Last night, we watched a little of the Planet Earth series that was playing on TV. Emma has always been intrigued by sharks, the first time she saw a documentary where a shark was hunting and ate a seal, she decided she wanted to eat a shark. "But not the eyeballs. Or the head. Cut off the head, oh, yeah, and cut off the tail, and I want to eat the rest." She had just turned three. I tried getting her gummy sharks at the gas station, but she insisted she wanted to eat a real one. This girl's gonna be an expensive date someday.
I have always been really open and honest with her about where our food comes from. "Mommy, what is for dinner?" "We're having steak. Steak comes from a cow. We are eating cow tonight." Growing up, I always knew when we were trying something new or different, my Dad would get vague. Maybe it was because I was already incredibly picky, I don't know, but if he told me it was "just meat" or "just a vegetable" I knew to steer clear. I decided that with my kids, I would be up front from the beginning and hope it would not bite me in the rear later on. So far, so good, but I know I have a long way to go. Emma will eat just about anything, she loves shrimp and crab, asparagus, tofu, Thai food, Chinese food, the list goes on and on. She really wants to try lobster after seeing some in a tank at the grocery store, "But not the pokey part (antennae), or the eyeballs, just the rest."
In the movie last night, it goes through the squid laying eggs, then the seals hunting the squid, and to get to the hunting area, the seals have to swim through a shark infested canal. It shows the Great White devouring a seal, and Emma thought it was pretty cool. This morning, she wanted to talk about it. "Mommy, I really like where the seal was swimming along and the shark just came up and ate it! Why did the shark eat the seal?" "That was the shark's lunch. He eats seals like you eat quesadillas." "He doesn't cook it first?" "Nope. He can't make a fire in the ocean, so he eats it raw." "Oh." Suddenly, after spending her entire life in complete acceptance of the way things work, the realization of it all hit her. "Wait! That's bad! The shark can't eat the seal, the seal just wants to be with his family and he can't be with his family if he gets eaten!" Crapola. I was hoping we could just skip this part. "Well, honey, the shark needs to eat to stay alive and he eats seals. The shark needs to eat the seal, it's not too fun for the seal, but that's just how life goes. It's how God made the world to work." I watched to see the thoughts working in her little brain, and I could tell the moment she had come up with a "better plan." Excitedly, she explained. "Mommy, if the shark eats the seal's whole family, then it's OK, cause they will all be together in the shark's tummy!"
I love the thought process of a four year old.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Saturday, October 4, 2008
A Nice, Boring Day
Today is laundry day. Well, actually, every day is laundry day, I have to run at least one or two loads a day to stay caught up. But today, I am catching up from only doing one load a day all week, plus, I went through all the boy's clothes and pulled stuff out for fall. Being the cheapskate, I mean, frugal person that I am, I like to buy clothes ahead of time on clearance, plus coming from this huge family we get lots of hand-me-downs. I had four large bins to go through, and pulled out the boy's entire fall wardrobe from storage. Of course, it all smells like Grandma's Nasty Attic, so it all has to be washed. (OK, neither of my Grandmas had attics that I ever knew of, but it smells like I imagine Grandma's attic would smell like. You know, like in the movies where there are bats flying around and it is dark and musty and filled with cobwebs and mice, there's usually a little kid with a lantern looking for Grandpa's long ago stored away treasure map of the nearby mine shaft.) I did the same thing for Emma earlier this week, and add the fact that I had to basically wash my entire bathroom full of towels on Wednesday due to what has become known as the "Day of Pee" and I have Mount Kilimanjaro of laundry in the hallway.
The great thing about mountains of laundry is that they make for a really fun and exciting jungle gym. True, I don't ever have to subject myself to the germ-infused McDonald's play area, but I end up with clothes strewn all over the house by the time I am done. It usually takes a while to find them all, and inevitably some of the clothes are found by the kids when I have guests over. There's nothing better than having small children pull musty smelling shirts from under the couch while you are trying to hold the first adult conversation you've had in a year and a half.
