Category Archives: Motherhood

A Little Quiet Around Here

I know I haven’t been blogging much. I suppose I’m a little paralysed by the prospect of Thanksgiving and Christmas and everything I have to do over the next few weeks. Not that I’m doing anything about it. Usually having a deadline is just what I need to get things done but right now I feel incredibly unmotivated to do anything besides going to the gym.

Surprised? Me too. I think I just had to wait until technology caught up with my need to exercise. It makes it so much easier to stay on the treadmill when I only have 10 minutes left on the TV show I have streaming onto myi phone via Netflix. Right now I’m half way through season 3 of Damages, which I highly recommend for anyone needing a new addictive TV experience. I would appreciate recommendations for what I should watch next because, at the rate I’m watching these episodes, I only have a couple more weeks of workouts covered. Then what will I do?

It’s only Tuesday, but the weekend already feels like a distant memory. I think a lot of the blame lies with the Typhoon we’re currently experiencing in Portland – the one that makes me feel as though I must have moved to Japan because I know it rains here, but this is a little ridiculous.

Still, we had a dry weekend so I can’t complain too much (not that I won’t try). I spent most of it doing stuff around the house like cleaning before the cleaners arrive today (stopped myself short of scrubbing the bathroom), piles and piles of laundry (it was NOT a good week for the washing machine) and finally taking my car in to fix damage from when I was rear-ended in (cough!) March. Yes, it has taken me that long to do anything about it and I am only taking action now because my husband shamed me into it by getting the van fixed within mere weeks of his own accident. If your counting, that’s two rear-end accidents within the same year. How did we get so lucky?

In addition to all of the above, my husband took Thomas to a birthday party and came home with an extra child to stay the night (I shouldn’t let that man socialize by himself). Thankfully the child was Liam who is much better behaved than my own children and no trouble at all. Still, we decided to venture out of the house on Sunday morning to burn off a little pent up boy energy, despite the frigid temperatures.

I think these may be the last photos of autumn colors. The typhoon destroyed most of the remaining leaves and they’re now spread across our freshly raked lawn.

Liam was an absolute dream at the park and wanted to stay longer to play. My kids complained endlessly about the cold until I finally gave in to the whining and took them all home.

I have a rare day off tomorrow and plan to take Thomas and a friend to the Portland Art Museum to see the Japanese art exhibit (wish me luck). Then on Thursday we celebrate the holiday of eating with the traditional Ishida take-out Thanksgiving dinner. We have a few extra people this year, but the adults still outnumber the kids 6-4 so my plan to sit around and do very little except eat and drink still seems achievable. On Friday we officially kick off the Christmas season with a very special train ride. More on that soon.

Wishing a wonderful Thanksgiving to all of my American friends and, to my Aussie friends, I’ll do my best to try not to think about the fun you’re likely having sipping cocktails in the sunshine while I struggle to warm my hands with a hot toddy by the heater.

Just Your Average Mild Mannered Reporter

I was cleaning up my desk at work yesterday and came across some toy glasses that had been purchased for an employee prank a while ago (long story). And of course when you come across a pair of black spectacles and you have a child who’s currently obsessed with Superman, you immediately consider how perfect they would be for the “Clark Kent” portion of his costume.

So I took them home and then spent the rest of the evening helping my three year old get in and out of his disguise. The Superman costume was underneath and, in the absence of a suit and tie, he wore the Fireman Sam costume over the top. Glasses can only be worn when the superman costume is hidden. It’s important to maintain the secret identity.

After his bath, he asked me to make a little curl out of his hair in the middle of his forehead. It lasted about 30 seconds before it dried.

He also went to school dressed as Superman for the second day in a row.

One of the fun details of our life right now.

This is How They Win Me Over

Every now and then they cooperate for a split second and I am able to get a photo of them together. Then I give them candy… or a new superhero toy…

Then & Now

The best thing about keeping a blog is the ability to look back and see how much we’ve changed. Of course, it’s a little bittersweet to realize how quickly my babies have grown – and it makes me want another one – at least until the next time Samuel throws a tantrum because his SOCKS ARE THE WRONG COLOR!

