Bibbity Bobbity Boo

Every night before bedtime we here at the Jones' home go through the painful and irritating event called "cleanup time". I have this strange obsessive need to see my carpet before retiring for the evening. For this reason (and I'm sure many others) my children think they have the meanest mom on the planet, so each and every night I am forced to endure much weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth. Last night Lindy stood transfixed in the middle of the carnage and desperately exclaimed, "Boy, I wish I had a magic wand!"

I hadn't really thought about it in that way, but this has been a recurring wish for me over the last few months as well. It might simply be that my rather profound belly makes tub-cleaning, laundry sorting, vacuuming, and sweeping, seem overly-daunting OR it could just be that I'm getting lazy in my old age. Whatever the reason, I cannot seem to bring myself to do the household chores that would make my home stack up to my expectations. So, what else could I say to my wallowing 5-year old? "Me too, Lindy, me too,"

Sweet Girl

Lindy is my favorite person to blog about. She seems to say or do so many blog-worthy things. I usually end up portraying the sassy or ornery side of my little girl. Today, however, she surprised me by saying something SO sweet! I was talking with my mom on the phone and made a comment about how sometimes I feel like an awful mother. Lindy looks up from her coloring (and gives me the look she usually gives me when I say something she thinks is ludicrous) and says, "But you're the perfect mom!"

I decided to document this moment so I can remind her of this 5-10 years from now. I love you, Lindy!

Finally!

That's right! My several-month-long project is finally completed. I learned SO MUCH with this quilt and, unfortunately for my husband, I think I've caught the quilting/sewing bug. Luckily Ian has been SUPER supportive of my new habit (thanks, hon!) and I'm looking forward to a few other fun projects in the near future. Big thanks go out to Holly, Autumn, and Emily. It was fun working with you ladies on this!

Girls vs. Boys

Today was "pink" day at preschool. Lindy wanted to display as much pink as she could to ensure that she was as girly-girl as possible for her fellow classmates and teacher. On the way to school the wheels in her head started to turn and, with a perplexed look on her face, she posed the following question: "Mom, how are the boys going to do pink day...because they are boys!" I tried to assure her that in spite of preconceived ideas about the color pink, some boys actually do wear that color from time to time. She was not about to buy it. I was then treated to a rather emphatic diatribe about what is and is NOT appropriate for boys. According to Lindy, boys do NOT have long hair. They DO go to work or run in races. They do NOT stay home and take care of babies. They DO shovel snow off of driveways. They do NOT clean houses. Last, but not least they certainly do NOT wear the color pink.

Not only has she joined the 5-year old Fashion Police Force, but is apparently planning on launching her own Committee for Appropriate Male Behavior. Where does she get this?

Maybe I'm Not a Horrible Mom

I think that motherhood brings with it the tendency to worry constantly that you are somehow going to damage your children. There seems to be a gnawing fear at the back of my mind that in 20 years, Lindy in particular, will be discussing my parenting flaws with a trained professional. One of the things I feel slightly embarrassed about is the amount of time I allow my kids to spend watching the television. I often rationalize by telling myself "Hey, at least it's PBS and not Maury Povich!" but it doesn't always eliminate the doubt...especially when you hear child psychologists blaming a large portion of youth angst on the fact that their parents left them to be raised by the television. Aaaaahhh!

But today I feel I had a small triumph. I was braiding Lindy's hair, getting her ready for the day, when we randomly had the following conversation:

Lindy: "Dinosaurs lived on the earth a very long time ago."

Me: "That's right...please hold still."

Lindy: "Then they all went away because the paleontologists killed them."

Me (to myself): "Did she just say 'paleontologist'?"

Me (out loud): "Is that so?"

Lindy: "Well, the paleontologists didn't actually kill the dinosaurs, they are just the people that find their fossils and glue their bones together to stand up in museums and stuff. It's pretty amazing."

Me: "Where did you learn about paleontologists?"

Lindy: "Sesame Street."

Me: "NICE!"