Our darling son finally noticed Cass was gone this morning. The conversation went something like this:
Ben, looking around our bedroom, "Hey, Dad, where's Cass? Where'd Cass go?"
Daddy, gingerly trying not to upset our son and send him in a grieving downward spiral, "She went to live with Heavenly Father, buddy."
Ben, "Oh," and carelessly went running down the hall with a giant smile on his face.
Is he wonderfully simple in his youth or does he remember someplace wonderful that we have all forgotten in our old age... :)
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Friday, April 27, 2012
The world keeps on turning...
It has been an interesting week here in the Penthouse. It is extraordinarily weird after all these years to only walk one dog. I keep seeing and feeling Cassidy all over the yard sniffing and doing "u-turns" in her unique funny way. Ben has yet to even notice she is gone. He only mentioned her once as we were walking down the steps reminding me I needed to take Dodo and Cass for a pee. Dodo seems to be fine being solo, unlike Cass who would have anxiety up the wazoo when left on her own.
Emma has been an interesting case study. She hasn't been sad, per se, but she will out of nowhere ask questions like, "What will happen to Grandma?" So, Grandmas reading this, please don't refer to yourself as "old" in front of her because as we called Cass an "Old Lady Dog" and she is now dead, Emma is concerned (she hasn't said it outright but we can tell what she is thinking) that you, too, will die on us soon. And, since I convinced her y'all have lots of time left here on Earth (unless the Mayans were correct), we'd appreciate it if you stuck around for "lots and lots and lots" of years more.
Ben is back to his old "Rooster Boy" ways. 5:30 this morning I was stuffing the Oswald DVD into the player, handing over a cup of milk and going back to bed. Sorry buddy boy but I just don't have it in me to entertain you before 7am - no matter how adorable you are, and dang it, you are darned adorable.
Emma has been an interesting case study. She hasn't been sad, per se, but she will out of nowhere ask questions like, "What will happen to Grandma?" So, Grandmas reading this, please don't refer to yourself as "old" in front of her because as we called Cass an "Old Lady Dog" and she is now dead, Emma is concerned (she hasn't said it outright but we can tell what she is thinking) that you, too, will die on us soon. And, since I convinced her y'all have lots of time left here on Earth (unless the Mayans were correct), we'd appreciate it if you stuck around for "lots and lots and lots" of years more.
Ben is back to his old "Rooster Boy" ways. 5:30 this morning I was stuffing the Oswald DVD into the player, handing over a cup of milk and going back to bed. Sorry buddy boy but I just don't have it in me to entertain you before 7am - no matter how adorable you are, and dang it, you are darned adorable.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Nighty Night, Cassidy
Cassidy, our "old lady" dog passed away yesterday morning on the floor in our bedroom. She had been slowing down the past few months, becoming incontinent and just overall not her usual self. She was almost 14 years old - we knew it was coming and had prepared Emma for it. I was at 35,000 feet flying home from a wedding when it happened. Daddy can document it better, but the jist is, Monday night she ate dinner as her usual hungry champion self at 7:30pm. At 10:30 when Daddy tried to take both dogs for a walk, Cass had trouble standing, then simply laid down in the foyer as if to say I'm done. Daddy carried her down the steps to go to the bathroom and she laid down in the grass, too. She whined sadly most of the night. Daddy's hands were tied with rushing her to the vet as the kids were sleeping and I was not home. We had already agreed on a "DNR" for her anyway... Tuesday morning, Emma woke up and saw Cass laying sadly on the floor. She offered her a pillow to make her labored breathing more comfortable and it actually seemed to help! 30 minutes later she was gone, joining the energy all our family previously departed up in the Universe.
Ben has been completely oblivious that Cassidy is no longer following him around trying to eat his food off his plate. Emma? Well, she's an interesting gal. As we had been prepping her that Cass was indeed going to leave us at some near point in time, she was sad for about 12 seconds, then asked when she was going to get a "blue fish" - something she had previously asked for as a replacement for Cassidy! She did ask me where Cass went - I reminded her that she was now with "Reddy Red" (our beta that died last Summer) and Heavenly Father up in the sky. She told me Cass was going to be real happy jumping around on the clouds and I told her the next clear night we have, we can sneak outside and look for her star in the sky (ala - Ray, the lightening bug from The Princess and the Frog).
