I didn't send Ben to camp today.
He's SUCH a different kid on the days I don't send him. Pleasant, helpful, cooperative, nice to his brother... it's really not good motivation to continue to send him! I don't blame the camp at all, I just think he can't handle the long day, coupled with the giant group (supposedly 30 kids) and all the stimulation. It does him in by the end of the day. There were a few days here and there when we'd have the same issues with school, but I think that environment is so much more controlled, quieter and routine that he just settled in better.
Ah well, live and learn.
HIs wrist is STILL bothering him and he's asked me three times if we can go get an x-ray on it. (?!) I seriously doubt it's anything more than badly bruised though (and not even visibly so at this point), so my plan is to give it the weekend and see if it improves. Is that bad?
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Ugh.
So camp, it is just not going well.
For two days, Ben was teased by some kid in the changing room and came home really upset. That was taken care of swiftly and painlessly by the camp director, Ben took a day off and all seemed well.
Then he went back today and his wrist was stepped on (interestingly enough, by the same kid who was teasing him, though I'm pretty sure this was an accident) during a game of duck duck goose. I was "*this* close to taking him over to Patient First for an x-ray because he wouldn't use it, cried when I tried to touch it, couldn't put any weight on it, and couldn't twist his arm back and forth. After consulting with the pediatrician and giving him some Motrin, which seemed to have helped some, I feel comfortable waiting to see how it is in the morning.
But SHEESH.
I'm ready to throw in the towel!
I think part of the problem, aside from the fact that my kid is a bit sensitive and kind of dramatic and let's face it, kind of a wuss (a trait that I'm the first to admit he gets from me), is that Jen and I asked that he and Ryan be grouped together and from what it looks like, Ben was grouped UP age-wise instead of Ryan being grouped down age-wise. Either that or they took their average age and put them in the middle group. It shouldn't matter because groups 3-5 (they are in #4) are all 6-7 -year-olds... but I think the kids he is with are all closer to 7 than six (or are 7 already) and once again, Ben is the smallest in the group and most of the kids are substantially bigger/older-looking than he is. Even a few months can still make a difference at this age, I think.
So now I have to wonder -- do I keep sending him and just wait to see what other injury, emotional or physical, he'll come home with? Or do I just cut our losses and end it now?
It's not that he's not having any fun... he talks about things he does enjoy and he loves hanging out with Ryan, but the negativity seems to overshadow the good stuff. :(
For two days, Ben was teased by some kid in the changing room and came home really upset. That was taken care of swiftly and painlessly by the camp director, Ben took a day off and all seemed well.
Then he went back today and his wrist was stepped on (interestingly enough, by the same kid who was teasing him, though I'm pretty sure this was an accident) during a game of duck duck goose. I was "*this* close to taking him over to Patient First for an x-ray because he wouldn't use it, cried when I tried to touch it, couldn't put any weight on it, and couldn't twist his arm back and forth. After consulting with the pediatrician and giving him some Motrin, which seemed to have helped some, I feel comfortable waiting to see how it is in the morning.
But SHEESH.
I'm ready to throw in the towel!
I think part of the problem, aside from the fact that my kid is a bit sensitive and kind of dramatic and let's face it, kind of a wuss (a trait that I'm the first to admit he gets from me), is that Jen and I asked that he and Ryan be grouped together and from what it looks like, Ben was grouped UP age-wise instead of Ryan being grouped down age-wise. Either that or they took their average age and put them in the middle group. It shouldn't matter because groups 3-5 (they are in #4) are all 6-7 -year-olds... but I think the kids he is with are all closer to 7 than six (or are 7 already) and once again, Ben is the smallest in the group and most of the kids are substantially bigger/older-looking than he is. Even a few months can still make a difference at this age, I think.
So now I have to wonder -- do I keep sending him and just wait to see what other injury, emotional or physical, he'll come home with? Or do I just cut our losses and end it now?
It's not that he's not having any fun... he talks about things he does enjoy and he loves hanging out with Ryan, but the negativity seems to overshadow the good stuff. :(
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Two Days of Camp....
... and Ben is already completely exhausted. I'm letting him skip today, mostly because it's now 9:30, which is past the time we usually leave and he is actually STILL sleeping. THis is the kid who is usually up by 7a.m., 7:30 at the very latest. I'm interested to see just how long he WILL sleep!!
