I promise I will stop writing about Caleb soon. Once he stops coming up with these great one liners.
-The kids were playing in the pool and their grandpa was swimming toward them, pretending to be a shark. He told them, "I'm going to eat you!"
Caleb said, "You can't eat me! We're in the same family!"
Good point.
-While winning a game of Toy Story Memory with his cousin, Andrea, he told her, "I told you I was going to run the table."
Not too difficult to do when he has the first three pairs marked.
The Kids
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Who Taught My Kid To Talk?
Okay, I can't help it. I have to share more Calebisms.
-He went outside to play on the balcony. When he walked out, the wind started to blow him away. He said, "This is not the best idea I have ever had."
He then gave up and went out anyway.
-Caleb was hitting his baseball against the wall and Nick asked him if he should really be doing that. He replied, "Yes indeed."
-Grandpa mentioned how he would be making bacon while we are here on vacation. He asked Caleb if he would eat any. Caleb looked at him like he was crazy and said, "I'm a big fan of bacon."
-He went outside to play on the balcony. When he walked out, the wind started to blow him away. He said, "This is not the best idea I have ever had."
He then gave up and went out anyway.
-Caleb was hitting his baseball against the wall and Nick asked him if he should really be doing that. He replied, "Yes indeed."
-Grandpa mentioned how he would be making bacon while we are here on vacation. He asked Caleb if he would eat any. Caleb looked at him like he was crazy and said, "I'm a big fan of bacon."
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Calebisms At The Beach
On vacation this week. Myrtle Beach. With kids.
Yep, there is going to be some fun stories over the next few posts.
I figured I would start with some Calebisms today...
-After being attacked by a shark in the swimming pool ie. his Uncle Tony, he pulled his cousin Andrea over and whispered, "Okay, here's the plan. We're going to get the shark."
-While getting ready for bed, he looked out the window and saw people swimming in the pool. He turned around and announced to everyone, "You're not going to believe this. There are still people in the pond."
-Before bedtime, Caleb said, "I wonder what I'm going to dream about tonight." When asked what he dreamed about the night before, he replied, "I went swimming, oddly enough."
Oddly enough? Whose kid is this?
Should be an interesting week.
Yep, there is going to be some fun stories over the next few posts.
I figured I would start with some Calebisms today...
-After being attacked by a shark in the swimming pool ie. his Uncle Tony, he pulled his cousin Andrea over and whispered, "Okay, here's the plan. We're going to get the shark."
-While getting ready for bed, he looked out the window and saw people swimming in the pool. He turned around and announced to everyone, "You're not going to believe this. There are still people in the pond."
-Before bedtime, Caleb said, "I wonder what I'm going to dream about tonight." When asked what he dreamed about the night before, he replied, "I went swimming, oddly enough."
Oddly enough? Whose kid is this?
Should be an interesting week.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
The Cup
The line of today:
"I don't want to put a cup on my penis!"
To clarify, Caleb just learned about baseball players wearing cups to protect themselves. The fact that he randomly said this line an hour after learning about cups made it rather funny. To be fair, the kid is probably picturing an actual drinking cup. Honestly, who would want that?
"I don't want to put a cup on my penis!"
To clarify, Caleb just learned about baseball players wearing cups to protect themselves. The fact that he randomly said this line an hour after learning about cups made it rather funny. To be fair, the kid is probably picturing an actual drinking cup. Honestly, who would want that?
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
From Noah's Perspective
What Noah is most likely thinking these days...
Well, I guess these crazy people around me are my family. They do not seem to be leaving anytime soon, which is good, since they are pretty entertaining.
I noticed the man I am supposed to call Daddy is around a lot more now. Some days he still leaves for the day, but quite often, he is around more than he was when I first arrived. I am really glad because he is a lot of fun. He plays a lot of baseball with my brother and dances with my sister. I hope I get to play like that someday.
Speaking of my sister, she seems pretty great. She gets down to my level and plays with me, smiling sweetly and using fun voices. I am not really a fan of when she picks me up and moves me to a different place. Doesn't she know that cords and DVDs are more fun to play with than my toys?
