Alyssa wants her ears pierced. She's asked several times now, and other than the fact that it's a teeny peek ahead to her young adulthood when she'll leave me (sob), I'm pretty much OK with it.
Now that this subject is on my mind, I'm curious as to what your experience is/was? Do you have a child with pierced ears, and if so, how old was she (or he :) and where did you get it done? Do you have any advice that might be of use?
I've created a poll (on the right) for ear piercing age, and any other info you might have to share could be left as a comment to this post? (Hint hint ;)
Thanks!!
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2.28.2009
2.26.2009
Sea Monkeys Friendship Locket
OMG look!!! Alyssa would FLIP. The things I find when I browse on Amazon, lol.
It says in the description that the locket will hold two Sea Monkeys for up to 12 hours. I'm assuming that this is because it's air-tight - it would have to be sealable to be wearable. Sea Monkeys need oxygenated water, so if there's no fresh air they'll die eventually. The tanks that come with the initial purchase have removable lids with air holes in them, which she can't really carry places without risking major spillage. But the locket? OMG she could probably wear it to school (not sure what the teachers would say).
Hmmmm. (hee hee). To show her, or not to show her? That is the question!
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It says in the description that the locket will hold two Sea Monkeys for up to 12 hours. I'm assuming that this is because it's air-tight - it would have to be sealable to be wearable. Sea Monkeys need oxygenated water, so if there's no fresh air they'll die eventually. The tanks that come with the initial purchase have removable lids with air holes in them, which she can't really carry places without risking major spillage. But the locket? OMG she could probably wear it to school (not sure what the teachers would say).
Hmmmm. (hee hee). To show her, or not to show her? That is the question!
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2.24.2009
Don't Ya Just Love It When...
So I'm singing "Deck The Halls" (yes I know it's February 24Th) and Alyssa says to me:
"Hey, how do you know that song!!"
Aw, aren't you the cutest thing.
Just like the time you came home from school and told me about Remembrance Day, like it was something brand new from this year. Never before heard of, must tell Mommy. Or the time you informed me what the school library was for (just in case I didn't know).
It kind of reminds me of that moment in my childhood when it dawned on me that my parents had lives before I was born ("woah!!! holy cow..."), that I was indeed not the entire universe, and the things that I was learning about weren't brand new to everyone else as well.
Now I get to relive those moments through my kids :)
Gotta love it!
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"Hey, how do you know that song!!"
Aw, aren't you the cutest thing.
Just like the time you came home from school and told me about Remembrance Day, like it was something brand new from this year. Never before heard of, must tell Mommy. Or the time you informed me what the school library was for (just in case I didn't know).
It kind of reminds me of that moment in my childhood when it dawned on me that my parents had lives before I was born ("woah!!! holy cow..."), that I was indeed not the entire universe, and the things that I was learning about weren't brand new to everyone else as well.
Now I get to relive those moments through my kids :)
Gotta love it!
____________________
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2.23.2009
How I Frightened An Entire Field Hockey Team
Teenage boys, coming off the Field. My four year old son and I, walking home.
We had the stroller with us. Why the bleep not. It's good up to 60 lbs (50 for child and 10 in the basket), and J is about 40 1/2 pounds. Most of the time he walks anyway, which is what I want, but I am ALLERGIC to carrying crap, and this way I can toss his back pack in the stroller basket. On the odd occasion when he isn't in the mood to walk, I don't have to deal with a cranky kid. Hop in, and Mommy'll push ya.
Today I had the canopy covering the seat and the rain cover over the stroller because it had rained a bit earlier. J was up to his favourite activity of pushing it, head down, and fighting the impulse to run.
"Easy Buddy - watch where you're going. Slow down! Keep the stroller on the path."
Curved brick wall, right in his path. Running slowly, not enough to really damage the stroller, but enough to stop him and it suddenly in his tracks.
"Wall!!! Wall!!! Wall!!!" (shouts from the Field Hockey players) "Looook oooouuut!!!"
It occurred to me after the fact, after J and his pushing toy went BOUNCE off the wall, that the teenage boys had no idea that the stroller was empty....
(oops ;)
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We had the stroller with us. Why the bleep not. It's good up to 60 lbs (50 for child and 10 in the basket), and J is about 40 1/2 pounds. Most of the time he walks anyway, which is what I want, but I am ALLERGIC to carrying crap, and this way I can toss his back pack in the stroller basket. On the odd occasion when he isn't in the mood to walk, I don't have to deal with a cranky kid. Hop in, and Mommy'll push ya.
