Time warp

Over the years, we have had many schedules with the kids. When we first had the kids, we used to have a part-time/full-time schedule, where the kids were in daycare part-time even though we both worked full-time. (Now those were crazy times!) But we had several reasons for doing that: 1) money 2) more time with the kids 3) money. I think we did that for about 2 1/2 years, or until Fall of 2007. (Man, how did we do that for so long?) But then Damon did an adjunct stint at Georgetown College and we needed full-time care. Once we went to full-time care, we have never looked back.

Now with these differing schedules, came differing morning routines. Back in the early, early days, I remember getting up well before 6:00 to pump, get myself ready, get the kids ready, and we'd all get out the door and to work by 8:30. When the kids finally reached a year (woo-hoo!) and I gave up breast-pumping (double woo-hoo!) I didn't have to get up as early, but still around 6:00 or 6:15 I would guess.

Then Damon had his Georgetown gig. Since we only had one car (and still do) we had to get me to my work before 7am (you heard me: 7am), so Damon could be at the daycare when they opened at 7am to drop off the kids, so he could be on his way to drive the 25+ min commute to teach his 8am class. I know we had to get up ridiculously early back then.

Now we are at a new daycare (full-time), I now work at the University, and Damon isn't doing Georgetown (at least not this semester). So compared to all the past craziness, we now have the wonderful luxury of sleeping in to 6:30 or 6:45! We get up at this time every day, discuss who gets a shower, then I start getting the kids up. I get myself ready. Damon gets himself ready. We both help get the kids ready. When everyone is ready, we load the car and off we go.

Now in this time span between when we get up and when we leave the house, we have several variables that affect how efficiently we can get ourselves ready and out the door. I like to think of these as "Dependent Variable One" (Kestian) and "Dependent Variable Two" (Adelaide). And as DV1 and DV2 wake up, they are often in a grumpy state. (No, really!) They argue about who gets carried downstairs. They argue about who goes potty first. They argue about who gets dressed first. They complain that they are cold, hungry, and tired. I put them on the couch with a pillow, blanket, and a bowl of dry cereal (their "first breakfast," as they eat their "real" breakfast at daycare).

While all this is going on, I still need to brush my teeth, do my 5-minute hair/make-up, make my lunch, pack my bag for work, and whatever else. Damon is there is in the mix doing the same things (except the make-up part).

Then it's finally time to leave. We run around trying to find DV1 and DV2's socks and shoes. We tell them to get what they need for the car. DV1 usually wants to bring all of his stuffed puppies, or maybe its his BIG teddy bear, or all of his babies. We tell him one thing. He usually ends up bringing five. DV2 ignores all of us as she colors another picture.

Then they doddle into the garage. They argue over who gets in the car first. They argue over who gets buckled first. One or the other wants a blanket because they are cold. Soon they realize they forgot their Doodle-Boards and I have to go back in the house to get them.

When all the minors are secured in the car, Damon and I load our stuff in, and we can finally leave to drop the young childer off at daycare.

Now when we get to the daycare, we both take them in, we hang up their coats, chat with the teacher for a few minutes, give hugs and kisses, wave at the window, and we are on our way.

No matter what happens each morning, we ALWAYS leave the daycare at 8:05 (and so we get to work by 8:30). How is this possible? Neither Damon nor I really pay much attention to the clock in the morning, but it just so happens that it always, ALWAYS works out this way.

We seriously believe that our mornings are part of some existential time warp. It's the only explanation.

Tooth doctor

The kids had their second visit to the dentist yesterday, and everything went well. We had only been one time before, but the kids instantly ran to the play area and got down to business. When it was their turn, they weren't ready to let the toys go...


Kestian was up first, and he did a great job letting the hygienist clean AND floss his teeth, except he kept getting his tongue everywhere. It was like watching a blind worm flailing about using its body to feel what was around it since it couldn't see.


Adelaide was up next. She did a good job too, although was clearly more apprehensive about the situation. You could see that she was conflicted. She would try to open her mouth, but would keep her lips covering her teeth like saran-wrap over a casserole. The hygienist was great though and was able to work with her.


Then the kids got to wait until the dentist could come in, count their teeth (20 each!), and proclaim no cavities for all!

