Geek. Pirate. Mom

Being a mother has become a lesson in flexibility. When I was younger, plans were plans. If they fell through, I would sulk. And now? Well, to me life is like the tide, things come and go and the shoreline of my life constantly changes.

No, really.

It sounds like one of those insane motivational posters, but it’s true. I’ve had to anticipate and handle anything that gets thrown my way.

Last weekend, we decided to take the Kidlets to Disneyland, and headed out. The Little Kidlet wasn’t very enthused (which was odd), but it was a million degrees outside (90) and we thought nothing of it.

We went on Star Tours, we went to Innoventions to see the Iron Man 3 display (where I fangirled long enough to embarrass my boys, who clearly weren’t as excited about the suits as I was) and then we realized that the Little Kidlet was warm. In the air conditioned comfort of Innoventions, he was actually hot. So we stopped by First Aid (side note: To all parents, learn where First Aid is at Disneyland. Right next to it is the Infant Care center, where you can feed/nurse/change babies, and they even have small toilets for kids just starting potty traiing) where they took his temperature and discovered he had a fever of 101.6.

So they gave us a dose of Tylenol and we came home. The children were bitterly disappointed, and we bribed them with toys (LK now owns a Loki action figure, and I had everything nothing to do with that decision).

This isn’t the first time we’ve had to do something similar. A couple years ago we had a room at the Disneyland Hotel for a night before we headed out to Tucson to visit family, and the Oldest Kidlet spiked a fever and started throwing up. We gave him medicine and spent the entire day in the hotel room.

And while I know some people would have been upset at spending that sort of money, we just made the most of it- and we still had a great time. (He was also 100% better by the time we started the road trip. Kids are weird that way)

I’ve decided that motherhood has made me a much better strategist. I not only have to prepare for all the common things (the backpack we take out has a first aid kit in it, LK’s allergy stuff and a bottle of Tylenol, now), but I have to figure out how to adapt to the bigger curveballs. So look out world. Don’t mess with me, I will kick the ass of whatever you throw at me.

Hey! Listen!

Every day, I share weird anecdotes and comments about the kidlets being geeklings. They really do take after me, in that they love video games, Star Wars, comic book characters (though in their animated adventures), and Ninja Turtles!

But they also get just as obsessed about things as I do. (Whitney get obsessed? Riiiiigggghhhhtttt.)

Which means that last night, as the kidlets brushed their teeth, I answered questions about why Ganondorf wanted the Triforce. Or while I was packing their lunch, I was quizzed about where Navi went after Ocarina of Time ended. On the road to school, the Oldest Kidlet asked me whether or not Link being sent back to his original timeline when he first met Zelda actually stopped Ganondorf at all- since they killed Ganondorf in the future… (which by the way, I’ve always wondered- and given their love of Back to the Future, they were bound to actually think about the whole time travel element)

It’s Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 24/7 in this house. And I’m exhausted.

I don’t imagine it will help if they discover the sketches I made of Nabooru or Malon in my sketchbook. Or that I want to cosplay as Sheik or Link (I’m not sure which- leaning towards Sheik).

At any rate, will someone else answer their questions for me? At least until they’ve picked a new obsession? As much as I love Legend of Zelda, I just need a tiny break from Hyrule.

I know. You’re thinking (especially if you watched yesterday’s Vlog) that I’ve lost my mind.

Shortly after Halloween, the Little Kidlet and the Oldest Kidlet announced that this year they wanted to go as Boba Fett (LK) and a Stormtrooper (OK). Considering it’s my year to make costumes, I was already looking forward to the challenge of using craft foam to sculpt some armor for them. But I prepared myself for them to inevitably pick something else.

On Wednesday, I was in the middle of putting makeup on when the Little Kidlet burst into my room. “Iron Man, Mommy! For Halloween, I want to be Iron Man!”

Well, I told myself, we could buy the mask and then I could try to make the armor. Still ridiculously early to commit to a costume, but something I could still plan.

When I picked him up from school that day, he was bouncing up and down. “Mommy! I’m going to be Captain America for Halloween.”

I smiled, nodded and told him that whatever he decided, it’d be fine.

As we pulled up to the house, the Little Kidlet shouted, “I think I want to be Thor for Halloween.”

As I unbuckled him from the carseat, I smiled. “Do you really want to be any of those for Halloween or do you just want me to get you the Avengers costumes?”

