Confessions of a 20-Something Houseplant

I don't have anything to say. Is it okay to say that I don't have anything to say? Hmmn.



That's usually how I start many posts. I usually come up with something as I type that I have nothing and I delete my opening line and lead with my "something" but today... nope, still nothing. I want to say something. I have lots of thoughts. I am very grateful. I am happy. But, I just don't have anything to say.



I really need to get Kate into some playdates. She needs some friends her age and gender. We have a shortage of 3 and under girls. And I could use the interaction with people my age and gender, too.



Okay, I'm going to throw my biggest weakness out (well, I might have bigger ones, but this one is on my mind) I am the biggest hermit crab ever. My neighbor (now a grandma) says she's "a houseplant". That's my name for myself these days. I don't like to leave the house. I like to stay at home and keep the home fires burning. Whenever I leave the house, I have a buzzer that goes off and tells me it's time to get back home. I know people who can be go-go-going all day, everyday and I can't understand how. Is that something I could train myself to do? Is it okay to be a hermit?



No, it can't be okay. I wish I could serve others somehow. I feel so useless. I want to ease someone's burdens or offer encouragement to some desperate soul. Or make something, share something, benefit someone somewhere with some skill that I have hiding away.

I'd love to have a magic formula that could cure me from my home-body nature. Well, if anyone has a magic cure for cutting my leash, let me know. And if anyone knows someone close by who Kate could be friends with... that would be nice. The poor girl is an extrovert who loves action and company and she's stuck with an introverted, hermit crab for a mother.

Attempt Three: Potty Training

Kate has been a pee-pee-in-the-potty pro for the last two days! A week or so ago, Kate helped me order some prizes from the Disney Store (14 figurines from the Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella movies). We decided she could earn one each time she went pee-pee in the potty. She was so excited. She checked the mail with me several times and every day she talked about the people that were coming.

Yesterday, her rewards arrived. I wish I could have bottled that moment as we sat on the living room rug and opened up her surprise. She was so excited, she went immediately and earned Briar Rose.

Right now, she only has 4 more of the 14 left to earn. Within minutes of earning Drizella, Kate was all ready to earn Anastasia. I was doubtful that she could produce so I told her that if she was going to earn one this time, she would have to go without any help from me. She was off to a good start. I had to nudge her shorts past her bum but other than that, she did it all on her own--until she got to the "going pee-pee" part of the job. As I figured, she had nothing to give the potty. She was so upset. She looked at me crying and calling out to me to help her go pee-pee. This is how the conversation went:

Kate: (yelling with tears forming) "You have to help me mommy!"

Me: "Help you? Do what?"

Kate: (flailing her legs as they dangle from the potty and trying to bite anything within reach ie. the shower curtain, her sleeve)"Help me go pee-pee! I can't do it!"

Me: "How can I help you go pee-pee?"

Kate: (still crying but now her veins are bulging out of her neck) "Because you are the person who helps kids!"

(she is desperate--She can't figure out how to pee and somehow she thinks I can do something to help her go)

I asked her if she wanted help down from the potty (it's extra tall for my 6'5" hubby--Kate uses a two-step stool to reach the toilet and sink). She said, "No, I'm having a time-out!" But when I said, "Okay" and started to walk off she screamed and pleaded for me one more time to help her go pee-pee.

I then proceeded to explain that the only way I could help her go pee-pee is to give her a big glass of water and I told her that in an hour or so she would need to go again. She tearfully accepted my suggestion and drank up.

I was struck by her thought processes, as I always am with her. I was fascinated by her interpretation of me: That I'm the person who helps kids. What a funny thing for a 2 1/2 year-old to say.

8 Tag

Here's a tag from Cherish...

8 things I’m looking forward to:
Having playdates with moms that have girls Kate’s age
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Getting my hair done (who knows when that will be?)
Christmas
Time with Scott over Christmas Vacation
SPRING!

8 things on my wish list:
Learning the secret to helping Kate be still for more than ten seconds
A continuation of all the things I already enjoy about life
A vacation
Cooking skills – or maybe what I really need is a desire to cook
Clear skin
Nerves of steel
Plants for my garden
A new digital camera (don’t tell Scott, we just bought one last year but I want a better one)

8 TV shows I love to watch:
Biggest Loser
The Office
America’s Funniest Videos
Trading Spouses
Super Nanny
Nanny 911
The O’Reily Factor
Movies

8 things that happened yesterday:
Can I think back that far…

Drank one of those instant breakfasts-gulp
Talked to my mom on the phone
Went to the post office and remembered that it was veteran’s day
Shopped at Wal-mart
Organized my father-in-law’s letters from his mission—in chronological order
Made cookies and ate half a dozen of them
Watched the Biggest Loser while eating those half a dozen cookies
Felt guilty about the cookies so I jumped around the room for a while and tried to squeeze in some exercise during the last part of the show.

I tag YOU.

The Rites of Fall

Kate the fairy.

I explained Trick-or-treating to Kate while we were on a walk in our neighborhood and she talked about it all week. But, when the day came, she said, "I don't want to go to the neighbors, mommy." I figured I would run with this one and save myself some pain. So Scott and I just took Kate to her Grandparents and to cousin Samantha's so she could see how the costume turned out--Sam played a big role in the overall costume design. I'm sure this is a typical problem with 2 1/2 year-olds--Kate couldn't decide how she wanted to dress up for Halloween. For the months leading up to Halloween, Kate wanted to be a princess. I thought I would just use one of her dress-up princess costumes. Then as Halloween approached she started seeing all the spooky things and thought a witch and then a ghost would be fun. Luckily, the Tinkerbell movie saved the day. Grandma M bought Kate the fairies from the Tinkerbell movie and Kate's been on a fairy kick ever since. I didn't have time to make her costume look exactly like Tink but she seemed to be satisfied and told everyone she was Tink or a Fairy Princess.


Friday morning Kate and I had some of her cousins over to play. Zac said he'd never played in a pile of leaves before so we decided to remedy that situation.

This was an uncharcteristcally warm fall day, perfect for rolling around in leaves and trick-or-treating.

After a while, we raked all the leaves into a tall pile and they each took turns jumping into it. They really got into it, too. Whitney and Zac even begged to help rake. Silly kids. If you can disguise work as play, these kids will do anything. I got a kick out of watching the difference between my rough Kate tear apart and throw herself into the leaves and the ever-cautious Hailey who walked gently up to the pile and lightly plopped herself into it.