This and that

Consignment sale crazies...

The Twins Club isn't having their consignment sale until April, but I thought this year I would get started early on my tagging. In the past I would have to isolate myself if I were to get anything productive done, but this year the kids seemed like they could provide some assistance. Adelaide was especially helpful with handing me hangers (and sitting in the hanger box while doing so).


Hats off to you!

Have I mentioned that Adelaide looks good in any hat she wears? What is it about her that she can wear hats so well (and what is it about me that I can't?)



Kestian soup

Tonight the kids decided to make soup. Kestian-soup was on the menu apparently.



For your viewing pleasure...

Some more of the kids' art from school. Such masterpieces!

Birthday stuff...because, you know that's all I think about

Ok, so we now know that two of the boys we invited to the party can't come. I heard from the daycare teachers about this (not from the parents) so I don't know why. (Seriously, people, if you can/can't come, can you take 5 minutes to tell the parents?!) I'm disappointed, because right now we have 4 girls and 1 boy coming to the party (although we invited one more boy whom we haven't heard back from...so I don't know...). Oh well.

I told the kids this this morning and I think they were bummed that the two boys we invited couldn't come. When I told them that we could ask two others to come in their place, they just couldn't think of any one else. Adelaide did finally suggest another girl, so we will invite her, but we haven't come up with a final "replacement". It may be that we just don't. I think we have a fine enough group at this point, with about 6 kids plus Kestian and Adelaide.

As for what we should get them for their birthday, that's a whole other ball game...

Right now I've been going through their play room getting rid of the "baby toys" for the upcoming consignment sale (in April - I'm starting early!! - which has been great because I'm not rushed this time). So as I go through their room, which since the move has every toy of theirs in there, I can plainly see the items that we bought ahead from past sales or even just from a sale at Toy R Us or whatever. One thing we bought a while back were these Animal Planet playsets because they were crazy on sale. But we never gave them to the kids for one reason or another...

Polar Bear Playset

Sea Life Playset

Now with these playsets, I think we can be sure that Kestian will love whichever one we give him. As for Adelaide, I'm on the fence. Initially I thought we would give her one too (which is why we originally bought two), but as I think about it, I'm not exactly sure she's into this sort of thing. I think I'd rather save the other one to give to Kestian at Christmas, and give Adelaide something else now. But what?

(Time passes)

All right, I did some thinking, and a lot of looking on Amazon and eBay and came up with what I think will be something more appropriate for Adelaide:


It's a Tinkerbell Play Dress Up Set. Adelaide already has some dress-up clothes, and a ballet outfit, but doesn't have the slippers or the wand or the headband. And this also come with pretty wings and a new skirt. I think she'll like this a lot better than the Animal Planet playset. (And let's hear it for eBay - NEW for $4.99!!!! - plus @#$#! shipping).

Ok, I'm much happier about that.

So another thing I bought a LONG time ago was this doll that I wanted to give to Adelaide:


It's this Sweet N Soft Belle doll (from Beauty and the Beast). I had picked it out because she was dressed in yellow (Adelaide's favorite color) and it was soft (at the time I didn't want one of those hard-plastic dolls). The packaging for this doll says "18+ Months" which should tell you about the time I bought the doll. But back then we kept getting all this stuff from the consignment sales and whatever, and I never seemed to have something "equivalent" to give to Kestian, so I kept putting it off. But I think that if I don't give it to her soon (now) it will really be too late. (Will a 5-year-old want this doll?) But I do think she will like it if I give it to her now.

So if we give this doll to Adelaide, we need something geared for the boy, so Damon found these:


Perfect. What more is there to say really?

Ok, now that's probably enough, but it just so happens that the kids really enjoy music and I have been thinking about getting them some sort of CD player for their playroom so they can listen to "their music" whenever they want to. I'd do this anyway, but I guess I can time it to their birthday. At first, I thought there would be a huge market. Certainly there are tons of people who want to buy their kids CD players, right? And there are tons of companies making fun, colorful CD players for parents to buy, right? Well, sort of. Yes, you can buy the Hello Kitty or the High School Musical or the Cars CD player. But what do you buy when you have a boy and a girl who will SHARE it? I can't buy the Hello Kitty one. I can't buy the Cars one. Suddenly my choices are down to hardly anything. It's one end of the spectrum or the other. Now I could buy a "regular" one, but I'm concerned that a) the kids won't be able to operate it, and b) it's not designed as well to take the kid's abuse. So I hunted around and saw a Mickey Mouse one on eBay but it didn't look very fun. Then I saw this (most-likely from a discontinued line):


So I ordered it through a store on Amazon. It's new, and it didn't cost a lot, but we'll see how it holds up. It's looks pretty cute though.

