DON’T WORRY
“Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today.
It’s already tomorrow in Australia.”
-Charles Schulz
Where would we be without the sanity and love of ‘Peanuts’ ?
ROOKIE MISTAKE
I’m re-posting this because it is quoted on Blogtations right now. I also will never, ever forget it.
Note to self: make sure your child is really excited about something before you travel 2 hours for it.
Last summer I learned that Thomas the Tank Engine was coming to Cumberland, Maryland. My son loves Thomas and I was excited that a full-size Thomas existed. I read that it makes stops all over the country to historical railroad stations. So, wanting to give my child a wonderful experience, I bought tickets online… and then looked at a map.
Cumberland is FAR from Bethesda where we live, as in about 2 hours and 15 minutes… and that’s without stopping. Still I thought, my little guy will love this, he deserves this.
I told my son about it and seemed to like the idea.
We set out that Saturday and after driving for a full hour out I- 270 my son announced to us,
“I do not want to ride the train”.
My throat closed up. I couldn’t breathe. My husband gripped the steering wheel. We didn’t look back, we just looked at each other. John took a deep breath, and mouthed, ‘Relax’.
I took a moment and looked back at my little guy and cheerily said, “We’re just going to take a look at it, I think it will be fun!”
Another hour and 15 minutes later we were in Cumberland. The railroad was great, but we were holding our breath. We walked without saying much up to Thomas the Tank Engine and waited in line to board. I brought a small Thomas along with us that my son played with while we waited in line. As he played with the mini version of what stood beside us, John and I just kept looking at each other and crossing our fingers.
We boarded the train, he was a little fidgety, but cool. The train started, “We’re on!” I thought. Thomas the Tank Engine then went about 10 minutes down the track, then stopped and then went in reverse back to the station.
Honestly, my son liked running around the little hay-bale maze afterwards much better.
FAST FORWARD TO LAST MONTH-
I got an email that a movie theater was doing a special debut of a few new Thomas episodes at 10am on a Saturday in Gaithersburg.
So, I looked at a map… THEN I bought the tickets.
We went, NO traffic since it was Saturday morning. We bought popcorn, watched Thomas on the big screen and had a great time.
I learned from my rookie mistake and didn’t repeat it… Yey- Victory!
I DON’T WORK?
From time to time I help out my former boss as a consultant.
We usually meet for business dinners because that works with my schedule and her schedule and it’s fun to catch up, and there is food involved, which is nice.
I told my son that Daddy was taking him to McDonald’s and I was going downtown to a
business dinner meeting.
“Business meeting?” my son asked.
“But Mommy, you don’t work!“
I couldn’t help but grin. My grin turned into a chuckle and then a full blown laugh.
Ahhh. My little guy, who amazes me with his awareness, surprises with with his astuteness, just reminded me that he is only 4 years old.
Little man, little man, you have a lot to learn.
I LOVE BOXES/TOYS!
I am so proud of this microwave oven that my son and I made-
I’m posting it!
Wow, has my life come to this?
I guess it has because I’m thrilled with this. I am so knee-deep into motherhood that I am actually watching my artistic progression when it comes to these box transformations.
I am a painter, albeit a beginner. And when I see my advancement in the art of construction paper, a gluestick and markers, I think to myself, ‘Pick up that paintbrush!’
I’m kidding… but not totally.
MY NOD FROM GRACO
For the first time ever, I am a ‘Graco Monthly Nod’ Winner.
My ‘Rules of the Easter Bunny’ (scroll down) was one of the Graco Blog Team’s favorite blog postings in March (pause for applause).
Read below about my Easter Bunny rules, if you haven’t gotten a chance yet, and go to the Graco Blog’s Monthly Nod Winners Page for some great blog posts!
A NCAA TOURNEY MOMENT
I don’t really care about the NCAA Tournament this year; Well, I’m in a $10 neighborhood pool, so I care a little bit.
The North Carolina vs. Louisville game was starting…
“Those North Carolina cheerleaders have cute uniforms,” I told my husband. As soon as I said it, I wondered why I had (but they were cute).
“Don’t be a girl,” he grinned.
“You’re so happy I’m a girl!”
He laughed.
Ah, it’s nice to know your priorities.
ANOTHER GUY WHO LOVED HIS MOM
“My mother had a slender, small body, but a large heart – a heart so large that everybody’s joys found welcome in it, and hospitable accommodation.”
~Mark Twain
WHAT ARE THE RULES OF THE EASTER BUNNY ?!
On ‘Easter Eve’ (I just made that up),
the eggs had been dyed, baskets were ready and I was putting my 4-year-old son to bed.
I told him he should go right to sleep because we had a big day ahead of us, the Easter Bunny was coming. Then he started asking very specific questions about the procedure involved in hiding Easter eggs…
“Mommy, does he hide them tonight?” I told him yes (whoops, that’s Santa), so then he immediately pulled up his black-out shades and looked for the infamous bunny.
So I told him that the Easter Bunny hides eggs in the morning too.
