This morning I was driving the girls to my parents house (where they spend their summers swimming, singing karaoke, and eating fluffernutters) and Maddie asked me if I remembered a video that I had showed her. I wasn't sure which video she was referring to and assumed it was the one that we watched last night about teaching your kids to ride a bike (more on that topic later). It was not. She said it was a video about a little girl in a toy store. I finally realized that she was referring to a surveillance video that was on the news probably about a year ago of a little girl in Walmart in the toy section. A man ran up and grabbed the little girl and started to run away with her. The little girl scratched, kicked, and screamed until the man finally just let her go. I wasn't sure why she was thinking about this but I figured this was a good time to review the rules about strangers. I explained that you should never talk to strangers without Mommy or Daddy there. One of my big concerns with Maddie is her love of animals. I told her that she should never go with anyone even if they are asking her if she'd like to see their puppy or help them find an animal. I finished up with a big speech about how if anyone ever grabbed them they should kick and scream and NEVER let anyone put you into a car.
Maddie didn't hesitate and responded with "Oh don't worry - I have LOTS of ideas about what to do. I'm kinda excited about it actually". So strangers - you've been warned!
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Sunday, March 13, 2011
But I love you
Now that the kids are getting older we are dealing with sibling rivalry much more often. Catherine is now almost 7 and Maddie is a "free spirited" 3 year old. They fight constantly. As soon as they wake up in the morning, the minute Catherine gets home from school, and all in between. "Catherine, I have your markers!! NA NA NA BOO BOO" Unfortunately, Catherine has a hard time letting things roll of her back and Maddie is right there to get things started. Maddie has started saying things like"but Catherine, I LOVE you!!!" while she is ripping the head off Catherine's favorite teddy bear.Today we took a drive to Super Target. (side note: I LOVE this store. Candles, screw drivers, jeans, milk, and lingerie. Hello! It's a busy moms dream) Ahem..anyway, we are in the car and nobody is talking. Out of the blue this exchange takes place:
Maddie: Catherine, you're not getting a bike!
Catherine: I don't want a bike!!
Maddie: You already have one at Meme's!! You don't want it??!!
And the screaming begins. As much as Maddie drives me crazy you really have to admire the way she can take nothing and turn it into a huge argument. The way she twists a situation to go exactly as she has planned without the other person seeing it coming. I wonder where that will take her in life. I imagine her getting a crowd of people angry about something and then silently walking away as if she had no part of it. Should I be proud? I'm not sure quite yet.
I hope they grow up to be close and call each other about silly things. I hope they know just how special it is to have someone you can count on...even if they drive you nuts sometimes. Most of all, I hope they know how much their mom loves them even though I tucked them into bed 20 minutes early today without them knowing. NA NA NA BOO BOO!!
Maddie: Catherine, you're not getting a bike!
Catherine: I don't want a bike!!
Maddie: You already have one at Meme's!! You don't want it??!!
And the screaming begins. As much as Maddie drives me crazy you really have to admire the way she can take nothing and turn it into a huge argument. The way she twists a situation to go exactly as she has planned without the other person seeing it coming. I wonder where that will take her in life. I imagine her getting a crowd of people angry about something and then silently walking away as if she had no part of it. Should I be proud? I'm not sure quite yet.
I hope they grow up to be close and call each other about silly things. I hope they know just how special it is to have someone you can count on...even if they drive you nuts sometimes. Most of all, I hope they know how much their mom loves them even though I tucked them into bed 20 minutes early today without them knowing. NA NA NA BOO BOO!!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
My Mommy Dearest Moment
I haven’t updated my blog in about six months but I figured that this one was worthy on a new post. I deal with hair issues quite often as the mother of two girls. Catherine has always given me a hard time about brushing her hair. She will scream bloody murder while I brush it. Forget braids…she won’t let me near her. I have warned her many times that if she will not let me brush it I will cut it all off.
Well, I didn’t go THAT far but I did get out the scissors! I was getting a shower ready for her (she also hates to wash up…but that’s another story!) and I went to take out her ponytail. She freaked out and said “I WILL DO IT MYSELF!!” So instead of me taking it out quickly she made long drawn out process by pulling at it and dragging it all the way down to the bottom of her hair. Looked way more painful than my way but fine! Then we get to the washing the hair part of the shower. This does not go well and she is screaming at me again. Now we are just about finished and I begin to squeeze out the excess water (gently because I have learned my lesson) and she again yells “YOU ARE HURTING ME!! STOP IT!!” and starts batting my hands away.
Well, that was enough to send me over the edge. Six years (okay, probably more like 5 since she was bald for the first year) of screaming and crying over hair was all I could take. I sat her down on the toilet and said “stay there – we are cutting your hair!” Something took over me….out came the scissors….brushing it to make sure it was even I cut off a good three inches of hair. Bill came into the bathroom and mouthed “what are you doing??!!”
