The big day is almost here. At the end of the week my little babies will no longer be babies. They will be four years old. We're spreading out the celebration over several days. Thursday they'll take cupcakes to preschool. Friday is their actual birthday and we hope to see Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Saturday is their party, which has me stressed out.
I sent invitations home with every classmate. Today is the deadline to RSVP. Only one child from the class has RSVP'd! She's bringing her sister who is in a different class. At this point we have my four girls and 3 other children confirmed for the party. How am I supposed to plan for this?
I specifically asked people not to bring gifts to the party. I didn't want any parent to not allow their child to attend because they can't afford four gifts. Plus, I just wanted my daughters to have a fun time running around with their friends and chowing down on cupcakes. How am I supposed to plan for this if no one will even say whether they're coming?
The cupcakes I want to order are from Sam's Club and you have to order a minimum of 30, so I guess I'll just go with those and we may have a lot left over. I bought party favors awhile ago from the Target dollar bin so I'm not in danger of running out of those, either. But what is wrong with people? All I want to know is whether to plan for a backyard full of preschoolers! Do people not RSVP anymore or am I just the victim of poor manners? Oh well, we're going to have a blast no matter how many kids show up!
September 14, 2009
September 11, 2009
When Will You Tell Your Children?
Today is one of those days that most of us will never forget. I can tell you where I was and what I was doing on this day in 2001. When I turned on the TV this morning, all the networks were airing tributes and remembrances. One of my daughters turned to me and asked me why a little girl on the TV was crying. "Something bad happened today," I explained. That answer seemed to be enough to appease her. Then I turned the channel and we watched "Dinosaur Train" on PBS.
At nearly-four I'm not sure the details of today are appropriate. I don't want my daughters to be scared of planes flying overhead, wondering if the planes will be crashing or flying into buildings. They don't have a real handle on death, yet, and I don't think it's something they're ready to hear about in this magnitude.
But it really has me thinking: at what age does it become appropriate to explain Sept. 11 and other tragic events to our children? It is important for all of our children to understand our history and how it shapes our future, but it needs to be done in a manner without scaring them. I'm at a bit of a loss.
On a personal note: thank you to all the men and women who have worked to protect our country and to their families who also make sacrifices so their loved ones can continue to preserve our freedom.
At nearly-four I'm not sure the details of today are appropriate. I don't want my daughters to be scared of planes flying overhead, wondering if the planes will be crashing or flying into buildings. They don't have a real handle on death, yet, and I don't think it's something they're ready to hear about in this magnitude.
But it really has me thinking: at what age does it become appropriate to explain Sept. 11 and other tragic events to our children? It is important for all of our children to understand our history and how it shapes our future, but it needs to be done in a manner without scaring them. I'm at a bit of a loss.
On a personal note: thank you to all the men and women who have worked to protect our country and to their families who also make sacrifices so their loved ones can continue to preserve our freedom.
September 09, 2009
The Magic Hat
I have found the solution to our chore time woes. It's simple, really. If I want my daughters to clean up, one of them needs to wear the "magic hat."
It all started a few nights ago. Cakes was a few stickers behind the others on the chore chart. The other three landed on the "star spot" and were able to pick a prize in the morning. By the end of the day Cakes was just one sticker away from picking a prize. I spent the day explaining to her that if she wanted a prize that day then she needed to do all her chores. When it was time for the final chore, cleaning up her toys, I was a little worried. Then I saw something magical. She was picking up each and every toy by herself. In fact, she told her sisters not to help her. She was wearing a beret that they have in their dress up clothes. She wore the beret throughout the clean up and took it off as soon as she finished. She happily picked a pair of Strawberry Shortcake socks for her prize. The next night Tortilla was the only one out of the four who cleaned up the toys. The common denominator? The beret.
I have no idea what it is about that hat, but for some reason, the girl who wears it is the girl who does the best job cleaning up. Hubby has joked that he's going to put the beret on one of the cats and see if any of them have a sudden desire to do housework. It's worth a try.
