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Monday, May 30, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
A Day in the Life....
My neighbor asked me to help her out with a class project. It involved recording how my children felt each hour of one day and document it with a picture. I thought it would be nice to help her out and it sounded like it might be fun.
Disclaimer: The project only required an hourly check, so any fights, meltdowns or timeouts that happened in between the hour are not recorded, so the results are a little skewed. Still, we did have a pretty good day even with those non-recorded meltdowns!
So, here it is....a day in the life.
7:15 Abby wakes up in a particularly good mood. She wants to eat breakfast immediately. It might have something to do with the Fruit Loops we bought yesterday in honor of Jackson’s birthday week.
7:30 Jackson wakes up, following suit with the excitement about breakfast. Jackson eats cereal like he is Cookie Monster, very enthusiastically and very messy!
9:00 The kids are building forts in the living room and are surprisingly not fighting over the pillows, blankets, stuffed animals or who gets which side. All is good.
10:00 Jackson, the budding artist, works on art project #13 for the day, while Abby pouts, cries and screams about getting dressed. It’s what she does every morning, so nobody in the house is surprised or phased by her behavior. We eventually coax her into an outfit.
Disclaimer: The project only required an hourly check, so any fights, meltdowns or timeouts that happened in between the hour are not recorded, so the results are a little skewed. Still, we did have a pretty good day even with those non-recorded meltdowns!
So, here it is....a day in the life.
7:15 Abby wakes up in a particularly good mood. She wants to eat breakfast immediately. It might have something to do with the Fruit Loops we bought yesterday in honor of Jackson’s birthday week.
7:30 Jackson wakes up, following suit with the excitement about breakfast. Jackson eats cereal like he is Cookie Monster, very enthusiastically and very messy!
9:00 The kids are building forts in the living room and are surprisingly not fighting over the pillows, blankets, stuffed animals or who gets which side. All is good.
10:00 Jackson, the budding artist, works on art project #13 for the day, while Abby pouts, cries and screams about getting dressed. It’s what she does every morning, so nobody in the house is surprised or phased by her behavior. We eventually coax her into an outfit.
11:00 We have successfully left the house and have arrived at the Peggy Notebart Nature Museum. We spend way too much time in the waterworks room getting soaking wet. Abby proceeds to spend way too much time under the dryer, but it doesn’t matter since everyone is happy!
12:00 We were disappointed that the upstairs treehouse was closed for construction, but happy enough to play on the slide/tunnel/ship/treehouse area downstairs. We pretend to eat snakes, be pirates, fend off evil beavers and take naps in the cave. We are happy, but hungry…time to head home!
1:00 Lunch. If you plan well enough, any meal can go without issue at our house. You will need: the purple spoon, the mermaid plate, maga’s cup and two booster seats on the opposite side of the table. You might also want to consider not putting any fruits or vegetables on Abby’s plate if you don’t want to get a dirty look. Luckily for us, we were well prepared for lunch and all went well.
2:00 While at the Nature Museum (see above) we read about making your own crayons. Fun! Thought we’d try it out for ourselves. The project involves finding all of your own broken crayons, combining them in your sprayed muffin tins and watching them melt together in the oven for 7-8 minutes at 275 degrees. The kids loved it. If this project were about the parents’ moods, I would say that the cleaning of the muffin pan tarnished the overall project a little. But it’s not about us, it’s about the kids, and they loved the project! Still, next time I think I'd use muffin pan liners.
3:00 Baking cookies. Enough said.
4:00 Per a supermom’s suggestion, (Thanks Amy!) we introduced Uno to the kids this afternoon. We adjusted the rules a little, played open faced and the kids loved it. It snowballed into the kids pulling out every game we own to play! We played Chutes & Ladders (the regular version), Chutes & Ladders (the Superhero version), Memory and Gone Fishing. Everyone had the chance to win so everyone was happy!
