Kid Stuff

A Mom’s Ode to Summer

Posted by Kristina Cersey — 4 Comments

It’s here. It’s here. I can’t believe it’s here.

I don’t know whether to cheer or to fear this conflicted time of year.

The cons and the pros beget a swaying anxiety, it ebbs and it flows.

The kids, they don’t know. Their excitement just grows. So, I’ll keep my repose…

For now.

Sure the sleeping-in sounds great, but it’s not something my kids appreciate,

So they wake up long before eight, and it’s probably illegal to sedate…

Them.

The pool is open now, and that’s super fun, no doubt

And if it didn’t freak me out that my little ones might drown, I’d be their lying out…

All the time.

I’d love to plan a vacation to a tropical location, but the constant desolation of our financial situation is an ongoing frustration and instigation for disputation that leads to the cessation of my travel motivation, and in my perturbation I accept with resignation that we’ll just have a stay-cation…

And that sucks.

Then there’s the constant chord of the kids shouting “I’m bored” while expecting some reward despite behavior that’s abhorred. Their fighting can’t be ignored, so I search for punishments unexplored without inciting a criminal record until we strike some acceptable accord…

Like bribery.

But alas, I must say that at the end of the day the pros do outweigh all that of the grey because time with my babes, I’d never give away, and someday I’ll miss the sound of their play.

Together we’ll run through our days in the sun.

We’ll have such fun that when it’s done we’ll wish for the day it’d begun.

Despite all I’ve expressed, I know that I’m blessed. My kids are the best…

And I love them.

Wed
18 ^th

Lessons from a Mom’s Nightmare

Posted by Kristina Cersey — 2 Comments

Have you ever felt powerless and crazed at the same time? Fearfully and maniacally powerless in a moment that might change your life forever? Dread and adrenaline pushing your legs to run, but you don’t know where to go. This sounds like the introduction to a horror story, but it’s not. At least not in a Freddy Krueger type of way. But if you’re a mom, you might understand how I felt when I thought I’d lost my daughter yesterday. Of course, in retrospect I feel foolish. I feel like I overreacted. But then again, I don’t care how foolish I looked. Being in your own nightmare would shake anyone up.

Here’s what went down. This year I decided to sign all three of my kids up for swim team. For those of you that don’t know, swim team is like tiny people’s military boot camp. It’s swim lessons on steroids. The kids have swim practice every weekday, the water is frigid cold, and they have 5 hour meets once a week. It’s insanity for kids and parents. For years I was adamantly opposed to signing my kids up, but I caved last year with the boys because, you know, all my friends were doing it. It turned out to be great for my boys’ swimming abilities, because you’d have to be legless to not improve after 5 days of training a week. Jackson’s morale faltered by the end of the season, but I’m sure he’ll bounce back after the cold water numbs him into submissiveness.

Anyway, this year I signed the boys up again, and added the 4 year old Vivlett to our crew of swimming Cerseys. She has practice every day like the boys, but only for 30 minutes instead of an hour and she doesn’t have to do the weekly swim meets. Yesterday, in true Vivlett fashion, she refused to get in the pool. I made her sit by my side and for 30 minutes I tried to convince her that she wanted to swim. I tried bribery, I tried motivational speeches, and then I gave up and grounded her from TV. She never got in the pool. I call this a MOMM (Manager of Mini-mes) fail.

Then it was the boys’ turn to swim. Even they were reluctant to get in the pool, but I guess they are more afraid of me than Viv is because they did it without much complaint. I wanted to encourage and support the boys, so I walked alongside the pool as they did their laps and cheered them on. Viv was playing with a friend a few feet away, and I would glance her way periodically to ensure that all was right in the world. And time after time, there she was, right where she should be.

Towards the end of practice the boys were growing more and more laggard and unwilling to continue, so I was busy trying to motivate them to get back in the water when I realized I couldn’t see The Vivlett anymore.

Fri
15 ^th

Jackson is the Pinewood Derby Jedi Master

Posted by Kristina Cersey — Comments Off

Last year's car, the Mario Bros Bullet. — Last year’s car, the Mario Bros Bullet.

WE had the Pinewood Derby this week. Yes, WE, because my competitive nature won’t allow me stand back and just let this be a Cub Scout thing. Sure, I let Jackson pick the design and do most of the painting, but when it comes to speed…momma takes the car. The Hubster is involved too, of course. He has to do the tough stuff like cutting and sanding (What!? I have delicate hands!) But weight placement, axle and wheel buffing…that’s my area. Last year I let The Hubster handle speed, and I helped with design. We won Best in Show, but our speed was no good.

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