"Mommy, Do We Have Any Ideas?"

This was Owen's cute "quote of the day" yesterday. He picks up pretty much any phrase I use and re-tools it in some way. So I think my use of the phrase "I have no idea" became in his mind the very earnest question, "Do we have any ideas?" (I told him that my idea was that he would take a shower [a new thing] and go to bed. He told me that his idea was that he would get a dog, and, go up into a tree.)

Owen is SUCH a talker, I get to follow his entire thought process from start to finish...the roundabout, searching-for-words, sometimes irrational thought process that is the 3-year-old. It's great fun. The thing that is so amazing about this age is how sure of himself he is. His thoughts and his feelings, well, they are what they are. He even tells me I am wrong sometimes, ie: No, Mommy, that's not a robin, it's a cardinal. I usually let it slide. :)

We are currently in Chau.tau.qua, which is in western New York state, a kind of combination retreat/artist's colony/performance venue/lecture venue. My parents live here in the summers since they retired. It's on a beautiful lake. Ah...sabbatical! They have a morning camp for 3s and 4s, so I've been able to get some work done in the mornings. They even ride a yellow school bus to school (which Owen, being a city kid, will probably never experience in his normal school life!) It's all very good but it puts into focus how much of our behavioral challenges arise when we have a schedule to keep. We've been basically without a schedule since I stopped work in late June, and camp started this week. All of a sudden everything is a struggle--eating, napping.

My parents are helpful but not that helpful. There are so many things that only I can do, or deal with, of course. This is the reality.  And sometimes my parents assert themselves in the wrong way. But it's good to have family around, if only to help with meals and laundry! And the joy of not having to clean!  Really, though, sometimes when I am parenting at home I think to myself "This kid is so awesome, so funny, so smart! I wish someone else could experience this with me!" Sharing our experiences is definitely the best thing about being here.

xoxo---Jo