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Saturday, January 28, 2012

Slice of Time

Kayla is 11. Just starting the teenage attitude. She finally got into the charter school I have been dreaming about since we moved here. It is totally her place, a school of the arts. She seems to be between a little girl and a full blown teen right now. Not as excited about toys and playing at the park, yet still wants to do kid things like play in bounce houses and dig in the dirt. She can be the most helpful person on the planet sometimes without even being asked, but other times will snap at any thing and growls at her sisters. Her favorite place is on her bike, she could ride for hours, and just got her first adult size bike. I don't even remember teaching her to ride without training wheels and that makes me sort of sad. I love the way she gets up happy in the morning, agreeable and will even make a pot of coffee for me. I love the way she takes tireless care of her animals. She never gets tired of collecting eggs and feeding/watering the chickens. She is growing a cherry tree from a cherry pit in her room. I can't even keep an air fern alive. She is loving learning to cook and be responsible for her own needs however still gets bored and afraid when alone in the early morning. This is her first time without daycare.

Olivia is still most of the time no trouble at all. She doesn't usually argue and complain but will mother everyone in the house if I let her. She likes to have long conversations about the cat and what the expressions on his face mean. She got her training wheels off this year and has been riding in the early mornings with me to farmers market downtown. She loves to pick out veggies and plants for our garden and is always excited to go places and do things. I love the way she gets enthusiastic even when I change plans last minute and the way she is positive most of the time. She helps with Ruby without even being asked. She is forever flexible and even when things don't go her way, she can usually see the light in the situation eventually. She is like me in that way, needs to have her initial freak out... then works it out and can be happy anyway.

Ava started Kindergarten this year. She is going to school with Olivia at Sherman. She was totally thrilled this year to be starting school and is even more excited about packing her own lunch in her kitty lunch box with the pink water bottle. She is joy in motion.  Passionate about every decision she makes.  She has recently learned the art of teasing from her older sisters and we go through lots of tough moments because she just can't seem to help poking the bear with a stick.  Her favorite phrase is "mom, was that helpful?"  She wants to be helpful and good but her mischievous side always takes a step forward.  She is still as determined as she was as an infant and will work furiously for something she wants.  At school she is usually good and follows the rules but at home...   Well... there is a pecking order and Ava ranks in the top two.

Ruby is both fun and a challenge.  She is my wild baby.  Ruby plays tricks on people.  She is talking more and more and becoming understandable.  We are figuring out that she has a very quirky sense of humor.  She will sometimes come out of my room with an entirely different outfit, everything on backwards and state "mom, Ruby did it self!!"   Then she laughs like she just said the funniest thing.  She has toy gears on the fridge that she plays with and a six pack of toy eggs that snap apart.  These are her favorite things.  She always has to ask every time we are going somewhere  "eggs can come?"  If the answer is no, she usually asks if her toy Blue Jay can come.  If I say no toys.. she usually crumples on the floor in anger but these tantrums are getting less frequent.  She loves her grandma and says, "this grandma's blue jay or mine"  (meaning grandma gave it to her)  She is still frequently a cat and is excellent at mimicking their behaviours... even down to itching her ear with her foot and then licking it afterwards.  (ick)  I have to tell her cats aren't allowed at the table though because she will try to eat her food with her face while running around on all fours.  












At night, after Ruby goes to bed we all snuggle in my bed and watch Ghost Whisperer. Its funny how they get scared and love the excitement. We still spend a lot of time at the lake. It's a little more difficult now that I go it alone, but well worth it, almost every trip out there is pure relaxation and fun. We don't tend to have as much conflict during fun times anymore. It gets a little more rewarding all the time as they grow and are able to help out more. Takes less time to get to the fun parts, and less packing.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Ruby Pox

My sister drew this... my life in pictures

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Determination

While on a trip to Moscow to visit the sister and nephews, Ava lost her tooth.    It was barely loose when we left town and three days later she had wiggled it tirelessly to it's eventual liberation.  I didn't want it getting lost on the trip so I put it in a GIANT ziplock in my purse.  She was fascinated by her newly separated body part though and would not leave the tooth alone.  I told her that the tooth fairy couldn't come when we got home if she didn't leave the tooth alone.  We had less than 24 hours left at my sister's and I didn't want to deal with the ritual at her house with 7 handsy children in the house.   At one point my nephew was suspiciously nosing around my purse.  Ava had recently gotten a speaking to about trying to sneak her tooth again so I asked him what he might be up to.  "getting Ava's tooth" he said.  You have to love a boy with clear motives.  I asked him why he was getting the tooth...  "Ava wants it" was his answer.  Again I talked to her about what would happen if she lost the tooth.  She complained off and on the whole 7 hour drive and repeatedly asked why she couldn't have the tooth in the car.  "mamma... I just need to look at it!!"  I let her look, but she wouldn't leave it in the bag and within several hours of being home she had lost the tooth somewhere in the house never to be seen again.





This is where I feel like a bad mom. I feel strongly that consequences must come from both the parents and external sources.  I truly believe that in order for a child to learn responsibility for themselves and their actions that motivation to do what is right must be gained from the outside world.  In other words...  I don't steal because bad things will happen to me in the world.  When they see that consequences are universal, both good and bad then they also begin to form a basis of morality.  I don't do bad because bad things happen eventually becomes I don't do bad because I am a good person.  If a child is to learn self control then motivation to be good must be in place via natural consequence.  I am not the bad guy... the universe hands out punishments and rewards and I am here to teach you how to get the most out of life because I love you.

SO... the tooth fairy didn't come for Ava.  A week later she pulled her own tooth.  This time the tooth fairy came... I am floored at the tenacity of this small child.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Things that happen at my house

Ruby has had hives now for a week.  I was sure they came from my mom's house while playing with the dogs.   When the school nurse called, insisting that they looked like chicken pox, I denied this I am a pediatric nurse after all, I would KNOW if my child had chicken pox.  A few days later I examined the hives... they had crusted over and were mainly on her trunk.

They looked exactly like chicken pox.  Ahem... sorry other parents.

One cold winter day, Ava and Ruby were coughing.  I was worried about Ruby because she had thrown up several times.  This had led to a hospital admission in the past because she will keep throwing up sometimes and not stop until she gets fluids.  I drove into the pediatricians with both kids laughing, coughing, playing and talking.  I discussed my worries about Ruby's vomiting episodes.  The ped listened to her lungs, then heard Ava cough and listened to hers too.  Both had pneumonia and needed steroids, antibiotics, and neb treatments.    She was so concerned she actually made us sit while they did a neb treatment in the office.

And to think I once carried Kayla into the ER for a pulled muscle.

Conclusion... sometimes it sucks to be the youngest.




Friday, January 13, 2012

Not nice



I made the kids clean their room with me until 1130pm tonight.  They shot me daggers with their eyes, however I believe sometimes life is too posh in these quarters.  Now they can ride bikes in their room...  see, I'm not such a mean mommy after all.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Overheard in the car

Olivia:  We all have germs.  I have germs, you have germs and mom has germs.  Ava has the most germs cause of always itching her butt.

Ruby:  EWWWWWW!!

Ava:  well, my butt always bees itchy!!


All my babies

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