TGIF

1. I discovered FlyLady a couple of years ago, and while I haven’t really adopted her day to day cleaning plans, her methods have definitely influenced the way I clean my house. So as I looked around at the various disaster areas in our house recently, I decided I would just do one room at a time - spending a week in each - until things are cleaned up and organized. So this week I’ve been in the master bedroom (which just happens to coincide with where FlyLady is, too). It’s not perfect, but the piles of clothes are off the floor, along with the random bins of baby stuff I’d been meaning to go through. I haven’t decided if I’m going to do the girls’ room next, or the laundry room. Yikes!

 

2. Jacinta has been very interested in books lately, but she doesn’t really want to read them, just point out things of interest to ask what they are. Which is really cute, but also mildly aggravating. The problem? She will follow me around the house with a book and doesn’t seem to understand “Please wait,” or “I’m getting something hot out of the oven,” or “I’m up to my elbows in raw chicken right now.” So that leads to some frustrated squawks on her part when Mom fails to immediately identify the object in question. Oh, my ears.

3. Veronica’s version of this is, of course, the ubiquitous litany of why. She asks why about EVERYTHING. And she also will follow me around the house to peg me with questions. Does anyone else find it hard to cook or clean and also answer small child questions at the same time? Because my brain just can’t seem to handle it. I want her to feel like she can ask me questions, but…phew! Sometimes I need a break.

***After I posted this, I remembered this article by Rachel Balducci earlier in the week on Faith and Family. In it she shares her favorite parent answers to why questions, including “Because I said so.” My own personal favorite, which fits a lot of the why-is-it-like-that type questions Veronica is constantly asking: “God made it that way.”

 

4. Following in her sisters’ footsteps, Ariadne has almost grown out of the 0-3 month clothes now. She’s nearly 8 weeks, and getting chunkier and cuter by the minute. And smiling a lot. I love baby smiles. If only I could capture one on camera…

 

5. Even though it’s still a little chilly, Paul has been wanting to do some gardening with the girls. So he got a little seed starter tray and they picked out some flowers. And tomatoes. And green beans. They planted them in the tray and also in some pots we had lying around, and they are now basking in the sun in the dog room. Or would be, if it wasn’t overcast today. He is hoping that having them indoors will give them a chance even though technically it’s still winter. We’ll see!

6. Ariadne has been a lot more congested than either of the other two girls. I find myself needing to suction her nose to get the big boogers out. Jacinta came in the bedroom while I was doing this the other day, and of course Ariadne was not a happy camper. She was doing her angry cry, and Jacinta got so freaked out that she’s afraid of the suction bulb now. I offered to let her hold it to try and put her fears to rest, but she looked at me like I was waving a chainsaw at her. Then she turned and ran.

7. The girls had a play date with their cousins last week, where this gem of a conversation took place.

4 y/o Nephew: Who is the oldest one in the house?

Me: I think it is probably your mom.

Nephew: How old is she?

Me: I don’t know, you’ll have to ask her.

Nephew: I think she is in her sixties.

Gotta love kids!