We've been waiting and waiting for this book to come out just based on the title, "Go the F--- to Sleep." Everybody's heard about this, right? Caution, this is definitely not something to look at with kiddies around. :)
It was excellent timing for us, on a night when Kate was wide awake at 9 p.m. and we were dying to just get on with getting ready for our trip ...and watching Lost. :)
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Sisters playing
Molly actually had Kate laughing and laughing doing this but I wasn't quick enough. This was how they entertained each other the other night as I was making dinner.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Gymnastics
Molly has been taking a class at a place called the Little Gym this summer. It's kind of a gymnastics class but mostly the kids just play games. Sometimes they play with a big parachute, sometimes an inflated mat that's like the floor of a bounce house. They break up into small groups and do stations that involve the balance beam, uneven bars, parallel bars, etc. but also lots of foam blocks and things to climb and jump on. Today the theme was sirens and flashing lights (or something) and they played firefighter and police games.
Molly absolutely LOVES it. It's a big deal for us because it's the first activity she's done where moms don't participate. They've got a big waiting room with a wall of windows and a lot of the moms stay through the whole class and watch. You don't have to, though, and Molly has been bugging me since the first class to drop her off and pick her up at the end. Today I finally did that ... sort of. The class is in a plaza with lots of useful stores. The past couple weeks I've left the waiting room just for 10 minutes or so in the middle of the class to grab groceries and run right back. Today I lingered over shopping. Molly was fine. I'm still completely unsettled by the idea that she's singing songs and doing things at home that I only guess come from the class. This is good practice for preschool ... for me!!
I was reluctant to sign her up for any sort of lessons this young, and the stuff I hear in the waiting room is exactly why. Holy overscheduled kids!!! The moms go on about the swim lessons, lots of daily swim lessons, and how they're running from one activity to the next and not seeing any friends but that it's all OK because it's "educational." And they go on about how one kid or another just won't get focused on learning and just wants to play around in the pool or whatever and would get so much more out of it if he just tried. Poor kid. This morning a mom couldn't get her daughter to join the gymnastics class and there was quite a scene: "I drove all the way here, you're going in there," etc. It's painful to watch. They're such little kids. Of course, I also met not one but two moms who use cloth diapers. They're the first people I have seen around here using cloth in all three years of mommy and me activities and story times with Molly. Anyway, I'm trying to make sure Molly doesn't feel any pressure to go to this class, ever. Really it's just encouraging her to climb on the furniture at home. Would I be sad if she lost interest? Not one bit.
Molly absolutely LOVES it. It's a big deal for us because it's the first activity she's done where moms don't participate. They've got a big waiting room with a wall of windows and a lot of the moms stay through the whole class and watch. You don't have to, though, and Molly has been bugging me since the first class to drop her off and pick her up at the end. Today I finally did that ... sort of. The class is in a plaza with lots of useful stores. The past couple weeks I've left the waiting room just for 10 minutes or so in the middle of the class to grab groceries and run right back. Today I lingered over shopping. Molly was fine. I'm still completely unsettled by the idea that she's singing songs and doing things at home that I only guess come from the class. This is good practice for preschool ... for me!!
I was reluctant to sign her up for any sort of lessons this young, and the stuff I hear in the waiting room is exactly why. Holy overscheduled kids!!! The moms go on about the swim lessons, lots of daily swim lessons, and how they're running from one activity to the next and not seeing any friends but that it's all OK because it's "educational." And they go on about how one kid or another just won't get focused on learning and just wants to play around in the pool or whatever and would get so much more out of it if he just tried. Poor kid. This morning a mom couldn't get her daughter to join the gymnastics class and there was quite a scene: "I drove all the way here, you're going in there," etc. It's painful to watch. They're such little kids. Of course, I also met not one but two moms who use cloth diapers. They're the first people I have seen around here using cloth in all three years of mommy and me activities and story times with Molly. Anyway, I'm trying to make sure Molly doesn't feel any pressure to go to this class, ever. Really it's just encouraging her to climb on the furniture at home. Would I be sad if she lost interest? Not one bit.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
She rolled!!
We were all hanging around doing our own thing yesterday when I noticed Kate just coming over her shoulder and fully onto her tummy.
We were all very excited. Kate wasn't sure what all the fuss was about. :)
Friday, July 22, 2011
Heat wave
We're sweating it out here, just like everywhere else. Today was our third day of living in "survival" mode with two little kids who get strung out if we're away from home too long, ridiculous heat and only one little air conditioner box in the grown-ups' bedroom.
