A Fly On Our Walls Might See Something Like This

I love watching the kids playing together, observing how they interact and how their minds work.  And for sure, our lives are full of If-Only-You-Could-Have-Seen-It moments with the kids.  Here is a snippet of one of those times from earlier today:

Caleb and Hayden started tossing a bunch of Avery's toys into a suitcase.
Caleb: We're going on a trip to a land full of babies and bears.  I'm going to fight the babies and Hayden will fight the bears.
Hayden: And ducks.
Then they zipped up the suitcase and Caleb started dragging it around the living room.  And Hayden followed, and said, "I'm going on the trip too."

A Reminder of How Childbirth Wreaks Havoc on a Mother's Body

During lunch today Matt and I were talking about bricks, which prompted Caleb to say, "I think Mommy is made of bricks."  When asked to expound on that, he said, "I mean that I think Mommy's stomach is made of bricks." 

I thought to myself, "Bonus points for that one, Caleb."  And, "I wish my stomach looked like bricks."

But then Caleb continued, "It's one giant brick. That giggles. And it has a giant bus behind it."

Bonus points revoked! Though I must admit that Caleb has a creative way of speaking truth, and we all got a good laugh out of it.

Monkeying Around

This afternoon we celebrated Caleb's 5th and Hayden's 3rd birthdays with friends. We did a Curious George theme, which was a lot of fun.  The kids enjoyed playing "George says," making pasta jewelry (a la Chef Pisghetti), using the new bubble machine from Mia, and playing the Curious George board game from Jacob, Simon, and Justina. Oh, and eating cake too! We captured some of the fun on camera:

My New Favorite Way to Give Myself a Sugar Headache

Usually when I make a cake I decorate it with the store-bought icing in a can. For Hayden's 3rd birthday this past January I made my own buttercream icing for the first time. Yum! A sugar addict's delight for sure. Last night I started making the cake for the boys' Curious George joint birthday party so the buttercream is now ready and waiting to be spread on the cake. I just hope there is enough left by the time I get to decorate the cake tonight that I don't need to make another batch. I've got all day to *try* to keep myself from sampling the icing. Maybe it would be best if we spent the day out of the house.

My, How Things Change

When Caleb was almost 1, he got his first Matchbox car. I was hesitant to let him play with it since they're recommended for ages 3+ because of small parts. I watched him closely at first whenever he played with the car.

Hayden started playing with Matchbox cars as soon as he was able to reach and grab them. I was careful to watch him when he put them in his mouth, but it didn't worry me too much.

At the moment, Avery is running around the house carrying two of her favorite things: chapstick (because it's fun for her to take the lid off and on) and tiny Lego people heads. And I'm here on the computer while she does it.

This one's for you, List Lovers

This morning Matt emailed me this link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8537856.stm. It's an article about an exhibition about the art of list-making. I decided to pass it along, since I know how much many of my friends love to make lists.

I, too, have historically been a List Lover. One of those people who likes making lists just for the sake of having a list, and someone who puts an item on a list- even if it's something already taken care of- just so I can cross it off the list. In my pre-parenthood life, I enjoyed making to-do lists, packing/shopping lists, pro and con lists to help me make a decision, and lists of things to remember to say in a difficult and/or important conversation.

I have noticed that since becoming a mom my listmaking has changed somewhat. I still make to do lists and packing/shopping lists... mostly because I NEED them now, or else I will inevitably forget to schedule that child well-check, leave the underwear out of the suitcase, or come home from the grocery store with everything except my main ingredient for tonight's dinner. Gone are the days when I was so with it upstairs that I could write a list and never need to look at it again (because I had it memorized).

For the most part, parenthood has cured me of the compulsion to write pro-con lists and lines of logic to use in conversation. I suppose it isn't JUST parenthood that gets the credit-- maybe there's some plain old maturity as well as my part in an increasingly postmodern culture in there too. But being a mom has helped me chill out and be ok with some disorder, disarray, and, um, near chaos at times. Thus I generally have less of a need to feel in control all of the time- something the article mentions as often characteristic of list writers. Parenthood (and, again, probably other things too) has also helped me realize that it's often ok to trust my gut feelings. I don't need a rational explanation for everything I decide. I don't have to tally up the pro and con columns (and the values assigned to each item) to figure out what to do. I actually like to decide things based on what FEELS right. It's the new postmodern mommy Robyn.

Oh, and there are also plenty of days now when it's hard to even take the time to write out a list!

Maybe someday I will be able to think clearly enough to no longer need ANY kind of list... but I really doubt it.

