4 year old comfort

Tonight I woke up around 11 unable to sleep. I had been tossing and turning for about two hours. The Benadryl I had taken was not helping my itching and my head was killing me. I got up and came downstairs. Suddenly I think my hormones overcame me and I couldnt stop crying. I think I was tired of all the itching and sleepless nights.

A few minutes later Ben came downstairs crying because his legs were cramping and he asked to come sit with me. We sat there for about five minutes with both of us crying and me massaging his legs. I'm sure we made quite the site. He looked at me and said, "Momma I feel a lot better I think we just needed to cry for a little while." Then we started laughing and just like that we both felt better.

It amazes me how mature he can be at times. He is such a blessing to us all. He always seems to know what to say to make a situation better. Now Im currently itch free so maybe we can get some rest.

At the moment we are watching Cast Away and he is informing me that Tom Hanks should have brought some bandaids so that when his leg started bleeding on the deserted island he would have something to cover his leg. He also added, "I dont know why he keeps talking to that ball. It's not real. I guess he's just pretending like I do when I play with my toys.

Worried about hair

I have to admit my hair has been a hot mess all day. It's even gone through a three hour nap.

I'm sitting on the couch and Ben comes running up to me and starts brushing my hair down with a comb he got from picture day. I asked him what he was doing. He said, "Mom your hair looks a little crazy. I'm just putting it back together for you." Lol




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Time to buy a belt

Two nights ago Ben said "Mom, I have some questions. When will I have lots of my own money? When do I get to have a wallet? When will I be considered big? And when can I wear a belt like daddy?
I explained to him that he would probably be able to have his own money once he started working or saving his money from his chores. He probably didn't need a wallet until he had money and he could get a belt anytime he wanted to go get one.
He cheered and said he would really be good at school so we could go the next day. Sure enough he got a smiley face at school yesterday and we got him a belt.
Today he said,"Mom make sure we pick out pants that have belt loops. I'm going to wear my belt."
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I want to see Heaven

Last night Ben and I were putting up garage sale signs and he wanted to get out and help. It was dark and I was close to the road so I told him he needed to stay in the car.
"But mom why do I have to stay in the car?" he said in true four year old fashion. I explained that a car could hit him if he stepped in the road and I'd rather him be safe in the car.
"Will I die if I get hit by a car mom? Cause if I did die I would see heaven , right? And that would be ok because I'm excited to see heaven but I would miss you." I'd rather not get hit by a car tho so I'll stay in the car.

I explained that I wanted him to live a long long time and he would get to see heaven later but right now I needed him to stay with me as long as possible.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The show and tell fiasco

On Fridays Ben has show and tell at school. It's early in the morning so sometimes he doesn't make it there in time. Today he asked me to get him there extra early so he could participate.

He looked for the perfect toy and finally decided to bring his bat plane. I dropped him off early and went to work.

When I got home I asked him if he had fun at show and tell. He explained that apparently they were only suppose to bring toys that started with m so the teacher would not let get his toy out of his backpack. He said, "I cried and cried because I was the only one who didn't get to show a toy." He then got in trouble for crying and had to sit in time out.

The teacher informed Ben's grandparents that a sheet went out on Monday explaining the letter of the week. Since Ben does not go on Monday's I never got this sheet because they did not put one in his cubby.

I don't think I've ever been more sad and mad at the same time. I don't understand how a teacher could disappoint a 4yr old like that.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Clean room

Tonight as I was fixing dinner I went to check on Ben in his room. He was busy playing with all of his superhero houses and all if his cars. His floor was covered with toys. I told him to make sure he picked up all his toys before dinner time.
About ten minutes later I called to Ben to let him know it was time to eat. He came running down the steps in a few minutes. I went upstairs and not only was everything picked up but everything was in the proper place. Cars with cars, superheroes all together, even all the Mr potato parts were in the right bag.
Ben came up behind me as I was staring at what was a huge mess ten minutes ago. "What you looking at Mom?" I told him I was impressed with his room and he said, "well I'm big now so I know how to keep my room clean." Those word were music to my ears.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The roach incident

Tonight Ben and I decided to go Downstairs for a late night snack. I was going down the stairs and I noticed something dark in the middle of the stairs. I turned on the lights and noticed a huge roach in the middle of a step.

