“Mom, this is awesome.”

Ok… *shrug*

He’s been like this about baseball for a couple years. But before that it was Star Wars (he knew every actor’s name or puppeteer and who played what voice and what happened in every single scene). Before that it was the digestive system (somewhere I have three year old video of him explaining the small intestine) and before that it was planets (some of his first words were from the solar system).

Anyway. Back to baseball.

So I decided to sit down with him this afternoon just to see what he knew and get it on film. Not surprisingly, his baseball knowledge was endless. He could have probably gone on for hours. Really.

I’m not sure what to say about it all. I just hope he funnels all this energy and focus into curing cancer or finding an alternative energy source or something someday. Because he certainly doesn’t know his times tables as well as he knows THIS stuff.

Anyway, gather your baseball fans and take a look. They will appreciate this.

And if you don’t really get baseball, that’s ok. You’ll get the idea just from the first minute or so.

And my apologies if this is a little “my kid is so amazing, you all MUST come see, and watch me beam with pride”. I love him. He loves this. So I want to hold him up over my head and tell him that whatever he loves is so very awesome. That’s all.

Enjoy.

But we have obviously loved all the goodies and creepy crawlies we’ve gotten to know along the way.

Speaking of creepy crawlies, you might remember our window sill full of caterpillars who wound themselves into quiet cocoons. Well, awhile back they did hatch over a flutter filled Sunday afternoon. The next day my family decided to release them all. And we, of course, video taped our fun.

It was truly bittersweet, we had grown used to having them around and watching them change. But, of course, butterflies must fly and a warm Florida Spring offers them the perfect opportunity to do just that.

And in the words of those wonderful Dixie Chicks, “there’s beauty in just letting go.”

Enjoy.

(Oh and p.s. Gotta love my husband’s first comments. “Don’t whack it, it’s not a bug.” Well, I guess not the kind of bug someone would actually want to whack at least… Such a fun family afternoon.)

Because we have been having a little battle in our home. If the brainrotbox television has to be turned on by me, I would prefer that they watch something that teaches them important lessons. But alas my boys have discovered the joys of “Cartoon Network” and “Disney XM”.

Not good.

If my television is going to replace me it better EDUCATE them, dammit. Dora’s over-emphasized hollering might drive me screaming from my home but at least they’re learning something. All Scooby Doo has taught my boys is how to wear an ascot, crave Scooby snacks and scream “ZOINKS!” at the tops of their lungs.

Awesome.

But my kid was actually fine with educational television today, however, so he picked out “Schoolhouse Rock”. With a clear I should totally be reading with my kid right now conscious, I scrolled through the menu and clicked on “America Rock”.

As I did this, I wondered what my parents thought when they put on “Schoolhouse Rock” or “Sesame Street” decades before. Did their conscious feel about like mine did? Well, if I’m going to turn to television, it may as well kind of try to teach them something? And did they kind of know, like I did, that I was totally kidding myself? Which is a favorite parent thing to do, of course, like self-defense – so that we all aren’t wracked with guilt.

I watched for a bit. Smiled and enjoyed it for a moment (I fluffy heart LOVE “Schoolhouse Rock”) and went back to my room to take my toe nail polish off do something much less parental and far more self-involved.

When I left he was watching this. Catchy tune and a fun way to tell the story, right?

Later in the day, it was time to get dressed (if I was going to toss in the Mommy towel that morning, I may as well wait to dress my kid until I absolutely HAD to). And as I picked out a T-shirt, my kid started muttering to me about the Red Coats.

“They’re bad Mommy. REALLY bad.”

“Um hmmm.” Oh good. This Star Wars t-shirt matches the only clean pants he has.

“They tried to take our money!”

Where are his socks? I should have done laundry today.

“It’s called ‘taxation without representation’!”

I spun around.

“What?”

And he started telling me the whole story. So I stopped him, grabbed my Flip, and had him start from the beginning. I’m bummed he didn’t school me with the exact phrase “taxation without representation” again but he came very close.

Whoda thunk. I did zero to enlighten my child today but “Schoolhouse Rock” did. They win.

And maybe it’s time to check out a few age appropriate history books for my child? Books that *I* (clearing my throat smugly) could read to him like any GOOD, invested, loving parent would read to their child… of course.

Well, really, I like to think of it being more like a comfortable however carefully contained room. And it is my job to make sure the walls in that room – lined with the softest but sturdiest padding – do their trick. It’s my job to make sure there are no escape hatches in the corners or loose floorboards below or air vents that they can sneak through. I watch them and keep them and, as they run up against the walls time and time again, I am smugly reassured that I am doing my job as a parent.

