The things my kids do …

The girls like to get into my pans and tupperware cabinets.  This time they cleaned the pan closet out, put their pillows in, and were trying to fit S and her pillow up on the shelf when I came in and convinced them both to sleep on the bottom shelf.

Then, while I was working out, S cried out from behind me on the couch.  She was perched up on one of the arms on hands and knees, and said, “Mama, help me!”

“S, you know you don’t play up there, get down,” I said, turning momentarily back to my video.  “Hold on, Mama’s coming.”

I turned around just in time to see S launch herself headfirst towards the floor.  She did kind of a belly-flop, hitting first with her elbows, then her tummy.  She burst into tears.  I took two steps over to her, scooped her up, and held her in my lap.  “S, why did you do that? Why didn’t you wait for Mama to help you down?”

Through her tears, she croaked out, “But Mama, I was trying to be a puppy!”  I have this image of a shaggy little mutt jumping down off my sofa, and poor S thinking that if she was pretending to be a puppy, she could actually do what puppies can.  Poor girl!

The things my kids do (continued)

Happy Valentine’s Day

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I like to make things. So, when faced with the idea of Valentine’s Day, and with coolers of chocolate covered strawberries at the check-out stand, I came up with an idea. Why pay $8.00 for eight pathetic-looking, grocery store, chocolate covered strawberries when I am in fact in a grocery store. They sell strawberries for $3, chocolate for $2, and sprinkles for $2. So, for cheaper than I can buy eight, I can make a whole batch of them on my own.

And to be honest, it was the perfect solution for celebrating V-day together as a family. I got popcicle sticks to stick into the strawberries, to make them easy to dunk, and it worked out to be a lot of fun for the girls.

Can you even see S under the chocolate?

L is a little more tidy in her approach, but she is two years older.

Lest you think all the chocolate ended up in the girls’ mouths … We did end up with quite a few coated berries.

We had some friends up for the weekend, but I neglected to get pics of them. See the video I made in the next post.

Dipping Strawberries

I shouldn’t be awake yet …

S has taken to waking up between 5:00 am and 6:00 am.  I’ve been putting her back to bed (I try to discourage this early waking by insisting they stay in bed until 7:00).  She woke up this morning at 6:15.  She said she wanted a new pacifier.  I got her one.  A few minutes later, she came out of her room again.  She needed me to sing her a song.  The third time I heard the door open, I met her at her door.  She was holding her little pointer finger up at me,

“Mama, I have a … a …. Mama I have a  …” She stuttered.

“You have a owie?” I finish for her.  It’s not uncommon for the girls to have unexplained owies just to get attention for them, so I don’t even bat an eye.  I take her little hand in mine and plant a big kiss on the tip of her finger, careful to cover a great portion of it, because I know if I miss the part that she thinks is hurt, I’ll just have to kiss it again.

S’s stutter disappears and she insists clearly, “Mama, I have a bugar!”

Said bugar was never found.  I’m just praying, like many of her owies, this bugar was also imaginary …

Interior Decorating help …

That’s what I need.  I’ve been casually looking around for drapes for my front room since we moved into the new house, and after months of looking, I fell in love.  It was Saturday, and I was at Target, and I found the most beautiful … well, I think they’re perfect.   They’re modern enough, which is good, because C accused me of picking “old-fashioned” ones for the kitchen, and the colors are perfect for my couches.   

The drapes are 54 in by 84 in.  So, I’ll have to hem them, that’s a given.

Here’s my living room.

Each of my windows is 60 in tall, 36 in wide. 

Here’s the question I asked C, only to get told he wasn’t the one to ask.  Do I just get one curtain for each window?  If I do, when I open them during the day (we live in this room – the windows will be open every day), do I just push the curtains to the right side of the right window and the left side of the left window, as if both windows were one large one?  Or, do I need to buy one curtain for each window, cut them in half lengthwise, and put two (half) curtains on each window?  If I do that, and cut a 54 in curtain in half (27 inches, minus an inch for the hem, 26 inches for each curtain) will it make the curtains too thin?  In that case, would I be better off just buying two curtains for each window, or will that end up hopelessly bunched? 

I seem to remember somewhere hearing that you want one and a half to double the width of the window of fabric when you hang curtains, so they fall right.  In that case, 54 in comes out at exactly one and a half, but would it get too tight if I cut it in half and use up another two inches hemming the sides?

Please comment with all kinds of advise, any suggestions, etc.

Monkey see, monkey do ...

I was checking my email the other morning when I noticed S sitting at C's computer. She types on the keyboard, clicks the mouse, and then something I was surprised to notice, even runs the little rolly-knob on the mouse. I turned off my computer and offered it to L, who had since noticed that S was getting attention for what she was doing. They played with the computers for a while, and all the while I was thinking - boy, I've got to cut down on how much they see me on the computer!