I have to mention i hate roaches. Once when I was a lifeguard one jumped off my stand into my hair. All the swimmers thought I was crazy because I couldn't stop screaming.

So I really don't like to get close to roaches because I've seen them jump and I also hate stepping on them because the crunching noise grosses me out.

Ben ran to my closet and got a shoe. "Here mom, throw this at it. It will make him get off the steps." Why not I thought to myself. I threw the shoe and all it did was make it climb higher toward us. I had a towel in my hand so I put it over it and tried to step on the roach. As my foot was coming down the roach ran out of the towel and started running away. Of course I screamed because it's me and bugs make me scream. Ben looked at me and said, "mom let's face it when it comes to roaches your not brave this situation needs a brave person not afraid of bugs. Let's close the bedroom door and wait on daddy." The way he said it was hilarious. I laughed and laughed.

Long story short we killed the roach:)



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Not scared

Ben has been looking forward to the movie Paranorman for some time now. He is definitely true boy. He loves anything that has ghost, zombies, or any other gross scary thing involved. He of course loved the movie. It's definitely not a movie for a child that scares easily because there were parts that creeped me out.

We got home about 9 and all of the lights were out. For some reason the motion sensor light above the garage was not coming on. Ben said, "Mom lets play outside for awhile." I have to admit when Michael is not home at night I'm usually locked inside with all the dogs. I told Ben that it was late and we should go in. He breathed out heavily in frustration and said, "Mom dont worry Zombies are not real they were only in the movie. I would play out here by myself but you've always told me I can't because a bad man might grab me. You remember? So if you stay out here we will both be safe because there are no zombies and you can keep bad people away."

Needless to say we came in and had a bowl of ice team instead.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Conversation with a hairdresser

Tonight at the mall I decided to get Ben's hair cut since he is way overdo. He was hoping that we would not find one that was open because he didn't want to go. The first one we went to said the first appointment they had available was August 28th. The second place said they were about to close so they were not doing any walk ins. Finally we went to Regis and they had no one waiting. I imagine because they were the most expensive.
A really nice lady said she would be glad to cut Ben's hair. Ben hung his head and said, "I was really hoping you would say no." He slowly made his way to the chair and looked like the saddest boy in the world. She was so sweet. Within minutes she had him talking about star wars and telling her about his day. Once he was happy she said,"Ben what are we going to do with your hair?" He looked at her with a confused look ,"How do you know my name." She smiled and said,"I'm smart." He nodded and without a pause said," Oh your smart like me. I know all my colors, shapes, and numbers. I'm really smart. Not everyone is smart like us. I'm glad your smart too." I think he may be a little smug.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

"Mom, I got married!"

Today as we were all talking about our week Ben informed us that he has gotten married to Kinley. I asked when he did this and his response ," There was one day that I had a smiley face so I got to play outside. That's when we got married. We held hands and we are thinking about having kids." I said, "oh so is she going to be your only girlfriend/wife? "
"No mom (with a look on his face) daddy says I can have lots of girlfriends!"
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Im a grandma

This afternoon Ben said , "mamma I have to go check on my kids. Come with me." I went with him to his bedroom and he had his three large stuffed Animals tucked in his covers. He said, "I'm their mom so I have to keep checking on them." I explained that since he was a boy he could be their daddy. At first he didn't like that because apparently he feels like mamma's are nicer and did not understand why he couldn't be a momma.
I let it drop but I did notice that he started referring to himself as dad.lol. He took them to the pretend park and on a picnic. He then rolled one down the stairs and explained he was really fast.
He told me that I was the grandma so I could take them to Walmart later and dairy queen.

This lasted about 30min and now he went from being a nice pretend daddy to his stuffed animals


to a viscous warrior who is about to stab his enemy.(he gave all his "kids" weapons to help in the battle) His play time is anything but boring:)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

24

Ben really likes the number 24 for some reason. He always ask things like, "Mom is my nap going to be 24minutes?" or "When will you be home, like in 24 hours." Today we are watching Jake and the Neverland Pirates and one of the characters starting counting the gold coins they had collected. She stopped at the number 8 and Ben said, "Oh man I really wanted them to get 24. They never get 24."