This morning when I dropped at school she was crying pretty hard. She said she just wanted to stay home with me and snuggle on the couch (I was gone for almost 5 days!), but part of me is sure she is sensing there is something missing in our family and she needed hugs to fill the void. That being said, when I picked her up from school she raced to the Dragon Hill with the kids to play happy as usual and even told her pal, Molly, as they were rolling down the hill that her dog died - matter of fact, no tears in sight.
Here's to you Cass. You came with Daddy into our relationship. You witnessed our first kiss. You didn't complain (too much) when you lost your space in Daddy's bed to me. You were the "witness" at Daddy's bended knee proposal to me ("with Dog as my witness, will you marry me?"), you were first to sniff both of our babies the day they came home from the hospital. While, as everyone knows, I am not necessarily a "dog person", you were the softest dog ever with the sweetest face and I know how much you loved being a part of our family and we will always love you.
Ben has been completely oblivious that Cassidy is no longer following him around trying to eat his food off his plate. Emma? Well, she's an interesting gal. As we had been prepping her that Cass was indeed going to leave us at some near point in time, she was sad for about 12 seconds, then asked when she was going to get a "blue fish" - something she had previously asked for as a replacement for Cassidy! She did ask me where Cass went - I reminded her that she was now with "Reddy Red" (our beta that died last Summer) and Heavenly Father up in the sky. She told me Cass was going to be real happy jumping around on the clouds and I told her the next clear night we have, we can sneak outside and look for her star in the sky (ala - Ray, the lightening bug from The Princess and the Frog).
This morning when I dropped at school she was crying pretty hard. She said she just wanted to stay home with me and snuggle on the couch (I was gone for almost 5 days!), but part of me is sure she is sensing there is something missing in our family and she needed hugs to fill the void. That being said, when I picked her up from school she raced to the Dragon Hill with the kids to play happy as usual and even told her pal, Molly, as they were rolling down the hill that her dog died - matter of fact, no tears in sight.
Here's to you Cass. You came with Daddy into our relationship. You witnessed our first kiss. You didn't complain (too much) when you lost your space in Daddy's bed to me. You were the "witness" at Daddy's bended knee proposal to me ("with Dog as my witness, will you marry me?"), you were first to sniff both of our babies the day they came home from the hospital. While, as everyone knows, I am not necessarily a "dog person", you were the softest dog ever with the sweetest face and I know how much you loved being a part of our family and we will always love you.
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| At the very start of our Family - January 2006. |
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| Sleeping with Dodo and Emma as a newborn. |
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Regular maintenance
I get free oil changes at the dealer where I purchased my car. It is a bit far from my house and takes forever but free is free so free it is.
As my kid swap pal will be watching my kids a ton this weekend I offered to takes hers with mine on a field trip! To the oil change place! Woohoo! She agreed and off me and the awesome foursome went. Four minutes into the ride George asked, "Are we there yet?" oh boy did this kid have it coming. 40 min and only two kid disagreements later we pulled into the service dept and I marched the kiddos into the playroom. Within minutes they trashed the joint - toys everywhere - but I didn't care one bit. (Of course we cleaned up before we left!). And we each had 2 fresh baked chocolate chip cookies free! Free oil! Free cookies! What is not to love?
The service usually takes me 90 min but we were out the door in 55!! I found the secret! Bring a bunch of rug rats w you and they express your car to get u the heck out of the joint!
As my kid swap pal will be watching my kids a ton this weekend I offered to takes hers with mine on a field trip! To the oil change place! Woohoo! She agreed and off me and the awesome foursome went. Four minutes into the ride George asked, "Are we there yet?" oh boy did this kid have it coming. 40 min and only two kid disagreements later we pulled into the service dept and I marched the kiddos into the playroom. Within minutes they trashed the joint - toys everywhere - but I didn't care one bit. (Of course we cleaned up before we left!). And we each had 2 fresh baked chocolate chip cookies free! Free oil! Free cookies! What is not to love?
