7days: Day 4 – We have a situation.
Ring! Ring! It’s SAJ calling in for Tuesday! Here’s my 7days photo where I’m not doing much. I’m supposed to be doing dishes but I am instead taking flattering (ie: shot from above where all signs of any double chin do not exist) pictures of myself not doing dishes. This is why I suck at domesticity. Playing with cameras and thinking up possible blog posts is way more interesting than cooking or household clean-up tasks.
But I actually didn’t think up any brilliant posts while I was procrastinating. Just the regular stuff. Today was a typical day in the life of a stay-at-home mom who lives near the beach.
My dad called me this morning while I was on a walk with my friend Sarah.
“What are you doing?” he asks.
“Oh, just walking to the beach,” I answer nonchalantly because it is true.
“Nice life you have,” he adds, chuckling.
Then I feel like a crumb because it’s true! I’m walking to the beach with a friend and I’m not even appreciating it fully! I could be driving a truck on the freeway in traffic! Or working with spreadsheets in a cubicle or getting my teeth drilled! I have so much to be thankful for.
Today was a BEEEE-YOOOOOO-TI-FULLLLL day at the beach too. It was more pretty than usual. Not too hot, not too cold. The water was warm, the sky was clear. It was perfect. I wanted to take tons and tons of photos but my waterproof camera is in the shop (three cheers for warranties!) and I won’t get it back for four to six weeks. (Not fourty-six weeks but four to six… ha ha Madagascar joke, oh I am such a mom of a preschooler)
So I very very very carefully pulled out my regular camera and took this photo of Bug and Wito. It’s very dangerous to shoot with my regular camera at the beach because one teeny tiny little grain of sand could send it to the repair shop for the SIXTH time. Hoo Boy it’s going to be a long four to six weeks.
It was terribly painful for me to be at the beach on such a pretty day and not have a camera to shoot. Especially because I have a sea shell alpha mom post coming up and the beach was screaming with photogenic shells begging me to make them models. Well, maybe not like the shells you find on exotic islands but still very pretty. Groan! I’m going to have to go back with a borrowed waterproof camera (anyone have one you’d be willing to lend me?) and recreate the whole day. It was just that fantastic.
But anyway… life is not all idyllic walks on the beach of course. There was plenty of temper tantrums from Bug thrown in to keep me humble. We went to see Ice Age today (I know, tough life) and she was a regular pill. Squirming and talking and climbing all over me. Up and down in her chair, all over the place doing everything but sitting quietly and watching the super-charged-high-action movie that should have had her sitting like a statue with her eyeballs popping out of her head.
Why does she do this? I’ve been trying to keep a close watch on her food intake and sleep patterns so that I can avoid the child from hell but she seems to always be one step ahead of me. She had lunch, she had a decent nap, why is she acting like she has low blood sugar?
And then? At the end of the movie when I refused to let her climb the stairs to the top of the theatre, she had a good old fashioned cry fit that lasted our entire drive home and then some. By the end of it I was wishing I had let her climb the stupid steps. But I can’t let her win these battles. It’s already quite questionable who is really boss in this relationship.
Alas, this is three. Three is kicking my butt around the block and back. Good thing three is so cute.
I forgot to show you this photo I took yesterday. This is Bug “pushing her daughter.” And this is why I don’t drop her off at the fire station and run for the hills every time she gets my blood pressure rising. Because the moments when she is not being bad are the most precious moments I have ever experienced in my whole life.
You know what she said tonight after I had nagged her about forty-seven times to get out of the tub? She lowered her voice to a deep monotone, looked me in the eye and then said officially, “Get out of the tub! Get out of the tub! We have a situation, Mr. President.”
That kid. She wears me down and then she cracks me up.
23 Comments
The Chatty Housewife
What? I am the first to comment? Do I get a prize?
The “pushing my daughter” comment would have made me all sappy inside.
I love the Mr. President comment.
Melissa
LOL! She’s just being a 3-year-old, but at least she’s a hilarious 3-year-old.
mereteveian
I wondered too about the movie theater thing, – the kid wnated to leav all the time and then come back. I realised after a while that he tought the movie was like the tv and the video: We could turn it on and off as we like, and as a video, he could come back later and watch it another time. For him the movie was not this “one and only” showtime.
I have to admit, – I have left the movietheater with him a few times until he got it.
And yes, the good time makes up for all the times we rather forget…
Kuky
Hmmm, I wonder if it’s the movie? Isabelle sat still for Up but I’ve tried putting in one of the Ice Age movies for her and she had absolutely no interest. OR they are just being 3 year olds and do whatever catches their fancy. Yep, I think that’s it.
