So, the first day of VBS is over, and _{it wasn’t that bad.} No, really. Both the Boy & I are glad that we decided to order the United Church program rather than the slick American alternative we’ve used in previous years; there’s a lot more substance and much less sparkle to this package. We got a lot of late registrants, pushing our enrolment numbers from 7 to 20 and increasing the enthusiasm quotient by a hundred. It just sucks when you’re trying to keep a handful of kids interested in the program, when you yourself can’t be bothered. Of course, now that our numbers are up and I discovered that I like the material, it’s much easier to fake enthusiasm.

This afternoon I took Blake to the park, partly so that we could escape New! Furnace! Blowout! 2006! and partly so that I could wear the guy out. He was in bed late last night, up at 4:30 for the second morning in a row, and his nap today was 45 minutes long. And yet he kept telling me that he “wasn’t tired.” I figured that a long trip to his favourite local park could turn that sparky defiance into droopy compliance. It almost worked, but I had to put a lot into it as well. We went to the splash pool, where Blake tried to make friends with much older daycampers (“Blake, don’t touch people you don’t know.”) Then we went to the barn, where he wheedled me into paying for the petting zoo. We get our dollar’s worth, I must say: between digging his hands into the sheep wool, the goat who nibbled his ear, and the unlimited opportunity to witness pooping animals, he was enthralled. (“Blake, let go of the sheep’s ear.”)

We like to ride our bike to the park, which is good for both of us. He gets to ring his ladybug bell and I get to maintain the delusion that I’m living a healthy lifestyle. It’s a really difficult ride for me, as my bike has only three gears (at my own request, since I can’t seem to get the hang of handle breaks), and Blake weighs up to and including 30 pounds. Momentum is my only friend, and it likes to abandon me whenever someone cooler is around. This afternoon, though, I made the same discovery that every 10-year-old has made before me: if you stand on the pedals, you can get up the hill. So I’ve abandoned my old method of going up hills (chanting “givin’r” over and over while pedalling as hard as possible) for this new standing on the pedals thing. And I managed to get through the most difficult stretch without getting off and walking, something I haven’t been able to do for awhile now. Of course, it does take away one of my finest joys, which is hearing Blake chant along with me.

”Blake, thanks for being such a good passenger.”
”Mommy, thanks for givin’r.”

(No really, he actually said that 2 weeks ago. I love him.)

And my comments are fixed, so feel free to leave one on the blogger system. Cheers!

- 2 comments/hedgehogs -

- Rocketbride's adventure of 8/21/2006 12:40:00 p.m.