from our little dinosaur, tiger and dragon.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Distraction
Has this ever happened to you? You get a phone call and you are distracted for like five minutes when you realize your children are eerily quiet and you discover that they have relocated every moveable object on the main level of your house to their beds. No? Well this is what it looks like:
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Are You Toddler Tough?
Sometime I feel like a pro when it comes to being the mother of three under 3, and other times I feel like I need to go back to basic training. I often think about all of the crazy things that toddlers do (at least mine) that I just wasn't really prepared for. As a result, I've prepared this little quiz for those of you who are planning on having children, those who have a baby but haven't experienced toddlers yet, or for those empty-nesters to see if you've still got it. If you pass this written test, but would like some practical training I have three toddlers that I am prepared to let you babysit. Just let me know. :)
All test questions are based on actual events- some questions may have more than one correct answer. For answers, please see the comments section.
1. You are missing some sippy cups and bowls last used by your toddlers. You are most likely to find them
A. in the kitchen sink
B. on a shelf
C. in the dirty diaper pail after which they will need to be bleached and run through the dishwasher three times
2. You had a great day- mostly. You took the kids to the zoo and the library, but lost your temper in the afternoon when they wouldn't stop fighting for 45 minutes straight and refused to take a nap. You raised your voice, but then had a good evening and even let them watch a movie. When asked what they did today, your toddler will respond
A. I went to the zoo
B. I got a book at the library
C. Mommy yelled at me
D. I watched a movie
3. Your toddler may wake you up in the middle of the night because
A. he developed a sudden and urgent fear that a light bulb in his room could burn out at any moment and leave him in the dark
B. one of his stuffed animals is not properly tucked in
C. he needs a hug
D. he decided this would be a prime moment to have a dirty diaper
E. he's sad
F. he wants to know if it is too early to get up
4. You take your toddler to a religious service at a historic building. You toddler spends his time
A. whispering questions in your ear the entire time
B. sitting quietly on the bench and attending to the speaker
C. cramming the crayons you brought to keep him busy in between the historic floorboards which are wide enough to allow crayons to enter but not to fish them out
D. dropping the books you brought him to read so that the bang sound echoes repeatedly in the acoustically amazing building
5. Your toddler will find the following things amusing
A. knock-knock jokes
B. bodily function sounds
C. locking himself in his room so that you have to use your skills from your former career as a thief to get him out
6. If you need to use the bathroom while watching a toddler you should
A. put up gates up in every stairway
B. lock all of the doors
C. tip chairs and other climbable objects over (unless your toddler has already mastered righting chairs, or climbing on tipped chairs)
D. secure all valuable and dangerous objects
7. If you fail to take appropriate precautionary measures, when you exit the bathroom you may find that your toddler has
A. climbed on the counter and taken all of the knives out of the knife block
B. emptied drawers of their contents
C. played independently without making a mess
D. used your cell phone to make a number of calls- you'll be getting "return" calls all day from numbers you don't remember dialing
8. You say a lot of things to your toddler during the day. He is most likely to repeat
A. Dang it!
B. I sure love you.
C. High fives for you!
D. You're making me crazy!
9. Toddlers seem to have a behavioral code all their own. Which of the following activities, which are not accepted by society as a whole, might be labeled by a toddler as "acceptable"?
A. attempting to shut a brother or playmate in the closet
B. painting the walls with a non-paint substance such as lotion, peanut butter or lipstick
C. tearing up books and shoving the pieces of paper into the heating vent
D. dangerous couch acrobatics
E. talking about controversial politics
10. You will love your toddler because
A. despite all the naughtiness (or maybe because of it) he makes you laugh until your sides hurt
B. he does go to sleep sometimes and then he is the most adorable, angelic little person you have ever seen
C. he loves you unconditionally (except when he's in time-out)
D. you can't help it, there is just something about those little hands, little face and winning smile
E. there is nothing like a toddler hug
So- how did you do?
