Part of our weekend activities were to put up the Christmas tree and decorations. We got everything taken care of and Alanna was preoccupied for a bit with her Dora game, so I decided to go ahead and wrap the presents we have to just get it out of the way and remove them from their various closet hiding places.
After lunch, Alanna went into the living room and spied the presents. Here is what ensued:
A: 'Mooooommmmy, I pick a present to open?' In this plaintative little cute voice.
M: 'No, honey, it's not Christmas yet. We need to wait to open our presents.'
A: 'It IS Christmas, I pick a present.' Absolutely convinced in her knowledge of what day it is.
M: 'No, sweetheart, Christmas won't come for a while yet, we need to wait please.'
A: Stomping into the dining room and taking my hand, 'I show you, Mommy. It is Christmas.'
She proceeded to lead me over to the patio door and point outside at the snow.
A: 'See!!! Snow! It IS Christmas!'
Gotta give her credit for the correlation. I explained that the snow was part of winter and that Christmas is in the wintertime, but not for a few weeks still. She seemed to take that well and hasn't touched the presents since or asked about them again. Jeb's laying bets that we'll come into a living room full of wrapping paper one day this week. I think she'll wait....we'll see ;)
Monday, November 28, 2005
Monday, November 14, 2005
Some Catching Up
I guess I have a little catching up to do. I've been fighting off the crud for the past few weeks off and on and just haven't felt much like writing.
So, some recaps:
Halloween--
Alanna went trick or treating with Daddy and had a lot of fun. She came home with a ton of candy and is still 'pretending' trick or treat around the house from time to time as well as reading and re-reading her Dora Halloween book. Mommy took her to a community Halloween party earlier in the weekend and her absolute favorite game was the cake walk. She simply wanted to walk around and around and around to the music the whole time. I remember cake walks growing up--they pasted numbers on the floor and you walked until the music stopped, then someone drew a number from a bowl and if you were standing on that number you won. In those days though you actually got a cake. We used to have them at the church and you'd walk over to a table with all these cakes people had donated and got to pick one. This cake walk was simply for little pieces of candy and the numbers were on big pumpkins. Alanna didn't care though and just was excited by walking to the music.
Circus Class--
Alanna is no longer going to her circus class. The third class, she started exhibiting some signs of being frustrated with it. She wasn't at all interested in doing the stretching with her class and kept insisting that I be near her during the class. We thought maybe it was because she wasn't feeling the greatest and they'd had a week off.
The next week, I talked it up on Friday before class. She told me, "Mommy, I don't like Circus class". I asked her why and she said, "I'm too big." She says that rather than 'too little'. I explained that she was just the right size and that she'd get to see her friends and maybe jump on the trampoline and do somersaults. She told me, "I don't want to go." To her credit, she didn't whine or throw a tantrum, this was all matter of fact. So I told her we'd talk about it in the morning and see how she felt then. The next morning, she said the same thing, so we decided that we wouldn't go for that day.
Then the next week, we tried the same tactic. I told her that we'd be going to grandma's house after circus class on Saturday. She said she didn't like circus class. So, I again asked about somersaults and the trampoline. She told me, "Mommy, I do somersaults at home instead. I don't like it." So we decided that we were done with Circus class for now.
I think a lot of it was just too much too fast for her. She's never really had structure since she's always gone to an in-home daycare. They do activities, but not on a scheduled timeline. This was 60 minutes of structure from the moment they walk in the door until they leave. Even the rotations through somersaults, balance beam and such were structured. Nothing at all wrong with that, just a bit of an overload for her. And I think she knew she was the youngest/smallest which I'm sure also had an impact on her. We would never tell her she's last in the class obviously, but kids are darn smart and maybe we'll try it again if she's interested when she's older.
New Classes--
Since we believe that we do need to start introducing Alanna to some more structure in her life in preparation for preschool in a couple years. So, as Circus Class proved to be too much, I thought I'd check out some of the Community Classes instead.
She's now taking 'Pint Sized Picassos' on Tuesday nights for an hour. We've been to one class and she LOVED it. It's much more her pace and she's not the youngest there. They do an activity that's guided by the teacher for about 10 minutes, then they have open play while they set up for the next activity, then 10 more minutes painting or what not, then open play and so forth. She did great and was very proud of her artwork. I bought her a little door hanger at Ren Fest that has some clips on it for hanging artwork and she wanted it up right away.
She's also taking 'Kids in Motion' on Saturday mornings for 45 minutes. Jeb took her this weekend and again, she had a blast. This class uses sports concepts to do structured play. She's at the older age spectrum for this group which should also help build her confidence before we jump her into the next class. They played hockey with those big foam noodles, kicked soccer balls into nets (yes, uncle Scott will be pleased), and then played with a parachute. Remember doing those parachute games in Elementary school? Those were fun.
So I think we're now on the right track for getting her some structure, interaction with others her age, and not overwhelming her either.
So, some recaps:
Halloween--
Alanna went trick or treating with Daddy and had a lot of fun. She came home with a ton of candy and is still 'pretending' trick or treat around the house from time to time as well as reading and re-reading her Dora Halloween book. Mommy took her to a community Halloween party earlier in the weekend and her absolute favorite game was the cake walk. She simply wanted to walk around and around and around to the music the whole time. I remember cake walks growing up--they pasted numbers on the floor and you walked until the music stopped, then someone drew a number from a bowl and if you were standing on that number you won. In those days though you actually got a cake. We used to have them at the church and you'd walk over to a table with all these cakes people had donated and got to pick one. This cake walk was simply for little pieces of candy and the numbers were on big pumpkins. Alanna didn't care though and just was excited by walking to the music.