It all started a few nights ago. Cakes was a few stickers behind the others on the chore chart. The other three landed on the "star spot" and were able to pick a prize in the morning. By the end of the day Cakes was just one sticker away from picking a prize. I spent the day explaining to her that if she wanted a prize that day then she needed to do all her chores. When it was time for the final chore, cleaning up her toys, I was a little worried. Then I saw something magical. She was picking up each and every toy by herself. In fact, she told her sisters not to help her. She was wearing a beret that they have in their dress up clothes. She wore the beret throughout the clean up and took it off as soon as she finished. She happily picked a pair of Strawberry Shortcake socks for her prize. The next night Tortilla was the only one out of the four who cleaned up the toys. The common denominator? The beret.
I have no idea what it is about that hat, but for some reason, the girl who wears it is the girl who does the best job cleaning up. Hubby has joked that he's going to put the beret on one of the cats and see if any of them have a sudden desire to do housework. It's worth a try.
September 08, 2009
Mr. Mom
It's always fun for me when Hubby has a chance to really experience what I go through on a daily basis. Don't get me wrong... he really does do his part around here. But when he has to do pretty much everything on his own, the results are often interesting.
Saturdays are always "Daddy's Days." I work my part-time retail job and often am out the door before anyone else is awake. On those days Hubby has to do one load of the girls' laundry and vacuum the house. There are some small chores here and there, but those are the priorities of the day. When I came home from work this past Saturday Cakes informed me that "Daddy combed our hair today." This was quite a triumph because I have been preaching to him for months that even though it's a weekend their hair needs combed or I will be faced with four tangled messes by Sunday morning.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to earn time and a half at work. With Hubby's company recently instituting a mandatory pay cut for employees I jumped at the chance for some extra money. So while I spent the day prepping fine jewelry for inventory, Hubby spent the day finding out what a typical Monday is like in our house. (Hey, it may have been a holiday, but laundry needed to be done).
Monday is the laundry day. Hubby found himself faced with six loads of laundry. It would have been seven, but I condensed the whites and the lights to one load. Unfortunately it didn't all get done. Hubby forgot to do the sheets and what I fondly refer to as the "cat sheet," a sheet on top of our comforter so the cats can sleep on our bed. Well, 4 out of 6 loads isn't bad. Then he "forgot" where the girls' clothes go in the closet and conveniently left the basket for me to put away. He also "forgot" that baths are necessary when the next day is a school day. Still, we managed to get it all done, so you'll hear few complaints from me.
I'm giving Hubby a hard time with this post. He actually suggested this be the topic of today's post, so I decided to run with it. I am grateful that he makes every attempt to lighten my load, even if the end results aren't "perfect." I'll take his attempts over perfection any day.
I'll leave you with the most important lesson learned during Hubby's weekend stint with the girls: toddlers and cat toys made out of feathers do not mix. I am still finding feathers throughout our TV room.
Saturdays are always "Daddy's Days." I work my part-time retail job and often am out the door before anyone else is awake. On those days Hubby has to do one load of the girls' laundry and vacuum the house. There are some small chores here and there, but those are the priorities of the day. When I came home from work this past Saturday Cakes informed me that "Daddy combed our hair today." This was quite a triumph because I have been preaching to him for months that even though it's a weekend their hair needs combed or I will be faced with four tangled messes by Sunday morning.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to earn time and a half at work. With Hubby's company recently instituting a mandatory pay cut for employees I jumped at the chance for some extra money. So while I spent the day prepping fine jewelry for inventory, Hubby spent the day finding out what a typical Monday is like in our house. (Hey, it may have been a holiday, but laundry needed to be done).