Today has been productive, so I can't complain (too much.) I went to JoAnn's Fabric store this morning and found fabric for the boys' Halloween costumes out of the remnants bin, and only spent $11 on all of it. I can hardly wait to get sewing! Of course, I never use patterns, I just make it up as I go along, so I'll probably need more things I am not thinking of right now. Regardless, I am on my way to staying in my $50 budget, so I'm happy! Sorry this post is so boring, but it's been a boring day. Which, in this house is really kind of nice. Have a good evening, everyone, and have a happy Sunday!
The great thing about mountains of laundry is that they make for a really fun and exciting jungle gym. True, I don't ever have to subject myself to the germ-infused McDonald's play area, but I end up with clothes strewn all over the house by the time I am done. It usually takes a while to find them all, and inevitably some of the clothes are found by the kids when I have guests over. There's nothing better than having small children pull musty smelling shirts from under the couch while you are trying to hold the first adult conversation you've had in a year and a half.
Today has been productive, so I can't complain (too much.) I went to JoAnn's Fabric store this morning and found fabric for the boys' Halloween costumes out of the remnants bin, and only spent $11 on all of it. I can hardly wait to get sewing! Of course, I never use patterns, I just make it up as I go along, so I'll probably need more things I am not thinking of right now. Regardless, I am on my way to staying in my $50 budget, so I'm happy! Sorry this post is so boring, but it's been a boring day. Which, in this house is really kind of nice. Have a good evening, everyone, and have a happy Sunday!
Friday, October 3, 2008
It's Confession Time!
In my first post, I told you all that I would be honest as I write. I was informed yesterday by my dear friend Tracie that I have not held true to that. The only way to rectify a lie is to confess, so here is my confession.
I said that we do not have a name for the new baby that is coming in January, but a while ago, I asked Tracie to help me with a name, and she did. Let me give you a little background on Tracie. She lives on a twelve acre hobby farm, where she, her husband, and two fabulous kids currently have 9 cows, 12 pigs, 5 pygmy goats, a crapload of chickens, 5 dogs, 2 cats, and who knows what else. Her kids insist that they name the animals on a regular basis, and some of the names can be quite appropriate for their final purpose in life, if you catch my drift. As you can tell, Tracie's naming skills have not been best utilized for naming children, and she decided to name my third son Ribeye. Yup, that's right, Ribeye. Her entire extended family has jumped on board with this, so every time I see them, numerous people rub my belly and say hello to baby Ribeye. So, I apologize for the lie I told a while ago, baby Ribeye does have a name (at least until I can come up with another name that won't get him beaten up every day in his school years.) I will try to do a better job keeping my promise to be honest, and I sincerely apologize for trying desperately to forget the thought of naming a poor, defenseless child Ribeye, er, umm, I mean, for lying to you all. I hope you can all forgive me, and a most sincere apology to Tracie. I love you, you crazy girl!
I said that we do not have a name for the new baby that is coming in January, but a while ago, I asked Tracie to help me with a name, and she did. Let me give you a little background on Tracie. She lives on a twelve acre hobby farm, where she, her husband, and two fabulous kids currently have 9 cows, 12 pigs, 5 pygmy goats, a crapload of chickens, 5 dogs, 2 cats, and who knows what else. Her kids insist that they name the animals on a regular basis, and some of the names can be quite appropriate for their final purpose in life, if you catch my drift. As you can tell, Tracie's naming skills have not been best utilized for naming children, and she decided to name my third son Ribeye. Yup, that's right, Ribeye. Her entire extended family has jumped on board with this, so every time I see them, numerous people rub my belly and say hello to baby Ribeye. So, I apologize for the lie I told a while ago, baby Ribeye does have a name (at least until I can come up with another name that won't get him beaten up every day in his school years.) I will try to do a better job keeping my promise to be honest, and I sincerely apologize for trying desperately to forget the thought of naming a poor, defenseless child Ribeye, er, umm, I mean, for lying to you all. I hope you can all forgive me, and a most sincere apology to Tracie. I love you, you crazy girl!
Ahhh, sweet bliss...
This morning dawned grand and beautiful. OK, really, it's overcast and dreary, but that's not what I am talking about. Let me back up a little.