Circus Class--
Alanna is no longer going to her circus class. The third class, she started exhibiting some signs of being frustrated with it. She wasn't at all interested in doing the stretching with her class and kept insisting that I be near her during the class. We thought maybe it was because she wasn't feeling the greatest and they'd had a week off.
The next week, I talked it up on Friday before class. She told me, "Mommy, I don't like Circus class". I asked her why and she said, "I'm too big." She says that rather than 'too little'. I explained that she was just the right size and that she'd get to see her friends and maybe jump on the trampoline and do somersaults. She told me, "I don't want to go." To her credit, she didn't whine or throw a tantrum, this was all matter of fact. So I told her we'd talk about it in the morning and see how she felt then. The next morning, she said the same thing, so we decided that we wouldn't go for that day.
Then the next week, we tried the same tactic. I told her that we'd be going to grandma's house after circus class on Saturday. She said she didn't like circus class. So, I again asked about somersaults and the trampoline. She told me, "Mommy, I do somersaults at home instead. I don't like it." So we decided that we were done with Circus class for now.
I think a lot of it was just too much too fast for her. She's never really had structure since she's always gone to an in-home daycare. They do activities, but not on a scheduled timeline. This was 60 minutes of structure from the moment they walk in the door until they leave. Even the rotations through somersaults, balance beam and such were structured. Nothing at all wrong with that, just a bit of an overload for her. And I think she knew she was the youngest/smallest which I'm sure also had an impact on her. We would never tell her she's last in the class obviously, but kids are darn smart and maybe we'll try it again if she's interested when she's older.
New Classes--
Since we believe that we do need to start introducing Alanna to some more structure in her life in preparation for preschool in a couple years. So, as Circus Class proved to be too much, I thought I'd check out some of the Community Classes instead.
She's now taking 'Pint Sized Picassos' on Tuesday nights for an hour. We've been to one class and she LOVED it. It's much more her pace and she's not the youngest there. They do an activity that's guided by the teacher for about 10 minutes, then they have open play while they set up for the next activity, then 10 more minutes painting or what not, then open play and so forth. She did great and was very proud of her artwork. I bought her a little door hanger at Ren Fest that has some clips on it for hanging artwork and she wanted it up right away.
She's also taking 'Kids in Motion' on Saturday mornings for 45 minutes. Jeb took her this weekend and again, she had a blast. This class uses sports concepts to do structured play. She's at the older age spectrum for this group which should also help build her confidence before we jump her into the next class. They played hockey with those big foam noodles, kicked soccer balls into nets (yes, uncle Scott will be pleased), and then played with a parachute. Remember doing those parachute games in Elementary school? Those were fun.
So I think we're now on the right track for getting her some structure, interaction with others her age, and not overwhelming her either.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Monday, October 17, 2005
I've Become 'Mom'
Somehow this weekend, I became 'Mom'. I'm no longer 'Mommy', but now 'Mom'.
I don't like this transition at all. I tried doing the thing where when Alanna says 'Mom' I repeat 'MomMY', but it doesn't seem to have stuck. She's now decided that my new name is 'Mom'.
I'm not really sure why this bothers me, but it does. I'm not ready to be 'Mom'! 'Mom' makes me feel older and worse yet, makes me see that my little girl is growing up far too quickly.
I don't like this transition at all. I tried doing the thing where when Alanna says 'Mom' I repeat 'MomMY', but it doesn't seem to have stuck. She's now decided that my new name is 'Mom'.
I'm not really sure why this bothers me, but it does. I'm not ready to be 'Mom'! 'Mom' makes me feel older and worse yet, makes me see that my little girl is growing up far too quickly.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Click Monkey
Alanna has been getting very good with her toddler software and her use of the mouse. She practices/plays a little at daycare daily and then also a little at home.
So, for her birthday I found her a used P3 on Ebay to buy with her birthday money from relatives (some also went into her 529 plan). I set her up next to my computer on her small table with her chair and loaded on her toddler software. We also found a child's keyboard/mouse set online that's pink and is more geared to her size (about 2/3 the size of an adult keyboard/mouse). She came downstairs and was in heaven!
This is the point where we were shocked. We didn't realize how good she'd actually gotten. For most all of her games, she doesn't need our help any more. She can click the matching colors, follow the directions and does very very well.
We've implemented the no computer until after dinner rule as well as the time limit and will stand to that so that she doesn't become too much of a computer geek like us, but I think it's good for her to get the skills and far better than tv.
So, for her birthday I found her a used P3 on Ebay to buy with her birthday money from relatives (some also went into her 529 plan). I set her up next to my computer on her small table with her chair and loaded on her toddler software. We also found a child's keyboard/mouse set online that's pink and is more geared to her size (about 2/3 the size of an adult keyboard/mouse). She came downstairs and was in heaven!
This is the point where we were shocked. We didn't realize how good she'd actually gotten. For most all of her games, she doesn't need our help any more. She can click the matching colors, follow the directions and does very very well.
We've implemented the no computer until after dinner rule as well as the time limit and will stand to that so that she doesn't become too much of a computer geek like us, but I think it's good for her to get the skills and far better than tv.
Birthday Party
We had Alanna's small birthday party on Saturday and it was very fun. It really was more of a get together with other adults that happened to have kids too, but everyone had a nice time.
Everyone showed up about 1pm and we had a taco bar and cake. Alanna picked out her own balloons and cake a few weeks prior at Cub so Jeb picked them up in the morning while she and I were at her Circus class. We had saved a couple small presents from us and she got two others to open which she was thrilled about. I also had purchased a custom birthday hat for her from a lady off ebay that makes them with chenille and the boa feather material. It was absolutely adorable. After I get the pictures uploaded, I'll put one here too. It was yellow, with a purple number 3, Dora, and pink feathers at top and around the rim.
