Monday, July 22, 2013

What Pinterest DOESN'T tell you, and other stories...

I just realized yesterday that there are two weeks left before us teachers go back to work. I literally almost cried. Now I refuse to talk about it, acknowledge it, etc., so if you see me out and about, ZIP IT! Anyway, in the interest of summer coming to a close, more snippets of life in the Jones house the past few weeks:

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As most people know, Pinterest is the place you turn to when you need ideas for party decorations, recipes for get-togethers, jokes about, well, anything, ideas for how to organize your classroom, etc. SIDEBAR:  I'm about to lose my mind with people using Facebook as Pinterest! I don't log onto FB to see the newest Pioneer Woman lard-smeared biscuit recipe! Imma hafta cut some people loose soon. Anyway, at the beginning of summer break, I got a bunch of ideas from Pinterest for the kids' entertainment this summer.  One of the first things I made was the famous "Pinterest sand" out of flour and baby oil.  It's pretty amazing--it smells good, it's soft, and Amelia absolutely loved playing in it. What Pinterest DOESN'T tell you is that your child will be covered from head-to-toe in a fine powdery layer of flour that resists being brushed off and instead just kind of layers on, especially if they're the least bit sweaty. They don't tell you that your kids WILL leave white powdery footprints all throughout your house if you forget to ask them to take off their shoes at the door. But perhaps the most annoying that Pinterest so kindly forgets to tell you is that, if your child plays with the sand in the driveway and spills much of it, and you don't immediately sweep it up, and it rains...it WILL form a literal crust on your driveway that you will have to scrape away with a snow shovel or similar tool. And, if you DON'T get rid of it? It will attract a wide variety of insects and other pests. Yep.  Just warning you.

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As previously mentioned, my kids like to choose the smallest pieces of garbage as their toys.  Amelia hit a new all-time low with this in the last week. Her toy of choice? A clothing tag with that tiny plastic thing that attaches it to the clothing. I don't know what the technical name is for that stupid thing, but whatever it is, I want to alternately cuss out and beat the person who created them. This thing:
I have no idea what "game" she was playing with them, but when she dropped one and lost it? All hell broke loose. We have some outfits for the kids that are still a bit too big, and we went through all of the tags/plastic pieces on them to appease the hysteria. Fortunately she seems to have moved on from this. It's like sister knows when I'm REALLY about to lose it and actively chooses not to push it anymore. Smart one, that girl.

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It's funny, the connection that we have to our kids. I'm not just talking about the things we have in common with them--I mean those deep connections we have, where we just know somewhere deep within our souls where they are coming from, what they're thinking and feeling, why they do what they do.  I have a different connection with each of my kids. With Anderson, one of the ways that I just "know" him is his intense love of music. He loved music from a very early age and of course nothing could've made me happier. This was his first favorite song, and he even had a favorite part. It was the part where the music goes from quiet to much louder (1:21 in, if you're interested...), and before he could even talk,  he would get this enormous smile on his face right before that part. He knew it was coming. From that point on, I could just tell what he liked in music, so I would introduce him to songs that I knew would hold his interest. As a result, he and I have shared a love of some songs. This summer, he's increased his repertoire of fabulous music, all thanks to moi. Some of his latest favorites?

Wide Awake
L.E.S. Artistes
To Kingdom Come
Helena Beat

(Don't worry--we don't watch the videos ever. :-)

It's just funny--I know what he will like in a song. I can't describe it in words, but I intentionally play music in the car, and when he likes it, he'll say, "Hey mom--what's this song?" I love it. Like LOVE it.

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One afternoon, when Amelia woke up from her nap, she padded out into the living room where I was watching Sex and the City (it's on for like 2 hours in a row every day! WHAT??!). Yeah, so it's not the most appropriate for a four year old, but it's an edited version. It's all good. Anyway, one of the characters was getting married and Amelia was very curious. Here is an excerpt from our conversation:

Amelia:  "What is she doing, Mommy? Why is she wearing that dress?"
Me:  "She's getting married! When people love each other, they get married. I married Daddy."
Amelia:  "I am going to get married."
Me:  "Yes, you'll get married some day! And you can wear a pretty dress like a princess."
Amelia: "Who do I marry?"
Me:  "Most people marry their boyfriends or girlfriends. Daddy was my boyfriend."
Amelia:  "I'm gonna marry Isaiah!"

I'm pretty sure it's just about the dress. Marty was none too happy. :-)

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We are hunkering down and enjoying these last few weeks of freedom summer.  Hope you enjoy yours, too.



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