Next Stop, HOLLYWOOD (Just kidding, Jeremy)

JOSEPHINE AND GENEVIEVE ARE FAMOUS. I REPEAT: JOSEPHINE AND GENEVIEVE ARE FAMOUS.

Okay, not really, but they DID star in some educational films about milestone moments for two- and four-year-olds. They are up on the Great Start Collaborative of St. Clair County website, and they are AMAZING (if I do say so myself). 

Click HERE to be taken to Genevieve's six short videos. They should play automatically, but are listed on the right hand side if you want to click there.

Click HERE to be taken to Josephine's six short videos.

Seriously, though. I was so overwhelmed when I finally saw these. I assumed they would be cute, but I didn't anticipate how much I would love them. We have pictures of the girls, we have some of our own video footage, and we have our memories, but having someone come with a professional camera and capture their everyday activities -- I was blown away. Our life looks a lot more beautiful than it feels some days, and I have the Great Start Collaborative to thank for that. Thank you for thinking of our girls to star in your films.

[Another shameless plug for Great Start. Take your kids; attend parent meetings; donate time, money, or supplies to the program. You won't be sorry you helped out the lives of littles.]

Double Birthday, vol. 3

Saturday was a big day in this house:

DOUBLE BIRTHDAY, 2014-style.

Yes, in case you didn't already know, the girls have the same birthday. Here, let me answer the questions most people ask when they learn this information: Yes, I'm totally serious. No, we didn't plan it. Yes, I'm aware that they are going to hate me when they get a little older.

I was tempted to tweet something cheeky on August 8th to the effect of "Hey, it's August 8th and I'm not in labor. Weird." but thought better of it at the last second. I mean, you just never know, right? No need to tempt fate. Now that August 9th has come and gone, I can officially say that I didn't have a third baby on August 9th. Whew. 

The birthday twins had a smashing day. Just the best.

dancing in her room full of balloons

birthday pancakes have sprinkles and come on a silver platter

Daddy designed and built them a castle playscape and they saw it with walls, swings, and a slide for this first time the morning of their birthday!

Barnes & Noble treats

 

Happy Birthday to my amazing girls! We had so much fun with you, and we hope you look back on this day and think you had a great day, too. We love you more than anything.

It Doesn't Have to Be a Snowman

I need to admit something: My kids saw Frozen for the very first time last week. I know, call the authorities, am I right? Cruel and unusual punishment, to say the least.

When it was a huge hit in theatres, I knew I didn't want to have to deal with fighting to find merchandise for Christmas, and dudes, am I ever glad we had a Christmas spent blissfully unaware of the lack of Frozen items available in stores, let me tell you. Plus, I knew that this would probably be a movie that would take over our lives, so I decided to wait until they asked to watch it, and it just happened last week. I know, I got lucky.

So, yes, I have been walking around humming all the songs, and Josie loves to act out scenes with me. Genevieve, who still pretty much refuses to speak, loves it so much that she won't tell me what she wants for lunch, but she can manage to point at the TV and squeak out an "ELSA!" In fact, the other day when Josie asked to watch it after dinner and I said she could watch ten minutes and she begged for the whole thing, Genevieve chimed in by saying the word "whole" for the first time. Seriously.

Listen, I know my kids didn't invent being obsessed with Frozen, and I know we are way behind the time, but the way Josie calmly informed me "My chosen name is Elsa," and she simply slides into the role of Elsa without any fanfare simply slays me. I just had to share my favorite Elsa-isms to date with you all.

(I realize this won't make sense to those of you who haven't seen Frozen, and it might not even be funny to those of you who have, but ... well, she's my kid, and I think she's hilarious. So there you go.)


We were eating lunch, when out of nowhere, she asked me, "Remember how after the accident I starting shutting my little sister out of my life?" then just looked away and took another bite of her sandwich.


She clasped both of Genevieve's hands in her own, sat her down, looked deep into her eyes, and calmly informed her, "You can't marry a man you just met." Genevieve nodded solemnly.