The one last thing I'm toying with getting (no pun intended) is an easel like this one:


It has a chalkboard on one side, dry-erase board on the other, the two side are magnetic, and the kids can draw or paint on the paper. The kids (especially Adelaide) are really into art so I think they'd have fun with this. And maybe because Kestian isn't as much into art as Adelaide is, this might entice him to do more.

Ok well that's where that all stands. For once I'm ahead of the game with things. Only 9 days to go till my little babies are all grown up!

---

Addendum:

I decided to go ahead with an easel, but went with this one instead:


I like this one better because both kids can be working on it at the same time... Ok...all done.

Guess who's coming to town?

I ask you...what age is a good age to take the kids to a show?

3?

4?

5?

Hmmm....

I saw that the Twins Club had tickets to Disney on Ice in March and thought...should we? SHOULD WE?!

Yeah!!

But I saw that the club was going to a 7pm show. Damn. That's going to be hard on the kids since we start bath at 8. I don't know how long the show is, but I'll bet it's over an hour, so by the time we get home and have bath and stories it will be well past 10 until they are getting to bed I'm sure. I'm not too crazy about that.

But I thought it would be so fun to go to the show, so I broke ranks and bought our own tickets for a matinee. It cost me about $15 more than if we had gone with the club (even after finding an awesome discount code, damn "processing fees"), but it's worth it!

So, yeah, we are going to DISNEY ON ICE! I think the kids will have a blast, although I don't know if our seats are any good or not...We'll find out soon enough!

(Oh, yeah, Damon is NOT excited one bit...)

Party stress

So we are about two weeks away from the kid's birthday party. The invitations have gone out. No one has called.

Ok, actually I have heard from 4 people - and they are coming - but I know this only because I ran into them at the daycare and they were like "Oh yeah, I meant to tell you that we are coming..."

Gee thanks. This is only a super-special-big-day for my kids. Glad you could think to come.

So yeah, I guess that's how it goes when planning these things. I never thought it would be so stressful. I just thought you make the invitations, send them out, people say they are coming, and you make cupcakes.

Not so!

Now I'm all worried that people won't come and my kids will have a sucky party. I want them to have a fun time and not think that their friends don't like them. It's become really stressful for me. But as when you are just being "invited" to such a party, you don't really consider these things. It's only when you have so much at stake do you realize how much you want it to be perfect for the birthday kid(s).

Add into all of this the fact that I am inviting kids that Kestian and Adelaide are friends with, but for whom I don't know the parents. So I can't just call them up and say, "Yo, are you coming?" I don't even have their phone numbers. So I have to keep asking their daycare teacher to give the parents the invite, to ask if they will be coming, to do all the middle-man work. It's annoying.

So anyway, as it stands right now, we have 4 girls coming to the party. None of the boys have RSVP'ed. I hope some/all can come, as I'd like a little bit of male companionship for Kestian at his own birthday party. And as the party date gets closer, do I start going down the "B" list and seeing if there are some other kids who might like to come? They have other friends, but we chose their closest ones to start with. However, I'd like at least a couple more for their party. I'll wait a few more days to decide.

From now on, if our kids get invited to anyone else's birthday party, I will really have to think twice if I think I might NOT send them, as their parents may be stressing like I am right now.

Scarpe nere

As we were getting dressed today and about to leave, our dear little Adelaide decided that she didn't want to wear the white princess sneakers she had on, but wanted her black shoes instead. They are more dressy, but can be worn for play I suppose. But we were on our way out and wanted to get going. We tried to convince her that her white shoes she had on went with her white shirt and her white pony-tail holders, but she was not convinced.

So out of desperation, Damon says to her, "You can wear your black shoes if you can tell me what "black" is in Italian", hoping it would stump her and we could leave.