It turns out that I’m pretty good at cutting hair. Who knew? Maybe I’ll have a mid-life career change. Bill commented that it looked really cute when I was done. Catherine got over it later that night and the next day told me that she liked it even better now.
I’m pretty sure every mom has some kind similar story. We’ve all gone over the edge at one point or another. We are lucky to have another day to start all over again.
Before (Friday night)
After (Sunday)
Well, I didn’t go THAT far but I did get out the scissors! I was getting a shower ready for her (she also hates to wash up…but that’s another story!) and I went to take out her ponytail. She freaked out and said “I WILL DO IT MYSELF!!” So instead of me taking it out quickly she made long drawn out process by pulling at it and dragging it all the way down to the bottom of her hair. Looked way more painful than my way but fine! Then we get to the washing the hair part of the shower. This does not go well and she is screaming at me again. Now we are just about finished and I begin to squeeze out the excess water (gently because I have learned my lesson) and she again yells “YOU ARE HURTING ME!! STOP IT!!” and starts batting my hands away.
Well, that was enough to send me over the edge. Six years (okay, probably more like 5 since she was bald for the first year) of screaming and crying over hair was all I could take. I sat her down on the toilet and said “stay there – we are cutting your hair!” Something took over me….out came the scissors….brushing it to make sure it was even I cut off a good three inches of hair. Bill came into the bathroom and mouthed “what are you doing??!!”
It turns out that I’m pretty good at cutting hair. Who knew? Maybe I’ll have a mid-life career change. Bill commented that it looked really cute when I was done. Catherine got over it later that night and the next day told me that she liked it even better now.
I’m pretty sure every mom has some kind similar story. We’ve all gone over the edge at one point or another. We are lucky to have another day to start all over again.
Before (Friday night)
After (Sunday)Thursday, February 18, 2010
Happy Birthday to ME!
Well, I am another year older today. Sometimes I would like to go back to my childhood for a day. Birthdays were pretty great then....all those presents, parties, etc. This is how I celebrated my Birthday this year.
1) when the kids woke up I asked them "Who's Birthday is it today?!". Catherine said (without looking away from Dragon Tails) "yours". That was it. Yup, thanks kids!
2)Went to the RMV to renew my license. I was asked to look into the viewer for the eye exam. As soon as I looked in I panicked. I couldn't read the lines! I had to close one eye to pass the exam. I'm going blind....wonderful.
3) Catherine screamed at the top of her lungs at me "YOU'RE MEAN!! I HATE YOU!"
4) Shortly after that Maddie clawed at my face like an insane cat. Right before her bedtime she bit my arm.
5) I drank my miseries away in a bottle of Chardonnay and fell asleep at 9pm.
1) when the kids woke up I asked them "Who's Birthday is it today?!". Catherine said (without looking away from Dragon Tails) "yours". That was it. Yup, thanks kids!
2)Went to the RMV to renew my license. I was asked to look into the viewer for the eye exam. As soon as I looked in I panicked. I couldn't read the lines! I had to close one eye to pass the exam. I'm going blind....wonderful.
3) Catherine screamed at the top of her lungs at me "YOU'RE MEAN!! I HATE YOU!"
4) Shortly after that Maddie clawed at my face like an insane cat. Right before her bedtime she bit my arm.
5) I drank my miseries away in a bottle of Chardonnay and fell asleep at 9pm.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Sunny days....
Catherine entered a contest to win 4 tickets to the Elmo show. She did not win and I felt bad so I decided that we would take the kids to the show anyway. $56 on tix...$10 on parking...$10 on hot dogs & fries before the show...$5 for cotton candy. So, who cares, right? It's all about the kids having a good time. We lasted a total of 30 minutes at the show. Here are a few quotes from our family that night. I won't name names - what kind of mother do you think I am?
"ELMO!!!! I'm HEREEEEEEEE!"
"can I have cotton candy? pullleeeeezzzeee?"
"Who are the pink and purple ones?"
"NO! I don't want to dance. I hate Elmo!"
"I have to go potty"
"This show is BORING!"
"sit on your bum!!"
"NOOOOO!"
(at this point we are walking to the car)
"If we had just stayed in the boring show I wouldn't be so cold!"
"let's put them to bed. I need a drink"
And there you have it.
"ELMO!!!! I'm HEREEEEEEEE!"
"can I have cotton candy? pullleeeeezzzeee?"
"Who are the pink and purple ones?"
"NO! I don't want to dance. I hate Elmo!"
"I have to go potty"
"This show is BORING!"
"sit on your bum!!"
"NOOOOO!"
(at this point we are walking to the car)
"If we had just stayed in the boring show I wouldn't be so cold!"
"let's put them to bed. I need a drink"
And there you have it.
Friday, November 6, 2009
S.O.S.
