Titus and I have been ill since last week, so I have not been getting very much done. Matt is away this evening. These two facts combined to produce a rare urge to clean like mad. I cleaned the guest room, front room, and dining room unusually detailed, mopping and everything. Katie came out of her bedroom and exclaimed, "Oh, Mom, it's so clean! You are such a good cleaner! I love it! I love you, Mom. I'm so happy you cleaned!" This isn't even the half of it, mind you.
She is dancing and jumping around the dining room as she says this. Titus is so caught up in the joy of clean that he is doing bottom spins on the floor and squealing.
My heart sank. I've been fooling myself into thinking that kids don't notice trivial little things like dusting and mopping. They really only notice the love. Boy was I wrong.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Making Bat Food
"It's hard making sand oatmeal. It's going to be bat food because it has bugs in it."Katie is obsessed with bats. The kind of bats with wings that get caught in one's hair and scares one to death. She prays every night that God will give her a big brown bat. Every night I pray that God WON'T give her a big brown bat.
Here she is enlisting Titus' help in preparing bat food.
When I killed a spider a while back she told me to take it to the bat she keeps in her closet so he can eat it. (I made her a paper bat a while ago so she'd shut up about the bat already, and it hangs in her closet.) I handled this order with one of my favorite parenting tools: lying.
I told her I did and then flushed it down the toilet. I hope she never reads these stories.
Home Remedy for Ear Aches
Titus kept me up much of the night last night with a relapse of a cold we had weeks ago. Today he complained that his ear hurt, which looks like:
"ouch"
"ouch"
point to ear
He is not the master of the verbal his Dad or Katie were at his age.
Dr. I've Rejected the Medical Establishment and So Should You wrote a book called "How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor." Matt hates the book, but I've found it very helpful (thanks, Mom). He explains what symptoms give real cause for worry, and which can be safely treated at home with love and common sense. It's great to know that I really don't need a doctor anymore unless something is broken or someone is bleeding from his eyeballs, otherwise I have everything I need in my pantry. Okay, that's a gross mis-representation of the book, but he does make the point that doctor visits should be very rare occurrences. He believes most of children's doctor visits today are gratuitous.
Anyway, his advice in the situation we find ourselves in is to warm olive oil and drop a drop in the ear. I guess it's the air that causes pain to the infected ear. It's worked like a dream for us every time, from when Katie is screaming in the middle of the night, to when Titus is casually pointing to his ear indicating discomfort, they calm down immediately and return to sleep.
"ouch"
"ouch"
point to ear
He is not the master of the verbal his Dad or Katie were at his age.
Dr. I've Rejected the Medical Establishment and So Should You wrote a book called "How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor." Matt hates the book, but I've found it very helpful (thanks, Mom). He explains what symptoms give real cause for worry, and which can be safely treated at home with love and common sense. It's great to know that I really don't need a doctor anymore unless something is broken or someone is bleeding from his eyeballs, otherwise I have everything I need in my pantry. Okay, that's a gross mis-representation of the book, but he does make the point that doctor visits should be very rare occurrences. He believes most of children's doctor visits today are gratuitous.
Anyway, his advice in the situation we find ourselves in is to warm olive oil and drop a drop in the ear. I guess it's the air that causes pain to the infected ear. It's worked like a dream for us every time, from when Katie is screaming in the middle of the night, to when Titus is casually pointing to his ear indicating discomfort, they calm down immediately and return to sleep.
Nature or Nurture?
I took Kate and Titus to a little girl's birthday party yesterday. Sitting outside visiting with another lady, I watched Titus play nearby. He picked up a thin metal stake lying next to the family's gas grill, so I said, in the calm, in-control mommy tone I use when other's are watching, "Titus, put that down, please." Titus put it down and walked away from the object.
The lady said, "Wow, an obedient boy."
I was quite surprised myself. As most of you know, with Katie it would have gone like this:
"Kate, put that down please."
"KATIE, PUT THAT DOWN!"
