a new conversation to add to the list..

As my child has officially been in school for over a year now.. I've had all sorts of conversations with her teachers. About timeouts (and who did what), about how she got hurt, about her listening skills (or lack thereof), about not wanting to eat her lunch, about what they think I need to do, about what I think they need to do, blah blah blah.

But, one conversation that, so far, I have not had though is the "your child bit someone" conversation. And I know at least one parent has had to hear it, because I heard the "biting" happen, heard the bitee (which I guess isn't a word?) screaming, and saw the biter get in trouble.

However.. I have now had the "your child was bitten" conversation. Which wasn't so much a conversation where I had to say much- mostly just listen to the facts and be shown the little teeth marks on Lily's hand. But, of course, Lily kind of got in trouble too.

She and her friend, A, were fighting over a bike that A was already riding. A didn't take it well that Lily wanted to ride it.. and bit her. So A got in trouble for "not using her words" (and biting).. and Lily got in semi-trouble for not waiting her turn. After I got the whole story from her teacher, she walked away and I gathered up Lily's things to leave.

Then I thought back to about 5 minutes before that, when I walked into the school. I passed behind A, her mom, and little brother as the same teacher was talking to her. I heard A's mom say of A's little brother.. "he just started doing that." But, of course, at the time, it meant nothing.. just the one bit of sentence I happen to catch.

When she turned around to realize another parent was passing behind her, I'm sure she was, at least a little bit, embarrassed to see it was the mother of the child that hers had bitten- and she was still in the middle of hearing the details about.

Had the situation been reversed, I know I would have wanted to find the nearest hole to crawl in and hide.

almost mugged by a 4 year old

Lily was recently being her energetic self- bouncing around on the couch, chattering away. Then she stopped, came right up next to me, and whispered something in my ear.

(I couldn't make out what she said, but replied anyway.) Oh ya?

 (Mumble mumble) I was mugging you!

You were?! That's not nice. Mugging? You were robbing me? Threatening me with a gun or knife or something? And taking all my money? That's like what mugging someone is.

No! I was mwogging you.

Mogging? What's that, like a mommy hug?

No.. I was repeating you.

Oh! Mocking! You were mocking me?

Ya..

Oh.. well, that's not very nice either, but at least you weren't mugging me.

from the preschool lunch trenches..

Lily doesn't seem to lie about school stuff and so far I have, eventually, gotten pretty much every incident out of her- like when she gets time outs.. and what they were for. So, on the drive home today, I went through the usual 'how was your day?,' 'what did you do?,' etc. She chatted about this and that.. told me she got a time out for sticking her tongue out at one of her friends. I rolled my eyes and told her that geesh, I thought that was a little silly.

When we got home I opened her lunch bag and asked how her lunch was and what she ate. She drank her milk, she ate her sandwich, and she had some fish crackers. Yup, I could see that. And.. something along the lines of she couldn't have the fruit snacks I had given her.

Wait, couldn't? Like.. wasn't allowed to? Like.. her teacher told her not to eat them and to put them back in her bag? Apparently, yes.

What? Why?

She said the teacher thought it was candy and wasn't allowed to eat part of the lunch I had given her. (Why she didn't speak up and let them know it wasn't, I'm not sure.) Which.. is not okay with me. I told Lily that I didn't care if I gave her a doughnut and a bowl of ice cream.. that's HER lunch and she can eat it.

At the beginning of September, there was a new posting on the classroom bulletin board.. pictures of some of the kids healthy lunches. And some type of wording to encourage all the kids lunches to be.. you know.. sort of along the same lines.

I think it's great that they are encouraging parents to pack a healthy lunch for their preschoolers. I think it's great that they are encouraging overall healthy eating habits. And blah blah blah. I mean.. I'm a vegetarian, I very rarely drink soda, and my kids don't drink it at all. Candy, cookies, and sugary things are an occasional thing for them.. not an expected constant.

Lily's school lunches are pretty healthy for a picky four-year old. A sandwich with a (100%) juice box or organic milk. And then one or two things like cheese, fruit, crackers, yogurt, or fruit snacks. I've never given her cookies, chips, or candy for school. So.. this happening? So mad.

