Baby School

At the beginning of the school year, I was feeling very envious of all my teacher friends and homeschool friends who were posting how excited they were for the upcoming school year and posting pictures of their classrooms on Facebook. I felt this nostalgic longing for packs of freshly sharpened pencils, cartons of crayons and stacks of Hilroy books. I remembered with fondness afternoons where I would sit at my desk and plan out the next day's activities or when I would stay up late at night organizing an activity for my own boys to complete the next day when we were homeschooling. I was really sad that I was not teaching this year. 

Can I just say that being human is absolutely ridiculous?! When I was teaching, I was envious of all my stay-at-home mom friends who were posting pics of their littles on Facebook . . . ugh! Can we ever truly just be happy with what we have and where we are at each moment? I think so, and I try really hard to do so, which is why moments after my melancholy hit, I looked at the two-under-two crew and enthusiastically decided that they would be my two newest pupils this year. And so, like all my fellow teachers, I hit the internet looking for ideas and activities, when what to my wondering eyes did appear but a link to a website selling Montessori curriculum for babies and toddlers . . . say what? It was like Christmas morning! I was giddy to get my hands on an actual curriculum for the two-under-two crew and impulsively threw those suckers into my virtual shopping cart. Within days they appeared at my doorstep and I have been happily perusing their pages ever since. We, teachers, are nerds . . . what can I say?

Now, baby school looks nothing like real school. There is no schedule and no tests to take. It is just me and my babes playing with a purpose; for instance, this week, Harriet is working on rolling over, so Leif and I place her on the floor on her belly and enthusiastically encourage her to lift that head up and move. This morning she earned a gold star because she actually rolled over, not once, not twice but every time we placed her on her belly. Yay, Harriet!  oh, and I am joking about the gold star . . . or am I?

After working on sorting teddy bears by colour last week, Leif has taken a real interest in colours. Yesterday while we were making some play dough and I asked what colour he wanted to make, he shocked me when he shouted out blue as he reached for the container of blue food colouring. Being a true-blue nerd . . . I admit that sometimes even I find myself to be a bit too much . . . I made an official declaration proclaiming this to be "Blue Week". We went on hunts for the colour blue, we played with blue play-doh, we are wearing all blue today and we sorted out the blue bugs from a colourful pile of plastic bugs. We are having a lot of fun with this and I think we might dedicate the next few weeks to a single colour.

I am particularly enjoying myself because these short snippets of our day are a nice break from all the laundry that needs to be folded, all the dishes that need to be washed, all the toilets that need to be scrubbed and so and so on. These moments are also special because I am able to enjoy myself with my babies. I am able to say yes more than I have to say no or in a minute, and I can laugh and smile along with them.

Hi! I am Harriet Webster and I am running for Prime Minister

There she goes . .  .

I really love being a teacher, especially to my own kiddos!

When You Give a Toddler a Puddle . . .

Yesterday was a wet, wet day. The two-under-two crew and I were housebound since our big, Baby Girl demanded  . . . er I mean . . . asked if she could have the car for the day. If you have ever been a teenager or have a raised a teenager then you know that the world revolves around them and we, the parents, siblings and friends, of the teenager are merely here to make their life more comfortable and enjoyable. If for a moment you feel the need to question this universal law then I warn you: duck and hide . . . duck and hide!

Anyhoo . . .

So, we were housebound and rainy days are no fun to be housebound with a toddler and an infant. Okay, I am lying. Rainy days are great opportunities to snuggle with an infant; it's the toddler that makes things challenging. By noon, we had read stories,coloured pictures, played trains, ate snacks, and napped. Oh, and he, the toddler, coloured on the couch with a highlighter, dragged clean clothes from room to room, brushed his teeth at least ten times (we have the toddler toothpaste with no fluoride - phew!), stood on the table and threw soggy cheerios on the floor for Scout to eat, washed Harriet's face with at least ten baby wipes and put Zincofax cream all over her jeans, After we ate lunch, I was done with the toddler, but unfortunately, I can't just be done with the toddler. So, I needed to think fast. I looked outside and saw the raining coming down. When there is rain, there are puddles, and if you give a toddler a puddle . . . well, let's just say this mama gets a break. 

 I was still in my pajamas and Leif was only in a diaper and a shirt, but I didn't have it in me to wrestle some pants on him or to wrestle my own pants from him in order to get dressed. We grabbed our rain boots and rain coats. I tucked Harriet inside of my coat, and we were off. For the next hour, life was good.

He splashed.

He fished.

And of course, he played soccer.

He collected rocks.

He took his clothes off. 

And he splashed again.