I'm sure you are all aware of the lack of sleep in our house in the last couple of days. If not, you can read the last few posts and catch up. Yesterday, I was really looking forward to naptime, it is my favorite time of day anyway, but yesterday was going to be especially nice. Grant was so tired that at lunch, he asked to go night-night as soon as the last bite of apple was in his mouth. Of course, he will not go to bed without Ben, but Ben seemed ready to go, too, so they both went down about 20 minutes early. I spent a little one-on-one time with Emma, playing Don't Spill the Beans, and then she went down, too. Ahhh, the sweet sound of silence. It lasted about 15 seconds till I heard Ben cry. Not wanting him to wake Grant, I went in, gave him his bink, and laid him back down. He proceeded to cry for the next hour and a half. I tried everything to lure the little stinker into slumber-land, but to no avail. Ben did not nap at all, which meant that at about 4 o'clock, the meltdowns started, and it was a long night.
My greatest moment yesterday was when my sis-in-law (and knight in shining armor) showed up to play with the kids so I could get stuff done. I actually got to run to the grocery store all by myself, and prepare dinner without little hands trying to take everything off the counters. Thank you, Amy, you always show up just when I need you most!
After a fun evening with my in-laws, having dinner and watching Survivor, I went to bed hoping above all hope that I could get at least a little sleep. Ben woke at 11:30, and I binked him and went back to bed praying that it was not going to be a long night. I fell into a nice deep slumber and woke to the sound of crying at... 8:00! Holy Crayola, that was eight and a half hours of sleep! The new baby must have realized my need and stayed off my bladder all night, since I skipped my usual 3 am jaunt to the bathroom. Today, I thank God for sleep, He always provides what we need, we just need to know where to look for His miracles. And in this house, 8 hours of sleep is, indeed, a miracle.
Today, my task list is long, but I am off to a good start. I hope you all have a lovely Friday, mine is going to be grand!
I'm sure you are all aware of the lack of sleep in our house in the last couple of days. If not, you can read the last few posts and catch up. Yesterday, I was really looking forward to naptime, it is my favorite time of day anyway, but yesterday was going to be especially nice. Grant was so tired that at lunch, he asked to go night-night as soon as the last bite of apple was in his mouth. Of course, he will not go to bed without Ben, but Ben seemed ready to go, too, so they both went down about 20 minutes early. I spent a little one-on-one time with Emma, playing Don't Spill the Beans, and then she went down, too. Ahhh, the sweet sound of silence. It lasted about 15 seconds till I heard Ben cry. Not wanting him to wake Grant, I went in, gave him his bink, and laid him back down. He proceeded to cry for the next hour and a half. I tried everything to lure the little stinker into slumber-land, but to no avail. Ben did not nap at all, which meant that at about 4 o'clock, the meltdowns started, and it was a long night.
My greatest moment yesterday was when my sis-in-law (and knight in shining armor) showed up to play with the kids so I could get stuff done. I actually got to run to the grocery store all by myself, and prepare dinner without little hands trying to take everything off the counters. Thank you, Amy, you always show up just when I need you most!
After a fun evening with my in-laws, having dinner and watching Survivor, I went to bed hoping above all hope that I could get at least a little sleep. Ben woke at 11:30, and I binked him and went back to bed praying that it was not going to be a long night. I fell into a nice deep slumber and woke to the sound of crying at... 8:00! Holy Crayola, that was eight and a half hours of sleep! The new baby must have realized my need and stayed off my bladder all night, since I skipped my usual 3 am jaunt to the bathroom. Today, I thank God for sleep, He always provides what we need, we just need to know where to look for His miracles. And in this house, 8 hours of sleep is, indeed, a miracle.
Today, my task list is long, but I am off to a good start. I hope you all have a lovely Friday, mine is going to be grand!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Moments of Joy in the Midst of the Chaos
I'll be the first to admit it, yesterday was a rough day. After all was said and done, I didn't get most of my to-do list done, and by the time the kiddos went to bed, I was completely exhausted and not willing to do anything. I went to bed last night feeling like there was nothing better than to crawl in between my fleece sheets and drift off to slumber-land. But, it was not to be. Like I said yesterday, the boys are sick and teething, and Grant had a rough night last night. I had not even turned out the light in our room when he started crying, that sad, pained, sick cry that mothers cannot ignore. I got up to console him and rocked him in the rocking chair while he cried, "owie" and pulled at his ear. Long story short, he came to bed with me after about 45 minutes, and tossed and turned till about 4 am. Ben woke crying at 4:30, Emma had a bad dream sometime in the night, I have no idea when, and both Marty and I heard strange noises at some point as well. I slept from 5 am to 8:30 am, but I am really not tired this morning. Last night was sweet in a lot of ways, I was able to look into the face of my little boy and remember that Emma used to snuggle like that, but has outgrown it. It was nice to have a night of Grant mostly to myself, knowing that I was all that he wanted and that I could make it all better. These days are long, but the time is short, and before I know it, they will be more into their friends than their parents, and the nights of snuggling in bed will be just a distant memory.
