Josie: "Mom, look! I'm washing the BACKS of my hands, too! My friend Alexis taught me that."
Me: "I taught you that. Years ago. Plus we discussed it last week. In depth."
Josie: "No, Alexis taught me this."
Me: "No, I did."
Josie: "Mom, you've never mentioned this before. Not once. Alexis taught me this to stay healthy."
Me: "I guess it's a good thing I sent you to preschool so your new friends could teach you about proper hygiene."
Josie: "Yeah. Alexis is great."
Showing posts with label adventures in parenting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adventures in parenting. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Monday, September 22, 2014
Josephine's First Week of Preschool is in the Books
Preschool.
HOLY BUCKETS, we just survived the first week of preschool.
I'm here to tell you I didn't think I'd make it. I'm also here to share every little detail with you, because that's what I do (and because I want to be able to go back and read this years from now).
DAY 1: Josie was SUPER geeked. Just excited beyond belief. I was praying that I would make it out of the classroom before I started crying.
She picked out a special outfit, requested an Elsa braid, let me take a few pictures (I didn't bend to peer pressure, so NO SIGN FOR US), and we were off. Thankfully, Jeremy took the day off (unfortunately it was because he was going to be in Atlanta Tuesday through Thursday), and he dragged me out of the classroom when I started getting misty-eyed. Josie was so busy she didn't even look up when we said good-bye. I started sobbing as soon as I got out the door. And all the way to the car. And for the next hour. It was rough.
Her teachers made the parents a little gift, and while the tissues were a lifesaver, it actually made me cry even more.
I did tell Jeremy a few times that I had made a mistake and was going back for her, but he took my keys from me, so I guess it really was a good thing he took the whole day off.
When we went to get her, we waited in the little vestibule where parents have to wait to sign kids out, and when her teachers came with the line of kids, Jeremy and I burst out laughing. At the front of the line was Josie, hair standing on end, all glassy-eyed and looking discombobulated. She was worn out.
Unfortunately, the glassy eyes and confusion were also because she thought she was going to be able to take a puzzle home with her and she didn't get one on the way out, and WHY?!? At the open house, she got to pick out a puzzle to take home, and apparently thought this was going to be a daily occurrence. A crucial part of preschool, if you will. Oops.
She cried about that for a while, and then when she got over it, she told us that one of the boys was calling her names and told her she wasn't allowed to play with the hammer and nails she wanted to play with. That absolutely broke my heart. On the FIRST DAY? Ugh. Luckily, we talked about it, and she was eventually okay with it and developed a plan about what to do if it happened again. We tried to pry details about the rest of the day out of her and got nothing.
Did you play with toys?
No.
Did you sing songs?
No.
Did you read books?
No.
Did you do an art project?
No.
Did you go outside?
No.
What did you do?
*shrug*
Okay, got it.
DAY 2: It is sinking in that we have to do this EVERY DAY. Until she's eighteen. UGH. She picked out another outfit, picked out another fancy hairdo, and we headed out. However, as we pulled into the parking lot, she asked "Can I just walk into school without stopping so you can take a picture of me outside the building this time?" Geez. I mean ... I guess. (*puts camera back in purse*).
I still cried, but less today. When I picked her up, the first thing she told me was "No one called me names today!!" She still told me she did nothing at school, but then a few hours later little bits and pieces started coming to her. The highlights of the day were apparently drinking milk out of a tiny carton and going on the teeter totter. She was sad that Jeremy was gone, and I was getting a little nervous about how the rest of the week would play out if she was missing him and still adjusting to preschool, but I just crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.
DAY 3: Another fun outfit, another fun hairdo, another day of me trying really hard not to cry ... and I finally succeeded! Genevieve was a little better today, too. She was sad when we dropped Josie off, but she only asked for her a few times while she was gone, so that was a huge improvement.
When I picked Josie up, she was bursting with excitement about having a fire drill that day, but once I strapped her in her car seat, she remembered something else from that day and started crying out of nowhere. She told me, "My teacher read me this book ... it was called the Kissing Hand ... " and in my head I screamed "OH SHIT!" She had a little breakdown about missing me while she was at school and how she was going to cry all day because she couldn't see me, and I almost lost it.