She got some very fun farm animal soaps/tshirts/wash mit from Aunt Woogie and Uncle Scott. The blue fizzy ones btw (Woogie!!) stain your bathtub...was able to get the blue ring off the sides, but I think going forward no more fizzies, just soaps ;)
She got a couple cute Olivia books (I'd never heard of Olivia, but she's this darling little pig) and this fantastic fleece Dora Princess no-sew blanket as well. I'd never seen these before, or I guess if I have I didn't realize how simple they were to make. She absolutely loves it and because it was personalized for her that makes it that much more special...it's also SUPER soft!
So on a quick tangent, I'm now addicted to making these. I made two blankets/pillows last night and they turned out really cute. I believe they're what I'm going to be doing for Christmas gifts as well. I found out that JoAnn fabrics will take Michaels' coupons. And since both have a 40% off one item every Sunday paper, you can actually use BOTH in the same purchase one for each piece of fleece!! So that makes each blanket between $8-$15 depending on the patterns--too cool!
Then the kids pretty much went off and played and the adults hung out and played Killer Bunnies. Again, if you've not purchased this game or played it, you are truly missing out on a lot of fun. We incorporated in the new 'Kinder Bunnies' and now have only not played with the White and Steel decks which maybe we'll get a chance to use in the next week or so.
After the first round of bunnies, we ate cake, then started in to round two and everyone headed home about 9.
Definitely a busy day, but all in all a success.
Everyone showed up about 1pm and we had a taco bar and cake. Alanna picked out her own balloons and cake a few weeks prior at Cub so Jeb picked them up in the morning while she and I were at her Circus class. We had saved a couple small presents from us and she got two others to open which she was thrilled about. I also had purchased a custom birthday hat for her from a lady off ebay that makes them with chenille and the boa feather material. It was absolutely adorable. After I get the pictures uploaded, I'll put one here too. It was yellow, with a purple number 3, Dora, and pink feathers at top and around the rim.
She got some very fun farm animal soaps/tshirts/wash mit from Aunt Woogie and Uncle Scott. The blue fizzy ones btw (Woogie!!) stain your bathtub...was able to get the blue ring off the sides, but I think going forward no more fizzies, just soaps ;)
She got a couple cute Olivia books (I'd never heard of Olivia, but she's this darling little pig) and this fantastic fleece Dora Princess no-sew blanket as well. I'd never seen these before, or I guess if I have I didn't realize how simple they were to make. She absolutely loves it and because it was personalized for her that makes it that much more special...it's also SUPER soft!
So on a quick tangent, I'm now addicted to making these. I made two blankets/pillows last night and they turned out really cute. I believe they're what I'm going to be doing for Christmas gifts as well. I found out that JoAnn fabrics will take Michaels' coupons. And since both have a 40% off one item every Sunday paper, you can actually use BOTH in the same purchase one for each piece of fleece!! So that makes each blanket between $8-$15 depending on the patterns--too cool!
Then the kids pretty much went off and played and the adults hung out and played Killer Bunnies. Again, if you've not purchased this game or played it, you are truly missing out on a lot of fun. We incorporated in the new 'Kinder Bunnies' and now have only not played with the White and Steel decks which maybe we'll get a chance to use in the next week or so.
After the first round of bunnies, we ate cake, then started in to round two and everyone headed home about 9.
Definitely a busy day, but all in all a success.
Flying Trapeze
This week's Circus class went a little bit better. I was able to sit with the other parents for most of it and didn't have to get up but a couple of times to redirect Alanna so that she stayed in line with the group. They actually did a few different things this time from last week.
They started again with taking the whole group for stretching/dancing, then came out to do the round robin of activities which this week started with Trapeze! They had two large mats about 1.5 feet high each stacked so that the kids could climb up on them and then take hold of the Trapeze bar. The kids would then swing forward, bend their knees and swing back and then forward again before letting go to land on a mat below them about 3 feet. Alanna did very well but like several of the kids wasn't as excited about letting go.
Then it was on to the somersaults which she's getting very good at, the balance beam and the little rainbow that they were to climb up and slide down. The only thing she really had trouble with this time was standing in line at the Trapeze since that one took longer for each kid to take their turn.
Then they split into two groups and Alanna went to go learn to throw and catch scarves. They took scarves, threw them into the air and then caught them and then took it one step further to clapping in between throwing and catching. She did well with the throwing and catching, but couldn't quite get the clap in between.
Next they came over to the jump rope. She's still having a bit of trouble with jumping with both feet together versus run-jumping or prancing over, but she got it a couple times and we'll keep practicing with the mini trampoline at home.
They started again with taking the whole group for stretching/dancing, then came out to do the round robin of activities which this week started with Trapeze! They had two large mats about 1.5 feet high each stacked so that the kids could climb up on them and then take hold of the Trapeze bar. The kids would then swing forward, bend their knees and swing back and then forward again before letting go to land on a mat below them about 3 feet. Alanna did very well but like several of the kids wasn't as excited about letting go.
Then it was on to the somersaults which she's getting very good at, the balance beam and the little rainbow that they were to climb up and slide down. The only thing she really had trouble with this time was standing in line at the Trapeze since that one took longer for each kid to take their turn.
Then they split into two groups and Alanna went to go learn to throw and catch scarves. They took scarves, threw them into the air and then caught them and then took it one step further to clapping in between throwing and catching. She did well with the throwing and catching, but couldn't quite get the clap in between.
