smug as the snowplows and salt trucks roar by.

Let’s face it, we stay at home moms need to embrace these moments of feeling superior when we can… and we need to remember them the next time someone asks us “Soooo, what do you do again?”

So far it’s been the best kind of stay at home mommy day (granted it is only 10:30am as I type. HA.)

The children woke up early but went and played in their room.

And I stayed in bed for an extra 20 minutes.

Oh yes I did.

Listening to them greet each other in the morning is honestly one of the best and sweetest part of my days. Baby girl wakes up and asks for brother, “Jackson? Where is Jackson?” is usually the first words out of her mouth. “In his room baby.” “Oh. I go hug Jackson.” So she waddles down the hall and I hear, “well, hello missy Ayla!” “Jackson! Morning Jack!” “Good morning my baby sweetie ugga mugga girl.” (he makes up the funniest nonsense sugar names for her lately!) “Wanna go play in my room?” “ohtay Jack!”

And off they go.

Lovely.

Then later (after willing myself out of bed) I sipped coffee and they spent a good hour playing trains and cars. Little man is now resting on the couch reading books with the heating pad on his neck where he received a very grievous injury as a knight defending a train. (NO idea what actually happened but his “neck hurts” I ask how it hurts, because I don’t see a red spot, he says “I don’t know I can’t look inside of my body to see but the red spot is inside by my bones” hmmm, pulled neck muscle?)

In any case. He is reading books and little missy is roaming around bringing him new books to look at, or listening to him “read” to her.

AH.

And yes, I am TOTALLY ignoring the sink full of dirty dishes and the laundry that needs done and the Christmas decoration boxes that need put away. These moments of peace are so precious I need to sit and soak them in, all that other stuff can wait. Right?

(Speaking of dishes I made the BEST soup yesterday. Will write it up shortly.)

Yesterday was the opposite kind of day. We were a tired and grumpy crew.

(Oh, to interrupt myself again, she is turning around in circles eating ginger snaps and humming and just went over to him and kissed him on the hand, and then kept spinning. SO CUTE. Oh, and I just got a kiss too. Why thank you little miss.)

Where was I?

Oh yes, grumpy day yesterday. So you understand my need to embrace and share this moment. Document it, as it were. So I can look back and remember when we have another day of epic arguments over the TV or picking up toys or, as the case was yesterday, knocking baby sister down off the ottoman (on purpose!) with a gleam in his eye whilst looking right at me. (My response? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? And I may or may not have sworn in front of him, claiming the 5th on that one.)

My friend and I were just emailing about this, she calls it detoxing – from Thanksgiving and tree decorating and excitement etc. You know, those days when kids get the grumpies and don’t sleep well and you feel like tearing out your hair by 2pm? Detox. Our job is to be the calm instiller of rhythm and peace back into their lives.

I am reading this great book right now called “Simplicity Parenting” he talks about soul fevers. When your child is overwhelmed or stressed or going through something new. Just as you would treat a child with a fever – a blanket and book on the couch, a cozy cuddle watching Planet Earth – so you should treat a child with “soul fever”.

The other great thing about this concept, just as with a physical fever is not your “fault” and can’t be “fixed” so it goes with a soul fever. You have to give them warmth and support and love them through it but you just have to let it run its course.

Wow huh?

Seriously it was so freeing to read that. Like, oh. Right. Well, that I can do.

This whole feeling that “my child shouldn’t be acting this way, I should be more disciplined, etc.” Well, some things yes, we can intervene and provide good instruction but with this sort of situation, this overload from a busy weekend resulting in bad sleep and crabby days, or an angstful teenager upset about friends at school, or a stressed out child starting kindergarten for the first time, etc. these kinds of things we can just love them through. SO great to hear. Right? And he also points out that it is good to let them figure out their feelings on their own, good to let them work through it. Not that we can’t help and support and talk about it but letting them work through these things is healthy and necessary.

And now. We seemed to have reclaimed peace. Two days at home in pajama pants was all it took. HA.

So, snow, go ahead and swirl. I am oblivious to you in my little world of train tracks and lukewarm coffee and heating pads and kisses on knees.

Is it okay if I totally love my little world? Because I do, especially in this moment, I do.

2 comments:

  1. super cute Sara! haha I always see you link this on facebook but I never realized you wrote it :) Its great that your writing, your pretty good :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. that is funny dave. you were like wow, sara REALLY likes this blog! HA HA.

    ReplyDelete

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