Tuesday, February 24, 2015

The Sixth...sometimes

Sometimes...

when we wake up from our snooze, mommy has snacks all at hand.
and sometimes, we get grapes.
and sometimes those grapes go all into our mouths at once.


and sometimes we eat regular things like muffins
like cookies
like granola bars
like pears or bananas or apples or raisins.

Sometimes we eat cheese strings...


Sometimes we eat snow.
Toques optional.
Candy found under the couch optional too, but stuff them in your mouth before mommy sees them.

Sometimes the weather isn't -40
and we play outside

this happens after about 1/2 an hour of mommy dressing us, and about 15 minutes in asks herself if it's really worth it....

and Benjabin moves snow with his dump truck and digger

and AnderZander uses his shovel to move it all back...much to Benjabin's dismay.


Sometimes we go out and watch daddy snowmobile on Chris-stuck-hill
Sometimes daddy even gets stuck to make Uncle Chris feel better.
Sometimes daddy doesn't touch the hill but fly's right over it.
We cheer him on...









as much as we can see, anyway.










Sometimes,
daddy gets an afternoon and takes us all swimming.

We change, we shower
we suit up
we wait for mommy to go pee
we watch the swimming lessons
we make puddles of our own
we shower again

and we SWIM!


Sometimes we jump in,
sometimes we blow bubbles,
sometimes we forget to breath out,
sometimes we lick the bars,
sometimes we play in the whirl pool,
sometimes we go down the slide
sometimes we play with the bubbles in the hot tub
and sometimes we put our noses in the water and blow bubbles for the fish....that don't exist in the pool.


all in all, we have a rather good time when we wake up from our snooze.
and sometimes that good time

involves hot chocolate at the end of it.

The Seventh hour....SHHHHHH!

Its nap time.

It's time for little bodies to regenerate
charge their batteries

nap time is really for optimal health in children
it's a necessary part of the day

it doesn't excite me a bit ;)




finish up the laundry, or at least change the loads so I can ignore it for a while

ssshhhh, the stairs down muffle the noise of the socks well






take out the diapers.

enough said.



someone coughed.

who?
what?
when?

silence.....go quieter mommy! For the sake of the children!  Yes, the children.



 it's not crunchy, no noise.

it came in a container I opened hours ago, preparing myself for this moment.

it will do for lunch....unless it's a dog treat.  Should confirm what it is first....then eat it.



say hello to my dog for the first time today.

now lay down.

and don't make any noise.

we're being quiet for the CHILDREN!  and for a good book, or maybe a show on T.V......but its' for the children.



and take an hour
Katherine gives me 75 minutes exactly

Alexander makes up for the early years by sleeping 120, and Benjamin sometimes sleeps
sometimes plays,

today he sleeps.
I could tell early on
he needed it
he needed a break
he needed to recoup
to stay up late tonight

I like to make sure he gets what he needs.

I take on this quiet solitude for him
for them all.....





rest is nice

what a blessing for my kids to have a rest.


and then we can regroup and continue on with brighter eyes and happy smiles to see each other.



to be goofy and silly and loud and energetic.

makes it all sweeter



when their mommy has a little rest.


Sunday, February 8, 2015

8 hours....mid day



LUNCH TIME!!!
woohooo!!!

and boy oh boy have we been waiting all day for this.

However, in order to eat lunch.  One needs to make it.  And that one should never make it on her own, oh no, that would be too easy, I mean lonely.

So lunch helpers mommy has! (and she is even a teensy bit pleased)

B cracks the eggs
A stirs like crazy (and not so crazy if mommy is too close)
K measures and scoops and measures and scoops and measures and scoops and....

B grates the zucchini
A adds the dry ingredients
K measures and scoops and measures and scoops and measures and scoops and...