Today I had the canopy covering the seat and the rain cover over the stroller because it had rained a bit earlier. J was up to his favourite activity of pushing it, head down, and fighting the impulse to run.
"Easy Buddy - watch where you're going. Slow down! Keep the stroller on the path."
Curved brick wall, right in his path. Running slowly, not enough to really damage the stroller, but enough to stop him and it suddenly in his tracks.
"Wall!!! Wall!!! Wall!!!" (shouts from the Field Hockey players) "Looook oooouuut!!!"
It occurred to me after the fact, after J and his pushing toy went BOUNCE off the wall, that the teenage boys had no idea that the stroller was empty....
(oops ;)
____________________
Return to Fine Grind
2.22.2009
My Son Is A Click-a-holic
Husband: "Hey, can he (4 yr old) play at the computer while you're in the shower? I have to leave for work."
Me: "Um, NO!! He clicks on stuff he's not supposed to!!"
Husband: (laughing) "Whatever. Computers are bullet proof these days."
You can see why I drink wine.
(anyway)
He (the 4 yr old, not the 44 yr old), cannot be trusted unsupervised with a mouse (computer, not rodent). Take today, for example: he started off at the kid safe site www.totlol.com and somehow, in a mere 14.2 seconds, ended up about to click "play" on a YouTube video of a man eating scorpions (and right before lunch, no less ;)
BLECH.
He has printed stuff he's not supposed to, Googled 30+ random character "words", come really close to e-mailing gibberish to people, deleted stuff, CRANKED up the PC volume... you get the idea. I could go on, but I won't.
What? Parental controls? Hmm. Hey, you know what? Maybe I should look into that.
(now I get it)
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Me: "Um, NO!! He clicks on stuff he's not supposed to!!"
Husband: (laughing) "Whatever. Computers are bullet proof these days."
You can see why I drink wine.
(anyway)
He (the 4 yr old, not the 44 yr old), cannot be trusted unsupervised with a mouse (computer, not rodent). Take today, for example: he started off at the kid safe site www.totlol.com and somehow, in a mere 14.2 seconds, ended up about to click "play" on a YouTube video of a man eating scorpions (and right before lunch, no less ;)
BLECH.
He has printed stuff he's not supposed to, Googled 30+ random character "words", come really close to e-mailing gibberish to people, deleted stuff, CRANKED up the PC volume... you get the idea. I could go on, but I won't.
What? Parental controls? Hmm. Hey, you know what? Maybe I should look into that.
(now I get it)
____________________
Return to Fine Grind
2.21.2009
Movin' On Up
'K, done. The computer has been moved upstairs. We went shopping last night for a desk and here's what we ended up buying:
I LOVE it, although it was a little more than what I was hoping to pay (we bought ours at Staples for $199 CDN). The reason I went with this particular one was because it is more decorative than "office functional", which is important because it's sitting in a corner of our living room.
As I type this, the kids are both in front of the computer and I can see their screen (plus hear the repetitive drone of "we need to catch up to the Sillysaurus!!" courtesy of Nick Jr... oh my aching head). If they need help I can simply walk across the room, rather than hollering "JUST A SECOND!!" down to the bowels of the basement, where they were up to goodness only knows what.
Ah yes, this is much better, Sillysaurus and all ;)
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I LOVE it, although it was a little more than what I was hoping to pay (we bought ours at Staples for $199 CDN). The reason I went with this particular one was because it is more decorative than "office functional", which is important because it's sitting in a corner of our living room.
As I type this, the kids are both in front of the computer and I can see their screen (plus hear the repetitive drone of "we need to catch up to the Sillysaurus!!" courtesy of Nick Jr... oh my aching head). If they need help I can simply walk across the room, rather than hollering "JUST A SECOND!!" down to the bowels of the basement, where they were up to goodness only knows what.
Ah yes, this is much better, Sillysaurus and all ;)
____________________
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2.19.2009
Wow! A Blog Post ;)
(The "change Mii" music drones on in the background as I sit here. For the uninitiated, a "Mii" is your player on Wii, which you can customize. My four year old thinks this is as amusing as any of the games, and spends a lot of time changing his Mii. Hence the music. I hear it in my sleep these days.)
Tomorrow the cable guy is coming to move one of our outlets, so that we can move our computer from the basement office into the living room. This doesn't apply to my laptop, of course, which is connected to the internet via a wireless router, but rather our desktop PC, which is the one the kids are allowed to use. This is for two reasons:
a) it is in keeping with my policy that kids shouldn't have access to the internet behind closed doors (i.e. no internet in their bedroom. EVER.)
b) it will allow Lil' J to finally start to use the computer. Up until now he's only been allowed to watch his sister while she played in my office, on Webkinz, or whatever shortcut I had set up for her. Now he'll be able to have his own turns without watching her.
