New Names

Apparently Macy thinks her name is now "Zaid".

She is cute though.

an ordinary day

the day ~ december 9, 2006 ~ the place ~ red lobster

"Zaid, what are you thinking about?"
"Government"
"Oh, really Zaid, what are you thinking about government?"
"Mommy, what was the first government?"
"Ummmmm.....ummmm.....*thinks: Greeks, Romans, Egyptians*, then I ask the waiter if he knows?"
The waiter says "Wow! Let me think, probably the Greeks or maybe the Egyptians, they were incredibly smart also."

Then he tells us about how he was bored in kindergarten. He tells us how he skipped a grade in school and he asks Zaid how old he is. He says his sister is like that. He asks Zaid if he loves to learn. He says he does. He tells him how wonderful that is, and that he loves to learn new things also.

When we get to the car, I call Tamer and he asks his friend Garrick, then they come to the conclusion, that maybe the Babylonians or the Samartians.

Another friend says to just say what you think, that they are discovering new things everyday. That what may have been the first government today, may not be tomorrow.

His questions, are so intense and real and so grown up sometimes.

"Mommy, how high does a butterfly fly? Mommy can we make a robot? then ~ Mommy, when I grow up, I am going to be the King of Cheese, then when he finds out about the Green Bay Packers and their cheese hats, he decides that no, he will be the King of Watermelon.

How high does a butterfly fly?

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/HeightFallFlight.html

Fort Yargo State Park

I took this picture

at a state park in Winder, Georgia. Zaid played on the playground for a long time, then we walked down to the dock and watched the sun go down. The view was amazing.

Walks around town

Today Zaid and I took a walks around town. He talked forever about villains and bad guys and how he was going to capture them with nets and little holes in the floor and tell the bad guys that there is treasure "down there" and trick them. For one of the first times I can remember I asked him to please talk about something else, that I could not take any more of the villains. I tried to explain to him that if bad guys came in, then we would call the police and deal with them, that he would not trick them. I'm not sure if I got through to him. He did get through to me however, and he continued his tirade about the villains. We ate a yummy, frozen dinner, veggie lasagna. (Yes, it was actually good.) Zaid wondered how much he would have to eat, surely he said if he ate 100 of the lasagna, I am not sure if he meant 100 pieces, 100 whole things. At this point, I do not ask. Anyway, he was sure he would "get fat", I tried to explain that to him about how it takes time to become overweight, how he is at a healthy weight, and so on and so forth. Eventually, I gave up.

Sometimes, you just have to take a break and retreat from everything, that is what I did tonight. I just vegged out. I thought about nothing. Nothing at all. I hope that tomorrow, I am all recharged for this Mommy expedition again, because my house is in desperate need of a magical fairy to come down and clean and organize. And if you are listening fairy, I would like for you to finish the projects I am half-way through also. Thank you in advance.

Seriously though, today was a beautiful day filled with lots of hugs, love and praise for Zaid who was a much better listener today to his teacher. I talked to her about that yesterday. I realize that I pretty much give Zaid no responsibility, that he is going to grow up to become one incredibly spoiled brat if we continue down this road. I always think of Zaid in the back of my head as a still a "baby", but today when I put him in a thinking period for hitting Jacob, he demonstrated how "strong" he was as he pushed an antique table, that the bird sits on in his cage, (peacefully and safe until today) around the "real" hardwood floor. One day, I am going to move to a house with floors made out of something that can not be damaged. Something like dirt maybe? :-) Zaid does not like thinking time, so therefore I do not like thinking time. But, I have to keep reminding myself almost hourly, who am I kidding, minutely (is that a word?), that I am the adult and that I have Zaid's best interest in mind, that our hands and objects in this case are not for hitting.

Later on when I told him he was going to have to start cleaning his room, he very quickly came back with that I am going to have to start paying him. I told him I would pay him to take out the bathroom garbage, but I was not paying him to clean his room. I am not a huge believer in charts and all that jazz. No one applauds me when I get clean the potty. Zaid pretty much leads a charmed life, he just does not realize it. I guess as a parent, it is my responsibility to teach him to be appreciative. I only hope that one day soon he is appreciative because I'm not sure how much long I can tolerate the baby tyrant.

Why does the caged bird sing?

I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS
by: Maya Angelou
A free bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream till the current ends and dips his wing in the orange suns rays and dares to claim the sky.
But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage can seldom see through his bars of rage his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom.
The free bird thinks of another breeze and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn and he names the sky his own.
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom.


My bird does not appear to like his freedom, actually.