Friday 25 October 2013

Lesson 4: Take the mom hat off and let your hair down now and then

Last night I went clubbing. (Do they still call it that?)  That's right.  I went dancing.  On a week night.  For fun.  For me.  It was exhilarating and liberating.  

I've been so bogged down with chores, chauffeuring, cleaning, cuddling and cooing that I forgot how fun I could be. Buried deep under my stretched out tummy and softening boobs is a girl I once knew.  She's funny, outgoing and loves dancing.  She laughs a lot, talks too loud and never worries about how many calories are in her mixed drink.  I LOVE this carefree girl.  For a few brief hours last night, I was the old me again (give or take a few extra wrinkles and pounds).  

I got a glimpse of my old self while I was driving my son to preschool a few weeks ago.  The radio announcer was talking about an upcoming event at a local club.  The club was hosting a launch party for the 2014 sexy firemen calendar.  The firemen would be there as entertainment.  Proceeds from ticket and calendar sales would go to major burn victims' charities.  Well, what girl could pass up seeing some hunky firemen in the flesh?  And for a good cause?  Count me in!  

My sister and cousin were my posse last night.  They are both childless and I envy their freedom.  I figured some of their "cool" might rub off on me since I'm a bit rusty when it comes to the night scene.  I ditched the cotton Hanes from Walmart and bought some good underwear.  I even found a trendy top at Forever 21.  I felt like a confident woman again. Once there, we ogled, danced and had a couple of cocktails.  It was just prefect.

I didn't get my usual full night's sleep, but I wasn't tired at all this morning.  Actually, I felt happier and more energized than I have in years.  

So I guess every once in a while, a girl's gotta let loose, right?  Sometimes I forget that I'm allowed to be me and not just "mommy".  There aren't any laws against mothers having some clean adult fun.  So ladies... call the sitter, grab those heels, wrestle on those Spanx.  It's time to hit the town this weekend.


Two of twelve firemen shakin' their stuff for the ladies and a good cause

Tuesday 8 October 2013

Lesson 3: Blame it on the full moon

I'm not a superstitious person.  I don't follow astrology. I definitely don't believe the phases of the moon or cosmic showers affect our moods.  Yet some days my kids' behaviour is so erratic, out of character and down-right embarrassing that I'm left blaming it on the good old full moon.

Example 1:
After a particularly rowdy day at preschool, the educator sometimes shrugs and says to each parent as they arrive for pick-up, "I don't know what happened today.  All the children were really hyper!"   I usually smile then and tell her it must be a full moon.  Then everyone nods in agreement and chuckles.

Example 2:
Children have nightmares.  Mine are no exception. Trashing and screaming is involved.  No one sleeps.  It's standard stuff. Inexplicably, there are rare times when both my sons have bad dreams during the same night.  Double the thrashing. Double the screaming. Still zero sleep.  These nights are brutal, and have  me wishing caffeine I.V.'s existed.  "The full moon must be around the corner," I mumble to my husband through half open eyes the morning after those episodes.

So maybe these two examples don't illustrate atrocious behaviour. The full moon cop-out is acceptable, even humorous, in those types of situations.  But yesterday I used it as a scapegoat when I was informed my oldest (M) had been sent to the principal's office for disrespecting the teacher and vandalizing school property.  He's in first grade.

I don't want to make excuses for him, but we've known for two years that he has sensory issues. (Visit http://www.spdfoundation.net/about-sensory-processing-disorder.html 
for more info.) This can make adjusting to school life difficult. Similarly he's been flagged for learning disabilities.  He is being followed on our end, and the school's end, by several specialists and doctors.  He was doing wonderfully, until three weeks ago.  I started receiving several notes from his teachers. M had been skipping class, hiding in the bathroom, talking back, writing on desks and losing  his books.  Yesterday, his homeroom teacher gave up on the notes and called me.  My heart sank when I found out she had sent him to the office.  We both agreed we were doing all we could to keep M on track,  but that things we getting out of control.  Neither of us could think of a plausible reason for this sudden behaviour change. He was always such a polite and respectful boy, despite his difficulties.

As a mom, I feel guilty.  Maybe something is going on in his 6- year-old head and heart that I can't understand.  I've exhausted every avenue trying to figure out how to curb this change in attitude and get him back on track.  I'm clueless.  So when a friend of mine texted me a link to an astrology web page explaining how the recent "October monster moon" was causing havoc here on earth, I breathed sigh of relief. Maybe there are things out of my control. Maybe M is just of victim of the moon's mystical pull.  

According to the astrology article,  this cosmic storm will pass at the end of the month. Maybe things will go back to normal then.  Or better yet, maybe some extra terrestrials will have pity on me and beam me up to their planet until this whole thing blows over.


To be continued...