I've always believed that my children shouldn't be inflicted on other people. So I've always made it a goal that my children be fairly well behaved in public.
Today we went to Fuji for lunch, a Japanese hibachi grill here in town. Eight people to a table. The other four people sitting there were these two elderly couples. We all enjoyed our lunch and the girls sat fairly quietly, eating their food and talking to us. They didn't like the salad and everyone laughed when Genevieve tried a bite of it (priceless expression, but she managed to swallow the bite!) but they ate at least some of everything else. At the end of our meal, when the other people were leaving, the man sitting next to Jeremy leaned over and said "I just have to compliment you on the behavior of your children."
Yay me!! I'm not raising complete monsters!
Really, that kind of thing is always pleasant to hear.
On the other hand, Imogen was on the phone with my mom the other day, asking just how many gifts she would be getting for her birthday and informing my mother that the proposed number was not enough. GRRR. We had a talk that evening about gift etiquette.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
My daughter, the hair stylist
Yesterday, while talking to a friend on the phone, I found a chunk of Genevieve's hair. Unmistakably Genevieve's. Very straight, dark brown, cut very neatly at the top and tapering down at the bottom. I held it up "You cut your hair?" I don't know why I phrase these things as a question. Her already large brown eyes widened and she took a step back and said "No." I said "No?? Don't tell me know. It's really quite obvious that you DID. I'll be happy to take you to get a real haircut if you want. Do you want your hair short?" And she said "No." She wants her hair long, supposedly.
Then, today, I'm wetting down her hair to put it up for day care. As I brush the hair back from the forehead an inch long section suddenly springs up saying "Here I am!" I told Genevieve that if she's going to cut her hair in the future can she PLEASE take it off in the BACK rather than front-and-center? I also told her I couldn't put her hair up and she responded (reasonably of course) by throwing herself on the floor and screaming. To which I respoonded by picking her up and dragging her to her room and shutting her door and fervently praying she would be done with this display by the time it was time to leave. Which she was.
In the meantime, I need to figure out how to make that hair grow or something.
Then, today, I'm wetting down her hair to put it up for day care. As I brush the hair back from the forehead an inch long section suddenly springs up saying "Here I am!" I told Genevieve that if she's going to cut her hair in the future can she PLEASE take it off in the BACK rather than front-and-center? I also told her I couldn't put her hair up and she responded (reasonably of course) by throwing herself on the floor and screaming. To which I respoonded by picking her up and dragging her to her room and shutting her door and fervently praying she would be done with this display by the time it was time to leave. Which she was.
In the meantime, I need to figure out how to make that hair grow or something.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Shopping trip
Jeremy's grandmother loves to spoil. She sent Valentine's Day cards for each of the girls with two dollars in them. Jeremy told them they could spend them money on whatever they wanted themselves.
So today we get around to doing that. We walk into Walmart and I ask them what they want to buy.
"Can I buy whatever I want?" Imogen asks.
"Yes," I say.
"Can I buy gum?" she asks. Now, gum has been the ultimate forbidden fruit, ever since I picked some out of Genevieve's hair. If I buy some, I don't share it. If I let them pick something out at the store to get, I veto gum. When they ask when they can get gum, I tell them when they're 18.
"Yes," I say, "You can get gum."
So we pick out gum and more candy and we proceed to tell anyone who has the misfortune of wandering within six feet of us all about this. Long explanations of the choice of gum and candy along with who's paying for it and how they got the money follow. It's cute but embarrassing.
But on the other hand, how sweet that $2 each can totally make their day. Such innocence that buying gum and candy themselves is so very COOL. As Genevieve proclaimed "I can buy whatever I want."
So today we get around to doing that. We walk into Walmart and I ask them what they want to buy.
"Can I buy whatever I want?" Imogen asks.
"Yes," I say.
"Can I buy gum?" she asks. Now, gum has been the ultimate forbidden fruit, ever since I picked some out of Genevieve's hair. If I buy some, I don't share it. If I let them pick something out at the store to get, I veto gum. When they ask when they can get gum, I tell them when they're 18.
"Yes," I say, "You can get gum."
So we pick out gum and more candy and we proceed to tell anyone who has the misfortune of wandering within six feet of us all about this. Long explanations of the choice of gum and candy along with who's paying for it and how they got the money follow. It's cute but embarrassing.
But on the other hand, how sweet that $2 each can totally make their day. Such innocence that buying gum and candy themselves is so very COOL. As Genevieve proclaimed "I can buy whatever I want."
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Vague questions
I don't know if kids just think I'm a mind reader or if they honestly think they always communicate the necessary information to me.
Little Miss Questions walked up and asked "What is that red stuff that's not chapstick?"
Without even trying to clarify, I said, "Blood."
She shook her head, "No, it's-"
"Jello," I interupted.
"No! It goes on your lips!" she said.
"Oh... lipstick."
Little Miss Questions walked up and asked "What is that red stuff that's not chapstick?"
Without even trying to clarify, I said, "Blood."
She shook her head, "No, it's-"
"Jello," I interupted.
"No! It goes on your lips!" she said.
"Oh... lipstick."
Kids make me laugh with thier statements of absolutes. Today Genevieve said "Animals don't live in houses." I said "Does Zeus live in a house? Is Zeus an animal?" The fact that I had proven the previous statement wrong did not cause her to abandon it, however. Why? Because lions and tigers don't live in houses. Eventually it was suggested that she modify it to "Some animals don't live in houses."
Imogen however is all about questions. She'll ask questions till my EARS BLEED!! It drives me nuts, honestly. If she runs out of questions, she'll start asking questions about things she already knows. She'll sit in front of a movie she's seen about 4.8 million times (like Toy Story 2) and ask me questions about it. "Who are they? Why doesn't he like him? Is that the real Buzz? Why is she sad? Why are they hiding? What was that? Where is Andy?" I think she just hates when I have a moment to focus on homework or something. If I ask her the same questions instead of answering them, she'll say the answer.
