You Only Hear What You Want To

As I put the girls in the car after a trip to Stew's (where else?), AK starting howling. Not crying. Howling. I asked, "AK are you being a werewolf?"

From the booster on the other side of the car, LP asks, "What is a werewolf?"

"A man...that is a wolf."

"Oh."

A few seconds later, "Mom? I know what a wolf with syphilis is."

Me: "A WHAT?!"

LP: "A wolf. With syphilis."

Me: "Okay. What is it?"

LP: "You know, a wolf-with-sypalus. A dinosaur."

Right.

Shortly before this conversation she also told me, "Mom. I don't need your help anymore. I can do this," in reference to circumnavigating the car to get in on "her" side.

Did I also mention that I called the local elementary school to sign up to receive the paperwork for kindergarten? Ack.

Submerging

These days it seems like there is hardly anything to talk about besides the snow. But I will try.

The girls started their new swimming lessons this weekend. LP has taken ballet and soccer and swimming before, but this was AK's first organized activity. Knowing how much she loves the water and how difficult it was for her to watch LP during her lessons at Norwalk High a few months ago, I was super-excited to see AK get into the pool. In fact, I think I was more excited then her.

As expected she came through like a champ, floating on her back, blowing bubbles and really just being all-in-all adorable in her bathing cap and goggles.

Beyond that the snow has meant a lot of inside time - which includes lots of television and snuggling. The snuggling, I like, the television, not so much. AK can't get enough, and when we are out she often requests to go home so we can watch Kai-Lan. Oy.

LP is getting so grown up. The other day she was trying to put on a skirt with her bathing suit. The suit (pictured) has a tutu-like ruffle at the hip, making it pretty difficult to wear a skirt over it. She turned to me, exasperated and said, "Mom! This skirt is so not happening!" can you see trouble in my future with a capital T?

Watching Life Whiz By

As I sit in my office watching it snow - again - I am eagerly looking forward to Spring. And then that gets me thinking about how quickly Spring will actually be here, and then Summer and then...2012!

Think I'm kidding? Just look at how my year is shaping up:

• March - our trip to Disneyworld! The girls first time on a plane!


• April - Start house-hunting in earnest, get our house on the market. Passover.


• May - Weekend trip to DC? LP turns FIVE. Move?


• June - AK turns THREE. The Hoos turns 35! My brother and his family visit from California. LP graduates from pre-school! Move?


• July - Our summer vacation. Or move?


• August - Brother-in-law and his family relocate to the US from overseas! My niece is Bat Mitzvahed.


• September - LP STARTS KINDERGARTEN!!!!!!! I turn 35.

Need I go on?

Whatchu Talking Bout, Willis?

What exactly are we talking about in our house? All sort of randomness.

• Nicknames. Any time I say to AK, "Hi Peanut!" She looks my right in the eye and responds, "I NOT a peanut! I a monkey!" More like a constant explosion of random energy!
• Reading. For Chanukah we bought her a Kumon workbook and every night the Hoos does a few pages with her at bed time. They are getting to the end now and she is sounding out words! It is awesome. We are all crazy proud, especially the Hoos. I can't even imagine how amazing it will be when she starts REALLY reading.
• Tuh-Vee (aka TV). This morning the girls had a school delay, so we got to see all sorts of TV shows that we have never before noticed. This included cartoons on the Spanish language channel, and In the Night Garden, which AK noted was "like Teletubbies." (aka mind-numbing and a bit creepy).
• Worrying. Today LP told me "Teachers worry about my friends. Kids are not supposed to worry about each other. We can worry about teachers if they are hurt or something, like the other day, Miss Natalie dropped something during circle time and I turned around right away and said 'Miss Natalie! Are you okay?' and all my friends turned around like this 'WHAA!?'" Soo...guess whose kid is a busybody?
• Sisneyworld! The girls continue to be super excited about our trip. We made a paper chain using Mickey Mouse paint sample cards we absconded with from Home Depot. I didn't feel comfortable taking more than 40 (!!, I know) so we can't start removing "links" right yet, but we needed to make it or the girls would explode.

Holding My Breath

While I was away in Vermont:

1. Connecticut got a monster snow storm
2. 75% of my family got sick

Considering there are only four of us, that pretty much means that when I came home Thursday afternoon, I was the only healthy person in sight. AWE-SOME.

If only my children had shown any sign that they actually missed me, perhaps I would have been more sympathetic to their plight. Instead, LP, who spent half the day with the Hoos at his office and half with my mother-in-law thanks to her illness, was pissed. She wanted to know why I was home early, because she would have preferred to spend more time with her grandmother.

