Tag Archives: Princess

Week Seven – Promise

Posted on by
2
Sweet Chucks

Sweet Chucks

Promise as defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary is:

1 : a declaration that one will do or refrain from doing something specified

2 : reason to expect something; especially : ground for expectation of success, improvement, or excellence

Promise is a heavy word.  Full of strong connotations; commitment, trust, dedication, honor,  hope, optimism.  And the Dude can dig it.

Promise holds a strong significance at Casa de Dude.  We don’t live by too many rules.  Sure, rules are created on the fly all the time; “Don’t cover your room with glitter.” Or “Don’t draw hearts on furniture.”  But those don’t feel like real life rules.  They feel more like reminders.  There’s really only one consistent rule around our house, and it centers around a promise.

The essence of a promise is commitment.  The knowledge that all parties making and accepting the promise understand the pledge is not to be broken.  Yes, promises and contracts are broken all the time…disagreements keep lawyers employed.  But within a family, promises hold a special weight.  A level of commitment beyond the average contract.  A trust sealed with unconditional love.

The one rule in our house is:  We never break a promise.

This one rule sets the true “rules” apart from friendly reminders.  And The Princess does an amazing job of differentiating between the two.

Kids are kids, they aren’t going to follow every rule, nor does the Dude’s constant reminder to “question authority” imply they should.  Dirt will be played in just after a bath is taken, the scooter will be crashed into the wall despite pleas to cease and desist, and rooms will be messy even though the clutter makes the Dude’s skin crawl.

But some rules are nonnegotiable; “Do not go in the water without an adult.” Or  “Do not use Little Dude’s head to practice Tae Kwan Do.”  When opportunities arise  to apply a nonnegotiable, a promise is in order.  And to close out an official rule discussion, the Dude generally ends with “And what’s the rule about a promise?” which the Princess promptly replies with “We never break a promise.”  At this point, I know I can walk away without the slightest glance back to ensure the Princess is following the guidance bestowed upon her.  She understands the weight of the promise.  Hopefully we can say the same at 16.

In addition to a solemn oath, promise can imply the “expectation of success, improvement, or excellence.”

The movie Beautiful Girls has a great quote that explains the fundamental nature of promise.  I don’t remember the movie much, but I recall thinking it was pretty good…plus, the dude in the scene is wearing a Celtics jacket, so it’s gotta be decent (and the dude with the quote was in Dazed and Confused, which again lends credence to this movie…somehow).  At any rate, the quote is great…

Fits like a glove.  The quote is a perfect description of the thoughts flowing through the Dude’s head when Mrs. Dude graced his path.  And the premise of the quote fits perfectly with kids.  “Bottled promise.”  Perfect description.

Week seven falls into this category.

It was not a week without challenges, but the bigger picture is bright.  Feelings of contentment and hope rather than seeking answers to the riddle that is an infant.

Little Dude is growing and self-regulating.  Digestion is improving.  Sleep is improving.  Crankiness is improving.  Acid Reflux is improving.  Smiles are multiplying.  Coos are developing.  Life is good.

The weekend was the perfect cap on week seven.

Mrs. Dude started back at work on Saturday.  Two days per week.  This left the Dude with the kiddos and bottles of milk for the first time.

An at-home parent has a lot to juggle.  I was up at 7:30 and didn’t eat breakfast until 11:00.  Lots of balls in the air, but everyone was in a great mood, and the hours sped past.

By the time late afternoon rolled around, Mrs. Dude was home, there were no serious injuries, and the Dude was kickin’ it in the backyard watering the plants and enjoying a great early August evening; light breeze, warm air, problems stripped away by the carelessness of summer.

To culminate an already storybook weekend, Tropical Storm Colin moved up the Atlantic far off shore but close enough to send fun waves just in time for the Dude to make a solitary escape to the beach.

Ideal.

Full of promise.

Life, please promise more…much more, of the same.

What’s the rule about promises?

We never break a promise.

I’m holding you to it.

