Today was a really really good day with the kids! Solly slept all morning, and Rowan slept all afternoon. No joke. I’m not saying that the day was good because I didn’t have to hang out with the little ones, because I LOVE them all! But I got to focus a bit more than usual on Dekker and Laela individually. They’ve been recently really getting on each others nerves, and I feel like I spend every minute of the day correcting them and going over the same principles of giving each other the benefit of the doubt, using manners, trying to resolve stuff before tattling to me, etc. I realize these are big concepts for such little people, but its got to start somewhere! And today, this magical thing happened! I’d see a situation go down kind of badly, and I’d remind them what the better way was, and then the next time it happened, they’d play out the exact scenario I’d have suggested. Dekker would speak in his polite voice, and even give reason for asking for what he wanted, and Laela would go along with it, with good manners all around. It was kind of amazing.
We had one bout that was a bit rough at first. I was on the phone, and Dekker was digging in our ottoman for toys when Rowan walked by. Ro lost his balance a little, and put his hand on Dekker’s back to stabilize himself. He didn’t even fall. Just caught himself. And Dekker freaked. “Ouch! Rowan! You’re pushing me!” This scared Rowan and he started crying. I snapped my fingers at him and pointed to his room. He ran off, wailing mournfully. I finished my call up pretty quickly after that and went into his room. We talked about how I had watched exactly what happened, and that Rowan had touched Dekker, but he didn’t even come close to pushing him. I told him how rude it is to yell at someone. I told him that, had Rowan actually pushed him to be mean, he should ask him to please stop, and if he went further, to come talk to me about it. We covered all of the bases, but sometimes I can tell things are just whipping over his head, and today, they were. So I decided to tackle him! I dove into him and took him down. He burst out laughing, and I helped him back up. As soon as he was back up, I shoved him over. He continued laughing. We had a good laugh and snuggle, and it helped bring him back to me a little. Then we talked about how I had been kind of rough and pushed him over, but it wasn’t mean. It was fun! BUT!, that being said, if he asked me stop, I definitely would have. Don’t worry, I’m not teaching him its ok to push! But I’m trying to teach him about context. So I asked him if Rowan had actually pushed him, and he said that he hadn’t. So nothing hurt? Nope. And all was well. He jogged out of his room and apologized to Rowan for yelling. I thought the situation diffused really well, honestly. I don’t expect he’ll forget anytime soon.
After that, the afternoon went nice and smoothly. The kids were on their best behaviour, and I could sneak away once in a while and get ready for my evening. When 5:15 rolled around, I went to pick Kim up. We went for fish tacos (Seriously guys, Taco Time. Try them.) and then drove to HomeSense. I’ve been there all of twice in my life, and while I’m not looking to buy a ton of new things for my house just now, I wanted to just meander through and get ideas. It was SO fun, and I only bought a couple of little things. I’ll definitely be back though!
As per usual, we couldn’t have a date without Value Village! The one by HomeSense isn’t as good as the other, so we don’t go as often, but I actually did pretty good! I got a pair of shoes, a shirt, a bathing suit top, and a couple of things for Rowan. It was a good haul, which was a nice surprise.
I drove her home afterwards, and came home to a sleeping husband. It was 9:30. Which is why I’m trying to pump out this post, lol, so we can head for bed soon! I had a really nice day today, so let’s hope Solly allows us a really nice night as well. He’s such a rockstar. Last night, I was SO zoned and dizzy and overtired when Solly woke up. Brady informed me that I did diaper change though! Who knew!! I guess I’m officially an “experienced mom,” changing diapers in my sleep! Win!