You know what I did give her today? Two little packets of Florida's Natural Au'some Nuggets- which feature a giant piece of fruit on the front. The first 8 ingredients are different fruit purees, the 9th is pure sugar cane, etc. They even use pectin instead of gelatin! The stupid things are vegetarian.. which is not true of a lot of fruit snacks. (Also interestingly, each one has 3 grams of sugar.. while the Stonyfield YoKids yogurt Squeezers that I've put in her lunch and they have let her eat have nine grams.)

And I'll continue. She told me they were learning about their five senses today.. and to help illustrate some of the points.. they made Jello. And did she have some? Yup.. that would be the taste sense. According to the internet, one serving (half a cup) of the stuff has 19 grams of sugar. Sigh.

Jason wants me to call them. Like.. right now. Address it immediately. Am I going to call the school to tell them her fruit snacks are not candy? No. Is Lily's story true? Probably, but even Lily said it herself, the food was misidentified as candy. So.. I will just say something next time.

I even ran through the theoretical conversation with him so that he'd be satisfied that I would actually address the situation. Which, ug, I am already dreading. I hate having to bring up things like this with them. When I do, I'm sure they must be thinking that's what you're talking to us about? That's the "battle" that you're choosing to fight?

Why can't they just let her eat the damn lunch I made her and stop being the, alleged, sugar police?

Not sure how it happened, but..

On Saturday, I accidentally cleaned almost my entire kitchen. Like.. cleeeaned it. When I started out, I was just going to wipe down a little piece of counter. Then as I was doing that, I realized 'when was the last time anyone even used this Keurig? I think I'll put it away." So I did.

First I had to move a few things around in a cabinet first and almost (almost!) got rid of something- but I didn't, because I didn't want to get too crazy.

With the Keurig safely stored away I cleaned the counter between the stove and fridge, and then.. hmm, the stove was dirty. So I wiped it down- while noticing the burners could use a cleaning, so I took out the coils, removed the things under them (what are those called?!) to soak them and then tried to clean underneath. It was during this I realized I was pretty sure the whole thing lifted up (it does). Yup, I completely disassembled the stove. And cleaned the entire thing. Reassembled it and then..

Oh no, wait wait.. it was during the stove cleaning that my children realized I was doing something and wouldn't stand for it. Kitchen chaos ensued. Which was mostly Lily running around and Noah being unable to leave the garbage can alone. Let me move it. Let me open and close it. Let me stick my hands in it. Hmm, let me stick my hands in it, again. And again. Again!

Rather than kill everyone, I made lunch.

Then I cleaned the convection oven, washed the dish rack drainer, washed all the dishes, cleaned the sink with terrible chemicals, took all the junk off the end of the counter, and cleaned it thoroughly. AND then just to further prove I had lost my mind.. I vacuumed the floor. And then.. wait for it.. washed it!

Jason asked if I was pregnant. I told him, no- this is what people do..

what we did

 1. A praying mantis visited my garden this week. I watered all the plants and was shutting the window, when I looked back for a second.. and there it was.. sitting there the whole time watching me. I've never seen one in person.. they are a lot bigger than I thought they would be.

2. I watched the Apple event on my computer. I knew the new iPhones were coming.. I just didn't know they'd be this cool. I'm pretty sure I want the 5s, but I'm not sure which one.

3. More lettuce leaves from my garden. Almost everything, except the cucumbers, is still going strong.

4. I started playing The Million Second Quiz. It was surprisingly easy to qualify as a "line jumper," and when I did it said only 27% of the players had qualified.. which seemed low.

5. Lily and Noah had their second, and probably last, pool day of the season on Wednesday. It was mostly fine, until it was time to go inside.. and then I remembered why it was only the second time.

6. Lily got out her construction paper, glue stick, and scissors.. sat down at her table.. and just.. made this. All by herself. I had nothing to do with any of it. I don't know.. seems like kinda advanced art for a 4 year old.

Tommee Tippee Giveaway (closed)

My children drink juice like it's their job. And I cannot even begin to tell you how much juice gets spilled on my couch, the living room rug, the floor, on pillows, etc. So.. when Tommee Tippee contacted me to try out some of their products, I jumped at the chance for Lily and Noah to test their "Truly Spill Proof" cups.

