The kindness of 4 year olds

So this morning I was woken up at 630 (half hour before my alarm) by my 13 year old daughter saying the toilet had overflowed.  I got out of bed to assess the situation, envisioning just a little overflow and a toilet needing to be plunged. 

When I arrived at the bathroom I was distressed to find that I had majorly underestimated the situation. The smell was horrible, there were two soaked towels on the floor and still there was standing water.  I immediately asked, "how many times did flush it???". She said just once.  I told her it was obviously more than just once, and she then said "I don't know. Maybe 3 or 4 times?!"

OMG.

I had her help get the wet towels to the washing machine and take out the trash and get her sister breakfast, and then let her get on her way to school while I continued to deal with the flooded bathroom.  On her way out the door she says "bye Mom. Have a good day!". As I'm on my hands and knees soaking up toilet water from the bathroom floor, I grumble to myself, "ya, thanks... I'm going to have a *GREAT* day.

So half an hour later I've arranged to come into work late, I haven't showered yet, I'm still in sweatpants and a tanktop, I've been cleaning up toilet water for an hour, and have my arm down the heater vents trying to dry out and sanitize in hopes that my house won't smell like a toilet from now on, my 4 year old has been running around and jabbering at me non stop.  Then she comes up next to me and says, "mommy....?" I'm really about to lose it.... "yeeeees?" I say and turn to look at her with my arm still in the vent. 

"You look very beautiful"

Kind of melted my heart a little.  It was so sweet that she would be so kind and make me feel beautiful and loved in a moment of such ugliness.

Now that I'm 30..

Now that I've been 30 for 9 days, I thought I'd post an update.  My birthday was nice.  I spent it with my husband and kids.  The place I wanted to go for lunch was closed on Sundays so I picked a Mexican place I haven't been in quite awhile, and treated myself to two yummy blackberry margaritas - Yes... for lunch.  Then we went to an arcade and played games, and then we went home and my cold set in...  I felt pretty horrible for a few days, but I still had a good birthday!

So an update of my items on where I wanted to be when I was 30 (from last post):

The one I've been focusing most on is the mother part.  I think I'm doing a really good job actually.  I've been exceptionally patient, really focusing on taking the time to be pleasant and interactive. 

I've developed an interest in "character education".  There seems to be lots of materials out there, and some might think, well this is easily (?) taught through regularly discussion and setting good examples.. well maybe, but I'd really like some teaching aids.  So I found these books by Carl Sommer.  The first time I found them was in part of this library edition set and for the 24 books, it would cost $365, that doesn't include the DVDs that go with each book.  We don't just have $365 around to spend on books!  So then I found on his website that you can get a subscription for $20 a month that will give you 2 books plus the accompanying DVDs each month, plus bonus materials every few months.  http://www.sommerlearning.com/sales/about.html  So now I just need to convince the husband that we should add a $20 expense to our monthly budget for the sake of our youngest child's character development!

I haven't made much progress on my other items, but I am keeping them in mind during my daily activities, so I think as time goes on I will find more and more opportunities to improve!  I'm actually kind of excited about being 30.  I certainly wouldn't have thought even a month ago that I'd be "excited". 

13 hours and 19 minutes minutes until I'm 30!

Yikes!  Time flies!  Tomorrow I will be 30.  The past few years I've viewed this birthday as hugely significant.  Now suddenly I feel like I've already been 30 for a long time and I'm in some kind of time warp! Weird.  I guess this means I'm really an adult (not a young adult..) unless that happens at 40??

I have ideas of who I want to be as a 30 year old Amanda.  Here they are:

A cherished mother:  I want to be patient and kind and fun, and have my children look back at their childhood memories of me with fondness.  It's not too late right?

A good wife:  I struggled with the word for this, and I guess "good" will have to do.  I want to be supportive to my husband, and make him feel loved and important to me.  I want to give as much as I take.

A professional:  In my early 20's, I climbed fairly quickly in my career from a part time receptionist to a Registrar - a manager on the executive committee.  Now I've been at this level for a number of years and it's about time I started *fitting*.  I'm sure one of these days I won't be the youngest person at my management level, so now that I'm 30 I want to fit in better and not feel like a kid just along for the mentorship.