"Nero" she answers without hesitation, with a look like: "Come on, let me have my black shoes!!"

Laughing at the fact she so quickly responded, we put on her black shoes and off we went.

I guess those Italian for Kids DVDs are working!

Pursuing perfection

I'm not obsessed...really. But I am.

While I was out shopping this weekend I stopped to look at more purses since I wasn't completely happy with the other purse I found, and lo and behold! I think I found the perfect (non-backpack) purse. This one I can wear over one shoulder across my body, and it has a little detachable mini-purse that I can fit my phone and keys in. Now this one I like. And everything fits in it.


Ok enough of that.

And on a completely non-related note, I finally spotted some sidewalk chalk at the store and got that for the kids. They proceeded to spend more time organizing the different colors into containers than actually coloring with it, but whatever makes them have a good time. I certainly can understand the enjoyment of organizing stuff!


Soon the task evolved into collecting stuff that they found in the yard in their buckets. It must have been exhausting, as they kept taking breaks in their chairs...


After catching their breath, they got their bikes out to ride in the driveway and at the end of the col-du-sac. It was easy for them to get the sidewalk across the way, but harder to get back up the "hill", so they had to work together, often pulling each other back up.

Brave or crazy...you call it!

Today the kids were home from school because the daycare had an in-service day to train their staff. I took the kids in the morning and Damon had them in the afternoon. So after dropping Damon off at work, I treated them to breakfast at "Old McDonalds" and then we headed to the grocery store.

Breakfast was an uneventful hour of eating pancakes submerged in syrup and multiple trips to the bathroom, but otherwise nothing to write home about.

Then off to the grocery store. We started out in one of these carts:

which the kids have enjoyed in the past, but these days tire of in about 5 minutes. So I knew this was going to be a whiny, fussy trip from the start.

Then I remembered, this Kroger has those shopping carts that are "kids-sized"!

Yeah, I guess you can't tell from this picture, but it IS a mini-me version!

So we went back to the front, switched carts so the kids each pushed their own small carts, and I got a regular cart. Then we were on our merry way to crash into each other, knock stuff off the shelves, fall down, push the carts into the walls, and giggle and shout our way through the store to everyone else's amusement (or annoyance).

And yes, this also meant that we had to get two of everything so they could each have the same things in their cart. It was a good opportunity to stock up on some things I guess.

But since the store was not busy at 10am..11am...12pm (yes it took 2 hours) we made it through like a freight train in a snow storm (what does that mean?).

And in the end, there were no major tantrums and no one got hurt. I call that a success!

Valentines Day ... and my purse insanity

Today we got to drop the kids off at daycare for a few hours while we got to gallivant around town like nobody's business. So after taking the kids to the library to return our books and get new ones, we all headed out to the daycare and were the first ones there promptly at 11:00! (Like we were going to waste even a minute!) After hugs and kisses we were soon on our way. I thought we'd try to grab a lunch/movie at the Movie Tavern, but the only movie worth seeing (The International) didn't start until 12:20 and would have been cutting it close for when it let out to go and get the kids. So we had a choice: stay and watch "He's Just Not That Into You" or find something else. So we did what any desperate-to-do-anything-without-the-kids couple would do in this situation: We left.

We ended up at Red Lobster and pretty much ordered the most expensive things on the menu and ate a nice long yummy meal of crab and lobster. It was nice to not have to rush because of the kids, or be interrupted because of the kids, or to take the kids to the bathroom, or to argue with the kids about who sits where, or to constantly tell the kids to sit down, etc. etc. etc.

After our yummy lunch we still had some time leftover, but not a lot of time, so we again decided to do what any couple with a rare free hour of time would do on this most romantic day: walk around the mall!!!

But actually I have been in need of a new purse and thought maybe we could stop in a store or two, and Damon thought he could browse along the way at a few places. Now this purse thing...it's all because of technology. I have so much stuff to carry around anymore it's ridiculous. Here are the minimum contents of my purse right now - yes, minimum, because I have widdled it down to these bare essentials:

• wallet
• checkbook
• 2 pens
• sunglasses
• kleenex
• Bed Bath and Beyond coupons (Seriously, why are they so BIG!)
  
