Bedtime

Tonight we did our (mostly) usual routine of getting our jammies on, cranking up the tunes and dancing our legs off until it's time to go to bed. We all started off great with some Black Eyed Peas and some super awesome (that's code for absolutely ridiculous) dancing. Cue some Kung Fu Fighting and we become super awesome dancing ninjas. Of course, Andy and I are the most bodacious dancers there ever were - you can tell by all of our badass moves that we are performing right in front of our GIANT WINDOW (this is NOT in any way an invitation to come over and watch us embarrass ourselves).

Now we have Sophie showing us her dance moves (she's taking a hip hop class this year) and she chose to have us do jumping jacks for two minutes. No big deal right? That's what I thought too - until I started doing them. I got maybe thirty seconds into it when one stray bounce made me come to an abrupt stop. Cue athletic jokes by Andy. But sadly this wasn't one of those times when my lack of in-shapedness has gotten the better of me. I have had three kids and have also lost the ability to hold anything in my bladder. Yes folks, a good sneeze can make me do the same thing.

We all finish our bedtime recital and calm down with a couple of good books. Each of the girls take on a bedtime story now and when it's Sophie's turn, she does the most amazing thing: she gives the other two parts to read, and helps them through it. She gets them both involved in the story!! This is something that neither Andy or I can do on a good day (Sophie's usually the only one who listens to the story while the Flying Wallenda's perform their latest tricks). That moment right there was one of those things that make it all worth it.

What a perfect day (well, except for that part where I almost peed my pants).

Things that are fun to put in the toilet

All research done by Reilly, age 3

colourful wooden blocks +
cars**
own head**
bath toys**
cotton balls +
own feet**
small stuffed toys from McDonalds +
barbie dolls**
Bratz shoes +
entire roll of toilet paper **
entire box of kleenex**
entire intact roll of toilet paper***
8 intact rolls of toilet paper**
small books**
popsicle sticks**
own hands **
own arms**
brushes**

legend:
* good for flushing
** good for flushing but takes several flushes resulting in a time out for playing in the bathroom
*** not good for flushing even after several flush tests were done, resulting in a time out for putting things in the toilet. Some of these objects force the MOM to use tongs to retrieve causing strange head shaking and mumbles about why boys are obsessed with toilets
+ good for flushing but eventually plug the entire system forcing the DAD to take toilet apart and find said objects resulting in time out for flushing things down the toilet

I stood up for myself

Well I did. I always tell the kids to stand up for what they know is right. I never knew how hard that would be until yesterday. There was an issue with one of the kids that I look after and I did everything right. The other person went up one side of me and down the other trying to make me feel small and ashamed. The thing is, it didn't work. Most of the time I am second guessing everyhting I do - was it the right thing? Did I do everything the best way I could? Did I think about everyone involved? A lot of times I feel that I could have done something better. Well this time I was certain that everything went well. I even wanted to share what had happened with the kids' mother because said child was quite sensitive about the whole thing and that's where this whole journey started to get rough.

It's funny y'know, because I don't look like someone who gets pushed around. I'm loud, sarcastic, opinionated, and I ususally speak before I think (I know most of these facts are shocking to some). But there I was having someone trying to belittle be for something which at this point is trivial. I was being treated poorly. I was thining to myself that this is what we teach our chilren to stay away from. The girls are learning about bullies in school and when they ask me what a bully is, I tell them that it is someone who makes you feel yucky inside. It's not always hitting or pushing - sometimes people use words to make you feel like that.

I had to do something about it. I tried my best to explain everything, but there was no budging on the other side - just anger. Now I understand that a mother reacts to things that affect her child in a very different way than to things that affect even herself, but I could not allow this woman to continue treating me in a way I wouldn't allow others to be treated. So I stopeed it. I told her that she couldn't do that.

Now I am dealing with the emotional rollercoaster of the aftershock. I am sad because our children are friends. How will that affect them? My girls were sad and I am having trouble explaining the situation to them without making people look bad. I told them that they are still friends with this child and that it was something that mommy had to do so that we could all try to stay friends.

I stood up for what I know was right. I wouldn't let myself get pushed around. It was extremely hard to do. I'm not pleased with every aspect of the outcome, but I am proud of myself for doing what I did and I can become a better mother because of it.