Eureka!

Those of you who know my DH in real life know that he moves at half-speed, while I move at double-time. Although we share a lot of personality traits, this is one in which we are polar opposites. Some might call DH "relaxed." I just call him "bloody slow." In the 11 years I have known him, he's never been one to rush, speed things up, move fast, talk fast - he just moves at his own p...a....c....e. Most of the time I don't mind this; I would venture to say that it is one quality that attracted me to him in the first place. He's not loud, he's not hurried, he's not anything other than even-keeled, in pace and in emotion. Nowadays this is a source of supreme irritation for me - while I often appreciate his relaxed attitude, it annoys the living crap out of me when I realise that what he accomplishes in 2 hours, I can do in 3 minutes. His slowness is also evident in his personality - after all this time, I have yet to figure out what, if anything, motivates my DH. Me? I have clear and defined motivations. DH? Nup. Not money, food, sex, books, begging, promises of all kinds, chocolate, an oncoming train...nothing at all makes him move faster or take action. He has one speed: slow. He has one emotion: content. The emotional part is good, because it means we rarely fight, and I usually win. The speed part...bloody annoying.

However.

Today I discovered the one thing which not only makes DH move faster, but it irritates him sufficiently to make him both look and act supremely irritated.

I totally, completely annihilated his slow, sorry ass in THIS GAME.
(Note: In both the 'easy' and 'hard' versions, *and* with the kids playing too.)

Neener-neener-neener!

When Size Does Matter

Lego is my life. After several hours, bleeding fingers and a village made of: one plane, one ambulance, one house, several robots, a few sculptures and one 18 wheeler truck later, DS and I decided to get some fresh air. DS and I wandered to a local park today - a small park about a 5-10 minute walk away. It's one he hasn't been to in quite a while - several months at least. We get into the park and DS has a good race around and then says to me (with an edge of hysteria in his voice), "Mum? Something's wrong here! I think they remodeled this park!" The park hasn't changed one iota, but I could sense where this conversation was going. So, innocently, I ask DS, "Really? What do you mean?" to which DS replied, "Well the slide is much shorter and less twistier than it used to be, and the ramp to the play area is *much* shorter, and the see-saw isn't as bouncy as it used to be. It's kinda like the whole playground just...you know...well, its SHRUNK, Mum!"

He really believes that the park got smaller.

What he doesn't realise is that the park stayed the same, it's just that he has gotten taller, and stronger, and smarter in the meantime. The flying fox he was terrified of is now "weeeee!! look at meeeeeeeeeeee!" as he flies across. The twisty slide is an excuse to see how many ways you can go down - on your stomach, on your back, with legs in the air, backwards....the "baby" slide is for climbing up and the see-saw is for practising balancing on, not sitting on. Some of the apparatus he is now too tall for - he has to crouch down to see through the binoculars, and when he runs across the metal platform it sounds like a herd of wildebeest.

When I look at all he has achieved in the past few months, I think there is no greater gift than the privilege of being a part of his growing up. When he wonders why the park has undergone a major shrinkage, I find myself thinking that his growing up sucks. I miss my baby boy already.