New Toys Are the Best

Ahhhh!  Christmas has come and gone.  The lead up was a bit like torture as the kids were excited.  One thing I have found about being a teacher is that when you are off before Christmas with the kids they drive you nuts as they are full of excitement and anticipation.  After Christmas they have all these new wonderful toys to play with and don't make my head explode.

I used to groan about having to help the Boy with his Lego sets,  now I sit upset that he won't let me help build the new Lego Cargo Train.  I have been cast off to rebuilding some old sets that are among the 8000 Legos in the bin, not separated into the nice bags that come in the box.  We will see how long the Police Command Center stays together after I rebuilt it.

The Girl has her passion, Fairies and Princesses but there is a new girl on the block - Barbie.  At least Princesses have floor length dresses.  Then the Girl did the unthinkable, she put a Barbie party dress on Princess Aurora.  I was feeling a little uncomfortable for the Princess, although Prince Philip was smiling.  Barbie is fine as long as she doesn't go the way of the Bratz, plus she does have a cool car even though it is the Girl's favorite color - PINK!

Santa was even good to me, bringing all sorts of stuff from Williams Sonoma.  Already enjoyed the Pancake Waffle Pan, and can't wait to use some of the new recipes in the slow cooker cookbook.  My AGW had a swell Christmas as well as Santa made sure to listen well, plus now I think Land's End believes I am a girl and White House Black Market is trying to get me to sign up for their super customer platinum card.  Sounds like it is time for a trip to Best Buy and buy a TV that is bigger than me to re-establish my man card.

Winter Break

So it begins, Winter Break!  It is good and scary all at the same time.  The good part is that I made it through the first two quarters of school and feel pretty good about it.  Yes there are the rough days but overall it is a great job, ranking below staying home with my kids but pretty awesome.  It has created some craziness in our house as not being around as much but it is getting a little better, especially with the new member of our family - Cuisinart's Multi-Cooker.  The scary part is after getting into a good routine of sorts it is now two weeks off of school with no schedule to adhere to, at least I will get to play with some new toys (their toys) when Santa comes this weekend.

The Boy is doing pretty well at the 2nd grade.  He seems to be getting the hang of a classroom environment after skipping 1st grade.  The Girl is really enjoying school and she will start 5 day a week preschool in January and I think she is pretty excited as she seems disappointed when she doesn't go the two days she has off.

Being the nice Dad I am my kids get to go to the dentist on Dec. 22nd.  Maybe I can add to the joy and call the doctor to see if they need any shots as well.  The Boy handles the dentist well, but the Girl is just a 30 minute wrestling match and she is getting stronger everyday.

The question now is after Santa comes and there is no more room for toys will the kids notice if things just plain disappear?  Can we tell them Santa needs them to give to other kids, after he fixes them up of course?  I certain need to find a way to get remove the things the kids really don't play with but will whine and scream if they see me take it away.

The Adventures of a Turkey

The story that has been widely anticipated, maybe, just maybe it will get picked up for the big screen:

The Writer

The Boy is very creative.  He loves his Legos, but his new thing has been writing.  In school they have written a couple of stories.  The first was a fall story that he wrote about racing squirrels in the gym, he even continued to write two more parts to it at home.  They have also recently written a turkey story.  This one is a turkey going to Turkeyton, it comes complete with illustrations.  He likes these stories he makes copies of them, not copier machine copies but he actually rewrites them in his notebook.  I have offered to scan and make copies for him but he insists on making his copies.  I will try to scan and post them later.

Black Friday

Does the Boy really know what I am shopping for at the super early hours of Black Friday? I believe he does sometimes as this week he has been super keen on telling me what toys he "needs". I still think he believes in Santa, but with all the ads on tv and the paper I think he knows something is up. Although he will stroll freak out if I say I am calling Santa and pick up the phone, granted I would too as I still believe. This year with even earlier openings I am starting to wonder if the stores are trying to see the threshold of health an sanity of parents. I didnt go out at midnight but I am holding to my traditional early morning craziness. Happy Thanksgiving.

Graphs, Charts, and Venn Diagrams

In math at school the Boy is learning about graphs, charts and Venn diagrams.  What the heck is a Venn diagram?  I didn't know either until he should me.  It is basically two groups, one likes one thing and the other likes something else, but then there is a section where they overlap where people from either circle like both things.

He is really into all of the graphs, so much so that he made a graph out of Legos with how many people in our family like apples, bananas, pears and oranges.  He even made a the word fruit out of Legos for the top.  He has taken this into school and I can't wait to hear how this all turned out.

Meanwhile the Girl is being a girl and constantly changing here clothes.  She puts on clothes and takes them off all the time, sometimes she will wear 3 or 4 outfits in the same day.  When she picks something out the decision is made and there is no changing her mind.  At least I have now replaced her turtlenecks that are too small.  There is nothing like sending your kid to preschool in a belly shirt.

Lego Man

For Halloween the Boy wanted to be a Lego Man and the girl was Tinkerbell.  It took a little effort, a Ballreich's chip box, a cement form tube, a peice of PVC, and some spray paint.  For one day he got to be a Lego Man:

The Desk

The Boy has been asking for a desk for his room since he started second grade.  He wants a place to do his homework.  We had a waited a little bit and then decided to get him a desk.

Granted getting the desk was difficult as we were planning to get something from IKEA and it was hard to get there.  My AGW and I like to go without the kids so we can actually shop and not be told how boring this is or that someone has to go to the potty for the fifth time in 10 minutes.

Finally this weekend we were able to go, although a took a bribe of red beans and rice for my parents.  This trip to IKEA was like no other.  I believe we purchased more items than we ever have.  Most of the time there is a large furniture purchase.  This time their wasn't as my AGW was in a shopping mood.  Not only did we pick out a nice red desk top for the Boy, we found and purchased many other things for our bedroom.  Now we just have to find the time to start working on our bedroom.

After we got home I started putting the desk together so it could be ready before we went to pick up the kids.  Taking a little longer than I had planned my AGW went to pick up the kids while I finished.  I got done in plenty of time and couldn't wait for them to get back.

The Boy was very excited about his new desk.  This morning on the way to school he said, "I wish school were only an hour so I could get home and do my homework at my desk."  He was very excited to get home and do his homework at his desk.  He finished quickly and then decided he was going to make copies of his Fall Story from school. He is one happy Boy.

1st Quarter Done

Well it has been an interesting few months with starting my new job as a teacher at my kids school.  It has been 99.9% great.  That 0.01% is making the Boy cry in class.  It was a cry because Daddy corrected him not his teacher.  He normally does a great job and even when corrected he is OK.  I try to treat him like any of the other kids and I think that is hard for him sometimes.

The kids in the school are great and I really enjoy being there, even on the rough days.  With being out of the house more often I do not have as much time to cook but have purchased a wonderful new appliance from Williams Sonoma, the Cuisinart Multi-Cooker.  This machine is great, it it browns/sautes/slow cooks/roasts and steams.  Plus when it is done it will keep food on warm for 8 hours automatically.  As I type this it is making a nice brisket for me right now, I browned it in the cooker and then switched it to slow cook, put in other ingredients, covered it and walked away.  This weekend will be Red Beans and Rice.

Back to school, the Boy is doing great with in school even after skipping 1st grade.  He still is a little immature but he would have been bored in the 1st grade.  Sometimes I think his brain is a sponge.  The Girl is doing well in preschool and can see her getting smarter by the second.  She loves school and is excited each morning when it is her days to go to school.

With the 1st quarter completed it seems that time is just rolling along.  I hope the 2nd quarter goes as well as the first.

