The Catch-all Post

Several weeks ago, playgroup hit Linvilla Orchards playground. About 5 of them spent more time looking for caterpillars than sliding or climbing. I emptied one of our lunch containers and they set up a "nice little house" for the bugs. Unfortunately for the caterpillars, I think we loved them right to death. We went to a parade on Memorial Day. It was hot. R and I took shelter in the shade while they Salad sat on a curb, waiting for the parade to come by. Eventually, it got too hot for M and S, and they joined us in the shade. But not A. She sat in the hot sun the entire parade, waving her little flag. It was so patriotic of her. I felt proud.

We've been doing some work in our backyard lately. R and M found a frog one morning. The Salad all held it, though A would only hold it if it was in a bowl. She's kinda like me that way. Sophia is not.
We went to see R play soccer last Thursday. I brought popsicles to encourage sitting and actually watching him play. S is a natural cheerleader, chanting "Go Daddy, go Daddy, go Daddy! Yeah! He kicked it! Great job, Daddy!" Of course, between the bugs, the soccer ball we brought along to play with and an ancient swing set, we missed the 3 times Daddy did score.

I spent a good 30 minutes refilling things today. I refilled 3 hand soap dispensers, 1 coffee machine, 1 toilet paper dispenser, the paper towel holder, 1 reusable bottle of SHOUT, 1 butter dish, 1 baby pool, 3 water guns and 9 drinks.

A has been digging the pirate life lately. There is much shouting "Yo ho, let's go!" and searching for "gold doubloons." On Saturday, I came out back to find her helping R in the yard. Digging holes in full pirate regalia, banada and boots.
M wished on a dandelion the other day, "for all my friends to be with me always." When I asked which friends he was talking about, he looked at me like I was crazy for not knowing that he meant his "sisters."

friends for always

That's a Bunch of Berries

It was the 3rd of June before we had beautiful weather here in the northeast. It rained the first 3 weeks of May and was blazing hot during its last week. But on Friday, the cool sunshine was too perfect to pass up, so the Salad and I headed out to Linvilla Orchards. The strawberries were ripe for picking. So, pick we did. 10 pounds of red, ripe berries. Once again, I was reminded of how enjoyable age 4 is. They were such a capable crew of laborers. And cheap, too, paid only in berries. But what in tarnation did we do with so many berries? Gave 2 pounds to Grammy and Poppy. Gave 1 pound to Meglet for a house warming present. And the rest?

We may or may not have eaten those 7 pounds on our drive home.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

We have a lovely house. However, as the Salad grows bigger, our home seems smaller. So I want to utilize every bit of available space we have for play, without cluttering up our living areas. We keep hula hoops under our couch. We have a chalkboard on our laundry room wall. Our coffee table is now a train table. We have magnetic boards on both side of our kitchen island for our letters and numbers. There needs to be a place for every thing and every thing need to be in its place.

Recently, A and S have become interested in makeup, jewelry, hair accessories and all things ladylike. They brush and brush and brush their hair, then clamp in 17 barrettes, and top it off with a huge bow or headband. They often wear 3 necklaces and 4 bracelets. I saw A wearing a homemade beaded anklet the other day. The problem is, we don't have a designated space for feminine accoutrement, so we have Tupperware of jewelry and our "makeup" aka chap stick, perfume and hand cream strewn about our kitchen.

Usually, after they doll themselves up, they ask me for a lift so they can see themselves in the bathroom mirror. The other day, as A asked me to pick her up so she could apply chap stick, I had an epiphany. They need a mirror in their bedroom! And a space for jewelry! I set to work picking out a spot in their room where a mirror could fit horizontally, so all 3 could sit in front of it. Then I cleared off the floor in half of their closet to put their jewelry boxes and hair accessories on the floor for easy access. Voila! New play space! Within minutes, the girls had M seated in the "hairdresser's chair" and were spritzing his head with detangler. He was being such a good sport, that when they came to me asking for eye shadow, I had to give them some. Sadly, I didn't get a picture of the finished product, but trust me when I tell you, M wears his eye makeup like a man.

Good Mom / Bad Mom

Around 4:00 on Thursday, I realized I needed a few things for dinner. It's not the best time of day for us. We are tired from our morning activities, getting anxious for daddy to come home, a little hungry. Not every day, but most days. Nonetheless, I needed to go to the supermarket. I did the "good mom" and told them what kind of behavior I expected. Then, to cover my bases, I did the "bad mom" and bribed them with gum balls, if they exceeded my expectations.

Ahem.

We hit the deli counter first. The guy behind there doled out free slices of cheese to the Salad. They were thrilled.

We quickly gathered up the few things I needed and stopped by the bakery to look through the book of the cakes you can order. The guy behind there came out with a free cookie for each. Seriously, is it Christmas? their looks seemed to say.

We headed to the checkout counter where the girl handed each child a sticker. Cloud nine, I tell ya.

I couldn't deny it, they were excellent. Of course, they didn't have time to misbehave, they were too busy eating. But a promise is a promise.

Gumballs for everybody!

Out of the mouths of boys.

Brett came over for a play date on Monday. I pulled out a huge container of cardboard boxes that I hadn't broken down yet for recycling. I handed the boys a roll of painter's tape and told them to see what they could create.

This is the finished product.

It's a "robot, wearing 2 hats, holding a hammer, sitting on a toilet."

Of course it is.

What?

It was my vacation too!

Hoopla

A very much assumes the archetypal characteristics of being the oldest child. She is responsible. She is a perfectionist. She is serious.

As I reviewed our photos from Disney, I noticed she seemed to let loose a bit. She really took it all in and loved each parade, ride and show.
She was happy.

She made me happy.