Karen Kingsbury has a children's book titled "Let Me Hold You Longer," that I absolutely love. The book starts off like this;
"Long ago you came to me,
a miracle of firsts:
First smiles and teeth and baby steps,
a sunbeam on the burst.
But one day you will move away,
and leave me to your past,
And I will be left thinking of
a lifetime of your lasts...
The last time that I held a bottle
to your baby lips.
The last time that I lifted you
and held you on my hip.
The last night that you woke up crying,
needing to be walked,
When last you crawled up with your blanket,
wanting to be rocked.
The last time when you ran to me,
still small enough to hold.
The last time that you said you'd marry
me when you grew old.
Precious, simple moments and
bright flashes from your past-
Would I have held on longer if
I'd known they were your last?"
The book goes on, and I have to admit I cannot read it to my kids, because I cry every time. This brings a lot of perspective in nights like last night, knowing that sometime in the not-too-distant future, I will be longing for the days of snuggles in bed and kids who think that I am the coolest person in the world. So, I will not complain (much) about rough nights, no sleep, and long days. I will be grateful for the time I have now with my kids, knowing that time is fleeting and I will be able to sleep again in 20 years or so. I will appreciate every moment I have to snuggle my kids, even if those moments come at 3 am, and I will do my best to see the joy in the midst of all the pee and laundry. And, along the way, I will record these moments in this blog so that someday, when they have grown and gone, I can remember fondly the days that seemed to go on forever and the nights of no sleep. Thanks for joining me on the journey!
Karen Kingsbury has a children's book titled "Let Me Hold You Longer," that I absolutely love. The book starts off like this;
"Long ago you came to me,
a miracle of firsts:
First smiles and teeth and baby steps,
a sunbeam on the burst.
But one day you will move away,
and leave me to your past,
And I will be left thinking of
a lifetime of your lasts...
The last time that I held a bottle
to your baby lips.
The last time that I lifted you
and held you on my hip.
The last night that you woke up crying,
needing to be walked,
When last you crawled up with your blanket,
wanting to be rocked.
The last time when you ran to me,
still small enough to hold.
The last time that you said you'd marry
me when you grew old.
Precious, simple moments and
bright flashes from your past-
Would I have held on longer if
I'd known they were your last?"
The book goes on, and I have to admit I cannot read it to my kids, because I cry every time. This brings a lot of perspective in nights like last night, knowing that sometime in the not-too-distant future, I will be longing for the days of snuggles in bed and kids who think that I am the coolest person in the world. So, I will not complain (much) about rough nights, no sleep, and long days. I will be grateful for the time I have now with my kids, knowing that time is fleeting and I will be able to sleep again in 20 years or so. I will appreciate every moment I have to snuggle my kids, even if those moments come at 3 am, and I will do my best to see the joy in the midst of all the pee and laundry. And, along the way, I will record these moments in this blog so that someday, when they have grown and gone, I can remember fondly the days that seemed to go on forever and the nights of no sleep. Thanks for joining me on the journey!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
When Good Parenting Goes Wrong
First off, if you have not read the previous post, read that one first or this one will not make a whole lot of sense. I will wait here while you get all caught up. Ready? Here we go!
