Category: Things Kids Say

Friday Quicktakes, Oct. 4

1. This may be the last First Friday before the baby is here. Then again we could have one more. 🙂

2. Today G went over to the calendar on the wall, counted the pages she could reach that were hanging down, came over to me using two hands to get her left hand to show three fingers and said, “There are this many pages left of the calendar.” I explained to her that that means there are three months left of the year. She responded, “Then there are no more years after that?”
“No,” I told her, “that means we will get a new calendar for next year.” She then asked for a new calendar for herself to have also. I guess we are old fashioned with our paper calendars and all, but whatever, at least we know that the end of the calendar does not mean the end of time.

3. M and I are leaning more and more towards a house with land. He told me that his dream house is a combination of the earthship houses,

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/G2_Global_model_Earthship_Taos_N.M..JPG/800px-G2_Global_model_Earthship_Taos_N.M..JPG

Frank Lloyd Wright style (particularly the Falling Water house),

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/FallingwaterWright.jpg

the hobbit-like house we saw on our honeymoon,

and Pemberly (as represented in the 2005 BBC Pride and Prejudice).

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Lymehall07.JPG/800px-Lymehall07.JPG

 You only wish your husband had the same architectural taste as mine.

4. I have 22 prepped/cooked meals in the freezer for post-baby. Many thanks to a friend from high school who also lives in Minnesota for her help last weekend getting a number of the meals finalized. It was really nice to catch up. 🙂

5. Getting ready for baby list is getting shorter. I stocked up on a lot of necessary household items so we don’t have to worry about those for a while. Last night as we were in discussing things about baby prep, we realized that we could not remember where the infant carseat was or if we had moved it to our home here from Buffalo. We were already in bed and not willing to search the basement for it. I found it first thing this morning. It “expires” 6 years from the manufacture date which is a year before we had G (Is the manufacture date visible before buying a carseat? Because I want one that is made the day before the kid is born so we can get our full six years out of it) . This baby will get 17 months to use it and then, as the manual says, we have to discard it and make it unusable for any dumpster divers out there. I can imagine a lot of fun ways to destroy an old carseat.

6. My husband shared these links on Facebook: From a Catholic Worker: An Open Letter to Paul Ryan (http://www.bobwaldrop.net/?p=1191) and an Open Letter to Joe Biden (http://www.bobwaldrop.net/?p=1231), the two Catholics running for VP. Both Catholic candidates for VP do not fully integrate Church teaching into their political views and actions. I know there are issues that are seen as more important when it comes to voting for a candidate (specifically in focus life issues, marriage issues), but it is important to remember that the poor do need help and the government is not letting them help themselves. Anyway, read the letters, he explains it better. And if you want to know about real conservatism and the roots of it read Russell Kirk’s The Conservative Mind.

7. The Cardinals are playing a one game play-off today against the Braves for the Wild Card spot in the division series. The traditionalist in me thinks we should go back to two divisions in each league and just the pennant and the series. Others I know think they should just have the series. I do not claim to be a sports expert, but I like to have an opinion to share. Also, I will root, root, root for the Cardinals no matter what the play-off arrangement.

Good Picture Books: Russell Hoban’s “Frances”

I read the Frances books as a kid and was reintroduced to them visiting M’s grandparents over Thanksgiving last year. They had Bread and Jam for Frances (by Russell Hoban) which tells the story of a girl who only wants to eat bread and jam. Her amazing parents decide to only give her bread and jam to eat after that is what she chooses to eat for several meals anyway. Eventually Frances decided she would like to eat other foods and declares that it is wonderful to have so many options of foods to eat.

The other books by Hoban about Frances include: Bedtime for Frances, A Baby Sister for Frances, A Birthday for Frances, Best Friends for Frances, and A Bargain for Frances.  Two of those books I have not even read in at least 20 years since I am waiting to find them at the library. But I am pretty sure that they are as amazing as the others.

The parts that make them so good for kids and parents are that they are so relatable for both parents and kids and that Frances makes up random silly rhymes to express what she is feeling. This goes along with my ideas about nursery rhymes being really good for kids. If a kids is used to rhymes and then sees that one can use rhymes to work out one’s problems or think things over, then this child has learned a lot about language and how to use it just from simple stories and books. I think this concept has been grasped by my three year old G. Most days I hear her narrating the actions of her play: “She dashed across the room and went under the table.” Other times I hear her making up rhymes or songs that may or may not make any sense. A large part of this might have to do with her extroverted personality, but I think it also has to do with her exposure to stories and rhymes.

