Not Me Monday

Pin It

Okay, so we're at "Difficult Stage of Parenting #4,692" with the three year old, in that sometimes he needs a nap and sometimes he doesn't. This does not drive me absolutely insane. I am a good mom though, I would never judge whether it's a nap day or not by my own needs, rather than his. I'd never try to figure out whether I'd prefer an early bedtime or a peaceful afternoon, and I'd never ever enlist the girls to use whatever tactics they feel necessary to keep him awake if I decide that I'd rather the early bedtime route that day. (AND, if I did ever do that last thing, I probably wouldn't giggle at the lengths they'd go to!)

With Jim gone, I've also not gone on a chick flick binge. Nope, the plastic on my credit card is not being worn off swipe by swipe at the redbox machine, not at all. Hey, I figure if I'm not sleeping at night anyway, may as well catch up on my chick flick watching! Woohoo for movies in which no one gets shot, and there's no blood! (And as a reminder to the usual movie renter who is far far away right now -- having two people kiss at the end of a WAR MOVIE does NOT make it a chick flick. That sentence would mean so much more if I could remember the name of that particular movie!)

I am not STILL giggling at the middle child, who yesterday did this big huge dramatic presentation when asked to clean up the backyard. Yes, it was hot. Yes, it was humid. No, I did not ask her to trim the grass with scissors, nor did I ask her to complete a task that would take more than five minutes. She did not hold her hand against her head and collapse into a chair with all the drama that her eight year old body could muster. She did not spend more time and effort with her dramatics than it would have taken to just pick up the five toys that were in the yard. She did not, also, IMMEDIATELY perk up from the verge of fainting when the neighbors asked her to go swimming. Gosh, I love that child, dramatics and shrieking and all. And I would never ever giggle at her dramatics.

And as a bittersweet Not Me, I do not DAILY look at my oldest and wonder when this tall, beautiful young lady took the place of my little girl. I do not just stand in awe of her uncanny ability to know when I have just about reached my limit, and her ability to sweep in and take the pressure off of me, whether it's putting her brother in the bathtub or encouraging her sister to do something I've told her to do, or just asking what she can do to help. I have not been remiss in telling her how much she has helped out around here, and how much I appreciate it. (This, I will make right TODAY!)

Okay, I think that's it for today. What didn't you do this week?