We were about to leave for playgroup, and Josie had a large outburst. We had a discussion about appropriate behavior, and that if she wanted to go to playgroup that day, she would have to work hard to listen, behave, share, and be kind, or we would have to leave early. She agreed to all these terms, then walked over to the back door, and quietly sang to herself "Be the good girl you always have to be." After a minute of staring out the door and likely steeling her nerves, she belted out "Tell the guards to open up ... THE GATES!" while flinging the sliding door open. She proceeded to stride out the door with her head held high.


In other news, I am NOT more obsessed with Frozen than my kids are, like Jeremy claims. *Ahem*

5 Things I've Learned Recently

1. If you're going to go through all the work of a spring-cleaning type cleaning spree one day on the spur of the moment (washing walls, scrubbing appliances, washing windows, etc., etc., until every inch of the house is clean as a whistle), it turns out you really won't be all that floored when you see the after product if your home isn't a pit to begin with. Our house is pretty clean, but I still thought after scrubbing every surface of the kitchen for three hours, I would be able to walk out, walk back in, and I would gasp in amazement. Not so. Also, not fair. 

2. Josephine might be a real, live dinosaur.

3. TICKS ARE OFFICIALLY THE WORST LIVING THING EVER. I've felt rage at other living things in the past, but ticks? If I could wipe every single one off the planet today, I would do it. If I had a hate scale from one to ten, my hatred of spiders is a 2, mosquitoes 4, and ticks 10,000. On a scale of 1 to 10. 

4. Genevieve has a passion for accessories. A deep, abiding love.

5. Maybe I don't actually want Genevieve to learn how to talk. The girls discovered that screeching is fun and all, but if you screech at the same time, at the same pitch, and then slowly increase the volume higher and higher and higher until you've reached a dual-screech that could shatter glass, well, that's WAY more fun. My hearing has already been compromised, and we have a lot of years left to go. Heaven help us all.

The More You Know

Genevieve has always been a bit stingy with her affection. Ever since she was old enough to communicate, if I ask her for a hug or a kiss, roughly 9 times out of 10, she purses her lips, lowers her eyebrows, and shakes her head "no." Sometimes she even pushes my face away from her if she thinks I'm getting too close and might try to sneak in a hug or something.

I know I shouldn't take it personally; it's just who she is. But I'm not going to lie, it stings a bit, especially after having Josephine, who is just the snuggliest snuggler ever, and hugs and kisses me all day long. Even though she hurts my feelings a little by not wanting to give me any affection, I make sure not to let on. I don't want to create a situation where I'm forcing her to give affection to an adult when she clearly doesn't want to, because obviously I don't want to teach her that kind of lesson.

Genevieve is also the kind of kid who says "no" to just about everything you ask her to do. Or maybe it's just because she's almost two, who knows. The other day, I was trying to hold Genevieve down and clip her talons while she flailed and shouted "NO!" and I gave up and asked Josie if she was ready to get her nails trimmed. She sat sweetly and silently and let me clip them, and lo and behold, as soon as I was done, Genevieve inserted herself on my lap and shoved her hand into mine, frantically pointing at the fingernail clippers.

FLASHBULB MOMENT: All I have to do is ask Josephine to do something and Genevieve will want to do it immediately. I have been trying not to abuse this power. I'm saving it for moments when I really need it. 

Tonight, I was getting up from the dinner table and asked Genevieve for a kiss. She said no, and I just walked away laughing, but I heard Josie say "I'll give mama a kiss!" so I ran back in to get one from her, and wouldn't you know, Genevieve planted one on me, too.

So there you go. I now know how to trick my youngest child into giving me a hug or kiss, should the occasion arise. 

Parenting, am I right?

Odds and Ends

I wrote about Genevieve being a picky eater the other day, and I specifically mentioned that she doesn't like strawberries (Oh, I just love them so much! Aren't they pretty universally liked?) and a few hours later I was standing in the kitchen cutting up some for Josephine. G came over and started trying to tell me something. A lot of shouting, pointing, and wild gesticulating later, I offered her a quarter of a strawberry, which she threw to the floor. She just kept trying to tell me something she didn't have the words for. I asked her if she wanted a WHOLE strawberry, and she sighed with relief, smiled, and nodded enthusiastically. She then proceeded to eat five strawberries. 

