Good Intentions

Today was the day I had planned to do all the little household chores either I had put off or that Brian allegedly done but I have to re-do anyway. Brian had planned to start one of his weekend warrior projects. However, neither of us accomplished much today. Annie participated in a parade for her school down one of the main streets in our town- she plays in their drumline. The kids were really terrific. We grabbed some food afterwards at Red Lobster and that was all she wrote! I have been lounging around the house ever since. I even managed to take a nap for about two or so hours uninterrupted. Brian took the kids out to the park - all by himself! They had a great time. I can always tell by their exhaustion levels. Brandon and Eric were out like a light when they got home and Annie went straight to her room and fell alseep about 10 minutes later. Normally, I would have started a chore but I took a page out of Brian's book and called it a day. I must say, this feels good...really good.

Gym Rat

So I finally got back to going to the gym. This was (is?) my New Year's Resolution. Brian and I joined this gym around the corner from the house and I have gone a total of 3 times this week. Since I am easing back into the work-out thing, I hit the treadmill. I of course am in sweats and a t-shirt, and on my left is the "don't be fooled by the gray hair because I'm in much better shape than you are" woman and on my right is the "I am going to the gym to hook-up and socialize because I could give a crap about my health" woman.

Lefty was running a marathon compared to my zero incline/3.0 miles per hour self. She belonged on the cover of a Wheaties cereal box. I am not even joking about that. Put me to shame I tell you! But Righty on the other hand was on her cell phone! Can you believe it? I spent a total of 27 minutes listening to her yap away on the phone. She was oblivious to everything and everyone around her. Completely annoying!

Bicycle Blues

Today I decided to take Brandon out for his first ride on his brand new Spiderman bike - training wheels, helmut and all (cute, isn't it?). Honestly I was probably more excited about the whole thing than he was. Well, things started off fine, but the problem quickly became apparent. He didn't quite get the fact that he has to pedal to move the bike- he was trying to move it with his shoulders and upper body. It was quite funny actually. So there I was pushing him while trying to get him to pedal and he just wasn't getting it. He thought that I was supposed to push him along. When I told him that he had to pedal by himself to get the bike to move, he began to cry. After another 15 minutes or so of trying and crying, we came back inside.

Initially, he wanted nothing to do with the bike anymore - (mean bike!). I wanted to encourage him so I promised that we would try again tomorrow and try and try and try again until he was able to pedal by himself. He became very excited about the bike again (nice bike!). This was a bonafide parenting moment. It almost felt like a television afterschool special. I realized that this is bigger than the bike; this is a life lesson...that I have to encourage him to get back up, dust himself off and try again....I think I am on to something here. Now that's one to grow on...for both of us!

Allergy Season

After just getting over a bad cold, Brandon woke up yesterday with his eyes wide shut - literally. His eyes were swollen, red, watery and felt "itchy and yucky" (that's a direct quote). So I gladly called in sick and took him to the doctor. Long story short, Brandon has had his first bout with seasonal allergies. We left the doctor's office about an hour later with prescriptions for eye drops and Allegra.

Well, the eye drops were a nonstarter. Trying to give it to him was like trying to teach a fish how to do a cartwheel. The Allegra however was a different story. As I am pouring a teaspoon of Allegra into the dosage cup, I try to convince Brandon that it would help his eyes feel much, much better. I must have underestimated my persuasive abilities because Brandon bravely took the dosage cup from me and tried to pour it into his left eye.

Frienemies

We all have at least one in our lives. That person who manages to both a friend and an enemy simultaneously. My frienemy is a co-worker who can be nice at times but incredibly irritating. Ever since Brandon was born, she has been talking about what a phenom her son Liam is. Liam is about 9 months older than Brandon. She's one of those parents who began bragging about their kid's APGAR score and hasn't stopped since. Liam began walking at 9 months, talking at 10 months (using 2 or more words in a sentence I might add) was potty trained in a week, etc. You know the type.

So now that I have finally found a great pre-school for Brandon, of course she has found a better one. Its about $20,00 per year which in my mind is outrageous. No way would my kid's preschool cost more than my mortgage! Liam will begin learning a French in their "French for Tots" class, and will have a 12th grade reading level and will be able to explain Einstein's theory of relativity by Christmas; it was very competive to get into the school but he is sooooooo brilliant it was a breeze; clearly he will have a leg up on his classmates by the time he attends Yale, blah, blah, blah.

I just spoke with my mom a few minutes ago about my co-worker's latest brag-fest. My mom always manages to keep my head on straight and keep me grounded. Mom says in her usual dead pan voice, "Ann, the bottom line is this. One plus one equals two. Whether you it at Harvard or West Bumblefuck U, it still equals two". Enough said. I love my mom.

Ahh-chew!!!

Headquarters was shut down for the last few days because the kids were all sick. Brian and I alternated days off at work to nurse everyone back to health. It started with a cough and mulitple sneezes from Brandon and morphed into a full blown cold for Annie and Eric. Lots of bubble gum and grape flavored medicine, sleepless nights and crankiness from everyone all around. Annie was home from school and miserable because she missed a class trip to the local science museum. I think she secretly has come around to making science her favorite subject but refuses to admit to it.

I promised her she and I would take a trip to the science museum and she seems to be looking forward to that. When Dana called this morning, Annie asked her if she'd like to tag along with us, to which Dana agreed. Then Annie bet Dana that she couldn't think of a real (in other words, not made up) song about science. Dana, who seized the moment in true Dana-esque fashion began singing "She Blinded Me with Science". I cracked up and chimed in of course. Annie thinks that Dana and I are aliens. She also owes Dana 2 bags of almond M & Ms.