ETA: He slept until 10:00! I'm pretty sure he has never done that in his entire six years. Sheesh.
ETA: He slept until 10:00! I'm pretty sure he has never done that in his entire six years. Sheesh.
Monday, July 26, 2010
What Simon Did While Ben Was at Camp...
He was SO tired today since he got up so early this morning. We ran errands after we dropped Ben off, but shortly after we got home and had lunch, I decided to try to put him down for a slightly early nap so I could get him up before we had to pick Ben up. I took this right before I woke him... which I felt really badly about doing because I think he might have slept the rest of the afternoon. He was none the worse for the wear though...
The After Photos...
Coming up the hill with his group...
And the "long fun day at camp" face... I anticipate good sleep tonight. ;)
He says he had fun and actually shared details about his day, which is rare. Lots of swimming, loved the Bible story (they make them SO funny) and the puppet show, lukewarm on the arts and crafts, and they did archery! WOOHOO!
And the "long fun day at camp" face... I anticipate good sleep tonight. ;)
He says he had fun and actually shared details about his day, which is rare. Lots of swimming, loved the Bible story (they make them SO funny) and the puppet show, lukewarm on the arts and crafts, and they did archery! WOOHOO!
First Day of Camp...
Forgot to take a pic in front of the house, which I'm kicking myself for because I have a picture of me at the same age on MY first day of camp on the front steps of our old apartment.
Anyway, here are Ben and Ryan (my friend Jen's little boy) all situated with their group. They settled in quickly and I can already tell they are going to like the male senior counselor for their group. WHen I left they were in a heated discussion of who was more powerful, Batman or Superman. LOL.
Ran into lots of people we knew while we were there, including a mom from Simon's preschool class whose oldest little boy was probably assigned to Ben and Ryan's group, though I didn't stay to find out... also ran into Becky! (Hi, Becky!!!)
Anyway, here are Ben and Ryan (my friend Jen's little boy) all situated with their group. They settled in quickly and I can already tell they are going to like the male senior counselor for their group. WHen I left they were in a heated discussion of who was more powerful, Batman or Superman. LOL.
Ran into lots of people we knew while we were there, including a mom from Simon's preschool class whose oldest little boy was probably assigned to Ben and Ryan's group, though I didn't stay to find out... also ran into Becky! (Hi, Becky!!!)
Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda...
Today is Ben's first day at the camp I went to when I was his age! ( and where I worked and spent many a summer day and evening through much of middle school and part of high school.)
He's pretty excited... mostly because he's seen and heard a lot about camp lately on various tv shows he and Simon watch and because I mentioned once that they do archery. BOY do I hope they do archery with the 6 and 7-year-olds. LOL. I remember doing it with even younger kids when I worked there, so I'm kinda counting on it.
I need the break. He needs the stimulation. So this is WIN -- WIN. ;)
I only hope he doesn't wuss out in the heat. The counselors do a great job of alternating the activities indoors and outdoors, plus there is swimming once or twice during the day and they spend some time in this wonderfully cool, shady wooded area singing songs and learning Bible verses, so I *think* he'll do okay... I just hope he's not one big ball of tired complaining when he gets home. Crossing my fingers!
Pictures to come. :)
ETA: This morning is NOT going well. FIrst, SImon woke up at 6:20 because he was soaking wet, having peed right through his Pullup. Of course, this meant he was awake for the day. He cried when I changed him into other jammies because he wanted different ones. Then he started crying later when I dressed him because he did not like my clothing choice, and that lasted for nearly an hour straight, during which time he also threw a bin of Legos and several puzzles across the room and was put in two different time outs... the crying escalated to full-on screaming.
Somewhere between the jammie incident and the getting dressed incident, Ben woke up. He was in a decent enough mood, until I tried to brush his hair and teeth and I had to hear about how he doesn't like how I wet his hair or how I brush his hair. Then he didn't want the toothpaste he ALWAYS uses. Then he started crying because the excema on his arm was bothering him, but how dare I try to put cream on it?! I offered a bandaid over top to keep him from scratching at it, and he screamed at the very idea.
WTH? It's only 9a.m. and I already want to run away and let them both fend for themselves today!
