Be the Boss

We now have a potty-trained two year old! Just this month - so the lifestyle is fairly new. She has been working on this for months - and one day early October informed me she wanted to wear panties. Just like that. I was wary of poop in cotton panties, but she was ready. No accidents. (yea!)

Skip to this last Saturday. We had a soccer game for our 6 year old son at 11:30. So, our little 'Avi' went potty before we left the house at 11:00. We went to the game, which ended at 12:30 and decided to head out of town about 50 miles to a local farm where you can pick apples/pumpkins, etc.

So, we ran by the local grocery store to pick up snacks and do a potty run. Avi went potty at the store again - oh, and did I mention she is in panties - not a pull up.

We get to the farm and ride the 'hay ride tractor' out to the pumpkin patch. We are walking around in the heat for what seems like FOR EVER for my six year old to find the perfect pumpkin. (too bad 90% of them are old and already rotting. This makes the search 90% longer)

Avi announces in the middle of the pumpkin patch she has to poop. We scramble and take her to the outhouse in the field. No show. The poop went a-hiding.

We leave the farm - eventually - and start to make the drive home. We are 50 miles from home and in the middle of freaking NO WHERE when she screeches from the back seat in all urgency that she has to go potty! We push the speed limit and beg her to hold it - telling her that is what 'big girls' do. (There is not even a shoulder of the two lane highway to pull over on)

This scenario repeats for the next half hour as we seem to creep towards civilization and public restrooms. She is constantly teetering between an urgent, frantic "I gotta poop", and a strong, "I will go at home".

Suddenly, our six year old, who sits in the back row of the minivan with her, says quite emphatically "Be the boss of your poop Avi!"

Needless to say, me and hubby burst with laughter. Be the boss of your poop. Funniest thing I have heard in a long, long time.

FYI- she did make it until we got home. I have NEVER seen a two year old pee that long - the poop came about 5 minutes later. I think it just wanted to make sure we were home. You never realize when you become a parent what an important part of your life poop becomes! Just - whatever you do - be the boss!

Just say "yes"

My two year daughter loves it when I say yes - to anything. What kid doesn't???

The problem is, she thinks "I'll think about it", "Maybe", and "We'll see" are all difinitive YES answers also.

If I say one of the alternate responses, I get an emphatic and high-pitched "Dank you, dank you, dank you Mommy!!" She assumes that the good fate is sealed.

Ha! I love her enthusiasim - but I feel bad when the "Well see" turns out to be a "no". She helps me to think about my answers though, and to make sure I follow through and keep my word. That is what kids really love!

Ugh! I'm a wuss...

Okay - I could actually write a thesis on this topic - but it is a blog. Therefore, all of my reasoning and beliefs and research will not be included. That being said: I did a dumb thing today.

I used to be the woman to go to the doctor and get kids vaccinated because that is what American women DO. Not anymore. So... my first two kids had all their shots. My second two kids have had "some". (and even those I wish I would've had more 'balls' to tell the Dr. 'no'.)

Anyway.... my four year old - one who had all her shots as a baby - had her 4 year old check up today. She 'needed' her Hep B shot - and future Kindergarten shots. I said no to the kindergarten shots today, but somehow - and this part gets fuzzy - I allowed her to get the Hep B.

This is most annoying to me, because - I think the Heb B shot is useless for babies and children. It was originally made for druggies and prostitutes......
Our babies and 4 year olds just don't need this particular shot. And I gave it.

This is my loathing and venting for the day...... agree or not I feel I did a dumb thing, and I'm mad I wussed out at telling the Dr. 'no'.

Whatta book!!

My four year old and I were looking at a Richard Scarry word book the other day. She was on the zoo page and was pointing out various animals....
Then she flipped the page to a farm page and pointed to the cow and said "cow". At that VERY moment, my stomach growled a funny sound.


"Mom!! Did you hear that? Did you hear the cow 'moo'???" She asked me so very excitedly??
"What a cool book!!"

She was bummed the other animals wouldn't make sounds - I didn't have the heart to tell her mommy's tummy was just hungry.

Carpool Lane - a mystery

So, the school sent home 'directions' on how the carpool 'kiss and go' works at the end of the school day.
1. Put a sign on your dash with your last name.
(I did that - I don't think anyone noticed. None of the other cars have one either.)
2. Please observe the sign that says "right turn only" out of the parking lot.
(I checked today - there IS no sign and we all still turned left...)
3. If you are going to park in the parking lot, please stay parked until the kiss and go line is finished.
(Someone pulled out from a parked spot right in front of me today.)

The list of rules continues, and I didn't see any change in the actual kiss and go line this week. I have heard many a complaint from moms at other schools about this same subject, but right now, the parents at our school have no excuses. We were just instructed on every detail of the procedure. What kind of example are we setting for the kids if we refuse to disobey the rules? (Not that the kids read our letter - but it is a weird irony.)

Just a little venting... ahhh.....

Where did the cooties go???

My son.... ah, the tender age of six.

He came home last week and when I asked what he did at school that day, he informed me that he and his best friend Henry chased a girl, Presley, around the playground during recess. Mmmm... if that doesn't make you proud of sending your child to school - what does??? That was the highlight of the day apparently.

Yesterday I got a nice update from the boy. He got into the van quite excitedly in the carpool lane saying he had news to announce. Again, I being the silly mama, thought it might, just might be about something scholastic. Wrong again.

Presley announced to Alex and Henry that she is in love with them. I asked Alex what he thought about that - crazy, great, not good... etc. He told me that he thought it was nice. I agreed, saying that it is nice when people love us. That is when he told me that he told her that he loves her too. What??? What happened to boys and girls having cooties??? Six year olds - in "love" really???

On one hand I love not hearing how girls are gross - but this was unexpected so soon too. Boy! Looking forward to the rest of the school year! yee haw