"KATIE. PUT. THAT. DOWN!"
At which point I would stomp over and pry the object from her tight fist, carry her away as she cried loudly. My face hot and red the whole time as I tried not to make eye contact with the horrified, judging on-lookers.
Matt and I spent many conversations on what we were doing wrong. What were we doing to cause Katie to be so angry? She took so much more analyzing to understand why she would react the way she did. Titus just doesn't care as passionately about anything (except nursing, apparently). I turn a movie off. He protests with a slight, complaining grunt, and I tell him he can watch it later. He says, "Okay." That's it!
I have hope Kate will outgrow this. My brothers say I was just like that as a little girl (I remember having a lot of help, what with all the taunting), and I don't throw tantrums like that in public anymore. Not in public.
The lady said, "Wow, an obedient boy."
I was quite surprised myself. As most of you know, with Katie it would have gone like this:
"Kate, put that down please."
"KATIE, PUT THAT DOWN!"
"KATIE. PUT. THAT. DOWN!"
At which point I would stomp over and pry the object from her tight fist, carry her away as she cried loudly. My face hot and red the whole time as I tried not to make eye contact with the horrified, judging on-lookers.
Matt and I spent many conversations on what we were doing wrong. What were we doing to cause Katie to be so angry? She took so much more analyzing to understand why she would react the way she did. Titus just doesn't care as passionately about anything (except nursing, apparently). I turn a movie off. He protests with a slight, complaining grunt, and I tell him he can watch it later. He says, "Okay." That's it!
I have hope Kate will outgrow this. My brothers say I was just like that as a little girl (I remember having a lot of help, what with all the taunting), and I don't throw tantrums like that in public anymore. Not in public.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Why One Needs A Theology Degree To Parent, Or Hurry Home, Matt
"You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. "
Deut. 6:7
Kate and Titus helped me in the yard today.
Me: Kate, do you know why we have weeds? It's because of the fall. God cursed Adam's labor because he rebelled against God. So weeds are part of the curse that came on creation.
Kate: Oh. So did God want to make better people?
Me: Wha?
Kate: Did God want to make better people?
Me: But we aren't better people than Adam. We are all children of Adam and have sin in our hearts.
Kate: I don't! I prayed and asked God to change my heart!
At this point I would have sent her in to see her daddy, but he's on a business trip. As it stands right now, Katie thinks she's sinless.
A First for Titus!
Titus slept through the night for the first time last night! I put him in bed at 9:30 and he didn't wake up until 8 this morning. Katie was up in the middle of the night, however, and had to crawl into bed with me. Some day I may get an uninterrupted night's sleep again. I don't expect that to happen for many, many years yet.
Why I Love the Order of Worship
Before God brought my family into the Reformed Church in the United States, I was a member of the wide, wide world of evangelicals. I remember we would make fun of churches with a program, saying they were stifling the Holy Spirit.
But I was thinking about something a writing professor taught me years ago about good writing. He said that any time the reader stumbles over the writing, the reader is distracted from the story. The story is paramount, and the words merely serve the story. Even if you believe you have written something in a clever or unique way, if it jars the reader away from the story, it's not good writing.
I believe the same holds true for the Order of Worship our churches use. I am never jarred out of the Story at church. I never have to adjust my thinking to a new situation. I am so familiar with the Order that the content, our God and Savior, is all I have to think about.
But I was thinking about something a writing professor taught me years ago about good writing. He said that any time the reader stumbles over the writing, the reader is distracted from the story. The story is paramount, and the words merely serve the story. Even if you believe you have written something in a clever or unique way, if it jars the reader away from the story, it's not good writing.
I believe the same holds true for the Order of Worship our churches use. I am never jarred out of the Story at church. I never have to adjust my thinking to a new situation. I am so familiar with the Order that the content, our God and Savior, is all I have to think about.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
The Importance of Feeding Children On Time
Matthew kindly watched the kids yesterday so I could have lunch with a friend. The weather has turned warm after a long cold winter, and the kids are very happy to spend endless hours in the yard. Titus and Katie spent most of the morning in our yard yesterday. Driven by their hunger, they appeared inside the house again. Matt made them PBJ sandwiches and left them at the table while he returned to his computer, or the other woman, as I like to call it.
