Sara is Smiling

Dumpity Dump Dump

Ok..so suddenly I suck at blogging. So many reasons why my blogging has become sporatic at best, non-existent at worst. I won't bore you with why.
I'm still here, though, and my kids are still being silly and sweet and bad. Here's another slew of recent phone pics and little anecdotes.

We'll start with Max.
Emptying his backpack the other day I found this:

"One of my favourite people in the whole world is my dad, because he never let's me stay sad."
Meaning - When Mom gets mad at me and I run off crying, Dad always comes and makes it all better. Mom=Bad Guy, Dad=Hero.

Then I turned the page and found this:

"I love my Mom because she made me."
Meaning - I love my Mom because I am biologically designed to and culturally expected to. Nice.

One more:

Asked to write several proper sentences, Max finishes with, "I have the best teacher ever." lol
No wonder people like Max!
I was in the convenience store with Charlie after my taekwondo class last night, and there was a woman with a little girl walking in at the same time. The little girl gets all excited and says to her Mom, "gasp! There's Charlie!! That means MAX is here!!!"
I have to say, he is quite likable. I was set up in the tv room ironing all of Quincey's shirts (finally). Charlie comes up to me all surprised, "You iron?? I've never seen you iron...like..NEVER."
But Max comes up and says to me, "Mom, you need a day off. Why don't you take a day off with Dad and get Rachael to watch us." Someday it's going to drive his wife nuts that his crazy momma is so attached to him :-)

Time for another pic from my phone and a solid transition to Eloise:
I found them snuggled up together watching tv. When I see my kids loving on each other it is completely irresistible to me.


Elly's preschool teacher expressed concern recently that Elly and Aidan only play with each other and are always holding hands or hugging. She wondered if we wanted her to keep them more separate in class. Nope! we told her. They're just soul-mate cousins and we're fine with it :-)

At breakfast Elly asked me to get my phone and take a picture of her with her momma bunny and baby bunny. I, of course, obliged.

All the crazy gadgets the kids have, but the good old fashion stuffed animals remain Elly's toy of choice.

This is what a sleepover hangover looks like:

Being eight, Charlie's favourite thing in the world is a sleepover. She's recently discovered the thrill of staying up all night. Not so much fun the next day, though. Especially when Mom's dragging you out for your brother's hockey practice. The rest of this day was better off forgetting altogether :/

Amy and I took Charlie and Kenzie on a girl's day date. We got pedicures then went out for a sit down lunch.


I'm trying to do more of these kinds of things with the kids. I took Max and Charlie skating the weekend before, and this weekend we're going to go bowling.



It helps that I have someone to leave Quinn with. I love doing things with the kids, but it's tough with a toddler spoiling things. I used to think I was a baby person, but I'm certain now that I like kids. I just absolutely love hanging out with my big kids.

Max came home from school recently and told me that Dad got me pregnant by peeing on me! We were concerned that they're getting bizarre information from kids at school so decided to have a chat with them. Quincey asked, "Do you know what sex is?"
They both started to giggle. Charlie says, "Of course! Aaaaaalllllll kids know what sex is!"
Quincey asked, "Do you know what drugs are?"
Charlie answered yes again. Quincey asked, "How do you know about drugs?"
Charlie replies, "BECAUSE, Dad, I watch Dr. Phil!"
The conversation continues on about other dangers and vices. Quincey asks, "What happens when you eat too much?"
Max answers, "You get baaaad gas."

Ok, lastly for today (and only because I'm at work and need to finish a project) a picture of Quinn and Quincey at a 7am hockey practice. It is so much easier to control her when Quincey is around! Hopefully this constant travelling will subside soon!

Priorities

We had company over for dinner last night. I was talking about how the master at tae kwon do was working one on one with Max yesterday because he's having trouble learning the flying side kick, and testing is coming up.
A few minutes later I notice Max hiding under a blanket on the couch and crying.
Assuming he'd overheard and his feelings were hurt, I took him into my office to talk.
Me: What's wrong, Maxy?
Max: {unintelligible words through sobs}
Me: You need to calm down so I can understand you, Bud.
Max: You put cheese on the noodles...you know I don't like cheese!

Speaking of baby practical jokes..

I was pouring cereal for the kid's breakfast and emptied the box.
I pulled the bag out to put it in the garbage so I could flatten the box for recycling.
Inside the box I found a set of keys. They were unfamiliar and newish looking.
I excitedy scoured the box for something like, "Find the box with keys and WIN A NEW CAR!!"
I must've read that box a dozen times when Quincey came in and claimed the keys as his.

Why do they do this to me? Keys in the cereal box? Reeeallly???

Overheard

Max: Charlie! You're always bullying me!
Charlie: I bully you. You bully Elly. Elly bullies Quinn. Quinn bullies Mom.

From the mouths of babes.

Not much of anything..