Josie is just the kind of kid who doesn't think about things being scary or sad unless you suggest it. She was never scared of anything in her life until one day someone was reading her a book about monsters and told her not to be scared. She was like, "Wait, what? I should be scared?" and we had to deal with her freaking out at every noise, thinking it was a monster. It took months for her to get over. So when The Kissing Hand suggested that she might be sad when her mama left her at school, she got REALLY sad. I was freaking out about the next day. The only thing that had been making this doable had been the fact that she actually wanted to go. If she had been crying when I dropped her off, I don't know what I would have done.
DAY 4: Luckily, at drop off, she held it together. She asked me to kiss her hand, and asked if the kiss would stay on all day, no matter what. Then she asked to kiss my hand (SOB) and told me if I got lonely while she was at school, I just had to press my hand to my cheek, and it would tell me "Josie loves you." Soooo, yeah, I definitely cried as I walked out the door and pressed my hand to my cheek.
She was fine when I picked her up, though. Well, she had a blister on her foot from her new shoes (oops), but she told me about reading books and going outside to play, so it seems like at the end of the week she was pretty much settled in and was not so overwhelmed that she could actually tell me a little about her day, which seemed like progress. I was a little concerned that she still didn't know any of her classmates' names, even though a few had greeted her by name that morning, so I told her a nice thing to do would be to ask what her classmates' names were and try to remember them. She looked at my like I had lobsters coming out of my ears. Oh well.
And with that, we had survived the first week!!
This morning while we were waiting in the vestibule, she was walking up to all the other kids and asking their names. Then she was holding hands with one tiny little boy and taking him around and introducing him to all the kids and parents: "This is my friend Henry!" She finally brought him over to me, and after she introduced him, he said forlornly, "My name's CHARLIE." Hey, she tried.
Week two is off to a great start. I can't wait to pick her up today.
HOLY BUCKETS, we just survived the first week of preschool.
I'm here to tell you I didn't think I'd make it. I'm also here to share every little detail with you, because that's what I do (and because I want to be able to go back and read this years from now).
DAY 1: Josie was SUPER geeked. Just excited beyond belief. I was praying that I would make it out of the classroom before I started crying.
Her teachers made the parents a little gift, and while the tissues were a lifesaver, it actually made me cry even more.
When we went to get her, we waited in the little vestibule where parents have to wait to sign kids out, and when her teachers came with the line of kids, Jeremy and I burst out laughing. At the front of the line was Josie, hair standing on end, all glassy-eyed and looking discombobulated. She was worn out.
Unfortunately, the glassy eyes and confusion were also because she thought she was going to be able to take a puzzle home with her and she didn't get one on the way out, and WHY?!? At the open house, she got to pick out a puzzle to take home, and apparently thought this was going to be a daily occurrence. A crucial part of preschool, if you will. Oops.
She cried about that for a while, and then when she got over it, she told us that one of the boys was calling her names and told her she wasn't allowed to play with the hammer and nails she wanted to play with. That absolutely broke my heart. On the FIRST DAY? Ugh. Luckily, we talked about it, and she was eventually okay with it and developed a plan about what to do if it happened again. We tried to pry details about the rest of the day out of her and got nothing.
Did you play with toys?
No.
Did you sing songs?
No.
Did you read books?
No.
Did you do an art project?
No.
Did you go outside?
No.
What did you do?
*shrug*
Okay, got it.
DAY 2: It is sinking in that we have to do this EVERY DAY. Until she's eighteen. UGH. She picked out another outfit, picked out another fancy hairdo, and we headed out. However, as we pulled into the parking lot, she asked "Can I just walk into school without stopping so you can take a picture of me outside the building this time?" Geez. I mean ... I guess. (*puts camera back in purse*).
