Ode to Fishy

Matthew's little fish has now gone to join Goldie number one in the place where good fish go (the toilet?) On Monday Matthew and I rushed out to do grocery shopping after dropping Natalie off at school. In our hustle and bustle we didn't have time to attend to Fishy's and Goldie's morning meal. When we got back I happened to pass by the bowl and noticed a sideways (laying down? sleeping?) fish on the bottom of the bowl. Looking back, he was swimming a little slow on Sunday and he hardly ate. Poor little guy. Of course it was shortly after that when Matthew asked, "Can I see my fish?" which he does several times a day. I knew I couldn't just get rid of the thing. I tried to tell him that he could see the fish later but he insisted so I told him it was sleeping and he accepted that but he still eyed it suspiciously. The day went on and we went about our routine: playdate, dinner, bath and bedtime. Fishy "slept" through most of the day probably scaring the heck out of Goldie who "lives" right next door. It wasn't until after the little punkins were asleep that I gave Fishy his quiet and proper burial. The next morning when Matthew asked to see his fish I told him what I had told Natalie, "He didn't make it." Of course he didn't quite understand what that meant and he wanted to see so I showed him the empty bowl. "Where'd my fish go?" he asked. So, very quickly I said, "Your fish is gone. We can get another one if you want." Natalie added, "Matthew, when something dies it is always in your heart just like Goldie is in my heart. Now Fishy is in my heart too and I will always remember him." Matthew still asks to see the bowl. He's okay with the idea of getting another one. Although, I am hoping that Natalie will agree to share hers because after cleaning Goldie 2's little tank, I was reminded how much I hate changing fish water. Ew! This is coming from the person who had a fish tank for a year with no fish because I just liked the water and bubles. Fish water grosses me out. Besides, I am done with the whole life and death of a pet thing. Anyway, goodbye dear Fishy. We certainly enjoyed your company and Matthew loved feeding you.

A New Milestone for Matthew

Well, we have hit another milestone this week. Saturday morning we were greeted by an extra little person sneaking into bed. Yes, Matthew figured out how to escape the crib. He climbed or jumped, I am not sure exactly which, out of his crib. With Matthew being a climber and jumper, this gave bedtime a dangerous edge. Hence, the removal of a side of the crib turning it into a toddler bed. Of course Matthew was so excited to have a "big boy" bed. Everything about going to bed was exciting and he couldn't wait to read books in his new "big boy" bed. Then came the actually going to sleep part. Oh what sheer joy the little fella had getting up and out of bed, sneaking into Natalie's bed and running around only to run back to his bed quickly when Mommy or Daddy came up the stairs. I finally tried the Nanny technique and sat outside his room. Every time he came out I put him back into bed. He finally got the message and fell asleep at about ten o'clock. The next night it didn't take as long but it was still an up and down game. And one night I found him sitting in Natalie's room playing while she was sound asleep! Crazy kid! Tonight wasn't so bad. He was really tired since his nap was only a car ride home. He only got up twice! Although naps are certainly a challenge. We've skipped a couple, he's fought a couple, and had a couple in the car. We also have a gate up that goes across the hallway. It's only usefulness is that it warns me that he's coming because he can push right through it. If I hear it, I know I have to jump up and get to him. He's also fallen out of his little bed too. The first time he fell on his Pat-Pat Rocket. Last night he must have been perfectly happy on the floor because that's where I found him this morning!

Working at Home

This morning I taught Natalie a new, fun activity that I used to play when I was a little girl . . . school. She jumped at the idea of playing school. I went upstairs and got a few supplies like paper, easy and predictable readers, crayons, and my sound cards from when I taught kindergarten. We then set up a little "school" downstairs. Matthew even got in on the fun and enjoyed the sound cards and did a little drawing too.

Part of the whole thing that prompted me to do this was the fact that Natalie starts kindergarten in four months. I know that the kindergarten curriculum is pretty rigorous and I want to make sure she's ready and has some of the basics. Granted I have had kindergartners in my class that couldn't hold a book. Still, I want to make sure she is developing her phonemic awareness. Since I do periodically assess her informally, I do know some of her weaknesses. She knows all her letters and sounds but she needs practice with blending, rhyming, and middle sounds. Playing school gives me a chance to teach her some of those things in mini lessons. And today she LOVED every minute of it.