5:00 Dress up! We pulled out the Halloween costumes to play dress up. Abby managed to get into the kitty costume that is a size 6 months and the monkey costume that is a size 12 months. Maybe we should donate those? There were several costume changes, including Spiderman, a Dragon, a Spider and Wonder Woman. The only downside was when we made them take them off for dinner. Who likes a messy superhero?
12:00 We were disappointed that the upstairs treehouse was closed for construction, but happy enough to play on the slide/tunnel/ship/treehouse area downstairs. We pretend to eat snakes, be pirates, fend off evil beavers and take naps in the cave. We are happy, but hungry…time to head home!
1:00 Lunch. If you plan well enough, any meal can go without issue at our house. You will need: the purple spoon, the mermaid plate, maga’s cup and two booster seats on the opposite side of the table. You might also want to consider not putting any fruits or vegetables on Abby’s plate if you don’t want to get a dirty look. Luckily for us, we were well prepared for lunch and all went well.
2:00 While at the Nature Museum (see above) we read about making your own crayons. Fun! Thought we’d try it out for ourselves. The project involves finding all of your own broken crayons, combining them in your sprayed muffin tins and watching them melt together in the oven for 7-8 minutes at 275 degrees. The kids loved it. If this project were about the parents’ moods, I would say that the cleaning of the muffin pan tarnished the overall project a little. But it’s not about us, it’s about the kids, and they loved the project! Still, next time I think I'd use muffin pan liners.
3:00 Baking cookies. Enough said.4:00 Per a supermom’s suggestion, (Thanks Amy!) we introduced Uno to the kids this afternoon. We adjusted the rules a little, played open faced and the kids loved it. It snowballed into the kids pulling out every game we own to play! We played Chutes & Ladders (the regular version), Chutes & Ladders (the Superhero version), Memory and Gone Fishing. Everyone had the chance to win so everyone was happy!
5:00 Dress up! We pulled out the Halloween costumes to play dress up. Abby managed to get into the kitty costume that is a size 6 months and the monkey costume that is a size 12 months. Maybe we should donate those? There were several costume changes, including Spiderman, a Dragon, a Spider and Wonder Woman. The only downside was when we made them take them off for dinner. Who likes a messy superhero?
6:00 Dinner time. Jackson and Abby eat amazingly well and are awarded with fresh baked cookies (see above).
7:00 Time for bed! Everyone has gotten into their jammies, brushed their teeth and chosen their 2 books to read and their side of the couch. Jackson will fall asleep in 2.2 minutes and Abby will negotiate with us about things she might need in her bed (books, flowers, diapers, more books, wipes, purses, pretend cupcakes, stuffed animals-no not that pink bear- and many blankets). She will whine and cry and ask for another backrub and won't fall asleep until after Matt is already snoring on the couch. This is what we do every night, so nobody is surprised or phased by her behavior. This doesn't mean that we don't desperately wish she would just GO TO SLEEP!
7:00 Time for bed! Everyone has gotten into their jammies, brushed their teeth and chosen their 2 books to read and their side of the couch. Jackson will fall asleep in 2.2 minutes and Abby will negotiate with us about things she might need in her bed (books, flowers, diapers, more books, wipes, purses, pretend cupcakes, stuffed animals-no not that pink bear- and many blankets). She will whine and cry and ask for another backrub and won't fall asleep until after Matt is already snoring on the couch. This is what we do every night, so nobody is surprised or phased by her behavior. This doesn't mean that we don't desperately wish she would just GO TO SLEEP! Sunday, January 2, 2011
Winter Fun
We knew all of that fun snow wouldn't last long, so we made sure to get out there and enjoy it while we could! Now we are anxiously awaiting the next snow.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Merry Christmas-Parts 2 & 3
I could have named this post, "Seriously, who needs this much stuff?"...because the kids now have more than they know what to do with! But the kids had a wonderful Christmas, and that's all that really matters!
