Will will be done with this year of preschool next week. So with the rest of summer looming and four children to educate and entertain seven days a week, I need some input. I asked him what he wanted to learn about this summer, and he said, "Mama, I need to learn more science and more math and you should teach me how to cook." Ah, a boy after my own heart (and his daddy's). He is getting better with numbers and simple math. Last night I told him when he learns to add and subtract money, he can get an allowance. He was so excited,
"When I get money, I can buy my own house!!"
"We probably won't give you that much of an allowance."
"Okay. Then I'll go to the refinery and work"
"When you are older, you can do that if you want to."
"Yeah! Then I'll see you, Dad, while we work."
So, to encourage his love of learning, give me some ideas of how to incorporate science while entertaining the babies (19 months now) at the same time. You see, when he does anything, they want to participate and that often gets Will frustrated. I need some activities that can keep them busy and Will entertained & learning at the same time. We don't get a lot of time when the babies are not around, just the few moments they are napping.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Know Snoop-O?
This evening I had the tv on while I did the dishes, and from the living room I heard Will shout, "MAMA! LOOK! IT'S SNOOPO!! COME LOOK!" Having no idea what he was talking about, I 
looked at the tv and saw. . . a MetLife commercial with. . .it's a little embarrasing that we haven't taught him better, but we don't get a paper. The only comics he sees are when we are at his grandparents'. Yes, it was Snoopy, and I told him the dog was "Snoopy." For some reason I giggled about Snoop-O all night, but until Will is old enough to read my blog, he won't know. He is getting to be pretty good at sounding words out, so that might not be too long from now.
Today was a good day. It started later than normal for the kids since they were up later than normal last night. I had time to get up, shower, get dressed, fix breakfast and check my email before I ever heard anyone make a peep. I was amazed at how relaxing it was. . . but I am not too good about getting up early just to have that moment. The babies were up, dressed, fed and cleaned up before Will got up. He slept until we needed to leave for preschool. Since it is actually a mothers-day-out program, I have given up the stress of being on time. It makes the mornings go smoother, and he didn't miss much. Since he was so tired, waking him early would have made for a grouchy kid, anyway.
This afternoon I realized the best way to get Will to play quietly and contently for hours -- make him think that I think he is napping. There is such a fine line between disciplining him for not minding (taking a nap) and letting him play quietly, so I finally told him he could play quietly. He played with his GeoTrax trainset for hours. The train set has been put up for awhile, so it seemed new to him. The day before he asked if I would get it out, and I said I would after we packed up the kitchen sets (I get so tired of cleaning up millions of pieces.) I also warned him that the babies would probably wreck whatever he built, but he couldn't get mean about it. So we are on day 2 of them taking it apart, and Will saying, "That's okay. Let me show you how to put it back together" or "Uh-oh. I guess you have a better idea" or "Jon, lets make it better this time." Overhearing how sweet and incredibly patient he has been with all of them when it comes to destroying his masterpieces, has been absolutely inspiring. Why am I learning patience from a four-year old? So the train set has been great.
Later in the afternoon, I found a long train on the carpet with a Little People figure in each car. When I asked Will why he didn't let them ride the train on the track, he said, "They keep jumping off on the hills." The simplest comments are so funny. So Will and Jon and I put them on the track, and, sure enough, they all fell out when the train went down a hill. King Kong Jon climbed through the Geo City to sit in the middle of the hilly track (it was only one track that fell as he crested the mountain). He put a person in the train car, and joyfully clapped his hands saying, "Yay Yay!". The train went down a hill, the person fell out, Jon said, "UH-oo!". Then he put a person in the train car, and joyfully clapped his hands saying, "Yay Yay!". The train went down a hill, the person fell out, Jon said, "UH-oo!". Since the train was travelling in circles around him, this went on, and on, and on.
When dinner rolled around about an hour later than normal, everyone was still cheerful -- usually the 30-45 minutes before dinner is loud with crankiness, whining, crying, and tantrums -- from all of us. It was quite pleasant, even though no one had naps in the afternoon. After dinner, Allen and I put the babies in bed while Will {mostly} cheerfully cleaned up the playroom. Then Allen worked on the yard while Will splashed in the pool without anyone complaining about him being to roudy. I stepped outside to watch and each time he was singing loudly or talking to Allen. Is this the end of afternoon naps for him? The pediatrician said it would happen soon, but I still encourage them for my own sanity. If the happy-go-luckiness continues, maybe it will be okay. I do love the fact that he CAN play happily for a long time by himself. Hopefully tomorrow will go just as well.