I really like my brother. We share a room, which is pretty cool. Whenever I am too excited to sleep, he keeps me entertained. Sometimes when I talk loudly in the morning, he wakes up and talks with me. He has learned that if he tries to leave our room before me, I cry, so he is pretty patient and waits for me. He also has these really cool cars that he (sometimes) shares with me.
My favorite person is Mommy. I try to show her how much I love her by constantly crying for her if she is in the room. I like everyone else a lot, but if Mommy walks by, I would rather go to her. For some reason, she moves around a lot. I watch her going from room to room, picking up things that I know my brother and sister will just get out again. I think she should spend her time better by just sitting with me. That is why I whine for her-I am just trying to help her have a better day.
For a long while, I just laid around and watched everyone around me. Eventually, I sat up so that I could see better. But, when I was sitting there, I realized that everyone still kept moving and got to do so many cool things. So, I decided to keep up.
Crawling is awesome.
I get to see new things (and by see, I mean put them in my mouth). Did you know there are all sorts of cool things on the ground, that are the perfect size to swallow? And best of all, I get to follow Mommy everywhere. She has the best things in the kitchen. I think they are called measuring cups-they are way better than my toys.
Even though crawling is great, I find that standing up and scooting my feet around gets me places, too. I am particularly interested in finding a way up the stairs. That way I can never be left behind.
Recently, I finally gave in and clapped for my family. They had been asking me to do it for awhile, but I figured I would keep them in suspense. When I finally did it, they yelled and laughed so loud that I was not sure that I wanted to do that again. Eventually I did and it is pretty wonderful to see them smile so much.
Sometimes when I am doing all of these things, I see my Mommy looking at me. She seems to have this sad look in her eyes, like she is disappointed that I am growing so quickly. That is why I cuddle with her and give her lots of kisses.
Yes, I suppose I will stick around with these people. They are alright.
Well, I guess these crazy people around me are my family. They do not seem to be leaving anytime soon, which is good, since they are pretty entertaining.
I noticed the man I am supposed to call Daddy is around a lot more now. Some days he still leaves for the day, but quite often, he is around more than he was when I first arrived. I am really glad because he is a lot of fun. He plays a lot of baseball with my brother and dances with my sister. I hope I get to play like that someday.
Speaking of my sister, she seems pretty great. She gets down to my level and plays with me, smiling sweetly and using fun voices. I am not really a fan of when she picks me up and moves me to a different place. Doesn't she know that cords and DVDs are more fun to play with than my toys?
I really like my brother. We share a room, which is pretty cool. Whenever I am too excited to sleep, he keeps me entertained. Sometimes when I talk loudly in the morning, he wakes up and talks with me. He has learned that if he tries to leave our room before me, I cry, so he is pretty patient and waits for me. He also has these really cool cars that he (sometimes) shares with me.
My favorite person is Mommy. I try to show her how much I love her by constantly crying for her if she is in the room. I like everyone else a lot, but if Mommy walks by, I would rather go to her. For some reason, she moves around a lot. I watch her going from room to room, picking up things that I know my brother and sister will just get out again. I think she should spend her time better by just sitting with me. That is why I whine for her-I am just trying to help her have a better day.
For a long while, I just laid around and watched everyone around me. Eventually, I sat up so that I could see better. But, when I was sitting there, I realized that everyone still kept moving and got to do so many cool things. So, I decided to keep up.
Crawling is awesome.
I get to see new things (and by see, I mean put them in my mouth). Did you know there are all sorts of cool things on the ground, that are the perfect size to swallow? And best of all, I get to follow Mommy everywhere. She has the best things in the kitchen. I think they are called measuring cups-they are way better than my toys.
Even though crawling is great, I find that standing up and scooting my feet around gets me places, too. I am particularly interested in finding a way up the stairs. That way I can never be left behind.
Recently, I finally gave in and clapped for my family. They had been asking me to do it for awhile, but I figured I would keep them in suspense. When I finally did it, they yelled and laughed so loud that I was not sure that I wanted to do that again. Eventually I did and it is pretty wonderful to see them smile so much.
