So proud

May 5, 2011

Today, my son D had his first Occupation Therapy session after a month-long break—his teacher was on medical leave for the month of April. He was excited to see her, but I was feeling a little sheepish since we hadn’t practiced his handwriting as much as I would’ve liked.

As we walked into the school where he has his weekly sessions, I mentally went over all the things he did this past month.

Apparently, so did he.

Because as she approached us with a wide smile and a hug for D, he pulled back and said, “Guess what I learned to do???“

And he put his hand under his armpit and began pumping up and down until the telltale “farting” noise came out.

My heart, it swells with pride.

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Thanks, honey!
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Filed Under: Fairly Odd Husband, Fairly Odd Kids 9 Comments

Running in packs

May 3, 2011


I started running again a few weeks ago, but this time I’m not alone. I’m doing the “Couch to 5K” program with members of our homeschooling coop.

I never knew running could be so much fun.

It’s different to run with a group or a buddy. I have a friend who has said this before, but I’ve never had the luxury of finding someone who wants to run at my pace or my (short) distance. But every Monday, a group of us run and walk (and sometimes shuffle) around the big church where we meet. Midweek, a smaller group often meets at the local playground to run as well.

Moms, some pushing strollers, and kids, from the wee four year olds (who sprint until they are out of breath—stop—and sprint again), to the tweens who either walk (too cool to get sweaty?) or fly by me with a grin as I huff and puff and blow nothing down.

And then this past Friday, I ran alone with Jilly, my eight year old. She is adorable to run with: Chatty, funny, determined. And though I was ever her mother (“Stay to the side of the road”, ” Watch out for those rocks”), I was also her running partner and it made me realize how quickly she is growing up, quite literally running away from me.

But I’ll never be too far behind.

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Have you completed the Couch to 5K program? We’re on Week 5, doing a 5K on Memorial Day!
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Filed Under: Fairly Odd Me, Shredheads 5 Comments

The best game ever

April 25, 2011

I saw a beautiful kickball game today.

OK, I know that “beautiful” + “kickball” don’t always show up in the same sentence but bear with me:

This afternoon, I walked outside to the back of our weekly homeschool coop and saw a bunch of kids—ranging in age from about six to fifteen—running and laughing. One of the boys—around eight years old—breathlessly told me, “This is the Best Game Ever!!!“

I wondered what game they must’ve invented to make it the “best game ever”.

Turns out, they were just playing kickball.

What made it beautiful though were all the different ages playing together.

Where they competitive? Hell, yeah. Except when they weren’t, like when a sweet three-year-old in a dress asked if she could kick. Then, they were gentle, even the boys who were at that age when sometimes gentle can be trumped by the desire to win.

At one point, my six-year-old son (D) was sitting on second base, apparently tired out by all the activity of the morning. The teenager “pitched” the ball and the kick went sailing over his head, straight past my son.

With a lazy wave of his foot, D stopped the ball from sailing past, without getting up off his butt.

I waited for the older boys to chide him for sitting when he should obviously been on his feet, trying to stop the ball, trying to win. Instead, the teen laughed and said, “NICE stop!” and congratulated him on doing it without having to get up off the ground.

I’m fortunate to see a lot of teens like this every week. Sweet, friendly, happy teens who make me feel good about my chances of raising the same. It makes my heart swell.

And it turns a regular kickball game into the best, most beautiful, game ever.

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Filed Under: Fairly Odd Kids, Homeschooling 6 Comments
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