Potty training ahead, I hope, I think?
Take me out to the ball game
T-Ball
Well I gotta say if you have ever coached T-ball I am sure you can put that on your resume somewhere. I can’t say that I HAVE coached T-ball; I am just helping Amy coach and tonight was our first game. Ten little hats scattered across the dirt of the infield. A couple are ready with their serious little game face on. While another few are seeing what pretty designs they can make in the dirt with their glove. One of the boys playing second is chatting with the base runner from the other team. And then there is the batter…Swing… whoops, knocked down the T, but the ball has yet to leave home plate. Swing…the kid swung so hard the bat came all the way around and hit him in the head, but the ball was still balanced there on the T. Swing…that bat swings around swinging the kid around now passing over top of the T for the 2nd time in one swing, and you guessed it, the ball is still sitting on the T. Finally, Swing and Crack the ball hits the infield, it is through the first kid and through the second kid, and the 3rd kid runs to grab it before it hits the grass. He picks it up and fires it over the 1st baseman’s head, and off 2 more kids go to chase it down again. While all this is happening one kid runs from 2nd to home, the little girl on 3rd walks to home looking at her parents who are yelling, “run, run,” like “why, no one is chasing me, they are all chasing that ball over there.” And the kid on first is still standing there chatting with the kid who just batted. Yup, craziness. Although I have to say my personal favorites are when my daughter played T-ball and she would hug all her friends on the opposite team when she arrived at there base, that and she sucked her thumb at the time so in between kids batting she would be standing there just sucking her thumb. Anyway, it takes talent to coral all these little munchkins and teach them to play ball and Amy sure does a great job at it. And to anyone else who has ever coached T-ball. Good job, you deserved a coach of the year award just for doing it. And as crazy it is the kids are so adorable!
Jamie Lightner
- 04 Jun
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Fly ball to right field!!!??!!!
“Yes! I’m in right field with a fly ball headed my way. I was going to make a great catch.”
Keep in mind moments before this I was feeling nervous about messing up. I am still pretty rusty. Granted I have never been a star player, but plying on a church league in my early twenties I could hold my own. But not anymore. Now I played like a mom who has been home with her kids for years! But I threw my nerves aside thinking of my latest mantra- Make Mistakes! Through my seminar experiences I realized I am afraid of screwing up and looking stupid or just plain letting people down. I have a fear of failure, as many of us do, so at times I hold back. However, while playing this game I said to myself, “Jamie, just have fun. You love this game, just enjoy playing it. And if you mess up, good for you. You need to learn to be ok with that. And the only way to learn, is to practice. Moments after I gave myself this speech comes that fly ball. I judged it just right, and watched it fall into my glove. And then I watched it roll right out until it hit me in the forehead. Seriously, I realize I want to be able to make mistakes, but did we have to conquer being fine with humiliation in the same game. I was so embarrassed. Looking at it now though it is kinda funny. And I figure there isn’t a highlight video for the “ok good job plays” it is either the super star moments or the blooper moments that go down in history. So if I can’t be the “star” I might as well make the blooper reel, right?!
Jamie Lightner
- 04 Jun
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The dog show.
“Please don’t run away and embarrass me. I really don’t want a reason to write an entertaining blog. I will gladly sacrifice the funny blog material, just please don’t pull your head out of your collar” I found myself uttering these words to the 75lb lab I had on a leash at the 3rd grade dog show. The dog show I never intended on going to, but my daughter ask everyone she knew with a dog and came up with nothing. I told her I was bummed for her but there was nothing I could do. I myself had a meeting the day of the show. However, the night before the show I decided to skip my last MOPS meeting (which included a meal and childcare), and took my “moms” dog to the school. Emphasis on “MOM’S” dog. Yeah the dog who “technically” lives next door yet manages to spend most of her time eating the grilled cheese out of my kid’s hand, sneaking hot dogs off the picnic table during our bon-fires, or simply sneaking into my house uninvited. But I felt bad that Kate was going to miss, oh in her words “the only dog show she will probably ever be in.” Be sure to add some drama and a tear down the cheek for affect.
