Photo We Heart It
With the station wagon back in the shop again, Bob and I decided we would ride our bikes to pre-school in the morning. We were doing fine for the first half a block.

“Mom? I can’t do this anymore. My bike is tired.”

“You can do it, babe. Just keep moving.”

“I think you should push me.”

“I can’t push you. I have to ride my own bike.” We rode another (more…)

Sometimes my kids don’t get along. Some days, my kids don’t get along. The usual array of time-outs, loss of possessions and privileges, and flat-out begging, pleading, and bribes has slowly lost its punch. Many a day I find myself unthinkingly whipping out the phrase, “You are in SUCH big trouble!”

And then what? I’ve laid it out there, but what exactly is the trouble? The threat has gotten so deflated over  time that my kids now ask, “What trouble?” And then you can hear crickets chirping. Until yesterday. Yesterday, I had an epiphany.

Our new house has ceramic tile floors. Lots of ceramic tiles. Oodles of ceramic tiles. Ceramic tiles that children of all ages can scrub clean with a kitchen sponge, and wipe dry with a towel. Now when they ask, “What trouble?” I can say with confidence, “See those tiles over by the front door? They have your name on them.”

My floors have never been cleaner.

So last weekend John and Zach went on a Cub Scouts camping trip. ((It was Zach’s very first time camping – he was beyond excited)) They camped up at Fort Pillow State Park. I told John, later, how ironic that was seeing as how both him AND Zach forgot their pillows. John commandeered my camera for the trip… which initially bugged the crap out of me, especially since John sucks at taking pictures. BUT since he came back with some really really good ones, I have a feeling I’ll now be forced to hand it over more often. They had a great time. Even John. It was their first Cub Scouts activity so I wasn’t sure how well either would do, but John says now that he’s seen how other kids act around their parents… maybe our’s aren’t so bad after all. lol (more…)