I am taking a cue from my 3-year-old and starting to use her favorite word, “NO.”  I’ve always felt that they should change the term “terrible two’s,” to “terrible threes,” but that’s the subject of another blog.  Today I want to encourage all of you to dust it off the word and start using it!  We know how to use it as children and somewhere along the way, we forget or are afraid to use it. 

Since I am a recovering pleaser, it still takes practice.  So when someone calls on you to head up that committee, you can be flattered and still say “NO.”  Or sometimes, “that is so nice of you to think of me but I’m sorry that my schedule just won’t allow it,” sounds better.  You can still visit your child’s classroom WITHOUT having to be the room mom.  

A few years ago the president of the parent committee at my kids’ preschool called me to chair a major fundraiser.  I assured her that I wasn’t qualified for the job.  When she pressed on and asked me to sit on the governing board, I still said I didn’t feel comfortable.  In exasperation she asked, “well what can I count on you to do?”  That is when I pulled out the “member at large” term and said I’d be happy to help out whenvever and wherever I could.  Now they have a whole category on that cmmittee for “members at large.”  i encourage you to do the same.  I promise it will feel good.

I successfully (on time and without crying) dropped Ham at school for her first day of Kindergarten.  Yesterday was really the first day but it was only for 30 minutes with Mom and Dad.  This slow ramp up is killing me!  Babe-o’s doesn’t even start preschool til sometime next month.  And let me tell you that she was ticked off when she realized today that she didn’t get to go to school or, “cool,” as she calls it, with Ham.  She turned into a limp noodle at the door and I had to carry her all the way home.

My son told me I need to buy “fun” things for breakfast and the wraps I learned how to make in the “Healthy School Lunches” cooking class last week were a bomb at lunch today.  There’s always dinner to look forward to and that 5pm glass of wine!

I just returned with the kids from four days at Grandma’s house.   When you are at Grandma’s it is perfectly acceptable to  have chocolate milk on your corn flakes, like Ham did today.  Good thing I’m meeting the girls tonight for a cooking class on preparing healthy school lunches.

The only problem with visiting Grandma, is that we eventually have to leave and Ham started crying in Indiana and still hasn’t stopped.  It must be contagious because now Babe-o’s has started.

I have been staying up way too late watching the Olympics.  But what is even more shocking than seeing that scrunchies have made a comeback- at least on the women’s gymnastics team, is the commentary that takes place during their routines.  My soon to be third grader and I have been chuckling at some of the comments such as, “that is a huge mistake!,”  “That is shocking,”  “this could be a disaster for team usa!” “that is a careless mistake,”  “There’s no excuse for that!”  Tonite the man even said, “Yikes!”  Who are these people?  I wish that NBC would at least show a cutaway of the commentators so I could have a visual reference.  I have to say that I feel a Saturday Night Live sketch in the works. They might as well be saying, “what an idiot!”  Or, “what a jack***!”

I have been busy writing a recommendation to Pi Beta Phi for my niece who is off to the University of Missouri.  It seems like yesterday she was six and was the flower girl in my wedding.     

Remember in college, if you were in a sorority, you considered everyone your “sister?”  Well, I have found that motherhood is the biggest sisterhood of all.  Give me five minutes with any Mom and I usually walk away feeling connected.  Just yesterday at the pool snackshop I walked up to place my order and another mom complimented me on my tank top from J. Crew and said that she had three of them herself.  Not less than two minutes later we were talking about our boobs ( or lack of them after nursing) and debating whether or not we should wear a regular bra with the straps showing, or go with the strapless bra.  We determined that if you are an A cup or less, you could go without.  Interestingly, I couldn’t tell you her name but today when I saw her we gave eachother a little smile and nod.

This morning the monthly test of the tornado sirens occured and we all nearly jumped out of our skin.  We’ve had our share of scares lately.  A huge storm that blew through Monday night had me in the basement in a closet full of spiders praying for my family.  So it made me feel good to see that the front page of the Chicago Tribune is calling it one of the most violent storms in the city’s history…I wasn’t imagining it.  Ever since I saw The Wizard of Oz I’ve been afraid of tornados.

  My husband had taken the kids and their friends to Dairy Queen for a treat and I headed off to do some grocery shopping alone.  I didn’t get far before I decided I better turn back but by then the sirens were going off.  I barely found my way home, it was raining so hard.  So, huddled in a closet of spiders with no flashlight or stranded at DQ with five children when they yell to take cover? I think my husband drew the short straw.

As a follow-up, Babe-o’s told me she didn’t want to go to Dairy Queen ever again!  When I asked why, she said, “because they had two tomatoes there.”

I’ve come to the conclusion that my kids must think we have some sort of invisible maid or genie that goes around picking up after them, a la’ the Noo-noo on Teletubies.  And I realize that this is probably of my own doing.  Today we ate lunch at the pool and when my son was done with his chicken tender/french fry bonanza,  got up from the table and went back in the pool.  I cleared the mess but went over to him and reminded him that there are no bus boys at the pool so next time he needs to clear his own plate.  And I added that he owed me a tip.  He and his little friend Sam thought this was hilarious so I’m fining them both since they sat at their own table.  Even as I am typing this he just went out the front door and left it wide open!  Now I sound like my mother yelling at him that we are not air conditioning the outside! 

So I have created the monster that it is easier to pick up after them than to be constantly nagging them to get it done.  Maybe with the school year will come a new plan in our house because actually, there is no maid and three children and one husband equals one big mess.

Every time I think about Ham starting Kindergarten this month I get a little sad.  I cannot believe it’s happening so I’ll just push that thought away for now.  At least I’ll still have Babe-o’s at home..

Since it’s nearly back to school time we headed to the Nordstrom’s anniversary sale to buy some new shoes.  I’m wondering…is it possible that our kids will make it through their entire elementary education without ever having to learn to tie their shoes?  I’m pretty sure this is possible.  Most of the shoes I saw all had velcro or were slip-ons.  Now that I think of it, my third grader has not had a pair of tie shoes since he was a toddler.  Since it’s a rainy day I think we will have a little lesson today…