I still cried, but less today. When I picked her up, the first thing she told me was "No one called me names today!!" She still told me she did nothing at school, but then a few hours later little bits and pieces started coming to her. The highlights of the day were apparently drinking milk out of a tiny carton and going on the teeter totter. She was sad that Jeremy was gone, and I was getting a little nervous about how the rest of the week would play out if she was missing him and still adjusting to preschool, but I just crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.
DAY 3: Another fun outfit, another fun hairdo, another day of me trying really hard not to cry ... and I finally succeeded! Genevieve was a little better today, too. She was sad when we dropped Josie off, but she only asked for her a few times while she was gone, so that was a huge improvement.
When I picked Josie up, she was bursting with excitement about having a fire drill that day, but once I strapped her in her car seat, she remembered something else from that day and started crying out of nowhere. She told me, "My teacher read me this book ... it was called the Kissing Hand ... " and in my head I screamed "OH SHIT!" She had a little breakdown about missing me while she was at school and how she was going to cry all day because she couldn't see me, and I almost lost it.
Josie is just the kind of kid who doesn't think about things being scary or sad unless you suggest it. She was never scared of anything in her life until one day someone was reading her a book about monsters and told her not to be scared. She was like, "Wait, what? I should be scared?" and we had to deal with her freaking out at every noise, thinking it was a monster. It took months for her to get over. So when The Kissing Hand suggested that she might be sad when her mama left her at school, she got REALLY sad. I was freaking out about the next day. The only thing that had been making this doable had been the fact that she actually wanted to go. If she had been crying when I dropped her off, I don't know what I would have done.
DAY 4: Luckily, at drop off, she held it together. She asked me to kiss her hand, and asked if the kiss would stay on all day, no matter what. Then she asked to kiss my hand (SOB) and told me if I got lonely while she was at school, I just had to press my hand to my cheek, and it would tell me "Josie loves you." Soooo, yeah, I definitely cried as I walked out the door and pressed my hand to my cheek.
She was fine when I picked her up, though. Well, she had a blister on her foot from her new shoes (oops), but she told me about reading books and going outside to play, so it seems like at the end of the week she was pretty much settled in and was not so overwhelmed that she could actually tell me a little about her day, which seemed like progress. I was a little concerned that she still didn't know any of her classmates' names, even though a few had greeted her by name that morning, so I told her a nice thing to do would be to ask what her classmates' names were and try to remember them. She looked at my like I had lobsters coming out of my ears. Oh well.
And with that, we had survived the first week!!
This morning while we were waiting in the vestibule, she was walking up to all the other kids and asking their names. Then she was holding hands with one tiny little boy and taking him around and introducing him to all the kids and parents: "This is my friend Henry!" She finally brought him over to me, and after she introduced him, he said forlornly, "My name's CHARLIE." Hey, she tried.
Week two is off to a great start. I can't wait to pick her up today.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Big Day, Josie Style
Today was a big day for the Joze. Every Thursday for the past two years, she has had the privilege of hanging out with Ms. Jen at the Great Start playgroup in Marysville. Not long after we moved to Marysville, my mom discovered this program and told me to get out of my living room and get over there, and boy am I glad I did. We love the other kids and everything about it, but Ms. Jen is the very best.
Since Josie is heading to preschool four days a week starting Monday (SOB), we will not get our Jen fix on Thursdays, and it is a sad transition.
She is Josie's first teacher, and she is a lot to live up to. I'd like to tell you to look up the Great Start program, but what you really need is a Ms. Jen, and you can only have her if you live nearby and have a kid who is 0-5, so ... sorry if you don't meet the criteria.
I'm excited for the possibility of preschool having Thursdays included in Spring Break and Christmas break so she can head back for a visit. She is loved, and she will never be forgotten.
A few hours later, we headed to preschool open house (sob, sob, double sob).
Josie has been asking to go to school for about 6 months, and I have been vacillating between dreading it and denying it will ever happen. Josie is SOOO excited and I cried during the open house ... the half-hour open house, for goodness sake.
She had a total blast and cried when she had to leave. I think she's going to have a great year.
Annnnnd, as I'm writing this, she is crawling out of her bedroom silently as a ninja with the head of a tiger costume on her head and a crown on top of that. She tells me she tried on several disguises and went with this one, thinking we definitely wouldn't notice her out of bed.
