It is interesting to see how my children are developing their own sense of fashion.
Andy came out this morning wearing a sleeveless t-shirt...backwards (and he knew it was backwards)...and he had a clip-on tie on and shorts.
Josie seems to be tending towards unified color. She can be somewhat particular about what she wants to wear. Today she was wearing all turquoise (not quite the same turquoise, but close). The other day it was a purple shirt and purple pants (though not designed to be an outfit). If you send her to pick out her own clothes she is still figuring out where to find each item in her dresser. This morning she put on some pink polka-dot shorts and then pulled some overalls upside-down over her head. I sent her back to get a shirt and she came back with a purple mini-skirt. Then she swapped clothes all together when I got in there to help her find the drawer with the shirt and that is how she ended up with the turquoise outfit. She also is starting to be interested in wearing barrettes in her hair, but she will wear one for about 30 minutes and then rip it out and pull another one out of the drawer.
Doug is perhaps the most interesting of all of them. His fashion sense either tends towards whatever he pulls out of the drawer first or whatever makes him happiest. The other day he wore plaid shorts with a striped top...bad but not so bad until I admit that the colors in each were from separate color families. I think my favorite was the day that he told me he wasn't going to take a chance on me picking out his clothes. So he picked out a red shirt and orange shorts.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Ideas
I have no grand and glorious ideas for a post today. Mostly on my mind is trying to finish up the rest of summer course work so I can possibly have a little break. It is actually doable. It would possibly be the first "true" break since ....well, I'm not sure exactly when. I'm guessing probably the first one since last Christmas? But I can't remember if I was working on my paper at that point so it might be longer than that. It might be more than a year to a year and a half since I have not really had anything sort of "hanging over my head."
It seems like this would be great incentive to get things done...and yet, I am having a hard time concentrating so that I stay motivated.
It seems like this would be great incentive to get things done...and yet, I am having a hard time concentrating so that I stay motivated.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Hearts
I'm not quite sure why (as you may have guessed there are a lot of things my children do that I puzzle over) but Josie is on this heart kick.
If you mention something (or even if you don't) she will declare either:
A) We can make a heart shaped one
OR
B) It can have hearts on it.
This apparently applies to cakes, cookies, clothes, toys, Popsicles, plates, books ...you name it.
Oh, and today the child decided that she has a refrigerator in her room. It apparently has a salad in it. She also mentioned that she has a fish in her closet (I'm assuming in a fish bowl) and I think there might have been a dog mentioned to.
She also mentioned a cat, but that is a little more "real" as she brought up the wood doorstop shaped like a cat (It looks like one of our cats) and has now adopted it as HER cat.
Do (or did) other people have 2 year olds like this?
If you mention something (or even if you don't) she will declare either:
A) We can make a heart shaped one
OR
B) It can have hearts on it.
This apparently applies to cakes, cookies, clothes, toys, Popsicles, plates, books ...you name it.
Oh, and today the child decided that she has a refrigerator in her room. It apparently has a salad in it. She also mentioned that she has a fish in her closet (I'm assuming in a fish bowl) and I think there might have been a dog mentioned to.
She also mentioned a cat, but that is a little more "real" as she brought up the wood doorstop shaped like a cat (It looks like one of our cats) and has now adopted it as HER cat.
Do (or did) other people have 2 year olds like this?
Thursday, July 23, 2009
No longer tongue tied
It turned out that when we went in to have Andy's teeth cleaned yesterday the hygienist mentioned him being "tongue tied" and I was able to say..."That is why we had to move up his dental cleaning. He is having surgery."
I figured it was a pretty straight-forward and quick procedure, so honestly the thing I was mostly concerned about was keeping him from eating this morning (he is a very independent child and has been known to find something to eat on his own...he can even open fruit snack bags by himself).
So in the morning he came out with a big smile on his face and the two books he had picked to take to the doctor's office.
I left Doug & Josie at home with Jim and whisked Andy away to distraction.
We:
We went in and within 20 minutes we had checked in and they had put him to sleep.
Less than 30 minutes later a lady came out their out patient door and placed him in my car and we were headed home.
He got a little upset on the way home and really would not talk for the next 60-90 minutes. I think his mouth was still numb and that is just not something he is used to.
Then, after I had coaxed him into eating a little bit and we had watched some of the DVDs from the library, we started watching the DVD about big machines that he had picked out.
Next thing I know he had hauled his big bin of construction toys upstairs and suddenly he was back to normal.
