Stumbling

Dealing with a toddler can be challenging most of the time. My patience is usually at the edge. Most of the time I can walk away for 10 seconds so that I can keep it together. Other times, like at the grocery store, I cannot. 

I see this as a failing on my part, not the child's. I need to figure out more techniques for dealing with the poor choices. For a while I was taking away toys, but who wants that? Besides, the more I did it, the less effective it was. 

I really feel that there should be a parent course where they can give you pointers. Maybe I just need to read more. I want to be a good patent. I think that I'm just better on some days than others. 

Eyes like the...

Looking into our kids eyes, I get lost every time. She's got eyes like a cloudless day far from the city and he has eyes like the sea. 

But their eye colour is changing. I'm not sure what colour they will be in the end. However I suspect that I'll still get lost in those eyes and be able to stare at them as long as the stars. Those eyes are made of stardust after all. 

Those quiet moments

Some times it's nice to have some quiet time. Nothing else that should be done that instant, just rest. 

Piano music softly playing in the background doesn't hurt either. 

A smile to bring a tear to your eye

Today was the first day that Isaac smiled at me. He looked up and gave me a big goofy grin and cooed. Well, maybe he was looking past my face at the ceiling, but I'll take it anyways. It went on for 60-90 seconds. I'd be lying if I said my eyes were dry.

Such as the moments in life. I'm sure that one day, just like his sister, he'll infuriate me as well, but that's what kids do when they test boundaries.

I want to eat it

It's just a phase, or so they say, but right now a common phrase is "I want to eat it". "It" being anything from food, buses, her brother, ducks in the park, buildings, etc. I'm not exactly sure what she means, but she seems quite insistent that she actually wants to eat them. Maybe it's some kind of 'by consuming it, shall I know it' thing. Either way it can be awkward in public if she starts talking about body parts. Maybe it's just the fact that she's two. Kids are weird.

But if I ever disappear, check the freezer. Just in case. 

Adapt the story for the audience

One of the things that I've been doing since the beginning is changing the stories I've read Alice to match what I want her to learn. Some times it's just gender swapping for the "About a boy" series of books by Oliver Jeffers. I wanted her to feel that the protagonist was about her, could be her. It's been important to me.

There once was a girl who loved stars very much...

Others stories like Olivia (who is a bit of a brat), I change it so that she doesn't get her way with her parents. Her parents are firm, and in my telling her parents don't give in. Having a toddler is a challenge enough without teaching them that they can always get their way if they just talk more. Ugg.

Other stories just wrong in that they teach unsafe practices. No, you can't pile in toys in your younger child's crib or take the stroller (containing said sibling) for a walk.

I want our kids to know that they can be the hero of their own stories and be able to relate to the ones they read about. I want them to be safe and learn the social rules that I am trying to teach. They can be the hero. I'll be the quirky old wizard. That should work. ;-)

Global warming / climate change is giving me a headache... literally.

With more energetic storms going by more often, I'm getting headaches more often than I want. It's quite trying because, well, headaches. It sucks. My stomach feels like crap, my language skills go down in that... thing... where you poop... porcelain. *sigh*

So, if you see me out spewing incomprehensible things and shaking my fist at the fast moving clouds, you know that it's because I'm cursing the wind. Whom I call Steve.

Damn you Steve, damn you.

Full days

We're both at home. No work, just the kids. Every day seems full. We're either going to different parks, museums, forced marches, or something similar. Fun - as much as we can pack in. What this usually means is that the house isn't getting any of the work done that I told myself "I'll do it when I'm off". Mind you, I'm pretty lazy and don't need much of an excuse.

We were visiting with friends a week ago and they told us that they had hired a babysitter so that they could do things like wash the windows and clay bar the car. Our windows and car are desperately in need of a good clean, but if we hire a babysitter I think that we'd zoom off on our bikes or go out to dinner or a movie. Cleaning is probably one of the last things that we'd do. It's probably easier to hire someone to clean our windows and car anyways...

I just strongly dislike working on maintaining stuff. I'd rather go to the park and run through a splash pad.

On being huge

Isaac is huge. Much bigger than Alice was at the sand age. Same weight at one month as she was at 3 month. At two months the same weight as she was at 6 months! Currently his ankles are bigger than my wrist and around his knees is larger than my ankles. Thinking about it, I should probably use a measuring tape...

He's big. Rolly, full of folds and super cute. 

I need to get more sleep

Don't misunderstand me, Laura is getting less than I am. I've got very little reason to complain. I'm just a bit tired and need to remove the bad habit of staying up too late. I had to laugh when I read The Onion story about a man who thought he really was going to go to bed early. Funny.

The part that jarred me was when they said there was "four different shows he needs to catch up on". Catch up on? We used to do that when we had a pvr that had limited space. We felt like we were obligated to watch tv, to keep up with the Joneses. I feel that if you're "behind" in your "entertainment", you're doing it wrong. It's supposed to be there to fill in the extra time you have. You should not ever displace sleep to get "caught up" on something like that.

I figure that there will be enough time later in life when I may have limited mobility to consume all the media that I'd like. With the plethora of written, spoken and video (and possibly something like holographic in the future) choices, it's possible to be picky. And you can be picky right now. Want a good book? You don't have to look at the things published in the last 2 years. There is entertainment that goes back thousands of years. Certainly more of a backlog than I will ever be able to get through. Mix it up with your other favourite author. But with either, feel free to drop it and move on to something else worthy of your time. There is no need to get caught up with entertainment.

Catching up is for friends and family. Spend the time there.

Everyone has a novel in them

Some times in moments of delusional grandeur I imagine myself writing a wonderful novel, or short story or something else that's, if not widely read, at least amusing. Actually "published". However, I think that it's akin to someone feeling that they can make a pretty good omelet on Sunday morning and figuring that the next step is making a 12 course dinner for the Queen of England and 500 of her closest friends. It probably won't turn out very well.

But I do think about it some times. I'd just need to figure out a really good idea. And how to write dialog. And pacing. Grammar. And a few other things that I don't even know are there.

*sigh*

Maybe Christopher Hitchens is right.

Lucky

Toddlers test you. That's what they do. Expecting anything else is silly. So of course ours does. It's challenging, but requires that I learn new techniques when dealing with things. Those are the less than fun times. But we have fun. Lots and lots of fun.

Exploring new places. Telling each other stories. Thinking about new things or seeing familiar things in new ways. Routine (yes, it can be fun). I enjoy it all.

One of the things is Alice's fashion sense. She can usually put together an outfit better coordinated than I could. Maybe that's why she insists on getting her clothes and almost reflexively ignoring any of my suggestions. So that's why sometimes when it's 30+ C outside she decides to wear her Marry Jane's with reindeer socks. I can't help it, but I really love the look. You know, 'cause Red is Best.

Rocking the reindeers