So the “mom” part of my heart was able to over power the “I don’t want to take a dog to the elementary school. A dog I wasn’t sure would listen.” The thought of it gave me nightmare flash backs of me at middle school age all of 105 lbs. walking my 90lb lab through the apartments we lived in. Only it was more like him dragging me all over the complex. So there I was at the show with my moms dog getting pretty hyper. She was barking, whining and pulling on her collar. For a moment I thought I was just going to take her to the van and just leave. My daughter was begging me to stay. So I did and as I stepped into the lawn toward the show my foot squished on a pile of dog poo. She was drooling shoelaces of slime out of her mouth which she kept slinging all over my pants. And when it was our turn to go up in front of all the 3rd graders the dog squatted in front of me, up hill in front of me and began to pee. Jumping out of the way of the downward stream I just rolled my eyes thinking, “yes, this what I skipped my childless luncheon for. Well, no, what I skipped my lunch for and what really made it all worth it was the grin on Kate’s face and the sparkle in her eyes when she was able to be in the dog show. Ya know, “probably the only dog show she will ever be in.”
Jamie Lightner
- 03 Jun
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It’s raining popcorn!
Today we invited friends over. And if you tell 3 kids they each can have one friend over, well that makes for 3 friends. And when you have 4 kids of your own, and 3 of them each have a friend over, well that makes for a lot of kids. It is always lot of fun though. They are good kids and today was going to be “playing outside in the water day.” They all piled into the yard making a mad dash for the water of course. As time went by they were hungry. Hmmm, what to feed a pile of kids that is easy, quick and cheap. I thought popcorn would be a great idea. I didn’t have any microwave popcorn so I thought I would do it the old fashioned way. So I dumped some oil in a pan and thinking that since I had a pile of kids I should make a pile of popcorn, I dumped quite a few kernels in to make a big batch. I had only ever popped my own popcorn once before and that was with a friend. The kernels started popping and I had my bowl ready. As the lid began to lift off the pan I picked it up to dump into the bowl. The pan was a large pan so I had to hold on to both sides, and since I hadn’t attached my third arm yet today I just dumped the lid in the bowl with the popcorn, figuring I would grab it out when I set the pan down. The popcorn came out fast and lots of it. In a matter of seconds my bowl couldn’t hold even one more popped kernel. So I set the pan down and before I could fish out the lid, the remaining kernels, and lots of them, started popping all over the place. Josh and his friend were watching and laughing while I was screaming and taking cover behind them. Yeah, not my best protective instinct in play there. I finally grabbed a pan out of the sink and ran over to put it on top of the pan. On my way over I was stepping on very hot unpopped kernels. How the Unpopped kernels jumped out of the pan with out popping I am not scientific enough to know. All I know is those little babies were HOT! When I wasn’t singing my feet I was crushing the popped corn into tinier pieces on the floor. The boys decided to get out of the kitchen themselves but as they walked out they too became aware of the hot fire coals on the floor. So we all were bouncing around the kitchen looking like we were doing some sort of rain dance. What is it about me and the kitchen that is a recipe for side show entertainment. I prefer to call it that over a “disaster” it makes me feel like a professional rather than a “crazy mom”. Haha Hey at least no one was hurt. I didn’t have to sweep the floor. Bo came in and ate it all off the floor. Just kidding. I’m not that bad that I would let my 3 year old eat stepped on popcorn off the floor. Now had I not stepped on it I am pretty sure the 5-second rule would have been in affect.
Jamie Lightner
- 29 May
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The little black shoes.
Well today was a pretty good day. For the most part things ran smoothly, so smoothly in fact I decided to run into Jackson with Jess to return some clothes and hopefully by a pair of shoes. I need a white pair now that it is summer. Anyway, while I was taking in all the shoes in a payless, Bo took off his shoes to try on a pair of women’s high heels himself. When it was time to go I said, “ok Bo let’s get your shoes on.” And as I glanced around they were nowhere to be found. “Bo where did your shoes go?” I asked, “Where did shoes go?” He repeated. “Yes, where are they, did you stick them in a box?” I asked “Shoes in a box.” He replied. At this point in time I am wondering, is he just repeating me again or is he telling me he put them in a box. “Ok Bo what box are they in?” I asked hoping he would know. “In a box.” He stated again. He seemed to be pretty set on the fact that they were in a box, but I guess and the age of 3 all the boxes look the same. So there I was surrounded by tons of shoes wondering which box the little black flip-flops could be in. I knew they could only be so “high” on the shelf so I began to scan the lower 5 shelves. Eventually I was lying on the ground looking UNDER all the shelves. Boy was that a sight. A mom and her 3 year old were sprawled on the floor of payless searching for the shoes to put on the now barefooted toddler. Oh why didn’t I buy him glowing shoes or neon shoes? I swear out of all my kids, Bo’s shoes are the ones I loose the most. I finally just had to give up. Timmy had a soccer game that night and I had to get home. So I left my phone number with the sales clerk. So if you are payless and you find a pair of black flip-flops, call me! haha
