Archive
Sanity Saver #2: Be A Wet Blanket, But In A Fun Way
These little spray bottles have come in handy so many times I buy them in six-packs – the kids LOVE them. Okay, and I love them (especially at less than $2 per spray bottle). With the beginning of spray bottle season upon us, here are just a few of the ways we’ve already used our 2013 models: Read more…
Monday Minute: Daylight Savings Time Strikes Again
Waking James up in the morning is always a special joy in my life, but Mondays are often the hardest. Still suffering from the loss of a precious hour over the weekend I approached his room this morning with no small amount of dread. And a plan. Little did I know that James had been secretly forming a counterattack. Read more…
Advocates For Children of New York: School Info and Education Assistance for NYC Families
Click here to see my review of Advocates for Children, the latest entry in my series of posts on Mommy Poppins about resources/agencies for special needs children.
Monday Minute (slightly late thanks to school “break”): Why James Keeps Finding Bad Stuff On Youtube
So after James lost YouTube from his ipod for the 5th time this month, we’ve decided to just take the option off of the darn thing for now. Why didn’t you do that sooner, you might be thinking. Well for one, James LOVES YouTube. But I also think YouTube is incredibly valuable in some ways. We often look up things we’re reading about on YouTube – horse races, lego building, dance shows, etc. The kids really respond to seeing what we’ve been learning about at home live, as well as watching other children in action (dancing, sports, gymnastics).
We’ve put the parental controls as high as they go, but YouTube is no match for James’s eccentric search terms. Remember Kili the parrot? The most recent offense? Belly buttons. I walked in on him watching “how to care for your belly button ring,” one of a long list of mildly sketchy video options gleaned from the search term. There was also some slightly more skeevy material labeled “belly button request” that he thankfully had passed over.
In direct contrast to the strict control we are taking over YouTube, we’ve started to leave James alone at home for very brief periods here and there, mainly when we’re taking the kids to dance class 2 blocks away and it’s only for an hour. James has gone from feeling anxious about the concept of “home alone” as recently as last year to now asking if he can stay home all the time, ever since he realized that staying home really means he can play Wii uninterrupted.
So for now, YouTube is back to “in view of parents only,” meaning not on his ipod. But it doesn’t mean James has forgotten about it. At all. Ever.
Monday Minute: Are You My Cousin? James Rewrites the Dr. Seuss Classic
Apparently I need to brush up on family relations…
(James is sitting in the kitchen while I make him breakfast, Ian in his bouncy chair nearby)
James: Hi, Ian. Hi, little Ian! So, is Ian my cousin?
Me: What?
James: Ian’s my cousin?
Me: Are you serious? Read more…
Monday Minute: Just Another Manic (Mon)Day
After another oh-so-fun wake up of James this morning that included being kicked at (he said he was just trying to kick the covers), being called a bully, and James smacking himself dramatically in the forehead while loudly groaning “I’m too tired ” for 25 minutes, I was pretty done with him and he knew it. And, as usual, by the time he came downstairs for breakfast, he was dressed, smiling and ready to (intensely) pretend the last half hour didn’t happen. Having been up since 4am with my 3-month old, I wasn’t in the mood to let him off so easily. But you have to give the kid an A for effort… Read more…
Monday Minute: James returns from abroad
(At the dinner table)
Me: So did you have a nice time visiting with everyone in Albany?
James: Yeah.
Me: What was your favorite thing?
James: It’s good to be back in America.
Me: What?
James: I missed you guys.
(glances are exchanged)
Ryan: James, is Albany in America?
James: Nah.
Ryan: What about Virginia?
James: No, we’re in America.
Me: Where?
James: In our house.
Me: But where is our house?
James: In New York City.
Me: Actually, Albany, Virginia, Ohio and New York City are all in America.
James: Actually, I told you that New York is America.
Me: New York IS America?
James: Well, New York City is actually America.
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And there you have it.
Monday Minute: While We’re On The Subject Of Bus Drivers…
With the bus strike looming, the Monday Minute material this morning was not just entertaining, but thematic.
(getting ready in the morning)
Me: Hurry up and get your shoes on, the bus is almost here.
James: Can I have ipod time?
Me: While you wait, if your shoes and coat are on. Are you excited to tell your friends about your fun weekend playing tennis?
James: Yeah, but I can’t even do that.
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