Next they came over to the jump rope. She's still having a bit of trouble with jumping with both feet together versus run-jumping or prancing over, but she got it a couple times and we'll keep practicing with the mini trampoline at home.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Kof Kof
She's too smart for her own good.....
Yesterday, we didn't have daycare, so I stayed home with Alanna for the day. Got in her 3 year doctor's appointment and all looks good. The kid has eyes like a hawk though and in the process of getting her ready for the doctor's, I was pulling out some barrettes which happened to be in a little travel thing with some additional items, one of which was a Triaminic Grape Cough Strip. She spotted it and immediately wanted it. I explained, "No, honey, those are for when you're sick, they help you feel better; they're not candy."
Fast forward to this morning. I set her on the potty and started to fix her hair. Here's what ensued:
Alanna: "I hurt"
Mommy: "Where do you hurt, honey? Show me."
A: "I sick"
M: "You don't feel good?"
A: "Yes, I sick." Accompanied by a frownie face.
M: Feeling her forehead, "Hmm..you don't feel warm."
A: "I sick. I need grape." She looks to the drawer where she saw the grape strip yesterday.
M: "Honey, those are only for when you're really sick. I don't think you're really sick."
A: "I sick." Pouting face.
M: Getting the grape strip out and reading it. "Hmm..well this says you only need it if you're coughing, are you coughing?" More a rhetorical question than anything.
A: "Yes, *kof kof*" Most pathetic little fake cough ever.
M: Struggling not to laugh. "Hmm..well that didn't sound like a real cough to me. It also says it's for runny noses and you haven't needed a kleenex at all today."
A: "I sick." Accompanied now by lots of forced sniffles.
M: "Honey, medicine is only for when you're really sick. Taking it when you're not sick can make you feel yucky." Alright, then Mommy was naughty and caved in (bad mommy) and broke of a teensy weensy sliver of the strip and gave it to her. She ate it happily.
Daddy: "Do you feel better?"
A: With a huge smile "Yes!"
Hoh boy. So now I need to lay the hammer down if it happens again. It's that uncomfortable position of not wanting to second guess her symptoms if she really is sick, but also not wanting her to keep using ploys to get her way.
Yesterday, we didn't have daycare, so I stayed home with Alanna for the day. Got in her 3 year doctor's appointment and all looks good. The kid has eyes like a hawk though and in the process of getting her ready for the doctor's, I was pulling out some barrettes which happened to be in a little travel thing with some additional items, one of which was a Triaminic Grape Cough Strip. She spotted it and immediately wanted it. I explained, "No, honey, those are for when you're sick, they help you feel better; they're not candy."
Fast forward to this morning. I set her on the potty and started to fix her hair. Here's what ensued:
Alanna: "I hurt"
Mommy: "Where do you hurt, honey? Show me."
A: "I sick"
M: "You don't feel good?"
A: "Yes, I sick." Accompanied by a frownie face.
M: Feeling her forehead, "Hmm..you don't feel warm."
A: "I sick. I need grape." She looks to the drawer where she saw the grape strip yesterday.
M: "Honey, those are only for when you're really sick. I don't think you're really sick."
A: "I sick." Pouting face.
M: Getting the grape strip out and reading it. "Hmm..well this says you only need it if you're coughing, are you coughing?" More a rhetorical question than anything.
A: "Yes, *kof kof*" Most pathetic little fake cough ever.
M: Struggling not to laugh. "Hmm..well that didn't sound like a real cough to me. It also says it's for runny noses and you haven't needed a kleenex at all today."
A: "I sick." Accompanied now by lots of forced sniffles.
M: "Honey, medicine is only for when you're really sick. Taking it when you're not sick can make you feel yucky." Alright, then Mommy was naughty and caved in (bad mommy) and broke of a teensy weensy sliver of the strip and gave it to her. She ate it happily.
Daddy: "Do you feel better?"
A: With a huge smile "Yes!"
Hoh boy. So now I need to lay the hammer down if it happens again. It's that uncomfortable position of not wanting to second guess her symptoms if she really is sick, but also not wanting her to keep using ploys to get her way.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Running Away to Join the Circus
A coworker mentioned this to me a while back and I thought it sounded really neat! There is a school over in St Paul that is for the Circus Arts Circus Jueventas.
We went ahead and enrolled Alanna in their toddler class and her first class was this past Saturday. There were 12 kids there and she was the youngest having just turned 3. She actually did really really well aside from the structure piece of the class. There were about 4 parents that needed to be near their children during the class and I was one of them, but I think in the next week or two, I'll be able to sit back and just let her do her thing without having to be right there.
They started off with some stretching and she had a little trouble understanding what they wanted her to do, but figured it out halfway through with some help. Then they started into this round robin type routine where they began the kids starting down a ramp with a somersault then moving on to standing in a hula hoop and throwing rings over a cone, then to a balance beam which was not the traditional beam, but more like two flexible pipes duct taped together, and finally to a little 'hill' (Alanna called it a rainbow) that they had to climb up on one side and slide down the other. Then they repeated that cycle several times and near the end doing backwards somersaults instead of frontwards. Alanna caught on to the rotation near the end, but I think it was hard for her to stay in tune with where she should be going next versus just wanting to play on whichever one struck her fancy. She practically raced across the balance beam.
Then they split the kids into three groups and started them at different stations. Alanna started on the trampoline. She was to jump in one spot, circle her arms back, then stop on command putting her hands palms forward in front of her, then arms up above her head before walking back. She did really well with the stopping and putting her arms up, but wanted to run in place jump rather than jumping with both of her feet together.
