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We recently got a new computer for the Boy to use as the desktop we had was old and out of date and there was no way I was letting those sticky little fingers get on my laptop.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.