Good thing my brother booked his trip to come and visit us at Christmas. He’s bringing his wife along but it’s my teeny nephew Charlie who I am most excited to see (sorry, Ben and Emma, but it’s true). I’ll just need to soak up all the baby goodness I can over those two short weeks.

So here’s my quick look back at THEN (May, 2008) and NOW.

THEN

NOW

THEN

NOW

Now I’m just torturing myself.

Inspired by @TaraWhitney who posted a link to a five-year-old picture of her family on Twitter this morning.

On This Day Six Years Ago…

Six years ago this morning, I found myself eagerly anticipating the birth of my first born (well, after the Epidural kicked in anyway. Before then I was eagerly anticipating a little pain relief).

What we experienced over just a few hours was a ton of excitement, then worry, then deep concern, then surgery, then immense joy. It seemed appropriate that, from the moment he was born, Thomas started us on the roller coaster that I’m sure will continue well beyond his teenage years.

A few facts about Thomas at six:

  • He changes his toy obsession from moment to moment. Right now our house is being overrun by Super Heroes. Lat week it was Cars and Wonderpets. Makes it difficult to shop for his birthday.
  • He is currently going through a stage where he will sing everything to me, opera-style. It’s really sweet for the first 10 or so minutes. (blame Wonderpets)
  • He is incredibly sensitive and often surprises me with his empathy.
  • He is smart – and getting smarter every day (and I’m only a little biased).
  • He has grown so much over the past year. From learning to ride his bike to blowing us away with his ability to learn everything from Math to Japanese, this kids amazes us every day.
  • He will NOT be celebrating his birthday with a cast on his arm.

Happy birthday baby (I’ll still be calling you that when you’re twenty). We are so proud of you.

The Outtakes

I was going to come on here to share a few wonderful photos of my children on their first day back at school – and then share some of the outtakes just for fun. But then I looked through my photos and realized that the outtakes were the norm and that, really, our life is just one long series of outtakes these days.

The first day back went as well as could be expected. I only had to leave one screaming child in the arms of a caregiver (Samuel) and was able to peel Thomas off my leg within 5 minutes, so I consider that a successful drop off.

Thomas’ first day of Kindergarten (that’s Prep, for my Aussie readers) was just an orientation so they only needed him for an hour – just enough time for me to grab a coffee and read a few emails on my first day back at work before I had to go and pick him up for his assessment. He did extremely well at assessment and declared himself to be “possibly the smartest kid in the whole school.” So I guess his confidence level is right up there with his math and reading scores.

Excited for the rest of the week – a birthday to celebrate, a real first day of Kindergarten to prepare for and a whole lot of work to do. Two weeks of vacation doesn’t do any favors for the inbox.

For now, enjoy some of our first day outtakes photographs.

 

 

He’s Trying to Break Me.

I’m convinced my three-year-old is trying to break me. Underneath that cute exterior is a diabolical mind that is just trying to see how far he can push me until I crack.

Take this morning for example:

I walk into to the bedroom and open the blinds. Child greets me with a big smile and then puts his head back on pillow. I leave room to get dressed. 5 minutes late, same child is in a mess of tears and whining calling for me to come back. I walk back into the room and following conversation take place:

Mummy (M): I’ll get your clothes
Samuel (S): NO! DON’T GET MY CLOTHES!
M: Ok – then you get your clothes. I’m going to get dressed (leave room).
S: MUMMY! I NEED YOU TO GET MY CLOTHES!
M: (grabbing clothes from closet)
S: NO! NOT THOSE CLOTHES!
M: OK – how about these clothes?
S: I WANT BLUE SOCKS! I DON’T WANT YOU IN MY ROOM!
(scene continues for about 10 minutes while I go back and forth between my room and his. Child is finally carried down the stairs to breakfast.)
S: Mummy – may I have a banana for my breakfast please? And some cereal? I love you Mummy.
M: Thank you for asking so nicely. I’ll also get you a spoon (consciously grabbing the spoon with the blue handle).
S: NO! I WANT THE ALL-BLUE SPOON, NOT THAT BLUE SPOON!