Then she got to move on to the handstand/balancing area. There were two wooden blocks for her to put one foot on each. Then they had her lift one leg at a time and balance. Then they flipped her upside down to do a handstand. She has fantastic balance and did great with it!
Lastly, they took turns on the globe. This is a huge ball that they stand on and balance. She did great with it and actually turned around once without losing her balance.
So now, we practice. We got a little mini jumper trampoline to work with her on and I brought my pilates mat upstairs so that she could somerault and we'd do stretches. I was really worried that she wouldn't like it, but as soon as we got home she wanted to practice, so we'll see how next class goes.
We went ahead and enrolled Alanna in their toddler class and her first class was this past Saturday. There were 12 kids there and she was the youngest having just turned 3. She actually did really really well aside from the structure piece of the class. There were about 4 parents that needed to be near their children during the class and I was one of them, but I think in the next week or two, I'll be able to sit back and just let her do her thing without having to be right there.
They started off with some stretching and she had a little trouble understanding what they wanted her to do, but figured it out halfway through with some help. Then they started into this round robin type routine where they began the kids starting down a ramp with a somersault then moving on to standing in a hula hoop and throwing rings over a cone, then to a balance beam which was not the traditional beam, but more like two flexible pipes duct taped together, and finally to a little 'hill' (Alanna called it a rainbow) that they had to climb up on one side and slide down the other. Then they repeated that cycle several times and near the end doing backwards somersaults instead of frontwards. Alanna caught on to the rotation near the end, but I think it was hard for her to stay in tune with where she should be going next versus just wanting to play on whichever one struck her fancy. She practically raced across the balance beam.
Then they split the kids into three groups and started them at different stations. Alanna started on the trampoline. She was to jump in one spot, circle her arms back, then stop on command putting her hands palms forward in front of her, then arms up above her head before walking back. She did really well with the stopping and putting her arms up, but wanted to run in place jump rather than jumping with both of her feet together.
Then she got to move on to the handstand/balancing area. There were two wooden blocks for her to put one foot on each. Then they had her lift one leg at a time and balance. Then they flipped her upside down to do a handstand. She has fantastic balance and did great with it!
Lastly, they took turns on the globe. This is a huge ball that they stand on and balance. She did great with it and actually turned around once without losing her balance.
So now, we practice. We got a little mini jumper trampoline to work with her on and I brought my pilates mat upstairs so that she could somerault and we'd do stretches. I was really worried that she wouldn't like it, but as soon as we got home she wanted to practice, so we'll see how next class goes.
Two Ships in the Night
I'm a little behind in some of the things I wanted to blog, so forgive me as I ramble on.
This happened this past August while my mother and stepdad, Joe, were in town.
Joe keeps trying to corrupt Alanna in a haha funny look what Grandpa taught her type of way. For example he'll ask her if she wants a chew just to see the look on my face of horror.
We were in the van heading over to Lori and Scott's house and we drove past the movie theatre where we had gone to see 'Madagascar' recently. Alanna picks up on the smallest things sometimes and it never ceases to amaze me. She looked out of the window, saw the theatre and exclaimed 'Mad Ass Car!' to which mommy calmly replied, "Yes, honey, that's where we went to see the movie 'Madagascar' emphasizing the pronunciation. Joe latched right onto this and thought it would be fun to teach her some more words that sound like swearing.
He looked at her and said, "Alanna are you a Little Ship?" Mommy new perfectly well that Alanna has no problem saying her 'P's' even though Grandpa Joe was surely hoping they would come out like 'T's'. She replied, "I'm a Little Ship" and Mommy quickly jumped in and said, "That's right and Grandpa Joe is a Big Ship, isn't he?" To my delight, she replied, "Grandpa Joe is a BIG SHIP!"
Ha!
This happened this past August while my mother and stepdad, Joe, were in town.
Joe keeps trying to corrupt Alanna in a haha funny look what Grandpa taught her type of way. For example he'll ask her if she wants a chew just to see the look on my face of horror.
We were in the van heading over to Lori and Scott's house and we drove past the movie theatre where we had gone to see 'Madagascar' recently. Alanna picks up on the smallest things sometimes and it never ceases to amaze me. She looked out of the window, saw the theatre and exclaimed 'Mad Ass Car!' to which mommy calmly replied, "Yes, honey, that's where we went to see the movie 'Madagascar' emphasizing the pronunciation. Joe latched right onto this and thought it would be fun to teach her some more words that sound like swearing.
He looked at her and said, "Alanna are you a Little Ship?" Mommy new perfectly well that Alanna has no problem saying her 'P's' even though Grandpa Joe was surely hoping they would come out like 'T's'. She replied, "I'm a Little Ship" and Mommy quickly jumped in and said, "That's right and Grandpa Joe is a Big Ship, isn't he?" To my delight, she replied, "Grandpa Joe is a BIG SHIP!"
Ha!
Birthday
Alanna turned 3 on the 22nd. Amazing that the last 3 years have just flown by so quickly.
With the power out, I rationed her gifts to her so her birthday has really extended about a week long in entertainment value. We did go to the evil Chucky Cheese's restaurant on Friday night where they proceeded to give her a crown and balloon, free cotton candy (they're just loving the fact that they're jacking my kid up on sugar), and the opportunity to dance with a giant mouse to get free tickets.
The food is disgusting cardboard-like crust with some cheese and pepperoni smooshed on top, not that she noticed as she was far too busy feeding coins into the Hungry Hippos game and playing contentedly. Of course after we cashed in our tickets for her little play dress up purse, THEN she was hungry! She had a lot of fun though and that's what counts and I think we're safe now from the rat for another year. Hmm..wouldn't it be fun if Chucky Cheese and Mickey were in a wrestling bout?
