While Daddy's Away, The Wee Ones Will Play!

Well, I have my first tan line of the season. I wasn’t even trying. Today was one of those busy days, but it was all fun busy versus running around nuts and freaking out about what you forgot to do and realizing you’re going to be late busy. I much prefer the former.

This morning, the kids slept in later than I did. The fact that my husband was at a poker tournament until late last night errrrr early this morning meant that he never put the cats in the basement, so I was awakened by their meowing outside the wee ones' doors around 7:30 – fortunately, before the wee ones were.

That gave me time to eat breakfast and get ready to go running with lots of extra time. Time enough, in fact, to make my scones. Mister Man was excited that we were going to have this treat, and Little Miss couldn’t wait to help me make them. She helped me put all the dry ingredients into the bowl. Then we got to the wet ingredients. An egg. Whoops. I always have eggs. I buy them at Costco and am never out. Except for today, when I realized that I’m out of about all my staples because I haven’t had time to restock when I ran out over the past few weeks and forget about them by the time I do get to the store.

Little Miss was very understanding, but Mister Man was just a touch more disappointed. By the time we got to Costco, all was forgiven, and he was my big helper. He was in charge of pushing and steering the cart. He had “good eyes” and spotted the items we were looking for. And he helped me unload the cart. Oh yeah, the best part of course was getting the smiley face on the receipt as we left.

For the first time, both wee ones rode their bikes/trikes all the way to and from the park. Ok, Little Miss only rode hers halfway home before I had to carry it – let’s just say she wasn’t the one I was expecting to poop out on me. I love picnics in the park, and this is the first one we’ve had this year. Plus, neighbors were out, so lots of people to see and talk to and play with at the park.

After nap time, we finally made our scones. Once again, there were eggs in the house. And fortunately, my assumption that I had butter without checking was a valid one. I do need to buy some more soon though. And we’re now out of chocolate chips. I had to augment them with dried cherries – newly purchased – but chocolate cherry scones are never a bad thing!

While they were baking, we headed back outside. The wee ones wanted to head back to the park, but getting there, playing and getting back just doesn’t happen in eleven minutes. Instead, we decided to play run around the house as fast as we can and try to “get” each other. Wheeee!

That’s about when I decided to go get some bubbles. Bubbles, if you didn’t know, fascinate all children from 3 months to 103 years. And most in between. They had a ball chasing the bubbles and trying to catch them or stomp them. That’s also when I discovered that Little Miss sort of knows how to blow bubbles herself. I say sort of because while she gets that she has to blow through the wand to make the bubbles appear, she doesn’t have the patience to wait for me to bring the wand to a position that doesn’t involve the bubbles being blown straight into my face.

Amazingly enough, when it was dinnertime, they both quite willingly came inside. Usually doing fun things means that there is whining and complaining and occasional full-blown refusals before we leave the fun thing. Tonight, not a whisper. They both took off their shoes and hats and put them away without a word from me. When we sat down to eat, I discovered why. Their sneaky little minds remembered the scones, and that was all they wanted for dinner. Really, that explains so much. Fortunately, they also know Mommy and know that they won’t get away with that, so we were fortunately able to negotiate an appropriate compromise.

After dinner, we even got Mister Man’s “homework” and piano practice done. Plus, my mole is just about complete (that’s mol-ay, not the rodent btw). It’s for dinner Tuesday, but it’s a pretty involved recipe and tastes much better the next day anyway. Trying to make it on Tuesday would have been really stressful. Now I just have to poach chicken and make rice, which is way easy. Of course, I'll probably still deliver it late for some reason, but it takes a lot of the worry out.

Days like this are what makes having kids – especially two as close in age as Mister Man and Little Miss – completely worthwhile. If I weren't going to the new office for the first time tomorrow, I'd be awfully tempted to play hooky with them!

Some Things Take Awhile To Sink In...

... but when they do, they're in for good!

We actually had a decent day in terms of weather today. I was so shocked. In fact, we went to the Children’s Museum this morning, and I dressed the kids in their winter coats and hats. I didn’t exactly make them zipper up when we left at one.

In fact, when they woke up from their naps (yep, we still nap) it was nice enough to go outside. We decided – we meaning “me” of course – to go on a bike ride around the neighborhood.

Little Miss put on her “spring coat” and headed outside. Mister Man went outside while I was putting on my shoes, so I didn’t notice until I was outside that he didn’t have on a coat and just his cotton sweater. Daddy insisted it was warm in the sun and that he was fine.

That was when I saw Mister Man trying to pedal out of the garage on his old tricycle. Nuh-uh. Dude is old enough to ride his bike.

Once he got his helmet on – see, I’m not that bad a mom – he started pedaling down the driveway, straight for the street. The boy is freaked out about the street and absolutely will NOT go in it without holding my hand and looking both ways. As he gets near the end of the driveway, he bails and tries to jump off backwards. Fortunately, I was close enough to catch him, as him landing on the ground and the bike going into the street would be enough to end our little jaunt.

That’s when I realized that I really ought to explain how brakes work on a bike. I show how he can pedal backwards or squeeze the handbrake. And reinforce pedaling backwards as I think on it further.

We go around the corner right by the end of our driveway, and he goes to fast and turns too sharply and tries to bail again. Fortunately, I catch him before his bottom actually leaves the seat and explain that he needs to go more slowly around corners and again mention the brakes.

Now he seems to get it a bit and heads off, pedaling furiously. We’ve left Daddy and Little Miss in our dust, and I mention this to him. I ask if he wants to see how far behind us they are. He immediately turns around while pedaling as I start shouting “Brake! Brake! Stop first!” to no avail. Predictably, he runs into the grass, falls down, and overturns the bike. *sigh*

Mister Man: Mommy, I fell down and I hurt myself. And I landed in the grass and now I have mud. It didn’t hurt too badly though. But now I have to go home. I have germs on my hands from the mud.

So many places I could address, and I scroll through them all in my head as fast as I can before responding. Immediate issues first:

Sweetie, you didn’t get any more germs on your hands than you had already. We don’t need to stop. Let’s get back on your bike. And next time you want to look at Sophia, brake first.

Phew, it worked! He climbed back aboard and started pedaling again. Then he wanted to look at Sophia, so he tried to brake. While his pedals were at the top and bottom. And couldn’t figure out how to go backwards from that point. And freaks out that his brakes are broken (ha ha). And tried to bail again. I am so not teaching him to drive when he’s 15.

I explain that he really needs to try to brake when the pedals are on the midpoints not when they’re at the top and bottom. He tries again, and it works. He starts pedaling again and five feet later brakes. Great, you’ve got it!

The pedaling five feet and braking continues until Little Miss catches up to us and predictably bangs into the back of his bike. We discuss the etiquette of not bumping into people. She passes us. We continue with the braking every five feet. Yep, he’s definitely got the braking thing under control now.

We have now made it about one quarter of the way around our neighborhood, and he hops off his bike after braking. I ask what he’s doing, and he explains that he needs to get off his bike right now. I’m groaning, thinking that I am going to have to push the bike all the way back home. Nope, he simply saw an unclaimed newspaper in the driveway and had to go run it up to the front door to deliver it. All together now: awwww.

The longest bike ride of my life finally ends with Mister Man deciding that the wind is yucky and makes him go to slow and that it’s COLD out. Oh yeah, and then he wants to know why Daddy wouldn’t put a coat on him. But at least he knows how to use his brakes now. Do brakes on kids’ bikes like that wear out?