Sunday, April 24, 2011

I've got brains

I get a real kick out of the perceptions the kids have of different things that are said, more appropriately stated the mis-perceptions they have. Today, Easter Sunday, we were at church singing hymns and I noticed Nadine belting out "I've got brains" which she substituted for "Our God Reigns." Now if I imagine she thinks this I've got brains song is a little...odd really. I'm expecting later to get questioned about that, but maybe not.
Shortly after school started I realized she was singing the Canadian anthem at school, or something resembling it.
"Oh, Canada, our home and naked land....Oh Canada we stand on cars for free, Oh CANADA we stand on CARS FOR FREE!!!!" passionate and exciting displays of patriotism for sure. Displays they often like to share with people at the top of their lungs while they sit in the cart and Costco. curious. But what a great nation where one can stand on cars without any monetary penalty. Good times.

Have a Happy and Blessed Easter everybody :)

Friday, April 15, 2011

The plague, the spirit of sibling love, and the consequences of being too good.

We've had the plague at our house for a few days. To hear Braeden tell it, croup sucks I totally agree with him. Poor guy sounds a bit impressive, but aside from being a barking baby he's still able to give me some dance moves, kisses (slimily fantastic) and thereby (among a few other things) I'm confident he's on the mend.
Today he has required some extra snuggling and loving, constant really (as I type with him on my lap). The house sort of looks like a bomb went off and I realize how much of my normal day is devoted to picking up stuff...wow...
Anywho. Nadine and Ryan have been gems today. GEMS. As I've been tied up with a sleeping and or crabby peep they've made minimal requests, played nicely without fighting, colored together, read to each other, made a tent upstairs and played in it together nicely. Not one battle that would have required my intervention. All the things you hope for your children to do for you, or not do for you, in your most ideal plan for a day. Thereby when Braeden arose from his nap and was willing to get off my hip for a split few seconds I did 2 things, fed them lunch, and dug out a couple age and gender appropriate toys we have in our impromptu-asked-to-a-birthday stash for them to enjoy and occupy themselves with. Ryan's new loader was a hit.
Ryan: Mom, look at my new loader. Isn't it SO cute!
Me: Absolutely son
Ryan: Lets give ourselves a big thumbs up
Me: smiles and nods speechlessly.

Nadine's new toy horse, also a big hit, but receiving it wasn't without a couple skeptical questions.
Nadine: Why are you giving these to us?
Me: Because you guys have been behaving so well today while Braeden has been feeling rotten and I've been tied up with him and I really appreciate it.
Nadine: Anyways (all of her sentences begin this way as of late)...do you expect us to keep behaving well?


Interesting question really. Ultimately no I don't expect them to keep behaving so well, I HOPE they will but I definitely don't anticipate that happening. How is one to convey that message though? I wouldn't want to say "no" but yes would lack in truth...hmmmm. So I just smiled at her speechlessly.

Friday, April 8, 2011

The truth hurts, well not really it more makes me smile and chuckle.

We wrapped up yesterday by playing in the driveway. Nadine walked Cleo, Ryan graded the ruts out of the driveway, and Braeden sat and ate some dirt. All in all everyone enjoyed the post supper being outside on a pretty darn nice spring evening.
Nadine really likes to walk the dogs. Probably a lot more than they like being walked but the dogs do really well with her...well not Oliver yet, he's just learning some leash manners which I maintain is an adult job. Nadine loves loves loves dogs, most animals of any kind fascinate her, but her LOVE and passion in life is dogs.
Ryan's passion in life is machines and yesterday he decided to take it upon himself to "grader these rocks off the road." He worked away very diligently trying to mash out some ruts not the least bit daunted by the enormity of the task. It's a LONG driveway and there's a LOT of spring ruts. He was up for the task.
Braeden's passion seems to be just plain old being outside. Who could blame him really? There's a lot of great stuff to experience out there, especially right now in mud season. Ahhh muddy mud season. Not just mud. Fantastically adhesive northern Alberta mud...good times and a good amount of laundry.
Coming in was relatively well received from my perception. There were no meltdowns, there was no bellyaching. It wasn't a fast progression in, but we were headed in the right direction. The lack of fast progression on the part of my second born was in fact irritating my first born.
Her...um...encouragements of "It's time to come in now Ryan hurry up and bring your grader" followed by "Mom he's not coming very fast." were not actually making him hurry or move any faster. Weird I know. Nadine was totally baffled as to why.
Me: "He is coming sweetheart"
Nadine: "But not fast enough" followed by more bellering at her brother.
Me: "You know darling it's Mom and Dad's job to make sure Ryan is doing as he's told, not yours"
Nadine (mildly exasperated): "But you're not doing a very good job of it!"

