• Today’s (although the posts are out in my evening time so should it be tomorrows?) challenge for Problogger’s 31 days to a better blog is to write a list post.
• I’m going to take the list challenge literally because I’m in that sort of mood tonight.
• Lists allow writing to be readable and flow, but it means being succinct.
• And succinct suits me.
• Lists help me through the day, whether they’re mental or written down lists.
• But the list doesn’t allow for children.
• My child tonight was particularly painful to be around.
• I think tonight I was probably particularly painful to be around too.
• Tonight we’ve both cried and we probably both regret some things we’ve said to each other.
• Tonight we’ve been the best of mates reading Snugglepot and Cuddlepie together. They’re great stories and I’ve made him promise to read him more.
• Tonight we’ve hated each other’s guts but deep down we both really love each other.
• Tonight as I kissed him goodnight and chatted about tomorrow, I left him laughing.
• That laughter made me smile.
• Thank God.

I don’t think I could have done this post in any other way than a list.

I had to use my USB stick at work today and came across these photos on it which I thought I’d share.

It was September 2004 and my son was three and a bit years old. They photos were taken at Peace in the Park in Adelaide by a friend and she only gave them to me a few months ago.

It was a beautiful spring day.

I can see the mind ticking in this one.

Life is tough in the life of a three year old.

After the bands finished playing someone put a CD on and the kids got up and danced. JJ wouldn’t do this now because he’d be embarrassed so it’s good to look back on this.

But then he decided to get his gear off. I haven’t shown the naked bits to protect his privacy but get a load of the look on his face and on the faces of his mates close by. Complete joy.

He got completely naked and I just let him go for it. He’d be mortified. I’ve SO much ammunition for a significant birthday down the track.

For the last few months the lad has been playing indoor soccer because he developed an interest in it last year and it’s not the season for the outdoor kind just yet. I was a bit dubious about him doing this because of the way he acted up at circus school (which he no longer goes to) but he’s done really well.

I’ve definitely noticed the difference in his skill level from when he started to now. He’s doing a Life Be In It kind where there’s some ball skills stuff and then they always play a game at the end. The season started out with three of these groups and now it’s pretty much down to three or four boys in the one group. I don’t know what happened to everyone else but it’s a shame they all dropped out.

To JJ’s credit, he’s stuck it out and enjoyed it to boot. Ever since JJ was born my theory has been that sport or some sort of activity will be vital to keep him active and to teach him about getting along with others. I know I will be in for cold, early mornings, and I’ll turn into a mum taxi but in the long run hopefully it will be worth it.

I’d love to know your experience with your kids playing sport, or not.

Just about whenever I go out for the evening I end up talking to whoever will listen about my son. I don’t go out that often without him and you’d think that one night off without all thought of him wouldn’t be that hard but it usually doesn’t happen.

Last night was no different. Let me be clear, I don’t talk about him if the person I’m talking to doesn’t know him but when I’m with friends I haven’t seen for a while, they usually ask how he’s going.

For instance, last night, some friends were there who have a swimming pool. JJ was around there a few weeks ago before I came back from my weekend away, for a swim. He left his thongs (flip flops) there. Apparently he was a good boy and quite entertaining. Yep, that’s him.

Although, let me just talk about a not so good night the other night. Actually there was a bit of build up. Last weekend he had this annoying habit of clinging onto me and hanging off me at the most inopportune times - like when we were queuing up for the toilets at Womadelaide. He’s not a two year old any more. He’s a five foot,  seven year old and weighs about 30kgs so having this heavyweight hanging off me is a bit dangerous for my knees, and bloody annoying. I’d ask him to stop and he wouldn’t, so the other night I got tough with him. Unfortunately we were out to dinner and while he wasn’t just hanging off me he was misbehaving in a public place and I wasn’t going to put up with it. Luckily the place was relatively empty and he spent a lot of the time sitting at a nearby table by himself. My dad ended up eating JJ’s icecream and there was less fuss about that than I thought but when I take food away from JJ he knows I mean business.

But then we were out again the next night and he was a really well behaved angel and has been great since, so the one night of public embarrassment was worth it.

I digress however. JJ over the last few months has grown up and I’ve loved seeing this change in him. Last year was awful at school for all concerned and he was suspended a couple of times and had no friends and generally felt sad and awful. This year, he’s finding his groove. He’s got a couple of good friends and we’re starting the playdate thing. He handles himself well and I’m proud of him for that, and grateful that he’s feeling a bit better about himself.

I think the fact that he’s playing soccer and wants to play football (the Australian Rules kind) this year will help him. He’s a very active kid and the team sport thing can only be good for him. As much as I dislike this sport and as much as I will dislike my early Saturday lost to getting up early and driving him around for games it will be worth it I think. I’d much rather sacrifice some sleep for a boy who has something to do instead of hanging at home nagging me to play Playstation.

He’s also started going to Scouts and he’s loving that. That will also be great for his self-esteem and good for some male role modelling - I’m hoping.

So when I go out, I often reflect back on how it’s been and how it is for us, and even though I love nights out with my friends, I love seeing my son again in the morning. Cutey pants. Oh, and can you notice one of his baby teeth hanging by a thread?

This post is for Scribbit’s April write-away contest.