We played all morning until lunchtime and by then she had even gotten her backpack and filled it with school supplies. Then we took a break for about an hour and a half while I did some laundry. We called this recess. When Daddy came home I wanted to take a bath so she asked him to play school. Apparently, he didn't do it right so they played a game of Monopoly instead. That gave me about an hour of quiet time. As soon as they were done it was time for school again. This time since Matthew was napping we played for another hour. After dinner out at our favorite restaurant Wahoo's, we stopped at the bookstore and even bought a workbook to play more school. And to top it all off I got the best compliment I could get when Natalie said, "Mommy, you are a great teacher!" When I get compliments like that, I don't mind working at home!

Sleeping In

I get another parent award today. Natalie was over thirty minutes late for school. We overslept today, and by we I mean me, Matthew, and Natalie because Daddy always oversleeps. Natalie climbed into our bed last night at around one o'clock. I am usually much too tired to take her back, so she just snuggles in and gets all warm and cozy. When she's in our bed she usually sleeps a little longer because it's warm and dark. There's also the fact that we've been busier than usual this month and have slowly been sleeping later and later each day. I don't set the alarm because the three of us (Nat, Matthew, and myself) are usually up by 7:30ish.



Anyway, Matthew woke up first with a cheerful, "Mommy, I pooped." He had to call that out several times to rouse me out of bed and by that time it was 8:30 which is the start time for Nat's preschool. It was raining outside, Natalie looked so cozy, and I knew she was tired from Thursday's errands and ballet class. I let her sleep. I know, I know- school is important, good habits and all that stuff. I am a teacher. I know! But it's only preschool and I thought she'd be okay with it because she was tired.



At about five to nine, Natalie came downstairs with a bright and cheery, "Good morning, Mommy." I said, "Guess what? We overslept. It's almost nine o'clock." She looked at me with a look of panic. I told her that it would be okay if she stayed home to rest and that I would make her pancakes because this Friday was pancake and pajama day again. Apparently, last week when they had pancake and pajama day they didn't have pancakes so this was a round two. Natalie looked at me and burst into tears, "I want to have pancakes at school." I looked at her and said, "Okay, let's go." I found out that snack was after circle time and circle time was first thing in the morning. My guess was that snack was at around nine thirty, so I hustled and got Natalie ready in record time. We woke up Daddy. because he doesn't need to do much to get ready, and had him take Natalie to school.



Fortunately, she made it with plenty of time and ended up having three pancakes. Since I sent her without breakfast (another bad), I think that three pancakes was about right. When I picked her up from school I mentioned our tardiness to her teacher and how we've been sleeping later and later each day. Natalie said, "Mommy, you need to buy me my own clock to get me out of bed." And all too soon, I will.

It's Good and I Can Eat It!

I am always searching out low point treats that I can enjoy while staying within in my measly Weight Watcher point allowance. Today, after talking with my good friend Jen, I learned a new recipe. Well, new to me anyway. The recipe is for pumpkin muffins with each muffin being about three (3) points. It's very simple. Take one cake mix. You can use whatever you think will mix well with pumpkin. I chose vanilla because that's all I had. Then mix one small (14 ounce can) of pumpkin (not the filling, the pure stuff). I also added 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for thirty minutes. They were so yummy that I had to freeze half for fear of eating them all because I have absolutely no self control. It didn't have the same consistency of a muffin you'd buy at Starbuck's, but it was definitely a great lowfat treat that didn't taste like the typical lowfat snack. Two thumbs up from me!

Ah, Life Lessons

We had Ryan's parents over last week for dinner and they brought the kids two goldfish in an Ariel fishbowl. It was a cute gift and the kids were so excited with their new pets. Matthew loves anything ocean and Natalie loves the Little Mermaid. Natalie named hers Goldie and Matthew named his Fishy.

Although a belly up goldfish is never really a surprise, we were not ready for it to happen so soon. The very next morning, after getting up with Natalie to let me "sleep in," Ryan quickly came back upstairs and jokingly said, "Worst gift ever! Natalie's fish is dead." Of course, I bounded right out of bed. He continued to say that he told Natalie that it was just sleeping (allowing me to be the bearer of bad news) but Natalie was surprised and said, "I didn't think fish slept."

Anyway, we decided honesty was the best policy. We lost a fish awhile back and kind of let that one just disappear. Several months after it died, she had asked, "Where'd that fish go?" We played dumb with an "I don't know" and she bought it. But this was different. Natalie is older and the fish was fresh in her mind. In fact she was so excited to run down and feed it. So, I sat with her on the couch, took her in my arms and told her that fish were very fragile. She looked up at me with wide eyes and said, "They are?" So, I continued and told her that her fish didn't make it. She looked at me and said, "It didn't make it?" and then began to cry. Well, it was actually more like sobbing. Of course, then I cried and Ryan got rid of the evidence. We then promised her that after our camping trip she could go to the pet store and pick out a new fish. That seemed to appease her and later in the day she said that she was thankful that she had a picture with Goldie and to remember her, she would name her new fish Goldie. And again,comes that good old quote from Brother Bear, "When you love someone, they are always in your heart." I haven't seen the movie, but she has once at my sister's and remembers that lovely sentiment.

