Tuesday 30 August 2011

The natives are getting restless...

The jungle drums beat louder, you know that the natives are restless, something is wrong, there is trouble on the way.  It was a bit like that around here today!

The boy has his own drum set and he loves to bash around on it, he's actually getting quite good at some simple drum beats with the help of hubby. Normally he likes to play with an audience, and perhaps accompaniment on guitar or keyboard. But not this afternoon. 

Today we seemed to have exhausted everything we could do by mid afternoon. We'd baked cookies, done drawings, made crafts, played on our 'computer' and read lots of books. He didn't seem to want to do anything else. I was afraid a boredom meltdown was imminent. Then suddenly he announced he was going to play on his drums, and off he went to bang around on them for a bit. He came back up happy and ready to do other things. No more sign of a meltdown. Thank goodness for the drums - they were bringing good news today, and it's peace and quiet in the jungle now.

The boy on his drums - he resembles Animal when he plays!  


Wednesday 24 August 2011

When I grow up...

The boy and I have been going to a "Sports with Mum" class twice a week this summer. It's been a lot of fun, a bunch of 3 to 5 year olds running around playing a different sport each week. At an hour and half , it's a great way to burn off some of  his extra energy, (and it's good exercise for me too!) He's also got to try out different sports that we wouldn't necessarily play at home, like volleyball or flag football. It's run by our town, and it's been a great way for the boy to meet other kids and learn to play co-operatively, follow instructions, and listen (something he seems to forget these things at home sometimes). 

Each class the teachers ask the kids a different question about themselves while they take attendance. Cute little 'get to know you' questions like, what's your favourite thing to do in the summer, or what's your favourite flavour of ice cream. Yesterday's was "What do you want to be when you grow up?" One of the girls said she wanted to be a dolphin (!), someone else wanted to be an astronaut,  and when it was the boy's turn, he was torn between being a vet or a doctor. Looks like I'm going to have to increase my RESP contributions!

Monday 22 August 2011

Eye Rolling

The boy and I were playing with his blocks today. He was busy building drills and using them to 'cut' pieces of wood (other blocks), using them as screwdrivers, and making houses and garages with his tools. (He loves tools, real, or make believe). And of course, being the boy, he had to have sound effects for all the drills and banging that he was doing, and every drill he built had a different noise and a different action that went with it.

He passed a drill to me and said, "Here, Mummy, you use this one to drill holes in your block of wood". So I took the drill and piece of wood that he gave me, and made some (what I thought were good) drilling noises. Apparently not. The boy looked at me with pity, took the drill away from me, and said sadly, "No, Mummy, that's not how you do it, just give it to me." He then proceeded to do it himself, and I wasn't given another drill to play with, I guess I couldn't be trusted with them! I had hoped that it wouldn't be until the boy was about 6 or 7 that the eye rolling would start, but apparently my lack of drilling skills brought it out in him earlier. Obviously, I need more practice before next time.

(L-R) His battery pack, drill, and screwdriver.

Friday 19 August 2011

Are you watching?

The boy is at the stage where I have to be watching everything he does. Not because he's doing something dangerous (or not all the time), or because he's unsure or needs help (heaven forbid), but because that's what he wants. He loves to have an audience for his escapades.

"Mummy are you watching? Mummy, look, I'm going to do a somersault" or "Mummy are you watching? Mummy look, I'm colouring this in" or my favourite "Mummy are you watching? Mummy look I'm  being silly" I have to admit to sometimes telling him I'm watching, when really I'm not, like in the bank, or if I'm trying to make dinner. Most of the time though I try and watch him, since it's almost guaranteed amusement, amazement, or astonishment on my part. 

I love that he wants to share with me, and that he wants me involved in what he's doing. Goodness knows how long that will last, with his stubborn, independent streak. So for now, I am working at watching and making sure I really do look up and acknowledge him. The only time I don't want to hear "Mummy are you watching?" is when it's coming from the bathroom!

Tuesday 16 August 2011

All better?

Our dog finally about got her stitches out today (after she hurt her back a few weeks ago) and the boy is so  relieved. He's been very worried about her and how she is doing. I love that he is so empathetic and is concerned about things other than himself. It means he's really growing up and turning into a caring little boy. He's also been quite chatty about the cone she has had to wear since she came home. Now that her stitches are out, we could take the cone off, and that's all he's been talking about.