The service usually takes me 90 min but we were out the door in 55!! I found the secret! Bring a bunch of rug rats w you and they express your car to get u the heck out of the joint!
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| Cookie cookie cookie starts with C! |
Summer fun in Spring!
It was 80 today! Crazy. Yesterday was just as awesome. The maintenance crew came thru to test out the yard sprinklers. My kiddos took full advantage of the yard work and played for a good 45 min in their clothes. They came inside soaked and covered w mud, but they had a blast so who am I to be the crankmeister. They had afternoon baths which made our after dinner ritual easier so no complaints!
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| Sans skirt! |
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| But Mom, mud baths are good for our excema! |
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Good times!
Our sunny and 75˚ morning started off here:
We did lots of things while (not) watching Daddy play like:
But the best part was when Ben discovered this:
Ben sang the theme song from all his favorite shows to the creatures in the deep dark hole. His voice echoed and was wicked loud and it was AWESOME.
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| Daddy is the black pants man playing 1st base! |
We did lots of things while (not) watching Daddy play like:
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| Climbing fences, seeing how many balls we could hold at one time on our arms, picking the dandelions... |
But the best part was when Ben discovered this:
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| "Hello! Is anybody down there?" |
Ben sang the theme song from all his favorite shows to the creatures in the deep dark hole. His voice echoed and was wicked loud and it was AWESOME.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Ahhhhhhh, Benny
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| Ben MUST go to bed with his beloved Thomas on his headboard. He left it behind at the zoo the other day and I searched for ten minutes looking for it. I finally saw it in someones's stroller and snatched it right out before they could protest gushing, "Oh THANK YOU for finding my son's train. He can't sleep without it!" |
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| Ben LOVES pizza. He could eat it for every meal... |
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| He fell asleep on the couch this afternoon while eating a snack - tired little man. |
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| Ben knows exactly where we hide the iPad and often tries to get it off the top of the hutch! |
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Doing it right
Y'all know I am a social being. I love to hang out with friends - especially if they have kiddos near my kids age, because it's a win win for us all.
Spring break has been awesome. I scheduled a playdate every day and my kids (and me) have been thriving with the fun. It has gotten me excited for Summer vacation - we've got such a fun network of friends, a village - if u will - exactly the reason to move from the big city to a small coastal village...
Today's adventure started at our beloved Rocketship park. We haven't been there since Autumn and to see the difference in my children's abilities to use certain equipment is awesome. Ben still has no fear and gives me mini heart attacks on the big kid jungle gyms, but he is very agile and strong and has remarkable recovery skills when he gets in a jam. We met up with 5 of Em's preK class pals and she had a blast being with them in an environment that wasn't school. (see pics)
We needed to leave the park by 11:30 because we had to get some lunch eaten then drive south to Holtsville to meet our old pals for a playdate at the mini zoo and ecology center. Ben, not understanding we were going somewhere else super cool, had his biggest "I don't wanna go!" tantrum to date. Insert Mommy stress level rising here.
We made it home for lunch - both children now screaming at the top of their lungs. Ben - still longing for Rocketship park, Emma - annoyed with Ben's obnoxious hysterical crying!
Quick lunch eaten and we were off again. We met our pals, played on the playground for a while, then enjoyed the zoo. Our very motor skill oriented Ben enjoyed walking on the curbs and jumping off the benches as usual, BUT for the first time he actually stopped and looked at the animals and talked to me about them, too. It was awesome and I so very much want to freeze this moment in time.
Sidebar, when we pulled into the parking lot of the ecology center, Ben remembered the last time we were there was with his speech teacher from the Fall and said, "Where's Kathy? Let's go zoo w Kathy!" (That was over 5 months ago and he said it as we pulled into the long driveway of the center!! How the heck did he recognize/remember the place???!?)
Spring break has been awesome. I scheduled a playdate every day and my kids (and me) have been thriving with the fun. It has gotten me excited for Summer vacation - we've got such a fun network of friends, a village - if u will - exactly the reason to move from the big city to a small coastal village...
