It's great fun to take advantage of a child's small size and their naivety. It can come in handy for solving problems, or for entertainment purposes. Let me explain...
Solving problems:
Kids can so easily be convinced of nearly anything. (Although, I have never convinced my 4 year old that if he keeps eating all those hot dogs that he will become a hot dog. He says "Mom, that does not happen. People do not turn into food." I have yet to get him to believe otherwise.) Sometimes issues arrive in a kids life that simple logic and reality do not solve. They can't get past their magical thinking, or they do not understand how reality can be so different from what they think is really going on. One day, out of nowhere, my son became terrified of monsters. It became a phobia. He was shaking and crying, unable to eat or sleep. It was exhausting and heart breaking to see him so scared. He'd jump at every noise. Well, telling him monsters do not exist was worthless. He did not buy it. We tried to explain the difference between real and imaginary. He still wasn't sure. We reminded him of how we saged the house when we moved in. Still, nothing. We had him draw pictures of monsters, then put the red circle with a slash through it and hang the pictures on our doors to tell monsters they couldn't come in. We hated doing that, at first, because we didn't want to fall into acting like monsters existed. But we had to get into his way of thinking to pull him out of it. Finally, it dawned on me. What are monsters if not yucky, gross, scary and ... dirty! So the one thing they would hate most is soap. I made up this elaborate story about how monsters will turn into a flower if they touch soap, so they are super afraid of it because they want to be dirty and gross. No one is afraid of a flower. For a few weeks, my son chucked a bar of soap under his bed to ward off the dirty foes, and that was that. Being naive can cause problems, and when it does sometimes that same trait helps solve them!
Another problem solving example: They are small enough to fit behind the couch or under tables to get things out that got stuck behind or under them.
Entertainment:
Today my son was playing with an air rocket. You know, the kind you put on a launch pad and stomp on the air pump and they fly up into the air. Well, my son was convinced he was hitting the moon with the rocket. I even told him he had knocked down a cloud. He was so sure he did once he looked up and saw there were no clouds in the sky! Surely Momma was telling the truth! And then the rocket went up again, and came back down on his head. This is where the line between good parenting and bad parenting starts to get a little blurry....
Me "Oh no! You knocked your head off with a rocket!"
Son "What!?" *feeling his head* "No, I think I feel it. It's still there."
Me "I don't think so, I don't know what you are feeling. I can't see your head anywhere! Maybe it rolled down into the drain!"
Son "Oh no! I'll go check!"
So he was looking all around for his head, occasionally stopping to feel his head and look confused. I just sat back and giggled. My husband even asked why he was looking in the drain. He shook his head when I told him he was looking for his blown off head.
Eventually my son walked over to me and said "Mom, I know my head must still be here! See!?", and he removed his sunglasses.
"Oh! There it is! I couldn't see it behind your glasses."
No harm no foul.... right?
Another entertainment example: They are small enough to fit behind the couch or under tables to get things out that got stuck behind or under them.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Post Number 100, the Princess Post
For my 100th post, I thought I'd disclose a little more information about myself...
Here are the top 5 reasons that I really must be an actual princess:
5. I love crabs
Ariel, in The Little Mermaid, is like best friends with a crab. Now, perhaps I am not really interested in befriending a crustacean, and maybe I actually want to eat them. Let's not split hairs. I love crabs, she loves crabs. For me, that is close enough. Clearly, this solidifies my princess status, but in case you are not quite convinced, keep reading.
4. I cannot stand a messy house
I'll direct you to exhibits A, and B.
A. Cinderella: She was on top of that big ol' house like nobody's business. Now, yes, she was technically forced into some kind of slavery by her hot mess of a step-mom and step-sisters, but she was even making clothes for mice and that was not in the job description. She also hates alarm clocks, but I digress.
B. Snow White: She whipped that little ol' cottage into shape, after she broke in and started squatting in some strangers crib. Now, of course, we all know about bachelor pads. They are really uninhabitable by anyone who isn't a bachelor or swine (yes, sometimes hard to tell the difference, I know). So, if she was going to continue free-loading in that joint she had to clean up for her own health and personal safety.
