Munscha Meeya

Today, we took the kids to see "Munscha Meeya" at the Prairie Theatre Exchange. This is becoming an annual treat for us over the winter break - last year was the first year, and I was amazed at how the kids sat so well, intent on the show. Today was no different - Ella's face was so cute, watching the characters act out the stories. Though we were only familiar with one of the stories, they were all very good. Ben & Ella love to read Munsch stories, and we have books on CD as well (read by Robert Munsch himself) that are the most requested in the car.

And as we were leaving the theatre, Gord pointed out a poster for a Robert Munsch reading at the Centennial Concert Hall on June 9th. I bought the tickets when we got home...the kids will be beside themselves to hear him read in person!

Snow ho ho!

I'm more than a little nervous with the reports for snow coming in the next day...my babies are visiting with Grandma & Grandpa...they MUST be home for Christmas! I have complete faith though that my mom and dad will do whatever it takes to get them home to us...right???? They wouldn't keep them all to themselves, would they????

How many days left until Christmas????

Not enough, that's for sure.

Things are crazy! Concerts, decorating, shopping, working, baking...who has time to wrap or sleep these days?

I'm hoping that everyone else is staying sane out there!

Gotta write this one down

As we were getting out of the car tonight:

Ben: "Mom, do you know what one of the older kids at the Y said to me? When I was hugging Dominique when she was leaving?"
Me: "What?"
Ben: (in a low voice) "Now let's see some lip action!"
Me: "Oh my!"
Ben: "Yeah, but I don't listen to what the big kids say!"

That's my boy!

Not prepared

This school thing is really not what I bargained for.

I don’t mean the actual schoolwork – Ben’s report card and student conference went very well – his teacher is very impressed with his progress and his interest in French. He loves to tell us all the French words and phrases he knows, sings us all the songs they learn, and quiz us on how much French we know.

It’s the social aspect. The other kids. The kids who are a bit older and wiser. The kids who wrestle and watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The kids who make farting sounds with their mouths. The kids who use words that we don’t use.

I don’t blame Ben. It must be confusing to do stuff at school and then go home to parents who don’t let him do those things.

But what I’m finding hard is how we balance it all to make sure he’s allowed to be a kid, ya know?

I mean, let’s take the farting noise, for example. He farts. Everyone farts. It’s nature. And fart noises can be funny (c’mon, admit it). But when he constantly makes the farting noise with his mouth, say at the dinner table, spreading germs all over the place, yeah, he has to stop.

And though no one’s gotten hurt YET wrestling/TMNT-ing/karate/Star Wars-ing on the playground after school, it’s only a matter of time. (And my kid has the glasses that will get broken. 5 year old with glasses = mucho $$$$)

We’ve just been going through a transition, I guess, and he’s learning about boundaries and expectations. It’s just hard right now, when we’re frustrated, not to take all his privileges away.

Or then there’s the conversation we had on Sunday night that started like this: “T’s brother so-and-so said that the Santa Claus at the Santa Claus parade was fake.”

Yeah, so not prepared.