New Friend

I know quite a few parents who have made the pilgrimage to the Build A Bear Workshop and spent a grip on stuffed animals and accessories. I thought I'd managed to avoid that pitfall since my son is four and totally into all things car related. The last thing I thought he would be interested in is a stuffed animal.

As usual I was WRONG! We were in the mall the other day- the same mall he's been in a dozen times- and suddenly he noticed the big huge bear in the window and asked, "What's that place?" I shrugged and replied, "Some place to make stuffed animals," He literally yanked my arm and pulled me into the store.

$35 later we brought to life a Triceratops complete with the team uniform of his favorite home town team. Then we had to come home and register the Triceratops online and play an interactive computer game. He's been attached to that thing like it's his new little brother. Well, that may be as close as he's gonna get so, more power to him!

And as for me, I really need to start making trips to the store by myself!

Delicious Trick

My son LOVES spaghetti! He would eat spaghetti and pizza everyday if I let him. Unfortunately the only vegetable I can get him to eat consistently is green beans. So, I finally tried the old vegetable in the spaghetti sauce trick and it worked!! He ate THREE small bowls of spaghetti, which was full of SPINACH and he at every bite!

I must toot my own horn- beep beep- and say it was quite delicious. You can make your own sauce (courtesy of Patti Labelle):

• 1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey)
• 1 large onion
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• One 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• Two 6 ounce cans tomato paste
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 tbsp chopped basil
• 2 tbsp chopped oregano
• 1/2 tsp crush red pepper flakes

If you are time challenged or just don't want to do the work PREGO works just fine! Just be sure to season your ground meat with garlic salt and ground pepper before browning and adding it to the sauce. The final ingredient to your sauce is the vegetable of your choice! Dice or grind the vegetables really fine to avoid the little ones catching on and picking out pieces. Let the sauce simmer for at least 20 to 3 minutes for ultimate flavor. Pour over your favorite pasta (I prefer angel hair) and enjoy!

Warm garlic bread and a side salad complete the meal. Delish!

Majesty

I know this is not even in the realm of parenting but I would be remiss if I didn't wish a HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY to His Royal Purple Badness! Prince is 50!!! I can't even tell you how in denial I am about that. . .if he's getting older I guess that means so am I. I praise God because we all know the alternative to life but I can't help become more aware of my own mortality when I see people I grew up watching start to age. . .although Prince still looks pretty flawless and his music remains timeless!

The first picture is from 2007 and the second one is circa 1983. Wow!

Mama 24/7/365

The other day someone complimented me on my book and said my son was lucky to have me as a mother. Someone else made a similar comment when I shared a Spiderman morphed picture of my son that we made on the computer.

While I appreciate the compliments and I do think I'm a phenomenal mama (ha ha!) I have to admit I was a bit puzzled. I thought ALL mother's did similar things for their children. Okay maybe not writing a book but surely I'm not the only mother who plays games that involve pretending to be a superhero, or draws pictures that are not complete until they are decorated with paint, glitter and toothpicks. Am I the only one who reads books that require using four different character voices? Does anyone else run through the house screaming like a banshee as you try to beat your child to the imaginary "finish line"? How about sitting down on the couch to engage in a quiet conversation about their day. I seriously doubt I am the only mother that does these things.

I actually look forward to doing these things and most of them are MY idea! I'm trying to provide balance in my son's life. His father shows him how to hit a baseball, hold his breath underwater, do things in the yard and sometimes he helps wash the cars and take out the trash. But I think it is important that he not only use his muscle but also his mind.

I also force him to play by himself because he is an only child and I think it will not only help him strengthen his imagination but also allow him to get used to his own company. I don't know if I could handle a high maintenance child that needed constant attention and entertainment. Bottom line he will only have one childhood and I want him to enjoy every aspect of it. I want him to have amazing experiences as well as a strong foundation that will guide him from adolescence to adulthood.

Oh Boy, Oh Boy, Obama

I have intentionally avoided talking about politics on this blog. I felt that my personal political views were not necessarily relative to parenting issues. . . that is until Barack Obama won the Democratic presidential nomination.

This historical feat is very relative for this particular forum because while I am a firm believer of "reaching for the stars" and "never giving up hope" I must admit there is a pessimist who lives within that is always pointing out the reasons why things will never work.

But now as this black man who was a public servant but virtually unknown to most of America until the 2004 Democratic Convention is thisclose to becoming President of the United States of America the pessimist in me has died.

Now when I tell my son that he can be ANYTHING in the world that he wants to be including President of the United States and he looks at me with those beautiful brown eyes full of wonder and asks, "for real?" I can proclaim without a doubt, "For real!"

Get ready people because A Change Is Gonna Come!!

And the Winner Is. . .

My son has developed a serious competitive streak at the age of four. I don't know if it's "hereditary" (his father is ridiculously competitive) or if it's a boy thing. But he ALWAYS wants to win. And when he wins he gloats about it, "Oh, yeah I won, I won," and when he loses it's more like, "No fair, I wasn't ready, you cheated,"

So we have stopped letting him win at games to help him cope with reality and the fact that there will always be someone bigger, stronger or better but you never give up and always try your best. Now, when he loses we make him shake the winner's hand and say, "Good job," and he adds, "But I'm going to win next time," Baby steps.

He received a trophy at the end of T-Ball season and he was beyond ecstatic to get his first trophy and although everyone on the team got a trophy he said, "Look what I won," Geesh.

I want to make sure he strives for excellence throughout his life but I don't want him to think life is over if he doesn't come in first and I'm not just talking about sports or games. I'm talking life in general- school, work, relationships, etc. When you give 100% and never give up then that automatically makes you a winner regardless to whether or not you take home the trophy. (Yeah, I know but it sure does feel good ;-)

Ow!

Can you believe June is here already?! Happy Birthday to K.B.! Dare I say it, Christmas will be here before you know it! Why did time seem to move at a snail's pace when I was a kid and now it's a total blur?!

I often want to just get off the merry go round and sit on the sidelines and watch my life as it stays on a perpetual loop of chaos! (But I guess then I wouldn't be living. . .only existing.) Oh, but be careful what I wish for! I was actually sidelined this weekend as my injury resurfaced! My elbow is pretty much locked and if I try to move my arm out of the ONE position it feels "okay" in, I find myself in serious pain. The orthopedist told me if I was back in a couple of weeks I would have to get a Cortisone shot. I'm okay with that. But he said if the shot doesn't work then SURGERY is the third option. That, I'm NOT okay with. . .

It sure ain't easy being cheesy especially when you're old and decrepit!