Both girls are sitting on the couch with coloring books in their laps. Caitlin begins to color a picture of a monkey (and proceeds to color it pink like the pink stuffed monkey that she adores).
Kiera: Caitlin, that's a perfect picture for you because you ARE a monkey!
Caitlin (enthusiastic and a little annoyed): I'm not a monkey! I'm a big girl!
Me: Oh, you ARE a big girl?! Well, then we need to think about giving up those binkies because big girls don't use them. They're for little babies.
Caitlin: NO! I'm a baby! I'm a little baby. But I'm not a monkey!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
This made me so sad
I was driving in the car the other day with the girls in the back seat. A test of the emergency broadcast system came on the radio - you know, that annoying noise alarm thing. Kiera immediately got panicky because she is terrified of storms. I calmed her down as best I could explaining that it was just a test, just a drill.
She asked a ton of questions (as usual), including "why do they do those tests?"
I told her so that we know the system works when there is an actual emergency. I said, "Just like you do practice drills at school for earthquakes and tornados and stuff, right?"
Then she started chatting away about the different drills and how they work: they go outside for fire drills, under their desks for earthquakes and line up in the hallway in the fetal position for tornadoes. She asked me if I did those when I was in school and I told her that I, in fact, did.
Then she said, "OH, and there's the drill for a bad person at the school where we have to hide in the back of the room so no one knows we're in there. I don't like that one."
I froze for a second. It made me so sad to think that kids have to think about things like that.
She asked me if we did THAT drill when I was in school and I told her that I, in fact, did not.
She asked hard questions (as usual) including "why do people do bad things like that?"
It really breaks my heart to answer questions like that.
But we talked about how some people do bad things because they are... well, bad... or because they are sick. And this lead to talking about how we must always be aware of our surroundings and how we must never talk to strangers or take anything from them or get in a car with them, etc. etc.
THEN, later in this same trip... she says that she heard about the school bus that crashed on its way to a field trip and a 6 year-old boy died (this had just happened in our area a day or two prior to this conversation). I asked her where she even heard about this. We don't watch the news at home. She said her teacher talked to the class about it (thanks, teacher).
Kiera said that lots of people must be sad about the boy dying but "I bet the saddest person is his mom." She went on: "she probably got there and looked around like "where is my kid?" and then found out that he was dead and cried and cried. Because she loved him so much."
Seriously, these conversations make my heart HURT.
She asked a ton of questions (as usual), including "why do they do those tests?"
I told her so that we know the system works when there is an actual emergency. I said, "Just like you do practice drills at school for earthquakes and tornados and stuff, right?"
Then she started chatting away about the different drills and how they work: they go outside for fire drills, under their desks for earthquakes and line up in the hallway in the fetal position for tornadoes. She asked me if I did those when I was in school and I told her that I, in fact, did.
Then she said, "OH, and there's the drill for a bad person at the school where we have to hide in the back of the room so no one knows we're in there. I don't like that one."
I froze for a second. It made me so sad to think that kids have to think about things like that.
She asked me if we did THAT drill when I was in school and I told her that I, in fact, did not.
She asked hard questions (as usual) including "why do people do bad things like that?"
It really breaks my heart to answer questions like that.
But we talked about how some people do bad things because they are... well, bad... or because they are sick. And this lead to talking about how we must always be aware of our surroundings and how we must never talk to strangers or take anything from them or get in a car with them, etc. etc.
THEN, later in this same trip... she says that she heard about the school bus that crashed on its way to a field trip and a 6 year-old boy died (this had just happened in our area a day or two prior to this conversation). I asked her where she even heard about this. We don't watch the news at home. She said her teacher talked to the class about it (thanks, teacher).
Kiera said that lots of people must be sad about the boy dying but "I bet the saddest person is his mom." She went on: "she probably got there and looked around like "where is my kid?" and then found out that he was dead and cried and cried. Because she loved him so much."
Seriously, these conversations make my heart HURT.
CDC and the zombie apocalypse
OK, so I couldn't resist: The CDC's guide to surviving the zombie apocalypse
Its nice to see a government agency with a sense of humor.
