Curious George

Today was a sick day for Benjamin. So, like any good parent, Jacob went out and got a stack of movies for Ben to watch. One was a Curious George video. I put it in to watch with Ben and the only word I can think of to describe it is "bizarre." It was some weird primitive claymation from the 80's. The story starts with "the man in the yellow hat" in the jungle. He sees George and says "look a monkey, I want to take him home." So what does he do? He lures the innocent George with his yellow hat, puts George in a burlap sack, and drags him onto a boat. The whole story gets better with George finding the man's pipe, smoking it, and hallucinating. Then George gets thrown in jail for dialing 911 on accident. I left the room after that, but Jacob assures me it remained just as "interesting." Ben loves Curious George and watches the Curious George movies at least three times a week. I thought the video we watched today would be a nice alternative, but I will gladly sit through the movie ten times a week than have to watch that bizarre video again.

April Fools

The only reason I can come up with for why it took 8 tries to get Ben to take a nap is that he was playing an April fools joke on me. I wasn't amused.

Little Chef

Ben's latest obsession has been cooking. I suppose this is my fault due to pregnancy cravings for anything baked. Or perhaps I should blame the baby. No matter whose fault it is, I have been baking a lot with Ben lately, and he has been loving it. Yesterday he woke up from his nap and immediately ran to the kitchen yelling "cook, cook!" So, I had to think of some way to get him involved in throwing chicken nuggets in the oven for lunch. He just watched. Later in the day we dyed Easter eggs. He was so cute in his apron dying the eggs, and just as I expected, the first hing he tried to do was crack the hard boiled eggs. At least he's learning something from all of our baking. While I was cleaning up Ben ran into the kitchen (still wearing his apron) grabbed two skillets, a pot, a bottle of syrup, and a box of tea and put them on the stove to cook something. I am sure someday he will be a great chef, but I am not too sure what he was planning on doing with the mixture of supplies he had.

Just Like Daddy

Ben will do things every once in awhile to be just like his dad. What Ben did today though definitely wins the prize for cutest and most unexpected. I brought Ben into the bathroom with me, and the first thing he did was grab my razor off the edge of the sink (it had a cover on it so he was safe), say "dad" and put it to his face like he was shaving. To make it even better when I turned on the water to wash my hands, he put the razor under the water and put it on his face again. That boy wants to be just like his dad, and it makes me smile.

100 days

It's only 100 days until Madeline's due date AND Benjamin's 2nd birthday. I am not sure which scares me more, having another baby, or having a 2 year old in the house.

Trials of Motherhood

I left Mass on Friday morning and this morning in tears. I wish I could say it was because I was deeply touched by Mass itself, but that is not the reason. The reason was my son. I have made an effort to bring him to Mass every day, despite his behavior. I usually am able to just deal with it and accept the cross of a rambunctious toddler that God has given me. Lately though "just dealing with it" has been harder. Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones, or maybe it's the fact that I can't hold Ben in my arms due to my growing belly and shrinking back strength. Whatever it is I just can't seem to handle his behavior. I suppose it is nothing out of the ordinary for his age (or so I am told by other moms with older kids), but I find myself wondering when this stage is going to end.
So this morning after a full blown tantrum during Mass, being slapped in the face several times, and a failed attempt at a time out in the corner, I lost it. I could not hold in my frustrated/embarrassed/hurt tears any longer. As much as I just wanted to storm out of church and never come back (with Ben that is) I am so thankful for the support I received from two moms. They were my angels today, giving me hugs, offering help during Mass, and just letting me know that Ben is normal and I am normal for getting so frustrated. So, I will be at Mass tomorrow morning and hopefully there will be no more tears... from me or Ben.

Happy Valentine's Day!

In our family we have several traditions, kind of to go against the whole commercialization of Valentine's Day. While it is nice to get gifts and show how much you love someone, last year I was searching for some deeper meaning for Valentine's day. I found out that the pagans used to use Valentine's day to draw names out of a hat and that would be their "partner for the year. The Christians then took that idea and changed it to drawing the name of a Saint out of a hat to be their patron for the year. I really liked this idea so instaead of choosing a saint out of a hat, I chose the Infant of Prague, the patron of good finances and family life, for my husband last year. I tried to pray for the Infant's intercession each day for my husband. This year I think it will be Saint Joseph.
On top of this, we do a five dollar gift exchange. It is always interesting to see what five dollars can get you. My husband and I also have a nice homemade dinner together (after the wild child is in bed of course). This year, because we are major nerds, our dinner of roast chicken, garlic mashed potatos, green beans, and chocolate mousse will be eaten at a card table while watching LOST. We are so romantic :) I hope you all enjoy your Valentine's day and don't be afraid to reject the commercialization of it.