Faces

The camera happened to be sitting at the kitchen table one day while we were having lunch...

His Very First Brand New Bike

Not his first bike, mind you, his first new one.  Great Big Box toy store had a bike trade in event.  We attended, and traded in the used bike that I found at a consignment sale last year.  FFM was never very enthusiastic about his gently used bike, perhaps because he didn't get to pick it out.  He DID get to pick out his new bike, and is VERY enthusiastic about it.  He and Travis put it together this weekend.

The new bike seems HUGE!  The coolest parts?  It's got a name (Rodger Dodger), orange striped tires, and a rev handle that you crank and make engine revving sounds.  Who knows if it's a decent bike or not but it has one 4.5 year old begging to ride.

Spring's First Backyard Bubble Party

Last week brought longer days and warm temperatures to the front range.  With both of those our back doorbell started getting a lot more use and FFM's buddy Emma came over nearly every afternoon after school to play.

Last year I needed to get these two out of my hair one afternoon so I invented The Bubble Party.  I dumped every bubble making toy I could find onto the deck, filled everything that needed to be filled with bubble juice to the tippy top, turned on the bubble octopus, and let 'em rip.  Who knew it would be such a success that it would become the most requested outdoor game of all time?  

The first day the air smelled warm FFM requested a bubble party and wouldn't you know it, Emma showed up at our back door as soon as school let out wondering the same... 

St Paddy's Ski Day

Tis nearing the end of ski season here, it was warm warm warm today for the wearing of the green. Our wee Irish lad donned as much green ski gear as he could and then asked for a green beer at the end of the day. What?! Where on earth did he learn about green beer?

Mean Moms Rule

We're still working on adjusting FFM's school behavior.  To do this we're ditching "Mean F" and bringing back "Nice F" who we all like better.  It's creepy how fast he can switch back and forth once he's made aware he's being mean.  Of course Travis and I chatted about what "official parenting adjustments" we should make (i.e. tell him when he's being mean), and wouldn't you know it, one of my regular weekly email newsletters directed me to this link:

Forget the Niceties

7 reasons why Mean Moms rule

by Denise Schipani

I joke sometimes that I am a Mean Mom.  Everyone has different parenting styles, as they should.  Each family shuffles around its various personalities and figures out what works best for their dynamic.  What seems like eons ago Travis and I decided what our family goals were and how we wanted to parent, and Mean Mom it is for me.  A lot of days I feel pretty harsh.  I expect a lot from FFM, I don't put up with much, and I have a pretty short fuse for misbehavior.  Since he's an only child (no similarly aged siblings to compare behavior to) I do want to make sure that I am in check, too and not expecting too much from the little bugger.

I read the article.  I read excerpts to Travis.  I am not the only Mean Mom out there!  Our parenting style is legitimized by an internet article,  Yeah!  Ok, whatever.  It was fun to read.  More fun to watch Travis practicing his "enigmatic smile fixed on the middle distance".