Lessons From An Eight Year Old

I was browsing through the past, the days when things were perhaps more whimsical and sweet. Days when my daughter was still filled with wonder and imagination, days when life was what she wanted it to be as an eight year old. I love her total indulgence in her imagination without shame or hesitation. I love how she loves herself at these moments.

Everyday is Mother's Day

Honestly, I don't expect the one special weekend in May to be anything but chaotic and I am never disappointed. Mother's Day weekend is the hardest holiday of the entire year. The expected always happens. For instance, when the Erickson's come over for brunch, three things will inevitably happen. One,  somebody assigned a crucial food assignment will be very late, leading to a half hour of disharmony. Two, some kid will get hurt, there will be tears. Three, Tanner will have a violent meltdown. And that is exactly how it went down this year...

Mother's Day morning is similar in it's predictability. I like to sleep until 11:00am, I lock the bedroom door, put earplugs in and try not to pay attention to what is going on in the other room. I am passively hoping that somebody else will be keeping a leash on Tanner.Later, I emerge from my bedroom fully braced as to what disasters have occurred during my slumber. I am never disappointed. This year I awoke to a cacophony of four different musical selections playing simultaneously and loudly: classical music and Madonna playing from the computer speakers, radio static and Toy Story playing from the TV. And there was a fully contented Tanner on the couch surrounded with a shower of Captain Crunch and Fruit Loops along with the ripped, empty boxes strewn about. Next, I reluctantly checked the laundry room (Tanner's favorite place to wreck havoc). On the floor was the present I was to give to my own mother, irreparably damaged.Wires, chargers and electronic devices were scattered around as if the FBI came through looking for evidence. The sheer scale of the disaster was breathtaking yet satisfyingly humorous. I have seen this all before. What makes Mother's Day any different from any other day.



 
 new relish tray which almost became my mom's present

                                                     my usually organized laundry room


 
 the monster mess maker

Hailey's Science Project

Hailey's science curriculum delved into "sound" this week.  Each student was required to make a video of themselves and their group creating their own sound. The requirements of this project included:

1) no more than six people per group.
2) must use three or more different objects that create different pitches
3) no random beat, must use a chosen song and match the beat.

Hailey chose her dad to be her partner in this project. Mmmmm I wonder why??

dad out shines daughter in 8th grade "sound project"

A+ For Effort

Hailey wanted to make sure I had a great birthday. In her opinion more presents equals more love so throughout the week she has been wrapping up her gifts to me. As I started opening these gifts I had a funny feeling that I had seen them all before. I soon discovered that the lotions and soaps were all from my cupboard. The candles had been lit before. However, all items had a fancy ribbon or other embellishment to make it look "better" than it had been before. The best gift of all was a collage of photos she managed to collect and put in a frame entitled "Celebrate Everyday!". My fourteen year old daughter may not have access to the local mall but she sure showed me that even though she can't buy me anything for my birthday, she can show me how much she loves me through her creativity.

Thank you everybody for making my birthday a special one!

Utensils Are Stupid

There aren't many times when I envy Tanner. There is, however, one significant area in which I am exceedingly envious. Watching him eat makes me wonder why utensils were ever invented. The human hand is so much more efficient than knife and fork. The hand is perfect as a shovel, the fingers are perfect pinchers, the skin is a perfect temperature indicator.Utensils were obviously invented by someone who didn't enjoy the full experience of food.

Where's Your Dog?

There have been several new families move in to my neighborhood this year. Four new households have been welcomed and given the "Tanner is an unusual boy" speech. I give them a  good natured, cautionary tale about Tanner's friendly tendencies.As casually as possible, I tell them that this strange kid may possibly walk into their house uninvited, sit on their couch and start watching their TV. Perhaps this odd child will also help himself to the food in their refrigerator. Or maybe he will just climb into their car and mess with their radio buttons. Welcome to the neighborhood!~ As far as I know these new neighbors seem very understanding and compassionate and eager to be of service.
Actually it has been a few years since Tanner got loose and canvased the neighborhood, but if it happened once, it will happen again. Previous neighbors have been wonderfully supportive as Tanner has grown into a teenager and I have reason to believe that the new families will be supportive as well.....hopefully.

Recently a new neighbor came over to visit and bring cookies. She noticed a couple of objects which had been chewed. The foam Nintendo protective case had little bites taken out of it, a block of wood was worn down like a chew toy, a  rubber i-touch case had seen better days. She asked me what kind of dog I had.
"oh, that's just Tanner, we don't have a dog".

Not Mt. Everest

Winter is a cozy season, one that promotes sitting around a warm fire, watching movies and over-using social media. At least this is what happens to Hailey (and me). So when Hailey went tubing with her dad it became obvious to us all that someone needs to put the i-touch away and move it!

Now that spring/summer is in sight Hailey is getting back into sports. She just joined the track team and competition soccer. After a long inactive winter I'm bracing myself for her complaints of aches and pains after track conditioning. I have a feeling that she is going to be hurting nice and good.