Testing out this video thing

I'd like to thank my Yale/Berkeley alumni sister for her brains, and Lisa for her very smart words of wisdom.
From now on I'll be emailing the Cute Naked Baby videos to your inbox directly :o)

Pooling

Today was officially the nicest day of spring that we've had. It got up to (a sweltering) 75 degrees, and we got out the sunscreen, the pool, and the FUN!
The little ones enjoyed it for a while until the big kids came home from school, and then they took over. Invasion of the Pool Snatchers. All the neighboorhood kids come around and grab buckets, chasing and dumping water all over each other....'til there is no water left in the pool. It's a blast to watch kids having pure, simple fun that doesn't use batteries or electricity.
Christopher says, "We sure are getting our $8.00 worth out of this pool!!"
As for the title of this post, the word "pooling" came from our dear Audrey. Instead of "swimming" she calls it "pooling". Makes sense to me.

LA-LA-LA-LA I am not listening to you!

Remember when you were a kid and you'd put your hands over your ears and say that when you didn't want to hear something?
I have been mentally doing that since the season finale of LOST the other night. See, we don't have cable so I watch the show the next day online. I haven't watched it yet, and I can hardly wait til the wee ones go down for their afternoon nap so I can!! But I'm afraid that something will spoil it for me and give away what's happened....blurb on the computer screen, a cashier talking about it at Bartells, etc.
A little wierd about a TV show? Yes, I totally agree. I'd like to thank Melissa for this mindless addiction ;o). I would venture to guess most everyone has been like that about a show, either now or in the past. I bet if I asked any random person they'd immediately be able to come up with one (am I making myself feel better yet?) It is a little scary how they add like, MSG, or something to the shows to make them addictive. Soaps? Daytime talk? Reality TV? Murder/cop shows? CNN? QVC? HBO?
C'mon...I know your heart jumped a little on one of those.

Why My Kids Should Hate the Web

As I was surfing the web tonight I happened across this Handy-Dandy List that some other WONDERFUL mother posted on her blog. What's amazing is that, just today, as I was

emptyingthekitchentrashwhilepickingupbitsofdriedplaydougharoundaudrey'sarttableandthenwipingupthecrumbsshehaddroppedatlunchallthewhilefeedingethancheeriosinhishighchairandIalmostforgottogetclaire'sdanceclothesfromthedryerandohlookthere'sjulian'ssocksballedupinthepantry...

You get the idea, right? Sometimes we (the parents) feel like we're doing ALL the work while the kids are upstairs watching a video with their parent-prepared snack. Christopher and I often stop in our tracks and look at each other and say, "Hey....isn't this something one of the kids can do??" It could be as simple as getting the mail, unballing socks by the back door, or closing the blinds at night. It's just one less thing that we have to do, and I bet if we added up all those 1 minute tasks, by golly, we'd earn ourselves a 15 minute sit-down! That would be like a mini-vacation for me and Christopher.

There's a dilemma I have heard from other moms: Am I asking my kids to do too much around the house? Am I asking them to do too little? What is the balance between "being a kid and enjoying childhood" and then "being an integral part of the family"? I read a book called, Children Who Do Too Little (http://www.amazon.com/Children-Who-Do-Too-Little/dp/0310211468) by Patricia Sprinkle, that got to the heart of this issue. She answered the question of why to teach kids to do work: 1. They need to learn to care for themselves, 2. They need to learn to serve on a family team, 3. They need to develop a work ethic, and 4. They need to learn to care for the world outside of themselves.

She also discusses why we, as parents, don't make our children work. We get labels like "The Servant" (one who does ALL the housework to justify being a stay-at-home-mom), "The Perfect Parent" (one who knows exactly how everything ought to be done and no one can do it as well), etc. In the end, she says it is important to spend time deciding what habits, standards, and values we learned in OUR background that we want to keep, what we want to discard, and what we want to change. We have to do this before training our children so they'll be set on the right path.

But back the The List. According to it, I'm pretty much on target (phew!) with Julian, Claire, and Audrey. My next question would be, at what point does it become a negative thing to do these listed chores? Audrey, almost 3, relishes the chance to sing Barney's Clean-up Song while loading her toys back in the toybox, yet this same song doesn't have the magic on 10 yr old Julian. Can you imagine the look I'd get from him if I burst out singing, "Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share! Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere!" Hmmm... this sounds like an experiment and a future blog posting.

Ages 2-4: Pick up unused toys and put in the proper place
Sweep the floor
Clean up what they drop after eating
Clear own place at table
Simple hygiene--brush teeth, wash hands, brush hair.

