This is the sentence that was uttered to me a few days ago by Spencer. The conversation went something like this:
Me: We're going to run by Sonic and then we need to go to Home Depot really quickly.
Spencer: Why are we going to Home Depot?
Me: Well, we need ant killer, poison ivy killer, and grass killer.
Spencer: You should get weed killer. It kills weeds down to the roots, Mommy! I saw that on a commercial.
Me: :-l Hmmm...ok, maybe.
Today, we had a conversation that went like this:
Me: Spencer, I forgot to pack you a cereal bar, but I've got this kind from Ms. Laura (who is my boss).
Spencer: Oh, I like Nutra-Grain bars! They can help you eat good all day long. I saw that on tv!
Me: Hmmmm...ok.
Between conversations like that, the fact that he identified Hugh Laurie as Dr. House while watching "101 Dalmatians," and his frequent humming of the Cialis theme song, I've come to the conclusion that we watch too much tv.
I'm one of those "tv as background noise" people. I don't like the quiet and the radio stations here are crap (I think I've decided they are pretty racist too as the music they play is 98% white people, but that's a whole other post), so the tv has been my go to noise since Jake was deployed. You'd think the boys would make enough noise on their own, but whatever.
I know that to curb Spencer's viewing habits, I have to curb mine. That thought makes me want to fall to the ground kicking and screaming. I have a very regimented weekly tv schedule that I so look forward to each night. After chasing 4 babies all day and then coming home to cook, clean, attend play dates, work in the yard, etc., I enjoy sitting down at night and watching tv. Watching it after the fact on hulu just isn't the same.
So I'm just going to go watch Ultimate Fighter while I ponder a solution, ok?
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Kicking and Screaming
Spencer said he wanted to play soccer, so we signed him up. Since this was his first foray into sports, we had no real idea of how he would do or if he was athletic.
Things started out ok. He was excited for his first practice, although quite shy. We considered it a victory that he actually got out and kicked the ball around with the other kids.
And then, the honeymoon ended. Spencer quickly realized that he wasn't nearly as fast as the other kids (although I think he could be, he is quite the lollygagger) so he never really got to kick the ball. He's also pretty clumsy; his feet turn in a bit so he trips a lot. He's easily distracted, so he often ends up running the totally other way from the rest of his team. If he gets tired or discouraged, he just...sits down. Wherever he is.
I don't think the kid has a "tough" bone in his little body. If he falls, it is the end of the world. If he gets bumped, oh man. Jake says he's a "wuss" and just needs to toughen up. I told Jake to quit being a "typical American dad" and let the kid be sensitive if he's going to be sensitive. No sense in trying to change who he is.
Ever since Jack was born, I can tell that Spencer is a lot more like me where Jack is more like Jake. Spencer is going to be the dreamer with an active imagination. I think, after this season ends, we'll stick to art classes and the like.
Typical Spencer action:
Things started out ok. He was excited for his first practice, although quite shy. We considered it a victory that he actually got out and kicked the ball around with the other kids.
And then, the honeymoon ended. Spencer quickly realized that he wasn't nearly as fast as the other kids (although I think he could be, he is quite the lollygagger) so he never really got to kick the ball. He's also pretty clumsy; his feet turn in a bit so he trips a lot. He's easily distracted, so he often ends up running the totally other way from the rest of his team. If he gets tired or discouraged, he just...sits down. Wherever he is.
I don't think the kid has a "tough" bone in his little body. If he falls, it is the end of the world. If he gets bumped, oh man. Jake says he's a "wuss" and just needs to toughen up. I told Jake to quit being a "typical American dad" and let the kid be sensitive if he's going to be sensitive. No sense in trying to change who he is.
Ever since Jack was born, I can tell that Spencer is a lot more like me where Jack is more like Jake. Spencer is going to be the dreamer with an active imagination. I think, after this season ends, we'll stick to art classes and the like.
Typical Spencer action:
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Spring Means Critters
This is Catch (aka Poo Kitty, Poopin', or Pooper). In fact, we rarely call him "Catch" unless we're talking to someone outside the "realm of knowledge" of his early poop issues. Or to someone who would think we're crazy.
This is Freckles (aka Freekle Baby or "OMG, cat, you stink!"). She likes to sit on this tree and camouflage herself. She does a pretty good job; her fur color blends her pretty seamlessly. She is also, by far, the least graceful cat I've ever seen. She doesn't quite know how to retract her claws so she trips a lot and she doesn't run very fast (probably b/c she's so fat).
These are my hunters.
We have dog doors in our house; one goes from the house to the garage, the other from the garage to the back yard. This is super convenient dog wise, but we didn't foresee what would happen with the cats.
Of course, we assumed they'd eventually figure it out. But we didn't realize that we were about to become like a wildlife show on the Discovery Channel.
It all started with a bird. The first thing I noticed were feathers. Feathers everywhere! I thought the dogs had ripped open a feather pillow. Then I saw it, the little bird carcass. Poor guy. At the time this was such a shock to me that I called Jake to come home from work to perform bird removal services. Unfortunately, my cries that the bird might contain some terrible disease did nothing to convince him and I eventually scooped the deceased up in a dust pan and tossed him over our back fence.