The topics of the books are also so everyday, but ones that many parent-child relationships experience. Bedtime, baby sisters, birthdays, friends, picky eating. We currently have Best Friends for Frances out from the library, and my favorite part is when Frances decides that sisters can be best friends and starts to realize how much fun she can have with her sister Gloria. The story also shows Frances working through a friendship with a boy who excludes her from more “boy-like” activities. The stories are so realistic about childhood, and provide clever, smart solutions to problems.

I forgot to mention that the stories take place in a world populated by badgers. The philosophical explanation of how this is possible is below:

G: Why are there only badgers in this book?

M: Because this book takes place in a possible world in which only badgers and not primates attained personhood.

What can be wrong with books that teach our children about possible worlds? Even philosophy can be learned by reading about Frances!

 ***I also want to warn that when looking for these books at the library or at the store watch out for the “I Can Read” versions which cut the significant parts of the text from the story and thus eliminate many of the best lines and rhymes. I personally do not understand why they feel the need to dumb down awesome children’s stories. Let the kids read the good stuff!

Friday Quicktakes: Sept. 14

1. Today is a pretty sweet Feast day: The Exaltation of the Holy Cross. If you want to know the interesting history click on the link. Dom Gueranger in his The Liturgical Year (Volume 14, p. 196) says this about the feast:

‘Through thee the precious cross is honoured and worshiped throughout the world.’ Thus did Saint Cyril of Alexandria apostrophize our Lady on the morrow of that great day, which saw her divine maternity vindicated at Ephesus. Eternal Wisdom has willed that the octave of Mary’s birth should be honoured by the celebration of this feast of the triumph of the holy cross. The cross indeed is the standard of God’s armies, whereof Mary is the Queen; it is by the cross that she crushes the serpent’s head, and wins so many victories over error, and over the enemies of the Christian name. 

Today is a wonderful day to pray for the continuation of victories over error and trust more fully in the Cross and in our Lady’s maternal care and intercession. Lift high the Cross!

2. Speaking of praying, L’s version of the Our Father at Mass one day this week was: “Heaven, God! Heaven, God, Heaven, God, Heaven, God…”

3. I discovered this week that I need to stop turning sideways to fit between two objects that have a narrow passageway between them. It is a safer bet that I will fit through going forwards than sideways. Oh baby… Oh third trimester…

4. This blog post is only too true: 10 Surprising Facts About “Bouncing Back After Pregnancy.” And I am not really looking forward to these 10 facts, but it is good to be realistic. I do realize, though not often enough, that I am so blessed to have three children and have had/having healthy pregnancies.

5. Along the same line, I appreciated Simcha Fisher’s post this week about ceasing to blame pregnancy, being an overtired mother, and having small children on not being oneself and accepting the fact that one is who one is no matter how many stresses one has. But now that we are on to baby number three I have found myself more accepting of life as it is. Yes, it takes 5-10 minutes to get in and out of the car. Yes, it takes a lot more time to get myself dressed and fed as well as my children. Cleaning is harder to accomplish and maintain and all the other changes in having children. I think I have finally accepted that my life is never going to be that of all the single people my age, and you know what? I love my life. It only took me 3.5 years. Ha.

6. I have been having a good visit with my sister. It is really nice to have extra space for guests so that they can have more peace and quiet and we can have our routine without disturbing guests. Yay for a house to live in!

7. Today we went apple picking. My sister, the girls, and I picked 3/4 of a bushel of apples… 30 lbs… And then I bought another 1/2 bushel of seconds. On the to-do-list now is make a bushel worth of applesauce and can it into quart jars, make a pie, and eat lots of apples. It is a lot of work, but totally worth it for homemade local applesauce all winter!

Friday Quicktakes-Sept 7

1. These will probably not post until Saturday. Today was get the kids ready alone, quick pre-school activity, Mass for First Friday, playdate, naptime (workout video and shower), get ready for sitter, new faculty dinner at M’s school, talking to my sister about labor, finishing Miss Marple episode. Now I am attempting to do a few quicktakes.

2. Speaking of First Friday Mass we went to a church near our home but not St. Agnes. After communion, G asked me “Why did they not use the kneeler?” pointing to the communion rail. Exactly. I love St. Agnes liturgies. They know how it is done.

3. I went to a women’s Bible study at St. Agnes given by our pastor. I went to Mass alone without children, had a dinner with other ladies that I did not cook, and listened to a lecture on scripture. It is a monthly event, and I am really excited to participate in it. Plus, the other ladies in my small group seem very nice.