Life Moves Pretty Fast

Posted on by
Reply
Time Moves Pretty Fast

Time Moves Pretty Fast

I can recall being a high school student with the weight of time weighing heavy on my mind.  Days took too long, weeks dragged on, school years felt like an eternity, and “old” was a ridiculously low number…which the Dude has surpassed by now.

But at some point, time shifts.  Out of nowhere, there’s never enough time in a day.  Weeks fly by.  A “school year?”  That’s not even a year!  “Old?”  I’m convinced that’s got to be a state of mind much more so than a number.

Time is a slippery foe.  Too much for the youth, and not enough for the aged.

From a parenting perspective, everyone seems to share the same view; “Kids grow up too fast.”  A cliché?…possibly, but it’s a cliché for a reason…there’s a strong element of truth.  As the wise sage Ferris Bueller once espoused, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

At five weeks, I’ve already uttered “they grow so quick.”  Right, crazy.  But…it’s true.  At five weeks, he’s already grown out of infant diapers and his first stage of clothes.  Not a huge deal, but it’s a sign of what’s to come.  Soon he’ll be sitting up, crawling, walking, running, driving, moving out.

A bit drastic.  But we know what’s ahead.  We’re witnessing the growth potential with the Princess.  She is five going on 16.

Proportionally, the first few years of life have exceptional growth.  From one through three, the rapid growth is apparent through the range of body movements developing; head stays up, sits up, crawls, walks, etc.  At four, life starts to click; concepts and ideas come into view.  By five, they seem like little adults…adults with the potential to spread glitter and perfume throughout the house like Tinkerbelle on a fairy rampage.

This past week, the Princess hit play date and sleepover age.  We’re jumping in with both feet.  First sleepover at a friend’s house, a play date at Casa de Dude, and the first sleepover here all in one week.  Adjusting to a five week old and taking in some rouge kids at the same time.  Great idea.

The Princess has relished this new found freedom.  The independence is palpable.  But with every autonomous act, comes a brilliantly orchestrated feat that could only be the product of the five year old mind.  Each time the five year old shows itself, I’m reminded to enjoy Now.  Moments lead to hours, days, weeks, and years.  Time moves fast.

Play dates and sleepovers are a big step.  Increased independence, new social interactions.  The Girl is on the fast track to adulthood.

However, the idea of a play date is much more grown up than the act of a play date.  The majority of a five year old play date consists of moving toys from one location to another.  It starts by pulling the entire inventory of toys from their storage location and erratically shifting from one creative game to another throughout the house, and most of these games require ALL of the toys to be moved to a new location every three minutes.  The end result is far worse than any house party the Dude ever threw at his parents’ house….not that I ever did that Mom and Dad.

In addition to partying like a rock star, the Princess is now using the phone like a teenager.  The Princess makes calls to her short list of numbers at freewill.  At this point the phone calls are mainly to Nina, but it’s a sign of what’s to come.

Nina made the mistake of mentioning a girls trip with the Princess two weeks before departure.  A bag has been packed next to her bed for 14 days, and she’s used her limited phone privileges to make travel plans and fill empty moments with a phone attached to her ear.  Like a teenage girl trying to keep her boyfriend on the phone, the Princess can hold a conversation.  I’m only privy to one side of the conversation, but this is what I hear…

  • “Oh, you know what I was thinking about?  Are we going to shop at the top of the mountain?  Should we do toys?…It’s pretty fun if you want.  What else should we buy?…we could buy clothes if you want.”
  • Talking about her bad dream:  “If you wake up and then wake down again, you won’t have the bad dream.”
  • Listing what she packed…14 days ago:  “I put in a Polly Pocket, a pony…I think…and Aerial.”
  • About their trip:  “Can we swing there?”
  • I can only image how Nina responded to this:  “Do you want me to hang up, or do you want me to keep talking?”
  • Filling time:  “Stars are pretty.”

To hold a 25 minute phone conversation shows amazing maturity.  And for every 25 five minute conversation, there’s a conversation full of non-sequiturs that pulls the Dude back into the moment.

Princess:  There’s a donut place before the cabin.
Princess:  There are trees just before the cabin.