There you have it, folks. She's all grown up.
Since Josie is heading to preschool four days a week starting Monday (SOB), we will not get our Jen fix on Thursdays, and it is a sad transition.
I'm excited for the possibility of preschool having Thursdays included in Spring Break and Christmas break so she can head back for a visit. She is loved, and she will never be forgotten.
A few hours later, we headed to preschool open house (sob, sob, double sob).
She had a total blast and cried when she had to leave. I think she's going to have a great year.
There you have it, folks. She's all grown up.
Friday, September 5, 2014
He is the Actual Best
Jeremy and I have this arrangement. If I have A DAY with the girls, I am more than welcome to just abandon ship as soon as he gets home. I can leave the house screaming for the car, go upstairs and hide, whatever I want. Luckily, I have only had to use this option a handful of times, mostly when G was brand new and Josie was two and adjusting to not being an only child.
I honestly have no idea how today got the way it did, but by 3 PM I was thinking I was going to need to hire a young priest and an old priest, and then by 4 PM, thought I was going to need two of each -- one set for Josie, and one for me.
So I called Jeremy, telling him I was a mile past my breaking point and it was a BAD day for him to be swamped and leaving the office late, and of course he told me he would handle dinner and bed and just to leave when he got home.
I went and sat by the water for a while and listened to the waves, and then I came home and hid in the bedroom with wine, chocolate-covered pretzels, and Netflix. I am much better already.
A storm hit not long after I got home, and it was bad enough to knock out the power for a while. Of course I did a slow-motion "NOOOOOOOO! NOT MY NETFLIX!" scream, but thankfully it came back on after a while. When it came back, my janky baby monitor that was making horrible noises so I unplugged it and took out the batteries and it still made weird noises all day (I HAVE NO IDEA) came to life and picked up on Jeremy playing with the girls. I left it on and heard giggling and books being read and general happiness. It was ... just lovely.
There are a million reasons why he is an amazing dad, but it's days like this when it hits me like a ton of bricks.
A few weeks ago, after dinner Jeremy could tell I was spent and asked if I wanted to sit on the couch and let him handle baths and bed. I said "you betcha" and the girls were geeked to have daddy all to themselves. I put my feet up, put on some trashy TV, and a few minutes later, while the girls were splashing in the tub, Josie asked Jeremy to sing "Love is an Open Door" from Frozen and he did, and I sat on that couch feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.
I told my mom about it, and she said, "Well, I didn't see any facebook status about it! You should let people know how amazing that man is!" She's right. I need to tell the Internet how great he is.
Thanks, Jeremy. You're the best.
I honestly have no idea how today got the way it did, but by 3 PM I was thinking I was going to need to hire a young priest and an old priest, and then by 4 PM, thought I was going to need two of each -- one set for Josie, and one for me.
So I called Jeremy, telling him I was a mile past my breaking point and it was a BAD day for him to be swamped and leaving the office late, and of course he told me he would handle dinner and bed and just to leave when he got home.
I went and sat by the water for a while and listened to the waves, and then I came home and hid in the bedroom with wine, chocolate-covered pretzels, and Netflix. I am much better already.
A storm hit not long after I got home, and it was bad enough to knock out the power for a while. Of course I did a slow-motion "NOOOOOOOO! NOT MY NETFLIX!" scream, but thankfully it came back on after a while. When it came back, my janky baby monitor that was making horrible noises so I unplugged it and took out the batteries and it still made weird noises all day (I HAVE NO IDEA) came to life and picked up on Jeremy playing with the girls. I left it on and heard giggling and books being read and general happiness. It was ... just lovely.
There are a million reasons why he is an amazing dad, but it's days like this when it hits me like a ton of bricks.
A few weeks ago, after dinner Jeremy could tell I was spent and asked if I wanted to sit on the couch and let him handle baths and bed. I said "you betcha" and the girls were geeked to have daddy all to themselves. I put my feet up, put on some trashy TV, and a few minutes later, while the girls were splashing in the tub, Josie asked Jeremy to sing "Love is an Open Door" from Frozen and he did, and I sat on that couch feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.