4. L is obsessed with bathtime because of the toy ducks and fish she plays with in the tub. So much so that she calls bathtime, “Duckfish”. We have been imagining a creature that is a combination of a duck and fish. Today on Motherhood on a Dime’s 20 Freebies list was this kindle book: DUCKFISH. This caused a fit of giggles for my husband and I at the end of the day, and we downloaded the book to a kindle app and discovered it was not even to be considered a work of literature. I will show L the picture of the duckfish at least.

5. Speaking of children’s literature I plan to start a series on here reviewing worthwhile children’s literature and why individual books/authors are awesome. I am tired of bad children’s literature.

6. I need to tell you all that Cajetan and Garrigou-Lagrange are not evil, contrary to what I was taught in college. Further DeLubac demonized them unnecessarily or he was a bad scholar. If you want the evidence talk to my husband. I am still getting over the negative aversions instilled in me when I hear those names.

7. On a lighter note I have embarked this week on my goal to learn easy, pretty updos for long hair now that my hair has gotten long again. I am branching out from the ponytail. This blog seems to have some good tutorials.

Seven Quick Takes

1. I am doing this at the encouragement of Claire and Liz. So, ladies this one is for you. 🙂

2. Since we are all talking about spiders, I want to say that there are an absurd number and variety of spiders in St. Paul. Since we have been here, there has been one living about six inches from the handle of the front door and today I went at his web with a stick because it looked abandoned. There was a huge one in the garage yesterday on the floor. I have sucked about six up vacuuming our basement family room and study. G whigged out about one on the outside of the car window this morning. And yesterday from the inside of our garden level window I watched one attack and eat a bug in his web.

3. I think it might have to do with her age, but all summer G has been narrating from time to time her actions. For example, “She ran across the room and opened the door…” It is quite amusing. Maybe she will be a writer.

4. At a different stage of development, L has been learning all her verbs and everytime she does an action she says the verb that goes with that action. Some of the favorites include running, climbing, swinging, swim, kiss, eating, drinking, jumping, shake, sing.

5. We got a book with the story of “Peter and the Wolf” this week from the library. I found the recording of it on Youtube that M and I both listened to as children. We have been listening to it everyday per the request of G. It is a Soviet commissioned piece for children to learn about music.

6. We did our first official pre-school week this week. Monday I bought the last minute supplies. And then on Tuesday I picked an activity from Teach Me to Do It Myself for each day and planned to do as much or as little as G wanted of My First School Book from the Handwriting Without Tears series. We spent less than five minutes on each thing a day, which is appropriate for pre-school home school. I am glad I have a little structure this year and once I planned things and have books to use I am realizing that home schooling will work. 🙂 Further, L has been coloring in a notebook very contentedly while G and I do the school activities.

7. Claire linked this article today about a couple struggling with infertility and the pain they go through and the way they offer up their suffering and desires for a child. I cried through the reading of the article, realizing how easy it is to forget how blessed M. and I our with our two beautiful children and third on the way. The husband in the article discussed how he has been drawn closer to God in a way he never expected because of their infertility, and I am reminded how God uses our hardships to bring us closer to Him and form us into better people. I really need to work on not complaining about my children and the struggles I have as a parent.

Two Sisters Moving Together

I have been appreciating more and more the sweet friendship developing between my two little girls. G. at nearly 3.5 has been really relying on her younger sister for companionship this summer and L. at 20 months, as she develops vocabulary and the ability to play more with her sister instead of in parallel play, is doing everything she can to keep up. I am so thankful on behalf of both of them that we had these two girls first. I imagine that a girl and a boy or two boys would be able to have a friendship as well, but there is something about having sisters.

It seems to me that L. is the perfect age for her older sister at this point in our lives as we just moved to a new city and are meeting new people and adjusting to new places. Any younger would have not been as helpful for her. L. is forming her first sentences/phrases these days. Her first was at dinnertime as we were helping her eat and she told my husband who was feeding her a bite (for some reason she is asking us to feed her), “Mommy do it!” The sweetest phrase came from her today as I was rocking her before nap. I told her it was time to go to sleep and her face turned into the saddest pout and she said “Want G—-!” The girls do not nap in the same room since G. only naps about 1/3 of the days.

I am so glad that they have such affection for each other, even if it means they spend too long falling asleep at night because they are talking and giggling. They also fight and pester each other, but they have more fun and games or even cause trouble together than discord between each other. And as we have been transitioning that which has helped the girls the most has been the things that have stayed the same between the two homes from toys, to furniture, to the meals I cook. The most important constant for them has been each other, and I am so thankful that my girls have a life-long friend in each other.