Moments later Ben came up to me and said, "Mom will you put the number 24 on your van. Because I really like the number."I asked where he would like me to put the number and he explained he would like it on the very front then I could be a race van. I already like to drive fast so this way I could be a race van.lol.

I  told him that we couldn't put it on my van but we would make a 24 out of paper and put on his wall if he wants. He said, "Oh yes , that sounds like a good idea Momma."

"Mom, let's talk"

Last night Ben was coughing and asked for something warm to drink. Michael made him some hot chocolate and I made myself some hot tea. Ben then climbed into a chair and said, "mom let's talk. You like to talk about our day so let's do that now." I sat at the table and then he started telling me all about his day. He explained that there was a girl named Elizabeth in his new class. She has blond hair, he thinks blonds are his favorite right now. At that I said, "Ben I have brown hair do you not like brown hair?" He laughed and said, "Oh mamma your silly, of course I like brown hair. I like your hair in a circle and when it's shaped like a rectangle."

We talked for a little longer about his friends in his new class and then he said ,"Mamma I have some questions for you." I told him that I will answer them the best I could. His questions were the following: Did I go to the hospital when he came out of my tummy? Why do kids go to school? What are we doing tomorrow? Why do some girls in his class act like they don't like him?

I love our talks. I hope he will continue to enjoy them as well. He's very caring because some night I know all he wants to play but he still sits down most nights and talks to me about our day.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Leaving the bed

Last night Ben I put Ben to bed around 845. He was rubbing his eyes and yawning so I figured he would be to sleep in no time. I checked on him at 1000 when I was going to bed and he was still awake. We both have a cold so I gave him some cold medicine and told him he could come lay in bed with Michael and me.

We all got in bed and about ten minutes after we got in Ben said, "Mom if it's ok with you I'm going to go to my room. Now if your scared or need a snuggle I'll stay. But if your ok I'm going to go to my room so I can have my dream light and have the bed all to myself. Ok?"

I laughed and told Ben I would be ok. So after that he went to his room and was out till after I left. Even the thunder did not wake him.

And on a side note, He loves his new class. He's in there with all his friends that got moved up


earlier this year.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

New day

Today I dropped Ben off and his teacher said ,"Ben is so smart. Yesterday he asked me if his dad was picking him up before or after I leave. He said he hoped it was after because he didn't want his dad to know he was bad at school." She explained to Ben that the other teacher would tell his dad. He said, "oh yeah, I forgot."

I gave him a cookie this morning. He asked, "mom why do I get a cookie so early in the morning. I mean I'm thankful because I really love cookies but why do I get one." I explained that he was a good boy and I know he's going to have a good day today. I also said that sometimes you need a good cookie in the morning to help start your day. He enjoyed his Cookie no matter the reason:)







- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

:( sad face at school

Benjamin comes home every day with a progress report that gives him a happy or sad face. It also tells if he took a nap and if he ate his lunch. Michael and I have tried for the past year to really reinforce the whole if you get in trouble at school you get in trouble at home. This really has helped and he often goes a month at a time without getting a sad face.

Last week was the first sad face in a long time. He knows that he does not get any candy or treats that day and that he gets a pop or other punishment. That day he only got one pop (which he later said was a happy pop because it didn't hurt) Michael explained to him that he was only getting one because he had been really good for a long time but the next sad face would get a bigger punishment.

Well today he got another sad face for acting out and not listening. He got three pops and he also had to write his name for ten minutes. Later that evening he had to pick up pine cones. When I got home he showed me his names that he wrote. He also said, "momma I'm going to be really good tomorrow because I miss my cartoons."

I know some people may think we are hard on him but he really is smart and he knows how to be good. He helps me clean, picks up his toys, says yes mam and no mam, and does what he's told (most of the time).

