Holy Chocolate Batman!

They did it again! More plotting in bed late at night by either Ashton or Kate led to the following scene which I had to wake up to Monday morning. (By the way, this is Betty Crocker Fudge Icing) . Thankfully it was time to get the carpets cleaned anyways and Daniel from my earlier post: http://ipretendwithyou.blogspot.com/2008/09/always-judging-always-judgin.html did an excellent job of getting it cleaned up. (Daniel did laugh at the tiny chocolate handprints). Not only were my carpets a mess, so were my walls, 36"TV and children.

What a thing to wake up to! I just ordered them to the tub, washed them off and asked them "What am I going to do with you?". They saw the tears welling up and offered apologies with kisses and helped clean up what they could. They made empty promises not to "play with chocolate" again and I accepted them with all the hope I could muster. What else could I do?

Snow Day!

I just got in from work and about 25 minutes ago it started snowing! It's coming down fast and hard and will be there in the morning for the children. I always get so giddy about snow in Charlotte, as it is almost an annual event, coming and going in a day or so. Paul confided in me earlier tonight he thinks my excitement is cute, but can get annoying after a while. (I guess when you grow up in Detroit, snow in winter is like sun during the day.) I rushed home to wake the kids and show them this rare event, as they've been learning about snow for the past 2 weeks in preschool. Tonight Ashton reminded me just how much like his daddy he really is. I ran upstairs, sat on the edge of his bed, and gently woke him up. He sat up, alarmed I had interrupted his dreams. He blinked his eyes and rubbed them as I excitedly told him it was snowing big fat flakes outside. Once he realized what I was telling him, he barked at me "No I don't want to see snow" and buried his face in the pillow. So I kissed his head, patted his back and turned off the light. Kate was simply unable to be roused from her deep sleep and will also miss the show. Oh well, hope they get to enjoy it in the morning!

Taken the morning after:

Kate & Ashton, Apart of the Dream

Today, on MLK Day, I spent time listening to a recording of the August 28, 1968 speech given in front of the Lincoln Memorial. This is across from where tomorrow, the 1st African-American president will be sworn in. My own personal dream is that, as white southerns, when Kate and Ashton are old enough to realize the meaning behind what he spoke of, it will be so far distant in history they will never be able to relate to it. That is my dream.

"...And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true."

I think that beyond black and white, there are new challenges today that Martin may not have seen coming. I feel and see a spreading gap between the many Latino and South American immigrants that reside in the south, helping to literally lay the foundations and build the walls of our ever sprawling suburban lives. With Richard and Renee as close friends I hope this helps the children see beyond color and/or origin and judge on content of character (as MLK spoke of). Also, as members of a the upper-low class or lower-middle class, there are tremendous disproportionate opportunities for people that are under privilege. And, females still lack equal representation in many fields and senior level jobs. So, as the white southerns Martin spoke of, the preception is false that Ashton and Kate hold all the power. They themselves will face struggles against what they are born into, but I still naively hope that life does not limit them based on any limits that they do not impose on themselves.

Life is too short to fill with hatred of differences, when we all have something amazing to offer. Ashton and Kate, if you read this, seek the good and interesting qualities in people, be mindful of the bad and derogatory, and never stop learning through travel and interacting with people of all backgrounds, race and origins.

Circles

Tonight while I was putting Kate to bed, she opted to draw with her Magna-doodle instead of reading books. She's really into circles lately and drew what looked like a dust cloud. I asked her what did she draw for me? She gazed thoughtfully at the drawing for a moment then reported it was "balloons". Then I asked her to draw another picture. She made a small circle, proudly reported it was a "bubble" and touched it while making a poping sound. She is so great with pretending, I love this creative side of her!

Mommy Tantrums Do Exist!

Yes, my children love to push my buttons. They must lay in bed at night, planning out their day with a special focus around random, naughty "To Do" lists. I mean, really, the things they pull off can't be spur of the moment. You don't just wake up one morning, wander downstairs and think "Hey, a 3 lbs Costco sized-bag of trail mix would look GREAT on the living room floor...organized by nut type of course! The last time I did it size didn't work out so well, as demonstrated when Mom yelled at me/put me in time out/bordered on the brink of CRAZY." That kind of debauchery would surely take some kind of planning right? That type of havoc just isn't spontaneous. I mean...really!?!?!