Ages 4-5: Put groceries away
Help make the beds and vacuum
Help do dishes or fill in the dishwasher
Dust
Polish things
Sharpen pencils

Ages 5-6: Make their own sandwich
Pour their own drink
Make bed and clean room
Dress on own
Fold clean clothes
Help clean out the car
Take out the garbage
Learn to tie shoes

1st Grade: Shake rugs
Water plants
Peel vegetables
Rake leaves

2nd Grade: Take phone messages
Scrub floors

3rd Grade: Mop floor
Clean blinds
Run own bath
Straighten own closet and drawers
Fold blankets
Sew buttons
Clean up animal messes
Write thank-you notes

4th Grade: Change sheets
Do chores without a reminder
Wash car

5th Grade: Be alone at home for short periods
Pack own suitcase

6th Grade: Mow lawn with supervision

________________________________________

Now THAT'S gotta hurt!!

I have to laugh--and wince--at the same time whenever I see my little Audrey walking around with her undies tucked up on one her cheeks. It doesn't seem to bother her in the slightest, whereas for the rest of us we'd be yanking that wad of fabric out faster than you can say "wedgie"!!

Around here we have a name for Audrey's nether region... we call it "Juicy Booty". Actually, Claire has the patent on "Juicy Booty", but Audrey has inherited the rights to it. Going back even further on the family tree, it's been said of me "...Boy, if I had a swing on my back porch like that I'd charge rent!" (The modern translation would probably be , "Wanna fry with that shake?") So I guess the apple(s) don't fall far from the tree!
Anyway, its totally cute when your younger to have a "Juicy Booty" but not-so-cute when you're my age. I mean, really, let's be honest. The modern translation is "Size 12 or something with a stretch to it". sigh. I keep reminding myself I've carried and birthed 4 children, and that makes me feel a ton better. Just this morning Claire came in while I was putting my clothes on and she said, "Uh, Mom? Am I going to have a body like yours when I grow up? I mean you look ok and everything but...." It was a good thing I didn't have my contacts in so I couldn't see her face across the room--or I might have seen her sweet little nose wrinkled up in distaste as she was staring at me!! Well, my answer to her was (a reassuring), "No sweetheart don't worry...God made you completely special and perfect and different than Mommy, so when you grow up your body will look just the way He designed it to look. And I bet you'll look even more fabulous than I do!!" And with that said, I looked myself I the mirror and with a *snap* I put my clothes on, smiling.
I think Claire liked my answer and my confidence because she went over to the mirror and sized herself up, front and back, and said, "Yeah, you're right Mom."

Zooooooomin' Baby

I saw this short, homemade movie on Yahoo this morning and was just tickled by it.... Don't forget to turn your sound on!

http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=392011&fr=yvmtf

Drawings of a Princess...by Claire

Claire is really developing her drawing skills, using a lot more details (bracelets and rings), as well as trying to make the bodies look realistic (well, she uses the bottom of a drinking glass to trace a circle for the heads...) She will keep drawing the same thing over and over, day after day until she feels like she "got it". I love her passion and persistance!! (If you double click on one of the pictures, does it open up larger in a new window? hmmm...)

The Life of a Crayon

“Gorgeous Turquoise” is my name, and “helping children draw beautiful pictures” is my game.

One day, something wonderful happened to me. A beautiful girl came and bought me. She was even nice enough to take me out of the check-out bag, and carried me the whole way to the car. It was a bumpy ride to her home. I fell asleep a few times, but finally came to the house. She put me in a drawer and I dozed off. The next morning I think she pulled me out rather uneasily, and shoved me into what seemed like a bag. We got in a car and drove kind of far, and then we got out. She ran a little distance, and then shoved me into a cold, dark place. I realized it was a desk. The place where a crayon dreams of going.

Then came the day that haunts every crayon for all of their life. The day that their owner puts you in the dreaded sharpener!!! My day came when it was Jenny’s birthday. I was very eager to get it over with, and a knot was forming in my scintillating wax.
Finally, I was taken out from my desk, and put in the sharpener. Oh! As she turned it, I was crying with pain. It was scratching me. Taunting me. Grinding me. When my horrible nightmare was over, all my friends started calling me “shorty” and “small fry”. How I hated that day!

Then came the day every crayon dreams of. When your owner uses you to draw a picture. One day the class was having a drawing contest, and he pulled me out first to use me to draw the sky and water. I cannot believe what happened. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Did my owner actually win first place in the drawing contest? Did I hear the teacher saying it was because of the blue sky and the water?!!!

In conclusion, being a crayon is a hard and exciting life, full of adventures!


by Julian Dayton

Begin at the beginning

Well, this is it. I finally did it, like the rest of you. You all have websites, blogsites, campsites, frostbites (huh?!) and now I've gone and gotten one too. Hate to be left out y'know. But seriously, a thanks goes out to you that have inspired me to put this together, and by your own faithful postings, will keep me up-to-date on mine.
I hope to write about each one of us....our victories, our challenges, the things that make us laugh so hard we cry. I hope that you will rejoice with us, get through the tough stuff with us, and laugh with us too.
Watch us all grow...the 2 big people and the 4 little people.