This just made me think of "The Walking Dead," that zombie show on AMC. I LOVE that show, its awesome. But in the season 1 finale, the survivors make it to the CDC headquarters in Atlanta to find one lone survivor science guy, who chooses to stay there and die when the building explodes. Hmmmmm....
Remember, when fighting the zombies, aim for their head and don't miss ;)
Its nice to see a government agency with a sense of humor.
This just made me think of "The Walking Dead," that zombie show on AMC. I LOVE that show, its awesome. But in the season 1 finale, the survivors make it to the CDC headquarters in Atlanta to find one lone survivor science guy, who chooses to stay there and die when the building explodes. Hmmmmm....
Remember, when fighting the zombies, aim for their head and don't miss ;)
Saturday, April 23, 2011
How big?
Caitlin went to the doctor on Wednesday because of her terrible runny nose and cough. I was right and she has allergies. Zyrtec is a godsend, by the way.
At the appointment, she was 39" tall and 37 lbs! She plots at the 95th percentile for both. I thought she was on the bigger side, but I didn't know she was at the top of the curve!
Kiera only weighs about 44 lbs at age 7. She's always been my peanut. My clumsy little peanut :) All arms and legs.
Caitlin is my solid little tank with the mad physical skills. She is strong.
Just one more way my two girls are so different!
At the appointment, she was 39" tall and 37 lbs! She plots at the 95th percentile for both. I thought she was on the bigger side, but I didn't know she was at the top of the curve!
Kiera only weighs about 44 lbs at age 7. She's always been my peanut. My clumsy little peanut :) All arms and legs.
Caitlin is my solid little tank with the mad physical skills. She is strong.
Just one more way my two girls are so different!
Already?
Kiera's been pretty chatty this week.
On Wednesday, she was talking about Billy and Bobby (not their real names). On the playground, they did something they weren't supposed to do and got the whole class in trouble... no kickball for the whole class. She got this gossipy 12-year-old girl tone to her voice and told me all about how it was so unfair and that everyone was so mad and the other boys were telling Billy and Bobby that they weren't their friends anymore. And it was SO UNFAIR. Billy and Bobby are always getting in trouble. Why do they always have to do bad stuff? Why can't they just be nice?
(I want to tell her that this has to do with their Y chromosome and that she will spend the rest of her life trying to figure men out... but I refrain. LOL)
Then she proceeds to tell me about Susie and Mary (again, not their real names). Earlier in the year, she sat next to Susie. They got along fairly well. Mary... well, not so much. But Kiera starts dishing on these two (again in the gossipy pre-teen voice)... I don't understand why they won't talk to anyone else. They only want to talk to each other. They are neighbors and they ignore everyone else. Just because they live by each other, they can't talk to anyone else? I don't even care. Susie isn't my friend anymore. And Mary is bossy. She is SO bossy. I don't know why she is so bossy. But why won't they talk to anyone else? They are so mean sometimes....
Seriously, this went on for like 10 minutes.
And don't get me wrong: Kiera's a good kid and she is nice to everyone at school. She's also sensitive.
But these kids are 7 years old. It amazes me how early this starts! They seem so young to be wading into the muddy social waters.
At least she is still young enough that she is talking to me about these things. I know the day will come when she won't. I'm not looking forward to those days.
So we chatted about all of these things... the unfairness and others' feelings and why its so important to treat others respectfully. Be nice to everyone. Include everyone.
Why do they have to grow up so fast??
On Wednesday, she was talking about Billy and Bobby (not their real names). On the playground, they did something they weren't supposed to do and got the whole class in trouble... no kickball for the whole class. She got this gossipy 12-year-old girl tone to her voice and told me all about how it was so unfair and that everyone was so mad and the other boys were telling Billy and Bobby that they weren't their friends anymore. And it was SO UNFAIR. Billy and Bobby are always getting in trouble. Why do they always have to do bad stuff? Why can't they just be nice?