Wednesday wasn't super hot but the power company had planned to shut off our neighborhood's power all day for some scheduled work. I made sandwiches in the morning and then taped the fridge shut once the power went out so I wouldn't forget and open the door and spoil all our food. It turned out to be unnecessary. The power was out for only about half an hour. Plus, we had a good time walking around the neighborhood because Molly wanted to find "the people who took away our power." We found them -- two guys up in bucket trucks -- and stood around for a while watching them finish up the work. Then we went to the library and happened to stumble upon touch-a-construction-truck day so Molly got to climb around on front-end loaders and a back-hoe and talk to a local DPW guy. It was a very public works kind of day. Then on the drive home we saw a woman with a big pig on a leash. What a day!!!
Yesterday we hopped around to air conditioned spaces, including a play date in an air conditioned house in our neighborhood. It was a tough night, though. I'm not sure I've ever felt air so humid. Nobody used the air conditioner (it seemed kind of unfair for just the grown-ups to have it) and nobody slept very well. It was still 80 degrees when we woke up.
Today we went to yet another little beach we've never been to before, this time with Molly's buddy from the Waldorf school. It's actually been nice and breezy, despite the heat, and this beach had a lot of shade so it wasn't bad at all.
It's still hot now, about 90, but the humidity went down a bunch this afternoon. Ahhh!! Molly insists on wearing PJ's and having all the covers pulled up to her chin. It makes me twitch just to think about it. ICK!!!
Wednesday wasn't super hot but the power company had planned to shut off our neighborhood's power all day for some scheduled work. I made sandwiches in the morning and then taped the fridge shut once the power went out so I wouldn't forget and open the door and spoil all our food. It turned out to be unnecessary. The power was out for only about half an hour. Plus, we had a good time walking around the neighborhood because Molly wanted to find "the people who took away our power." We found them -- two guys up in bucket trucks -- and stood around for a while watching them finish up the work. Then we went to the library and happened to stumble upon touch-a-construction-truck day so Molly got to climb around on front-end loaders and a back-hoe and talk to a local DPW guy. It was a very public works kind of day. Then on the drive home we saw a woman with a big pig on a leash. What a day!!!
Yesterday we hopped around to air conditioned spaces, including a play date in an air conditioned house in our neighborhood. It was a tough night, though. I'm not sure I've ever felt air so humid. Nobody used the air conditioner (it seemed kind of unfair for just the grown-ups to have it) and nobody slept very well. It was still 80 degrees when we woke up.
Today we went to yet another little beach we've never been to before, this time with Molly's buddy from the Waldorf school. It's actually been nice and breezy, despite the heat, and this beach had a lot of shade so it wasn't bad at all.
It's still hot now, about 90, but the humidity went down a bunch this afternoon. Ahhh!! Molly insists on wearing PJ's and having all the covers pulled up to her chin. It makes me twitch just to think about it. ICK!!!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Beach
OK, at the beach with two adults you can take some pictures. Here we are at Mirror Lake yesterday. This is just maybe 5 minutes from our house but we just discovered it this year. It was a cloudy, muggy morning and there was hardly anybody there. Molly and I got to swim together for a while. Then we switched kids and I took some pictures.
This is from earlier in the day. Molly wanted to use her screwdriver so Jim suggested she take apart his old fan (the one he had in college -- it just quit after all those years). I thought it was worth a picture because she was was wearing her plastic dress-up heals.
And Kate's latest development? Last night after bath she discovered that she can swing her legs over and ALMOST roll onto her tummy. She starts on her back and gets to about here ...
She seems excited about it. It's the first thing she did this morning when I put her on the change pad. She can also sort of spin herself around. I left her in this direction for a few minutes last night and came back to find her with her feet by the mirror. Oh boy, it begins!!!!
This is from earlier in the day. Molly wanted to use her screwdriver so Jim suggested she take apart his old fan (the one he had in college -- it just quit after all those years). I thought it was worth a picture because she was was wearing her plastic dress-up heals.
She seems excited about it. It's the first thing she did this morning when I put her on the change pad. She can also sort of spin herself around. I left her in this direction for a few minutes last night and came back to find her with her feet by the mirror. Oh boy, it begins!!!!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Finally a nap!!
For Molly, that is. Kate has been sleeping great. She goes to bed around 8:30 most nights and sleeps through until around 5 a.m., nurses for about 10 minutes then goes back to sleep until 8 or 9. Then she takes like four naps a day, too. It's great!!! Meanwhile, Molly is having a tough time. It all started at the beginning of July when I foolishly suggested we let her skip nap time to go to the parade. She hasn't had an afternoon nap since!!! Instead she's been having an hour of quiet time, which involves her playing right in the doorway of her room, making noise, coming out to go to the bathroom, waking up any adult who happens to be sleeping to ask if quiet time is over yet, etc. At the end her bedroom is a mess, she's no better rested than when it began and nobody has really had a break from anybody else. You would think that she would sleep better at night but it's worse. She crashes early but then she's up crying in the night, calling for us to come in and give her hugs and then she wakes up around 5 or 5:30 a.m. and plays noisily in her bedroom, usually calling for us at least once until her sunshine comes on at 6:30. Needless to say, she's a mess by the afternoon most days -- lots of crying, stomping, throwing things. It's hard to sort out what's sleepiness, what's adjusting to the baby and what's just being 3-1/2, but the end result is the same -- exhausting!
