Super Size Me!

Last night Kwamai and I started watching Super Size Me, a documentary about a man who decides to eat nothing but McDonald's food for 30 days. I say we started watching it; I finished it, but Kwamai decided to leave at one point. He then started feeling sick, eventually threw up, and told me that the next time he goes to McDonald's he will order a salad and a bottle of water.

He was feeling perfectly fine before the movie started, and perfectly fine afterwards, and I highly suspect this was strictly a psychosomatic reaction.

We had gotten this DVD from the library on Tuesday, and when we drove by our neighborhood McDonald's on Thursday morning he asked me "Mom, if the McDonald's people know their food is bad for people but they sell it anyway, are they just evil?" It was an interesting discussion, and I tried to talk about how people often use faulty reasoning to justify lots of things.

So, About that Swimming

Last week I managed to put on my swimming suit and sit on the side of the pool during the swimming lesson. The (teenager, non-parent) swimming instructor thought it a bad idea for me to actually get into the pool, because he presumed Felicity would then not pay any attention at all to the swimming instructors. But as it turned out, my being poolside was all it took. Felicity got a smile on her face, got in the water, started working her kicks, and even came back beaming about how much fun she was having. She hasn't developed a whole lot in the way of swimming skills, but at least she has recovered from her long bout of water refusal. And the pool has warmed up, too. She even practiced jumping into the pool from the side and let herself go partly under water, so it seems fear is not her issue, just comfort.

Kwamai has been doing fine. The quality of the swimming instruction (since it is usually a different set of student life guards each time) has not been that great in terms of systematic progression from one skill to the next. But, it is an opportunity. It would probably simply be worth our while to go to the open swim and practice skills that way during the summer.

10th Anniversary Picture

We had this picture taken right outside the place where we had our dance. Immediately afterwards Felicity marched off not return, so this was the only shot we got of all of us this year. It might have had something to do with Kwamai's insistence on making bunny ears behind her.

Nothing like realism and capturing the essence of our current point in history.

Oh, and by the way, I think I'm finally convinced that Felicity is due for a short haircut. She is developing the classic Hansen/Hosdil thick hair and hates hairbrushes. Maybe Friday.

Swimming Update

We are half-way through swimming lessons now. Kwamai can almost swim without assistance, and tied in a race across the pool with a more experienced swimmer yesterday (while they used kickboards).

Felicity, on the other hand, has left the pool twice with a huge frown on her face and tears in her eyes, and last time she wouldn't even get in at all. Sigh. The water apparently is too cold for her tastes. I can't say I blame her, as I often feel the same way about pool water. It takes work to relax and then kick hard enough to warm oneself up. She told me she would stay in the pool if I got in with her, so I may try that approach next time. The one-on-one attention from the life guards has dwindled a bit, so it is nice for those kids who want to practice more independently (like Kwamai, who keeps complaining that they are "so strict" just because they try to show him how to swim) but it is a downside for the younger kids like Felicity who end up sitting still and freezing in the water while waiting for someone to pull them around and train them in kicking, etc.

Hairstyle

On the Saturday before Palm Sunday, Felicity got her hair cut at the beauty parlor again. The beautician decided to curl her hair with a curling iron a bit, and so she had big swooshy curls for awhile. It was very cute, but alas Felicity did not consent to getting her picture taken.

Unfortunately her hair was cut with a part in it, which of course has not stayed parted since. Next time I think we go with bangs, until such a time as Felicity again likes having things in her hair to keep it in place (which seems to have stopped as soon as she had hair long enough to move around).

2009, 2002

Here is our family picture, taken with Bishop Conlon on the occasion of Kwamai's Confirmation/First Holy Communion on April 19.

Compare with this one, when Kwamai was 2 days away from turning one year old (on the occasion of the Bishop's ordination).

Is It Time, Yet?

Kwamai and Felicity started swimming lessons again on Monday. They go twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays. Felicity is particularly excited about it and has asked me at least 15 times already today when we are going. She's been dressed and ready for the last hour. Only one more hour left to wait! Kwamai went off with a more advanced group halfway through the first lesson. Felicity did a really great job. The good thing about this year is that the high school swim coach has her swim team teaching the kids one-on-one, while she coaches their teaching techniques "from above". This way, no one is just sitting around in the pool, waiting for his/her chance to get out and swim.

Felicityism

"But Kwamai, you don't even have a driver's slicin's."

Classic Kwamai-ism

While playing with the broom pole:

"Hey mom, guess what? I got the nine ball in the corner pocket. I'm playing poker."

Blessed are the Peacemakers

... and those who forgive.

Kwamai went to a birthday party yesterday, and he brought home as a little party favor a plastic torpedo-shaped toy to use in a swimming pool. It lay on the dining room table this morning, and Felicity came upon it, and suddenly it was the most interesting thing in the house. Felicity wanted to play with it, which of course made Kwamai want to play with it. Fights ensued. No one was really playing with it, but everyone wanted to hold it and prevent the other from playing with it. After law enforcement was called in (aka Mom) to prevent physical beatings as a part of this process and some restraints were put in place, I set a timer. Felicity had five minutes to play with it, and then Kwamai had five minutes. Well, after two of Kwamai's minutes, Felicity suggested a truce and asked if she could play army man set up with Kwamai, promising not to take the torpedo. Kwamai readily forgave and agreed, and that game morphed into several others. Peace reigns.

Sigh.

Now for the rest of the morning.

Now Kwamai is busy composing (and singing at the top of his lungs) a song called "Stop Copying Me." Must get him signed up for youth choir.

First Reconciliation

Yesterday was Kwamai's first reconciliation in preparation for receiving his first Holy Communion and Confirmation in April. He was a bit nervous about the whole thing. All 23 kids who are receiving sacraments this year in our parish gathered for the prayer service. And when the priests announced the time to head to the confessionals, Kwamai ran to the front of the line. He returned with a broad smile on his face. When I mentioned the fact of his smile to him, he said "I'm blushing!"

We didn't get official pictures of this sacrament (of course), but a friend did take a few of him playing tag with the other boys in the church hall afterwards. I'll post some if we can make him out on any of them.

We Protest!

We did a little life learning today by attending a political protest. I was so proud of Kwamai and Felicity for being troupers, and they enjoyed the fact that we were so close to a Dunkin Donuts. This involved a drive to downtown Pittsburgh, so we had lots of time to discuss our adventure and enjoy all that we were learning about political issues, the behavior of various adults (e.g. we saw more smokers this morning than we've seen in Felicity's lifetime), life in the "big city," history, and more. Great experience.

Learner at Work, Her Way

Felicity is so not Kwamai.

This morning she insisted we go to the basement to do school, because that's where the school desk is, along with all the books and things she needs. Um, but it's freezing down there.

Compromise! We brought the school desk to the dining room. And now I'd better get to helping her with her workbook.

Thanks, Kwam

I spent quite a bit of last week feeling not so good. Wednesday was by far the worst day, however. But it was Kwamai's chance to shine.

He has a truly tender heart for those in need. And since I could hardly get out of bed without feeling dizzy, he managed to check in with me regularly and bring me water and nibbles to eat. He managed to entertain Felicity and otherwise refrained from those things which tend to get her all upset. He even made or procured breakfast and lunch for himself and Felicity, and although he had some help with dinner, he played a key role there too. He read me a story and played with Felicity in the attic.

Yes, the house was completely trashed, and no, it has not proven a permanent behavioral shift. But it sure made a hard day easy to deal with.