The Little Booklet of Squares

Edee was eating her usual bowl of cereal this morning at the kitchen table (not so usual, because she usually uses a TV tray and is watching cartoons. Yes, we are those kind of people) and out of know where she starts, half frantically, asking for a little booklet full of squares and insists she has to bring it to her PE teacher for a reward. A. I only understood she was looking for a book after deciphering the original thing she blurted out about "moving more." B. I still had no clue what she was talking about. C. Why now? Maybe we should've stuck with the cartoons at breakfast.

Then it hit me.

She was talking about this dinky little booklet that came home with her from school only God knows when, without much instruction, that is supposed to inspire more physical activity, hence "moving more." This is the same exact booklet Ryan and I decided on together; it was an optional thing. 1 month later, it's suddenly, very clear that it was not optional. I mean, hello, you get a prize if you turn it in showing your activity over the last month. 

Lord help us.

So, I stop my morning hustle of lunch making and brushing hair. I know my beloved sips of hot coffee will now be blah sips of reheated coffee but none the less my kid can't be the only kid in her entire school to not get a prize. I quickly pray this little booklet didn't get tossed in the trash (I'm still working on that goal to recycle) along with half a forest of schoolwork. Screw the hot coffee. It is now my main mission to find this booklet. 

The whole backtracking to figure out our activity and exercise the last month hadn’t crossed my mind at this point. I just needed to find the book of squares.

I put on my Super-duper-Mom-saving-the-world-hat and dove into the pile of school work/mail/who knows what. Halfway through the pile I found the booklet of squares. Shew! Huge sigh of relief. I am still thanking my past self for not throwing this precious booklet in the trash or recycling it.

This entire morning debacle made me realize I am downright awesome. And so are you! These little miracles you perform are shaping your little peoples into something great. 

My clothes might not get folded right out of the dryer, I might've forgotten to have Edee brush her teeth last night, I might've even spent my day crying. Okay, I did spend half my day crying but, my kid has her booklet and she won't be the only one in the whole school going without a prize. I am downright awesome!

If it's a big deal to them, make it a big deal to you. That's the uniqueness of parenthood. You get to be there for your little people every step of the way. You get to decide how strong the bond is. You get to decide what is priority. Sometimes it throws your morning off and your coffee gets cold, but you can always make a fresh cup of coffee.

I can't forget to mention that of course, we all learned a lesson this morning about talking about schoolwork and such little booklets, too. 

(Oh, and just for the record, I did some quick math and estimated her activity for the last month. With playgrounds, paddle boarding, bicycle rides, PE and more each week there is no shortage of movement in her life.)

Keep loving,

Karlee