Ok, ok. So they’re not living in a REAL padded room. And yes, I’m trying out another wacky kind of parenting analogy. But I think if you hear me out, you might consider the benefits of parenting with padded walls. If you don’t already. In fact, your walls might be a whole lot sturdier than mine. Which wouldn’t surprise me at all. Shoot, while I spout away up on this soapbox, my walls might be absolutely riddled with holes. It’s totally possible.

Here is where I am going with this.

After almost 8 years, two boys and endless days and weeks and months at home doing this whole child-rearing thing over and over and over again, it has come to my attention that the key to parenting is about setting boundaries.

No big shocker, right?

But I mean boundaries for everything. Everywhere. I have found that my children will run up against every possible edge to find out just how far I will let them go.

I can’t run in the road – but what about high-wire walking on the curb NEXT to the road?

I can’t hit my brother with a bat – but what if I just tap him with it annoyingly until he screams with rage?

I can’t grab that toy out of my friend’s hands – but what if I take it when he’s not looking?

I can’t run out of my bedroom repeatedly at bedtime – but what if I dance in my bed until I fall asleep in an exhausted heap?

And then there’s what happens when the boundary is crossed. What then? What if my child does up and whack his brother with that bat? Hard. And then looks over at me like “Yeah? What are you going to do about it?”

What then?

Well. Consequences. So they know exactly where they crossed that line.

I do Time Outs. The whole “consistent, stay in one spot, timed, talk about it, apologize and hug it out after wards” thing. And if I follow through every time, it does work. It’s taken many agonizing repeat efforts and frothed, flailing tantrums to get it to work, but now it does.

But for me, those Time Outs are establishing boundaries. Or padded walls. Soft walls. So if they run up against them, they won’t get hurt, but they will know they are there.

And here’s the crazy part. Once my four year old has realized he can’t hit his brother with a bat, he kind of relaxes. He settles in to play because he knows just how far he can go. At least, that’s how he processes it.

Because here’s my theory – well my theory for my boys at least. Kids aren’t born knowing what is acceptable and what isn’t. In fact, the entire world is a mystery and it’s a little bit unnerving. So if they don’t know how far they can take something, they will keep going until someone who loves them pulls them out of the road or prevents them from clobbering their brothers. Limits help them find their footing: this is good, this is bad. Ok. Now that I know, I can just play.

But hold on a minute.

Let’s not get carried away either.

JUST because we set up these boundaries doesn’t mean all kid exploration is off limits. Because it seems setting these boundaries is more of an art than a science. Some things are worth setting limits for. Others, no way, let them go.

Uh-oh. Gray area. Yep. Well. That’s parenting for you.

So, that puddle out front? That’s all muddy and gross and we keep making them side-step it each time we leave for school? Well, how about when they come home from school we let them jump in it. Just this one time. And tell them its a fun treat and to GO FOR IT. Jump and get muddy and make the water splash as high and far as possible. Supervised, however wild, unfettered exploration (and often times exploring in a way that WE wouldn’t, so resist the urge to control that moment) is so so SO important.

Yes. It means more work for us. Yes, we will have to bathe them. Yes, all those clothes go right into the washer. Yes, they might want to do it again and we might have to say no, not this time and listen to their whines as we compromise a time when we can do it again. It’s a hassle to make accommodations once in awhile.

But parenting is hard work. Duh.

In fact, maintaining those padded walls on a daily basis is really really REALLY hard work. Just because they knew once not to hit their brother with a bat, and they don’t do it for months on end, doesn’t mean they won’t try it again. Just because you got them to stay in their beds at bedtime doesn’t mean they won’t try to sneak out over and over again months later.

Sorry baby boy. Here we go back to bed. Yes, you are tired. No, you don’t need to play with your trains at 9pm. No, your crying will not sway me. Yes, I do love you. No, you can not have something to eat. To bed. Now.

You know what though? It is beyond tiring. It wears me down. It SUCKS to be the bad guy all the frigging time. I really just want to let them run rampant and relax and not have to DEAL and be such an *ugh* *groan* “mom” about every single little thing. I mean, get over it already. Damn.

But the long term result of not dealing is constant chaos and their exhaustion while they perpetually test us and then our own exhaustion trying to make the problem go away in various desperate however creative quick-fix ways.

…..

I don’t know.

The more I write this post, the more of an uber-controlling prison warden I seem. And a “know-it-all” control-freak prison warden at that.

Because *newsflash* I don’t have all the answers. Just because I have it figured out THIS week, doesn’t mean I will have a flipping clue next week. Just because something works for my kids certainly doesn’t mean it works for anyone else.

Oh and what about when they are 16 and breaking curfew and telling me what a loser I am and ignoring every single expectation and boundary we’ve so carefully maintained? My friends, I have the sneaking suspicion that they will escape these walls, all the while flipping off the whole establishment on their way out the door. They will. And then it will be up to them to decide if they ever want these boundaries back in anyway again.