Dude:  Yes, like donuts, trees are everywhere.

Princess:  There’s a hill at the cabin…just like winter.
Princess:  We went sledding at the cabin.

Dude:  I’m not really sure I see the connection.

My guess is “kids grow too fast” because we are so busy we forget to pay attention and enjoy the moment to moment growth.  Here’s to paying attention.

The Princess Speaks

Posted on by
1
Princess Speaks

Princess Speaks

When a five year old speaks, the verbal onslaught is completely unpredictable…and hilarious.

It seems the Princess has some innate parenting skills…which she is happy to share with the Dude…

  • “Babies don’t like the dark.”
  • “Babies like to be with Mom.”
  • “I can’t feed Little Dude; I have little girl nipples.”
  • “It’s alright if he cries.  It hurts my ears, but I’m not frustrated.”
  • “Mom we’ve tried everything with Little Dude and he won’t cooperate.  I think he’s hungry.”

These parenting skills extend past Little Dude to the Dude.  Some of her go to lines these days…including hands on the hips and eyes rolling…

  • “What has gotten into you?”
  • “How many times do I have to tell you this?”

Another innate quality or already brainwashed by The Man?  Consumerism…Nature vs. Nurture

  • Princess excitedly proclaims,  “I just saw a bed on TV for $70!”
    Dude:  “Great.  Is that a good deal?  Do we need a bed?”

How are they making a bed look appealing to a five year old?  And why?  Just to torture parents?

  • While watching a kids channel, which should be providing quality stimulus but instead advertises products to kids that will torment parents, the Princess shouts to Mrs. Dude, “We need to go here.  I’m not sure where it is, but it’s only $53 a night.”

For real?!  Can we take a break from selling stuff 24 hours per day…to five year olds who have no money?  The Princess can’t distinguish a one dollar bill from a twenty dollar bill, but that commercial somehow has her convinced that $53  per night is a good deal and worth a trip to No Man’s Land.  Get out of our heads TV!

Pink one?In addition to hilarity, most Princess speak also includes a heavy dose of cuteness.

  • Accepting a serious life transition; “I like having a new brother in my life.”
  • Watching Mommy nurse; “Is he biting you?”
  • Talking to her friends at school; “When you have a new brother or sister, you can have a baby vacation too.”
  • While she enjoyed her first experience with the Wizard of Oz; “You can’t buy a brain.  All you need to do is ask God.”
  • Trying to avoid dreaded bedtime; Dude: “What time is it?”  Princess:  “Don’t ask Mommy, she doesn’t know.”
  • Mental preparation for the next big life transition, kindergarten; “I have to go to school in the fall.  But I can still trick or treat.  It’s at night, not during the day.”
  • Picking out the uniform for her new hobby, Tae Kwan Do (i.e. the all white “karate” uniform); “Mommy, is there a pink one?”

It’s pretty fun to witness life coming together one day at a time for a kid.

I’m On a Boat!

Posted on by
Reply

I'm On a Boat

Do they make infant life preservers?  Would it matter if they did; could an infant actually preserve his life with one?  My guess is a parent and their life jacket suffice…right?

Well, the Little Dude had his first boat ride yesterday…sans life jacket…please don’t tell Social Services.

It was perfect.  We were watching that amazingly boring World Cup championship (Don’t get me wrong, I played soccer from kindergarten through college…I like it, but that game was lame even for soccer fans.), and Mrs. Dude’s Dad, aka Rex, saved us from boredom with a cruise on his power boat.

It was a gnarly summer day; bright sun, blue skies, calm water, hot, but with a good breeze.

Boats seem like a lot of work and money, but they sure are fun to be on.  It’s a whole new perspective from the water; literally and figuratively.  The trip refreshed all of us.

The Little Dude loved the motion and the breeze, and Mrs. Dude commented that it was the “most fun [she’s] had since being eight months pregnant”…when the real discomfort set in.

We made a point to stop a couple times to hop overboard to swim, so the Princess was delighted, and the Dude soaked in the entire experience…all the while silently singing I’m on a Boat in my head.

