Blogging in the basement

It's movie night but I am hiding.  There is a limit to the number of times I can watch Wreck It Ralph.  I didn't play video games as a kid, so the puns escape me.  Small person has already watched it once today as part of his seven hour TV fest that he has dubbed "pyjama Saturday".  Tells you all you need to know about dresscode and timing.  In a bid to stop his brain turning to wax my husband has signed up for a 6 week IT course that sees him out of the house every weekend until mid April.  Leaves plenty of time for mummy and small person to bond.

The fact that I have escaped to the basement speaks volumns.  So here's the thing...how long is enough "quality time?".  I have been reading about being an "available parent" recently (in a magazine, no time to read a whole book!).  Today I have listened to all of his animal impressions; praised him for his Eminem style rap about "having a party and asking your mom if you can".  That one came with street dance moves and was pretty good. Watched Sponge Bob with him (can't help feeling that that is a modern day Captain Pugwash, with all of its double entendres).  We fought the battle of the homework, and I managed to squeeze 15 minutes of effort out of him, to get him to write about winter.  Is that quality time?  Honestly he'd rather watch TV with his mouth open than spend any time with me these days.

I remember some years ago, reading an article by a journo who had a 7 year old son, and she went into print to say how boring it all was being a mum.  She was lambasted and at the time, having struggled for years  to have a child, and still not succeeding, I thought bad things about her.  How could she be so callous? - but now I do understand what she meant.  I love him to the moon and back again but I do struggle to connect with his 6 year old world.

Opportunities for more bonding abound though.  We are off north in a week for a short break at a ski resort.  I have booked ski and snowboard lessons for small person, and whilst I would love to go cross country skiing whilst we are there that is looking less likely.  My husband may get the contract work he has been chasing and if he does (hope he does) he can't come away with us that week.  So I will likely spend my time watching small person having fun.  Which is great, if a little vicarious.  One thing we do both love is painting - so there will definately be a mother and son trip to the pottery painting store at the ski resport, where he will sit silently for 30 minutes, concentrating, with his tongue stuck out, creating a masterpiece souvenir.  Happy Days.

In other news, fell over again on the ice; spent hours at the US embassy asking for permission to go to US and do the job that I am paid to do; handed over a few cents short of $1K and it was approved; went to Walmart and got 2 hair cuts for $30 (me and the boy).  Is there nothing you can't do or get at Walmart?  Worked long hours for two weeks and got nagged by husband for being a slave to the man; went sledging; crocheted a scarf; drank lots of wine; vowed to stop drinking lots of wine; bought a car; painted the bedroom wall that we promised the landlord we would paint back in November; followed a healthy eating regime for 6 whole days, then returned to wine after hearing that our Tennant had let a blocked drain flood the downstairs clockroom through her negligence causing around $1K worth of damage. Back here it snowed a bit, then a lot, then it thawed a bit and we saw grass, then it snowed again.  All in all a busy few weeks.  Take Care.