So, I stand corrected. Genevieve likes WHOLE strawberries. Heavens to friggin' Betsy, am I right?

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We have been beaching it already (I'm sure some of my fellow Michiganders think we're downright nutty, but the weather has been gorgeous!). It's been nice because it's warm enough to enjoy the beach (as long as you don't spend too much time in the water), but it's early enough in the season that the beaches have been blessedly empty. 

Josie is in heaven when she is at the beach. She loves to play in both the sand and the water. Genevieve, on the other hand, mostly keeps busy by carefully choosing a rock from the beach, walking down to the water's edge, throwing the rock into the water, laughing and clapping, then clomping back up the beach to choose another. Over and over, for HOURS. I swear, this kid just needs a job, and she is usually happy. Oh, she also takes lots of breaks to eat and sand and put rocks in her mouth, but those activities are far less adorable.

Oh, and Josie calls whatever body of water we happen to be near "the ocean." I love it. I always let her know that it's a lake or a river, but I smile and giggle inwardly every time she calls it the ocean. 

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Did I ever tell you that during the month of May, Jeremy had to take TWO business trips and was gone for almost two weeks? He was in Atlanta, and then the very next week he drove to Denver and back. It was a bear of a month. At least this time he didn't bring home a train whistle for the girls like when he was in Massachusetts in October. He just ... gave them a train whistle and then left me alone with them all day. He went back to the office! And they blew a train whistle all day! 

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We got Josephine her first two-wheeler (with training wheels), and ... it feels like a big deal. She looks like such a big girl up on that bike. She loves riding bikes and her scooter, which she calls her skateboard (tee hee!).

Genevieve loves her little tricycle, but get this -- even though she is much taller than Josie was at this age, her feet don't reach the pedals, even though Josie's did. So apparently her legs are shorter than Josie's were? She is a little frustrated that she can't reach the pedals, but she is content enough to scoot around like Fred Flintstone.

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Oh, and while I'm still thinking of beaches, the other night when we made a quick trip to the beach before bed so Josie could make a sand castle, she walked over to a spot on the beach and told me "This is where to dig for buried treasure." She started digging, and wouldn't you know it, two minutes later, she was holding an octopus sand mold. 

I'm thinking of taking this kid to the casino.

You Win Some, You Lose Some

Jeremy won't be getting home until after the girls' bedtime for the next two nights, and when that happens, I am always sure to phone in dinner (sandwiches and raw veggies! leftovers! snack tray! whatever takes five minutes or less!). I decided to be extra fun and make dinosaur macaroni and cheese from a box for lunch, and I was planning to have leftovers for dinner. I failed to check what leftovers I have. I have ... homemade macaroni and cheese. Lazy FAIL.

Speaking of the macaroni and cheese from a box, Josephine and Genevieve are different in OH SO MANY ways, but one that is very interesting to me is their eating habits. I made a box of macaroni and cheese for lunch and added broccoli, tomatoes, and diced grilled chicken. Josephine ate every bite with gusto. Genevieve painstakingly picked out the macaroni and cheese and left everything else in the bowl, then asked for more. At this point, the only vegetable she will eat (sometimes) is bell pepper, and you might as well forget about meat. She doesn't even like strawberries! Who doesn't like strawberries? It's gotten to the point where I'll sometimes sigh to myself at bedtime and think, well, she had pickles today, so ... that counts as a vegetable, right? 

This has been a funny little nature vs. nurture moment, because from the beginning, I fed Genevieve the way I did Josephine, and they get the exact same meals (especially now that G can have dairy). I offer a variety of healthy foods with enthusiasm, Jeremy and I let her see us enjoying healthy foods, and I don't use foods as punishments or rewards. Josephine will eat anything you put in front of her and then thank you for making it for her, and Genevieve will give you a withering look, throw it to the ground, and beg for ketchup. 

This is Genevieve shaking her head "no" and saying "BLECH!" at the same time. Charming.