Attitude

The sweet little girl has adopted quite the attitude lately.  She is very good and suddenly will turn into a screaming, crying, whining crazy child.  A couple of days we were at Kohl's to buy some clothes for her and her brother.  The morning was going great, she was happy and I was happy.  As we were shopping she took her coat off so I could see what sizes of some shirts to buy for her and she was even picking out some clothes for herself.  After we found everything we were there for we went to checkout.  Again it was all going so smoothly, she even had to put her own clothes up on the register.  The Girl insisted on paying, she just needs a job first to have money to pay for it, so she turns to me and sticks her hand out and says "Money!"  (I know think this trait is born in girls and not developed).  We pay and get ready to head for the exit and it is time to put the coat back on.  As we are putting our little cart back she absolutely refuses to put her coat on.  I ask several times which turns her into a crying screaming crazy child.  Mothers are looking at me like I have done something wrong.  I try to explain that it is cold and she needs to wear her coat but she refuses.  I proceed to tell her that she has to stay as it is too cold to go out with a coat and proceed to walk out the door, this brings a scream that I am sure people outside the store could hear.  She runs into the area that is between the two sets of doors screaming at me, meanwhile I notice one mother;y figure walking towards me and I just shoot a "I have been a stay at home Dad for 7 years I really don't want to hear your advice on how to handle my child!"  look.  The lady wisely makes a turn away.  At this point I am wrestling my 3 year old to get her coat on as I can't back down.  If there is a people of Kohl's website I am sure I will show up soon.  At this point I decide to pick her up and take her kicking and screaming to the car.  It was a loud car ride home.

A few lessons I learned: Even little girls know that Daddy will buy them things; For some reason coats at a young age must be uncool; and I need earplugs when the Girl and I leave the house.

Almost 7

The Boy is quickly approaching his seventh birthday.  He is very excited.  He has invited kids a party we have yet to plan, then he invited more kids to a party we didn't know about and then he keeps inviting people.  We are working on some plans for him but with our crazy schedules we are celebrating on his birthday with family and then are trying to plan a party for him to invite a few friends.

As he grows up the Boy really gets really specific about what he wants, granted this is a still a long list.  I do one thing he is very into Legos and to this point my feet are very tired of Legos. Why do the corners feel so darn sharp?

Anyway he is a good kid, enjoying 2nd Grade, trying his best in Cross Country, and most importantly he is always happy.  Can't believe he will be 7 already.

The Tooter

The other day at dinner the Girl had the toots.  She can really clear a room.  As we were eating my AGW was trying to figure out who was doing it.  Both kids quickly said it wasn't me.  The problem was there was a giveaway by the Girl.  She then decided to say and point to my AGW, "It was you!"  while laughing the whole time.

Go To Work!

This morning the Girl was being a little bossy.  My AGW usually leaves for work before we leave for school and the Girl was practically telling her to leave.  As we are all sitting in the living room the girl says "Go To Work Mommy!"  It was a little funny but then she made her demand again.

At this point the Boy decided to take a vote and says, "Who votes for Mommy to go to work?"  The Girl Promptly pats her chest and says, "I do!"  The boy and obviously voted for my AGW to stay home.  Sometimes that girl can be a little stinker or as the preschool teacher said after the first day, "She is a little pistol isn't she?!"

The Big Leap

The Boy has skipped the First Grade and went on two Second Grade.  We have been excited and nervous as all can be.  He is doing very well so far although he is still getting used to the new procedures.  The biggest issue is that in 2nd grade their is more desk sitting which for him is sometimes difficult.  The hard part is that I work in the same school so I don't want to be the super helicopter parent.  So far I think I have achieved a good balance but I want to make sure he is adjusting well.  The Boy probably thinks that I should get out of the way.

It has been two weeks since I started teaching at the Boy's school (which is also the Girl's school) and even though I am tired on those days and the class schedule is a little crazy, it has been a great experience so far.  We are almost done with the President's Challenge and will be moving on to golf, soap bubbles, shot put, discus, Fire and Ice Tag, Bowling in the winter, floor hockey, etc. I can't wait.  Sometimes the repetition can be bad but to play some childhood favorites over and over all day is fantastic.  So far I think the 8th graders favorite has been Freeze Tag, they have also enjoyed Sharks and Minnows.  Anyways it has been a blast and can't wait to see if I have any Presidential Fitness Award winners.

The Girl has started school and loves it.  She also has been loving annoying the crap out of her brother.

It is now Friday, we had an assembly mid-day which stirs up the kids, a Friday 3:00 meeting before a holiday weekend, so it is time for a martini.

The First Day of School

Recently over a couple  of days we had our first day of school.

The Boy started a day earlier than the Girl and me.  The Monday before school started we met with his teacher and it was decided that he should skip the 1st grade.  This wasn't so much an issue for him as us.  On the way to school on the first day the Boy says, "If I know all the 2nd grade math problems will they move me into the third grade?"  We laughed and appreciated his great attitude but convinced him to at least start one grade and see how we are doing. We were worried about him but thus far he is doing fine.

The Girl and I had our first days the next day.  The Girl started preschool and was very excited.  She really likes school just like her brother which is nice.  The teacher at the end of the day said to me, "She had a great day. She is a pistol isn't she?"  I just laughed as I am sure the Girl will soon be running the preschool.  She did throw a book at someone although I think it was an accident.

My first day was great, except for the beginning.  I was trying to ease into the first day and be a little early so I wouldn't have a lot to worry about.  Well I misplaced my car keys which also has my school keys and then it was a sheer 7 minutes of panic.  My AGW found them sitting right on the stool where I was helping my son with his shoes.  Deep breath and on to getting to school.  Right as we pull in the parking lot and get out of the car my insulin pump makes a funny beep - "LOW BATTERY"!  UGH!  That is one of two messages I don't want to see right before starting my first day.  Fortunately my AGW was bringing the Girl into school that morning for her first day so she was able to save me and bring a new battery with her.  Then nearing the end of my first class the school Director says "When you have a moment please come to my office I need to talk to you."  It has only been one class and I can't imagine what is going on now, maybe my first class was my last class.  All he wanted to do was discuss making sure certain doors were locked.  After that it was smooth sailing but those first couple of hours of my first day were tough and at that point I just wanted to nap as I was worn out.   

The Week of all Weeks

This week promises to be a big week.  Not for one of us but all of us.  The thing is this week is very exciting and very scary to me all at the same time.

I start my teaching position this week, which I am very excited about and scared at the same time.

The Girl starts Preschool this week.  The fact that my second child starts school this week just blows my mind.  My Itty Bitty is growing up, I hope she still makes some coffee for the coffee parties we have some time.

The Boy goes back to school and there are some changes in store, but details will have to wait.

My AGW has exciting stuff going on as well which will also have to wait for now.

My mind is literally racing with excitement and lots of nervousness.  As with our family as always we may not have anything exciting going on for a long time and then "BAM" all in one short period we whoop it up.  Now I just need the strength and peace of mind to get through this week.  I will be a tired Daddy this week as I already have trouble sleeping, this certainly is not going to help.

I Love You Guys.. Or At Least Now I Do

The Boy was still learning to tie his own shoes and going into the 1st grade it was a necessity to get done.  We had the practice laces and shoes so he could practice which didn't happen very much.  Therefore I put a prize if he could tie his shoes on his own feet.

It was a slow start but he seemed to be getting it but wasn't interested in trying.  I reminded him often he would get a good prize if he gets it done.  He uses the computer to look at lego.com and tell us what he wants.  He was telling us this morning how he wanted this and that.  My AGW and I reminded him at that moment that he would get a good prize if he tied his shoes.  The light bulb went on and with a big smile he said he was going to try right now with his shoes on.

It only took two attempts for him to tie the first one which he did on his own in the other room.  Then we had him tie the other one in front of us just in case our cat or one of his stuffed animals did it for him.  He struggled a little bit but he got it done.

The Prize: LEGO 3000 Race Game

He was very excited and happy.  He started building right away and blurts out, "I love you guys.. or at least now I do!"  So it took only seven years for our son to love us.

Kids Toothpaste: Is that Sugar?

What is kids toothpaste made out of?  It tastes like sugar.

I go to bed late some nights as Daddy needs his "me" time, although if my AGW wanted to she could could hang out with me during "me" time.  Sometimes it is nice to veg out and watch bad TV, read the paper or play with my phone.  The other night after having some "me" time and a yummy martini I decided it was finally time for bed.  After I made sure windows were closed, doors locked and lights off I stumbled up to bed.