B tells us what he's building or dreaming about
A mixes slowly (having been threatened a few times)
K measures and scoops and measures and scoops and HEY, where are you taking that?




hey not bad mommy
and I can hardly taste Alexanders knuckle









good good muffins mommy,
just don't tell daddy there are steel oats in them

-Oh Alexander daddy will know...

daddy
always
knows...


and then its a change of bums
a roll of some special blankies
a cuddle from a special bunny
and a covering by a special 'tettee' blanket
and kisses and hugs galore.

and have a good snooze
(aw done - no not yet Katherine)
have a good snooze
(I want to play in the club house - quietly Benjamin)
have a good snooze
(no playing Alexander, no getting up, no turning the light on, no kicking the blankets off, and no you do not need another drink, I love you, ok last thing, what?  Ok fine, you can bonk Mathey on the head when you wake up and no more, I love you have a good snooze)


let the pm
commence



Tuesday, February 3, 2015

The Ninth - Am I done?

Math class today dealt with different ways to come up with 5.  
If 5 is the whole number, what combinations can be put together to make 5.

So let's say Mathey and Chief both want a treat.
"mommy, we have treats"
good idea, go get 5 treats
(Mathey's sits up)
so how many treats should we give big Mathey and 'he thinks he's big'-Chief.
"3 for Mathey, 2 for Chief"
(Mathey's ears perk up)
ok, now let's say Chief doesn't like them
"4 for Mathey, 1 for Chief"
(Mathey licks his nose)
Great.  Now lets say Mathey got in the garbage
"0 for Mathey, 5 for Chief"
(Mathey wimpers)
Fantastic job Benjamin.  Let's write these all down.
"then Mathey can have a treat"
then Mathey can have a treat.
(Mathey heartily agrees)

 As soon as school is done, there is about 1/2 an hour before lunch.

This includes lego, crane building, crane lifting, remote controls, showing Katherine how to play something, and a little more lego.








This also includes some of the best sibling time
where they work together
and play together
pretty happy
and soon getting hungry
(so keep a sharp eye for when it turns)

This 1/2 hour is also a good time to get
laundry changed
toys picked up (again)
bum changed (if you can catch her)
floors vacuumed
and dishes ignored




often times those responsibilities are a two person job.

often two people are the reason for the job.

but it is nice having helpers.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

the Tenth- and all it's hilarity.

well good morning Nana.  
Oh yes
Oh yes
well you see, mommy left this phone on the table
and seeing as I'm dressed
I just thought I'd come have a chat
just like mommy.
Bye.
 I get to draw a line! I made it through the night DRY!!!!!
I get to draw a brown line!  Alexander gets the green lines,
and we will connect the dots to see what the surprise is going to me
(although it drives me MAD not to know RIGHT NOW!)
We are being good!  We are staying down stairs
as Benjamin is doing school up stairs.
We are playing foot pnano!
 School is alright.  Math is alright.  What have I learnt so far today?
That I like school better on Tuesdays.  On Mondays, school is the pits.
Mommy gave us a book to keep us out of the kitchen.
It's a book about mountains
and VOLCANO's!  
Meame and Boppa are on a volcano.
Tamren and Wendy are on one too.
We wonder if they will explode.
pfft.  Math is a piece of cake.
Except for the number 9.
But the rest?  A piece of cake.
This is where I read books.
Mommy puts me on top of the mattress
(Zanna gets up on his own)
and I read my books
(this guarantees mommy 3 minutes of teaching time)

building lego is fun.
Telling mommy that I want a 'nack' is what I'd rather be doing
but building lego has it perks.
especially with a 'tandy' in my mouth 
for going pee.
"Tafrin, where are you?"
 "peeee"
"tandy!!!!"
 yes, Tuesdays are much better.
Tuesdays I like doing school
and like to focus more on what I need to get done
and am happier to be here.
and am happier when school is done.


 Benjabin, are you done????