I love those kind of statements. I actually really do. They make me chuckle, and smile. Similar to Tim's experience of co-parenting with our 5 year old when changing Braeden's diaper.
Nadine: "I'll get you the cream"
Tim: "His bum looks fine honey he doesn't need any cream"
Nadine: "Here's the cream dad, he needs cream"
Tim: "I'm going to leave him without cream because his bum doesn't look red, it looks fine"
Nadine (again exasperated with the daftness of her parents): "DAD HE NEEDS CREAM...WHAT IN THE HECK!!!!"
Poor thing, oh how we parents can be so thick in the head.

Ryan carries on with his negotiations when a request falls short of his plan. We still unfortunately often provide an incorrect answer. "I'm sorry, that is not the correct answer...I need a different correct answer." Upon the same answer, "No a different correct answer. I'm sorry that is not the correct answer mom...mom I need a different correct answer." This exchange will remain strangely calm. I hope better things for him than a career in politics but I'll support him in whatever he would like to do :)

Braeden has become a dancing maniac who loves to throw things. Not only does he love to throw things, he's darn good at it. He's working on a few words, a few teeth, a few executions of making sure his opinion is well understood...he's darling :)
It fascinates me to watch their interests and personalities develop...fascinating.

And the random photo bombardment continues. Now I got a new book about my camera AND a new lens, it was like Christmas in April yesterday :)

The long task of gradering the driveway

My girl and her girl






Learning how to focus the foreground and also the background.



Tuesday, April 5, 2011

The four S response

*Scratches head, Shrugs, Smiles and Sighs*
Applicable in a multitude of situations and conversations both overheard and had with my kids. It's part of my new response policy. For example:

Nadine's prayer of "Dear God please make me a dog named Martha. Amen."
Insert four S response and I'm not sure I really have anything else to say about that. I believe I've thoroughly outlined our identity issues in previous posts.

This is Martha, a PBS kids sloth day favorite. That is occasionally we have a sloth day at our house where we are collectively unmotivated.  Confession time, there's often a sloth period of an hour or so to every day of the week here while I try and load up on coffee, but sometimes we deem pyjama sloth days if we're sick, tired, sick and tired, sick and tired of being sick and tired etc. Sloth days include a lot of PBS kids. I've learned to pay close attention to what the kids are watching. It helps with the questioning and quizzes that are part of the rest of the day.
While walking through Costco yesterday Ryan was belting out, and I do mean belting a PBS song. There's a guitar wielding optimistic do-gooder on PBS that comes on for brief interjections of positive thought embedded in a catchy tune. Ryan (a remarkably good singer) relives these often.

He's been singing this today also, his modified version of "I can be anything I want to be" ends with,
"hmmmm a cement truck, or a backhoe" and the occasional use of jazz hands at times during the serenade. There's also been an encouraging word to his big sister regarding her current desire to be a dog named Martha. She can be anything at all too you know. Why would I tell them any different?
Insert 4 S response here.

Braeden currently needs a penalty for high sticking so I suppose I'll leave the explanations at that. Really what else is there to say.