Zero to Sixty in Three Seconds

Nothing in the world can make me as mad - as quickly - as my son. One minute I am standing there, a calm, poised, peaceful parent. And the next I am in a white storm of rage. Usually it happens when we are in a hurry to get out the door. I've rushed him through brushing his teeth, and we're in route to get shoes on, and then he casually stops and starts taking legos out of the drawer. As if he has nothing better in the world to do. As if I haven't said a hundred times in the past three minutes "it's time to go to school." And when I try to move him past the legos, he says, "I just have to do this one thing." Which, if I let him do it, takes about ten minutes. And then we're late for school. Even though we live on the next block. At this point, my head is about to explode.
I've been wondering why it is that Miles can make me so angry, so quickly, when no one else in the world does. It isn't as if his sister is jumping to attention to get her shoes on either. I've concluded that I just have built up a lot of frustration during the six and a half years that he has been ignoring everything I tell him to do.
All I can do at this point is take a deep breath, and try to get myself back down to 20 MPH.

Looking a Gift Horse in the Mouth

Warning: Whiny, ungrateful, petulant, selfish thoughts ahead....

It is the end of January and I'm still frustrated about Christmas! I just finished returning the duplicate gifts. I had to drive 1/2 hour to the store to return them, and then 1/2 hour back.

Other gifts came in huge boxes of styrfoam peanuts. Not only bad for the environment, but VERY messy in my house.

But with all these gifts, what my kids really want are Tae Kwon Do lessons. Which cost a whopping $4,000 annually.

And our public school is facing huge budgets cuts, which will not likely be made up for by our largely low income family base.

Here's my wish for the next holidays. I wish instead of toys (which we are already drowning in) that they would give my kids cash. Or even better, give it to the PTA.

But whatever happens, I hope people will keep the peanuts to themselves.

Teach Your Children Well

Yesterday the director of Mia's preschool - who I love and admire - said to me, apropos of nothing, "Have you ever thought of being a preschool teacher? I think you'd be good at it."

First I was shocked. Then I was saddened. She must not know me very well!

Typing Test

I just did the test at typingtest.com. I can type 81 words per minute, with 98% accuracy. Too bad all the other things I learned in life didn't stick with me so well.