We spent Christmas Eve at my mom's, sledding and stuffing ourselves with appetizers. It was a wonder that we didn't lose one of the kids under the massive piles of presents she had stacked around her Christmas tree! We started the day with the stockings, which gave us a 4 minute break from Trevor asking if it was time to open presents yet. Instead of giving in to his pleas, we got everyone bundled up and headed outside for some sledding. Abby slid down the hill about a dozen times on her butt and Uncle Justin became the bad guy and was pelted with snowballs. No worries, though, he can hold his own.
Then we headed inside and finally! the kids got to open their gifts. Let me explain something about opening gifts at my mom's. There is absolutely no rhyme or reason to it! We pass out all of the presents to each person....the kids each had a pile taller than themselves. Then, all hell breaks loose....everyone just tears into it! It is complete chaos and the kids love love love it! I loved it as a kid too...who wouldn't? It is so much fun! No waiting. No having to watch your brother open his presents. Just tear into your own larger than you are pile. What fun!
It was so much fun that on Christmas morning, Jackson was a little disappointed with the small pile of presents from Matt and me on Christmas morning! Luckily, Santa came through for him!
The kids woke up at about 7am and we crept downstairs as Matt videotaped the kids' reactions. Abby loved her kitchen and Barbie stuff and Jackson exclaimed "I didn't even know they could make this!" about his Polar Express train. We made homemade donuts and ripped open the presents in our stockings and under the tree. The kids didn't know what to play with first...or next. We played Barbie, watched the Polar Express go round and round, cooked in Abby's new kitchen and dueled with Jackson's new swords. Abby named her new groovy girls dolls Sofia and Lila after her friends and Jackson learned about a whole new family of superheroes and bad guys. It was a perfect Christmas!
We will likely be singing Santa songs to Abby for months to come and Jackson will probably want to play with his Polar Express every day until next Christmas. Christmas just never seems to end at our house! Tonight at bedtime Jackson said,"Now, there are a lot of days until Christmas, right?" Right...363 to be exact...and we are counting down!
We spent Christmas Eve at my mom's, sledding and stuffing ourselves with appetizers. It was a wonder that we didn't lose one of the kids under the massive piles of presents she had stacked around her Christmas tree! We started the day with the stockings, which gave us a 4 minute break from Trevor asking if it was time to open presents yet. Instead of giving in to his pleas, we got everyone bundled up and headed outside for some sledding. Abby slid down the hill about a dozen times on her butt and Uncle Justin became the bad guy and was pelted with snowballs. No worries, though, he can hold his own.
Then we headed inside and finally! the kids got to open their gifts. Let me explain something about opening gifts at my mom's. There is absolutely no rhyme or reason to it! We pass out all of the presents to each person....the kids each had a pile taller than themselves. Then, all hell breaks loose....everyone just tears into it! It is complete chaos and the kids love love love it! I loved it as a kid too...who wouldn't? It is so much fun! No waiting. No having to watch your brother open his presents. Just tear into your own larger than you are pile. What fun!
It was so much fun that on Christmas morning, Jackson was a little disappointed with the small pile of presents from Matt and me on Christmas morning! Luckily, Santa came through for him!
The kids woke up at about 7am and we crept downstairs as Matt videotaped the kids' reactions. Abby loved her kitchen and Barbie stuff and Jackson exclaimed "I didn't even know they could make this!" about his Polar Express train. We made homemade donuts and ripped open the presents in our stockings and under the tree. The kids didn't know what to play with first...or next. We played Barbie, watched the Polar Express go round and round, cooked in Abby's new kitchen and dueled with Jackson's new swords. Abby named her new groovy girls dolls Sofia and Lila after her friends and Jackson learned about a whole new family of superheroes and bad guys. It was a perfect Christmas!