Harriet loves watching Leif play, and each time he splashed in a puddle, she would giggle. She was feeling very Seusical yesterday, which could also explain why she was so giddy.

When we went back inside, life returned to normal; Leif made messes, Leif threw tantrums and Harriet continued to giggle. She is such a sweetheart! But for that one hour we spent outside, life was blissful. Thank heavens for puddles!

Guardian Angels

Caring for toddlers is a lot of fun, but it can be downright terrifying! Their enthusiasm for life combined with their utter lack of common sense can be a lethal cocktail. Yesterday, mom and I took the two-under-two crew to Fredericton to babysit Ava, while Emily was in class. During our visit to the park, Leif and Ava suddenly became bored with the climbing structure and made a beeline for the busy road. Like two wild piglets, Leif and Ava took off as fast as their little legs could take them in different directions, laughing as if they were in the middle of the best game ever and seeing aunt Krista/mom scrambling after them in a sheer panic only made them run faster and squeal louder. There was no way I could grab both of them before they ran straight out into traffic,and for one brief moment, time stood still while I tried to figure out who would listen best and who I needed to physically restrain. It did not take me long to solve this one.

Ava, STOP!!

oh? stop.

And she stopped just as I wrapped my arms around Leif before he took another step. I grabbed him and ran over to Ava who was standing on the edge of the curb saying stop, stop, stop.

Thank you, Ava, for listening. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

What can I say? I know my son . . . and thank heavens my gut instincts were right. Phew!

The other afternoon was equally scary. It was lunchtime and I was about to place Leif in his highchair when out of the blue he began to lose his mind, kicking and flailing his arms. As I struggled to get his feet through the holes, Leif flung himself up and over the chair. Again, for a brief moment, time seemed to stand still as I watched him falling head first onto the hardwood flour. Without even thinking, I shot my arm out, grabbed his arm, and managed to flip him over, right side up so that he landed on his feet. The whole thing was surreal;  Leif simply walked away with the strangest look on his face, like he was asking:

Whoa! What just happened . . .

I have no idea how I did not dislocate his shoulder, or how I managed to slow him down enough to remain on his feet as if he had not only moments before been plummeting to an inevitable concussion or even worse. It was then and there that I decided that yes, indeed, guardian angels do exist and I think an entire league of them are helping me protect this crazy, wild toddler of mine. Thank heavens because he is a handful! 

Pinch Me

I am having so much fun with my babies this week. A couple of times I have wanted to pinch myself and ask if this is really happening. I cannot believe that at almost 40 years old, I have been given the opportunity to raise two more babies, and this time I can just enjoy being their mama and not have to worry about school or work. It is a dream come true! They are so cute and so funny; I just love spending my days with them.

  Last week was a disaster. I was overwhelmed and discouraged, but this week, I put my granny panties on (this job is big and therefore requires even bigger panties), started getting up at 5:30 and it is amazing the difference that one extra hour makes. My big kids were sent to school with hot breakfasts in their bellies, the laundry is all caught up AND PUT AWAY (round of a applause please) and I made suppers that did not need to be barbecued every night this week. Woohoo!  On top of all that, the babies and I have been able to get out each day for a fun activity.

On Tuesday we went to toddler story time at the library, where Leif met the love of his life. A cute Chinese toddler walked into the children's area and Leif made a beeline for her. He stood in front of her, waved and then put his hands on her face and planted a big, wet kiss right on her lips. She was shocked and ran behind her mom's legs, but then moments later, she chased him down and did the same thing back to him . . . tee hee! It was so cute and I still chuckle when I think about it.

On Wednesday, we went to a local playgroup where I got to chat with some friends, while Leif ran around with the kids. His favourite toy was the doll stroller and he ran back and forth all morning taking his baby for a spin. Later, they made a craft. Can I just say that toddlers and crafts are a match made in heaven (even better than vanilla ice cream and apple crisp). I love how he haphazardly drizzled glue all over his construction paper and then covered that glue in feathers. They were supposed to make birds but Leif's looked more like a highway accident involving an entire flock of birds . . . tee hee! The best part, though, was the look on his face when he showed Mr. Level-Headed his craft that evening. He was so proud of it and he chattered on about it for the longest time!  

Then yesterday, the babes and I went to Brunswick Nurseries to look at the animals  . . . and the tractor. Oh, how Leif loves that tractor! We spent an entire hour walking back and forth visiting with each of the animals.

First there was the pigs. Leif would look in their pen and go:

ohhhhh, pop!

Yes, that is their poop.

Then he would creep over to the sleeping pig, crouch down, put his finger up to his mouth and go:

shhhhhhh.

Yes, the pig is sleeping.