Then, when I showed up at day care AK ignored me, focusing instead on her snack. Which was primo, because daddy doesn't usually pack lunch and felt the need to cram in a few extra snacks.

To be fair, the Hoos was really happy to see me. Both because he was coming down with a cold and because after a day being snowbound with the ladies he was jonesing for some adult company - or more likely adult assistance.

This weekend included a 2 hour wait at the pediatrician, middle of the night whining, Triaminic, Motrin, several boxes of tissues, a little puke and, for one of the crew, antibiotics. It also included a lot of time inside the house. Although, LP did get to go see Disney on Ice, which she enjoyed immensely.

To cap off the whole weekend extravaganza, this morning at 6:35, AK decided that she no longer wanted to wear her footy pajamas and insisted on changing both into a nightgown and into "un-d-wear."

Fortunately for all of us, my parents have a brief interlude in their travel plans and decided to trek up to CT to spend the day with the girls. This 1. avoids a potential call from day care should anyone relapse or degrade health wise and 2. offers some peace of mind that my babies are getting some extra TLC at a time when they need it.

As for me, some extra TLC will be coming on Friday when the girls spend the night at my in-laws so that the Hoos and I can go out to dinner. Too bad it is with his demanding clients that forced him to work 300 hours or so during the month of December.

10 Days

Alas, it has been at least that long since my last personal blog post. I have written at least two for work - but I figure most of my readers aren't interested in how to best remove snow from their solar panels. The reason I have not posted is not that the girls have stopped growing or being ridiculously silly. It is more like, well, I have lots of other things to do.

Like...

Work.

One thing I have to go is go to a sales meeting in Vermont this week. A five hour drive from home, I was planning on leaving at the butt crack of dawn on Wednesday. Turns out that we are expecting 6-12 inches of snow Wednesday morning. So, I am now leaving tomorrow afternoon. I was already feeling guilty about leaving the Hoos with day care drop off and pick up duty for two nights, now I am sticking him with it for three. And, because I am going up early I can now make a stop at the Ben & Jerry's factory store in Waterbury, VT. Who is getting the short end of this stick, eh?

The trip should be interesting for lots of reasons, not the least of which is that 25 of us will be staying and meeting in one house for two nights. It has been a long time since I shared a room with someone other than the Hoos and I am focusing now on relaxing. Not relaxing in the sense that this is a vacation, but relaxing in the sense of letting things go and trying not too be too high strung. I am usually very action oriented and direct and I just have a feeling that this sort of environment will not be good for my blood pressure. But hopefully things will go better than expected.

Diet.

I am into week two of my no-sugar, no bread "diet". Once a week I have pizza, but other than that I seem to be doing pretty well. Unfortunately, according to the new scale we bought yesterday it is having no impact. Or it is having an impact and I just weighed way more than I thought when I started this new meal plan? Neither is a great prospect. But I am pushing on! The thing I am missing most? Sweet drinks. Sugar in my coffee, peppermint hot chocolate, and iced latte...

Kiddos.

The girls continue to be deliciously hysterical. Most of the time.

Last night we were driving somewhere and I pointed out a snowman on some one's lawn. LP missed it and I told her it was probably because it was dark. "But I can see in the dark! There's a house....and another house....and another house....and another house...."

AK invited herself along to a birthday party for one of LP's friends. Since it was an in-home party I wasn't too worried about the intrusion and the hosts were very sweet. The adventure included face painting. Somehow AK forced herself in to the beginning of the line and came out looking like an adorable butterfly. Unfortunately, the blue face paint dried out or burned her skin and even though it was washed off before bed Saturday, she spent all of Sunday with red marks on her face in the shape of butterfly wings.

Looking Ahead.

AK and LP are totally psyched for our trip to Disneyworld. AK has grand plans, including giving Mickey Mouse a high-five. Every day she asks me if today is the day we go to "Sisneyworld. " When I tell her no, she responds, "First school, THAN Sisneyworld." Yup, for the next couple of months, kid!

To help the time pass I have signed both girls up for swimming lessons at a new facility in Fairfield, Wings Over Water. There was a Groupon last week offering four lessons plus an annual membership for $59. Since it has a heated indoor pool and we have been feeling shut-in lately from all of the snow, I thought it would be a good way to prepare for our Disney trip and the summer. The even better news, because AK is such a water baby, she is in a group called SuperTots which does not require me to go in the water. Hip hip hooray!!! I just know she will love it. Even if she does have to wear doubled up reusable swim diapers. And with the membership we can swim during "family swim time," which is 1-3:30 on the weekends all winter long. Another way to keep us from climbing the walls or watching Nick Jr. ad naseum all winter.

Onward and Upward. I hope to be back in less than 10 days.