We will likely be singing Santa songs to Abby for months to come and Jackson will probably want to play with his Polar Express every day until next Christmas. Christmas just never seems to end at our house! Tonight at bedtime Jackson said,"Now, there are a lot of days until Christmas, right?" Right...363 to be exact...and we are counting down!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Nap Time Shenanigans
Nap time is supposed to be restful, right? Would someone please tell that to Jackson & Abby?
Abby has taken to sleeping with everything that she owns (I'm only exaggering a little bit!). Her little twin bed often holds about a dozen books, a good 8 stuffed animals or dolls, her play cake and cupcakes, her vase of fake flowers, her diaper basket and wipes, her piggy bank and about 12 blankets. Somewhere in the middle of all of this is my baby girl. My friends Jen & Jeff just bought her some dress up clothes for Christmas...these items have joined Abby's bedtime party. Two days ago, Matt went upstairs while Abby was supposed to be sleeping and found her in her high heels and jewelry holding her purse and parading around in circles in her bed. Perhaps she was putting on a show for all those stuffed animals and dolls in her bed! Then, yesterday she had been upstairs for a nap for about 45 minutes when I heard her screaming. I ran upstairs to find her half naked. She had peed and had decided to change her own diaper. (Don't laugh...last week she successfully did it!) But yesterday, she got stuck and wasn't very happy about it. By the time we got her dressed, it was too late for her to take a nap, so she went nap-less. (NOT a good idea!)
Jackson on the other hand, has basically given up on naps completely. Everyday as naptime (or quiet time as we often call it) approaches, he ponders, "Mom, can I have quiet time on the couch today?" Jackson's "quiet time" on the couch generally consists of him sitting quietly for all of 8 minutes until he is bored of watching Mickey Mouse. So much for getting anything done during nap time. Every once in a while I can convince him that he needs to have quiet time in his bedroom. Earlier this week, Matt and I were successful in convincing him that he should play in his room for a while for quiet time. It helped that he already has all his Christmas presents from Nana & Papa! Just a little while later, we found him asleep in his closet, where he had made himself a little bed atop a tote complete with his giant stuffed tiger (Named Frosty by the kids), two bunnies and several blankets. Here he is, snug as a bug...
Abby has taken to sleeping with everything that she owns (I'm only exaggering a little bit!). Her little twin bed often holds about a dozen books, a good 8 stuffed animals or dolls, her play cake and cupcakes, her vase of fake flowers, her diaper basket and wipes, her piggy bank and about 12 blankets. Somewhere in the middle of all of this is my baby girl. My friends Jen & Jeff just bought her some dress up clothes for Christmas...these items have joined Abby's bedtime party. Two days ago, Matt went upstairs while Abby was supposed to be sleeping and found her in her high heels and jewelry holding her purse and parading around in circles in her bed. Perhaps she was putting on a show for all those stuffed animals and dolls in her bed! Then, yesterday she had been upstairs for a nap for about 45 minutes when I heard her screaming. I ran upstairs to find her half naked. She had peed and had decided to change her own diaper. (Don't laugh...last week she successfully did it!) But yesterday, she got stuck and wasn't very happy about it. By the time we got her dressed, it was too late for her to take a nap, so she went nap-less. (NOT a good idea!)
Jackson on the other hand, has basically given up on naps completely. Everyday as naptime (or quiet time as we often call it) approaches, he ponders, "Mom, can I have quiet time on the couch today?" Jackson's "quiet time" on the couch generally consists of him sitting quietly for all of 8 minutes until he is bored of watching Mickey Mouse. So much for getting anything done during nap time. Every once in a while I can convince him that he needs to have quiet time in his bedroom. Earlier this week, Matt and I were successful in convincing him that he should play in his room for a while for quiet time. It helped that he already has all his Christmas presents from Nana & Papa! Just a little while later, we found him asleep in his closet, where he had made himself a little bed atop a tote complete with his giant stuffed tiger (Named Frosty by the kids), two bunnies and several blankets. Here he is, snug as a bug...
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