PS. So I re-read what I wrote above, and I want to add that in no way do I mean to imply that people who don't make lists are more mature than those who do... I really have no problem with lists (and the people who love to make them)! All I wanted to do was comment that my listmaking habits have changed over the past few years. No judgments of others here! Maybe if I had listed out my points ahead of time, I would have written more clearly ;)

Phineas and Ferb Friday

Recently our family discovered Disney's Phineas and Ferb show. The kids enjoy watching it, and Matt and I like it too. However, it's not exactly geared to preschoolers and there are several elements that are less than ideal. There is the example of the bully treating the Pakistani boy in not-so-nice ways. There are fights and scrambles between Doofenshmirtz and Perry. There's lots of laser beam shooting at objects. Granted, it could all be a lot worse. I don't really feel that these negative things are glorified per se, but at the same time, my kids are very susceptible to the subtle influences. And there is really no educational value.

I should add that the show has a bunch of positive elements: there are strong themes of friendship and loyalty, the positive example of how Phineas and Ferb talk to other people nicely, themes of creativity and imagination, and my personal favorite-- each show has a song with humorous and clever lyrics. It's very entertaining.

All in all, it's a tough call whether or not to allow the kids to watch this show. Our solution (for now, anyway) was to create "Phineas and Ferb Friday." Instead of allowing the kids to watch the show throughout the week on the DVR, we decided to save it for Friday evenings when the whole family can sit down together and watch it. This way Matt and I know exactly what's in each episode and can talk with the kids about what we're watching. When we talked about Phineas and Ferb Friday with the boys they were excited about the idea. We are all looking forward to it tonight!

Hopefully things go well and the show is a positive thing for all of us. If we find that it's negatively influencing the way the kids play, talk, etc. we will have to change things. Maybe Matt and I will have to save it to watch after the kids are in bed! ;)

Wisdom, Justice, Moderation

I've never been big on inspirational quotes, and chances are that if you ask me for a favorite quote, I will give you a blank stare. Or maybe just say something really stupid.

Nonetheless, I do have a favorite motto. Not sure if it counts as a "quote," but then again, it doesn't matter. Without further ado, here it is- courtesy of the state of Georgia:

Wisdom, Justice, Moderation. Words to live by!

Facebook Fast

For Lent this year I decided to take a break from Facebook. I like Facebook as a way of keeping up with out-of-town friends in a casual way. It's nice to hear snippets of whatever is going on in my friends' lives, and it's easy to do this with Facebook compared to writing laborious emails. And I've been able to keep in touch with people that I would have otherwise been completely out of contact. And did I mention the pictures? I love seeing my friends' pictures, and it's fun to share mine with them as well.

So why the fast? I haven't consistently made sacrifices during the Lenten season each year. I've noticed that Facebook can be an escape for me. I'm in the habit of checking my account very frequently during the day, and sometimes it's just because I think (subconsciously) to myself, "I wonder if any of my friends is as miserable as I am right now," or, "Maybe there's something more interesting happening on facebook than there is in my house." In and of itself this is not a bad thing, but it CAN be bad.

In giving up Facebook for Lent I am making a concerted effort to turn to God instead of my cyber friends. (Don't be offended, I know you are all REAL people-- most of you anyway.) (That last part is a joke.) I want to be more fully present at home- with my kids- rather than escaping life's daily stress by running to the computer. Instead of thinking about what I am missing out on, I want to focus on how- with God's help- I can make things better at home. When I feel stressed or lonely I need to rely more on God and less on myself.

So that is my hope for Lent. Admittedly, I find myself hoping I don't miss out on too many of my friends' pictures. And throughout the day I still do status updates in my head. Now THAT'S embarrassing! We're 3 days into Lent, so hopefully the update habit breaks soon!! =) So far though, the fast has been very positive and serving its purpose quite well.

Facebook friends, I'll see you after Easter! (But feel free to email me in the mean time.)

Thoughts and Musings of Late

Let's face it. This is another blog casualty... a blog begun with the best intentions of writing regularly to document some of our family's experiences, but a blog that is used too infrequently to mean much. It has become just another lame blog statistic. I don't know what the statistics are, but surely this happens to a lot of bloggers? This is not to say I am throwing in the towel. But I'm also beyond the point of making promises to do better- for now anyway!