Gosh, something so simple became a very life changing moment for little Natalie. She experienced the high of the new pet and then the low of the loss. I know that we can't shelter her forever, but I certainly wasn't ready for that and I am glad that it was quick. Although, she's constantly checking Matthew's fish and reporting to us, "I think he's gonna make it," or, "He's still alive," or better, "He's not dead yet."

Here's a photo of the new fish, Goldie (the second). After a fifty dollar trip to the pet store, she picked out this little guy and he's doing quite well. He seems to like his new purple home, err tank complete with purple underwater flower.

And Matthew's fish, Fishy, is doing great.He loves to watch him eat every morning. He still wants to hold it and isn't too happy when I say he can't.

My Kids Eat Salad!

Matthew has always been a pretty healthy eater. He'd gladly accept grapes or raisins over most any choice as long as chocolate is not one of them (but who wouldn't prefer the chocolate first?). For Natalie, it has taken her a long time to warm up to veggies. She's a standard carrots and ranch, green beans, or broccoli. She'll eat corn on the cob most of the time. So I was quite surprised when she came home from school and told me she had salad for snack. The poor little thing, I grilled her like it was the inquisition. How could it be that my daughter ate salad? She must have mistaken the carrots for salad. But sure enough, the next day we were making lunch and she asked for salad and she ate it! Then today, again we were making lunch and both of the little punkins asked for salad! And they ate it! Of course it was covered with ranch dressing but it is certainly a good start.

A Brief Trip Down Memory Lane

Today was a beautiful day. The kiddos played outside for a good portion of the afternoon, running around, sliding down the slide, riding the cars and picking weeds - I mean flowers. After running around like crazy, I thought they'd like a popsicle treat so I offered them an Otter Pop, a memory from my childhood. Natalie and I were talking about the different colors and flavors and surprisingly, without even looking at a wrapper or the box, I could name all of them! Can you? I'll give you a hint. Matthew named his Doc Hudson car Rasberry after Louie Bloo Raspberry.

Curly Temple

If you know us well, you'll know that Natalie does not like us fixing her hair. When she does agree, it is usually just a clip. She always pulls them out shortly anyway. So, it's not surprising to find her in a whirlwind of scattered curls. She loves her curls too and we do everything we can to make it more curly, whether it be scrunching or using her curl spray. So many people have told her that she looks like Shirley Temple with her curls so I am sure that that encourages her to love her little mop even more even though she has no idea who Shirley Temple is. But she still doesn't like us to touch the hair and there was a period when she went out with her hair done at her own Ariel salon by herself. We just kind of had to bite our tongue on that one.

Just the other day we were watching some old video snippets from when Matthew was first born. It showed a little two year old Matthew in pig tails kissing the baby and kissing the baby's "piggies." I made the effort to point out her cute hair and told her how when she was a toddler (she loves to call Matthew a toddler) like Matthew, she let me put her hair in pig tails. I had to explain to her what pig tails were and she kind of just left it at that. The following day, which was a Friday and a school day, she said, "Mommy, I think I want pig tails today." So, Natalie, who sometimes fights us tooth and nail for a clip in her hair, let me put her hair into two adorable pig tails. She admired herself in the mirror and said, "Mommy, now I do look like Curly Temple."

And guess what? She asked for pig tails again today! I have to admit, she's cute a button in them.

Funny Things the Little Guy Says

This is just an update on the funny things that little Matthew says. He's quite a character. The other day I was reading Panda Bear, Panda Bear What Do You See? and I would give Matthew a clue as to what came next by saying the first word or the first sound. He was doing great! Then we got to the macaroni penguin so I hinted at the first word before I turned the page where he could see the photo. "Panda Bear, Panda Bear what do you see? I see a macaroni . . . " And Matthew blurted out, "and cheese." Too funny! The other day we were singing songs in the car after dinner at Wahoo's. Matthew started singing Do You Know the Muffin Man. He asked, "Mommy, do you know the muffin man?" I replied no and asked Matthew if he knew the muffin man. He said, "No, I don't know him." His latest thing is to imitate Swiper the Fox from Dora. Sometimes he'll actually swipe something but whether or not he takes anything he always says, "You'll never find it now! Ah, ha, ha ,ha, ha!" He does a good impersonation too!