Birds continued to come in on a semi-regular basis, usually at the "hands" of Catch but occasionally Freckles would bring one in as well. As fat and uncoordinated as she is, I can't imagine the brain function of the birds she catches. They must be s-l-o-w.
Last spring, when Jack was a bitty baby, Freckles brought in something and dropped it on the rug. I could tell that it was reptilian, but not what it was exactly. I was nursing Jack on the couch and guessed that it was a frog. Then I noticed whatever it was kind of uncurl and show its tail. So I thought it was a lizard. Once Jack was asleep, I laid him on the couch and snuck over to see exactly what it was and if it was alive.
It was a snake.
Needless to say, I flipped out. I don't know a lot about snakes and couldn't identify it. What if it was poisonous? I called Jake, who had taken Spencer to eat, and he quickly came home, got the grill tongs, and tossed it outside.
We looked the snake up on the internet and it turns out it is a garter snake, which is harmless. But having them in your house is still creepy (and embarrassing when they slither out from behind your furniture while you have company).
The summer was pretty mild, so the cats continued to bring them in. Sometimes they'd bring 3 or 4 in a day. And, of course, the birds continued to come in as well.
Later in the summer, Spencer was watching PBS while I was in the laundry room. Suddenly he runs to me yelling "Poo Kitty has a bunny!"
"Surely not," I thought to myself, but Spencer was right. It wasn't all that small and he didn't even injure it. Jake came home and found it cowering in a cup that somehow got kicked under our bed. He took it outside and it hopped away.
He brought in another one later, except we didn't know this one had come in. In the middle of dinner, we suddenly hear a terrible noise coming from the back of the house. I thought it was a mouse, but Jake came out of our bedroom holding a bunny by the scruff of the neck. It had been screaming b/c Catch was sitting on it.
All this to say it is obviously spring. Last week, Freckles tried to bring in one snake (I was outside and caught her with it before she got in the dog door) and successfully brought one it. And yesterday, Catch rounded the corner with a bunny, headed right to the dog door with it. I was lucky to be outside with the boys to prevent him from bringing that one in. When he was done playing with it, he let it go and it hopped away.
As for the birds? Well, they are a year round staple.
This is Freckles (aka Freekle Baby or "OMG, cat, you stink!"). She likes to sit on this tree and camouflage herself. She does a pretty good job; her fur color blends her pretty seamlessly. She is also, by far, the least graceful cat I've ever seen. She doesn't quite know how to retract her claws so she trips a lot and she doesn't run very fast (probably b/c she's so fat).
These are my hunters.
We have dog doors in our house; one goes from the house to the garage, the other from the garage to the back yard. This is super convenient dog wise, but we didn't foresee what would happen with the cats.
Of course, we assumed they'd eventually figure it out. But we didn't realize that we were about to become like a wildlife show on the Discovery Channel.
It all started with a bird. The first thing I noticed were feathers. Feathers everywhere! I thought the dogs had ripped open a feather pillow. Then I saw it, the little bird carcass. Poor guy. At the time this was such a shock to me that I called Jake to come home from work to perform bird removal services. Unfortunately, my cries that the bird might contain some terrible disease did nothing to convince him and I eventually scooped the deceased up in a dust pan and tossed him over our back fence.
Birds continued to come in on a semi-regular basis, usually at the "hands" of Catch but occasionally Freckles would bring one in as well. As fat and uncoordinated as she is, I can't imagine the brain function of the birds she catches. They must be s-l-o-w.
Last spring, when Jack was a bitty baby, Freckles brought in something and dropped it on the rug. I could tell that it was reptilian, but not what it was exactly. I was nursing Jack on the couch and guessed that it was a frog. Then I noticed whatever it was kind of uncurl and show its tail. So I thought it was a lizard. Once Jack was asleep, I laid him on the couch and snuck over to see exactly what it was and if it was alive.
It was a snake.
Needless to say, I flipped out. I don't know a lot about snakes and couldn't identify it. What if it was poisonous? I called Jake, who had taken Spencer to eat, and he quickly came home, got the grill tongs, and tossed it outside.
We looked the snake up on the internet and it turns out it is a garter snake, which is harmless. But having them in your house is still creepy (and embarrassing when they slither out from behind your furniture while you have company).
The summer was pretty mild, so the cats continued to bring them in. Sometimes they'd bring 3 or 4 in a day. And, of course, the birds continued to come in as well.
Later in the summer, Spencer was watching PBS while I was in the laundry room. Suddenly he runs to me yelling "Poo Kitty has a bunny!"
"Surely not," I thought to myself, but Spencer was right. It wasn't all that small and he didn't even injure it. Jake came home and found it cowering in a cup that somehow got kicked under our bed. He took it outside and it hopped away.
He brought in another one later, except we didn't know this one had come in. In the middle of dinner, we suddenly hear a terrible noise coming from the back of the house. I thought it was a mouse, but Jake came out of our bedroom holding a bunny by the scruff of the neck. It had been screaming b/c Catch was sitting on it.
All this to say it is obviously spring. Last week, Freckles tried to bring in one snake (I was outside and caught her with it before she got in the dog door) and successfully brought one it. And yesterday, Catch rounded the corner with a bunny, headed right to the dog door with it. I was lucky to be outside with the boys to prevent him from bringing that one in. When he was done playing with it, he let it go and it hopped away.
As for the birds? Well, they are a year round staple.
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