Here are a few things that have been on my mind lately, which I will probably not take the time to expound on in future posts (in no particular order, I might add):


1. What color should I paint the kitchen?

2. I need to keep up on current events better.

3. My husband is wonderful and very hard working, and I feel like I don't work nearly as hard as he does.

4. I need to read more.

5. What would less time on Facebook/email do for my state of mind during the day when I'm home with the kids?

6. How many more times will I catch Avery with her hands in the toilet before she outgrows this phase?

7. Will my kitchen floor EVER stay mostly clean for more than a few hours at a time?

8. I want to learn how to use my still-new-in-the-box sewing machine this year.

9. Where is my aerobics DVD?

10. Once we make landscaping adjustments to our backyard that should be attractive to tiny lizards, how in the world are we going to bring the lizards into our yard? (or help them find their own way?)

11. I love Frontline! Why don't I make it a priority to watch it more often?

12. I feel about as sharp as a ball. Will this ever change? Or is my pregnancy brain here to stay?

13. I live such a life of luxury and feel guilty at how easily I can put tragedies like Haiti out of my mind.

14. Caleb really says he wants to play baseball, but maybe it's a mistake to sign him up this year.

15. Issues of loyalty and obligation, both to my family of origin and my hometown. What's a good balance?

16. Am I my mother?

17. What should we have for dinner?

18. I really need to work to improve our kids' eating and mealtime habits.

19. What does a full night of sleep feel like?

20. Dear Lord, please fill in the gaps so that I don't totally screw up my kids.

And there you have it.

Friendly Germs

This week we had friends over for a playdate. Caleb and his friend Nathan (also 4) made up a song/game together that went "1-2-3- Gotcha!" And as they sang that together they would clap hands and then hug at the end. They did this about 10 times and then Caleb stopped and said very frankly, "Nathan, before we do this again, I just have to tell you that I have a really bad cold." And then they continued their game, picking up where they left off.

(In fact Caleb does NOT have a bad cold, but he has had a cough for awhile now.) Ha!

"Make Yourself a Dang Quesadilla"

Most people who know Caleb also know that he is a very picky eater. He has been this way since infancy. For most of Caleb's first year, I pumped breastmilk and fed it to him in a bottle. When he was about 4 months old we were on a car trip and he was refusing his bottle. I smelled the milk and it was fine- not spoiled at all. Perplexed, I pulled his next bottle out of the cooler to give it a try. This second bottle was very cold, and normally we heated up the milk before serving it to Caleb. Go figure- Caleb excitedly drank the cold bottle! And for the rest of his first year, Caleb drank cold bottles of milk.

When Caleb started solids, he ate only small amounts of baby food at a time. When he was old enough for finger foods he would eat bread, cereal, minestrone soup (strained), fruit pieces, and grilled cheese... and not much else. I can honestly say that NEVER in his life has he liked to eat typical toddler staples such as macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, or hot dogs. In fact, he's never even tried half a serving of them- he just flat out refuses.

Fast forward to age 4.5. For a long time now, Caleb's lunches and dinners consist of either peanut butter and jelly (sometimes he eats a sandwich at each meal), chicken (don't worry, not fast food), or a bowl of cereal. Caleb eats reasonably healthy things throughout the day, he's just VERY PICKY. I've gotten in the habit of making him a sandwich whenever he doesn't like the main course the rest of the family is eating, and then putting a tiny sample of the other food options on his plate. Like two black beans in one corner of the plate, two peas in another corner, and heaven forbid that they touch the sandwich on the plate. It's been frustrating to watch Caleb making virtually no progress with trying new things, especially when he refuses to eat any vegetables. The last thing I want is to turn meal time into a power struggle. But the PB&J thing is getting old...

So yesterday I decided that I am finally ready and willing to allow Caleb to go hungry if he doesn't want to eat what I'm serving for dinner. A few hours before dinner time I gave him a talk about how I wasn't going to make him PB&J for every dinner anymore, how tonight we are having quesadillas for dinner and he will be served the same thing as everyone else in the family, how he can choose not to eat the meal, blah blah blah. I expected Caleb to protest and burst into tears upon receiving the news. Instead he said, "Ok. I'm going to eat quesadillas."

What in the world??!!!?! I was shocked, but happy. Of course, I still braced myself for dinner time, since I was sure things would go downhill when we actually sat down to eat.

At dinner, we served Caleb his quesadilla-- made with cheese, beans, chicken, and veggies, just like mommy & daddy's. He took one bite, then took two more bites as fast as he could. He said, "Mmmm, I LIKE quesadillas! I want to eat them every day!"

Matt and I tried to contain our surprise and elation! Caleb ate a small portion of quesadilla, but still said he liked it even by the end of the meal.

What happened to my child? And what is going to happen at dinner time tonight??