On Helpful One Year Olds

I think I may have been fooling myself recently into believing that L. was going to be The Helpful Child. Especially at 18 months now when she started gathering shoes and bringing them to the proper owner whenever we were going somewhere, trying to put laundry away, gathering library books when G. ignored my request, etc. Then I started thinking about how G. was always super helpful before L. was born, especially with the dishwasher and groceries and is not very motivated to do anything chore related now that she is three. Cleaning up toys is always a fight, no matter which child it is. And sometimes I catch L. purposely drooling on furniture or the floor and then running to get a kitchen towel to dry her mess. So maybe she is not really trying too help at all, but just exploring how to grow up.

So, is the one year old toddler age truly a helpful age or do I have a chance at having a helpful second daughter who might be happy to change diapers in a few years?

P.S. G. is still helpful in some ways, like throwing diapers away or picking up her food scraps off the floor, but not with the same enthusiasm. 🙂

The Sounds of Grading

It’s that time of year again when my dear doctor is flooded with grading. Nearly a hundred finals and papers a piece to grade; papers which he so generously already graded in the first draft form. The hope is that the multiple graded drafts will help the undergraduates improve their writing skills.

This morning Dr. M. was grading the first set of finals. I took the girls on our weekly attempt to satisfy all my cravings grocery trip. After I hauled all of the children and groceries into our second story apartment and began to put them away, he started calling out “WRONG!” whenever he came to a wrong answer. Immediately L., our 17 month old, imitated him with “WONG!”

So as I put the groceries away and made the family lunch, the sounds of grading filled the air. No matter if she was adjacent to her father or back in her bedroom playing, whenever she heard the “WRONG!” she immediately echoed “WONG!”

(I know I have been neglecting the cuteness of our developing toddler; this post is an attempt to compensate.)

On the Feelings of Toys

G. loses her Bunny and Bear for various reasons based on her misbehavior. Today she was allowed to have Bear, but not Bunny.

When I offered Bear to her she said,”Bunny will be sad without Bear!” They spend their time apart from her in the same spot. I suggested that Bear stay with Bunny then. Normally, she says that she wants him anyway and seems to forget about Bunny’s feelings, but today was different.

“I will give him a hug, and then he can go back to Bunny.”

So, I brought her Bear, she gave him a huge hug, and sent him back to his companion in the taken-away-toy-holding-spot.

I am glad she is learning to share her favorite things, even if it is just with other toys. Though I am pretty sure if it had been one of her friends that wanted Bear, it would have been a different story…

The Imagination of an Almost Three Year Old

I am about to be the mother of a three year old. Three years ago today I was a day overdue with G. She came 8 days late. So, once I realized she was going to be late I decided to read all of Jane Austen’s novels before she was born. I got through 3.5 of 5 novels.

Now, G. has had these animals as her sleeping buddies for as long as she can remember:

The white rabbit is called “Bunny”. He is 3 years and two months old, since I got him at a shower two months before G.’s birth. He has had multiple surgeries. G. likes to chew on him. Yes, those are patches on his feet wear she destroyed the bottoms of his feet so that the beads would fall out and then got very upset about them falling out and needed him repaired. One foot led to the other, since he had to “match”. He has a new mouth and a wrinkled repaired nose.

The blue bear is called “Bear” (yes, we are so creative). I got him as a gift when I graduated high school. In our first apartment her was packed a way in a box of things we did not want to give away yet. When we moved we went through the box, and G. discovered him. He matched a bear in a book we had, and she was amazed. He has survived unscathed except for his ribbon. It used to be silver. I found him after one nap without a ribbon and a long silver thread. When I gave him that new white ribbon I had in my sewing things, Bunny got a ribbon as well.

The latest adventures of Bunny and Bear happened today. They are now babies. G. has a fluffy pink stuffed bunny and a fluffy white stuffed bear that are their parents. G. is very upset, crying tears, whenever the babies are separated from their parents. At naptime, she wanted all of them together. We don’t let her sleep with any animals except Bunny and Bear, so I told her “no”, but if she wished I could put Bunny and Bear in the toys with their “parents.” This was not an acceptable arrangement. However, the two babies continued to cause trouble and were removed from the naptime, which is how I got the still shot above. At any rate, I felt bad suppressing the imagination, but it did seem important to convince her that they were just toys and she did not need to fuss over their “feelings” of being separated from first their “parents” and then from herself. She was out of control crying about them, so I calmed her down, got her to rest, and she is fine now. So are the stuffed toys.

My thought about this however, is that maybe I am teaching her not to be attached to material things and not to get all worked up about them? If it is taught gently and sternly and she becomes peaceful about it, I hope that it will make her a more disciplined and eventually virtuous person. Don’t get me wrong, I love her imagination; it just needs a little of her self control and parental aide to allow her to nap and such so she is not crabby and fussing all day. Any thoughts?