9-10 correct = Toddler Tough
7-8 correct = Wee-one Wily
5-6 correct = You'll Survive
3-4 correct = Need a Nanny
1-2 correct = You Want to Go Home and Rethink Your Life (at least about having kids)
*Bonus Question in honor of our recent babysitter*
You give a toddler a glass milk. He asks for a refill. You should
A. tell him you'll give him 1/2 glass more but that's all
B. tell him to ask his parents when they get home
C. believe him when he says that mom and dad let him have as much as he wants right before bedtime and give him 5 refills causing him to flood his room overnight
All test questions are based on actual events- some questions may have more than one correct answer. For answers, please see the comments section.
1. You are missing some sippy cups and bowls last used by your toddlers. You are most likely to find them
A. in the kitchen sink
B. on a shelf
C. in the dirty diaper pail after which they will need to be bleached and run through the dishwasher three times
2. You had a great day- mostly. You took the kids to the zoo and the library, but lost your temper in the afternoon when they wouldn't stop fighting for 45 minutes straight and refused to take a nap. You raised your voice, but then had a good evening and even let them watch a movie. When asked what they did today, your toddler will respond
A. I went to the zoo
B. I got a book at the library
C. Mommy yelled at me
D. I watched a movie
3. Your toddler may wake you up in the middle of the night because
A. he developed a sudden and urgent fear that a light bulb in his room could burn out at any moment and leave him in the dark
B. one of his stuffed animals is not properly tucked in
C. he needs a hug
D. he decided this would be a prime moment to have a dirty diaper
E. he's sad
F. he wants to know if it is too early to get up
4. You take your toddler to a religious service at a historic building. You toddler spends his time
A. whispering questions in your ear the entire time
B. sitting quietly on the bench and attending to the speaker
C. cramming the crayons you brought to keep him busy in between the historic floorboards which are wide enough to allow crayons to enter but not to fish them out
D. dropping the books you brought him to read so that the bang sound echoes repeatedly in the acoustically amazing building
5. Your toddler will find the following things amusing
A. knock-knock jokes
B. bodily function sounds
C. locking himself in his room so that you have to use your skills from your former career as a thief to get him out
6. If you need to use the bathroom while watching a toddler you should
A. put up gates up in every stairway
B. lock all of the doors
C. tip chairs and other climbable objects over (unless your toddler has already mastered righting chairs, or climbing on tipped chairs)
D. secure all valuable and dangerous objects
7. If you fail to take appropriate precautionary measures, when you exit the bathroom you may find that your toddler has
A. climbed on the counter and taken all of the knives out of the knife block
B. emptied drawers of their contents
C. played independently without making a mess
D. used your cell phone to make a number of calls- you'll be getting "return" calls all day from numbers you don't remember dialing
8. You say a lot of things to your toddler during the day. He is most likely to repeat
A. Dang it!
B. I sure love you.
C. High fives for you!
D. You're making me crazy!
9. Toddlers seem to have a behavioral code all their own. Which of the following activities, which are not accepted by society as a whole, might be labeled by a toddler as "acceptable"?
A. attempting to shut a brother or playmate in the closet
B. painting the walls with a non-paint substance such as lotion, peanut butter or lipstick
C. tearing up books and shoving the pieces of paper into the heating vent
D. dangerous couch acrobatics
E. talking about controversial politics
10. You will love your toddler because
A. despite all the naughtiness (or maybe because of it) he makes you laugh until your sides hurt
B. he does go to sleep sometimes and then he is the most adorable, angelic little person you have ever seen
C. he loves you unconditionally (except when he's in time-out)
D. you can't help it, there is just something about those little hands, little face and winning smile
E. there is nothing like a toddler hug
So- how did you do?
9-10 correct = Toddler Tough
7-8 correct = Wee-one Wily
5-6 correct = You'll Survive
3-4 correct = Need a Nanny
1-2 correct = You Want to Go Home and Rethink Your Life (at least about having kids)
*Bonus Question in honor of our recent babysitter*
You give a toddler a glass milk. He asks for a refill. You should
A. tell him you'll give him 1/2 glass more but that's all
B. tell him to ask his parents when they get home
C. believe him when he says that mom and dad let him have as much as he wants right before bedtime and give him 5 refills causing him to flood his room overnight
Punkins
Before...
... and after.