A girlfriend (to women):  I want to be friends with other women and occasional do something like go out for drinks, or coffee, or dessert, or hang out while kids play together, or go shopping.  Seems like it would be nice.  In my 20's I always felt like I was at a different stage in life than most women in their 20's and I see that starting to level out now, where I don't feel like an outcast due to my life choices.

Be "Put Together": I want to paint my nails pretty colors, wear shiny lip gloss, dress fashionably and appear put together - elegant and sophisticated... can I pull that off?  I'm going to work on it.  I got a new coat and it helped this feeling for me.. not sure what I'll do outside of wearing the coat, but I just want people to look at me say, wow she's really looks like she has it together. (whatever that means).

I guess that's what it really comes down to for me with being 30.  I feel like I should be all these things, and I know that all of these areas need work, (some more than others).  It makes me feel a certain level of pressure... but I have time right?  It doesn't have to magically come together the moment I turn 30.

For Sally

I love this time of year!

There really is something wonderful about Christmas time.  There is all the anticipation leading up to "the big day", the shopping, the thinking about what you can get people that will make them happy... while it can sometimes be very challenging, it is such a *nice* frustration. 

This year like the last 2 years, I've had the joy of being a Santa's helper elf at the Christmas party at my work and prior to that the other elf and I went around delivering the invitations.  And we always get the question - do they pay you more to dress like that?  No, "they" don't.  They don't actually even ask us.. we just do it, because it feels good to bring people that little touch of holiday spirit.

My youngest daughter seemed so proud when she came to the party and saw that I was Santa's helper.  I took a break from Santa's side when my family showed up and took them around to the various activity centers.  She hugged my red and green leg almost the whole time and beamed up at me from time to time.   She was a little unhappy when I said I wasn't coming home with them right then, but she understood when I told her that Santa needed me to go back and help him some more. 

I think I have the best job at the holiday party.  I get to see the expressions of wonder and magical belief on kids faces as they come in to get their picture with Santa and tell him what they want for Christmas.  Then I hand them a treat bag and candy cane and the next one comes up.  Plus there are the funny reactions.. like sisters around five years old scream and whimper and scramble away to hide under a table...  really?  I give them a bag and candy cane even though they don't come within 15 feet of Santa.  They even seem mildly concerned about me... a cute elf giving them candy.  I also make sure Santa is okay.  I'm sure he gets hot in his suit with kids climbing on him, so I get water for him (with a straw).  And as kids hand him stuff, I offer to hold it for him (like all their letters and cookies and stuff).  If it were a viable option I think I wouldn't mind being a Santa's Helper elf full-time.

If I had enough clothes and had some thought that my elfiness would make people happy everyday, I would probably do it.  But I think at my work anyway they'd just get used to it and I'd be that weird lady who dresses like an elf everyday.  Last year I settled with wearing atleast a little bit of red and green everyday between the Christmas party and the last day of work.  And not just like a holiday pin, but mostly like a green shirt and red sweater.  Or red shirt with a green camisole underneath.  The holiday party was too early this year and because of my surgery I'm a little more limited on my clothing options so I won't be able to do that, but I'll find some way.. so far I exchanged my work issued lanyard for glittery red and green ribbon to hold my work ID badge, and cut a little holiday hat off a cartoon foam sticker and put it on my head on my ID.

I still have a ton of shopping to do and feel like I'm running out of town, and it's stressful every year to coordidnate time with of all of the family.  And it is so much like a wedding.. ALOT of planning and work for an event that lasts a few hours... that we do EVERY YEAR.  But it's worth it.

New Blog!

So I've decided to start a general blog, where I can share day to day thoughts and stories that don't revolve around the specific topic of my first blog, which still has it's purpose, but sometimes I feel like writing about funny things my kids do and my other blog just doesn't seem like quite the right place.  Also I'm excited about changing the design to match the season.. like I'm starting out with Christmas!  I've stayed up way too late setting this up though, so I'll have to really start blogging another day.  Maybe tomorrow.