I told my mom about it, and she said, "Well, I didn't see any facebook status about it! You should let people know how amazing that man is!" She's right. I need to tell the Internet how great he is.
Thanks, Jeremy. You're the best.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
There's Only So Much I Can Do
When I was a teenager, my mom always told me she would stare at me, unable to believe she had a teenager, because she felt like she was in her early twenties, tops. I always thought that was hilarious, and also a little strange, because how could you feel like you were a totally different age than you were? I felt like my age.
Now (I think you see where this is going), expect for when I am tired and overwhelmed and feel like I am 80, I am always shocked when I am reminded that I am 32. More specifically, I have a hard time remembering that I am an adult. An actual, real-life adult. With KIDS! And a HOUSE! Someone with bills and animals. I have a car that I must not only pay for, but maintain. I have to buy and prepare ALL THE FOOD for four people, including two kids who require roughly six meals a day (when they are not in the midst of a growth spurt).
Every once in a while, I will be dragging the garbage can back to the house, or luggging the groceries inside, or sitting at a stoplight, and I will notice someone else looking at me, and it is shocking to realize that they see me as an adult (or even old, as the kid at the Taco Bell drive-thru makes very clear with all the "ma'am"s he throws around). I'm not old! I'm just a kid who has a husband and a house and a few kids, and ... okay, I see where you're going with this.
Anyway, all of that back story was just to let you know that even though I have a hard time remembering I'm an adult, I have grown in little ways that I really pat myself on the back over.
EXHIBIT A: Today, while we were reading stories on Josie's bedroom floor before nap time, I felt something on my back. Of course, I assumed it was a spider crawling on me, just like every time a loose hair falls from my head to my arm. However, I held it together and kept reading. Bravo, me.
But, BUT, a few seconds later I caught something out of the corner of my eye, and it was a SPIDER CRAWLING AWAY FROM BEHIND ME. Get this: I didn't scream or cry or throw the girls off my lap. I quietly squished it* without the girls seeing.
BOOM. That situation just got ADULTED.
Now, as proud as I am for that personal growth and maturity that I exhibited today, I feel like I should admit what happened a few hours before that.
I was rushing around to clean the bathroom early this morning, and I had just scrubbed the tub, sink, and toilet, and Jeremy was about to leave, so I told him to look at the gleaming fixtures before he left because they wouldn't look that good when he got home. Josie walked over and said "Well, yeah, but look at the floor. There's dog hair all over it." My first instinct was to shout "YOU'RE the one with dog hair all over you!" Sure, I didn't actually say that. Instead, I blinked a few times and silently closed the door, but that still isn't what I'd consider a pro move.
So maybe I'm right in not feeling like an adult quite yet.
*I have all new rules when it comes to spiders, because I felt like a "squish now, ask questions later" approach was a bit too harsh since I claim to love living things and nature and blah blah blah. My new rule is a spider must die under three circumstances: 1) It is poisonous, 2) It is in my bedroom when I'm about to go to bed, 3) It's in one of my kids' bedrooms at any time of the day. I feel like this is more than fair, and it also makes me feel like an adult.
** Pro tip: NEVER tile your floor with the small shiny white tiles that you would use in a shower surround. Especially if you have a black furry animal living in the house. I can Swiffer and scrub the floor and two minutes later it looks like I've never cleaned it once. It's a real situation. This makes me feel like an adult too, but in the worst way possible.
Now (I think you see where this is going), expect for when I am tired and overwhelmed and feel like I am 80, I am always shocked when I am reminded that I am 32. More specifically, I have a hard time remembering that I am an adult. An actual, real-life adult. With KIDS! And a HOUSE! Someone with bills and animals. I have a car that I must not only pay for, but maintain. I have to buy and prepare ALL THE FOOD for four people, including two kids who require roughly six meals a day (when they are not in the midst of a growth spurt).
