Call Mensa!

Katie called me a genius yesterday. Several times. "Mumma, you a genius" Unsolicited and out of the blue. I wonder where the heck she heard that? However, if she wants to think I'm mensa worthy, who am I to argue? Although I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune the first time she calls me stupid.

Sick Days

Katie has been sick. Miserably sick with a cold. Her nose is red and sore from constantly needing to be wiped. She is achey and coughy and tired. But there's not a whole lot we can do to make her feel better. We've given her cold meds and they helped a bit and she's enjoyed some cups of lemon "tea" with honey. But she's still pretty darn miserable. It's been days of coughing and snots and clingy whiney fussypants. It's been days since she's laughed or given us a smile. She is certainly on the mend now but still under the weather. Today she wanted to listen to "Puff the Magic Dragon" so I popped it in the CD player and went back in the kitchen to clean up. Katie trailed in after me, talking around the thumb in her mouth "Mumma....will you dance with me?" I turned around ready to say, "not right now" but I couldn't when I saw her little face. So I scooped her up and we twirled in to the living room. We spun, bobbed and sashayed around and around and around. Kate put her hands behind my neck, looked up into my face and smiled a smile that came all the way from her piggytoes. Welcome back...I've missed your smiling face!

Question everything...except Mumma!

I encourage my children to figure things out, to wonder about their world and to search for the answers to their questions. I love the curiosity they have about everything and anything. I am delighted they take me along as they explore this wonderous world. Because of these three little people I have looked at a beetle to see it's shining coat of armor, I have danced in the rain looking for earthworms, and I have dug in the dirt hunting for fossils. They never cease to wonder and the world is full of mysteries and treasures that are all there for the taking. And all the while they are talking and asking questions. As a former teacher I nurture this...however...they often come up with questions that absolutely stump me. I hate to disillusion them in their notion that Mumma knows all but often their queries leave me scratching my head. Here are just a few of the questions they've thrown my way lately:

Why do animals make different sounds?

Why is a stegosaurus a stegosaurus?

Why does a meat eater eat meat and a plant eater eat plants?

Why does the sun come up so early?

Why are socks slippery?

Why are blueberries blue and not red, purple, orange or green?

Why does snow melt?

Why does the moon follow us home?

What does big mean?

I mean really, that last question is one worthy of Plato himself!!! I have had to admit defeat when faced with most of these questions. I atttempted badly, with language far beyond their understanding, to answer some and ended up muttering to myself. So sadly my kids know Mumma doesn't really know it all...but that still hasn't stopped them from asking questions.

Hoop Dreams

Sam started basketball a couple weeks ago. I'd love to say he is a natural but I'd be lying through my teeth. Nothing about the sport comes naturally to him. I think he spends more time chasing his ball all over the court than actually participating in the drills. Despite his manic ball chasing he has managed to improve some. The first week I sat in the stands and cried as I watched.. I wasn't crying because he wasn't a standout star. I was crying because once again he is struggling just to learn the basics while his peers are, quite literally, dribbling circles around him. I sat there and wished with all my heart that he didn't have to work so hard. And then he looked up at me and his smile was absolutely joyful. He was having a wonderful time and was so proud of himself. I left the pity party behind and joined Sam in his joyous attitude. I decided his way is so much more fun. Our third week in and again incremental improvement but his delight in the sport is undiminished. I just went out and asked him to shut off the tv which was tuned to a basketball game. He replied "I'm just watching so I can learn more for next Saturday!" Dream big little man, dream big.