Then we would visit the goats, the sheep, and the pony who all share a stall. He would run over to each of them and wave. Then he would ask:

Waz zhat?

That is a goat. That is a sheep. That is a pony.

Then he would hear the rooster crow. He would stop, put his hand to his ear and ask:

Waz zhat?

The rooster.

And then he would sprint over to the rooster's cage. From there we would visit the duck pond and feed the ducks some bread.

 After about 2 minutes, Leif would run back to the pigs and our rotation would begin again.

Waz zhat?

Waz zhat?

Waz zhat?

Thank goodness the tractor began dumping mulch into a customer's truck because I feared we would never be able to leave the animals. It amazes me how toddlers never seem to tire of things they love to do!

Before we headed home, we made a quick stop at the playground so that I could nurse Harriet. I love the Meenan's Cove playground because it is surrounded with sand rather than those plastic, squishy pads most playgrounds now have. They are probably safer and cleaner, but you can't play with your pails,shovels,trucks or dinosaurs in them and, after sliding and swinging, a boy, or my boy at least, likes to dig.

 Yes, I am aware that she is giving me the finger. This one is so much like her mama - saucy with a fondness for mild obscenities . . .Tee hee!

I think the babes and I have a pretty good thing going on right now. Next week, though, I really need to figure out how to squeeze in cleaning my bathrooms  . . . eeeeeek!

Have a great weekend!

The Great Flour Mishap of 2015

There is never a dull moment here at Shenanigans Inc. Yesterday, Leif woke up from his nap very cranky. I tried playing trains with him and that was a no-go. Avery took him outside to kick around the ball, and not even that cheered him up . . . weird! I nursed him for a bit and that consoled him while it lasted, but after that he continued to cling to my leg and cry. He and Harriet have been fighting a cold for the past week and I think yesterday afternoon his cold began to win the battle. Sure enough, when I checked his throat, his glands were all swollen. So, I gave him some orange pieces and then pulled out the big guns - the baking supplies. Like always, this put a smile on his face. Since I had a large bag of apples in the fridge that no one was eating because they were getting a little soft, I decided to make an apple crisp. I also remembered that there was a tub of vanilla ice cream in the freezer . . . a match made in heaven! I set Harriet down in her bouncy chair and decided to bring our supplies over to the table so that she would not feel left out. As I peeled and sliced the apples and placed them in the baking dish, Leif would pick out the best looking ones and eat them. There was no keeping him out of it once I added the sugar and cinnamon mix to the apples. Then out of the blue I heard a loud crash! I turned around and saw that my large, open bin of flour had been knocked onto the floor.

L - E - I - F!

But then it occurred to me that Leif could not have made this mess because he was currently standing on the opposite side of the table, eating sugar-coated apple slices.

But how? Who?

And then it dawned on me; the culprit was none other than our very own Miss Harriet, aka Thing 5:

And she was not even remorseful. 

That's right! I kicked over your flour. Next time, pay more attention to me. Oh, and where's MY sugar-coated apple slices?

I guess all of her kicking and splashing in the bath tub have finally paid off and this baby girl, like her big sister and brothers, is going to have one very strong soccer kick.

As I began to clean up the mess, my phone rang. It was Elliot and he was begging to stay after school so that he could watch the girl's soccer team's first game of the season. 

Do you have homework?

Well, yes.

Sorry dude, you and I have been up to 11pm all week finishing your homework and we both need our sleep. You need to come home.

But mom . . .

No, Elliot . . .

But mom . . .

Just then I turned around and surprise . . .

Leif had found the flour pile . . . Ugh! 

I have to go, Elliot, and yes, you are coming home. Good-bye.

I quickly began to clean up the flour, but I wasn't fast enough. As I was sweeping up the mess, Leif was grabbing handfuls of flour and running to the living room with them. Such a fun game, mom!

But hey, he was no longer crying.

And we had a delicious apple crisp with vanilla ice cream for dessert . . .  mmmmmm!

I guess this mishap was not such a disaster after all.

Disclaimer: I may or may not have scooped a cup of flour from the top of the pile to finish making our crisp. Word of advice: never eat at Shenanigans Inc.

 . . . tee hee!

In Hindsight

Toddlers, toddlers, toddlers.

Oh. My. Land.

Last night I took Leif, Harriet and Avery to MCS's annual Open House. Before we left, Avery pointed out that this year will be the first time in his life that he will not have a sibling in school with him and he figured that this meant it would be a great year. I am excited for him and really hope he enjoys middle school.