Every once in a while, I will be dragging the garbage can back to the house, or luggging the groceries inside, or sitting at a stoplight, and I will notice someone else looking at me, and it is shocking to realize that they see me as an adult (or even old, as the kid at the Taco Bell drive-thru makes very clear with all the "ma'am"s he throws around). I'm not old! I'm just a kid who has a husband and a house and a few kids, and ... okay, I see where you're going with this.
Anyway, all of that back story was just to let you know that even though I have a hard time remembering I'm an adult, I have grown in little ways that I really pat myself on the back over.
EXHIBIT A: Today, while we were reading stories on Josie's bedroom floor before nap time, I felt something on my back. Of course, I assumed it was a spider crawling on me, just like every time a loose hair falls from my head to my arm. However, I held it together and kept reading. Bravo, me.
But, BUT, a few seconds later I caught something out of the corner of my eye, and it was a SPIDER CRAWLING AWAY FROM BEHIND ME. Get this: I didn't scream or cry or throw the girls off my lap. I quietly squished it* without the girls seeing.
BOOM. That situation just got ADULTED.
Now, as proud as I am for that personal growth and maturity that I exhibited today, I feel like I should admit what happened a few hours before that.
I was rushing around to clean the bathroom early this morning, and I had just scrubbed the tub, sink, and toilet, and Jeremy was about to leave, so I told him to look at the gleaming fixtures before he left because they wouldn't look that good when he got home. Josie walked over and said "Well, yeah, but look at the floor. There's dog hair all over it." My first instinct was to shout "YOU'RE the one with dog hair all over you!" Sure, I didn't actually say that. Instead, I blinked a few times and silently closed the door, but that still isn't what I'd consider a pro move.
So maybe I'm right in not feeling like an adult quite yet.
*I have all new rules when it comes to spiders, because I felt like a "squish now, ask questions later" approach was a bit too harsh since I claim to love living things and nature and blah blah blah. My new rule is a spider must die under three circumstances: 1) It is poisonous, 2) It is in my bedroom when I'm about to go to bed, 3) It's in one of my kids' bedrooms at any time of the day. I feel like this is more than fair, and it also makes me feel like an adult.
** Pro tip: NEVER tile your floor with the small shiny white tiles that you would use in a shower surround. Especially if you have a black furry animal living in the house. I can Swiffer and scrub the floor and two minutes later it looks like I've never cleaned it once. It's a real situation. This makes me feel like an adult too, but in the worst way possible.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Well, That Was Unexpected
I
just … but … I thought you were sleeping, Josephine.
She
was NOT. A lone crayon was left in her bedroom the other night, and when I went
to check on her, I saw that beauty, turned on the lights, and saw she was also
sporting a crayon mustache, goatee, and nail polish.
The
worst part is, I love it. I think it’s the most interesting design she’s drawn
to date. If it were on a piece of paper, I would have framed that baby.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
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*
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*
Saturday, July 19, 2014
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.
2. Josephine might be a real, live dinosaur.
4. Genevieve has a passion for accessories. A deep, abiding love.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
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?
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?
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
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?
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.
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!
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.
So, I stand corrected. Genevieve likes WHOLE strawberries. Heavens to friggin' Betsy, am I right?
**********************************
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.
**********************************
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!
**********************************
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!).
**********************************
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.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
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.
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.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
15 Simple, Cheap Independent Activities for Little People
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.
2. Tupperware.
3. Ice.
4. Pom pons in a coffee container.
6. STICKERS.
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.
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.
11. Dry erase markers.
12. Peeling tape.
13. Blanket party.
14. Playing in the sink.
15. Bucket of water, dish wand, and windows.
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!
Thursday, April 17, 2014
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.
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.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Inconvenient Truths
Genevieve is going through something (developmental milestone?) that is causing her to wake up at least once a night again. I am also back to my normal insomnia problems, and on the best of nights, I fall asleep around 12-1 AM. Genevieve wakes up EXACTLY when I finally close my eyes. EVERY NIGHT.