(I want to tell her that this has to do with their Y chromosome and that she will spend the rest of her life trying to figure men out... but I refrain. LOL)
Then she proceeds to tell me about Susie and Mary (again, not their real names). Earlier in the year, she sat next to Susie. They got along fairly well. Mary... well, not so much. But Kiera starts dishing on these two (again in the gossipy pre-teen voice)... I don't understand why they won't talk to anyone else. They only want to talk to each other. They are neighbors and they ignore everyone else. Just because they live by each other, they can't talk to anyone else? I don't even care. Susie isn't my friend anymore. And Mary is bossy. She is SO bossy. I don't know why she is so bossy. But why won't they talk to anyone else? They are so mean sometimes....
Seriously, this went on for like 10 minutes.
And don't get me wrong: Kiera's a good kid and she is nice to everyone at school. She's also sensitive.
But these kids are 7 years old. It amazes me how early this starts! They seem so young to be wading into the muddy social waters.
At least she is still young enough that she is talking to me about these things. I know the day will come when she won't. I'm not looking forward to those days.
So we chatted about all of these things... the unfairness and others' feelings and why its so important to treat others respectfully. Be nice to everyone. Include everyone.
Why do they have to grow up so fast??
Sunday, April 10, 2011
If it makes you feel any better...
So, everyone knows Caitlin is an ornery turd. LOL. She is always getting into trouble and lately has been perfecting her skills in ignoring me completely. She is fiercely independent which also makes for some interesting battles (which I choose carefully, of course).
So I was a little leary about starting her in preschool because I was afraid she would be one of those kids... you know the ones. The ones who are "biters" or "hitters" or who are constantly in time out. The ones who make their teachers want to go home and have a stiff drink.
Turns out my fears were unfounded.
The other day, my mom was picking her up from preschool. It was quite warm that day and my mom was telling Caitlin that she didn't need her jacket on. Of course, Caitlin wanted to wear the jacket so she was arguing and fighting for the jacket.
Then one of the teachers said... "If it makes you feel any better, she always listens to us. She is so good. She is the best one we have."
Wait, what????
Apparently she is Miss Perfect at preschool. She listens, she eats, she sleeps. I don't know how they do it. Maybe they drug her. (LOL, I'm kidding, of course).
I guess it does make me feel better in a way. At least she listens in that setting. She is capable of it. Now if she would just extend that courtesy to me at home....
So I was a little leary about starting her in preschool because I was afraid she would be one of those kids... you know the ones. The ones who are "biters" or "hitters" or who are constantly in time out. The ones who make their teachers want to go home and have a stiff drink.
Turns out my fears were unfounded.
The other day, my mom was picking her up from preschool. It was quite warm that day and my mom was telling Caitlin that she didn't need her jacket on. Of course, Caitlin wanted to wear the jacket so she was arguing and fighting for the jacket.
Then one of the teachers said... "If it makes you feel any better, she always listens to us. She is so good. She is the best one we have."
Wait, what????
Apparently she is Miss Perfect at preschool. She listens, she eats, she sleeps. I don't know how they do it. Maybe they drug her. (LOL, I'm kidding, of course).
I guess it does make me feel better in a way. At least she listens in that setting. She is capable of it. Now if she would just extend that courtesy to me at home....
Origami crane update
We turned in our origami cranes to the girl scout office and we had about 240 cranes!! I am so happy. I am hoping that across the country they will collect thousands.
I set a personal goal of 100 cranes and I did it! I worked on them in the evenings when I had a spare hour or two, folding 10-20 at a time. I am very proud to hit 100!
I got some origami paper which made for very pretty cranes:
And a big thank you to Violet for sending 80 cranes to add to our total! You rock, Violet!! 
I set a personal goal of 100 cranes and I did it! I worked on them in the evenings when I had a spare hour or two, folding 10-20 at a time. I am very proud to hit 100!
I got some origami paper which made for very pretty cranes:
And a big thank you to Violet for sending 80 cranes to add to our total! You rock, Violet!! 
Thursday, March 31, 2011
one of those days...
I overslept this morning. I think I forgot to even set my alarm. I didn't wake up until my dad was knocking on my door to pick up the girls at 6am. So I rushed them up and out the door and got myself ready as fast as I could. Unfortunately, I am too old to pull off the "just rolled out of bed" look.
I hit the road for my freaking long commute. I worked downtown today, which always puts me in a mood. I actually got stuck behind a train - yes, a freaking train - right at I-44 and Vandeventer.