That said, we've been having a lot of fun. I wish I had it together enough to take pictures but I don't have enough hands. Last week we finally went to Sandy Pond, the little swimming beach in our town. It was a spur-of-the-moment idea (we have a lot more time on our hands without Molly's 2-3 hour nap) and it actually worked. There was enough shade close to the water to keep Kate out of the sun and supervise Molly in the water, Molly was really well behaved and got to splash around for a long time, and when it was time to go there were no arguments and I managed to get all the gear and children back to the car without incident.
It was so nice that we went to a different beach two days later, one we had never been to before. It was a little tougher because the shade was so far from the water, but we made it work. Toward the end Kate even fell asleep in her car seat so I sat it right at the edge of the water and Molly got to swim past the rope to the deeper area where fish were nibbling our legs.
OK everybody's awake now. Time to run!
That said, we've been having a lot of fun. I wish I had it together enough to take pictures but I don't have enough hands. Last week we finally went to Sandy Pond, the little swimming beach in our town. It was a spur-of-the-moment idea (we have a lot more time on our hands without Molly's 2-3 hour nap) and it actually worked. There was enough shade close to the water to keep Kate out of the sun and supervise Molly in the water, Molly was really well behaved and got to splash around for a long time, and when it was time to go there were no arguments and I managed to get all the gear and children back to the car without incident.
It was so nice that we went to a different beach two days later, one we had never been to before. It was a little tougher because the shade was so far from the water, but we made it work. Toward the end Kate even fell asleep in her car seat so I sat it right at the edge of the water and Molly got to swim past the rope to the deeper area where fish were nibbling our legs.
OK everybody's awake now. Time to run!
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| The girls. |
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| Jim's had several days off work lately. We kicked off his latest mini vacation with a trek to the Cheesecake Factory, which we'd never been to before. Yum!! |
Monday, July 11, 2011
Videos
I finally got a couple videos uploaded.
First, here is Molly putting on a dance recital in her bedroom. Christmas has been a big theme in her play lately.
In the full version Molly responds, "She's saying Princesses like to dance in everyday life." (It was too big to upload the whole thing).
First, here is Molly putting on a dance recital in her bedroom. Christmas has been a big theme in her play lately.
And here is Kate making noise. About a week ago she discovered her voice and now it's one of her favorite things to play with, especially on the change table.
In the full version Molly responds, "She's saying Princesses like to dance in everyday life." (It was too big to upload the whole thing).
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Just an ordinary morning
I'm sitting at the breakfast table looking at this scene and I can't figure out what's stranger, that Molly has decided that the two nail clippers on the green plate are "pretend Oma and Grandpa" (she woke them up from their cloth scrap beds on the couch to have this lovely breakfast with us) or that they're looking out on a field of handmade paper monsters.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Parade
Molly talked us into going to our town's 4th of July parade on Saturday. The neighborhood kids have been playing parade games for a while and I think Molly was into the theme without quite understanding what a parade is. She was counting down the days, though, so we took her.
We were chatting on the steps when I realized that Molly thought we were going to be marching in the parade, not watching it. So that was a little disappointing for her. Maybe some day...
The parade started with the fire trucks. Lots of fire trucks. Loud fire trucks. It was SO LOUD, especially on Main Street where the sound bounced off the two-story buildings.
Molly handled it well for a while. One of the first trucks threw candy and she was so attached to her fistful of Tootsie Rolls that she even stopped covering her ears. But eventually she fled back to the steps...
And then we all fled down the street and around the corner. We watched the rest of the parade from a distance, except to run forward occasionally and grab candy.
It was a short parade that kind of petered out at the end. At one point there was just a tow truck driving along. Really?
Anyway, Molly says she had a good time. I think she mostly just liked the candy.
Happy 4th!
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| The girls on the way to find a spot to stand. |
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| We found a nice step outside a Main Street shop to sit on for the half hour until step-off. Molly's been into the family caps lately. :) (She's also been making deliveries around the living room with a toy oil truck - hee, hee). |
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| Kate discovered Daddy's watch. That kept her busy for quite a while. Tasty! |
The parade started with the fire trucks. Lots of fire trucks. Loud fire trucks. It was SO LOUD, especially on Main Street where the sound bounced off the two-story buildings.
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| Add caption |
And then we all fled down the street and around the corner. We watched the rest of the parade from a distance, except to run forward occasionally and grab candy.
It was a short parade that kind of petered out at the end. At one point there was just a tow truck driving along. Really?
Anyway, Molly says she had a good time. I think she mostly just liked the candy.
Happy 4th!
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