There is generally a routine I follow, which includes going back down to make sure the doors are locked even though I know I just locked them.  After coming back to the bathroom to take my contacts out and brush my teeth.  In my slumber I grabbed a tube of toothpaste, one of the three at my sink (the kids each have there own tube as well), and started brushing.  What is on my toothbrush?  Where is my minty freshness?  I was confused by this sugary taste.  I look at the tube and it says "Kids" Crest.  All I could think was "Yuck!"

I decided to brush again with the minty toothpaste as it just wasn't right.  I can see why my kids like brushing there teeth.

Cross Country Practice

Last year when we started Cross Country in Kindergarten, I tried a mix of running and playing games for all the young kids (K - 1st Grade).  We did a little more running than game playing and I had some feedback from some that games help more because they do more running when they play games than trying to get them to run intervals or some distance.  I readily agreed.

One of the biggest advice givers was the Boy every practice he would ask if we could play games.  He was one that would rather run playing a game.  This year however he has taken a little bit of different stance.  He still wants to play games but claimed they didn't do enough running the first practice.  I was happy that he wanted to run more as he is getting competitive and wants to do better this year but at the same vain I was a little frustrated as I spent time trying to find good running games and ideas to entertain the K-1st graders more.

Although all was forgotten very quickly as we had our first popsicle day.  Just wait until Bomb Pop Day, well to the kids it is just a colorful popsicle but the Adults usually are more excited and hope there are plenty extra.

How did this happen?

The Boy has had a couple of very happy days - I had to go to school and he didn't.  With my new teaching position starting this fall I have had some meetings to attend which gives him great delight.  He loves school but the thought of me having to go and him not was an interesting concept to him.  To some degree I thought I was done with school, so teaching in itself is going to lead to more schooling in my future.

He is actually rather excited that I will be there and will seem him in Physical Education class a couple of days a week.  The only worry I have is if he will treat me like Daddy or a teacher.  He is very happy that I volunteer coach at his school as well but sometimes he wants to take advantage because "My Dad is the coach!" So now I wonder if I will see that in school.

A few of my friends asked if I had asked him first, where I laughed and said "No!"  I realize some kids may not like this situation but it is not his decision, besides I was not going to turn down this great opportunity.  My AGW simply just says, "You are at the school all the time anyway they should pay you."

Mine-atude

The girl has developed the mine-atude.  She is a very demanding and determined little girl.  It started long ago with those cute smiles when she was little to full blown out tantrums these days.

This also goes for anything the Boy is playing with, she must have it.  I have been going to school trying to clean out the gym closet so they can potentially make a little office space for me.  I thought this would work out better since they can run around and play in the gym while I work.  I was wrong.  The mine-atude was in rare form.  The Girl would do nothing except chase the Boy and take what ever he was playing with.  At one point she was holding a plastic bat, a small plastic lacrosse stick, and two balls all while saying "Mine!"

If the Boy tries to take anything she will just erupt.  It is amazing how quickly she can go from calm to screaming zombie.  Granted I know it is a ploy to get her way and she makes it difficult not to give in.  Hopefully she is slowing learning that Daddy will not give in as patience is wearing thin and there is only so much adult kool-aid in the world.

Vacation Mud Slinging

My AGW and I  took the kids on vacation this past week.  She made an acute observation: The kids are always on vacation so how is this different?

We headed to one of our favorite places as it is family friendly, affordable and not too far from home.  The kids love the beach and so do we with one small difference.  The kids want to play, play, play, while we want to sit and relax.  Guess who wins.

So at the beach we dig a hole that the lake fills with water as a hole is more entertaining than the lake.  We build sand castles that the Girl destroys within one minute of finishing.  We then play in the water and jump over waves.  We have kites to fly, snacks to eat and burying people in the sand to do.

With all that there is one thing the Boy would do non-stop that I just can't grasp, throw mud, sand or anything everywhere.  We must have asked him to stop 1,000 times but it didn't matter.  I think his brain was locked on "MUST THROW MUD!"  I tried to divert him but it didn't matter, as soon as the diversion was over he would go right back to throwing mud.  His throwing mud and sand can only lead to one thing, the Girl wanting to be like big brother and tossing around a little mud and sand herself.

With everything else to do what is so fascinating about throwing mud at the beach?

The Good Children

Often I whine and complain here about my children driving me insane.  I really think somewhere they get paid to do that (BUSIA).  Yesterday we decided to go out for dinner, their usual choices are McDonalds, Wendys or Sonic.  All are good and a hidden pleasure of bad food but sometimes we try to go to other places.  We go to a sports bar/restaurant that is close by because we like it, the kids enjoy it and they can be loud and no one cares.

Usually there is some kind of kid disaster but this one evening it was a pleasant dinner.  No parental yelling, no kid screaming and everyone enjoying their food.  It was so nice in fact we had to get some ice cream afterwards, which I would think was pushing our luck to some kind of meltdown but to my surprise the kids did great and were good once again.  The Boy has great taste in picking ice cream - Birthday Cake was his selection and it was fantastic.  From now on I am having what he is having when it comes to ice cream.  The Girl did well too and had Superman ice cream, and my Iditarod  Peanut Butter fell short comparably.

Then after a good outing we headed home and jumped in the pool, easiest way to clean up after two kids and ice cream.  The toughest part of the evening was getting the Girl (Waterbug) out of the pool and getting her to go to bed.

I will take my one nice meal out and savor it as who knows when that may ever happen again.

Must Annoy The Boy

I believe this to be the Girl's mission right now.  Every chance she gets she does something to annoy the Boy.  She must touch his stuff, take something and run or hit him with a frying pan.

They have a play area in the basement that has many toys for both of them.  The Girl has a a little kitchen and we also have some small metal cookware from IKEA I believe.   One of their favorite parts of the movie "Tangled" is when Flynn Rider gets clocked in the head with the frying pan, so a big "Thank You!" to Disney.  Yesterday she decided to emulate Rapunzel and clock the boy in the head with the metal frying pan.  He comes up holding his head and whining "She hit me with a frying pan." She was right behind him holding the frying pan with a smile on her face. It took a lot of biting my cheeks not to laugh.    Even though I had to correct her I really wanted to say to him, "When she has the frying pan just stay down!"  I think about it and see that little devilish smile and still giggle about it but I will be watching for when she can pick up my cast iron frying pan and I will heed my own advice and just stay down.

IKEA Box

My AGW and I went to IKEA this weekend as the kids were with some grandparents.  We love IKEA and it seems whenever we leave the house without kids we always try to make enough time to go to IKEA.

We have a room (sun room) in our house that has always been tough to keep furniture in mostly because its purpose is ever changing.  We once had some rattan furniture we got from the previous owners, mostly because we didn't have any furniture to put int he room.  After a while we got tired of the old rattan leaf print crap and got some furniture from IKEA.  It started in the sun room and migrated to the Living Room when we got rid of an old sectional that had met its time.  We wanted to get something that could be a sleeper and ended up with a futon from IKEA.  It served its purpose to a degree but was not the right furniture and has been relegated tot he kids play area in the basement.  I am sure it will be great for sleepovers.  So after a garage sale and saved money from refunds of things we went to IKEA once again.

I thought the purpose of the trip was to get new furniture but I think initially I forgot to inform my AGW.  After finding a few other items she got into the buying mood and we found a couch and a chair.  It all fit in the van and home we went.

The great for the kids is that just about everything from IKEA comes in boxes.  The couch had a rather large box and the Boy nicely asked if they could have it for play.  I decided they could have it after I recycled the rest of the boxes and plastic.  Within five minutes I was ready to tear it up and recycle it as well.  They were both in timeout and I was eyeing the Cabernet on the counter but I decided they would get a second chance with all the initial box excitement.  They wanted to decorate it so it had to be moved into their basement play area.  I believe from now on we will just buy stuff my AGW and I want from IKEA and give them the boxes and stop buying toys for them.  There has been some various yelling, screaming and crying from them but they are having fun and my sun room is starting to look a little more like an adult room.

My Food!

The Girl is my little foodie.  She has been since she could start eating solids.  We go to a local market and the people always give her samples and she gobbles it up.  I think once she even asked to go to the market because she was hungry.

