Last Day

Friday was Jacob's last day at daycare. Granted, our relationship with the daycare center overall was mixed - Jacob did enjoy it and made some really good friends there. Two of the boys in his group I think he'll continue to see and play with even though they won't go to school together. Plus, they'll have a little reunion next weekend at Jacob's birthday party. The big question now may be - how will we find potential babysitters?

Cotton candy

On Monday - Allison took a field trip to the baseball game with some kids from school. She got cotton candy as her treat, and had some left over at the end of the day. I told her she could finish it after Jacob's soccer game. Jacob got a treat after soccer from his teammate - a cookie - which he promptly ate.

Then in the car - Jacob asked Allison for some cotton candy. Allison at first refused because Jacob hadn't shared his cookie with her. Then she gave him a teeny tiny piece (for some reason a teeny piece is more insulting than zero in Allison's lexicon. It's almost like she thinks "here, taste it. Want more? No!")

At this point - Grandma decided to point out that Jacob should remember this the next time he had a treat. The implied message was "if you want to have her treat - you need to remember to share your treat." The actual conveyed message was a little different - as we learned from Jacob's response.

"Ok, next time I have a cookie, I'm only going to give her a teeny tiny piece."

So there!

Hot today

It was a very hot day today. We played in the sprinkler. Well - "we" technically includes the kids. I did not actually intentionally get in the sprinkler.

New 'do

Allison got a new haircut. We call it the "pixie cut" in order to convince her to do it. She was actually quite excited about it. It's really not technically a "pixie cut" according to the stylist. It's an "inverted bob."

Six Inches

We got new mattresses for our bed last week. They are very nice, but thicker than our old mattress / box springs set by about 6 inches. When I lay down, all I can think is "gee, the ceiling fan looks so much closer."

The bonus - the old bed became a guest bed, so we have somewhere for people to sleep if people come visit. Summers are very pleasant in WI.......

Variety

"Variety is the spice of life" or "Don't get stuck in a rut" or "Change is good"

I get stuck in genres. Lately, it's people who have dedicated a year of their life to some project - like reading the encyclopedia, living by the rules of the bible, making no environmental impact, or following all of Oprah's advice. But I've noticed some common themes running though these books - like variety is important and you can have too much of a good thing (i.e. too many "this is what I did with my year" books).

I've been reflecting on this sentiment especially with respect to the kids. Today, for example, the kids we're interested in the same old after school snacks (Nilla wafers and/or Scooby Snacks.) Neither was particularly high on my list as both options really qualify as "cookies" to me. Cookies on Empty Kid-stomachs lead to Headaches Later for Mom. So we took out the blender and started throwing stuff in - banana, homemade strawberry syrup, yogurt, scoop of ice cream and a dash of chocolate sauce. Man - you would have thought that I was the Best Mom Ever when the kids tasted that smoothie. "Can we have smoothies every day?!"

But the thing is that if we had smoothies every day, we'd get sick of them. They would cease to be so awe-inspiring.

I like routines - don't get me wrong - and some ruts are necessary and good - like brushing your teeth. But sometimes happiness and appreciation come from the unexpected.

Twinkie

The treat at soccer tonight was twinkies. Really? Jacob decided to share with Allison and I stole a bite too. I think the memories of them are better than they are.

So I came out of your butt!

Allison has been all about babies lately. I think it's because the mother of her friend at school just bad a baby. Also, one of her teachers had a baby a few months ago.

So she gets that babies grow in "tummies." Actually, one of the first conversations we had about it was that only girls could have babies in their tummies, not boys. Jacob was upset for a nanosecond and has now gotten over it.

So one day we were playing school and she and I were both supposed to pretend we had babies in our tummies. We had to take a field trip to the doctor's office (a.k.a. Jacob's room) to get the babies out. It was then I learned that Allison thought babies came out of your mouth.

Now, it's not like the kids don't realize they have different parts, and I do try to call them by the appropriate terms when necessary. It's just that reproduction has never come up, and I don't seek it out as a topic. So, here we are with babies coming out of our mouths.

OK - it's time for a talk. So I decide to check out reinforcements at the library - a good book with some kid - appropriate pictures. While we were at the library last Sunday, I checked out the parenting section. This is the area with the "Susie has two mommies" and "Where does Grandma go when she dies" books. I thought it would have a basic book about where babies come from. No. I found something passable, but nothing I liked. There was even a book approved by Dr. Laura Schlessinger that had everything between "Mommy and Daddy get married" to "We brought you home from the hospital" represented by a heart-shaped box and a statement about God thinking Mommies womb would be perfect for you.

So, I followed this up with an internet search and a better place to look in the library and a specific title to look for "It's so Amazing." So this week I pick it up - it is a pretty neat book. At dinner tonight it was sitting on the table and so I flip to the pictures of babies from 1-9 months and show Allison where the "exit hole" is (no - I didn't call it exactly that). there was a picture that showed a baby coming out (not a direct on shot) but I think it got the point across. After a brief - "no it's not an extra hole in your leg" question from Jacob - Allison declares "So I came out of your butt!!" followed by - "can I watch my bedtime show now?"

I think I'll bring the book out again to make this point clearer - but at least we're getting a little closer......

The conversation

This was my conversation with Allison last night...

Allison: Mom, don't turn off the light.
Mom: It's bedtime, not reading time.
Allison: Mom, turn on the light.
Mom: It's bedtime, not reading time.
Allison: I'll just turn on my lamp.
Mom: Allison - it's bedtime, it's not reading time.
Allison: But I can't read without the light on!

Clearly on the same page.

Soccer

I've been delinquent in my blogging. So - catch up time.

Jacob started soccer last month. He's had four games. His team color is pink - as you can see in the photo below. This doesn't bother Jacob nearly as much as it bothers Jacob's coach. Plus, as you can see the shirts are gigantic - so he can pass it along to Allison to wear as a nightshirt for the rest of her life. Perhaps they could arrange a trade at the end of the season - Jacob's pink shirt in exchange for Allison's old green one.



Their team is pretty good. They split up the teams each week into two games of 3 v 3. They technically don't keep score - but of course all the parents on the sidelines are keeping score. Jacob scored a goal in last week's game. He told me the other day that he wants to play soccer forever.