He's pretty excited... mostly because he's seen and heard a lot about camp lately on various tv shows he and Simon watch and because I mentioned once that they do archery. BOY do I hope they do archery with the 6 and 7-year-olds. LOL. I remember doing it with even younger kids when I worked there, so I'm kinda counting on it.
I need the break. He needs the stimulation. So this is WIN -- WIN. ;)
I only hope he doesn't wuss out in the heat. The counselors do a great job of alternating the activities indoors and outdoors, plus there is swimming once or twice during the day and they spend some time in this wonderfully cool, shady wooded area singing songs and learning Bible verses, so I *think* he'll do okay... I just hope he's not one big ball of tired complaining when he gets home. Crossing my fingers!
Pictures to come. :)
ETA: This morning is NOT going well. FIrst, SImon woke up at 6:20 because he was soaking wet, having peed right through his Pullup. Of course, this meant he was awake for the day. He cried when I changed him into other jammies because he wanted different ones. Then he started crying later when I dressed him because he did not like my clothing choice, and that lasted for nearly an hour straight, during which time he also threw a bin of Legos and several puzzles across the room and was put in two different time outs... the crying escalated to full-on screaming.
Somewhere between the jammie incident and the getting dressed incident, Ben woke up. He was in a decent enough mood, until I tried to brush his hair and teeth and I had to hear about how he doesn't like how I wet his hair or how I brush his hair. Then he didn't want the toothpaste he ALWAYS uses. Then he started crying because the excema on his arm was bothering him, but how dare I try to put cream on it?! I offered a bandaid over top to keep him from scratching at it, and he screamed at the very idea.
WTH? It's only 9a.m. and I already want to run away and let them both fend for themselves today!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Tuesday....
Tom's commute turned out to be pretty tame. He was actually home 15-20 earlier than he is usually home! Woohoo! I anticipate there will be days when traffic issues make him later than usual, but for the most part, I think this probably isn't so bad. He said it wasn't bad on his end either... he leaves so early in the morning, he sails right downtown without a problem and he said there was very little traffic on his route in the afternoon either. So yay all around. :) He had a great day at work too. The new company gave everyone from the old company a huge welcome lunch and backpacks full of company schwag and he said at least 40 people passed through his office to shake hands, say hello and offer a welcome.
Crazy busy day around here... all good things though.
It's free guest day at our pool today, so we are all looking forward to reuniting with the neighbors we have hardly seen ALL summer since we all went separate ways with pool memberships this year. Ben is excited to finally spend some time with his friends and I can't wait to catch up with all the girls at once.
After that, our realtor is coming over to help me make a list of things to work on in the house in case we want to make a move in the next couple years. (I told him I can NOT deal with the stress of having to do everything at once whenever we make the decision to sell... NO way) Sadly, I think I will probably have to forgo the new kitchen I had so been looking forward to... but I'm trying to think of it as putting that money toward the next house, which, if I have anything to say about it, will have an awesome kitchen that needs no work.
Anyway, of course, he is coming on a day when my house is unfinished project central. Some of our window treatments still aren't back up from when the windows were installed, the laundry room is still an unfinished disaster area, the baby's room is still just a catchall spot for baby supplies I keep tossing in there and we have a fridge being delivered today, so my kitchen is torn apart and lined with coolers. Oh, and the cat keeps having stinky diahrrea attacks in his litterbox and smelling up the whole basement and first floor. It's all making me quite twitchy.
The boys are thankfully, currently being entertained by each other and by Nick Jr. while I figure out how to cram the entire contents of my fridge and freezer into two big coolers and one very small one. This should be interesting.
Crazy busy day around here... all good things though.
It's free guest day at our pool today, so we are all looking forward to reuniting with the neighbors we have hardly seen ALL summer since we all went separate ways with pool memberships this year. Ben is excited to finally spend some time with his friends and I can't wait to catch up with all the girls at once.
After that, our realtor is coming over to help me make a list of things to work on in the house in case we want to make a move in the next couple years. (I told him I can NOT deal with the stress of having to do everything at once whenever we make the decision to sell... NO way) Sadly, I think I will probably have to forgo the new kitchen I had so been looking forward to... but I'm trying to think of it as putting that money toward the next house, which, if I have anything to say about it, will have an awesome kitchen that needs no work.