Some days I spend a bit of time on my couch -- reading stories, snuggling with the girls, taking five minutes at nap time to put my feet up before I get stuff done. Other days, I spend five minutes or less on that couch, and the rest of the time I am running around like a mad woman. BUT, no matter what, WITHOUT FAIL, I am sitting on the couch when our mail carrier walks in front of our huge picture window. In his mind, I live on that couch. I want to change his opinion of me, but I am unwilling to spend an entire day on my feet just so he can't catch me sitting down.
We have dedicated an entire shelf in one of our kitchen cabinets to broken items that need to be super-glued back together. AN ENTIRE SHELF in a kitchen that is seriously lacking in cupboard space. Something else broke? Put it in the super glue cupboard. That's a problem for Future Veronica.
Josie has a musical instrument hidden in her room. It's hard to describe. It sounds like a harmonica mixed with an accordion (I KNOW). Anyway, this instrument is hidden in her room somewhere, and when she is supposed to be taking a nap, she takes it out and plays it just loudly enough for me to hear and get all mad (WHAT IF SHE WAKES UP THE BABY?!?!). I choose to ignore it, because if I go in there to tell her to be quiet, it gets her more determined to stay up and skip her nap, but if I ignore her noise, she eventually gets bored and falls asleep. Dang if I forget about that instrument every day once nap time is over and forget to take it out of her room. I only remember when she's playing it again the next day.
***********************************
Some days I spend a bit of time on my couch -- reading stories, snuggling with the girls, taking five minutes at nap time to put my feet up before I get stuff done. Other days, I spend five minutes or less on that couch, and the rest of the time I am running around like a mad woman. BUT, no matter what, WITHOUT FAIL, I am sitting on the couch when our mail carrier walks in front of our huge picture window. In his mind, I live on that couch. I want to change his opinion of me, but I am unwilling to spend an entire day on my feet just so he can't catch me sitting down.
***********************************
We have dedicated an entire shelf in one of our kitchen cabinets to broken items that need to be super-glued back together. AN ENTIRE SHELF in a kitchen that is seriously lacking in cupboard space. Something else broke? Put it in the super glue cupboard. That's a problem for Future Veronica.
***********************************
Jeremy shoveled a path through the five feet of snow (that stayed in our yard from November until THREE DAYS AGO) from our back door to the girls' playhouse. Cleo thought that was the best place to do her business (even though Jeremy shoveled an area for her, too). Not only do we now have a path of dead yellow grass leading to the playhouse, but Cleo also settled on dropping her deuces right in front of the girls' playhouse door. Now that the snow is gone, she thinks that's her official pooping spot, so it looks like I will have to remember to take a bag with me every time we go outside, or I will be cleaning a lot of little girl shoes this spring and summer. YUCK.
***********************************
Josie has a musical instrument hidden in her room. It's hard to describe. It sounds like a harmonica mixed with an accordion (I KNOW). Anyway, this instrument is hidden in her room somewhere, and when she is supposed to be taking a nap, she takes it out and plays it just loudly enough for me to hear and get all mad (WHAT IF SHE WAKES UP THE BABY?!?!). I choose to ignore it, because if I go in there to tell her to be quiet, it gets her more determined to stay up and skip her nap, but if I ignore her noise, she eventually gets bored and falls asleep. Dang if I forget about that instrument every day once nap time is over and forget to take it out of her room. I only remember when she's playing it again the next day.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
I CAN ONLY TAKE SO MUCH
I can't believe it's gotten to this point, but here I am.
I AM HAVING AN ARGUMENT WITH A TOY. ALOUD. VERY ANGRILY.
Wait, let me preface this by saying two things:
1) We are so lucky to be able to have toys for our children. Many more toys than they would ever realistically need.
2) I'm sure many (most?) of you have gotten to the point where you want to go all Office Space on one of your kid's toys EVEN IF IT'S ONE OF HIS OR HER FAVORITES because it has pushed you so far over the edge with its level of annoyingness. I know this is not a new phenomenon. I have a few of those toys.
I AM HAVING AN ARGUMENT WITH A TOY. ALOUD. VERY ANGRILY.