3. I love a good nap
Especially these days, I find myself wishing for some good ol' fashioned magic so that I might take a damn nap. Sleeping Beauty understood the value of a good nap. She even had a smile on her face while sleeping. Snow White, too. And, of course, these two broads were smart enough to only awake after a kiss from a handsome prince. I fantasize about pulling that kind of stunt. Of course, I'd be happy with a short 2 hour nap, and to wake up to a house that wasn't destroyed while I was resting. But that, my friends, is a real fairy tale.
2. The way to my heart is through shoes
Cinderella is my kind of chick. She knew what she was doing. Any man who shows up at my door and proceeds to put couture footwear on my feet... well let's just say #winning!
1. I prefer Princess weapons
Rapunzel totally beats a guy over the head with a cast iron skillet. After that one time I was pregnant and had worked a 12 hour shift and got home after midnight and my neighbor decided to fire up thee loudest snow blower ever to snow blow his grass at 4AM... well let's just say I was very disappointed to find out how light my frying pan was. (My husband wasn't disappointed by this, and was happy that he could convince me to wait on the head knocking until I had a better tool...) So I asked for a cast iron skillet for Christmas, and now it's my weapon of choice. Now, I know that most of you who know me know about my love of shivs. It's true. When in doubt, "stick 'em!" But, you must have time for arts and crafts if you want to use a shiv. Shivs don't make themselves, people. There are sometimes that only a good shanking will do, but when the situation is more urgent, like say someone grabs the last pair of Manolo Blahniks off the sale rack at Bergdorf's... cast iron skillet... time is of the essence.
So, as you can see, it is indisputable that I am, indeed, an actual princess. At this time I am lacking minions, but, eventually, my princess-ness will become known, and the minions will follow. For now, I'll just lay low, Cinderella style, and talk to the small animals that inhabit my home & already know of my royal status.
Here are the top 5 reasons that I really must be an actual princess:
5. I love crabs
Ariel, in The Little Mermaid, is like best friends with a crab. Now, perhaps I am not really interested in befriending a crustacean, and maybe I actually want to eat them. Let's not split hairs. I love crabs, she loves crabs. For me, that is close enough. Clearly, this solidifies my princess status, but in case you are not quite convinced, keep reading.
4. I cannot stand a messy house
I'll direct you to exhibits A, and B.
A. Cinderella: She was on top of that big ol' house like nobody's business. Now, yes, she was technically forced into some kind of slavery by her hot mess of a step-mom and step-sisters, but she was even making clothes for mice and that was not in the job description. She also hates alarm clocks, but I digress.
B. Snow White: She whipped that little ol' cottage into shape, after she broke in and started squatting in some strangers crib. Now, of course, we all know about bachelor pads. They are really uninhabitable by anyone who isn't a bachelor or swine (yes, sometimes hard to tell the difference, I know). So, if she was going to continue free-loading in that joint she had to clean up for her own health and personal safety.
3. I love a good nap
Especially these days, I find myself wishing for some good ol' fashioned magic so that I might take a damn nap. Sleeping Beauty understood the value of a good nap. She even had a smile on her face while sleeping. Snow White, too. And, of course, these two broads were smart enough to only awake after a kiss from a handsome prince. I fantasize about pulling that kind of stunt. Of course, I'd be happy with a short 2 hour nap, and to wake up to a house that wasn't destroyed while I was resting. But that, my friends, is a real fairy tale.
2. The way to my heart is through shoes
Cinderella is my kind of chick. She knew what she was doing. Any man who shows up at my door and proceeds to put couture footwear on my feet... well let's just say #winning!
1. I prefer Princess weapons
Rapunzel totally beats a guy over the head with a cast iron skillet. After that one time I was pregnant and had worked a 12 hour shift and got home after midnight and my neighbor decided to fire up thee loudest snow blower ever to snow blow his grass at 4AM... well let's just say I was very disappointed to find out how light my frying pan was. (My husband wasn't disappointed by this, and was happy that he could convince me to wait on the head knocking until I had a better tool...) So I asked for a cast iron skillet for Christmas, and now it's my weapon of choice. Now, I know that most of you who know me know about my love of shivs. It's true. When in doubt, "stick 'em!" But, you must have time for arts and crafts if you want to use a shiv. Shivs don't make themselves, people. There are sometimes that only a good shanking will do, but when the situation is more urgent, like say someone grabs the last pair of Manolo Blahniks off the sale rack at Bergdorf's... cast iron skillet... time is of the essence.