Anyway, of course, he is coming on a day when my house is unfinished project central. Some of our window treatments still aren't back up from when the windows were installed, the laundry room is still an unfinished disaster area, the baby's room is still just a catchall spot for baby supplies I keep tossing in there and we have a fridge being delivered today, so my kitchen is torn apart and lined with coolers. Oh, and the cat keeps having stinky diahrrea attacks in his litterbox and smelling up the whole basement and first floor. It's all making me quite twitchy.
The boys are thankfully, currently being entertained by each other and by Nick Jr. while I figure out how to cram the entire contents of my fridge and freezer into two big coolers and one very small one. This should be interesting.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Update...
It's been awhile... but I have been updating on the baby blog, so I'm not entirely MIA.
Mostly just trying to keep the monkeys out of trouble over here. When Ben gets bored, he gets destructive and kind of defiant (the latter of which is unusual for him and always catches me off guard) so yeah, life has been fun lately.
We spend a lot of time at the pool lately. It's amazing how just nice stretch of 3-4 hours out of the house with them running and swimming and playing with friends and me getting to talk to other adults helps a long day go by more quickly. A big YAY for pools. :) It's also very nice for me to get to plunk my pregnant self down into the cool water and float around nearly weightless for awhile.
Tom officially works downtown and not just ten minutes away starting on Monday. His company merged with another company awhile back and the other company, like the majority of financial management companies around here, is in the heart of the city. It's going to be weird not having him close enough to come home quickly in the middle of the day if there's an emergency (like when I sliced off the tip of my finger the other day) It also makes me a little nervous with the baby's arrival getting closer... but I'm sure it will all work out. He's about a 30-minute drive away now, so long as it's not rush hour. We also won't be able to visit him at work because a) I do NOT drive in or near the city and b) he says it's not really a place that's conducive to drop-ins from wives and kids. Everything else about the new situation is wonderful and good... there are just these few tradeoffs. (sigh)
Baby Three (as yet still nameless) continues the baking process, hopefully for at least another 2-1/2 weeks, maybe as many as five or so. Only time will tell! Slowly wrapping up the final touches for his arrival over here and wrapping our heads around the idea of another 14-month stretch of sleep deprivation. Or maybe this will be my baby that sleeps through the night at six weeks? Uh yeah... not counting on that.
So that's the goings on around here. Not much else to tell... I'll try to post some pictures soon. :)
Mostly just trying to keep the monkeys out of trouble over here. When Ben gets bored, he gets destructive and kind of defiant (the latter of which is unusual for him and always catches me off guard) so yeah, life has been fun lately.
We spend a lot of time at the pool lately. It's amazing how just nice stretch of 3-4 hours out of the house with them running and swimming and playing with friends and me getting to talk to other adults helps a long day go by more quickly. A big YAY for pools. :) It's also very nice for me to get to plunk my pregnant self down into the cool water and float around nearly weightless for awhile.
Tom officially works downtown and not just ten minutes away starting on Monday. His company merged with another company awhile back and the other company, like the majority of financial management companies around here, is in the heart of the city. It's going to be weird not having him close enough to come home quickly in the middle of the day if there's an emergency (like when I sliced off the tip of my finger the other day) It also makes me a little nervous with the baby's arrival getting closer... but I'm sure it will all work out. He's about a 30-minute drive away now, so long as it's not rush hour. We also won't be able to visit him at work because a) I do NOT drive in or near the city and b) he says it's not really a place that's conducive to drop-ins from wives and kids. Everything else about the new situation is wonderful and good... there are just these few tradeoffs. (sigh)
Baby Three (as yet still nameless) continues the baking process, hopefully for at least another 2-1/2 weeks, maybe as many as five or so. Only time will tell! Slowly wrapping up the final touches for his arrival over here and wrapping our heads around the idea of another 14-month stretch of sleep deprivation. Or maybe this will be my baby that sleeps through the night at six weeks? Uh yeah... not counting on that.
So that's the goings on around here. Not much else to tell... I'll try to post some pictures soon. :)
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Workerman Simon...
He's been "fixing" things for me all day...
ETA: As he was doing this particular job, he was also babbling jibberish. I asked him what he was saying and he said, "I'm speaking Spanish beacuse I am a worker man!" D'oh.