Nature - 1, Nurture - 0. 

Don't worry, I give her vitamins, and she makes up for being picky by being really really cute. Fellow parents of picky eaters, I send you a fistbump of solidarity.

15 Simple, Cheap Independent Activities for Little People

I was talking to my friend the other day about some of my favorite easy activities I always have on hand to keep little people busy. There are plenty of fun activities geared toward to the 1-4 year-old crowd, but a lot of those require supervision, and sometimes you don't have 100% of your attention to give, so something like fingerpainting is out. 

I try to keep all of these things within reach in my kitchen, because I usually have to utilize them when I am trying to cook dinner or Josie is very busy with an important project at the table and Genevieve is hell-bent on trying to destroy her project.

Simple toys that have a high success rate in our house and don't require constant supervision include things like blocks, big lacing beads, crayons/coloring books, Little People, stacking anything (cups, nesting blocks, etc.), books, and play food, but sometimes you need to branch out and introduce new things, and why not have it be simple and cheap? 

Here are my (our) favorites:

1. Pots and pans and spoons.

This one is the most obvious, and it is a loud one, but usually one that will keep them busy for quite some time.

2. Tupperware.

Similar to the pots and pans but (usually) more quiet. I keep mine in a low drawer so I can just pull it open and let them rummage around and build or pretend to cook while I am.

3. Ice.

Sure, your kids will get a little wet, and of course it's possible that my kids are just overly obsessed with ice and yours will look at you and be like "What the heck, dude?" but if I give either one a piece of ice, I can count on silence and usually a still child for at least five minutes. Bonus: give them a bowl of ice and the five minutes can extend indefinitely! 

4. Pom pons in a coffee container.

I just cut a hole in the lid and gave them a bunch of pom pons. They put them in, dump them out. Simple and fun. Perhaps the favorite in our house. Genevieve goes and gets this out of the craft cupboard every single day. She's crazy about it.

5. Cotton balls (or pom pons, packing peanuts, or whatever) to put in and out of an empty plastic container with a flip lid.

I use a parmesan cheese container, and our playgroup leader uses those big creamer bottles with a flip lid -- both are a big hit. Similar to pom pons in a coffee container, but easier to manage if your child is trapped secured in his or her highchair at the moment. Again, the putting in and out and figuring out the flip lid are just so fun!

6. STICKERS.

Peel. Stick. Peel. Stick. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Bonus points if you use the free ones in the mail from charities or get them from the dollar store.

7. Pipe cleaners in a colander.

They love poking the pipe cleaners in, making fun patterns, and lacing them in and out of multiple holes. Great for fine motor skills.

8.  Ziploc bag filled with hair gel and doodads. 

Fill a ziploc bag with hair gel and googly eyes, beads, buttons, glitter, or any tiny toy without sharp edges. They love to poke and prod and squish the gel. You can find hair gel, ziplocs, and usually little doodads at the Dollar Store. I recommend taping the zipper side with packing tape or duct tape.

9. Paint in a ziploc bag.

Painting without the mess and need for constant supervision! Again, taping the zipper side is recommended, and you can tape the bag right to a table or tray to keep it still.

10. Cheap vinyl window clings.

I got a big sheet from Dollar Tree and let them have at it, and they were in heaven. Bonus points if you have two big or low windows in nearby rooms. I put half of the clings on the big window in the living room and half on the sliding door in the kitchen to give them options, and they surprised me by carrying them back and forth from room to room for HOURS.

11. Dry erase markers.

Josie LOVES to write and draw, but sometimes if I know my attention is going to be very divided, like when I'm cooking dinner, I'd much rather let her (and especially Genevieve) use dry erase markers since they come off of everything much easier than other markers, pens, or crayons. We have a few dry erase boards from Dollar Tree, but I also really like making my own dry erase sheets. I print off writing practice sheets and put them in clear sheet protectors so she can write the words over and over. There are lots of amazing free printables HERE and you can enter any word HERE and make your own customized printable handwriting practice worksheets. 