Sometimes when I am doing all of these things, I see my Mommy looking at me. She seems to have this sad look in her eyes, like she is disappointed that I am growing so quickly. That is why I cuddle with her and give her lots of kisses.
Yes, I suppose I will stick around with these people. They are alright.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Baseball Fan
This boy loves baseball. He loves to play it, he loves to watch it, he even loves to pretend his toys are playing baseball together.
We recently put a gazebo up in the backyard. I think it is great because we needed shade. Caleb thinks it is great because he can throw a baseball on top of it, wait for it to roll down, and then catch it in his glove.
Every day is the same routine. He wakes up, puts on his Reds hat, eats breakfast, then immediately seeks out his dad so they can play baseball in the house. Yes, in the house. I personally am not a fan, but Nick finds it hilarious.
I wonder if he would find it as hilarious if the ball went flying toward the television instead of my candlesticks.
When I hear the sound of the ball hitting the wall or crashing into shelves, I am reminded of one of my first visits to Cincinnati. I was dating Nick and met his childhood friends. These guys had a great tradition of playing baseball in the living room of one of their homes. The rule of the house was no baseball in the house, but they would wait until the mom was asleep and then start playing. However, it did not matter how late it was or how quiet they were-the moment they would reach for the bat, they would hear, "Adam, are you playing baseball?" (All of Nick's childhood friends that are reading this are now hearing her voice in their head, hearing the exact inflection that all know and love.)
They never knew who she knew. However, as a mom, I think I know. It is a sense that we have.
Or, she had nanny cam set up that they never knew about.
Anyway, Caleb has followed in his dad's footsteps and loves the game. He is content to sit and watch the Reds play into extra innings and his favorite player is Joey Votto. He has been looking for a Votto shirt, but apparently all stores think that either babies or grown men are the only ones that want to buy them. I think that Caleb's head is going to have a permanent hat imprint because he never wants to take off his Reds hat. Seriously-found him asleep with it on the other night.
I love that he loves the game. Even more, I love that he shares that with Nick. Then I picture the day when Abby will be off at college and I am at home with three boys. My only thought is, "I hope the house survives."
Saturday, June 18, 2011
A Mother's Mission
My mom came across this article and thought I would enjoy it, which I did and thus am sharing with you all.
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/motherhood-as-a-mission-field
Ironically, as I was reading this, I was getting frustrated with Noah, who kept begging to be held, with snot dripping out of his nose and spit up on his clothes that I will now have to wash.
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/motherhood-as-a-mission-field
Ironically, as I was reading this, I was getting frustrated with Noah, who kept begging to be held, with snot dripping out of his nose and spit up on his clothes that I will now have to wash.
Friday, June 17, 2011
My Superhero
The kids were playing contently together the other day...
...let us just take a moment to bask in this sentence. They were playing contently together.
...okay, moving on. They were playing together, pretending to be superheros. At one point I heard Abby say, "I'm Ironman and I'm going to iron you!"
Well, what else would Ironman do?
...let us just take a moment to bask in this sentence. They were playing contently together.
...okay, moving on. They were playing together, pretending to be superheros. At one point I heard Abby say, "I'm Ironman and I'm going to iron you!"
Well, what else would Ironman do?
Sunday, June 12, 2011
8 Months
What happened to my baby boy? I thought I had a few more months of our last being in the baby phase. Apparently, Noah thinks that he has to be just like his older siblings, so he is racing to keep up with them.
He started crawling a few weeks ago. The first day, he kind of inched around. After that, he just took off. No army crawling or butt scooting-just typical crawling.
Terrific. Now I actually have to baby proof. That was a lot easier to do when it was just us. Now I have to watch out for all the other crap that the kids get out. Caleb wants to play Toy Story memory every day-the problem is, he never remembers to put the cards away. Noah has chewed on so many cards that Caleb knows which ones are which-little cheater.
It seems crawling is not good enough for him. He stands up at anything he can get his hands on. My personal favorite is when he stands at his piano (set at a height at which he can sit) and gradually pushes it across the room. It is pretty funny, until he eventually remembers that he is eight months old, falls down and cries.
