Toys

Even after Christmas AND a 2nd birthday my kids play with a lot of "non-toy" toys.  Lately their favorite has been canned food.  The cans are in our corner lazy Susan cabinet that I can't justify child locking.  The cabinet is routinely emptied, the cans lined up and moved around the house and then, thankfully, returned.  Yesterday S and E decided that the cans should be cooked on the grill and moved with the shopping cart.  I'm not sure they believed me when I told them that the cartons of vegetable broth were NOT milk and that they really won't like what was in their if they managed to open one.

It goes almost without saying that we like boxes at our house.  This lovely uncaptioned picture is of E after the "house" fell down.  It was really hard for me not to sing a Wizard of Oz song as I took this picture.  The silly girl was perfectly happy laying inside the house.  I guess she isn't claustrophobic.

Micsellany Monday

1. Last night as I was picking up toys I emptied out three gift bags that E had been carrying around.  Inside them I found:
• 6 Duplo Blocks
• 3 wooden pepperonis
• 4 wooden mushrooms
• 2 wooden peppers (They got a Melissa & Doug pizza set for their birthday.)
•  a wooden policeman from a train set
• 1 slice of pizza, wooden
• 1 cupcake baking cup
• a Mr. Potato Head nose
• a strip of red fabric that had been tied around their birthday shirts
2. After S and E's nap today we were picking up more Duplo blocks but S couldn't part with two of them.  One was a see-through block and the other was a brown block with coffee beans on it.  I asked him what he had and he said, "Blue and coffee."  I asked, "Who likes coffee. He replied, "Mama."  With a sly smile.
3. Please ignore the incorrect punctuation and lack of new paragraphs in the number two.  Blogger won't let me indent and keep my numbers.
4. Today was our two year appointment with the doctor.  S is in the 99th percentile for height and the 95th for weight while poor little E is only in the 25th for weight and the 75-85th for height.  This explains so much about gymnastics class tonight.
5. I have an agreement or I "okayed" alternating gymnastics classes with S and in for two sessions.  E went the first two because S was sick last week.  It was finally his turn.  I had to take E with me and Mr. P met us there.  E was not happy about missing out on class but S was pretty excited.  He does a much better job copying motions of the teacher but he just isn't as nimble or a fast or as much of a risk taker as his big sister.  I think he larger than average size has affected his flexibility and it takes him a little longer to be confident.  He did love the parachute too.  He did a pretty good job but got "stuck" under the tent once and then was unprepared for a quick up and down and did a face plant with a little blood onto the chute.  But he happily joined back in a ran all over it.
6. When I asked what his favorite part of class was he said, "Tunnel. Swing, knock it down."  There was a tunnel set up over a wedge that he would have stayed at all class and they got to swing on the bar and knock down a larger block.  He giggled with excitement every time he knocked it down.  Oh boys...
7. E got a little baby for her birthday that has a paci.  We are only 3 weeks into being paci free and I was a little worried she'd inherit the baby's.  BUT she tells you to be quiet when the baby is around and gives it the paci and she hasn't tried to suck on it once.  (Her brother did twice at dinner though.)
8. We played with play-doh tonight for the first time.  In the 30 seconds that I left the kitchen to grab the camera S had taken a bite of the orange dough.  Yuck!
9. No pictures today.  I'm still trying to learn our new computer.  Our old one died on Saturday and we're still trying to recover the memory.  No fun!

Another step away...

from being my babies.  As of today S and E have been paci free since January 1st.  It is the one resolution that we can check off the list.  Mr. P has been trying to get me to get rid of the kids' paci's since they were about a year old.  I have been reluctant for no reason other than laziness.  It was part of their nap and nighttime routine.  They knew the paci meant it was time for bed.  They were becoming more attached and E had started throwing major fits when you tried to take hers from her.  So, we made it a resolution to wean them off, or really quit cold turkey.

Tuesday before nap time I asked Mr. P, "So do we start now?  Should we put them to bed without their paci's?"  Of course he said, yeah.  We talked to the kids for awhile about being big and big kids don't sleep with pacifiers and then we put them to bed.  S didn't have any trouble.  He whimpered for a bit but he was tired.  (They were both up until 11 pm on New Year's Eve and didn't really sleep in.)  E on the other had cried, after 10 minutes Mr. P went up and told her it was time to go night night and put her back down, she cried, and repeat.  After 30 minutes of crying we decided that maybe she needs to just use a broken one.  So I slit the tip and gave it to her.  She took it and went right to sleep.