So, as you can see, it is indisputable that I am, indeed, an actual princess. At this time I am lacking minions, but, eventually, my princess-ness will become known, and the minions will follow. For now, I'll just lay low, Cinderella style, and talk to the small animals that inhabit my home & already know of my royal status.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Dish vs Irene and Getting the news from dogs
Apparently our satellite dish is no match for Hurricane Irene. I was making a day of having fun in the house, with the hurricane coverage going in the background. The eye of the storm is going to be closest to us around midnight, and so we have about 2 and a half hours until then, in the meantime the wind and rain have picked up. As soon as the wind started to pick up, just before 8PM, the dish started having trouble getting reception. A dish on the roof unable to compete with strong winds and rain? Who would have thought. *obvious sarcasm* Ugh.
The storm has been kind of boring so far, and without the more exciting coverage to watch it's really anticlimactic.
Somehow, in all the non-excitement, I have injured my neck. I usually hurt my neck while sleeping, because I'm that talented when it comes to injuring myself. It takes mad skills to hurt yourself in your sleep. Maybe I can report this as a hurricane-related injury. It was so low key that I thought I was sleeping, and sprained my neck.
Of course, the biggest show from this storm that we will see will take place overnight... in the dark... while we're asleep. My oldest son wanted to go out and play in the wind and rain, but it really wasn't windy enough during the day to do the "hurricane boarding" my husband started as tradition when he was a child.
Hurricane boarding = skateboard + sideways umbrella to pull you through the wind
We are contemplating waking him up at 2AM to go out. Or maybe we'll just take the baby monitor and go out ourselves!
Okay, so the dish just held it's own for about 3-4 minutes, and we saw some good coverage. The best part? A newscaster randomly came into view and walked behind someone giving a newscast... and she was walking a dog... then the dog walked over to the guy giving the news, and put his paws up on the desk. My husband's reaction? "What, after hours of being on air, they no longer give a f&%k about their jobs?" Then the satellite went out again, so we can only assume that hurricane Irene is now magical and turning people into dogs. You've been warned.
The storm has been kind of boring so far, and without the more exciting coverage to watch it's really anticlimactic.
Somehow, in all the non-excitement, I have injured my neck. I usually hurt my neck while sleeping, because I'm that talented when it comes to injuring myself. It takes mad skills to hurt yourself in your sleep. Maybe I can report this as a hurricane-related injury. It was so low key that I thought I was sleeping, and sprained my neck.
Of course, the biggest show from this storm that we will see will take place overnight... in the dark... while we're asleep. My oldest son wanted to go out and play in the wind and rain, but it really wasn't windy enough during the day to do the "hurricane boarding" my husband started as tradition when he was a child.
Hurricane boarding = skateboard + sideways umbrella to pull you through the wind
We are contemplating waking him up at 2AM to go out. Or maybe we'll just take the baby monitor and go out ourselves!
Okay, so the dish just held it's own for about 3-4 minutes, and we saw some good coverage. The best part? A newscaster randomly came into view and walked behind someone giving a newscast... and she was walking a dog... then the dog walked over to the guy giving the news, and put his paws up on the desk. My husband's reaction? "What, after hours of being on air, they no longer give a f&%k about their jobs?" Then the satellite went out again, so we can only assume that hurricane Irene is now magical and turning people into dogs. You've been warned.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Goodnight Irene
Twas the night before Irene, and all through our house...
Wouldn't it be cute if I had put together a full on hurricane rhyme? Alas, I did not. After braving the grocery store (Look, I usually shop on the weekend, so I actually needed to go. It wasn't storm panic, it was "we're out of food for even normal conditions") so after that, I have been too exhausted to be creative.
Under normal circumstances I am a super shopper. I put together a list after going through the circulars, I match sales to coupons, I head out with my list, coupons, and even my coupon binder. It's really quite a talent. You can go ahead and be jealous of my mad-grocery shopping skills. However, today was not normal.
