Year 5, Day 353

Nothing quite like ALMOST getting a kid to bed before realizing you need to prep Valentine's Day cards for his classmates tonight. WRITE FASTER, KID! Miles did a great job with it, all things considered, although he did start getting a little punchy as the process dragged on. If the crazed eyes don't sell it, … Continue reading Year 5, Day 353 →

Year 5, Day 341

Miles's fifth birthday (!) is rapidly approaching, and as you might expect, he already has ideas for presents in mind. And yet, while you'd think his thoughts would be preoccupied with things like cars, action figures, or games, what Miles really wants is a nightstand. He has made this request to both me and Jaclyn … Continue reading Year 5, Day 341 →

Year 5, Day 339

We instituted another new reward system for Miles this week, giving him the chance to earn redeemable tokens for good behavior and general compliance. Tokens can be redeemed for prizes that Miles himself had a hand in picking out, so we hoped buy-in would be easier. What I don't think either of us expected was … Continue reading Year 5, Day 339 →

Year 5, Day 325

As Miles was falling asleep last night, we engaged in some of our usual, light bedtime banter. "I don't want to die," he said without pretext. "And I don't want you to die and I don't want Mommy to die. Just stay every day forever." "Well," I started, wanting to make things a bit less … Continue reading Year 5, Day 325 →

Year 5, Day 284

Every day, Miles brings a book from school home with him so we can read it before bed. Obviously, most of these books teach valuable lessons about behavior, social interaction, and life in general. We were reading The Itsy Bitsy Spider (an extended version with progressively escalating perils and misfortunes), and I wanted to make … Continue reading Year 5, Day 284 →

Year 5, Day 283

While we were getting ready for bed tonight (or, as I like to call it, "avoiding brushing his teeth"), Miles decided to quiz me on some music. "Who sings this?" He started, "Happiness is magic..." "Hmm," I said. I knew the song, but couldn't quite place it. "I'm not sure." "You know!" Miles said, as … Continue reading Year 5, Day 283 →

Year 5, Day 262

I was reading a story to Miles at bedtime when he started rubbing his nose. What began as a few small swipes quickly escalated into something more aggressive, with Miles resorting to using the sleeve of his pajamas. I stopped reading. "Miles, do you need--" "It's just water!" he interrupted. "I got water on my … Continue reading Year 5, Day 262 →

Year 5, Day 256

I met with some friends after work last night, but it wasn't long into the evening (maybe two minutes after I had arrived) that my phone rang. Jaclyn was nearing the end of her rope, faced with a child that was hungry but wouldn't eat, wanted a shower but wouldn't bathe, and was very obviously … Continue reading Year 5, Day 256 →

Year 5, Day 210

As suggested by yesterday's post, being home sick can really turn an already behaviorally-challenged child into an unruly mess of humanity. By dinnertime last night, Miles's failure to listen warranted being sent to his room for time-out. After several minutes (long enough for us, at least, to eat in peace), we went back to Miles's … Continue reading Year 5, Day 210 →

Year 5, Day 197

For the last couple of weeks, Miles has been asking me to put his tent up for a "camp out." Since Jaclyn was hosting a ladies' night downstairs this evening, I thought tonight would be the perfect time for a camping trip. Of course Miles's grand plan was for BOTH of us to sleep in … Continue reading Year 5, Day 197 →