Now he's taking a bath playing with his toys. He said, "Mom today has been a good day. I liked picking up pine cones it was fun." He can make anything fun with his imagination:)

Hopefully tomorrow will be a happy face day.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Good night routine

Tonight as Michael and I were putting Ben to bed he asked to see our wedding album. So instead of reading a story we got out the album and let him look through all the pictures. He looked at each picture and made comments about most of them. He said things like, "Mom I really like your dress. Yuck, you kissed in this picture. I like that limo, I'll have a limo one day when I'm married. Wow even Uncle Will was there."

After we finished the pictures I asked him if he had anything he wanted to pray about. Usually he says no you can pray. Tonight he said, "Yes let's get on our knees." I said ok and we got beside his bed. Then he prayed, "God thank you for our day. Thank you for letting mom off so we could have a fun day. Thank you for not letting baby Sam chew up my toys today. Thank you for making me smart. Also thank you for letting Daddy have a good job that he likes. Mom you can add something now. We love you Jesus and God. Amen."

He is such a good boy. Although Michael and I have been trying now for over three years for a second child it's nights like tonight that I am reminded of all of my blessings. He is so Sweet and I know one day he will make a wonderful big brother.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Moving out

A couple of night's ago I was putting Ben to bed and he said,"Mamma did Pookie and Pop kick daddy out?" I didn't know what he was referring to so I asked him what he meant. He said, "Well he doesn't live with his mamma anymore and I've decided I'm going to stay with you."

I laughed and explained that daddy had left home to go to college. Then when he moved back home he met me and since we got married we moved in together. He thought about this for a minute and said that when he got married she was going to have to move in with us. I explained that they would want their own house. His answer, "she can have her house but I'm staying with you!"
I'll have to remind him of this later when he's trying to leave.

On the same note : tonight he said ,"I think I'll marry Aunt Regan (my friend) because she doesn't have a boyfriend right now. And she's not really family so i can marry her. You'll have to find me a ring mamma."

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Lunch time troubles

Ben's teacher informed us that he was the only kid that never ate his lunch. The only day he ate was Thursday because that was sandwich day. He also would eat if they had chicken.

We told him this weekend that if he didn't eat at least half his lunch he was not getting any treats when he got home. Michael picked him up yesterday and since they had some kind of noodle dish ( he hates noodles) he had not eaten anything.

That night Michael made himself a milkshake and explained that he could have had one if he had tried his lunch. All night Ben said,"I'm definitely eating tomorrow because I miss my treats."

Today I picked him up and he said all excitedly," Mom I ate my spicy slimy meatballs today and my green beans." I asked the teacher and sure enough had had eaten 75% of his lunch. My boy loves his treats. We should have started this sooner.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

worried about mom

Last night Ben was suppose to spend the night with Pookie and Pop but after I called to check on him at 530 he decided he wanted to come home. He got here about six and we all visited for awhile.

That night we were watching a cartoon in my bed because Michael was still at work moving into his new office. I asked Ben why he decided to come home because he has never asked to come home before today. He said, "Well Mom, I like Pop and Pookie but I was worried about you because you haven't felt good lately and I knew Daddy would be moving at work and I didn't want you to miss me. Plus this way I can help you if you need help with your foot." I told him that I appreciated his concern and I really like having him around but that I'm ok by myself when he's having a spend the night somewhere. He said, "Oh ok. Well you can always call if you change your mind next time I'm spending the night and you miss me and I'll come home."

I'm so thankful he is such a sweet boy. When I mentioned that I had a headache last night. He grabbed my hand and said, "Let me pray for your head mom. God Please help my mom's headache. She is  a nice momma and I want her head to feel better. Amen." This made me smile because I've been trying to  teach him the importance of prayer and this is the first time that he's brought up a spontaneous prayer on  his own that wasn't led by me.

infomercials

For the past year Ben has started paying attention to commercials and he's the perfect audience because of course most everything on the cartoon network is geared for kids. Most of the time he'll say "Mom that looks really cool will you put that on my Christmas list for Santa." I agree and he often forgets about it until something else comes on that interest him.