We stuck with soft foods the rest of the day (raman for my noodle boy, frozen yogurt, etc.) but I suspect that tomorrow will be basically normal. The only time he mentioned pain was when we were trying to see under his tongue. So now we just have to finish the antibiotic and not ask him to raise his tongue for awhile. The stitches should dissolve in 7-10 days.
I figured it was a pretty straight-forward and quick procedure, so honestly the thing I was mostly concerned about was keeping him from eating this morning (he is a very independent child and has been known to find something to eat on his own...he can even open fruit snack bags by himself).
So in the morning he came out with a big smile on his face and the two books he had picked to take to the doctor's office.
I left Doug & Josie at home with Jim and whisked Andy away to distraction.
We:
- Drove down a road he had been asking about
- Drove past a construction site with lots of big machines
- Went to the new fire station and found someone to take us on a tour (the firefighter put on his gear, Andy got to sit in the driver's seat of the truck...I thought Andy would never stop grinning)
- Went down and hung out by the river
- Went to the library and turned in our reading lists, checked out some DVDs and some books (which was a lot easier with one child rather than three children)
- Went and looked at a paddle boat
We went in and within 20 minutes we had checked in and they had put him to sleep.
Less than 30 minutes later a lady came out their out patient door and placed him in my car and we were headed home.
He got a little upset on the way home and really would not talk for the next 60-90 minutes. I think his mouth was still numb and that is just not something he is used to.
Then, after I had coaxed him into eating a little bit and we had watched some of the DVDs from the library, we started watching the DVD about big machines that he had picked out.
Next thing I know he had hauled his big bin of construction toys upstairs and suddenly he was back to normal.
We stuck with soft foods the rest of the day (raman for my noodle boy, frozen yogurt, etc.) but I suspect that tomorrow will be basically normal. The only time he mentioned pain was when we were trying to see under his tongue. So now we just have to finish the antibiotic and not ask him to raise his tongue for awhile. The stitches should dissolve in 7-10 days.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Bad dreams
I think that everyone has a least one thing that scares them when they wake up in the middle of the night. I'm not talking about having watched a scary movie and that is what you are thinking about that night. I'm talking about that thing that your mind regularly goes to at night. When I was little it was aliens. I never really thought about a monster or something like that, but aliens. Occasionally I thought about bad guys coming through my room, but mostly when I was scared it was aliens under the bed (um, yeah...I know that that is not really where they would likely come from, but hey...I was little).
Anyway, this last week I got a glimpse into my children's fears.
Josie ended up spending all of the night in bed with Jim and I one night because "there were bad guys." As far as I could tell they were in the hall and or the closet.
Andy had one night where he had trouble going to sleep. I know that it was partly due to the fact that he had a late nap that day and so did not fall asleep as quickly as he normally does. He came out one evening mentioning "the sleep monster."
He was apparently hot from being completely under the covers hiding from the sleep monster. He also asked about bad people who might get him.
How do we handle this? Andy and I actually had a talk about how most people are good and the things we do to keep bad people out. We also talked about all of the people who were protecting Andy (even down to police officers and fire fighters who are out there to help).
Also, in our house we say a pray for good dreams and for God to take away the bad thoughts. We remind them that Jesus is with them always.
Oh, and we changed Andy in to lighter weight pajamas so that he could be under the covers without getting too hot.
Anyway, this last week I got a glimpse into my children's fears.
Josie ended up spending all of the night in bed with Jim and I one night because "there were bad guys." As far as I could tell they were in the hall and or the closet.
Andy had one night where he had trouble going to sleep. I know that it was partly due to the fact that he had a late nap that day and so did not fall asleep as quickly as he normally does. He came out one evening mentioning "the sleep monster."
He was apparently hot from being completely under the covers hiding from the sleep monster. He also asked about bad people who might get him.
How do we handle this? Andy and I actually had a talk about how most people are good and the things we do to keep bad people out. We also talked about all of the people who were protecting Andy (even down to police officers and fire fighters who are out there to help).
Also, in our house we say a pray for good dreams and for God to take away the bad thoughts. We remind them that Jesus is with them always.
Oh, and we changed Andy in to lighter weight pajamas so that he could be under the covers without getting too hot.
Monday, July 20, 2009
I a person
When Josie woke up yesterday she and I went to get her shoes on so she could come outside with me to pick figs (we picked 31 pounds in the cool morning air before church).
Out of the blue she said "I a person too." "I in charge."
