I’M A SINGER!
American Idol: watch out! But wait… I’m too old.
Oh, well.
Now that my son sleeps in a big boy bed, rocking before bed has ended. This was his decision, not mine.
But a new routine has started. I sit on the bottom end of his bed and sing 2 sets of ‘Jingle Bell’. By the way, that’s not a typo, I know it is supposed to be plural but my son insists that it be sung in the singular.
Then I sing ‘Jolly Old St. Nicholas’. And the other night it happened. He asked me to sing one more song, a special song. The only Christmas song I could think of was ‘White Christmas’, so I started singing.
I’m sitting there singing, ‘I’m dreaming of a White Christmas…’
and then I start thinking – ‘gosh, I hope I know all the words to this song’…
Then I start thinking- ‘gosh, this is a VERY hard song to sing’
Then I start thinking- ‘wow, I am singing so flat’…
Then I start thinking- ‘gosh, I am butchering this song’.
And then my son’s eyes light up and he is smiling.
He thinks the song is wonderful.
He thinks my singing is wonderful.
He asks me to sing it again.
I do.
He is smiling so big.
I finish my rendition of ‘White Christmas’ and lean down to kiss him good night.
He looks at me and says- I kid you not-
‘Mommy, I know what I’m going to dream about. I’ll dream about a White Christmas!
Thanks, Mommy. Good Night.’
He turns over and goes to bed. Done. What a nice night!
THANKSGIVING
This poem can also be read on DC Metro Moms.
I’m a contributor…Great Site!
THANKSGIVING
Thank you for little hands and little toes,
Little fingerprints and a little nose.
Thank you for hair to comb and birthday parties to plan,
Mittens to lose and toy planes to land.
Thank you for family.
Thank you for friends.
Thank you for the autumn leaf colors and all the blends.
Thank you for life and imperfection.
Thank you for holiday candies and confection.
Thank you for little pajamas and toys about our house;
Thank you for laughter during the day and at night-
Quiet as a mouse.
Thank you for reading books and a roof over our heads,
A Winnie-The-Pooh toothbrush and a big boy bed.
Thank you for smiles and giggles reigning,
And Thank you (finally) to an end of potty-training.
Thank you for jackets, but temperatures not too cold…
And Thank you for all the memories I’ll have,
Long after I’m old.
OUR FIELD TRIP TO THE NATIONAL MALL
This Blog article can also be read on DC Metro Moms. I’m a contributor… Great Site!
In keeping with suggestions from online parenting guides, and PBS, and articles in the weekend paper, and even blurbs on the sides of cereal boxes, I decided to do something fun and educational with my 3-year-old son. We take ‘field trips’ together. During the long days of August when NOTHING was going on in this town, we tried to do a field trip once a week… now it’s once a month.
We got in the car and went down to the Mall. My son loves cars… and trucks… and planes… and rockets, really any mode of transportation. So I’m thinking, ‘What could be better than The Air and Space Museum ?’ Nothing… or so I thought.
I don’t know when you last parked down at the Mall, but parking is surprisingly easy. They added parking all along the service road that borders the Mall, the entire length of it. And if you want to take Metro- you’ve got the stop right there.
I pulled into a space only about a block away from The Air and Space Museum. No meters and ‘rock star parking’…cool! We walked across the little service road to the sidewalk and immediately saw a beautiful fountain in front of the National Museum of the American Indian. It had many levels and an edge big enough for a 3-year-old to walk along. He loved it (at this point I knew, maybe he’s not going to be as excited as I thought to see Wilbur and Orville Wright’s plane).
I finally coaxed him away from the super cool climbing fountain and we went into the Air and Space museum. As you all know – it is gigantic. It’s cool for adults and maybe 6–year-olds, but my son couldn’t really grasp that the huge cylinder which must have looked like a cylindrical building to him, was part of a rocket. He did however, like the models of rockets that were smaller.
We walked around a little more. I think we stayed a little over an hour and that included a trip to the Air and Space museum McDonald’s. The happy meal toy was a NASA rocket – nice touch McDonald’s and NASA.
We then started to leave; he told me he was ready to go. But wait, he was so impressed with the purse/bag x-ray machine that the guards showed him how it worked.
We made another stop at the fountain, crossed the street and my son yelled, “Mommy, look!” It was literally a bus and truck put together, I’m sure to haul artifacts around the Smithsonian. I believe it was a government vehicle.
“It’s a… BusTruck! I’ve never seen one of those before!” And he just stared.
When my husband got home from work and asked what we had seen and learned on our ‘field trip’ my son immediately started in with a description of the ‘BusTruck’… no planes, no rockets… the BusTruck.
So once again, I tried to give my son an educational experience, and he gave me the education.
But he’s a fun teacher!
THAT EXTRA HOUR
It’s official… The clocks have been turned back.
It’s cold weather time, talk turns to Pilgrims and Native Americans in nursery schools, and Dad is raking leaves today.
I love ‘gaining’ an hour. It used to mean an extra hour of sleep, but now it means an extra hour to get things done or having another cup of tea. It’s a quick run to the grocery store, changing decorations from Halloween to Thanksgiving, or a long, hot shower.
An extra hour couldn’t have come at a better time.
Don’t mean to scare anyone- but Thanksgiving is in less than 3 weeks and Christmas is just over 6 weeks away. Hanukkah is just over a month away. There is a lot to do, no matter who you are.
On the other hand, it is a beautiful time of year. It is chilly- translating into more jumps up on your lap from children wanting to get warm. Holiday music plays at the mall. Lots of decorations that at any other time of year would be considered tacky- are awesome! I love candy canes and I get to see them everywhere this time of year. Fires in the fireplace (okay, we don’t build fires in our fireplace because we have a 3-year-old, but it’s a nice thought), baking cookies (okay, I haven’t done it in the past, but I am planning to start this year… add to ‘to do’ list) and roasting marshmallows (I love the idea, but the whole fire thing again- I think we’ll pass).
But getting back to my point, it’s a cool time of year.
Remember it’s Thanksgiving time. It’s time to give thanks. Thank you for little feet around the house. Thank you for little hands, even when they are making messes. Thank you for being busy, being a mom.
Hey, and I’ve got a birthday party I have to come up with the week before Christmas for my son… so say thank you if you have kids with summer birthdays!
Happy Holiday Season!
-
I Was In The 2012 Show !
Check Out …
-
Nicole’s Book
Design Credit:
