Stupid bleeping polka dot pajamas!!! But more on that later.
Many parts of this week were wonderful. Sarah started 4th grade. She tied her shoes by herself to get ready for the bus.
I gave two Alexander lessons that were for my own practice and were some of my best work. I arranged the details to allow me to study in England with one of the most amazing Alexander Technique teachers ever. The teacher is Bruce Fertman, whose book I mentioned in a previous update. As I finished the book I knew I must study with him again. Now it is all falling into place. I have my flight, rides, lodging, a substitute for the class that I teach, and sitters to be with the girls when needed. The AT program is for people who are already certified teachers. It is comprised of a week in October and a week in April for two years. I just squeaked in before the class was full. I am so excited!!!
Now…the pajamas. Sarah has revived her love of polka dot pajamas that I bought when I was pregnant with Amy. She likes to wear them, even though they are much too big for her. We had a wonderful play time on Thursday afternoon with her wearing them, pretending to be me, then pretending to puke on my comforter, going to the laundromat, pausing to get soap from her aunt’s house (which references a story I tell called “Soap,”) losing Knuffle Bunny in the washer (as per the book by Mo Willems), and generally being together.
The pajama problem is that she doesn’t ever want to take them off. So there have been many moments of yelling. I think I finally got through to her that if she can’t take them off easily and get dressed when we tell her to, then the pajamas will go away in the attic. To get that message through wasn’t easy. I know that I am a parent who yells but usually it feels like a small part of things. Some days this week felt like yelling was the theme. I didn’t even feel as guilty as I sometimes do. I just felt mad, sometimes at both girls, and that this sh** has to stop.
Anyway, here we are. Despite the yelling we have still had many sweet moments. Possibly because of the yelling, I think we may have easier times in the future.
This weekend we are camping. It was a struggle to get Sarah to pack and get ready (bleepin pjs!) and she doesn’t really do a quiet voice well, but the woods are beautiful. We made some campsite neighbor friends, who of course already know many people we know because this is Pittsburgh and it is a small world. We had delicious hot dogs and s’mores. We saw a toad. The air smells fresh and we will walk to the beach when the sun is high. We had homemade doughnuts for breakfast and then Amy announced it was time to wear stuffed animals on our heads. Carl promptly made a snake from a camp towel and finished his breakfast wearing the snake.
Overall, life is amazingly good. I may hate a certain pair of pajamas. I may hate Sarah’s stubbornness, but I simultaneously can appreciate her passion. I know her apple-self doesn’t fall far from my tree.
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