Tales of accepting that your son needs to ditch the "baby" hangers

We will ignore the fact I haven't blog in a week. It is summer.

Not to long ago Steve and I had this conversation
Me: Jonas seems to be having some closet issues
Steve: I noticed that when I put his clothes away last time. I think it is time to give him bigger hangers.
Me: UH. NO.
....
Me: You don't really think he needs big people hangers. He is just a little boy(using pathetic baby voice)
Steve: Yes I do. He is wearing bigger clothes and they don't stay blahblahblah

He didn't say blahblahblah but I really wasn't listening. I am sure he had some insightful brilliantly smart thing to say but I didn't want to hear it. We already have so much growing going on does he really have to throw it in my face? I put the clothes away. I hang up those shirts. I put them on their little baby blue hangers and hang them all according to sleeve lengths. I put his clothes in his dresser. I struggle at stuffing that one. last. pair. of. jeans. into his shrinking drawers.


Today I had enough! No more shirts laying on the closet floor. No more hanging the same shirt up four billion times before deciding to wash it cause it was on the floor four billion times, so you know it is dusty and gross. I am done. I have reached the boiling over point. It is time to accept it and change it.

Goodbye baby blue baby hangers you have served us well but we are a growing family and your services just don't meet the requirements for the future.

Adding another chapter to my parenting book: Hangers. Size matters!


Honey, I suppose this can count as my apology. You were right, Jonas needs bigger hangers. OH and I am figuring you will be the one to make the switch over. Love ya!

A fly on the wall

I thought it would be fun to share some of the funny things the kids have been saying. They are growing so fast.
This weekend I was playing with Jonas and realized there are still things, at 6, he isn't saying right. We have actually noticed this before but yesterday I had to wonder if I wrote out thirteen, fourteen, fifteen would he be able to read and recognize them as 13 14 and 15 or would he ask what those words mean. When he is speaking he says fifting, sixting, seventing. All of his teens end in ting.
He really likes the -ing endings as he really emphasizes the "g" sound on all of them. We don't take Ady swimming, we take her swimminG. We were rhyming the other day and he was telling me that sniff and fifth rhymed. He was saying fiff not fifth. His mispronouncing is one of the few things keeping him little. I am cherishing them. Not correcting...well...there is the matter of him saying "ain't" but that is entirely different from fourting!

Adylynn is always full of questionable material. Most recently she got on this kick of "the peanut house"(interchangeable with place and restaurant as well) She wanted "Daddy to take us to the peanut house" I was very stumped. After some discussion I figured out she was talking about Texas Roadhouse. They have peanuts in buckets at your table and she wanted to go there to eat. Thursday, Daddy finally took her to the peanut place where she indulged her taste buds and belly in handfuls and handfuls of peanuts. She also enjoyed throwing the shells on the floor. What I can't figure out is how she can remember ever being there. I can remember being there 4 times in the last 3 years and none of them included Ady. Her grandma would never take her there. So where the idea even came from stumps me.

Finally I bring you the little one. After being allowed(ahemSTEVENahem) to watch Transformers, Justice League Unlimited, and Kung Fu Panda (ok so I had a little to do with the last 2 but Transformers was totally Steve) Jaden has taken to kicking stuff. Not so much stuff, he really only kicks air but if you ask him something like "Jaden what are you going to do if that bug comes back" He will say "I kickakickakicka the bug like this" picture little leg kicking the air. It is so funny.
The other one he has been doing for awhile is "I no likea" At supper he will says "I no likea corn" or when he is mad at me "I no likea mommy"
He is spoiled rotten. Last week we took him to Aunt Shel's for a play date with Bryan. On our way home, the big kids and I were talking about how we would enjoy the break from the wee "double boy", Ady's name for him, and Jonas said something about him being mean or bad I explained he is just 2. That is what 2 year olds do. But I have to admit that I am worried that Steve and I are spoiling him.

So if you were a fly on the the wall in our house these are things you would hear. Heck given the amount of screaming you could be a fly outside of the house!