I have been working with Emma lately on bathroom rules. After washing her hands, she has been drying her hands on her hand towel, then throwing the towel on the floor. We have been working really hard on the fact that towels belong on the counter, not the floor, and she is to pick them up and fold them nicely and put them back on the counter. Can you see where this is going? After our bathroom fiasco this morning, I had used every towel in sight to cover puddles of pee, and had walked out with intentions to clean it all at naptime. Emma must have decided that today was the day that she was finally going to listen to me, and help me out, since I had not followed my own rules. Great intentions, really disgusting results. I had not brushed my teeth before the shower this morning, and at naptime, returned to the bathroom, pulled out a brand new toothbrush (my previous one ended up in the cleaning bucket after Ben took it over this morning), and brushed my teeth. Not really thinking, I followed my usual routine and wiped my mouth with the hand towel that was folded nicely on the counter. I quickly smelled a little something odd, and it only took about a half of a second for it all to come together and I realized what I had just done. Of course, there were no washcloths in sight, so I went running into the other bathroom to find one and scrub my mouth, trying to rid my face of the pee that was probably infiltrating my pores. Sorry, I know this is disgusting, but remember in my first post when I said I would be honest? It ain't always pretty! For better or for worse, this is my life. Tomorrow has GOT to be a better day!
I have been working with Emma lately on bathroom rules. After washing her hands, she has been drying her hands on her hand towel, then throwing the towel on the floor. We have been working really hard on the fact that towels belong on the counter, not the floor, and she is to pick them up and fold them nicely and put them back on the counter. Can you see where this is going? After our bathroom fiasco this morning, I had used every towel in sight to cover puddles of pee, and had walked out with intentions to clean it all at naptime. Emma must have decided that today was the day that she was finally going to listen to me, and help me out, since I had not followed my own rules. Great intentions, really disgusting results. I had not brushed my teeth before the shower this morning, and at naptime, returned to the bathroom, pulled out a brand new toothbrush (my previous one ended up in the cleaning bucket after Ben took it over this morning), and brushed my teeth. Not really thinking, I followed my usual routine and wiped my mouth with the hand towel that was folded nicely on the counter. I quickly smelled a little something odd, and it only took about a half of a second for it all to come together and I realized what I had just done. Of course, there were no washcloths in sight, so I went running into the other bathroom to find one and scrub my mouth, trying to rid my face of the pee that was probably infiltrating my pores. Sorry, I know this is disgusting, but remember in my first post when I said I would be honest? It ain't always pretty! For better or for worse, this is my life. Tomorrow has GOT to be a better day!
If urine is sterile, I have the cleanest bathroom ever!
This has been one of those mornings. I am about to lose it completely. I know that they don't give new parents a handbook when the kids are born, but I swear they give the kids a handbook titled, "How to drive your folks to the insane asylum so that you have full run of the house and can eat candy all day."
It has been a morning filled with stolen toys, yelling, hitting, biting, and downright not listening. The boys are sick and teething, the combination of the two usually turns them from generally-well-behaved-toddlers to little-demons-in-training in about two seconds flat. I knew that this was not a day I would be able to sit them in front of the TV and sneak away for a ninety second shower, or the house might be on fire when I returned. I decided to kill a couple of birds at the same time and bring all the kids into the shower with me. I actually do this quite often, they love the distraction, they love playing in water, and I can skip bath time later. It is a little crowded with four people in the shower, but it works.
We have started the lovely journey of potty training the twins. They seem interested, so we are giving it a go. I started off by putting Grant on the potty, he just likes to sit there for a while, but has yet to go potty in the toilet. His diaper had some pee in it, so I wasn't expecting much. After a few minutes, he got up, and Ben had a go. They were giggling and having a great time, I was thinking that maybe this would be just what I needed to turn the day around. I was wrong.