Soakin’ Hot

Posted on by
1

The Princess Learns to SwimOver the past couple weeks, the temps have been hot as we’ve enjoyed a summer heat wave.  I use the term “enjoy” loosely considering that The Boy still can’t be in the sun without the risk of his skin bursting into flames, and most people over the newborn age don’t want to spend too much time in the 98 degree blazing sunny day with humidity that must be at about 2,000 percent.

The Princess and the Dude have braved the elements a bit to partake in some swinging, to wander around the garden, and play with the dogs, but most of our time has been spent inside with Mrs. Dude and Little Dude.  With one large exception.  The pool.

We joined the community pool this year.  And to the Dude’s credit, he didn’t even try to come up with reasons that we didn’t need to commit the funds to a somewhat frivolous endeavor.  The Mrs. made the suggestion, and the Dude agreed without the slightest frugality creeping into the conversation.

Considering that Mrs. Dude is off all summer, and the Princess has friends at the pool, it seemed like a good idea, but the real motivation behind the Dude’s lose of frugality was the belief that this would be the summer for the Princess to swim, and the pool could be a big help.

So, we joined, and it’s arguably one of the best decisions of the summer.  The pool is very nice; Olympic sized, lap lane, diving area, tiny snack shack, a beach behind the pool, a playground next to the pool, and the icing on the community pool cake, saltwater so you avoid the chemicals.

We even joined in time to have the Princess’s birthday party at the pool.  How great is a birthday pool party?  Ask again in 10 years.  Considering that the Princess and Little Dude have b-days five days apart, I can see a whole bunch of b-day parties for two at the pool.  Combined birthday parties, at the community pool; the frugality gods shine down on the Dude…thank you karma.

To start the summer season, each time the Princess wanted to enter the water we needed to muster the strength of Hulk Hogan in order to slide the rubber swimmies up the skinny little arms.  This was not an enjoyable experience, but it did give us the opportunity to remind the Princess that she wouldn’t need swimmies once she learned how to swim.  With the motivation of no swimmies, and seeing some of her friends swimming, the determination to swim began to grow in the Princess, but the slight tinge of fear still lingered.  Luckily, a mother at the pool explained to the Dude and the Princess that this is a “magic pool” that teaches kids how to swim.  Well, I guess we joined the right pool.

Given the heat, the pool is one of the best reasons to be outside for extended times, and the Princess and the Dude have used it as a reason to get out of the house.  The first couple trips consisted of the Princess and her friend using the Dude as a jungle gym and leaping into the water off of his head, swimmies included.  While this was a great time for all, especially the Dude and his head, we weren’t getting much closer to swimming, although comfort in the water was growing.

By the third trip, the Dude had convinced the Princess to hop in sans swimmies, with the promise that he would be holding her tight at all times.  The pool session ended with a pep talk about the need to want to learn if you are going to get a new skill.  The Princess took a couple plunges under the water on her own, and the seeds of swimming were planted.

Confidence was growing, and the Dude and the Princess asked Mrs. Dude to join us for the next pool trip.  Nina graciously agreed to be with The Boy, and we were off.

On the walk from the car to the pool gate, the Dude heard joyful screams of “Belly flop, belly flop!,” and the Princess proclaimed that “It is soakin’ hot!”  The Dude responded “It’s going to be a great day at the pool; belly flop chants and soakin’ heat.”  The Princess finished the exchange by pointing out “I don’t know what soakin’ means, but I think it means a lot.”  Pretty accurate.

The Dude, the Mrs., and the Princess entered the pool with a non-swimmer but would not leave the same way.  The “magic pool” took hold, and the Princess became a mermaid jumping and swimming with the excitement of a life skill being cemented into place…and the Dude and Mrs. Dude both had the pleasure of enjoying this once-in-a-lifetime experience with the Medium-sized one.

Congrats Princess.  One more kindergarten skill in place.

This Little Piggy

Posted on by
1

Mrs. Dude is crafty.

