So, what worthy cause eats up my time to the point of not posting to my blog? I would love to say that I have been traveling the world to exotic locations and any time I am at home is spent relaxing with my loving and devoted children. Alas, that is only true in my wildest dreams. Which, are few and far between. My days continue to be filled with a mad dash out of the house, 1 hour drive to work, 8 hours of actual work, typically consumed by meetings that prevent me from, well, working, a 1 hour commute to pick both kids up from daycares in two different states by the magic hour of 6pm (at which point they might turn into pumpkins), fending for dinner, supervising homework, putting the kids to bed, followed by more endless hours of work. Mike's schedule is similar, but with a longer commute and less exposure to kids. At some point in our endless hours of work, one or both of us realizes it is close to midnight, turns off their laptop, forces the other to do the same, and we both fall into bed to catch several hours of sleep before waking up and repeating. My sleep is dreamless; I suspect Mike dreams about work because he occasionally has conversations with himself that involve the words "AutoCad", "Matlab", or some acronym that is meaningless to me.
Needless to say we both look forward to the weekend. Unfortunately, those two days are the only days our kids wake up of their own accord. Figures. And, our "free time" is consumed by our children's social calendars, yard work, house work, or any other tasks that we should have completed during the week if we did anything other than work. A sorry existence to be sure.
Since my last two weeks have been consumed with travel (to such exotic locales as Edison, NJ) and production issues, leaving me with little time in the office, it seemed like as good a time as any to procrastinate. So, if you are still awake, I present the Updates on Trouble & Super Nibbles:
TROUBLE:
Mikie continues to enjoy most of school. By most, I mean math. And, one could argue he loves that because his mind seems to compute the answers with little effort. He is that kid you have to remind to "show your work". Try explaining "partial credit" to a 7 year old. Not easy. Spelling on the other hand is the bane of both of our existences. Not mine so much, because I rocked spelling as a kid (if they didn't allow bonsai in the spelling bee, I know I would have won). But, since we have to help him study, I hate it as much as he does. In a moment of desperation, I made a deal with him a few months ago that if he got a 95 or above on his spelling test that week, I would buy him a new Lego set. Miraculously, he managed to study and ace his spelling test. Lego is going to need to start coming out with more sets and we may start building an edition to the house out of Lego bricks to house all of the Legos we own, but it seems to motivate Mikie to study. Additionally, I will have to clone myself to take on a second job at the Lego store so that I can use my employee discount and supplemental paycheck to finance his addiction.
Also, being 7, Mikie has become quite the smart ass. For example, if I tell him to put his shoes on in the morning, he will refuse to do so because I "didn't say 'please'." Between him and Hannah, I find myself frequently saying, "I am your Mother. I don't need a reason why. When I tell you to do something, you just do it!" I stop just short of saying, "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of it." Mike frequently accuses me of overreacting. I accuse him of spending too little time with our "cherubs".
Other than Math and Legos, Mikie is equally interested in Science. He has NO trouble remembering the most minute facts about whatever they are studying: penguins, the earth, the planets. You bring up a topic, Mikie will have a random fact to regale you with. Sometimes I feel like his is Rainman. If only his sense of recall would apply to spelling, my life would be so much easier.
He also enjoys research. Being in second grade, he has had to do a number of projects throughout the year. He read a biography on Thomas Jefferson and had to make a timeline of seven major events in his life, complete with illustrations. For the kid whose daily drawings are typically monochromatic, faceless stick figures, I was shocked to see how much detail he put into this project. Evidently, my logic driven child only likes to draw if he feels there is a point to doing so. The facts and images make me laugh, so I am putting up a slideshow of them here.
If all else fails, we are considering a modeling career for Mikie. My cousin's girlfriend, Emily, is finishing her senior year at Parson's School of Design. For her senior thesis, she designed a line of children's clothing and asked Mikie to model it for her portfolio. As you will see, the clothes were way more fashion forward then anything Mikie typically wears (Mikie wardrobe consisting solely of "fuzzy" sweatpants and amusing t-shirts, as evidenced by his spring school picture). However, he had a good time, and Emily managed to get a lot of great pictures that captured his personality. At least, Mike and I love them. Hopefully Emily and whatever faculty/prospective employers who see her portfolio like them as well. SUPER NIBBLES:
Hannah has not changed at all. Okay, she has changed a bit: she has become more vocal and less "bashful" at least when it comes to verbally abusing me. She typically refrained from doing so in front of witnesses. Now, if she's mad, she is happy to share it with the world. This earns me combined looks of sympathy, pity, annoyance, from others depending on where we are. Most people find her "cute" and her meltdowns "amusing". But, that is because they don't live with her. Mikie can often be seen covering his ears in a futile effort to block out her yelling. He has also started looking for opportunities to leave her places. The last time we were at the chiropractors, she was playing in the playroom and he whispered to me, "If we leave now, she might not notice." The only one she treats with a modicum of respect is Mike. And, again, I'm convinced that's because he's not around as much Monday through Friday. On the weekends, even "Daddy" has thrown her in time-out.
In spite of her bossy attitude, she seems to get along well with others. She walks into daycare every morning with a smirk on her face like she runs the place. And, some days, I half wonder if she does. She moved up to the three-year old room at the end of January. But, she didn't seem to like the transition, or the teacher. After a couple weeks straight of hysterics requiring teachers to surgically remove her from my leg (yes, she IS a drama queen), we realized that she liked Mr. Jay, the teacher in the preschool. So, in an effort to save my sanity, as well as Ms. Danielle, the three-year old teacher, the owner moved her up to the preschool. She has been much happier, seems to get along well with the kids. I don't know if the influence of older kids has been positive or not. She is equally demanding. And, she now wants to do everything Mikie does because she says, "I a BIG kid." With a nod of her head for special emphasis. Back-up care caved just as quickly when I went out of town earlier this month. No sooner had Mike dropped her off than she insisted she needed to be in a "different room". So, they moved her. God help us when she gets into the real world and realizes that she can't always get what she wants.
Mike tries to remind me that she isn't all terror. She is exceedingly cute, which is her saving grace. She is using the potty consistently now, wearing Pull-ups at bedtime only. She has even managed to survive the 1 hour commutes every morning and evening without flooding her carseat (I say as I knock on wood). She likes to sing and dance. And, she is extremely patriotic. She recites the Pledge of Allegiance multiple times a day. Her inflection coupled with her wicked Massachusetts accent make it the cutest thing you will ever hear.
Unlike her big brother, who would probably spend all day in front of a TV/computer/video game if left to his own devices, Hannah would prefer to spend all day outside. Our lawn maintenance (or lack there of) often impedes her doing so. But, she loves to ride her bike or scooter around the cul-de-sac with other kids in the neighborhood.
That gives a good overview of the Trahans over the last five months. I will try and fill in with more detailed annecdotes. Hopefully, in less than five months time ;-)
Love, The Trahans
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