Seriously.
I swear he came up with that entirely on his own... I can only figure it's because Spanish is the only other language he is aware of because of PBS, Nick Jr. and Disney Channel and because nearly every person we've had into the house to do work does, has, in fact spoken a language other than English. Very observant of him. However, I do hope he doesn't utter this in public anytime soon...
ETA: As he was doing this particular job, he was also babbling jibberish. I asked him what he was saying and he said, "I'm speaking Spanish beacuse I am a worker man!" D'oh.
Seriously.
I swear he came up with that entirely on his own... I can only figure it's because Spanish is the only other language he is aware of because of PBS, Nick Jr. and Disney Channel and because nearly every person we've had into the house to do work does, has, in fact spoken a language other than English. Very observant of him. However, I do hope he doesn't utter this in public anytime soon...
My Poor Husband...
The kids were pretty fascinated by the window replacement process yesterday. (for those of you not subject to my Facebook status whining yesterday, we had our windows replaced... it was an annoying process, but the end result is worth it. I'd take a picture, but frankly, they just look like... well, windows.)
In the evening before bed, they played "worker man" with this little drilling set we have for about an hour.
Tom says, "This is just sad."
"What is?" I asked.
"They don't ever play 'daddy', they play 'guy daddy paid to do stuff he couldn't do.'"
LOL!
Handyman, he is not... but in his defense, he is really good at what he does for a living. Unfortunately, his job as a bond trader is a little abstract for a 6 and 3-year-old to pretend play. ;) Truthfully, *I* can't even really explain all that well what he does...
ETA: Ben now wants to name the new baby "Drillbit". Heh.
In the evening before bed, they played "worker man" with this little drilling set we have for about an hour.
Tom says, "This is just sad."
"What is?" I asked.
"They don't ever play 'daddy', they play 'guy daddy paid to do stuff he couldn't do.'"
LOL!
Handyman, he is not... but in his defense, he is really good at what he does for a living. Unfortunately, his job as a bond trader is a little abstract for a 6 and 3-year-old to pretend play. ;) Truthfully, *I* can't even really explain all that well what he does...
ETA: Ben now wants to name the new baby "Drillbit". Heh.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Pecked to Death by Ducks...
I once read an article by a mom of three kids who said one of the hardest things about it is that it seems like someone ALWAYS needs SOMETHING. I'm a little concerned because I don't even technically *have* three kids yet and I already feel this way. I have sat down here at the computer to compose a post (a lovely one about summer reading lists) about 20 times already this morning and have had to get up and down for request after request from the boys who have only been awake now for 25 minutes.
I have to admit that summer, the part where both kids are at my side 24/7, is starting to wear on me a bit. It doesn't help my patience level that I'm already exhausted to the point of zombiness half the time thanks to the needs of Baby Three. At the top of the list of things I'm tired of is hearing from Ben how bored he is... and all my suggestions for things to do are met with, "No, I don't want to do THAT."
Oh, and to add to it, Simon seems to only know how to talk in a high-pitched whine most of the time.
I'm not ready for school to start again yet... (admittedly, mostly because that also means the baby will be here too and I'm not quite prepared for the insanity of getting two kids to two different places all while trying to get a baby on a routine and functioning on little to no sleep) I'm definitely getting there though...
Hoping Ben's summer camp that starts in two weeks is the break he and I both need!
I have to admit that summer, the part where both kids are at my side 24/7, is starting to wear on me a bit. It doesn't help my patience level that I'm already exhausted to the point of zombiness half the time thanks to the needs of Baby Three. At the top of the list of things I'm tired of is hearing from Ben how bored he is... and all my suggestions for things to do are met with, "No, I don't want to do THAT."
Oh, and to add to it, Simon seems to only know how to talk in a high-pitched whine most of the time.
I'm not ready for school to start again yet... (admittedly, mostly because that also means the baby will be here too and I'm not quite prepared for the insanity of getting two kids to two different places all while trying to get a baby on a routine and functioning on little to no sleep) I'm definitely getting there though...
Hoping Ben's summer camp that starts in two weeks is the break he and I both need!
Thursday, July 08, 2010
My Bottomless Pit...
