2 Yellow Belts in the House!

Big Sister and I tested for our yellow belts in karate last week. We have been training for this since December.

And we were ready.

We spent the weeks before the test practicing; even had a private lesson the day before.

And it went really well. Better than I thought, actually.

I was expecting that each person would perform individually, which made me super nervous. All those parents watching! However, we tested as a group. It was still nerve wracking, but manageable.

Once again, I was so proud of my daughter, who performed almost flawlessly.

I got tripped up on one of the self-defense moves. The instructor had another student (whom I had never met) grab my shoulders from behind. I had to twist around, lock his arms up, then pretend to hit him in the stomach. I got three chances to do this move correctly, and I had to use all three. Really, honestly, the thing that got me on this move, was that I was so incredibly close (and suddenly somewhat intimate) with someone I didn't know.

That's something I'm going to have to get over. Being that close to someone I don't know. I guess I have personal space issues. It's just weird being that close to someone.

But looking back on it, it was a great evening. Big Sister and I set a goal and we ACCOMPLISHED that goal. We did it together. And now we know that we can do most anything!

On a different note, The Princess was swimming with a friend (who is 11 years old) and they were rough housing in the pool. He got frustrated with her and pushed her off the pool float. She was surprised and swam to the side and cried. I told him to apologize, and he did. Later that evening, I told Princess that if she is EVER pushed by a boy again she is to push him back (hard) then tell him he is never to push girls again. I told her boys who push girls are not respectful of women and she is to leave after she tells him no more pushing. She listened and agreed. We'll see what happens.

Mama Goof

The Princess loves to play basketball. I SWEAR I signed her up for a YMCA summer basketball league.

However, I just got a call from her BASEBALL coach. Practice starts Monday.

Hah hah on me. Big goof! She's excited about using a pink glove, though, so it might all work out.

More blog soon about yellow belts and triathlons!

Things I've Learned

Not a life changing, awe-inspiring list. Don't expect to be amazed. But I bet you've learned some of these lessons yourself:

*When Husband says he'll be home early, he does not mean 2 hours early. Not even an hour early. He means he'll be home 5 minutes early, then sit in the truck in the driveway talking (for work, of course!) for another 20 minutes. Technically, he was home early. I used to think "early" meant early and would eagerly await for him to come home and play with the kiddos. I have learned.

*That it's ok to serve vegetable with butter and salt if it's the only way my kiddos will eat them. At least they're eating veggies, right?! I have learned.

*The disappearance of all hair clips, bows, and rubber bands can be blamed on the kiddos. I find Barbies and stuffed animals with the weirdest hairdos, bunny ears painfully pulled back into clips, dog collars laced with ribbons. I have learned. Don't buy more hair clips, just go find the stuffed animals and steal them back.

*I have learned to delegate chores I don't want to do to the kiddos. Don't want to clean up dog poop? Now it's an item on their chore chart. Tired of unloading the dishwasher day after day? Chore chart! This is great! Lesson quickly learned.

*I know when my kiddos need to go the bathroom before they do. They hop, twist, and wriggle around and steadfastly answer, "NO, I do not need to go the bathroom. Stop asking." Two minutes later, BAM, they have to go to the bathroom and it's a matter of national importance that they go NOW. Hurry up Mom. Hurry up! Still, I can't help but asking them over and over, "Do you need to go to the bathroom?" Still learning on this one.

Puke etiquette?

My eldest, the Big Sister, threw up in karate class tonight.

She had been feeling a bit "off" all day. Her head hurt; she wasn't hungry. I took her temperature in the early afternoon and she was fine. We went to karate.

A little more than halfway through class she said her stomach hurt. She was excused to go to the restroom. She came back and asked if she could sit out for the last 10 minutes, because her stomach hurt. This is not typical for the Big Sister. She sat down, called to me, and I saw her face go white.

I got permission to leave the mat (always the rule follower), asked her if she was going to throw up. She nodded, I grabbed her hand and we headed to the bathroom. Two steps later, she lost it.

I had two thoughts flash through my mind at this point: One, we would never make it to the bathroom in time, and two, if we tried to go to the bathroom, we would just leave a nasty trail behind us. I opted to stay where we were and try and keep the mess contained to one spot.

I held my hands out to catch it, VERY aware that we were in the parent viewing area, and on the carpet. She vomited until I had no more room for her to vomit into, and onto the floor it went. (I know this is gross, but bear with me. There's a point.)

Finally, one of the other dads hopped up and ran out. He came back in with a trashcan, but she was done by then. Everyone else just sat there and watched.

One mom did get up and hand us some kleenex when we were done. It was a helpful gesture, as Big Sister had stuff all down the front of her shirt and pants, and her belt. And her feet. (Before you start feeling too sorry for her, let's all remember that I had the stuff in my hands. IN MY HANDS. And on my pants and my feet--cuz, really, it's all about me, right?!)

Is there some sort of etiquette when a child vomits? I felt terrible that we had made such a mess. In the main walkway. In the parent viewing area. On the carpet. Not on the slick, easy to clean mats. Not outside. Not in the bathroom. I apologized profusely as the owner cleaned up. I so wanted to help her. After all, it's my kid's puke. I should be the one to clean it up, right? But Big Sister was embarrassed and feeling poorly. She wanted to get home.

So we went home.

Found out later the instructor had to finish cleaning it up. Ugh. Poor guy.

Big Sister took a shower at home, put her pjs on and crawled into bed. She immediately fell asleep. And three hours later she is still asleep. Poor kid.

Bath Time...or Lack Thereof

Today the Princess announced, "Mom, I haven't had a shower or bath in a long time. I need to take one."

This is from the 5 year old.

This is a problem.

Has it really been since Sunday when she last took a bath?

Holy cow. Bad parenting award, right here. I'm the winner of that one.

She didn't smell, her hair didn't look dirty. I had no idea she had gone so long without washing. Eeewwwwwwww. I apologize to all who have come into contact with my daughter in the past few days, especially her school mates.

However, despite my poor parenting skills and her dirt, the Princess managed to meet her husband at school this past Wednesday. She got in the car and announced that she had decided who her husband was going to be. She wanted to double-check with me to see if it is ok for her to marry someone with darker skin than herself. I told her yes, she smiled and told me the name of the boy she is going to marry. I asked her if she had informed the boy about her plans. "Not yet," she said.

At least a little dirt hasn't stopped her world from turning!

Anyone else ever forget to wash their kids?