"Imogen, you ask a lot of questions," I said.
"Yeah, 'cause I'm just a kid," she said.
That explains it.
Imogen however is all about questions. She'll ask questions till my EARS BLEED!! It drives me nuts, honestly. If she runs out of questions, she'll start asking questions about things she already knows. She'll sit in front of a movie she's seen about 4.8 million times (like Toy Story 2) and ask me questions about it. "Who are they? Why doesn't he like him? Is that the real Buzz? Why is she sad? Why are they hiding? What was that? Where is Andy?" I think she just hates when I have a moment to focus on homework or something. If I ask her the same questions instead of answering them, she'll say the answer.
"Imogen, you ask a lot of questions," I said.
"Yeah, 'cause I'm just a kid," she said.
That explains it.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Stuff
I got flowers for Valentines Day! I was shocked. I think this is the second time I've gotten flowers since I've been married. :) Except from other people when I had the girls.
The second one is that horrid plaster sculpture I've been complaining about. I actually had to paint it so now it's black. I know what you're thinking: I should change majors. At least, you would be thinking that if you saw other people's sculptures. If I never see plaster again it'll be too soon. I'm not a sculpter type person at all.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
SUGAR!!!!
My kids are in various stages of being grounded from various things for various crimes. Genevieve asked when she would be ungrounded from sweets.
"Saturday," I said.
"Nooo," she whined.
"How about Sunday," I said, thinking my voice conveyed an adequate level of warning.
"Sunday! Ok!" she said, giggling excitedly, and secretly congratulating herself on her negotiation skills. (Future politicians of the world, beware.)
Imogen decided to get in on the act.
"When am *I* ungrounded from sweets?"
"Saturday," I said, bored to death of this conversation.
"Saturday is too far away," she said.
"How about Sunday," I said, hoping it would work again. But Imogen's been getting days-of-the-week lessons at school.
"How about tomorrow? Tomorrow would help," she said. Help what? She already got to eat piles of candy for Valentine's Day. I don't feel sorry for her at all.
Then there's the bagel/donut controversy. Imogen, for the life of her, can not, ever, remember that a donut is a donut. I can see the mixup. Both a small round bread with a hole in the center. She sees a Krispy Kreme truck and it's "Look! A bagel truck!"
So, yesterday, I knew Imogen would come home with lots of candy and cookies and I felt bad for Genevieve (Genevieve got grounded from sweets today, while Imogen's been grounded from sweets since Monday). So we went to the DONUT shop and got a couple DONUTS. Genevieve didn't like her's, but it goes against the Code of the Kid to admit that about something that's chocolate with chocolate icing with more sprinkles plastered to it than the average grocery store stocks in the baking aisle. So she puts it in the fridge to "save it for later". It sat in there getting less appetizing by the moment (donuts don't keep very well) and Imogen was positively obsessing about the thing. I had to hear almost constant requests to go to the "place where I bought the bagel" and so that I could "get her a bagel of her own".
So finally Genevieve pulls the stupid thing out of the fridge and earns all kinds of brownie points sharing this day and a half old nasty donut that she didn't like in the first place with her sister, who scarfs it down and then asks me if we can go back to the bagel shop to get more.
*twitch*
"Saturday," I said.
"Nooo," she whined.
"How about Sunday," I said, thinking my voice conveyed an adequate level of warning.
"Sunday! Ok!" she said, giggling excitedly, and secretly congratulating herself on her negotiation skills. (Future politicians of the world, beware.)
Imogen decided to get in on the act.
"When am *I* ungrounded from sweets?"
"Saturday," I said, bored to death of this conversation.
"Saturday is too far away," she said.
"How about Sunday," I said, hoping it would work again. But Imogen's been getting days-of-the-week lessons at school.
"How about tomorrow? Tomorrow would help," she said. Help what? She already got to eat piles of candy for Valentine's Day. I don't feel sorry for her at all.
Then there's the bagel/donut controversy. Imogen, for the life of her, can not, ever, remember that a donut is a donut. I can see the mixup. Both a small round bread with a hole in the center. She sees a Krispy Kreme truck and it's "Look! A bagel truck!"
So, yesterday, I knew Imogen would come home with lots of candy and cookies and I felt bad for Genevieve (Genevieve got grounded from sweets today, while Imogen's been grounded from sweets since Monday). So we went to the DONUT shop and got a couple DONUTS. Genevieve didn't like her's, but it goes against the Code of the Kid to admit that about something that's chocolate with chocolate icing with more sprinkles plastered to it than the average grocery store stocks in the baking aisle. So she puts it in the fridge to "save it for later". It sat in there getting less appetizing by the moment (donuts don't keep very well) and Imogen was positively obsessing about the thing. I had to hear almost constant requests to go to the "place where I bought the bagel" and so that I could "get her a bagel of her own".
So finally Genevieve pulls the stupid thing out of the fridge and earns all kinds of brownie points sharing this day and a half old nasty donut that she didn't like in the first place with her sister, who scarfs it down and then asks me if we can go back to the bagel shop to get more.
*twitch*
This morning...
As you can see, Imogen was happy to go to school this morning.
Genevieve on the other hand, was subjected to the horrors of wearing clothes she didn't want to wear. I ended up forcing her into the clothes amid threats of grounding on my part and much screaming on her part.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Today...
Today it snowed. It was very pretty though the picture doesn't really show it. Also played with taking pictures of the girls without the flash. I made them sit in the sun, and I think the pics look better in black and white.
Welcome...
Ok, welcome. In case you haven't realized, the title of this thing is a JOKE. :p Feel free to laugh. ;)
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