Ben is an absolute food fiend lately. He's going to be five inches taller by the time school starts. He eats ALL day long and he eats EVERYTHING these days, especially meat, any kind of meat he can get his hands on. And this is the child who complained that last year he didn't like chicken nuggets because they had chicken in them.
I can't keep up and I feel like I am CONSTANTLY making him food. He downed an entire pound of corned beef on a bagel yesterday for lunch and a snack later. A FULL POUND.
Can't even imagine what life is going to be like with three teenage boys in my house someday...
I'm currently making him dinner at 5p.m. because he has been complaining he is STARVING for the last 40 minutes even though he ate half a club sandwich for lunch, along with a snowball, some fruit snacks and a granola bar.
Sheesh!
I can't keep up and I feel like I am CONSTANTLY making him food. He downed an entire pound of corned beef on a bagel yesterday for lunch and a snack later. A FULL POUND.
Can't even imagine what life is going to be like with three teenage boys in my house someday...
I'm currently making him dinner at 5p.m. because he has been complaining he is STARVING for the last 40 minutes even though he ate half a club sandwich for lunch, along with a snowball, some fruit snacks and a granola bar.
Sheesh!
Monday, July 05, 2010
Fourth of July...
We spent the Fourth of July at Miss Joan's pool! The boys had a blast and pretty much stayed in the pool the entire time. We let Simon skip his nap and eventually, he almost fell asleep riding one of the motorboats pictured below... LOL! Thanks, Miss Joan for a wonderful time!
It took us almost the entire day to convince Simon to sit on the boat... eventually, he would sit on it while it was docked. Finally, at the very end of the day, he let Aunt Debbie pull him around on it. ;)
...and he was quite proud of himself.
The funny thing about that is that I have this exact picture from last year when he rode the boat no problem!
ETA: Wait, I lied... the picture is from 2008. Simon was only 1! LOL! And in the blog entry about it, I wrote that he figured out how to make the boat go and shoot water and rode it all over the pool.
Ben, just relaxing.. ;)
It took us almost the entire day to convince Simon to sit on the boat... eventually, he would sit on it while it was docked. Finally, at the very end of the day, he let Aunt Debbie pull him around on it. ;)
...and he was quite proud of himself.
The funny thing about that is that I have this exact picture from last year when he rode the boat no problem!
ETA: Wait, I lied... the picture is from 2008. Simon was only 1! LOL! And in the blog entry about it, I wrote that he figured out how to make the boat go and shoot water and rode it all over the pool.
Ben, just relaxing.. ;)
Friday, July 02, 2010
Annual Family Pics...
I have to say, I'm a little annoyed at myself for these... we really should have waited another half hour until the sun went down more, but I got impatient and now there are shadows on peoples' faces. (sigh) Oh well, live and learn...
Boys on the beach...was hoping I could use it to replace the one from last year that is hanging in the hallway going up my stairs. Not sure if I like it as much as the one that's up there though! I do love that Ben's missing teeth show. ;)
The 4-1/2 of us...
With Grandmom, Poppy and Uncle B
Everybody -- Tom starting to look squinty and constipated from looking into the sun, me not hiding the camera remote so well, and Debbie hidden behind everyone else. Almost a candidate for awkwardfamilyphotos.com, if I do say so myself. ;)
Uncle B with the boys in the lifeguard chair
The two dudes in the lifeguard chair
Boys on the beach...was hoping I could use it to replace the one from last year that is hanging in the hallway going up my stairs. Not sure if I like it as much as the one that's up there though! I do love that Ben's missing teeth show. ;)
The 4-1/2 of us...
With Grandmom, Poppy and Uncle B
Everybody -- Tom starting to look squinty and constipated from looking into the sun, me not hiding the camera remote so well, and Debbie hidden behind everyone else. Almost a candidate for awkwardfamilyphotos.com, if I do say so myself. ;)
Uncle B with the boys in the lifeguard chair
The two dudes in the lifeguard chair
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Pretty Beach Day...
Simon played with a bucket full of sand crabs and dug in the sand and Ben was in some distress about a cut on his foot and wouldn't leave the beach chair.
Ice Cream on the Boardwalk... and a Playground...
Simon's SuperCheese...
Conquering something new on the playground... he also conquered the rockwall and was very proud!
Partial to the slide...