Eloise just walked up to me with her pants around her ankles, a wad of toilet paper in her hands, and said, "You've GOT to see this!"
Seriouslyyyyyyyyyy??? This is my life??

I had to take the kids to the dentist today. I picked them up from school and they were waiting in the office already. As we were leaving the school Charlie rolls her eyes and says, "Max was telling the secretary EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING. It was EMBARRASSING."
Then at the dentist he was talking so much to the hygienist that it took her 4 tries to get his x-rays. When the dentist came in it didn't stop. Then he announces, "We have to go to Wendy's for lunch. Mom is on a big diet and has to eat salad." Now I'M embarrassed!

 

More Kiddie Quotes

Me: Where are your pants. (I suspect she's hiding an accident.)
Eloise: Dem lost.
Me: They fell off your bum and got lost, hey?
Eloise: Yaaa.
Me: How did that happen?
Eloise: A monster took dem.
Me: What did he look like? Should I try to find him?
Eloise: No, him had big teeth. And 3 and 4 and 5 eyes.
Me: And he likes pants.
Eloise: Yup.

Elly (to me on a workday when I didn't have childcare and I'm trying to juggle): Mom, say "Coming riiiiiight up!" when I aks you for a snack.

Max (to Quincey): Dad, can I call you bro?
Quincey: Sure.
Max: Thanks, bro.

The kids are in the living room playing.
Charlie is taking pictures of them. I can hear her trying to organize them and make them smile for her pictures.
After a few failed attempts she says: Say, 'Daddy has stinky underwear!'
They all repeat it through giggles and belly laughs.

And here is Quinny's bad hair day. She has these a lot these days.

Too Cute

Elly wanted to play with the bunny this morning.
I put it in her basket and off she went.
She takes him to the living room and takes him out of the basket. He hops around while she spreads a blanket on the floor, gets some snacks for her and his food bowl out of his cage. She brings him back over to the blanket for a picnic.

But that's not even the cute part.

After eating and chatting with buns, I see her run off behind the curtain. In a minute or so she comes out sad faced,
"Why he not looking for me?"
She had thought that the bunny and her could play hide and seek.
Maybe I shouldn't have waited three years to have her little sister!

Big Girl?

Elly comes up to me with tears streaming down her face just devastated about something.
I ask her what's wrong.
"Charlie said I a little girl! I a BIG girl!"
"Of course you're a big girl!" I tell her wiping the tears from her cheek.
"You can feed the baby. Little girls can't do that.
You can get dressed all by yourself and you can take care of your bunny. Little girls can't do that."
"Ya," she adds, "and I can use a knife to get a brownie!"

oh.
Maybe Charlie wasn't just being a meanie after all.

Guilt Free Zone

So a popular baby website is calling it Guilt Free Parenting Week.

Here are things I am no longer going to beat myself up over:

1. Formula Feeding - No excuses. I could breast feed. I chose not to. Lady who scolded me in the mall for using a bottle--you know where to shove it.

2. Having a job - I work. My family benefits. And yes, I do believe that I still raise my kids..not whatever childcare provider we happen to be using.

3. Kids watching tv - My kids are mindless drones, and slaves to media programming. {eye roll}

4. Eating out with the kids once a week - It's a tradition. All six of us go and sometimes lovely guests like Q's nephew or my little sister and her husband join us. Sometimes it's the evil fast food and sometimes not.

5. The amount of toys we have - Perhaps we have too many. But trust me..my kids hear NO puh-lenty. They're definitely not over-indulged. (And besides, I don't believe that going without makes you a better person..maybe you learn more lessons about going without, but you're not better person.)

6. My messy house - I work full time (often longer) and have 4 small children including an infant. My house is a mess. My priorities lie elsewhere. So sue me. :-) And Grammie, I love you, but my poor housekeeping skills did not, in fact, hinder my husband-aquiring skills.

AHHHHHHH! That felt good!

And just for funsies:
I commented on Elly's owl shirt today.
Max says, "What?? That's a Pac-Man shirt!"
Hunh? I said.
Hunh? he said.
I don't get it, Max.
What? Those are Pac-Man ghosts.

Ok, when you laughed hysterically when I referred to the BLUE chair as BLUE because you're sure it is grey, we aaaaallll got a chuckle at the little colour blind boy's expense.
But the owls as pac-man ghosts? That's a stretch, my friend.

An Elly Short

She eats a can of peas for breakfast every morning.
This morning she squished a bunch in the bottom of her cup and poured day old diet coke on top of them.
"For you" she smiles as she holds it out for me.
"No thanks"
She puts it down, dips her paint brush in the paint and then in the dirty paintbrush cleaning water and then into the Pea-Coke.
Then she takes a sip.
She pulls the cup away with a Stepford Wife smile.
"That was disgusting, wasn't it."
"Yes!" she sweetly says still wearing her put on smile.

Why did I let her drink it? Some things are better learned through experience. :-)