So we decided to try the same trick that night with the broken paci.  She cried a little bit but not too bad and then went to sleep.  S continued to have no trouble.  He'd ask for his paci and we'd tell him big boys don't use them and he would go to sleep.  So we thought it would just take time for E to get tired of the broken paci.  Well, we were wrong.

On Wednesday, Jan. 2nd, we spent the morning running errands and getting E's first haircut.  We made it home late, about an hour past nap time.  The kids were tired so we thought they'd go right to sleep.  We decided to try to put E down without her paci, give her some time then, if needed we'd give her her paci.  I snuck downstairs to escape the crying and because I'm not very good at just putting her down and telling her it is night night time.  I'm a sucker and I know it.  So Daddy gets to be in charge.  Forty minutes later Mr. P comes downstairs and tells me that E is still crying.  He hadn't given her the broken paci and every time he goes upstairs she has taken all of her clothes off.  We decided to give her the broken paci and see how it goes.  Well, it didn't help.  She still screamed for almost an hour.  I finally decided to try to get her to sleep.

When I went in she had taken her clothes off, again, and she was saying, "change".  So I figured she must be dirty.  Well, she was practically dry.  But not she had gotten herself out of bed.  So I took her to my bed to lay with her to try to calm her down.  She was calm and asleep, I thought, so I took her back into her room.  Well, she was back awake and clingy to me like a little monkey.  I finally pried her from me and put her into her bed.  Where she cried, and cried, and cried.

Well needless to say a little bit later I gave her a regular paci, she still cried.  The girl needed to sleep so I laid down with her in our bed and she was out like a light.  Unfortunately all the commotion had taken a toll on S's nap.  He was up.  Phew, the worst nap time we've had in a VERY long time.  My kids are generally great sleepers.

So Mr. P and I had to come up with a new plan of action.  E is a smart, stubborn little girl.  So we went back to cold turkey.  There wasn't a time that we'd give her the broken paci, she wasn't going to get one, or we'd but up for hours at night.

So we put her to bed with a paci and I went to the grocery store.  (I did the same thing when we had to let her CIO around her first birthday when she just wanted to be held when she slept.)  I got the all clear about 40 minutes later.  She had fallen asleep without her paci.  Hooray!

Nap time yesterday went pretty good too.  She only cried for about 8 minutes and then was asleep.  We did however double layer her clothes and put a onesie on just in case.

Last night I put her down and she went right to sleep.  Not a peep.

Today at nap time she cried a little bit.  Then woke up about 30 minutes later crying.  I went up and she again had taken off her shirt.  I put her back down and after a little more crying she was out.  Tonight, not a peep.

Hopefully it will continue to go well.  I am a little worried about going back to work next week.  Grandma has her our first day back and last time she watched them E didn't take an afternoon nap...at all.   

Now I just have these 4 pacifiers left and I can't get myself to throw them away.  It is just another sign my babies are getting big. 

Tragedy

I didn't go to work today. I went shopping with my mom. I had a wonderful day thinking about Christmas and trying to find gifts that would bring joy to the recipient. We made it home, dragging, to my babies and Meg. Meg then asked, "Did you hear about the school today?" I got a lump in my throat. My thoughts immediately went to my class. Today we had our first lockdown drill... at 9:45. Luckily it wasn't my school.

As Meg went on to relay the event to me I could only think of what would that be like. How could this happen in an elementary school? I can't even imagine how that could happen. As a teacher I wonder if I could have stayed calm and thought clearly to lead my class to safety. Then I started to worry about my kids. Did they hear about what happened? Would their parents be able to calm their fears? Fears that usually surface during a lockdown drill? Fears that we normally explain with the small chance that something like this would ever happen, but it did today. Fears that we can't calm with details about exactly how we would react if someone were to show up in our building. Fears that all of those kids in that building will have for a long time, if not forever.

I think about the kindergartners in our building. They are innocent. They believe in Santa. They believe in the Elf on the Shelf. They draw pictures that have to be interpreted and stories that need a subtitle. They need help opening their milk and putting on their coats. They shouldn't have to worry about or see their classmates killed. They should not see their nightmares in real life.

Do I think we need to outlaw guns? No. Do I think teachers should carry guns? Definitely not. Do I think that we, as a society, need to do something different? Yes, but I can't say what that is. I do believe that the people behind this mass shootings are hurting. They may need mental health help that isn't covered by insurance or that isn't detected or properly treated. They may have experienced trauma that they weren't able to work through. Maybe they have not felt needed, loved or supported. Again I think of the 20 little-ish people in my room every day. It is my job to make sure those kids have what they need. If they don't get it at home, it is my job as a teacher to make sure they are loved, supported and heard. It is my job to make sure they receive the help they need. And it is my job to be their protector.