The only glitch in my plan so far is that we haven't had a chance to get a computer desk for the living room (the one that's in my office is too big, and uh, too ugly).
Hmmm. Either they come in the morning to move the outlet and we get a desk in the afternoon, or they come in the afternoon and we set the computer up on the floor (or I could get off this computer and find a spare end table somewhere just in case).
Maybe that's what I'll do. Blog ya later ;)
____________________
Return to Fine Grind
Tomorrow the cable guy is coming to move one of our outlets, so that we can move our computer from the basement office into the living room. This doesn't apply to my laptop, of course, which is connected to the internet via a wireless router, but rather our desktop PC, which is the one the kids are allowed to use. This is for two reasons:
a) it is in keeping with my policy that kids shouldn't have access to the internet behind closed doors (i.e. no internet in their bedroom. EVER.)
b) it will allow Lil' J to finally start to use the computer. Up until now he's only been allowed to watch his sister while she played in my office, on Webkinz, or whatever shortcut I had set up for her. Now he'll be able to have his own turns without watching her.
The only glitch in my plan so far is that we haven't had a chance to get a computer desk for the living room (the one that's in my office is too big, and uh, too ugly).
Hmmm. Either they come in the morning to move the outlet and we get a desk in the afternoon, or they come in the afternoon and we set the computer up on the floor (or I could get off this computer and find a spare end table somewhere just in case).
Maybe that's what I'll do. Blog ya later ;)
____________________
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2.08.2009
Maybe They Can Learn From Each Other
The occasion: a friend's birthday party. The competition: musical chairs. Let the child personality analysis begin!
Lil' J got knocked out about half way through, and obediently sat out for the rest of the game, along with the other early departees. His mellow response in the face of rejection was in keeping with his "whatever, it's just a game" temperament. Live and let live. Peace, man. Have a great day. Z z z z z.
Alyssa, on the other hand, was NOT happy with coming in second. Second!! HMMPH!! "I HATE that game! I'm GLAD it's over!" Seething words, that luckily were spoken under her breath and only loud enough for me to hear, or she would have been sent away for the longest time-out in the history of all things child related.
There's an upside to the Diva dramatics - she's very achievement oriented, and barely bats an eyelash at working her butt off to attain mastery or success at something. The downside is that she's, uh, a little tightly wound.
Lil' Bro, on the other hand, will try something for awhile, and if it's too hard will make peace with the idea of NOT doing it, and move on to something else. "Mama, I'm all done wid dat." Z z z z z. He's super fun at parties though, and will never embarrass his mother. TERrific.
I've tried helping them both with varying degrees of no success. I'm not going to say I've thrown in the towel completely, but let's just say I have embraced a new strategy: hoping they can learn from each other!
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Lil' J got knocked out about half way through, and obediently sat out for the rest of the game, along with the other early departees. His mellow response in the face of rejection was in keeping with his "whatever, it's just a game" temperament. Live and let live. Peace, man. Have a great day. Z z z z z.
Alyssa, on the other hand, was NOT happy with coming in second. Second!! HMMPH!! "I HATE that game! I'm GLAD it's over!" Seething words, that luckily were spoken under her breath and only loud enough for me to hear, or she would have been sent away for the longest time-out in the history of all things child related.
There's an upside to the Diva dramatics - she's very achievement oriented, and barely bats an eyelash at working her butt off to attain mastery or success at something. The downside is that she's, uh, a little tightly wound.
Lil' Bro, on the other hand, will try something for awhile, and if it's too hard will make peace with the idea of NOT doing it, and move on to something else. "Mama, I'm all done wid dat." Z z z z z. He's super fun at parties though, and will never embarrass his mother. TERrific.
I've tried helping them both with varying degrees of no success. I'm not going to say I've thrown in the towel completely, but let's just say I have embraced a new strategy: hoping they can learn from each other!
____________________
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2.06.2009
TV? What TV?
Ah, Spongebob!! How I love thee!!! Thanks to you, I can vacuum, do dishes, do laundry, take out garbage, clean bathrooms (wait, hang on. Maybe I don't like Spongebob after all ;)
Whaaaat??? I don't use the TV as a babysitter ALL the time. Just enough so that I can get through a day with my sanity intact. And I have been know to turn it off, under much protest, and drag my children against their will into the back yard. This usually ends well (as in, they end up happy), because kids and the outdoors go hand in hand.
