Monday, December 21, 2009

Is it really a lie?

Recently, I was out running errands and I ran into a friend of mine. We greeted each other and she asked how I was doing. I responded with "Just fine." She then told me not to lie to her. She said she could tell my arthritis was bothering me by the way I was walking. Now, she said this very kindly and with the best of intentions, but it has since been weighing on my mind...was I really lying?

If I was, it was certainly without intention. I don't like complaining to people, even my good friends. I also don't like to dwell on the fact that I hurt. Yes, a lot of the time, I hurt. My arthritis bothers me in some fashion on a daily basis. Usually, nothing major, just a little ache here and there. But, if I dwelt on my pain every day, I don't know that I could even get out of bed. And honestly, I do consider it a good day when I can get out and run errands. I know that a day may come, when even simply running to the store on my own will be impossible.

So, if I said I was just fine, for that moment I really was fine - not great, not wonderful, but fine.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

My daughter is freaking me out


Vibiana is just too smart. She is beginning to make me a little nervous! Let me give a few examples...

1. She is potty training herself. One morning a couple of weeks ago, I had just taken her diaper off and she told me she needed to go potty. I took her and she actually went! This took me completely by surprise as I had not encouraged potty training yet at all. This has continued, much to my delight. However, the biggest drawback is that she is much more ready mentally than she is physically. She tends to get very frustrated when she goes in her pull-up because she doesn't want it there!

2. She can sort things. The package of pull-ups that we buy her have two different pictures of Dora on them and Vibiana really likes one of the pictures. So, what she decided to do, was take all the pull-ups out of the package and sort them into two piles, depending on which picture was on the pull-up.

3. She counts really, really well. For awhile, she has been able to count to three, but them she would jump to thirty-nine. Over the last week, however, she can correctly and consistently count to seven. Not just counting, but counting objects! Her favorite things to count are pennies. I had a number of pennies laid out in my hand, and she was able to count them while picking them out of my hand and laying them in a line. After seven, she sometimes goes to eight, but she also sometimes skips to ten or eleven, but up to seven she is spot on.

Did I mention she's only two??!!
She will probably be taking over the world by the time she is 10. Consider yourselves warned.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Harry Potter on a Sunday morning

I know that there is a small faction Catholic families that frown upon the Harry Potter series. My family is not one of them. We are currently working our way through the entire series on audiobook. We listen every time we are driving together (which is a lot!) and we are currently about a third of the way through Order of the Phoenix.

That, in combination with a Harry Potter marathon on TV this weekend, results in my kids being completely immersed in "magic" right now. So, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by whispered shouts of "Expecto Patronum" and "Stupify" this morning. Darian was trying to teach Vibiana to say "Expelliarmus", but it kept coming out "Yamus". Perhaps the best part was Darian saying "Imperio" and then telling Sophia that now she had to do whatever he told her. Sophia's response was "Yeah right, Darian! I don't have to do anything you tell me!"

I was actually pleasantly surprised by how much Sophia and Sebastian seem to have picked up by just listening to the audiobooks. Some of the "situations" they were in this morning were straight out of the books (not the movies) and they were able to play along really well without Darian directing them.

So, while some may frown upon my kids using "spells" before getting ready for mass on a Sunday morning, this mom was quite pleased with her four children playing a game together. It is not often that they play together for so long (nearly an hour) without fighting and crying. One of my greatest joys is watching (or, in this case, listening) to my children having fun with each other.

Usually, my Sunday mornings start with trying not to yell at someone that they need to find their dress shoes or attempting to stay calm when we realize Sebastian doesn't have any pants to wear to mass. I am so pleased to have this Sunday morning start with such a tangible affirmation of the beauty and joy of family life. Of course, this may not last as I now have to actually get out of bed and start getting everyone ready to go. Oh, well. It was nice while it lasted.