Productive Parenting FAIL!

So, I'm subscribed to this really nifty website that gives me ideas on what to do with my ankle biters when I'm feeling a bit uncreative. So, today, with said activity at the ready, we trooped outside. Unfortunately, I set up the play table a little too close to a cactus plant that lives on our patio. By the time we get inside, both kids are pulling at their clothes and howling from cactus stickers. Georgia had little cactus prickles all over her back, Daniel and I had some in our hands.

After about 15 min of howling, I threw both kids in the bathtub and tried to convince them that the warm water would "soak the cactus out" of their skin. Ha! But, they bought it. Have you ever tried to give kids a bath at a random time of day? Its like a vacation for them, a snow day. Their usual bathtime behavior (which is none too impressive anyway) goes right out the window, to be replaced by bathtime hooligans. Hooligans! There was a good 15 min of naked toddlers running through the house, punctuated by a large dog barking, the phone ringing, and the fact that I had to remove some of my own clothes which had now gotten cactus prickles in them (from Georgia's clothing).

For the record, I'd like you all to know that said cactus plant has been moved far far away from our patio. And I'd like to formally request a do-over for this day. I should have just stuck with eating bon-bons as per usual.

Back to School

Today was Daniel's first day at his new preschool. I was so excited for him, nervous about him making new friends (which is silly, I mean, he's three, its not like its junior high or anything). Today stood in sharp contrast to last year when there was crying and lots of tears when I left him in his St. Catherine's classroom. Today, we came in, and he happily ran off to play after putting his stuff in his cubby. After hugging me, he never looked back. And that's how it should be, and it made me proud. But at the same time, when I looked at him playing all the way across the room as Georgia and I were walking out the door, I felt kind of like, who is this little boy and where did he come from. After we got home from school, we sat on the couch and he told me what he did, the names of some of the kids in his class, what games they played, stories they read. He just seemed like... well, a kid. I'm becoming acutely aware that I'm a mom to a boy. A boy who laughs at fart jokes (and makes them up as well), is long and lanky, silly, and grubby. I've also learned something else today. Taking care of Georgia, the 18 months old whirlwind, without the benefit of her brother to entertain her is HARD WORK.