currently... mama jumbo

The deal: Use our themes or use your own - just let us know what is 'currently' going on with you. Be sure to stop by and say hello to the other bloggers linking up - especially to my amazing co-host Randalin of Kale & Beans.

This week's themes: 

calling, going, taking, breaking, wondering

This week my kids have been Calling me some pretty funny, pretty wonderful things. Loretta took to telling secrets and her favorite is to lean in close and whisper, "I think you're beautiful, mama." Even though she would tell this same secret to the mailman (she's a one secret kind of girl) it still gives me butterflies. On the flip side, last night Otto told me I have enormous legs. Yes, Sir Toothpick Legs of the Land of Droopy Underoos thinks I've got thick stems. I was like, "They're supposed to be that size."  

The only Going we have planned is/are a couple of trips to Portland in the next few months and then Arizona at Christmas. We are really staying. But lots of plans to start hiking and daytripping and seeing parts of Oregon that we've yet to explore as soon as the weather gets just a bit nicer.

Loretta has been Taking her pants, all her pants, and rolling/squishing them up over her knees. It's her new signature style. Rob was taking her to school the other morning and waited for her to get her pants all hiked up the way she likes them, then they opened the door and it was like 25 degrees outside and she goes, "Oh I guess I better roll these down! It's chilly!" So at least she's not a slave to fashion.

Last night my heart was Breaking. Otto was being kind of a pill and we were having a talk about whining and acting entitled and he just broke down in tears and said he'd had a really hard day. Never forget that your kids don't always tell you everything that's ruminating inside of them. We had no idea when we picked him up from school that earlier in the day he'd had a really rough experience. By bedtime he was totally emotional (partially my fault for giving him night time ice cream which always sounds fun but leads to breakdowns). Without getting into details, a few of the boys in his class have decided to start picking on other kids. Otto got called names and hit. It also sounds like the kids have been ganging up to get other kids in trouble and Otto got punished and had to miss recess because a teacher believed the boys. Oh how I remember the feeling of unfairness when things like this happen as a child. But I was never bullied. And so I'm not sure what to do. I'm a natural fighter and Otto is not. The Mama Jumbo inside of me wants to go crazy and throw chairs and tell Otto to punch those little shits' faces when they go near him. Instead we talked about tactics Otto could try to avoid getting hassled in the first place and to shut them down if they try. And we also talked about talking. We want to make sure Otto knows he can tell us anything and that we're his champions and will help him work through problems. He's going to try to handle this on his own, but he's also going to tell us right away if he has another bullying experience so that we can step in and take action. Their insistence on letting the kids work out EVERYTHING for themselves is one of my few complaints about Montessori. When it's a classroom that ranges in age from 5 to 8 and the older kids are picking on the little ones you can't expect a 6 year old to just figure it out. You guys have no idea how badly I want Otto to chase these boys into a dumpster and fly away on his wish dragon.

I am Wondering if it's the weekend yet? We have a no-plans weekend and those are my favorite. If the sun shines we'll head to a park for some outside time. But aside from an exercise class and grocery shopping it's all peaceful easy coming up this weekend and I can't wait.

That was this week & here are next week's theme's:
setting, using, watching, choosing, imagining