Poor sad puppy

Doesn't she look so pathetic? We have been worried about her for a few weeks. She is shedding like a husky! She has accidents in the house, almost nightly. I took her to the vet once already and they decided it was a UTI but the antibiotics didn't work. Steve and I think it might be the dog food. We switched, less than a year ago, from Science Diet to Beneful. At first she wasn't having any problems. We were giving her the Healthy Harvest variety. She went in for her well puppy check and the vet said to switch her to weight management because she is bordering overweight. After that everything went downhill. She started having accidents in the house. She was acting aggressive. She even mouthed Steve one night when he rubbed her hind quarters. Totally not our dog! Now the past 2 weeks she has been leaving a trail of dog hair where ever she roams. I am sick of dog hair. It isn't like her to shed huge chunks of hair. We decided to switch back to Science Diet but use the weight control one. I haven't heard anything about Beneful being unhealthy but we can trace the change in her back to it. Hopefully the new dog food will return her to normal. OR, at least, restore her pretty shiny coat. Poor puppy.

Summer Homework

I never hesitate to brag on my children. I figure it is my right as a mother. I mean, I work really hard at teaching my kids. Encouraging them to practice their weak points. Praising their strengths. All that said this is not so much a bragging as a rant. No. Really. Not bragging. It isn't my fault you have to have back story in order to truly understand.

Jonas is very smart. I know, every parent says that about their child, but I kid you not, the kid is damn near genius. He started kindergarten knowing what most kids finish kindergarten knowing. He sped through his homework. Helped his teacher. AND even got in trouble for being Mr. Chatterbox. You get the picture, kindergarten for Jonas was just a prerequisite for bigger and better grades. It didn't come as much surprise when Jonas' teacher assembled a summer homework binder for her class she gave Jonas an accelerated version. In the binder it says to do 2-5 pages a day. There are also pictures to color and a calendar with daily activities to do.
This is probably a good time to mention that Jonas has a lot of his dad in him, no matter how much any of us try and avoid saying it. Jonas thrives on being the best. He can't stand not knowing how to do something. He hates to lose. Hates not knowing the correct answer to a trivia question. AND CAN'T STAND THAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE BETTER AT SOME THINGS! Point being since the homework directions are 2-5 pages a day Jonas feels like he needs to do 5 pages everyday! Not really a big deal if he had K-1 worksheets but I am thinking some of these things are 1st-2nd grade level. Needless to say, the teacher who had hoped to challenge him is really only frustrating him. That's not to say that once he gets it he won't speed through it. It is just that I don't like that my 6 year old is spending 15-25 minutes on 1 page of homework.
In the midst of all our frustrations we decided to see just how much homework was in the binder. Turns out if he was able to get through 5 sheets everyday he would be done. At the rate he is going there will only be another week(ish) after he gets back to his mom's. That made me chuckle....maybe Jonas should have assembled his summer homework binder.

*edited~originally this was written at the peak of frustration. I was tense, upset, and near tears when I started this post. After a weekend break, I made Steve help with homework, and a couple of easier pages both Jonas and I are feeling better about the binder work. BUT he can't wait to finish up the binder and get started on "the good homework books"(his words) we have. No, they aren't easy for him. He has 1st and 2nd grade workbooks to do. I think the difference, for him, they are colorful and give examples. The difference, for me, more explanation of the whys and hows and lots more practice sheets. Also knowing the end is near on the binder is nice. The next time we get him for more than a weekend we will have more time to do other educational things. It won't just be fulfilling our prior commitments and doing homework worksheets.

Need an ego boost? Go to the eye doctor with 3 kids

The older kids went to the eye doctor today. First visit for both. We only took them because of the new law in IL stating that every child entering kindergarten needs to have an eye exam by a optometrist. I figured since Adylynn had to go it wouldn't hurt for Jonas to get checked too. After the appointment I was planning on going to the library so I took Jaden with us. All 3 kids were beyond excellent.

The exams went really well. Both kids did exactly what they were asked. It seems both Jonas and Adylynn have a slight farsightedness. Nothing to be worried about, most likely it will correct itself.