“No,” he said, a little too loudly. “NO. no. Nooooo.” While he’s the only one of the kids who will lie, at least it’s obvious when he does.

I’m wondering if he’ll ask to be Hawkeye, too. Meanwhile, I think it’s time that we get him some of the toy props so that he can pretend to be whoever he wants.

Meanwhile, not a peep from the Oldest Kidlet. I think he’s just waiting for his little brother to pick something, so he can get a costume related to it.

To those who watched my vlog… I will answer one question: YES, that is what I’m really like.

Also: It it a parenting fact that if you buy popsicles for your kids because it’s suddenly as hot as the sun, that they will take two bites and decide they don’t want them.

Ocarina of Time is probably one of my favorite video games, ever. There’s a great playability and a nice replay value. There are lots of little sidequests, and over a decade on, I’m still finding ways to improve.

The reason I bought a 3DS was because I wanted the revamped version of Ocarina of Time.

With the kidlets easing into video games, I knew it was a matter of time before they showed an interest in it.

The game is harder than either of them were really ready for, so most of the temples/levels were completed with me doing most of the heavy lifting. But they loved the story, and so they would sit on either side of me as we played.

We beat it this weekend. I beat it, anyways. They cheered at the reveal that Sheik was Zelda all along (the Oldest Kidlet looked at me. “I KNEW IT!” And indeed, he had called it the second Sheik was introduced, and continued to refer to Sheik as a girl), and worried while I battled Ganondorf.

But we were eagerly approaching the one part of the story I dreaded- the end.

Of all the elements of the story, the very end of the game is what bothers me. Not the “non-ending” where Link is sent back in time, presumably to tell Zelda that they don’t need to collect the spiritual stones (since that would stop Ganondorf) and turn the events of the game into an alternate timeline that will never occur.

No, it’s Navi leaving. It never made sense to me. After you go through all of that, Navi’s just like:

(Sidenote: Charlie Bradbury is the best)

And both kids were upset as soon as the fairy started to fly away. “Where is she going?” “Why is she leaving?”

Then the sobbing started. I looked over to see the Little Kidlet comforting his big brother (who is easily the more emotional of the two- LK’s tears are usually produced to try to keep people from getting mad at him), who was crying.

“Are you crying?” I’m not sure why I asked that, but

He sat up, wiping away tears. “No.”

“Oh, honey. If you’re crying because you’re sad that Navi left, that’s okay. We played this game for awhile, you care about that little fairy.”

“Do they ever get to see each other again?”

“What do you think?”

And just like that, the tears went away. The next day he started a new game, and has actually been trying out more of the game. He did almost all of the Deku Tree level on his own (asked me to beat Gohma for him) and finished up Dodongo’s Cavern (he beat the boss on that one- I just had to show him how once, and he managed it all himself).

But still, this leads me wonder- why? Why would they have Navi leave? I know that it set up Majora’s Mask, where Link and Epona set off to find Navi… but honestly, that game could have been started for any number of reasons. I’d imagine that a lot like the Pevensies in the Chronicles of Narnia, it would be hard for Link to have had this entire life and find yourself back in the body of a child. To me, it would seem like Link would simply take the opportunity to travel and look for the next adventure- no cheap plot hook needed.

I suppose that the real lesson is that if the game wasn’t as good as it was, we wouldn’t care what happened to Navi. Because frankly, Navi’s not the most helpful. When you’re in the middle of a side-quest, she’s nagging you constantly to get something done. She flies off to get near a monster that you didn’t want to target. When you fight Ganondorf, first his magic is too powerful for her give any advice, and then once he’s weakened and she’s back by your side… she has nothing. Seriously. Her tip is “I don’t know what his weak spot is.” Thanks for nothing, Navi. But for some reason, I still love you.

It’s a good lesson when it comes to writing, too. If you make people care about your characters, it’ll cover all manner of writing sins.

So tell me- what’s your favorite video game of all time, and why?

I was going to post something about the news… but everything was making me ragey.

So instead I’m going to offer you this. My boys.

These two are best friends, and one of the few things I can’t really take credit for. They hold hands, they hug. And today- they held hands while jumping cracks in the sidewalk.

I love these two.

I was going to write about why I don’t really like Valentine’s Day (and the only Valentine’s Day that mattered to me) – but I did that two years ago. (Go read it, really!)

What I do like is that it’s an excuse for me to make dinner for TheBoy. In years past, I’ve done steaks, risotto… this year I’m making turkey tikka masala w/ naan. YUM.

