To Be Ten

It's interesting.  Age ten seems to be a monumental year.  Sure it's monumental in the fact that Lewie is now, officially, two decades old, but it also seems to be a year of pretty significant transition.  His personality is getting stronger, his sense of what he likes and dislikes is increasing, and he's becoming more vocal (even testing the waters a little as to what I will allow and not allow).

Finally, he's hungry...like all the time.  This kid's appetite is enormous, and while he hasn't seemed to have that famous "growth spurt" yet, he's showing all the signs.  He eats all the time, sleeps a little longer, and complains of his legs/hips hurting him at night and in the morning.

Even though I just wrote a post about this kid in December, it appears that so much has changed again in just three short months.  Here's what this ten year old is up to...

1)  Growing Pains
As I just mentioned, Little Lewie is complaining of growing pains (mostly in the morning when he wakes up.)  I told him that sometimes "growing pains" are linked to a growth spurt, which made him spend the rest of that morning/day measuring himself.  He stood next to a mirror in our downstairs bathroom and said, "You're right.  I do feel taller.  I see more of myself in this mirror."  Too funny!

2)  Running Club
During the last week of February, Lewie joined his school's 5K Running Club.  The goal of the club, if it isn't apparent, is to teach the children how to run and prepare for a 5K race that happens every spring (usually the first weekend of May) in our town.  When the signup sheet came home, I ignored it for a day.  Shame of me, but I automatically assumed my very nonathletic kid wouldn't be interested in running.  Thankfully, before I tossed the sheet out, I asked him.  "Yes, I do want to sign up, Mommy.  They only allow 30 kids, so I hope it's not too late."  I was surprised (and disappointed with myself).  I filled out the sheet, and luckily Lewie made the cut-off.  He's been excited about all his Running Club meets (Tuesdays and Thursdays) ever since, and he's been learning a lot of valuable tips.   He has a really fun teacher, which adds to the enjoyment.  She created a handmade postcard for each child in Running Club with a message of encouragement.

3)  The Svetlana Chmakova's Award-Winning Berrybrook Middle School Series
Even though Lewie is in 4th grade, most of the books he's been reading focus on topics in middle school.  He came home with Chmakova's first book, Awkward, and insisted he was in love with reading.  When I first saw that it's written as a comic book, I frowned.  To me, this wasn't going to be a stellar replacement for his cherished Magic Tree House collection.  Still, as we read it, I soon discovered that her characters are brilliantly entertaining, funny, and charming.  Not only do her books bring up important (and delicate) middle school topics, but the illustrations and dialog provide an engaging way to encourage reading, promote understanding, and teach emotional intelligence.  Lewie has read all three of Chmakova's Berrybrook Middle School books this year--Awkward, Brave, and Crush.

Courtesy of Svetlana Chmakova's website.

4.  Crab Rave
Little Lewie and his friend have a favorite music video called "Crab Rave" by Noisestorm.  I have to admit that the music is catchy.  However, the video is downright hilarious.  It's exactly what you would picture a crab rave to be...well that is, if you picture a whole bunch of crabs dancing on the beach while busting some pretty cool moves.  Oh yes, and in true rave fashion, the dancing in the video goes on from sun up to sun down.  I'm listening to it right now, and there is a part of me that wants to get up and dance.  It must be the ten year-old in me.

5.  Constant Jokes

My husband's humor is rubbing off on Lewie.  The two of them can tell fart jokes all day long, and recently, they spend anywhere from ten to fifteen minutes a day making jokes about Uranus. 

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

"There's a laser shooting out of Uranus."

"Oh no!  Uranus is exploding."

"Did you know 63 Earths can fit inside Uranus."

Oh, I can keep going, but now I would be tormenting you, much like how I feel when the Uranus comedy hour begins.

Oh, to be ten.  For me, ten was about the 80's.  It was about wearing Jordache Jeans, pleather skirts, feather earrings, and a comb in the back pocket of my dungarees.  It was about dancing around to "Like a Virgin" by Madonna, doing the moonwalk with my white glove, and playing "The Eye of the Tiger" on my Kermit the Frog record player.  It was about watching reruns of Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch while pretending I was Laura Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie.  It was also about watching weekday cartoons like Scooby Doo and Saturday morning cartoons like The Smurfs.  When I think about it, my childhood seems like it was way more complicated than my son's.  Sure we didn't have the internet, but instead TV and MTV reigned supreme, right along with Atari and Cabbage Patch Dolls, and Barbies...

To see my son's life as a ten year-old today brings me joy.  His life is about running club, swimming, jokes, middle school comics, "supervised" YouTube videos, Cub Scouts, and Xbox.  I'll take it.  It's actually pretty fun.  Just maybe, I wish I was his age again.  I know the adolescent years are right around the corner, so for now, I'll just bask in the uncomplicated world of TEN.

Oh What Fun it is to Snow Tube!

This winter, we've been waiting patiently for snow--the soft fluffy kind that's good for sledding or even the mildly wet and sticky kind that's good for making snowmen and snowballs.  Unfortunately, neither came our way.  Instead, the last four storms have been a combination of rain, ice, and sleet.  It's given us some delays and even one snow day, but it hasn't yielded much in terms of being able to play outdoors and have the usual winter fun.

Well, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, and when life gives you crappy ice storms, find a place that makes snow.  We did.  We drove an hour and a half to the Berkshires to Ski Butternut, where they make their own snow, and we had an awesome day of snow tubing.  (Now, Ski Butternut is not new for us; it's become an annual trip.  However, this was our first time inviting Ryan, one of Little Lewie's friends, to join us.  The four of us had a great time, and we think it will now become an annual tradition with Ryan.  I can already picture them coming as teenagers, but right now, it's fun to have them as two entertaining ten year-olds.  And they are ENTERTAINING!)

After our two hour snow tubing excursion, we decided to drive to the Barrington Brewery and Restaurant, which is known for its solar-brewed beer.  We'd never been, but we soon learned that it's super rustic and charming.  Hubby had to try their beer while the two kiddos and me had brownie sundaes.  (Chocolate is my weakness.)  I think this restaurant will be now be part of our annual tradition, too.

Now that we're into March, I don't think there will be many more fun "snow days" ahead.  Even Ski Butternut will end their snow tubing next week.  Still, it looks like we may get more snow, rain, and sleet this evening, which has already closed Lewie's school.  (I'm hoping my college will cancel tomorrow, too.)  We'll try to enjoy it as long as it's not pure ice, like this:

Even if the fluffy snow still doesn't come our way, I'm grateful we were able to have this one day of winter fun.  It's hard to appreciate winter when all it yields is an icy mess.  Thank goodness for places like Ski Butternut.  Now, no matter what, we can say we're ready for spring.