Remote control

After a very rough week full of drama and trials, I was pondering what life would be like if we all had remote controls to deal with daily trials and joys. Here are just a few times I would have used that remote this week.

~Looking in the rear view mirror to see the girls holding hands and "singing" Jingle Bells - rewind / replay

~Arriving at Grandma's house to see Grant driving Papa's truck around the block (with Papa's guidance from the passenger seat) - pause (and mute to keep my comments from spilling from my mouth)

~Trying to figure out how to clean a toddler's favorite blankets (and all of her bedding) at 10:00 at night after she got sick on them - fast forward

~Having Grant run to get a washcloth to wipe vomit off of his baby sister - rewind / replay (if I could have the video edited so I wouldn't have to see the spewage)

~Watching Annie wipe tears from Grant's cheeks with her tiny little fingers after a very rough night - rewind / replay (Grant was too worried about her trying to poke his eyes out to see the beauty of the moment).

~Having to wake Annie up to make a WalMart run with all three kids at 8:00 for something silly that I'd forgotten to pick up - fast forward (Once again, the mute button will need to be activated)!

~Watching Dasha fall into a display of gift bags and knock the whole display to the ground in WalMart during the night run - double fast forward (She was fine but embarrassed and frustrated with herself. I was....)

~Realizing that Annie had managed to have a diaper blowout during the SAME WalMart trip (which was only supposed to take 10 minutes) and not having a diaper or wipes - fast forward

~I think the easier thing to do would be admit that I'd just like to use the DELETE button on the remote for the whole WalMart trip!!!

~Listening to my third graders discuss the names of the three Wise Men and what each one offered to the baby Jesus - rewind / replay

~Watching my students stand up for one of their classmates as if they were one big family - pause (This is why I teach 3rd grade. Peer pressure hasn't seeped into their systems too much yet but they still have a very strong understanding of what is right and wrong)!

~Seeing the look on Dasha's face and hearing her literally scream in the middle of the store when I told her that she could purchase a "fancy" dress that she'd been looking at to wear to the Daddy Daughter Dance - rewind / replay

~Watching one of my students bring his elf to school and placing it in a little bed he made for it out of a tin box and cotton balls and warning me that the elf might try to make a mess in the room - pause (Why can't they stay this age forever)?

~Listening to the girls bicker in the backseat. Dasha told Annie that the animal in her Night Before Christmas book was a reindeer. Annie quickly called it a horse. Dasha tried to reason with her and told her AGAIN that it was a reindeer. Annie promptly points out the window and screams, "NO rain!" This same conversation continued from Town Center to Towne Lake Parkway!!! - fast forward but save for a day when I'd like to look back and laugh

~Trying to help a child do factor trees, LCM, GCF, and prime factorizations when she doesn't even know her multiplication facts - fast forward (triple speed, please)

~Watching all three kids sit at the table and color (on paper - not walls or cupboards) and sing Christmas songs together - rewind / replay (especially next time they are all trying to kill each other)

~Peeking in Dasha's room to see both girls playing with a tiny Nativity set and Dasha trying to explain to Annie why she needs to be careful with the baby Jesus! - rewind / replay

~Watching Eric try to patch the wiring in the Christmas tree that the cat chewed through last year - rewind and replay if he isn't watching :) He still doesn't find it too funny and he wishes that the cat's ninth life would have been snuffed out when she chewed through that last wire - Lampoon Christmas Vacation style!

~Watching Annie throw the baby Jesus under the bed and then laugh hysterically, "Frow Esus!" Dasha would like to fast forward that moment because she felt that Annie was being nothing short of sacrilegious but I was to sneak away from the door before I wet my pants laughing! - rewind / replay

~Walking through the undies section of the store with Dasha and having her stop and actually touch a bra that was, well, H U G E! She touched the bra and simply said, "Wow!" - rewind and save for a day when I really need a good laugh

~Knowing that I'm going to rid the house of pacis in two weeks - fast forward (She only uses them at night but she REALLY likes them and will do absolutely ANYTHING for a paci)!

~Looking at my TO DO list for Christmas and realizing that I only have 20 days left - fast forward

~Seeing the excitement in the eyes of all three children at this special Season - pause (I don't ever want that to end)!

Bottom line, it's been a VERY long week, however, I have so many moments that make me realize how very blessed I really am! So, whether Annie and Dasha are arguing over reindeer or Papa and Grant are breaking too many laws to count (um, 10 year olds driving?), there are enough rewind and replay moments to keep me moving forward!