I won’t bore you with the rest, but let me assure you that this continued for another 30 or so minutes before I was able to leave the house. Of course when we got to school he refused to go in and after we eventually made it to the classroom, I had to peel him off  my leg so I could leave. The whole way down the hall I could hear him screaming “I WANT YOU MUMMY!”.

On the one hand, it broke my heart to leave him in such a mess. On the other, I was grateful that I had this option for both our sakes. I wish this was a one-time event but, sadly, it was the continuation of a rough weekend.

I know he’s going through a lot right now – becoming the middle child overnight must be tough – but where do you draw the line between pandering to a three year old in an attempt to be compassionate and keep the peace, and finally deciding that enough is enough?

And it rained all weekend in Portland. I need a vacation.

Today – I’ll be taking a bunch of pictures and video for work (a good thing) and, apparently, working on my attitude so I can make it toFriday. Wish me luck.

Socially Acceptable Behaviour…

…for a three year old.

You can only get away with mowing the lawn in your underwear for a few short years before someone calls the cops so you might as well enjoy it while you can.

 

 

On Being an American Mother

Growing up in Australia, my primary understanding of American childhood and adolescence were the images that came from the TV and movie screen. Happy Days and Grease (High school in the 50s), Family Ties (Family life in the 80s), Beverly Hills 90210 (High school angst in the 90s), Sesame Street (childhood with Muppets!).

Now, I realize that these representations of middle-American life are more stereotypical than true to life, but they gave me enough information to appreciate the many differences that existed for those wonderfully cool and attractive people that lived on the other side of the world, most notably…

  • School cafeterias
  • School buses
  • Cheerleaders
  • Jocks and football, track, basketball…etc. (but, strangely, few female sports)
  • Proms, homecoming dances and people who were given royal titles for such occasions.
  • Being able to drive yourself to school!
  • Lots of partying and drinking

Note: none of the above happened on Sesame Street. What I learned primarily from that show is that people and monsters can live side-by-side in harmony.

Right now, Kei and I are catching up on the one and only season of Freaks and Geeks. I don’t think the show ever made it to Australia and, if it had, I can’t help thinking that my view of the American adolescence may have been a little less bright and shiny and a little more like my own Australian experience (minus the cheerleaders).

I was the least popular girl in one of the slightly popular groups. We were not quite outcasts but we definitely lived near the fringe of school life.  I was in the singing group (think Glee but with less impressive choreography), I played a minor character with a solo in the school production of Oliver!, I got mostly A’s but a few B’s (until they changed the grading system and I started getting S’s and C’s). For the most part, I flew under the radar and I knew, without a doubt, that my life would get better when I went to University.

And it did. Phew!

Now I find myself raising children in the world I saw on television and not the world I knew. Sure, there are similarities, but my kids will eat in a cafeteria, one day ride an iconic yellow bus to school… and then there’s the sports.

Thomas just finished his first season of T-Ball. Two practices and one game each week for three months. He’s only five. In two years he’ll have to try out for the team. On the one hand, I am excited that he’s growing up and spending time outside and, right now, seems to enjoy himself. On the other hand, I’m a little afraid of this brand new world that we’re both moving in to – the world of school buses and organized sports.

One thing’s for sure, though, I have never felt quite so much like an American mother as I did when I watched Thomas at his final T-Ball game of the season. And, while I felt as though I were having an out-of-body classic-American movie experience for some of the time, it was fun to watch my little boy run the bases.

And the best part? I can tell him about my couple of seasons spent playing with the Ferntree Gully Fireballs T-Ball team. Despite the fact that many of his other childhood adventures will also be new experiences for me, we’ll always have T-Ball.

I guess we’ll learn the rest together.