Noah is also going through a rough teething time. His first two bottom teeth have made an appearance, but I think the upper ones are hurting him. He normally naps well, but has been waking up early out of almost every nap, lately. I blame it on the teeth.
Or on the fact that the older two kids are now home all day. He did start waking up early from naps about the same time that school let out. Hmm.
Changing his diaper and clothes is like trying to ready an octopus. Arms flying everywhere, body wiggling over in an attempt to get to something more interesting. I have tried raising my voice to get his attention, but it only results in his cute giggle and dimpled smile, leading me to laugh.
I guess I understand his laughing at me-hearing someone say "No Noah" does sound a bit silly. Should have thought of that before naming him.
Even in the midst of losing sleep and hurtful teething, Noah is still a pretty happy kid. What a blessing.
He started crawling a few weeks ago. The first day, he kind of inched around. After that, he just took off. No army crawling or butt scooting-just typical crawling.
Terrific. Now I actually have to baby proof. That was a lot easier to do when it was just us. Now I have to watch out for all the other crap that the kids get out. Caleb wants to play Toy Story memory every day-the problem is, he never remembers to put the cards away. Noah has chewed on so many cards that Caleb knows which ones are which-little cheater.
It seems crawling is not good enough for him. He stands up at anything he can get his hands on. My personal favorite is when he stands at his piano (set at a height at which he can sit) and gradually pushes it across the room. It is pretty funny, until he eventually remembers that he is eight months old, falls down and cries.
Or on the fact that the older two kids are now home all day. He did start waking up early from naps about the same time that school let out. Hmm.
Changing his diaper and clothes is like trying to ready an octopus. Arms flying everywhere, body wiggling over in an attempt to get to something more interesting. I have tried raising my voice to get his attention, but it only results in his cute giggle and dimpled smile, leading me to laugh.
I guess I understand his laughing at me-hearing someone say "No Noah" does sound a bit silly. Should have thought of that before naming him.
Even in the midst of losing sleep and hurtful teething, Noah is still a pretty happy kid. What a blessing.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Summer Break
During the toddler years, I heard other moms of school-age children complaining about summer break. I remember thinking, "Why have kids if you just want them in school all of the time?"
Somehow I know have a bigger appreciation for what they were talking about.
Honestly, I love having them home all summer. There are just a few things that I could do without. For your fun reading, here is my list of the pros and cons of having the kids home all day every day for three months...
Pros:
The joy of having the kids around
Summer vacation
Lots of playing outside
The kids get to play together
No driving back and forth to the school
Able to stay home and get caught up on housework
The kids can sleep in
The kids make up adventures in the backyard
No more homework
No packing of lunches and snacks
No fighting on early bedtimes
Running around in the sprinkler
Cons:
The kids are always around
Long car ride to the beach for vacation
Constant applying of sunscreen
The kids end up fighting together
Driving back and forth to the park, waterpark and playdates
The house only stays clean at night, while everyone is asleep
The kids never sleep in
There is a steady stream of sand, dirt and water being tracked in from the backyard
Being constantly begged to play board games over and over again
Hourly requests for food
By the time the kids go to bed, it is past my bedtime
Finding wet bathing suits under the bed
Oh well. Even with the negatives, having them home is a joy. Lots of memories have already been made and I am sure there are lots more to come.
Somehow I know have a bigger appreciation for what they were talking about.
Honestly, I love having them home all summer. There are just a few things that I could do without. For your fun reading, here is my list of the pros and cons of having the kids home all day every day for three months...
Pros:
The joy of having the kids around
Summer vacation
Lots of playing outside
The kids get to play together
No driving back and forth to the school
Able to stay home and get caught up on housework
The kids can sleep in
The kids make up adventures in the backyard
No more homework
No packing of lunches and snacks
No fighting on early bedtimes
Running around in the sprinkler
Cons:
The kids are always around
Long car ride to the beach for vacation
Constant applying of sunscreen
The kids end up fighting together
Driving back and forth to the park, waterpark and playdates
The house only stays clean at night, while everyone is asleep
The kids never sleep in
There is a steady stream of sand, dirt and water being tracked in from the backyard
Being constantly begged to play board games over and over again
Hourly requests for food
By the time the kids go to bed, it is past my bedtime
Finding wet bathing suits under the bed
Oh well. Even with the negatives, having them home is a joy. Lots of memories have already been made and I am sure there are lots more to come.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Our Messy Weekend
Forget spring cleaning. Every bit of it that I have accomplished in the past few weeks (and it was not very much) has been thrown out the window. I no longer see the point when random things like this weekend happen.
