The Things They're Saying Now: Jan. 2014

Four-years-old is a great age and one thing I love is how much the kids chat. They have a ton to say and I understand most of it most of the time. Here's what they're saying now.

Slight Variation on the Original
Connor really likes ninjas so he says the word quite often. Only when he says it the first "n" is silent so it's a "inja." Even more stealth and lethal than the original.

I don't know why, but Connor calls Leo "Lelo." For Leo's part, he always responds. I guess he's thinking, "close enough."

I've mentioned this one before, but Connor says "vampirate" instead of vampire. I love this made up word and hope he never stops saying it. Of course if he's still saying it in college only his mom will think it's cute.

Totally Wrong Word
Some words are just tough to get down so the twins use different words. 


Mean Beard 


Say Bieber




Mean Marshmallow

Say Mushroom

I can usually figure this one out since they're asking for it to go with their hot cocoa.

Word Police
There are a few words we ask the kids not to say, like "hate" and "stupid." They call each other out and Carl and I if we say one of the words. If they hear one of the words on TV Chloe will say, "hey, that's not nice."

We try not to cuss, but I do let it slip every now and then. This usually happens when I'm driving. The only reason the kids don't call me out on cuss words is because I don't think they know them. 

The other day Connor asked me why I yelled "Tuck" at that car. I told him I shouldn't have yelled, but the other car was driving dangerously.

I'm going to have to be more careful of what I say.

Male Strippers

Carl had a sales conference and was out of town most of last week. That means when the kids go to bed in the evening I have to wait for Carl to get back in town before I can watch Downton Abbey, Sherlock, or True Detective. Instead, I can watch whatever girlie shows I've missed because Carl's not interested. 

Sometimes it's a wonderfully guilty indulgence and other times I know watching First Daughter was a waste of two hours of my life, no matter how much I like Katie Holmes.

For a few months now I've been wanting to see Magic Mike with Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey. It was suppose to be a comedy, but I found it totally depressing. 

Spoiler Alert: this movie has been out for awhile, but if you wanted to watch it on your own, don't read any further.

I thought Matthew McConaughey was great in another iteration of himself named Dallas, a super intense, obsessive stripper, and creepy owner of the strip club. 

However the ending was totally unsatisfying. When Magic Mike finally breaks free of being a stripper to start his life following his dreams beyond being objectified by women, the first thing he does is sleep with the girl he's been chasing after. Boo.

Why did I think I wanted to watch this?

It reminded me that I had been to a male strip club once in my life.  A friend of mine was married right after college and her sorority sisters threw her a crazy bachelorette party. 

One part of the party included all of us going to La Bare, a Dallas male strip club. For me it seemed incredibly uncomfortable and a bit creepy. I have a snapshot in my memory of the stripper, who was the bachelorette's personal lap dancer, taking her glasses off her face, breathing fog on them, and then using the only part of his body that was clothed to wipe them off. Burned-in-my-memory.

Next time Carl goes out of town I think I'll find a good book.

Great Day for a Party

The weather here has been so odd. Friday was in the 30s, this weekend was gorgeous we didn't even need jackets, and today we're back to the blustery 30s.

We did take advantage of the beautiful weather this weekend and were able to enjoy an awesome birthday party in a neighborhood on Sunday afternoon. 

The twins always love a bounce house and I love letting them wear themselves out.

They're also big fans of cake. Since they were outside and burning off a ton of energy I did give in and let them have a second piece of cake, but they had to agree to share it. They did a pretty good job.

Then the party ended with a piñata. I love that for each of them, their piñata form includes lifting a leg to get maximum swing power.

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend yourselves!

For grandparents and aunts and those who can't get enough cuteness, here's a short video of the twins in the bounce house. At this point it was more throwing yourself down than actual bouncing, but hey, whatever it takes.

Toys Everywhere

We have a ridiculous amount of toys. We're pretty good at picking everything up as a family, with a little extra incentive that anything left out is a potential chew toy for Piper.

One of the reasons the kid's new beds were so appealing is because of all of the storage space, which is stuffed full of toys.

When I changed out my purse this week I realized I had Ariel and Erick figurines, a minnie mouse spoon, and bendable elf, just in case.

When I switched the laundry yesterday there was the pink flamingo that I washed on request because apparently it "smelled." But also coming out of the washing machine was a small pony and rubber dinosaur. 

Tinker Bell has been riding in the front passenger seat of the mini van most of the week, by request. Never know when you're going to need a fairy.

Carl has been out of town most of the week and Connor will come sleep on his Dad's side of the bed the last hour before we get up in the morning. So, no surprise to find a plastic turtle tucked into the sheets.

I'd love to get rid of some stuff but every time I throw a few things out the kids ask me for that one obscure toy that they haven't played with in months. Usually I blame Piper and say the toy was chewed up. They're still sad, but understand once Piper gets ahold of it, the toy is gone.

I'm afraid I don't really have a right to complain about the toy clutter problem since Carl and I are the biggest toy providing culprits. Since Carl traveled most of the week, he promised a surprise when he returned. They went crazy over their stuffed monsters and took them to school with them today. 