I did need to move her actual Birthday Fiesta to this coming weekend as I just wasn't comfortable holding the party at our house with no power or moving it somewhere else on such short notice. Something just didn't feel right about having the kids outside playing after the storm results--here kids, go play with the downed power lines..that's right, the one right next to the chain link fence! Luckily, Cub was very accomodating about changing the dates for her cake and balloons and I know she'll have a great time. The weekend should be a lot of fun for her with her party coming on Saturday and then we'll be attending Dragon Tales Live on Sunday.
With the power out, I rationed her gifts to her so her birthday has really extended about a week long in entertainment value. We did go to the evil Chucky Cheese's restaurant on Friday night where they proceeded to give her a crown and balloon, free cotton candy (they're just loving the fact that they're jacking my kid up on sugar), and the opportunity to dance with a giant mouse to get free tickets.
The food is disgusting cardboard-like crust with some cheese and pepperoni smooshed on top, not that she noticed as she was far too busy feeding coins into the Hungry Hippos game and playing contentedly. Of course after we cashed in our tickets for her little play dress up purse, THEN she was hungry! She had a lot of fun though and that's what counts and I think we're safe now from the rat for another year. Hmm..wouldn't it be fun if Chucky Cheese and Mickey were in a wrestling bout?
I did need to move her actual Birthday Fiesta to this coming weekend as I just wasn't comfortable holding the party at our house with no power or moving it somewhere else on such short notice. Something just didn't feel right about having the kids outside playing after the storm results--here kids, go play with the downed power lines..that's right, the one right next to the chain link fence! Luckily, Cub was very accomodating about changing the dates for her cake and balloons and I know she'll have a great time. The weekend should be a lot of fun for her with her party coming on Saturday and then we'll be attending Dragon Tales Live on Sunday.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Friday, September 16, 2005
No More Diapers!!
Woooohooo! Well, that pretty much sums it up. We now will save a minimum of $16 weekly (don't worry I'm sure something else will come up that we end up having to spend it on) on diapers. Miss Alanna is officially potty trained and in her own words "big girl now!".
Something made her turn the corner in the last week and it all just 'clicked'. She's been wearing big girl panties during the day with no accidents and pull-ups at night, although she's been keeping those dry too. She actually wakes mommy up if she needs to go in the middle of the night.
Now we just have to work on phasing out the sticker and pez rewards, but they're still far less of a cost than the diapers were. I'm still getting used to 'trusting' her to tell us if she needs to go and her pants don't fit quite right now..they slide off her butt LOL! So, I'm having to safety pin them depending on the pair.
We're very lucky to have such a good little girl (makes me even more scared to even think about having another as we'd likely get jinxed). She decided to go poo poo first, then letting us know about pee pee quickly followed and right away she's dry through the night. I surely am not compaining!! :)
Something made her turn the corner in the last week and it all just 'clicked'. She's been wearing big girl panties during the day with no accidents and pull-ups at night, although she's been keeping those dry too. She actually wakes mommy up if she needs to go in the middle of the night.
Now we just have to work on phasing out the sticker and pez rewards, but they're still far less of a cost than the diapers were. I'm still getting used to 'trusting' her to tell us if she needs to go and her pants don't fit quite right now..they slide off her butt LOL! So, I'm having to safety pin them depending on the pair.
We're very lucky to have such a good little girl (makes me even more scared to even think about having another as we'd likely get jinxed). She decided to go poo poo first, then letting us know about pee pee quickly followed and right away she's dry through the night. I surely am not compaining!! :)
Monday, September 12, 2005
What I Say You Say
We've entered into the major 'parrotting' phase with Alanna. She'd go through little moments of repeating us before, but not for long phrases or sentences. Well, I can officially say we're past that.
Luckily, we've cleaned up our language in front of her considerably, so that hopefully she won't pick up anything *naughty* from home anyway. However, mommy did a boo boo this weekend.
We were heading to the grocery store on our mommy/daughter grocery trip and I went to turn to go up the next aisle and the car to my right blew her stop sign and shot me a dirty look. Talking to no one other than to myself and the closed windows in the car, I growled, "Look lady, you've got a stop sign!". To which I then heard this little bitty voice in the back say, "lady you have stop sign!" Oooops!
Now the other incarnation is that in a sick and twisted parental amusement sort of way, it's kinda fun to have her say things just for amusement sake because it comes out so darn cute.
An example of this happened last night. As mentioned in a previous post, Miss Alanna is a bit obsessed with the concept of money and we're trying (or Mommy at least is) to teach her that it doesn't grow on trees etc. So, Daddy was playing with her last night with her play cash register and fake groceries, ringing things up and paying for them. Alanna was all excited to show him the money in the cash register drawer (the little yellow coins actually from the Yahtzee game is what they were using). Next thing I hear from across the room is this little bitty voice saying gleefully, "I'm a Capitalist!!!" DADDY!!!!!!!
Luckily, we've cleaned up our language in front of her considerably, so that hopefully she won't pick up anything *naughty* from home anyway. However, mommy did a boo boo this weekend.
We were heading to the grocery store on our mommy/daughter grocery trip and I went to turn to go up the next aisle and the car to my right blew her stop sign and shot me a dirty look. Talking to no one other than to myself and the closed windows in the car, I growled, "Look lady, you've got a stop sign!". To which I then heard this little bitty voice in the back say, "lady you have stop sign!" Oooops!
Now the other incarnation is that in a sick and twisted parental amusement sort of way, it's kinda fun to have her say things just for amusement sake because it comes out so darn cute.