looked at the tv and saw. . . a MetLife commercial with. . .it's a little embarrasing that we haven't taught him better, but we don't get a paper. The only comics he sees are when we are at his grandparents'. Yes, it was Snoopy, and I told him the dog was "Snoopy." For some reason I giggled about Snoop-O all night, but until Will is old enough to read my blog, he won't know. He is getting to be pretty good at sounding words out, so that might not be too long from now.Today was a good day. It started later than normal for the kids since they were up later than normal last night. I had time to get up, shower, get dressed, fix breakfast and check my email before I ever heard anyone make a peep. I was amazed at how relaxing it was. . . but I am not too good about getting up early just to have that moment. The babies were up, dressed, fed and cleaned up before Will got up. He slept until we needed to leave for preschool. Since it is actually a mothers-day-out program, I have given up the stress of being on time. It makes the mornings go smoother, and he didn't miss much. Since he was so tired, waking him early would have made for a grouchy kid, anyway.
This afternoon I realized the best way to get Will to play quietly and contently for hours -- make him think that I think he is napping. There is such a fine line between disciplining him for not minding (taking a nap) and letting him play quietly, so I finally told him he could play quietly. He played with his GeoTrax trainset for hours. The train set has been put up for awhile, so it seemed new to him. The day before he asked if I would get it out, and I said I would after we packed up the kitchen sets (I get so tired of cleaning up millions of pieces.) I also warned him that the babies would probably wreck whatever he built, but he couldn't get mean about it. So we are on day 2 of them taking it apart, and Will saying, "That's okay. Let me show you how to put it back together" or "Uh-oh. I guess you have a better idea" or "Jon, lets make it better this time." Overhearing how sweet and incredibly patient he has been with all of them when it comes to destroying his masterpieces, has been absolutely inspiring. Why am I learning patience from a four-year old? So the train set has been great.
Later in the afternoon, I found a long train on the carpet with a Little People figure in each car. When I asked Will why he didn't let them ride the train on the track, he said, "They keep jumping off on the hills." The simplest comments are so funny. So Will and Jon and I put them on the track, and, sure enough, they all fell out when the train went down a hill. King Kong Jon climbed through the Geo City to sit in the middle of the hilly track (it was only one track that fell as he crested the mountain). He put a person in the train car, and joyfully clapped his hands saying, "Yay Yay!". The train went down a hill, the person fell out, Jon said, "UH-oo!". Then he put a person in the train car, and joyfully clapped his hands saying, "Yay Yay!". The train went down a hill, the person fell out, Jon said, "UH-oo!". Since the train was travelling in circles around him, this went on, and on, and on.
When dinner rolled around about an hour later than normal, everyone was still cheerful -- usually the 30-45 minutes before dinner is loud with crankiness, whining, crying, and tantrums -- from all of us. It was quite pleasant, even though no one had naps in the afternoon. After dinner, Allen and I put the babies in bed while Will {mostly} cheerfully cleaned up the playroom. Then Allen worked on the yard while Will splashed in the pool without anyone complaining about him being to roudy. I stepped outside to watch and each time he was singing loudly or talking to Allen. Is this the end of afternoon naps for him? The pediatrician said it would happen soon, but I still encourage them for my own sanity. If the happy-go-luckiness continues, maybe it will be okay. I do love the fact that he CAN play happily for a long time by himself. Hopefully tomorrow will go just as well.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Happy Memorial Day!
The Cook (Allen)
The Grass-picker (Jon)
The Excited Kid (Will)
The Focused Daughter (Maddie)
The Busy Boy taking a rest (Ben)We had a great Memorial Day. Although it was supposed to be a holiday, Allen had to work part of the day. When he got home, the kids were all napping, so he took a nap, too. When he woke up, he an I made some tasty onion rings for dinner; we had never attempted this & we were quite impressed with the results. We fixed the rest as the kids started waking up: grilled hot dogs (yes, the healthy kind) and watermelon.
This was the first meal the little ones have eaten at a table (rather than a high chair, booster seat, or lap). Allen and I spent quite a bit of time reseating the babies, but overall, they did pretty well. It was a little bit funny that they had a community meal and each of them reached far for food (from a sibling) rather than eating what was right in front of them. The watermelon was a hit. Will has been asking for watermelon for about 6 months, and Allen finally bought one. Will was thrilled, but for the babies, it was a first. Ben liked it, but couldn't seem to master the big wedge. He did better with the bite-sized pieces. Jon nibbled for a bit, but kept putting it on the porch and pushing it like a truck, so I took it away before he ate it with doggie germs or worm juice. Maddie -- well, she was a hoot. She wouldn't let go until it was gone & then she got mad when I took away the rind. She was so focused that when she fell backward off the picnic bench, her shoulder protected her head from the concrete, and when I expected her to wail, she kept on eating the melon in her mouth -- she never let it go or come out of her mouth, even while she toppled over.