Just another toy to add to the pile, but it's hard not to get them stuff when their reactions are so enthusiastic. 

We're suckers!

Sick of being Sick

When the kids headed off to school for the first time, almost two years ago, I was prepared for them to get sick more often. What I was prepared for was how often I would get sick.

The kids will get a cold and get over it in a few days. Maybe we'll have a lingering cough or runny nose, but on the whole they bounce back pretty quickly.

I don't seem to be bouncing back at all. I feel like I have some underlying sinus congestion ongoing and if I get sick it aggravates it and makes it worse. I have now had sinus headaches, congestion, and some sort of mucus discharge everyday since early December. 

I go through so much Kleenex I should own stock. I don't go anywhere without tissue. There are boxes in both bathrooms and the kitchen counter. I keep a box in the mini van with a little trash bag. My co-workers have to remind me they're getting on a call so I won't blow my nose while they're on with a client.

I've visited my doctor two different times to try to solve it. We've tried allergy medications, antibiotics, nasal sprays all sorts of options but nothing clears it up. 

A friend recommended an ENT. I've researched him and I'm about ready to make an appointment but I'm a bit nervous since the main solutions seem to be surgery. 

So I thought I'd try a few more things. WebMD recommended grapefruit seed extract. When I got that at Whole Foods, I found a box near it with a product call Nasopure Nasal Wash System (the nicer neti). Some friends have recommended using a neti pot, but I've been worried I'd do it wrong and make things worse. At this point, I'm at the end of my rope and thought I'd at least try it.

So I read all the directions, fill up the nasal wash squeeze bottle and take it into the shower with me. Take a look at this picture.

Really, she's smiling as water gently flushes out her nasal passages. This isn't really how it worked for me. Thank heavens I was in the shower. I can't figure out how to "close off my throat" and I end up snorting and coughing with saline water going every where. 

They even have a picture of kid smiling as she flushes her nasal passages as if to say, "so easy, even a small child can do it." 

But this was not easy for me. And I'm not even sure it helped. I now have a headache, but it could just be from stressing over how to use the stupid nasal flush thing in the first place.

I'll try it a few more times to give it a fair go, but I'm guessing I'll need to make an appointment with that ENT soon.

Party On Swans

This Saturday night we did something we've never done before. We had drinks with a couple of friends and brought our kids. 

Our friends recently renovated their home and had a few couples over to check it out and enjoy snacks and cocktails. Everyone brought their kids. 

The main reason we haven't done this in the past is that we keep a pretty solid schedule with the twins which means bath at 7:30 and bedtime at 8:00. 

We had a great time and although Chloe and Connor were the youngest ones there, they really enjoyed themselves too. 

When we were headed home at a late (for us) 11:30pm, Connor said his favorite part was hanging out with the big boys.

The twins got up at their usual 7am the next morning, but fell asleep in the car at 11am when we headed out to hair cuts.

The price of being a party animal!

Holiday Learning

I think we can all agree that the holidays can be stressful. Over the years I've tried to take a couple of steps to reduce the stress. 

• Start shopping early (while I still enjoy it)
• Put up fewer decorations (also less to take down)
• Let the kids help decorate and don't worry about things getting broken. Things will be broken.

I'm sitting here on New Year's Day writing this entry and I think I need to come up with more ways to reduce stress over the holidays. I'm sick and exhausted but a little giddy thinking about sending the twins back to school tomorrow.

I've identified some of the newer stress points, but I don't know that I have a solution.

Being Sick

Not only have I been sick since since early December, but both kids have been sick on and off.  Connor had an ear infection in November, then closer to the holidays he ended up with an ear infection in the other ear.

Then while we were in Louisiana visiting family for the holidays, both kids got sick. So miserable. I felt bad for them and totally helpless. When we got home and saw the doctor they both had colds and Connor had ear infections in both ears.

At least they felt a little better when picking out stickers at the doctors office.

Being sick sucks.

The Drive

I've tried to plan for the 6 hour drive to and from Louisiana with lots of toys and distractions during the drive.

Now that they're four, the drive is much better. But when the kids are sick, it's miserable.

Spoiled

The other holiday stress point was how incredibly spoiled my kids were (are). I don't know why this is a surprise since it's basically my fault.

Sometimes when they'd open a present they'd go, "this isn't my favorite." This usually happened when the person who gave them the gift was sitting right there.

Every time they opened a present they wanted another, "next!" This seriously makes my stomach hurt. 

They were so selfish, when I showed them the candy bar we were going to leave out for Santa as a snack, they asked if he would eat the whole thing because they wanted some.

Then I of course enabled them by leaving the bar half full, as if Santa only snacked on a little.

Fun Part

Of course four-year-olds have an amazing enthusiasm for the holidays and that unrelenting enjoyment can make up for some of the stress.

Christmas morning tea party with fairies, a pony, and a dinosaur 

I'm still happy to drop them off at school tomorrow no matter how much trouble they give me in the morning.