However, the story I have to share today has nothing to do with V-Day. It has to do with The Avengers. Now, of TheBoy and I, I am the comic book geek. Though he happily watches movies that are based on comic books, in recent years his work schedule got in the way. (Just try to stay awake in a movie theater if you normally work nights) So in 2012, I went to see two of the biggest movies of the year along- The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises.

We’d missed Captain America and Iron Man 2 in theaters, but it didn’t make much of a difference to me. I knew Cap’s basic story as well as who the Black Widow was. And I loved The Avengers. But TheBoy wanted to see Captain America before seeing Avengers, and it just didn’t work.

Then I discovered it was on Netflix, so we put it in our Instant Queue and watched it one Friday night. So I went right out and bought the BluRay that I’d been dying to get- The Avengers.

Since the Sunday we bought it, I’ve seen it a grand total of 6 times. Yep, 6. Three of those times have been with TheBoy, three of those times with the kidlets. And yes, I do still love it.

Yesterday, the kidlets were busy playing Avengers. The Little Kidlet was using his foam round pirate shield as Captain America’s shield, and the Oldest Kidlet was Iron Man. The two of them went from room to room, searching for Loki.

The rug in our living room (one of those street rugs to play with cars on) became the map of New York they were using to track Loki down.

After about fifteen minutes of them running around and having Loki sightings, the Oldest Kidlet stopped. “You thought I was Iron Man,” he crowed. “But I have really been Loki all along!” And just to make me even more proud of him (especially since he doesn’t watch The Avengers cartoons like LK does), he threw back his head and laughed maniacally.

The Little Kidlet turned, throwing down his shield. “You can’t do that,” he screamed. “That’s against the rules.”

“It is a very Loki thing to do, sweetie,” I reminded him, trying not to laugh.

“But it isn’t fair. I don’t want him to be the bad guy.”

The Oldest Kidlet shrugged. “It’s okay, LK, I was just joking. I’ll be Iron Man.” And off they went again.

That night, as TheBoy and I were putting the kidlets to bed, TheBoy asked them if he was Loki.

“No,” the Oldest Kidlet said. “You’re the Hulk!”

TheBoy looked at me. He does have a bit of a temper, something that he’s really learned to control in the last few years. “And you thought they wouldn’t remember.”

“Why is Daddy the Hulk?”

“Because he’s big and strong and can smash stuff.” Yep, there’s the kid logic right there. It had nothing to do with his temper. Just that they know he’s strong.

We walked out of their room, and I turned, poking my head back in. “So who am I?”

“The Black Widow, since she’s the girl,” the Oldest Kidlet said.

“That’s what you think,” I said with a laugh. “I’m actually Loki!”

And as I shut the door, the two kids shrieked with laughter. “No!”

Admittedly, I do like Loki a lot. So far as bad guys go, there’s something fun with the sly villain who manipulates everyone to show off how clever he is… but in reality is just setting up his own downfall. Also, the horns are pretty cool.

Should I throw Lady Loki on my list of costumes? Sure, I’m tiny, but attitude is something I have in spades…

Have any great kid stories to share? Or, do you have a good Valentine’s Day tale?

Kids are insane. This is a story about the Oldest Kidlet, but I’ve heard from other parents that I’m not alone.

Last year, the Oldest Kidlet begged me to let him buy lunch now and then. I figured there was no harm in it, and even the remote possibility that he might try something new. While he hasn’t gone beyond chicken nuggets and hamburgers, it’s broken up the monotony and made him happy.

This year, I started to hear a different tune. “Mom, LittleGeekGirl always brings her lunch. She never buys it. I don’t want to buy lunch anymore.”

But the grass-is-greener mentality didn’t stop there. As you all know, I’m a stay at home mom. TheBoy and I came to that decision so that I could help support the kidlet’s education and make sure that they got everything out of it that they could.

So take a guess how this conversation left me feeling:

“Mom, I wish I could do the after school program.” (That’s the program for kids with parents who can’t make the 2:30 pickup time have somewhere to go- they do homework, sometimes play)

“But you have a mom who can pick you up when school gets out.”

“But I wish I could be in it.”

Feeling gutted, I didn’t say anything to him as we walked to the car. But I did come to the conclusion that the Oldest Kidlet has to believe that the kids in the after school program get to learn something that the other kids don’t. Because I’m not sure why he’d want to have less time at home with his brother and their collective gadgets.

