Thursday, April 10, 2008

Spring Break

from the mom

Spring break is playing havoc with our routine. It turns out that school does a lot to work out a lot of energy and intellectual curiosity. It also gave me a couple hours in the morning to get some work done.

We have spring fever and a typical Washington spring is in full effect. Not good. We often get brilliant sunshine in the morning for about 45 minutes followed by clouds, rain, and then just as we're eating dinner it will clear again. I'm feeling confined. But relieved that after several weeks of this, it appears that winter is truly over, and that summer might be upon the horizon in June or July.

Ben is into shooting. Anything can be transformed into a gun and he tears around the house going "boom, boom." This is annoying but he is a boy and so I'm trying to remain calm. Not cool is "shooting" people in the grocery store, or aiming at his sister and then pronouncing her dead. These things we are attempting to end immediately.

When he's not shooting, he's talking. He's a little later to the constant questioning stage than most and a typical response to anything I ask of him is "not." (This is what happens when you go through the 2-year old "no" stage when you are 4.) But we have discovered he has a fountain of nursery rhymes memorized. With that in mind we are adding to his memorization. Later this year, his auntie will be getting married in Mexico and so we are working on some Spanish. Sentences are a bit hard for him (as they are for me) but he is doing well on vocabulary.

The problem here is that I simply can't keep up with him. He is full of energy and intellectual curiosity and I need a little down time, a little household time, and his sister is also going through a demanding season.

I was able to go with my mom to see my grandmother a few days ago. Though difficult, it was a good trip and I'm glad I was able to see her. I wouldn't have recognized her if I'd come upon her sleeping but when she opened her eyes she had that familiar spark.

And now it is Kyri's nap time and there are two guys working on the roof above her room. Not great timing. But all in a spring break.

2 comments:

Sarah M. said...

I am glad to see you aren't opposed to Ben playing "guns", though I agree shooting people in the store or his sister is not cool. There is this mom I see at the park and she has a son. She said "He will never have a toy gun. He won't be able to play army or guns." I wanted to say... Really? And you want him to be a boy, right?

Anonymous said...

I used to think like the "park" mom and then watched as my friends male children learned it anyway!
Judy