From left to right, that's David John's, Elijah's and Gabe's pumpkin. They are made with potatohead-like pieces that push into the pumpkin to create the faces. The boys choose the pieces and where to stick things. I just help push them in. I highly recommend this method of decorating for those of you with little kids- or those of you with lazy husbands who don't want to carve. :)
... and after.
From left to right, that's David John's, Elijah's and Gabe's pumpkin. They are made with potatohead-like pieces that push into the pumpkin to create the faces. The boys choose the pieces and where to stick things. I just help push them in. I highly recommend this method of decorating for those of you with little kids- or those of you with lazy husbands who don't want to carve. :)
Monday, October 18, 2010
The Week: Ricks Edition
Our Top Stories of the Week
Toy Story 3 Arrives at Dollar Theaters- Smallest Critics Applaud
Last Wednesday, Marc and I took the boys to see Toy Story 3 at our local "dollar theater" (it deserves quotation marks because the price is actually $1.50). Marc invited several colleagues and their families so we ended up with 19 people planning to come. Since it is a popular movie and we had such a large group we took the precaution of driving out to the box office early in the day and purchasing all of the tickets. We are not in Utah anymore, Toto. In Utah, this movie would certainly have been sold out. In Utah, sometimes you have to purchase tickets days in advance for the dollar theater and/or wait in really long lines. In Cleveland, we needn't have bothered. Number of other families who showed up at the theater for the movie: 1.
We all had a really great time. Gabriel and Elijah were completely engrossed although they asked far too many questions. Anytime a main character was off-screen we heard "Where's Woody?" "Where's Buzz?" or just random other questions "Where's Woody hat go?" "What that guy doing?" "Is Woody sad?"
David John was content to sit on a booster seat and eat sickening amounts of theater popcorn for the first hour before he became wiggly and fussy. No one minded, we were in a room full of pediatricians, and a binky fixed the problem. It really was a great evening. If only they had slept in the next day after getting home at 10 PM.... I guess we can't have everything.
Blue Man Group Comes to Cleveland: Marc and Sarah Leave House
Thursday, Marc and I got to go on a rare date to see the Blue Man Group at playhouse square. Fellow resident Stephen Mac watched our boys for us and by all accounts they all had a great time. We really enjoyed the drumming, black light effects, humor and total randomness of the show. It was highly entertaining and we definitely recommend it with only a small disclaimer: Some of the humor is definitely aimed at boys in the 10-14 age range. There was an entire song devoted to the various names for "bottom". Also- do not come late. You may be spotlighted and mocked. You've been warned.
Twins Discover Tether Ball
We walked to the playground after school on Friday to discover that someone had left the tether balls out on their posts. The boys were all fascinated by the concept and enjoyed hitting the ball back and forth. Some unusual moves were tried including hanging on the ball and swinging around the pole like Tarzan and walking the ball around the pole while holding onto it. I even played a game with my little brother Sam. It was very nostalgic including the part where I lost in spectacular fashion.
Doctor to Balloon Man, "Yous Gots Skills"
Our Library (the charming brick building in the background of Gabe's picture) held a family fall fest on Saturday. This included a maze, a beanbag toss with prizes, a puppet show, cookie decorating and the most amazing balloon artist I've ever seen. This guy could make anything. Pictured is Elijah with his dinosaur, Gabriel with Thomas the train complete with three train cars, a simple balloon toy made for David John and three other creations I snapped pictures of- Tinker Bell, Sponge Bob and a horse. When Marc saw the balloons (he was on call during the festival) he immediately said "I need an apprenticeship with this guy!" We'll keep you posted on Marc's possible midlife crisis and career change.
Primped Progeny Pose with Pumpkins
The boys got haircuts on Saturday, so I wanted to have a little photo shoot with their new hairdos, the pumpkins they chose earlier in the week and the pretty fall leaves. As evidenced here, it did not go well. I was unable to get all three of them sitting at the same time much less looking at the camera simultaneously. None of the pictures really turned out great but I thought these three examples of my efforts were pretty amusing.