“How does he hide all those eggs?” Well, he’s super-fast. He can hop so fast that’s it’s magical.
At this point I’m screaming inside my head, “Nicole!! What are you doing? Why aren’t you better prepared for these questions?” And I’m a planner for gosh sakes; I plan lunches for the week, all weekly dinners… I make lists!
We happen to be lucky enough to have lots of bunnies in our neighborhood. So then my 4-year-old asks me if those bunnies around our house are related to the Easter Bunny. “Yes, they are. They are the Easter Bunny’s helpers. They help him hide eggs sometimes.”
Then that voice inside my head comes back, “You better be careful Nicole, you are making up rules as you go along… And remember, 4-year-olds never forget!”
I took a deep breath. Relax.
Kissed my little guy good night and tucked him in.
Then, downstairs, my husband asked me about hiding the dyed easter eggs. Yes, I told him, we’re hiding them, along the the store-bought plastic ones.
Then my husband, completely seriously, tells me that doesn’t make any sense, because how would a bunny, now a ‘magical’ bunny, as I’ve just made him, get inside to get those eggs to hide.
I look at John and tell him, “The same way he gets in to ‘magically’ fill our son’s Easter basket… He jumps in a window or something.”
“Nicole, this really doesn’t make sense.” He’s right…
But wait, I forgot about our old friend – the whole ‘suspension of disbelief’ thing that is in its prime in 4-year-olds!
Hoorah!
But, as long as we’re on the subject:
Are there any official rules of the Easter Bunny?
Or did our parents make them up and now we are responsible for making up our own?
I want to be better prepared for next year 
QUICK REFLECTIONS ON ST.PATRICK’S DAYS GONE BY
My husband is Irish. He used to take off work for St. Patrick’s Day. We’d wake up, have breakfast, get on Metro and head down to the Dubliner on North Capitol Street.
With the shadow of the Capitol building at our backs, we’d take a break for lunch and then head to other Irish bars around DC. The last year we did this- we made it until 8:00pm and we were done. We found ourselves back in Bethesda and walked on home. But we were proud we had lasted so long.
We have fun memories from those St. Patrick’s Days… you meet some interesting characters in Irish bars at 10am (it’s a little embarrassing to see the 10am in print).
About a month after St. Patrick’s Day in 2003 I got pregnant with my beautiful son… and our tradition of celebrating St. Patrick’s day ALL DAY LONG, rode into the sunset.
This year my 4-year-old son greeted me with a huge smile at the end of school and showed me the necklace he made out of string, green beads and green straws.
After my son went to sleep we got out NCAA brackets and talked about our picks for the neighborhood NCAA pool. We were sitting on the couch with books on our laps to write on. I noticed the books: ‘Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things that Go’ and Eric Carle’s ’10 Little Rubber Ducks’.
My, how things change.
Green beer days are over… good riddance
This reflection on the days of green beer and happy hours can also be read at DC Metro Moms.
BOX CARS… PRICELESS!
After an over-scheduled day of school, a playdate, and a birthday party – my husband, my son, my sister-in-law, her twins and myself walked from All Fired Up, the twins’ birthday party site, across the street to Café Deluxe (I love this place for ‘dining’ with kids) for a quick, but nice 5:30pm dinner in Bethesda.
The first family we saw as we walked in was one of my son’s friends from his ‘3’s’ class. After all the hellos and smiles, his mother asked me, “Where do you get the cars in your playroom that I’ve been hearing about?” Her son has been talking about them for a week.
I started grinning from ear to ear and told her: they are boxes.
She and her husband started laughing a little and both said, “What?”
Yes, they are boxes. And this isn’t the first time our ‘cool playroom cars’ have been brought up. Kids, especially boys, LOVE these boxes… I mean cars.
The idea for these toys began with my son just playing with the box his carseat came in. We quickly made it into a car with a cut-out door. My husband added paper plates for wheels and a steering wheel. I then made a gearshift from a paper towel roll and a tissue box after my son matter-of-factly commented on the need for one. Lastly, we got a little fancy and added handles to the doors that were lying around in my husband’s tool box.
Whoa- one more important thing: you must make a key out of cardboard and have a slit to put it into = ignition key.
We made a second one for friends and playdates. My son and his friends will drive to the beach, stop at the gas station, get in each others’ cars to give each other a ride or just drive around the neighborhood. Ahh, pretend play… I love it!
I love that my son and his friends get so much enjoyment out of these boxes, that they are using their minds, that they are even being a little creative. I love that my son didn’t even want to take the time to decorate them… His response- “Why? They have wheels.”
I’m another mom chiming in how cool it is to make things and play with… stuff! Imagination is cool. And it’s free. A great DC Metro Mom post last month talked about how important imagination is.
So, get a box and see what happens;
gather up some paper plates and enjoy!
Next project – my son wants a plane… that might be a tough one!
This can also be read at DC Metro Moms; it’s a great site, I’m a contributor!
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I Was In The 2012 Show !
Check Out …
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Nicole’s Book
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