Tonight we are watching cartoons in bed and a commercial for tortilla bowls comes on after his cartoon goes off. I'm not really paying attention to the tv when all of a sudden Ben yells , "Mom you got to see this. I think you will like it. It's a bowl and it's a tortilla. Like, you can eat it after you eat your food. And look. They put ice cream in that tortilla bowl. You like tacos . Right? They said you could put taco stuff in it like meat , cheese , and that green stuff you like. What's it called? Oh yeah , Lettuce. That's right. 

He was quite for a minute then he added, "Oh yeah, you get four of them. So you dont have to wash them all the time. You can use one a day and not have to wash till later. I think they give you one free. So maybe you get five. That's a really good deal mom. And it's only 19.99 I think . I forgot because its gone off. But it's not expensive. We have enough money if you really want them mom. They have a call number you can call them. 

Nothing gets past this boy. I should let them have him as their  salesman:)

4 yr old dreams

Ben slept really late for him last night. The storms kept him up late so he didn't wake until 9. When he woke he came downstairs to find me.

He found me in the kitchen. You'll have to excuse the description because Im going to write it like he told me because for one it's funnier that way and two since he's described them about nine times I remember them pretty well.

"Mom, I had lots of dreams last night." He said. "First there was this halloween house. You know like a scary house. It wasn't too scary. I wasn't scared because I like that stuff. Well, I went in the house. Pop went in too. There was this witch. She was so tiny. That's why I wasn't scared because she was tiny. She let this monster tickle my knee. Pop hit the tiny witch so she wouldn't  get away. Don't worry Mom she was a puppet so he didn't hurt her. We saw her because I had to go to the bathroom. That's when we saw her. "

He then continued, "And after that dream I had a dream we were at the beach. A raccoon bit my knee. I don't now why but it did. I kicked him and he ran a way. It didn't bleed. Just left a little bruise. That's all. But I had this boat. Well not a boat. More like a ship. Mom, Why did you take it away from me? Nina gave me the ship. I think you should have let me keep it. It really wasn't yours to take a way. But you did. I forgive you. It was a dream. Oh, and there was this bucket. I really liked the bucket. A big wave came on the shore and took it from me. I really liked that bucket."

We are on the couch right now as I write and He just asked if I was blogging about his dreams. He said, "Mom dont forget about the tiny witch part. People should know she was just a puppet."lol.

Be nice to your tummy

We have been trying to teach Ben to eat healthier food and to be appreciative of the food that he has on his plate. Tonight we had chinese. We gave Ben sweet n sour chicken, an apple and some carrots. He said, "Yummy this looks really good. And you gave me good ice water. Just what I wanted.  Thanks Mom!" (Dont worry he's not always this polite. He's just really smart and knows if he's nice he might get a cookie for dessert) . I thought it was a little over the top but Im just glad he wasn't complaining about dinner. I said,  "Your welcome Ben." He ate most of it and then said, "Mom I'm getting full so I'm stopping now. 

I of course ate way to much beef and broccoli.  I said, "Ben, I should have stopped eating when you did. I ate way to much food." Ben came over patted my stomach and said, "Mom you have to be nice to your tummy and then it will be nice to you. When you eat to much it's not happy and then your not happy." I told him thanks for the good advice and promised to follow his advice next time. 

Talk of Heaven

Tonight as I was putting Ben to bed he looked at me and said, " Mom I will be really sad if you die." I explained that no one knows when they will die but I hope I can live a long time to see him get big. He thought about this for a moment and said, "well, when you do die you'll wait in Heaven for me right?" He was being very serious so I was trying to give the best answer I could. We talked for a while and I told him I would wait for him in Heaven but I hoped he would live a long time.

We changed the subject to something else then right before I left he said, " we should have a meeting place when we get there because I want to see you when I get there." Of course I'm almost in tears now because he's being so sweet. I know he's a little small to understand the whole concept of heaven and he really wanted to have a meeting place so I told him maybe there would be a big pond and I'll wait there.