Yesterday, it was brought to my attention that the grocery stores were ridiculous. Lines were 20 people deep, water was sold out, it was chaos. FANTASTIC! I shop on the weekends, so I knew right away I was pretty screwed. I didn't want to wait until my husband got home from work today when it would be worse, so I planned to take both of my boys with me after a trip to my 4 year old's school this morning. WHY?!?! I mean, really, the baby doesn't need to eat does he, nor do the cats...
The classroom visit started at 11AM, so that put us at the market around 11:30, just before lunch & the baby's nap. So I broke 2 rules right there, shopping with a hungry and tired baby. But, he'd be napping until it was too late and the crowds would be worse, so I continued on. We got through pretty well. There were a ton of retirees there who were just browsing along like it was a Sunday afternoon drive, going as slow as can be, blocking the aisles as they chatted with each other. It was sometimes hard to get around, and they weren't about to move to the side to a gal pass. Lucky for me, I was getting graham crackers, and that kept the boys happy. My 4 year old got a slice of cheese at the deli, and he dropped it moments later. That is when things really took a turn for the worse.
I thought we were lucky, because I found a line with only 2 people in front of me. Now, I noticed the woman in front of me with a bunch of papers, and she was looking at a WIC check, but she only had a few things compared to everyone else, so I thought the extra minute that would take would be no big deal. And I certainly do not have a problem with people using WIC, everyone needs food. I did NOT anticipate her waiting until I started loading the conveyor behind her to start dividing her groceries into 5... 5! different transactions. Then the belt stopped moving. After about 15 minutes, the baby started to lose his cool. He burst into tears, bit me, and tried to throw himself out of the shopping cart over and over again. After 5 minutes of listening to baby panic, my 4 year old started to get overly anxious, and started pacing and climbing on the cart, and shaking the cart. It quickly had become chaos. I wanted to bite that lady in front of me. I think it's only fair since she made an already tense, chaotic, "preparing for an emergency" environment back up even worse by making her order as difficult as possible, which resulted in my kid biting me. I have a hard time thinking there was no other way for her to handle that. I have never experienced that before. I mean she even paid separately for a candy bar. UGH!
When we got home, I was wiped out from my kids melting down. So any chance of a cutesy hurricane rhyme, limerick, or even a haiku is non-existent.
We are ready for the hurricane, though. My husband put together an emergency kit a few years ago, and he keeps it updated. We also tend to have a well stocked pantry for those times we really can't get to the store or for emergencies. We just prefer not to live completely off of that, hence the trip today. We also have a gas stove, and gas grill, so cooking is not an issue. We have plenty to do here, and we just plan on a cozy weekend inside with the boys. My son says we are having a "hurricane" party.
My biggest fear? Losing electricity so that I do not have my AC!!! I love my climate control!
To all my friends and family in Irene's path, stay dry, stay safe, and enjoy some quiet time at home or on a forced vacation away from home. It is what it is.
Wouldn't it be cute if I had put together a full on hurricane rhyme? Alas, I did not. After braving the grocery store (Look, I usually shop on the weekend, so I actually needed to go. It wasn't storm panic, it was "we're out of food for even normal conditions") so after that, I have been too exhausted to be creative.
Under normal circumstances I am a super shopper. I put together a list after going through the circulars, I match sales to coupons, I head out with my list, coupons, and even my coupon binder. It's really quite a talent. You can go ahead and be jealous of my mad-grocery shopping skills. However, today was not normal.
Yesterday, it was brought to my attention that the grocery stores were ridiculous. Lines were 20 people deep, water was sold out, it was chaos. FANTASTIC! I shop on the weekends, so I knew right away I was pretty screwed. I didn't want to wait until my husband got home from work today when it would be worse, so I planned to take both of my boys with me after a trip to my 4 year old's school this morning. WHY?!?! I mean, really, the baby doesn't need to eat does he, nor do the cats...
The classroom visit started at 11AM, so that put us at the market around 11:30, just before lunch & the baby's nap. So I broke 2 rules right there, shopping with a hungry and tired baby. But, he'd be napping until it was too late and the crowds would be worse, so I continued on. We got through pretty well. There were a ton of retirees there who were just browsing along like it was a Sunday afternoon drive, going as slow as can be, blocking the aisles as they chatted with each other. It was sometimes hard to get around, and they weren't about to move to the side to a gal pass. Lucky for me, I was getting graham crackers, and that kept the boys happy. My 4 year old got a slice of cheese at the deli, and he dropped it moments later. That is when things really took a turn for the worse.