Ok I am going to start bragging. If you don't want to hear about how perfect my kids are, please turn off your computer.
Don't say I didn't warn you...
So first the individual child compliments I got
1. Wow, he is 2. He is so big(that isn't the compliment and in fact I am really getting sick of hearing this) and such a good boy letting mom fill out papers. My babies never let me get this stuff done ~ from old lady in the waiting area to(about) Jaden
2. He is very informative isn't he? ~ the doctor about Jonas. Jonas must have some sort of nervous talk a mile a minute tick. He did this same thing yesterday. He is asked a question "where do you live in Indiana" and instead of answering the name of his town he goes into this huge story about being a child of divorce, the days of the week, what all the instruments remind him of, all the insects, birds, animals we saw on our walk and how we all think he is very smart.
3. She is the best 4 year old I have ever tested. She is probably better than the 5 year olds too ~ the doctor talking about Adylynn. He wouldn't stop talking about how good she was. she's great. She is so mature. So well behaved. Or the best one, "I bet you are just a little angel at home, a big helper for mom"
I have no idea how why or when Ady managed to wrap this guy around her finger but good golly did she ever have him.

Now onto the group compliments
Look at how good these kids are being ~ receptionist
You really are an awesome mom ~ creepy old guy referring to my ability to juggle 3 kids, stairs, papers, a purse, a stroller, and a doll Jaden insisted on bringing but then I was stuck carrying.
You must be doing everything right with them. I have never had a group of kids behave so well~ the doctor
You walked here? How old are they? How far did you walk? You are lucky, my daughter's kids run all over. ~ the librarian when I asked her for a bag for our books.

I feel so good about the kids and myself. I am considering taking them out everyday.

tattling vs tattling

You tell me which you prefer

Adylynn, age 4. She likes to tattle old school style. High pitched screaming, running to adult, doing a yell cry "JADEN IS TURNING ON HERMIE'S LIGHT AND IT IS ALL HIS FAULT AND AND AND I AM NOT TATTLING JADEN IS JUST A CHEATER" she points a finger toward Jaden and sniffles back a tear.

Jonas, age 6. He likes to explore different ways to tattle. In this particular instance he crosses his arms over his chest says "FINE JADEN KILL MY FISH SEE IF I CARE" stomps over to the adult and sits with a heavy sigh with arms crossed. Where he will stay until said adult either asks him what's wrong(as if I don't know) or takes the bait and removes Jaden.

Knowing me personally you would probably think I prefer the pouty tattling of the 6 year old. You're wrong! Why? Well, I guess I feel like when you know tattling is wrong you shouldn't try to "work the system" just walk away. Walk away QUIETLY! Not with four thousand, under your breath, comments. Just suck it up and walk away! Now you are thinking I am evil. Poor Jonas thought Jaden was going to kill his fish...boohoo....well what you aren't considering is my 6 year old is exceptionally smart he knows that turning the light on and off on the fish isn't' going to kill it. He also knows that when he stomps off, comments, pouts, and does it RIGHT IN YOUR LINE OF SIGHT that he will win.

Now Adylynn's tattling usually results in more lecture to her and less punishing of Jaden. She knows it is wrong to tattle. She knows she was tattling.

So you see I prefer the more black and white version. The one where the lines are clearly drawn. Lectures are short and sweet. No complications of how there was no difference in what the 4 year old did versus the 6 year old.


~If you are worried about poor Jaden, he is fine. He was removed from the fish tank and then promptly picked up some scissors and cut my table ...and no... that isn't tattling, it immediately hurts someone/thing.

Preschool Graduate

Here she is! Getting her cap and necklace. She is a preschool graduate .



















I didn't get pictures of this preschool graduate during the ceremony

Saturday

We had a busy Saturday. I got up bright and early and headed to community wide sales in a town 50 minutes from home. I spent the grand total of $5.50, sales were a complete waste of time, but it was nice to be out laughing and enjoying the weather. At home Steve managed to get all 3 kids up, fed, and dressed by 8:30am, pretty impressive! They had t-ball practice at 11am. When we all made it home Adylynn left and then the fun began. Not because she left, in fact it sort of sucks that she wasn't here. ANYWAY after Jaden and Steve napped we decided to take the boys up to the annual festivities in our town.

Jonas and Steve rode the Tilt-a-whirl. Shoot, I still need to download that video. When I do I will have to share it. The ride starts out fun for both of them but as it progresses and progresses Steve starts looking sickly. After the ride, Jonas played the Win-a-Fish game. He got 8 balls to try with and on ball 5 he had won! Enter "Hermie" the amazingly spastic anorexic goldfish.
I am very happy with Hermie's name. SO much better than what I was expecting Jonas to name him. He said Hermie within 2 minutes of winning him but then on the walk home had talked about "Wiggles" and some other equally non creative names. Very glad he decided to stay with Hermie.