Toy Story 3 Arrives at Dollar Theaters- Smallest Critics Applaud
Last Wednesday, Marc and I took the boys to see Toy Story 3 at our local "dollar theater" (it deserves quotation marks because the price is actually $1.50). Marc invited several colleagues and their families so we ended up with 19 people planning to come. Since it is a popular movie and we had such a large group we took the precaution of driving out to the box office early in the day and purchasing all of the tickets. We are not in Utah anymore, Toto. In Utah, this movie would certainly have been sold out. In Utah, sometimes you have to purchase tickets days in advance for the dollar theater and/or wait in really long lines. In Cleveland, we needn't have bothered. Number of other families who showed up at the theater for the movie: 1.
We all had a really great time. Gabriel and Elijah were completely engrossed although they asked far too many questions. Anytime a main character was off-screen we heard "Where's Woody?" "Where's Buzz?" or just random other questions "Where's Woody hat go?" "What that guy doing?" "Is Woody sad?"
David John was content to sit on a booster seat and eat sickening amounts of theater popcorn for the first hour before he became wiggly and fussy. No one minded, we were in a room full of pediatricians, and a binky fixed the problem. It really was a great evening. If only they had slept in the next day after getting home at 10 PM.... I guess we can't have everything.
Blue Man Group Comes to Cleveland: Marc and Sarah Leave House
Thursday, Marc and I got to go on a rare date to see the Blue Man Group at playhouse square. Fellow resident Stephen Mac watched our boys for us and by all accounts they all had a great time. We really enjoyed the drumming, black light effects, humor and total randomness of the show. It was highly entertaining and we definitely recommend it with only a small disclaimer: Some of the humor is definitely aimed at boys in the 10-14 age range. There was an entire song devoted to the various names for "bottom". Also- do not come late. You may be spotlighted and mocked. You've been warned.
Twins Discover Tether Ball
We walked to the playground after school on Friday to discover that someone had left the tether balls out on their posts. The boys were all fascinated by the concept and enjoyed hitting the ball back and forth. Some unusual moves were tried including hanging on the ball and swinging around the pole like Tarzan and walking the ball around the pole while holding onto it. I even played a game with my little brother Sam. It was very nostalgic including the part where I lost in spectacular fashion.
Doctor to Balloon Man, "Yous Gots Skills"
Our Library (the charming brick building in the background of Gabe's picture) held a family fall fest on Saturday. This included a maze, a beanbag toss with prizes, a puppet show, cookie decorating and the most amazing balloon artist I've ever seen. This guy could make anything. Pictured is Elijah with his dinosaur, Gabriel with Thomas the train complete with three train cars, a simple balloon toy made for David John and three other creations I snapped pictures of- Tinker Bell, Sponge Bob and a horse. When Marc saw the balloons (he was on call during the festival) he immediately said "I need an apprenticeship with this guy!" We'll keep you posted on Marc's possible midlife crisis and career change.
Primped Progeny Pose with Pumpkins
The boys got haircuts on Saturday, so I wanted to have a little photo shoot with their new hairdos, the pumpkins they chose earlier in the week and the pretty fall leaves. As evidenced here, it did not go well. I was unable to get all three of them sitting at the same time much less looking at the camera simultaneously. None of the pictures really turned out great but I thought these three examples of my efforts were pretty amusing.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Falling
I do not like being cold. Thus, I always greet the fall season with a cringe and multiple layers of clothing. I get a little depressed knowing that winter is next- the seemingly unending season of cold. I have often wondered to myself why I don't live somewhere in the south where winter is fifty degrees. But then, we get days like today that you just wouldn't get in places without four distinct seasons. Today was beautiful. Everything was green from our recent autumn rains, but some of the trees and plants were already starting to turn those glorious shades of yellow, orange and red. It was sunny and in the mid-sixties all day long. The boys and I just couldn't stay inside. We drove to Chagrin Reservation for a picnic, feeding the geese at the pond and a walk in the woods. As we were driving back home after our excursion Gabe said from the backseat, "Mom?" "Yes, Gabe?" "That was fun!"
Today I am in love with fall. Here are some of my favorite pictures from our outing. I may have had a little too much fun with some of the color settings on my camera but it's not often that my boys are well-behaved enough for me to play around so just indulge me. 
P.S. Is there anything that says "fall" more than little boys in overalls? I know I'm biased, but I think my little boys in overalls are the cutest things ever. Just one more reason to love the season.
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