Wow, it’s been a long time since my last post. Things have really been crazy in the Gath house. I have to admit – I think I could be losing my mind. I will let you decide though. Here is what has happened over the past couple of weeks:
Monday, Oct 26th:
I packed lunches in the morning. Later that day I went to open my lunch and found a Capri Sun in my bag. Catherine drank from the bubbler that day. Ewww
Wednesday, Oct 28th:
I forgot to order breakfast for one of my classes at work. I have had this job for three years and have never once forgotten to do that. I decided that I would order a coffee cake from our vendor and keep it in the freezer as a backup.
Thursday, Oct 29th
I forgot Catherine’s show & tell. She cried when she found out. Nice mommy.
Tuesday, Nov 3rd:
Guess what the students had for breakfast? That’s right, coffee cake. Thawed out in the microwave.
Wednesday, Nov 4th
I picked Catherine up at the school bus stop and took her with me to do some errands. We arrived at the library so I could return a book. I got out of the car and realized that I did not bring the book with me.
Then we headed to the bank to make a deposit. I pulled up at the window and wondered why the shade was down. Hmmmm…. I drove around to the front and it was dark inside. The bank closes early on Wednesday. Big dummy.
Thursday, Nov 5th
I was getting everything ready for the next morning and washed my tights and hung them to dry.
Friday, Nov 6th
Went to get tights and noticed that they were still a bit wet so I threw them in the dyer for a few minutes. I went upstairs to put them on and realized that they were CATHERINE’S tights.
Well, what do you think? Am I crazy? Do I need a vacation? I don’t know the answer but I am VERY glad that I started this blog because I just realized that I have not ordered breakfast for the students for tomorrow. For real. Help me.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Back to Business!
Note: I will not continue with Baby Bootcamp postings. She still doesn't sleep. It didn't work. Let's move on, shall we?
Well, the summer is over. My work schedule has changed again and I'm back to 5 days a week. No more "Girl Day". Catherine started Kindergarten and she is doing really well. Maddie is now attending day care two days a week. Bill is working on a 10 week contract job. We have become a very busy household! Once again, I am struggling with getting everything done. Outfits, lunches, baths, dinners, homework (yes, Kindergartners have homework), P.T.O meetings!! All of this with 2+ hour commutes to work a day. The first week was a nightmare. I was not used to getting clothes and lunches ready for Catherine every night. I was also not used to what the highway is like once school starts again. During the first week I was getting home around 6pm and we had nothing planned for dinner. We ate a lot of takeout that week.
I swore that I would be better prepared the second week . I had planned a menu for the week (even a crockpot meal for Thursday - which is a particularly busy day). I scrubbed the house over the weekend and washed every piece of laundry in the house (and put it all away). Let the week begin! The meals were perfect. I prepped some of them in the evening after I made lunches for the next day. The outfits were ironed and laid out. I attended a P.T.O meeting AND a kindergarten orientation in the same week. I had done it. I was supermom, y'all! I decided that Bill & I would celebrate how successful the week went with a soak in the hot tub on Friday. I went outside to turn it on and What.The.Hell! There was a horrible smell in the yard. That is when it occurred to me that I forgot to the clean up after the dog for an entire week!! We had been too busy to be in the yard at night so it completely slipped my mind. I had 421 poop piles to clean up that night. So much for supermom. I'll try again for week three.
Well, the summer is over. My work schedule has changed again and I'm back to 5 days a week. No more "Girl Day". Catherine started Kindergarten and she is doing really well. Maddie is now attending day care two days a week. Bill is working on a 10 week contract job. We have become a very busy household! Once again, I am struggling with getting everything done. Outfits, lunches, baths, dinners, homework (yes, Kindergartners have homework), P.T.O meetings!! All of this with 2+ hour commutes to work a day. The first week was a nightmare. I was not used to getting clothes and lunches ready for Catherine every night. I was also not used to what the highway is like once school starts again. During the first week I was getting home around 6pm and we had nothing planned for dinner. We ate a lot of takeout that week.
I swore that I would be better prepared the second week . I had planned a menu for the week (even a crockpot meal for Thursday - which is a particularly busy day). I scrubbed the house over the weekend and washed every piece of laundry in the house (and put it all away). Let the week begin! The meals were perfect. I prepped some of them in the evening after I made lunches for the next day. The outfits were ironed and laid out. I attended a P.T.O meeting AND a kindergarten orientation in the same week. I had done it. I was supermom, y'all! I decided that Bill & I would celebrate how successful the week went with a soak in the hot tub on Friday. I went outside to turn it on and What.The.Hell! There was a horrible smell in the yard. That is when it occurred to me that I forgot to the clean up after the dog for an entire week!! We had been too busy to be in the yard at night so it completely slipped my mind. I had 421 poop piles to clean up that night. So much for supermom. I'll try again for week three.
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