Why Super Heroes Take Showers

My kid loves a good, long bath. Who doesn't? You can sit back and relax. You can fill it with bubbles. You can play with your tub toys and pretend to swim across the ocean.

But we don't always have time to indulge in an hour-long bath. That's when a quick shower is convenient. But Little Dude is not a fan of showers.

So this morning, I braced myself as I prepared Little Dude for a shower. Turned on the water and made sure it was the right temperature. Had the towels and a change of clothes nearby. Had the shampoo and soap ready for action. Little Dude was about to step into the shower when he stopped. "Can I take a bath instead?"

Now, there are a few options to get a little kid to do something he doesn't want. The first is physical force. However, as I ran through the scenario in my mind, it pretty much ended with my getting soaked. So I went with another option...

"You know, Super Heroes take showers."

"Who?" This kid was not going to be fooled.

"Aquaman."

"Aquaman is always in the water. He doesn't need a shower."

"OK, well Aquaman probably prefers baths anyways, but Superman takes showers."

"Superman?"

I was rolling now! "Yes, Superman. He has to clean off all the bugs that get all over him while he's flying around."

"Oh. Who else?"

I could see this kid was going to need further proof before he was convinced.

"Batman. Batman takes a shower. And Spiderman. He gets all the dirt and grime from the buildings on him and he gets bugs on him too from swinging around the city."

"What about the Green Lantern?"

"Sure. The Green Lantern takes showers too."

"Does he get dirty?"

"He takes showers simply because he likes them. Some people like taking showers."

I could see Little Dude pondering what he had just learned. It seemed to have convinced him. As he was stepping into the shower he finally said, "But Aquaman doesn't take showers. He likes baths."

My 4-year-old the Dentist

One of the things I really enjoy about my son's daycare/preschool is that they often bring in what I call "guest teachers" at least once a month. There's the library lady who reads new and exciting books, the music man who teaches them new fun songs, and the dental hygienist who makes sure they're brushing and flossing right.
Yes... flossing.

So my boy came home from school the other day with his dental "prize package." It was the same kind of bag he gets from the dentist twice a year. You know what I'm talking about... the one containing a toothbrush, toothpaste, a sticker, and that little sample of floss that just never seems to make it very far.

Usually, the floss samples get tossed into the travel items where they can be properly ignored until needed for some travel emergency like reattaching a button, hanging a wet swimsuit to dry, or tying a package together. It's not that I don't floss, but I'll admit that I don't floss every day.

But my precious boy with the beautiful, white smile was determined to use his floss.

That night, while getting ready for bed he informed me that he had to floss. And then with all the confidence of a well-trained and experienced dental hygienist, he proceeded to lecture me on the right way to floss.

"Mommy, you have to floss every day. But only once a day. You should floss at night."

"Oh, thank you for letting me know."

"And Mommy, you have to floss before you brush your teeth at night."

"Before?"

"Yes, before. You have to put the floss between your teeth and hug the teeth and then pull it."

Then he demonstrated the correct flossing technique that he had already become an expert at.

(By the way... he made sure I got a good picture of it. So he actually flossed several times until he was satisfied that I had taken a good picture!)

After flossing and brushing his teeth, I tucked him into bed. And then went into my bathroom and flossed!

Who says parent's always have to set the example? Sometimes it's the other way around!

8 Crazy Years

This past Monday was our 8 Year Anniversary!

So here are 8 things I love about the Big Dude...

1. He makes our family a top priority. We are #1! He wants to make sure he spends as much time as possible with us. And he even reigns me in when I get a little crazy with work and projects to make sure that I am spending enough family time too. Time is the most valuable asset we have. And he spends his time with us.

2. He loves me despite all my quirks. Yeah, I've got some peculiarities. Don't we all? And I'm sure some of the things I do drive him up the wall. But he puts up with them.