And I will have to just sit back and watch and not have any say at all.

Move over kid. It seems it is *I* who is in dire need of these four padded walls more than anyone else. Perhaps the inmates have been running the asylum all this time after all.

*strapping on my straight jacket*

I think my kid just got out an air vent. With a bat. And he’s headed straight for his brother. Who is standing in the middle of the road. At 10pm. On a week night.

*rocking and mumbling to myself in the corner*

Boundaries. Padded walls. Find them. If you can.

(Note: These cups are on a window sill that never gets direct sunlight. The Insect Lore directions explain that direct sunlight could kill your caterpillars. So far so good here.)

In fact, as you can see from the caterpillar hanging upside down, some of them are already in position to start crafting their chrysalises!

We’re so proud. I’ll post again once we have an actual chrysalis.

Oh and after winter froze and killed all my butterfly friendly shrubs, I need to get cracking and replant my garden. These guys are going to need a new home soon!

EXCITED.

And nothing yet from our Praying Mantis egg sack. It’s due to hatch soon though so I’ll post once they emerge and chaos ensues as I try and round up and release most of them before they eat each other.

…Can’t wait! I think.

Come to find out, in 3-6 weeks, we will be hatching a nest of Chinese praying mantises in our home. Yep. You heard me right. When we opened the package, we had an egg sack and a pagoda to house our new creatures.

After some careful construction (and a little McGyvering, I added some small paper edges to keep it from slipping out), our egg sack is resting carefully on it’s hanging platform in the pagoda.

So 3-6 weeks, and we have babies. Of course, the directions said we should release all but one or two or else they will eat each other. This is good news for my garden since they eat pest bugs. However that begs the question, what will our praying mantis eat? And then I read:

“Be prepared to find very small insects such as aphids, fruit flies, small caterpillars, moths, or other soft-bodied insects for them to eat. Your mantis will eat almost any live bug.”

Um. Soft-bodied?

*shiver*

Ok.

But then I also read you can pick up pin-head crickets at a pet store and they like those too. So perfect. I can handle that. I think.

(…visions of escaped crickets all over the back seat of my car and screaming, swatting children and hungry mantises waiting patiently at home…)

In the meantime, our mantis has already been named by my 4 year old. Copernicus. I swear. He picked it. I couldn’t even make that one up.

Until then, the egg sack is quiet in its new home.

I’ll keep you posted of course.

And while, sure, we even get the big stuff that should make me gather up my children, lock the doors and spray some sort of repellent haphazardly – I don’t. I try to teach my children about what we see and hope they learn what to do when they see it again. Because, no matter how much repellent we could buy or how often we have to call the gator hotline, these beasties live here as much as we do.

Lizards to ladybugs, bring them on.

Now, if you’ve been here awhile you also probably know that I am fairly picky about the sorts of reviews I do. But when they make sense for my blog, and I am supportive of the company behind the product, well, then I’m game.

The company Insect Lore approached me this summer and asked if I would be interested in working for them over the next year. What is Insect Lore? Simply put, they are in the business of bug and animal education. They sell educational toys aimed at teaching kids about insects and outdoor wildlife.

Which is kind of perfect for this beastie loving blog.

So what will I be doing with them? Once a month, Insect Lore will send me and my boys an educational item to review. And once a month, I will post my review here. While I do receive a small compensation as a brand ambassador of sorts, I promise that each review will be 100% honest. So stay tuned for upcoming Insect Lore reviews about cool stuff that we can haul outside and try on our backyard.

Because I heart wildlife. And I heart educational toys that teach kids more about wildlife.

So here we go. What did we get this month?

Buzzerks Eye Wear.

These bug glasses with flip-on compound eyes are pretty fun to play with. And I caught my boys super cute reactions in the vlog posted below, so check it out. Apparently hornets can play some decent baseball.

But quickly, here are my pros and cons:

Pros:

• Fun and creative. They are great for make-believe. The kids loved zooming around the yard pretending to be bugs.
• Durable. Yes, even though we had three pairs for two boys, we still had a couple skirmishes over who got to wear which pair when. Twice a pair was smashed to the ground and both times they survived unscathed and ready to be buggy for another day.
• Optional compound eye piece. I’m glad the compound eyes are something you can try but then flip back for long term wear.
• Life like. I think they do a pretty good job of looking like the real things and educating my kids about the faces of each bug type.
• Biodegradable Packing Peanuts. I really appreciate this extra eco-friendly addition. And? The kids loved dissolving the packing peanuts in water almost as much as wearing the Buzzerks themselves. Almost.

Cons:

• Optional compound eye piece. The kids were iffy on the compound eyes. My 7 year old got the idea and even thought it was cool, but he kept reminding me how “blurry” everything was. My 4 year old did not like the compound eyes at all and still won’t flip them down. I don’t think he believes any bug could see through compound eyes – which is probably an odd concept for him to grasp anyway.

