Never a Dull Day

Two full loads of laundry piled up in the corner of the room. Dried laundry still needs to be put away. Dishwasher needs to be unloaded. Just when I thought you had a moment to catch up on housework, your 9 months started crying in the crib. It's supposed to be a 1.5 hrs of nap. Your only time to get stuff done around the house. WHY IS HE AWAKE NOW? Then, you feel a sore throat. After you get your baby out of the crib, the sore throat gets worse. SHIT, you are coming down with the flu. Extreme fatigue, body aches all over, and nausea. Then your 3 year old comes home from preschool and wants to "play outside with mommy"... All I can say is I made it to 8PM and was in bed at last. And my husband is home after traveling on and off for 3 weeks, so it wasn't the end of the world, yet.

Strawberry picking

Emil was at Fred's backyard looking over Fred's strawberry patches. After plucking off two strawberries, Fred said "why don't I hold them for you so you can pick more?" Emil responded:"that's okay. I have two hands!"

"Rest"

After spending an hour in the hot sun in Fred's backyard, Emil came running home. He sat down on the front door step and said: "I just wanna take a break in the shade now, it's too hot." Five seconds later, he was up running around again. But of course, he's Emil!

Parenting in the USA

Almost three years into it, parenting has its goods and bads like everything else. What I like about parenting in the USA: 1. Second hand shops with high quality clothes and toys 2. Amazon Prime or Amazon Mom, love the free second day shipping and Instant Videos! 3. Family friendly restaurants, shops and availability of public restrooms. The last bit was a huge problem when we were in Berlin last summer. Emil was 1 month short of 2 years old and already potty trained. We needed to go to the bathroom every 2 hours and he had many accidents because we couldn't get to a toilet fast enough. 4. Very little neighborhood play and replaced by scheduled "play dates". What I dislike about parenting in the USA: 1. High rats of food allergies in children. Not sure why is this happening but I find all the nut-free zones and practices annoying. 2. Late potty training. I don't know how some parents do it, but I sure am glad I'm not changing a poop diaper on a verbal and active 3 year old. The ironic thing is American parents emphasize respecting children's needs to the tee and yet controlling one's bodily functions is apparently not part of the teaching. 3. Playing nice and fair. Not sure if this is the thought in other countries, but here parents focus a lot of avoidance of conflict. If two children fight over toys, it's rare for a parent to wait a few minutes and letting the children work on the conflict themselves before stepping in. Also on playgrounds designed for little kids, you will see parents walking just one step behind their kids to make sure they don't fall. How can the kids learn the physical limits of their bodies if there's always a parent telling them to slow down and stop?!

Sweet boy

While sitting down on the toilet, Emil asked his Daddy to stay. Emil: "I want you to wait in my room daddy." K: "Why?" Emil: "Because I like you to wait there when I poop." K: "Ok, but why?" Emil: "Because I like you."

Last Names

Me: "Emil, what's Fred's last name?" Emil: "Young!" (not too surprising as Fred told him the previous day in the car, but I'm impressed with his memory) Me: "What's your last name?" Emil: "Kristen." (not bad) Me: "What's my last name?" Emil: "Aw-aw!" (ha!) Me: "What's Oskar's last name?" Emil: "Chubby!" (hahaha!)

Conversation with Jane

Jane: "I'm not too bright today."
Emil: "I'm not too shiny today!"