12. Peeling tape.

(Stay with me here). Put big long strips of tape on the floor or a table and let them develop some fine motor skills while they try to get it off! Use scotch tape, masking tape, painter's tape, washi tape, or put all different kinds down at once. I happened to have this stripey glittery tape from Dollar Tree, and she was all about it. Then she stuck it to herself, stuck it back on the table, and pulled it back off, over and over and over.

13. Blanket party. 

I know this one sounds a little crazy, but a few months ago I had two cranky little girls on my hands, so I went and collected a bunch of blankets, threw them on the living room floor and shouted "BLANKET PARTY!" They flopped on them, made a mountain with them, and covered themselves and each other up, over and over and over for hours. The next morning the first thing Josie did was ask me for a blanket party (patent pending). Of course, this can lead to tents and forts as well.

14. Playing in the sink.

Now, I know some of you are probably a bit more squeamish about messes involving water, but I tell you, if you can turn a blind eye to puddles for an hour, you will have some busy kids. You can add soap or not, add lots of dishes or a few, ladles, funnels, whatever, just give the kid some water and she's happy as a clam. Sometimes Josie even surprises me and doesn't get a drop of water out of the sink.

15. Bucket of water, dish wand, and windows.

Another slightly wet option has the bonus feature of (possibly) getting your windows clean (somewhat). When Josie was two, I had just bought an extra dishwand and was going to fill it with half Dawn and half vinegar to keep in the tub for cleaning (I adore this method). It was sitting out on the counter and Josie kept asking for it, so I gave her a bowl of water to dip it in and told her to scrub the sliding glass door. She stayed there for AN HOUR. Depending on the age of your kids and how careful they are, you could always add a little vinegar to the water, and when you wipe the windows when they're done, your windows will be sparkling! 

And there you have it! Some of my favorite things to keep the girls busy without fear of paint on the walls or playdough in their tummies. Have fun!

What She's Doing; What She's Not Doing

Until very recently, if I sang around Genevieve, she would put her hand over my mouth in a very matter-of-fact way until I stopped. If I didn't stop, she would push on my mouth until my spirit was sufficiently broken, then would go back about her business. This meant that I never sang to her as I nursed her or rocked her to sleep LO those many hours for the eighteen months it took her before she finally decided it was acceptable to sleep through the night.

When she was little, I would try every week or so -- This is the week! She'll love it when I sing to her now! -- alas, I got a baby hand to the mouth. After a while I gave up. A stretch of quite a few months went by, and suddenly, she made it known that she wanted to turn off her light by herself at night, and when she did, I sang a little good-night song, and SHE LET ME. I was so high on the good vibrations that as I was about to put her down in her crib, I paused to sing "You Are My Sunshine" TWICE ... AND SHE LET ME. 

It's been a few weeks now, and it seems like she not only tolerates it, but I'm pretty sure she likes it. It's funny how one tiny thing can make her feel like an entirely different kid, but it does.

One thing that is not so different about her is that she still shows no interest in talking. She says mama, dada, wow, whoa, ow, and shoes. She also frantically shouts "O!" every time she sees the letter O, but that's about it. She has made up a few signs -- if she leans her head way over and touches it to her right shoulder, it means "please" (of course) -- but for the most part, she relies on shouting, pointing, and grunting to get her point across, which is just as delightful as it sounds.

The frustration has been compounded by the fact that she is also now very insistent on helping with things. I got my weekly e-mail from Babycenter letting me know that my 20-month-old is probably saying "Me do it!" all the time (not so much); instead, she screams and flails until I discover what she is trying to say she was wants to do and I let her do it (all the while helpfully saying "Say, 'let me help fill my sippy, mama!'").

She's a funny kid. She has a lot of opinions. Heck, she has a lot of advice for all of us -- Quit singing. Don't touch my toys. Give me all your toys. Big sister hair was made to be pulled, so give it up. Hug ME first when you get home, daddy. -- but she's not interested in using words to tell us just yet. Why should she? She lets us know just fine with her grunting, shrieking, and hair pulling. 

One day she'll talk, and I have a feeling she'll never stop.