Archive for the ‘Daily’ Category
April 29 2010 ·
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Buzz,
life Some days, life can be a sitcom. Then others, it’s more like a commercial. In this case, a paper towel commercial.
The need for super absorbency, I should clarify. Not the beefy guy in a lumberjack shirt.
This isn’t a metaphor, unfortunately. Kids can make a heck of a mess.
My youngest two like to help any way they can. And by help, I mean make things worse but it’s well-intentioned. I realize that sometime in the foreseeable future I’ll be hard-pressed to get anyone to lift a finger. Like my oldest son now. Getting him to assist in chores is like prying a monkey from a tree.
As I was saying, J was bringing in groceries last night. It becomes a mini-tag team effort, with Buzz carrying a light bag absent of eggs or a sturdy gallon of milk by the handle. This time, though, I took the task a bit further by asking if he’d like to place the plastic jug of milk on the top shelf of the refrigerator. And that’s when it slipped out of his hands, hitting the ground like a bomb.
It was a vitamin A and D fortified crime scene. The floor was a sheen of opaque white, liquid splatters everywhere. Then, as I’m soaking up the evidence, I could swear I hear a stoic voice overhead narrating, “So soft and absorbent, these paper towels will pick up even the toughest of messes! It’s the quicker picker upper!”.
My cat probably thought he had gone to heaven.
As for me, I think I might watch too much TV.
April 21 2010 ·
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Abby,
conversation,
photos We were buckling everyone back in the car when an older couple came up next to us. The woman was a grandmotherly type, nice and outgoing if slightly intrusive, who took it upon herself to peek in our window at our line of kids situated in the backseat.
“I just love kids!”, she gushed. “Let me come around to the other side to see them better.” So this older lady who I had never met before walked over to Abby’s open door to wave hello to our group.
“We had 3 boys, too.”, she went on. “They’re all boys, aren’t they?”
I realize it could be difficult to distinguish since my daughter’s hair still hasn’t grown much past her ears. Except she was in a pastel-striped dress that reminds me of Easter. With purple ruffled socks and strappy sandals. Which, I know, isn’t that great of a look, but she wanted to wear socks and her dad obliged.
“Well, 2 boys. She’s a girl.”, I stammered, pointing at Abby. WHO’S WEARING A DRESS.
“Oh, yes! I see her socks now.”, as she waved one more time before retreating.
It was very innocent and I know she meant no harm, taking offense would have been ridiculous. Clearly, though, my daughter needs to grow some hair. A weave, possibly. Until then, pin a button to her top that reads GIRL in big pink letters. And keep wearing the ruffled socks, apparently. Even with strappy sandals.
April 20 2010 ·
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food stuffs,
good,
Jedi A few days ago, after J got home from work, he and Jedi helped make pizza from scratch. While I browned the meat, their job was to spread out the dough and distribute pepperoni and pile on cheese and all desired toppings. Jedi sat at the kitchen table and probably made more of a mess than anything. But it was his mess for his pizza.
The benefits to getting kids to help in the kitchen are obvious. It can be a great way to introduce new ingredients, since giving children ownership of their meal makes them more willing to try whatever it is they’ve created. It also gives them a tangible reason to be proud of themselves and stretch their imagination while also relaying into a lovely bonding moment. But really, what’s more fun than playing with your food?
Of course, we made pizza this time. The kid would have probably loved it regardless, as long as it didn’t have peppers or anchovies. But it was his, made with the help of his two little hands, and he couldn’t stop raving over it.
“This is better than the pizza we buy!”, he exclaimed with sauce smeared across his cheek.
It was so good he ate two large slices. Then, he had more for lunch the following day. And possibly the day after. When my parents came by the next afternoon, Jedi wasted no time in telling them about his pizza making adventure and how delicious it was.
Apparently, the boy makes a really good pizza. Though maybe next time I should let him help arrange a salad.
April 19 2010 ·
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motherhood This past weekend we took advantage of IHOP’s kids eat free promotion. This isn’t exactly newsworthy anymore. Buzz was climbing every which way, Abby threw crayons, it was chaos multiplied. Same story, different restaurant.
A few minutes after we were seated, a family with a newborn baby girl took the booth behind us. I admit, she was cute. So tiny in her infant carrier. A pink bow atop the little hair that she had. When their food arrived, I heard her make a few small cries right on cue. Her father immediately picked her up, to eat one-handed.
I looked over at her and I flashed back to my babies. I wondered if she slept through the night, if she was laughing yet, the theme of her nursery. I wanted to tell them that there are hard days and you may cry a lot and you might want to scream, but then tomorrow shines. But don’t live for tomorrow, make sure your child knows how much you love her today. That watching your baby grow into the kid that they’ll become is one of the greatest privileges of life. To dream about the future, but enjoy her when she’s that little and dependent because it doesn’t last long enough.
Instead, I stopped Buzz from dumping out the salt shaker and fed Abby a bite of macaroni and cheese while attempting to answer one of Jedi’s neverending questions.
My baby days are done. It was an easy decision to say enough. But every once in awhile, when faced with the reality that they only get bigger from here on out, I can’t help but feel a bit sad and sentimental.
April 14 2010 ·
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life “Tell Daddy how you got gum in your hair today, Buzz.” He learned a very valuable life lesson that afternoon. I thought I might have to cut his hair, but thankfully all it cost him was a few pulled out strands.
“Did you tell Daddy how you fed the ducks, Jedi?” There’s a pair of ducks that have called our neighborhood home every spring we’ve lived here. Probably because they know everyone around likes to feed them bread.
“You know how Buzz just started saying ‘I did it!’? Well today, I heard him say it and wasn’t sure why, but praised him anyway. ‘Yay! You did it!’, like a good mom. Then I saw Abby had her onesie thing off which was odd. How did she get that off? So I put it back on and a few minutes later, I caught Buzz trying to take it off again. ‘I did it!’, he told me. ‘Yes, you did, but no. Don’t do that.’ It was… kinda funny.”
I tend to ramble when J returns home from work, especially if I’ve been without adult contact all day. Meanwhile, as we were bombarding him with tales of our thrilling day, he was just staring at the computer screen in front of him. I hate when he does this. I have no idea if he’s paying attention or not.
“I realize it’s not Die Hard style action, but it’s all I’ve got. Could you fake a little excitement?”
“Wooo!”
Exactly.