Let us start with the van. As previously posted, I recently cleaned it out. However, the very next day ruined all of my hard work.
I bought groceries. It was a lovely trip, since I was able to shop BY MYSELF. Moms, you totally get the luxury of it. I was able to think, pay attention to all of my coupons and the sales, and read the tabloids while waiting in line instead of entertaining a baby and ignoring the begging from the older two.
Apparently, my smart thinking and paying attention to detail was left at the store. I somehow left one bag of groceries in the van. In Noah's carseat. To be found 24 hours later. In 90 degree weather. The contents being: yogurt, hot dogs, crescent rolls, and butter.
Oh, the butter.
First of all, I was so mad because every item in there (apart from the butter) were bought with great coupons. Secondly, why could it not have been the bags with cereal or toilet paper? No, it had to be the cold items. Seriously?
As much as I hated to throw everything out, I could not risk poisoning my family to save a few bucks. The worst part of it is the carseat. It now smells like butter. I have washed the outer part in the washing machine, I have cleaned the plastic part, and have sprayed everything with Lysol. Yet, it still smells like butter.
Sure, butter smells great. Like movie theater popcorn. But, when it continually sinks into Noah's clothes and makes him greasy...not such a great smell. I will be looking online today to compare prices on carseats. My little mistake of leaving one bag of groceries in the car will cost us the price of food and a carseat.
On to the rest of the weekend...
Nick stayed home with Noah yesterday while the rest of us went to church. We had a busy day ahead of us and needed him to nap well. Noah, not Nick. Although, it might have been better if Nick had just napped all morning.
He decided to clean out the fishtank. The problem started when the light dropped into the fish tank, causing the light and the pump to stop working. As Nick continued to work with everything, more drama occurred. This is the text that I received while exiting church...
Tammy, I just destroyed the top of the shelf in the dining room, dropped all of our wedding cards in the fish tank, broke the aquarium filter, broke the radio, shorted the circuits and basically killed the fish. How is your day going?
I was then left with the dilemma of staying away from the disaster, or actually calling him back and coming home to help.
I chose the latter.
Turns out, the top of our china cabinet fell, which is directly over the fish tank. It is an old piece of furniture, but free, so whatever. The bad part is that our stereo is on top of it, which is now sitting on the table, awaiting my attention to see if it is beyond repair. Our wedding cards have been sitting in the same basket for nine years, also on top of the china cabinet, to keep safe from sticky fingers. Now, about twenty of them are drying out on the kitchen counter, after falling into the fish tank.
I love the irony.
After much trial and error with circuit breakers and plugging things in, we finally found the reset button on one of the outlets, and it fixed the entire wall. The pump is now running, the light is now on, and the fish (by some miracle) are still alive.
All of this happened in one weekend. No wonder we are so tired.
At least one good thing came of this...we were able to read some wedding cards and remember with fondness who was there to celebrate with us nine years ago. I will not tell the guests who exactly ended up in the fish tank, but if it was you, your card is now seasoned with extra memories from our marriage.
Let us start with the van. As previously posted, I recently cleaned it out. However, the very next day ruined all of my hard work.
I bought groceries. It was a lovely trip, since I was able to shop BY MYSELF. Moms, you totally get the luxury of it. I was able to think, pay attention to all of my coupons and the sales, and read the tabloids while waiting in line instead of entertaining a baby and ignoring the begging from the older two.
Apparently, my smart thinking and paying attention to detail was left at the store. I somehow left one bag of groceries in the van. In Noah's carseat. To be found 24 hours later. In 90 degree weather. The contents being: yogurt, hot dogs, crescent rolls, and butter.
Oh, the butter.
