London Calling

TV as teacher

One day, London surprised us by teaching us a new recipe.  He'd been watching TV and the station -- think it was Noggin -- showed the kids how to make yogurt popsicles.  I've shared before that we like to cook with the kids, so London is pretty comfortable in the kitchen.  He was so comfortable that I was kind of surprised.

He walked in and said, "Mom, I'm going to make a recipe."  So I just hung out and watched while he pulled out the popsicle tray and grabbed yogurt from the fridge and a spoon from the drawer and put it all on the table.  He very precisely filled the popsicle tray, inserted the sticks/lids and put in the the freezer.  He put his spoon in the sink too.  What a big kid!  He checked on his masterpiece a few times that night.  Both kids enjoyed the special treat the next night after dinner.   Bon appetite!  

Will it bite me?

London and I were at Target on Saturday when we passed the special shell fish sale guy.  They post this little station at the entrance of the store every once in a while with crab legs and shrimp.  When Taylor's in town, I'll buy crab legs because they are his all time favorite food.  This time, London took a special interest in the crab legs, but for a different reason.  

It's been a big month for Nemo in our house.  Our friends gave us a DVD of the movie and Mimi is a big fan, so the kids watched it a few times a day while she was around.  Sponge Bob is also well recognized by the kids.  So, that combination probably had something to do with London's fascination with the crab legs.

Does the pincher hurt?  Can it pinch me now?  How do you catch it?  Is he alive?  Are you sure?  What if he wakes up?  Really, are you sure he won't won't wake up even after he unfreezes?  

After I while I realized (1) we may never get our shopping done at this rate and (2) that crab was starting to look really delicious.  So, we bought just one.  London carried him (the crab) and talked about him the whole time we were shopping.  He proudly carried him into the house to show his dad what we had found on our adventure.  Then we put him in boiling water and waited just a few minutes.

About the time our crab was ready to eat, Violet woke from her nap.  London was so proud to show her his crab and tell her all about it.  When it came time to eating it, well, he wasn't impressed.  I give him credit for trying a few very small bites from such a scary looking snack.  Violet was a big fan of course -- she hasn't met a food she doesn't like outside of chocolate.  The rest of the afternoon, I watched the kids closely because I wasn't sure if we'd ever fed them, or at least Violet, shell fish before.  They survived the adventure and we all had fun.  

Excuse me, Pat Benatar, but Violet stole your look

Violet has started expressing her personal sense of style lately by choosing some of her clothes.  Today, it was leggings and a Hello Kitty shirt paired with leg warmers and a crocheted beret.  After we took this picture, she put on a dress over the whole ensemble and changed to ballet socks under summer sandals.  If this is any indication, I expect that her teenage years should be interesting.

"Mom! My penis was out of control!"

How do you respond to that one?  Bite inside of cheek.  Turn away.   Try really, really hard not to laugh.  Try really, really hard not to think of the mess in the bathroom.  Try really, really hard not to make a smart ass comment that's inappropriate for a child.  Think of something very mom-like to say in response. 

Cupcake -- for pretend

 

I feel like we spend most of our time together eating or cooking or pretending to cook.  During the week, I guess that's pretty true.  We eat breakfast and get ready for school in a flurry.  After school/work, we eat a quick dinner, followed by a fast bath and a story and bed.  On weekends, we spend a more leisurely morning and make pancakes together before we run around for the rest of the day.

The kids were given a little kitchen set by a friend which has become their favorite toy.  So, in the afternoons on weekends, I often hang out in London's room and the kids make me special meals.  They can play "cooking" for an hour or more and pride themselves on their creations -- as odd as they may seem.  "Oh, hot dog with ice cream and spaghetti?  My favorite!" 

Mimi's visit

 

Blu's mom was here for about a week which was a special treat.  The kids were spoiled and so were we.  Lots of help in the mornings and when school was closed for President's Day.  And we squeezed in 3 or 4 date nights.  Woo wee, it was a party!  Mimi may start sending AA literature to our house -- I'm afraid we were a little over the top while she was here.  It was just so nice to know that we could sleep in if we needed, that we just enjoyed the time we had.

Sadly, Mimi was called home early because her husband -- known to the kids as Papa Bear -- is in poor health and he had taken a turn for the worse.  I'm glad that Mimi had time with the kids, away from the stress of the hospital and we're all saying a little prayer for PB and Mimi.   

 

Let the dogs out on Valentine's day

 

We had a very fun Valentine's morning with the kids.  They had special placemats from their grandmother and cards -- that played music -- and books and a new paper airplane origami.  (I curse buying the paper airplane origami.  It's complicated and a pain and I should've known it was going to be tough.  Who says "I made a paper airplane origami" anyway?) 

What the kids loved the very most was the music card.  It played "Who let the dogs out" over and over and over.  I think that Blu hid it after just a few minutes because he had hit his "dogs out" limit.  It's wild that they can have so much fun with something so little.  And ... I promised to have a dance party at home after school which is always a big treat.  Grandma thinks we're nuts, but that's okay.  It's more fun to be a little nuts anyway.

Chalk it up kids

 

A few weeks ago I finished painting a small area of our kitchen with a magnetic primer and a top coat of chalk board paint.  I was tired of the art stand that takes over a nice part of the living room and wanted a creative space in the kitchen -- which seems to be where we spend the most time.  London remembered the chalkboard wall from our old house and was ready to draw right away.  Violet was a little hesitant ... and then she went wild.  The only problem is that she doesn't realize that this wall is special and keeps going with the chalk all over the kitchen walls, windows, trim and even poor Emily. 

Pizza pie!

Violet has the cooking bug too!  The other day she helped me make homemade pizza.  (Dad made the dough.)  She loved to roll it out -- although I could've gotten a concussion easily from the way she was swinging around the rolling pin.  Watch out Mario Batalli!

Yep.  The whole project was completed with binky in mouth.  

Couch fort

   

London spent most of Super Bowl Sunday building this fort.  He was so proud of his work!  Still, he was generous and allowed Violet to play in it a little before she went to bed.  He was so proud in fact, that he decided to sleep in it!  I tried to snooze nearby but Violet was a fuss -- getting ready to deal with a bad cold -- so I turned on the alarm and hoped for the best.  Blu came in pretty early from his night in the city and I rushed downstairs just as he began tearing down the fort.  I didn't want him to step on London or throw him around thinking he was a couch cushion.  (He's 36 lbs max.)

In the morning, London joined us downstairs for breakfast in tears.  He as so hurt that his fort was gone.  But alas, there are many more forts to build in the future.