We had to go grocery shopping Saturday night. We ran(literally) through Aldi then went to Walmart. Jonas and I were standing in the pet food section looking for fish food when I noticed the rabbit food. Jonas has a guinea pig at his mom's and I hadn't heard anything about him. When I asked Jonas how Tickles was doing he said "good, but his butt is really big. It's like this(insert his hand reach toward me) big (squeezing my boob)" Yep my 6 year old just molested me in WalMart. It all happened so fast.
I was shocked. Hopefully since I didn't make a huge deal about it he won't do it again. Or feel like he did something wrong. We had a 2 sentence conversation about remembering privates are for private and I left it at that. I think he was just trying to get a good comparison for me. There is also the possibility that he thought I had a guinea pig stuffed up my shirt since I am usually the queen of the UNA BOOB!


Back to Hermie, he is eating, finally! Still acts spastic but, I am beginning to think he might live more than a few days. When I was in high school I had a fish I won and named him "Flush" since I expected him to die. He lived for several months.
Aunt Shel has looked at him now. She thinks he might have a parasite, but it is treatable. Oh and she is also fairly certain that he is actually a she!

Hermie can be a girl name too, right?

Little Boys

I walked into the bathroom, after hearing some suspicious noises that needed investigating. You know how on scary movies you are yelling at the screen "don't go in there, dumbass! Jeez why do they always go in there" Yep. Well if I was on TV you totally would have tossed it out the window. I went in there! I did. Guess what I found. Jaden sitting on the potty, spitting on himself! We both did the stare in disbelief at the other then I did the 2nd stupidest thing "Jaden, What are you doing?" he smiled and proudly declared "Spitting on my penis. See!" and then showed me.

"she has no weaknesses"

that is a direct quote from her teacher.

Completely out of the blue. Not tooting my horn. Just a simple statement regarding my daughter.

Of course always being on top of it I controlled my proud, shouting to the blogosphere, self and replied with a sarcastic remark "You should see her at home" Inside I am jumping up and down. "She has no weaknesses" Nothing that her future teachers need to know about. She is 100% on top of things and with it.

This is interesting because just the other night Steve was saying how he was still waiting for her "special thing" meaning the thing she excels at. With Jonas it was writing. He was writing his name legibly at 3. Possibly earlier.
Jaden has this unbelievable gift for puzzles. He can put together a 63 piece puzzle in the time it takes his siblings to do a 24 piece tray puzzle.
Adylynn shows she is smart in several ways but doesn't seem to have a gift for anything in particular. She is at the same spot that Jonas was at this time last year. She is starting to read, do addition and subtraction, and is able to be interested in an activity for more than a milisecond. She is going through the same phases he went through at her age. She isn't behind in anything. She is obsessed with her favorite things, throws fits, and can be the sweetest most wonderful child in the world when she wants too. I think her special gift has always been here and we neglected to see it. She has no weaknesses. So what if she doesn't have 1 thing that she is very good at. She is above average at 95% of what she does. The other 5% is average.

This realization brings me to the answer I have been looking for

She has to go to school.
It is time. I am trying to baby her. Hold her back.
The great school debate that has been going on for a year has been nothing more than a mother not wanting to let go.

I feel confident, finally! When I stopped looking at Ady as my baby and looked at her as just another child, I could see it. She has no weaknesses. Simple. Easy. No questions.

This summer will be full of lots of fun and memories. The school year will come before I am ready for it but when it comes at least I can say, with confidence, she is ready!

he gets it

Yesterday morning I had to do one of the toughest things every parent has to do at some point. I had to follow through on a threat I was making. You know the kind, where you say "you can't go do this really cool thing that you will love doing if you don't start acting like a respectable human being" The kind of threat you make and after you make it you are thinking "please please please demon who is possessing my sweet innocent angel baby please release them so I don't have to break their heart." The kind that when it finally blows up in your face after 764 warnings you think I have to do this for the greater good. The other kids are watching. We are 1 hammering in the face from Nanny 911.

We'll assume you got the picture.