Today's adventure started at our beloved Rocketship park. We haven't been there since Autumn and to see the difference in my children's abilities to use certain equipment is awesome. Ben still has no fear and gives me mini heart attacks on the big kid jungle gyms, but he is very agile and strong and has remarkable recovery skills when he gets in a jam. We met up with 5 of Em's preK class pals and she had a blast being with them in an environment that wasn't school. (see pics)
We needed to leave the park by 11:30 because we had to get some lunch eaten then drive south to Holtsville to meet our old pals for a playdate at the mini zoo and ecology center. Ben, not understanding we were going somewhere else super cool, had his biggest "I don't wanna go!" tantrum to date. Insert Mommy stress level rising here.
We made it home for lunch - both children now screaming at the top of their lungs. Ben - still longing for Rocketship park, Emma - annoyed with Ben's obnoxious hysterical crying!
Quick lunch eaten and we were off again. We met our pals, played on the playground for a while, then enjoyed the zoo. Our very motor skill oriented Ben enjoyed walking on the curbs and jumping off the benches as usual, BUT for the first time he actually stopped and looked at the animals and talked to me about them, too. It was awesome and I so very much want to freeze this moment in time.
Sidebar, when we pulled into the parking lot of the ecology center, Ben remembered the last time we were there was with his speech teacher from the Fall and said, "Where's Kathy? Let's go zoo w Kathy!" (That was over 5 months ago and he said it as we pulled into the long driveway of the center!! How the heck did he recognize/remember the place???!?)
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| Surprise, surprise. Ben and Thomas in the sand. |
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| preK pals at Rocketship park! |
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| With our "local family" at the zoo. I will always love the butt shot at the zoo! |
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| What's more fun, the peacock or the sewer grate next to the peacock's pen? |
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| The wishing well - or, how to empty Mom's wallet of heavy spare change! |
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
part 2? 3? 4?
I always post "part 1" with the intention of adding the "part 2" but then I lose track of my time and next thing I know it's three days later and I can't remember what I wanted to write in the "part 2" part. Aaahhh, mama brain...
We had a playdate this morning with our friends who own C'est Cheese, our favorite gourmet cheese and wine shop in our village. They have a daughter 3 weeks older than Ben and a newborn girl. It was a nice chance for me and the mama to catch up and all the kids played great together. Emma behaves so well in these situations because she realizes she is older and has to be the good example for the younger kids. It probably helps that the little ones look up to her, too. The playdate ended PERFECTLY - with a free lunch at the shop - haha! It's good to have friends who own food places! (Now I need to make friends with a Sushi Restaurant owner and their kids... haha)
After the Easter egg hunt at Aunt Lisa's on Sunday, we were flying kites in her windy back yard. I looked over at Ben and he was dancing around. I thought he had to pee, but it was a #2 he needed. We raced across the yard but it was too late. I pulled his pants down and he pooped on her grass. HA! In his defense, the poop landed right next to her dog's pile that hadn't been scooped up yet. No harm, no foul.
Sunday evening after dinner, the cousins and the parents and my young kiddos all laid around the living room and watched "Van Helsing" - ahhhh Easter memories in the making. Em kept asking why they were biting each other and the part where Van Helsing turns into the scary wolfman, I was trying to play it off all light and fluffy - oh, no, Em, there is nothing to be afraid of, he's a good wolf! She's vehemently disagreed with me noting that if he were a good wolf, his fur would be white. Tou che, child.
I had a dentist appointment yesterday and Emma wanted to go along with me. I told her I needed to go to two stores afterwards and that would be a long time for her to just hang out. She insisted she would be on her best behavior so I gave her a shot. She did GREAT at the dentist and store #1. BUT, by store #2 she had used up all her good girl rations for the day and turned into Naughty McNautilesteins racing up and down the aisles full speed, running amok, and not listening one iota at my suggestions she needed to stay by my side and behave. On the ride home I told her how disappointed I was with her behavior. She BEGGED me not to tell Daddy. I told her I wouldn't tell him, she would. She was all, HUH? When we walked in the door of the penthouse I said to Daddy, "Emma has something to tell you." She gave me a cranky look then proceeded to mutter to Daddy about her behavior. Daddy, trying to play Good cop Bad cop said, "Emma, that is unacceptable." He then looked at me with the 'what do you want me to do' look saying, "And, what did Mommy say was your punishment?" She did not reply, so I helped her out - no Easter chocolate for dessert. She pouted her way down the hall into her room...