Wait, let me preface this by saying two things:
1) We are so lucky to be able to have toys for our children. Many more toys than they would ever realistically need.
2) I'm sure many (most?) of you have gotten to the point where you want to go all Office Space on one of your kid's toys EVEN IF IT'S ONE OF HIS OR HER FAVORITES because it has pushed you so far over the edge with its level of annoyingness. I know this is not a new phenomenon. I have a few of those toys.
One day, B. Meowsic Keyboard. One day.
This is way beyond all that. We have an adorable little pretend vacuum (Aside: Toy companies. Make those tiny vacuums FUNCTIONING VACUUMS. Love, Everyone.) (Second aside: Is that really how you spell vacuum? I've never been able to spell it. Don't you think it needs two Cs in there?) that the girls LOVE. It's very cute. Except for the fact that in between making vacuum noises, it has "funny" little quips. At first I was able to ignore them, but yesterday was just the straw that broke the camel's back.
Vacuum: What a pigsty!
Me: Good one. That one gets me every time. Very funny. My housekeeping skills are subpar. HILARIOUS.
Vacuum: *Cough cough* We must clean up the dust!
Me: Right, it's dusty in here because I never clean. I GET IT. SHUT UP ALREADY.
Vacuum: Whoa! Did a tornado blow through here?
Me: You can go STRAIGHT TO HELL, BUDDY. I TRY MY BEST!! *collapses in a puddle of tears*
Vacuum: *dopey laugh*
It's been a long week, you guys.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Hey, I Tried
I just spent a good deal of time writing a post, and when I sat down to re-read it, thought, Well ... this is stupid. So, instead I will show you our St. Patrick's Day pictures and tell you a funny Josie story.
I forgot about delightful celebratory foods, so I gave them unlimited pickles for lunch (hey, they're green!). You would have thought it was Christmas! I imagine their insides are currently pickling themselves.
As for the the Josie story: For the past few weeks, Josie has been having trouble with naps. She's still tired enough to need a nap, but she's going through something and is having a hard time falling asleep consistently. She either skips her nap then yawns and cries and tells me she's tired for the rest of the day; falls asleep immediately and sleeps for three hours; or plays in her room for the entire naptime, and then falls asleep one minute before I'm going to let her out, sleeps for three hours, then doesn't wake up until dinner time. This is not ideal.
Today when I was putting her down for nap, I tried the usual "You're going to win the sleep race and fall right asleep, right?! I knew it! High five! I'm so proud of you!" but her response was a bit lackluster. Since she didn't seem too into the idea of going to sleep, I explained (as I have many times before) that if she fell right asleep and took a good nap, there would be time for reading and games and fun projects before dinner, but if she monkeyed around, there would be no time for anything fun.
She responded, very seriously, "Oh, wow. Thanks for explaining that to me, mama. I understand now."
I asked her, "So, no monkeying around, right?"
Her response?
" .... Welllll ... just a little monkeying around. Only a little! Deal?"
Oh, how I love that child.
As for the the Josie story: For the past few weeks, Josie has been having trouble with naps. She's still tired enough to need a nap, but she's going through something and is having a hard time falling asleep consistently. She either skips her nap then yawns and cries and tells me she's tired for the rest of the day; falls asleep immediately and sleeps for three hours; or plays in her room for the entire naptime, and then falls asleep one minute before I'm going to let her out, sleeps for three hours, then doesn't wake up until dinner time. This is not ideal.
Today when I was putting her down for nap, I tried the usual "You're going to win the sleep race and fall right asleep, right?! I knew it! High five! I'm so proud of you!" but her response was a bit lackluster. Since she didn't seem too into the idea of going to sleep, I explained (as I have many times before) that if she fell right asleep and took a good nap, there would be time for reading and games and fun projects before dinner, but if she monkeyed around, there would be no time for anything fun.
She responded, very seriously, "Oh, wow. Thanks for explaining that to me, mama. I understand now."
I asked her, "So, no monkeying around, right?"
Her response?
" .... Welllll ... just a little monkeying around. Only a little! Deal?"
Oh, how I love that child.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