Since I've become a mother I swear my patience has more than tripled in capacity. But you'd never know it from the amount yelling and screaming that sometimes flows out of my mouth or all the tears of frustration that will just spring to my eyes. I found this article in the NYTimes and was happy to see I'm not alone. Check it out! I will say, after the fact I do smile and laugh, but I'll be the first to admit, in the moment I cry or yell...sometimes loudly.

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/can-it-be-good-to-yell-at-your-kids/

Seemed Like a Good Idea!

Tried to teach the little ones to ski over the holidays. Two- and four- year olds with waxed boards strapped to the bottom of their feet pointing down a steep snow-covered slope. Yeah...seemed like a good idea at the time. The good news is noone broke ANYTHING! :) (That's Paul's ski next to Kate's ski!)

Check out Grandma Darlene's photos of the excursion: http://ronanddar.shutterfly.com/58

Here are my photos:http://the704reids.shutterfly.com/2991

No Shapes; No 4,5; No Potty!

Kate is growing and changing so quickly, right before our eyes. She's kind and compassionate, but stern in her ways. She has an ever widening vocabulary, but simply REFUSES to learn shapes. We'll look through her shape book and she'll identify the object, for example, a toy box, but won't call it a rectangle. She won't even SAY THE WORD "rectangle". She simply tells me "No shapes". She also refuses to admit the number "4 and 5" exist. When she counts anything she starts with "1,2,3" omits "4 and 5", jumping right to "6" then on to "7,8,9,10"!. It's kinda funny but pretty frustrating at the same time.

Ashton is working on potty training, doing fairly well with #1 but not so good with #2. He did wear underpants the entire week last week, but became constipated over the week as a result of not going #2. Funny thing though, when Paul noticed today Ashton was getting ready to go #2 while they were in the middle of nowhere at our neighborhood playground, Paul gave him the ok to "cop a squat" and go. But, for some random reason, Paul directed him to the tennis courts where Ashton proceeded to do his business. Right in the middle of taking care of the deed (I guess, I was not there) someone came through walking their dog. Paul did clean the mess up and dispose of it properly, but, the tennis courts? REALLY?!? But I guess when you have to go, you have to go! Ashton, if you ever read this, please believe, we really are doing the best we can. Honest!

Still Sick...

I'm still sick! So, after 12 days of this chest nonsense I headed up to the Urgent Care today to be seen. I've got the generic "bronchitis" and was prescribed an antibiotic, albuterol inhaler and nighttime cough syrup. But, the interesting part about this was the breathing treatment the nurse gave me while in the office. Ever since Ashton was 1-year-old he's had chronic respiratory problems. Pneumonia here, severe bronchitis there and he's received many, many breathing treatments. When I got my breathing treatment today the nurse advised me it may make me feel "jittery". WOW! She wasn't kidding! I felt like I had about 10 cups of coffee too many and couldn't stop shaking. Even my eye lids were twitching as I walked out of the office. It was horrible and I feel sooooooooo bad for my little Ashton! And, come to find out, the dose I received was only a half-dose, the amount they give children! The inhaler is supposed to be less intense, so we'll see. Hopefully the antibiotics will clear everything up and there will be no need for more drugs. And I swear, I will do everything in my power to keep Ashton healthy so he doesn't have to feel like that again!

Kate As Teacher, Feminist, Genius!

I am raising a feminist! I am so excited! Today when I asked Kate if her twins are "boy babies or girl babies" she looked at me and with a slightly surprised look and quite simply said, "They are babies". Well taught Kate, well taught! She reminded me of the best parts of my college years, my "Gender in Communication" classes. I am a huge proponent of Gender-neutral language, particularly in the environment of children. I try to frame Ashton & Kate's view of the world in ways that are not over simplifying. I want the world around them and their experiences to not be limited by their chromosones, but by what they value and are interested in.

If you are curious about Gender-Neutral Communication, check out Wiki's results here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender-neutral_language_in_English

Sick, Sick, SICK!

I'm in the midst of a nasty chest congestion cough that is wearing me down to a nub. My blog posts, photo updating and video uploading have come to a basic stand still (this may be the last for a while) and I'm not that great with returning phone calls right now. Hopefully I'll be back on my feet again soon. Until then...Happy New Year! 2009 is going to be simplified and streamlined. :)