So yesterday morning after numerous WAHS and UGHS and GRRS and YELLS and WHINES and FITS I finally told Adylynn that if she didn't get a grip she wouldn't be going to take Jonas home. I was praying I didn't have to follow through but her stubbornness was in full swing yesterday. So I was left with no choice but to take Jonas from her. I know I didn't actually take Jonas from her, she was allowed to tell him goodbye and love him it just was done at home instead of grandma and grandpa's house. It still broke her heart. She wailed from her bedroom for a good 5 minutes. All the while I was in my bedroom, Steve hugging me telling me I did the right thing, crying. I didn't want to do it. I hated having to do it. I wasn't even sure it was the right thing to do.

After I got calmed down I remembered I had forgotten to give Jonas his Magic Tree House box set. We sat down to look at the book covers. We were talking about the doubles he had, when he said "I know why you were crying" and he gave me a long hug. I asked him why he thought I was crying "you didn't want to keep Ady home. It makes you sad you punished her."


Our 6 year old is wise beyond his years

wishing I had something to say

yes it has been a week since I posted anything. No we haven't been sitting around doing nothing. In fact, we have barely had time to sit around. I just don't feel like I have anything to say.

All 3 kids have started swim lessons. Jonas already finished his and might even get to go out for the swim team! Ady and Jaden just started. 2 days a week. The 1st day they both screamed, and screamed, and screamed some more. Then came home and told everyone how much fun swimming is. The 2nd day Ady claimed she was sick but we worked through it and by the end of swim lessons she was going under the water by herself, AND no longer thinking she was drowning when the water hit her face! Jaden's 2nd day was better too.

We interrupt this pointless post to bring you LIVE happenings in the Rigney home...
Jaden: Mommy, pee outside?
Me: Pee outside?
Jaden: Yeah
Me: No, we pee on the potty
Jaden: No potty. Pee outside. Pee on porch.
Me: If you pee outside the neighbors will see you
Jaden: see penissssss. Funny.

I haven't let Jaden pee outside but he spent the weekend with both my mom and Aunt Shel...I have to make a few phone calls.

Toys! Toys! Toys!

I have been lazy with blogs this week. Imagine my delight when I saw 5 minutes for mom was having 2 weeks of toys! This is the perfect contest for someone who has had her kids' toy room publicly attacked as "just awful".
More. Toys.

ANYWAY 5 minutes for mom is doing a 2 week toy contest. These are some pretty cool toys, for all ages, and many of the toys would be a welcome addition to our "just awful" toy room.

Go check out some of the cool contests at 5 minutes for mom

*Please note some of the opinions expressed in this post are not those of the blog owner. Our kids are not allowed to eat, drink, color, marker, playdoh, art, or craft in their toy room. SO... I do not feel our toy room is anything more than overwhelming cluttered.

sticks and stones

Ady to Jaden: Sit down
Jaden: NOOO
Ady: You're a baby, BABY
Jaden: No, I Jaden
Ady: FINE THEN you are a stinker. I can smell your butt from here.
Jaden: I poop potty
Ady: ARGH!

WE HAD POOP

Jaden pooped on the potty! He even told me he had to poop! I am afraid of jinxing this so I won't say anymore.

He has been wearing undies everyday for a week now and is having about 1 accident a day...OK I am not saying anymore!

Punishing a preschooler

Possibly a really dumb move on my part, but considering I seem to be getting sick she needs to be thanking her lucky stars that this was all she got. Well, this, and no family game time, and no more candy for the rest of the day. This is the dreaded multi punishment that I gripe at Steve about. Some of you will think she deserves worse, and some of you will be thinking I am a horrible awful rip of a mom who needs to be strung up by my toes while a troop of good mommies takes turns stuffing raisins up my nose.
Whatever.

So Adylynn wanted to write "letters" this afternoon. Since we have recently added/removed things to the dining room she decided that instead of asking where the paper was or looking for paper she would just write letters ON THE TABLE!

She needs to be super happy that her sick mommy didn't lose her cool and yell. Nor did I scream. Or grunt. Or Curse. Or even stand her in the corner. She was not sent to her room. She wasn't banished from my sight. Heck she was even allowed to still write letters.

She was able to write her first 2 sentences. She is one lucky kid. Writes on the kitchen table and still gets to do what she wants. She wrote 16 letters, 2 times. PENCIL IS FOR PAPER

SO at the age of 4.5 years old my daughter has been assigned her first set of sentences for bad behavior. Some might say I was easy on her and others will say it was wrong of me to punish her in such a way.