• another envelope of coupons
• keys
• my cell phone
• work cell phone (Yes, I carry two phones around now...)
  
• iPod
• mp3 player (I carry this in addition to the iPod because it has a radio, which my iPod doesn't)
• bag of lollipops (for, uh, the kids :))
  
• cosmetic case (lipgloss, spare car key, etc)

That's it! But my purse is heavy and bursting like a bloated water balloon, and I can't carry anything less. All has it's place as I tool around town throughout the week. Now, I am a HUGE fan of backpack purses, although many consider them a fashion faux-pas. But they are so freakin' practical! They stay out of your way, easy on the shoulders, never slide off, etc. But with backpack purses, there is a major drawback (which is also why I love them) - it's on your back. Now that I have moved over to having a cell phone, if I have it in my purse, and my purse is on my back, I have a hard time reaching it when it rings, and often I inadvertently "answer" it in the process or even hang-up as I try to get it out. And the other problem is that because I have so much in my purse anymore that my phone sometimes gets turned on and stays on till the battery gets drained. (Oh the problems I have!)

So I have decided to switch to a shoulder-style purse, which I hate, but I guess seems more practical for now. I found a decent one while we were out today:


and "tried it out" this afternoon. I didn't like carrying it around on my shoulder. I missed my backpack purse. But what else can I do? I have tried a little carry-case for my phone, but I don't always have a belt-loop to clip it on, and it has been hard to get it in and out of the case when I do use it.

So all this purse stuff - making me move from my comfort zone of a backpack to this shoulder thing - I guess I'll see if I can adjust somehow. I hope there is a support group for people like me. There are some serious issues going on here.

Oh...so then back to our Valentine's day...

So after our mall stroll, we stopped in to Joe Beth's Bookstore, and then - TIME!

Ok...off to get the kids. They told us they had a great time, and they each gave us a flower which was nice. However, they didn't get a nap, and the rest of the day the kids have been pretty grumpy. Which of course, you know what that means: early bedtime.

I think I could use an early bedtime too. This stress of this purse thing has worn me out! I need to get a grip.

Warm weather brings the slugs!

Sorry mom. This morning I was welcomed (in the living room) with a wonderful surprise of one our local slugs. How wonderful! Luckily I did NOT step on it, but I know it was planning on getting in position under my foot.

I think it must have come in through the fireplace (which we never use), but how would that happen? I took pictures, brought the kids over so they could see it and I could explain what it was, then I took it outside. Here are the pictures, just for YOU!

First date

You won't believe this (or maybe you will) but since the kids have been born (almost 4 years now!) we have never had a baby-sitter, although we have been talking about it more lately. But as a result, we have never had a date out since these wonderful little busy-bodies entered our lives.

Now back in the early days, we were known to take a day off of work to catch up on sleep, go to the grocery store, and once or twice catch a movie. But as the need to catch up on the essentials (sleep and food-shopping) waned, we stopped taking those days off. And most holidays anymore that we have off the kids also have off, so anymore we really don't have any time where we aren't either working or taking care of the kids.

Then we got this letter from the daycare. It said to take your sweetheart out on a date for Valentine's Day - and drop off the kids with them!!! Well, hello!!

Now, mind you, we can only (ONLY) drop the kids off at the daycare from 11-2:30, and we have to pay $25, but that's 3 1/2 hours of free time at the glorious rate of $7.14 per-we-can-do-what-ever-the-hell-we-want-and-not-worry-about-a-damn-thing-hour! And since it's our daycare we aren't worried in the least. They are going to have a big party and all, so the kids will be well-entertained.

Now...what to do. What to DOOOOOO!!!!

Interesting reading selections

In our house, people have weird reading choices. My husband likes to read the Almanac. My children...they prefer the phonebook...

Choo-choo

We have all these cardboard box things that we got from one of the consignment sales (score!) and drag them out every now and then. This weekend, the kids wanted me to make a train with them. Usually I am not the creative type, but I tried my best. Not too bad a result:

Art

I put so many photos and thoughts on this blog, it's about time I put some of the kids' artwork up. So I'm going to start a new section, which you will soon see added to the side:

Kestian and Adelaide's Refrigerator Art

Until I get it officially set up, here are a few recent pieces...