Jamie Lightner
- 28 May
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Another shopping day
Anyone who has read my earlier post, “A trip to Meijer with Bo” & “Back to Meijer with Bo”, is aware of how I remedied the whole grocery shopping circus act. However, tonight Bo decided to test me again, only this time I was in a hurry and really didn’t want to take the time to take him to the van for time out. It started out as a little boy who turned his water bottle into a pretend gun. There wasn’t much water left and he would point it at me a make his “pew, pew” noises. It was all harmless until he tipped the bottle just right and what little water was left came right out splashing me and my list. He of course thought it was quite entertaining, while I was trying not to rip my list of groceries. Next he was making up some song with words that I am certain are not found in the English language and he was singing it with all his heart. He was so loud the people 3 isles down could hear him. But I figured at this point in time it was better than a screaming fit. So anyone who thought I should shut him up, well, they just didn’t have a clue of what they really could be subjected to. After his concert was over he began ripping little pieces of notebook paper out of my note book and dropping them on the floor just like Hansel and Grettle. After first I didn’t mind so much, again I figured it was better than the alternative being broken jelly and the famous words, “clean up on isle six.” However, I did take the pad away when he began ripping out full sheets and throwing those on the floor. Eventually grocery shopping was over and I couldn’t wait to get home put the guy to bed and dive into my chocolate moose tracks!
Jamie Lightner
- 27 May
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When it all comes down to it, what REALLY matters?
When it all comes down to it what really matters? Sometimes when I feel stressed or worried about situations in my life I just have to ask myself this question. Really, setting all the “trauma & drama” aside, what matters to me most? In the grand scheme of life all that matters is that when I go to bed at night my 4 angles (they are angels when they sleep anyway) are breathing peacefully in the rooms next to mine, and my husband is lying in bed next to me, the man I have officially been with over half my life. All the kids’ whining and fighting, any argument with Michael I may have had just doesn’t matter. All those opinions of what other people have of me that seemed so important at the time, just seem to fade away as I focus on what is REALLY important to me. As I sit here with the house quiet I am just so grateful for my family. The past 10 years has thrown me some curve balls I never expected, as often life does. I am sure all of you have had curve balls of your own. But I have learned to appreciate my growth through my adversity, and continue to learn to appreciate it everyday. And despite my own trials at the end of the day nothing else matters except the love I feel flowing through my own personal household from the people who live in it. These are the most important people in my life. So tonight I encourage you all to sit down and think about what is REALLY important. Sometimes we just need to take a moment and focus on that. It may be your children, your husband, or a close group of friends and family that have supported you. Just let what you are truly grateful for warm your hear and let all the other “stuff” that just doesn’t REALLY matter in the grand scheme of your life’s happiness just set on a shelf. Stress and worry will always be there, let’s not let it rob us of our happiness today. So what matters to you in this big picture of life. For me it is my babies sleeping in the rooms next to mine, and my man lying next to me.
Jamie Lightner
- 25 May
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Potty training ahead, I hope, I think?
Ya know those computer updates that pop up on your computer. You click ok, and your computer restarts and says, “your computer has now automatically been updated.” Well I wish kids had a “potty training” update. At about the age of two, shoot I would even take the age of three. At that age if something would just say, “ok, time to update your child with the latest and greatest features, less whining, more listening and most importantly the going potty on the pot feature.” Boy that would be great. My fourth is to the age where he is so close the being potty trained. I think anyway we will see. But he is my last kid of four to potty train and I can just taste the freedom. Once he is done I never have to go back!!!! Well, today I put underwear on Bo for a little bit. I figured I would give him a taste of the good life in hopes he would want to join the land of the “briefs.” As he was sitting at the table playing play dough in his undes I started to hear liquid dripping off the chair, and Bo’s little voice. “Huh, potty is hot.” “Wait stop” I said as I rushed over to him and stuck him on the potty chair next to him. “Try to go on the potty” I said. By this time he was finished, but still found it fascinating to sit on the potty chair. He would stand up and sit, and stand up and sit over and over. Then he sat and pushed himself backward down the hall as if he were on a ride toy. I had to draw the line and take the chair away when he was picking it up turning it upside down and putting it on his head. If this is any inclination of what potty training is going to be like for him, I might wait until he is 13.
PS Thanks to those who have left comments I love reading them. The last two comments left by Beth and Tonya were especially funny if anyone wants an extra laugh!