The Princess asked if she could play “This Little Piggy” with my toes the other night.  Of course the Dude abides and agreed to the Piggy journey, and the Princess’ version of “This Little Piggy “ is a journey full of random princess activities.

It began with “This little piggy went to bunny’s nail shop, and this little piggy got cupcake’s, and this little piggy ate ice cream.”  Innocent enough.  But, it ended with “This little piggy went to the store to get fans.”

Fans?!  What little piggy goes from bunny’s nail shop, to the cupcake bakery, to the ice cream parlor, to Home Depot?!

I know who’s behind these mind games.  I’m on to you Mrs. Dude.

I get it, we need a couple new fans for the house.  Did you have to turn the Princess loose on me?

Relentless.

You Can Call Life Whatever You Want

Posted on by
2

A general theme is developing around the Dude’s house, and it’s a theme developed by a five year old princess; “You Can Call Life Whatever You Want.”

The original discussion centered around the word “water.”  The Princess pronounces water “wuter;” it could be a southern thing.  The Dude asked her about this, and the Princess explained that water and wuter are the same thing.   The Dude must have appeared perplexed because this was followed by “You can call life whatever you want.”  And the overriding household theme began.

It seems like this phrase is referenced on a daily basis, like when freckles are referred to as nipples (as in “How did you get nipples on your hand?” or “You have a nipple on your face.”) or zucchini is referenced as bikini (As in “I don’t want any bikinis on my plate.”).

However, it has morphed into a justified reason for almost all of the nuances of life, like a tooth fairy debate:  Princess proclaims, “The tooth fairy brings gold coins.”  Dude responds, “I’m not so sure about that.”  Princess follows with “That’s ok, you can call life whatever you want.”

The Joy of Swinging

Posted on by
Reply

The Princess has turned five, and at the same time reached an important life milestone; self-propelled swinging.

Five is huge.  Five is a major shift from little kid to medium sized kid, and along with the shift come some added responsibilities.  Five brings with it kindergarten.  School bus, cafeteria lunch, a big school, and a big playground.

Big playgrounds have big swings, and kindergarteners know how to swing (or at least that’s what I tell the Princess).  The Princess loves to swing.  She could spend days gliding back and forth, but she still needs to be pushed.

To avoid any further discussions of a hideous swing set being added to the Dude’s righteous landscaping, the Dude crafted a masterful plan to help the Princess and ring in the five year old birthday; a swing hooked to the underside of the deck/house.  The swing is the most popular part of the swing set anyway…it’s called a SWING set for good reason.

So, to ring in the festivities, the Dude surprised the Princess with a groovy new green swing with bright yellow rubber protecting the chain link running from swing to house.  A beautiful swinging specimen.

Joy of Swinging

Joy of Swinging

And the Princess rejoiced at the sight, but I’m not sure any of us were prepared for the true joy such a simple gift could bring.

Of course the Dude didn’t buy all of the right parts, but of course the Dude made due with the provided parts and some magic parts from the garage, and the swing was eventually hung with care…about an hour after a fifteen minute project began.  Typical Dude.  But, the end result is just right, and the Princess agrees wholeheartedly.

Within seconds of being hung, the swing was swinging and the joy was growing like the Grinch’s heart at Christmas.  After one or two introductory pushes, something clicked and self-propelled swinging began.  The Princess had learned how to pump her legs to swing.  A major hurdle overcome, and new life long skill was cemented into place.

The Princess was immediately in love with her new skill.  As the Dude tended the garden, the Princess excitedly talked as only a five year old girl can, quickly leaping from one random thought to another.  At one point I heard “Yippee!” yelled repeatedly at least 30 times; I say at least because that’s where I lost count.  The Yippee was followed by the My Little Pony theme song sung at top volume, which of course led to the proclamation, “I’m swinging…with my eyes closed…and singing!”

The singing eventually led to some Dude and Princess discussions (always interesting), and the Dude realized the swing was a great gift for both of them.  The Dude sidestepped the swing set in the backyard debates, helped the Princess with one of life’s simple pleasures, and created a great forum for Dude and Princess discussions.  The Dude gardening and the Princess swinging, delving into many of life’s mysteries…usually profoundly explained to the Dude by the Princess.

