Me: Here Ada, put these pants on under your skirt. You don’t have to take your skirt off.
Ada: Yes I do, see – the skirt has shorts.
Me: Oh! I didn’t know that.
Ada: Well, at least there’s one thing you don’t know.
Me: Kids, clean the table off before supper please.
Eli: Ada! Quick, get your stuff off the table or mom will throw it away!
I’m completely ok with this reputation.
Ada: Emily lost her voice.
Me: Is Emily in your class?
Ada: No, she’s my swim teacher. … Read the rest
After school today, Grace tells me this little story:
Grace: Mom, today we had a fire drill, and they didn’t tell us we were having a fire drill! When we had to go, my shoelaces were tied together so I had a hard time getting down the steps, and then I had a hard time getting them undone so when it was time to go back inside I had to take my shoes off, and everyone was laughing at me.
Me: Yeah, that doesn’t sound very fun. What did you learn from this?
Grace: (very sheepishly) That … Read the rest
Parenting is fluid; if it never needed tweaking we’d still be working on sleep patterns and whether you need to eat or just have a pacifier. It’s also different for each child – just because I’ve had a 6-year-old before doesn’t mean I’ve had a 6-year-old Ada before who thinks she’s my equal. I’m currently rereading Boundaries With Kids for a book study I’m leading, and I’m SO glad. Here are a couple of things I’m tweaking, thanks to this book…
Homework I hate the homework battle. It seems to me that my kids should be used to it, but … Read the rest
Ada: Will you please look at the clock? The clock that shows you the weather?
Me: The thermometer?
Ada: Yes. Will you tell me what it says?
Ada: When we’re with Grandma and Grandpa, and you’re not with us… we still have to make good choices but we have different rules.
Grace: Oh no! I forgot my camera!
Ada: Well, we can turn around.
Grace: No we can’t, we’ve been gone for an hour!
Eli: Actually, we’re half way there.
We were exactly nine minutes into our 4.5 hour trip.
Grace: … Read the rest
We went to see The Lorax this weekend, and Grace had THE best laugh in the theater. She would laugh harder and louder than anyone else in the place, and it made me smile every time. She just truly enjoyed herself.
Eli is turning into such a sweet boy. You know… when he’s not beating on anyone. When I ask him to do something I’m hearing more of “Yes, mom” and less of that obnoxious whine. He has a tender heart for younger kids – he loves to help them and protect them.
Ada actually is quite the rule-follower. I … Read the rest
Ada: You smell like white milk.
Chad: Isn’t mommy beautiful?
Ada: Well, I think she’s more beautiful when she wears make-up.
It started out so well…
Eli: In the Kivil War… (he pronounces Civil incorrectly)
Chad and I: Civil
Eli: Yeah. In the Kivil War…
Chad and I: CIVIL!
We’re usually more kind in correcting our children, but come on, twice??
Grace: Can I wear capris today?
Me: Yes.
Ada: Well mom, do you know if I have capris, and do you know what capris are?
[subscribe2]… Read the rest
(courtesy of our Williams Sonoma Star Wars pancake molds)
2 eggs
2c flour
3T sugar
2t baking powder
1t baking soda
1t salt
2 1/2c buttermilk
4T butter, melted
1/2t vanilla
Beat the eggs until frothy, then add everything else and stir just until the flour isn’t lumpy. Don’t over mix. They’re super yummy! 🙂
[subscribe2]… Read the rest
Here is Chad doing his burpees, which is a push up, then you stand up and jump, then repeat. They make me light-headed. Ada usually keeps track of how many sets he does with a clipboard but the sometimes she joins him. I felt it was picture-worthy. And in case you’re wondering, that’s a cut-out taped to my dresser Eli made us of him so we don’t miss him at night.
Apparently, in my home, this is where your coat goes if you decide to wear a different one. No one informed me of this policy change. Noted.
I get frustrated when my kids don’t listen. I also get frustrated when they don’t like what they hear. Yes they’re kids, they’re learning, they push boundaries, blah blah blah. It’s exhausting. Today I need to make a joke about it so I can continue to calmly sip my coffee.
I said…it’s time to get dressed. They heard…it’s time to all go into one bedroom and play, preferably while one of us is getting dressed so we can be inappropriate.
I said…it’s dinner time. They heard…nothing.
I said…it’s bedtime. They heard…I hate you AND fun.
I said…you need to clean … Read the rest
Ada: My kindergarten class is taking swim lessons at the high school!
Eli: I would be scared, there will be big high school kids everywhere!
Me: Eli, are you trying to scare her?
Eli: No.
Ada: Besides, I’m six years old and I’m not scared of anything except the dark!! (she said with ALL the attitude her little body could muster)
Me: Should we have leftovers or go to Red Robin?
Eli: Leftovers.
Me: What?!?
Chad: I think ELI thinks that by having leftovers he will have more time at home … Read the rest