Today I sat with my four year old and did some "pre-K" work book stuff, as well as some activities in his Thomas The Tank Engine magazines. He lasted almost :45 before getting restless, which was a tremendous relief to me (not that I have TV guilt), because apparently by Kindergarten, kids are only expected to be able to focus for about :20.
(PHEW)
When determining whether or not your child has an attention span issue, a handy rule of thumb is that they should be able to remain engaged for :03 - :05 per year of life. (Or so says a few pages that I read on the internet. I'll take it, 'cause it makes my lil' :45 dude seem like a genius ;) Wahoo, internet!!
As I type this, both kids are watching Spongebob, and although the maternal guilt reflex is trying to kick in, deep down I'm not too worried about it.
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Whaaaat??? I don't use the TV as a babysitter ALL the time. Just enough so that I can get through a day with my sanity intact. And I have been know to turn it off, under much protest, and drag my children against their will into the back yard. This usually ends well (as in, they end up happy), because kids and the outdoors go hand in hand.
Today I sat with my four year old and did some "pre-K" work book stuff, as well as some activities in his Thomas The Tank Engine magazines. He lasted almost :45 before getting restless, which was a tremendous relief to me (not that I have TV guilt), because apparently by Kindergarten, kids are only expected to be able to focus for about :20.
(PHEW)
When determining whether or not your child has an attention span issue, a handy rule of thumb is that they should be able to remain engaged for :03 - :05 per year of life. (Or so says a few pages that I read on the internet. I'll take it, 'cause it makes my lil' :45 dude seem like a genius ;) Wahoo, internet!!
As I type this, both kids are watching Spongebob, and although the maternal guilt reflex is trying to kick in, deep down I'm not too worried about it.
____________________
Return to Blog Scene By Jeanne
Why I Have No Photos Of My Kids On This Blog
It's certainly not because they're camera shy!! lol
I'm kind of protective of their privacy. I carefully ponder each topic before I post about it, and I leave out many things that I think might embarrass them if they were old enough to care that people they don't know are reading.
It's a personal choice. So many bloggers out there have lots of gorgeous pics of their kids on their blogs, and reveal many personal details about their lives. I respect every blogger's choice to publish what they're comfortable with, and in general try to never judge (about most things) until I've walked a mile in someone else's shoes.
I'm not even really sure why I'm writing this post, other than the fact that kid blogs with no kid pics on them are few and far between.
So there you are :) Happy reading!
____________________
Return to Blog Scene By Jeanne
I'm kind of protective of their privacy. I carefully ponder each topic before I post about it, and I leave out many things that I think might embarrass them if they were old enough to care that people they don't know are reading.
It's a personal choice. So many bloggers out there have lots of gorgeous pics of their kids on their blogs, and reveal many personal details about their lives. I respect every blogger's choice to publish what they're comfortable with, and in general try to never judge (about most things) until I've walked a mile in someone else's shoes.
I'm not even really sure why I'm writing this post, other than the fact that kid blogs with no kid pics on them are few and far between.
So there you are :) Happy reading!
____________________
Return to Blog Scene By Jeanne
2.01.2009
My Dinner Compromise
Me: "What do you guys want for dinner?"
A: "Kraft Dinner!!!"
(should I have even typed that? revealing the fact that my kids even know what Kraft Dinner is?)
sigh.
Here's what we did, which I could live with (kinda ;)
I took one pouch of Easy Mac (ooh!!! revealed that we have THAT in our house... gonna have to stop blogging soon) and divided it into 3 portions (one for me - 80 cals each, btw). For those of you who have ever made a pouch of Easy Mac, you know that they're not very flippin' big eaten alone, never mind divided by three.
Anyway.
I used their "compartment" plates (love love LOVE those things) and put the (cough cough) Easy Mac in one spot, cut up raw carrot in another, yogurt & blueberries in another, and included a Cheese String on the side.
Presto - compromise, and they're eating it.
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A: "Kraft Dinner!!!"
(should I have even typed that? revealing the fact that my kids even know what Kraft Dinner is?)
sigh.
Here's what we did, which I could live with (kinda ;)
I took one pouch of Easy Mac (ooh!!! revealed that we have THAT in our house... gonna have to stop blogging soon) and divided it into 3 portions (one for me - 80 cals each, btw). For those of you who have ever made a pouch of Easy Mac, you know that they're not very flippin' big eaten alone, never mind divided by three.
Anyway.
I used their "compartment" plates (love love LOVE those things) and put the (cough cough) Easy Mac in one spot, cut up raw carrot in another, yogurt & blueberries in another, and included a Cheese String on the side.
Presto - compromise, and they're eating it.
____________________
Return to Blog Scene By Jeanne
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