An example of this happened last night. As mentioned in a previous post, Miss Alanna is a bit obsessed with the concept of money and we're trying (or Mommy at least is) to teach her that it doesn't grow on trees etc. So, Daddy was playing with her last night with her play cash register and fake groceries, ringing things up and paying for them. Alanna was all excited to show him the money in the cash register drawer (the little yellow coins actually from the Yahtzee game is what they were using). Next thing I hear from across the room is this little bitty voice saying gleefully, "I'm a Capitalist!!!" DADDY!!!!!!!
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Uh Oh
In an effort to budget and also teach Alanna about money at the same time, we came up with the brilliant idea of going ahead and giving her an allowance.
This would accomplish a couple things:
1) Limit the amount of money Mommy & Daddy are tempted to spend on her.
2) Allow her to see the implications of her choices and let her pick out her own things that she wanted.
3) Help us to teach her about saving and sharing, as she must save a little of her money and give a little of her money every two weeks when she gets her allowance.
So far, it's actually worked pretty well. We don't buy her toys on impulse, she gets to weigh out exactly what she wants to spend her money on and is starting to figure out the concept of having to give something to get something at the store (i.e. things don't just *poof* into the house). We've also been working with the idea of saving the money in the piggy bank and showing her that the ATM is actually a big piggy bank for Mommy & Daddy by bringing her with when we deposit money and don't take any out so that she doesn't think it's just a money machine.
Here's the uh oh...
A couple weeks ago we went to the Renaissance Festival. On the way out the door Alanna piped up, "Spend all Daddy's money!!???"
And this past week, she was upset because she didn't want to go to daycare and blurted out in a hopeful tone, "Go spend money? That be fun!"
Hoh boy...perhaps we should have thought this through a little better....
This would accomplish a couple things:
1) Limit the amount of money Mommy & Daddy are tempted to spend on her.
2) Allow her to see the implications of her choices and let her pick out her own things that she wanted.
3) Help us to teach her about saving and sharing, as she must save a little of her money and give a little of her money every two weeks when she gets her allowance.
So far, it's actually worked pretty well. We don't buy her toys on impulse, she gets to weigh out exactly what she wants to spend her money on and is starting to figure out the concept of having to give something to get something at the store (i.e. things don't just *poof* into the house). We've also been working with the idea of saving the money in the piggy bank and showing her that the ATM is actually a big piggy bank for Mommy & Daddy by bringing her with when we deposit money and don't take any out so that she doesn't think it's just a money machine.
Here's the uh oh...
A couple weeks ago we went to the Renaissance Festival. On the way out the door Alanna piped up, "Spend all Daddy's money!!???"
And this past week, she was upset because she didn't want to go to daycare and blurted out in a hopeful tone, "Go spend money? That be fun!"
Hoh boy...perhaps we should have thought this through a little better....
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Duct Taped Diapers
The ingenuity of sleep deprived parents will probably never cease to amaze me.
Last week when we got to daycare on Monday, we knew we were in for a heck of a week upon seeing the other 2.5 year old with boogers running out of his nose. Ut oh..the infamous summer cold had arrived. Sure enough, Alanna came home Tuesday with a runny nose and a grumpy attitude due to not feeling well, which meant she, Mommy and Daddy didn't sleep well. Off to daycare we went again Wednesday with her little stash of medicines that really don't work anyway. Weds night we were greeted by the booger princess and her sleepy, grumpy attitude when we picked her up.
I should explain. Alanna is blessed to have the best of both her Mommy and Daddy in how she reacts to being sick. When Mommy is sick, she wants to be left alone..period. Don't touch me, don't come near me, here's money go away and leave me alone to medicate and sleep. When Daddy is sick, the opposite is true. Daddy gets very needy, pouty, and whiney. He is much more of a fix it, make it better, get me soup pllleeeeease kind of sick. So, mix those two combinations. Having trouble with it? Here, imagine this: Mommy, I want mommy, big hug, need water, no want juice, no no no no!!! There you have it. Fun fun fun.
So anyway, back to Wednesday night. We caved in and let her fall asleep in our bed. This is a very rare occurrence. I woke up about 1am and she was sound asleep, so I went to move her back to her own bed (part of our routine if she sleeps with us so that she doesn't get used to it and want it all the time). I got her back into her bed and went to change her diaper. Threw it away and reached for a new one when I heard a crash in the other room. I rushed out to see what it was and Dippy was on top of the piano attempting to kill a fly and had knocked over a picture frame. I rehung the frame, scolded Dippy, killed the fly and returned to Alanna's room with a diaper in hand in record time. She'd wet the bed.
So, off came the sheets, the child was now awake and very upset. I called to Jeb to get me a warm washcloth to clean up said child and after he was done went to put a new diaper on. I should mention that this new diaper came from a new package. I'd never heard of 'defective diapers' before, but apparently we got a whole package full. The left tab wouldn't stick!! So, whilst I'm racking my brain and trying to convince her that she wants to wear a pullup--with no success I might add, my ingenious sleep-deprived husband rushes back into the room and DUCT TAPES the diaper onto her.
I think the lady at Pampers was laughing so hard she was crying by the time I told her the story and she agreed to send me coupons for new diapers. Which to their credit said coupons arrived yesterday in the mail and the latest package is not defective....
Last week when we got to daycare on Monday, we knew we were in for a heck of a week upon seeing the other 2.5 year old with boogers running out of his nose. Ut oh..the infamous summer cold had arrived. Sure enough, Alanna came home Tuesday with a runny nose and a grumpy attitude due to not feeling well, which meant she, Mommy and Daddy didn't sleep well. Off to daycare we went again Wednesday with her little stash of medicines that really don't work anyway. Weds night we were greeted by the booger princess and her sleepy, grumpy attitude when we picked her up.
