Now I don't fancy myself a grand thinker by any means, but a few of life's mysteries have confounded me today.
Why is it any flat surface seems to attract "stuff"? And why is it that an even larger flat surface (say, a table set up in the garage) will attract even more "stuff"?
Why is it that fully clothed Barbies must always be made naked?
And why, when taking a walk with five children and finally reaching our destination, must one of said children have to go to the bathroom "NOW!", meanwhile another of said children attempts a scooter stunt that will have him walking two blocks home crying his eyes out, with hamburger knuckles?
The world may never know!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Pets are fun!
Ever since the kids started back to school it has been an uphill battle to get them to bed on time.
Last night was no exception.
I had managed to round everyone up and get them upstairs, which I consider a small victory, and was just wrangling Angelina into the bathtub when my son Antonio called excitedly from his room, "Mom, come here, HURRY!"
He was giddy to find out that his birthday present, a pet rat named Clover, was indeed feeling more comfortable in her surroundings after a week in our house.
Comfortable enough to try squeezing through the bars of her cage. (The cage I found as a "deal" on Craigslist only to find it was a two hour drive round-trip to pick the darn thing up!)
Tonio decided on a pet rat because he had read they are very smart and sure enough, Clover is a clever one, gaining her freedom after only a handful of attempts.
If there is something to be thankful for in all of this, it is the fact that we live five minutes away from a 24hr SuperWalmart and so off Tim went at 9:00 pm, to bring back a brand new hamster cage. So much for my Craigslist "deal".
Around 11:00 pm, after a bit of cursing and realizing I was reading directions in the wrong language, the cage was together, Clover was stuffed inside (it's a bit of a tight fit), and the kids were finally asleep.
What would I do without the unpredictability of pets to keep me on my toes!
Clover is the newest member of our pet family, pushing the total to six.
Which means I am only a pet or two shy of becoming eligible for a Wifeswap episode, as long as the next pet is a goat or something.
The rat joins two very neglected fish, Emilio's very low maintenance gecko and two dogs with varying degrees of behavioral issues.
I was under the impression that this little rat would be fairly low maintenance as well.
Immediately after Tonio brought her home she looked around and then promptly went into her little hut, filled the doorway with stuffing and barricaded herself in there for several days.
As of last night, though, all bets are off. I think we have a wild one on our hands, which thrills the kids to no end.
I am hoping being a pet owner will teach the kids' compassion and responsibility.
I don't know how that is working, but I'll tell you, it sure has increased my responsibilities!
Many a night ends with me snuggled under the warm covers only to have to climb out and yell downstairs to Tim, "Would you mist the gecko, please?"
Angelina reminds me she is next in line for her own pet and I have told her when she turns eight, she may get something, too.
To which she responded, " Oh, goody! I want a tarantula! They are SOOOO cute!"
Last night was no exception.
I had managed to round everyone up and get them upstairs, which I consider a small victory, and was just wrangling Angelina into the bathtub when my son Antonio called excitedly from his room, "Mom, come here, HURRY!"
He was giddy to find out that his birthday present, a pet rat named Clover, was indeed feeling more comfortable in her surroundings after a week in our house.
Comfortable enough to try squeezing through the bars of her cage. (The cage I found as a "deal" on Craigslist only to find it was a two hour drive round-trip to pick the darn thing up!)
Tonio decided on a pet rat because he had read they are very smart and sure enough, Clover is a clever one, gaining her freedom after only a handful of attempts.
If there is something to be thankful for in all of this, it is the fact that we live five minutes away from a 24hr SuperWalmart and so off Tim went at 9:00 pm, to bring back a brand new hamster cage. So much for my Craigslist "deal".
Around 11:00 pm, after a bit of cursing and realizing I was reading directions in the wrong language, the cage was together, Clover was stuffed inside (it's a bit of a tight fit), and the kids were finally asleep.
What would I do without the unpredictability of pets to keep me on my toes!
Clover is the newest member of our pet family, pushing the total to six.
Which means I am only a pet or two shy of becoming eligible for a Wifeswap episode, as long as the next pet is a goat or something.
The rat joins two very neglected fish, Emilio's very low maintenance gecko and two dogs with varying degrees of behavioral issues.
I was under the impression that this little rat would be fairly low maintenance as well.
Immediately after Tonio brought her home she looked around and then promptly went into her little hut, filled the doorway with stuffing and barricaded herself in there for several days.
As of last night, though, all bets are off. I think we have a wild one on our hands, which thrills the kids to no end.
I am hoping being a pet owner will teach the kids' compassion and responsibility.
I don't know how that is working, but I'll tell you, it sure has increased my responsibilities!
Many a night ends with me snuggled under the warm covers only to have to climb out and yell downstairs to Tim, "Would you mist the gecko, please?"
Angelina reminds me she is next in line for her own pet and I have told her when she turns eight, she may get something, too.
To which she responded, " Oh, goody! I want a tarantula! They are SOOOO cute!"
Monday, October 12, 2009
Birthday seasonings
October finds three of our collective four children celebrating birthdays. It's a busy time I've tried to make as special and individual as possible, while still staying within the husband-is-out-of-work budget.
Catering to their likes and dislikes at birthday time makes me realize all over again how different and unique each one of them are. As they get older it becomes pretty easy to catagorize.
Angelina is the dancer, Antonio is the studious one...etc., etc.
Why is parenting such a tighrope walk of nuturing a child's individuality while being cautious not to "label"?
Add in several doses of my unrequited childhood dreams and it becomes one huge undertaking. I second-guess myself all the time.
Angelina loves her ballet class and has yet to delve into sports like some of her friends and cousins.
Is this because she truly loves it? Or because my shy nature made it impossible for me to take ballet as a child and hearing any song from the movie Flashdance makes me want to break out in some seriously dated eighties dance moves behind the safety of my bedroom door?
As I contemplate the three different birthday desserts I will prepare this weekend, I think our kids are a recipe of their own; a little of us and a whole lot of them, seasoned with all the experiences we provide. It's my job to keep the experiences coming.
Catering to their likes and dislikes at birthday time makes me realize all over again how different and unique each one of them are. As they get older it becomes pretty easy to catagorize.
Angelina is the dancer, Antonio is the studious one...etc., etc.
Why is parenting such a tighrope walk of nuturing a child's individuality while being cautious not to "label"?
Add in several doses of my unrequited childhood dreams and it becomes one huge undertaking. I second-guess myself all the time.
Angelina loves her ballet class and has yet to delve into sports like some of her friends and cousins.
Is this because she truly loves it? Or because my shy nature made it impossible for me to take ballet as a child and hearing any song from the movie Flashdance makes me want to break out in some seriously dated eighties dance moves behind the safety of my bedroom door?
As I contemplate the three different birthday desserts I will prepare this weekend, I think our kids are a recipe of their own; a little of us and a whole lot of them, seasoned with all the experiences we provide. It's my job to keep the experiences coming.
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