Um, yeah...in charge of yourself. I'm not quite sure where that came from.
Out of the blue she said "I a person too." "I in charge."
Um, yeah...in charge of yourself. I'm not quite sure where that came from.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
12 Years
Today, 12 years ago, Jim and I got married.
The interesting thing is that one of the things that sticks out in my memory is the pre-marriage counseling we had. The original minister who was going to marry us tried to cram weeks worth into one session and he looked at the questionnaires he had given us and said that it was unrealistic for us to think things like we were always going to do the grocery shopping together and that perhaps we should give it more time (we had been dating/engaged for 5 and a half years). We switched ministers and got married anyway.
Well, twelve years later and with the exception of the occasional trip for one or two items usually picked-up on the way home from work....we ALWAYS shop together (even with kids in tow).
Make your own way and what is truly important to you....you will make time for.
The interesting thing is that one of the things that sticks out in my memory is the pre-marriage counseling we had. The original minister who was going to marry us tried to cram weeks worth into one session and he looked at the questionnaires he had given us and said that it was unrealistic for us to think things like we were always going to do the grocery shopping together and that perhaps we should give it more time (we had been dating/engaged for 5 and a half years). We switched ministers and got married anyway.
Well, twelve years later and with the exception of the occasional trip for one or two items usually picked-up on the way home from work....we ALWAYS shop together (even with kids in tow).
Make your own way and what is truly important to you....you will make time for.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The house is cleanish!
So it really does work to invite someone over and then have to clean your house.
We had one of my professors over for dinner. She is funny and is interesting to watch with children and also happens to be a nun which makes things an interesting mix.
Jim got into canning some meat stock that he made so he ended up spending almost the entire day in the kitchen by the time he had cooked dinner.
I got almost everything clean upstairs except the kitchen floor (which was being occupied by Jim as he worked).
The toys did not really get put away downstairs until it became a distraction for the kids while Jim got dessert ready in between dinner and dessert. So my professor helped us clean up the play room.
The kids had a great time since they love having people over.
We had one of my professors over for dinner. She is funny and is interesting to watch with children and also happens to be a nun which makes things an interesting mix.
Jim got into canning some meat stock that he made so he ended up spending almost the entire day in the kitchen by the time he had cooked dinner.
I got almost everything clean upstairs except the kitchen floor (which was being occupied by Jim as he worked).
The toys did not really get put away downstairs until it became a distraction for the kids while Jim got dessert ready in between dinner and dessert. So my professor helped us clean up the play room.
The kids had a great time since they love having people over.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
What to eat....
So we have lived in the town we are in for almost two years now. This means that we have tried a number of restaurants in town.
I'll admit that Jim can be pretty discerning sometimes because he doesn't want to eat something he can fix better at home. The interesting part is that we have found 4 or 5 restaurants so far that people have recommended or that seemed pretty popular judging by the parking lot but when we ate at them the were alright to not so great. One or two we might go back to so that we can try other things, but they definitely did not fall in the fabulous category...or even the great category judging by the meal we had.
I always wonder if we are just not ordering the right things. I'm also wondering if, despite being in a fairly diverse college town, many people might just like to eat copious amounts of cheap food and perhaps that is how they judge a restaurant.
I think I need to learn to look at the specials and remember to ask what their most popular dishes are.
I'll admit that Jim can be pretty discerning sometimes because he doesn't want to eat something he can fix better at home. The interesting part is that we have found 4 or 5 restaurants so far that people have recommended or that seemed pretty popular judging by the parking lot but when we ate at them the were alright to not so great. One or two we might go back to so that we can try other things, but they definitely did not fall in the fabulous category...or even the great category judging by the meal we had.
I always wonder if we are just not ordering the right things. I'm also wondering if, despite being in a fairly diverse college town, many people might just like to eat copious amounts of cheap food and perhaps that is how they judge a restaurant.
I think I need to learn to look at the specials and remember to ask what their most popular dishes are.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Remnants
Can I just say that I love coming home and finding remnants of whatever the kids were playing with during the day. Sometimes I can tell what they were doing and there is often an odd assortment of items indicating creative play that just warms the Gifted & Talented Teacher heart of mine. Right now there was something having to do with heroes and a line-up of pillows, a random Thomas track all over the floor that is unconstrained by keeping to one area or even making a circle, Fisher Price Little People mixed with stuffed animals, a line-up of Monster Trucks, kitchen stuff with random play food, etc.
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