One thing I am sure we can agree on...She is darn cute writing them.

*the sentences now have a home on the fridge along side all the other pictures, drawings, letters we get from the kids. It is a nice reminder for us. I also figure she can show this off to Jonas and tell him the horrors that happen when you write on the table.

My words, my mannerisms, but yet something is different....Oh yeah...it's not me

Adylynn: "Hey how old are you again?"
Me: "UH.....UM...."
Adylynn: "mom it is rude not to talk back to someone when they talk to you"
I was still trying to figure out how old I am
Adylynn: "MOM ANSWER ME WHEN I TALK TO YOU"
Me: "Adylynn we are trying not to yell in the house remember"
Adylynn: "yeah yeah I know but how old are you"
Me: "UH.....hold on let me think about it"
Adylynn: "this really isn't something you need to think about you are old right? I am 4, Jaden is 2 and Jonas is 6 so how old are you."
Me: "um I guess I forget how old I am"
Adylynn: "how can you forget I am 4 Jonas is 6 Jaden is 2 Sophie is 8 months old and Num Num and Grandma are older than you. Num Num is your mom so she has to be older than you and I am you daughter so I am littler than you that makes you between 4 years old and old like Num Num. Are you 30?"
Me: "Heck no I'm not 30! Are you insane!"
Adylynn: "mommy we are trying not to yell in the house. jeez I asked a simple question and you insist on throwing a fit NOW PLEASE answer the question nicely"

The birds and the bees

Jonas and Adylynn were talking about when they are my age they would be parents and I would be a great grandma. I quickly corrected them because I AM NOT THAT OLD! I AM NOT EVEN 30!
Plus, there is the whole matter of them being confused for the rest of their lives on how grandparents and great grandparents work. BUT more importantly I AM NOT THAT OLD. Sure, I am the 2nd oldest of my friends but my oldest friend has several years on me. Plus if I didn't mention I am not that old! You are following, right? Erin is not old. Okay. Glad we have that settle. Now for the funny stuff.

During the conversation Adylynn tells Jonas

"you can't have a kid right now because your wife is private and closed up"

I have no idea what she meant but since everyone in her class is OBSESSED with marriage I wouldn't be surprised if she got it from school.

I love hearing the 2 of them talk about life.
Life is so simple in their eyes.

Basketball Season comes to an end

Saturday morning the kids had their last basketball games.
Jonas showed a lot of improvement. He was on fire! He was guarding his man, running down the court, and most importantly participating. Previous weeks he would barely make it down the court before the ball did. If there would only have been 3 more weeks of basketball I think we would have really seen him enjoying it. As of right now he would like to play again. If they still have Saturday only practices/games we would also like to see him continue for another year.
Adylynn played her game and was playing well, not complaining, and participating too. She would not like to play basketball again. Honestly, if exceptional athletes are born with a natural skill,l I can tell you she is not going to be the star player on any team. Actually if I am being totally honest Adylynn is probably better off not getting back onto the basketball court unless it is to cheer from the sidelines. She wasn't the worst player on her team but she also doesn't' have any natural talent and looks miserable while playing the game. We agree with her, she won't be doing basketball again.
So both kids enjoyed spending their Saturday mornings out on the court but in the end we have one semi-interested in continuing and one who would rather sit the sidelines and watch her brother.
What's next?
Well for Jonas I'm not sure. He is really excited about soccer but from the look of it we can't start him here and he can't play at his mom's house. Both are because of season schedules and he is at opposite houses the majority of each. We will be looking into some sort of sport or day camp or play dates or something for this summer. Thankfully this has been made easier with our new Y membership.
Adylynn has T-Ball this spring, in addition to still taking dance, she is pretty busy. She also has BIG hopes to start running with Steve. She has been telling me for months "one day I will run faster faster FASTER than daddy and pass him up!"
I will get some last game pictures up soon.

Wanted:your opinions

Dear Readers,

I am interested in your feelings on giving gifts to children for Easter. Do you do it? Do you give gifts for other holidays that aren't Christmas? Why do you do it? Does you spouse give you grief over it? Do you just purchase gifts for your children without telling them? If you get grief from someone else how do you handle that? Do you drop it or do you get your way?

SHARE! Please!