Saturday, April 26, 2008

New Lyrics

We don't have broadcast tv in our house, but we rent DVD's in the mail. That way we get to pick exactly what we see, and....no commercials! Even so television isn't my favorite thing for the kids because it's so mesmerizing...


It's hard to compete with that. The last tv series we rented was "Alf". Seemed innocent enough. Then I heard my son singing lyrics from the rock song Alf composed in a recent episode. Sawyer already had this memorized: "You're the one that's out of this world, SWEET BABA (baby)! You're the one that's out of this world! SWEET BABA!" Somehow a four-year-old singing that comes across as less than wholesome. Until I listened a little closer and realized he was actually singing, "You're the one that's out of squirrels, SWEET BABY! You're the one that's ou-out of SQUIRRELS!"
That's a little bit better, anyway.

He's a little embarrassed about getting it wrong.

Little Helper


Sawyer is getting quite handy in the kitchen.


He even helped me open the ice cream box. "What do I do next, Mom?"
We made hot fudge sauce and ate it in little Sundae cups with this icecream. Kiki had a friend over that only speaks french. Icecream, Wii, dogs and cats got them through the evening. They didn't need to talk much.

Friday, April 25, 2008

What We Found at the Lake

There is a pretty cool lake near our house. We went there today and found out that:

Daisy is good at pulling people into the water.


Or just her leash wrapped around your legs will do it too.


And if the dog or her leash doesn't pull you in, the terrain will do it for you.


Greyson found some skipping rocks.



And so did Tristan.


Tristan found an island to keep his feet dry.


Sawyer found the island too.


Kiki found a cool old chimney type thing.


But Tristan thought Sawyer found the "ewwwwwwww" prize of the day....


A big, fat, ugly, (dead) worm.

In the Basement


Daisy is now allowed in the basement. What have I done? The one place that was dog free.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Helping Around the House

The kids help clean up the kitchen after every meal. For a long time, Kiki's job was to scrape all the dishes into the trash and load them into the dishwasher. Greyson's job was to unload the dishes and put them away. Since Greyson was so hasty in getting the dishes unloaded there were often chips in the plates and cracks in the mugs. I tried to teach him to be careful and he made some progress, but he just wasn't grasping the value of unmarred dishes. Trying a different tactic, I just switched jobs for them. Kiki needed a break from her chore anyway and I thought giving Greyson the harder job would make him appreciate unloading carefully.

Here's how the new tactic's workin':


Wednesday, April 23, 2008

All You Need is....

Found out my son is really eating the stuff they make in the backyard kitchen. Saw him doing this...

Then he threw in a little more dirt, stirred the pot thicker and said, "But mom, I don't eat it when it's THAT dirty."
Oh. Good to know.

The cake looks pretty good.


How's it taste, Tristan?


Daisy's chasing tennis balls...


And Kiki is..."pasting cracks."


I had dreams of designing a backyard they'd really get a lot out of. Apparently, all you need is mud.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Catching Some Air

It's evening. That golden light that makes everything look so good. I took advantage of it and logged the saga of what happens when 4 kids take turns using the bike ramp.

Greyson can usually catch come air.


Unless Daisy's in the way. Abort, abort!


Tristan can do the ramp...


And make a pit stop to help Sawyer. Kicking the front tire is the preferred method to unwhonk the bike frame.


Sawyer's persuasive argument: "YOU should let ME...


ride my bike there. In the street. I'm bigger mom. I can. I can look for cars. I can ride it in the street! I can."


He can't wait to be bigger, these guys have all the fun.

Ready For the Day

We are ready for whatever the day may hold...

Doesn't it look quite promising?

Monday, April 21, 2008

Fiercely Independent

I just found out the good side to a kid that won't give up. Up 'til now it's been all about persevering in disobedience, "can I, can I, can I, can I....?"
or taking the initiative in dangerous things like rummaging through power tools to find the bike pump,
or climbing way up high to get "that thing",
or finding things to get into that cause so much more work for mom.

But if you take all these characteristics and apply them to bike riding, it makes for a pretty good mix.

Fall off? Get right back on.

Wobble dangerously? Just keep on going.

See a car coming? Race your bike to the side of the road.

Have your front tire bent our of shape? Just adjust your weight to side saddle.

Hit your head on the driveway? Shake it off, and remount.

