From the Mouths of Babes in January

Two girls were fighting over a toy at preschool and Linus decided to intervene.
Linus: Hey! We share at preschool. You need to listen to each other.

Linus (to mommy):  I'm going to eat you with cornbread and beans and it will be very satisfying.

Linus:  I'm Peter Parker.  People don't know who I am.  They don't know my secret.  At night I become Spiderman.

While sliding around on the floor at gymnastics
Linus: I'm a python.
Coach: Linus, look can you put yours arms up like this?
Linus: I'm a python.  I don't have arms.

Stages

I normally try not to whine or complain much in my blog, but sometimes I just need to vent.  Apparently, my children have decided to go through difficult stages at the same time.

Linus is my super hero in training.  He spends most of his day as Spiderman or Batman.  We read super hero books, make bat bunkers to hide in, fling webs, throw batarangs, etc.  I made him Spiderman jammies.  I even let him go out in public in costume.  All of this is fine.  I don't mind, I just ask that he not wear a mask while eating.  It gets more difficult when he refuses to wear anything but his costume, Spiderman t-shirt, or Batmand t-shirt.

Maybe not so coincidentally,  Linus seems to have developed whining as a super power.  It's bad.  Everything is done with a whine.  Every "no" or "maybe next time" is met with the start of a tantrum.  Today I walked calmly out of the zoo and to the car while he screamed and flailed by my side, occasionally trying to block my passage.  Like many children, Linus possesses the ability to be a complete angel for others while working out his mischief at home.  This skill seems to be waning.  Yesterday his preschool teachers almost called me to come get him because they were so concerned, thinking he must be very sick to be so "fragile" (their words).  I'm not completely sure what was going on at school.  Linus has only said he was tired.  The amount of demanding, tantrums, whining, and time outs is reaching epic proportions.  This is not to say he doesn't have sweet moments, but geez, this is exhausting.

My dear sweet baby Eileen is growing up and appears to be experiencing some growing pains.  She has started freaking out when put to bed.  I had to go get her from the gym childcare the other day due to crying.  While out at lunch Wednesday, she just cried and cried.  She spends a lot of time crying.  I know her teeth hurt (she is cutting 6 teeth right now), but I think a morphine drip might be extreme.  All I know is that I have a sad sad baby these days and it doesn't appear to be because of an ear infection.

At 14 months old, Eileen is capable of sleeping through the night, but hasn't had much interest in it as of late.  Starting around 1 am she wakes up crying.  I can't go to her because she will insist on nursing.  Dave and I are both spending a lot of time awake between the hours of 1 am and 4:30 am when I usually give in and nurse and she goes back to sleep until 7am.  I am actually ready to be  done nursing.  Our early morning feeding is the only one.  It was easier to wean Linus.  He nursed at 5:00ish in the morning, so when we stopped nursing, our day started at 5 am and he eventually slept later.  I don't think I can start the day at 2:30 or 4 am.  The kids share a room so I don't want to just let Eileen cry it out.  Linus can sleep through a lot, but probably not an hour plus of crying.

I am at a loss, so I vent.  The past week has been exhausting, especially the constant crying from both children.  I would love a day off with the ability to totally pamper myself --sleep in, get a latte, a massage, maybe a facial, curl up with my nook and read--all while the house magically cleans itself so I don't constantly remind myself of all the things that need to get done.  I know Dave fantasizes about sleep too.  In my youth I never thought my dream vacation would just be going someplace quiet where I could simply exist uninterrupted for an extended period of time.  For right now, I think I will just catch a quick nap and then regroup.

Snowmageddon-Lite, but a little bit heavier

I expected to wake up this morning to rain washing away my precious few inches of snow.  I looked forward to leaving the house, maybe a latte and pumpkin bread at Starbucks.  Instead of rain, I was met with snow (although there was rain/freezing rain at one point in the early morning).  It then snowed ALL DAY LONG. 

Hopes dashed, I tried to think of fun new ways to fill the day.  One cannot bake cookies everyday.  Linus did puzzles (48 pieces) by himself while I brainstormed.  Eventually I decided we would have a camp-out in the playroom.  I grabbed sleeping bags and a lantern and the fun was born.

We watched the snow from our tent all morning long while sipping hot cider, playing, and crawling in and out of the tunnel.  We did venture outside for some snow play at one point.  It is amazing how long it takes to get three people ready for the snow.  

Despite the fact that Dave went to work, the day went by faster.  Right now the kids are in bed,  I've got mulled wine ready in the crockpot, and I am ready for a cozy evening at home.

Snowmageddon-Lite

Maybe you heard?  Western Washington just got a lot of snow.  I vividly remember the great November snow of 1985.  There was snow past my waist.  We sledded and built a large penguin.  My kindergarten class made stone soup.  It was magical.  I was so excited when I heard we were destined for a storm that would match my fondest winter memories.  Sadly, my neighborhood kept getting jilted in the snow department.  A little dusting here and there, or at other times, none while the rest of Seattle became a winter wonderland.  Even just walking up the hill a few blocks revealed snow.  It was all very disappointing and made me relieved that Linus could not read so he wouldn't know that everyone had snow but him.

I was a little sad when I first learned that the snow forecast had "evolved" and the storm was not going to be as severe.  I tried to stay optimistic. This morning we woke up to snow, 2.5 inches to be exact.  I guess beggars can't be choosers. I was just glad that Dave was going to stay home from work.  The kids were excited.  When he could not longer contain his excitement, Linus kicked me.  Of course he went to time out immediately, but I understood the brewing energy that needed release.