Here’s part 2 of the photos of my lad in after school care over the last couple of years. Here’s part 1.

Here’s yet another funny face. There’s not many photos at his after school care with a natural expression, except for when he doesn’t know a photo is being taken. Bravado covering up shyness perhaps?

This is during his swimming. At after school care during the first and last term when it’s warmer, they organise swimming one or two afternoons a week. It’s happening again this term and I was quite shocked when I went to pick him the other day and he hadn’t gone swimming. Mind you, his class also had swimming that day so he’d probably had enough. He was in his bathers though.

Here he is accentuating his natural hair. They have a dressup box. I caught him wearing a very groovy hat the other day.

During vacation care the kids go out on excursions. Bowling is one of JJ’s favourite things to do, along with making a funny face.

That’s it for now, until I get another CD of photos from after school care.

Last year some time I received a bunch of photos on CD of JJ at after school care. While cleaning up recently I came across it and thought I’d share. He has some gorgeous facial expressions.

Last night he was feeling particularly down and saying that everyone except me hates him. At least he knows I don’t hate him as he’s thought and said that in the past although deep down I’m sure he knows it’s not the case.

Anyway, these photos are from 2007 and 2008. They’re not in any particular order.

One thing I did today which I’ve been putting off for far far too long is take a DVD of photos along to the photo shop to get printed. I had this CD and the DVD I made, a total of nearly 2,500 photos. I was there for quite some time going through photos and deciding, or not, whether to get them printed.

The plan is for JJ to make a scrapbook celebrating his life, his achievements, his friends, etc etc. The idea is so that he can look at it when he’s feeling particularly down and hopefully bring himself back up again.

Looking through 2,500 photos in a short space of time made me smile. I think my lad’s very cute now but he was super cute when younger too because of his toddler chubby cheeks.

Anyway, back to the photos from after school care.

He made this mask himself and it’s probably still kicking around somewhere. I’ve made a date with him for next Friday to really tidy up his room. It’s something I’ve been putting off for far too long.

Wearing a necklace he made. I think this might be the one he ended up giving to me. I must wear it more often.

Face painting - a pirate - aaarrrggghhhhh!

After school care has a quiet room. It’s mostly pretty quiet and sometimes I find JJ in there, usually playing a quiet game with other kids or hiding under bean bags. I don’t think I’ve ever found him in there reading a book but obviously he does sometimes.

Here’s funny face number 1 of 200 (slight exaggeration).

As there are a few more photos I thought I’d spread them out over two posts. Stay tuned.

photo credit: Sappymoosetree

JJ has now lost his third tooth (23 Feb for the record). It was three and a half months since he lost his first tooth, and may I say I don’t like the tooth dangling by the merest thread. It makes me just want to pull it out and I get really sick of it being played with when he’s right next to me.

So his third tooth was pulled out just before school the other morning and we stuck it to a piece of paper so it wouldn’t get lost. This piece of paper went under JJ’s pillow that night with two questions JJ wrote on it. One - ‘Are you a girl or a boy?’, and two, ‘What do you like doing?’. I blame Santa for setting a precedent on writing JJ a note - damn Santa.

At 6.30 the next morning JJ trotted to my room and very forlornly informed me that the tooth fairy hadn’t come. Damnit I muttered to myself, I bloody forgot. And to my son I said, ‘Don’t worry about it, the tooth fairy was probably really busy but I’ll bet they come tonight.’

Last night after he went to sleep I snuck in and pulled out the note from under his pillow but the tooth was missing. I hoped it had just fallen out and onto the floor but I had a bit of a look around to make sure it wasn’t on the little table next to his bed. I couldn’t find it. I put some lipstick on and kissed the note and put $1 into the note and put it all back under his pillow. Luckily he’s a very deep sleeper. All done I thought with satisfaction.

This morning as I walked past his room he said, ‘Mum, have a look at the note, and the tooth fairy didn’t leave any money or take the tooth.’ Shit and blast I thought, he had moved that tooth after all.

I walked in. There was lipstick on the note and he’d had the tooth wrapped up in a tissue next to his bed. I stealthily took the tooth and I hope I haven’t messed with his head too much as to why the tooth was there one minute and not there the next. And of course I couldn’t say I put $1 with the note. I know I did it, I know it. There was $1 sitting on the little table next to his bed and I told him that was it.

He kept going on and on about the missing money, the lipstick on the note and the missing tooth. I felt really bad but there was nothing I could do to turn back time and make it all go more smoothly.

Oh, and to top it all off, after our walk this morning JJ told me he thought he had nits. He’s had them once before. I got the phone call from the school and when I picked him up it was so obvious he was infested. This time, it looked like he might have nits - I wasn’t absolutely sure but I didn’t want to send him to school before doing something about it. I got the special conditioner and used the nit comb through his hair just in case. It made us late and I get stressed and start getting louder when I’m stressed. As JJ informed me we were only late because of the nits, it wasn’t worth yelling. Yes, adult child, you’re right of course.

I have a spray bottle of tea tree oil mixed with water which is supposed to help ward off these little critters but it’s only effective if it’s used. Use it more I will now. Oh, and when I get home I’ve got washing to do. Oh what joy.

Have you had the joy of nits in your household. If so, how do you deal with it?