I should explain. Alanna is blessed to have the best of both her Mommy and Daddy in how she reacts to being sick. When Mommy is sick, she wants to be left alone..period. Don't touch me, don't come near me, here's money go away and leave me alone to medicate and sleep. When Daddy is sick, the opposite is true. Daddy gets very needy, pouty, and whiney. He is much more of a fix it, make it better, get me soup pllleeeeease kind of sick. So, mix those two combinations. Having trouble with it? Here, imagine this: Mommy, I want mommy, big hug, need water, no want juice, no no no no!!! There you have it. Fun fun fun.
So anyway, back to Wednesday night. We caved in and let her fall asleep in our bed. This is a very rare occurrence. I woke up about 1am and she was sound asleep, so I went to move her back to her own bed (part of our routine if she sleeps with us so that she doesn't get used to it and want it all the time). I got her back into her bed and went to change her diaper. Threw it away and reached for a new one when I heard a crash in the other room. I rushed out to see what it was and Dippy was on top of the piano attempting to kill a fly and had knocked over a picture frame. I rehung the frame, scolded Dippy, killed the fly and returned to Alanna's room with a diaper in hand in record time. She'd wet the bed.
So, off came the sheets, the child was now awake and very upset. I called to Jeb to get me a warm washcloth to clean up said child and after he was done went to put a new diaper on. I should mention that this new diaper came from a new package. I'd never heard of 'defective diapers' before, but apparently we got a whole package full. The left tab wouldn't stick!! So, whilst I'm racking my brain and trying to convince her that she wants to wear a pullup--with no success I might add, my ingenious sleep-deprived husband rushes back into the room and DUCT TAPES the diaper onto her.
I think the lady at Pampers was laughing so hard she was crying by the time I told her the story and she agreed to send me coupons for new diapers. Which to their credit said coupons arrived yesterday in the mail and the latest package is not defective....
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Things that Make me Happy
These are the simple things that make me happy. Now of course there are the larger items (family, my daughter, world peace blah blah) but those I'm just very blessed to have and don't feel like blogging sappy long sentences about. :)
So, instead..to entertain you and myself for a few moments here are the other floofy items that make me happy: (feel free to add yours in comments)
*Fraggles...I like Fraggles
*Venti Skinny Vanilla/Mint Lattes from Starbucks with a Cranberry/Orange muffin
*Pedicures with flowers on my toes
*Whatchmacallit candy bars
*Money that comes in the mail or that you find in a pocket or drawer that you're not expecting.
*Unexpectedly light traffic on a commute to or from work.
*An item you didn't know you needed on the clearance rack at Target for more than 50% off.
*Jelly Nougut candies in bulk that are still soft--not the hard rock ancient ones
*Finding a ladybug somewhere unexpected.
So, instead..to entertain you and myself for a few moments here are the other floofy items that make me happy: (feel free to add yours in comments)
*Fraggles...I like Fraggles
*Venti Skinny Vanilla/Mint Lattes from Starbucks with a Cranberry/Orange muffin
*Pedicures with flowers on my toes
*Whatchmacallit candy bars
*Money that comes in the mail or that you find in a pocket or drawer that you're not expecting.
*Unexpectedly light traffic on a commute to or from work.
*An item you didn't know you needed on the clearance rack at Target for more than 50% off.
*Jelly Nougut
*Finding a ladybug somewhere unexpected.
Where Can I Order a Tower.....
It's begun. Not that we thought it wouldn't, but just didn't realize it would be so soon!
Blonde hair, blue eyes, dimples...it was inevitable.
This morning after fixing Alanna's hair, I asked her to go put her shoes on while I finished getting ready. She decided to play dress-up. She has a little Princess Dressup trunk that her cousins got her last Christmas. It has skirts and tops for Aurora, Belle, Cinderella and Snow White in it. We've added a few dress up items as we find them. I come out to get her out and into the car and she's wearing the pink Aurora skirt (Aurora is Sleeping Beauty in case you didn't know), top, crown, and 'glass slippers'. I decided it wasn't a battle worth fighting and let her wear it to daycare over her regular clothes.
She walks in, struts right over to the lil 2.5 year old boy, Trayton, there and does this little stance where she held her skirt out and said 'Seeeeeeeeeeeeee'. Then pointed at the little Sleeping Beauty broach on the shirt....I don't think she fluttered her eyelashes, but she may as well have.
I think daddy now wants to bring a shotgun and ask Trayton what his intentions are.....
Blonde hair, blue eyes, dimples...it was inevitable.
This morning after fixing Alanna's hair, I asked her to go put her shoes on while I finished getting ready. She decided to play dress-up. She has a little Princess Dressup trunk that her cousins got her last Christmas. It has skirts and tops for Aurora, Belle, Cinderella and Snow White in it. We've added a few dress up items as we find them. I come out to get her out and into the car and she's wearing the pink Aurora skirt (Aurora is Sleeping Beauty in case you didn't know), top, crown, and 'glass slippers'. I decided it wasn't a battle worth fighting and let her wear it to daycare over her regular clothes.
She walks in, struts right over to the lil 2.5 year old boy, Trayton, there and does this little stance where she held her skirt out and said 'Seeeeeeeeeeeeee'. Then pointed at the little Sleeping Beauty broach on the shirt....I don't think she fluttered her eyelashes, but she may as well have.
I think daddy now wants to bring a shotgun and ask Trayton what his intentions are.....
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