And now that they've used the Explora Truly Spill Proof Drink Cups and Straw Cups for a few weeks (and I've washed them for a few weeks), I only have one complaint- those Straw Cups are kind of a p.a.i.n in the rear. To clean. To assemble. Etc. There are so many pieces! However.. so far.. they really are spill proof. So.. it's totally worth it.. and I looove them. (Also, after awhile, all the pieces don't seem like such a big deal.) Noah drops his cups all over the place and I'm so happy to say the couch, rugs, floors, and pillows have remained much drier since using the Tommee Tippee cups. Honestly.

We've also been trying the Explora Feeding Spoons and Section Plates- none of which are a pain to wash. Or assemble. Even Lily, who is almost 5, really likes them. She likes the colors of the spoons, she likes the sections of the plates, and she likes to dictate who gets what color. The spoons are, well, spoons. I have no complaints. The colors are nice, the handles are good for little hands to grip (but not awkward for adults feeding those with little hands), and overall they are just a nicely made utensil.

The plates are great too. We previously only had a couple of section plates, but not as well.. laid out (I guess that's the best way to put it). They are a good size, easy for adults to hold onto the flat areas, and the sections seem perfect or toddler and preschool sized food portions. My one complaint is that they don't stack that well with each other. Which may have been on purpose so that they don't get stuck together, but it is a little awkward for storage purposes since they don't sit flat. You'd probably only be able to stack so many before they'd start to topple, but we have four.. and it's fine.

All this new Tommee Tippee Explora stuff has made us big, big fans of the brand. And I think you will be too. Find out more by visiting their website at: http://www.tommeetippee.us

You can enter to win a package similar to the one I received by entering now through Thursday, September 19, 2013 at 11:59pm EST. Make one comment below (only one per household please). Open to U.S. addresses only. One winner will be randomly selected and notified by email- they will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected. Please make sure your email address is in your comment or blogger profile.

(Giveaway prize provided by Tommee Tippee.)

winner: #9 Katherine

Here's what's new

So, there actually isn't a whole lot of excitement in our lives right now. How's that for a sentence that makes you want to read on?

I think it was 64 degrees when I took Lily to school this morning.. and even now at 2 o'clock.. it's only four degrees warmer. I have been fighting so hard not to get pumpkin spice coffee, but it is everywhere I go (okay, I'm mostly at Target and Starbucks, but whatever) and I don't know how much longer I can hold out. Most years I wait until October 1.. because then I feel like it's really fall. And blah blah blah.

But it's already getting colder here and I have been following the weather very closely the last few weeks because I am afraid that at any moment we are going to get hit with the world's biggest hurricane. (And I think this every time I get the fridge and freezer stocked up again.. like okay, well NOW we can lose power for two days I guess.)

(And this is how nerdy I am..) apparently today or tomorrow is traditionally the very peak of hurricane season in this part of the world. However, if you've noticed.. this year, we have successfully avoided everything. Or, actually, there hasn't even been anything to avoid. Knock on wood. I've basically just jinxed everything. Sorry about that.

Which transitions nicely into talking about Lily taking swimming lessons. (No, no it doesn't- but she is anyway.) She took them the first time the summer before Noah was born and I just haven't been able to get my act together so she could take more lessons. Mostly it was like.. what am I supposed to do with an infant while I'm in the pool with my 4-year old?

Ya, me in the pool too. Which is the level she was at originally and apparently it was the same for the next level as well. Buuuut.. I cannot stop feeling terrible that she wasn't allowed to be in kindergarten this year (missed the cutoff by a few weeks and no exceptions apparently)- so swimming lessons it is!

I've signed her up for the level she needs to be in, but the one that I don't have to be in the water with her for. Which, uh, could be fine.. or it could be a terrible, terrible disaster. I am preparing myself for it being a terrible, terrible disaster.

And by that I just mean that she'll probably take off into water over her head the split second her teacher takes an eye off her. She won't be able to do anything but flail and choke on water while I start screaming for the teacher to save her. Which of course they will because it's a small class in a small pool, but then Lily will be hysterical. And I'll be hysterical. And Noah will in turn be hysterical. It will be awful. And mortifying. And the end of swim lessons. Until at least next time.