Build A Bear

Natalie (and I) have dreamed of this day for a long time. We'd pass the Build-A-Bear Workshop with wide eyes and think of all the wonders that would happen in there. We'd stop in just to look at all the adorable outfits and stuffing stations. Well, the dream finally came true. For Christmas Natalie received a gift card to Build-A-Bear from her Nana so a couple of Saturdays ago we headed out to Downtown Disney to hit the "big" store. Sure, we have one at our local mall, but we thought Downtown Disney would prove to add a little magic to our experience and it didn't disappoint.

The first step at the BAB Workshop is to choose your outer shell of a friend. If you know Natalie it is of no surprise to find that she gravitated to a purple hippo. Then we picked out a sound for our friend. (I keep saying our, but it's really her friend!) Natalie chose an "I love you." After that, the clerk (employee? worker?) takes the shell of the animal and attaches it to a stuffing machine. Natalie, despite her dislike of loud noises, pressed on a floor pedal that stuffed the bear. And then she went through a super cute heart ceremony that involved her hugging the hippo, rubbing the heart onto her tummy so her friend will never go hungry, etc. It was too cute! We then fluffed up and bathed the hippo and she was good to go - but ready for home yet. Oh no, we needed to outfit it first.

Again, I say that if you know my Miss Nat, you will again not be surprised by the fact that she gravitated to the most hideous Ariel costume complete with red wig. Well, not to disappoint her, I helped her dress her hippo in the outfit so she could see if she liked it. All the while she was gleefully nodding her head while Daddy and Nana were trying to distract her with other dresses. Thankfully she decided she also liked the Sleeping Beauty dress which was very pretty.
After we dressed the hippo in her Sleeping Beauty outfit, shoes, crown, and even underwear, we entered all the info into a computer in order to create a birth certificate. And sweet little Natalie was thoughtful enough to even purchase a little doggie for her brother who patiently watched as he took it all in. We now have a lovely new addition to our family - a purple hippo named Sleeping Beauty - made with love.

Here Sleeping Beauty meets a white bear called Build-A-Bear (no relation!).

Natalie's First Big Purchase

Natalie started saving her "own" money last Easter when she got her first wallet, a pink princess one, from the Easter Bunny. She kept a dollar in it for the longest time and occasionally added some change. Then on her birthday she got a pretty, green Ariel wallet from her friend Nathan and that became her favorite wallet. She diligently kept four dollars in it for the longest time - until Mommy and Daddy borrowed one because we needed cash - and then she had three. After that she started saving all sorts of coins in her Minnie Mouse piggy bank she won at my work's spaghetti dinner. Occasionally, she'd dump out change and make some piles. But she really didn't have much of an interest other than that.
All it took to turn that around was a trip to Target a couple of weeks ago. We always stop at the toy aisle to play with and test out a few things. Well, she spied a Disney Pretty, Pretty Princess game and immediately fell in love with it. With it being after Christmas and all, we told her that she would need to save her own money if she wanted the twelve dollar game. What a great idea and she was earning a quarter a day from her responsibility chart! It was a go and we thought it would take her a good while to earn it because how quickly can an out of work preschooler earn a buck or two anyway?
Actually it took her a week! She had been making piles of coins again with her piggy bank change one afternoon which made me think it would be a good opportunity to teach her a little about money. We counted coins and changed them for dollars and before we knew it she had ten dollars. "You almost have enough for your game," I told her. She was very proud and put her bills into her wallet. Later in the day I had a Target trip planned for the usual necessities. Natalie always enjoys Target and was eager to go. As she gathered up her things she turned to Nana and said, "Nana, can I have two dollars?" What a swindler! She knew perfectly well that she needed two dollars and she also knew that Nana would give it to her! My mom said, "I am her Nana and I can spoil her. It's what Nana's do." I certainly couldn't begrudge her that.

Once we got to Target, we couldn't get to the toy aisle fast enough. She proudly picked out her game and put it into the cart. When it came time to check out I was looking for the perfect checkstand. I wanted Natalie's first purchase to be perfect. Most of the lines were full. The one that was available had a young guy, maybe late high school or college. I was concerned that it wasn't going to be a good experience and that he would just shuffle Natalie through the line. You can imagine how pleasantly surprised and pleased when right from the beginning he made a big deal over her. He said, "Are you buying your own gift yourself?" Natalie beamed. He waited patiently for her to count out the twelve dollar bills one at a time because she insisted on paying herself. He was so sweet to her and she beamed all the way out, so proud of her purchase. Thanks to Target and the young cashier for making my daughter's first purchase special.