Gavin can open the freezer now, and he just went and helped himself to a (still) frozen waffle. Waffle-pops are one thing, but I better put the lock on before he digs himself out a raw-chicken-sicle.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Nothing better on a warm summer morning
Gavin can open the freezer now, and he just went and helped himself to a (still) frozen waffle. Waffle-pops are one thing, but I better put the lock on before he digs himself out a raw-chicken-sicle.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Holiday Road
This summer we are heading up to the Motherland (as Shane affectionately calls Canada) for our summer vacation. We are going to stay at Gord's chalet in Collingwood, a resort town a couple of hours north of Toronto. I am anticipating long summer-y days in the sun and cool evenings, with the family gathered in the kitchen or on the deck, eating delicious meals that everyone pitched in to make, the kids calmly playing and giggling in the corner after a day in the pool, a cold glass of white in hand and lots of good times and laughs on hand...memories to last a lifetime. You know, like in the movies!
My mom, the kids and I are packing up the mini-van and driving up around the 20th of June. Shane and my dad will fly up and meet us there. Sarah and Gord will be in the city during the week and will join us for the weekends. We'll be gone about a month altogether...nice to be out of Texas for part of the sweaty summer.
I just realized that we have really been talking up the trip, but mostly the drive aspect of it. Anytime Claire asks if we are almost there because it is taking forever to drive the 3 miles to Target, I remind her that we are driving ALL THE WAY TO TORONTO! and it is a much, much longer drive. And making sure that she knows the hotels we'll stay in have pools! And we'll have so much fun together in the car! Propaganda to help smooth the 24 hour drive. I haven't even really talked about what we are going to do when we get there, just talking about the drive.
When my mom was here just over a week ago, she and Claire started a list of things we need to make sure to bring. Movies...specific titles included, snacks...specific types included, vitamins, stuffed animals, toothbrush, toothpaste and suddenly...Oh! Put Gavin on the list, Gummy! So Gavin made the To Bring list after all. I like how a) he was not just assumed to be coming and b) he joined the list after movies, toys and snacks. And she added Gavin's toy car, so that was nice.
I am looking forward to it all, even the drive. I guess this time we won't take a detour through very Deliverance-esque backwoods to get to Lynchburg to tour the Jack Daniel's distillery like Sarah and I did last time we made the drive. And maybe we'll steer clear of the very, very bad part of Memphis my mom and Sarah ended up in last time they made the drive. We'll play it by the AAA rules this time around.
Anyone have any fun road trip games to share?
My mom, the kids and I are packing up the mini-van and driving up around the 20th of June. Shane and my dad will fly up and meet us there. Sarah and Gord will be in the city during the week and will join us for the weekends. We'll be gone about a month altogether...nice to be out of Texas for part of the sweaty summer.
I just realized that we have really been talking up the trip, but mostly the drive aspect of it. Anytime Claire asks if we are almost there because it is taking forever to drive the 3 miles to Target, I remind her that we are driving ALL THE WAY TO TORONTO! and it is a much, much longer drive. And making sure that she knows the hotels we'll stay in have pools! And we'll have so much fun together in the car! Propaganda to help smooth the 24 hour drive. I haven't even really talked about what we are going to do when we get there, just talking about the drive.
When my mom was here just over a week ago, she and Claire started a list of things we need to make sure to bring. Movies...specific titles included, snacks...specific types included, vitamins, stuffed animals, toothbrush, toothpaste and suddenly...Oh! Put Gavin on the list, Gummy! So Gavin made the To Bring list after all. I like how a) he was not just assumed to be coming and b) he joined the list after movies, toys and snacks. And she added Gavin's toy car, so that was nice.
I am looking forward to it all, even the drive. I guess this time we won't take a detour through very Deliverance-esque backwoods to get to Lynchburg to tour the Jack Daniel's distillery like Sarah and I did last time we made the drive. And maybe we'll steer clear of the very, very bad part of Memphis my mom and Sarah ended up in last time they made the drive. We'll play it by the AAA rules this time around.