Monday is the laundry day. Hubby found himself faced with six loads of laundry. It would have been seven, but I condensed the whites and the lights to one load. Unfortunately it didn't all get done. Hubby forgot to do the sheets and what I fondly refer to as the "cat sheet," a sheet on top of our comforter so the cats can sleep on our bed. Well, 4 out of 6 loads isn't bad. Then he "forgot" where the girls' clothes go in the closet and conveniently left the basket for me to put away. He also "forgot" that baths are necessary when the next day is a school day. Still, we managed to get it all done, so you'll hear few complaints from me.
I'm giving Hubby a hard time with this post. He actually suggested this be the topic of today's post, so I decided to run with it. I am grateful that he makes every attempt to lighten my load, even if the end results aren't "perfect." I'll take his attempts over perfection any day.
I'll leave you with the most important lesson learned during Hubby's weekend stint with the girls: toddlers and cat toys made out of feathers do not mix. I am still finding feathers throughout our TV room.
September 03, 2009
No Habla Espanol
I live in an area with a large Hispanic population. I am now kicking myself for taking French in high school and college. I actually learned Spanish throughout elementary school, which is why I opted for French later in life. I simply wanted a change. Now I wish I had put more thought into which language I learned.
I grew up in a college town, which is not the area where I currently live. My elementary school was the closest to campus and so we had numerous children of international students in our class. Some of the parents would come and teach us about their cultures. In kindergarten and first grade we learned a lot of Spanish. My dad says I could even converse in Spanish at that age, but clearly I have lost that skill. Years later, maybe around fourth grade, we learned Arabic. Many of my close friends throughout elementary school were from Malaysia, although they spoke spot on English, so language was never a barrier. Keep in mind all of this happened in (gasp) a public school.
I know there are people who say if you live in the U.S. you need to speak English and nothing else. I'm not trying to stir that pot with this post. Still, because of where I live, I wish I had a better grasp of the Spanish language. It would make my retail job a lot easier. For the record, I also wish I had a better grasp of American Sign Language, as I have had numerous hearing-impaired customers recently. I took an ASL class in college, but my skills are rusty and I don't think these customers want to stand around all day while I finger spell everything.
My daughters are learning Spanish in preschool this year. The teacher's aide in their classroom is one of the only bilingual aides, so many of the students in the class are bilingual or only speak Spanish. I think being exposed to Spanish at a young age will be good for my girls. On the way home from school yesterday, Roo told me some of the kids were speaking Spanish in class. I asked her if she knows Spanish, too. She said yes... "Hola, mommy." It's a start, although I think she already picked up that much from Dora the Explorer.
I grew up in a college town, which is not the area where I currently live. My elementary school was the closest to campus and so we had numerous children of international students in our class. Some of the parents would come and teach us about their cultures. In kindergarten and first grade we learned a lot of Spanish. My dad says I could even converse in Spanish at that age, but clearly I have lost that skill. Years later, maybe around fourth grade, we learned Arabic. Many of my close friends throughout elementary school were from Malaysia, although they spoke spot on English, so language was never a barrier. Keep in mind all of this happened in (gasp) a public school.
I know there are people who say if you live in the U.S. you need to speak English and nothing else. I'm not trying to stir that pot with this post. Still, because of where I live, I wish I had a better grasp of the Spanish language. It would make my retail job a lot easier. For the record, I also wish I had a better grasp of American Sign Language, as I have had numerous hearing-impaired customers recently. I took an ASL class in college, but my skills are rusty and I don't think these customers want to stand around all day while I finger spell everything.
My daughters are learning Spanish in preschool this year. The teacher's aide in their classroom is one of the only bilingual aides, so many of the students in the class are bilingual or only speak Spanish. I think being exposed to Spanish at a young age will be good for my girls. On the way home from school yesterday, Roo told me some of the kids were speaking Spanish in class. I asked her if she knows Spanish, too. She said yes... "Hola, mommy." It's a start, although I think she already picked up that much from Dora the Explorer.
September 02, 2009
The Preschool Fashion Show
I am convinced that I am the only mother who doesn't care what she looks like when she drops her children off at school. I savor every moment of sleep. I roll out of bed, get my daughters ready for school and off we go. I don't wear my pajamas in the drop off lane, but it sure would be nice.