He keeps checking her back out to see where the incision was, and seems really intrigued by the fact that it looks all better. He asked me this afternoon, "Mummy, her back is all mended, so is she all better now?" It's a bit tricky to explain to him that she needs to keep resting for a few more weeks and isn't quite 100% better yet. As a child who is pretty much a perpetual motion machine, the idea of having to be still and quiet is something he just doesn't understand!

Poor dog with her blanket and  her cone of shame

Wednesday 10 August 2011

The boy's busy bag

My nephew is being baptised this weekend, and we are all looking forward to it - including the boy. I was getting a little worried about how hubby was going to keep him occupied for the service (I'm the godmother, so I'm not sure if I'll be with hubby & the boy). Normally at our home church, the boy is only service for 10-15 minutes or so and then he goes down to the nursery program. Plus, most of the people at our church know the boy and so are a bit more forgiving of his chattering than strangers might be.

I decided that we would bring the same type of quiet toys we bring when we go out to restaurants. The boy is fantastically well behaved when we go out for a meal (possibly because he loves to eat) and he definitely is not the type of kid that causes children under 6 to be banned from restaurants. Small problem though - normally his stuff goes in my purse, but I wanted to not bring my 'mummy' purse to the baptism, so what to do with all his junk?

My brilliant (if I do say so myself) solution? A cheap-o bag from the dollar store. The boy loves to carry purses, so I figured he'd be good with a bag that he could put over his shoulder and carry on his own, but  that is less obtrusive than his backpack. He was so excited at the thought of getting a purse of his own, and not having to use my old ones! We had to look at all the different styles and then he spent a good chunk of time debating which style he liked. He finally picked a fetching bag in green camo and couldn't wait to start using it! He's been carrying it around with him tonight and is so thrilled to take it to the church with him. Now I just have to make sure it matches the rest of his outfit for the baptism!

Monday 8 August 2011

He's not a doctor, but he plays one at home

This past week one of our dogs had to have unexpected back surgery and spent nearly a week in hospital. She's home now and doing much better, in fact the hard part is keeping her quiet, still, and calm for the 4 weeks of crate rest she's supposed to be having. 

The boy dealt with this in his usual way of questioning everything and needing to know the whys and hows of what was going on. Hubby explained to him that her back hurt and the doctors had to use a special sharp knife to cut open her back, scoop out the gunk that was bothering her, and then sew her back up. He accepted this quite easily, in fact he's fascinated by her stitches. He was staring at them today and when I asked him what he was doing he said "I'm just looking at her stitches, I find them quite interesting"

The down side to him understanding the idea of the operation means that both hubby and I have been subjected to back surgery a number of times over the last few days, and have had to lay still while the boy cuts us open and then sews us back together. And of course, being the boy with his fantastic imagination, he's using his tools and cutting us open with his drill and using his saw to clean out the gunk in our back! I think I need to teach him the phrase "Trust me, I'm a doctor." Hopefully that will fend off any malpractice suits that may arise while he's playing doctor!

Thursday 4 August 2011

Happiness is a box of new markers

Sometimes we forget about the simple things that make us happy. Think about it, the joys of cracking open a new book, a beautiful vase of flowers, squishing sand beneath your toes, the smell of fresh baked bread, a favourite song played on repeat. All of these make me happy, and none of them are overly expensive, hard to do or tough to find. But how often do we take the time to find these things and take a break to just be happy with simplicity?

The boy is much better at remembering that things don't need to be complex to make us happy. His newest happiness is a box of markers hubby brought home for him the other day. That combined with some big sheets of newsprint have kept him occupied, content, and happy for large chunks of time. And getting the boy to sit still to do anything is a major feat! He just wants to draw - pictures of me, letters, flowers, circles, it doesn't seem to matter what it is, as long as he is scribbling, swirling, and creating. His utter joy at having a new box of markers is lovely, and a great reminder to take pleasure in the simple things.

A young Picasso perhaps?

Tuesday 2 August 2011

What a memory

We're just getting back from a week away with my in-laws and extended family at a cottage up north. It was a great time and the boy really enjoyed himself. I mentioned in my last post that the memory the boy took away from last year's trip was being allowed to pee on a tree

Well when we got up to the cottage this year, one of the first things he did was tell us about peeing on the tree, and then took us outside to show us the exact tree from last year! If he can remember that, why on earth can't he remember half of the things I ask him to do!