We had a playdate this morning with our friends who own C'est Cheese, our favorite gourmet cheese and wine shop in our village. They have a daughter 3 weeks older than Ben and a newborn girl. It was a nice chance for me and the mama to catch up and all the kids played great together. Emma behaves so well in these situations because she realizes she is older and has to be the good example for the younger kids. It probably helps that the little ones look up to her, too. The playdate ended PERFECTLY - with a free lunch at the shop - haha! It's good to have friends who own food places! (Now I need to make friends with a Sushi Restaurant owner and their kids... haha)
After the Easter egg hunt at Aunt Lisa's on Sunday, we were flying kites in her windy back yard. I looked over at Ben and he was dancing around. I thought he had to pee, but it was a #2 he needed. We raced across the yard but it was too late. I pulled his pants down and he pooped on her grass. HA! In his defense, the poop landed right next to her dog's pile that hadn't been scooped up yet. No harm, no foul.
Sunday evening after dinner, the cousins and the parents and my young kiddos all laid around the living room and watched "Van Helsing" - ahhhh Easter memories in the making. Em kept asking why they were biting each other and the part where Van Helsing turns into the scary wolfman, I was trying to play it off all light and fluffy - oh, no, Em, there is nothing to be afraid of, he's a good wolf! She's vehemently disagreed with me noting that if he were a good wolf, his fur would be white. Tou che, child.
I had a dentist appointment yesterday and Emma wanted to go along with me. I told her I needed to go to two stores afterwards and that would be a long time for her to just hang out. She insisted she would be on her best behavior so I gave her a shot. She did GREAT at the dentist and store #1. BUT, by store #2 she had used up all her good girl rations for the day and turned into Naughty McNautilesteins racing up and down the aisles full speed, running amok, and not listening one iota at my suggestions she needed to stay by my side and behave. On the ride home I told her how disappointed I was with her behavior. She BEGGED me not to tell Daddy. I told her I wouldn't tell him, she would. She was all, HUH? When we walked in the door of the penthouse I said to Daddy, "Emma has something to tell you." She gave me a cranky look then proceeded to mutter to Daddy about her behavior. Daddy, trying to play Good cop Bad cop said, "Emma, that is unacceptable." He then looked at me with the 'what do you want me to do' look saying, "And, what did Mommy say was your punishment?" She did not reply, so I helped her out - no Easter chocolate for dessert. She pouted her way down the hall into her room...
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Happy Easter part 1
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| The Easter Bunny was here! |
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| Sand toys and chocolate. PERFECTO! |
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| A preview of the flower girl come September. |
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| Best family pic we could get. Will my children ever look at the camera? |
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| Cousins! |
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| Ben needed to open EVERY EGG he found when he found it! The hunt took FOREVER. |
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| Score!! (I mostly like this pic for vanity reasons. It has been one year since I started my new eating lifestyle. I dropped 25 lbs and KEPT IT OFF! Hoooooray! I like my leg in this pic. hahahahaha!) |
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Spring Break, day 1
At 4:25 this afternoon Emma announced, "This is the best day off ever!"
We are on Spring break day 1. Our pals came over this morning from 9:30-11:30 for a playdate - there was an hour of indoor fun (sorry downstairs neighbors... please don't hate us) and an hour of KICKBALL. Those bases I bought are the best purchase ever - 4 kids kicking and running home runs every time make 2 happy Mamas.
We had lunch, then outsided it up with our favorite neighbors for an hour or so. We then ran errands, with a pitstop at Dunkin Donuts (don't tell Daddy!!!), and continued the outdoor Spring fun exploring the big wide world in our yard ending at 4:25 with more kickball.