It was a struggle to pull her off the swing as the stars began to peek through the dusk sky, and the first words uttered the following morning were “can I go outside to swing.”

So begins the big summer of the Princess and the development of life skills all kindergarteners know (at least that’s what I tell her).  Next on the list:  swimming, tying shoes, and riding with no training wheels.  Watch out kindergarten.

Happy Anniversary. Let’s Go to Home Depot.

Posted on by
Reply

Dude and the Mrs. celebrated their anniversary a couple weeks ago.

A great day had by all; a few hugs, a couple high-fives, some thoughtful gifts, a carefully crafted breakfast including flowers from the Dude, and a trip to Home Depot of course…no anniversary would be complete without a giant hardware store.

As the Dude of the house, the responsibility falls on me to repair those things that require repairing.  This includes repairs that are beyond the Dude’s scope of expertise.  Most repairs fall into this “beyond the scope” category, but that never stopped McGyver (or McGrubber), so scope of experience does not preclude almost any repair requirements.  After all, the alternative is to demonstrate a lack of Dudeness…and pay someone else to handle the task at hand, which is never a good option for a self-proclaimed Dude.

So, as the dishes were being rinsed after the anniversary breakfast, Dude recognized a sound under the sink, a sound that sent his Dude instincts aflutter.  The sound of water under the kitchen sink.

Normally, water and the kitchen sink seem to go together pretty well, but this water was not of the friendly variety.  It was of the “I’m going to steal your anniversary because you know nothing about plumbing” variety.

Sweet.  A leak under the kitchen sink.

Awesome.  The Dude has no experience with plumbing…unless, of course, you consider adding Drano to a clogged shower valuable experience, but it was clear Drano wasn’t fixing this (don’t think it didn’t cross my mind).

After a careful inspection, the problem was evident.  The nut (no clue if this is the correct term) connecting the drain to the sink was broken.  And, when I say “the problem was evident,” I really mean the nut was loose, and when I tried to tighten it, I snapped it.  At any rate, the issue was diagnosed, and the plumbing expertise was growing by the second.

Dude Loves Plumbing

Dude Loves Plumbing

Dude Loves Plumbing

Dude Loves Plumbing

After diagnosis, the next step in most of the Dude’s projects is a trip to Home Depot to gather the random parts that will allow a truly McGyvered solution to come to life.  So, with the Mrs. and the Princess in tow, the Dude was off to the Depot.

Luckily, the trip was uneventful, the parts were gathered successfully, and the fix was pretty straight forward.  The Dude strikes again!

However, in true Dude fashion, one repair usually leads to another, and as I was giving Marley a celebratory belly rub in the kitchen, he rolled (more like giant flop) over and snapped the cabinet door in two.  Thankfully super glue is always on hand in copious quantities for Dude projects.

One Job Leads to Another

One Job Leads to Another

Dude's Favorite Tool

Dude's Favorite Tool

Happy anniversary.

Observations from the Princess

Posted on by
Reply
The Princess

The Princess

1.  As we’re watching the Celtics in the NBA Finals (Go Celts!), and Rondo makes an acrobatic move to the basket that leads to a hard collision between his head and the floor, the Princess chimes in by suggesting that “They should have a carpet.”  Very true, that fall would have hurt less with a carpet.

2.  During a trip to the beach…You always need to dig a hole and bury poop at the beach because if it’s out someone might think it’s a rock and pick it up, and that’s gross.  Again, very true, and this is most likely the reasoning behind the town ordinances requiring that we clean up after our dogs…oh, to be a fly on the wall during that meeting…

“Earl, we need to require people to pick up their poop on the beach.”

“Jim, you’re crazy.  We live in America…the land of the free!”

“Earl, if we don’t clean it up, or at least dig a hole and bury it, someone will think it’s a rock and take it home, and that’s gross.”

“Very true, Jim.  The poop law is enacted.”

I’m starting to believe five year olds can run this world.