Recently she has eating more and more of my food.  I recently got some chicken wings with my favorite sauce to watch Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.  The next day I had some left over and was going to enjoy them for lunch when I hear "Want some?"  I didn't think she would like them but she ate two of the five wings I had left.

For Fathers Day I got a full rack of ribs knowing that it would last me two meals.  Today for lunch  I had plans to finish those ribs and again I hear that sweet little voice, "Want some?"  I give her a tast and of the 5 bones I have left she eat two of them.

I think my lunch time is going to have to start waiting until she is napping or I may have to hide while making and eating My Food!

The Other Kids Yard

We recently had new neighbors move in behind us.  This is awesome in many ways.  The loud barking dogs are gone, they actually clean up after their dog regularly (very quiet dog as well), and the new neighbors are very nice people.  The issue is the stuff in their yard.  My kids will run to the fence to stare and look at their stuff.

First off they have a bigger and nicer swing set.  This just makes me feel like a bad Dad.  No matter what, our swing set is useless to my children now since it doesn't have a rope ladder, flags, and a rock wall.  I almost forgot the tire swing underneath the platform where our whole family could sleep.

Second thing is they have a trampoline.  We are not fond of trampolines but it is there so we are stuck.  I really don't think we need one either as the kids pretty much bounce on everything anyways even if it is not meant for bouncing.

Fortunately they are very nice people and don't mind the kids coming over to play.  Although that creates another problem because they don't mind so I believe I will either get a pool ladder for the fence or install a gate.  Hopefully my kids will soon realize the grass isn't greener over there whent hey are playing and I jump in our pool.    

How To Guide To Upsetting Your Kids

Upsetting your kids can be done with two simple words: Garage Sale!

We are having a garage sale to try to empty our house somewhat from all the stuff the kids have outgrown.  The Boy is mostly OK with it unless we start going through his current toys.  The Girl though is having a little trouble letting go.  If anyone bought a toy even if she hasn't played with it in forever, she had to have it.  She got a little upset a few times but not outwardly throwing a tantrum.  The table with the toys became the "no touch" table. Basically I was vying for "Dad of the Year" or maybe in the Girl's terms "Meanie of the Year".

I can't believe the amount of stuff we had for this garage sale.  It still amazes me for how much was sold today at how much is left.  We have the incredibly growing children, the Boy at 6 1/2 is about 4' 2" to 4' 3" and the Girl is about 39" at 3 years old.  The Boy in some clothing is wearing sizes 8-10.  Granted he can't keep a pair of pants around his waist.  

So tomorrow I am sure I will cement my "Meanie of the Year" award when I start selling her old toys for cheap.  And I hope for the Boy's sake the crib finally sells as he asks me about every five minutes if it is sold yet, I think he has his eyes on some Legos and thinks that money is all all for the plastic.

My Little Helpers

One of the great thing about having kids is at times they like to help.  I will take all the help I can get even though the help I get turns into far more work.  They like to help bake cookies, sometimes clean up (especially the cookie bowl), put stuff in the grocery cart, spend the money, and add to my receding hair line.

This morning we had some errands to run.  Usually it is like pulling teeth to try to get ready to get out of the house, remember the stuff I need and where I am trying to go.  In the process of getting ready sometimes it is like doing it times three: The Boy, The Girl and Myself.

This particular morning it was a little different.  The Boy has lately been trying to help The Girl do stuff or get her seat buckled in the car, I am for this generousness but usually The Girl doesn't want his help.  This morning as I am throwing their clothes at them and trying to get some other things ready for our trip to Hobby Lobby The Boy decides to help his sister get dressed.  She has no issue getting the clothes off, but getting them is an issue.  I would say he did a decent job as the shorts and underwear were on right.  The only issue was the tank top, he totally forgot to put here arms through the arm holes and couldn't figure out what was wrong with it.

Hopefully the helpfulness continues but I am not holding my breath.

What a Week to Start Summer Break

Summer has unofficial started with the passing of Memorial Day and the end of the school year.  This past week has been quite interesting for all of us.  The Boy has completed Kindergarten and is now considered a First Grader, the Girl will be starting pre-school next school year and I will be the Physical Education Teacher at my kids' school.

First The Boy has completed Kindergarten.  It is very exciting.  The school had a promotion and awards ceremony for the school.  At the end of the promotion ceremony the Kindergarten class is promoted into the elementary school and 1st grade.  For the kindergarten students it was a long ceremony but they held it together pretty good and were very happy to become part of the elementary.

The Girl has been in the preschool extended day care since I took up coaching the school's track and field team. She liked this as she played with  other kids her age.  She already wants to go to school and will get to start next pre-school next year.

Finally, I got a job at the kids' school.  I will be the a part time Physical Education teacher.  I am very excited and it should be a great opportunity for me now that the kids are growing up.  I know many of the students already from coaching Cross Country and Track at the school so it will hopefully be an easy transition for me back into the working world.  I equate it to being like a professional athlete as I will be paid to play games, although without the professional athlete part.

Pee-Pee Hot

With all the rain and the pool finally ready to get in on this fine Memorial Day.  We started off the day with a Parade, then a great lunch with ribs, corn on the cob, chips, guacamole, watermelon, wine, bomb pop cocktails, etc.  Then it was time to finally test out this new pool, 14' x 42" oasis of happiness.

After we finally get our suits on and all sunscreened up, we start to get in.  The Boy decides he wants to be first, but does not get beyond the first step of the ladder, so I tell him to get down and I proceed to go in the pool.  Thankfully it was very warm out as the water was very cold, but no stopping us now, just get in and enjoy.  After the initial minute it felt pretty good.  The Boy was next and was yelping but kept exclaiming, "Awesome!"  The Girl was next and she was not sure what to think. She loves the water but it was cold.  we kept trying different floats for her but she was too undecided.  Then my AGW sat her in a float with her legs over the side and the Girl was happy.  The pool was nice as there was plenty of room for all four us as with our previous 10' pool it got crowded quick.

After about an hour in the pool it was break time.  I needed a snack and the Girl had to use the potty.  We were all chattering our teeth from the cold water but it felt good.  The Girl goes to the potty with my AGW and I hear "Pee-pee Hot! Pee-pee Hot!"

The End is Near

I can't believe school is almost out for the summer and the Boy will be done with Kindergarten.  It seems all to soon for this too happen.  He has been doing great in school and gets to spend a lot of time with all his friends, although he has been excited to be out of school. I am not as excited for him to be out of school but it shall be an interesting summer.

We decided to get a bigger pool, we had a 10' x 30" pool the last two years but he has outgrown it and you put the Boy, the Girl and me in there and it is crowded.  With the luck of a sale we have moved up to a 14' x 42" pool.  This should at least last my incredible growing bean stalks about 6 months.  They are excited as it finally got setup this week and with any luck from the weather we will be in this weekend to celebrate memorial day and the unofficial beginning of summer.  In the least I will definitely have crop circles in my yard this year.  This will  be nice as I won't have to lay down to be int he water any more.  Although I would have rather dug a huge hole and made it an in-ground pool with some beach sand but for $200 I couldn't ask for too much more.

The Boy's kindergarten picnic was this week and was a blast for the kids.  They basically got to run free and play all sorts of games for a couple of hours while we got to socialize somewhat with the adults.  The funny part is my AGW learned that the Girl is quite the celebrity at school and she doesn't even go there yet.  All the kids knew her even all the older siblings in the upper grades.  The Girl has more friends than she knows.  They know her and my son but I am known as "The Boy's Dad".

With Kindergarten coming to an end I am starting to feel it necessary to take summer classes because I don't know if I will be able to keep up with the 1st grade homework.  At least next year the Girl starts preschool and I will be able to get a week's worth of stuff done in two hours as I won't have to be at the beckon call of a 3 year old.

Big Girl Room

Here are a couple of pictures from the big girl room for the Girl:

When Your Kid Learns Your Email Address

The Boy uses a computer.  Mostly it used for Thomas & Friends, PBS Kids, Nick Jr., etc.  Although he is venturing more and more, just kids stuff but is starting to learn email.