I thought we were lucky, because I found a line with only 2 people in front of me. Now, I noticed the woman in front of me with a bunch of papers, and she was looking at a WIC check, but she only had a few things compared to everyone else, so I thought the extra minute that would take would be no big deal. And I certainly do not have a problem with people using WIC, everyone needs food. I did NOT anticipate her waiting until I started loading the conveyor behind her to start dividing her groceries into 5... 5! different transactions. Then the belt stopped moving. After about 15 minutes, the baby started to lose his cool. He burst into tears, bit me, and tried to throw himself out of the shopping cart over and over again. After 5 minutes of listening to baby panic, my 4 year old started to get overly anxious, and started pacing and climbing on the cart, and shaking the cart. It quickly had become chaos. I wanted to bite that lady in front of me. I think it's only fair since she made an already tense, chaotic, "preparing for an emergency" environment back up even worse by making her order as difficult as possible, which resulted in my kid biting me. I have a hard time thinking there was no other way for her to handle that. I have never experienced that before. I mean she even paid separately for a candy bar. UGH!
When we got home, I was wiped out from my kids melting down. So any chance of a cutesy hurricane rhyme, limerick, or even a haiku is non-existent.
We are ready for the hurricane, though. My husband put together an emergency kit a few years ago, and he keeps it updated. We also tend to have a well stocked pantry for those times we really can't get to the store or for emergencies. We just prefer not to live completely off of that, hence the trip today. We also have a gas stove, and gas grill, so cooking is not an issue. We have plenty to do here, and we just plan on a cozy weekend inside with the boys. My son says we are having a "hurricane" party.
My biggest fear? Losing electricity so that I do not have my AC!!! I love my climate control!
To all my friends and family in Irene's path, stay dry, stay safe, and enjoy some quiet time at home or on a forced vacation away from home. It is what it is.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Leave it to a baby to upstage you
My older son met his teacher today. The teacher and aide actually came to make a home visit (I suppose they need to make sure that the children attending their private school are not living in squalor *you can't see my eyes rolling, so you'll just have to trust that they are*). I'm sure they have a reason to do this more along the lines of "it helps the kids get to know them in their own, comfortable environment." Doesn't that sound more warm and fuzzy? So, the child I've described to this woman during 2 previous phone conversations, promptly acted like he was abducted by aliens and replaced by a shy, timid, and near silent child who at least resembled his physical appearance. *sigh* Maybe this was because I told him not to be so loud and "try not to scream or act like a spazz". (Spazzing out is one of his very favorite activities.) How he took that to mean "stare at her like she is speaking Chinese and you're an English mute.", I do not know. Eventually he did speak, but mostly pressed up against my ear, with his hands cupped around it, whispering "top secret" answers to me. FINALLY he told her his favorite song, and she asked him to sing it. It's not really much of a singing song, it's kind of has a dance/ German hip hop feel to it. So, he chose to sing a different German song from one of his favorite movies. Then, it was time for them to leave. As they started to get up, the baby, who had been charming them with his cute Frankenstein-esque walk, and incoherent baby babbles, stood straight up, gave them a broad smile with his silly one-tooth'd grin, waved and said "bye bye!" He has never said bye bye, and this quickly had everyone's attention. Even my other son was fussing over it. That was the most "lively and true to how our family really is" interaction of the visit!
Tomorrow my son goes to see his teacher in his classroom. He will get his cubby, and hopefully he will act more like himself. I will forgo telling him to hold back the spazziness. We shall see if that makes a difference.
Tomorrow my son goes to see his teacher in his classroom. He will get his cubby, and hopefully he will act more like himself. I will forgo telling him to hold back the spazziness. We shall see if that makes a difference.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
What you really want to tell them...
Today, my sons had a play date with a very sweet, and super adorable little girl. We all went to a local duck pond and playground. It was a pretty popular spot today, and the kids were having a great time. Right before we left, I caught my son hitting another child. I was horrified, as anyone would be, and went over to him (as the kid was running to her mother to tell on him), grabbed him, and marched him over to her to make sure she was okay and to apologize to her. He did, and tried to hug her, and the entire time she glared at him. Since this is not his usual behavior, I suspected he was provoked, but still, I can't allow him to hit another kid.
