Out of the mouths of babes...

A friend of a friend came yesterday to give us some advice on decorating our house.


Our girls have their own rooms - one is pink, the other is purple. Before we moved in last summer my husband (with a little help from the girls!) painted one wall in each room in those colors to make the girls feel at home in their new room. We are now ready to finish decorating them and thought the girls would be excited.


My youngest is two and a half years old - need I say more?




We were standing in her room with my friend discussing ideas to make it really special when she announced in a slightly distressed voice "I don't want my room painted, I want it purple!" We reassured her it was going to stay purple but she continued to be upset saying "my Daddy painted that!"


My friend was trying to calm her down and asked "did you help him?" "Yes" she said "Daddy shouted at me!"


I was mortified! I don't know her very well at all and wasn't sure what her reaction would be. Luckily she replied "Well it was your first time painting, I bet he'll let you help again".


My husband rarely raises his voice and it must just have been something like "you're in the way" or "put that down" and it was 8 months ago but whatever happened it has certainly stuck in my daughter's mind!


My oldest also knows how to embarrass me - both times in the same Post Office. The first time we were waiting in line when she turned to the man behind us and said in a big loud voice "That man's wearing earrings. Men don't wear earrings" I'm not sure what his reaction was as I daren't look at him!


The next time, we were being served at the Post Office and there is a gentleman there who always gives my girls a stamp on their hand. On this occasion it was a different man serving us but my oldest daughter shouted "I want a stamp on my hand now!" It did sound very cheeky but I only had myself to blame....she was using the exact tone I must use to them when I say "come here, I said come here now!"


I did try to explain to the guy but he looked young and probably doesn't have children yet as he looked a bit puzzled.


So just a word of warning really, be careful what you say and do around your little ones as it'll come back to embarrass you one day!

Hello UK!

I recently joined Mom Bloggers Club in the US and discovered they have just started a sister site in the UK. I joined this site too because I lived in Scotland for my first 25 years then England for several more years so would like to keep in touch with Mummy life in Britain as well as Mommy life in America.

I try as much as possible to teach my girls about my cultural heritage as that will always be where my heart is. Although they were both born in America (but have dual nationality!) they love to say "I was born in Scotland Mommy same as you" which warms my heart... but then sometimes they will also say "I'm from Mexico same as Dora "(the Explorer)...so perhaps they are a little confused ...or just watching too much TV!

They are already a bit mixed up as my English husband keeps telling them they are half Scottish, half English and half American. What will their teachers say when my girls insist there are 3 halves instead of just 2!

Funnily enough our American friends think our girls sound British and our British friends think they sound American! Sorry girls, you really are destined to be mixed up!

I was listening to my Swedish neighbor talking to her 1 year old son in Swedish the other day and marvelling that he was already bilingual. Then I thought to myself "my children are bilingual too!" However, I'm not sure telling them that in Britain a cookie is called a biscuit, a diaper is called a nappy and pants are called trousers really counts as bilingual does it?

But then I thought "wait! they really are! I've heard them count to 10 in Spanish, they know Hola is Spanish for hello and grande is Spanish for big". Although, I must confess this is all down to Dora the Explorer again....hmmm perhaps they are also half Mexican after all.......?

Snow! snow! snow!

After a winter full of unusually warm days often reaching the 70F we finally had a big spring snow storm come through yesterday!

Here's my problem: I'm trying to teach my children about the days of the week, months of the year and the seasons...... So I tell them it's hot in the summer, windy in the fall, snowy & cold in winter and sunny & warm in the spring.

Now they're looking at me as if to say "Didn't you tell us spring has started? You said spring was sunny & warm!"

Come on Mother Nature! Give us other Moms a hand and stick to the rules please!

Have a great weekend - we'll be sledging!!!

How can they be so naughty?

My children are gorgeous and adorable - so how could they be so naughty??

They've never done anything really naughty before but yesterday it started with my oldest girl cutting her hair with her play scissors. To be honest I've been waiting for that one - don't all kids have to do this?

But then while they were meant to be in their rooms for quiet time (sadly even my 2.5yr old doesn't want to nap anymore) I heard water running as if inside the walls of the house. I ran upstairs to find both girls pouring water down the floor vent for the heating and A/C.

Arghhhhh! There really was water running inside the walls of the house!!!

They went straight on a time out and I went straight on the phone to ask my husband what the consequences of this were. Was the water going to run into the furnace and blow it up? (ok a bit dramatic I can see now!)

The difficult thing was I couldn't get them to comprehend how naughty they had been. As I was shouting at them and asking had they ever seen me put anything down there their little eyes were actually shining with glee! They weren't being cheeky though ( I don't think they'd know how, bless them) but they just couldn't see what all the fuss was about!

Help! I'm not eating enough fruit!

I am a qualified dietitian and for years religiously ate my 5 portions of fruit and vegetables each day. Here in America they refer to 'eating a rainbow' which is a nice way to sell fruit and vegetables to children.

Talking of children, I make sure my girls have their fruit and vegetables each day (luckily they love fruit and like several vegetables!)

However, it occurred to me the other day that my intake has dropped. I always have vegetables with my meals but I'm not doing so well when it comes to fruit. For example, when I chop an apple for them I eat the little bit that's left round the core....except that's not a full portion!

So my goal for the day is to think about myself a little more and make sure I get my full quota. We Mommy's need to stay healthy for our children and show them a good example too - happy munching!

End of an era

I've held onto them just in case...... but the time has finally come to sell my baby items...

I can't bear to part with the beautiful bassinet they slept in as newborns so I'm definitely keeping that but it's time to sell the other big items. My husband wants to reclaim the garage from the variety of strollers, infant car seats etc.; the rocking horse and exersaucer have lots of play left in them but look sad in the corner of the playroom now the girls have moved onto 'big girl toys' and the high chair has long been replaced by booster seats.

It's not easy though.... these items hold so many memories:

• the many hours my husband and I spent in Babies R Us trying to decide just what would be the right style, brand, color & features for each item
• gazing at our baby sleeping peacefully in the lovely wooden crib when all too soon they outgrew the bassinet
• their first spoonful of baby rice in the high chair
  
• the excitement of buying a double stroller when we found out another little one was on the way!

Then there are a few items I insisted we needed according to the parenting magazines but could actually have lived very well without! The plastic indoor/outdoor play yard is a great example! I won't be sorry to see that go! ("Honestly darling the girls played in it lots!")

So I was pleased to hear from a lovely lady who is delighted to have just become a grandma. She is coming to look at what we have to sell and I hope the baby things we so lovingly bought will bring happiness to another family.

The saga continues

The saga of the playhouse continues... I keep missing out on these playhouses from Craigslist!!
I replied to one advert 20 minutes after it was posted and I was still the second person - not the first - can you believe this?

I phoned about another one and was told they'd phone me if the first person didn't want it. They did phone and left a message saying the person hadn't turned up. Terrific, I thought so I called them back within 40 minutes of them leaving the message - she'd only gone and phoned the next person on the list after me and they were on their way to get it!!

Was she so desperate for the money she couldn't even wait for me to reply?

My husband is now realising how hot the competition is for these - he previously said things like "you're not checking Craigslist again are you?" Now he's saying - "shouldn't you be checking Craigslist again?"!!