By some small miracle, I still managed to get to my office on time. That made me smile.
Other things that made me smile today:
I met with this adorable British couple today and we were reviewing the family history and the wife remarked about how her father was overweight. Her husband laughed and said that his wife's father was not overweight. His quote: "A middle-aged man without a belly is like a bull without horns." Totally made me laugh.
I was talking to a patient on the phone to schedule an appointment. She was reading numbers to me off of her insurance card. Her group number had a "P" in it. She says "P as in... (laugh) oh, my gosh I was about to say P as in potty. Sometimes I forget I'm talking to adults." I laughed so hard.
Light traffic on the way home
My smiling girls greeting me when I got home
Chocolate chip cookies
Origami cranes
How did my evening go? Well, tonight was a bath night. Those often don't go well. Caitlin refused to get out of the tub when I asked her to. I had to wrestle her out. After we were totally done and I was helping Kiera dry off, Caitlin threw her towel into the bathtub... which was still full of water.
And the icing on the cake... the "ruler incident." I don't have all the details yet but its another incident with Kiera's teacher... to be added to the "pencil incident" and the "coat incident." Yep, its been a fun year. I have a message out to her teacher to chat about it. It involves a broken ruler and a threat to send Kiera to the principal's office. Kiera had a crying meltdown tonight over it. *sigh*
I hit the road for my freaking long commute. I worked downtown today, which always puts me in a mood. I actually got stuck behind a train - yes, a freaking train - right at I-44 and Vandeventer.
By some small miracle, I still managed to get to my office on time. That made me smile.
Other things that made me smile today:
I met with this adorable British couple today and we were reviewing the family history and the wife remarked about how her father was overweight. Her husband laughed and said that his wife's father was not overweight. His quote: "A middle-aged man without a belly is like a bull without horns." Totally made me laugh.
I was talking to a patient on the phone to schedule an appointment. She was reading numbers to me off of her insurance card. Her group number had a "P" in it. She says "P as in... (laugh) oh, my gosh I was about to say P as in potty. Sometimes I forget I'm talking to adults." I laughed so hard.
Light traffic on the way home
My smiling girls greeting me when I got home
Chocolate chip cookies
Origami cranes
How did my evening go? Well, tonight was a bath night. Those often don't go well. Caitlin refused to get out of the tub when I asked her to. I had to wrestle her out. After we were totally done and I was helping Kiera dry off, Caitlin threw her towel into the bathtub... which was still full of water.
And the icing on the cake... the "ruler incident." I don't have all the details yet but its another incident with Kiera's teacher... to be added to the "pencil incident" and the "coat incident." Yep, its been a fun year. I have a message out to her teacher to chat about it. It involves a broken ruler and a threat to send Kiera to the principal's office. Kiera had a crying meltdown tonight over it. *sigh*
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Origami cranes
This is what I learned today. In Japanese culture, an origami crane imparts good health, prosperity and a long life for the recipent. They are a symbol of peace and hope.
The Girl Scouts of Japan made and mailed thousands of these cranes to the United States as an expression of peace and friendship after the September 11th tragedy. Our local girl scout council is collecting origami cranes to send to Japan. So I taught myself to do these this afternoon.
Once you get the hang of it, it is fun! Today, I folded 10 origami cranes. I have until April 11th to complete the cranes. I need to come up with a goal... 50 cranes? 100 cranes? Let me know what you think.
This is the pattern I am using: www.operationmigration.org/origami.pdf
Check this out: http://studentsrebuild.org/japan/
Hiatus
So, its been awhile since I've been around blogland. Things here are always busy. The holidays flew by. The winter weather has been oppressive. Work is busy. Hubby started the night shift and its been an adjustment. Kiera's seventh birthday came and went (she got a bike). Caitlin started preschool. And in the shuffle, my little blog got backburnered. I've updated a little... a new name and a new look.
So, welcome back. I'm going to try to get back into it and post regularly (yep, go ahead and laugh... you know you want to).
So, welcome back. I'm going to try to get back into it and post regularly (yep, go ahead and laugh... you know you want to).
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)