Let's talk about the kickball I purchased from Amazon. It turns out that Mama needs to read the fine print. I was shooting for an old school kickball / dodgeball about the size of a basketball - you know, the kind we had in gym class as kids. What I received was a ball about the size of a grapefruit because I somehow missed the 5 inch diameter description. Well, we had tons of fun with it anyways, but if you are considering buying us an Easter gift, feel free to get us a proper sized kickball...
We are now engrossed in Oswald before I toss the kiddos in the bath. I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am that Emma has rediscovered Oswald and that Ben is now madly in love with the crew. I love them almost as much as I love Peep and the Big Wide World. And, I am so very grateful that my kids know I despise the dumb yellow talking sponge and even though they may be exposed to him in friend's homes, they will never ask to watch him in the penthouse! :)
We are on Spring break day 1. Our pals came over this morning from 9:30-11:30 for a playdate - there was an hour of indoor fun (sorry downstairs neighbors... please don't hate us) and an hour of KICKBALL. Those bases I bought are the best purchase ever - 4 kids kicking and running home runs every time make 2 happy Mamas.
We had lunch, then outsided it up with our favorite neighbors for an hour or so. We then ran errands, with a pitstop at Dunkin Donuts (don't tell Daddy!!!), and continued the outdoor Spring fun exploring the big wide world in our yard ending at 4:25 with more kickball.
Let's talk about the kickball I purchased from Amazon. It turns out that Mama needs to read the fine print. I was shooting for an old school kickball / dodgeball about the size of a basketball - you know, the kind we had in gym class as kids. What I received was a ball about the size of a grapefruit because I somehow missed the 5 inch diameter description. Well, we had tons of fun with it anyways, but if you are considering buying us an Easter gift, feel free to get us a proper sized kickball...
We are now engrossed in Oswald before I toss the kiddos in the bath. I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am that Emma has rediscovered Oswald and that Ben is now madly in love with the crew. I love them almost as much as I love Peep and the Big Wide World. And, I am so very grateful that my kids know I despise the dumb yellow talking sponge and even though they may be exposed to him in friend's homes, they will never ask to watch him in the penthouse! :)
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Toddler Mutant Ninja Turtles
Tired. So tired I am delirious. So delirious in general that the other evening I rolled over in MY bed at about 1:30am only to get a karate chop to my kidneys from a Benjamin who didn't want to share my space.
Wait a minute. Benjamin? How did Benjamin get into our bed??
Seriously, I carried a sleeping Ben back to his bunk, came my back to bed and asked my sleepy husband, "When did Ben crawl into bed with us?" to which he replied, "What? Huh? Ben was in our bed?"
MY KID IS A NINJA!
Also, in the vain of Easter week: I am the QUEEN of toy resurrection!!! Our beloved twilight turtle died, I scrubbed the battery terminal riddled with battery acid with an old toothbrush and WALA, it worked again. PHEW!
Then, battery operated Thomas' coupling mechanism broke crippling my son's imaginary play. So I took the coupling mechanism from broken wheeled Percy and put it on Thomas and "wala" again, happy kiddo!! I am that good when called upon... :) Good night.
Wait a minute. Benjamin? How did Benjamin get into our bed??
Seriously, I carried a sleeping Ben back to his bunk, came my back to bed and asked my sleepy husband, "When did Ben crawl into bed with us?" to which he replied, "What? Huh? Ben was in our bed?"
MY KID IS A NINJA!
Also, in the vain of Easter week: I am the QUEEN of toy resurrection!!! Our beloved twilight turtle died, I scrubbed the battery terminal riddled with battery acid with an old toothbrush and WALA, it worked again. PHEW!
Then, battery operated Thomas' coupling mechanism broke crippling my son's imaginary play. So I took the coupling mechanism from broken wheeled Percy and put it on Thomas and "wala" again, happy kiddo!! I am that good when called upon... :) Good night.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Benjamin
Our beloved boy wants nothing more than to build "suspension bridges" for his beloved Thomas to roll across. When he first asked me to help him build one yesterday I thought to myself, "What the heck is he asking, because it sure sounds like suspension bridge, but how does a 3 year old know about suspension bridges???"