Giveaway Alert!

So, you’ve seen what I have to say and seen what my kids think (watch below), and now you would love a pair for your little beastie. Well, you can have some. And so can your child’s school. Insect Lore will send you two sets of Buzzerks (each set includes the Fire Ant, the Hornet and the Mantis) – one for your family and one for your child’s school.

What do you need to do? Between now and Wednesday, October 27 2010, leave a comment below telling me your favorite animal or bug story. A tweet can count as an entry too, just leave a comment here saying you tweeted.

UPDATE:

Congratulations to Tree who has won the Buzzerks giveaway! I hope your children enjoy them. This contest is now closed.

In the meantime, watch my kids open up and try out Buzzerks in my backyard.

He doesn’t like fast slides. He doesn’t jump from most heights. He never wants me to push him too high on the swing. And he certainly won’t get on any semi-fast rides at Busch Gardens.

No way.

He thinks the hill we drive up and down on the drive home from school is a roller coaster. I’m not joking. He even puts his hands up and yells “Weeeeeeeee!!!!!….” So thrilling. Clearly.

My wild child.

So when I signed him up for gymnastics, I assumed this would be a challenge for him. He would have to jump off things. He would have to tumble and feel a little rush of adrenaline and trust that he was safe. He would have to consider the risks of falling and get past them. And when he saw the facility, he was excited to do it. But when I saw the height he’d have to jump off or the slide he would need to go down, I wasn’t so sure.

Yeah, well, with me locked up on an observation deck, behind a glass pane – he did it. He did it fearlessly. He did it proudly. He did without any of my coaxing at all.

I was shocked. And proud. So proud.

And then later introspective.

What is with that? What is with my kids not doing things for me? What is with their nerves and demands that they can’t do it, no way, and that was final.

And then doing it for someone else?

It was his first teacher who finally sealed the deal with potty training. Not me.

It was his father who finally got him to put his face in the water and keep it there. Not me.

It was this gymnastic teacher, who he knew for 15 minutes, who got him to jump off a big red square and balance himself high up on a bar with his arms locked. Not me.

No way.

And it is moments like these which remind me of the importance, the sheer significance, the enormous value other adults, teachers and family members have on my children’s lives.

Because here’s a news flash: No matter how much I think I know best as their mother, I can NOT teach them everything. Not by myself.

No way.

They respond differently to other adults. They have different expectations of themselves. They become different kids with other people. I am their mother and they can be my little babies when they are with me. I am their safe place. Its ok to show vulnerability with me. But for new people, interesting people, different people, challenging people – my children see something new. And they suddenly expect greatness from themselves.

I can love them so completely and entirely – but I can’t fulfill their learning to it’s entirety.

No way.

And I know this might be very obvious to most readers. I know this is a naive realisation. And if its any comfort, its not the first time I’ve realized this. But its just another reminder to let them go. Shove them out of that nest and let them fall and fall and be a little scared and even if I don’t think they will be brave enough to land on their feet, everyone else does. And they do. And I am left amazed once again.

I adore and thank every teacher, adult, coach and family member who has more confidence in my children than I do. You are changing my children. You are making them more than I could ever make them.

Thank you.

Mothering is a mind-blowing experience. Kind of like that hill I drive up and down on the way home from school. Weeeeeee!!!!!!

But will I be any less surprised the next time my children do something for another adult with confidence and flair – something that they swore they could never do, would never ever do, for me?

No way.

Do you remember watching that? On Saturday mornings in between cartoons? I adored Schoolhouse Rock. And (convinced as most parents are that their children should experience everything they did) when I saw the DVD on sale about a year ago I bought it and put it away for a rainy day. Of course, I promptly forgot all about it.

But a month or so ago my three year old’s teacher brought it up. She thought that since my kids are so into educational music, they might really learn from and enjoy Schoolhouse Rock. And wouldn’t you know it? They can’t get enough of it. So we “Conjunction Junction” and “Lolly Lolly” all around our house these days. Because Schoolhouse Rock…well, rocks. Truly.

Anyway, while watching it one afternoon with my boys piled onto my lap, we happened to be watching “Sufferin’ Till Suffrage” (a catchy little ditty all about the 19th Amendment, because Schoolhouse Rock actually has the skillz to make a song about such an amendment “catchy”.).

And my three year old turns to me and says: “That’s YOU Mommy!”

Oh. The little cartoon feminist within me blushed. And sat up a little straighter with chin held high. And thanked him profusely. What a compliment. My sweet boy sees me as someone jumping around, hollering, celebrating and singing about women’s rights in patriotic flare pants and a half shirt. With LOTS of hair.

(He wasn’t there with me in college but wow. I have to wonder.)

Love it.

Check it out and enjoy.