First of all, I was so mad because every item in there (apart from the butter) were bought with great coupons. Secondly, why could it not have been the bags with cereal or toilet paper? No, it had to be the cold items. Seriously?
As much as I hated to throw everything out, I could not risk poisoning my family to save a few bucks. The worst part of it is the carseat. It now smells like butter. I have washed the outer part in the washing machine, I have cleaned the plastic part, and have sprayed everything with Lysol. Yet, it still smells like butter.
Sure, butter smells great. Like movie theater popcorn. But, when it continually sinks into Noah's clothes and makes him greasy...not such a great smell. I will be looking online today to compare prices on carseats. My little mistake of leaving one bag of groceries in the car will cost us the price of food and a carseat.
On to the rest of the weekend...
Nick stayed home with Noah yesterday while the rest of us went to church. We had a busy day ahead of us and needed him to nap well. Noah, not Nick. Although, it might have been better if Nick had just napped all morning.
He decided to clean out the fishtank. The problem started when the light dropped into the fish tank, causing the light and the pump to stop working. As Nick continued to work with everything, more drama occurred. This is the text that I received while exiting church...
Tammy, I just destroyed the top of the shelf in the dining room, dropped all of our wedding cards in the fish tank, broke the aquarium filter, broke the radio, shorted the circuits and basically killed the fish. How is your day going?
I was then left with the dilemma of staying away from the disaster, or actually calling him back and coming home to help.
I chose the latter.
Turns out, the top of our china cabinet fell, which is directly over the fish tank. It is an old piece of furniture, but free, so whatever. The bad part is that our stereo is on top of it, which is now sitting on the table, awaiting my attention to see if it is beyond repair. Our wedding cards have been sitting in the same basket for nine years, also on top of the china cabinet, to keep safe from sticky fingers. Now, about twenty of them are drying out on the kitchen counter, after falling into the fish tank.
I love the irony.
After much trial and error with circuit breakers and plugging things in, we finally found the reset button on one of the outlets, and it fixed the entire wall. The pump is now running, the light is now on, and the fish (by some miracle) are still alive.
All of this happened in one weekend. No wonder we are so tired.
At least one good thing came of this...we were able to read some wedding cards and remember with fondness who was there to celebrate with us nine years ago. I will not tell the guests who exactly ended up in the fish tank, but if it was you, your card is now seasoned with extra memories from our marriage.
Friday, June 3, 2011
My Dirty Van
Now that school is done and carpooling is over for a few months, I decided to clean out the van.
It was lots of fun.
I expected to find a few wrappers here and there or maybe a lost toy. And I did. Next to lots and lots of things that I never wanted to find.
Let's start with the bread crumbs in the backseat. Not just on the seat, in the cracks of the seat or on the floor. But, also piles on the side of the van, in the cupholder and on the arm rest. Apparently, when my daughter is eating a sandwich on the way somewhere, she leaves the crust there and neglects to tell me or throw it out when we reach our destination.
Seriously, Abby? Just throw it out of the window and let the birds eat it.
Moving on to the wrappers on the floor. Not just on the floor, but underneath the seats and in storage pockets. My favorite place to find wrappers? Under the back seat, perfectly positioned so that I cannot reach them from under the seat or from the back of the van. They just sit there, mocking me.
Now this one was one of my favorites. A half-eaten sandwich from Caleb's carpool friend. Want to know what happens to an uneaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich after it is hidden for awhile? No, you do not want to know.
I also found some random things that had been missing. A marble from Hungry Hungry Hippo. Some of Nick's baseball hats that he is always looking for. McDonald's toys. The Three Amigos DVD.
Sure. Okay.
And of course, the crayons. I found some melted ones which immediately went into the trash. I also discovered some artistic work by my precious preschool riders. I had caught them in the act of drawing on the windows a couple of weeks ago and immediately shut down that project. However, I discovered that their handiwork extended to the walls and ceiling in the back of the van.
Terrific.
I made Caleb clean the windows (which of course he found fun, thus making the punishment worthless), but I am still at a loss as to how the crayon is going to come off of soft material. I may have to break out the magic eraser and give it a try.
My van is now clean (as clean as it will ever get after living in it for five years) and I can now enjoy riding in it without wondering where that smell is coming from.