So I pulled out my yard stick, built a long bridge across it onto the couch and "wala!" my kid was in choo-choo heaven!!
So I pulled out my yard stick, built a long bridge across it onto the couch and "wala!" my kid was in choo-choo heaven!!
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| Hey Mom! Where's my hand??? |
Friday, March 30, 2012
Die dye!
Where has the week gone? Where has March gone? What do we DO ALL DAY?
Seriously, I cannot remember one day from the next. Everything blends together in a missmash of playdates and school drop offs / pick ups and squeezing in work and trying to feed my family healthy foods.
We have absolutely positively given up on giving Emma any food that contains dye. If you buy her something that has red dye 25, or yellow dye 6, etc etc etc, just know that I am going to toss it in the trash before she can get her teeth into it. Daddy and I have been observing some wild mood swings in her the past 6 months. A friend of mine has two kids with 100 different food allergies - one of them being food dyes. Her children turn into screaming whining fighting horrible monsters when they consume dye. It's surreal! Em rarely gets "crap", but she has been attending lots of birthday parties as of late where she gets goodie bags filled with junk - toys and snacks/candies. Her worst episodes come after we get home from these parties. We honestly thought she was simply exhausted from the play, but we have since come to realize that that may be part of it, but the CRAP she eats from these bags afterwards flips a switch in her brain and she becomes an absolute beast.
So, no more food dye. No more high fructose corn syrup. I am sure I will add to this list as time goes on but for now we will keep vigil and see if the behavior improves.
On a happy note, she continues to excel on the vocabulary building front. It never ceases to amaze me the words she comes up with! But I especially like the sincere mistakes, like yesterday when we were playing in our friend's backyard, "Mommy, can you help me get up on the hampick?" (As in hammock - but I think she was thinking hamper as I am always requesting she put her dirty clothes in the laundry hamper!)
Ben has become quite the artist. The other morning when he and Daddy were playing he requested, "Dad, can we play arfs and crabs?"
Arts and crafts! It never gets old.
Ben has also become Stewie from the Family Guy in that episode where he follows his Mother around everywhere saying, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy..." for hours on end. He does not need anything. He simply wants my constant attention. Thanks for loving me so much, little man.
Seriously, I cannot remember one day from the next. Everything blends together in a missmash of playdates and school drop offs / pick ups and squeezing in work and trying to feed my family healthy foods.
We have absolutely positively given up on giving Emma any food that contains dye. If you buy her something that has red dye 25, or yellow dye 6, etc etc etc, just know that I am going to toss it in the trash before she can get her teeth into it. Daddy and I have been observing some wild mood swings in her the past 6 months. A friend of mine has two kids with 100 different food allergies - one of them being food dyes. Her children turn into screaming whining fighting horrible monsters when they consume dye. It's surreal! Em rarely gets "crap", but she has been attending lots of birthday parties as of late where she gets goodie bags filled with junk - toys and snacks/candies. Her worst episodes come after we get home from these parties. We honestly thought she was simply exhausted from the play, but we have since come to realize that that may be part of it, but the CRAP she eats from these bags afterwards flips a switch in her brain and she becomes an absolute beast.
So, no more food dye. No more high fructose corn syrup. I am sure I will add to this list as time goes on but for now we will keep vigil and see if the behavior improves.
On a happy note, she continues to excel on the vocabulary building front. It never ceases to amaze me the words she comes up with! But I especially like the sincere mistakes, like yesterday when we were playing in our friend's backyard, "Mommy, can you help me get up on the hampick?" (As in hammock - but I think she was thinking hamper as I am always requesting she put her dirty clothes in the laundry hamper!)
Ben has become quite the artist. The other morning when he and Daddy were playing he requested, "Dad, can we play arfs and crabs?"
Arts and crafts! It never gets old.
Ben has also become Stewie from the Family Guy in that episode where he follows his Mother around everywhere saying, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy..." for hours on end. He does not need anything. He simply wants my constant attention. Thanks for loving me so much, little man.
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