On the way home, I told him "I'm not happy about what happened on the playground. Why did you hit that little girl?" And, he confirmed my suspicion, and said "She hit me so many times, over and over again, so then I hit her." I wanted to tell him, "Fine, defend yourself. Don't let someone smack you around.", but I suppose I can't let him just hit someone. After all, other folks saw him hit her, and they probably didn't see what happened just before that, so if I ignore it I look like a bad parent. When, I really wanted to tell him "Good for you. Don't take shit from a little punk like that."
I did continue with taking the "grown up" route, and told him that, while I understood why he chose to hit her, he should have instead told her not to hit him, and let me know what was going on. And I was honest with him, and told him other people saw him hit her and they might think he's a bad kid. I didn't think he wanted others to think he was bad, and he told me he did not want that. So, he agreed to tell me next time, instead.
This reminds me of the other week at the library. We were looking through the children's book section, and this little girl came up to my son and shoved him. She then proceeded to growl at him, and then was hissing at him, and then tried to push him to the ground. He was grabbing onto me, and I got him in front of me. Then I bent down to the little girl's level, gave her a big, warm smile, and promptly growled at her and then walked away. She didn't say a word, but she left him alone the rest of the time we were there. I saw her bully other kids, but not him after that. The next time we went to the library he asked "what if that little girl is there and growls at me?" I said "Well, we will growl back at her." Then, he said "Well, how about we just ask her not to growl at me, first. THEN we can growl at her if she does it again." A few minutes later he said "Maybe we first ask her not to growl. Then, if she does it again, we shout "NO! Do NOT do that!" Then, if she does it again we growl. Let's give her a chance, Mom." I think he might be a better person that I am. I haven't told him about growling at her already. I still stand by my choice. It worked, and no harm no foul!
And a little bonus side note: My son was telling my husband all about the "No soliciting" sign I had made for the front door. He said "This says 'No Solicitin' ' , so when people come up to the door and see this, they will run away. If they knock on the door, Mommy will come outside and beat them." So, my husband explained that there was no way Mommy would do such a thing. She would never beat someone. She'd stick 'em, instead.
On the way home, I told him "I'm not happy about what happened on the playground. Why did you hit that little girl?" And, he confirmed my suspicion, and said "She hit me so many times, over and over again, so then I hit her." I wanted to tell him, "Fine, defend yourself. Don't let someone smack you around.", but I suppose I can't let him just hit someone. After all, other folks saw him hit her, and they probably didn't see what happened just before that, so if I ignore it I look like a bad parent. When, I really wanted to tell him "Good for you. Don't take shit from a little punk like that."
I did continue with taking the "grown up" route, and told him that, while I understood why he chose to hit her, he should have instead told her not to hit him, and let me know what was going on. And I was honest with him, and told him other people saw him hit her and they might think he's a bad kid. I didn't think he wanted others to think he was bad, and he told me he did not want that. So, he agreed to tell me next time, instead.
This reminds me of the other week at the library. We were looking through the children's book section, and this little girl came up to my son and shoved him. She then proceeded to growl at him, and then was hissing at him, and then tried to push him to the ground. He was grabbing onto me, and I got him in front of me. Then I bent down to the little girl's level, gave her a big, warm smile, and promptly growled at her and then walked away. She didn't say a word, but she left him alone the rest of the time we were there. I saw her bully other kids, but not him after that. The next time we went to the library he asked "what if that little girl is there and growls at me?" I said "Well, we will growl back at her." Then, he said "Well, how about we just ask her not to growl at me, first. THEN we can growl at her if she does it again." A few minutes later he said "Maybe we first ask her not to growl. Then, if she does it again, we shout "NO! Do NOT do that!" Then, if she does it again we growl. Let's give her a chance, Mom." I think he might be a better person that I am. I haven't told him about growling at her already. I still stand by my choice. It worked, and no harm no foul!