Most mornings I come home from the drop off, run upstairs to change into exercise clothes and then take a long walk through my neighborhood. Why would I shower if I'm going to workout as soon as I get home? Yet there I am every morning at the drop off surrounded by perfectly manicured, perfectly coordinated moms who remembered to comb their hair before heading out the door. I understand the moms who are headed straight to work, but I've never been a woman who feels the need to be "done up" to head to the grocery store. I would much rather come home and have a shower in peace and quiet.
I don't judge the moms who are already prepared to take on the day before I've even thought about what I'm going to wear. I'm comfortable enough with myself, though, that I don't care if they judge me.
Most mornings I come home from the drop off, run upstairs to change into exercise clothes and then take a long walk through my neighborhood. Why would I shower if I'm going to workout as soon as I get home? Yet there I am every morning at the drop off surrounded by perfectly manicured, perfectly coordinated moms who remembered to comb their hair before heading out the door. I understand the moms who are headed straight to work, but I've never been a woman who feels the need to be "done up" to head to the grocery store. I would much rather come home and have a shower in peace and quiet.
I don't judge the moms who are already prepared to take on the day before I've even thought about what I'm going to wear. I'm comfortable enough with myself, though, that I don't care if they judge me.
September 01, 2009
The Same But Different
People always ask me in regards to my daughters "oh, do you notice different personalities starting to come through?" Starting? Their personalities have been shinging through since birth!
I understand that it's hard for some people to grasp that children born at the same time are not the same. Trust me, I'm not even being sarcastic with that last statement. If you see four little girls who are sisters and all the same age, it can be hard to see them as individuals. But most times my daughters won't let you forget how different they are from one another.
In the NICU the nurses told us preemies can exhibit various signs of communication. My response? Mmmm hmmm. But they were right. The second Tortilla felt she had enough attention and needed a break she would put her hand out in that "talk to the hand" pose. She still does that sometimes when she wants to be left alone. Cakes on the other hand wanted to be picked up the minute anyone walked in the room. She still wants to be on your lap the second you sit down.
All four of my daughters have different likes and dislikes. Roo will eat almost every vegetable you put in front of her, except cucumbers. Sue-Sue, on the other hand, only likes cucumbers. Tortilla can't stand carrots. Cakes eats any and every vegetable known to man. Tortilla loves to dance. Sue-Sue likes to sing. They all like Dora the Explorer but will have tear-filled arguments over which Dora movie to watch.
I think it will be a challenge for some people to ever see my daughters as anything more than "the quads." Even "singletons" face this problem when younger siblings are compared to older siblings. But I think if people take the time to get to know my daughters they'll realize how different these similar sisters really are.
I understand that it's hard for some people to grasp that children born at the same time are not the same. Trust me, I'm not even being sarcastic with that last statement. If you see four little girls who are sisters and all the same age, it can be hard to see them as individuals. But most times my daughters won't let you forget how different they are from one another.
In the NICU the nurses told us preemies can exhibit various signs of communication. My response? Mmmm hmmm. But they were right. The second Tortilla felt she had enough attention and needed a break she would put her hand out in that "talk to the hand" pose. She still does that sometimes when she wants to be left alone. Cakes on the other hand wanted to be picked up the minute anyone walked in the room. She still wants to be on your lap the second you sit down.
All four of my daughters have different likes and dislikes. Roo will eat almost every vegetable you put in front of her, except cucumbers. Sue-Sue, on the other hand, only likes cucumbers. Tortilla can't stand carrots. Cakes eats any and every vegetable known to man. Tortilla loves to dance. Sue-Sue likes to sing. They all like Dora the Explorer but will have tear-filled arguments over which Dora movie to watch.
I think it will be a challenge for some people to ever see my daughters as anything more than "the quads." Even "singletons" face this problem when younger siblings are compared to older siblings. But I think if people take the time to get to know my daughters they'll realize how different these similar sisters really are.
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