After the kids were sticky and pink with fruit juice, we stuck them in the "pool." The POOL is the inflatable splash pad I got at WalMart last week that we have all enjoyed (so far). Jon doesn't usually like crawling in the grass, but I got a video of his crab walk. His knees never touch the grass as he excitedly scurries to the pool. Last week, he walked across half the living room with out holding anything, so I know he'll eventually walk. The kids and Allen & I played in the water until one was super cranky, one was laying on the pool side like a pillow, one rubbed his eyes, and one was sucking fingers. We scooped them all up, dried them, dressed them, and tucked them all in. Allen and I cleaned up the kitchen and yard and had a relaxing evening.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Reason # 813
I know I haven't blogged in awhile. . . In case I forgot, my mom and mother-in-law both called to tell me I wasn't keeping up with demand.
Truth be told, its been a lot of the same old thing. The days start out with kids screaming at me because they are hungry and poopy, I feed them, clean the kitchen, start the laundry, change more diapers, then put the babies down for a morning. Will wants to play outside or make a mess inside that he will try to clean up, but I will still need to finish the job. Then its time for the diaper-lunch-clean up routine. All the babies seem to want 100% of my attention and often there is whining and crying when there are two kids in my lap and the third can't get comfortable, or I have to put someone down to keep another off a table. Ben is getting his molars in and is particularly temperamental -- lots of tantrums and biting (furniture & siblings). I get cranky too soon, and when they are all four asleep I finally have a minute (sometimes 2 minutes) to myself and I'm not in the mood to finish the laundry, I just need a break. So the laundry pile is clean -- when we get dressed, we climb the mountain of shirts or forge the sock river. I wouldn't even bother dressing the little ones since it is pretty hot, but they all like taking the velcro tabs off and dropping the diapers or playing with poop. There is some relief when Allen gets home. Many times, it’s just that I really needed a hug from someone who loves these stinkers as much as I do. Allen has been working longer hours and he will be for a few weeks. Just KNOWING that wears me out. That means I’ll have to keep my cool even more.
On a positive note, we have spent several evenings in the little splash pool. I can lay back in the cool water, with a warm breezy rustling my hair, and birds chirping while the leaves rustle, and I can almost imagine I’m at a beach. Then a cold wet toddler jumps in my lap, grabs my cheeks in his chubby little hands, and gives me a big humming kiss. I love that part! Then another little one pushes him over enough to climb on my lap and stare in my sunglasses at “ME-ME” and give MEME (aka: the reflection) wet kisses. I think that might be how Maddie says “Maddie,” but it is also “Me” to her, so who knows. She pokes at the pretty reflection and giggles constantly. Then the other wet toddler pushes the first two over just to get a hug. Then the big kid realizes all the fun must be on Mama so he does a cannon-ball splash just to get everyone to look at him. . .and then, and then, and then. Do you think a palm tree will make me feel like I’m at a beach?
So. . . rather than bore everyone daily or make everyone think I am constantly crabby, I just don't post anything. Lately I feel like I am running on empty, and I can’t seem to work in my fill-up. I really need a vacation. . .and I hate feeling like I need to get away from kids. Then the guilt starts . . . and I want the vacation NOW!
On a positive note, we have spent several evenings in the little splash pool. I can lay back in the cool water, with a warm breezy rustling my hair, and birds chirping while the leaves rustle, and I can almost imagine I’m at a beach. Then a cold wet toddler jumps in my lap, grabs my cheeks in his chubby little hands, and gives me a big humming kiss. I love that part! Then another little one pushes him over enough to climb on my lap and stare in my sunglasses at “ME-ME” and give MEME (aka: the reflection) wet kisses. I think that might be how Maddie says “Maddie,” but it is also “Me” to her, so who knows. She pokes at the pretty reflection and giggles constantly. Then the other wet toddler pushes the first two over just to get a hug. Then the big kid realizes all the fun must be on Mama so he does a cannon-ball splash just to get everyone to look at him. . .and then, and then, and then. Do you think a palm tree will make me feel like I’m at a beach?
So. . . rather than bore everyone daily or make everyone think I am constantly crabby, I just don't post anything. Lately I feel like I am running on empty, and I can’t seem to work in my fill-up. I really need a vacation. . .and I hate feeling like I need to get away from kids. Then the guilt starts . . . and I want the vacation NOW!
On an unrelated matter, Will has decided since he saw the last video that he wanted to be the star. I promised him I'd put his movie on the blog. He decided to act rather goofy, but any superhero in our house would have to be, right?
If you watched the previous video of the triplets on the couch, you heard Will say the same things. In fact, everytime he thinks I am filming he says "We are not going anywhere today!" I guess he thinks that's his movie line. . .