Ben was on the potty when I heard the greatest sound to a potty-training parent's ears, the sound of the tinkle! Yay, success! The spell was broken, however, when Emma exclaimed, "Mom, Grant's peeing on the scale!" Crapola. All over the bathroom scale, the floor, and the rug. So, I did what any responsible, organized, clean-minded parent would do, I threw a towel over it and left it there to clean up later. Meanwhile, Ben had gotten himself off the potty, and had flipped the potty upside down on the floor. I silently thanked God that there was no actual potty in the toilet at the time, and when I turned to fix the potty chair, Grant grabbed the toilet scrubber and tried cleaning the real toilet with it. I turned to take the scrub brush from him, and after wrestling it from his little hands, turned back to see that I had left the potty chair right in front of the bathroom sink. Ben was standing on it like a stool, brushing his teeth with my toothbrush, and, drumroll, please! He was peeing all over the front of the cabinets. Not just the cabinets, but that little gap in between where the door meets the front, thereby soaking all the stuff inside the cabinets. The entire time, Emma is yelling, in that lovely, four-year-old whine, "Moooooommmmmm, I can't find my ducky! Hey, they are peeing again! Why aren't they peeing in the potty?" After taking my toothbrush from Ben, and deciding never to use it again, the boys had decided to wrestle for the one ducky that is just like two other duckys within reach, I am seeing how much of my shoebox filled with bathroom stuff in sprayed with pee under the sink, and silently wondering what on earth I am going to do with another child.
The shower was not as bad as the pre-shower, except when Ben decided to throw my shampoo bottle on the top of my foot, and while we were getting out, Ben peed on the floor again. How is it possible for two little boys to pee so much? I had a lot to do today, but now I have added giving the bathroom a complete scrub-down to the list. I cannot do it while the kids are awake, however, for fear of the destruction that will happen while my back is turned. I am seriously considering my brother's suggestion to play cops and robbers with them, so I have an excuse to tie them to a chair. Just kidding. Sort of.
It has been a morning filled with stolen toys, yelling, hitting, biting, and downright not listening. The boys are sick and teething, the combination of the two usually turns them from generally-well-behaved-toddlers to little-demons-in-training in about two seconds flat. I knew that this was not a day I would be able to sit them in front of the TV and sneak away for a ninety second shower, or the house might be on fire when I returned. I decided to kill a couple of birds at the same time and bring all the kids into the shower with me. I actually do this quite often, they love the distraction, they love playing in water, and I can skip bath time later. It is a little crowded with four people in the shower, but it works.
We have started the lovely journey of potty training the twins. They seem interested, so we are giving it a go. I started off by putting Grant on the potty, he just likes to sit there for a while, but has yet to go potty in the toilet. His diaper had some pee in it, so I wasn't expecting much. After a few minutes, he got up, and Ben had a go. They were giggling and having a great time, I was thinking that maybe this would be just what I needed to turn the day around. I was wrong.
Ben was on the potty when I heard the greatest sound to a potty-training parent's ears, the sound of the tinkle! Yay, success! The spell was broken, however, when Emma exclaimed, "Mom, Grant's peeing on the scale!" Crapola. All over the bathroom scale, the floor, and the rug. So, I did what any responsible, organized, clean-minded parent would do, I threw a towel over it and left it there to clean up later. Meanwhile, Ben had gotten himself off the potty, and had flipped the potty upside down on the floor. I silently thanked God that there was no actual potty in the toilet at the time, and when I turned to fix the potty chair, Grant grabbed the toilet scrubber and tried cleaning the real toilet with it. I turned to take the scrub brush from him, and after wrestling it from his little hands, turned back to see that I had left the potty chair right in front of the bathroom sink. Ben was standing on it like a stool, brushing his teeth with my toothbrush, and, drumroll, please! He was peeing all over the front of the cabinets. Not just the cabinets, but that little gap in between where the door meets the front, thereby soaking all the stuff inside the cabinets. The entire time, Emma is yelling, in that lovely, four-year-old whine, "Moooooommmmmm, I can't find my ducky! Hey, they are peeing again! Why aren't they peeing in the potty?" After taking my toothbrush from Ben, and deciding never to use it again, the boys had decided to wrestle for the one ducky that is just like two other duckys within reach, I am seeing how much of my shoebox filled with bathroom stuff in sprayed with pee under the sink, and silently wondering what on earth I am going to do with another child.
The shower was not as bad as the pre-shower, except when Ben decided to throw my shampoo bottle on the top of my foot, and while we were getting out, Ben peed on the floor again. How is it possible for two little boys to pee so much? I had a lot to do today, but now I have added giving the bathroom a complete scrub-down to the list. I cannot do it while the kids are awake, however, for fear of the destruction that will happen while my back is turned. I am seriously considering my brother's suggestion to play cops and robbers with them, so I have an excuse to tie them to a chair. Just kidding. Sort of.
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