and the winner is...

the house we live in is usually a happy house. there is not a whole lot that gets us down. if there is a chore that is not on the top of our fun list, we just add a little music and just like that, it becomes a game. on a side note, recently e's creative lyrics sure made my week. we love love love marry poppins. e has a hard time remembering all the lyrics, but that does not hold her back from belting them out. last week when cleaning her room, i heard her sing "just a cup full of sugar helps the medicine go doooown..." well ok then, spoon...cup, eh. close enough. either amount of the sweet stuff would certainly get that room cleaned MUCH faster.

so as i was saying, the Ee house is a merry place to be...most of the time. in the 5 1/2 years that i have been blessed to be e's mama, i know that any time her belly nears emptiness or her sleep pile is not stocked up, the ornery meter sky rockets and before you know it, you will be knee deep in a mess of a meltdown. as you know e started kindergarten last week. overall it has been awesome. the biggest adjustment by far is the lack of sleep and lack of snacks. she is used to sleeping in late, occasional naps and three snacks plus regular meals each day. she's in the big leagues now. they don't get the perks of preschool. even though e fought afternoon naps, her body needed it.

this past monday i picked up e from the after-school program, just i like i did the prior two school days. she was quietly coloring with another little girl. how precious. little did i know hurricane e was just about ready to hit land. on our walk to the car i noticed she got a yellow card from the teacher. if a student receives a yellow card, it means they did not make very good choices that day. on the card it was noted that e would not stop talking during learning time and did not follow the rules. instead of scolding e, i asked her why she received a yellow card. seems like an easy question that should warrent a simple response. wrong-o buck-o! this started the 45 minute tirade of crying, flailing arms, name calling, screeching, and just down right naughtiness. in the midst of her nonsense, numerous times i told her to calm down (and i'm sure i said it in a very calm manner). this earned me an award. i was told i was the worst mom EVER!!!!!

now some would take offense or even be mad to get this award, i was honored. yes it would have been easier to just ignore her, bribe her with candy or spank her booty. i chose to call her out on her shenanaigns and when we arrived home, sent her to her room until we could respect each other and talk it out. being a mom can be very challenging at times. because i earned the illustrious title of worst mom EVER, i know i am doing my job. i have so much respect for my mom. she had to cope with two girls only 18 months apart. some how we all survived our teenage years. and we still like each other a lot. i can remember many a times when i sulked off to my room. claiming "it's not fair!" i look back at those moments and don't recall what had me so upset, but i do recall that no matter what, my mom never gave up on me. i just hope i can be the same rock for e.

my newly appointed award does not come with shiny gold trophy. it comes with something better. as i tucked e in for bed monday night, she gave me a giant hug and kiss and said she was sorry for being a bit crabby. that's all i need. it erased a crabtastic night. and i was able to go to bed with a smile on my face and a song in my heart. plus, who needs a shiny trophy anyway. that's just one more thing to dust.