The Driver's Seat

Avery is getting rear molars and it's making for some peak whining let me tell you. She seems to spend her days paging through a pile of books and peeing on various non-toilets and then sometimes on toilets, but usually pooping on toilets. Oh yeah, and she's been ripping the pages of library books again, to the point that I'm out of packing tape. I send a great big long sigh her way and have banned her from being alone in her room with anything but a board book during her "nap." And, might I mention that getting that child out the door in the morning when it's time to take Jooge to school tests my patience to the max? I read in "Your Two Year Old" that when a kid is two and a half there are often so many battles between parent and child in just one day that it's worthwhile to bring in some back up. Mind you, I have a very sweet and endearing and smart two and a half year old on my hands but wow. I need to learn that whatever I DON'T want her to do, I must phrase it as a "Do." For example, "Hey, color on the walls! That'd be great!" For sure she would rebel and our walls would remain marker free.

Speaking of parenthood as the challenge incarnate, I saw Dan in Real Life and loved it. It's like Little Miss Sunshine meets The Family Stone. Great soundtrack, too. It made me think about my girls turning into teenagers. Gulp! Also, we saw Into the Wild. What a story. I thought about it a long time afterwards. Nature is a truly unbeatable force, all of us vulnerable in its grip. Speaking of which, it's been a year since the James Kim tragedy which I followed so closely last year. If the reminder of that isn't a good dose of perspective, I do not know what is.

Jooge is asleep so I must go and cut her nails, as it is the only time nail cutting is allowed between she and I and they are getting rather dagger-like.