We piled in the van and as soon as we got to the school, Avery took Leif and they ran inside to find some friends. I strapped Harriet to my chest in her sling and we were off. It only took about five minutes for me to realize that bringing Leif was probably a mistake - a big mistake. The school hallways were crowded and busy. There were booths set up for the local Girl Guides and Scouting programs, and of course, their pamphlets and bookmarks enticed Leif. He could not pass by them without trying to snatch some goodies for himself. Then the meeting started in the cafeteria, and it was hot, very hot. Not surprisingly, Leif would not stand still. He roamed through the crowd until he decided the best place to stand was beside the principal as she addressed everyone. Thank heavens we attend a small, rural school where everyone knows everyone and where people are much more laid back because his presence did not seem to phase the principal or bother anyone. Then he bolted outside. I chased him as best as I could with a backpack on my back and a baby on my chest. Thankfully a friend slowed him down a bit for me. For the rest of the meeting, I followed Leif around the hallways of the school, preventing him from playing in the fountains and going into the newly set up classrooms. When he tried to go somewhere he was not supposed to, I would try to redirect him by grabbing his hand, and then he immediately would go limp and scream like a banshee, drawing everyone's attention. Ugh! I felt bad enough that I was missing the meeting and that Avery had to stand in there alone, but now I was also embarrassed and frustrated with my uncooperative little minion.

Once the meeting was done, everyone headed outside for a corn boil. Avery took off to the playground looking for friends. Of course, Leif followed him. Exhausted from having to chase Leif around the school, I asked Avery if Leif could go with him. 

Sure.

But he looked less than impressed. So, off they went while I hovered at the top of the playground with the other moms and dads keeping an eye on their kids while they played. I am not going to lie; I was quite relieved with this break from being Leif's shadow.

When the evening was done, and we were driving home in the van, Avery seemed quite grouchy. 

What's wrong, Bud?

None of my friends were there tonight.

Some of them were. I saw Will and Parker.

Yeah, but every time I would start to play with them, Leif would go somewhere else and I had to follow him.

Oh.

Here's the thing: we all love our babies at Shenanigans Inc, and as much as we enjoy them, they do make things difficult at times. In hindsight, I should have sent Leif with Mr.Level-Headed to Elliot's soccer try-out, where he could run and play on the big, open field. Last night should have been Avery's night, and I feel bad that I did not recognize this at the time. Sometimes being a mom of five seems impossible; not just because there is more laundry, more mess, and more fights but because these five individuals all have needs and it is my job to try and figure out what those needs are (before they even need them sometimes) and to act accordingly. Last night Avery needed some time to shine and do his thing, and I did not realize this until it was too late.

Sorry, bud.

And Leif is sorry too:

Yeah, right . . . tee hee!

Mastering the Playground and the Kitchen

I am starting to get really excited for this upcoming school year. Waking up this morning to a crisp, blustery breeze blowing through my window and turning my calendar over to September, filled me with excitement. I am done with summer and I am looking forward to the new routines fall will bring. Yesterday, I registered Leif for the toddler story time at our local library . . . eeeek! How can he be old enough to have his own social calendar?

Since Harriet was born, I have been lumping the two of them together and consider them both my babies, but Leif is growing up. He amazes me each day with the new words he says, the new concepts he understands and the new things he can do. On Saturday night, Mr. Level-Headed and I took the two-under-two crew to the playground after we dropped Elliot off at a party (talk about growing up . . . eeek!). I was shocked to see Leif climb the playground structures like a pro, even the ones designed for the bigger kids. I also learned that carefully going down the slide is a thing of the past for Leif. Rather than very gently turning himself around and lying down on his belly so that he can slide down feet first, Leif now runs to the top, grabs the handle bars and swings off of them for a moment or two before plopping himself down on his bum and sliding off.

 

He is such a dare devil!

Since he is a big boy now, I decided it was time to teach Leif a most important skill - baking the world's best chocolate chip cookies. Seriously, this skill will benefit him tremendously. Think of all the ladies he will win over with a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies . . .  mmmm!

First, you must taste-test your chocolate chips.

I think they passed the test. Then you place the ingredients in the mixer.

ooooops!

uh oh!

Then you mix the dry ingredients separately.

This step can be messy, especially if you are toddler.

Floured toddler tootsies . . . adorable!

After you add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and throw in copious amounts of chocolate chips, you must taste the cookie dough. Okay, so I can't do it, but toddlers love this step.

It passed the test. Now it is time to bake the cookies.

Once the cookies are done and when they are still ooey gooey and warm, you put on some Saturday afternoon cartoons, get comfy on the sofa and indulge.

Yep, I think he has this step mastered . . . tee hee!

Baking with toddlers is not for the faint of heart. It is messy. They will try to mix the dough with their feet and they will definitely throw flour in your face, but it sure can be a lot of fun . . . and it is almost always very delicious.