He has emailed me challenges from Disney games and sites.  I have yet to get back to him on some but he is fascinated by email.  I am setting a simple way for him to send email to his grandparents and my AGW.  In the meantime he has ventured into the world of Legos online. So now I won't just be stepping on real life legos I am sure I will be finding virtual ones all over the computer.

Since he is learning my email address he is sending me wish lists of lego things he wants.  The issue arises that he thinks when he sends me this wish list it is ordered and on its way.  MY AGW explained to him that is not how it worked, but if it did I would be busy sending myself wish lists and waiting on the doorstep for them to arrive.

My guess it is time to find the right child protections for the web so he does not venture where he should not.  For instance I am waiting for him to learn how to search and search for "balls".  I am not sure what he will get and I don't think I want to know.

Birthday Princess Pictures

A few pictures of the birthday for the Girl.  The room has a couple of finishing touches to go that can't be done until the girl is not at home, as we are awaiting for the fairies to magically fly in.

The Princess (Diva) is 3!

The Girl had her third birthday this weekend.  It was a crazy weekend with a lot going on.  I had to coach all day Saturday and then come home and paint her big girl room, so from 7:45 am to about 8:00ish pm I was on the go.  After I went out to get more paint it was time to start birthday present assembly.  My AGW found this play kitchen on line for $30 at Walmart.com, in the store it was $45 and they offered to ship it to the store for free.  Reading the reviews it said it takes 2-3 hours to assemble but I was ready and had my power screwdriver ready as well.  The funny part to me is they actually shipped it from across the country to the store when they had several in stock.  It didn't matter to me it saved $15.  I took the stuff out of the box and was thinking this was going to  be a nightmare to put together.

I go the instructions out and started to get to work.  I messed up the first step as I didn't follow along closely  but at least I twas the first step and not one in the middle where I would have to take the darn thing all apart.  Fixed my mistake and started rolling with it.  I was moving a steady pace trying to make sure I do it right, all in all it took 2 1/2 hours, so not too bad and it was pretty nice, especially for $30.  IT was 11:30 pm and I needed to "chillax" as my AGW said and stretch out my legs after sitting on the floor the whole time.  I finally get to bed at midnight or slightly after.  Get up at 7:00 am to eat  and get ready for painting, electrical work and putting together the big girl bed all before her nap time at noon.  At some point I felt like I was on the old show "Trading Spaces" and kept waiting for Paige Davis to tell me I have 5 minutes left.  Amazingly enough I got it all done and the paint was dry for her to take her nap which was  not a real nap as the Girl was too excited with her new big girl room.  Then it was time to eat lunch, shower and get ready for the party.

The Diva was not happy waking up from her nap and took a while to relax for her party.  Once she did it was on.  She opened presents as that helped her wake up and be social, then we ate and then she blew out her candle.  She did very well.  After all that and the grandparents departed it was back to work to get the valances up.  Not a tough job but it becomes more difficult when you are very tired.  Needless to say the girl is very happy to have a big girl room, had a great birthday and now is turning on the full Diva mode.

(Pictures will follow of the awesome cake my Mom made and the room as soon as it is done, a little later this week.)

False Positive

Well a big sigh of relief here.  The doctor's office called and we had a false positive... meaning the Boy didn't have strep this last time.  If the grandparents are reading this I am sure they may have been upset thinking I was talking about something else.

The Boy was very happy that he was not sick last week.  He was a little down about potentially having strep again but we had them send int he throat swab to the lab to do a culture to be sure as he was fine and dandy that day.  It certainly was nice to get some good news for once.  Too bad the doctor's office was closed on Good Friday or else we could have received this news before the weekend.

Getting Plain Ridiculous

Well after all my family has been through it finally got me.  I have had a little cold all week but today I woke up and felt like I was underwater.  I called the doctor and got in right away and got me some antibiotics as it appears I may be developing an ear infection as my right ear is hurting today.  I really can't wait for April to be over and hopefully some warm weather to move in as this is getting really old.

The kids are doing alright and the Boy is literally bouncing off the walls as he has been fine beyond the little test.  I probably won't hear on his test sent to the lab but the office is closed.  Hopefully it is for nothing and it is a false positive on him and we can start moving on.  Otherwise I think we need to take a nice vacation to the Bahamas or something and let the sun bake it out of us and a few drinks with umbrellas and fruit won't hurt either.

Strep Again?! Really?!

Well we had a recheck for strep as we have been dancing with it for about two and a half months or so now.  The Girl was negative but the Boy was positive, they are sending in a swab for a throat culture to be sure it is not a false positive (Hoping it is).  Talk about frustrating.  This time there was no symptoms what so ever, it was just a re-check.  UGH!

I really feel for him as he has struggled with this for a while.  He said, "I am never going to get better!"  Hopefully this time it will be gone for good.  Very frustrating all around.

Timing couldn't be better as I have started on an insulin pump leaving the needles behind this week and I have a slight cold.  I really can't wait for April to be over.  My AGW has been sick, the kids and now me and the Boy again.  Well, hopefully April Showers bring good health in May.

Diva

The Girl has attained full "Diva" status.  In the mornings she now refuses to eat in the morning, go to the potty, and even change clothes.  This is something that just started this week.  I will ask her if she wants her breakfast and she just buries her head in the pillow on the couch and writhes around, which usually means she has to go potty.  Problem is you then mention potty and she just gets mad, I mean crayon throwing mad.  After a bit she will usually settle down and start eating but then it is time to take my son to school and I lately I have had to go into the school so I try to get her dressed.  The important word is "try."  She will fight me, run away, kick me, scream loud enough to break glass.  Then the rest of the morning she demands her chips, fish crackers, juice, etc.  I thought it would be better after a good nap this afternoon but as I was putting the pencil sharpener away she decided to throw crayons as apparently that was hers even though she has never ever used it.  To top it off for some reason she feels it necessary to take her PJs and pull up off and then scream.  If that is not Diva status I don't know what is.

I believe The Girl is a Jedi

With the kids being diagnosed with strep again last week the doctor prescribed Augmentin (sp?).  This is a pretty strong antibiotic, but the worse part is that it comes in form of a chewable tablet that apparently tastes awful.  The Boy has been doing a good job with it despite that fact, but the Girl on the other hand has learned powers that I believe only a Jedi possesses.  She started out ok and we could get her to take it, then she started to refuse and we could still manage it.  Now it is a flat out wrestling match where I have seen this almost 3 year old be able to bend, twist, kick, scream, hit and levitate in ways I have seen no other child do.  (Yes I said levitate.)  I have gone to mashing it up and putting in food but I think she is on to that, the problem is then I have to have her finish the messy yogurt or what not as the medicine is in it.  I believe the way she is fighting this is true Jedi powers.  So I think after this is done (4 more days - 8 doses) I am going to enroll her in Jedi school to make sure she doesn't go to the dark side.

Need Sleep - The Turkey Vultures are Circling

The Girl is driving us nuts.  She can't (or she refuses) to stay asleep at night.  It is crying, screaming and at one point completely undressing.  We have threatened to take her Bitty Baby away if she keeps waking up, last night I had had it so I did just that.  Wailing ensued.  My AGW went in there after a bit and told her she needed to go to sleep if she wanted Bitty Baby back, she calmed and slept until morning.  Although then in the quiet of the early morning, the Boy gets up because he is hot - he was fine but I believe he does it so we never sleep.  Then he gets up again and goes to the bathroom for what seemed like an eternity. After he went back to bed the alarm clock started.  I see this as a bad sign, I was taking the Boy to school and strutting down the street right in front of our house was two turkey vultures.  So I guess if I am not dead yet I must be close as they looked hungry.

What really happens at 11 pm?