3. He has dinner waiting for me when I get home. When we first married, I did all the cooking. But after having Little Dude, Big Dude put the apron on and has been master chef of our kitchen since then. It's not that I'm a bad cook. He started cooking as a way to allow me to spend more time being a mom (see #1). He gets home before I do, and when I started back at work after maternity leave, he wanted me to be able to spend time with our baby boy (and nurse him) as soon as I walked in the door. It didn't take long before he realized that he likes cooking more than I do. And soon he was altering all my recipes. My handwritten recipe book now has sticky notes covering several pages with the words "Mike's Recipe" at the top. He still lets me experiment and create new recipes every once in a while (see #2), but as soon as he masters the recipe, he adds his own personal touch to it.

3b. He perfected my mom's cinnamon roll recipe. OK. This deserves a mention of it's own. If you have ever tried my mom's cinnamon rolls, then you know they are magically delicious. Men have crawled across the dessert over broken glass, trudged barefoot through the Antarctica, and swam through shark infested waters for one bite. And when my mom finally decided to share her recipe with us... well, let's just say she tends to leave a few small and yet important details out of her recipes. Partly because she doesn't really follow a recipe when she cooks our favorite treats. And partly because she has a little bit of an evil side to her. (You know it, Mom!) After a year of trying to get the rolls just right, Big Dude has to basically hold my mom hostage one day when she was visiting and forced her to show him exactly how she makes the rolls. And since then, he has added a sticky note her her recipe. Now, every time he pulls a pan of cinnamon rolls out of the oven, an angel gets its wings.

4. We never stopped dating... each other. Despite marriage, a child, and sometimes crazy schedules, he still takes me out for dinner. He knows how important it is to get away from all the distractions and make time for just the two of us.

5. He does all the disgusting jobs at home so I don't have to. Some people might take it for granted and even call it "man's work." But seriously... I bought this house before I ever met Big Dude and so I greatly appreciate having someone else who snakes my giant hairballs out of the shower drain, picks up after the dogs in the back yard, weeds the front yard, trims the hedges, and vacuums. He pitches in. And although he might leave his laundry piled in the bathroom floor, litter the sink with tiny sharp facial hair trimmings, or have me fend off any Jehovah's Witnesses that come knocking at our door, I greatly appreciate all the things he does around the house.

6. He's totally honest. Seriously. The guy cannot tell a lie. Even the idea of telling a half-truth makes him break out in a sweat and totally nauseated. Of course, that honesty rarely comes with even a trace of tact. And sometimes I think something must be broken in his brain because he pretty much blurts out whatever he's thinking. (He says that if he's already thought it, then it's just as bad as saying it, so he might as well say it.) But at least I never have to wonder where he stands. And I know that I can absolutely trust him. (Except to keep a secret... that's extremely hard for him. But he's improving.)

7. He's got broad shoulders. Both physically and emotionally. He has always supported me and encouraged me even when it meant putting his own desires aside. During our first few years together, I had to deal with some emotional trauma from my past. He made sure that I got the help I needed. He drove me to all my appointments. He never complained about having to deal with a crazy woman. He was there for me. I will never forget that. And it's not just me that he helps. He has a huge heart for helping others. He is often the first person to volunteer to help someone out. And you'll never hear him complain or brag about all the things he does. He does it because "it's the right thing to do."

8. In many ways, he's my polar opposite. Sure, most people wouldn't put this on their faves list. But seriously, how boring would it be to be married to someone just like you? Ugh!!! The best thing about marriage is having someone to help you grow as a person. He has helped me see things from a totally different perspective.


OK, I actually have many more things I could add to the list. You'll just have to wait for our next anniversary. Plus, I don't want to make you jealous! Trust me, it's not all unicorns and rainbows all the time. But we love each other and we are committed to each other. Plus, I find that writing out a list of things I love about him is a good reminder and makes me love him more!

A Singing Sensation!

Our church had a talent show fundraiser for the youth group last night. And Little Dude, being a veteran of the monthly open mic night we used to have, wanted to sing. Here it is:



Yeah, I'm a proud mama! Originally, it was going to be a duet, but he decided he could do it all by himself. There were a lot of people there so you can see I have a mic at the piano just in case I needed to jump in and sing with him. But nope. No mic needed. No duet necessary. As you can see, he did it on his own.

And the crowd loved him! :-)