There is a good side to pull-your-hair-out-persistence in a four year old. Here is Sawyer, being Sawyer:


First day on a real bike.


Looking for cars.


Stalling in the grass.


This is Tristan just before he ran into Sawyer head on.

When Moms Are Sick

Let me help you feel better about your own house.

This is what mine looks like right now. The kids are taking care of the kitchen. The antibiotics are taking care of the elephant on my chest. But no one is taking care of the bathroom. I won't wither you with a look at that.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Precious to Him

Sawyer had some very important papers to manage today. He was very busy.







The scary thing about this preference is where it leads. I cleaned out a bunch of old files and made a "to burn" box of papers with credit card numbers and bank account information. It didn't seem smart to throw them in the trash. Sawyer found the box before I could tend to it, and now those carefully reserved slips are scattered all over the house. In hiding spots of his choosing.

Please Weigh In.....

I'm wondering what your preference is for picture size on these posts? If you can't comment, please email. I've been using "large" lately, but just switched back to "medium".

Home School Expo Fair

While I stayed at home with an elephant on my chest, Todd took the kids to their home school exhibit. This was after he had already rushed home from Greyson's basketball awards banquet. It was a double duty Saturday with one parent sick in bed.
Here is Greyson with his Lego display. He is a lot more excited than he looks.


Here is Kiki with her project on horses.


Both kids worked completely on their own. I checked spelling and the rest was ALL their responsibility. I was so proud of how independently they worked, coming up with their own ideas, implementing them, and displaying them.
Sawyer stayed at home with me, in his little inside-out clothes. Wish I had a picture of how the kids dress when Mom is sick. Here is a little of what we talked about:
"Are you a four-year-old boy?"
"Am I bigger?"
"Not yet, but you will be."
"When I'm bigger can I ride a motorcycle? Wif fire?"
"YES!"
Kiki has already decided that the perfect job for Sawyer would be a motorcycle tester. I have to agree. As long as there is fire involved.

Friday, April 18, 2008

No Cameras Allowed

I can't believe I am going to blog today about going to another government agency. Seems like we've been to more than you can shake a stick at. (DON'T shake sticks at govt. agencies post 9-11). The kids did not take the news well. Kiki had grand plans to invite her new friend over and play in the backyard. Greyson was going bike riding, and Tristan and Sawyer couldn't wait to get out and get dirty.
Instead the day went something like this-
"Sawyer we get to go bye-bye today!" I offered cheerfully.
"Where are we going?"
"The US Consulate."
"Where? What are we going to do there?" he asked.
At this point, Kiki piped up because she had already been given the bad news by Daddy. "Sawyer, I know your future and it's not good."
"Kiki!" I scolded.
"Everyone thought we were going to have fun today, and now we get to be tortured to death," she added.
(What happened to all my teaching on having a grateful spirit?)
Sawyer rejoined the conversation with, "Mom, are we going to go sit-there?"
At least he knows what we do. Go, and sit-there. For hours.

I thought going to the US Consulate was reserved for movie characters and people in big fat trouble. Turns out, it's also for little home school families that need to get passports. There are no markings on the building so you only know what it is if you have the address. Once inside things get very serious. A sign reads: No physical or verbal abuse of any kind will be tolerated. Sets the tone. One guard lets you in the street door, three other guards greet you behind the bulletproof glass. Then it kind of mimics the airport with the metal detectors and the wands. Just gravity squared.
I was hoping to capture some of it on film for you. No chance. They confiscated anything electronic and held it until our appointment was over. Couldn't even take a picture of us leaving on the sidewalk outside. So I offer this picture of the lunch we had afterward to celebrate.
No more government appointments. Yay!

They look normal enough, but I can't help but wonder what all this screening-and paperwork-and guards-and holding areas have done to their little brains. Oh well. My children may not be prepared for algebra but they can tell you the difference between the US Consulate and the US Embassey. And they're dern tootin' ready for martial law.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Overnight Muffins

I blog a lot about muffins, don't I? But these are special. You have to make them first and then let them sit in the pans overnight before they are ready. If they bake a little in the sun, so much the better:



The kid's have remodeled the kitchen to include running water,


A chopping block,


And a snug storage cabinet.


You only have to run 30 feet to turn off the sink.


Today it smidged past warm to officially hot. They were thrilled that Daisy discovered how to keep cool in the pool.