Weighing in

We weighed and measured the kids tonight:

Adelaide:
31.5 pounds
3 feet, 3 inches

Kestian:
32.5 pounds
3 feet, 3.5 inches

That puts Adelaide at about the 22nd percentile for weight and 37th percentile for height.
Kestian is at the 21st percentile for weight and 35th percentile for height.

Since we last un-scientifically measured them, they have gone up a bit on the charts for their weights, but remain about the same for their heights...

They be a growin...

Growing on up

We are pretty sure the kids are going through a growth spurt. Mind you, we haven't actually weighed or heighted them for a bit, but I think it is obvious. Kestian is finishing his dinner a lot lately, and today actually had seconds of penne alfredo (of course it took forever for him to eat, as always), and then had some cookies and Pringles for dessert. That is a huge amount for him. But, of course, Adelaide is a supreme champion eater and easily out-ate her brother tonight, despite his large evening food intake. She had a full meal of penne alfredo, chicken noodle soup, green beans, peaches, and sliced apples, plus a second helping of alfredo (Kestian was the same, except he didn't have any soup and it took him twice as long). She devoured everything quickly and easily and, after her second helping, asked for some chocolate (my dear Adelaide loves her chocolate). After the chocolate she ate, and I am not exaggerating this at all, an entire full sized apple.

I swear she had seconds for dinner, some chocolate, and then an entire apple. She asked for some apple (what kid requests apples for a dessert? My Adelaide!), so I quartered an apple, de-cored it, and gave her a quarter chunk. Then another. Then another. Then another! I was interested and wanted to see if she actually would eat the whole thing, and she did not disappoint. Of course we probably overdid it, since right now (as she is going to bed) she is complaining that her stomach hurts because she ate too much. Dang, I guess that is my fault.

This and that

Ok, I booked the Explorium. We'll see if it turns out to be a good idea, but since this is the kids first birthday party, I figure they are due for something half-way decent.

We had some more snow - and another delay at UK. I like snow and all, but I am tired of the cold. Because our gas bill gets close to $300/month we keep the house in the low 60's, and I am just tired of being cold all...the...time. Here we are all huddled on the couch trying to stay warm.


Ok so lets see what's up with the kids these days...


Adelaide:

• loves to eat fruits and vegetables, and always eats them first at every meal
• still loves her Laa-Laa more than any other toy she's ever had
• loves drawing and coloring, and can write her name (except doesn't always get the spelling write)
• has NEVER had an accident at night, and has been wearing underwear to bed since before she was 2
• rarely cares to come into our bed unless she is awake and ready for the day
• insists on picking out all of her clothes every morning, and do not dare try to pick out anything for her!
• will get everything ready for bath, including getting the crate of toys out of the tub and putting the mat down and turning on the water
• is as stubborn and independent as they come, and has been heard yelling to her father "I'm sorry for NOTHING", but on a semi-frequently basis is stricken with some ailment rendering her the most helpless person on the planet, keeping her from such things as pulling her covers over herself at night or taking her socks off
  
• looks good in any and every hat she ever wears
• grinds her teeth at night so loudly that it has woken me up
  

Kestian:

• is mega-obsessed with dinosaurs ever since they did a unit on it at school, and knows the names of more dinosaurs than I do
• is a very picky eater, and a very slow eater, and is very hard to get to try new foods (although he's been a little bit better lately)
• loves to play with stuffed puppies, and "blue puppy" and "ruffie" are his favorites - although he still loves his Dipsy for bedtime
  
• is close to not having accidents anymore at night, but still needs "protection"
• loves to come into our bed whenever he is allowed, but knows he's not supposed to until "it's light out"
• is really good at puzzles and loves looking through books
• loves to empty pillowcases or containers of whatever is in them and fill them with everything else he can find, taking him 2 minutes to fill up and me 45 minutes to put away
• loves to sit on my lap, wrapped in a towel, after bath for as long as I let him - and then a few minutes more
• is very easy-going, and (as someone at day-care described him) is always nice to other kids and truly does not understand when other kids are not nice to him
• wears his spiderman hat like a security blanket
  

Ok that is all for now. LOST is about to start!