This is a question I have for the Girl.  Every night it seems she wakes crying, screaming, calling for me or my AGW at 11 pm.  It has been going on quite a while now.  I can't seem to figure out what is going on.  She is not disturbed by me going to bed as I go to bed at different times each night.  The cat doesn't bother her or her room and the Boy is sleeping as well.  I try not to pick her up but then that can turn into a marathon not sleeping session for me or my AGW as she will start crying and wailing almost upon leaving the room.  It wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't insistent on waking up at 6:30 am to go potty.  I think it is great that she wants to go potty and keep everything else dry but this is the same girl who held it for 20+ hours once or twice at the beginning of potty training. Can't she wait until at least 7:00 or 7:30 am?

I realize she may be having separation anxiety or bad dreams but it is almost like clock work at 11 pm she awakens and must cry or scream as loud as she can.  If it is ignored too long she may get up and take off her pants and pull up she sleeps in and then scream for the potty.  I will take her then and if she pees it will be about 1/4 teaspoon worth.  Is the culmination of Diva status?  Must she see how quickly and how much she can torture her parents?  Next house separate floor plan is a must.

A Moment of Quiet

With two kids running our lives, sometimes it seems almost impossible to have a moment of quiet.  There is always something which is great but sometimes you just need a moment.  I don't mean complete silence but a moment with out the constant "Mommy, mommy, mommy..." or "Daddy, daddy, daddy..."  Tonight with help from some grandparents, a sister and cousins we will have a short moment of quiet as they are having a sleepover.  Granted I have yet to tell the children as if I tell them in advance focus and reason quickly leave their little heads.  They will have a blast and for one evening I don't have get up every time I sit down to get someone a snack, drink, tissue, etc., etc., etc.  It feels like Christmas Eve waiting to have that one night off from being a parent.

Also, if you watched Modern Family last night, the Girl has the same PJs that the little girl Lily had on.  We were happy to see that our daughter was rocking stylish PJs.

Random Kid Stuff

It is Monday. Monday mornings are the worst as we have to get back to the routine of getting up, having breakfast, getting ready for school, etc. The routine works well it is just hard on a Monday morning. It doesn't help that the Girl has been waking up randomly screaming and crying, I realize it is for attention but it is very hard to lay there and listen to this determined little one that I believe would stay up screaming all night. You know it is affecting you when other parents at school start asking if you are OK, granted I know the answer to that as I have two crazy kids.

First since it is officially Spring, the Boy refused to wear a long sleeved shirt to school, no problem there just wish he would ask instead of whine. We get to school and I realize that we forgot to do his letterbook this weekend, not a big deal he will do today without much fuss. Then as we are walking out, a Mom and her two kids are walking in - I know them but I can't remember their names or anything else about them when the little girl says "Hi!" to the Girl and of course the Girl answers with a "Hi." How is it that the Girl who started to go to extended day at school this past week while I coach the track team already have followers, maybe she is on the Twitter or something.

The Unsolicited "I Love You!"

In the morning for school we have a pretty solid routine. The Boy gets up, has juice and breakfast, goes upstairs and brushes his teeth, gets changed and we are about ready to go. Then we drop off in the car pool lane, I usually say the same stuff everyday, "Have a good day. Be nice to your friends, listen to your teachers and try to get a green card." Most times I say "I Love You!" as he bounds out of the van, but sometimes I don't to see if he he will say it. This morning I did just that, he bounded out of the van and about 20 feet away he stopped, turned around and with a big smile shouted "I Love You!" and of course the Girl and I shouted back. It was a great moment.

Then as the Girl and I were running some errands I hear from the back, "Daddy!" Me: "Yes Girl?" Girl: "I Love You!"

So all in all it has been a pretty good morning, well except that my streak of free coffee from Tim Horton's "Roll Up the Rim To Win" promotion ended at two in a row.

Insanity

My kids have been diagnosed with strep for the third time in a month, and the slight fever for the Boy just won't go away. So for the past three days it has been getting worse and worse while I try to maintain some sort of sanity with both of them in the house and if you have been keeping up we are potty training the Girl at the same time. We are on the third antibiotic, much stronger than the other two so hopefully this will be the knockout blow for the strep. I have since the first 24 hours on the new antibiotic replaced every cup, sippy cup, tooth brush and toothpaste that they use in an effort to get rid of this. Momentarily I will be wiping down there favorite windows to push there faces against, the door handles, and anything else that deems to be hand or mouth worthy. You can only watch Tinkerbell so many times without losing your mind. I believe the Boy has it memorized and the Girl is right with him. Hopefully they will soon both be back to normal health and I can take a mental health day. They are actually doing quite well with being locked in the house for so much lately with being ill, but they are getting very stir crazy. I am surprised that I have come back when out running errands when my AGW gets home and the kids are in bed, as my AGW says "I could just get on the road and keep driving." Thankfully she comes home after a busy stressful day at work so I see it only as fair to return as well. Although if they doesn't get resolved soon I think I am getting a giant bubble so the kids and I can at least roll around somewhere else in confinement as opposed to our house.

Hey, Where's Perry?

In case you missed it March 5th was National Platypus Day. I know you are all upset that you missed this awesome holiday. You may be even asking, "What the heck is National Platypus Day?" Well, it was developed by Phineas and Ferb, as they they have a pet Platypus named Perry. So there you go.

We had quite the celebration at our house. There was a stuffed Perry the Platypus, Perry sunglasses, Perry comic book, and a 104 Days of Summer game. In addition to all that we celebrated with a Perry the Platypus cake:

I think in the kids minds this holiday is a close second to Christmas.

On the potty training side of things for the Girl, we are in day three and the most recent event she has held her pee-pee in for 17+ hours in between going potty. She went once in the toilet and the next time she really needed to go and we kept trying and she started on the floor but then got 90% of it in the potty. It is amazing how wet things get with only 10% of the pee-pee. Well hopefully she gets it soon as she really hates being wet and I can't imagine having 1 cup of juice, sleeping all night and waking up dry, having approx. 2 more cups and trying to hold it in. So soon I will be diaper and pull-up free, how shall we celebrate?

The Potty Training Will Begin

Hopefully with any luck at all the Girl will be potty trained after this weekend. I hate changing diapers/pull-ups and I think about the money that will be saved from not having to purchase them anymore either. For example, if I buy the 52 pack of pull-ups for $17.99 and she goes through 5 or 6 a day that is 10 days, in one month on pull-ups alone I spend $53.96 plus tax. What I could do with $54 a month. I am sure it will be spent on something sensible like Peanut Butter M&Ms or the 10 for $10 Hostess table at the store or pay for a data plan for both my AGW's and my cell phone. I am also excited and praying this works as I am so tired after 6 years and 5 months of changing diapers/pullups. Plus that smelly diaper pail needs to go. So wish her luck, me patience and the Boy some new legos to keep him busy as the potty training will begin.

I may offer my AGW something nice again as the Boy was a PITA to potty train and when she had an idea I told her if it worked I would buy her something nice. It worked and I bought her something nice. Maybe I need to do that again.

Paw Print Cookies

What a day, much less a week or so. The kids are home and it has been a rough start to the day. The Boy started by getting mad and throwing his body around because I wouldn't let him changed clothes in front of the TV. I know I am mean but just wanted him to move some so he wasn't blocking it and in the process of throwing his body around he went into the wall and knocked a picture down. The Girl decided that she wanted to be right in his face most of the morning and he didn't want her there. Then she decided that the cat needed to get swatted with the princess purse. So at this point timeout count is 1 to 1. We get through lunch, and it is her nap time. Well easier said than done she is deciding she wants to cry out instead of nap. Meanwhile the Boy and I are trying to make some chocolate chocolate chip cookies. He is being very good and helpful at this point, but the cat decides he wants help, so up on the counter he comes and steps right into my bowl of flour, salt and baking soda. UGH! So I wrangled the cat and clean his paws so he doesn't get flour all over the house and dump the flour and start that over. The Girl then starts calling for Mommy. I go up and find out she wants a change, do that and tell her to nap. At this point she is still not napping but at least she is quiet. I am just trying to make cookies, you would think the kids would want that to happen as quickly as possible.

Using Email

We recently got a new computer for the Boy to use as the desktop we had was old and out of date and there was no way I was letting those sticky little fingers get on my laptop. As I was finishing up setting up the desktop he wanted to send a note my AGW asking how work was. He already has an email account so I set up an email for him to send to his Mommy. My AGW and the Boy had a few messages going back and forth. He did pretty well except for the last word, here is a recap:

The Boy:
What are you doing today?