Anyone have any fun road trip games to share?
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Well, it is water-proof...
Claire and I were out for a while. Came home and shortly thereafter noticed (by the smell) that Gavin had a dirty diaper. I said that the poop was on Shane's watch and therefore he should change the diaper. Shane retorted that no, it was on my watch. And then I won by saying no, the poop was definitely on his watch. (We are very mature) Claire came over and asked if she could see. She was wondering if Daddy's watch was in the diaper or what.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Remains of the Day
Mess 1:
Mess 2:
Mess 3:
Lock of hair yanked from Claire's head by her loving little brother:
A friend of mine recently had a baby and another is going to have one in a few weeks. I enjoy their postings on Facebook, and also like reading what comments other people leave. The most frequent theme people are eager to share with these new or soon-to-be-moms is how quickly time goes by, and how before they know it, their kid will be 5 or 10 or 40. I do the same thing. I saw a 5-day old baby at the playground yesterday and remarked to his mom that it seems like only yesterday that Gavin was that small. And I look and listen to Claire and am constantly surprised and amazed that I have a 4.5 year old. And I will think the same thing when she is 7 (I can't even imagine that, but it will be here in the blink of an eye) and just growing growing growing up. And time just keeps goin going going by. Life does feel like it is on fast-forward sometimes and I don't want to miss a thing (thank you Aerosmith).
BUT! Some days last forever. Some days you wish your baby would just get all his damn teeth already and stop crying. Some days you wish that your house wasn't quite so strewn with toys, none of which seem quite right to play with for more than 45 seconds before pulling the next one out. Some days the insignificant frustrations feel bigger than the indescribable love you have for your kids. Today was one of those days. I hate it when I wish my time away, and wish that it was a school day or that it was still nap-time or that I still worked or they were bigger and able to play by themselves better, or smaller and sleeping more and aren't those FB-posters with their good advice so annoying. I hate it because I know in hindsight I will only want that time back, and won't be able to have it. Sigh. Reality has such a dampening effect on my ideals. Tomorrow I will be perfect and doting and gushy and mushy, but today...today I am glad it is bed-time.
Mess 2:
Mess 3:
Lock of hair yanked from Claire's head by her loving little brother:
A friend of mine recently had a baby and another is going to have one in a few weeks. I enjoy their postings on Facebook, and also like reading what comments other people leave. The most frequent theme people are eager to share with these new or soon-to-be-moms is how quickly time goes by, and how before they know it, their kid will be 5 or 10 or 40. I do the same thing. I saw a 5-day old baby at the playground yesterday and remarked to his mom that it seems like only yesterday that Gavin was that small. And I look and listen to Claire and am constantly surprised and amazed that I have a 4.5 year old. And I will think the same thing when she is 7 (I can't even imagine that, but it will be here in the blink of an eye) and just growing growing growing up. And time just keeps goin going going by. Life does feel like it is on fast-forward sometimes and I don't want to miss a thing (thank you Aerosmith).
BUT! Some days last forever. Some days you wish your baby would just get all his damn teeth already and stop crying. Some days you wish that your house wasn't quite so strewn with toys, none of which seem quite right to play with for more than 45 seconds before pulling the next one out. Some days the insignificant frustrations feel bigger than the indescribable love you have for your kids. Today was one of those days. I hate it when I wish my time away, and wish that it was a school day or that it was still nap-time or that I still worked or they were bigger and able to play by themselves better, or smaller and sleeping more and aren't those FB-posters with their good advice so annoying. I hate it because I know in hindsight I will only want that time back, and won't be able to have it. Sigh. Reality has such a dampening effect on my ideals. Tomorrow I will be perfect and doting and gushy and mushy, but today...today I am glad it is bed-time.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
What I've Learned from Poison Control
1. The number is 1-800-222-1222. If you dial 1-800-222-1212 you have to be 18 and the cost is $.69 to $3.00 a minute.
2. Calcium bonds to fluoride and helps get rid of any excess which may have been ingested when your kid gets a hold of an almost empty travel toothpaste tube you keep in the downstairs bathroom so you can brush your teeth conveniently without dragging everyone upstairs to the real bathroom. So, milk after toothpaste is recommended.