8:25 AM  We were ready for snow play.

 Eileen can't walk yet, but she was happy to explore by crawling.

It snowed all morning long.  We eventually got about 3.5 inches of snow total.  We baked heath bar cookies, read books, did art, watched "The Incredibles," built forts.  It was a long morning to say the least.  Linus then decided we needed to play dragon versus knight. Costumes were assembled and battles were fought.

Did I mention that I spent the day in my long johns?

Naps were had.  Still full of energy, Linus suggested a walk in the snow after dinner.  Dave willingly took the kids by himself.

Even Batman likes walks in the snow.

It was a long day. A good day, but long.  I was reminded why we leave the house every day.  I'm ready for some hot cocoa wine.

A Mash-up Worthy of Glee

There's a lot of music in our house.  In addition to a large collection of contemporary children's artists, we spend a lot of time singing--before bed, to liven up dinner or grace, background support for imaginative play, etc.

Last night Linus proclaimed, "Attention please!"  He then grabbed his ukelele and a stool and put on a little show.  Normally, he walks rapidly in a large circle while singing.  Tonight was slightly reminiscent of MTV Unplugged.  We were even treated to a deconstruction of Christmas in Kilarney.

I have been disappointed with the show, Glee, recently.  With a mash-up of this quality, I think Linus stands a chance on Season 2 of The Glee Project (a reality show that gave 2 people roles on the show, and 2 people short arcs).

In other news, at almost 14 months, Eileen took TWO steps for the first time.  It wore her out so she decided to use her sweet ride for the rest of the evening.

Sledding!

The weatherman promised me snow.  He said it was a La Nina year, just like last year, and to be prepared for a cold winter with snow.  He lied.  Doesn't the weatherman know that lying makes the baby Jesus cry? Or that the lack of snow crushes a little boy's dreams of building a snowman?  In order to remedy this situation, we headed to Snoqualmie Pass for some sledding.

We aren't winter sports people due to a variety of reasons, but we do own quite a bit of fleece and rain gear.  I picked up a sledding inner tube a while ago, and along with the Discover Pass my sister gave us for Christmas, we were ready for an inexpensive morning on the mountain.  Our PEPs friends, the Reillys, joined us for the adventure.

Linus booked it out the door of the swagger wagon as fast as he possibly could and had made it down both the bunny slope and big slope by the time I had Eileen out of the car.  He quickly mastered the art of solo sledding and getting to the side of the slope while carrying the sled.

Eileen was not about to be outdone by her brother.

We took a break from sledding to play in the snow.  Linus used it as an opportunity for mischief.

preparing snow balls while daddy builds a snowman

the wind-up

witness

What?  I have no idea where that snowball came from.

Happy to give his witness a shove down the mountain.

Eileen spent a lot of time just taking it all in.

We had a great time.  No one got too cold or wet.  I even managed to make it down the big slope despite being a wimp.  I am quickly discovering the having kids is a great excuse to go out there and be active. We'll definitely make sledding an annual tradition.  Who knows? Maybe one day we will become winter sports people.  In the meantime,  I love our family Saturday adventures.

Giant Sandbox

Today was another rainy day in Seattle and I woke up unsure of what I was going to do with the kids, but I knew it would involve leaving the house.  I decided to check out Parent Map to see if anything interesting was happening. And then I found it, perhaps one of the most genius business ideas ever--a giant indoor sandbox!

I normally loathe sand play--the mess, the dirt, wondering how many cats have visited, the questionable sand toys left behind.  Linus of course loves playing in the sand.  At least once a week he asks why the big wave had to come and take away his bucket and shovel (see Seabrook post in September).  Despite my reservations, especially about Eileen just eating sand, I decided that this activity warranted a trip to a part of Seattle we never venture to, Georgetown.  So off we headed to Lil' Diggers at Sandbox Sports. 

I swear this isn't a paid advertisement, but I have to admit I was impressed.

1. Very clean sand with the perfect amount of moisture for play.
2. Lots and lots of nice sand toys (nothing broken or dirty).
3. Cubbies for shoes and bags.
4. Lots of chairs for sitting.
5. Diaper changing table close to main area.
6. On Wednesdays, an LMP is there to offer chair massages while your kids play.
7. Enclosed play area is HUGE.  No one got in anyone else's space.
8. Sand brushes right off so you don't bring the beach home (although Eileen did manage to get quite a bit in her diaper somehow).
9. There are refreshments but I didn't take a close look.
10. Very nice, friendly welcoming owner.

My only criticism is that at $6 per kid, the cost could add up.  It would be better if they had a family rate as well.

The kids had a good time.

Overwhelmed at first by all the sand.

Eileen was on the move the entire time, rarely stopping except for trips to the slide.

taking a deep breath before going down the slide

Eileen liked going off by herself to the vacant part of the sandbox.

Only a little sand was eaten, although there were tears when sand got in the eyes (a hazard of rubbing your eyes after playing in sand).  The kids played hard for over an hour before heading home for a bath, lunch, and long naps.  Linus thanked me multiple times for taking him to the indoor sandbox.  It was a really fun morning.  We'll definitely go again, but I'll have to get another mom friend to go with me so we can take turns watching the kids and take advantage of the masseuse. 

The owner mentioned they have an adult skill class on Wednesday nights.  I am intrigued.  He promised it was fun and that he didn't allow jerks--something you run into a lot with adult rec play.  My adult soccer team starts next week so I don't know if I can also fit volleyball in, but maybe it couldn't hurt to check it out....