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Long stories, short
Saturday - cleaned house & did laundry, grilled chicken for dinner
Sunday - my parents came, went out for lunch, went to Lowe's, ran through sprinklers with kids, babies didn't like sprinklers, but they liked the muddy sandbox
Monday - normal day, kids took good naps, more laundry, Will told Allen we were having his favorite dinner: "ROAST pot!", watched the finals of Dancing with the Stars
Today/Tuesday - took Will to school, took babies to WalMart, picked Will up, Will pointed at lots of conifers on the way home (the band They Might Be Giants taught him about conifers in "C is for Conifers: My kind of Trees"), no one took naps, cranky kids, cranky mama, roasted chicken for dinner (yummy - I think Will ate half a chicken with his 4 servings), watched the finals of American Idol, watched the end of DWTS, updated my blog, now going to bed
Sunday - my parents came, went out for lunch, went to Lowe's, ran through sprinklers with kids, babies didn't like sprinklers, but they liked the muddy sandbox
Monday - normal day, kids took good naps, more laundry, Will told Allen we were having his favorite dinner: "ROAST pot!", watched the finals of Dancing with the Stars
Today/Tuesday - took Will to school, took babies to WalMart, picked Will up, Will pointed at lots of conifers on the way home (the band They Might Be Giants taught him about conifers in "C is for Conifers: My kind of Trees"), no one took naps, cranky kids, cranky mama, roasted chicken for dinner (yummy - I think Will ate half a chicken with his 4 servings), watched the finals of American Idol, watched the end of DWTS, updated my blog, now going to bed
Friday, May 16, 2008
Some photos
Here is a picture of Will's new haircut. I love how this photo turned out, so you'll probably see it scrapbooked -- probably with the previous story of how his hair got short.
Today Ben is in green, and Jon is in blue -- reverse from normal, I know, but it happened. Check out the size of those dolls they are holding. If you add an inch, that's how small these kids were a year & a half ago. Yes, my babies were as small as those dolls when they were born -- it brings tears to my eyes when I realize how far they've come.
The video is my experiment. I am trying to figure out how to put one on the blog. The triplets were playing on the couch and that is typical. They aren't suppose to be standing on it, but I was filming & didn't figure you'd want to hear me. It starts off with Jon saying, "Baby", but also doing monkey noises (he thinks the red bear is a monkey.) Maddie says "Baby" and then switches to "bye-bye" with a wave. After I ask Maddie if she is happy, she sings her version of "If you're happy and you know it," but she wasn't going to put the baby down to clap, because then one of her brothers would take it.
Life stinks . . .sometimes.
Maybe I'm too gloomy this week, but my perspective is that sometimes life STINKS! It has been a bit of a rough week & I am really glad it's Friday. That means I get two days of Allen. . .
Monday - Ben got the extra bath, new sheets & blankets after diaper blowout.
Tuesday - Maddie had the blowout and she got the extra bath, new sheets & blankets, Ben got new sheets (still from Maddie's mess), the walls and crib got scrubbed down.
Wednesday - Ben's diaper again. . . read Monday summary.
Thursday - Jon's day. . .on the way out the door, he got sick in his car seat. I left the others in their seats in the entry way while he got a bath. I installed a forward facing seat for Ben and Jon got Ben's seat.
Friday - Maddie's diaper today, so she got a bath, new sheets, and blankets. She screamed the whole time I was bathing her (but so were the boys, it was time for breakfast) When I dried her off, she gave me a pretty smile and told me "Thank too".
Allen asked if it was time to change diaper sizes, and you may wonder that too. Nope, not necessary. We just need some immodium for these little people. Yes, it stinks. . . .well, it DID!
I am hoping the weekend isn't as . . .well . . . crappy.
Now, back to my little smiling, happy angels for some sweet kisses and hugs.
Monday - Ben got the extra bath, new sheets & blankets after diaper blowout.
Tuesday - Maddie had the blowout and she got the extra bath, new sheets & blankets, Ben got new sheets (still from Maddie's mess), the walls and crib got scrubbed down.
Wednesday - Ben's diaper again. . . read Monday summary.
Thursday - Jon's day. . .on the way out the door, he got sick in his car seat. I left the others in their seats in the entry way while he got a bath. I installed a forward facing seat for Ben and Jon got Ben's seat.
Friday - Maddie's diaper today, so she got a bath, new sheets, and blankets. She screamed the whole time I was bathing her (but so were the boys, it was time for breakfast) When I dried her off, she gave me a pretty smile and told me "Thank too".
Allen asked if it was time to change diaper sizes, and you may wonder that too. Nope, not necessary. We just need some immodium for these little people. Yes, it stinks. . . .well, it DID!
I am hoping the weekend isn't as . . .well . . . crappy.
Now, back to my little smiling, happy angels for some sweet kisses and hugs.
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