I found it on Pinterest...

So I was browsing the kids category on Pinterest waiting for my cookies to be done baking, instead of the million of other things I should be doing.  (Grading, cleaning, getting ready for company, sleeping...) And I came across this: How to Prepare for Twins.  Naturally I had to read it.  I was wondering what I should have done differently and if I agree with what you should do.  BUT it wasn't about preparing for twins once you find out you are already having them, but how to make sure you get pregnant with twins.  All I have to say is SERIOUSLY?  Get fat, eat cassava and talk about the desire to have twins and you'll be able to have them.  That is crazy talk. 

Miscellany Monday

 

• Why is that weekends are either fun or productive?  This past weekend wasn't really very fun, but I was finally able to get the floor clean, made applesauce, apple bread at ate at home every meal.  Gotta love Pinterest when you need to use up some apples.

• I think we are finally over the yucks at our house.  E got croup on Halloween and S and I have been battling it for the last week.  I only almost lost my voice on Saturday but I had a nice sore throat all last week.  No wonder E was so grumpy while she was sick.
• Someone broke my classroom window last Thursday night.  We have had a lot of graffiti and vandalism around my school for the last year or so.  It looks like a BB but luckily it didn't shatter the window, only put a hole in it.  I've felt like I'm teaching at night the last couple or days with the cardboard covering my only outside window.  Hopefully it will be fixed tomorrow.
• I have a little drummer boy on my hands.  A couple of weeks ago Mr. P took S to the last high school football game.  (We had gone to most of the home games.)  This time S came back and would talk about football and immediately follow it with dum dum dumdum.  The boy LOVED the marching band.  We always sat behind the band because they are entertaining but this time it has really stuck with him.  We got a book from Chick-fil-a by Mercer Meyer that has...instruments in it.  He loves to look at the page where there is a drum set and a marching band.  I've been finding him drum YouTube videos and it is soo cute to see his reaction.  I too have a love of the marching band drums.  There's nothing that screams love football like a band.  Now I just need to get him to play his little drum to Little Drummer Boy.
• We listened to Christmas music tonight...I can't wait.
• Little girl is ATTACHED to my leg.  I don't know what to do.  She won't leave my side and most of the time she wants to be held.  It is exhausting. 
• S and E are into "helping" me cook.  As soon as I got the mixer out tonight they were dragging over chairs to stand on.  I tried to give them the job of taking the stems off of the spinach tonight... we need to work on that.  :-)  At least it kept them entertained for a while.



Today

What I want to remember about today:

1. Little E slept in our room last night, she has croup. I was nervous to have her so far away and being sick without a monitor on. I wanted to be there if she had a coughing fit, cried after she coughed or woke up and needed comforting. I thought she'd be up around 4 am when her last round of ibprophen wore off but she didn't wake up until I had to move the pack-n-play so I could get some socks.
2. E wanted to eat this morning! Hooray. Who cares if she just ate Jello and a few bites of a banana. (I'm pretty sure all she ate today was: the Jello, banana, a cookie, a smoothie pouch, some grapes, a couple of OtterPops, and two mini packages of M&Ms.)
3. How great our babysitter, Meg, is. She offered to watch the kids today even though E is sick. The kids LOVE her.
4. A text from Meg today that reads, "S decided he wants to go on the potty today so he has a pair of pull-ups on and runs to the bathroom every 10 minutes. Ha!" When I got home and went to the bathroom he came in and he wanted his diaper and pants off so he could sit on the potty. Silly Boy!
5. After texting Meg back and forth I got nervous about how E was acting and not eating or drinking, when I went down to talk to the school nurse the first thing my principal asked was if I needed to leave. This was after my teaching partner asked me if I needed to do something and he'd watch the kids. It is great to have such a supportive and understanding workplace.
6. Pride for my 5th graders. They have been really working hard on a region project where they are working in groups of 3 or 4 to make an iMovie. They have done an AMAZING job. I had my doubts but they proved me wrong. They worked great in groups and were able to make great videos. We might need to work on the content but they did a good job. So proud of them!
7. Being able to go out with friends for a drink (of Diet Coke tonight) and good conversation. I sure miss my old co-workers.
8. A smiley boy opening the door to the garage door saying, "Mama!" What a great greeting.
9. Snuggles with my sick little girl. I love that she wanted to be held when I got home. I also love that S was able to get his socks and find one shoe and bring them to me while I held his sister. It is amazing how much they understand these days.
10. That the first thing S said when he got home from the football game with his dad was his sister's name.  I love that he thinks about his sister when she isn't around.