Thursday, January 22, 2015

The Eleventh Hour... without the 'dun dun dun'

 Soon after breakfast it is a rush for mommy to see how many faces she can scrub before feet are flying, hands grabbing, bums disappearing and
responsibilities commencing
(including putting Lego away)

Benjamin has a list that he successfully carries out each morning before school
-brush teeth (thank you for the help Katherine)
-make bed (NO MORE HELP Katherine!)
-get dressed
-put pjs on bed.

By the time he has distracted himself from yelling at Katherine, telling Alexander how to play that game, watching Alexander play that game, telling Katherine that mommy wants her, deciding which toothpaste he wants to use, singing about 3 - 600 songs, running around kicking the air, roaring, showing Alexander how high he  can jump, and being threatened by mommy's outside voice...
all the tasks have been accomplished and school commences.

on the other side of the Benjamin coin,
Katherine is running from a bumb changing mommy,
hiding from a face washing mommy,
and yelling at her brothers for giving her away!
Before school, she is usually coerced into being changed.  Except the pants.  She MUST do these herself, and it usually includes some highly amusing dance moves where two legs are crammed into one pant leg.  Mommy only gets to help when the obstinate "aaaahhhh" becomes the "aaaahhhh" declaring she is stuck and sick of falling over.  One child down.  Two to go.  Outside voice Benjamin! and find an Alexander.
Alexander is fast.  Grab a shirt out of the drawer, he is in the bathroom. Grab pants one drawer down, he is in the basement.  Wrestle his pajamas off him and turn to get monkey's, he is in the kitchen running the loop.  yes free as a bird!
Outside voice Alexander to get back here, and outside voice for Benjamin  to quit telling Alexander where to run and jump, and kick the air, then outside voice Katherine so she doesn't feel left out.

Sit on Alexander.  Dress him.  Forgo socks, he will only pull them off in 10 minutes anyway.  (never put socks on Katherine.  They don't even last a minute)
Mommy scrambles to her bed room flinging off pajamas as fast as she can, and bypass the clothes in the dresser to cram herself into whatever she was wearing the night before that still remains in a heap on the floor.  "MOOOMMMMMMMMYYYYYYYY!!!!"  and she's off!

Benjamin is finished his responsibilities, praise Benjamin for a job well done
AND LET THE SCHOOL BEGIN!
(and oh yes, that includes everybody....for a good 3 minutes)

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

The Twelfth.

This is how our morning starts!

Most of the time, all smiles!

"mommyyyyy" comes from the purple room

"mommyyy" comes from the bathroom

"hi mommy" comes from beside me



3 hello's!

one at 7:30 (I waited for the sun Mommy!)

one at 7:35 (mommy I wanta snack!)

one at 7:48 (mommy, aw done!)
 This is our first of 12 hours.

This girl eats on her own, peels her own orange, eats 3/4 of her own porridge, tells me what is going on, and repeats to her brothers what I've just instructed, getting the message home.  She happily tells Mathey to "dat up!" not to be mistaken with "datch up" which in fact is ketchup.

which is not served a breakfast.  no matter how cute.





The first of our 12 hours includes

soggy bottoms removed


bowls and spoons set (sometimes again and again)


and this boy not being interested at present with eating his own food.  
Always hungry, and usually wanting mommy or daddy to feed him.
He has entered the very helpful stage, lets me know when Katherine needs a kleenex (Mommy, dafrin as a nose goblin!) lets me know when he's hungry (mommy, I wanta snack!) and lets me know when it is moosic time (BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG- you like my song?)  even at breakfast, we are a musical society!



The first of our 12 hours means

bibs optional and usually on the floor
with the sippy cups
with the bowls
with the spoons
with the kids.....



and one of them needs to be coerced into eating breakfast

-deals must be made

-time dolled out and reminded

-responsibilities urged

and breakfast served.

This boy can pour his own milk, pour his own cereal,
eat a full bowl and then a few more and explain the details of a cement truck and its intricacies through out the full duration of what we call...

the first of our 12 hours.