And I so feel for you being without your mommy camera. I had to send my lens to get fixed after an outing at the beach. It was a long few weeks. Thankfully I had another lens but it was so limiting.
cc
You can borrow my point and shoot. It may now be waterproof but it has survived the beach, and the girls. Who am I kidding? It’s survived three years with me.
If I shot from above I could hide the double chin, but then I’d look extra pregnant.
Sarah @ BecomingSarah.com
Lol I agree. Good thing three is adorable. My niece is coming up on three and I keep thinking that’s her saving grace.
Nature obviously knew what it was doing when it invented small children. Manipulate us by throwing in the cute factor!
Leta
My five year old has a hard time sitting through a movie in the theater. She is fine at home, isn’t overly hyper or anything, but always wants to go about half-way through the movie at the theater. And talks. And has to go potty. And wants to change seats 50 times. Not sure what it is. I’ve pretty much just decided to wait until she’s older because we spent a lot of $$ to see Up in 3D and she was not a good movie goer.
I was pregnant and sick when my daughter was 3 so I have a hard time remembering her behavior. All I know is, I was really really really glad she went to pre-school!
sizzle
My nephew is nearing three and I can see the fits a-comin’ but in between there is that huge imagination and playfulness that hits you out of left field. Damn, they are adorable.
Christy
I so agree that they can wear you down until you almost can’t take it anymore, and then they do something that is the most hilarious thing… and it erases the last 20 minutes.
Linda
Thank you for this post! I had one of “those days” yesterday and it helps so much to know that I am not the only one.
Heide
OMG, that last quote made me laugh out loud. My girl is almost 3 and it is SO fun (and thoroughly maddening of course). The other day I was trying to get her to come to her room to get dressed and she said, “You’re freaking me out.”
Crystal
It is of my opinion that 3 is so much worse than 2. 2 is a piece of cake, 3 is hell on earth.
Also, I am more than a little jealous that you live by the beach.
Rebecca (Bearca)
Cutest ever. And this statement? “The moments when she is not being bad are the most precious moments I have ever experienced in my whole life.” Is so very true. This morning my son (who is four) came in my room and said “Mommy! Your heart is so full of love!” I couldn’t really argue. :)
Julia
she is SO adorable. I remember 3 being a very trying age. I think 4 is better.
Clover
It reminds me of that old nursery rhyme–
“There once was a girl who had a little curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead.
And when she was good, she was very, very good.
But when she was bad she was horrid!”
I always felt they were watching my daughter when they dreamed that one up! Thank goodness the cuteness is so intense it makes the other stuff bearable!
bethany actually
I see CC already offered her point and shoot, and I’ll offer mine as well. If you want to borrow the pink camera for a few weeks, say the word and it’s (temporarily) yours.
Have you ever tried taking Bug’s car seat into the theater? I know it’s a pain to unbuckle it from the car and lug it around and all, but we used to take Annalie’s into the theater (right up until she switched to a booster) and strap her in, just like in the car, and it seemed to really help because kids are so accustomed to being suck in their carseats. And she actually LIKED having her carseat at the theater because it boosted her up and it eliminated the scary-theater-seat-trying-to-eat-the-preschooler phenomenon.
Tabitha
I cannot tell you how uplifting it was to read your post! Yes, tantrums are uplifting! Our three-year old is “hell on wheels” at the moment, so it is really comforting to see your gorgeous little girl can be the same way. Why is it that misery loves company so much? Regardless, it’s just nice to know that there are other mommas out there driving home with a screeching preschooler in the back seat. UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL!
Brooke
Hi Brenda,
My son Ezra is just about the same age as Bug–his birthday is in December–and I hear ya on three just about doing a mom in. I had NO IDEA a three year old would be so emotional. I’ve had so many friends tell me that three is so much harder than two. But, we’re half-way through it…so here’s to getting better at age four–and not worse : )
As an aside, I sat in front of your parents and your niece at Lassen this year. It was fun to see them in person and recognize them from your blog. Your dad was kept busy picking up my daughters pa-pa over and over : )
BeachMama
I love this post! My daughter is testing my patience more times a day than I can tell you. Add to that her brother trying to vye for first place it is going to be a long summer.
I took J to Ice Age the other night, he loved it then had dreams of dinosaurs all night long.
Keyomi
i live 20 minutes away from the beach and i love it too!!! cud just build a tent and live there forever…listening to the ocean waves… :) yea.who wants to cook and clean neways! :)cute post
Jen
I love the times that they make us laugh the most. It almost makes up for the times when they drive us INSANE.
Also? The Madagascar reference made me laugh. I love that movie!
Ellen
Anna became delightful again when she hit 3 1/2. I love that kid, but 2 to 3 1/2 was like having an adorable terrorist living in my home.
Ellen
… oh, and four is great!!!