Other than the obvious. That the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

This has been a very long week- an endless list of things to do, and a schedule to keep to try so that the kidlets’ week would be as normal as possible. But most of the week was filled with talking about death. Actually most of January. When we learned that Nana was in the hospital, we were out to dinner and the Oldest Kidlet asked TheBoy why he was so upset. Having learned my lesson when Blue (our outdoor cat) died, I told him the truth. That she was very sick and went to the hospital.

His next question was, “Is she going to die?” It was the first of many questions.

The Little Kidlet is 5 and hasn’t had any questions at all. In fact, it hasn’t seemed to really sink in at all. But the Oldest Kidlet is 7, inquisitive, logical, and extremely empathetic. Being anything other than upfront about it and letting him guide the conversation wouldn’t be right.

It hasn’t been easy- and a lot of it was uncomfortable (especially since the only other death he knew about was Jerad’s). But when she did pass away, he understood what was going on. And he knows that he can come to us to talk about serious things like this. The only time asked him to hold off on the questions was when we were at the wake, since we didn’t want to upset anyone.

The single most uncomfortable discussion popped up when we were discussing burials, and the Oldest Kidlet asked about Jerad. Who was cremated. The next question, naturally was what cremation was. Do you remember the post where he thought I said bacon came from kids? There was a similar reaction. “THEY BURN THE BODY?” Unfortunately, reminding him that they’re dead didn’t help.

But I don’t regret any of it. It’s allowed him to grieve her in the way that his fact seeking mind can handle. I can’t say that this advice will work for every kid- but don’t be afraid to let them know what’s going on. Kids are a lot more understanding than you think.

Last week, in the midst of everything I was blogging about, my kids were being themselves.

The Oldest Kidlet, ever the curious child (I have been lamenting about the sheer volume of questions I get in a day. On Sunday it had to have been at least 250 in the span of 6 hours), asked me who the ruler of the world was.

As I was beginning to explain that countries have leaders, but that there isn’t a leader of the world- the Little Kidlet stood up. “I AM.”

“What?” The Oldest Kidlet asked. “You are what?”

Casually and calmly, the Little Kidlet smiled. “I am the leader of the world.”

The Oldest Kidlet stood up, his hands on his hips. “You can’t just say you are. It doesn’t work that way.”

Still calm, the Little Kidlet started to walk away. “I did, so I am. I thought of it first.”

And I just did my best not to laugh. I admit, of the two kids, I did not peg the Little Kidlet as the megalomaniac out of my children. But I learn something new from them all the time.

Super heroes? Or is one a super villain?

A lot has gone on since vacation, and it seems wrong at the moment to blog the silliness.

TheBoy’s maternal grandmother is in the hospital. Her health has been declining over the last year- and in the last few months especially. And it’s terminal. She has congestive heart failure and her kidneys have failed. They’re making her comfortable… but it’s upended everything here. But I’ve had these posts lined up in the queue, and I don’t quite have the words yet to write about it. Just know that we really do appreciate all the support. <3 -W

Late one night, while perusing my G+ feed, I found someone sharing the Millennium Falcon project, musing about how it’s entirely likely in the near future for us to have droids like Threepio and Artoo. Something not only with AI, but a personality.

And I considered how unbelievably awesome it would be to own my own Threepio and Artoo. Helpful, but also an endless source of comedic amusement. Threepio’s worrisome nature would be amusing. Artoo’s sound effect filled sass would be…

That’s when it dawned on me.

I don’t have to wait to have Threepio and Artoo. My kids are far more like them than I’d ever thought. I know, they aren’t droids. But give me a moment to explain.

The Oldest Kidlet is smart, but a bit of a know-it-all. Not having learned things like modesty, he will constantly tell you exactly how much he knows about something. And he talks. Constantly. He is also our worrier. During the saga of the flat tire, he immediately began to worry about whether or not we would ever make it to Arizona. It was the 7 year old equivalent of “we’re doomed.” He also prefers to take the well-traveled path. He also appreciates a good bath.

The Little Kidlet is equally smart, but pretty quiet about it. While he talks, he has a tendency to fill the silence in the room with sound effects. He’s also the one who will keep trying something until he gets it right, and doesn’t worry when things go wrong. He tries to figure out what to do next and goes for it. He’s the one more likely to explore the unknown.

The only question is, how did I not notice this earlier?

Okay. Now I see the resemblance.