Love The Boy.

AGW:
Hi. I am working outside the office today, ask Daddy to find it on a map for you. I love you!

The Boy:
How are you doing at your work?

Love The Boy.

AGW:
I am doing ok. I am very busy today. For lunch I had a hot dog and the menu said it was "a celebration in a bun!" The owner of the restaurant likes the Pigeon books too. Are you being good for Daddy?

The Boy:
Yes.

AGW:
Good. I hope you are feeling well too. I love you.

The Boy:
Aw. your so sweat.

What a Weekend

I know weekends don't start on Thursday, unless you are a college kid, but what a weekend. Thursday morning the Girl wakes up with this horrific sounding cough, I have never heard my children make such noises. I decide she is going to the doctor as we have had this travelling cold in our house but this seemed different, I thought the croup. The doctor didn't have any morning appointments which was a blessing in disguise so I had to take her after I picked the Boy up from school sho was doing quite well. Turns out she didn't have the croup she had strep. So the doctor says should we test the Boy? Might as well, at least it is one copay. Sure enough he tests positive. So I call my doctor to get a strep test as I hang out with these kids all day everyday and fortunately I was negative. We get their prescriptions and head home. The fun had only just begun, the Girl was up on and off coughing and woke up with a nice little fever meanwhile the Boy was doing fine. After a long day int he house on Friday, it happened the poor little thing was coughing and coughing so I went to soothe her and when I picked her up she puked on me. I believe the whole time she was saying "Sorry Daddy" but it was really hard to tell. At least it wasn't in bed as I just washed her sheets and put clean ones on. The fever spiked in the middle of the night so my AGW gave her a bath to help soothe her which helped. Then it was a night of rocking and going back to bed (at least 3 times I remember) as she was coughing all night and having a hard time sleeping. She wakes up Saturday with a 103 fever. Saturday is more of the same as Friday as she has her fever and cough and the Boy is doing quite well. Saturday night she almost threw up again but toughed it out and swallowed it back down. Sunday morning still a fever in the 102-103 range. The fever has since settled now to the 99s and the Boy is at Grandmas house getting a little relief from the house. I see a bottle of wine in my and my AGW's near future.

Hiding the Good Candy

One of life's goals for kids is "Get Candy!" No matter where it is or who has it they want it. This goes the same for any kind of candy. My kids have candy in moderation and are pretty good about it. The Boy will even say, "I don't want to eat too much candy because it has sugar in it." I think that is great but I also know that it is a ploy to get more candy. Sometimes you find particular good candy, for example Peanut Butter M&Ms, and after eating some decide that you can't share with the kids. I remember when they first came out with Peanut Butter M&Ms, they were not that great. It is hard to get a good peanut butter taste from such a small candy. Well they fattened them up a little and now they have sky rocketed to near the top of my list of must have candy, like sweet tart jelly beans. With all that in mind when these types of yummy deliciousness come into our home they are properly hidden from the children, it sounds mean and probably is but they have plenty of other candy to eat and enjoy and why would I want something that is so delicious to be wasted with a quite gnawing and no appreciation for it. Besides it helps to have some good candy around when you are a stress eater, that moment of bliss sometimes help get through a crazy day.

Laurie Berkner Band

My AGW once told a friend when she gave them a Laurie Berkner Band CD for her kids, "Laurie Berkner is like crack for kids." I agree with that statement 100%. Both of our kids love the Laurie Berkner Band (LBB), so took them to a LBB concert recently. Let me just say that I thought the Girl was going to spontaneously combust out of excitement. She barely sat down during the whole thing, sang along, danced, etc. It was a fantastic show for the kids and I would say it was even fantastic for the adults. Was a very fast hour and a half. At one point my AGW and I noticed that poopy diaper smell and we both thought it was our little girl but we both realized that there are a ton of diapered kids in the theater so maybe not. The Boy even liked it and claims he liked it more than his sister, we will let the pictures be the judge of that:

I think she is trying to kill me!

I think the Girl is trying to remove me from the family photo. In the last two days she has stopped in front of me and made me trip. First time she was up in the Boy's room and she touched his Agent P alarm clock, he started wailing and complained she changed the time to 4:06. I laughed and told him it was 4:06 and he instantly stopped crying. I told the girl to go downstairs, as we are heading down the Boy asks a question and as I turn my head while walking the Girl stops and sits on the step right in front me and I go tumbling down a few steps and into the door.

Today then we are playing and watching a new video because it is too cold to haul a 2 year old around and as we are running around she stops suddenly and sends me flailing down on to the floor. She kind of giggles and I start to wonder if there is an ulterior motive.

I think I am going to start wearing my hockey gear for protection, I may even have to install some security cameras so the insurance company will believe it was not self induced harm. The best part is 1 minute later she can turn around and be the sweetest girl, although I will be sleeping with one eye open from now on.

The Door

I don't understand something about one particular door in my house, the door from the house to the garage. No matter what is happening, even if the kids fight tooth and nail to have to go somewhere they both must either hang on the door knob or be the first one out of the door. The Girl, almost 3 years old, I can understand a slight bit as she is into doors as most kids are that age. The Boy, 6 years old, I don't understand his obsession beyond the fact that everything is a race or contest. I mean it is a door does it really matter who goes out the door first? Is there a prize that I am not aware of on the other side left by the garage fairy? Every morning I can guarantee one of them will be trying to pull the handle straight off. Maybe I will get a keypad that is about 6 feet up the wall that they can't reach or install a Star Trek type door that only works with adult voices.

Chapter Books and Timeouts

The Boy who is in Kindergarten is becoming quite the reader. He is part of an accelerated reading program at school and now he has been introduced to a whole new line of books, The Magic Tree House. He has read the first two, the first I helped him get started but it didn't take long for him to get into it. The second one he read two chapters Monday, three chapters on Tuesday and he read the rest of the book (5 chapters) yesterday. I was shocked, he fought having to read yesterday but once he started he couldn't stop. I am interested to see how he does on this quiz (they take quizzes on the books at school, this one being longer at 10 questions) as this book is rated 2.9 (9th month of second grade). His reading is great along with his vocabulary but this also brings issues as he can read just about anything like the guide on the TV, we had to make sure the things that are inappropriate for him say Adult programming as opposed to the names of the shows. Also we can't spell things when we want him not to know what we are talking about as he is good at that too. We have tried initials of things like CM for Chocolate Milk but he cracked that code in about 0.8 seconds. We have to go back to our high school French class although he will probably beat us at that as well.

The Girl is learning through timeouts. This morning she has put her Bitty Baby in timeout for not listening (a common theme in our house) and I almost spit out my Diet Pepsi when she came and told me this. I felt bad for the Bitty Baby as she is just a baby and doesn't understand. This was followed up with the Girl singing a song from Beauty and the Beast to the Bitty Baby so I guess it is all good.

Princess or Diva?

Most little girls are called "princess" when they are little and my little girl is no different. Lately though it seems as she is either trying to take princess to a new level or she is just skipping that and becoming a full fledged diva. Some days I fear that she might get mad as I give her a treat that the M&Ms won't be the right color. This morning she refused to finish getting dressed and screamed a pitch I don't think I have ever heard. Then a few minutes later I was trying to get her socks on so I could put her shoes on to as it was time to take the Boy to school and it was a battle as I think I put the same sock on the same foot at least 4 times. She knows what she wants and how to get it, and people tell me that is a good thing, but at the age of two I disagree. She can save that independence for after high school as otherwise I may lose what little hair I have left very very soon.

100 days & Peeing on the Floor

I thought I would update on some of the little things that have been going on around our house.

The Boy has his 100th day of school coming up which apparently is a big deal. They have countdown badge every day that tells how many days are left until the 100th day of school. For their weekly show and tell they needed to do an amazing feat 100 times, the Boy chose to hug his Mom 100 times and then draw a picture of and write what they did. Then as a family project we have to make a collection of 100 things for the Kindergarten and Pre-K hallway, I think we are going to make a ear of corn on poster board with 100 kernels of popped popcorn on it. An there may even be a 100th day assembly.