These are the events as I understand them from Matt (correct me if I'm wrong, Matt.)
Katie runs into the office.
"Titus threw up , Dad!"
Matt finds Titus with his hands holding his PBJ on his lap and vomit covering his tummy and the sandwich. It was obvious Titus had been eating grass.
Katie informed us later that he had eaten a lot of leaves, grass, and flowers. I guess Titus didn't see a need to wait for a more formal dining experience when there were so many edible things lying about.
Matt, growing up in California, had the luxury of grazing on berries and fruits (and apparently the dog food) all day when he was a boy. Poor Titus, growing up in Eastern Colorado, gets grass, leaves and flowers. And we don't have any reason to keep dog food around.
So I had clothes covered in vomit (and poop, by the way) waiting for me, while my friend's kids had cleaned her whole house while she was gone. Sigh.
These are the events as I understand them from Matt (correct me if I'm wrong, Matt.)
Katie runs into the office.
"Titus threw up , Dad!"
Matt finds Titus with his hands holding his PBJ on his lap and vomit covering his tummy and the sandwich. It was obvious Titus had been eating grass.
Katie informed us later that he had eaten a lot of leaves, grass, and flowers. I guess Titus didn't see a need to wait for a more formal dining experience when there were so many edible things lying about.
Matt, growing up in California, had the luxury of grazing on berries and fruits (and apparently the dog food) all day when he was a boy. Poor Titus, growing up in Eastern Colorado, gets grass, leaves and flowers. And we don't have any reason to keep dog food around.
So I had clothes covered in vomit (and poop, by the way) waiting for me, while my friend's kids had cleaned her whole house while she was gone. Sigh.
Titus & Tails
Titus had no interest in books. Katie was looking at books and pretending to read as soon as she became aware of them. But Titus didn't seem interested in the least until...
His uncle gave this to him for Christmas and he obsessed over it. But it didn't stop there, it led to a love of all things books. He now loves Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, too. Thanks, Tony. He hasn't found his own "creepy eye book," but we're hoping that it's only a matter of time before he does.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Settlers of Catan
Stop everything and buy this game.
Matt bought this game for us last week. It requires three to four players, and it is addictive. We are scouring our schedules to find evenings free to devote to this. Some of you have played Ra with us, and if you liked that, you will love Settlers. Drop by for a game some time!
Matt bought this game for us last week. It requires three to four players, and it is addictive. We are scouring our schedules to find evenings free to devote to this. Some of you have played Ra with us, and if you liked that, you will love Settlers. Drop by for a game some time!
Milton Freedom!
When Milton Friedman (an economist Matt admires) died in November, Katie heard Matt and I talking about his death. She asked who he was, and her daddy spoke of him in glowing terms.
Last week we were driving into Colorado Springs and I saw several hearses in a lot .
Me: Look at all those hearses.
Katie: What are hearses?
Matt: Hearses are vehicles that take you to the cemetery after you die so your body can be buried.
Katie: Is Milton Freedom in a hearse?
November, December, January, February, March! 5 months Kate stored that information away.
Last week we were driving into Colorado Springs and I saw several hearses in a lot .
Me: Look at all those hearses.
Katie: What are hearses?
Matt: Hearses are vehicles that take you to the cemetery after you die so your body can be buried.
Katie: Is Milton Freedom in a hearse?
November, December, January, February, March! 5 months Kate stored that information away.
Here Goes Nothing
I love keeping up with friends and family through their personal blogs. I love reading their funny kid stories, or updates on family outings, etc. I've resisted starting my own because I feared I wouldn't have the time to keep up on it, and I didn't think I had anything to write about. But I enjoy other blogs so much, I thought perhaps my friends and family would enjoy keeping up with our kids and life, too. So here goes...
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