Wired For Noise

Friday afternoon I watched my neices while their mother was in the town’s homecoming parade. Everythign seemed fine. We played, had fun, ate snacks, watched a cartoon. All was great. Until out of no where E pulled downhis pants and peed… on his cousin.

This isn’t the first time he’s done this.

When the incident was mentioned to their mother she made a comment about E having “issues”. As in “You’re completely messed up your child and now he’ll be that crazy kid who burns down the school.” issues.

To be honest I’ve worried aobut him for a bit, Little things, outbursts and rages and the such. But they’ve always been played off as normal behavior for a boy his age with too much energy. And it’s hard to admit that my perfect, sweet, funny, smart little guy could have anything wrong with him. The day he was born I said he was perfect, and I’m sticking to that.

So Monday morning I call his doctor and see about making an appoinment. Dearest is not happy at all. His fears are that the doctors will want to pump E up with drugs until he’s a zombie. He should know by now who E’s mother is.

Hello, crazy chick who wouldn’t even take an asprin when she was pregnant. What makes you think I’d zombie-fy my kids now?

kids, parenting

I got the video from the Black Breastfeeding Blog, who has some gorgeous photos up of breasting in the 30s and 40s. She’s putting together a series on how at one time breastfeeding in public was no big deal. See it here, here, and here.

And a hat tip because I was directed to the blog after seeing the link for it in the comments of an article that Sara sent me. When Nursing in Public Was Normal It’s almost hard to believe that there was once a time when this was concidered perfectly normal.

*cross posted at Our family Village*

Our local PBS shows the Signing Time every Friday at 3:30, and we have to watch it or else. E loves it. Which I suppose has to do with the fact that we did baby signs with him since he was 6 months old. He gts excited knowing that h already knows part of what they’er showing, so he feels like a champ.

But that isn’t the point of this post. What I wanted to do was redirct evryon’e attention to the group blog where I share a very special sale going on. Signing Time DVDs marked down to $5! But this sale is Friday only, so you have to get them now! Hurry, before the sale ends!

sign language, Signing Time!, sale, kids, parenting

After nap I handed each of the boys 1 cookie while I made their real snack.

E took his cookie, gasped, then exclaimed “Mom, you’re a genius!”.

Yes, yes I know.

Today seemed like a nice day. Sure the boys were trying to kill each other all morning. But by afternoon they had wore each other out and took very nice naps. So having my state of inner peace renewed once they woke, were changed, and fed a snack I took them outside to play. And did we play! It was getting dark by time we finally came back in for dinner.

The boys ran off to the bedroom and I began cooking. Suddenly a half naked E came running out, upset that A had pulled books down and was tearing them up. It didn’t even register to question where his pants and undrwear were, I just hurrid to save the books. I arrived to find a pile of books in the middle of the room, half torn to pieces. As I began trying to save them I noticed they were soaking wet.

“E, what got spilled on the books?”
“Pee mommy.”

But A’s diaper was still on. Suddenly it hit me, my oldest son had peed on the books. A second realization came upon looking at the book shelf to see a puddle of urin 4 shelves up. This was no potty accident.

My son had stripped, climbed in his rocking chair, and peed all over hundreds of dollars of children’s books. Then tossed the wet pile onto the floor for his brother to rip to shreds. I was shaking I tell you. I’ve never ben so angry in my entire life. Of all the things I go without his book colelction has never suffered. I’ve had rare books shipped over from out the country, classic books in original binding, and even the tiny garden book that held a muddy handprint from E at 6 months of age. Ruined, all ruined.

My whole body aches from the tension I’m holding. My teeth hurt from my clentched jaw.

And it’s more than just the books. It’s his uncanny ability to turn every nice day into a bad one. Maybe it’s his age, maybe h’s just too high strung. Maybe I’m expecting too much that he won’t slam his brother’s arm in the recliner or shut the cat in the window or take off his pants and pee all over his bookshelf. Am I asking too much? Is that it?

Can I have one day where the worst I say is “Honey we don’t stick boogers in our brother’s food.” instead of “OMG why is the lamp on fire? No, don’t tell your brother to touch it! Please, don’t throw the cats at the sparks! Just let me go get the fire extingisher! Just go in the other room! No! Don’t try to do it again in there!*”

*You think I’m joking, don’t you. None of the lamps or outlets work in the living room or in his bedroom anymore. And ther’s no ovrhead light in the living room, so once the sun goes down it’s just dark in there.

parenting, kids, life

Another pet peve of mine, because I have somany, is people confusing their opinion with “the law”. It happens more often than most people think, often because not evryone is knowledgable about all of the laws that affect their lives.

One example of such was when A was a nwborn. E’s doctor has retired so we had to find a new one for A. For the most part theone I choose was great. She thought cloth diapers were often, was glad I didn’t circumcise, and semed rather laid back. until it was time to vax. When I told her that we were not vaxing she immediately informed me that if we didn’t now he would have to give him all of his shots at his one yar check up. My raised eyebrow caused her to cros hr amrs and add “it’s the law.”. Now, a les educated person might have said “Oh dear, the law. I guess I better do it them.” Unfortunately I’ve made a point of educating myself on my locals laws and I knew that was not the case at all. “Umm, no it isn’t. It may be your opinion that he should have them all done at one year, but it certainly isn’t the law.” She backed down.

I’ve seen it happen often. Dearest’s family told me it was “the law” that I had to give birth in a hospital. The local Superintendent made a note in the local paper that it is “the law” that kids must be vaccinated to attend school. The best laugh I go was when I was told I had to send my kids to school soonr or later, after all it’s “the law”.

I wonder why people add this to their opinions to make it hold mor weight. Why not just ay “I feel that…” or “it’s my opinion that…” or in less knowledgable areas “I’ve heard that…” When you break out “the law” you seem foolish, and anything you say after that is laughed off. Unless you are holding a copy of tihs mysterious law in your hands don’t bring it into play.

Yesterday I was told that it is “the law” that brastfeeding mothers can’t feed their kids in public. The older woman crossed her arms and made the stern face, sure that she had shwon me the error of my ways. I laughed, then lifted my shirt and fed my child. In public. Call the cops lady, I dare you.

breastfeeding, vaccination, homeschool, opinion, law, pet peeve

I think I have a shopping problem. Luckily it’s only a window shopping problem, for now… My new favorite hang out online is this place called ShopWiki. I’ve been looking through the babies and toddlers area and I’ve found so many things to add to my want list. It’s not fair. LOL

The fun thing about ShopWiki is isn’t like wikipedia, but for shopping. Like if I want to look at bike trailors, which I would love to have, I can go to travel and outdoor fun and see a litle bit about them. Like that the well-rated trailors cost ovr $300. Which is why I don’t have one, yet. Or I can go to the educational toys and read an article about them, just like at wikipedia, but with links to buy the toys in the article. Like a dinosaur kit. That I know E would scream for.

Hey, it’s never too early to get started present shopping. LOL