Thus putting a whole bunch of excitement back in ourselves. Done.

what we did

1. Disney Infinity is in our house now and it didn't take long for Lily to break Mrs. Incredible. Purposely I believe.. as she mentioned something about twisting her head (apparently she's not as stretchy as we thought!). Thank goodness for superglue.

2. I finally was able to harvest of lettuce from my window garden. It was so exciting. Lettuce! That I grew myself. The 7 or so leaves was all that I could get at the time, but there is almost that much ready to bring in again- now that we're about to enter the second week of September..

3. There is apparently a book called Monsters Eat Whiny Children. I'm not sure what it could be about since the title is clearly a lie (not that I know from experience  because some of my children partake in the whining on occasion).

4. Road trip. Only a two hour round trip, but hey.. at least it was something.

5. Green in the middle of the city.

6. I harvested the last of my cucumbers this week. These three little guys weren't fully grown yet, obviously, but as all the leaves on all the plants had shriveled up about a week ago I figured this was as much as they were going to grow. So funny.. like little green cucumber gourds.

That day of the week

There is one day during the week that I am occasionally not 100% responsible for my children 24 hours a day. And it is the day that 75% of my doctors and medical people don't work.

My main doctor works like one day a week I think.. and it's not that day. But, I haven't seen her in over a year anyway.. they always pass me off to a physician's assistant now. I almost got into a fight with the receptionist because I needed to reschedule my yearly physical and I just wanted to be able to see my own doctor at least ONCE a year. (Which is apparently too much to ask.) Because otherwise, how is she even my doctor? But instead of a few weeks or a month away.. it was scheduled for 6 months later, because that was all that was available. And it's not even on a day I can go, so I'm going to have to reschedule it again anyway. Are all doctors like this now?

My back surgeon isn't the office that day (but he does operate).. and in fact the entire office is closed. The last time I went when Lily was at school, but I still had to bring Noah with me. I thought he'd be alright in the waiting room and running around like crazy in the exam room- but it was the opposite. Thankfully it was a quick visit.

(And now that I think of it, the doctor I saw for my back before that.. was also not in the office that day. As well as a specialist I went to once for an unknown allergic reaction. I only went once because I couldn't work out a day that I was actually able to be there without those kids of mine. The allergy cleared up, so it probably wasn't needed anyway.)

My dentist does work that day, thankfully. Which allows me to have my teeth cleaned (and drilled) sans children and also lets me have my full attention on Lily when she has her appointments there.

Lily and Noah's pediatrician is usually working all week, but obviously that's irrelevant. Although.. you know what days she often doesn't work? The days Lily is in school- so I still have to bring her to Noah's appointments.. where she is always thrilled to pieces to make it another episode of The Lily Show- if you know what I mean.

Who else? The place I got a rescheduled appointment for a test/procedure today is no longer open that specific day of the week. Just another thing that will have to be moved again.. but to when I have no idea. And test/procedure type things are not typically something one can bring their children to.

Oh! And you know what else doesn't happen on that day? Jury duty at the court house I've been assigned to. Because I already tried to reschedule it.. and I couldn't. And taking care of your young children doesn't count as an excuse to miss out on performing "your civic duty" because I already tried. So Jason is going to have to take an entire day off off work because I have jury duty. And who gets paid? Neither of us. I am pretty sure that doesn't make sense.

But I digress.

Later, August

The last few weeks have not been easy ones. I've been very stressed out. And sad. And other adjectives. I mostly try not to think about it, because when I do it's hard to get out of feeling so awful about everything.

And feeling awful doesn't get diapers changed or dishes washed or laundry done. So, I put my mind to something else and deal with one day at a time. I assume there's a light at the end of the tunnel, but right now I'm only going on faith that it's there. That sounds terrible, but I don't know how else to put it.

We've not done anything exciting. No more trips to the zoo, library, or playground as I had been doing with Lily and Noah. We've just been totally boring recently, but hopefully September and cooler temperatures will inspire our butts to get back the playground at least.