The Girl is talking more and more. The other day I had some butter on my chin and my lovely little girl called me "butter face". We have a rule of holding hands in parking lots, she has taken this to the next level, she will hold hands but she sometimes wants to hold her own hand, today she screamed as loud as she could as I picked her up as she refused to hold my hand. She has an obsession of trying to drive me crazy by asking for one thing right after another. For example this morning she wanted french toast sticks, then she wanted her clothes changed and her fingernails painted all at the same time. The girl also has taken a liking to shredded cheese, my curiosity is does she get more in her mouth or more on the floor.

In addition, we are in the midst of casually potty training her. As I started typing this part there was a cry out from the bathroom, "Daddy all wet!" She had setup up the potty, taken off her pullup and went back in the bathroom and peed on the floor. So I figure she is two feet short of using the potty. This really just happened, it kind of freaks me out that I started typing this and this happened. What I was really going to say is how she claims to want to go potty and then goes in and out of the bathroom calling my name and then when I get there telling me to go away. So maybe, just maybe there will be no more diapers!

The First Report Card

I wasn't sure if kindergarten passed out report cards or not. The boy had his in his bag and I was anxious, nervous and excited to see it all at the same time. In this one moment I get a glimpse of how school is going as usually when I ask him I get the "Fine." answer. I must say I was very pleased as he got mostly check marks and pluses. He had a couple of NWs (Needs Work) and for him that was pretty good because they were in the areas we have been working on. The Boy has no volume control yet, interrupts when he is supposed to be listening and has trouble with practicing self control. He gets very excited about things and just has one volume, we are working on it and sometimes he does well but he wants to be heard. The interrupting i think is more of a function as he says "I have a lot to say," and he likes to add to things or thinks he knows what is going on before the teacher is done talking. The self control thing is the most difficult as he gets excited and just keeps building on that. His favorite thing in school is art and it shows as he got all pluses for art (as well as music). In Phys Ed he got all pluses and one NW as following directions is his downfall, mostly as he gets too excited and wants to just get after it before reading or hearing instructions like any good male. A great comment that makes me happy is from his computer teacher is "Enthusiasm gets in his way." I will take that and run with it as I am happy to have him be enthusiastic about school as opposed to the opposite. Overall we are very pleased and maybe a little incentive will quiet him down, help him listen and practice a little more self control.

On another note, his school has movie night where you can drop the kids off and a snack and have a couple of hours to yourself while they watch a movie with their friends and have fun. A win-win in my mind. I mentioned to him about movie night and he complains to me this morning that it will then be passed his bedtime and he was upset about this. I had to laugh as lately he has been fighting bedtime so he has an opporunity to be up later and he is mad.

Girl Shoes

The Girl needed some new shoes. While we were at Target trying to get appropriate size pajamas for the Boy we went to find some shoes. She of course picked out the sparkleist shoes she could see which are great if she was going to a ball or something but she needed something for everyday wear. First we took a shoe off and tried the size chart to see about what size we should buy, then we started looking at shoes to find ones she liked and that would fit. She picked a pretty good pair so we went to try them on and she was very cooperative as she is a girl and they are new shoes. They fit well and she was very excited so I took them off to put them int he cart and tried to put her old shoe back on. This was not in her plans. She grabbed her shoe and threw it as she wanted to wear her new shoes. I tried to explain we needed to pay for them but she was not happy so she wore one shoe and one sock on the way to the register. I was not the only one she got mad at, she was mad at the cashier - how dare that lady put her new shoes in the bag. So as soon as we were done paying she got to put on her new shoes and I as I called my AGW to tell her of this fine trip to Target she informed me last time she let the Girl wear the shoes and had to promptly stand her on the scanner so the shoes could get paid for. So now I wonder if I should call her a princess or a diva?

Want This!

"Want This!" is quickly becoming a very annoying phrase. The Girl insists on wanting everything, I realize she is 2 1/2 but it gets old after a while. Usually the hard part is when she wants something, I get it for her and then I get screamed at because she doesn't want it. Then the real annoying finger pointing at everything else happens. It then proceeds to me asking what she wants, naming things and being told no, and then just flat out screaming at Daddy. Usually after she cries and throws her tantrum she will quietly come up and want the first she wanted and happily take it. Sometimes I think how happy we could be if she would just go with her original want first and not change her mind and then eventually come back to it. This also goes on with many other things, toys, movies, etc. People say it is just a phase but really I think she works for the local beverage store.

I want to look Handsome!

The Boy has a pretty decent routine for getting ready for school in the morning. He wakes up by alarm clock (most of the time) at 6:45 am, gets up and watches a few minutes of TV and eats breakfast, goes to the bathroom, brushes his teeth, changes his clothes and then it is usually time to get ready to go to school. This morning was a little different. He was up in the bathroom longer than usual, as I was about to go check on him he came running down the steps saying, "I combed my hair because I want to look handsome!" Then as we are getting ready to leave I ask him if he wants his hat but he says, "I am not wearing a hat today because I don't want my hair to get messed up so I look handsome." So I wondering if their is a new crush (person he plays with the most) at school or something as this has never happened but it seemed really really important.

Automatic Doors

The Girl is putting her Toy Story knowledge to good use. In the second movie there is a see where the toys are trying to get through a door automated by the pad you walk on and it opens. One toy can't do it but jumping in unison they can open the door. Today at the mall as we were leaving and the Girl saw the automatic doors she ran up and jumped to get the door to open. It was very cute and then she did it again on the second set of doors. It was great especially since 99% of doors that I see that open automatically these days are opened by motion sensor.

The Atlas

My AGW saw a very impressive Atlas produced by National Geographic on Ellen before Thanksgiving and we discussed that it may be a good present for the Boy. I looked it up on Amazon and found it to be $130 (too bad we weren't in Ellen's audience that day). No way he was getting an atlas for that much even if Santa was to bring it. So on Black Friday as I was shopping I found some lesser versions that were good and purchased one for the Boy for Christmas. It has been a lot of fun so far as we have used it to talk about the different places int he world and looked up webcams in different parts of the world. First one we looked at was at the South Pole, known as South Pole Station, and have since ventured to some African ones where last night I saw Kudu and Wildebeast (or at least that is what I thought they were). For school show and tell this week the kids were asked to bring in their favorite Christmas present and I am proud to say the Boy wants to take the Atlas as he is fascinated by it. Nothing like an educational present that kid loves.

Back to School

Finally back to school. The last week and half has been fun but long at times. We celebrated with family, saw them all again, played some hockey and went bowling a couple of times. Trying to entertain in cold weather is not easy with a 2 year old and a 6 year old. A bunch of new toys certainly do help but even then everyone gets a little stir crazy. The Boy got a Agent P alarm clock and is now using an alarm on school days, although this morning I think it scared him. It is cool though because like a rock or bomb that is armed you can unplug the wire from the side of the clock to disarm the alarm. The other reason for getting him a clock was so that he doesn't keep getting up at 6 am on the weekends. it is very frustrating when he gets up which wakes up the cat which wakes up the Girl which forces one of us out of the nice warm bed.

Back to school today after winter break was a little rough as we have to once again get back into our routine. This morning was not too bad except for deciding on breakfast, sometimes you would think that we are making him eat the sludge from the bottom of a deep fryer. The Girl has to get used to him being gone as well as she asked several times, "Where's the Boy?" I am sure she will adjust just fine to the undivided attention.

Today for lunch I was having some chicken noodle soup and had some left over canned carrots that I offered the girl for part of her lunch which she immediately refused with her classic hair tossing head shake. I decided to put them in the soup as soon as she was almost done eating and I was about to start eating my soup suddenly she wanted the carrots out of my soup. I think I will start making lunch for three so that I have a chance to eat my own food for once.

Finally, the Boy was published in the kids section of the local paper. He has yet to seen it but I am sure he will be very excited when he gets home especially since he was just complaining he hasn't been on TV yet.