First Movie

A child's first movie used to be a rite of passage. My older brother's first movie was Star Wars and my husband remembers going to the theater for the first time and seeing E.T. "Used to be", not so anymore.

Go to an animated feature at a theater now and you'll see children as young as a few months- even weeks- old at the theater along with their families. Not that it's a problem, sometimes if the family is going to see a movie, taking baby along is the only way to make it happen. But my point is that more often than not, children as young as one and two years old are almost as accustomed to making the trip to the movie theater as the trip to the grocery store.

Well, call me old-fashioned or over the top, but I was hoping my daughters' first "real" movie would be a special event they would remember for years to come. So we've been watching and waiting for the right time for Hope to go to the theater.

An obvious prerequisite was that she have the attention span to sit through an entire full-length movie at home. That requirement was only recently fulfilled. The next step was to wait for a movie to come out that my particular three year old would actually watch. For her, this means animation only. To her, real people= boring. To top it all off, Mommy (that would be me) is pretty particular about what movies Hope is allowed to watch at all. Even if it's a movie supposedly made for kids, I don't think a bunch of added-in adult humor, even though it goes over kids' head, is necessary. And although it's nearly impossible, we try to avoid toilet humor in movies. That comes naturally enough to kids already, I don't feel the need to encourage it further by providing my daughter with new material.

Hope's and my criteria was finally met with Disney's newest release UP!

We made a big deal with Hope about going to the movie theater. We talked to her in advance about how she would have to whisper during the movie because there would be a lot of other people there watching. We talked up the popcorn and asked her what kind of snack she would want.

All the preparation must have paid off because Hope's first movie was a success. A few moments were intense for her and she covered her eyes. The movie was during and past her bedtime as well, so she did get tired and was reclined in my lap by the time the movie was over. And due to her sensitivity to loud noises, Hope spent approximately half the movie with her hands over her ears. But overall, Faith thoroughly enjoyed the theater experience and our choice for her first movie.

On a side note, if you're going to take your newborn to a movie with you, a few tips. One, make sure they're well fed and either rested or ready to sleep during the movie. Two, be prepared to feed them- breast or bottle- or have a pacifier handy, should they start to make their presence known in the middle of the movie. Third, sit near an aisle so that, should the previous two efforts fail, you can make a quick exit to avoid disturbing other theater patrons. Fourth, and finally, as a last resort, if your tiny movie watcher should become inconsolable, be mentally prepared in advance that you may have to leave the theater altogether and possibly miss seeing the whole film and waste the money you spent on a ticket.

(That being said, I suppose it's quite obvious that we had a family with a small baby sitting directly behind us during the movie that was not entirely respectful of those around her. She definitely stayed within the parameters of proper theater decorum though. Also, I say the above as that this is what I would mentally prepare myself for if I chose to take an infant to a movie theater. In reality, I've chosen to avoid all of the above and just not do it.)

All a child's firsts are new and exciting hurdles their parents leap with them. And Hope's first movie was a very fun one to leap. It makes me excited for Violet's first trip to the theater...

Moms Don't Have Time to Get Sick

I got a cold from my daughter on Sunday night. I thought, "No big deal, she just had a runny nose and cough. It only lasted two or three days. I'll just suck it up and pull through."

Wrong.

So far I've had a runny nose, itchy and watery eyes, an extremely sore throat, sinus congestion, and drainage from my nose and throat causing, finally, a cough. How did Hope make it look so easy?

On Monday I tried to rest and take it easy. We turned on cartoons for the whole morning and just sat around. I took a generic Claritin which, sadly, did absolutely nothing. However, I still had my chin up, I was sure Tuesday would be better!

I woke up Tuesday morning with a killer headache from stuffed sinuses and a piercingly sore throat, cancelled an appointment I had that morning but still pulled myself and kiddos out of the house for a meeting I had organized with some other mommies. At this point I'm now on Benadryl, so as I hung out with my friends and tried to keep my kids in check, I felt like my head was stuffed with cotton and I could fall down into a deep sleep at any moment.

By Tuesday afternoon, I grew tired of attempting to rest and recover. I realized- as I always do after more than one day of being sick- mommies don't have time to be sick!

And on another note- sorry to you working moms, this is just an aside, you honestly do have my utmost respect- this is espcially true for stay-at-home moms. Here's the deal, if you are a full-time working mom and have child care set up for your children, you just send your kids off to their normal care and go home and rest. Easy peasy! This doesn't work if you're a stay-at-home mom, you get sick and... you're still at work. It never leaves or gives you a break. The same tasks and routines that were there yesterday are still there today. Everyone still needs your help, and the ones who are shorter than waist high don't seem to care that much about your sore throat and runny nose.

So just like Clair Huxstable (on the episode when both her and Cliff got the flu at the same time), I have decided that I'm done being sick. Tonight my husband took the girls to church and left me at home all alone. I have two blissful hours of peace and quiet. And then? I'm done being sick. Sorry, body, but you have to suck it up now. Get back to work! Virus, we can meet again in say... seventeen years?

(For evidence that I truly do feel for sick moms and believe that we should use common sense and take care of ourselves, see How to Take Care of Your Kids When You Are Sick.

My First Blog

Ta-da!

Here I am, blogging for the first time. I've been writing in some form or fashion since second grade, and most recently have been trying my hand at publishing "hubs" at HubPages. As I have gotten back in the practice of writing regularly, this creative release- for me-has stirred the need to write more. But since I don't always have time to put the amount of effort I feel is needed into a full-fledged Hub, or article, I need a more casual, laid-back outlet for my writing. I hope this blog will meet my writing outlet needs while simultaneously being a helping hand or a kind smile to another mom out there reading my work.

And why don't I have time to put more time into my writing more regularly? To put it in only two words: Hope and Violet.

Hope and Violet would be my daughters, ages three and one. They are currently in bed, as is my husband, who works quite early in the morning at a second part-time job. And this peaceful time of the day, which not incidentally is my favoritel time of the day in this house, is about the only peace this house sees all day. It's the only time of the day that I get to sit still without constant pulling, interruptions, referreeing, or waiting on someone.

Let me begin my first blog by saying that I love being a mom. It is definitely the hardest thing I've ever done, yet it's also the most amazing. There are moments, I'll admit it, every day, that I wonder what I've done with my life and miss being a "productive member of society". As many times as I groan during the day, bemoaning the current state of my life, I try to intentionally acknowledge that I wouldn't trade these girls for anything I had before them. When I get tired and frustrated, I do my best to remind myself that in just a few years, I'll be missing these moments when they were so small.

I'm not going to make light of motherhood by saying, "It comes so naturally!" Most of it doens't. I find it to be a constant learning process, and I am learning and doing my best, one day at a time.

I am a fan of all moms. I think women who have chosen to pour their life into the nurturing of another human being are amazing, no matter in what details they go about said nurturing. I believe all mothers deserve respect and honor and support. My desire is that we would draw together and support one another in this journey of motherhood.

So join me on the journey! We're all muddling through this together, we might as well join hands. As we battle through each day, caught in the mire of the monotony of daily life and making the most minute decisions that could each potentially have an eternal impact- we need support. Let's mother together!