Particular about the playground

My two-and-a-half-year old is particular about the playground. On the way to the park the other day, Baby C asked very matter-of-factly: "Does the playground have mulch or sand?"

Well, I didn't know, so I told her we would have to determine that when we arrived. Turns out it was mulch. She was good with that. Don't know what would have happened if it were sand.

Got dang! It's hot in here.

Baby C has deciphered the heat with a grammatically questionable phrase: "Got dang! It's hot in here!"

Never mind the silliness of her saying this. She is correct. Very right. It measured 110 degrees in my vehicle today. Hopefully it was incorrect, but yuck. We need a reprieve. So I guess that's why we're off to Phoenix next week. OK...I wasn't really thinking when I made the reservations. It was February or so. What can I say?

I know. Got dang. It's hot out there.

Eye of the tiger

Since when are invitations based on how well you know someone's favorite karaoke song?

Since when do two-year-old babies say, "Stop it! You're giving me a headache." and "Leave me alone, Daddy."?

Since when are McDonald's ice cream cones 99 cents?

Today.

The song Eye of the Tiger wins me an invitation from a longtime friend, and my daughter is using the teen-ager-like idioms she shouldn't be.

The epitome of laziness

Today, I helped (half-way) to order a pizza from bed.

**Begin excuse section:

It was because the two-hour workout today got to me, and I needed to take a nap this afternoon around 3:30 p.m. Then my husband Big G came into the bedroom around 5:30 p.m. and said that he was going to order pizza. I was still half-way sleeping and having heavy REM, dream-filled sleep, and c(w)ouldn't get up. He left, and then came back shortly with the laptop. He had submitted the order online. Then I spouted off my credit card number in my half-asleep state. So I think ordering a pizza in bed has got to be the laziest thing I've done in a LONG time.

Or is it?

**Begin rationale. I deserve a bit of laziness because I took the children bowling today, and I took them to the Y, where I worked out for two hours. I planned to take them swimming after the pizza. All of these things that surround the laziness are not indicative of laziness. So that's why. Ha.

Summer: Bowling, Swimming, and Chores!

Will this summer be full of bowling? Will it be full of swimming? Or will it be full of whining boys and girl?

All of the above will happen, I am assuming. Bowling can happen almost daily, since there's one free game for each school-age child per day at the local-ish bowling alley. Swimming can also happen daily, now that the pool dues are paid! And whining is certain, because of the next fun thing I have lined up for the children.

That is: I'd love to come up with a list of chores for each child to do, because I think it builds character. Doesn't it?

My mother's idea when I was young was to throw a pile of clean clothes into the living room, and tell each child to fold 10 things. I, being the oldest and wisest, would go for the washcloths and towels. Sometimes, there were leftovers, meaning there were more clothes to fold after each of us folded 10 items. That was depressing. But hey, if that was the only depressing thing, then life was good!

So clothes folding, vacuuming, clothes washing, room cleaning, toilet cleaning, window cleaning, and more await. All of us should practice being Cinderella this summer. I don't wanna! How many whiners does that make? Oh. I guess all six of us.

Netflix is hazardous and helpful to Baby C

Older British cartoons are all the rage here in Texas, at least at our house. Kipper the Dog is a slow-paced cartoon about a dog and his friends, all with British accents.

Baby C loves the show, and decided to emulate lots of the language from the episodes she craves daily. She re-uses the language for her own purposes. Now, instead of saying, "I wanna do it now," she says, "I'll have a go."

In another side effect of the show, Baby C also now occasionally sucks her thumb like Arnold the Pig. Why? This cartoon is causing progression and regression all at the same time. While sucking her thumb, which enrages her father, Baby C is grinning through it, enjoying the infuriation it causes. I have to laugh, which makes it one of those lovely vicious cycles.

So let's have a go at a great weekend. May it be full of language from faraway lands but no thumb-sucking.

Sleeping Booty has a crush

Baby C tends to be creative with her costumes. This could be because we have butterfly wings, lots of headbands, and hats laying around. She names herself most creatively, though, when she wraps her blanket around herself. Then, and only then, is she "Sleeping Booty!" She doesn't get the sound of the "eau" quite yet.

We laugh. But Sleeping Booty thinks she has found her prince in her 14-year-old brother's friend. The whole family went to a dance last night. Yes, those big weekday school dances are great. We did the chicken dance, and indeed we looked like chickens, albeit with our heads missing.

At the dance, Baby C wanted her brother's friend to say hi. Remember, she's two. And a half. When he did tell her hello, she smiled, hid her face in her hands, and then looked up at us, and said sweetly, "He talked to me!"

Oh, goodness. Sleeping Booty woke up.