And a little bonus side note: My son was telling my husband all about the "No soliciting" sign I had made for the front door. He said "This says 'No Solicitin' ' , so when people come up to the door and see this, they will run away. If they knock on the door, Mommy will come outside and beat them." So, my husband explained that there was no way Mommy would do such a thing. She would never beat someone. She'd stick 'em, instead.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
The Earthclake Monster
I put the baby down for a nap, I cut my older sons hair, and I sat down to file my nails when... I heard and felt wind, no it must be thunder, or a train going past the front door... oh but wait, there are no train tracks in front of my house, so maybe it's an airplane. Oh my God, the natural gas is causing an explosion under our house. What else would be making my television violently shake back and forth, somehow not tipping over, and my cabinets slam and glasses rattle and pictures and OH MY GOD IS THAT WALL MOVING!?!?! Those thoughts happened in a mere second in my mind. With the TV and wall movement I was standing and heading for my son in the playroom, whom I grabbed, opened the front door, saw neighbors starting to come out of their house and sent him in the direction of my friend next door. Their dogs were confused, and looking around as they headed toward the house. I ran for the baby, napping upstairs. The super loud, thunderous cracking of the house mixed with the loudest rumble of what I thought was thunder at first, but soon became too loud to be thunder, plus the sustained movement of my walls and everything in my house, including the furniture I was sitting on. I grabbed the baby and we were out the front door as the shaking calmed down. It was a matter of seconds, but it felt like slow motion, and a flood of thoughts, including "this house is going to implode and swallow my children and I whole." I have never experienced anything like it, and it was both cool and terrifying. Only cool once we learned it was an earthquake, 5.9 magnitude, and it was over. Everyone was just fine. So now, we can all say we lived through an earthquake, and we have our stories, and it never has to happen again.
We were starting to laugh about it, already, once everyone had checked in and was safe. Everyone was still a bit nervous over aftershocks, but they should be less of an event than the first one. We are still a little shaken, I think.
My 4 year old was screaming, "Mommy! What is that!? Is there a monster in our house?!" I assured him there was no monster, but I overheard him telling our one cat that "It was so scary. There was an earthclake monster outside in the dirt!" He talked about it the rest of the day. He was a super sponge, soaking up every tiny bit of info the news was giving out on TV. He kept asking me to show him an earthquake, and I told him he experienced it, and that is a way more effective example than a picture. I thought to pull out the video camera and record an interview with him. You can do this, too, especially for really young kiddos who may forget the experience. I did give the date, the ages of my kiddos, and the magnitude of the quake. I asked him what happened, what did he hear and see, what did he do, how did he feel about all of that. He added in a little more info, too. Now, if he forgets, I have preserved the memory for him.
So, I end with 2 things:
#1 I told my neighbor I'm so done with this house. Between the mosquitoes, and now the earthquake... I'm out. Then I found out like most of the east coast felt it, so I'm screwed. I'll just have to stay here and have my blood drained by little flying bastards or be swallowed up by the Earth.
#2 I'm blaming any messes in this house on the earthquake. I'm not sure how long I will drag this out, but "Oh, please ignore the mess... we had an earthquake." will be my go-to for awhile.
We were starting to laugh about it, already, once everyone had checked in and was safe. Everyone was still a bit nervous over aftershocks, but they should be less of an event than the first one. We are still a little shaken, I think.
My 4 year old was screaming, "Mommy! What is that!? Is there a monster in our house?!" I assured him there was no monster, but I overheard him telling our one cat that "It was so scary. There was an earthclake monster outside in the dirt!" He talked about it the rest of the day. He was a super sponge, soaking up every tiny bit of info the news was giving out on TV. He kept asking me to show him an earthquake, and I told him he experienced it, and that is a way more effective example than a picture. I thought to pull out the video camera and record an interview with him. You can do this, too, especially for really young kiddos who may forget the experience. I did give the date, the ages of my kiddos, and the magnitude of the quake. I asked him what happened, what did he hear and see, what did he do, how did he feel about all of that. He added in a little more info, too. Now, if he forgets, I have preserved the memory for him.
So, I end with 2 things:
#1 I told my neighbor I'm so done with this house. Between the mosquitoes, and now the earthquake... I'm out. Then I found out like most of the east coast felt it, so I'm screwed. I'll just have to stay here and have my blood drained by little flying bastards or be swallowed up by the Earth.
#2 I'm blaming any messes in this house on the earthquake. I'm not sure how long I will drag this out, but "Oh, please ignore the mess... we had an earthquake." will be my go-to for awhile.
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