This seemed to make him happy so he closed his eyes and told me goodnight.
He amazes everyday with his conversations. I know he will do great things one day. He is truly a blessing.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Outside time

Benjamin has been spending a lot of time inside with me lately watching movies and as many kids his age has become quite good with the kindle and iPad.
Today after school he came in grabbed the iPad and started playing one of his favorite games. He then turned on the tv so he could not only play a game but watch his favorite cartoon as well.
Michael came in shortly after and asked Ben if he wanted to play golf. Ben said, " No dad I just want to sit in the couch and play my game." He then started to whine when Michael told him he needed to have some outside time.
At this we decided to turn off all electronics. The kindle and iPad got put up as well as tv's turned off.
Michael got the golf clubs out and turned on the sprinklers. At first Ben was not excited about
the forced sunshine but soon the boy that loves outdoors finally returned. They currently are having sprinkler wars.
I think we will make this a daily routine in the Long household. Yes he might not be as electronically savvy as some of his classmates but there is always time for that.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Taking charge

This morning Ben and I are taking it easy watching cartoons. Since I have a few weeks off due to my foot surgery I called my dermatologist and tried to get an appointment for next week. Of course they can't get me in till July 30th so I was a little frustrated after talking to them.
Ben said , "mom next time let me talk to them because they need to see you sooner than later because you hurt your foot and shouldn't have to wait. So call them back and let me talk them. I'll explain the situation. Ok? What's their call number? I'll call them."
He is such a sweet boy. I was going to let Michael take him to school today but I figure this is a great time to hang out with him. Plus he has been quite helpful. He can get me ice water, knows how to get his snacks, and also understands that I need to rest so he really doesn't ask a lot from me.
I'm looking forward to a day of board games and movies.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Helping hand

I have recently had surgery to a severed tendon in my left foot. Benjamin has been extra helpful since I'm suppose to be mainly sitting. Tonight my mom was really sleepy and I couldn't sleep so I asked Ben if he wanted to watch cartoons in my bed. He was super excited about staying up late so he happily agreed.
After about ten minutes he looked at me and said, "Momma lets get a snack. I need you to work the microwave but I'll get the drinks and the pizza."
He ran and got my crutches and with a big smile said," I'll help you. We will be really careful. I won't let you fall down the stairs." Of course I said yes because he was being so nice. It took us a little while to get to the kitchen but once we did he got busy opened the fridge and got a coke and two slices of pizza. He then asked me if I would please heat up the pizza. While I was heating up the pizza he got a Walmart bag a put the coke and chips in the bag. When the pizza was done he said,"you can carry the bag and use your crutches while I carry the pizza. That way you won't have to spill anything."
I'm amazed how sweet and smart my barely four year old can be. Right now he's cuddled up next to me asking if I need anything. I am truly blessed.

Compassion

As many of you know Friday morning a knife fell on my foot from the sink. I wrapped it up thinking it was not bad and went to my workout and then work. This weekend I had to go to the Er because of the swelling and the fact that I could no longer move my big toe in the up position. I was told that I most likely severed my tendon and they put me in a soft cast with crutches. The Dr instructed me to make a appointment Monday for a orthopedic surgeon.
I had a really rough night last night and after the third Dr office informed me they could not see me this week I was in tears. This is the moment Ben came down the stairs. He sat next to me, held my hand and said ,"momma why are you crying maybe I can fix it." I tried to dry up my tears and told him that I was trying to get a Dr to see me today. He thought about that for a minute and said, "I know momma, we can go to the dr that gives me shots sometime. She'll make your foot better and they have suckers. Or we can call the ambulance and they will take you somewhere."
His sweetness made my day. I'm truly blessed beyond measure. At that moment I just let the situation go and gave it to God. 5 minutes later my primary Dr called and told me they got me an appointment today:)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Words of wisdom

Ive been meaning to start this blog for months. My son Benjamin is really quite hilarious.

Today I was watching my sweet niece Harper. I had just placed her in her bouncy seat when Ben sat next to her and said," Baby Harper I have some rules for you.

1. Do not jump off of tall things. You could get hurt.
2. Do not poot in someone's face.
4. Do not grab someone by the neck. It could hurt them.
Do not say bad words.
5. Eat bananas because they help your legs not cramp.

I'm sure he will give here plenty more good tips as she gets older:)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone