Sunday, September 28, 2008

Spelling and innocent looks

Our playroom is a "catch all". Probably the saddest addition to this room is a 100 year old antique sleigh bed that is propped behind the sofa. Its a full size, we will never use it again because it can't withstand children jumping on it, and I have no illusions about being able to prevent four toddlers from jumping on beds.

Case in point:



Beside a Chippendale ball and claw sofa (that has seen better days) that for now is the playroom sofa, are the mattresses that were once on said sleigh bed. I was trying to photograph Lucas looking all innocent sitting on the bed, when Matilda flipped off the sofa to the mattresses to join us. I should sale the sleigh bed, but I don't want to have people calling about it, don't want to deal with bargain hunters trying to lower the price, and don't have the truck to haul it away. Hence the room being our "catch all". In the spring of next year we hope to finish the remodel of this room and do away with the sleigh bed, the aging sofa, and a few other things. Perhaps by then we can have a nicer sofa, and not worry so much about washing sweet potato off of it, of fishing gold fish crackers out of the cushions.

Matilda's hair is finally long enough for pig tails. Here is both of us sporting them.



She is spelling up a storm. My aunt gave Lucas and Tilly a drawing board that has large alphabet letters on it, and when you press them it says what the letter is and what sound it makes. I gave it to them last week. Its for a 4-5 year old, as you can also practice writing the letters beneath them. Well, Tilly played with it a week solid, and now she asks me constantly how to spell words, and when she sees one of her alphabet blocks she will point to it, accurately identify what letter it is, then tell me what sound it makes "K. K is for "kah". And on top of that, she can spell hers and Lucas' name. She recites as if preparing for a spelling bee. "Tilly. T-i-l-l-y. Tilly". She was asking me today how to spell "Cat", "Dog", "Elvis" (one of our outdoor cats names), "mommy" and "Dada". She can spell "Cat", too.

I asked Lucas how to spell his name, and he stared at me for a moment and then said "Cake". :-) A boy after my own heart!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Jammie Days

We spend alot of time in Jammies in this house. My jammies tend to be a bit more fashionable- though they look very much like regular p.j.'s- they have trendy names like "Yoga Suits" and "Loungewear Sets". We are usually dressed after everyone's big nap. Somedays though, not! In our own little nest, does it matter? All those buttons, metal zippers, awkwardly placed clips and pretty ruffles just don't look comfortable to me. However, if we are going somewhere...

Well, I have had this idea... the one thing thats really difficult for me in taking all the kids to those little fast food places with indoor playgrounds is trying to get everyone dressed and out the door in a timely manor by myself. Some days I end up changing them twice as it seems like as soon as I mention "Go!" two of them (who shall remain nameless in case they would rather I not disclose intimate details about their potty habits) seem to want to go poopie... in fact, this happened last night when I said "Want to GO for a walk?" ARGH! But, lets veer away from diaper detail and back to "I had this idea"... With two sets of twins, I am always on the lookout for time saving approaches to what should be pretty routine and normal activities with only one or two toddlers. But we have four toddlers. My current time saving idea being that once autumn came around, I would dress them all AT BEDTIME. There are some nice looking children's "Loungewear" out there now, and we have purchased a few sets. The girl sets are leggings with a cotton top, and the boys sets are fashioned like fleece sweatsuits, but minus the hoods and elastic pant cuffs. They are perfect for sleeping, or playing! So, I told this novel time saving idea to Duane, and he stared at me for sometime (I thought I was "brilliant" as they would say at Guinness Beer) then said "You would change their diapers, right?".

This made me question how absurd the whole idea must be if he thought I was wanting to also cut corners by not changing nappies. :-\

And of course, now that Lucas and Tilly are two, we are being attacked by the early potty training mothers. The ones whose babies began using a potty before they were 5 months old. "Little Rodney would roll over to the potty all by himself". We have been given pottys, we have been given books on pottys, and even underpants. *furrows brow*. I am not getting any indication they are ready to use a potty. Not from Lucas *at all*, and only vaguely is Tilly aware. Some days she will come to me and say "I stinky poo poo nasty" (lovely!), but like last night when I asked her if she had "potty" she said "I no stinky poo poo, yet". Hmpfh. She was quite "stinky poo poo" Thank You!

What is the reply to the early potty training moms? I have been sticking with "They aren't ready yet" which is the truth. But, that seems to only satisfy half of them. The other half say "YOU are the one whose not ready!" or "They will never be 'ready' if you aren't training them". *scrunches nose*

And if anyone has figured it out, why are moms so interested in when we potty train? Is there a competition I forgot to enter? :-P

P.S.- if anyone knows how to get spaghetti sauce stains off of light purple fleece sleepers without bleach, please inform.




Monday, September 8, 2008

My secretary

This is my new secretary.



My secretary now makes all my phone calls for me. I hand her the phone and tell her what numbers to dial, and at only 2 years of age, she does. !!! And, she takes dictation. In the form of repeating what Lucas says and does. I know some of you would call this *tattling* (ahem), but, for the sake of peace in my home, we are going to call it *informing*.

The phone dialing thing was pretty shocking. I didn't know she knew her numbers. Maybe if I gave her a typewriter, she could also take letters for me.