I know I am not alone. Thankfully, I carpool with two other moms who have similar looking vehicles. I think we find comfort in knowing that none of us is perfect or a super-mom. We do know super-moms, though. While driving for a school function, two of us had students who looked around, turned up their noses and made comments about how dirty the vans were.
Clearly, they are the only children in their family.
Now, on to the summer where I am sure my van will stay perfectly clean. Vacation, camp, King's Island...all of these adventures will leave my van looking spotless and new. And after that is soccer season and school-what a breeze.
It was lots of fun.
I expected to find a few wrappers here and there or maybe a lost toy. And I did. Next to lots and lots of things that I never wanted to find.
Let's start with the bread crumbs in the backseat. Not just on the seat, in the cracks of the seat or on the floor. But, also piles on the side of the van, in the cupholder and on the arm rest. Apparently, when my daughter is eating a sandwich on the way somewhere, she leaves the crust there and neglects to tell me or throw it out when we reach our destination.
Seriously, Abby? Just throw it out of the window and let the birds eat it.
Moving on to the wrappers on the floor. Not just on the floor, but underneath the seats and in storage pockets. My favorite place to find wrappers? Under the back seat, perfectly positioned so that I cannot reach them from under the seat or from the back of the van. They just sit there, mocking me.
Now this one was one of my favorites. A half-eaten sandwich from Caleb's carpool friend. Want to know what happens to an uneaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich after it is hidden for awhile? No, you do not want to know.
I also found some random things that had been missing. A marble from Hungry Hungry Hippo. Some of Nick's baseball hats that he is always looking for. McDonald's toys. The Three Amigos DVD.
Sure. Okay.
And of course, the crayons. I found some melted ones which immediately went into the trash. I also discovered some artistic work by my precious preschool riders. I had caught them in the act of drawing on the windows a couple of weeks ago and immediately shut down that project. However, I discovered that their handiwork extended to the walls and ceiling in the back of the van.
Terrific.
I made Caleb clean the windows (which of course he found fun, thus making the punishment worthless), but I am still at a loss as to how the crayon is going to come off of soft material. I may have to break out the magic eraser and give it a try.
My van is now clean (as clean as it will ever get after living in it for five years) and I can now enjoy riding in it without wondering where that smell is coming from.
I know I am not alone. Thankfully, I carpool with two other moms who have similar looking vehicles. I think we find comfort in knowing that none of us is perfect or a super-mom. We do know super-moms, though. While driving for a school function, two of us had students who looked around, turned up their noses and made comments about how dirty the vans were.
Clearly, they are the only children in their family.
Now, on to the summer where I am sure my van will stay perfectly clean. Vacation, camp, King's Island...all of these adventures will leave my van looking spotless and new. And after that is soccer season and school-what a breeze.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Creativity
I have never been one to come up with creative things for the kids to do.
When Abby was a baby, I remember visiting a friend who had a daughter that was Abby's age now. I walked into her living room, and there was a string tied across the room, with decorations hanging from it. Her daughter was finding her inner artist and decorating the house. I remember thinking, "Wow, I do not have the energy for that part of parenting."
Thankfully, my children have learned to be creative on their own. My cozy "reading room" loft is now their art area. And, judging from the video here, they find adventure in something as simple as a box.
While Nick and I were hard at work, putting together our new gazebo for the backyard, they decided to make an airplane out of the box.
My hope is that they will continue to work together and get along this well all summer.
I am sure that will happen.
When Abby was a baby, I remember visiting a friend who had a daughter that was Abby's age now. I walked into her living room, and there was a string tied across the room, with decorations hanging from it. Her daughter was finding her inner artist and decorating the house. I remember thinking, "Wow, I do not have the energy for that part of parenting."
Thankfully, my children have learned to be creative on their own. My cozy "reading room" loft is now their art area. And, judging from the video here, they find adventure in something as simple as a box.
While Nick and I were hard at work, putting together our new gazebo for the backyard, they decided to make an airplane out of the box.
My hope is that they will continue to work together and get along this well all summer.
I am sure that will happen.
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