3. Your body treats the ingredients in sunscreen like apsirin, so if your kid sprays some neutragena cooling mist sunscreen into his mouth don't give him aspirin. Not that you would give your kid aspirin anyway, but just in case you were considering it after the mouth spritz, don't. Also, for a 21 lb kiddo, three teaspoons would need to be ingested before it reaches a toxic level. At smaller doses it can cause gastro-intestinal upset, but doesn't always, I found.
4. Calling Poison Control two times in two days makes you feel like a terrible mother.
2. Calcium bonds to fluoride and helps get rid of any excess which may have been ingested when your kid gets a hold of an almost empty travel toothpaste tube you keep in the downstairs bathroom so you can brush your teeth conveniently without dragging everyone upstairs to the real bathroom. So, milk after toothpaste is recommended.
3. Your body treats the ingredients in sunscreen like apsirin, so if your kid sprays some neutragena cooling mist sunscreen into his mouth don't give him aspirin. Not that you would give your kid aspirin anyway, but just in case you were considering it after the mouth spritz, don't. Also, for a 21 lb kiddo, three teaspoons would need to be ingested before it reaches a toxic level. At smaller doses it can cause gastro-intestinal upset, but doesn't always, I found.
4. Calling Poison Control two times in two days makes you feel like a terrible mother.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Friday, May 01, 2009
Emergent Potty Humor
Claire is beginning to explore the enduring fascination/hilarity of off-color remarks.
Recent examples include:
1) Knock, knock...
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Banana Mickey Mouse Toilet! (hahahahahahaahah)
2) I gave her some rice crispies this morning, and asked if she could hear them snap, crackle and pop. Not knowing the marketing behind the phrase, Claire simply responded, "Speaking of that, I just passed gas".
3) The very intricate retelling of her dream last night was largely focused on a monster who pooped out of its feet. It went on to try to eat all of us, chased us to a faraway land where a firebird and the fairies protected us and there was a giant butterfly and it went on from there but it kept going back to the pooping feet.
Meanwhile, Gavin has decided to put as much as he can in the toilet whenever he gets the opportunity. Claire's water bottle, a sippy cup, a necklace etc etc. I went and bought toilet locks today. Closing the bathroom doors would be easiest but these things happen when we are all in the bathroom (which we frequently all seem to be, despite my desire for a little privacy in that area) and Claire and I are washing hands or brushing teeth and he takes advantage of the situation. My customary lament: Claire never did these things and we never installed a toilet lock or fridge lock (he also opens the fridge and freezer). So, boy? Or just Gavin? Or is all of his sister's potty talk driving him to do it?
Recent examples include:
1) Knock, knock...
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Banana Mickey Mouse Toilet! (hahahahahahaahah)
2) I gave her some rice crispies this morning, and asked if she could hear them snap, crackle and pop. Not knowing the marketing behind the phrase, Claire simply responded, "Speaking of that, I just passed gas".
3) The very intricate retelling of her dream last night was largely focused on a monster who pooped out of its feet. It went on to try to eat all of us, chased us to a faraway land where a firebird and the fairies protected us and there was a giant butterfly and it went on from there but it kept going back to the pooping feet.
Meanwhile, Gavin has decided to put as much as he can in the toilet whenever he gets the opportunity. Claire's water bottle, a sippy cup, a necklace etc etc. I went and bought toilet locks today. Closing the bathroom doors would be easiest but these things happen when we are all in the bathroom (which we frequently all seem to be, despite my desire for a little privacy in that area) and Claire and I are washing hands or brushing teeth and he takes advantage of the situation. My customary lament: Claire never did these things and we never installed a toilet lock or fridge lock (he also opens the fridge and freezer). So, boy? Or just Gavin? Or is all of his sister's potty talk driving him to do it?
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