Bedlam

Who me? Draw on the wall?

I feel like I should do an endorsement for installing Netflix on Wii. I am embarrassed to think how many hours of entertainment it provided over the last few days. It is the difference between quiet and sanity, and Eli and Sidney alternately screaming while the other retaliates. Cold weather is not a stay at home mom’s friend. It dipped to -19F yesterday morning. Not only does it make it dangerous to be outside, it makes the space between the walls of this house much too small.

Thank goodness for “play time” earlier this week. I take Sidney to a local daycare drop off for a couple of hours to play once a week. She knows a few of the kids, so it is a great time. I pride myself on being a good stay at home mom, but with a husband working upwards of 75 hours a week, a mom needs time to think. I love the time spent being home, but after a couple of 16 hour days, I need a few hours. It has been great for both of us. 

"Me  brusha hairs."

Besides, where else would Sidney get to enjoy an indoor snow fight? According to the lead teacher, all the kids were looking outside with woebegone faces.  It’s tough to understand dangerously low temperatures for a 2-3 old. Miss Tracey brought the fun inside and filled a tub with fake snow. It is great to hear she had a fun morning and laughed a lot.  I am so grateful for Sidney’s adjustment to this morning activity. 

On a totally unrelated topic, Sidney said a few things about China for the first time tonight. This was a positive sign, because if Tom or I initiate conversation about China, she typically says “no” and goes about her business. We were discussing a museum and the word China came up. She caught the word China, saying “Mama Dada fly big plane China.” She remembered me telling her mommy and daddy flew a big airplane to China. She went on to ask “Mama Dada fly big plane China Eli?” Meaning, did we go to China for Eli? When I told her no, she said “oh,” in an utterly perplexed tone.  Something resonated with her. I told her Eli was born in my tummy, and she was born in my heart. To that Eli let out a cackle, thinking about how strange it might look if I physically had a baby growing in my heart. Sorry, this is how these conversations go down. You think it is a tender moment, only to be interrupted by normal life. I have heard around the age of three kids start understanding or attempting to interpret their story. I think she is in the beginning stages.  

OK, off to finish tomorrow's pre-confirmation lesson Martin Luther. I know they will be as excited as Tom (not).